God-the-Spirit Sealed Us (Ephesians 1:13-14)

Ephesians 1 has given praise to God based upon the three persons of the Trinity. The word Trinity is not found in the Bible but the reality of the Doctrine of the Trinity is all throughout the Bible and vital to a Biblical understanding of God.

We have seen that we are to praise God-the-Father because He predestined us. He predestined us to be holy and thus live lives marked by holiness. He also predestined us to Sonship. He predestined believers to be changed into children of God and thus we have a wonderful inheritance with Him.

We have seen that we are to praise God-the-Son because He has redeemed us. Jesus was our ransom on the cross and thus paid our debt. He redeemed us from eternal punishment for being so in love with ourselves and things that make us feel good, over being primarily in love with God and His will.

This final section regarding praising the Trinity is focused upon the work of God-the-Spirit. The Holy Spirit bookends our Christian experience. First, we hear the gospel truth. Second, we believe in Christ. Then third, the promised Holy Spirit seals us.

Ray Stedman says, “What does it mean to be sealed with the Spirit? This is undoubtedly a reference to the ancient practice of sealing letters or other official objects with sealing wax and impressing the wax with a raised seal worn on a ring, bearing an identifying image. The use of the seal always denotes two concepts: ownership and preservation.” (pg54)

The Holy Spirit places the final approving stamp on the deal of our adoption. He guarantees the transaction is final and legal. He makes it official; we are children of God. His stamp of approval gives the Father ownership and preserves His children to the end.

Sinclair Ferguson says, “The spirit himself constitutes the firstfruits of final redemption. He is the earnest or deposit and the seal or guarantee of what is yet to be (Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30). In light of this, the believer no longer lives as a debtor to the flesh, to live kata sarka; he is not mortgaged to it; rather, his outstanding debt is to the Spirit, to live kata pneuma, because he belongs to Jesus Christ and is mortgaged in faith and love to him for all eternity in a debt that can never be repaid (Rom. 8:12).” (pg162)

The Holy Spirit is the final seal of approval. We are children of God therefore we are to act as children of God. We are made alive by the Holy Spirit therefore we are to live according to the Spirit. Christians are to live lives yielded to the power of the Holy Spirit.

God-the-Spirit is to be praised because He seals us and guarantees our redemption and adoption.

BOOK REVIEW: The Radical Reformission

The Radical Reformission is going to be a “must read” at Grace Community Church. This little book grabs what all of us need to be about with regards to taking the gospel to a post-Christian American culture. We think we live in a “Christian” country, but my generation views the church as a bunch of judgmental pink haired ladies who are making sure no one is having fun. If you think this is bogus then simply check out the prickly little accountant on the TV show The Office (if she were on a deserted island she would take her Bible, The Purpose Driven Life, and The Da Vinci Code so that she could burn it).

Mark Driscoll is the pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle and has founded the Acts 29 Network. Grace Community Church is a proud member of the Acts 29 Network. Acts 29 was described to us as the “right-wing conservative arm of the emerging church movement”, which really sounded good. Like GCC, Mars Hill is reformed in its doctrine (unlike many flaky emerging churches) but is also seeking to be relevant to a post-modern culture.

I am finishing my fourth year of seminary so I am a card-carrying member of church sub-culture. This book was a great reminder that my mission is not to be respected in the eyes of a largely legalistic church culture, but rather to reach the lost, hurting, and dieing world with the message of God’s grace (just like Jesus did).

The Radical Reformission is about “reaching out without selling out.” It is about being clear on the distinctions between “the gospel, the culture, and the church.” Driscoll says that Parachurch groups are the Gospel + Culture but – the Church. Liberalism is Culture + Church but – the Gospel. Fundamentalism is the Church + the Gospel but – the Culture. Being “on mission” is about being the Church, sharing the Gospel, and being culturally relevant. Much of being culturally relevant is doing away with the silliness of unbiblical church culture legalism.

The only complaint I have about the book is the constant unnecessary sarcasm. I am pretty sarcastic myself and I don’t mean to be a stick in the mud, but after a while it begins to wear you down. The shock value starts to wear off after chapter one.

One of the most helpful things I found in the book was his treatment of alcohol. He gives the most complete and honest treatment of the Biblical stance regarding drinking alcohol that I have seen. He discusses it from Biblical, historical, and practical perspectives. There are certain parts of the country where the church needs to have some serious mature conversations about its stance on alcohol and the simplistic statement of “just don’t do it” can really hinder the Gospel message. To put it plainly, in certain cultures it might be a sin NOT to drink!

My generation is in a post-modern mess, but this post-modernism (which was a knee jerk against the failures of optimistic modern thinking) is providing wonderful avenues for the Gospel to go into the culture. I am inspired by Driscoll’s heart that loves God’s gracious Gospel as well as loves those people of our generation who are turned off by church culture.

God-the-Son Redeemed Us (Ephesians 1:7-12)

Redemption (1:7-8)

God-the-Father is to be praised because He predestined us to holiness and to sonship. God-the-Son is to be praised because He redeemed us from the bondage of sin. Redemption means the act of buying back sinners from the bondage of sin and Satan. Jesus paid our ransom. We were destined to die because of our bondage to sin and Jesus took the blame and paid the price so that we would not have to pay it ourselves.

The work of holiness and adoption were clearly the works of God-the-Father. The work of redemption is clearly the work of God-the-Son. It is Jesus who shed His blood for our trespasses. Our liberation from the wage of sin is only through the blood of Jesus.

Jesus was our ransom. Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus became our sin so that we would not have to pay its wage and thus become a child of God. II Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Jesus shed His blood in order to satisfy God’s perfect law. At Calvary the holiness of God was kept in tact and an avenue to forgive sinners was also made. Hebrews 9:22 says, “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”

Picture your redemption like this. You are an African slave in the early 1800’s brought to America. That is your status, a slave. You are trapped; there is nothing you can do about it. You are bound and guarded. You are in bondage. You have no control over your future. If you run, where will you go? Your skin color will give you away. You are a slave in bondage and you are trapped. Then one day a man comes and buys you. Instead of taking you to his plantation, he gives you freedom papers making your liberation legal. He has bought you for such a high price that you can never repay him. You liberty is a free gift.

We were held in bondage to sin and death and our savior paid the price and liberated us. All we do is accept this gift that is impossible to refuse.

Purpose for Redemption (1:9-10)

God-the-Son has redeemed us from the bondage of our sins, but he has a broader plan than just keeping us out of Hell. God has a purpose in redemption. Here is his plan for the “fullness of time” (1:10): God plans to “unite all things in him” (1:10).

This plan was a bit of a mystery prior to the New Testament. God now reveals in clearer language about this plan of unification. Later in Ephesians 2:11-22, Paul unpacks this plan for unification under Christ in further detail.

The Church is a step toward unification under Christ. God no longer divides Jews and Gentiles. The Church is filled with Jews and Gentiles, men and women, old and young, rich and poor, free men and slaves, black and white and Hispanic and Oriental and any other type of ethnic group you can think of. The Church is to be a picture of the future reality of all things united under Christ.

Philippians 2:5-11 speaks of the mind and attitude of Christ. God-the-Son humbled Himself in lowering Himself to status of humanity. He did this in order to die on the cross. This humiliation led to His current status of exaltation. Because Christ lowered Himself so low, the Father raised Him so high that in the future EVERY knee will bow before Him. All will worship Him and be united under His reign.

Inheritance from Redemption (1:11-12)

This section on the Son closes talking about our inheritance again. The Father has predestined our inheritance by adopting us, but it is through the power of the Son that we actually obtain this blessed inheritance.

Galatians 4:6-7 says, “And because you are son, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

The Father predestined your adoption into His family, the Son redeemed you and thus obtained your inheritance, and we will see that the Spirit will seal your inheritance.

Here is a list of privileges of being adopted into the family of God, taken from Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology.

Privileges of Adoption:
God loves us
God understands us
God takes care of our needs
God gives us many good gifts
God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit
We have inheritance in heaven
God forgives us our sins
God disciplines us
We have the privilege of sharing both in his sufferings and in his subsequent glory

As a result we are simply to praise King Jesus for His good deeds and for His glory.

After going through the work of Christ all I want to do is praise him and sing my favorite song, “Amazing Grace”. Sing along if you wish.

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.

The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures.

Thru many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come;
‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun,We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we’d first begun.

BOOK REVIEW: Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches: A Contemporary Ecclesiology

I will be part of a team planting a church this summer in Austin, Texas. My study outside of seminary work over the past twelve months has been on the doctrine of the church or ecclesiology. This study has been intense, fruitful, and a real blessing to my soul. The Baptist movement is all about seeking a pure Biblical ecclesiology. Ecclesiology is the real Baptist distinctive and Dr. Hammett of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary has added a helpful work to the mix.

This book is a must read for anyone in seminary. Ecclesiology is one of the most important topics to walk away from seminary having devoted much time. All pastors must read this as well. We cannot do a good job of practically pastoring our churches without having done the work of knowing the theology behind what we are doing. Pastors, this book will help you know what to cut out of your ministry and where to give additional focus. This book is also helpful for church leaders who are seeking to understand God’s will for His church.

Dr. Hammett not only does a good job of outlining the Biblical nature of the church, but also gives good historical details to our understanding of the church. Most Baptist don’t understand what it means to be Baptist. The ones who think that they do, typically don’t really know Baptist history. Dr. Hammett presents a good study of Baptist ecclesiology, especially regarding regenerate church membership. All Baptist pastors need to understand chapter four, but it is also extremely helpful for those pastors outside of the Baptist community.

Regarding regenerate church membership, Hammett says, “To put it simply, regenerate church membership is meaningful church membership, involving only those with a genuine commitment to Christ and the congregation of Christ’s people” (pg82). I have grown to fear that weak church membership is the disease that is killing our Baptist churches. Baptist churches are not preaching the whole gospel, are not doing the tough work of pastoral ministry, and thus have weak members which is leading to weak churches which is leading to a weak denomination. Hammett argues that the problem with Baptist church structures is not congregationalism per se “but with particular congregations no longer composed exclusively of regenerate members. Congregational church government demands regenerate church membership” (pg102).

Hammett is a congregationalist but highlights the different systems and addresses the rise of elder rule again in Baptist churches. I say again because there were elders in Baptist churches beginning with the British Baptists but there have not been in America for at least 150 years. Hammett addresses the issues of elder rule not only Biblically but also why many Baptist churches are moving in that direction. Hammett (along with other leading Baptist like Wayne Grudem, John Piper, and Mark Dever) seems to advocate a plurality of elders that lead instead of rule.

This work has been very helpful for us in laying the foundation of the church plant. There is also a great conversation with Dr. Hammett and Dr. Dever on the 9 Marks website (http://www.9marks.org/) that I found very helpful and remains on my little ipod shuffle.

God-the-Father Predestined Us (Ephesians 1:3-6)

The Father is to be Praised (1:3)

The first thing that we see in this passage is that God-the-Father is to be praised. We are commanded to bless the name of God. God has blessed you; therefore the natural response is to bless Him. He is to be praised based upon His good work of blessing all of humanity with God-the-Son. At the end of Luke 1, Mary has found out that she is pregnant and goes to her cousin Elizabeth who is also pregnant with John the Baptist. In Luke 1:42, Elizabeth shouts that Mary is blessed of God because of His work of giving her the Christ child as her own child. God did a good work for Mary and then in 1:46-55 she writes and sings this beautiful praise song to her God.

Predestined to Holiness (1:4)

The Father is truly to be praised because he sent the Son. There are two other things that the Father has done that we should praise Him for. First, He predestined us to holiness. Let’s do a little basic grammar. The statement says, “he chose us.” What is the subject of the statement? “He” is the subject. What is the verb of the statement? “Chose” is the verb. What is the object that is receiving that action from the verb, which was caused by the subject? “Us” is the object. The point is that God did the choosing and we had nothing to do with it.

In a sense I understand having a problem with the idea of predestination. It sounds weird that a loving God would chose some and reject others, but the reality of the situation is that all reject God. Rejecting God is our natural will, state, and nature. You don’t have to teach a child to say “no”; but you have to teach a child to share, many times through pain and discipline. We naturally reject God, but out of total grace and mercy He saves some.

God’s grace is so powerful. The late great pastor, Ray Stedman, writes:
“Think of it: Before the creation of the world – uncounted millions and billions and trillions of years in the past – God chose you to belong to Him. Let that sink into your mind for a moment! Drop to your knees in awe and humility before this loving eternal Being who is not confined by past or future, by years of time or light years of space; who knows the future as certainly as He knows the past; who determines all things by the counsel of His will.” (Stedman, pg30)

The predestination that Paul is talking about here is not specifically the idea that God saves some, but that He destines Christians to a state of holiness. In Matthew 5:43-48 Jesus is talking about how those who are in the family of God are to act. We are to love even our enemies. God is calling His children to live as He lives and love even our enemies. Humanity is God’s enemy, but He provides salvation to the world. Jesus ends this teaching by commanding all of us to behave like a member of God’s family should behave. He says, “be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” This is what He is predestining us towards.

God has not predestined and saved you in order for you to live however you want. God has not predestined and saved you simply to be a pretty good guy. God has predestined and saved you for you to be like your Father and be perfect and holy!

Predestined to Sonship (1:5)

The first reason to praise the Father is because he predestined you to holiness. The second reason to praise the Father is because he predestined you to sonship. Again, sonship like holiness is the work of God, not you. God has taken you from being his enemy to now being His son, and His heir.

The Father has made us His children, thus He has made us His heirs meaning He promises us an inheritance. My great-grandfather was named Sidney Lawrence Caswell. His son, and my Big Dad, was named Elmer Lawrence Caswell. His son, and my father, is named David Lawrence Caswell. I am named Micah Lawrence Caswell, and my first-born son is named Mason Lawrence Caswell. We were on vacation a couple of months ago with my side of the family. We got a funny picture of my dad, Mason, and me. My dad and I were holding up “L’s” on our forehead for “Lawrence” (not for “loser”). Mason is my heir, he is a Lawrence and he is a Caswell. He has some great privileges with that status as well as some great responsibilities. My father has set up long term savings for Mason and I have as well. We are planning an inheritance for my son. This is the privilege of being a Lawrence Caswell. When Mason gets older he will learn to behave like a Caswell. There will be certain things that he will do or not do that are different than other people because he is my son. He is a Caswell and Caswell’s do and don’t do certain things.

Likewise, we are God’s children; we are Christians. There are privileges of being part of this family. One great privilege is that we have an inheritance awaiting us in the future. We are Christians therefore we are to act as those who are members of the family of God. This means that we do and don’t do certain things simply because of who we are.

You are a Christian, a child of God, predestined by the Father for holiness and adoption; therefore (v.6) praise his glorious grace!

Help the Poor: The Universal Church

In Galatians 2:10 Paul says that, “They only asked us to remember the poor – the very thing I also was eager to do.” This is a great verse to build a response to how the Church is to respond to the poor.

Simply put, the Church is to “remember the poor” and we should have a strong desire to do so (“the very thing I also was eager to do”).

First, the Church is to remember the poor by fighting the fight of justice. If there are unjust laws or governments or systems that harm the poor or keep people in poverty then we should fight against it. What I mean by this is that we should not be afraid to get political when we see injustice in our society. Where much is given, then much should be expected; therefore I believe that we should support efforts against injustice outside our borders. I am not one that holds to the long tradition of American isolationism; we should be engaged to make our world better. We were right to be in Somalia, we should be in Haiti, and we should be doing all that we can to aid the starving North Koreans.

Second, the Church should lead the way in providing social ministries in our local communities. We had a garage sale for the church plant yesterday and there was some stuff left over. We wanted the stuff to benefit others and we wanted to get if off our hands. I did not call a Buddhist organization, or the local Communist Party, or some government agency; but I called the CCA in Lewisville (a Christian group), then Habitat for Humanity (traditionally a Christian group), then the Salvation Army, then Mission Arlington (a Baptist charity), and we also thought to call Vision Ministries (associated with Denton Bible Church). Christians should lead the way in providing for the needs of the poor in their community. In Denton, Texas they do just that.

Next, I want to speak of the attitude of the Church towards aiding the poor. Regarding Galatians 2:10, Timothy George writes in The New American Commentary: Galatians that, “the money sent by Gentile churches to the Christians in Jerusalem was in the form of a love gift, not an expected fee paid to ecclesiastical headquarters” (pg165).

Protestant churches in American control their own congregations and thus their attitude towards the poor is evident in their budgets. The Church’s first response to the poor should not be negative (“They should just get a job” or “They got themselves into that mess so they should get themselves out of it” or “I am too busy” or “I don’t want them to influence my children”). Our first response should be compassionate (“How can we help” or “What can I give” or “Here is some of the money that God has blessed me with”). My attitude towards the poor is typically negative and this is something that I am working on in my own spiritual life. The Church should see that aiding the poor is a love offering to God.

The Church is to “remember the poor” by fighting for justice around the world and by leading the way in social ministries in our communities. The Church is to have an attitude that is eager to help the poor, not one that primarily judges the poor.