Enjoying God Blog

Someone recently asked me if I believed that the Protestant Reformation is over? That’s a loaded question that would likely elicit an equally loaded answer. It took my mind back to an article I wrote several years ago. The article was a book review of the volume by Mark Noll and Carolyn Nystrom, titled: Is the Reformation Over? An Evangelical Assessment of Contemporary Roman Catholicism (Baker Academic, 2005). I thought it might be helpful to re-post it here. After reading it, you can answer the question for yourself. Continue reading . . . 

Someone recently asked me if I believed that the Protestant Reformation is over? That’s a loaded question that would likely elicit an equally loaded answer. It took my mind back to an article I wrote several years ago. The article was a book review of the volume by Mark Noll and Carolyn Nystrom, titled: Is the Reformation Over? An Evangelical Assessment of Contemporary Roman Catholicism (Baker Academic, 2005). I thought it might be helpful to re-post it here. After reading it, you can answer the question for yourself.

One of the highlights of having taught in the department of Bible, Theology, Archaeology and World Religions at Wheaton College was the annual Theology Conference, typically held in April. The conference was established by the late Timothy Phillips and Dennis Ockholm (now of Azusa Pacific College) and was co-sponsored by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

I mention this because I will never forget the 2002 conference (April 11-13), the theme of which was “Catholics and Evangelicals in Conversation”. J. I. Packer was excellent, as was Richard John Neuhaus. But nothing could quite match the electricity caused by my former colleague Mark Noll who concluded his presentation with the statement: “The Reformation is over!” The buzz throughout the auditorium

I recently listened to a lecture by a pastor who was determined to undermine the biblical doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement. As part of his defense, he argued that it is unbiblical to speak of God being reconciled to us. It is we alone, he insisted, who are reconciled to God. In other words, he believes that there is nothing in God that needs to occur for us to be reconciled to him. His wrath does not need to be propitiated. His justice does not need to be satisfied. The only need is subjective, in us. We need to change our attitude and beliefs about God and repent and believe the gospel. What are we to make of this? Continue reading . . . 

I recently listened to a lecture by a pastor who was determined to undermine the biblical doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement. As part of his defense, he argued that it is unbiblical to speak of God being reconciled to us. It is we alone, he insisted, who are reconciled to God. In other words, he believes that there is nothing in God that needs to occur for us to be reconciled to him. His wrath does not need to be propitiated. His justice does not need to be satisfied. The only need is subjective, in us. We need to change our attitude and beliefs about God and repent and believe the gospel. What are we to make of this?

Reconciliation is explicitly mentioned in several NT texts, such as Rom. 5:10-11; 11:15; 2 Cor. 5:18,19,20; Eph. 2:16; Col. 1:20,22. Our primary focus will be on 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.

“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on beha

Many would prefer that we only speak of God’s love and grace. But apart from the reality of divine wrath neither love nor grace makes much sense. We’ll see this as we explore ten things that every Christian should know about the wrath of God. Continue reading . . . 

Many would prefer that we only speak of God’s love and grace. But apart from the reality of divine wrath neither love nor grace makes much sense. We’ll see this as we explore ten things that every Christian should know about the wrath of God.

(1) Some less-than-evangelical theologians have argued that the doctrine or concept of wrath is beneath the dignity of God. C. H. Dodd, for example, speaks for many when he says that the notion of divine wrath is archaic and that the biblical terminology refers to no more than “an inevitable process of cause and effect in a moral universe.” In other words, for such as Dodd, divine wrath is an impersonal force operative in a moral universe, not a personal attribute or disposition in the character of God. Wrath may well be ordained and controlled by God, but is clearly no part of him, as are love, mercy, kindness, etc.

(2) Opposition to the concept of divine wrath is often due to a misunderstanding of what it is. Wrath is not the loss of self-control or the irrational and capricious outburst of anger. Divine wrath is not to be thought of as a celestial bad temper or God lashing out at those who “rub him the wrong way.”

(3) Divine wrath is righteous antagonism toward all that is unholy. It is the revulsion of God's character to that which is a violation of God's will.

(4) There is a very real sense in which one may speak of divine wrath as a function of divine love. God's wrath is his love for holiness and truth and justice. It is because God passionately loves purity a

Please don’t misread or misinterpret the intent of this brief article. I have not yet formulated an opinion on the Black Lives Matter movement. I have no desire to make a political statement. Continue reading . . .

Please don’t misread or misinterpret the intent of this brief article. I have not yet formulated an opinion on the Black Lives Matter movement. I have no desire to make a political statement. I’m not sufficiently informed about the people behind this movement to understand their motivation or goals. It is not my intent to comment on the deaths of the individual in St. Paul, Minnesota, or the man in Louisiana. Nor do I wish to say anything about the deaths of the five policemen in Dallas. Of course, I will say that all these deaths are tragedies of the highest order and my deepest sympathies are with the families of each man.

So what is this post about? It’s simply about the statement, Black Lives Matter. I’ve watched numerous TV news broadcasts and read countless newspaper and blog articles where people, most often white, have responded by saying: “Yes, black lives matter. But white lives matter too. So also do all lives.” I hope all of us would agree that all lives matter, be they lives in the womb of unborn babies or the lives of officers who patrol and protect our neighborhoods or lives of the inner-city teen-ager or the lives of the elderly. But all that is to miss the point. So let me make my point.

My point is directed to white people such as myself, people who simply do not know what it is like to be black in America. If you are white and you do not recognize the reality of “white privilege” then you are either ignorant, naïve, horribly insensitive, or arrogant and uncaring. But again, my point isn’t primarily about white privilege, but the latter does bear directly on what I wan

In the previous article we looked at the marvelous ways in which Jesus loves his own. There are five of them in John 13:1-5, and here we turn our attention to the final two. Continue reading . . .

In the previous article we looked at the marvelous ways in which Jesus loves his own. There are five of them in John 13:1-5, and here we turn our attention to the final two.

(4) Fourth, his love was not merely an inward affection, but made itself known by an altogether unexpected and socially offensive outward expression (vv. 4-11).

Here is Jesus thinking of eternal glory, exaltation, power and authority. And what does he do? Does he bark out commands: “Peter, bring me my purple robe. John, my scepter. Matthew, my golden crown. Phillip, prepare my throne.” No.

Contrary to what Da Vinci portrayed in his famous painting, “The Last Supper,” Jesus and his disciples would not have been seated in chairs in front of a long table. The custom of the day was to recline on thin mats in a circle surrounding a low table, each person leaning on one arm with the other free to use for eating. Their feet, obviously, would have extended outward from the table.

Everything was in place. The pitcher, the basin, the water, the towel. But no one moved. Not so much as a stirring. Each man would have looked at the others, wondering who was going to take the initiative, secretly hoping it would not fall on his own shoulders.

All of us are familiar with the custom of foot washing, even those who have never actually participated in it. I was raised a Southern Baptist and had only heard of the practice existing among other, so-called “primitive” Baptists. During my four years at Wheaton College Ann and I were members of an Anglican church that observed this ritual once each year during holy week.

In an earlier article I pointed out the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that Jesus overcame to loving his own. Continue reading . . . 

In an earlier article I pointed out the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that Jesus overcame to loving his own. They are found in John 13:1-5. Here is the passage again.

“Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. (John 13:1-5)

A close look at this passage reveals five features or characteristics of the love that Jesus has for you and me.

(1) First, we read in v. 1 that “having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”

What’s the point of describing his disciples as being “in the world”? It seems so obvious, so trite. Of course they are “in the world.” Where else could they be? Surely, something more is intended by this phrase.

I believe it is John’s way of magnifying the love of Christ by highlighting their unloveliness. Jesus didn’t wait for them to experience final glorification in heaven before he loved them. He didn’t suspend his love for them on their being perfect, sinless, spotless, pure, and rid of all those annoying habits and personality quirks that wo

Anyone who thinks that we’ve made substantial progress in resolving the problem of racial disharmony and animosity in our society is simply not paying attention. The violent events that have filled our streets in the past week together with the response from both the white and African-American communities clearly demonstrate that mistrust, suspicion, and even hatred across the racial divide are rampant in virtually every sector in our society. Continue reading . . .

Anyone who thinks that we’ve made substantial progress in resolving the problem of racial disharmony and animosity in our society is simply not paying attention. The violent events that have filled our streets in the past week together with the response from both the white and African-American communities clearly demonstrate that mistrust, suspicion, and even hatred across the racial divide are rampant in virtually every sector in our society.

So today we turn our attention to 10 things that all of us need to know about race and racism.

(1) There is only one race. It is called the “human race”. All men and women of every color, from every tongue, tribe, and nation are descendants of the same father and mother: Adam and Eve. All human beings, therefore, are united by blood. Look at the words of the apostle Paul in Acts 17:26 –

“And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place” (Acts 17:26).

The physiological differences that exist among humans, whether it be color of skin or texture of hair or accent in speech, are nothing in comparison with the fundamental unity that we share by virtue of our descent from the same original pair: Adam and Eve.

It will come as something of a s

Whenever I begin to wonder whether or not the children’s song is correct when it says, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so,” I turn to John 13 and read some of the most remarkable and reassuring statements in God’s Word. Continue reading . . . 

Whenever I begin to wonder whether or not the children’s song is correct when it says, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so,” I turn to John 13 and read some of the most remarkable and reassuring statements in God’s Word.

“Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. (John 13:1-5)

This opening paragraph to what has come to be known as the Upper Room Discourse of Jesus, describes what appear on the surface to be three reasons Jesus couldn’t possibly love us the way we need him to. And yet he does. Consider this.

(1) First, it appears that things are totally out of control, running amok, almost as if Jesus is himself being swept away by the swift march of events, like objects being carried away by the rapidly rising rushing waters of the Mississippi. Satan is beginning his assault on Judas Iscariot, prompting him to betray Jesus. The Jewish religious leaders are plotting against him. Ponti