A Long One is Coming

Yes. I believe the next post might beat my previous record. What is it?

Why People Should Read.

Or Perhaps More Accurately The Importance of Good Theology and Why People Don’t Read.

So consider this the calm before the storm. If you can really consider what I write a storm. Unless you are referring to that sensational pain you get in your brain everytime you come here and see something new.

Also, what happened to the idea of reverting to shorter posts?

Well, sometimes there are things you just need to say, and those things may require a lot of words.

Come as you are, go as He is

This is the essence of the call of the cross of Christ.

Come as you are. All your fears. All your burdens. All your guilt. All your failures. Everything we wish to be kept hidden is to be laid bare before the foot of the cross, for Jesus to take upon Himself. All your accomplishments, all your talents, all your possessions, everything that you are, is to be laid bare before the foot of the cross, for Him to choose to use or bury along with your old self.

For we are a new creation. Jesus died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Jesus who died for them and was raised again. The old has gone, the new has come. And God has given us the ministry of reconciliation, to be the ambassadors of Christ.

Go then as He is. We left our old selves at the foot of the cross. We take our new selves, in the newness of life in Christ, clothed with His righteousness, as we go out into the world. We are to be His ambassadors, in word, in deed and in thought. This is a high calling, the ministry of reconciliation, of bringing people back into the fold of God, and it requires nothing less than the One who alone could and did fulfill it, by His death and resurrection.

“He’s a devout Christian.”

I’ve heard this comment several times. At times in reference to me. At times in reference to others.

But it’s such a contradictory term.

An oxymoron.

Many often view the act of becoming a Christian as one of saying a prayer, or framing a conscious decision along the lines of “I am a Christian”. They then proceed to start reading the Bible, pray at mealtimes, surround themselves with Christian friends, and sprinkle the word God into their conversations.

“I think God wants me to…”

“I feel really close to God…”

“I believe God is…”

Now don’t get me wrong. Becoming a Christian may involve saying a prayer. It will certainly involve making a conscious decision. It will definitely lead to habits of Bible reading, prayer, getting connected with the local church, and will almost certainly result in Godward thoughts and attitudes.

But perhaps the nature of that ‘conscious decision’ requires further introspection.

The devil is clever. If he can keep our concepts, our realities, our truths, our beliefs vague, they will never become concrete enough to weigh on us. And so he keeps us in the realm of jargon.

“Are you a Christian?”

“Yes, I prayed the prayer. I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour.”

Pretty jargon. The question remains whether these are hazy hoo-has, or concrete convictions. If you truly understand the depth of our fall, the weight of our sin, the terror of divine wrath, and the futility of our situation, and then and only then are you driven to lay everything down at the foot of the cross, then and only then can you see the wonder of the cross, the sufficiency of His blood, the newness of life, and the glorious love of the Heavenly Father.

That is the essence of the ‘conscious decision’. This is what it means to put our faith in Jesus. This is what it means to be Christian. A Christian is not one who merely claims he is one. Or one who goes through the motions of Christianity. It is the person who, by the grace of God, has his eyes open to the reality of imminent destruction, and, by the grace of God, clings to his only means of rescue - the cross of Christ, where the love of God was made manifest to us. And he clings to it. He does not just stop by and then move on. He keeps clinging on to it, tighter and tighter and tighter.

And the saving grace that comes to us does not result in a life of continued rebellion towards God. That the grace of God may abound more and more in our lives will be the result of increasing obedience to God. As Luther put it, “We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.”

if you are truly Christian, one who clings to the cross as the source of His righteousness before God, as the place where God’s favour, His grace, was irrevocably secured for us, able to sustain and strengthen and empower us for the rest of our lives, you will by definition be ‘devout’ - one eager to please the God who loved us first. There’s no such thing as a devout Christian. Our desires may weaken, but the cross is solid rock.

You either leave everything in your hands at the foot of the cross so that you may cling to it, or be merely content to stand in its shadow. Perhaps you might have relief from the scorching sun for a while. But be certain when this world crumbles, the only thing that remains standing will be the cross of Christ. And unless you’re clinging to it, you too will fall into destruction.

And it is this inevitable future that causes me both sadness and much rejoicing. I rejoice because I am saved from the destruction to come. But I am sad because not everyone is. And so it is my eager prayer that you would consider these things more. That you do not leave Jesus as some vague person, the Bible a vague collection of stories, the seriousness of our sin as something to laugh about, the cross of Christ as some symbol in a church. But wholehearterdly seek the truth. For the Bible considers our relationship with Jesus as a matter of life and death. Treat it then as a matter of life and death.

An update

So my wireless modem router finally died. Lesson: Don’t buy DLink.

In the meantime I’ve finally managed to embark on that summer reading list. Humility: True Greatness is a nice and simple, yet profound book. And it’s a topic that resounds closely with my life. Pride is indeed the ‘great sin’ as C.S. Lewis describes it. And it’s pervasive and deceptive. Thinking that you have it under control is but a deadlier version of pride. And it is empowering to know that God has given us means to help defeat our pride and cultivate humility, being humble and contrite just as Jesus was. A highly recommended book, and it’s a book anyone can easily pick up and understand, but don’t be deceived - humility is to be practiced, not analysed, and there lies the true test.

And now I’ve turned to The Screwtape Letters and The Cross of Christ. I’m eagerly looking forward to see what gems there are in these two books.

Also, Passion Kuala Lumpur is nearly upon us! I am eagerly looking forward to that day. I can’t believe the 4000 passes are already sold out, although I guess there’s more than meets the eye on that little fact. You would think having gone to London would have tide me over, but it’s a bit different when it’s on home soil. Funnily enough though, I had a dream that Charlie fell sick and David came instead. Heh. But I couldn’t be happier about these two. Can’t wait to hear the new material.

Yes, new material! 2 weeks to getting my hands on Hello Love and the Bright Sadness! I am definitely bringing a sizeable wad of cash on this trip. Especially the Bright Sadness - sounds stellar. I think Charlie did an amazing job on this album. Google around - you’ll be able to hear the single “My Brightness. And you can also catch Chain Breaker on YouTube, and Jesus Mystery on GoogleVideos. My Brightness is quite a lyrical work.

Speaking about new album releases, there’s also the Remedy Tour DVD. I can’t wait to get my hands on it. It’s going to be a blast watching it.

I believe that’s all for the moment. My theological posting is going to be reduced or non-existent somewhat for the next couple of weeks, because they are quite time consuming and draining, and I do want to use the time to do some reading. Also, the process of preparing for Saturday’s lessons tend to take whatever extra time I have. Alternatively, if I wanted to, I could probably post transcripts of those lessons.

But it’s a decision I’ll make some time in the future.

LOL.

I do promise to update soon.

But this made me laugh:

No, John Piper hasn’t joined a gang.

And yep, Mr Louie G., this did in fact involve me Laughing Out Loud.

It’s been a whirlwind of a ride

I’ve always questioned the nature of God’s blessings. Is it right that I should prosper all the time? Is it right that my life always seems to be working out great? As a Christian, shouldn’t I be facing trials? Should my Heavenly Father not be disciplining me, for He will always discipline His children out of love for their good?

We can probably exclude ‘and temptations’. Because I am sorely tempted to do all sorts of God-dishonouring things every minute of every day.

Yet perhaps, I’m not ready for such a trial. Or maybe, God wants me to stay on the top of the mountain just that bit longer, so that I may behold His goodness gladly. Or perhaps there’s the matter of this question which requires pondering over: Is it harder to be satisfied in God in the good times or in the bad times?

But one thing I do not do is this: I do not question the origin of those blessings. It is the Heavenly Father who gives us good gifts. His definition of good is one tempered by His sovereign love and wisdom. Our definition of good is one muddied by the stain of sin. And He has seen it good for me to be blessed as such.

One year ago, I nearly missed out on a place at Cambridge. Today, I’ve achieved a First in my first year exams. Being in the 7th percentile, that places me at 12th I think.

It’s been a whirlwind of a ride. And through it, my Father has been working all things for my good, and I know He always will, though the circumstances may seem otherwise.

For now, the circumstances are good. And I rejoice all the more.

Thank you.

And thank you for your Son Jesus, who took my sin, died in my place as the propitiation for my sin, lived a perfectly obedient life and became my righteousness, so that I no longer stand condemned, but stand in the light of new life, not by my own merit or effort, but on that sure foundation of grace that God freely showed to me before the creation of the world, thus confident that nothing will ever separate me from the love of Christ, which is all I’ll ever need for this life and the next.

A Spiritual Classic?

Yes indeed.

I have just finished reading through Knowing God by J.I. Packer, and am still blown away by the book. The exposition he gives on key Biblical truths is at once simple yet undoubtably profound.

To be honest, I’ve always wondered at what the big fuss was over this book. But it’s just one of those books you have to read to comprehend why it has been lauded so much over the decades. I think I might just go through the book again sometime.

A personal extended review here.

There were four truths in the book that blew me away. Namely, the miracle of the Incarnation, propitiation as the heart of the gospel, our adoption as sons (and daughters) of God as the highest privilege God has graciously bestowed on us, and an amazingly simple exegesis of Paul’s epistle to the Romans that primarily caught my attention. It’s a bit hard narrowing down the profound content of this book to these four truths as there are many other eye-openers, both big and small, but for me these four stand out.

The book in general is really simply about ‘knowing God’ - the title does accurately capture the content. It’s a book about who He is and what He has done. And the way in which our lives should relate to Him. As shown to us in the Bible. All the good things you’ve heard about this book are probably on the mark. All the bad things you’ve heard about it are most likely false. I would truly regard it as a spiritual classic, and it’s a book that I believe every Christian would benefit from reading. It will likely challenge some, if not many, of your conceptions, and it will most certainly challenge the way you live right now. But some challenges are profitable, and this is one of them. If you don’t read it, I really think you’re missing out.

The literary style is very much targetted at the layman reader. But I think it would be a clear sign of how far reading standards have fallen if a book like this is classified as ‘heavy-reading’. Regardless, for those who somewhat comprehend my reading preferences, it is still a book I would recommend people to buy and to read diligently. If your reading skills aren’t great, then the only difference it’ll make is you’ll take longer to finish it. And if your reading skills are top-notch, don’t go too fast either! You might just miss that gold nugget in your mad dash through.

The Wrath of God

I know I said that the Supremacy of God was up next, but I will have to renege on that promise. It is a tough subject to approach, not that any other attribute of God is easy to understand. But much more thought needs to be placed into it. So instead, we look at the wrath of God, something I have thought about for quite a bit.

Here’s a question: Does the church in general today ignore this attribute of God?

There is much talk of love, but there is more talk of wrath than love in the Bible. Arthur Pink, in his book, The Attributes of God (a recommended read I would say), brings up this point, stating that a careful search of the concordance shows us that the Bible speaks more of the wrath, anger and fury of God than His love or tenderness.

The subject of wrath has become taboo in some Christian circles. Man cannot reconcile an angry God with a loving God. And they would rather have a loving God than an angry God.Therefore the God of love, the God who IS love, can’t possible be the God of wrath.

The problem with this seeming contradiction lies in a deficient misunderstanding of the holiness and goodness of God and the depravity of man. God is morally perfect. He is good. And as such He cannot, nor will He tolerate evil. Evil must be dealt with. And the ‘dealing with’ is the manifestation of the wrath of God.

But then man surely is not subject to the wrath of God. After all, we’re not all evil. There are some good people. Yet again, the Bible states otherwise - “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” We are evil creatures. We have rejected the source of all life, our Creator and Sustainer. That is evil. We may beg to differ - after all we do not go around committing what we consider evil acts, such as killing or raping. But we have committed the ONE supremely evil act of rebellion against God. And it is from this act that all lesser evils against our fellow Man flows forth.

So we have a good, holy and loving God, who will not allow evil to persist forever. He will bring down His fist and crush evil forever. There is joy in this fact, that evil will not go unpunished. That there is justice. The God of wrath is the God of justice.

Taking this down to a personal level, this is somewhat coloured by the reality which we find ourselves living in. We want a God of justice, but we don’t want to let judgment fall on us. Yet we can’t have one without the other. All will be judged. And we will be found wanting. The God of wrath, the God of justice is a terrifying prospect in this light.

But the God of wrath is the God of love. He has provided a means of escape. He has provided a Redeemer. Jesus Christ is the propitiation for our sin, if we put our faith in Him and follow Him. Propitiation is a word that supposes wrath. It means the appeasement of wrath. And I believe it also signifies the restoration of joy. The God of wrath is a reality worth rejoicing in yet again, because we know history will terminate in judgment, that there will be moral retribution. Good is repaid with good. Evil is repaid with evil. We no longer need to be terrified, having escaped from the consuming fire of the wrath of our God, and we know that our good works are not in vain.

The unchanging God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Revealing Himself to Moses, He proclaimed His name as such - “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”

He is the God of love. And He is the God of wrath. But note one more thing - He is a patient God. He is slow to anger. That’s for the next post.

A few other questions for you to ponder:

1. Why is the wrath of God such a taboo subject? Would you bring it up as you tell the gospel to your friends?
2. What sort of balance should we aim for in a gospel presentation? Yes, God is a God of love and grace. But He is also a God of wrath. And we cannot understand grace and love in their proper context without first comprehending the reality of God’s wrath. How do we incorporate both elements?
3. The wrath of God is surely one of God’s many perfect attributes. Yet we may not perceive it as such. Why? What should our attitudes be towards the wrath of God? What are our attitudes like?

Finished!

Wow. This is amazingly anti-climatic.

So the 5 papers were pretty good. Not sure how well I did overall, but I was pretty happy. One or two mess-ups here and there, but I figured I did the best I could at the moment.

I’m currently sleep-deprived. I slept 6-7 hours the first night - micro - was too excited! It rapidly disintegrated after that. Namely 5 hours the next night - history. 4 the night after - macro. 3 before the politics paper. Oh. And 4-5 yesterday. Today was the math paper.

But yeah. I’ve finished my first year of uni. Time really does fly.

Now to figure out what to do next week…

You’ll never believe this…

You can see me on one of the brief video clips Passion filmed in London!

Yeah. A big black blob.

Lol.

But seriously, if there were more pixels, and a bit more light, you could make me out clearly.

In case you’re wondering what videos, check out their MySpace page.

Facing the stage, I’m on the far right of the first tier. I’m on the corner nearest to the bathroom (that lit up green sign on the right wall). Well technically Cheryl’s on that corner, but I’m just one to the left. And in case you’re wondering which videos, the first is O Praise Him, taken from the left side of the stage. And the second is How Great is Our God, taken from somewhere behind me. I’m one of those big black blobs, somewhere in that indistinguishable mass of darkness. I was trying to work out which pair of hands, or hand I was, but it’s a bit hard with that many up in the air. You can also barely make out my general position from Blessed Be Your Name. Heh.

OK. Back to revision now…