Always Reforming

Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,  to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!  (Ps 65:4) We come together before our God to offer Him due praise (Ps. 65:1).  Worship is our duty, our obligation, our calling.  It is right to give Him thanks and praise. And, yet, it is our greatest privilege.  To be drawn into the Presence of our Creator, our King--this is grace; this is salvation; this is true blessedness.   The world offers us the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16), but these pale in comparison to the joys found in the house of our God!  To know God and to be known by God; this is eternal life (John 17:3), and with this we shall be satisfied.  We were made for communion with God.  We are His creatures, image-bearers designed to walk in the Garden with our Creator.  In fellowship with Him we find deepest fulf...

In Part 1 of this post we explored the concept of grace.  We identified grace as relationship with God despite our sin--access to His Presence.  We saw that the metanarrative of Scripture, the very Gospel itself, is the story of mankind being restored to the Presence of God that we forfeited by our first parents' rebellion.  We applied this concept to the sacraments, affirming that they are means of grace--God meets us at the Font and the Table.  Here in Part 2 I want to spend a little more time exploring how we apply this liturgically, especially to our observation of the Lord's Supper, also known as the Eucharist, Communion, or the Lord's Table. Historically, the Eucharist has been the center of Christian worship.  This may seem odd for many Protestants who are accustomed to celebrating it monthly or quarterly (if ever), but Christians from the time of the Apostles met to break bread.  The Early Church quickly developed a liturgy, complete with Scripture ...

Whoever restrains his words has knowledge,  and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.   Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise,  when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent. (Proverbs 17:27-28) I am a talker.  Those of you who know me personally already know that.  It is so tempting to fill the silence, to weigh in on any discussion, to voice my opinion.   I know I'm not the only one.  Sometimes we talkers just want to be a part of something.  We engage because we care and talking is how we show we want to be involved.  Other times our speech is more self-motivated.  We like to hear our own voices.  We value our own opinion too highly.  We share our opinions because we want you to know that we are learned enough to have an opinion on whatever topic happens to be under discussion.   We think to be heard is to be respected, but the opposite is quite often the truth.  Solomon t...

The Internet is a place of escape.  We interact with disembodied people we don't know, we stereotype and oversimplify, and we type things we would probably never say to a person's face.  This is neither right nor good, but this is the Age of the Internet.  It is the downside to the most powerful tool ever invented.  It is the side effect of being more connected than ever. It has been odd lately, then, to see familiar names mentioned and matters discussed to which I am privy.  It has been frustrating and sobering to see people online speaking ill about people I know "in real life."  I'm not used to being "in the know."  I have felt obliged to defend, clarify, and debunk to the best of my ability across different platforms, groups, and posts.  It is out of this place, and out of my own current state of mind and heart, that this article arises.  Here are a seven thoughts on WO and the ADGL. 1) There are good people on both sides.   I have i...

Grace. God's grace.  Give me grace.  Grace alone.   We use this word so often, but what does it actually mean?  What is grace (aside from my cute, feisty 11-year-old daughter)?   How we answer that question will impact a variety of other theological topics, including soteriology, sanctification, and the sacraments.  It is the last subject that I want to highlight today.   The Reformed Tradition commonly refers to the sacraments (Baptism and the Lord's Supper) as means of grace .  The Westminster Confession Faith makes it clear that they are "holy signs and seals of the covenant of grace." (27:1)  The Belgic Confession insists that "they are not empty and hollow signs to fool and deceive us," but, as the 39 Articles  says, they are "effectual signs of grace."  The Reformers rejected the Roman Catholic view of the sacraments (not simply Transubstantiation, but the sacerdotal, meritorious system as a whole), but they r...

Of late my friend and I have been trying to answer the question, "What is church?"  We've not been discussing the nature of the universal, catholic Church of Jesus Christ, but of the local church--the experience of the average Christian in and with his Christian community.  What does it mean to go to church ?  To be a part or member of a church?  It seems like such a simple question, but there are profoundly different answers, many of which remain implicit.   Here is my shotgun answer.  Church is (or should be): 1. Local .  Driving an hour and a half to gather with a group of believers is less than desirable.  Everyone's options and experiences are different, so there certainly are no hard and fast rules ("local" is, of course, relative), but the general goal for a church is that it would be a local body where you can be present and plant roots.  Sometimes this will mean dealing with practices or doctrines you don't like, which is, in f...

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. (1 Cor 12:27) We are the body of Christ. Wait...what?  We are the body of Christ?!   Process this with me for a second.  This is not simply a metaphor.  We who are united to Jesus Christ by faith are mystically united to Him and are His body!  I fear we've heard these words too many times and meditated on them far too rarely!  We are the body of Christ!  What a privilege!  What a blessing!  What a call to holiness, to walk in a manner worthy of our Lord (Col 1:10)! You, Paul says, are the body.  The KJV retains the plural with it's Shakespearean "ye."  You--the church in Corinth; the Church universal--are collectively one body (I believe the letter to my forefathers in West Virginia renders it "all y'all") . In a real sense, we lose ourselves in our identity with Christ.  "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me," Paul says elsewhere (Gal 2...

I recently wrote an article on the woes of clericalism.  This article will continue the theme from a specifically liturgical perspective.  As I have been working through (read: struggling with) this topic, a few particulars have stuck out.  The epitome of the clericalism I am bemoaning is the concept known as in persona Christi . Now, like many concepts, this doctrine has been explained differently by the various traditions that hold some form of it, which can make it more difficult to define or examine.  In persona Christi , which literally means "in the person of Christ," essentially teaches that the priest stands in the place of Christ when officiating the sacraments.  As this First Things' article states it, "The priest stands in the place of Jesus within the Church's sacramental life."  When the sacraments are being administered, Christ is the one administering them through the agency of the priest.  When the Eucharist is being consecrated,...

Let love be genuine. (Rom 12:9a) True love, Paul tells us, is genuine.  It is sincere and unfeigned.  It is, more literally, without hypocrisy.   Hypocrisy is deceptive.  It leverages and manipulates the truth for it's own agenda.  It hides itself, as the Greek word originally implied, behind a mask. This is not what love does.  Love is honest.  Love is vulnerable.  Love seeks the benefit of others, even at the cost of self-exposure and self-sacrifice. We are often reminded that love is not just a feeling; it is not merely emotional.  This is good and true, but our love certainly should engage our emotions.  It should be heartfelt and genuine. If you are pretending to love, you are not loving.  Even if your actions are outwardly appropriate--even if you're abiding by the letter of the law--you're not truly loving if your heart is not properly oriented. If your love is manipulative, it's not real love.   If your love ...

What are the biggest issues facing the Church today?  Nominalism?  Licentiousness?  The human heart?  Yes, yes, and absolutely!   I would add another to this list: clericalism. What do I mean by clericalism?  Well, I certainly don't mean the existence of clerics, spiritual authority, leadership structures, etc.  The New Testament is clear that spiritual leadership is from God and is to be obeyed.  By clericalism I mean an unhealthy separation or distinction between the clergy and the laity.  This is sometimes institutional, but it is just as often cultural and unspoken.  Some denominations and churches restrict liturgical or pastoral duties to clergy as a matter of principle, while others do it as a matter of habit or practicality.  It is sometimes the fault of the clergy who seek to retain power, control, or money, but it is perhaps more often the preference of laymen who are perfectly satisfied with a consumeristic relations...

Having been raised in a Reformed Presbyterian microdenomination, my first impulse is to separate over secondary and even tertiary issues.  To put it another way, we made everything a primary issue.  I have spent the last 15 years of my life trying to retrain my instincts, which is why I heartily embraced the ecumenical attitude of the ACNA six years ago.  We agree on the fundamentals, but we can agree to disagree on secondary issues.   But... Where is the line?  How much latitude is too much?  What do we do when people insist that primary issues aren't primary issues?  Where do discipline and accountability come in, especially when a bishop is involved? The Anglican world has been on fire for the last few weeks.  A bishop was found guilty after a tumultuous trial.  Another bishop has come under fire for associating with a TEC bishop.  Meanwhile, debates have raged online over what Anglicans really believe about the Eucharist and ...

One of the great ecclesiological debates of our day is regarding the validity of holy orders.  Whom do Roman Catholics recognize?  What about the insular, ethnically-focused Eastern Orthodox?  How do Presbyterians, Baptists, Lutherans, and other Protestants interact with clergy outside of their tradition?  Anglicans, who purport to be Catholic and to hold the Apostolic Episcopate, seem to spend an inordinate amount of time talking about this.  It certainly is an important issue as it relates to questions about full vs impaired communion, the validity of the sacraments, and how denominations work together on the mission field.  Ultimately, it is a key subset to the broader question of authority, which is the pressing issue of the Church in our era. My goal today is not to answer (or even address) this question.  My assertion, instead, is that the discussion is altogether misguided.  To say it another way, if you are debating the validity of one den...

He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3:30) Oh, that my heart would own these words! These words of the Baptist ought...must...be the resolution of every Christian.  The decisions we make, the paths we take, and that which we forsake must all flow from a desire to glorify Christ.  "Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Cor 10:31)  This is the guiding ethic of the Christian life.   He must increase .  This is the easy part of the verse.  Exalting Christ sounds good.  We like to praise, to worship, to tell others about Jesus.  He must increase?  Amen! But... I must decrease .  This is the painful part.  This is the part that is so radically counter to both our culture and our natural inclinations.  Humility--how demeaning!  Submission--how passe!  Subservience--how repulsive! I must decrease .  The second part is indispensable to the first.  We cannot serve Go...

People create conspiracy theories to make sense of the reality they experience. COVID is the perfect example. It was difficult to believe that the "powers that be" were really that foolish or naive, so certainly something more insidious was afoot! The shadow government was depopulating the world intentionally through a man-made virus and the subsequent "miracle" vaccine! Now, stranger conspiracy theories have been proven true, but the reality is probably much less orchestrated or exciting. What the human brain has trouble fathoming is that someone could be this calloused. Evil--that we get. Calloused, unconcerned, heartless--that we struggle to comprehend. Faced with the opportunity for fame and fortune, Fauci chose to downplay and/or outright lie about the dangers of the vaccine. He went on TV and told America it was safe and effective. He was the darling of the media and celebrities, who demeaned and slandered anyone who posed legitimate questions. Gover...

Parents, Your kids don't need a bunch of stuff.  They don't need all of the experiences their friends have.   Heaven knows they don't need more entertainment! They need you. Mom and Dad, they need you both . They need your time, your attention, your presence.   They need your big hugs and your kisses on the top of their heads. They need to know that they're more important than whatever is on your phone at any given moment. They need to know that they're part of something bigger--a family, a community. They need your friendship and your discipline.   They need you to show them how to live, how to align priorities properly. They need to see you work, yes, but also play.  And rest. And read. And exercise. And, most importantly, they need to see you worship God.   Every "yes" is a "no."  

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.  (Romans 6:14) Christian, you have been freed.  Through the Person and Work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, you have been set free from the guilt and corruption of sin.  The Fall has been reversed.   The guilt of sin no longer has dominion over you.  There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1).  No one, not even the accuser, can bring an accusation against God's elect (Rom 8:33).  Satan has no right to your body or your soul.  Resist him; he will flee (James 4:7).  The power of sin no longer has dominion over you.  "For one who has died has been set free from sin," Paul says (Rom 6:7).  "So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Rom 6:11).  We have been given the gift of true freedom--not freedom from restraint, but freedom from slavery to sin.  W...

Thank you, Dr. Fauci.   Thank you for your transparent corruption. Thank you for destroying public confidence in the experts . Thank you for revealing how things really work . Thank you for normalizing vaccine injury awareness and education . Thank you for unveiling the religious fervor of medicalists . Thank you for showing us what the elites really think about the common man. Thank you for reminding us that no one is immune (pun fully intended) to the wiles of power, money, and fame. Thank you for stirring up the sleeping hearts of regular men and women in this country. So, thank you.  Despite yourself, thank you.  You set in motion things that cannot be undone. May God have mercy on you.

For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers, and deceivers... (Titus 1:10a) Speaking in the 1st Century, Paul was warning Titus about the challenges that the soon-to-be ordained overseers in Crete would face, but he could just as easily have been speaking to the modern pastor about navigating the Internet in the 21st Century. There is nothing new under the sun.  Technology changes, but human nature remains the same (unless changed by Almighty God).  The Internet is full of insubordination .  Submission has never been easy, and it never will be.  It should be said that this is as true of disgruntled parishioners in a local congregation as it is of keyboard warriors.  This vice lies in the heart of man, not merely in his fingers.  However, social media and other online spaces provide a voice for those who are probably better left voiceless.  Christians need to be on guard for this tendency.  Those of us who fancy ourselves writers shoul...

What is the name of your church?  Why was that name chosen?  Have you ever thought about it? Much has been made about the way people choose baby names these days.  We try to sound intellectual or original, modern or old-fashioned.  We want people to say, "Oh, what a [fill in the blank] name!"  As expressive individualists , we name our children so as to communicate something about ourselves.   This is unavoidable, to a certain extent.  Naming things is inherently expressive.  What we choose to call something (animate or inanimate) will communicate something about ourselves and how we experience that thing, the world, etc., whether we like it or not.  This is good and has always been true.  Nevertheless, children's names today certainly seem to reinforce the expressive individualism that dominates our modern society. Well, it turns out churches can be expressive individualists, too.  A quick Google search reveals an interesting ...

Forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Eph 4:32) To forgive as you have been forgiven is one of the foundational principles of the Gospel life.  If you do not forgive, you will not be forgiven (Matt 6:15).  How can we who have been forgiven much not forgive what little our brethren have done to us (Matt 18:21-35)? We are to forgive others as God forgave us.  How did God forgive us? He forgave us completely.   No debt is left unpaid.  No sin is left unsatisfied.  The saving work of Christ requires no supplementation, from ourselves or from any other mediator.  As far as the east is from the west, so far have our sins been removed from us (Psalm 103:12).   He forgave us freely.   Our salvation is a gift (Rom 3:24).  We have not earned it, deserved it, or warranted it in any way.  We are forgiven, in fact, despite ourselves.  While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:24).   He forgives us,...

For he himself is our peace... (Eph 2:14a) Jesus is our peace.   He is our peace with God (Rom 5:1).  Jesus Christ, God in human flesh, has reunited God and man.  We who were rebels--children of wrath (Eph 2:3)--have been restored to communion with our Creator through the Person and Work of the Incarnate One.   He is our peace with our fellow man.  Jesus Christ is the new Adam (1 Cor 15:45); those united to Him are a new humanity.  He has broken down the dividing wall of hostility between Jews and Gentiles (Eph 2:14b).  He has made one Body from many members (1 Cor 12)--united to Him, we are united to one another.  He is our peace with and within ourselves.  In Christ we rest.  We find meaning and purpose--telos.  We find identity.  Dying to self and living to Christ, we find that His yoke is easy and His burden light (Matt 11:30). He is our peace.  He is peace. And the peace of God, which surpasses all underst...

Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain (Psalm 127:1a). Christian, whatever you do--whatever you build--is futile without the Master Builder.  Your blood, sweat, and tears are lost in the dirt without the plans, materials, and empowering of the Arch Architect.  Without the grace and wisdom of God making your efforts effectual, they are shallow and vain.   Did we in our own strength confide , says Luther, our striving would be losing . You can build a business, a family, or even a church, but it means nothing without the Father.  You can create a following, but it is transient without the Great Guide.  You can build a life, but it will soon be forgotten without the Creator's gaze.  Human ambitions can only build human institutions.  Carnal methods and strategies can only grant carnal success.   If you want to build something eternally meaningful--a truly Godly legacy--you must consult the LORD every step of the ...

Church polity has been a divisive issue, to say the least, throughout Church history.  Should individual congregations govern themselves independently?  Should regional groups of elders oversee the Church?  Is the Episcopate a divinely ordained and indispensable means of unity for the Church of Jesus Christ?  How should clergy be selected, trained, etc.?  How do we determine jurisdiction?  Wars have been fought and heads lost over over these and similar questions. I myself am a bit of an ecclesiastical mut.  Having attended a presbyterian church, a quasi-presbyterian church, and an elder-led, non-denominational church, I am currently serving as a deacon in an Anglican church, which features an Episcopal form of church government.  I am no expert, but over the years I have learned a few things about how church government actually works out in real life.  I won't attempt a thorough treatment of this subject, but here are a few thoughts on churc...