Marriage

Marriage is a special institution in the plan of God. For example, it is one institution that existed before man's fall into sin (Gen. 2:22-25), it uniquely functions for a metaphor of God and Israel (Ezekiel 16), and of Christ and the church (Eph. 5:22-33). God made marriage as a special picture of unity, covenant faithfulness, and abiding love and service.

It is no surprise then that this beautiful gift has been diminished in our age and is under constant attack.

That marriage is lessened in the eyes of the world is no surprise, for we expect that, but it may be surprising to see it devalued in the church. How does the church devalue marriage?

There are a number of ways. To begin, however, we must understand that marriage has always been under attack. It is for this reason that the author of Hebrews had to instruct his readers that, "Marriage is to be held in honor among all" (13:4). This has always been a issue among believers, a target that the devil places in his sights when he wishes to cause harm to the church. Marriage is something that must be intentionally guarded and shored up! We must fight against the tendencies of our flesh as we watch for these ways that marriage can be devalued.

First, marriage can be dishonored by immaturity. There are many people in our day who wish to prolong adolescence indefinitely by living a disorganized and easy life for their own sake. These people view marriage with some disdain as if it were for people who 'just don't get it'--"because if I get married, how could I keep serving myself, right?" In reality it is these marriage avoiders who fail to understand that within marriage the call to responsibility, maturity, and self-giving love are chief blessings.

Second, marriage can be dishonored by fornication and adultery. The author of Hebrews makes this connection explicit in 13:4, when he says that God will judge fornicators and adulterers. Just as a loving marriage paints a beautiful picture, sexual sin outside the bounds of the marriage covenant paints a picture, too, only this picture is unwholesome, tragic, and blasphemous. If marriage is meant to represent Christ and His church, adultery and fornication falsely represent the Lord as if He were traitorous and unloving.

Third, marriage is dishonored by those who treat it lightly. This can be done by those who are married or by those who are getting married. Married couples sometimes fall into destructive patterns that leads to clear and disruptive sin, however, there are patterns that are less evidently destructive as well. Think of a husband who consistently fails to lead his wife, or a wife who consistently fails to submit in a biblical way--have they not equally misrepresented Christ and the church? Those who are pursuing marriage can dishonor marriage in many ways. They can enter thoughtlessly into marriage, as if it were a light matter. They can fail to establish boundaries for their intimacy (physical intimacy, but also emotional intimacy), thereby acting as if there were no special privileges for those who have entered into the safety and permanency of the marriage covenant. They can date recreationally, acting as if relationships were about meeting their own felt needs instead of about serving God and others.

In all these ways, marriage can be dishonored in the church. We ought to understand marriage in line with God's expressed will and then act accordingly for His glory in the world. Mere understanding is not enough--we must apply the teachings of Scripture so that we manifest the greatness of this beautiful gift from our loving God. We must live in such a way that our marriages reflect the dawning glory of The Marriage--that of Christ the Lord to His beloved bride.

--Dean of Admissions

Little Things

"He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much."
              --Jesus of Nazareth, Luke 16:10

We must always be mindful of our roles as stewards in this life. Everything that we have is a gift from God, including trials (James 1:2-4, Rom. 5:3-5), and we are responsible for how it is used. What Jesus teaches us here is that even the 'small' things in our lives, that is, the supposedly insignificant and immaterial things, are of great importance because they reflect the true nature of our character.

Who we are as managers is reflected not only in the great things--family, worship, career--but in the day to day actions that we perform or fail to perform. Notice that Jesus makes the distinction between the one who is faithful and the one who is unrighteous. That means that this is not merely the difference between levels of maturity or wisdom, but the difference between being a righteous and faithful son of God or an unrighteous and unfaithful son of the Devil. The difference between the two characters that Jesus talks about is the difference between God and Satan, Heaven and Hell, obedience and rebellion.

In light of this, we must examine our lives thoroughly in the light of Scripture. Mercifully, God has given us an infallible source of wisdom to guide us so that we can know Him and live in right relationship with Him. We must take up our cross daily (Luke 9:23), serve the will of God (1 Peter 4:2), and live for Him who died and rose again on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:14). We must be mindful of even the 'small' things in the eyes of the world, knowing that our personal character is manifest in every action that we do. When we see our own failure we must respond in repentance and faith, trusting that God designed to save real sinners for His glory. This is how we can walk as God's children.

This lesson is especially true in the context of a seminary, for there are many opportunities for students (and professors!) to be faithful or unfaithful in 'small' duties--quizzes, reading, study, papers, grading--the list goes on! Guard against unrighteous living in every regard.



--Dean of Admissions


"Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you."
        --the apostle Paul, 1 Timothy 4:16

Inclining Our Heart

“My son, if you will receive my words
And treasure my commandments within you,

Make your ear attentive to wisdom,
Incline your heart to understanding…” 

--Proverbs 2:1-2

As we grow in Christ, one thing that will always be apparent is our need for wisdom from God. We must recognize our own complete deficiency of understanding in every matter of life and, therefore, cling closely to the Word of God.

How do we make ourselves more apt to learn from God’s Word? One answer is given in Proverbs 2:1-2, where Solomon instructed his hearer in this regard. Solomon gives us two pieces of counsel to help us apprehend the precious truth of God’s word and commandments.

First, Solomon told his hearer to ‘make his ear attentive to wisdom.’ According to a biblical worldview, no one is able to grow wise on their own. At the very least, a wise person must be willing to listen to advisers and mentors who can direct them to God’s way. This requires that every wise person listen to wisdom. Solomon instructed us to make our ears attentive to wisdom—that means that we must diligently seek it out and pursue it. We must expend energy to pay attention when we hear wise speech, and upon hearing we must also actively ponder what we have heard. Our ear must attend to wisdom, not give it a cursory audition. We must devote our ears to hearing what is wise.

Second, Solomon wisely told us to ‘incline our hearts to understanding.’ This means that our internal posture must be predisposed to desire understanding and knowledge. In our heart and our mind, we must be strongly desirous of gaining insight. In order to do this, we must humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, recognizing that we are not wise of ourselves and that we need help. We must desire that help, even when it takes the form of correction and rebuke (for the contrast, see 1:25 and 1:30). Our inner man must be predisposed to heeding wisdom—and this predisposition can only come from God’s humbling Spirit.

In light of this, let us cry out once again for the help of God in order to grow in Christ. This is something that we cannot do on our own (cf. John 15:1-5), but God is gracious to help us once He humbles us (James 4:6-10).

--Dean of Admissions

Ritualism

It is odd that we often think of the Old Testament as supporting a type of ritualistic religion, because such a view could hardly be farther from the text. We picture the ancient Hebrew religion as one that seeks to serve God via the performance of established duties yet that lacks internal principles of worship. When we examine the Scriptures we see that this is certainly not the case.

An examination of God’s Word shows that He did clearly value the rituals which He commanded the Israelites to perform. Such acts as the Day of Atonement, Sabbath rituals, and sacrifices were established by God as the preferred means of serving Him. When these duties were left undone, there were blameworthy motives present in the people that always led to apostasy or discipline. God valued the rituals that He established.

On the other hand, these rituals were never divorced from the internal acts of worship that we often think of as related to worship in Christ. This can be clearly seen in many places; Isaiah chapter 1 is a perfect example.

Isaiah rebukes the people of his day for their failures to worship God rightly. He uses strong language of condemnation to demonstrate that their failures were not just slight shortfalls, but rather a complete abandonment of God’s principles.

Specifically, he says that they have continued to perform the ritualistic duties that God established but that they have refused to worship God in their inner persons. Look at his words: “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” (v. 11). Isaiah refers to their burning incense (v. 13), new moon and Sabbath rituals (v. 13), the blood of different types of animals (v. 11), and their multiplied prayers (v. 15). In every way, it seems that they were abundantly obeying God’s commands to perform these rituals…and at the same time, utterly failing to perform them. How can this be?

This was the case because they had abandoned the true worship of God in righteous obedience—not the perfect obedience that could save them, for that was impossible (cf. Is. 64:6)—but in the true yielding of their whole selves to His purpose and saving intent. They no longer regarded His law as worth their attention (cf. 1:16-17), they failed to know God (1:2-3), they turned away from God instead of toward Him (1:4). Everything about them had been corrupted (1:5-8), but they did not have the sense to seek His forgiveness (1:18-20). They did not understand that it was not the rituals that mattered, it was the God who gave the rituals who mattered most, and without whom they were left bankrupt and hopeless.

We must understand that the danger of this sort of false religion extended beyond Isaiah’s day. Even Jesus used Isaiah’s words to rebuke the Pharisees of the first century (Matt. 15:8, from Is. 29:13). We must watch that our religion has not become mere outward zeal—if it does not penetrate to the depths of our person and our understanding, it will be worthless ritualism that cannot save, and that can only damn. Worship must be in spirit and in truth, both in the inner person and the outer person. It is with this kind of religion that we may truly know God, and knowing Him, we may serve Him rightly. May the Lord grant us a right heart of worship!

--Dean of Admissions

Wisdom's Target

When God speaks, to whom does He speak? When God provides wisdom, to whom does He provide it?

It seems intuitive that God intends to bless the naïve and youths with wisdom, because those are the two groups that especially need it. God blesses them by giving them His word which contains wise principles and instructions. We should all be mindful to bless those younger and less mature than us with the wisdom which God has given us.

At the same time, we must be careful to define our opening questions according to God’s Word. Sometimes God does surprising things; He does things that seem counterintuitive to us as fallen human beings. This is a case like that.

The book of Proverbs is arguably the greatest single body of direct wisdom writing in the Scriptures (though all of the words of God demonstrate His wisdom, without a doubt). Proverbs is targeted wisdom, directing us how to live before God in a wise and righteous manner. To whom is the book of Proverbs addressed?

We see, just as we expected, that in Proverbs 1:4 the author says his words are directed to the naïve and to the youth. What we may not have expected is that he also wrote Proverbs for the “wise man” and the “man of understanding,” that is, for those people who had advanced far in the wisdom enterprise (cf. 1:5). Think about the implications of this for a moment.

What this means is that God’s Word (in this case the book of Proverbs) is something that we can never outgrow. We will always need the wisdom of God to help us understand the world in which we live. We will always need God’s wise instructions to help us live a life that pleases Him (cf. 2 Cor. 5:9, Eph. 5:10). Whatever our stage in life or maturity, we must rely on the Lord.

Whether we are wise or naïve, old or young, let us humble ourselves underneath the mighty hand of God. Let us submit to His Word in joy, trusting that our God knows best, and ever growing in reliance on Him. Truly, He is good to help us (Prov. 3:5-6).

--Dean of Admissions

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,

Fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

               --Solomon the Son of David, King of Israel

               Proverbs 1:7

Strength in God

Living in a fallen world oftentimes results in fatigue. Our bodies are finite and are often forced to operate in less than ideal conditions. On top of that, we can lose sight of our great God and experience fatigue in our motivation.  What can Christians do in response to this sad reality?

Believe! Our God has given us good promises and commands so that we will trust Him to provide for our needs. This deals with things such as our simplest daily provisions (Matt. 6:11, 6:25-34) but also includes spiritual provisions. We must actively put our faith in these promises and seek to fulfill these commands, not out of a mercenary desire, but out of a heart that rests in the gospel of grace.

When our joy grows dim and our hope begins to feel threadbare, we must remember that God has provided for our needs. In Romans 15:13, Paul prayed for his friends that ‘the God of hope would fill them with all joy and peace in believing, so that they would abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.’ This is submissive, sweet joy that comes from the power and efficacy of the Holy Spirit. He sovereignly grants it to us. We need not live without joy, but we can ask God for it for others and ourselves.

When we become fatigued in the spiritual fights in which we engage, we must walk in the strength of the tools which the Lord provides. Paul’s ‘weapons’ were not fleshly, but ‘divinely powerful’ (2 Cor. 10:4). The Lord gives us many helpful pieces of equipment to protect us in our battles in this life (cf. Eph. 6:10-18). Additionally, the Lord gives us the Spirit of power, love, and discipline (2 Tim. 1:7) to serve Him without timidity and fatigue.

We should not think of hardship and difficulty as a curse from God, either. Remember that Paul’s weakness was uniquely used by God to demonstrate His own power (2 Cor. 12:9). This caused Paul to boast in his weakness, so that the power of Christ would dwell in him. Paul’s weakness became a blessing!

Finally, we must remember that we will not always dwell in weakness. Christians have the good hope of a renewed body when Christ comes to gather His own. Paul tells us that such a renewal means we will have bodies that are “raised in power” so that we may serve the Lord without the weakness of our current flesh (1 Cor. 15:43). We can anticipate this blessed hope to bolster our faith today and until then, we have the Lord’s gracious provision in the Spirit.

The truth is: we have strength for the present, hope for the future, and love for God always.

--Dean of Admissions

Render to Caesar

“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

—Jesus of Nazareth, Mark 12:17

As tax season is upon us again, it behooves us think about the nature of the world in which we live. Every human being lives under dual governments. Immediately, we live under the governing hand of God, which guides and provides for all creatures at every time and in every place (Acts 17:24-28, Col. 1:16-18, Prov. 16:4). This is invisible, eternal, omnipresent, perfect governance. Secondarily, there is human government. All humans live under some form of human authority, even those who are autonomous (since autonomous simply means ‘a law to themselves’).

There are two key points for us to remember at tax season. First, we must remember that the Lord has established all human governments (Rom. 13:1-2), and therefore expects us to gladly heed them. This includes giving custom, honor, and even fear to whom they are due, and paying taxes (Rom. 13:6-7). Those who disregard human government are essentially disregarding God—which is no slight thing (cf. Rom. 13:2)! In many ways, we should live simply and righteously before our human governors (cf. also 1 Pet. 2:13-17). This is relatively straightforward and easy to accomplish.

Second, we must remember that the Lord is the ultimate Governor of this universe. As our King, Lord, and Governor, He has rights and dues that are owed Him no less than human governments do. While we dutifully pay our taxes each year on April 15 (or thereabouts), how often do we consider the ‘taxes’ that we owe God? Jesus statement in Mark demonstrates that just as Caesar has his dues, likewise God has His dues. We can pay our dues to ‘Caesar’ in the coin of the land, but God deserves and demands much more. In fact, He is worthy of nothing less than our entire selves (Mark 12:30)!

So this year as you render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, make sure that you are also rendering to God what is God’s. He is worthy! In reality, though we fall short of giving God what He deserves, He has perfectly provided for our shortfall by giving His Son in our place. The audit was conducted and we were clearly seen to be lawbreakers, yet God graciously gave His Son for His elect to save them. Praise Him! This gracious provision should only compel us out of love to give Him more and more what is due Him (John 15:13-16).

--Dean of Admissions

The Beginning of Wisdom

One of the greatest difficulties facing every generation of God’s people is to discern true wisdom in the face of unique, generational challenges. Though we can learn much from our spiritual ancestors, we sometimes confront trials that did not exist a decade ago. Thankfully, since there is nothing new under the sun (Eccl. 1:9), this drives us back to Scripture (1 Pet. 1:24-25).

‘Wisdom’ holds a special place in Scripture. It belongs to God to possess wisdom, yet it is also a blessing that He gives to those who fear Him. Wisdom does not discriminate against male or female, young or old, rich or poor, yet everyone has need of greater wisdom. Likewise, wisdom is always able to enhance ones position, whether one is already wise or is naïve (cf. Prov. 1:4-6). The question, then, is this: how does one acquire wisdom?

Mercifully, God gives us the answer in His word. The answer is relatively simple. How does one acquire wisdom?

“The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom!

And with all your acquiring, get understanding.”

--Prov. 4:7

How does one acquire wisdom? One must merely love it (4:6), seek after it (4:7), and prize it (4:8). That is to say, the wisdom endeavor is self-fulfilling—as soon as a person earnestly begins the endeavor of acquiring true wisdom, that person actually has wisdom. Why? Because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 9:10). If a person is earnestly seeking true wisdom, then they have been humbled, for they know that wisdom is sought outside of ourselves. Wisdom is found in God’s Word.

Once a person starts on the path of seeking God’s wisdom, they have been changed. They no longer seek after the trite, artificial, impotent ‘wisdom’ of the world (Prov. 14:12), but they desire God’s wisdom. This wisdom comes from His word (cf. Prov. 1:1-7).

So, if you desire to grow in wisdom, you know where to begin. Happy hunting!

--Dean of Admissions

The Poor Widow

And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”

                                          —Mark 12:41-44

The passage above contains some striking truths for us. It is striking first of all that this was a poor widow. As such, she would have been dismissed as insignificant in the eyes of her culture. Having lost her husband and all other possessions, some may even have said of her that she was under the judging hand of God. That was not Jesus’ analysis, however.

Second, it is striking that Jesus said that she gave more than all the other contributors. He did not say that she was simply more giving, but that she actually gave more. The difference is significant. The disciples and all the bystanders would have known that monetarily the poor widow gave less since the canisters into which money was placed were made of metal. When coins were placed into the canisters it was obvious if many, large coins had been deposited or if few, small coins had been given. The widow gave few, small coins—but Jesus said she gave more.

Third, it is striking that the widow gave all she had. Literally, she had no other earthly possessions on which to rely. How did she eat that day? Where did she spend that night? We are not told. We are told that she gave ‘all she had to live on.’

These three facts should inform us of God’s character in judging our lives. God does not look at the human race as we often look at ourselves, but He sees us as we truly are. Poor widows are no less significant in His all-seeing eyes than emperors and mighty generals. Similarly, God does not discriminate against persons on any racial, economic, or demographic basis.

God does not value our giving based on the amount of our giving, but based on the proportion. The result is that a person with limited financial means is just as able to serve God as a person with great means. A person with limited abilities or time is just as able to serve God as person with great gifts or much ‘free’ time.

Ultimately, we also learn from the widow that God is worthy of our all. We see just one snapshot of her life, so it is fair to assume that she used some of her means to get food at some point. Obviously, she had to eat sometime. At this one point, however, she was wholly committing herself to the cause of God in the world. She fully dedicated the means at her disposal to God’s Kingdom. What a lesson she is for us of sacrificial self-giving! She saw that God was worthy of her all, and she gave it.

Have you?

--Dean of Admissions

Christian Mourning

We live in an era where all mourning and sadness are regarded as fundamentally bad. To a certain degree this is in line with a biblical worldview for we know that in the heavenly state there will be no more tears, crying, or pain (Rev. 21:4). Even though mourning and crying are regarded as aspects of a fallen world, there is still a place for them in the Christian life.

In fact, mourning is sometimes the right, godly, and necessary response to situations. Though we would never choose to mourn as if it were enjoyable in itself, unquestionably the path to true joy in God sometimes travels through deep valleys of sorrow. This was true of the life of our Lord, the ‘man of sorrows’ (Is. 53:3) who for the joy set before Him endured the cross (Heb. 12:2), and it is true for us as well. How did the authors of Scripture present godly sorrow in their writings? There are at least three categories in which they present righteous mourning.

First, Christians ought to mourn over their own sins. James, as he rebuked the Christians to whom he wrote, instructed them regarding repentance in light of their adulterous love for the world (Jas. 4:4). He wrote: “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you” (James 4:7-10). This act of mourning is not redemptive or propitiatory—we do not save ourselves—rather, it is line with the gracious salvation described elsewhere in the New Testament (cf. Luke 18:9-14). The Christian, when struck by the reality of his own defiant corruption against the good and gracious God, cannot help but mourn. Such perversity in our persons is appalling. This is Christian mourning.

Second, Christians are called to mourn over the sins of others. Paul, writing to the Corinthians, said that they had become arrogant instead of mourning over the sin of a man in the church (1 Cor. 5:2). We must understand that every persons sin affects others as well—a little leaven leavens the whole loaf (1 Cor. 5:6, Gal. 5:9), which is to say that sin spreads when it is not addressed. Even Christ Himself wept over the sad state of Jerusalem, which did not know ‘the things that make for peace’ (Luke 19:41-44). Seeing the continued rebellion of our fellow man against our loving God is saddening because the insurrection is against the worthy King, who ought to be worshipped. The replacement of sin for God’s deserved praise is truly tragic—things ought not be this way.

Third, there is a godly manner in which Christians can and ought to mourn over losses and pain. This is probably the least familiar and least favorable type of mourning in our lives today. Nevertheless, Scripture says that “it is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart” (Eccles. 7:2). The losses that we experience in this life prevent us from getting too comfortable here, so that we may continually long for the heavenly state where God’s presence forever drives away sadness, pain, and death. The difficulty of this life keeps our perspective rightly on the ‘things above’ (Col. 3:1-2).

--Dean of Admissions

The Future of the Reformation

The reformation of the church has been in a state of constant progression since its earliest days. This statement might surprise some Christians because we tend to think of reformation as occurring periodically, as in ‘the’ Reformation (i.e. the Protestant Reformation). Though it is not wrong to use the definite article when referring to that particular, drastic movement, it is also not wrong to say that the reformation began at Pentecost (or before) and continues to progress to this very day. So, for example, Paul said that Jesus Christ gave Himself up for the church, to sanctify her so that the church would be holy and blameless (Eph. 5:25-27). This is not merely the church in one age or under the influence of one particular doctrine, it is the church in every age and in every area of life and truth (John 17:17-20).

Because of this, we must be aware that the reformation is ongoing today in our midst—in our selves, our families, and our churches. That alone should cause us to consider soberly how we ought to pursue growth in the grace and knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18). I believe that there is another truth that we must ponder if we are to be faithful stewards of the God-given, apostolic doctrines that we believe. We must consider the fact that the generation after us, and the generations after that, will be subject to God’s reforming grace as well. In light of that, how can we prepare younger Christians for the good fight of faith?

This question should weigh heavily on the consciences of church leaders, of course, but it should also influence the minds of parents, spouses, friends, and mentors. We must all come to terms with the reality that though we are just one link in a long chain, we do play a vital role in preserving the fidelity of the overall chain. Our actions will, in large measure, determine how the reformation progresses in the generations to come. Obviously, God is sovereign, so He can grant reformation even ex nihilo if He wills, but most often He has willed to work through the faithful stewardship of His servants from one generation to the next. That’s us.

We bear the responsibility to train up younger men and women in the faith so that when we are dead and gone, which we will soon be, there is still a strong and glowing testimony in God’s church. We bear the responsibility not just to look back at our predecessors, analyzing their great works of reformational thinking, but also to look forward, synthesizing documents in light of Scripture to address the pressing issues of our own day. We bear the responsibility to write the songs, hymns, poems, and books that will influence the children of our day so that, by God’s sovereign grace and according to His will, there will be a testimony in the days to come.

I do not say that we bear this responsibility alone, however. Who could possibly be adequate for such a great task? We, like Paul as he surveyed the monumental responsibility of ministry in his day (2 Cor. 2:16), must say, “not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant” (2 Cor. 3:5-6). We have spiritual authority and power to do this constructive work through the gifts that the Lord has provided (1 Tim. 3:14-15, Eph. 4:11-13, 1 Cor. 3:10-11, 2 Tim. 1:7).

We are not responsible to provide the power or wisdom to perform these tasks, then, since those things must come from God. We are responsible for the results of our labors, however (1 Cor. 3:8-15). Unfaithfulness in stewardship is a very serious sin and is dealt with rigidly by God (Luke 12:41-48). Consider the elders of Israel in the days after Joshua who failed to teach their children about the mighty works of the Lord (Joshua 2:6-12). When one generation is unfaithful to the Lord it is very likely that they have corrupted not just themselves but also their descendants. The future of the reformation depends essentially on God’s sovereign, sustaining power. In many ways, however, the working of that power will be demonstrated in our day through our faithfulness or faithlessness to reform according to God’s Word. May God grant that we pursue His course with zeal, diligence, and ever-deepening love for His Name.

Remember the generation that must inherit the works of our hands!

--Dean of Admissions

Always Reforming, Part 2

“Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

                                     —the Apostle Paul, 1 Tim. 4:16

As a corollary to what we said last time, that we must patiently bear with those who struggle against sin, we must also affirm that we are touched with the same sinful tendencies. It is for this reason that the New Testament contains warnings against carelessness in keeping our own souls, such as the one listed above. What was at stake in our teaching, Paul said, is the very salvation of our souls.

We must realize that there is only one, narrow path of salvation but that there is an abundance of ways to go astray. Even under the leadership and teaching of the apostles there were people in the church who eventually went astray (cf. 1 Cor. 5:3-5, 1 John 2:19). Even among the twelve disciples of our Lord by His foreknowledge and providence there was one who went astray (John 6:70, 17:12). The point is that we must be on guard against our own deceitful hearts.

The Lord works on others through progressive sanctification and growth in grace (2 Peter 3:17-18) and, in the same way, He works on us progressively. The expectation of the New Testament authors is that individual Christians will grow progressively more holy as they live longer in Christ (John 15:2, 2 Cor. 7:1, Heb. 12:4-14, etc). We must be aware that the Lord is operating in the same manner on our own hearts, minds, and emotions.

This should greatly protect us against spiritual pride, for if we are aware of our own growth and our own ever-present trespasses then we will humbly serve those brothers and sisters who, like us, need an ever-gracious Savior. When we see accurately the need for constant reformation in our own lives, we will be gracious in bearing with the progressive reformation of those around us.

Additionally, this truth about our God should help us be diligent in the fight against sin. Though God is sovereignly and solely in control of our sanctification (Heb. 13:20-21, John 15:5, Phil. 1:6/2:13), He has chosen to work imperceptibly through our will as He sanctifies us (Phil. 2:12). This means that when God has chosen to ramp up sanctification in the life of one of His children, the only visible result will be fervent desire in their will and the visible fruit in their life. If we yearn for greater holiness, then, we should not sit back and ‘wait’ for God to work, but just the opposite. Paul told the Philippians to work out their salvation with fear and trembling because (or for) it was God who was at work in them both to will and to work.  He expected them to apply themselves to the task because God was at work in them! Likewise, we should diligently apply ourselves to growing in Christ. In this way, we will be always reforming for the glory of God and for our own joy.

“…not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord…”

                                      —the Apostle Paul, Romans 12:11

--Dean of Admissions