Gospel Translations - User contributions [en]

Let Us Adore Him

2013-12-19T20:08:11Z

Gburgplummer:

{{info}}

by David Mathis | December 15, 2013 

Advent is not just about acknowledging Jesus, but adoring him. Christmas is not first about witness, but about worship. So, come, all ye faithful. Come, joyful and triumphant. Let us adore our Christ.

But beware your standard of who can come in worship. At Jesus’s own birth, it wasn’t the squeaky-clean, religious elites of biblical faith who bowed the knee in worship. Rather, they bowed their back, and it was the dirty pagans who streamed in to adore him.

'''All Ye Faithful'''

We need look no further than the magi of Matthew 2 for our model of the “faithful.” To call them “three kings” is overstated. “Wise men” is positive spin. These guys are more like sorcerers. They are star-gazing, pagan astrologers, watching for who-knows-what in the skies, rather than the Scriptures, and God in his grace comes to them through the very channel of their sin. Even here at Jesus’s birth, he is making wizards into worshipers worldwide. Even from the priestly class of pagan religion.

Don’t miss the message of the magi: If such sinners as these can approach the Christ and fall down in worship, so may all. Pagan astrologers prostrate in adoration is a stunning emblem announcing that all sinners may come.

'''Joyful and Triumphant'''

You know the well-worn lines from Matthew 2:10–11. But let’s travel these trails again and see the magi adore the Jewish Messiah.
<blockquote> When they saw the star [resting over the place where the child was], they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. </blockquote>
 Matthew piles up the joy language so that we don’t miss it. They didn’t just rejoice, but did so ''exceedingly''. And added to that, they did so “with joy” — and even more, “great joy.”

Perhaps we would have thought of the shepherds in Luke 2 as the crazy emotional types, while these erudite pagan astrologers keep calm and collected. But the joy language explodes here in Matthew 2 with even greater gusto than Luke 2 when the angels announced “good news of a great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10) and the shepherds “returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:20). Here our wicked wizards, Matthew says, “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”

'''Come and Behold Him'''

And such explosive joy is not disconnected from their worship of the baby Jesus. Exceeding great joy is the stuff of true adoration. The essence of worship is not physical actions and mere motions of homage. At its heart, worship is in “spirit and truth,” as Jesus says in John 4 — true things about Jesus and a spirit of great joy about him — spiritually looking to Jesus and ''rejoicing exceedingly with great joy''.

But what does it mean here that the astrologers “worshiped” this child? Did they know he was God in the flesh? Were they worshiping him as the God-man? They may merely be paying homage to one whom they anticipate will be a great earthly king. Maybe. Perhaps the magi heard from Jewish exiles in Babylon about the Balaam prophecy in Numbers 24:17, “A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.”

But it seems more is going on here. If by “worship,” Matthew merely means that they paid him homage, as subjects pay homage to their king, then it seems odd to travel so far and redundant to say “they fell down.” Falling down is the physical posture, but “worship” is what what is going on in their hearts as they see this newborn king who will reign not only over Israel but the whole world, thus making them his subjects even though they aren’t Israelites.

'''We Worship All the More'''

At least in some sense, they are worshiping better than they know, and Matthew wants us to see that. In chapter one, he has already told us of the virgin conception and that this baby is called “Immanuel, God with us” (Matthew 1:23) and that he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). And in this Gospel, Matthew will unfold the surprising story of how this child born king will walk an excruciating path to his cosmic reign — a path literally excruciating, in dying odiously, and sacrificially, on a Roman cross en route to glory.

And since we Christians now know more, we adore him all the more, and come to Christmas with no less joy than these emotionally enthused magi. Our Advent worship is more that of these star-gazing “wise men” than it is that of the scrupulous Jerusalem religious elite, who know their Scriptures, but won’t bow their knee. We come as sinners, struggling, unclean, unimpressive, veritable astrologers.

But it doesn’t mean we come joyless here on this third Sunday of Advent. Rather, because he is marvelously merciful — because his advent is Grace Incarnate (Titus 2:11), because he came to seek and save lost magi (Luke 19:10), to heal the sick and call the sinners (Matthew 2:17), to serve the spiritual broken (Mark 10:45) and destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) — we come joyful and triumphant. Sinners come, even in star-gazing rebellion so great as ours, and we adore Christ the Lord with joy — rejoicing exceedingly with great joy.

Come, let us adore him. 

*More for Advent from Desiring God: 
*The Hopes and Fears of All the Years (Second Sunday of Advent) 
*Until the Son of God Appeared (First Sunday of Advent) 
*Good News of Great Joy (Daily Readings for Advent) 
*Let a Little Lent into Your Advent 
*Topic: The Birth of Christ  '' ''

 
<blockquote>
''David Mathis (@davidcmathis) is executive editor at desiringGod.org and an elder at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis. He has edited several books, including Thinking. Loving. Doing., Finish the Mission, and Acting the Miracle, and is co-author of How to Stay Christian in Seminary.''
</blockquote>

Let Us Adore Him

2013-12-19T20:07:09Z

Gburgplummer:

{{info}}

by David Mathis | December 15, 2013 

Advent is not just about acknowledging Jesus, but adoring him. Christmas is not first about witness, but about worship. So, come, all ye faithful. Come, joyful and triumphant. Let us adore our Christ.

But beware your standard of who can come in worship. At Jesus’s own birth, it wasn’t the squeaky-clean, religious elites of biblical faith who bowed the knee in worship. Rather, they bowed their back, and it was the dirty pagans who streamed in to adore him.

'''All Ye Faithful'''

We need look no further than the magi of Matthew 2 for our model of the “faithful.” To call them “three kings” is overstated. “Wise men” is positive spin. These guys are more like sorcerers. They are star-gazing, pagan astrologers, watching for who-knows-what in the skies, rather than the Scriptures, and God in his grace comes to them through the very channel of their sin. Even here at Jesus’s birth, he is making wizards into worshipers worldwide. Even from the priestly class of pagan religion.

Don’t miss the message of the magi: If such sinners as these can approach the Christ and fall down in worship, so may all. Pagan astrologers prostrate in adoration is a stunning emblem announcing that all sinners may come.

'''Joyful and Triumphant'''

You know the well-worn lines from Matthew 2:10–11. But let’s travel these trails again and see the magi adore the Jewish Messiah.
<blockquote> When they saw the star [resting over the place where the child was], they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. </blockquote>

Matthew piles up the joy language so that we don’t miss it. They didn’t just rejoice, but did so ''exceedingly''. And added to that, they did so “with joy” — and even more, “great joy.”

Perhaps we would have thought of the shepherds in Luke 2 as the crazy emotional types, while these erudite pagan astrologers keep calm and collected. But the joy language explodes here in Matthew 2 with even greater gusto than Luke 2 when the angels announced “good news of a great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10) and the shepherds “returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:20). Here our wicked wizards, Matthew says, “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”

'''Come and Behold Him'''

And such explosive joy is not disconnected from their worship of the baby Jesus. Exceeding great joy is the stuff of true adoration. The essence of worship is not physical actions and mere motions of homage. At its heart, worship is in “spirit and truth,” as Jesus says in John 4 — true things about Jesus and a spirit of great joy about him — spiritually looking to Jesus and ''rejoicing exceedingly with great joy''.

But what does it mean here that the astrologers “worshiped” this child? Did they know he was God in the flesh? Were they worshiping him as the God-man? They may merely be paying homage to one whom they anticipate will be a great earthly king. Maybe. Perhaps the magi heard from Jewish exiles in Babylon about the Balaam prophecy in Numbers 24:17, “A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.”

But it seems more is going on here. If by “worship,” Matthew merely means that they paid him homage, as subjects pay homage to their king, then it seems odd to travel so far and redundant to say “they fell down.” Falling down is the physical posture, but “worship” is what what is going on in their hearts as they see this newborn king who will reign not only over Israel but the whole world, thus making them his subjects even though they aren’t Israelites.

'''We Worship All the More'''

At least in some sense, they are worshiping better than they know, and Matthew wants us to see that. In chapter one, he has already told us of the virgin conception and that this baby is called “Immanuel, God with us” (Matthew 1:23) and that he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). And in this Gospel, Matthew will unfold the surprising story of how this child born king will walk an excruciating path to his cosmic reign — a path literally excruciating, in dying odiously, and sacrificially, on a Roman cross en route to glory.

And since we Christians now know more, we adore him all the more, and come to Christmas with no less joy than these emotionally enthused magi. Our Advent worship is more that of these star-gazing “wise men” than it is that of the scrupulous Jerusalem religious elite, who know their Scriptures, but won’t bow their knee. We come as sinners, struggling, unclean, unimpressive, veritable astrologers.

But it doesn’t mean we come joyless here on this third Sunday of Advent. Rather, because he is marvelously merciful — because his advent is Grace Incarnate (Titus 2:11), because he came to seek and save lost magi (Luke 19:10), to heal the sick and call the sinners (Matthew 2:17), to serve the spiritual broken (Mark 10:45) and destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) — we come joyful and triumphant. Sinners come, even in star-gazing rebellion so great as ours, and we adore Christ the Lord with joy — rejoicing exceedingly with great joy.

Come, let us adore him. 

*More for Advent from Desiring God: 
*The Hopes and Fears of All the Years (Second Sunday of Advent) 
*Until the Son of God Appeared (First Sunday of Advent) 
*Good News of Great Joy (Daily Readings for Advent) 
*Let a Little Lent into Your Advent 
*Topic: The Birth of Christ  '' ''

''David Mathis (@davidcmathis) is executive editor at desiringGod.org and an elder at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis. He has edited several books, including Thinking. Loving. Doing., Finish the Mission, and Acting the Miracle, and is co-author of How to Stay Christian in Seminary.''

Let Us Adore Him

2013-12-19T20:04:36Z

Gburgplummer:

{{info}}

by David Mathis | December 15, 2013 

Advent is not just about acknowledging Jesus, but adoring him. Christmas is not first about witness, but about worship. So, come, all ye faithful. Come, joyful and triumphant. Let us adore our Christ.

But beware your standard of who can come in worship. At Jesus’s own birth, it wasn’t the squeaky-clean, religious elites of biblical faith who bowed the knee in worship. Rather, they bowed their back, and it was the dirty pagans who streamed in to adore him.

'''All Ye Faithful'''

We need look no further than the magi of Matthew 2 for our model of the “faithful.” To call them “three kings” is overstated. “Wise men” is positive spin. These guys are more like sorcerers. They are star-gazing, pagan astrologers, watching for who-knows-what in the skies, rather than the Scriptures, and God in his grace comes to them through the very channel of their sin. Even here at Jesus’s birth, he is making wizards into worshipers worldwide. Even from the priestly class of pagan religion.

Don’t miss the message of the magi: If such sinners as these can approach the Christ and fall down in worship, so may all. Pagan astrologers prostrate in adoration is a stunning emblem announcing that all sinners may come.

'''Joyful and Triumphant'''

You know the well-worn lines from Matthew 2:10–11. But let’s travel these trails again and see the magi adore the Jewish Messiah.
<blockquote> When they saw the star [resting over the place where the child was], they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. </blockquote>
Matthew piles up the joy language so that we don’t miss it. They didn’t just rejoice, but did so ''exceedingly''. And added to that, they did so “with joy” — and even more, “great joy.”

Perhaps we would have thought of the shepherds in Luke 2 as the crazy emotional types, while these erudite pagan astrologers keep calm and collected. But the joy language explodes here in Matthew 2 with even greater gusto than Luke 2 when the angels announced “good news of a great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10) and the shepherds “returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:20). Here our wicked wizards, Matthew says, “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”

'''Come and Behold Him'''

And such explosive joy is not disconnected from their worship of the baby Jesus. Exceeding great joy is the stuff of true adoration. The essence of worship is not physical actions and mere motions of homage. At its heart, worship is in “spirit and truth,” as Jesus says in John 4 — true things about Jesus and a spirit of great joy about him — spiritually looking to Jesus and ''rejoicing exceedingly with great joy''.

But what does it mean here that the astrologers “worshiped” this child? Did they know he was God in the flesh? Were they worshiping him as the God-man? They may merely be paying homage to one whom they anticipate will be a great earthly king. Maybe. Perhaps the magi heard from Jewish exiles in Babylon about the Balaam prophecy in Numbers 24:17, “A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.”

But it seems more is going on here. If by “worship,” Matthew merely means that they paid him homage, as subjects pay homage to their king, then it seems odd to travel so far and redundant to say “they fell down.” Falling down is the physical posture, but “worship” is what what is going on in their hearts as they see this newborn king who will reign not only over Israel but the whole world, thus making them his subjects even though they aren’t Israelites.

'''We Worship All the More'''

At least in some sense, they are worshiping better than they know, and Matthew wants us to see that. In chapter one, he has already told us of the virgin conception and that this baby is called “Immanuel, God with us” (Matthew 1:23) and that he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). And in this Gospel, Matthew will unfold the surprising story of how this child born king will walk an excruciating path to his cosmic reign — a path literally excruciating, in dying odiously, and sacrificially, on a Roman cross en route to glory.

And since we Christians now know more, we adore him all the more, and come to Christmas with no less joy than these emotionally enthused magi. Our Advent worship is more that of these star-gazing “wise men” than it is that of the scrupulous Jerusalem religious elite, who know their Scriptures, but won’t bow their knee. We come as sinners, struggling, unclean, unimpressive, veritable astrologers.

But it doesn’t mean we come joyless here on this third Sunday of Advent. Rather, because he is marvelously merciful — because his advent is Grace Incarnate (Titus 2:11), because he came to seek and save lost magi (Luke 19:10), to heal the sick and call the sinners (Matthew 2:17), to serve the spiritual broken (Mark 10:45) and destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) — we come joyful and triumphant. Sinners come, even in star-gazing rebellion so great as ours, and we adore Christ the Lord with joy — rejoicing exceedingly with great joy.

Come, let us adore him.

<blockquote>
*More for Advent from Desiring God: 
*The Hopes and Fears of All the Years (Second Sunday of Advent) 
*Until the Son of God Appeared (First Sunday of Advent) 
*Good News of Great Joy (Daily Readings for Advent) 
*Let a Little Lent into Your Advent 
*Topic: The Birth of Christ  '' ''

''David Mathis (@davidcmathis) is executive editor at desiringGod.org and an elder at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis. He has edited several books, including Thinking. Loving. Doing., Finish the Mission, and Acting the Miracle, and is co-author of How to Stay Christian in Seminary.''
</blockquote>

Let Us Adore Him

2013-12-19T19:49:45Z

Gburgplummer:

{{info}}

by David Mathis | December 15, 2013 

Advent is not just about acknowledging Jesus, but adoring him. Christmas is not first about witness, but about worship. So, come, all ye faithful. Come, joyful and triumphant. Let us adore our Christ.

But beware your standard of who can come in worship. At Jesus’s own birth, it wasn’t the squeaky-clean, religious elites of biblical faith who bowed the knee in worship. Rather, they bowed their back, and it was the dirty pagans who streamed in to adore him.

'''All Ye Faithful'''

We need look no further than the magi of Matthew 2 for our model of the “faithful.” To call them “three kings” is overstated. “Wise men” is positive spin. These guys are more like sorcerers. They are star-gazing, pagan astrologers, watching for who-knows-what in the skies, rather than the Scriptures, and God in his grace comes to them through the very channel of their sin. Even here at Jesus’s birth, he is making wizards into worshipers worldwide. Even from the priestly class of pagan religion.

Don’t miss the message of the magi: If such sinners as these can approach the Christ and fall down in worship, so may all. Pagan astrologers prostrate in adoration is a stunning emblem announcing that all sinners may come.

'''Joyful and Triumphant'''

You know the well-worn lines from Matthew 2:10–11. But let’s travel these trails again and see the magi adore the Jewish Messiah.
<blockquote>
 When they saw the star [resting over the place where the child was], they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
</blockquote>
Matthew piles up the joy language so that we don’t miss it. They didn’t just rejoice, but did so ''exceedingly''. And added to that, they did so “with joy” — and even more, “great joy.”

Perhaps we would have thought of the shepherds in Luke 2 as the crazy emotional types, while these erudite pagan astrologers keep calm and collected. But the joy language explodes here in Matthew 2 with even greater gusto than Luke 2 when the angels announced “good news of a great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10) and the shepherds “returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:20). Here our wicked wizards, Matthew says, “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”

'''Come and Behold Him'''

And such explosive joy is not disconnected from their worship of the baby Jesus. Exceeding great joy is the stuff of true adoration. The essence of worship is not physical actions and mere motions of homage. At its heart, worship is in “spirit and truth,” as Jesus says in John 4 — true things about Jesus and a spirit of great joy about him — spiritually looking to Jesus and rejoicing exceedingly with great joy.

But what does it mean here that the astrologers “worshiped” this child? Did they know he was God in the flesh? Were they worshiping him as the God-man? They may merely be paying homage to one whom they anticipate will be a great earthly king. Maybe. Perhaps the magi heard from Jewish exiles in Babylon about the Balaam prophecy in Numbers 24:17, “A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.”

But it seems more is going on here. If by “worship,” Matthew merely means that they paid him homage, as subjects pay homage to their king, then it seems odd to travel so far and redundant to say “they fell down.” Falling down is the physical posture, but “worship” is what what is going on in their hearts as they see this newborn king who will reign not only over Israel but the whole world, thus making them his subjects even though they aren’t Israelites.

We Worship All the More

At least in some sense, they are worshiping better than they know, and Matthew wants us to see that. In chapter one, he has already told us of the virgin conception and that this baby is called “Immanuel, God with us” (Matthew 1:23) and that he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). And in this Gospel, Matthew will unfold the surprising story of how this child born king will walk an excruciating path to his cosmic reign — a path literally excruciating, in dying odiously, and sacrificially, on a Roman cross en route to glory.

And since we Christians now know more, we adore him all the more, and come to Christmas with no less joy than these emotionally enthused magi. Our Advent worship is more that of these star-gazing “wise men” than it is that of the scrupulous Jerusalem religious elite, who know their Scriptures, but won’t bow their knee. We come as sinners, struggling, unclean, unimpressive, veritable astrologers.

But it doesn’t mean we come joyless here on this third Sunday of Advent. Rather, because he is marvelously merciful — because his advent is Grace Incarnate (Titus 2:11), because he came to seek and save lost magi (Luke 19:10), to heal the sick and call the sinners (Matthew 2:17), to serve the spiritual broken (Mark 10:45) and destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) — we come joyful and triumphant. Sinners come, even in star-gazing rebellion so great as ours, and we adore Christ the Lord with joy — rejoicing exceedingly with great joy.

Come, let us adore him.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

More for Advent from Desiring God: The Hopes and Fears of All the Years (Second Sunday of Advent)

 Until the Son of God Appeared (First Sunday of Advent)

 Good News of Great Joy (Daily Readings for Advent)

 Let a Little Lent into Your Advent

 Topic: The Birth of Christ  

 David Mathis (@davidcmathis) is executive editor at desiringGod.org and an elder at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis. He has edited several books, including Thinking. Loving. Doing., Finish the Mission, and Acting the Miracle, and is co-author of How to Stay Christian in Seminary.

Love Is More Than a Choice

2013-11-23T18:02:27Z

Gburgplummer:

{{info}}

This is a gentle pushback on a popular slogan.

 

There is truth in saying, “love is a choice” or “love is a decision.” It is true that if you don’t feel like doing good to your neighbor love will incline you to “choose” to do it anyway. If you feel like getting a divorce, love will incline you to “choose” to stay married and work it out.

 

If you shrink back from the pain of nails being driven through your hands, love will incline you to say, “Not my will but yours be done.” That’s the truth I hear in the statements: “Love is a choice,” or “Love is a decision.”

 

But I don’t prefer to use these statements. Too many people hear three tendencies in them that those who use the statements may not intend.

#Saying “love is a choice” sounds like the tendency to believe love is in our power to perform, even when we don’t feel like it. 
#Saying “love is a choice” sounds like the tendency to make the will, with its decisions, the decisive moral agent rather than the heart, with its affections. 
#Saying “love is a choice” sounds like the tendency to set the bar too low: If you can will to treat someone well, you have done all you should. 

 I disagree with all three of these tendencies.

 

In their place I would say:

 

1.Both at the level of desiring to do good, and the level of willing the good we don’t desire, we are totally dependent on the decisive grace of God. All that honors Christ — both affections and choices — are gifts to fallen sinners (1 Corinthians 4:7; Galatians 5:22).  

2.Beneath the will, with its decisions, there is the heart, which produces our preferences, and these preferences guide the will. “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).  

3.If our love is only a choice, it is not yet what it ought to be. 

 Here are some of the verses from Scripture that cause me to shrink back from the statement, “Love is a choice,” or “love is a decision.”

 

'''God’s love for his people is more than a decision.'''
<blockquote> “The Lᴏʀᴅ will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). “I [the Lᴏʀᴅ] will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul” (Jeremiah 32:41). “As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you” (Isaiah 62:5). “How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel?. . . My compassion grows warm and tender” (Hosea 11:8). </blockquote>
'''Our love for God is more than a decision.'''
<blockquote> “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). “There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness . . . for all who have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). (That is we long for Jesus to be here; we desire him.) Our love for fellow believers is more than a decision. </blockquote><blockquote>
 “Love one another with brotherly affection” (Romans 12:10).

“Love one another earnestly from a pure heart” (1 Peter 1:22).

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31–32). (These affectional dimensions are what it means to “walk in love” according to Ephesians 5:2.)

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

“Love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant . . . It is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:4–7).

Our love for our enemies is more than a decision.
</blockquote><blockquote>
 “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). (A prayer for our enemy to be blessed without a heartfelt desire that he be blessed is hypocrisy.)
</blockquote>
It is important to hear me say, “more than a decision.” I am not denying there are crucial choices and decisions to be made in a life of love. I am not denying that those choices and decisions are part of what love is. So I am not saying the statements “love is a choice” or “love is a decision,” are false.

But I am jealous that the richness and depth (and human impossibility) of what love is in the Bible not be lost. Hence this little pushback.

 

Recent posts from John Piper:  

Is There a Key to Godliness?

 

How Do We Rest in the Face of Horrible Calamity?

 

When Two So-Called “Married” Women (or Men) Repent

 Topic: Sanctification & Growth  

 ''John Piper (@JohnPiper) is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books. ''

Love Is More Than a Choice

2013-11-23T18:01:27Z

Gburgplummer:

{{info}}

This is a gentle pushback on a popular slogan.

There is truth in saying, “love is a choice” or “love is a decision.” It is true that if you don’t feel like doing good to your neighbor love will incline you to “choose” to do it anyway. If you feel like getting a divorce, love will incline you to “choose” to stay married and work it out.

If you shrink back from the pain of nails being driven through your hands, love will incline you to say, “Not my will but yours be done.” That’s the truth I hear in the statements: “Love is a choice,” or “Love is a decision.”

But I don’t prefer to use these statements. Too many people hear three tendencies in them that those who use the statements may not intend.

#Saying “love is a choice” sounds like the tendency to believe love is in our power to perform, even when we don’t feel like it. 
#Saying “love is a choice” sounds like the tendency to make the will, with its decisions, the decisive moral agent rather than the heart, with its affections. 
#Saying “love is a choice” sounds like the tendency to set the bar too low: If you can will to treat someone well, you have done all you should. 

 I disagree with all three of these tendencies.

In their place I would say:

1.Both at the level of desiring to do good, and the level of willing the good we don’t desire, we are totally dependent on the decisive grace of God. All that honors Christ — both affections and choices — are gifts to fallen sinners (1 Corinthians 4:7; Galatians 5:22). 

2.Beneath the will, with its decisions, there is the heart, which produces our preferences, and these preferences guide the will. “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). 

3.If our love is only a choice, it is not yet what it ought to be.

 Here are some of the verses from Scripture that cause me to shrink back from the statement, “Love is a choice,” or “love is a decision.”

 

'''God’s love for his people is more than a decision.'''
<blockquote> “The Lᴏʀᴅ will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). “I [the Lᴏʀᴅ] will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul” (Jeremiah 32:41). “As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you” (Isaiah 62:5). “How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel?. . . My compassion grows warm and tender” (Hosea 11:8). </blockquote>
'''Our love for God is more than a decision.'''
<blockquote> “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). “There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness . . . for all who have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). (That is we long for Jesus to be here; we desire him.) Our love for fellow believers is more than a decision. </blockquote><blockquote>
 “Love one another with brotherly affection” (Romans 12:10).

“Love one another earnestly from a pure heart” (1 Peter 1:22).

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31–32). (These affectional dimensions are what it means to “walk in love” according to Ephesians 5:2.)

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

“Love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant . . . It is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:4–7).

Our love for our enemies is more than a decision.
</blockquote><blockquote>
 “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). (A prayer for our enemy to be blessed without a heartfelt desire that he be blessed is hypocrisy.)
</blockquote>
It is important to hear me say, “more than a decision.” I am not denying there are crucial choices and decisions to be made in a life of love. I am not denying that those choices and decisions are part of what love is. So I am not saying the statements “love is a choice” or “love is a decision,” are false.

But I am jealous that the richness and depth (and human impossibility) of what love is in the Bible not be lost. Hence this little pushback.

 

Recent posts from John Piper:  

Is There a Key to Godliness?

 

How Do We Rest in the Face of Horrible Calamity?

 

When Two So-Called “Married” Women (or Men) Repent

 Topic: Sanctification & Growth  

 ''John Piper (@JohnPiper) is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books. ''

Love Is More Than a Choice

2013-11-23T17:56:32Z

Gburgplummer:

{{info}}

This is a gentle pushback on a popular slogan.

There is truth in saying, “love is a choice” or “love is a decision.” It is true that if you don’t feel like doing good to your neighbor love will incline you to “choose” to do it anyway. If you feel like getting a divorce, love will incline you to “choose” to stay married and work it out.

If you shrink back from the pain of nails being driven through your hands, love will incline you to say, “Not my will but yours be done.” That’s the truth I hear in the statements: “Love is a choice,” or “Love is a decision.”

But I don’t prefer to use these statements. Too many people hear three tendencies in them that those who use the statements may not intend.

#Saying “love is a choice” sounds like the tendency to believe love is in our power to perform, even when we don’t feel like it. 
#Saying “love is a choice” sounds like the tendency to make the will, with its decisions, the decisive moral agent rather than the heart, with its affections. 
#Saying “love is a choice” sounds like the tendency to set the bar too low: If you can will to treat someone well, you have done all you should.

 I disagree with all three of these tendencies.

In their place I would say:

 1.Both at the level of desiring to do good, and the level of willing the good we don’t desire, we are totally dependent on the decisive grace of God. All that honors Christ — both affections and choices — are gifts to fallen sinners (1 Corinthians 4:7; Galatians 5:22). 

2.Beneath the will, with its decisions, there is the heart, which produces our preferences, and these preferences guide the will. “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). 

3.If our love is only a choice, it is not yet what it ought to be.

 Here are some of the verses from Scripture that cause me to shrink back from the statement, “Love is a choice,” or “love is a decision.”

'''God’s love for his people is more than a decision.'''
<blockquote>
 “The Lᴏʀᴅ will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).

“I [the Lᴏʀᴅ] will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul” (Jeremiah 32:41).

“As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you” (Isaiah 62:5).

“How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel?. . . My compassion grows warm and tender” (Hosea 11:8).
</blockquote>
'''Our love for God is more than a decision.'''
<blockquote>
 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).

“There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness . . . for all who have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). (That is we long for Jesus to be here; we desire him.)

Our love for fellow believers is more than a decision.
</blockquote><blockquote>
 “Love one another with brotherly affection” (Romans 12:10).

“Love one another earnestly from a pure heart” (1 Peter 1:22).

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31–32). (These affectional dimensions are what it means to “walk in love” according to Ephesians 5:2.)

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

“Love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant . . . It is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:4–7).

Our love for our enemies is more than a decision.
</blockquote><blockquote>
 “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). (A prayer for our enemy to be blessed without a heartfelt desire that he be blessed is hypocrisy.)
</blockquote>
It is important to hear me say, “more than a decision.” I am not denying there are crucial choices and decisions to be made in a life of love. I am not denying that those choices and decisions are part of what love is. So I am not saying the statements “love is a choice” or “love is a decision,” are false.

But I am jealous that the richness and depth (and human impossibility) of what love is in the Bible not be lost. Hence this little pushback.

Recent posts from John Piper:  

Is There a Key to Godliness?

How Do We Rest in the Face of Horrible Calamity?

When Two So-Called “Married” Women (or Men) Repent

 Topic: Sanctification & Growth  

 ''John Piper (@JohnPiper) is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books. ''

Love Is More Than a Choice

2013-11-23T17:43:14Z

Gburgplummer:

{{info}}

Love Is More Than a Choice

byJohn Piper|June 18, 2013

Subscribe to...   

.

 This is a gentle pushback on a popular slogan.

There is truth in saying, “love is a choice” or “love is a decision.” It is true that if you don’t feel like doing good to your neighbor love will incline you to “choose” to do it anyway. If you feel like getting a divorce, love will incline you to “choose” to stay married and work it out.

If you shrink back from the pain of nails being driven through your hands, love will incline you to say, “Not my will but yours be done.” That’s the truth I hear in the statements: “Love is a choice,” or “Love is a decision.”

But I don’t prefer to use these statements. Too many people hear three tendencies in them that those who use the statements may not intend. 1. Saying “love is a choice” sounds like the tendency to believe love is in our power to perform, even when we don’t feel like it.

2. Saying “love is a choice” sounds like the tendency to make the will, with its decisions, the decisive moral agent rather than the heart, with its affections.

3. Saying “love is a choice” sounds like the tendency to set the bar too low: If you can will to treat someone well, you have done all you should.

 I disagree with all three of these tendencies.

In their place I would say: 1. Both at the level of desiring to do good, and the level of willing the good we don’t desire, we are totally dependent on the decisive grace of God. All that honors Christ — both affections and choices — are gifts to fallen sinners (1 Corinthians 4:7; Galatians 5:22).

2. Beneath the will, with its decisions, there is the heart, which produces our preferences, and these preferences guide the will. “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).

3. If our love is only a choice, it is not yet what it ought to be.

 Here are some of the verses from Scripture that cause me to shrink back from the statement, “Love is a choice,” or “love is a decision.”

God’s love for his people is more than a decision.

 “The Lᴏʀᴅ will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).

“I [the Lᴏʀᴅ] will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul” (Jeremiah 32:41).

“As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you” (Isaiah 62:5).

“How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel?. . . My compassion grows warm and tender” (Hosea 11:8).

Our love for God is more than a decision.

 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).

“There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness . . . for all who have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). (That is we long for Jesus to be here; we desire him.)

Our love for fellow believers is more than a decision.

 “Love one another with brotherly affection” (Romans 12:10).

“Love one another earnestly from a pure heart” (1 Peter 1:22).

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31–32). (These affectional dimensions are what it means to “walk in love” according to Ephesians 5:2.)

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

“Love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant . . . It is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:4–7).

Our love for our enemies is more than a decision.

 “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). (A prayer for our enemy to be blessed without a heartfelt desire that he be blessed is hypocrisy.)

It is important to hear me say, “more than a decision.” I am not denying there are crucial choices and decisions to be made in a life of love. I am not denying that those choices and decisions are part of what love is. So I am not saying the statements “love is a choice” or “love is a decision,” are false.

But I am jealous that the richness and depth (and human impossibility) of what love is in the Bible not be lost. Hence this little pushback.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recent posts from John Piper: Is There a Key to Godliness?

 How Do We Rest in the Face of Horrible Calamity?

 When Two So-Called “Married” Women (or Men) Repent

 Topic: Sanctification & Growth  

 John Piper (@JohnPiper) is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books.

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The Thrilling “Now” of Christian Mission

2013-11-23T17:40:45Z

Gburgplummer:

{{info}}

 Just think of it. The God of the universe focused his special revelation and redeeming work on one small ethnic people, Israel, for 2,000 years — from the calling of Abram in Genesis 12 to the coming of Christ. For all that time “he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways” (Acts 14:16).

Then at the entry of his Son into the world, all this changed.

As Jesus was leaving to return to heaven he said, “Repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in [my] name ''to all nations''” (Luke 24:47). “Go therefore and make disciples ''of all nations''” (Matthew 28:19). This was a pivotal change in the history of the world.

'''God’s Careful Planning'''

But the command to disciple all the nations was not an afterthought. It was the plan from the moment God chose Israel. God said to Abram, “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).

Then Paul applied this to the gospel of justification through faith in Christ: “The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed’” (Galatians 3:8). So God was getting ready to reach the nations with the gospel of Christ when he chose Abram 2,000 years before Christ came.

Why, then, such a long delay, before Christ came and the Great Commission was given in his name?

'''Why the Long Delay?'''

Because in God’s wisdom he knew that the nations of the world would grasp the nature of Christ and his work better against the backdrop of Israel’s 2,000 year history of law and grace, faith and failure, sacrifice and atonement, wisdom and prophecy, mercy and judgment.

Here’s the way Paul put it in Romans 3:19–20: “Whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that ''every mouth ''may be stopped, and ''the whole world ''may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight.” In other words, God spoke for 2,000 years to Israel so that the “whole world” would realize that there is no hope of getting right with God through “works done by us in righteousness” (Titus 3:5).

'''Lesson Book for the Nations'''

Israel’s history is not just about Israel. It’s about “every mouth” and “the whole world.” This was not a 2,000-year detour. God was writing a lesson book for the nations. It’s not an accident that our Bible has the Old Testament in it.

When Paul preached to the non-Jewish Greeks on Mars Hill, he said that up till now the “times of ignorance” held sway. God had let them go their own way. But no more. “Now God commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge ''the world ''in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:30–31).

'''The “Now” of All Nations'''

This is the “now” we live it. And it is a thrilling “now.” “''Now'' God commands all people everywhere to repent.” The risen Christ authorizes this command. He will be with us in its fulfillment.

We live in the “now” of “all nations.” God prepared for this moment for 2,000 years before Christ. He has been pursuing it for 2,000 years since Christ. Jesus is alive and mighty to save. And it is harvest time.

Topic: Missions  

 ''John Piper (@JohnPiper) is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books.''

The Thrilling “Now” of Christian Mission

2013-11-23T17:39:02Z

Gburgplummer:

{{info}}

'''The Thrilling “Now” of Christian Mission'''

by John Piper|June 23, 2013

Subscribe to...   

.

 Just think of it. The God of the universe focused his special revelation and redeeming work on one small ethnic people, Israel, for 2,000 years — from the calling of Abram in Genesis 12 to the coming of Christ. For all that time “he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways” (Acts 14:16).

Then at the entry of his Son into the world, all this changed.

As Jesus was leaving to return to heaven he said, “Repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in [my] name ''to all nations''” (Luke 24:47). “Go therefore and make disciples ''of all nations''” (Matthew 28:19). This was a pivotal change in the history of the world.

'''God’s Careful Planning'''

But the command to disciple all the nations was not an afterthought. It was the plan from the moment God chose Israel. God said to Abram, “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).

Then Paul applied this to the gospel of justification through faith in Christ: “The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed’” (Galatians 3:8). So God was getting ready to reach the nations with the gospel of Christ when he chose Abram 2,000 years before Christ came.

Why, then, such a long delay, before Christ came and the Great Commission was given in his name?

'''Why the Long Delay?'''

Because in God’s wisdom he knew that the nations of the world would grasp the nature of Christ and his work better against the backdrop of Israel’s 2,000 year history of law and grace, faith and failure, sacrifice and atonement, wisdom and prophecy, mercy and judgment.

Here’s the way Paul put it in Romans 3:19–20: “Whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that ''every mouth ''may be stopped, and ''the whole world ''may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight.” In other words, God spoke for 2,000 years to Israel so that the “whole world” would realize that there is no hope of getting right with God through “works done by us in righteousness” (Titus 3:5).

'''Lesson Book for the Nations'''

Israel’s history is not just about Israel. It’s about “every mouth” and “the whole world.” This was not a 2,000-year detour. God was writing a lesson book for the nations. It’s not an accident that our Bible has the Old Testament in it.

When Paul preached to the non-Jewish Greeks on Mars Hill, he said that up till now the “times of ignorance” held sway. God had let them go their own way. But no more. “Now God commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge ''the world ''in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:30–31).

'''The “Now” of All Nations'''

This is the “now” we live it. And it is a thrilling “now.” “''Now'' God commands all people everywhere to repent.” The risen Christ authorizes this command. He will be with us in its fulfillment.

We live in the “now” of “all nations.” God prepared for this moment for 2,000 years before Christ. He has been pursuing it for 2,000 years since Christ. Jesus is alive and mighty to save. And it is harvest time.

Topic: Missions  

 ''John Piper (@JohnPiper) is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books.''

How to Be Interesting and Unhelpful

2013-11-21T20:46:38Z

Gburgplummer:

{{info}}

How to Be Interesting and Unhelpful

byJohn Piper|October 8, 2013

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The point of this little exhortation is that, in handling the Scriptures, sanctification and speculation rise and fall in inverse proportion. As speculation increases, sanctification decreases. The more guessing the less blessing.

Few people would give their life for a speculation. Few will gouge out an eye or cut off a hand, because of a guess. Suppositions make weak expositions.

Here’s the sort of thing I have in mind.

Preachers, teachers, and Bible study leaders are sometimes tempted to speculate because the “possibilities” are so interesting.

For example, what about possible appearances of Christ in the Old Testament? When it says God was walking in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:8) could that have been Christ? Was Melchizedek really Christ himself in Genesis 14? When “the Lord” appeared to Abraham in Genesis 18 was that a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ? When Jacob wrestled all night with “a man” (Genesis 32:24) was it Christ? Was the fourth person in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:25) Christ?

Could the splitting of the waters of the Red Sea be explainable by God’s using some cosmic catastrophe to create atmospheric conditions that caused the waters to divide?

Was there a written document containing all the material common to Matthew and Luke but missing from Mark, which we might call Q for German Quelle, meaning source?

Was the later poverty of the church in Jerusalem (Romans 15:26) owing to the misapplication of the early policy of having “all things in common” (Acts 2:44, 4:32)?

Was Paul a widower? Or did his wife leave him when he became a Christian? Did he have children?

Did Mary Magdalene have a crush on Jesus? Did Jesus have to deal with more temptations than we usually think?

When Paul prohibited women from teaching and having authority over men in 1 Timothy 2:12 was there a problem in that church such as women taking authority and teaching, who were unprepared to do so? Was that the only reason Paul prohibited them — they weren’t ready?

See What’s There

My point is that people need solid food, not possible food. They need a sure word from God, not a guess from man. They need a biblical “Thus says the Lord,” not a “Maybe God said.”

A fascinating five-minute homiletic detour into what might have been going in Corinth behind this or that text is a waste of precious time. And I think it trains our people to expect interludes of historical entertainment, and to mistake it for deep insight and spiritual food.

What is really there in the text of Scripture is bottomless, and staggeringly interesting, and provocative. Speculation is not necessary to hold people’s attention. If a pastor finds what might have been more interesting than what is really there in the text, he needs better powers of observation, not better powers of speculation. He needs a better feel for the wonder of what is, than a greater fancy for what might have been.

What About Poetry?

Two qualifications:
1.
Poetry and preaching are not the same. Illuminating fiction and authoritative exposition are not the same. I love poetry and fiction. These are by nature inventive. They too have their place and their power. But the sanctifying power they have is owing decisively to the deeper truths they convey, not the imaginative structures that convey them.

2.
When a text of Scripture is apparently contradictory, and there is little agreement on what the solution is, it is helpful for people to see one or two possible and plausible solutions. These will be more or less speculative. We tell our people we are not sure of the answer. We don’t want them to take our guesses as God’s word. But we offer our guesses so that they can see at least the possibility that there is a solution here rather than a contradiction.

Dive Deeper

So I say again, the crying need in the pulpit and the classroom is not to spend time speculating about what might have been the case, but to dig deeper into what is really there in the text. Most of us are still scratching the surface.

If we know for sure something that’s not in the Bible, and we see that it sheds true light on the Bible, that’s another matter. Let it be so. But my sense is that the secondary literature is no easier to interpret than the Bible. Which means that the secondary texts are no more clear than the biblical texts they supposedly illumine. It is a harmful thing to teach seminarians to see the Bible as needing help from outside, while failing to see that the outside documents also need help from the outside.

Pastors and teachers have very limited time for study. The ocean of contextually understandable Scripture is bottomless. My plea is simple: dive deeper in what’s there

How to Be Interesting and Unhelpful

2013-11-21T20:30:53Z

Gburgplummer:

{{info}}

'''How to Be Interesting and Unhelpful'''
by John Piper|October 8, 2013

Subscribe to...

.

The point of this little exhortation is that, in handling the Scriptures, sanctification and speculation rise and fall in inverse proportion. As speculation increases, sanctification decreases. The more guessing the less blessing.

Few people would give their life for a speculation. Few will gouge out an eye or cut off a hand, because of a guess. Suppositions make weak expositions.

Here’s the sort of thing I have in mind.

Preachers, teachers, and Bible study leaders are sometimes tempted to speculate because the “possibilities” are so interesting.

For example, what about possible appearances of Christ in the Old Testament? When it says God was walking in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:8) could that have been Christ? Was Melchizedek really Christ himself in Genesis 14? When “the Lord” appeared to Abraham in Genesis 18 was that a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ? When Jacob wrestled all night with “a man” (Genesis 32:24) was it Christ? Was the fourth person in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:25) Christ?

Could the splitting of the waters of the Red Sea be explainable by God’s using some cosmic catastrophe to create atmospheric conditions that caused the waters to divide?

Was there a written document containing all the material common to Matthew and Luke but missing from Mark, which we might call Q for German Quelle, meaning source?

Was the later poverty of the church in Jerusalem (Romans 15:26) owing to the misapplication of the early policy of having “all things in common” (Acts 2:44, 4:32)?

Was Paul a widower? Or did his wife leave him when he became a Christian? Did he have children?

Did Mary Magdalene have a crush on Jesus? Did Jesus have to deal with more temptations than we usually think?

When Paul prohibited women from teaching and having authority over men in 1 Timothy 2:12 was there a problem in that church such as women taking authority and teaching, who were unprepared to do so? Was that the only reason Paul prohibited them — they weren’t ready?

See What’s There

My point is that people need solid food, not possible food. They need a sure word from God, not a guess from man. They need a biblical “Thus says the Lord,” not a “Maybe God said.”

A fascinating five-minute homiletic detour into what might have been going in Corinth behind this or that text is a waste of precious time. And I think it trains our people to expect interludes of historical entertainment, and to mistake it for deep insight and spiritual food.

What is really there in the text of Scripture is bottomless, and staggeringly interesting, and provocative. Speculation is not necessary to hold people’s attention. If a pastor finds what might have been more interesting than what is really there in the text, he needs better powers of observation, not better powers of speculation. He needs a better feel for the wonder of what is, than a greater fancy for what might have been.

What About Poetry?

Two qualifications:
1.
Poetry and preaching are not the same. Illuminating fiction and authoritative exposition are not the same. I love poetry and fiction. These are by nature inventive. They too have their place and their power. But the sanctifying power they have is owing decisively to the deeper truths they convey, not the imaginative structures that convey them.

2.
When a text of Scripture is apparently contradictory, and there is little agreement on what the solution is, it is helpful for people to see one or two possible and plausible solutions. These will be more or less speculative. We tell our people we are not sure of the answer. We don’t want them to take our guesses as God’s word. But we offer our guesses so that they can see at least the possibility that there is a solution here rather than a contradiction.

Dive Deeper

So I say again, the crying need in the pulpit and the classroom is not to spend time speculating about what might have been the case, but to dig deeper into what is really there in the text. Most of us are still scratching the surface.

If we know for sure something that’s not in the Bible, and we see that it sheds true light on the Bible, that’s another matter. Let it be so. But my sense is that the secondary literature is no easier to interpret than the Bible. Which means that the secondary texts are no more clear than the biblical texts they supposedly illumine. It is a harmful thing to teach seminarians to see the Bible as needing help from outside, while failing to see that the outside documents also need help from the outside.

Pastors and teachers have very limited time for study. The ocean of contextually understandable Scripture is bottomless. My plea is simple: dive deeper in what’s there

How to Be Interesting and Unhelpful

2013-11-21T20:15:44Z

Gburgplummer:

{{info}}

'''How to Be Interesting and Unhelpful'''

by John Piper|October 8, 2013

Subscribe to...

.

The point of this little exhortation is that, in handling the Scriptures, sanctification and speculation rise and fall in inverse proportion. As speculation increases, sanctification decreases. The more guessing the less blessing.

Few people would give their life for a speculation. Few will gouge out an eye or cut off a hand, because of a guess. Suppositions make weak expositions.

Here’s the sort of thing I have in mind.

Preachers, teachers, and Bible study leaders are sometimes tempted to speculate because the “possibilities” are so interesting.

For example, what about possible appearances of Christ in the Old Testament? When it says God was walking in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:8) could that have been Christ? Was Melchizedek really Christ himself in Genesis 14? When “the Lord” appeared to Abraham in Genesis 18 was that a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ? When Jacob wrestled all night with “a man” (Genesis 32:24) was it Christ? Was the fourth person in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:25) Christ?

Could the splitting of the waters of the Red Sea be explainable by God’s using some cosmic catastrophe to create atmospheric conditions that caused the waters to divide?

Was there a written document containing all the material common to Matthew and Luke but missing from Mark, which we might call Q for German Quelle, meaning source?

Was the later poverty of the church in Jerusalem (Romans 15:26) owing to the misapplication of the early policy of having “all things in common” (Acts 2:44, 4:32)?

Was Paul a widower? Or did his wife leave him when he became a Christian? Did he have children?

Did Mary Magdalene have a crush on Jesus? Did Jesus have to deal with more temptations than we usually think?

When Paul prohibited women from teaching and having authority over men in 1 Timothy 2:12 was there a problem in that church such as women taking authority and teaching, who were unprepared to do so? Was that the only reason Paul prohibited them — they weren’t ready?

'''See What’s There'''

My point is that people need solid food, not possible food. They need a sure word from God, not a guess from man. They need a biblical “Thus says the Lord,” not a “Maybe God said.”

A fascinating five-minute homiletic detour into what ''might'' have been going in Corinth behind this or that text is a waste of precious time. And I think it trains our people to expect interludes of historical entertainment, and to mistake it for deep insight and spiritual food.

What is really there in the text of Scripture is bottomless, and staggeringly interesting, and provocative. Speculation is not necessary to hold people’s attention. If a pastor finds what ''might'' have been more interesting than what is really there in the text, he needs better powers of observation, not better powers of speculation. He needs a better feel for the wonder of what is, than a greater fancy for what ''might have been''.

'''What About Poetry?'''
Two qualifications:

1. Poetry and preaching are not the same. Illuminating fiction and authoritative exposition are not the same. I love poetry and fiction. These are by nature inventive. They too have their place and their power. But the sanctifying power they have is owing decisively to the deeper truths they convey, not the imaginative structures that convey them.

2. When a text of Scripture is apparently contradictory, and there is little agreement on what the solution is, it is helpful for people to see one or two ''possible'' and ''plausible'' solutions. These will be more or less speculative. We tell our people we are not sure of the answer. We don’t want them to take our guesses as God’s word. But we offer our guesses so that they can see at least the possibility that there is a solution here rather than a contradiction.

'''Dive Deeper'''

So I say again, the crying need in the pulpit and the classroom is not to spend time speculating about what might have been the case, but to dig deeper into what is really there in the text. Most of us are still scratching the surface.

If we know for sure something that’s not in the Bible, and we see that it sheds true light on the Bible, that’s another matter. Let it be so. But my sense is that the secondary literature is no easier to interpret than the Bible. Which means that the secondary texts are no more clear than the biblical texts they supposedly illumine. It is a harmful thing to teach seminarians to see the Bible as needing help from outside, while failing to see that the outside documents also need help from the outside.

Pastors and teachers have very limited time for study. The ocean of contextually understandable Scripture is bottomless. My plea is simple: dive deeper in what’s there

How to Be Interesting and Unhelpful

2013-11-21T20:07:36Z

Gburgplummer:

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'''How to Be Interesting and Unhelpful'''

by John Piper|October 8, 2013

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.

The point of this little exhortation is that, in handling the Scriptures, sanctification and speculation rise and fall in inverse proportion. As speculation increases, sanctification decreases. The more guessing the less blessing.

Few people would give their life for a speculation. Few will gouge out an eye or cut off a hand, because of a guess. Suppositions make weak expositions.

Here’s the sort of thing I have in mind.

Preachers, teachers, and Bible study leaders are sometimes tempted to speculate because the “possibilities” are so interesting.

For example, what about possible appearances of Christ in the Old Testament? When it says God was walking in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:8) could that have been Christ? Was Melchizedek really Christ himself in Genesis 14? When “the Lord” appeared to Abraham in Genesis 18 was that a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ? When Jacob wrestled all night with “a man” (Genesis 32:24) was it Christ? Was the fourth person in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:25) Christ?

Could the splitting of the waters of the Red Sea be explainable by God’s using some cosmic catastrophe to create atmospheric conditions that caused the waters to divide?

Was there a written document containing all the material common to Matthew and Luke but missing from Mark, which we might call Q for German Quelle, meaning source?

Was the later poverty of the church in Jerusalem (Romans 15:26) owing to the misapplication of the early policy of having “all things in common” (Acts 2:44, 4:32)?

Was Paul a widower? Or did his wife leave him when he became a Christian? Did he have children?

Did Mary Magdalene have a crush on Jesus? Did Jesus have to deal with more temptations than we usually think?

When Paul prohibited women from teaching and having authority over men in 1 Timothy 2:12 was there a problem in that church such as women taking authority and teaching, who were unprepared to do so? Was that the only reason Paul prohibited them — they weren’t ready?

'''See What’s There'''

My point is that people need solid food, not possible food. They need a sure word from God, not a guess from man. They need a biblical “Thus says the Lord,” not a “Maybe God said.”

A fascinating five-minute homiletic detour into what ''might'' have been going in Corinth behind this or that text is a waste of precious time. And I think it trains our people to expect interludes of historical entertainment, and to mistake it for deep insight and spiritual food.

What is really there in the text of Scripture is bottomless, and staggeringly interesting, and provocative. Speculation is not necessary to hold people’s attention. If a pastor finds what ''might'' have been more interesting than what is really there in the text, he needs better powers of observation, not better powers of speculation. He needs a better feel for the wonder of what is, than a greater fancy for what ''might have been''.

'''What About Poetry?'''
Two qualifications:
1.
Poetry and preaching are not the same. Illuminating fiction and authoritative exposition are not the same. I love poetry and fiction. These are by nature inventive. They too have their place and their power. But the sanctifying power they have is owing decisively to the deeper truths they convey, not the imaginative structures that convey them.

2.
When a text of Scripture is apparently contradictory, and there is little agreement on what the solution is, it is helpful for people to see one or two ''possible'' and ''plausible'' solutions. These will be more or less speculative. We tell our people we are not sure of the answer. We don’t want them to take our guesses as God’s word. But we offer our guesses so that they can see at least the possibility that there is a solution here rather than a contradiction.

'''Dive Deeper'''

So I say again, the crying need in the pulpit and the classroom is not to spend time speculating about what might have been the case, but to dig deeper into what is really there in the text. Most of us are still scratching the surface.

If we know for sure something that’s not in the Bible, and we see that it sheds true light on the Bible, that’s another matter. Let it be so. But my sense is that the secondary literature is no easier to interpret than the Bible. Which means that the secondary texts are no more clear than the biblical texts they supposedly illumine. It is a harmful thing to teach seminarians to see the Bible as needing help from outside, while failing to see that the outside documents also need help from the outside.

Pastors and teachers have very limited time for study. The ocean of contextually understandable Scripture is bottomless. My plea is simple: dive deeper in what’s there