money

God calls all men to work. Actually, Paul tells the church to let men starve if they aren’t willing to work (2 Thes. 3:10-12). God called Adam to work and keep the garden, and he calls men to work and provide for family. As God commands all men to work and earn their own living, working for money is understood as a spiritual act of worship. God calls some to be pastors, some to be teachers, some to be construction workers, and some to be restaurant workers. He does this so that we may walk in the good works which he has set up beforehand for us (the elect) to walk in (Ephesians 2:10). In the parable of the talents, God commends the faithful stewards who act wisely with their money and earn extra on what the Lord had given. So obviously money is not evil. God delights in his people making money and making more money.

Unfortunately, “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils” and has causes some to wander away from the faith (1 Tim. 6:10). With money, we may fall into sin more easily as we strive to quench “the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions.” 1 John 2:16 reminds us that these are not from the Father but are from the world. When our desire is not bringing glory to our awesome God or when our boast is not solely found in the effective work of Jesus on the cross, we wander away from the one who fully satisfies, and we begin to hunger and thirst after this world. In Hebrews, the reader is encouraged to “keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you (Heb. 13:5).” Is it random that our contentment in this world is coupled with the fact that God will never leave the elect nor forsake them? This unveils the mystery of why the love of money is the root of all kinds of evils. Money becomes our God. Money brings us happiness. We trust in our bank accounts as we look at the days ahead. The best thing that could happen to a Christian in love with money is to lose it all and finally realize that “whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf (Prov. 11:28).”

Lastly, even though we have been obedient to spend our time working as God has commanded we must never forget that “the silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts (Haggai 2:8).” God doesn’t give us money for our comfort and satisfaction with things of this world. He tells us that “this world is passing away” but “the one who does the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:17).” In Isaiah chapter 1, the Lord rebukes Israel for bringing offerings and making many prayers while neglecting the oppressed, the fatherless, and the widow. He says that their “silver has become dross” and this may not be the reason but one result of their wickedness and poor use of money was that “they [did] not bring justice to the fatherless, and the widow's cause [did] not come to them (v.23).” Luke also commends the believers in Acts 2:45 for “selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.”

Does this mean that we all must prescriptively look at this text in Acts and claim that all believers must sell all possessions? I would argue that we ought to sell unnecessary possessions and always be looking for ways to give generously to one another. I would also suggest that dumping out our money and giving it all to the poor would be following in the footsteps of the one who was not a good steward and was chastised by his master. Instead of dealing hastily with our money, I think we ought to be more apt to rebuke a brother who buys the new boat, the new car, or the new gadget to satisfy the desires of the flesh and to take pride in things of this world. We should consider our motives. Does buying a certain house, eating a certain meal, buying a computer, or even donating money to a certain missions organization bring glory to God? Rather than making decisions in our heart to spend money in various ways and then justifying our reasons in the Word in a similar fashion as Satan offering scripture to Jesus in the wilderness, we need to reform our minds to view all money as God’s money and carefully spend, give, and save every dollar of it to the glory of God.

Money

How should we view/handle possessions and money as followers of Christ?

Hindrance

Seeing as I am a college-aged guy, I can answer this question with relative accuracy from the perspective of what I think to be the things that hinder me. The fallacy in having this incite is that it is indeed insight about myself from myself, and lacks an unbiased third party to see more clearly the effects of my hindrances. I say this to make clear that what I can express is the sin and some of the effects I see myself and others dabble in, but that the beautiful prize, which we are held back from by our sin, is what we cannot rightly understand if we have not reached it yet. And perhaps in this case what we do not rightly understand is what we need to understand the most. As we run the race marked out for us, we throw off all that hinders us, but we only need to throw off that which hinders us if it hinders us from something else. Weights and chains would not be a burden if we were simply sitting, but they become annoyances when we are running toward something else more worthy than the chains. So before I go on talking about what these obstructions are, remember they can only be beaten when we are focused on obtaining something else besides them. We must plead with Christ to draw up our heads from frail idols to gaze upon the infinite splendor and surpassing worth of Jesus.

The first obstruction is that of sexual sin. Sadly, we read this and it comes as no surprise, for we know it to be a most consuming pitfall, claiming the lives of many. It is almost common knowledge, and its commonness, if we are not careful, can lead to a slight acceptance of the fact that many will fall into it to no large consequence. We may be tempted to view this sin as one views a buzzing gnat on a hot day. The pestering bug simply comes along with summer afternoons at the park, and must be accepted as a slight annoyance as long as you are having a picnic on the grass. So let us stop and realize the horridness that the world calls normal and vow to never look at the sin as acceptable or equal in offense to the many smaller sins. For sexual sin is different, not in the basic attribute that all sin makes us sinners, but in the fact that Paul says he who sins sexually sins not only outside his body, but against his body, and we are the body of Christ and sin against our own body brings Christ into the act. This sin brought down fire upon Sodom and death upon Gomorrah and its level of offense could be elaborated on many levels. But why is its sting so deadly? For one, it never satisfies and we trick ourselves into thinking that if we have but a little more we will be satisfied until we find ourselves further away from God than we ever intended. Such deception is the nature of all sin. We cannot know how far from God this sin holds us until we overcome it. How can the person who easily collapses under temptation know the devastating power of the sin. As C.S. Lewis explains it, they are like a tree that instantly gives into the wind of temptation, but once they collapse, they no longer feel the force of the temptation for they haven given into the apathetic, trance like state that sin often leaves in its wakes, and have little perspective. But those who stand firm against the wind feel its power all the more and see the effects from a higher and clearer view than those who have collapsed under its force. From personal experience, I can confess to having not the slightest clue to the collateral damage sexual sin was bringing in my life, and only after victory over major areas was I able to see where I once laid helpless on the ground. Surely the trees that stand against the wind are able to stretch out their branches to feel the warmth of the sun just as we are freed to know Jesus on deep levels we never knew were possible when we ran after him with chains of lust on our legs and arms.

The second hindrance I wanted to discuss will in some degree be answered in my response to Nathan’s next question. Also, it is late and my bed looks very appealing to me right now so I will have to delay. But just to state it without elaboration, I would say the one of the greatest hindrances takes effect when we believe the world’s lie that college is all about us and our own satisfaction. College is one of the most inherently selfish times of life and the attitude that we are entitled to fill our schedule with the things that will most appease the “appetites of our stomach,” is a great deception I must daily reject, sometimes to little avail. It is especially made more complicated when following Christ is itself made a mere means to an end of finding worldly comforts we desire, like the approval of men, and not truly for the love God.

let him not eat

"For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12)."

Reece, how does this apply to college undergraduate students? Is this command for men and women?

loving my wife as myself

Before diving into what I believe could be practically seen as loving our wives as ourselves, I’d like to analyze the results of this in our own families as well as our greater understanding of God’s great love for us.

What an incredible feat seen in Malachi as God unites husband and wife in marriage with a portion of his spirit in their union. He then continues to explain that through this marriage, God was seeking godly offspring (Malachi 2:15-16). As I first view this verse of loving my wife as I love myself, I understand the blessings tied to applying it toward my views of fatherhood. Loving my wife as I love myself will aid my teaching of my children and allow them to better understand the faithfulness of Christ to his church. What is of utmost importance is that our children learn of the grace of God, and that can be better understood as husbands constantly extend grace, forgiveness, and unceasing love toward their wives. God has specifically “commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God (Psalms 78: 5-7).” This godly teaching much start with husbands loving their wives as they love themselves, as Christ has sacrificially served and given his life to be in communion with his Bride.

Praise the Lord for being far more interested in his glory than solely the loving interactions within our families. From the beginning, God planned for marriage to be a glorious picture of the relationship between Christ and his church. In grasping Christ’s desire for unity with his church, we praise God for the reckless love he constantly offers his Bride. As husbands die to themselves, pick up their cross, and cherish their wives as they would their own bodies, we catch a glimpse of Christ’s sacrificial love and faithfulness to the church. God commands the husband to strive for this mindset of oneness with his wife, so that believers and unbelievers alike may begin to understand the delightful unity that Jesus brings to his church. As Christ won the victory over death on the cross, the reality of this oneness was achieved. Unfortunately, we have chased after lovers far less wild, and even with regenerate, we hearts have tainted this oneness on earth. What a joy it is to feel perfectly one with our wives. It is a joke to believe for a second that this unity will ever rival the intimate oneness that will be experienced between Christ and his Bride when he forms the new heavens and the new earth.

So how is this seen on a day to day basis? Jesus’ command to pick up our cross daily ought to be in full view of our ability to accomplish this complex task. We must be obedient to view our new life as not our own to consume praise and comfort but to joyfully come before the Lord as undeserving enemies who were bought at a price. Let’s echo Paul as he proclaims, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20).” I think this is shown by cutting her slack when she makes mistakes or even sins against you. Too often I am disobedient to the scriptures and react harshly to my wife when she is also giving into the temptation to sin against me. What would bless her beyond belief would involve my words and actions toward her to resemble the unselfish forgiveness of Christ while his children were yet sinners. Reason with me. What has driven us to be wildly in love with our Savior? His constant love toward us while we were vile men and women! I think loving my wife as myself not only involves holding my tongue, but it entails encouraging and building up my wife even while she is undeserving in my eyes. This is never an excuse to be unloving toward our wives and avoid offering correction. We are responsible for the spiritual growth of our wives, but I believe we ought to rest in the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit before throwing our input into every mistake or sin committed by our wives.

Ephesians 5

Nathan,

What does Paul mean in Ephesian 5 when he says, "that He who loves his wife loves himself."

Answer to The Ultimate End

God fashioned the universe to display the infinite worth of his attributes. In examining the whole of scripture, we are never given the impression that the chief end of God is to save humanity or have relationships with humans. God’s ultimate objective is to uphold the glory of his name. Praise the Lord that he seeks to be glorified through the delight of his people. Throughout scripture, we see God’s zeal for his own glory from creation of the universe to the formation of the new heavens and the new earth. We see this single-minded focus as he states through the prophet Isaiah, “For my name’s sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another (Is. 48:9-11).” As I read these verses my mind reflects on Romans 11:36 as Paul confirms that “for from him and through him and to him are all things.” God causes things to happen, sustains them, and shines gloriously through all his wondrous deeds. God chooses us before the creation of the world and adopts us as sons so that we might praise his glorious grace (Eph. 1:4-6). God forgives our sins not driven solely by his love for wicked humanity, but behind his mercy toward the elect is a desire to make his glory known. “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins (Isaiah 43:25).” So what does this mean for us? It means that we ought to evaluate our daily actions, thoughts, and interpretation of scripture. Are we driven by a belief that God is good for helping us achieve our own salvation, or are we fueled from an understanding that from our salvation to every good work we do, our ultimate purpose is to bring glory to God? “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).”

hindrances we see

Reece,

What have you seen to be the most common things that hinder college-age guys from growing or maturing in their faith?

The Ultimate End

Nathan,

What was the ultimate purpose in God deciding to create the universe and everything in it?

Disciples

The word disciple literally means a follower or student of a teacher, and the question being answered is what does it look like to make these disciples, to fulfill Jesus’ last command on earth to go and baptize men and woman, not to leave them damp with a prayer of good luck for the future, but to teach them everything commanded by their Lord.

God did not create man to walk through life alone. All men walk through life in community with friends taking the form of many varied and unusual relationships, but nonetheless, only the twisted, lonely man goes through life without any human bond. And surely most would answer they seek companionship out of a need for joy, out of a need to remain human. One pair finds community over a game of chess and coffee, and the other through intense stretching of each other’s mind in the field of science. Yet however varied, they all do so understanding, and more importantly feeling the benefit of knowing another who is like them in the most basic sense of sharing humanity. We were built to share parts of ourselves with others, whether there is much in common or only a mutual liking for chess and coffee and nothing else. A minimal mutual interest is the most basic requirement of relationship, and is itself almost riskless requiring little genuine love or self-sacrifice. If a game is the common link between two people, then the sharing of life needs to exceed little more then a common joy and the reciprocal disappointment when one of the players calls checkmate. But what of brothers or sisters who have the highest good in common? Surely this bond requires much more depth then the bonds needed to play a friendly game of chess. If the meeting ground of the two is the infinite grace, and unmatched worth of an infinite God, then there is infinitely more of the persons that must be shared. Perhaps this forms the command to sacrifice all of ourselves and consider the well being of others as more important than our own.

C.S. Lewis said we should indeed be merry in our relationships, but that our merriment should be of the most severe kind, as two people that have taken each other seriously from the beginning. When people who have Christ as their new life enter into relationship, it is required to work itself out in the upper reaches of heaven and never in the low valleys of earth where we once roamed. To share life like those who have mere hobbies to unite under would be more foolish then the man who only nibbles on crackers for his daily meal when an endless feast is arrayed on the table before him.

The call of Christ to make disciples is a call to take each other seriously, not in the solemn sense of the word, but to have significant, weighty relationships centered on the bond of Jesus. In talking about intentional discipleship between two believers, we assume that one has walked deeper and more obediently with the Lord and can truthfully say as Paul did, “follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.” To make a disciple is not to create a carbon copy of oneself, but to point a person to Christ, to point them to the true source of life. Jesus in the only true vine and he commands us to abide richly in his love. “Whoever abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.” The purpose of discipleship is for someone who has tasted the sweet fruit of Jesus’ love to point the other to the orchard of grace and life that is single-hearted obedience to Christ. Only the Spirit can change hearts, so we are left with the job of pointing; pointing through our day to day mundane actions, through encouragement, through prayer, through the sharp sword of scripture.

What good would it be if we did Christianity alone without help from those who had gone before us? This is the natural course of things. None of use would know how to read if someone more efficient at reading had not instructed us in the way that reading works. I need men who have walked with Jesus more deeply than I have to point me to him. I need men who have laughed and cried more then me and have trusted in Jesus to be who he is. I need men who have yearned for the Lord on deep levels I haven’t discovered, and I need men to teach me how to obey the Lord when my flesh fights with all its might. I need wiser men to be obedient to the call of Jesus to make disciples. And I must be obedient to Jesus to point the way along the road that is life, even if I have traveled but a few miles more.

Go therefore and make disciples

Reece,

What does it mean to make disciples? How do you hope to see this played out in your life/how have you seen this played out in your life or the lives of others?

A reason for this blog

Due to the question and answer format of this upcoming blog, I feel some excitement and responsibility to write and read from our blog throughout the week. As we ask questions, and humiliate ourselves by attempting to answer them all, I expect to be found in the scriptures, builiding my beliefs on a stronger foundation. I, too often, am unable to give a clear, concise answer on many spiritual issues; my hope is that through blogging with Reece, I will be more equipped to not only be ready to give reason for my hope in Christ but that my joy in Christ may grow all the more as my understanding of him continues to grow.