This is my final post on my recent woodshed experience. I appear to have emerged. For a week or so, I wasn’t sure.
On August 4, as I was reading My Utmost for His Highest, God communicated to me through the following passage the overriding purpose of my recent time in the woodshed:
It is not a question of our equipment but of our poverty, not of what we bring with us, but of what God puts into us; not a question of natural virtues of strength of character, knowledge, and experience—all that is of no avail in this matter.
In addition to the particular lessons I learned, the ultimate purpose of the woodshed was to make me absolutely certain of my own poverty as I begin a new semester leading a women’s Bible study at my church. It could be easy for me to lapse into confidence in my flesh. In the spirit of Philippians 3... I was a very successful member of my university’s debate team; I have taught college and university courses in economics and finance; I have additional experience with public speaking through past work experience; and I have much better than average knowledge of scripture, theology, and doctrine. However, I also KNOW that I am consumed with sin and selfishness, and that I am completely incapable of accomplishing anything for God’s kingdom except that which He chooses to accomplish through Christ in me. The woodshed simply reminded me of how bad I really am and how much I need Him, thereby providing the necessary humility for me to be effectively used during the coming weeks of the study.
Based upon my experience leading a study last semester, I KNOW that any good that came out of what I did was because Christ was working in me through the Holy Spirit. I was constantly claiming 2 Corinthians 12:9: My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. And God was faithful to demonstrate His power through an empty vessel. We cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit if we are full of ourselves. The woodshed ensured that I would not be full of myself.
Showing posts with label Grace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grace. Show all posts
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Sola Scriptura
It’s been several weeks since I completed Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace by James Montgomery Boice, but I’m just now making the time to sit down and report on it. As you might guess, my favorite chapter was “Scripture Alone,” referred to as “sola Scriptura” by the Reformers. Following are two of my favorite passages.
The Reformers wanted scripture to stand alone as the church’s true authority. Today, at least in the evangelical church, that is not our chief problem; we assert biblical authority. Rather, our problem is in deciding whether the Bible is sufficient for the church’s life and work. We confess its authority, but we discount its ability to do what is necessary to draw unbelievers to Christ, enable us to grow in godliness, provide direction for our lives, and transform and revitalize society. …in the sixteenth century the battle was against those who wanted to add church traditions to Scripture, but in our day the battle is against those who would have us use worldly means to do God’s work.
Referring to Romans chapter six: Paul’s “method” for sanctification is biblical doctrine. That is, to live as Christians we must know what God has done to us in making us Christians. We must know what has happened, and the only way we can know what has happened is to know the Bible. …This has nothing to do with either a method or an experience. It has everything to do with knowing and living by the sufficient Word of God. Is it not true that one reason we see such immature and even sinful behavior among Christians today is that they have not really been taught what God has done to them and for them when he saved them? And aren’t our churches immature precisely because the pastors are not teaching Bible doctrines?
I thank God that since my conversion I have been in churches that preach Biblical doctrine!
I could sit here and type for the rest of the day and not include everything that I want to share with you. I highly recommend this important book.
The Reformers wanted scripture to stand alone as the church’s true authority. Today, at least in the evangelical church, that is not our chief problem; we assert biblical authority. Rather, our problem is in deciding whether the Bible is sufficient for the church’s life and work. We confess its authority, but we discount its ability to do what is necessary to draw unbelievers to Christ, enable us to grow in godliness, provide direction for our lives, and transform and revitalize society. …in the sixteenth century the battle was against those who wanted to add church traditions to Scripture, but in our day the battle is against those who would have us use worldly means to do God’s work.
Referring to Romans chapter six: Paul’s “method” for sanctification is biblical doctrine. That is, to live as Christians we must know what God has done to us in making us Christians. We must know what has happened, and the only way we can know what has happened is to know the Bible. …This has nothing to do with either a method or an experience. It has everything to do with knowing and living by the sufficient Word of God. Is it not true that one reason we see such immature and even sinful behavior among Christians today is that they have not really been taught what God has done to them and for them when he saved them? And aren’t our churches immature precisely because the pastors are not teaching Bible doctrines?
I thank God that since my conversion I have been in churches that preach Biblical doctrine!
I could sit here and type for the rest of the day and not include everything that I want to share with you. I highly recommend this important book.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Taking Issue with Beth Moore
As I mentioned in a previous post, I am leading a Bible study for women entitled Beloved Disciple: The Life and Ministry of John by Beth Moore. First, I must say that I have been blessed tremendously by Moore as I have completed most of her studies, the first of which sparked my passion for studying God’s Word nearly seven years ago; and I have the utmost respect for her calling and her love for teaching the Word. That being said, in the course of this week’s study, I encountered something that caused me to nearly come unglued.
The third sentence of the fourth paragraph on page 107 in Beloved Disciple reads as follows: “They [God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] knew that equipping people with their own will would necessitate a plan for redemption, because they would ultimately make some very poor choices.”
My first reaction was to write in the margin: “Yikes! Ephesians 2:1!” I was able to calm myself down enough to complete the day’s lesson, but I was really disturbed, and I didn’t know what to do. My husband suggested writing to her, and I think I will, but at the time, my primary concern was how to handle this situation with my students. I didn’t want to appear to be criticizing Moore, but I knew that it had to be addressed. As I prayed and thought about it over the next few days, God lead me to prepare a handout that included the diagram below and other comments. I reviewed the handout during class and then asked the students to place it in their books between pages 106 and 107.
The problem with Moore’s statement is that it is a completely inadequate explanation as to why a plan of redemption was needed. Our relationship with God is never about what we do (“poor choices”); it is about who were are—our condition. And how bad we are cannot be overemphasized. To say that we need redemption because God knew we would make poor choices is fundamentally incorrect. We need to be redeemed because we are separated from God, condemned to hell, and spiritually dead. Following is the diagram I prepared.
We are not lost because we sin; we sin because we are lost. And we are not saved because we do good works; we do good works because we are saved. It sounds simple, but I believe much of Christendom doesn’t really get it. Many people recognize that they are sinful and that they need forgiveness, but they look to Christ as a way to help them get to heaven rather than as the means to redeem them from a state in which they are utterly incapable of doing anything to earn God’s approval.
Moore states that her goal for weeks five and six is for us to have “more.” She wants us to be satisfied in and to have an abundant life in Christ. We cannot have this kind of relationship with Him if we do not fully apprehend and appreciate what he has done for us. Only an understanding of our complete inability to earn favor with God apart from God’s gift of salvation (Ephesians 2:8) through Christ’s atoning death on the cross can motivate a love for Christ that enables us to live an abundant life of obedience wherein our purpose is to glorify God.
The third sentence of the fourth paragraph on page 107 in Beloved Disciple reads as follows: “They [God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] knew that equipping people with their own will would necessitate a plan for redemption, because they would ultimately make some very poor choices.”
My first reaction was to write in the margin: “Yikes! Ephesians 2:1!” I was able to calm myself down enough to complete the day’s lesson, but I was really disturbed, and I didn’t know what to do. My husband suggested writing to her, and I think I will, but at the time, my primary concern was how to handle this situation with my students. I didn’t want to appear to be criticizing Moore, but I knew that it had to be addressed. As I prayed and thought about it over the next few days, God lead me to prepare a handout that included the diagram below and other comments. I reviewed the handout during class and then asked the students to place it in their books between pages 106 and 107.
The problem with Moore’s statement is that it is a completely inadequate explanation as to why a plan of redemption was needed. Our relationship with God is never about what we do (“poor choices”); it is about who were are—our condition. And how bad we are cannot be overemphasized. To say that we need redemption because God knew we would make poor choices is fundamentally incorrect. We need to be redeemed because we are separated from God, condemned to hell, and spiritually dead. Following is the diagram I prepared.
We are not lost because we sin; we sin because we are lost. And we are not saved because we do good works; we do good works because we are saved. It sounds simple, but I believe much of Christendom doesn’t really get it. Many people recognize that they are sinful and that they need forgiveness, but they look to Christ as a way to help them get to heaven rather than as the means to redeem them from a state in which they are utterly incapable of doing anything to earn God’s approval.
Moore states that her goal for weeks five and six is for us to have “more.” She wants us to be satisfied in and to have an abundant life in Christ. We cannot have this kind of relationship with Him if we do not fully apprehend and appreciate what he has done for us. Only an understanding of our complete inability to earn favor with God apart from God’s gift of salvation (Ephesians 2:8) through Christ’s atoning death on the cross can motivate a love for Christ that enables us to live an abundant life of obedience wherein our purpose is to glorify God.
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