Justin Taylor's Blog, page 311

God Explains His Ultimate Motivation

For my name's sake I defer my anger,

for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you,

that I may not cut you off.

Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;

I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.

For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it,

for how should my name be profaned?

My glory I will not give to another.

—Isaiah 48:9-11

An Interview with Phil Ryken on King Solomon

I recently sat down with Wheaton College President Philip Graham Ryken to talk about his new book, King Solomon: The Temptations of Money, Sex, and Power. Paul Tripp offers a nice summary of the book: "With the skill of a theologian and the heart of a pastor, Ryken takes you from the demise of one king to the victory of the King of kings. Read and you'll find more than the story of Solomon; you'll find the gospel in beautiful and powerful relief."

You can watch the 13-minute video below, followed by some time stamps of the questions (provided by the Crossway blog):

How could Solomon be such a wise man and make so many foolish mistakes? (1:40)
How are the lessons you learn from Solomon coming into play in both your role as a pastor and now as a college president? How are those roles different? (3:18)
How do you make the connection between the historical person of Solomon and the life of Jesus Christ? (5:06)
"The king is dead, long live the king." (8:05)
Do you believe that Solomon ended up in heaven or hell?  (11:17)

How an Insecure Teenager Can Morph into a Mature Christian Adult

John Piper:

My experience of coming out of an introverted, insecure, guilty, lustful, self-absorbed adolescent life was more like the emergence of a frog from a tadpole than a butterfly from a larva.

Larvae disappear into their cocoons and privately experience some inexplicable transformation with no one watching (it is probably quite messy in there) and then the cocoon comes off and everyone says oooo, ahhh, beautiful. It did not happen like that for me.

Frogs are born teeny-weeny, fish-like, slimy, back-water-dwellers. They are not on display at Sea World. They might be in some ritzy hotel's swimming pool if the place has been abandoned for 20 years and there's only a foot of green water in the deep end.

But little by little, because they are holy frogs by predestination and by spiritual DNA (new birth), they swim around in the green water and start to look more and more like frogs.

First, little feet come out on their side. Weird. At this stage nobody asks them to give a testimony at an Athletes in Action banquet.

Then a couple more legs. Then a humped back. The fish in the pond have already pulled back: "Hmmm," they say, "this does not look like one of us any more." A half-developed frog fits nowhere.

But God is good. He has his plan and it is not to make this metamorphosis easy. Just certain. There are a thousand lessons to be learned in the process. Nothing is wasted. Life is not on hold waiting for the great coming-out. That's what larvae do in the cocoon. But frogs are public all the way though the foolishness of change.

Read the rest of John Piper's letter to a teenager at his church, as Piper goes on to explain what the keys were in his own life and what his advice is to this young man.

What Are the "Rewards" in Heaven and Should They Motivate Us?

The Gospel Coalition has posted my answer for a recent "TGC Asks" regarding the nature of heavenly rewards and whether the prospect of receiving them should motivate our actions now.

In its most general sense, "reward" (Greek, misthos) is the appropriate consequence or consummation of a course of action. Sometimes it is rendered as "wages" (Matt. 20:8; Luke 10:7; John 4:36). Negatively, Judas's blood money is called "the reward of his wickedness" (Acts 1:18).

Positively, "reward" (which is always in the singular in the NT) refers to entering eternal life. And the greatest joy of heaven will be seeing God face to face (Rev. 22:4). Every believer longs for the day when "we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2), when we shall "enter into the joy of [our] master" (Matt. 25:21, 23). "They shall see God" (Matt. 5:8) and "your reward is great in heaven" (Matt. 5:12) are ultimately referring to the same thing. Jesus frequently appeals to reward as a motivator for righteousness—whether he is talking about persecution (Matt. 5:12) or love (Matt. 5:46) or giving (Matt. 6:4) or prayer (Matt. 6:6) or fasting (Matt. 6:18).

Five key passages reference believers receiving a "crown" (1 Cor. 9:25; 1 Thess. 2:19; 2 Tim. 4:8; James 1:12; 1 Pet. 5:4). Though it is popular to see these as different types of reward (crown of righteousness, crown of gold, crown of life, etc.) a majority of commentators believe these are different ways of referring to the one reward of eternal life. Space does not permit a detailed examination of these and related passages, but I would commend the careful analysis by Craig Blomberg.

While Professor Blomberg is largely convincing with regard to the exegetical issues, I think he takes a misstep in his theological objections to varying degrees of reward. Even though I don't think any passages explicitly teach this idea, it is not inconceivable, not is it incompatible with any teaching in the NT. If there are degrees of reward, they would likely revolve around increased capacities and responsibilities.

Jonathan Edwards explains the former: "Every vessel that is cast into this ocean of happiness is full, though there are some vessels far larger than others; and there shall be no such thing as envy in heaven, but perfect love shall reign throughout the whole society." Could the parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:11-27) imply that some believers will rule over more cites in the new heavens and earth? If so, this would mean that under our "great reward" (enjoying God himself) there are various roles and responsibilities. I am not certain this will be the case, but I see nothing inherently problematic in holding to this as a possibility.

In summary, all true believers will receive the great reward of seeing God face to face, and this should motivate all of our actions. The NT nowhere clearly and explicitly teaches varying degrees of reward, though this may indeed be true. If so, some may have greater capacities as well as greater responsibilities, but all of us will experience "fullness of joy" and "pleasures forevermore" at God's right hand (Ps. 16:11). Maranatha—come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Gospel Contentment and Generosity with Money

Zach Nielsen has a helpful post at TGC regarding a way forward through some of the in-house evangelical debates about how best to think about our money. Key paragraphs:

Rather than debating between "radical" living for God and the dangers of "poverty theology," we learn from 1 Timothy 6 that contentment and generosity should be our emphasis in light of the gospel.

God has already provided all that we will ever need (Rom. 8:32). He cares for grass (Matt. 6:28-30) and birds (Matt. 10:29), so we can be content with or without stuff. God has been infinitely generous with us in Christ so, rich or poor, we can be joyfully generous in a way that makes our neighbors scratch their heads and say, "Who are these people?"

Generosity is not a poverty theology. Contentment with thankfulness is not a prosperity theology. The gospel motivates us to be generous and gives us ultimate contentment.

You can read the whole thing here.

What Is the Mission of the Church?

Here is an hour-long panel discussion at The Gospel Coalition with Matt Chandler, Kevin DeYoung, Jonathan Leeman, and Trevin Wax on the the Great Commission and the mission of the local church.

Far and away the best thing I have read on these issues is the forthcoming book by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert, What Is the Mission of the Church? Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission (forthcoming from Crossway in September).

Here is a blurb from Matt Chandler about the book:

In what appears to be a growing tension over what the mission of the church encompasses, DeYoung and Gilbert bring a remarkably balanced book that can correct, restore, and help—regardless of which way you lean or land on all things "missional." I found the chapters on "social justice" and our motivation in good works to be especially helpful. Whether you are actively engaging the people around you with the Gospel and serving the least of these, or are hesitant of anything "missional," this book can help you rest in God plan to reconcile all things to himself in Christ.

Booking the Wrong Guest

Last week the BBC cut away to the wrong guest for an expert interview. You can watch it below:

But this really can't compare to the famous "Wrong Guy" interview from a few years ago. Wikipedia explains what happened, and then you can watch the video below:

Guy Goma was waiting in the main reception area of the BBC Television Centre in west London to be interviewed for a position as a "Data Support Cleanser" in the Corporation's IT department. At the same time, Guy Kewney, a British technology expert, was in another reception area, known as Stage Door, preparing for a live television interview on the subject of Apple Computer's court case with The Beatles' record label, Apple Corps. The producer who was sent to fetch Kewney, however, was told that Kewney was in the main reception area. When he got there and asked the receptionist in person where Guy Kewney was, she pointed to Goma, even after being asked if she was sure that this was the right person.

The producer had seen a photo of Kewney, but only had five minutes before the live interview was due to take place. So he approached Goma and asked him if he was Guy Kewney.[1] Hearing his first name but perhaps believing "Kewney" to be a mispronunciation of his last name, Goma answered in the affirmative. Goma was led to the News 24 studio. BBC staffers put on makeup, and he was ushered to the television studio, where he was seated in front of the cameras and wired up with a microphone. Although believing the situation to be highly unusual, he prepared to do his best for what he believed would be his job interview.

When introduced by interviewer Karen Bowerman as Internet expert Guy Kewney, Goma became visibly shocked as he finally realised the serious misunderstanding that had taken place. Aware of the fact that he was on live television and not wishing to make a scene now that the interview had already begun, he simply played along, doing his best (in heavily French-accented English) to answer the interviewer's questions about the Apple Corps v. Apple Computer case and its ramifications for the music industry. Apart from the facial expression at the start, the interview seemed fairly believable to many viewers, particularly those unfamiliar with Kewney. In the meantime, Kewney, still in the waiting area, was himself shocked when he saw Goma interviewed in his place (though he was not able to hear the audio).

Fernando Ortega's New Album: "Come Down O Love Divine"

Here is a preview of Fernando Ortega's new album, Come Down O Love Divine:

The Desiring God blog is offering a free download of the song "Kyrie I."

Luther: The Graphic Novel

Here's a look inside a new graphic novel on Martin Luther published by Concordia Publishing House.

Description below:

This is the story, from birth to death, of Martin Luther who headed a revolution that changed the world. From a small town in medieval Germany, the Reformation resulted in dramatic, sweeping change that still echoes today. Here is Luther's story of adventure, courage, and faith told for the first time in graphic novel style. Scattered throughout the book are informational call-outs of key supporters and enemies of Luther including Frederick the Wise, Katherine von Bora, Charles IV, and many others. Also included is a comprehensive explanation of Luther's Seal and an extensive history timeline that gives broad context to Luther's life.

This Luther biography provides an educational and appreciation of Luther and the Reformation in a fun, comfortable format. It's perfect for adults, children, and classroom use.

Author Susan K. Leigh is an editor and author who lives in a small town in Illinois. She is the author of several children's picture books, including twelve titles in the popular "God, I Need to Talk to You" series.

Illustrator Dave Hill graduated from Glasgow School of Art. He has worked in the video game industry for ten years. As a freelance illustrator, Dave's passion is children's book and comic books. He lives in Scotland with his wife and their two children.

The Gospel for Moms

Rachel Jankovic, author of Loving the Little Years, writes:

Live the gospel in the things that no one sees. Sacrifice for your children in places that only they will know about. Put their value ahead of yours. Grow them up in the clean air of gospel living. Your testimony to the gospel in the little details of your life is more valuable to them than you can imagine. If you tell them the gospel, but live to yourself, they will never believe it. Give your life for theirs every day, joyfully. Lay down pettiness. Lay down fussiness. Lay down resentment about the dishes, about the laundry, about how no one knows how hard you work.

Stop clinging to yourself and cling to the cross. There is more joy and more life and more laughter on the other side of death than you can possibly carry alone.

Read the whole thing here.