Authority

This post is long, I had a lot on my mind:

I have theological beliefs at the core of who I am. Beliefs that explain who I am, the things I do, and why I do them. The begin with the fact that God exists and has revealed Himself to us. The revelation of God is important to us as humans. Had God not revealed Himself to us the we could not know Him, or talk about Him. I believe God has revealed Himself in two ways, through creation and through His word, The Bible. This really gets to the heart of what is on my mind. Because God has revealed himself through His word it is important that we give His word proper respect. I believe in the inerrancy of scripture. For a Christian that is the appropriate view of scripture. A view that has been fought for and defended throughout the ages.
The term inerrancy literally means “correct, containing no mistakes”. It can go as far as to mean incapable of making a mistake. The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, provides an understanding of inerrancy which includes the fact that God inspired scripture with the purpose of revealing Himself. The statement says that the Bible is infallible, divine authority in all matters on which it speaks. The writers of this document believed the Holy Spirit to be the author and authenticator of scripture by His inward witness and ability to help humanity understand God’s word. Therefore, the statement says that the Bible as given by God contains no error in its teaching.
The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy points out it is God’s authority at stake in the argument of inerrancy. Without a commitment to the Bible’s authority grounded in God Himself, a view of Biblical inerrancy means little. The Chicago statement says that the authority of scripture is impaired if total divine inerrancy is in any way limited or ignored.
Because of the belief of the early church that scripture was true and authoritative, they held fast to the truth of John 16:13 which teaches that the Holy Spirit is a spirit of truth revealing what the Father wills. The Apostles believed this, and were faithful to their responsibility of handing down the teachings of Christ, holding to a firm belief in the authority of scripture. Their devotion to preserving the authority of scripture helped the early church stand strong against the lies of Gnosticism. The same is true for the Christians that gathered in Chicago and wrote The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. They saw it as their responsibility to take a firm stand on inerrancy to protect the authority of the Bible from Christians who were becoming more liberal in their views, and a world that was increasingly skeptical of the Holy Scripture. This is why it is important for evangelical Christians to hold to a doctrine of inerrancy today. The Church has faced many challenges to authority in the past and their steadfast belief in the authority of scripture has helped them maintain a pure devotion to God.
The constant attack on the reliability of scripture does not end. Groups such as The Jesus Seminar, theological debates over homosexuality, best selling books such as The Da Vinci Code, and misguided assumptions concerning archaeological finds are all attempting to discredit the authority of scripture. The Christians of the first century found it important to stand firm on the doctrine of inerrancy. So must we. As 2 Timothy 3:16 says, scripture brings correction and reproof. This leads a Christian to repent and worship his God. Biblical authority provides ground for Christians to speak into society’s problems such as broken families, depression, and evil. Christians must take the example provided by The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy and once again renew their commitment to upholding the authority of scripture in hopes of reaching this lost generation.
All of this to say I become greatly frustrated when God’s word is abused, maligned, or overlooked. One personal area of interest to me where this happens is in the field of counseling. People with the best of intentions overlook the possibility of using scripture practically in healing the hurting soul. Rather than turn to the expertise of God who created emotional beings, they will turn to the so called experts, men like Freud, Rogers or Skinner who do not know God, or respect His word. There is a possibility of discovering truth in creation apart from full knowledge of God, but man’s worldview taints his interpretations of that truth apart from the interpretive lens of special revelation. This is why some observations of secular psychologists appear to be correct biblically. That is also why it is dangerous to integrate biblical counseling with secular counseling.
For example Freud believed our problems arise because of unconscious motivations that drive us to action using irrational forces. According to Freud, we do not have choice because human nature is deterministic. We have a life instinct pushing us toward survival, a libido that energizes us to do what we do. His view is biological. He believes what is wrong with man is fear and anxiety, namely the inability to trust, express anger, and recognize ones sexuality. His ultimate goal is to have pleasure, lesson anxiety and pain, and to avoid tension. Freud made some good observations; man does have a problem with fear and anxiety. Psalm 139:23-24 shows that God understands the anxious thoughts of man. God searches man’s heart to find any hurtful ways therein. Man does show the inability to trust and to express anger properly. Paul commands the Ephesians to be angry and sin not in Ephesians 4:24. Man does constantly seek to uphold self-interest in areas like pleasure and survival. In James 1:14-15, self-interests or lusts carry away and tempt men to sin. James says this eventually leads to death. Every area of man is depraved. Consider the alcoholic who following his pleasure dies from liver disease. Consider the lover of food who overeats leading to various health problems. Consider the workaholic who at the expenses of his family relationships works long into the nights. James is right that following our personal lusts result in negative consequences, possibly even death. While Freud’s observations concerning man’s struggle are correct, he is blind as to the cause. In Romans 3:23, Paul teaches that all men are sinful and separated from God. This is the problem with mankind. Men and women have been created to enjoy God’s presence in a dependent relationship expressed through worship and obedience. There was a choice on man’s part to disobey God and go a separate way resulting in the unhealthy conditions mentioned above. This choice was not the result of some irrational force; instead, it was initiated by an influential being. This being is known as the tempter, Satan or the Devil, who as it reads in 2 Corinthians 11:14 “masquerades as an angel of light,” who has servants who also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness in efforts to fool humanity into sin and ultimately separation from its creator. Jesus Christ says of Satan in John 8:44 that he was a liar from the beginning. That is in fact what we witness in the testimony of scripture as Satan disguises himself as a serpent and tempts Eve to disobey. When Adam and Eve made the choice to listen to the lies of Satan instead of the truth of God they at once stopped worshiping their creator through obedience and began worshiping themselves. Meaning, they looked first to their own needs and desires, not trusting God to know what was best for them even though it was God’s responsibility in the relationship to provide and care for his creation. God had given man great freedom, and man chose to use it to disobey God’s command. This placed man into a state of unholiness, separating him from his Holy creator, and bringing judgment from God. In judgment, God pronounced a curse. Before the fall there was a command to worship and obey God through work in the garden. Man and woman enjoyed Gods fellowship and found pleasure in serving and knowing Him. Now there is still work, but it has become toil outside of the presence and joy of God. Meaning has been lost. Shame, fear, discouragement, blame, and hardship all enter the lives of men and women in Genesis 3. God sent humanity out of his presence because of their disobedience. These conditions of hardship point to the absence of God’s relationship in man’s life.
Jesus Christ is the solution to man’s problems. Paul teaches in Romans 5:1 that because of Jesus’ willingness to be killed for our sins and raised from the dead for our justification we can now have peace with God. He continues in Romans 5:6 teaching that Jesus died for the ungodly while they were still in sin. He writes that God proved his love for his creation in this manner, the death of his son so that we might be reconciled in a perfect relationship with Him again. Through the redeeming work of Jesus, the psychological problems noted by many secular psychologists that plague man because of the separation sin caused become correctable. Paul continues in Romans 5:12 teaching that just as one sin of one man condemned all men, so one act of righteousness through Jesus can give life to all men. Jesus did not die to cure our psychological problems. Jesus died to save us from sin. The results of a restored relationship through the blood of the cross give the benefit of an unwavering joy. Christians are passing through a process known as sanctification in which they form into the image of Christ. While this process takes place, Christians must continue to deal with a conflict between two natures. Paul calls this a spiritual battle between the flesh and the law in Romans 7. The law is good and reflects the holiness of God. The law has been written on the heart of every man, woman, and child. In Jeremiah 31:33, God speaks of a new covenant with the house of Israel. One in which he will put his law on their hearts. Paul speaks of this in Romans 7:22 when he writes that the law is found in the inner man. This law, sometimes called our conscience, gives mankind its sense of morality. Because it comes from God, the law is spiritual in nature, and at war with our inner nature or propensity to sin. Paul describes in Romans 7:15-18 how his sin nature fights against the law. He finds himself acting in ways he does not want to act. He does what he hates. Because of the spiritual law Paul knows his actions are wrong, but his flesh desires them. Paul concludes in verse 24 that he is a wretched man without hope, and only Jesus Christ can save him from this battle. The role of the biblical counselor is the help a hurting population find true help that comes only through Jesus Christ. Once they find this help the counselor helps them begin a journey of being formed into the image of Christ.

You Are Not Alone

This past Monday at the hospital we spent significant time as chaplains exploring how to handle baby deaths. One word that could sum up the experience was uncomfortable. This is true for two reasons. First, what do you say to a family who is dealing with the unimaginable? I know theologically speaking there is much we could say:

1. Lamentations 3:37-38 “Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord does not decreed it? Is it not from the mouth of the most High that both calamities and good things come? (God’s absolute control)
2. Ephesians 1:11 “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will. (God has the power to carry out his plan, see Jeremiah 29:11).
3. Ecclesiastes 7:14 “When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider; God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future. (God is sovereign over both the good and the bad).
4. Genesis 50:20 (the whole Joseph story) “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”(God has purpose in our pain).
5. Job 23:8-10 (The whole Job story) “…when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of Him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. (God will purify us through our trials, they are not meaningless).

Although there is much truth to grasp in these statements the moment to share this information is not always in the now. Where do we begin? This aspect makes the situation uncomfortable. There is another reason I found it uncomfortable. My wife is pregnant. Our baby son Matthias is due February 1. Listening to how to help others begin their grief process makes me consider how I would handle grieving in the same situation. This morning I had a talk with my wife. I asked her “How would we respond if Matthias was still born, or only survived a few hours”? Would we be angry with God? I wanted to think through the situation not because I tend to live in fear, but because it is a possibility. Suffering is a part of the world we live in.
As we were escorted through the hospital going over the procedures, I had to ask God “Why do some families have to face this tragedy?” The expectation of life and joy. The hopes, dreams and potential for new life, and then the unexpected loss that first knocks the breath out of you, and then changes your life forever. What was the answer I received? Sin. The reason death exists is because of sin. When man first rebelled against God in the garden everything changed, sin, death, disease, fear, all these entered into the world. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death…” We have earned death by our wrong actions.
This is the point where we want to be angry with God and blame shift. Before we do there are three truths we must consider, “The Bible asserts both God’s sovereignty and people’s freedom and moral responsibility, it never attempts to explain their relationship. The first [truth] is that God is infinite in His ways as well as His being. A finite mind simply cannot comprehend an infinite being beyond what He has expressly revealed to us…some things about God will forever remain a mystery…the relationship of the sovereign will of God to the freedom and moral responsibility of people is one of those mysteries. The second truth is that God is never the author of sin…we must never conclude that God has induced anyone to sin…The fact that people’s sinful intents and actions serve the sovereign purpose of God does not make God the author of their sin nor make them any less culpable for their actions…The third truth…is that the Bible consistently portrays people as making real choices of their own will. There is never any suggestion in Scripture of people being mindless puppets moved by divine strings. (See Psalm 50:21; James 1:13-14; Acts 4:27-28; Revelation 17:17). (Trusting God p. 69-70).”
But even more importantly we need to remember the hope that is given to us from God. Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” John Piper wrote, ““The Son of God who is the father’s beloved and delight was forsaken. He was abandoned and left all alone. Being forsaken by his friends was one thing, but being forsaken by his Father was quite another. The depth of this pain is greater than we can know…Why is the depth of Christ’s pain significant for us? Because “we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). In the midst of our pain we may feel alone and believe that no one has hurt as badly as we hurt. But it isn’t true. Jesus Christ has felt such pain; indeed, he has felt pain that would have destroyed us. He is able to sympathize. (Suffering and the Sovereignty of God p. 186). (See Matt 27:46; Heb 4:15; Heb. 4:16).
Perhaps at the beginning, when speaking with those who are suffering unimaginable pain we begin by saying, “Friend, you are not alone.”

Emotion, it runs in the family.

Just this week I began a class called clinical pastoral education. I am interning as a chaplain this semester at Wake Med. We had our orientation on Monday and I wanted to share my reflections from day one.

Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?”

With a moment of freedom at the end of my busy day I begin to reflect upon all the thoughts and emotions I experienced on orientation day. As the day approached, I felt the usual emotions of nervousness associated with beginning a new job. Walking into the meeting room felt like so many other orientation moments where I did not know anyone and begin to formulate in my mind how to begin the conversational tennis game of getting to know a total stranger. I was contemplating how to serve the first question and opted awkwardly to eat breakfast and wait for introductions. Its Not that I am nervous about speaking to groups, in fact I prefer smaller groups. It surprises me how moments like these after so many can still feel so uncomfortable. I was thankful for the introduction time as it provided me with questions I could lob across the net and begin my game of making new acquaintances
Another emotion stirring inside of me that morning was anxiety. At first I recognized this in regards to the amount of information being given to us and the serious nature of why we are receiving it. Everyday in this hospital are people, and families struggling with heavy burdens. We need to be prepared to speak truth, hope, and comfort to their souls. I was for a moment reminded of the matrix and the scene when they download martial arts ability into Keanu Reeves head. The difference is that I am confident when I really needed the information given to me I will not be able to remember all of it. Praise God for the Holy Spirit who is able to strengthen me. Also, in regards to anxiousness that morning, before anyone said it, and due to the atmosphere of being in a hospital preparing to speak into the lives of hurting people I had a real sense of my own mortality, as well as that of my family. The emotion was a passing one. Had I chosen to dwell on it, or should I now, or in the future, it has the potential to become a sticky thought. One that will be hard to set aside. I was reminded of the sovereignty of my God. And, as I was tempted to think about all the things that could possibly happen to me or my family, I was told about so many terrible things that have happened to others and their families. Once again I was faced with a choice to fear or trust. A professor at Southeastern taught me that we serve a potentially dangerous God. He does allow pain and suffering. How thankful I am He does. If not, who would have paid the price for my sins? Where would my hope be?
The early church fathers taught that God was impassable, or without emotion. Scriptural talk about the wrath of God, or grief of the Holy Spirit, was simply God attempting to talk to us in language we could understand. Modern theologians are more biblical in their approach to this topic recognizing the emotions of our God, and realizing we were created in his image, and display these emotions as well. When I used to hear the word emotion I thought of personal opinion or pop psychology, and I functioned as if scripture was silent on the subject. Then again, I did not really know the scriptures. I have since learned that scripture contains the norms for behavior, thought life, and emotions. Life without emotion would not be human life. We cannot function as ministers without an understanding of emotions. “ Fear not” is a frequent command in scripture. Peter says to cast anxieties upon Christ. Scripture says a righteous man hates what God hates, and Moses says we will be judged for not serving with joy. I realize as I reflect upon my first day that I will need to explore all these commands to be effective ministering to others who also struggle with problematic emotions.