Hey Jude...Do Something

Recently, BJ wanted to study Jude with me because he had several questions about its meaning.  I was happy to oblige, knowing Jude contained several strange references that I knew I needed to study through at some point.  

You would think with it only being 25 verses in total it couldn’t be that difficult to understand, but when you start adding stories of Michael fighting over Moses’ body and Enoch prophesying, things get interesting.  

Anyway, as I was preparing for the second week of our study, I was translating verse 6: “and angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their own dwelling, He has kept in eternal chains under darkness until judgment of the great day.” (my translation) 

It brought me back to seminary, because I feel like at some point every seminary student has to write a position paper on who the “sons of God” are in Genesis.  Are they fallen angels who lust after women, and have superhuman babies with them? Are they corrupt people from God’s holy line of Seth or some other human, perhaps kings or rulers?  

(One of the two shelves in my office of books I had to read for Seminary)

I remembered all the basic arguments over this issue from seminary, and my own conclusions, but I recently received a new commentary, and I decided to check it out for any new insights.  

While I think the commentary does a great job explaining the issue and providing a good Biblical framework for its interpretation, studying this topic got me all worked up.  Not because I think this topic is the linchpin of my faith, but because I had just read a thousand plus words on who the passage was referring to, that contained a whole two sentences on why Jude even included it.

I feel this has always been my experience with this passage.  

At least once a year one of my middle school students comes up to me with a question about this passage.  And every time it is the same, “Does the Bible really teach that there were superhuman half-angels, half-man?” People are fascinated by the idea, but they seem to care less about the application of Scripture to their lives.  

Take a step back and look at Jude’s point.  He assumes his readers know exactly what he is talking about, and he really doesn’t explain it.  

It is like me saying 9/11 was a sad day.  I really don’t need to explain why it was sad to anyone who was over 8 or so in 2001.  Instead, Jude is building a list of examples of false teachers that are destined for eternal punishment because they have turned the grace of God into an opportunity to fulfill their own desires (v. 4).  He is imploring them to reject those who have snuck in with their self-serving lies. God’s judgment is real, and they will not get away with their sins.  Even angels will be subject to God’s judgment.   

My simple point is this: if we are going to spend hours of our lives trying to figure out what a passage means, we should make sure we are also spending the appropriate time determining how that Scriptural truth applies to our lives (note that you must hear the Word and act upon it to be a wise builder – Matt 7:24).  This is kind of the whole point of the optical lumberjack theme.  

So let's reflect this back at me? 

Where in my life have I let the voices creep in telling me that I can do whatever I want because it is all covered by God’s grace?  I mean a little porn isn’t that big of a deal is it?  God still loves me.  

You know I just need a little more “me” time where I can ignore my responsibilities as a dad and a husband.  God’s grace covers me being a selfish jerk sometimes, right?  

Instead, do I honestly go before the Lord, and say “God where I have taken liberty with your grace?  Where am I believing the lies of this world?  Search my heart, Oh God!  Help me not deny you and your calling on my life in the name of self.  Help me discern the deceptions of this world.    

I may not face eternal judgment for these actions, but I am a fool to think I will face no judgment or consequences for my actions.  Even angels are currently in chains in total darkness awaiting their judgment on that great day.  Praise the Lord, that God made Christ who had no sin to be sin for me, so that in Him, I might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21).     

Should We Be Like Christ?

For the record, I don’t plan on making a habit of writing blog posts that respond to issues or ideas raised by others. There is enough back and forth already out there on the internet, and I don’t plan to add to the noise any more than necessary.

However, a recent post by Dan Wallace really got my mind working. Dr. Wallace is a Christian scholar and leader for whom I have the utmost respect. It feels a bit strange to critique a post so personally honest, and I agree with more of what is written than not.

If you went to seminary, you've heard of him...

Still, the more I thought about it, the more something seemed off about his main assertion: the goal of the Christ life is NOT to become Christ-like.

But this main point, rather than being explicitly stated, is mostly wrapped in the narrative of his own Christian growth, and in many ways I feel I am on a journey similar to the one Dr. Wallace describes. Like him, I have often been frustrated by my lack of progress in holiness.

I have far too often considered myself to more spiritually mature than I really am. And worst of all, these attitudes have led me, at times, to hide or justify my sin rather than repent.

Who will set me free from this body of sin and death?

Like Dr. Wallace, I completely agree that the answer is not found within ourselves, but in the person of Jesus Christ. When I am confronted by my own shortcomings, I must be reminded again of the grace that is found in our Lord and Savior.

But do we abandon the notion that the Christian is called to be Christ-like? 

Is that terminology or command absent from Scripture? Such a notion seems to be implied by Dr. Wallace's article, though I doubt he intends to dismiss the idea altogether.

A brief survey of Scripture clearly shows a believer is called to develop the character of Christ as they continue in their Christian walk. Some examples:

The command to put others first, which Wallace mentions, is inextricably tied up in the encouragement to have the “attitude [which] was also in Christ Jesus” in Philippians 2. The

1 John 2:5-6 make the character of Christ in the believer essential for Christian living: “By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”

I could go-on, because the call to develop the character of Christ seems so obvious that I don’t know how to sum it up briefly.

The author acknowledges that he is responding more to the “knee-jerk” responses which “parrot” this phrase as some sort of motto for how they live their life.

But he does not mean to dismiss it as a goal altogether, and the following statement probably stands as the best summary of his position:

The mature person recognizes his own sins and readily admits them to others whom he has offended. [But] The one who focuses on his own Christ-likeness is focusing on a tertiary goal and can end up being blinded by his own ambition.

Trying to summarize the underlying thought of Dr. Wallace's statement:

Christ-likeness is A goal (or fruit) of the Christian life, but believers should not see it as THE goal. 

If we start to think of character development apart from Christ, we have strayed into error. We must not place the perceptions of our own character above a humble and repentant faith in our glorious Savior Jesus Christ.

However, I do want to be careful when making such a distinction, because Christ-likeness is the expected fruit of a vibrant faith.

The authors of Scripture seem to have no problem calling believers to emulate the character of Christ and mature believers who look like Him (Philippians 3; 1 Corinthians 11). We shouldn’t develop an allergy to that which Scripture commands and commends.

I doubt that Wallace intends to neglect biblical calls to exhibit the character of Christ. Instead, he hopes to emphasize the Savior from whom this change flows. I think this is a helpful clarification to make when reading his original post.

We need to understand the root before we pursue the fruit.

We must not lose focus on Christ, and this is why Wallace’s article is so valuable.

While I would tone down or balance out some of his devaluation of Christ-likeness, we must remember that Christ, not character, is at the center of our faith.

And Christ, when is He is at the center, will produce in us an increasingly others-centered Christ-likeness as we follow Him.

Join me in praying that this will be true of all of us who follow Jesus.

-BJ

Waiting for the Broken

I think one of the hardest things for any believer is watching those you love, especially your family, struggle and be distant from the Lord.  

We all have that cousin, uncle, brother, etc. who either doesn’t know the Lord or has run away from Him.  As a result, they are suffering the consequences, and you just want to shake them and say, “Wake up! Don’t you know Jesus is the solution?” You pray and pray and pray some more for them, but they are stuck in their patterns of sin, thinking that the next car, wife, party, job, etc., will solve all their problems.   

As I have been dealing with my own loved ones, I just wanted to share something that has been encouraging me as I pray for them. 

In the book of Habakkuk, the prophet Habakkuk is arguing with God over the state of the nation of Israel.  He first questions God basically saying, “Why are the wicked in Judah prospering?”  (Hab 1:2-4, my paraphrase) “God no one listens to you because you aren’t acting, and your promises aren’t coming true.” 

I think I am like this a lot with God.  I want God to do something now, and I don’t see Him acting, so therefore, He is violating His promises. Even if I can’t figure out the specific promise I don’t think God is upholding, He certainly has turned a deaf ear to my prayers because I have prayed so long for some people.

God responds to Habakkuk saying, “I am going to raise up the Chaldeans to execute my judgment against Judah.” (Hab 1:5-11) To which Habakkuk complains, “How is that a good plan to use an even more wicked people to judge Judah’s evils?” (Hab 1:12-17) 

As it relates to my loved ones, I tend to say something like, “God why can’t you just turn on some light bulb in their heads so they get it? Why do they have to suffer so much? Free them from this bondage and oppression.” I get annoyed with God for not acting in my timing, and just like Habakkuk, I am standing on my post almost defiantly waiting for God to respond because I am sure I am right (Hab 2:1). 

But I love God’s powerful response.  God gives Habakkuk a vision to record and says, “For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.” (Hab 2:3) 

First of all, God’s plan is for His yet appointed time.  He has a time that He has determined to act, not me.  

Second, He affirms the certainty of the events. “It will not fail.” “It will certainly come.” 

Finally, note the tension in the timings.  It is hastening towards its goal, yet tarrying.  

We are to wait for it even though it will not delay. 

This is a hard tension to deal with as we care for and grieve over the pain in the lives of our loved ones, but God is God. He is in control, and He will do exactly what He says, when He knows it is best.  

Even if we don’t see it, He is quickly moving to accomplish His goals and will, and we are to wait. Certainly we are to pray without ceasing and compassionately care for and forgive our loved ones, but ultimately God has the timing down, and it will not delay.   

Regardless of what I see, may I praise God like Habakkuk:

            17    Though the fig tree should not blossom

And there be no fruit on the vines,

Though the yield of the olive should fail

And the fields produce no food,

Though the flock should be cut off from the fold

And there be no cattle in the stalls,

            18    Yet I will exult in the Lord,

I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

            19    The Lord God is my strength,

And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,

And makes me walk on my high places.

                                                - Habakkuk 3:17-19

Dividing Rightly

As we embark on our exercise of being Optical Lumberjacks, I wanted to comment on an aspect of the conservative Christian ministry culture of which I am part.

I am fearful that my peers and I are too often focused on the wrong thing.

There is phrase that occasionally gets tossed about in conversations with my peers: we take very seriously the responsibility to “rightly divide the Word of truth.”

We toss that slogan about like a doctrinal badge of honor, or as pronouncement of judgment on those who fall short of our standards.

But is this type of division the ONLY one we should be talking about?

Don’t get me wrong. I fully believe that it’s important to teach the truth accurately. That’s how most translations of the Bible interpret the phrase in 2 Timothy 2:15 from which this slogan derives. (The “rightly divided” turn of phrase come from the King James).

This passage (along with chapter 3) teaches that God’s Word (Scripture) is of the utmost importance: to mishandle it is a travesty of the worst kind.

There is nothing more tragic than a theological pirate who commandeers the Word of God for selfish purposes. That’s essentially who Paul speaks out against throughout the book of 2 Timothy.

Rightly handling the word defends against false teachers who needlessly argue (2:14), babble incoherently (2:16), undermine the faith of others (2:17), and deny the truth about Christ (2:18). Paul’s picture of such persons doesn’t get much better in chapter 3.

But I fear that Christian leaders and thinkers can talk about “rightly dividing the Word” in a way that leads us down a dangerous path.

We talk about “rightly dividing the Word” and assign a scary amount of authority to our own handling of Scripture. Our theological precision becomes a sword, either for our personal defense or for attack on our opponents.

Who's the pirate now?

Please hear me correctly, I am not denying the necessity of guarding sound doctrine and rightly dividing the Word - refer to the above paragraphs on 2 Timothy for review.

But I am saying that it’s easy to get out of balance.

That’s because we are not meant only to divide the Word of God, the Word of God is meant to rightly divide us.

Hebrews 4:12: For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

If we focus on rightly interpreting the Bible without standing under its authority to judge us, we've grown dangerously out of balance. God's Word, meant as a sword to subject our own hearts, becomes a weapon of destruction in our hands.

How do I know this happens? I've done it myself.

But I hope you'll join me in falling on your sword.

Let's allow Scripture to divide our own hearts as a vital component of what it means to divide the Word rightly.

-BJ

Reasons [Not] to Write

If a blog starts on the internet and no one is there to read it, does it really exist?

I'll let you wrestle with the philosophical implications of that question. But after batting around the value of writing for our own spiritual growth, my friend Aaron and I set out to write something meaningful and put it on the internet (whether anyone reads it or not).

Four Reasons to Write


In my own decision making process, I found at least four reasons were driving my desire to write something for pseudo-public consumption:

1) Firstly, writing challenges me to learn new things and grow in new ways.

Learning is not a disease which you catch; it is not a lightning bolt that strikes randomly from on high. Growth in knowledge and wisdom is an intentional pursuit (Prov 2:1-6). During seminary, I realized that I learned and grew much more when writing a paper than I did when taking a test. Writing in this format helps me grow.

2) Secondly, writing forces me to think deeply and thoroughly.

Reflexive first impressions are not always unhealthy, but issues (especially complex ones) need careful, biblical and Christ-honoring reflection before reaching conclusions. Coherent writing needs to have a sense of depth and order which does not always naturally exist in my thinking. The discipline of writing directs my mental journey accordingly, and my thoughts are sharper as a result.

Me Thinking

3) A third reason is that writing develops my ability to communicate clearly.

As a pastor, one of my primary responsibilities is to help others learn from God’s Word. Growing in my ability to both live out and communicate God’s Word are vital for my pastoral role, and writing is the best tool I have found to help with the latter.

4) Finally, writing provides accountability and discipline.

The discipline of weekly writing assignments during my seminary years, were some of the most important tools for my growth. Writing for an audience provides clarity of purpose and accountability for completion. Retrospectively, I miss those deadlines (mostly) and hope that a fraction of the benefit can be regained through this discipline.

Good Reasons NOT to Write

But what of our provocative (or just weird) blog title? An Optical Lumberjack is not one whose only goal is to write for others, he commits to examining himself first.

Immediately after writing the above paragraphs, I found my devotional reading directly challenging my motives and heart. I'm sure it wasn't coincidence. Consider this passage from D.A. Carson's For the Love of God:

One may with fine purpose and good reason start “journaling” [read: blogging] as a discipline that breeds honesty and self-examination, but it can easily slide into the triple trap: in your mind you so establish journaling as the clearest evidence of personal growth and loyalty to Christ that you look down your nose at those who do not commit themselves to the same discipline, and pat yourself on the back every day that you maintain the practice (legalism); you begin to think that only the most mature saints keep spiritual journals, so you qualify—and you know quite a few who do not (self-righteousness); you begin to think that there is something in the act itself, or in the paper, or in the writing, that is a necessary means of grace, a special channel of divine pleasure or truth (superstition). That is the time to throw away your journal.

There is a subtle slide from genuine discipline into legalism, self-righteousness and superstition. Add to these thoughts on journaling/blogging an even more pertinent observation from Scripture:

Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. (Matt 6:1)

These observations have a direct impact on the reasons for writing I previously offered. Such warnings have given me great pause before pressing forward, and I can now think of four reasons NOT to write that I must wrestle with on a continual basis:

1) Don’t write if it is not accomplishing the desired result – spiritual growth.

2) Don’t write if the discipline becomes a measure of spiritual success.

3) Don’t write if it becomes elevated above other God-given opportunities to grow.

4) Don’t write if the underlying motive is to be seen and appreciated by others.

All of these are very real dangers, and I fear that my previous thoughts could lead down the path warned against. However, Carson’s point is that any spiritual exercise can experience this slide of deception over time; but it does not mean that all spiritual activity should cease.

But the moment I become aware of a slide into any of these four dangers, I must stop.

If you are reading these words, please know that I am committed to the discipline of self-examination. I will be the best Optical Lumberjack that I can be. In Christ's strength, I commit to examining my own heart and motives before beginning (or continuing) the exercise of writing, and if this blog disappears suddenly one day, you'll know why.

Of course, that assumes there is actually someone on the internet who will notice it's gone.

-BJW

Oh, and Carson's book is a Free PDF.