The Glory of God in the Gospel: An appeal to return to true gospel preaching: The sinfulness of man, Romans 3:21-26

For many of us, we witness horrible acts of people against other people and we think to ourselves: "How could people do such a thing?" Sometimes it is a matter of people rubbing us the wrong way or being inconsiderate. Sometimes these acts may seem petty when we take into account that there are people a lot worse in the world. For instance, at the time of this writing, as I was watching our local news station located in Toledo, OH, I was absolutley horrified to learn that during the previous night a twenty-seven year old man was brutally beaten beyond recognition at a bar. If that was not enough, it was discovered that he was then made to ingest transmission fluid. When the victim's sister was interviewed she lamented: "I just don't understand how anyone could be so evil." This instance of evil in our world is not an anomaly. We are all evil. And the essence of our sinfulness is just as heinous as before a holy God as the preceding account was to this sister.

In this segment of our series on the gospel I want to explore the meaning of sin and how it has affected man's nature with the hope that we will come to understand the gravity of what it means to sin against God.

FOR THERE IS NO DISTINCTION: FOR ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD

For there is no distinction: for all have sinned

A definition of sin

In the Old Testament three Hebrew words are used to describe sin: iniquity, transgression, and sin. Iniquity refers to a wrongdoing that brings judicial guilt. Transgression takes sin a step further beyond the action by focusing on the one who is sinned against. Here, sin is revolt, and it is the most serious of the three terms because the sinner is rising up in rebellion against the authority of God Himself. The last term "sin" is the most general of the three and speaks of any wrongdoing at any level. In the New Testament the most common reference to sin is the Greek word hamartia, “to miss the mark.” At this point it is necessary to understand how sin has infected and affected the human heart.

The affect of sin on man

In general, sin has brought spiritual death to every person resulting in the core or nature of the person being radically and thoroughly inclined toward sinning.

The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5 ESV)

Most people think that they are basically good and that they only sin sometimes. But Scripture’s testimony against us is not simply that we have sinned at times, all we have ever done is sin “continually.”

And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth.” (Genesis 8:21 ESV)

Here, youth means more than the teenage years. This can mean an infant. Man’s heart, your heart, in an unconverted state is a cesspool of wickedness from birth because man’s fallen nature is wicked.

We have all become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.
We all fade like a leaf,
and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. (Isaiah 64:6 ESV)

All our seemingly righteous deeds are in reality unrighteous and they condemn us before a holy God, because the very deeds we commit flow from our corrupt nature. And when the source of our deeds spring forth from a nature immersed in sin and trained in sin, the deeds themselves are a manifestation of the wickedness found in a nature that is intrinsically evil. Our deeds are as corrupt as our fallen nature, and as such, they are repulsive in the presence of an infinitely good and holy God.

The inability of man

Inherited guilt and corruption leave every person completely unable to save himself or to please God. There are at least six ways this pervasive inability affects everyone. Until God intervenes with his sovereign, gracious, saving power, mankind is totally unable to:

• Repent or trust Christ

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:44 ESV; cf. John 3:3; 6:65)

• See or enter the kingdom of God

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3 ESV)

• Obey God and thereby glorify him

For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:6-8 ESV)

• Attain spiritual understanding

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV)

• Live lives pleasing to God

For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. (Romans 14:23 ESV)

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 ESV)

• Receive eternal or spiritual life

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. (Ephesians 2:1-3 ESV)

Therefore, the testimony of Scripture is that our only inclination in our fallen state is to use whatever will we have to abide and relish in our sin. Let us look at our spiriutal state prior to conversion from Ephesians 2:1-3 and then address the issue of the "freeness" of our will in that unconverted state.

Ephesians 2:1-3

Notice first that the Apostle Paul declares "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins..." (Eph. 2:1). Spiritually, we are dead and we do not have any capacity in our "free will" to apprehend salvation apart from a supernatural intervention of God's Holy Spirit freely and sovereignly converting us. Dead means dead--no life--not some life. In their book The Doctrines of Grace: Rediscovering the Evangelical Gospel, J. M. Boice and Philip Graham Ryken note: "Like a spiritual corpse, he is unable to make a single move toward God, think a right thought about God, or even respond to God--unless God first brings this spiritually dead corpse to life" (p. 74).

Secondly, the sinner is actively engaged in evil. Paul describes our sinful actions during our dead state as a lifestyle of actively sinning: "...in which you once walked..." (Eph. 2:2). Boice and Ryken liken the state of the uncoverted sinner to that of a zombie, saying: "Though the sinner is indeed dead to God, he nevertheless is very much alive to wickedness" (p. 74). 

Thirdly, the sinner is in bondage to sin. Sinning is a contuinual lifestyle choice. And this makes sense if we understand that sin goes beyond merely making us guilty before a just God, it has made us slaves to obey its power over us. Paul states that in our unconverted state we are enslved to world, the flesh, and the devil. We are enslaved to the world because we are "following the course of this world" (Eph. 2:2). In our unconverted state our thinking is centered on self and rebellion against God. We are enslaved to the flesh because our desires that emmenate those "...among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind..." (Eph. 2:3). To put it bluntly, we will have what we want, whatever the cost. And we are enslaved to the devil because although we may not realize it, as unconverted people we are "...following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience..." (Eph. 2:3).

Fourthly, the sinner is an object of God's wrath. People do not like to talk about the wrath of God or hell or the justice of God. But when we understand the gravity of our sin against Him, we know what we deserve. After Paul describes the affects of sin on us, he adds finally: "...and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind" (Eph. 2:3 ESV). This is where it gets serious and this is where a discussion of our sinfulness should lead us to--back to the character of God. Boice and Ryken state: "Most people can hardly take [wrath] seriously...because they do not take sin seriously. But if sin is as bad as the Bible declares it to be, nothing is more reasonable than that the wrath of a holy God should rise against [us]" (p. 75). If God's character is such that He is holy and just and righteous, then it is good for all of His holy hatred, His fierce anger, to be directed toward us.

At this point many Christians today would disagree that the state of spiritual death and subsequent slavery to sin has had an equally radical affect on their will, assuming that because they make free will choices in the natural realm that they have that same freedom of will regarding spiritual matters. We would like to think that at least if we are aided by God, even in our state of spiritual death we are able to apprehend God and respond to the Gospel. But Scripture teaches otherwise. Jesus said: "everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin" (John 8:34 ESV). The Apostle Peter wrote: "For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved" (2 Peter 2:19 ESV). Even after being confronted with the Scripute's witness to the affects of sin and spiritual death thus far, still many people today believe that somehow they are not utterly hopeless and unable to respond to the gospel in their unconverted state. They do not believe that sinners have really been "taken captive" by Satan "to do his will" (2 Timothy 2:26).


A lesson from Church history

It is assumed that man has the power in his unconverted state to choose or reject God. It is true that we are given countless commands and free offers for all to repent and turn to God with the promise of life. But we falsely assume that because the offer is free we are free in ourselves to respond rightly to such offers of grace. And throughout Church history this is the same battle that has been championed by the theological giants of the past.

Augustine and Pelagius

Basically, Pelagius reasoned that since there was an obligation to repent and beleive, we must have the ability to do so. Therefore, he held that the will is not enslaved in bondage to sin, but rather, it is neutral so that in any given situation it can choose good or evil. He even went so far as to say:

(1) Adam's sin affected no one but himself; (2) Those born since Adam have been born into the same condition Adam was in before his fall, that is, into a position of neutrality so fare as sin is concerned; and (3) Today human beings are able to live free from sin, if they want to. (Boice and Ryken, The Doctrines of Grace, p. 81)

This view denies the desperate state that man has fallen into and therefore, denies the need for God's grace, instead placing the decisive factor in salvation upon the person's will instead of the supernatural working of the Holy Spirit to bring a dead person to life.

Augustine viewed sin as more than evil acts, but rather an inherited depravity so that the unconverted person is not able to not sin. He affirmed with Scripture that salvation is moergistic--of grace from beginning to end. It is not syergistic--such that God provides grace to which the sinner adds his efforts. "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV). Pelagius was condemned as a heretic by the church at the Synod of Carthage in A.D. 418.

Luther and Erasmus

During the Reformation the battle erupted again, first between Martin Luther and Erasmus, and later between the followers of Jacob Arminius and the followers of John Calvin. Wanting to challenge Luther, Erasmus took the position of the freedom of the will in similar fashion to that of Pelagius. In Luther's response entitled, The Bondage of the Will, we read the following account:

[A] man without the Spirit of God does not do evil against his will, under pressure, as though he were taken by the scruff of the neck and dragged into it, like a thief...being dragged off against his will to punishment; but he does it spontaneously and voluntarily. And this volition is something which he cannot in his own strength eliminate, restrain or alter. He goes on willing and desiring to do evil; and if external pressure forces him to act otherwise, nevertheless his will within remains averse to so doing and chages under such constraint and opposition.

Luther did not discount that we make choices. Rather, in reference to the individual's choosing of God Luther denied the freedom of the will as being neutral and unaffected by sin.

Johnathan Edwards

During the First Great Awakening, Johnathan Edwards wrote The Freedom of the Will, in which he defined the will. Edwards is in agreement with Luther that man in bound to act according to his nature, but he defines how the will operates. First, Edwards defined the will as not mere choices, but "that by which the mind chooses anything." Second, he explained that the mind chooses what it does because of motives; it judges that one course of action is better than another and so chooses. He went further to explain that what the mind deems best is always choosing for self over-against God. Though nothing is stopping the mind from choosing God, yet it will not regard submission to God as desirable. Third, he explained that because man's inability to choose God is moral and not simply natural (neutral), man's guilt is increased. His sin is evil because the right thing to do is to repent and turn to God, yet he wil not because he does not want to. And he does not want to because he hates God (Romans 1:30).

Man's dependence on a work of God's grace

As we have seen from Church history, the fall has affected man such that his is now wholly inclined toward sin and rebellion against God. He does what he wills and his will is set against God. Apart from a supernatural work of the Spirit resurrecting the spiriutally dead to life, the unconverted person does not seek God nor does he want to. That is why Scripture says:

"For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV)

And the Apostle Paul affirms this truth again, saying:

"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life..." (2 Corinthians 2:14-16 ESV)

The prophet Ezekiel also makes man's hoplessness apart from the grace of God clear:

The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD.”

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. (Ezekiel 37:1-10 ESV)

A few things are worthy to notice about the hoplessness of man in his unconverted state and his need for God in His grace to regenerate him to life. First, unconverted men are spiritually dead. Notice the bones in valley were "very dry."

Second, because unconverted men are spiritually dead, they are completely dependent upon the supernatural regenerating work of the Spirit of God--they cannot "decide" themselves to spiritual life. Notice the Lord's question to the prophet and his response to the Lord: “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.” The prophet's response, "O Lord GOD, you know" when asked if these dead bone can live is the prophet's affirmation that salvation is completely the work of God sovereignly bringing life to dead men. The Lord confirms for us that salvation is His sovereign work in His response to the prophet: "Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live." Although man is responsible to repent and believe the gospel, he is hopelessly unable to do so apart from God sovereignly intervening to bring life which results then in the free response of man in true repentance and faith. We must never forget man is dead, and it is the Lord who says, "I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live."
Man's just condemnation, Romans 1 - 3

As we turn to Romans 1-3, we see clearly that man is not a victim of sin. Rather, man in his fallen state has set his heart in an unrelenting rebellion against God.

[18 ] For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. [19 ] For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. [20 ] For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. [21 ] For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. [22 ] Claiming to be wise, they became fools, [23 ] and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

[24 ] Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, [25 ] because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

[26 ] For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; [27 ] and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

[28 ] And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. [29 ] They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, [30 ] slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, [31 ] foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. [32 ] Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. (Romans 1:18-32 ESV)

Man is not a victim of sin. He is a rebel with heart that is raging against God. He cannot come to God because he will not come to God. And he will not come to God because does not desire to. He labors viciously to push out any bit of truth that enters his mind. He is a hater of God. Left to himself in this fallen state, man would rather choose to go on in his rebellion and be condemned before the just throne of God than to bow his knee in submission.

What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
“Their throat is an open grave;they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:9-18 ESV)

Because of God's common grace (that is, His kindly providence whereby sin's energies within us are partly restrained), total depravity does not mean that every person apart form Christ is as bad as possible. For instance, have you ever thought: "Why am I not as bad as Hitler?" Have you ever thought: "Why am I not worse than Hitler?" The radical nature of our depravity does mean, however, that none by nature can fulfill man's primary purpose of glorifying God in relationship with Him.



We are a people who is twisted at our core and darkened in our understanding, running resolutely in a path away from God that will ultimately result in our eternal destruction. We sin because we have a sinful nature. And the gravity of our sin is heightened when we become aware of the infinite worth of the one against whom our offenses have been directed. If we sin against nature, we are not in too much trouble. If we sin against another person, we are in danger. But the sobering reality is that we have sinned against an infinitely good and worthy God, the Lord of glory, thereby increasing our guilt and condemnation.


And fall short of the glory of God

Glory in the Old Testament

Kabod: Something weighty which gives importance, e.g., “wealth” (Gen. 13:2) or “honor” (Gen. 45:13). When speaking in relation to God, it is that which makes God impressive; His intrinsic majesty.

Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. (Genesis 13:2 ESV)

“You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.” (Genesis 45:13 ESV)

Shekihah: Lit. "The one who dwells," e.g., (Ex. 19:16-18). Fig. speaking of "inapproachable light that surrounds and is representative of deity."

On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. (Exodus 19:16-18 ESV)

LXX: When the OT was translated into Greek the Greek term "doxa" was used to translate both of these words. Despite our affronts to God's glory, Scripture commands us over and over again to worship God and to give Him the honor that is due His name:

Oh sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth!
Sing to the LORD, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth! (Psalm 96:1-9 ESV)

Glory in the New Testament

Therefore, when we arrive at the NT we notice that "doxa" is used to combine the meanings of both of the Hebrew terms "kabod" and "shekinah." This sense of the inexpressible "wealth" and "honor" and "majesty" of God is tied to His "dwelling presence." The weightiness of His presence is so great, and as such He transcends everything that He has brought into existence, e.g., (1 Tim. 6:15-16).

…which he [Christ] will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. (1 Timothy 6:15-16 ESV)

"The glory of God" Romans 3:23

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." To fall short of the glory of God in some sense is to fail to attain to the glory that God originally intended for man. But here it goes further. We must interpret Romans 3:23 in the context of the book of Romans. In Romans 1 it says:

"For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles...they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever! Amen." (Rom. 1:21-23, 25 ESV)

To fall short of the glroy of God is to not honor God and give Him that which is due Him, and rightly due Him because of such glory and worth. Falling short of God's glroy is to "not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him." It means that we would direct our affections toward the gods we have created, and in so doing "exchange the truth about God for a lie," rather than behold the glory and supreme worth of the immortal God and worship Him alone.

Think back to how we began with the story of the man who was beaten and made to ingest transmission fluid. Recall the emotions you felt at hearing of such a heinous act. Sin is seen to be vile when it is committed against other people. But the heinousness of our personal sin is amplified when we realize the infinite worth of the one whom we have sinned against. We have sinned against the Lord and have offended His glory. When we read of the prophet Isaiah’s vision of the Lord we see a crystallized picture of His glory that I pray will cause us to be cut to the heart regarding the wretchedness of our deeds against Him. Notice the prophet's own account of the glory of God:

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:1-5 ESV)

Place yourself there with Isaiah and witness God in all His glory. He saw a vision of heaven, the grand stage where all of God's glory dwells. The length of the train on a king's robe is indicative of his honor. And yet, this King's train fills the whole temple. He is surrounded by seraphim; literally, "burning ones." And yet, despite the great glory with which they have been created, they cover themselves so as to not offend the greater glory of the one to whom their praise is summoned. They are a mighty choir numbering myriads upon myriads so that they are too great a number to count. There is no way to acclaim the worth of this King except to cry out: "holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory." And their priase to the one one who sits on the throne is such that it violently resounds, shaking even the doorposts and the thresholds of the heavenly temple. Adding to this awesome event, smoke fills the temple, shrouding glory with mystery.

O, but then there is the King, seated on His throne and reigning with authority over heaven and earth. And that authority is heightened when we see that the throne is in an exalted position, high and lifted up. What we are seeing, then, is a view of God in all of His sovereignty, decreeing His will from His throne and and executing His righteous judgments. And when the prophet Isaiah saw this heavenly vision he is aware of the vile reality of his sinfulness in the presence of such an infinitely worthy being. We too, when we come to understand how great are our offenses against an infinitely worthy being will respond in the same manner as the prophet: "Woe, to me; it will be the good and right thing if He condemns me right now. I have seen the Lord of glory and I know who I am--wicked."

None of us have ever given God the glory that He rightly deserves. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." And for us to sin against such an infinitely good and majestic being is to be in a most terrible estate. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

The Glory of God in the Gospel: An appeal to return to true gospel preaching, Romans 1:16

Recently, I have been meeting with a group of men on Saturday mornings for prayer at a little more. For some time I have been burdened to invest my life in others in preaching a biblical gospel. You see, much of what is seen on TV and in other Christian circles is not gospel preaching. They talk about sin, but never define it biblically. They talk about Christ, but never explain from Scripture how His death addresses man's sin problem. And then they distort the work of the Holy Spirit in conversion by diluting it down to repeating a prayer that is based a human comitment--many times devoid of a true work of the Spirit in converting a soul. Then when people fall away because they have not been changed by the power of God, the reasoning is: "People have choices." Yeah, and I guess the gospel does not have power then, either.

These things should not be so, brothers. But they are. What does God's word say about these matters? I, like you, want to turn away from this kind of man-centered evangelism. I want to see God's power in the conversion of a person's soul. I want to say with the Apostle Paul: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16 ESV). As a church, we are memorizing Romans 1:16 this month and quoting it in the worship service each week. When I meditate on the words I can't help but ask the question: Paul, what revelation of the gospel did the Lord give to you so that you believed with all your heart that the gospel has its own power to convert souls?

In a sermon entitled "Regeneration Vs. the Idolatry of "Decisioinal Evangelism," Paul Washer explains that the message of the gospel is such a scandal that the Apostle Paul had every reason to be ashamed of the gospel. He says:

When we look at Romans 1:16 we understand that Paul was not ashamed of the gospel. That might seem something unusual to us that he has to make that statement, being and Apostle, a principle carrier of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But I want to tell you that Paul's flesh had every reason to be ashamed of the gospel, because the gospel he preached contradicted everything that was believed to be true and everything that was believed to be sacred in his culture.

Paul makes no attempt to "become relevant" to his culture. He makes no attempt to make treaty with his culture, adapt his message to the cuture, repackage his message, or any of the other nonsense that's become so prominant in the evangelical community today.

To the Jew Paul's gospel was the worst sort of blasphemy because it claimed that the Nazarene who died on that cross, accursed, was the Messiah and the Son of God. To the Greek it was the worst sort of absurdity because it claimed that this Jew from some out-of-the-way place was actually God in the flesh. Therefore, Paul knew that whenever he opened his mouth to speak the gospel he would be utterly rejected and ridiculed to scorn unless the Holy Spirit interveded and moved upon the hearts and minds of his hearers.

Now this is what he knew, this is what you should know. If you're properly preaching the gospel, it will be scandalous. And if you try to make it less of a scandal, you no longer preach the gospel.

Paul said he was not ashamed of the Gospel because he knew it was a Gospel of power (Rm. 1:16). A word of caution: In our day, because much of what is called gospel-preaching is a diluted gospel, we do not see any power in it. And because we see little or no power in the Gospel itself, we are tempted to either (1) dress up the Gospel anew as times/culture change, or (2) to make our evangelism increasingly man-centered. It is interesting that Paul never did either. The Gospel that he preached at the beginning was the same Gospel that he preached decades later at the end of his ministry. And he never based the success of the Gospel on activities outside of/extra to preaching, in the hope that it would be those things that would draw people in and open them up to the Gospel. Why is that so interesting to ponder? He truly believed that the only power for the conversion of souls was in the gospel. Therefore, he simply preached the Gospel. In fact, Paul said if anyone preaches another gospel let him be accursed (Gal. 1:6-9) What is this Gospel of power that Paul preached? We must know this.

And so, over the proceding weeks, I would like to invite you on a journey with me as we unpack Scripture and, by God's grace and for His glory, may we recover the gospel of Jesus Christ in our day that awakening and true revival may come!

"Loving My Wife As Christ Loved The Church" Ephesians 5:25

"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" (Ephesians 5:25).

Hello again my friends. Last week I did not write, partly because I was applying what I will talk about today. I want to relay what I have learned about loving my wife like Christ loves His church. Eight years ago today, September 28, 2002, I entered into a covenant with Becky.

As I reflect on the gravity of what happened that day, I am left with a mix of feelings. I keep a picture in the cover of my bible of the two of us as we stood by our car after friends and family showered us in rice. Whenever I look at that picture I get great joy. I just love this woman.

The emotion of joy has often been interwoven with frustration at times. Like any marriage relationship, there are times when you feel like your nerve is being worked. For me, it is the clumps of hair that get globbed up in the tub and need to be removed (eeewwie!) or the hair that has fallen out all over the house, for that matter. I find it in the weirdest places. Once, I found one stuck on the side of the interior of the dishwasher. I don't know how hair lands on a sideways surface, but ok. Or there's those pesky socks that never seem to make their way into the area that we (maybe just I) have designated for the used clothing. You get my point. Sometimes we can get frustrated by what we expect from our wives. Consequently, I let my frustrations turn into bitterness. At one point, I wondered if all this was really worth it.

Amidst the joy and frustration of our marriage there have also been times of sadness. We have had our share of "rocky" times. I remember one conversation we had nearly two years ago where Becky basically told me she wished I would go away. I remember what I felt in that moment. My heart sank and I was overcome with grief. That was one of the worst days of my life. I used to treat my wife harshly. And she felt unloved.

I remember crying out to God in utter desperation, "Lord, help me... help me love Becky the way you want me to." And the Holy Spirit brought this verse to mind time and time again over the next two years, "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" (Ephesians 5:25). Brothers and sisters, He is faithful. He continues to answer that prayer the more I continue to pray it. Now, I am learning the joy of serving my wife because I love her. Now, cleaning the house on my day off is a labor of love. Giving her those special little things in life, not just the things she needs to survive, is an act of love.

I have a long way to go in loving my wife as Christ loved the church, nevertheless, I know the Lord has been and is continuing to do a work of grace in our marriage. A few months back I asked Becky, "Can you tell I have changed?" She embraced my, looked into my eyes and melted my heart, "Yeah. Before I didn't know if you loved me. Now I really know you love me." I thank God for what He has done for us. And I pray that by His grace we can display His glory through our marriage. So let me shift gears a little bit and talk about that.

That sounds churchy, "display His glory through our marriage." But that's exactly what Scripture is teaching us here in the larger context:

 [22 ] Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. [23 ] For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. [24 ] Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

[25 ] Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, [26 ] that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, [27 ] so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. [28 ] In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. [29 ] For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, [30 ] because we are members of his body. [31 ] “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” [32 ] This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. [33 ] However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

(Ephesians 5:22-33 ESV)

Here, Paul is exhorting the church to submission in general (v. 21), and this principle of general submission is displayed in various relationships that call for submission to authority in society: wives submit to husbands (v. 22-33); children to parents (6:1-4); and slaves/employess to masters (6:5-9).

So, why do I desire our marriage to be a display of God's glory? Paul gives us a clue in verses 31-32. The reason a daughter of God submits to her husband and a husband sacrifices himself for his wife... the reason a man leaves the relationship from his father and mother and cleaves in a new covnenant that is so tight it is in essence a becoming one flesh with his wife... the reason for all this is because of what God intended to display through the covenant of marriage.

Paul quotes Genesis 2:24 and declares that this cleaving in new covenant is a "mystery" in which God displays the covenant between Christ and His bride, the church (5:32). At this point, all of us who are Christian should be laid low at the gravity of what Scripture is teaching us. Did you know that the Lord's purpose for instituting marriage was to display the glory of a covenant between His Son and His church? Now I am seeing that my marriage is not about what I want.

That should have radical implications for us as wives and husbands. Those of you who are wives. When your flesh rises up against submitting to your own husband in godliness what does the world come to know about the church and her Lord? Should there not be a joyful submission to a godly man who has his eyes set on leading his family in a direction that glorifies God?

And to us who are husbands. How are we doing REALLY on loving our wives as Christ loved His church? Is there a humility that manifests in sacrifice? I daily fight a battle in laying down my life to serve the needs of my wife, especially in promoting her godliness by teaching her the word. Let us be real men. O, my brothers, is our life marked by caring for our wife or neglect? What I mean is, how are we doing at meticulously caring for our wives in anticipation of their growth in Christ? How are we doing at expressing a warm tenderness to our wives that shows in abundantly lavishing love on them? Does she know this to be the way you treat her? The way we live out the answers to these questions tells the world how we regard Christ's love for His bride and the very nature of His relationship to His body, the church.

Brothers, like you, I fall short every day. I have to admit that there are times when you would see that I fail at loving my wife this way that the Scripture shows us. I keep repenting. But over the course of my life I pray that people will glorify God for what they see between Becky and myself. For all that is at stake, the very glory of God, may we purpose to be godly husbands to our wives because God purposed to show the glory of the covenant between His Son and His bride through joining us in one flesh to our wives.

"Lord, Teach Us to Pray" Luke 11:1-13; 18:1-8

Prayer. The "P" word. Our pastor is currently preaching a series on prayer (yes!). I recently attended a meeting that was a "summons" to prayer. I tell you, my heart was warmed because we Christians are always in need of prayer. I am always in need of prayer. Let me break it down to you. Our church is looking to God to do a work among us in late April 2011, and so we are preparing for a lay renewal team to come and minister among us. I say: yes and amen! Now you see why our beginning preparations focused on prayer.

In the meeting we were asked to choose to participate on a team (spiritual growth, prayer, food, coffee, publicity, or communication) and to make that known by going to that table. I just sat there where I was. Now, before you get the wrong idea about my willingness to be a team player, let me break it down further. For the past two years, since I have not been pastoring, but instead being a member of my local church, I have been doing serious soul-searching. Prior to, I was confronted with the fact that the ministry was an enemy to my sancrification because I had made it an idol. Therefore, knowing that outward shows of ministry are potential instances to exalt myself in pride, I was very cautious not to jump into any team where I might exalt self...even the prayer team. I kind of made up my mind that I should pray at home: (1) to guard myself from pride and (2) because people accuse me of being arrogant when I say something in public [Because I'm not the preacher. Apparently, no one but the preacher is authorized to exhort others in the faith: 1 Thess. 5:19-21; Heb. 10:24-25; Eph. 4:15-16]. Ok, I'll stop and ask your forgiveness now because I feel that thing creeping up on me. But you understand what I'm saying. Back to my point. I did not want to make this an occassion for the flesh, especially because my spirit resonates with what the leadership of our church is attempting to facilitate, namely, our brokenness before God and our crying out to Him to heal us as individuals and as a body. Glory to God! I want that!

Therefore, dear friends, I am resolutely flint-faced determined to pray in secret for the healing of our church until He answers, which brings us to Scripture. Here's where I am at personally. I'm letting you in on my walk with the Lord. In Luke 11 the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. Notice the formula He gives them in what we call the Lord's prayer (1-4; cf. Matt. 6:9-13). He then tells us a parable to illustrate the persistence with which we are to labor in prayer (5-8) and closes with results that must encourage us to pray (9-13).

And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

(Luke 11:5-10 ESV)

Notice Jesus says: "because of his impudence" he will get what he needs. The word "impudence" is the Gr. word anaideia meaning, "a lack of sensitivity to what is proper." It could describe someone who has no respect for social protocol. Hmmm...Anyhoo. The point is that we are to boldly bi-pass the security gate (even if that means hopping the wall), let ourselves in through the front door (without taking the time to worry about what the mud on our shoes is going to do to that fine carpet), screaming: "Where is the man?", and when they say: "Calm down, have a seat, he's in the bathroom." we bust open the door and head in straightaway to enamour the man with the most urgent of our pettitions. And then do it again every day until we are answered. That is impudence. That illustrates how we are to boldly approach our Father.

Jesus then tells us with teaching, wait, actually charges us in the form of three present tense commands to bombard the Father with our needs. In essence He is saying: "Keep on continuously asking, seeking, and knocking, and you will get what your Father knows you need." He commands me and He commands you too. As I reflect on this in my own life, I ask: "Do we pray with this much persistence?" How many times have I gone to the Father for something and not gotten it after a few days, and then given up asking for that thing? Maybe it is about my sanctification. "God, I need deliverance from this besetting sin." Maybe it is about your church. "God, they need deliverance from that besetting sin." Could it be that the Father desires for us to labor in prayer for our own sanctification, for the healing and sanctification of our church, and that He will do this only according to the degree that we faithfully tarry with Him daily? My Christian brothers and sisters: "Barge down His door again and again and again until He brings His deliverance!"

To those who will tarry before Him in "a season" of prayer He says: "What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

The question now is: "Do you and I really believe that He will answer?" In a similar passage in Luke 18, Luke tells us that Jesus told his disciples a parable on prayer in order that they would learn that "they ought always to pray and not lose heart" (Lk. 18:1). There, He tells of a woman who persistently sought justice from a judge. Again, we are confronted with whether or not we will be persistent to pray for that one thing that we so desperately need, whatever it may be, because God will answer. And yet in a sobering tone, Jesus closes His teaching on prayer with an indictment of sorts, saying: "Nevertheless, when the son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth" (Lk. 18:8)? He is saying: "When I come back, will I find anyone who really believes that My Father will answer prayer?" My brothers and sisters, let us set our faces toward Him with determination to blow past His doors everyday until we get what we need, for ourselves, and especially for our church, that He would get great glory for Himself. May we labor insanely for things that only God can do among us, so that it may be said of our God by the unbelievers: "Their God is mighty, and there is no doubt He is among them."

Grace and peace... Jason.

"Follow Me"

These are the words that Christ has given us. For Becky and I we are excited about planting our lives down here in the West Elm community. As we embark on this journey with Christ, we wonder what the Lord will do over the coming several decades. Yes, I did say decades. We have made this our home. What will God do here? I pray that He will get great glory for His name, not because we are great, but because of who He is. I appreciate what one preacher says: "There are no great men of God; only tiny, weak, yea even sinful men of a great and merciful God." It's humbling to be reminded that God has chosen to use us, many of us, because of our weaknesses.

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

(1 Corinthians 1:26-31 ESV)

And I thank God for that reminder. This life I have, my family, living in these apartments--the doing of missions--it all rests on the sovereignty of a good and gracious God who will call people for Himself from out of the darkness into His marvelous light.