I can't pass up something this good from D.A. Carson. I found this 2 minute illustration to be quite helpful:
If you've got the time, there's more good stuff in the rest of the Q&A with Carson and Fred Zaspel.
(HT: Justin Taylor)
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
The Message of the Bible
D.A. Carson writes the following:
From For Such a Time as This: Perspectives on Evangelicalism, Past, Present and Future, ed. Steve Brady and Harold Rowdon (London, UK: Evangelical Alliance, 1986), 80. Read the context of Carson's quote, in the midst of writing about "The Biblical Gospel" here.
(HT: Desiring God Blog)
God is the sovereign, transcendent and personal God who has made the universe, including us, his image-bearers. Our misery lies in our rebellion, our alienation from God, which, despite his forbearance, attracts his implacable wrath.
But God, precisely because love is of the very essence of his character, takes the initiative and prepared for the coming of his own Son by raising up a people who, by covenantal stipulations, temple worship, systems of sacrifice and of priesthood, by kings and by prophets, are taught something of what God is planning and what he expects.
In the fullness of time his Son comes and takes on human nature. He comes not, in the first instance, to judge but to save: he dies the death of his people, rises from the grave and, in returning to his heavenly Father, bequeaths the Holy Spirit as the down payment and guarantee of the ultimate gift he has secured for them—an eternity of bliss in the presence of God himself, in a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
The only alternative is to be shut out from the presence of this God forever, in the torments of hell. What men and women must do, before it is too late, is repent and trust Christ; the alternative is to disobey the gospel (Romans 10:16; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; 1 Peter 4:17).
From For Such a Time as This: Perspectives on Evangelicalism, Past, Present and Future, ed. Steve Brady and Harold Rowdon (London, UK: Evangelical Alliance, 1986), 80. Read the context of Carson's quote, in the midst of writing about "The Biblical Gospel" here.
(HT: Desiring God Blog)
Monday, June 11, 2012
The Good Samaritan
I wanted to share a few thoughts I had during and following Life Group yesterday. I didn't say much during class because I couldn't sort out all my thoughts. And writing helps me sort them out. So I hope you find this helpful in some way, as it's been helpful to me.
One of the things I try to do with parables, indeed, one of the probing purposes of many of the parables, is to identify myself in them. Who am I? Often this is not an easy thing to do because of the nature of the parables - sometimes they seem clear, while other times they seem really confusing. And often times those that initially seem clear turn out to be much more confusing than they appear on the surface.
The parable of the Prodigal Son was one of those for me. For years I didn't think it really meant much to me, because I've always been a moral person - never drank or did drugs, never got in trouble in school or with the law, generally respected authority. But (as I've previously written here) when I read Tim Keller's book The Prodigal God, I came to realize that I was in that story. I was the elder brother who refused to go after the sinner, to turn him back to repentance. Not only that, but I was sure that those sinful types didn't deserve to hear or embrace the Gospel. All of it just showed how I didn't get the Gospel (or the depth of my need for it) as well as I thought I did.
The Good Samaritan (found in Luke 10:25-37) is another one of those parables for me. Seems like a nice enough story - kind of like one of Aesop's Fables, a short little story to remind us that we should be nice to everybody. But in thinking more about it during class yesterday and since then, I came to see that if that was Jesus's main point, he could have told the story much more simply. He could have told the story of the priest and the Levite finding a beaten up Samaritan on the side of the road and helping him out. That would have been a pretty strong story - be like the priest and Levite, who helped someone who Jews regularly do not associate with.
But that's not how it goes. Instead of being heroes of the story, the priest and Levite are villains. Instead of being the helpless victim, the half-breed Samaritan is the hero. This is way more shocking to the lawyer and the Jews who were listening in. Who will the lawyer identify himself with? He knows the Samaritan is the hero of the story, but can't even bring himself to utter the word "Samaritan". So he's clearly not identifying with him.
And that brings me back by initial question - who am I? With whom do I identify with? Certainly not the Samaritan. Along with everybody else in my group on Sunday, I'm convicted by the actions of the Samaritan. So that leaves me thinking that I'm more like the priest and the Levite. And that's generally how I've thought about this parable in the past. Don't be like the priest and the Levite, be like the Samaritan. Maybe I should get a "WWtSD?" bracelet.
But again, I think this story is deeper than just an exhortation to help others. It is clearly that, but I think it's more than that. Jesus is telling us that the Law is summed up in love for God and love for others. He is telling us that those who love and follow and worship God in Spirit and truth are those who also love others and put others ahead of themselves.
But there just seems to be more to the story. And then this morning, it hit me. Yes, I'm like the priest and the Levite in that I fail to help those I should. But even more than that, I'm like the man who was robbed and beaten up and left for dead. And it's the very Law that Jesus confirms that leaves me in this condition. On my own, I'm beaten up by the Law. I'm beaten up by my failure to love my neighbor as myself. I'm robbed of any good that I thought I possessed. I am left for dead in my sin. I'm helpless and in desperate need.
Thankfully, that's not the end of the story. Because there is good news. There is another question I try to answer in parables like this. Who is Jesus? Does He correspond to one of His own characters? In the Prodigal Son, he's noticeably missing. He's the true elder brother who left home to come and redeem both the younger brother, rebellious, sinful types, and the elder brother, legalistic, self-righteous types.
So in the parable of the Good Samaritan, who is Jesus? When you stop and think about it, there's really only one answer - Jesus identifies Himself with the half-breed Samaritan.
While I'm left for dead in my sin, I have not been left helpless and poor. And not merely because of a Good Samaritan. But because of the King of Kings who left His throne to humble Himself to come save helpless, poor, selfish, sinners like me. "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich." (2 Corinthians 8:9)
Jesus identifies with the Samaritan - the outcast in the eyes of the Jews. Jesus would be rejected by the chief priests and elders. Jesus would be handed over to the Romans and crucified as the enemy of Israel. Jesus loved His enemies. He not only loved His enemies, He bore their sins, something the Good Samaritan could not do for the man in the parable. (see Romans 51-10)
We are the ones who have been saved by the One who was despised and rejected. We are the ones who have been saved by the One who has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. We are the ones who have been saved by the One who pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our sins. (see Isaiah 53)
Jesus not only healed us and took care of us, He took on our sin & suffering, so that we may be clothed in His righteousness. "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21)
So when I think I'm under the Law, I know that I cannot live up to it. In and of myself, I am not able to love my neighbor as myself - even if I like them. I'm not even able to love my wife and kids as myself. The Law in my flesh drives me to exclaim with Paul in Romans 7: "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
Because of Christ, I am no longer the man lying along side the road. Because of Christ, I am free to be the priest or the Levite or the Samaritan. Because Christ died for His enemies, I can "go and do likewise" - love my enemies like the Samaritan. Because Christ forgives my sin, I am freed from guilt and condemnation when I fail to love like the priest or Levite. Because Christ has freed me from selfishness and sin, I can affirm with Paul that "I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God." (Acts 20:24)
May we all bask in this glorious good news of the gospel. May we run to Christ each and every day. May we know the power of the Holy Spirit that lives in us to love our enemies, to humble ourselves and count others as more significant than ourselves. And may we know the forgiveness of the cross when we fail to do so.
One of the things I try to do with parables, indeed, one of the probing purposes of many of the parables, is to identify myself in them. Who am I? Often this is not an easy thing to do because of the nature of the parables - sometimes they seem clear, while other times they seem really confusing. And often times those that initially seem clear turn out to be much more confusing than they appear on the surface.
The parable of the Prodigal Son was one of those for me. For years I didn't think it really meant much to me, because I've always been a moral person - never drank or did drugs, never got in trouble in school or with the law, generally respected authority. But (as I've previously written here) when I read Tim Keller's book The Prodigal God, I came to realize that I was in that story. I was the elder brother who refused to go after the sinner, to turn him back to repentance. Not only that, but I was sure that those sinful types didn't deserve to hear or embrace the Gospel. All of it just showed how I didn't get the Gospel (or the depth of my need for it) as well as I thought I did.
The Good Samaritan (found in Luke 10:25-37) is another one of those parables for me. Seems like a nice enough story - kind of like one of Aesop's Fables, a short little story to remind us that we should be nice to everybody. But in thinking more about it during class yesterday and since then, I came to see that if that was Jesus's main point, he could have told the story much more simply. He could have told the story of the priest and the Levite finding a beaten up Samaritan on the side of the road and helping him out. That would have been a pretty strong story - be like the priest and Levite, who helped someone who Jews regularly do not associate with.
But that's not how it goes. Instead of being heroes of the story, the priest and Levite are villains. Instead of being the helpless victim, the half-breed Samaritan is the hero. This is way more shocking to the lawyer and the Jews who were listening in. Who will the lawyer identify himself with? He knows the Samaritan is the hero of the story, but can't even bring himself to utter the word "Samaritan". So he's clearly not identifying with him.
And that brings me back by initial question - who am I? With whom do I identify with? Certainly not the Samaritan. Along with everybody else in my group on Sunday, I'm convicted by the actions of the Samaritan. So that leaves me thinking that I'm more like the priest and the Levite. And that's generally how I've thought about this parable in the past. Don't be like the priest and the Levite, be like the Samaritan. Maybe I should get a "WWtSD?" bracelet.
But again, I think this story is deeper than just an exhortation to help others. It is clearly that, but I think it's more than that. Jesus is telling us that the Law is summed up in love for God and love for others. He is telling us that those who love and follow and worship God in Spirit and truth are those who also love others and put others ahead of themselves.
But there just seems to be more to the story. And then this morning, it hit me. Yes, I'm like the priest and the Levite in that I fail to help those I should. But even more than that, I'm like the man who was robbed and beaten up and left for dead. And it's the very Law that Jesus confirms that leaves me in this condition. On my own, I'm beaten up by the Law. I'm beaten up by my failure to love my neighbor as myself. I'm robbed of any good that I thought I possessed. I am left for dead in my sin. I'm helpless and in desperate need.
Thankfully, that's not the end of the story. Because there is good news. There is another question I try to answer in parables like this. Who is Jesus? Does He correspond to one of His own characters? In the Prodigal Son, he's noticeably missing. He's the true elder brother who left home to come and redeem both the younger brother, rebellious, sinful types, and the elder brother, legalistic, self-righteous types.
So in the parable of the Good Samaritan, who is Jesus? When you stop and think about it, there's really only one answer - Jesus identifies Himself with the half-breed Samaritan.
While I'm left for dead in my sin, I have not been left helpless and poor. And not merely because of a Good Samaritan. But because of the King of Kings who left His throne to humble Himself to come save helpless, poor, selfish, sinners like me. "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich." (2 Corinthians 8:9)
Jesus identifies with the Samaritan - the outcast in the eyes of the Jews. Jesus would be rejected by the chief priests and elders. Jesus would be handed over to the Romans and crucified as the enemy of Israel. Jesus loved His enemies. He not only loved His enemies, He bore their sins, something the Good Samaritan could not do for the man in the parable. (see Romans 51-10)
We are the ones who have been saved by the One who was despised and rejected. We are the ones who have been saved by the One who has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. We are the ones who have been saved by the One who pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our sins. (see Isaiah 53)
Jesus not only healed us and took care of us, He took on our sin & suffering, so that we may be clothed in His righteousness. "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21)
So when I think I'm under the Law, I know that I cannot live up to it. In and of myself, I am not able to love my neighbor as myself - even if I like them. I'm not even able to love my wife and kids as myself. The Law in my flesh drives me to exclaim with Paul in Romans 7: "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
Because of Christ, I am no longer the man lying along side the road. Because of Christ, I am free to be the priest or the Levite or the Samaritan. Because Christ died for His enemies, I can "go and do likewise" - love my enemies like the Samaritan. Because Christ forgives my sin, I am freed from guilt and condemnation when I fail to love like the priest or Levite. Because Christ has freed me from selfishness and sin, I can affirm with Paul that "I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God." (Acts 20:24)
May we all bask in this glorious good news of the gospel. May we run to Christ each and every day. May we know the power of the Holy Spirit that lives in us to love our enemies, to humble ourselves and count others as more significant than ourselves. And may we know the forgiveness of the cross when we fail to do so.
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