Pierced for our Transgressions, Special Offer

The Biblical Theology Briefings at Beginning with Moses have alerted me that they are able to offer the new IVP title, Pierced for Our Transgressions: Recovering the glory of penal substitution (here) at a special offer price to UK and overseas customers.

Resurrection sovereignty

The other morning, a couple of our neighbourhood "Jehovah's Witnesses" came knocking at my door. We discussed the resurrection of Jesus. The man explained that at his resurrection, the Lord divested himself of his body and became a "spirit person". I pointed out that in Luke's resurrection narrative, Jesus explicitly denies this saying, 'a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.' (Luke 24:39.) The man responded that Jesus seemed to have had a body, but that was just for appearance's sake. So, we can add post-resurrection Doceticism to the list of JW heresies.

It is highly important to realise that Jesus retained his full humanity when he was raised from the dead. Granted, his body was transformed and ultimately glorified, but it was the same body that was nailed to the cross and buried in a tomb. Jesus' resurrection was the pledge of a new creation. The JW's are supposed to be strong on the eschatological future of the earth. But it seems to have escaped them that if Jesus abandoned his body to become 'spirit', then the value of physical creation is undermined. God said of the original creation with Adam at it's head, "It is very good!" Of the renewed creation, headed up by the Last Adam, God might say, "It is very glorious!"

In addition, Christ's Lordship is conditioned by his humanity. As 'Rabbi' Duncan put it, 'The dust of the earth is an integral part of us. The dust of the earth is on the throne of the Majesty on High.' Donald Macleod's reflects further,

'The Lord's post-resurrection sovereignty is modified and enriched by all the experiences of his incarnate life. In its pre-resurrection phase the sovereignty had all the advantages of his love, pity and omniscience. It still retains these but now it is enhanced by his involvement in the common lot of men during his earthly ministry. Even for God, the only way to learn compassion is by experience. Today, the memories of Nazareth and Cana, of poverty and pain, of temptation and suffering, of Gethsemane and Calvary, are imprinted indelibly on the Lord's memory and profoundly influence the way he runs his administration. It is as the Lamb who bore the sin of the world that he now sits on the throne (Rev. 5:6). He remembers that we are dust and knows our humanness from the inside. He can say, as he observes us, 'I know exactly how that woman feels!' And because he himself lived on the outer limits of human endurance he can ensure that we shall not be tested above what we are able to bear.'

(From Glory to Golgotha, Christian Focus, 2002, p. 129 for Duncan quote and p. 137-138 for the rest)

The True Image

God's image true, his very form,
took servant's shape, of woman born.
He stooped so low, nailed to a cross,
His visage marred, his beauty lost,
For our transgressions peirced.

As by man came sin and grief,
so by Man came our relief.
Adam's lost and hopeless race
saved by free and priceless grace,
Last Adam cursed for us.

The Son of God in weakness came,
took our flesh, bore our shame.
But by the Holy Spirit's breath
he rose again, defeating death,
the Son of God with power.

Lord of the living and the dead
crowned on high the Church's head.
Rule the world with iron rod
till all that breathe submit to God,
And praise your highest name.

Ten things for Minister's Fraternals

1. Fellowship, a time of communion with God and men.
2. Friendship, pastors sometimes feel isolated, fraternals help us to make friends.
3. Study, we need the stimulus of study to keep us sharp and up-to-date.
4. Discussion, an interchange of views enables us to gird our minds for action.
5. Support for pastors feeling overwhelmed with the problems of ministry.
6. Advice, when faced with tricky situations, it is good to seek the counsel of others.
7. Training, for the practicalities of pastoring like counselling, visiting, exegesis etc.
8. Prayer, if the needs of ministry do not drive us to our knees, nothing will.
9. Worship of the Triune God who called us to be Ministers of the gospel.
10. Food, this is important. Eat, chat and laugh together.

The use and abuse of traditon

Robert W. Oliver

Earlier today I attended a Minister's Fraternal at the Old Baptist Chapel, Bradford on Avon. Robert Oliver spoke to us about The use and abuse of tradition.

He began by reminding us that the Bible itself contains traditions. The Old Testament prophets based their teaching on the traditions of Moses as found in the Pentateuch. A man whose teaching did not match the Mosaic traditions was to be regarded as a false prophet. The apostle Paul urged the Church at Thessalonica to keep the traditions that they had received from him (2 Thess 3:6). The message that Paul preached to the Corinthians was the gospel tradition that they had received from the apostle (1 Cor 15:1ff).

Tradition in this sense is good and Biblical. We must hand down the teaching of the Bible from generation to generation. But there are also unscriptural traditions. Jesus attacked the scribesand Pharisees because they made the word of God of no effect through their traditions (Mk 7:6-13). Paul warned the Clossians to beware of the traditions of men (Col 2:8).

Tradition is abused when traditions contradict or undermine Biblical teaching. The Roman Catholic Church abuses tradition when she makes ancient oral tradition, the teaching of the Fathers and the decrees of the Pope equal to Scripture. Roman doctrines like transubstantiation, the immaculate conception and the infallibility of the Pope are traditional rather than Biblical. Such are "the traditions of men". They are without divine authority.

Does this mean that Evangelicals have no use for tradition? Certainly not. We hold to the inscripturated traditions of the Bible and we recognise that we have a lot to learn from the history of the Church. We are not the first generation of believers to read the Bible. We benefit from learning from the great teachers of the past.

The early Church gave special attention to the question, "Who is Jesus Christ?" After much deliberation and discussion the Nicene creed and definition of Chalcedon were drawn up to set forth the Church's understanding of the Person of Christ. The creeds embody healthy traditions of theological teaching. They set forth an accurate exposition of the Bible's teaching. We do not need to reinvent the Christological wheel in every generation of Church history. As part of the communion of the saints, we may learn from the wisdom of the past.

In the middle ages, theologians like Anselm faced the question, "How does Christ save us?" He developed the view the Christ died to satisfy God's offended honour and justice. More work needed to be done on the atonement, but Anselm can point us in the right direction.

The Reformation gave particular attention to the matter of "How can we be right with God?" The doctrine of justification by faith alone was rediscovered. The Reformers were not right on everything. But we can benefit from their insights into the Biblical doctrine of justification.

Creeds and confessions are helpful because they save us from being individualistic and theologically naive. They must not be placed alongside Scripture, but they are a good guide to accurate Bible teaching. We must not succumb to chronological snobbery that assumes that Evangelicals today do not need to learn from the great teachers of the past. It takes all the saints, including those of the past to enable us to grasp something of the multi-dimensioned love of Christ. In theo-dramatic terms, tradition helps the Church to understand the Biblical script with greater depth and accuracy. It is only as we grasp the script that we can perform it authentically in our day.

The address was followed by a time of discussion where we considered how we may best give our people a right sense of history and tradition. This was a fruitful exchange of views that led to some practical suggestions. We thought about the pros and cons of using Church history to illustrate sermons. Robert Oliver said that he had done some potted church history talks during Sunday evening services. We considered the vale of older commentaries and the writings of past theologians. No one said, "I remember Lloyd-Jones going on about...". But, one frat member confessed that he had come across my blog earlier in the week. Must have done some good.

Robert Oliver was the pastor at The Old Baptist Church. He currently lectures in Church History at the London Theological Seminary and the John Owen Centre. His book on the History of the English Calvinistic Baptists was recently published by the Banner of Truth Trust (review).

The theodramatic bit was my Vanhoozerism, RWO didn't actually say that.

What's the problem with Reformed Christianity in the UK?

In comments on a recent post, Martin Downes raised an important issue. We seem to be pretty adept at exposing the theological errors of others. But we are correspondingly inept at facing our own weaknesses.

I know that some, even many Reformed churches are vibrant and growing. But my impression is that the movement as a whole is inert and moribund. There are a number of matters that we need to face. I don't have all the answers, I'm not necessarily asking all the right questions. I would especially welcome your feedback on this post.

1) Lack of conversions

This is very basic. If people aren't being saved, are we doing the Great Commission? Why is it that we are failing to reach people around us? Are we failing to communicate the gospel in a contemporary way? Why do people find the thought of entering our buildings for services so off putting?

2) Fragmented and fractious

Reformed Christianity had been weakened by unnecessary controversy and strife. Is it not a crying shame that people will go to the barricades over Bible versions and hymn books? This state of affairs does not suggest that we are focused on the main task of proclaiming and embodying the gospel in our day. When believers will leave churches over such matters, is that a sign of principled spiritual maturity?

3) Traditionalism

Have we sometimes failed to distinguish between peripheral traditions and Biblical Christianity? Are we so afraid of innovation and improvisation that we risk being stuck in some kind of time warp?

4) Faddishness

Is it right to go for change for change's sake, however divisive may be the outcome? Are we sometimes too quick to try the latest quick n' easy church growth fad? When that doesn't work we just get disillusioned and give up.

5) Strategic self denial

How many gifted people in their 20's to 50's would be willing to get involved in a small church to help turn things around? I know that there is safety in numbers etc. But small churches often need outside help to get off the ground. Are larger churches thinking strategically in this respect? Are smaller works willing to be helped to grow by believers with fresh ideas?

6) Lack of prayer

Why is it that people do not make the Prayer Meeting a priority, or when they turn up, they don't pray? Have we been driven to our knees by a concern for the glory of God in our age?

7) Powerless preaching

Every Sunday 100's of doctrinally accurate, well structured, interestingly illustrated and well applied sermons are preached. But where is the fruit in terms of the transforming power of the gospel?

8) Revival

I know that some might say that revival would be a panacea. We certainly need one. We should pray urgently and persistently for a powerful outpouring of the Spirit. But we might be surprised at the shape a fresh revival may take. Would we really welcome it? Anyway, evangelism, discipleship and innovation are not the enemies of revival. They are the things that we should be doing now in anticipation of a time of awakening.

Am I asking the right questions? What answers would you give?

Ten things for a wannabe Lloyd-Jones

1. Begin your sermons with "Now, I would like to draw your attention...".
2. Listen to lots of his tapes so you can impersonate his voice accurately.
3. Preach a series on Romans that lasts for 13 years.
4. Fantasize about wearing a Geneva gown in the pulpit.
5. Wear a Geneva gown in the pulipt.
6. Believe that you know what he would have thought about stuff if he were alive today.
7. Always preach for at least 45 minutes to an hour.
8. If you are not Welsh, give up.
9. Let go of your delusions of grandeur.
10. Work through the wannabe Lloyd-Jones phase and just be yourself (whoever that is).

The Lloyd-Jones problem

I'd better say this first: I'm a great admirer of "the Doctor". As a young Christian I read his sermons on Romans with great relish. My theological outlook has been influenced by the ministry and writings of the great preacher. I think that he was right to force Evangelicals to face up to the challenge of the ecumenical movement in 1966. His call for church-based evangelical unity was admirable and prophetic. I share something of his burden for revival.

However, there is a problem. Not perhaps with the man himself, but with the way in which his name and views are used to stifle debate in some circles. Am I the only Reformed minister who feels a little frustrated at conferences and fraternals when the following happens? A man gives an excellent paper. The subject is opened up for discussion. Views fly back and forth and an interesting exhange of views develops. Suddenly someone stands up and says, "I remember that we talked about this at the Westminster Fellowship and the Doctor said...." And that's virtually it. Once the name of Lloyd-Jones has been invoked, debate grinds to a standstill.

Now, I know that Lloyd-Jones was a very wise and gifted minister. We can learn a lot from him. But I think that he would be horrified were he to turn up at some of our meetings. He was a provocative, original and independent thinker, not a man who parroted the view of others. In his sermons on Romans he often disagreed with Calvin, Hodge and Haldene. He refused to hide behind names. We should not be hiding behind his. Today's ministers face new challenges that demand fresh, Biblical thinking. Trotting out "the Doctor said...." just isn't good enough. We need to learn what we can from him and then move on to serve God faithfully in our generation.

Resurrection 20

Jesus dead
hope gone
all lost,
Weep.

Spice brought
body wrapped
cold tomb,
Hush.

Sabbath long
feel numb
Jesus gone,
Why?

Next day
early morn
heavy stone,
Moved.

Tomb empty
angels speak
"not here,
Risen".

Mary cries
man seen
through tears,
Gardener?

Man speaks
voice known
he says,
"Mary"

Don't cling
tell friends
I will,
Ascend.

All afraid
doors locked
Master comes,
"Peace"

Come see
hands, side
people glad,
Believe.

Man doubts
wants proof
Jesus says,
"Touch"

Man sees
faith kindled
worship offered,
Joy.

Jesus risen
My Lord
my God,
Alive.

Ten strange Google referrals

Google referred these searches to Exiled Preacher:

1. awful preacher
2. most sensible preacher in our times
3. preachers that destroy
4. new zealand surfing
5. enterprise abundant blog
6. "thou shalt not listen"
7. has any leader ever been exiled from the US
8. preacher in love with a married woman
9. ways a preacher can fall from God
10. gary brady

Strange eh?