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