Our Greatest Need

According to Thabiti Anyabwile:

The greatest need in the world today is the gospel.  It is the greatest need of the world because men, women, and children are perishing without a vital knowledge of God through the good news of our Savior and his Son, Jesus. [I would also add, that the gospel is our greatest need because it is the solution to our greatest problem: sin]

The greatest need in the church today is the gospel. The gospel is not only news for a perishing world, it is the message that forms, sustains, and animates the church. Apart from the gospel, the church has nothing to say - that is, nothing to say that cannot be said by some other human agency. The gospel distinguishes the church from the world, defines her message and mission in the world, and steels her people against the fiery darts of the evil one and the false allurements of sin. The gospel is absolutely vital to a vibrant, joyous, persevering, hopeful, and healthy Christian and Christian church. So essential is the gospel to the Christian life that we need to be saturated in it in order to be healthy church members.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is literally "good news." As news it contains statements of fact and truths derived from those facts. As good news the gospel holds out hope based upon promises of God and grounded in the historical facts and truths that vindicate those promises.

The gospel or good news of Jesus Christ is that God the Father, who is holy and righteous in all his ways, is angry with sinners and will punish sin. Man, who disobeys the rule of God, is alienated from the love of God and is in danger of an eternal and agonizing condemnation at the hands of God. But God, who is also rich in mercy, because of his great love, sent his eternal Son born by the Virgin Mary, to die as a ransom and a substitute for the sins of rebellious people. And now, through the perfect obedience of the Son of God and his willing death on the cross as payment for our sins, all who repent and believe in Jesus Christ, following him as Savior and Lord, will be saved from the wrath of God to come, be declared just in his sight, have eternal life, and receive the Spirit of God as a foretaste of the glories of heaven with God himself.

We must cultivate and protect a ravenous desire for this message. Regularly hearing and plumbing the depths of the gospel increases our knowledge of the message, our affection for the Savior, and our skill in sharing the message.

As church members, our aim is to understand the gospel so deeply, so intimately, that it animates every area of our lives. We want the gospel central to our communication with others, central to how we encourage and correct, central to individual career and relationship decisions, central to the decisions the church makes corporately, and central to all our habits of life. We want the gospel, the God of the gospel, to take priority in every area of life.

This discourse about the Gospel is taken from Thabiti's book, What is a Healthy Church Member. This book is short and concise, but the content is so important for the church today. As D. A. Carson stated, this book "is simultaneously simple and profound." I believe this book should be required reading for every Christian. I would recommend this book for every new members' class. If you church doesn't have a new members' class, then your church members probably need this book even more than the average church member.

If you don't have this book, then you can order it from amazon by clicking here.  

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Galatians 3:1-14 - Three Purposes of Justification (Part 1)

It was another convicting Sunday at Remedy Church. As always, you can subscribe to the sermon podcast on iTunes by searching for Remedy Church or you can visit the website and look under media for a link. 

This is the first of a two-part sermon.  Galatians 3:1-14 contains three purposes of justification. This week, phud only covered the first purpose, which is found in verses 1-5. The first purpose of justification is so that we can receive and live by the Spirit. After initially showing how this first point is evident in these five verses, he then examined some key sections of John 14-16, in order to teach us what is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Here are my notes:

1) Justification is so we can receive the Spirit and live by the Spirit (3:1-5) 

• Remember, the second and third purposes won’t be covered this week
  
• These verses contain five rhetorical questions filled with sarcasm and rebuke
  
• These rhetorical questions prove that Paul is absolutely right regarding justification by faith alone and the Judaizers are completely wrong
  
• Paul is using the personal experience of the Galatians to prove his argument
  
• You do not receive the Holy Spirit until after Justification; so, he asks them when they received the Holy Spirit (brilliant strategy)
  
• It is understood by all Christians at this time, because it was the teaching of the Apostles, that you receive the Holy Spirit after and because you are justified.
  

What is the ministry of the Holy Spirit?

There are 7 primary ministries found in John 14-16

1. He will teach us all things and will guide us into all truth (14:26a; 16:13)

• These two go hand in hand
  
• Everything the Holy Spirit teaches us is true
  
• We have the greatest commentator of the Bible living within us; which would seem to indicate that if you can’t seem to understand the Bible very well, then you either aren’t actually putting in effort to study it or you are not a Christian
  
• Doctrine of perspicuity – we can understand Scripture
  

2. He will bring to remembrance what Jesus said in his Word (14:26b)

• This was first to the biblical authors and the Apostles, regarding Jesus’ ministry and teachings
  
• This is also true for us regarding Scripture (apply to the tasks of evangelism and the mortification of sin)
  

3. He will bear witness about Jesus (15:26)

• This means that the Holy Spirit bears witness through me (because he lives in me) and into the ears of those he is calling
  
• Application for preaching and other evangelism (because, yes, preaching is evangelism)
  

4. He will convict the world concerning sin (16:7-8)

• In this ministry, He is a counselor in the sense of a prosecuting attorney
  
• He points to our guilt, makes our sin known, ad leads us to repentance
  
• No conviction means the Holy Spirit is not present; no Holy Spirit means you haven’t been justified; no justification means you are still the object of God’s wrath (conviction suddenly seems more appealing, doesn’t it)
  

5. He only speaks what Jesus tells him to (16:13)

• As part of the triune God, he know the mind of the Father and Son fully
  
• He never communicates anything new or original; He never contradicts previous revelation
  

6. He will declare the things that are to come (16:13c)

• True of the biblical authors (especially John)
  
• For us, this primarily indicates that He will show us the whole Christian way; guide our steps
  
• He also makes eschatology discernable
  

7. He will glorify Jesus; He always points to Jesus (16:14)

• His ministry is based on nothing else but the completed work of Christ
  
• This means our worship, our life, and our ministry is radically Christ-centered
  
• The Holy Spirit exists for the same reason as the rest of the Trinity and all of creation: to glorify God (particularly Christ)
  

IMPLICATIONS

• An unbeliever trying to find purpose in his life is like a baby trying to grab hold of a wet bar of soap; we can only find purpose in Christ, and he has to make that happen

• For a believer, we can see 3 characteristics that should be present – 3x in Acts that someone is said to be full of the Holy Spirit
  

1. Service (choosing deacons in Acts 6:5)

2. Suffering (Stephen being martyred in Acts 7:55)

3. Conversions occurring around you (describing Barnabas in Acts )

• These things should will characterize you (your life and ministry) if you are full of and living by the Spirit
  

Endnote: It is better for us to have the Holy Spirit in us than it would be for us to have Christ with us

• John 16:5-7
  
• Peter and the other disciples (excluding the non-regenerate one, Judas) lived bolder and holier lives with the Holy Spirit in them than they did when they were ministering alongside Jesus Christ
  

PRAISE GOD for this mighty comforter, counselor, teacher, and guide.

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Time Well Spent, Or Not?

This is a sobering quote from Shaun Groves:

On your first day on the other side of the grave, do you think you’ll look back on this life and be flooded with gratitude for hours spent watching episodes of American Idol and Lost? Do you think you’ll look back fondly on the effort and money spent remodeling the kitchen? Do you think you’ll be glad you were up-to-date on the juicy details of celebrity lives? Will you be thankful for the hours, days, weeks, years you lived feeling victimized and sorry for yourself? Will you regret not spending more time at the office? Will you wish you had been more of a people pleaser? Will you miss your caffeine, porn or Facebook?

Me neither

I think that most of us should be convicted by this statement. If you’re not, then I either need to share the gospel with you or be discipled by you. Also, I found it interesting that he put Facebook and caffeine in the same category as porn. 

Tim Challies also has a good post that deals with our television consumption, primarily regarding retirees. 

Joseph Gleason has also recently posted about "ditching your television." Here is a brief excerpt:

Television works in much the same way [as breathing Carbon Monoxide]. It doesn't necessarily hurt you directly. You can watch nothing but "Little House on the Prairie" and "Leave it to Beaver" and go months without seeing sex or violence. So how could TV be bad?

The real question is, "What else could I do with my time if I wasn't sitting in front of the TV?" We only have 24 hours in a day. And two hours spent watching TV equals two hours spent not reading, not hiking, not having a conversation with neighbors, not romping with the children, not baking a cake, not playing a musical instrument and not making love to your spouse.

If you're like me, then this is the point at which you begin making excuses for yourself. Go ahead. 

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Going My Own Way

A couple of weeks ago on the Whitehorse Inn, Michael Horton stated, "If you think that you have the right to live however you want to live and believe whatever you want to believe, then you are not a Christian." I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. Christianity is about dying to self, which includes your rights, plans, and beliefs. In order for there to be new birth, the old me has to be put to death. Being a Christian means being born AGAIN.

Within the Christian Church, there is a never-ending debate regarding deeds versus creeds. What is more important, practice or theology? Horton's statement addresses both sides of this coin. In truth, both sides are necessary and essential; however, the point of Horton's statement is that both sides must be brought into submission to authority. We must submit our way of living and believing to the authority of God, who has revealed himself in the Bible, and the leadership of our local church (although the authority of the church is only a derived authority).

In today's culture, the idea of submitting ourselves to any authority is unappealing. Sermons discussing submission to church authority or wives submitting to husbands are never popular and rarely heard at any of the mega churches. For instance, you will never hear Joel Osteen preach about church discipline, except maybe in opposite world.  In fact, few churches even practice church discipline anymore, which is an indication that the church leaders care more about being liked by the congregation than they do about loving and shepherding the congregation.

The ideas of "going my own way" or "choosing my own path" cannot coexist with Christianity. As Christians, we are a chosen people, a body, and a family. This is true of the global church, and also has application on the local church level. God never intended for a Christian to be a loner, which means that we must submit to those in authority over us. This is true in a family: children are under the authority and guidance of the parents, with the husband as the head. This is true in any form of national government: citizens must obey the laws created by whatever authority is in place. Why do we think the church should be different from the rest of God's created order? In fact, God is the one who created authority.

Furthermore, a wise man will not only accept, but embrace this authority and guidance. I need to daily look to the Scriptures as my guide for what to believe and how to live. I also need to look to the Christian leaders, especially the appointed leadership of my local church (elders/pastors), for guidance. The bottom line is that God obviously knows what I should believe and how I should live; he created me and everything else. God knows what is true; he is the standard for truth. It would be stupid for me to think that I don't need to study the Scriptures to determine my theology and practice.

Also, there are many men who are much wiser and have studied more than me. They can help me to understand what the Bible says to be true in the areas of both theology and practice. Why do you think seminary students read books written by much older and wiser men? I've yet to have a seminary professor assign a book written by myself or one of my classmates.

The idea that I am the best judge and authority for what is true and right is one of the most damaging lies that Satan has ever told. It is sad and frustrating that so many professing Christians believe this lie, especially when they could believe and live according to the truth of Scripture. We have got to stop following the lead of people like Oprah and Deepak Chopra. Any spiritual guide who tells you that you should be your own spiritual authority is an instrument of Satan. Anybody who claims there are multiple paths you can take to get to God or enlightenment is a tool of Satan. Anyone who points you to anyone other than (or in addition to) Christ is wrong, and is being used as a pawn by Satan.

The authority for the life and belief of a Christian is the triune God, as revealed in Scripture, as conveyed in a heritage, as made real in experience; both corporate and personal (the order is crucial). This order of authority lists itself out in this way: at the top is God, then the Bible, Christian heritage, the local Church, and at the bottom is the individual.

(1) God is the ultimate authority.

(2) We know about God, because he chose to reveal himself to mankind through his Words: the spoken Word to the prophets, the living Word in the person of Jesus Christ, and the written Word of Scripture. Practically, for the church today, this means we look to the Bible as the recorded revelation of the prophets, Jesus, and Scripture.

(3) We look to the Godly heritage of those men who have come before us. This means that we believe that there is something to be learned from great Christian leaders throughout church history.

(4) The authority of corporate experience means that we seek guidance form our local church, primarily the elders/pastors.

(5) Finally, we look to our own experience and opinions. Notice that our own expertise comes last in the line of authority. This is because we are all idiots, at least some of the time, if not most of the time. As Matt Chandler has stated, we all look back at ourselves from ten years ago, and think that we were dumb.  Why do we think that we will draw different conclusions of our current selves ten years from now?

In conclusion, authority is from God. It is a means of grace for the believer. Structured authority is for God’s glory and our benefit. Trying to “go your own way” is walking down the path of destruction. God may allow you to proceed down that path, but you probably won’t like where it leads.

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Do your Christian friends drink? Should they?

If you enjoy laughing, then check out this post discussing how to find out if another Christian drinks or not.  If you don't enjoy laughing, then I have nothing else to say to you. Seriously. Stop reading, turn off your computer, and go into the other room.

Now, for those of you who enjoy laughing, here are a few quotes from the post.  I would have just copied the entire post and pretended that it was mine, but that would have been dishonest (and it is too long).

I don't have all the right answers. I wish I did, because I would grind them up and make a spray called "Cool Answer Cologne." Then when your friend was confused about something you could just squirt them in the face until they understood.

 

There are people that will leg drop you if they find out you drink. People that will say things like, "I really think all the bad things that happened to you are God punishing you for starting to drink wine." (Real quote from a friend)

 

One of my favorite places on the planet is the Garage Cafe & Bar in Birmingham, Alabama. Tell a story about a place you've visited and see if the first reaction is, "A bar? You went to a bar? Do you think you'll get a fold out couch bed in hell or a bunk bed when you go?"

I thought I would try to use this as an opportunity to invite discussion about drinking as a Christian. If I drink a few beers or a glass of wine, do I have a cot reserved for me in Hell, or am I just joining the Apostle Paul at the bar? 

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What can the Church learn from Dunkin Donuts?

What can we learn from Dunkin Donuts? Michael Kelley thinks we can learn alot, and I agree with him. Here is his intro paragraph and two concluding paragraphs.

Dunkin Donuts is creaming Starbucks right now. Dunkin won the taste test, it’s 3 times cheaper, and the company is actually expanding whereas Starbucks is closing stores every day. Dunkin is about to roll out a $100 million marketing campaign to trumpet the results of the taste test and try and put the dagger into the heart of Seattle. Some people are saying that Starbucks has seen its better days, and that this is just the beginning of the downhill slide.

Seems like there’s a lesson in there for us as Christ-followers somewhere. Now hear me say this - I’m all for contextualizing the gospel. But I’m also for simply proclaiming what we have to “sell” rather than trying too hard at it.

And you know what else? The thing that we have? It actually tastes good. Maybe the problem is that we don’t really believe the gospel tastes good. We don’t believe it tastes good, so we feel the need to pile alot of stuff ontop of it to make it more palpable. Maybe if we really believed it tasted good, we would have the courage to let it speak for itself, like Dunkin did, rather than trying to help out the product so much.

Read the entire post HERE.

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A Break from Galatians

This past Sunday, at Remedy Church, Phud (the teaching pastor) detoured from the book of Galatians to continue discussing the doctrine of Justification.  I don't think it is possible to overstate or spend too much time on this doctrine. Therefore, I stayed in my seat and listened to the Word preached.  

He preached Luke 7:36-50 and identified five correct responses to a proper understanding of Justification.  Here is the outline:

----- 5 Responses to Justification (Luke 7:36-50) -----

1) A believer who understands God's forgiveness loves "sinners" (37-39)

• If you understand forgiveness and justification, then you know that you were, and still are, a dirty, rotten sinner
• A proper response is that we will want to be around nonbelievers (1 Cor. 9:19-23)
• We are all sinners; Christ loved sinners

2) A believer who understands God's forgiveness stops trying to repay God for being forgiven (41-43) 

• We could not earn salvation, we cannot repay justification, and it is an insult to God when we try to do either
• We must accept the free gift of forgiveness 
• A  response of obedience out of gratitude is different than trying to earn or repay
• The proper response isn't repayment, but worship

3) A believer who understands God's forgiveness will become a servant (44-46)

• The opposite of selfishness
• This applicable to every area of our lives
• A proper response is giving our time, money, and everything else to Christ and Christlike service of others

4) A believer who understands God's forgiveness will love God much (47)

• Compare the Pharisee and the Prostitute
• We are all the 500; there is no 50
• There aren't good, average, and bad men; Christ is the one good man, and the rest of us are bad
• We are all Gomer, and Christ is our Hosea
• If you don't understand the depth/extent of your sin, then you won't have a proper affection for Christ
• We must understand God's holiness and our sin/depravity in order to understand properly the cross of Christ and have proper affection for God

5) A believer who understands God's forgiveness must [or has] put their faith in Christ, because only he can forgive sin (48-50)

• We must preach the Gospel to ourselves daily
• Jesus was re-preaching the Gospel to this woman; he was reminding her of God's forgiveness
• We should never grow tired of hearing the Gospel, and we cannot let ourselves go a day without hearing it

Read Romans 8:31-39 for a final thought.

Like I already stated, it is impossible to give too much attention to the work Christ did on the cross and continues to do in the lives of his elect. We should praise God that each one of these responses is possible because of that atoning work. The application of the Gospel to our lives is never ending, and we should never grow tired of hearing it.

I would like to also include the lyrics to my favorite hymn. The words are very relevant:

BEFORE THE THRONE OF GOD ABOVE

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea:
A great High Priest, whose name is Love, 
Who ever lives and pleads for me.

My name is graven on his hands, 
My name is written on his heart; 
I know that while in heaven he stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair, 
And tells me of the guilt within, 
Upward I look, and see him there
Who made an end of all my sin.

Because a sinless Savior died, 
My sinful soul is counted free; 
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me

Behold him there, the risen Lamb
My perfect, spotless righteousness, 
The great unchangeable I am, 
The King of glory and of grace! 

One in himself, I cannot die
My soul is purchased by his blood
My life is hid with Christ on high, 
With Christ, my Savior and my God
With Christ, my Savior and my God

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A Theology of Struggling

As a part of his series on Repentance, Matt Chandler's most recent sermon was entitled "A Theology of Struggle."  Everyone should download this sermon, and probably this entire series. Some of the highlights of this sermon include his summary of what the Bible says is the "right way" and "wrong way" to struggle with sin; he calls this later category "the cycle of doom."

He basically defines "the cycle of doom" as giving in to the temptation that constantly attacks us, experiencing ungodly grief over our sin in this area of struggle, trying to fix ourselves, working hard to avoid this sin, eventually falling back into the same sin again, and then repeating this pattern for thirty years. He says that this is the wrong response to the wrong motive. Unfortunately, this pattern defines the majority of evangelicalism. It is a repeating of two unbiblical practices: feeling ungodly guilt over our sin and attempting to overcome the temptation by our own willpower. This "cycle of doom" can only lead to depression and angst whenever we fail, and even if we are successful for a season, it will only lead to pharisaism. This pattern cannot lead to godliness.

The alternative option that he offers to his listeners is to essentially trash this mindset of being able to fix ourselves. Instead we need to embrace the biblical teaching that we don't stand a chance at sanctifying ourselves without God's grace.  Justification and Sanctification are equally reliant upon God's grace. We should spend more time pleading with the Father to change us into a more Christlike version of ourselves by the working of the Spiritm and then repeat that for thirty years. One important clarification: this "right way" of struggling with temptation does not negate our responsibility for sin; rather, it puts our ability to fix ourselves into proper perspective.

Another important point that he makes is that we often convince ourselves that we are doing everything we can to combat the recurring sin in our lives. However, if no one else knows about this sin, then you haven't done everything.  In reality, you haven't even begun to fight because we are supposed to be fighting together as an army against sin, temptation, and evil. Christians are meant to do life together in community. We need prayer, accountability, and counsel. Overcoming sin requires community.

Godly guilt and repentance can only be birthed out of a proper understanding of our depravity and God's holiness.  Whenever we sin, we offend God. However, Christ atoned for all of our offenses on the cross.  Therefore, we should live obediently out of gratitude, not guilt. We trust in God to provide the grace for both our right standing and right conduct. The wrong mode is not white-knuckled discipline, but reliance upon God. Because, no matter how aggressively or sincerely we try to avoid temptation, we cannot stop sinning unless God trains us in righteousness. This training, our sanctification, is a process that relies completely upon God's grace. Also, don't become impatient; part of sanctification involves waiting on the Lord.

What do we do while we wait on the Lord? We try to "position ourselves under the waterfall of God's grace." This includes putting ourselves under biblical teaching, positioning ourselves in accountable community, seeking opportunities for training in righteousness, and trying to walk in obedience while we wait. We all struggle, the goal is to struggle well while we are moving forward towards godliness.

The best quote of the sermon: "I am constantly perplexed at the belief that you're going to stumble into godliness."

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Catholicism: Weighed and Measured

Kevin DeYoung has a great post entitled Is the Reformation Over?, in which he, among other things, lists some of the primary differences between Protestant and Catholic theology.  I am reproducing the majority of that post, because I think it is an excellent summary:

For the most part, I'll just point out the difference rather than mount a case for the Protestant understanding of things. The questions I get as a pastor in a Reformed church are not usually along the lines of "Why is Catholicism wrong?" but "How is it different?"

The Church
Since Vatican II, the Catholic church has softened its stance toward Protestants, calling them “estranged brothers.” Nevertheless, to be a part of the church in its fullness one must be immersed in the Roman Catholic system of sacraments, orders, and under the authority of the Pope. “Fully incorporated into the society of the Church are those who...are joined in the visible structure of the Church of Christ, who rules here through the Supreme Pontiff and the bishops.” Further, the Pope is considered infallible when he speaks ex cathedra (from the chair); that is, when he makes official doctrinal pronouncements. The Catholic church also has seven sacraments instead of two–Eucharist (or Lord’s Supper) and baptism like Protestants, and then penance, holy orders, marriage, confirmation, and last rites.

Scripture
Catholics have a larger biblical canon. In addition to the 66 books in the Protestant Bible, Catholic Bibles include the Apocrypha, with books like Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccebees, Sirach, and Baruch. Catholic teaching also elevates Tradition more than Protestants do. Granted, many evangelicals suffer from ignoring tradition and the wisdom of the past. But Catholic theology goes beyond just respecting the past; it sacralizes it. “Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence,” states the Catechism. Likewise, the Magisterium has the authority to make definitive interpretations. “The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living, teaching, office of the Church alone...to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.”

Lord’s Supper
Central to the Catholic faith is the Mass (their worship service). Central to the Mass is the celebration of the Eucharist. Catholics believe that bread and wine are transubstantiated into the actual, physical body and blood of Jesus Christ. The elements are offered as a sacrifice from the church and a sacrifice of Jesus Christ’s work on the cross. This is not simply a remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice, but the same atoning work: “The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice...the sacrifice [of the Eucharist] is truly propitiatory.”

Baptism
Catholics teach that “justification is conferred in Baptism.” The waters of baptism wash away original sin and join us with Christ. Baptism is not merely a sign and seal of grace, but actually confers saving grace.

Mary
Mary is not only the Mother of Christ, but the Mother of the Church. She was conceived without original sin (the immaculate conception) and at the end of her earthly life “was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over al things” (assumption). She intercedes for the church, “continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation,” and is “a mother to us in the order of grace.” Mary was more than just the faith-filled mother of Jesus: “The Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix.”

Purgatory
Those who die in God’s grace, but still imperfectly purified, are assured of eternal life, but must first undergo purification in purgatory. Because of the presence of this intermediate state, the Catholic church has developed the practice of prayer for the dead. “The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead.” Concerning the salvation of those who do not hear the gospel, the Catholic Catechism states “Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience–those too may achieve eternal salvation.”

Merit
It is not really fair to say “Catholics teach that you can earn your salvation.” That may be what many Catholics believe, but the official teaching of Rome is more nuanced, but still troubling. The Catechism summarizes: “Since the initiative belongs to God in the order of grace, no once can merit the initial grace of forgiveness and justification, at the beginning of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification, for the increase of grace and charity, and for the attainment of eternal life.”

Justification
Catholic teaching rejects the Protestant understanding of imputed righteousness. The question is this: is the righteousness whereby we are forgiven and made right with God a righteousness working in us or a righteousness reckoned to our account? Catholics say the former, Protestants the latter. The difference is between infused and imputed righteousness–infused righteousness is like having $100 in cold hard cash in your actual possession, imputed righteousness is like having $100 wired to your account. According to Catholic teaching, justification is more than God’s declaration of our righteousness based on Christ’s work, it is also a renewal of the inner man and reconciliation with God. Of course, these are good things too, but Catholics make them present in and through justification, rather than by faith alone. The Council of Trent, from the 16th century Catholic counter-reformation, declares: “If anyone says, that men are justified, either by the sole imputation of the justice of Christ, or by the sole remission of sins, to the exclusion of grace and charity that is poured forth in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, and is inherent in them; or even that the grace, whereby we are justified, is only the favor of God: let him be anathema.”

Can Catholics and Protestants be friends? Sure. Are they brothers and sisters in Christ? Often. Are they still divided by significant doctrinal distinctives? Absolutely.

I agree with DeYoung that it is great that Protestants and Catholics are at peace, for the most part. However, we do need to remain aware of the doctrinal distinctives that keep us separate from that church, and we need to pray that God would correct both the Roman Catholic doctrine and our own doctrine anywhere that it doesn't accurately represent God and Scripture. 

Also, if you are reading this post, then you probably have an opinion about these matters.  Do you agree with DeYoung on all of the above matters? Do you think that the Protestants are correct in each area mentioned?  Or, do you think that we have something to learn from the Catholic Church in one or more of these areas?

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Our Greatest Need

I saw this quote on the Vitamin Z blog. Understanding our greatest need is essential to understanding the gospel. This quote expresses a core truth that I wish all Christians would grasp. Also, it is particularly applicable in our current economic climate. I had to post it:

“If God had perceived that our greatest need was economic, he would have sent an economist. If he had perceived that our greatest need was entertainment, he would have sent us a comedian or an artist. If God had perceived that our greatest need was political stability, he would have sent us a politician. If he had perceived that our greatest need was health, he would have sent us a doctor. But he perceived that our greatest need involved our sin, our alienation from him, our profound rebellion, our death; and he sent us a Savior.”

 - D.A. Carson, A Call to Spiritual Reformation

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