THEOLOGY - The Series

Good morning!  Here is the second question and answer to my NANC theology exam.  Have you ever wondered what infallibility means?  How does it relate to authority?  In Question 2, I will answer what that relationship is...

BIBLIOLOGY

Question 2: What is the relationship between infallibility and authority?

Infallibility, which is a synonym for inerrant, means to be without error regarding either assertions or denials even in matters of history and science.  Authority means that the Bible has the right to command what I do (and not do) and what I think (and what I should not think.)[1]

Since the Bible is infallible, it is linked to authority because it is true in all of its claims.  Jesus Himself testifies that God’s Word is true in John 17:17, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”  Jesus assures us that His Word is true.  Second Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”  If all Scripture is true and is inspired by God, then it has all authority.  Infallibility and authority go hand in hand, and you cannot have one without the other.  They are both necessary in Scripture and since Scripture explains that it is sufficient for all things pertaining to life and godliness, 2 Peter 1:3, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence,” then I can be confident that the Bible has all authority for all areas of life.  Another way of explaining the Bible’s infallibility is by the fact that: 1) God cannot lie.  Romans 3:3-4 says, “What if some were unfaithful?  Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?  By no means!  Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.”  God is true and faithful.  2) God is the author and perfector of the Bible. Second Timothy 3:16-17 and 2 Peter 1:20-21.  Therefore, since God cannot lie and he is the author of the Bible, the Bible is infallible.  

Second Peter 1:19-21 states, “And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in the dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.  For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”  This passage helps to define the relationship between authority and infallibility because Peter is very clear about the source of Scripture which is God the Father by the Holy Spirit’s direction.  Since the source of Scripture is from God Himself, and God is the source of all truth and that Scripture is truth (John 17:17), it follows that the whole of Scripture is authoritative and is infallible.  If God’s Word were not infallible or authoritative, then we would be a people without hope (Psalm 19:7-11).  The apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:13-19, “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.  And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.  We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.  For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.  And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.  Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.  If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”  The Bible records the resurrection of Jesus Christ, His rising from the dead and His ascension into heaven.  He then sent the Holy Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing the believer’s residence in heaven with Him.  If the Bible is not authoritative or inerrant, then believers are to be pitied most of all people because our hope rests in the truth of the Gospel and in all of Scripture.

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[1] Rob Green, BCTC, Bibliology, Track 5

THEOLOGY - The Series

What makes biblical counseling biblical?  Why can't we just counsel out of our own experience and thoughts?  Theology is the foundation of biblical counseling because without good theology, we cannot counsel biblically.  (A bit redundant, but it makes the point.)  Over the next few weeks, I will be looking at theology.  Why theology?  To be able to counsel biblically, we must first know the Bible.  Having good theology helps us counsel in the way that God intended.  The questions asked were taken from the NANC theology exam for certification in biblical counseling that I took this Spring.  I pray that this series will be a blessing to you and help you in your counseling ministry and in your life.

BIBLIOLOGY

Question 1: The Bible is spoken of as “inspired.”  What does this mean?

I believe that every word of the Bible is God’s Word and has its source in God.  In His sovereignty, God chose to use human authors, by the power and direction of the Holy Spirit to write His Word down. Second Timothy 3:16 tells us that “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”[1]  Breathed out or inspired indicates that the human authors were moved to write, but with their own styles of writing.  In 2 Peter 3:14-17, Peter tells us that the letters the apostle Paul wrote were also Scripture.  At the end of verse 15, Peter states, “…our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him…” and then in verse 16, Peter equates the writings of Paul with the other Scriptures saying, “as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters.  There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.”  Paul wrote according to the wisdom given him, by the power of the Holy Spirit.  In 1 Corinthians 2:4, Paul states, “and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,” thereby establishing that his writings were not of mere human wisdom or good words, but were in fact a demonstration of the Holy Spirit. Paul says again in verse 13 of 1 Corinthians 2 that he is not imparting his words by human wisdom but by the Spirit’s teaching.  Therefore, God accomplishes His written Word by inspiring or moving the human authors to write by the power and direction of the Holy Spirit.  The whole of God’s Word, in the original manuscripts, is in fact God’s very Word because God is the very source of His Word.  It did not just appear.  God chose to use His imperfect people to write down His perfect Word that is without spot or blemish and without error.  God’s Word is inspired because of the direction of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the human authors.  Paul further states in 1 Thessalonians 2:13,  “¹³And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.” Paul is praising God that when he preaches, it is being received as the Word of God.  Finally, 2 Peter 1:21 says, “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

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[1] All Scripture references are in English Standard Version

Leadership In The Home...

Guys!  I need your help.  I am gathering thoughts to write about how men are to lead in the home.  Please read the following questions and comment so that I can try and get a broad sweep of answers.  I appreciate it!

1.  What would you say are mens roles in the home?  Husbands and dads.

2.  On my drive home from work, I often have great intentions of what I want to do with my family, Bible study, prayer, play with the kids, etc...  But the second I walk through that door of my home, good intentions can become fleeting memories.  What about you?  When you walk through the door of your home, how have you seen God use you and how have your good intentions become realities?  Have they become fleeting memories like mine sometimes do?

3.  Where is the battle for your heart when it comes to leading in the home?  Where do you tend to stall out instead of fulfilling your roles each day?

4.  Where do you need to change, by the grace of God, to live out your leadership?

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions!  I will be posting about this very soon after I receive enough comments. 

Building a Bridge

I just read about the following church planting organization.  What an encouraging direction that this organization and biblical counseling are moving in.  As Desert Springs Church partners with organizations like Acts 29 to be a church planting church, it is awesome to see a growing partnership between biblical counseling and church planting!  I hope you are as encouraged as I am.  I am excited to see what God does at Redemption Rio Rancho for His glory and praise.  May God bless Redemption RR and future plants to draw numerous others to His Son, Jesus Christ!




Two major Christian movements emerged in the 1970s: the modern church planting movement and the modern biblical counseling movement. The North American Church Planting Foundation (NACPF) is working to build bridges between these two movements.

The NACPF

The NACPF is a non-profit organization that exists to support and promote church planting efforts in North America. Among a handful of other ministry priorities, we emphasize the importance of biblical care and counseling within each church plant. It is our hope that a biblical counseling mindset will become the norm within the world-wide church planting community.
Throughout the landscape of established churches, as well as new church starts, biblical counseling theory and practice is less common than we would like. The churches that are born out of the current church planting movement represent, at least in part, the future of counseling in the local church. We believe an infusion of biblical counseling philosophy and practice into the DNA of new church starts is an essential key to the furtherance of the biblical counseling revolution and the continuance of effective soul care by local churches.

Values

Initiated in 2009 by Open Door Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC, The North American Church Planting Foundation is a network of like-minded churches, church planters, and sponsors that advocate three core values: Gospel, Community, and Mission. The NACPF establishes a culture of soul care among church plants by emphasizing the role of biblical counseling within each core value.

Gospel: Through the NACPF, we are working to fulfill the Great Commission by upholding and celebrating the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through the NACPF, we are committed to proclaiming the hope of the Gospel and the surpassing riches of God’s grace toward us in Christ. In fact, the grace of God and the power of the gospel are both inextricably linked to our appreciation of biblical counseling. The churches within our church planting network are equipped and motivated to change through an insightful study of the Scriptures, personal ministry to one another, and through a caring culture of biblical community.

Community: By God’s perfect design, all Christians need community. We believe the New Testament model for local churches (plants) is one of cooperating, sharing, and growing together. This “one-another” quality within the Christian faith can only exist in a gospel-centered community. As a result, the NACPF is planting churches that are not merely places where people share burdens and fellowship about life. Rather, they do so with a unique perspective as they intentionally build each other up in Christ. This is the essence of a Gospel community, committed to grow as a community knit together by love through the mutual ministry of the word. Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, it is our desire to display the sufficiency of the Scriptures through the ministry of every church plant.
Relying on the Bible as our central resource for lasting change and restoration, we have gone to great lengths to shepherd and train future church planters in practical and godly biblical counseling ministry. NACPF church planters progress through an internship process by which they are equipped and mentored to counsel biblically in a local church context. Church planters are asked to complete biblical counseling criteria including, How People Change, Helping Others Change, Instruments in a Redeemer’s Hands, and other practical biblical counseling equipping tools. Even after the church is planted, the planting team has an on-going relationship with their sending church for further training and coaching. In terms of biblical counseling, we owe much to the instruction of Dr. Robert Jones, Director of Biblical Counseling at Open Door Baptist Church.

Mission: No conception of the Gospel is complete without an understanding of its outward momentum. Our God is a missional God. Churches within the NACPF intentionally structure their ministries and services to welcome those who have not heard or embraced the good news.
We believe that Jesus’ Great Commission is not merely intended to make converts, but to so magnify the glory of God that His name is known throughout the world. We take seriously God’s command to make disciples who know, love, and grow in Christ. Here is yet another connection to biblical counseling which must not be overlooked; the mandate to minister the good news to believers and unbelievers alike. In this respect, we seek to plant church-planting churches who will grow to the point that they are ready to plant self-sustained, theologically healthy, gospel-centered communities who also fueled by a sincere commitment to the Great Commission.
The NACPF is grateful to like-minded organizations such as CCEF, NANC, and the Biblical Counseling Coalition for their magnificent efforts to equip pastors and laity for biblical counseling ministry. We hope that together we can plant churches that glorify God and build up the body through the cure of souls. Learn more at www.nacpf.org.

It's All Greek To Me!

Growing up in my family, there was a phrase that we used often when we didn't understand a certain word, phrase or language..."It's all Greek to me."  I still think about this phrase today when I am trying to speak Spanish to some of my crew at the golf course.  Sometimes, we can tend to approach God's Word that way.  If we don't understand something that God is trying to say in His Word, when we just don't want to hear what He is saying through His Word, or if we are doing a word study, 'it's all Greek to me!'  The cool thing is, the New Testament was written mostly in...wait for it...Greek!  So, it IS all Greek to us!  But even cooler is the fact that God is not the God of confusion, but of understanding.  1 John 5:20 says, "And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ.  He is the true God and eternal life."  Praise God!  Let us, then approach God's Word in much study and thought with expectation that He will reveal Himself to us in a deeper way.  His promise of giving us understanding is so that we all will know Him who is true...our triune God!

Now, what about someone that we know who is in need of help?  God gives us opportunity to hear their story, to get to know them better in it and we conclude, 'it's all Greek to me!'  This can be intimidating when we look at helping someone as our responsibility to cure them or to fix them.  As I posted earlier, we are called to open our mouths and proclaim God's love and truth to the hurting.  The results are solely up to the Lord.  We are not to shy away from helping/discipling someone in need because God is in it and we are called to it.  We are not alone. 

So, how does the Bible define biblical counseling/discipleship?  The following post was taken from Paul Tautges from the Grace & Truth Blog.  I pray that it is helpful to you as God brings others into your lives for discipleship/counseling.




The New Testament uses several different words to emphasize the more concentrated aspect of disciple-making that we call “counseling.” Today we examine four. The meanings and uses of these words help us to envision a well-rounded ministry that is geared toward helping people change.

Parakaleo — First, according to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, the Greek word parakaleo means “to call to one’s side,” hence, “to call to one’s aid.” It is used for every kind of calling which is meant to produce a particular effect, hence its various meanings such as “comfort, exhort, desire, call for.” The Apostle Peter uses this word to urge Christians to abstain from fleshly lusts (1 Peter 2:11), and the author of Hebrews insists that believers are to encourage one another to be faithful to their local assembly (Heb. 10:25). God’s plan for personal character transformation has always included other persons in the community of the faith because normal spiritual growth does not take place in isolation, but rather alongside others.

Protrepo — Second, the Greek word protrepo means “to urge forward, to push on, to encourage.” For example, when Apollos desired to go to Achaia, the brethren “encouraged” others to welcome him with grace (Acts 18:27). Therefore, we will discover that, from time to time and in varying degrees, every person needs to be motivated to keep pressing forward in his or her pursuit of the application of biblical truth to life.

Noutheteo — Third, A Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament says that the Greek word noutheteo means to admonish or warn. It means to put before the mind so as to “correct through instruction and warning.” It differs slightly from teaching in that it is normally a response to some kind of error or it is a warning against spiritual danger, present or potential. When Paul counseled the Ephesian elders about the danger of the emerging false teachers who would seek to make disciples by their false doctrines, he reminded them of the three years in which he did not cease to admonish them (Acts 20:31). Romans 15:14 teaches that believers should be able to admonish one another biblically. This should always be toward the goal of spiritual maturity (Col. 1:28), and therefore believers should appreciate the shepherds who give them instruction toward that end (1 Thes. 5:12). The noun form, noutesia, means “training by word—either of encouragement, when this is sufficient, or of remonstrance, reproof, or blame, where required.” Therefore, we will also discover that God’s plan for making disciples requires believers to care enough to confront one another when brothers or sisters they love are in error, and to firmly warn or instruct them concerning their spiritual danger.

Paraineo — Fourth, the Greek word paraineo means “to admonish by way of exhorting or advising.” An example of this is when, in the midst of a storm at sea, Paul admonishes his fellow sailors and urges them to keep their courage (Acts 27:9, 22). Therefore, we will also discover that the process of spiritual growth requires believers to give courage to their fellow companions on the journey of discipleship, especially when they are in the midst of the storms of life.
In all these cases, these believers are “counselors,” with or without a title. And the counsel dispensed is always in the form of words spoken from the commitment of biblical love. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” As biblical counselors, we must take great care in the words we use with our disciples, for speech has the power to kill them with despair or to give them the hope of life. I appreciate David Powlison’s simple definition of counseling as “intentionally helpful conversations.” The power of biblical counsel lies in the degree to which our words are filled with the Word.
[Excerpted from Counsel One Another: A theology of personal discipleship, 2009

Are You A Saboteur?

What?!  I've never sabotaged anything in my life...right?  The dictionary defines sabotage as: any undermining of a cause.  Any undermining of a cause, eh?  What is the cause of my life?  2 Corinthians 5:9 says, "So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him." (emphasis mine)  Could I possibly sabotage the cause of my life, the aim of my life?  The Bible answers that question with a resounding 'YES'.  Sin is deceitful (Hebrews 3:13), so when we choose sin over righteousness, we have just sabotaged the aim of our lives...to please God.  "Well, of course, you say, that sin is the problem and we need God's help to eradicate it in our lives, but am I a saboteur?  That sounds harsh!"  We can be saboteurs of a great many things in our lives without even thnking about it in those terms.  As I mentioned before, when I choose sin over righteousness, I have sabotaged the purpose of my life by not bring glory to God or pleasing Him.  What about everyday problems that I face, do I sabotage them as well?  When I was in college, I would go on cycles of depression.  I wasn't depressed all the time or for great lengths of time, but for short, intense bursts of time.  What I found in those moments was a craving for that feeling of something being wrong.  There were a lot of reasons for my depression at those times, but what I took away from those experiences was a desire for the heartache that I felt.  It became a 'security blanket' for me as I approached life.  I didn't have hope.  I didn't have purpose.  I didn't want them, I wanted the heartache.  When I became a believer, I had to really deal with that issue.  It was an idol in my heart because I felt that I needed to feel that way to be safe.  I could shut people out of my life when I was feeling that way.  It wasn't until I saw the glory of God through Jesus Christ and His redeeming work in my life that I began to deal with this deep rooted heart issue.  Is it still a struggle today?  Not much at all, but I am sinful and still in need of Jesus to keep me from despairing all over again. 
Are you feeling something similar right now?  Are you a believer in Jesus and in despair?  Have you sabotaged hope and purpose because it is 'too good to be true'?  Psalm 121:1,2 says, "I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth."  Where do we find hope and purpose in this fallen world and even in our despairing hearts?  Lift you eyes to the Lord who made you and formed your inmost being.  He is our help!

The following article is something that I was able to identify with and hope that Dr. Welch's wisdom and God's truth will lift your eyes today, even in the midst of our ongoing sabotage.

Hope Sabotaged

By: Ed Welch

Published: Oct 06, 2011

I first noticed it when an up-and-coming executive was caught embezzling money. He knew the system. He didn’t need the money; he didn’t even care about money. And, he knew he would get caught. His embezzling had nothing to do with stealing and greed. Instead, he was moving quickly toward dizzying heights of success; hope was rising too—and he had to kill it. In the confusing world of fallen humanity, everything can be turned upside down and backwards. In his case, hope was a threat that had to be eliminated.
No hope…

It happens more than you think. There are many hope saboteurs out there.

• • Do you get uncomfortable or even panic when your circumstances improve?
• • Have your hopes been dashed and you are committed to not having that happen again?
• • Do you believe that somehow you are unworthy of “success”?
• • Do you predict doom and gloom and then help it on its way in order to prove your prophecy true?
• • Have others assured you that you are a failure and rather than try to prove them wrong, you assume they are right?

Beginner hope saboteurs are like Eeyore—pessimists. They forecast the worst. The pessimist says: “There are enough ups-and-downs in life, so let’s assume the worst—prepare for the worst—then the worst might not feel quite so bad.

Those who live with depression are the more advanced pessimists. Just try to speak words of encouragement to some depressed people and you will discover that they seem to become more depressed!

Here is one rule that hope saboteurs live by: success creates higher expectations, so undermine any gains before anyone notices. Some aren’t satisfied until they have hit a new bottom. There, they feel comfortable, safe and at home.

Odd, yes. But this makes complete sense in a godless world. Apart from God, things will indeed get worse. Why postpone the inevitable? Why pretend that all will be well? Ecclesiastes explores such a world and its natural conclusions.

Hope…

But if we have come to know Jesus Christ, who died and is now the resurrected, living King, then hope-killers, along with their Eeyore brethren, are blind. Even in the midst of suffering, victimization and our own sin, the King will accomplish good and his reign of peace will be eternal.

So, a follower of Christ is a person who has hope. That, of course, takes a lot of explaining. After all…I might die today….the church that I attend might be gone in a year… I could lose my job. Uh oh, my inner Eeyore is coming out. But the church-at-large will grow in breadth and depth, Christ and his followers will be vindicated, and we will see the lover of our souls face-to-face.

We are people of hope, and this hope cannot be sabotaged. We must proclaim it well to a world that is almost persuaded that hope is a fantasy.

What We Can Learn From Other Biblical Counselors...

“How come you have been so successful at this business of counseling,” he asked?

I responded something like this. “Dave, all I can tell you is that I work with Divine authority. I listen to what people tell me about their lives and then I engage them with the Word of God. As they respond positively to the Lord, I coach them in the implementation of the Word to bring course correction and work hard at training them to walk in His way.”  - Dr. Howard Eyrich (Biblical Counselor for over 40 years)

Biblical counseling can be seen as a daunting task.  Daunting because we (the church who are all called to be counselors) can buy in to the notion that it is up to us to fix other's problems.  When we begin to think that, we remove the power of God's Word in the hearts of other's lives and rob Him of glory.  It is not up to us, we are the messengers whom God called and promises to equip.  He is the one who is at work in the hearts and lives of His children.  In His grace and mercy, He chooses to use broken people to help other broken people.  Praise God!  Much like evangelism, we are called to proclaim God's Word, the Gospel, to a dying world and it is up to the Lord to draw and save.  God owns the results of salvation and of helping hurting people in the midst of their problems.  When we can have this right perspective, helping others isn't so daunting after all.  It is exciting to see what God is going to do next!  To get to see Him work in front of our fallen eyes is a blessing.  We can then engage hurting people, get messy with them because we want to see the glory of God work mightily in our own lives and in the lives of those we are trying to help.  What a great God we serve!

The Biblical Counseling Coalition's blog, Grace and Truth, has been posting a series going of lessons learned from biblical counselors.  From two years into their ministries to 40 years.  Great lessons that all lead to the grace of God and His work in the lives of others.  I recommend them if you are wanting to get some helpful tips and some great encouragement from them.  You can find them at: Grace and Truth Blog  There are also other posts that are super helpful and I hope that you are encouraged by the variety of counselors that have contributed to this blog.

Biblical Counseling Websites

Here are a number of ministries and organizations that I use for resources in counseling.  Hopefully, they will be just as helpful to you as God leads you to help the hurting people in your lives!  Check them out and comment!

National Association of Nouthetic Counselors (NANC)

Christian Counseling and Education Foundation (CCEF)

Biblical Counseling Coalition (BCC)

Paul Tripp Ministries

Faith Biblical Counseling Ministry


There are numerous others that you can find by going to the BCC site and checking on recommended websites and blogs.  Such great resources are out there now as compared to five years ago!  Praise God that He is raising up several Bible-centered ministries that are caring for souls!

"I know I should say something, but..."

"...but I don't want to offend."  "...but I'm not the one to say it."  Whatever the reason, Christians today find it hard to keep one another accountable to the Word of God.  It is hard to approach your brother or sister in Christ and confront them on something that they have sinned in or in wrong thinking.  Why is it so hard?  Our culture as Americans has bought in to the notion that we are a 'kinder, gentler nation'.  No one is a failure, no one is bad, no one has the authority to tell someone else what to do - our culture says.  Christians can buy in to this as well.  A brother in Christ yells at his kids in anger, a sister in Christ gossips about someone in the body.  We hear it and know that it is wrong, but we don't confront them.  Why?  We don't want to get involved.  That is for the pastor to confront.  I don't want to get them mad at me.  Whatever the reason, it is hard for us to step into someone's messy life and get dirty trying to help them live a godly life.  Yet, we are called to do just that.  2 Timothy 4:2, "preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching."  Titus 2:15 says, "Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority.  Let no one disregard you."  And Hebrews 3:13 says, "But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," taht none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."  Does this mean that we jump at the chance to rebuke our brothers and sisters in Christ the first opportunity we get?  Are we to be harsh in our exhortations?  By no means!  Ephesians 4:15-16 says, "Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love." (emphasis mine)  We are called to exhort and rebuke and we are called to speak the truth in love. 
Dane Ortlund, the senior editor in the Bible division at Crossway Books, gives us some thoughts about this topic and some wisdom from Martin Luther.  By God's grace, may we all step into the messy for His glory.  Please comment about what you think!

Love, Pride, and Speaking Truth

We live in a world, and a Christian world, in which offending another is, in the realm of human relationship, the supreme vice. Confronted with the choice to actively speak what one believes to be true or passively let sleeping dogs lie in the name of love, we often choose the latter.

All we say must be done in love. That is non-negotiable. But even what that means has been hijacked in some ways by the world, softness being mistaken for love. When called for, neither Moses nor the prophets nor Jesus nor Paul nor Peter nor even the gentle-hearted John (see 1 John 2:4; 3:8, or the 'arrogance' of 4:6) refrained from non-subtle, non-manipulating, non-face-saving words of piercing truth, spoken in love yet doubtless perceived as harshness. And note that almost all of them were accused of arrogance, even Jesus. Were they unloving? No; it was their love itself that fueled such penetrating language.

May we examine ourselves? Asking if, at times, what we deem to be kindness on our part is cowardice? 'I don't want to be seen as offensive' can feel like 'I want the best for my brother.' Self-guarding is mistaken for love. It is in fact love of self. The devil smiles.

Luther is a massive breath of fresh air in these things. Such defibrillating clarity. In the letter to Pope Leo X that prefaces Luther's The Freedom of a Christian, Luther says:

Now I will admit to attacking false or unchristian teachings. I have not criticized the bad morals of my opponents but rather their ungodly doctrines. I am not going to repent of this! After all, I am only following the example of Christ, who did not hesitate to call his opponents such things as 'a brood of vipers'. . . . And think of the stinging criticism of the prophets! However, our ears have become more finely attuned to the empty praises of the endless lines of flatterers. As a result, we protest when any of our opinions meets with disapproval. . . .

Therefore, blessed Leo, when you read this letter and understand my intentions, I hope you see that I have never meant ill toward you personally. I have only the best wishes for you. I have no argument with any person with regard to morals. But I am unyielding when it comes to contending about the word of truth. In all other things, I will gladly yield, but I have neither the power nor the will to deny the word. If others view my motives differently, they either are not thinking straight or have failed to understand what I have said. (The Freedom of a Christian, p. 35)

Pride is frightfully pervasive, in my heart and yours. And this is a love-starved world. But let's be sure we understand what it means, truly, to renounce pride and love others.

Is Comfort Really Comforting?

We have all done this.  We all have stories about this.  When we have tried to offer comfort to those who are in need and/or suffering.  What do we say?  How do we offer comfort?  We are called to bear one another's burdens (Gal. 6:2), and to care for those who are in need (1 Thess. 5:14), so we come alongside them and try our best, by God's grace.  Sometimes, that comfort and care isn't received as we intended it and that can make us uncomfortable to care for someone again.  Dr. Amy Baker gives us some wisdom about some different categories of comfort and how we can respond when we are given or receive that comfort.  God is good and sovereign.  His plan for His children isn't destroyed by our mistakes, and it isn't enhanced by our victories.  God is God.  He uses us in His plan, but His plan doesn't depend on what we do or not do, say or not say.  Praise God for that!



When Comfort Isn't Comfort - Part 1

Second Corinthians 1:3-4 proclaims that God comforts us in all our troubles and then instructs us to comfort others. Receiving comfort from our brothers and sisters should be a source of great encouragement to us however, many of us have had just the opposite experience. Words intended by our brothers and sisters in Christ to strengthen us, haven’t encouraged us at all, instead, our burden has increased.

Think of some of the comfort you’ve heard offered to someone in trial. “It could be worse.” “God needed him more than you.” “I’m praying for you.” “I know the right person is out there for you somewhere, just be patient.” “When I finally stopped wanting _______ [you fill in the blank], that’s when God gave it to me.” “It’s not as bad as…” “You need to repent of your sin and then you’ll be healed.” “God is faithful, He won’t give you more than you can handle.” “My brother-in-law’s cousin went to a clinic in _______ [you fill in the blank] and she got well. I’ll find out the name of the clinic for you.” “If you just have enough faith, your trial will go away.” “Trust God, He works everything together for good.”
God is the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3), but not all the comfort we get (or give) is genuine comfort. Therefore, it’s helpful to distinguish which kind of comfort we have received when others offer solace to us.
I would like to suggest that splitting comfort into 3 different categories can help us respond to comfort appropriately.

Category 1: False comfort.

False comfort seems to make assumptions such as:

• Comfort is found in better circumstances.
• Comfort is found in anticipating a lessening of pain or the end of the trial.
• Comfort is found in the knowledge that things could be worse than they are.
• If I understand ‘why,’ the trial won’t be as painful.

The goal of false comfort is to make you feel better or to make painful feelings go away.
Examples of false comfort might include: “It could be worse.” “God needed him more than you.” “I know the right person is out there for you somewhere, just be patient.” “It’s not as bad as…” “My brother-in-law’s cousin went to a clinic in _______ [you fill in the blank] and she got well. I’ll find out the name of the clinic for you.”
Although on some occasions false comfort may temporarily lift our burden, false comfort falls far short of genuine comfort. In many cases, false comfort fails to provide any comfort at all, and in some situations, false comfort increases the burden of suffering. False comfort is not truly comforting.

Category 2: The comfort of Job’s comforters.

Job’s comforters believe that suffering is a result of personal sin. Thus, if you will repent of your sin, your suffering will end.
Job’s comforters seem to make assumptions such as:

• Bad things only happen as a result of wrongdoing.
• If you do right, nothing bad will happen to you.
• Doing righteous works will result in an improved situation. God can be controlled by righteous works.
• Figure out what you did wrong, repent, and the suffering will end.

Examples of comfort from Job’s comforters might include: “When I finally stopped wanting _______ [you fill in the blank], that’s when God gave it to me.” “You need to repent of your sin and then you’ll be healed.” “If you just have enough faith, your trial will go away.”
While some of what Job’s comforters say may be true, it is certainly not true in all situations for all people. Additionally, it seems that Job’s comforters have the same goal as those who offer false comfort – hope is found in the trial or pain being removed. As with category 1, the comfort of Job’s comforters is not truly comforting.
I would propose that comfort given with the goal of simply removing pain, while spoken out of genuine kindness, is nevertheless inferior to the comfort our loving Savior would like for us to offer. My reasons for believing such comfort to be inferior are because 2 Corinthians 1 would lead me to conclude that genuine comfort is intended to strengthen us to endure (vs. 6) and equip us to praise God (vs. 3). Comfort intended to do this would be my third category of comfort. I’ll explore this more in my next post. Ironically however, even when we receive genuine comfort we sometimes fail to be comforted. Also in my next post I’ll explore why even genuine comfort sometimes isn’t comforting.

When Comfort Isn't Comforting - Part 2

In my last post (When Comfort Isn’t Comforting, Part 1), I explored two kinds of comfort which I believe are not truly comforting. Today I want to investigate why even genuine comfort fails to comfort as it should. As I said in my previous post, 2 Corinthians would lead me to conclude that genuine comfort is intended to strengthen us to endure (vs. 6) and equip us to praise God (vs. 3). This brings me to my third category of comfort – genuine comfort.

Category 3: Genuine comfort.

From 2 Cor. 1:3-12 it seems to me that genuine comfort includes things such as:

• Encouraging others to godly endurance (vs. 6).
• Encouraging reliance on God (vs. 9).
• Entering the trial with the sufferer by praying for God’s gracious favor for the sufferer (vs. 11).
• Encouraging the sufferer to remember God’s power being applied for the good of the sufferer (vs. 9).
• Encouraging the sufferer to trust in God for deliverance (vs. 10).

The result of genuine comfort should equip the sufferer to praise God.
Examples of genuine comfort might include: “I’m praying for you.” “God is faithful, He won’t give you more than you can handle.” “Trust God, He works everything together for good.”
Ironically, even when we receive genuine comfort we sometimes fail to be comforted. On such occasions we may reason that the comforter “just doesn’t understand” or that “he’s never been through what we’re going through.”
Certainly, others can be insensitive in their use of God’s word (as can we). Certainly others can offer comfort in a wrong way (as can we). So, we need to understand that there are different kinds of comfort, but at the same time, let’s be careful not to refuse comfort when we should accept it.
God clearly intended for others to be able to offer us comfort even if they have never gone through the suffering we are experiencing. Notice that in 1 Cor. 1:4 we’re told to comfort others in any trouble with the comfort we’ve received from God. If I have received God’s comfort in any trouble in my life, I can give genuine comfort to others. Why? Because it’s God’s comfort – not my comfort. I can comfort others in any trouble they might experience with God’s comfort.
If I’m going to be honest here, I have to admit that sometimes people give me God’s comfort and I refuse to be comforted by it. Why? Perhaps God’s comfort doesn’t comfort me because in my heart all I really want is relief. But God doesn’t spell comfort, R-E-L-I-E-F. God spells comfort, C-H-R-I-S-T.
That’s the thing about suffering. When I’m not comforted by God’s comfort it may be that an idol is ruling my heart. Suffering leaves my heart naked and bare. It reveals what I’m living for. Too often when the light is shown on my heart, it finds I’m in a brothel prostituting myself with an idol I believe will do something for me.
Maybe I’ve hopped in bed with ease.
Maybe I’ve hopped in bed with control.
Maybe I’ve hopped in bed with pleasure.
Maybe I’ve hopped in bed with prestige.
And when the vice squad of suffering comes and flips on the light in my heart, what is revealed is a tawdry affair with a false god.
And as that false god is torn from my grip through suffering, I mourn. I mourn – not over having forsaken the true and living God – but that I can’t have my idol any longer. And God’s comfort doesn’t comfort, it enrages.
But as we look for God’s comfort out of a genuine love for our Savior, we can expect it to be more than enough to meet the need. God’s comfort coming to God’s people who love God’s Son is so comforting that the comfort overflows (vs. 5). Through Christ our comfort overflows (vs. 5). The comfort is so abundant that it can’t be contained.
So, how should we respond to each type of comfort? Here are my suggestions. When given false comfort, use it as an opportunity to grow in graciousness. With Job’s comforters, examine yourself and see if there is any area in which you need to repent and change. With genuine comfort, be comforted and praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.

Self Harm

Amy Baker, a biblical counselor with Faith Biblical Counseling Ministries, gives some perspective on the problem of cutting/self harm.  Lord willing, this will help us to care for those who are struggling in this area.  Check it out at: http://blogs.faithlafayette.org/counseling/2011/08/cutting-bleeding-the-pain-away/

Listening to Martin Luther

"With Paul, we absolutely deny the possibility of self merit. God never yet gave to any person grace and everlasting life as a reward for merit...the true way of salvation is this: First, a person must realize that he’s a sinner, the kind of sinner who’s congenitally unable to do any good thing. "Whatsoever is not of faith, is sin." Those who seek to earn the grace of God by their own efforts are trying to please God with sins. They mock God, and provoke His anger. The first step on the way to salvation is to repent." (Martin Luther, Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians)

I want believe
that there is another way.
I want to think
that I am the exception to the rule.
I grasp at the thought
that my righteousness is enough.
I hold to the hope
that my behavior satisfies you.
I want to think
that you judge me worthy.
It is my evaluation
that I am capable of your standard.
I want to hold onto my assessment
that I am not like others,
I can plainly see
that they offend your law.
I get the fact
that they fall short of your glory.
I know very well
that they can't stand before you.
But I still want to think
that I am not like them.
I want to hold your Word
and my righteousness at the same time.
I want to celebrate the Gospel
and my worthiness together.
But it is
a self-sufficient delusion.
It aggrandizes me and diminishes You.
It minimizes sin and devalues grace.
It asks the law to do
what only grace can accomplish.
It denies the daily evidence
of my sin.
It ignores the true condition
of my heart.
It turns away
from the sacrifice that you have made.
It omits the sovereign plan
of your grace.
It forgets the desperate condition
of my need.
And so I turn
to what I know is true.
I am nothing
without you.
I accept the invitation
of your grace.
I run to the sacrifice
of the cross.
I cry for the help
of your spirit.
I accept the diagnosis
of your Word.
I trust the faithfulness
of your love.
I seek the forgiveness
you alone can give.
And I reject
the righteousness that is my own