Michael Horton on Assurance of Election

"Scripture itself teaches us to draw assurance from God’s unconditional election. Believers are not taught to doubt or question their election, but to “make [their] calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10). Jesus promised that he will gather his elect from the whole earth and deliver them from the wrath to come (Mark 13:27). He cares for his elect and answers their cries (Luke 18:7) and assures his own that they are chosen not only to be saved but to be preserved in that grace (John 13:18; 15:16). Who can charge against God’s elect, since Christ has died for their sins and even now intercedes for them at the Father’s right hand (Rom. 8:33)? Sometimes storming out of the room, my father used to react viscerally whenever, as a teenager, I was debating election with my mother. On one occasion, I followed him outside and apologized for raising the subject when he made it clear that it offended him. Turning to me with tears, he asked, “What if your dad’s not one of the elect?” It is so easy for us to turn gospel into law, faith-creating good news into anxiety-generating questions. It is true that in some circles election is not understood as a comforting and assurance-producing doctrine, but the very opposite. In some pietistic circles, a Christian can refrain from receiving communion for years — even over a lifetime — out of a lack of assurance concerning his or her election. However, this is not how we find election taught in Scripture. In response to my dad’s question, I quoted Jesus’ words in John 10:27: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” “Have you heard his voice and followed him?” I asked. “Yes,” he replied. “Then this is Jesus’ answer to you in the next verse: ‘I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.’ “ Everything changed, even in his countenance. Once he understood that point, election became the opposite of what it had been before to him; it was now a marvelous comfort. He would always say thereafter that this was a life-changing moment."

Horton, Michael S. (2011-10-11). For Calvinism (Kindle Locations 1240-1257). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

Tim Keller on Authentic Christian Fundamentalism

 "The Greco-Roman world said, "We don't know who has the truth. Everybody's got their own." So why did Christians live the most peace-loving, the most generous, the most sacrificial, the most inclusive possible lifestyle out of the most exclusive possible truth claim? Here's the answer. Actually, my wife Kathy gave this to me some years ago, right after 9/11. All the papers were saying this is the problem with religious fundamentalism. If you're a fundamentalist, if you really believe you have the truth, this is what happens. Kathy said, as I tried to show you here, everybody's a fundamentalist, in a way. Everybody believes fundamentals; everybody's got exclusive truth. I remember Kathy said, "Fundamentalism doesn't necessarily lead you to terrorism. It depends on what your fundamental is. Have you ever seen an Amish terrorist?" And if the Amish are not fundamentalists, there ain't no such thing. So why will there never be Amish terrorists? I'll tell you why. If your "fundamental" is a Man dying on the cross for his enemies, if the very heart of your self-image and your religion is a Man sacrificing and praying for his enemies as he died for them, loving them-if that sinks into your heart of hearts-it's going to produce the kind of life that the early Christians produced. The most inclusive possible life out of the most exclusive possible claim. This is the truth. But what is the truth? The truth is a God who became weak, who loved and died for the people who opposed him, forgiving them. Take that into the center of your heart and you will be at the heart of the solution that we need in this world. And that is the "divisiveness" of exclusive truth claims by the Christian."

Dallas Willard. A Place for Truth: Leading Thinkers Explore Life's Hardest Questions (Kindle Locations 757-766). Kindle Edition.

Rick Cornish on Free Will

There is a handy dandy (but excellent) little theology 101 book called "5 Minute Theologian", written by Rick Cornish, which I have been slowly reading since the start of the summer. I have incorporated it into my morning devotionals by reading a chapter a day, which really does take about 5 minutes. I have found the following quote to be very helpful when talking about Calvinism and free will. Enjoy!

"Like a theological chicken and egg question, the central issue concerns what is logically first: God's plan or man's choice. How one approaches the issue defines the difference between two theological systems known as Calvinism and Arminianism. Calvinists begin with God's plan. Man's decisions and actions are the consequence of it. God's plan is therefore not dependent on man. Arminians, on the other hand, place man's freedom at the center. God's decisions are a response to His knowing in advance what man will choose. God's plan is therefore a response to man's initiative. A partial solution to this great paradox may be found in how we understand human freedom. Upon closer examination, we might discover that our will may not be as fully free as we usually think. But because we do make real choices, maybe we should call it "operational will" instead of "free will." Yes, I'm free to choose what I want, but I don't determine what it is that I want. Heredity, environment, and experience form my preferences long before I choose. If those earthly factors affect what I want, surely God can affect me even more. So, without hindering my ability to choose, God can influence my preferences, making it certain that I choose as He wills, while never violating my freedom. Paradoxical as it sounds, it's another part of the great mystery of God."

- Rick Cornish. 5 Minute Theologian: Maximum Truth in Minimum Time (pp. 106-107). Kindle Edition.

David Platt on the Bible and Church Leaders

"The Bible is not in a church leader's hands so he or she can give people answers to every question they have and guidance for every situation they face. Instead, the Bible is in a church leader's hands to transform people into the image of Christ and to get people in touch with the Holy Spirit of God, who will not only give them counsel for every situation they face but also walk with them through those situations. And when church leaders use God's Word for this purpose, then church members develop a healthy dependance on God's Spirit and a healthy admiration of God's glory."

David Platt, "Radical Together", pg 49

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Greg Koukl on 21st Century Ambassadors for Christ

Greg Koukl is an incredible guy. One of his teachings that has stuck with me is the concept of the 21st century ambassador for the Christian faith. In January I wrote a review for his book "Tactics", which is a book I wish every Christian would read, especially those who are mission/evangelism minded. I think Greg hits it perfectly when he describes three basic skills for being a modern-day ambassador: knowledge, wisdom, and character.

"Representing Christ in the new millennium requires three basic skills. First, Christ's ambassadors need the basic knowledge necessary for the task. They must know the central message of God's kingdom and something about how to respond to the obstacles they'll encounter on their diplomatic mission. 

However, it is not enough for followers of Jesus to have an accurately informed mind. Our knowledge must be tempered with the kind of wisdom that makes our message clear and persuasive. This requires the tools of a diplomat, not the weapons of a warrior, tactical skill rather than brute force.

Finally, our character can make or break our mission. Knowledge and wisdom are packaged in a person, so to speak. If that person does not embody the virtues of the kingdom he serves, he will undermine his message and handicap his efforts.

These three skills - knowledge, an accurately informed mind; wisdom, an artful method; and character, an attractive manner - play a part in every effective involvement with a nonbeliever."      - Greg Koukl, Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions, pg.24-25  (underlines mine)

William Lane Craig on the Urgent Need for Apologetics

If I can credit any one person to inspiring me to take up apologetics, it would be William Lane Craig. This guy has inspired me and motivated me to study apologetics and to share what I learn with others. While I have learned from several apologists, I have learned considerably from Craig. I am showcasing his recent debate with atheist historian Richard Carrier on "Did Jesus Rise From The Dead?" to my students and college friends this Saturday. In anticipation of this, I post this quote today (I wish I could post the whole introduction - every pastor, youth minister, and church leader needs to read the intro of Craig's book "Hard Questions, Real Answers) to show that it is incredible vital and urgent that churches embrace apologetics across all spectrum (especially youth ministry and college ministry) as soon as possible - i.e. today!

"Indeed, the single most important institution shaping Western society is the university. It is at the university that our future political leaders, our journalists, our lawyers, our teachers, our scientists, our business executives, our artists, will be trained. It is at the university that they will formulate or, more likely, simply absorb the worldview that will shape their lives. And since these are the opinion-makers and leaders who shape our culture, the worldview that they imbibe at the university will be the one that shapes our culture.

Why is this important? Simply because the gospel is never heard in isolation. It is always heard against the background of the cultural milieu in which one lives. A person raised in a cultural milieu in which Christianity is still seen as an intellectually viable option will display an openness to the gospel which a person who is secularized will not display. For the secular person you may as well tell him to believe in fairies or leprechauns as in Jesus Christ! . . . .

It is part of the broader task of Christian scholarship to help create and sustain a cultural milieu in which the gospel can be heard as an intellectually viable option for thinking men and women. Therefore, the Church has a vital stake in raising up Christian scholars who will help us to create a place at the university for Christian ideas. The average Christian does not realize that there is an intellectual war going on in the universities and in professional journals and societies. Christianity is being attacked as irrational or obsolete, and millions of students, our future generation of leaders, have absorbed this viewpoint. This is a war we cannot afford to lose."

 William Lane Craig, "Hard Questions, Real Answers", pg 14-15

C.S. Lewis on Ultimate Satisfaction

If there is any current trend in my life that I would be so eager to share, it would be that recently, I am starting to discover ultimate satisfaction in God, and that He fulfills my desires in ways that nothing else can. Events like Secret Church have only revealed this further and accelerated this change. And here is something C.S. Lewis wrote a long time ago that I can't help but think God showed to me when He did (during the Secret Church event) to further hit the hammer home. Reflect on what Lewis says and how it applies to your own life:

"If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that out Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far to easily pleased.

                                                                                                             - C.S. Lewis, "The Weight of Glory "