Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 140

Joni Eareckson Tada on Suffering, Sorrow, Wheelchairs and Eternal Gratitude

Jesus promised that in Heaven, those who endured difficult things on Earth would be comforted for them (Luke 16:25). The comfort implies memory of what happened. If we had no memory of the difficult things, why would we need comfort? How would we feel it?

It seems likely that recalling the reality of our past troubles, sorrows, and sins would set a sharp contrast to the glories of Heaven, as darkness does to light, as Hell does to Heaven. We would lose this contrast if we forgot what sorrow and suffering was, and how Christ used them in our lives to glorify Himself.

I love what Joni Eareckson Tada says in her booklet Hope . . . The Best of Things:

I sure hope I can bring this wheelchair to heaven.

Now, I know that’s not theologically correct.

But I hope to bring it and put it in a little corner of heaven, and then in my new, perfect, glorified body, standing on grateful glorified legs, I’ll stand next to my Savior, holding his nail-pierced hands.

I’ll say, “Thank you, Jesus,” and he will know that I mean it, because he knows me.

He’ll recognize me from the fellowship we’re now sharing in his sufferings.

And I will say, ”Jesus, do you see that wheelchair? You were right when you said that in this world we would have trouble, because that thing was a lot of trouble. But the weaker I was in that thing, the harder I leaned on you. And the harder I leaned on you, the stronger I discovered you to be. It never would have happened had you not given me the bruising of the blessing of that wheelchair.”

Then the real ticker-tape parade of praise will begin. And all of earth will join in the party.

And at that point Christ will open up our eyes to the great fountain of joy in his heart for us beyond all that we ever experienced on earth.

And when we’re able to stop laughing and crying, the Lord Jesus really will wipe away our tears.

I find it so poignant that finally at the point when I do have the use of my arms to wipe away my own tears, I won’t have to, because God will.

Joni shares more thoughts on wheelchairs and Heaven in a segment on her radio program:

…I always say that in a way, I hope I can take my wheelchair to heaven with me—I know that‘s not biblically correct, but if I were able, I would have my wheelchair up in heaven right next to me when God gives me my brand new, glorified body. And I will then turn to Jesus and say, “Lord, do you see that wheelchair right there? Well, you were right when you said that in this world we would have trouble, because that wheelchair was a lot of trouble! But Jesus the weaker I was in that thing, the harder I leaned on you. And the harder I leaned on you, the stronger I discovered you to be. So thank you for what you did in my life through that wheelchair. And now,” I always say jokingly, “you can send that wheelchair to hell, if you want.”

That thought tickles me, but not long ago when someone heard me say that, they replied, “Oh, Joni. You can’t mean that. Look at how God has changed you through your wheelchair. Look how close you’ve drawn to Jesus because of it. And look at the ministry that came through it and all the people reached. Please, don’t say you want God to kick it out of heaven,” my friend said “Why, the Lord just may transform it into something golden and glorious studded with beautiful jewels for every person you’ve reached for Christ through that wheelchair of yours.”

And you know what? She had me. She stumped me. After all, the Bible does say that it has been “given” to us to suffer for his sake. My wheelchair is a gift from God—a gift! I never would’ve chosen this gift, but since God chose it for me, I’ll take it as a gift, hard as though it may be at times. So there may be such a thing in heaven as holy wheelchairs... if God’s throne has wheels, and the book of Daniel makes it crystal clear it does... then who am I to say that there won’t be other chairs in heaven with wheels on them, too? Not to sit in, thank the Lord, but wheelchairs as symbols of the bruisings of a blessing that God has given people like me when he had blessed us with the gift of suffering.

So, friend listening, if you are in a wheelchair, or using a walker, or a cane or crutch...try imagining it gilded and golden and encrusted in jewels. Oh, it’s a strange and humorous picture, but remember, it is the gift that causes you to be weak—and the weaker you are, the stronger you will discover your Lord and Savior to be. More than 40 years in my wheelchair has taught me that—and in heaven, whether or not my old wheelchair is parked up there by the gates of pearl, feel free to join me in dropping on brand-new, grateful glorified knees before our Savior for all that he has done through our sufferings, yours and mine.

If you’re not aware of the new Beyond Suffering Bible from Joni and Friends, I highly recommend that you take a look at it. (See my blog on the Beyond Suffering Bible.)

Randy

Suffering Is Not A New Truth

Assyrian believers return to pray at their church after it was destroyed by Islamic extremists

“Suffering is not a new truth, it is an old truth.” — Sarah Liu imprisoned and tortured for her Christian witness.

This coming Sunday the 6th day of November, 2016 is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Christians from around the globe will set aside time to honor, remember, and pray for our persecuted family. I am grateful for the privilege of standing shoulder to shoulder with those of whom the world is not worthy. I pray that this day is the beginning of a deeper fellowship with our persecuted family.

I rarely approach IDOP without remembering my introduction to those who suffer for their faith.  I was reading for the first time a Voice of The Martyrs newsletter. The stories were disturbing and intriguing. I found myself face to face with a reality I couldn’t reconcile. The suffering and pain was too difficult to fit into the sterile package I had stuffed my understanding of God into.

The journey I began by reading the true life stories of persecuted Christians would eventually land me at a VOM regional conference in Bartlesville, OK. It was there that a more disturbing truth came to life. That first evening I listened as a man from Pakistan described the road of suffering Pakistani Christians walk. He told of the torture and eventual murder of a young boy—someone's son, brother, and friend. This child died at the hands of his torturers—his crime? He was a Christian. For the first time in my life I contemplated the possibility that God would not always intervene--that perhaps suffering was part of His plan.

Being shaken by the very thought of suffering of this kind, I went back to my hotel room and had a heart-to-heart talk with my God. You see, it was up until that time that I had cried “send me!” Now I was asking Him to not honor my requests.  The weight I felt upon my heart was great. Standing securely in my “mirage” of comfort, safety, and control, I laid out “my” plan for my life. He graciously listened to me try to tell Him what to do.

Day two of the conference began with me feeling assured—certainly my one–on-one talk with God had sealed the deal. I had effectively canceled out all those “send me” prayers! It was then that a young man from the Middle East began to share about his work, which includes traveling great distances into hostile territories controlled by Islamic extremists. These were places where Christians die for their faith. Pictures were displayed on a screen behind him of people receiving the Bibles he delivered. Their expressions of curiosity and delight captivated me. As he spoke, he seemed puzzled by those who ask why he goes to such dangerous places. His response was simply, “Since when has the gospel been safe?”

I felt as if I were alone with the Lord in that room. I knew He was speaking directly to me. I recalled the list of demands I called “a prayer” the night before, and heard Him say, “I did not create you that way.” I’m so glad He didn’t “create me that way.”

Since then I’ve learned that God’s love trumps suffering. Those who walk the road of suffering for Jesus Christ—never really walk alone. Their substance for the journey? An intimacy with God reserved for those He counts worthy.

“So, instead of continuing to focus on preventing suffering—which we simply won’t be very successful at anyway—perhaps we should begin entering the suffering, participating insofar as we are able—entering the mystery and looking around for God. In other words, we need to quit feeling sorry for people who suffer and instead look up to them, learn from them and if they will let us—join them in protest and prayer.” — Eugene H. Peterson, Introduction to Job, The Message Bible 

There’s a beauty in martyrdom that one can only see through spiritual eyes. Perhaps this is why Hannelie Groenwald can say God prepared her before the Taliban attacked, killing her husband and two children. She and her family had left the comforts of home to serve God in Afghanistan. They knew the risks and refused to deny the call of God. Her family gave it all for Jesus in Afghanistan. You can listen to her story at https://secure.persecution.com/radio. Pray for Hannelie and others who are living martyrs.   

“We die only once. We might as well die for Christ.” – Werner Groenwald

The church in America can join with the body of Christ around the world to pray and remember the persecuted church on November 6th. To learn more please visit www.persecution.com/idop.

And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand (Revelation 8:4).

“It was not easy for me to say that I forgive the killers.” Semse said later at the memorial service. “To be honest, my heart is broken and my life feels shattered. I really loved Necati. He was the love of my life, my closest friend. But there is no one I love more than Jesus. Only because of this, I can bear it.” — Semse Aydin from Faithful Until Death.

Photo credit: VOM–USA

God's Incomprehensible Power

God’s omnipotence, His power, is a subject well worth contemplating. I like what Puritan Stephen Charnock wrote: “As holiness is the beauty of all God’s attributes, so power is that which gives life and action to all the perfections of the Divine nature. How vain would be the eternal counsels, if power did not step in to execute them. Without power His mercy would be but feeble pity, His promises an empty sound, His threatenings a mere scarecrow. God’s power is like Himself: infinite, eternal, incomprehensible; it can neither be checked, restrained, nor frustrated by the creature.”

Scripture speaks of Christ’s “incomparably great power” and “mighty strength” that made possible his resurrection. Today He sits at God’s right hand, “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church” (Ephesians 1:19-22, NIV).

God is “the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle!” (Psalm 24:8, NIV). The rhetorical question “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” implies a “no” answer (see Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:27).

Gabriel says to Mary, “For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). Jesus says, “With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

God is the “Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:18; Revelation 1:8). He is “able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). John the Baptist says, “God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham” (Matthew 3:9).

Jeremiah 32:17–19 says, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. You show love to thousands.... O great and powerful God, whose name is the Lord Almighty, great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds” (NIV).

In the New Testament, God’s power is referred to numerous times. Here’s just a sampling of those verses. I think their cumulative force is well, powerful.  (My thanks to EPM’s Karen Coleman for sharing these with our staff last year.)

But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.” (Matthew 22:29)

And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” (Luke 4:36)

And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases. (Luke 9:1)

“I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.” (Luke 10:19)

“And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49)

“I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.”(John 17:11, NIV)

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. (Acts 4:32-34, NIV)

Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. Opposition arose…. But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke…. All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. (Acts 6:8-9, 10, 15 NIV)

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. (Acts 10:38,  NIV)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13)

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

…so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:5)

And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. (1 Corinthians 6:14)

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. (2 Corinthians 4:7)

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10:4)

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. (Ephesians 1:18-21, NIV)

This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:4-5, NIV)

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to] his own glory and excellence. (2 Peter 1:3)

Perhaps what’s most incredible is that because of Jesus, the power of the almighty God of the universe is available to us , and we are free to call upon that power. What grace!

Karen also shared with our EPM staff the lyrics from Jeremy Camp’s song “Same Power”, which I think well reflects this truth. (The song was written by Jeremy Camp and Jason Ingram. You can watch the full song video.)  

I’ll close with some of the song’s words:

The same power that rose Jesus from the grave

The same power that commands the dead to wake

Lives in us, lives in us

The same power that moves mountains when He speaks

The same power that can calm a raging sea

Lives in us, lives in us

He lives in us, lives in us.

Photo credit: Jordan Donaldson

Looking Forward to a Heaven We Can Imagine

What difference is Heaven supposed to make in our lives now? Why do you think many Christians don't look forward to Heaven anymore? What are some of the biggest misconceptions about Heaven?

Christians faced with death often feel they’re leaving the party before it’s over, going home early. They’re disappointed, thinking of all the people and things they’ll miss when they leave.

But for God’s children the real party awaits—think of the Father making merry and celebrating with a feast for the prodigal son who’s come home (Luke 15). The celebration is already underway at our true home, where we’ve not yet lived—and that’s precisely where death will take us. As others will welcome us to Heaven’s party, so we’ll one day welcome those who arrive later.

God commands us in his Word to set our minds in Heaven where Christ is (Colossians 3:1). We focus on an actual place where the eternally incarnate, resurrected Christ lives. We’re commanded to be “looking forward to the new Heavens and New Earth where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13)—the resurrected cosmos, our future and eternal home.

Paul says, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18). If we don’t understand this future glory of Heaven that awaits us, we won’t see our present sufferings shrink in comparison to its greatness.

What God made us to desire is exactly what he promises to those who follow Jesus Christ: a resurrected life in a resurrected body, with the resurrected Christ on a resurrected earth. Our desires correspond precisely to God’s plans. It’s not that we want something, so we engage in wishful thinking. It’s the opposite—we want real human lives as real embodied people because God has wired us that way, and has always planned for it. 

Will Heaven ever be boring?

We will be more likely to think of Heaven as boring if we think of it as a disembodied state. But the ultimate Heaven where we’ll live forever is defined by resurrection, and resurrection is by definition embodied. Jesus spoke of the coming “renewal of all things” (Matthew 19:27-28). Peter preached of “the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets” (Acts 3:21). For resurrected people in a renewed universe, boredom will be unthinkable.

Our belief that Heaven will be boring betrays a heresy—that God himself is boring. There’s no greater nonsense. Our desire for pleasure and the experience of joy come directly from God’s hand. He made our taste buds, adrenaline, and the nerve endings that convey pleasure to our brains. Likewise, our imaginations and capacity for joy were made by the God whom some imagine is boring. Are we so arrogant as to imagine that human beings came up with the idea of having fun?

“Won’t it be boring to be good all the time?” This assumes sin is exciting and righteousness is boring, which is one of the Devil’s most strategic lies. Sin doesn’t bring fulfillment, it robs us of it. When there’s beauty, when we see God as he truly is—an endless reservoir of fascination—boredom becomes impossible.

God delegates rule of his creation to us, and we’ll reign with him over his new creation. We’ll have things to do, places to go, people to see. Heaven is guaranteed to be a thrilling adventure because Jesus is a thrilling person—the source of all great adventures, including those awaiting us in the new universe.

Will we eat and drink in Heaven?

Words describing eating, meals, and food appear more than a thousand times in Scripture, with the English translation “feast” occurring 187 times. Feasting involves celebration and fun; it’s profoundly relational. Great conversation, storytelling, relationship-building, and laughter happen during mealtimes. Feasts, including Passover, were spiritual gatherings that drew attention to God, his greatness, and his redemption.

People who love each other love eating together. Jesus said to his disciples, “I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom” (Luke 22:29-30). He promised, “Many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 8:11). The finest foods and drinks, according to Isaiah 25:6, will be prepared for us by God himself.

Jesus knew his words would be attractive to all who heard them. How can it be trivial or unspiritual to anticipate such things? Don’t you think he wants us to look forward to eating at his table?

In my book Heaven I coined the term Christoplatonism. It’s reflected by a Christian man in our church, who told me after I preached on the resurrected life, “This idea of having bodies and eating food and being in an earthly place . . . it just sounds so unspiritual.” If we believe that bodies and the earth and material things are unspiritual, then we’ll inevitably reject biblical revelation about our bodily resurrection or the physical characteristics of the New Earth. But the idea that physicality is inherently unspiritual is not biblical. As C. S. Lewis said of God, “He likes matter. He invented it.”[1]

What will relationships in Heaven be like?

Scripture tells us we will all be living with the same person (Jesus), in the same place (Heaven), with God’s people (the church). Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:18 that we are to “comfort one another with these words,” in reference to our being together with the Lord forever. So clearly we will be spending eternity with our loved ones in Jesus.

Christ said that there won’t be human marriage in Heaven (Matthew 22:30).Yet there will be marriage in Heaven, one marriage, between Christ and his bride—and his people will all be part of it (Ephesians 5:31-32). Nanci and I won’t be married to each other but will be part of the same marriage to Jesus.

I have every reason to believe that in Heaven, I will be closer to my wife and kids and grandkids than ever. It won’t be the end of our relationships, but they’ll be taken to a new level. Our source of comfort isn’t only that we’ll be with the Lord in Heaven but also that we’ll be with each other.

Will we be capable of sinning in Heaven?

Christ promises on the New Earth, “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4). Since “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), the promise of no more death is a promise of no more sin. Those who will never die can never sin, since sinners always die. Sin causes mourning, crying, and pain. If those will never occur again, then sin can’t.

We’ll have true freedom in Heaven, a righteous freedom that never sins. Since Adam and Eve sinned, despite living in a perfect place, as did Satan, many people wonder if we’ll sin someday in Heaven. The Bible says that God cannot sin. It would be against his nature. Once we’re with him, it’ll be against our nature too. We won’t want to sin any more than Jesus does.

Jesus said, “The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. . . . Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:41-43). What will be weeded out? Everything that causes sin and all who do evil.

Sin will have absolutely no appeal to us. It will be literally unthinkable. The memory of evil and suffering in this life will serve as an eternal reminder of sin’s horrors and emptiness. Sin? Been there, done that; seen how ugly and disastrous it was!

Paul Helm writes, “The freedom of Heaven, then, is the freedom from sin; not that the believer just happens to be free from sin, but that he is so constituted or reconstituted that he cannot sin. He doesn’t want to sin, and he does not want to want to sin.”[2]

How might you use the doctrine of Heaven when sharing the gospel with someone?

Heaven is a terrific evangelistic subject when we portray it as the Bible does. Satan has vested interests in our misconceptions regarding Heaven. When he depicts it as a dull, drab, tedious, boring place where nobody would want to go, all motivation for evangelism is removed.

Why would we want our friends to spend eternity in an eternally dull place? And why would they want to go there? Nobody wants to be a ghost when he dies—people will no sooner develop a taste for a disembodied life than for broken glass.

On the other hand, when Christians understand Heaven is an exciting physical place on a redeemed world with redeemed people in redeemed relationships without sin and death, where there is music, art, science, sports, literature, and culture, it’s a great source of encouragement and motivation. “They all lived happily ever after” is not merely a fairy tale. It’s the blood-bought promise of God for all who trust in the gospel.

The New Earth is where there’ll be no more pain and sorrow and God will wipe away the tears from every eye (Revelation 21:4). That’s the perfect promise to share with unbelievers.  We should unapologetically tell them that the happiness they long for, the reconciliation to the God from whom happiness flows, is found in Jesus alone—this is what makes the gospel “good news of great joy”!

Photo credit: Tyssul Patel

[1] C. S. Lewis, C. S. Lewis and His Circle (Oxford University Press, New York, 2015), 57.

[2] Paul Helm, The Last Things (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1989), 92.

The 499th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation

I appreciated this post below from my friend Gregg Allison, professor of Christian theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Gregg shows us that although it’s been almost 500 years, the Reformation is still relevant—and unfinished—today.  Gregg is fair-minded and labors to be accurate and biblical in his writings.

I highly recommend these books by Gregg: Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine, Sojourners and Strangers: The Doctrine of the Church, and Roman Catholic Theology:  An Evangelical Assessment. If you wish to go deeper with what’s in this blog, you’ll want to consult this latter reference, in which Gregg deals fairly with both the positive and negative aspects of Catholic theology.

Has Rome Really Changed Its Tune?

October 31, 2017, will mark the five-hundredth anniversary of the Reformation. Martin Luther’s nailing of his Ninety-five Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Church on that day in 1517 has proven to be one of the most important events in the history of the world. Indeed, many evangelicals trace their beginnings to this moment that launched the Protestant movement, of which we consider ourselves heirs.

But the Reformation was five hundred years ago! Like most everything else a half-millennium removed from its start, things have changed. Or have they? What issues sparked the Reformation? What were the key protests against the Catholic Church at that time? Do those same conditions exist now, such that the Reformation remains unfinished?

Half a Millennium Ago

Luther’s Ninety-five Theses constituted a call to debate some of the flagrant errors of the Catholic Church in his time. His subsequent writings exposed many other problems:

a denial of justification by God’s grace received through faith alone in Christ alone
an unbiblical view of salvation as joining together God and sinners such that divine grace, communicated through the Church’s sacraments, initiates the lifelong process, and human effort responds by engaging in good works in order to merit eternal life
a faulty authority structure illegitimately combining Scripture with tradition and the papacy
a disgraceful Catholic Mass that minimized God’s word, ignored the importance of faith, and focused on the Eucharist as little more than mere ritual
an incorrect belief that, during the Mass, Jesus Christ is made physically present through transubstantiation
an inappropriate elevation of the role of Mary as a mediator between her son, Jesus Christ, and sinful people, and as an intercessor who prays for and helps them
a defective perspective on the seven sacraments as communicating God’s grace ex opere operato
an unbiblical hope in purgatory — time in which can be shortened by the purchase of indulgences

These were the key issues that Luther exposed and critiqued with regard to the Catholic Church of his day.

500 Years Later

It is popularly noted that the only constant in our world is change—and such is true of the Catholic-Protestant dynamic after five hundred years. One happy example is that the two groups are no longer at war with each other. Rather, Protestants and Catholics work closely together in politics, education, health care, ethics, and more. They engage in co-belligerence, fighting together against disturbing sins like abortion, euthanasia, eugenics, population control, violence, promiscuity, and antireligious bigotry. The once-frigid atmosphere has thawed.

Additionally, the two traditions are apt to underscore the commonalities that unite them. From a Protestant perspective, those similarities (at least in part) include the Trinity, the nature of God, divine revelation, the person of Christ and his crucifixion and resurrection, the Holy Spirit, the image of God, the depravity of sin, divine initiative in salvation, and future hope. From a Catholic perspective (fueled largely by the changes initiated at the Second Vatican Council, 1962–1965), Protestants are no longer bound for hell but, as separated brothers and sisters, experience salvation (though not its fullness, which is only for the Catholic faithful).

Still, major differences continue to divide the two traditions. For instances, take the points above one by one.

Justification

The “material principle (the key content) of Protestantism” continues to be a hotly debated point. On the one hand, the Lutheran World Federation has come to an official agreement with the Catholic Church on this doctrine in their Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (1999). On the other hand, most Protestants continue to consider this doctrine a key point of difference.

This is certainly the case when we consider the definitions of justification as embraced by the two traditions. Justification, according to Protestantism, is a legal act of God by which he declares sinful people “not guilty,” but instead “righteous,” as he imputes or credits the perfect righteousness of Christ to them. For Catholicism, “justification is not only the remission of sins, but also sanctification and the renewal of the interior man” (Council of Trent, Decree on Justification, 7). The Catholic doctrine combines regeneration (the new birth, which comes about, according to Catholicism, by the sacrament of Baptism), sanctification (lifelong transformation, fueled by the sacraments), and forgiveness. Such a fusion of justification with regeneration and sanctification contradicts the Pauline concept of justification (for example, in Romans 3–4), around which the debate centers.

Justification, at the heart of salvation, continues to be a major point of division.

Salvation

Flowing from the difference regarding justification, the way God saves sinful people continues to divide the two traditions. According to Protestant theology, salvation is monergistic (mono = sole; ergon = work): God is the sole definitive agent who works salvation through justification, regeneration, adoption, and more. He supplies grace (through his Word, Spirit, preaching, and ordinances, though not tied exclusively to baptism and the Lord’s Supper) that effects salvation through Spirit-empowered faith (Acts 18:27; 1 Peter 4:11).

According to Catholic theology, salvation is synergistic (syn = together; ergon = work): God and people work together to operate the salvation of sinners. The grace of God initiates the process, and the Catholic faithful cooperate with that grace. Importantly, grace is infused through the sacraments, thereby transforming the faithful so they can engage in good works in order to merit eternal life. Because salvation is a lifelong process, and because divine grace can be forfeited, Catholics believe in the loss of salvation. Consequently, they cannot enjoy the assurance of salvation, a doctrine embraced by many Protestants.

Salvation—how God works to rescue sinful people—continues to be a major doctrinal divide.

Authority

Who or what constitutes the authority in the relationship between God and people? The “formal principle (the authoritative framework) of Protestantism” continues to be a point of division between the two traditions.

The Protestant sola Scriptura—Scripture alone—means that in all matters of faith and practice, the word of God is the ultimate authority. Every doctrine, every moral action, and the like must be grounded in Scripture. This position does not deny the value of the early church’s creeds, the Protestant confessions of faith, and the distinctives of evangelicalism. But it assigns this wisdom from the past a ministerial authority—it plays a helpful role—not magisterial, or ultimate, authority. And to each Protestant church, God has given pastors who have the authority to teach, lead, exercise discipline, engage in mission, and more.

The Catholic structure of authority is like a three-legged stool. One leg is Scripture, which is the written word of God. Catholics and Protestants continue to disagree over the canon—the official list of books—of the Old Testament. The Catholic Bible contains the Apocrypha, seven additional books—Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, 1 and 2 Maccabees—and additional sections of Esther and Daniel. Because these writings were never part of the Hebrew Bible of Jesus and the apostles, and because they were not accepted as part of the Old Testament of the early church until the end of the fourth century, Protestants reject the Apocrypha.

A second leg is Tradition, the teaching that Jesus orally communicated to his apostles, who in turn communicated it to their successors, the bishops, and which is maintained by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Two examples of Tradition are the immaculate conception of Mary and her bodily assumption.

The third leg is the Magisterium, or teaching office of the Church. Composed of the pope and the bishops, the Magisterium continues to provide the official interpretation of Scripture and to proclaim Tradition, with infallibility.

Thus, Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium together constitute the authority structure in the Catholic Church. The issue of authority continues to be a major point of division.

The Mass

Since Vatican II, the Church has instituted many changes to its Mass. The most obvious change is its celebration in the language of the people, not in Latin. Whereas formerly Scripture was given slight attention, it now receives a prominent place, especially in the first part of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Word. There are readings from the Old Testament, the New Testament, and one of the Gospels. Moreover, the priest’s homily (or sermonette) ideally reflects those three texts and exposits their common meaning. The participants are urged to attend the Mass with the proper disposition (faith, humility, receptivity) and not as mere ritual.

Though Protestants still disagree with much that takes place, the Mass has undergone many significant changes from Luther’s day.

Transubstantiation

The most noticeable Protestant disagreement with the Catholic Mass concerns the presence of Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist. It is the most evident disagreement because Protestants are forbidden to take this sacrament.

The Catholic Church believes that, during the Mass, the power of God and the priest’s words and actions bring about a change in the nature of the bread so it becomes the body of Christ, and a change in the nature of the wine so it becomes the blood of Christ. Jesus’s crucifixion two thousand years ago is not an event that remains locked in space and time. Rather, his death becomes re-presented during the Mass. Thus, the Eucharist, “the source and summit of the Christian life” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 1324), makes present Christ’s unique sacrifice again and again.

This has been the Church’s view since the thirteenth century, and remains its belief today. The Reformers strongly disagreed with transubstantiation, and no Protestant since them has embraced it. Transubstantiation continues to be a major point of division.

Mary

Challenged by the vast divide between Catholics and Protestants over Mary, the two traditions at least hold common ground on three points: Mary is the mother of God; that is, the one to whom she gave birth is the Son of God, fully divine. She is a blessed woman because she was the mother of our Savior and Lord (Luke 1:42, 48). And she is a model of the obedience of faith because she yielded to God’s difficult will for her (Luke 1:38, 45).

Still, the key doctrines that Protestants reject include Mary’s immaculate conception, sinlessness, perpetual virginity, participation in the sufferings of Jesus to accomplish salvation, and bodily assumption into heaven. Protestants also reject Mary’s “titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix” (CCC, 969). The role of Mary continues to be a major difference.

The Sacraments

The Catholic Church embraces seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony, and Holy Orders. The Reformers reduced this number to two, underscoring that only baptism and the Lord’s Supper were ordained by Jesus and have accompanying physical signs (baptism: Matthew 28:18–20, water; the Lord’s Supper: Matthew 26:26–29, bread and cup).

Moreover, Protestants disagree that these sacraments are effective in conferring grace ex opere operato—just by the sacrament being administered. For example, when a priest administers Baptism, grace is infused into the infant and she is cleansed from original sin, born again, and incorporated into Christ and his Church. Her baptism is effective no matter the moral state of the priest administering the sacrament, and clearly she is not disposed to salvation. Protestants emphasize the association of baptism and the Lord’s Supper with the word of God and with faith that embraces God’s grace, which is not infused into people.

The number, nature, and administration of the sacraments continues to be a major point of division.

Purgatory

According to Catholic theology, if a Catholic dies in the grace of God (so, not having unconfessed mortal sin that would doom her to hell) yet not fully purified, she goes to purgatory. This is a temporary state of final cleansing of the stain of forgiven sin, purifying her so she will eventually go to heaven. While she undergoes passive suffering in purgatory, her experience can be shortened. The saints in heaven intercede for her. Living Catholics also pray for her, pay money so that Masses will be celebrated for her sake, and obtain indulgences on her behalf. An indulgence remits the temporal punishment either in full or in part.

Protestant theology dissents from this doctrine because its support comes from 2 Maccabees 12:38–45, an apocryphal writing, and from a misinterpretation of other biblical texts (1 Corinthians 3:15; Matthew 12:32). Moreover, if justification declares a sinful person “not guilty,” but “righteous” instead, there is no need for further purification of sin after death.

Purgatory continues to be a major difference.

Still Reforming

While some things have changed with the Roman Catholic Church to bring Catholics and Protestants closer together after five hundred years, many major differences remain to divide them. One approach to this quandary is to minimize the division. For example, it is anticipated that within the next year, Pope Francis will declare that the Reformation is over. Working from the Joint Declaration of the Doctrine of Justification, he will emphasize the agreements achieved on this once divisive doctrine and underscore that the sixteenth century anathemas (condemnations) of Protestants by Catholics and of Catholics by Protestants are removed. Thus, the Reformation will be formally finished.

Tragically, this perspective fails to address the continuing differences between the two traditions. The Catholic Church still holds to untrue doctrines of justification, salvation, authority, transubstantiation, Mary, seven sacraments that are effective ex opere operato, and purgatory. It is not helpful to skirt those issues for the sake of unity in a lowest-common-denominator approach.

While we can agree that much has changed, we must also agree that the Reformation remains unfinished.

 

Photo Credit: Brandon Morgan

William Carey: The Father of Modern Missions was a Prolife Activist

When we think of the great commission and the modern missions movement, no other name is as prominent as that of William Carey (1761-1834). He went to India to win people to Christ and disciple them, and that’s what he did. In the process, he sought to also obey other parts of God’s Word by personally intervening to save lives and laboring to change public opinion and evil laws. William Carey provides us a model for one of the great issues of our time—understanding the proper relationship of morality, politics, life issues, and the great commission.

I share more about his story and labors in this 6-minute video:

I believe that the moral decline of our nation is partly due to Christians withdrawing from their God-given role, choosing to stay away from controversy, and looking the other way while innocent blood is shed. John Wesley actively opposed slavery. Charles Finney had a major role in the illegal Underground Railroad. D. L. Moody opened homes for underprivileged girls, rescuing them from exploitation. Charles Spurgeon built homes to help care for elderly women and to rescue orphans from the streets of London. Amy Carmichael intervened for sexually exploited girls in India, rescuing them from temple prostitution. She built them homes, a school, and a hospital. All of these Christians are known as missionaries and evangelists, people who carried out the great commission. Yet we rarely pay attention to their radical commitment to personal and social intervention for the weak, needy, and exploited.

Perhaps their evangelism was effective because they lived out the gospel that they preached. There is no conflict between the gospel and social concern and personal intervention for the needy. In fact, as their stories, including William Carey’s, demonstrate, there is a direct connection between them. (For more thoughts on this subject, see “Life Issues: Distraction from the Great Commission or Part of It?”)

What Is the Tree of Life?

In Revelation, after the apostle John describes the river of life, he mentions another striking feature: “On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2).

The tree of life is mentioned three times in Genesis 2, in Eden, and again four times in Revelation, three of those in the final chapter. These instances seem to refer to Eden’s literal tree of life. We’re told the tree of life is presently in Paradise, the intermediate Heaven (Revelation 2:7). The New Jerusalem itself, also in the present Heaven, will be brought down, tree of life and all, and placed on the New Earth (Revelation 21:2). Just as the tree was apparently relocated from Eden to the present Heaven, it will be relocated again to the New Earth.

In Eden, the tree appears to have been a source of ongoing physical life. The presence of the tree of life suggests a supernatural provision of life as Adam and Eve ate the fruit their Creator provided. Adam and Eve were designed to live forever, but to do so they likely needed to eat from the tree of life. Once they sinned, they were banned from the Garden, separated from the tree, and subject to physical death, just as they had experienced spiritual death. Since Eden, death has reigned throughout history. But on the New Earth, our access to the tree of life is forever restored. (Notice that there’s no mention of a tree of the knowledge of good and evil to test us. The redeemed have already known sin and its devastation; they will desire it no more.)

In the New Earth, we will freely eat the fruit of the same tree that nourished Adam and Eve: “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7). Once more human beings will draw their strength and vitality from this tree. The tree will produce not one crop but twelve. The newness and freshness of Heaven is demonstrated in the monthly yield of fruit. The fruit is not merely to be admired but consumed.

The description of the tree of life in Revelation 22 mirrors precisely what’s prophesied in the Old Testament: “Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing” (Ezekiel 47:12).

Commentator William Hendriksen suggests:

“The term ‘tree of life’ is collective, just like ‘avenue’ and ‘river.’ The idea is not that there is just one single tree. No, there is an entire park: whole rows of trees alongside the river; hence, between the river and the avenue. And this is true with respect to all the avenues of the city. Hence, the city is just full of parks, cf. Rev. 2:7. Observe, therefore, this wonderful truth: the city is full of rivers of life. It is also full of parks containing trees of life. These trees, moreover, are full of fruit.”[1]

This broader view of the tree of life would account for the fact that the tree grows on both sides of a great river at once and yields twelve different kinds of fruit. (Of course, even if Hendriksen is wrong in supposing that the tree of life is collective, it is reasonable that just as there were other trees in Eden, there will be other trees on the New Earth.)

John also tells us that “the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2). For the third time in Revelation 21–22, the inhabitants of the New Earth are referred to as nations. Nations will not be eliminated but healed. But since we won’t experience pain or disease in Heaven, what’s the point of leaves for healing? Perhaps they, like the tree’s fruit, will have life-sustaining or life-enhancing properties that will help people maintain health and energy. Our physical life and health, even our healing, comes not from our intrinsic immortal nature but from partaking of God’s gracious provision in the fruit and leaves of the tree of life. Hence, our well-being is not granted once for all but will be forever sustained and renewed as we depend on Him and draw from His provision.

[1] William Hendriksen, More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1961), 249.

Is a Belief in Hell Incompatible with the Truth That God Is Love?

Many people today act as if we are the first ones to really believe in God's love. On the contrary, this has been a fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith throughout the ages. The Puritans believed strongly in the love of God. It never prevented them from embracing the doctrine of Hell, since that is revealed in Scripture also.

We may pride ourselves in thinking we are too loving to believe in Hell. But in saying this, we blaspheme, for we claim to be more loving than Jesus—more loving than the One who with outrageous love took upon himself the full penalty for our sin.

Whenever we take one biblical truth, then conclude that another teaching of Scripture is incompatible with it, we presume to act as judges of Scripture, rather than submitting to what it says. Hence we become our own authority, defining God’s love on our own terms in a way that is incompatible with Hell, whereas Scripture sees God's love and Hell as two coexisting truths. We cannot figure out how to reconcile them, just as we cannot figure out how to reconcile God’s sovereignty and meaningful human choice. However, the two doctrines are in fact compatible in the mind of God. And it is His mind, not ours, which is the source of truth.  

I personally have studied the doctrine of Hell in the hopes of being able to come either to a position of universalism, or at very least the doctrine of annihilation. Unfortunately, I have not been able to do so and stay true to the Scripture I see. I don't want it to say what it does, but it does nonetheless (e.g. I have read books by annihilationists, hoping to believe, but the evidence wasn't convincing).

If we start selectively believing Scripture only that isn’t troubling to us, we dismantle the authority of Scripture. That’s exactly what people are doing on the homosexual issue and nearly everything else. If we dismantle the biblical doctrine of Hell, what else will we dismantle because we don't think it fits with other things we believe about God? Where will it stop? I think the answer is, it won’t.

I’ve written more on the difficult topic of Hell in a chapter excerpted from my book If God Is Good, available in its entirety on our site.

Photo: Unsplash

The Secret to Finding Joy When Things Don’t Turn Out Like You Hope

Today’s guest post is from author and counselor Pam Vredevelt, related to her new book Empty Arms Journal: A 21-Day Guide for Healing After Pregnancy Loss. Many of you have been personally touched by a pregnancy loss or know someone who has been. Nanci and I have known Pam for many years and deeply respect her. I think you’ll find her perspectives helpful and God-honoring. —Randy Alcorn

My world was upside down. After 36 long hours of labor, I finally delivered our first baby who died half-way to term. I left the hospital with post-partum hormones raging, milk flowing, and enough grief to sink a ship.

Wiping away streaming tears and snot, I couldn’t help it. God got an earful. Why God?! We prayed for this baby! We loved our baby!

The truth is, the more you love the more you hurt. The greater the bond, the greater the pain.  It’s part of being human.

I like the fact that Jesus “gets real” about suffering. He doesn’t sugar coat the truth. He validates our pain, and shares secrets to finding joy in the midst of it.

One of those secrets rolled off His lips when He and His friends encountered a blind man. Puzzled by the man’s plight, the friends ask, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?

It was an honest question. They were trying to make sense out of it, like we do. Sudden loss. Chronic illness. Unfixable problems. Broken relationships. Issues that leave us with more questions than answers.

The man was born blind. It’s the last thing a parent wants. We prefer a 10 on the Apgar scale. Like you, these guys wanted rock-solid answers.

Now catch what Jesus says: It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.[i]

Do you see the shift that Jesus prompts? His friends were thinking cause and effect. They were looking for something to blame and asking the wrong questions. Jesus wants them to switch their focus to look for what God can do.

Then He spits in the dirt, slathers mud on the man’s eyes, and tells him to wash in a nearby pool. The man comes back sporting 20-20 vision dancing a jig peppered with cartwheels and back flips. OK. My imagination took over. Wouldn’t you love to have seen it first hand?

You’re asking the wrong question, Pam. You’re trying to figure it out. Look instead for what God can do.

God has given us the gift of choice. We get to choose what we look for.

If we look for milk in the refrigerator, we find it.

If we look for poop, we find it, too.

The truth is. . .

You find what you look for.

Shortly after I left the hospital with empty arms, I was swimming laps blubbering from one end of the pool to the other. God got another big earful.

It’s OK. God welcomes emotional honesty.

Suddenly, I saw a picture of a book. I knew it was for moms who, like me, had lost a baby. God was planting a seed in my broken heart. A year later it bore fruit. Empty Arms was published and it has offered hope to 100,000+ moms.

Awhile back, another whisper came, seven years after our sixteen-year-old son relocated to Heaven. Emerging from a long hard trek through the dark Valley of Shadows, I heard my Father’s voice again . . . Pave the way. Show them HOW to embrace their loss, and I will heal their heart.

One million expectant mothers suffer a pregnancy loss every year in America. Up to 59% of grieving parents get stuck in unresolved prolonged grief.[ii] That must stop.

I’m excited to tell you that the Empty Arms Journal: A 21-Day Guide for Healing After Pregnancy Loss is now available. It’s the first of several guided healing journals.

Please get a copy and share a lifeline.

In the meantime, when things don’t turn out like you hope, keep your eyes of faith open. Look for what God can do.

According to Jesus, it’s a secret to finding joy.

[i] John 9:1-3, ESV

[ii] S.X. Lin and J.N. Lasker, “Patterns of grief reaction after pregnancy loss,” American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 66 (1996) pp.262-271.

Photo: Unsplash

Recognizing and Avoiding the Trap of Idolatry

Augustine said, “This is the happy life, to rejoice to Thee, of Thee, for Thee. . . . For they who think there is another, pursue some other and not the true joy.”[i]

The happy life is to worship God as God—and not put anything or anyone else in His place. But in this fallen world, we can’t simply affirm God as the source of happiness without dealing with the competition. Take a look at this list of potential idols. As I share in my book Happiness, all of them can be legitimate sources of happiness when enjoyed in their rightful position below God, but they become toxic when we elevate them above Him.

loving family relationships
supportive friendships
intellectual advancement, education, and learning
reputation, popularity, and fame
meaningful work
serving others
self-expression (artistic, musical, literary, etc.)
leisure, hobbies, and entertainment
sports
politics, power, influence, and success
leaving a legacy
faith, spirituality, religion, and philosophy
health and fitness
beauty and youthfulness
comfort
food and drink
sex
wealth

God isn’t listed because He’s the only one we can worship without committing idolatry. If God is at the center, almost anything on this list can help us enjoy happiness in Him.

We should remind ourselves, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17, NASB). The problem with idols is not that they’re intrinsically wrong. God created wood, stone, and gold, which can be fashioned into heathen idols. Likewise, He created family, friendships, work, music, art, sex, food, drink, and all that we rightly value. But all of these can still become idols—God-substitutes.

Idolaters are condemned by God because “they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25). Creation and creatures are not the problem; the problem is fallen human hearts that worship these false gods instead of the holy and happy God.

[i] Augustine, The Confessions of Saint Augustine, trans. Edward B. Pusey, book 10, chapter 22.

Photo: Unsplash