Is Doctrine Really Important?

So I am reading through lots of different books right now, many of which are steeped in the emergent movement. I have also been part of different groups in which their mantra was "No one can really know the truth so why argue over it". But I just got done reading a paragraph that ended with this statement, "...but why quibble about fine points of doctrine when the important thing was his sobriety". The book that I am reading deals with the issue of addictions and where the come from and so on. But this raised the question that I seem to stumble into time and time again...is doctrine important. I mean with the postmodern world that we live in, does it really matter if I am right or wrong in what I believe?

If you know me and/or have read any of my blogs, you will know that my unapologetic answer to that question is "yes". It does matter what we believe. What we believe determines how we live day in and day out. Hitler did not wake up one morning and decide that he was going to go around and murder millions of Jews simply because he thought that was a good thing to do. He belief that they should be exterminated started somewhere. What he believed led him to do the things that he did. Do does it matter what people say about the Bible, God, Jesus, etc....you bet it does because it will determine how they live.

Now I want to get away from the big scenarios like Hitler and other like him to things that would affect most of the people reading this blog. Things like: the songs we sing in worship, the books we endorse on websites, sentences said from the pulpit, and other "small" things like that. Is it worth quibbling over issues like that or should love cover those things as well? In the past I have been criticised for being to critical over issues like that. Is it worth it? Is it best to let people say what they want and just hope that no one heads down the wrong path. Or how about the saying "don't throw the baby out with the bath water." Is is best to read through a book that I disagree with doctrinally and look for bits and pieces that are good? What about songs that are sung on Sunday morning? Do I sing along even if I disagree doctrinally? And on and on it goes? The big question is "Does Doctrine Matter?"

Well according to 1 Timothy 4:16 it does. Paul tells Timothy to watch his life and DOCTRINE closely. The reason why is because the two are intertwined with one another. I never do anything that is out of line with what I truly honestly believe. And I never believe those things which I do not do. Now you might be thinking about sin and the Christian. Does that mean that if a Christian sins that he wants to sin...and what I am saying is yes...at that moment he wants to sin. Nothing ever makes me sin...I either want to or I don't. What I believe dictates what I do.

For instance...if I am on my computer and I am surfing and I am tempted to look at pornography...my doctrine will either lead me away from that sin or it will lead me into that sin. What I believe about God, His Son, His Word, His promises, and everything everything else will show up and become evidences in my actions. In the same manner, what I believe about God and His Word will lead me to either read it every day realizing that strength for the day comes from It or what I believe about it will lead me to make it an option in my day. Either which way, what I believe (doctrine) dictates what I do.

Do does doctrine matter? Yes it does, in more ways that we can imagine. Check yourself to see what you believe (how you live) not just what you say you believe.

Guard Your Heart...

Thomas Watson in his article entitled "The Spiritual Watch" breaks Proverbs 4:23 down like this:

• "Keep" means to arm or to fence off something from danger of something else. It can also mean to take care of a piece of precious metal so that it is not lost. With that in mind keep your heart locked up safely so that it is ready for God when He calls for it.
• "Your Heart" is that portion of who you are that includes your soul, mind, conscience, will, and affections. It is that part of you that is the deposit or charge that God entrusts every man with.
• "With all diligence" means that a Christian is to set a continual guard around this heart that he has been entrusted with. "A Christian's heart must ever be in his eye" says Watson.
• "For out of it are the issues of life" gives the reason why a man is to keep his heart with all diligence. Out of a man's heart flows streams of damnation or salvation. Those are sobering words for anyone who calls himself a Christian.

This idea of guarding one's heart with all diligence in the world that we currently live in brings out so many different applications that it is almost impossible to get the all down at any one moment in time. However, here are a few different applications that readily come to mind.

1. The world's attacks on the Christian's heart are constant and relentless. The world knows full well that if they can control a person's heart, that person will say and do anything that is asked of them almost without thinking. If one is convinced that the TV that they have is not what they deserve, they will go out and buy a new one with the promise that they will be more fulfilled. If one is convinced that his marriage is not what it could be if he were to marry someone else, then he is seconds away from finding a new wife either through mental adultery or physical adultery. Once the world has broken through the gateway of the mind and convinced the affections, the acting out is only seconds away. Guarding the heart is infinitely more important that any other action aside from worshiping the One True God.
2. The sinful stain that is still left on one's heart from original sin acts like a sledgehammer the moment he ceases to keep watch. In some ways, this is more dangerous than all the powers of the world combined together. The heart is one's own worst enemy in that it knows best when it can attack with a certain amount of certainty that success will happen. The traitor knows how best to bring down the kingdom and when to bring it down. And that is exactly what the human heart is to the Christian...a traitor.

"When any danger is near, the serpent keeps his head safe, and to preserve his head he will expose his whole body to injury. In the same way, a Christian should especially keep his heart safe; he should jeopardize his skin to keep his heart from receiving one single wound"

- Thomas Watson

"Guard Your Heart With All Diligence, For From It Flows The Springs Of Life."

The Lure of Idols (Pt. 1)

Idol Worship...it's something that seems so foreign and out there for most Christians that it tends to not even appear on their radar. But do idols for the most part look like a little piece of wood or metal that has been dressed up by humans? What are the characteristics of idols that make them and idol? Do idols even need to be physical or can they be immaterial? What do idols have that make them appealing both to Christians and non-Christians alike? What do you do with an idol when you stumble upon it?

Exodus 20:4-6 says this:

“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments."

That is a pretty strong statement to be made by God for all of His children not to pay attention. Here is a statement from God that His people are not to make, worship, and/or serve an idol. He even goes on to talk about what will happen to those people who do decide to make an idol for themselves. Their children to the third and fourth generations will be visited or struggle with their great great great grandfathers desire to serve idols. That's too huge to ignore.

But what God simply talking about physical wooden/metal idols that are commonly though to today. It would be nice if that were the only way in which the Bible speaks of idols. When Saul decides to keep out the choices bits of the Amalekit nation for himself and he is confronted by Samuel, God, through Samuel, says, "Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king.” God says that rebellion is as idolatry. So there is much more to idolatry than simply making a piece of wood into something idolish.

God's the Author...

Yesterday I had the honor and privilege of bringing God's Word to my church. As always I love it. Never thought I would say that but I did and I do. It's amazing to think that the God of the universe actually cared enough to not only send His Son to die on the cross thus saving us from God' wrath, but He also gave us His Word to instruct us on all matters of life (2 Peter 1:3).

My sermon this weekend dealt with the life of Joseph and God's Sovereignty being clearly painted all throughout. In going through his life though, there is one whole chapter that at first glace seems as though it does not need to be in there. Chapter 38 of Genesis is all about Judah and Tamar. Tamar ends up being the daughter-in-law of Judah. Judah's son (Tamar's wife) ends up dying so Tamar marries the next brother and he dies. The story continues with one brother not willing to procreate with Tamar and God gets really angry with that. But the kicker is that later on, Judah is travelling and sees what he thinks is a temple prostitute sitting on the side of the road an decides to use her. It ends up being Tamar and he gets her pregnant.

What in the world...why did God seemingly get angry over the one man not procreating with Tamar but not angry (at least enough to recorded in His Word) at the man who sleeps with his daughter in law thinking she is a prostitute. In my mind, sexual sin way worse than the sin of not procreating (check out Genesis 38 if you are unsure of what I am talking about). However, God works in and through this sin in order to bring about the birth of His Son. Tamar is mentioned in Matthew 1 as being in the lineage of Christ. That is a huge mind blower for me.

However, when I read Romans 8:28 it all comes into focus and I am reminded that it doesn't matter what I want or believe. God is the One who is in control causing all things to work together for good. Who am I to tell God how things should be done. I need to keep my eyes on Him, on His Word, and being obedient. The rest is up to Him. Not a long one today...just a good reminder.

It's been a while...

So I've been busy....that's understating it just a bit. I haven't posted a blog in over a month. I'm not out of the clear yet as I have to preach this coming weekend at Canyon Hills. The sermon that I am giving is the last one that I gave while I was at Christ the Rock...The Sovereignty of God. I am fairly sure that God had me give this sermon so that I would be reminded that this move was of Him and that if He didn't want it to happen it wouldn't have happened.

My thoughts for today are really short and probably "duh" thoughts to most people. It just hit me as I was thinking through my sermon. Here it is:

God has a plan and He is faithful to plan working things in such a way as to see the smallest detail through to the very end.

There isn't one accident with God. The other day I was driving on 405 and I was in the fast lane when all of a sudden I realized that the exit I needed to take was coming up quick. I turned on my turn signal and looked for a spot to get over, but the loving people of the morning commute were not about to let me over. I ended up missing my exit, which is the last exit for many miles. I had to go all the way to I-5 and turn around. Now to say the least I was irritated. I swore that if I caught the old man in the little Chevy Aveo I was going to do something to scare him...I didn't get the chance thankfully. He probably is a member of Canyon Hills :).

This was a minor incident in my life but I was reminded this morning that even that was part of God's plan. It had to be...because if it hadn't happened, then something else would have. I would have gotten to work earlier, I would have met different people in a different order, I would have gotten more work done which would have meant that I would have left work earlier, and so on and so forth. God has a plan and I cannot get outside of that plan.

That's a huge comfort to me and it's gotta be a huge frustration for those who want nothing to do with God. You know I still watch my little sheep from CRCC through the eyes of MySpace and I can see how many of them are trying their hardest to do what they want when they want. (I know that they are not mine to care for any more, but it's hard to let em go.) They are trying to get outside of God's plan not realizing that God's plan will happen and it will include them. Pharaoh tried to do the same thing to Moses, Nebuchadnezzar tried to do the same thing with the three young Israelite boys, and the Jews tried to do the same thing to Jesus. News flash though, "God is Sovereign", He has a plan and is powerful enough, omniscient enough, and God enough to see it through to the end without anyone stopping Him or stepping outside of that plan.

So....Praise God for who He is and What He is doing....after all what else can we do. We are either for Him or against Him.

A Frightening Picture...

The picture that I found for my blog today is a pretty good visual to what I went through yesterday. Just when I think I have a pretty good idea of what I look like, God graciously removes more of my "filters" and allows me to see who I am really am and what I am full of. Wiping away the layers of sin that can cover my view of myself is horrible and hard, but worth it in my quest to become more like Christ. I am so glad that God promised in Romans 8:29 that He would cause me to look more like His Son. I don't think I would willingly go down that path on my own.

So yesterday was my day that I get once a month to go off by my myself and be alone with God.
It was an experience that was very not normal for me. I went down to a local dock and stayed right there all day. I prayed, read Scripture, as well as read through a portion of a book by John Piper called "A Hunger for God". The book was all about prayer and fasting and the importance of it. As I was going through the book one overwhelming thought kept pounding in my head. It was this "Are my longings for God as strong as my longings are for food." The idea behind this day is to take a break from all that is normal and routine and focus on God. Part of that "break" is from food as well. So as my stomach got louder and louder...so did the thought that I just mentioned. The answer that kept resounding back to me is "no, no". There were some points during my day yesterday where I was willing to close up shop and go get a sandwich or something like that just to make the pain go away.

Not only did that thought pound in my head all day long, but a quote from Piper's book sunk deep into my soul as well. Here is the quote:

It is the subtle sense that grows in us, usually unconsciously, that the real effectiveness of our spiritual acts is at the horizontal level among people, not before the fact of God. In other words, if my children see me pray at meals, it will do them good. If my staff sees me fasting, they will be inspired to fast. If my roommate sees me read my Bible, he may be inspirited to read his, and so on. Now that's not all bad. Jesus' public prayers certainly inspired the disciples. But the danger is that all of our life - including our spiritual life - starts to be justified and understood simply on the horizontal level for the effects it can have because others see it happening. And so God subtly and slowly can become a secondary person in the living of our lives. We may think that He is important to us. All of these things are are things that He would want us to do. But, in fact, He Himself is falling out of the picture as the focus of it all. And this registers in the motives of our hearts so that we feel satisfied when others are watching, but feel unmotivated if no one else knows what we are doing - NO ONE BUT GOD!

And those last two lines were the lines that hurt. Is this what has been going on in my life, especially in times when I don't do what I know God would want me to do? Have I been doing much of what I am doing because I am trying to spur others on to do the same? Has my fear of man returned with a vengeance through a side door that I didn't even know about? Questions like that came flooding through my mind...as Piper said they would when someone decides to fast. It came back to the same thing over and over..."What's my motivation for what I am doing?" I have found that I need to ask myself that question time and time again day after day or else I will inevitably replace God's glory with some other motivation...usually involving me at some point.

Just a thought for today. I thought I would close though with a final thought from Piper for those of you who might be slightly interested in fasting... "The absence of fasting is the measure of our contentment with the absence of Christ." In other words, the more you fast...the more you long for Christ. The less you fast...the more content with Him Christ being gone. Piper is not infallible and he can be wrong...but on this point, I agree with Him one hundred percent. It was tough to fast yesterday... no doubt about it. I think I would gladly do it every single day though if it meant being able to focus on God as I was able to do yesterday.

Must God Forgive?

I have had the opportunity to address this question before and I am more adamant now than I have ever been in my stance on this issue. Today in my devotions I was going through Jeremiah 5. I have been there for a couple of days now and I ran into verse 7 which says, "Why should I pardon you? Your sons have forsaken Me and sworn by those who are not gods. When I had fed them in full, they committed adultery and trooped to the harlot's house." The question that is asked at the beginning of that verse is a rhetorical question which really does not need an answer. The answer is undoubtedly "No", God does not need to pardon anyone for anything at any time.

Most of the time I hear that God chooses to forgive because He is a gracious and merciful God whose love covers a multitude of sin (maybe one time I will blog on the misuse of Proverbs 10:12 on all kinds of levels, but for now, I will just say that many people misuse it). While it is totally one hundred percent true that God is merciful and gracious, it is also true that He is just, holy, and pure. He cannot tolerate sins of any kind and is required by His own character to punish sin. So what does it mean that God is gracious, merciful, and forgiving? Does it mean that God sweeps our sin under the rug? Does it mean that God simply chooses to look the other way when we sin? Does it mean that God's love dissolves the sin that we commit? Does it mean that we can sin whenever we want because it no longer offends the holy God of the universe? As in Jeremiah 5:7, these questions are all rhetorical. The answer is a big fat "NO!". God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He does not change (Jeremiah 4:28, Isaiah 46:10). So if God is gracious, merciful, forgiving, just, holy, wrathful, and pure, how do they all work in harmony with consistency that we as Christians can try to emulate?

I would argue that God's grace and mercy which lead to forgiveness are NOT unconditional in nature, contrary to much of the world's thoughts. If you are struggling with me saying that, I would encourage you to read through Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Isaiah for starters to see how God deals with those who continually sin and throw their sin in God's face, believing all the while that they are God's chosen race. Time and again they say that they are chosen so there is nothing to fear. God's comments on thinking patterns like that are not pleasant. So if those attributes of God are not unconditional, the only other option is that they are CONDITIONAL, meaning that there are conditions placed upon God's mercy, grace, and forgiveness.

AHHHH! What are you saying Ben? Is God bound by something that keeps Him from pouring out his love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness out on every single person who is conceived? My answer is ABSOLUTELY! God's own justice is the condition that keeps God from doing that. God cannot overlook sin simply because He loves someone. God's holiness cannot pretend that one of His creations didn't lie when in reality he did. Think about it for a moment before you shove you fist through your computer screen wishing it were my face. If you were the father or mother of a child who was brutally raped and you were sitting in the court room and the judge said something like this, how would you feel, "I know that what this gross perverted pile of garbage did was one of the most detestable things known to man, but I know him personally and I choose to show love to him as opposed to justice. I know that he really deserves to be put in the general population of a prison so that he can find out how it feels to be raped, but I am choosing to show grace and forgiveness to him because of my love for all people. I am sorry to the little girl who was violated by this man, but you should allow your love to cover the multitude of sins that he has committed against you." Any logical, feeling, alive person would go through the roof with anger and wrath at both the rapist and the judge. Why? Because justice would not have been shown in any manner. As a matter of fact, I would argue that the judge would be sinning by not doing his job and showing gross partiality to the rapist.

If that's true with sinful people, think about a holy God who has never sinned. When we sin we sin first and foremost against Him (Psalm 51:5), the One whom is perfect in every way. God would be sinning and inconsistent with His own nature if he were to overlook sin. So there is no way that God shows unconditional love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness to people who continually live in sin. Is God required to forgive, NO! God is required to be true to His own nature. This means that He must exact justice where sin is involved. His wrath must be poured out in instances where His laws have been broken. His anger burns towards those who worship other gods and forsake Him.

The difference for Christians is that God's justice, wrath, and anger have all been shown towards and poured out upon His own Son. It's still not unconditional...rather the conditions have been met by Christ in full. When a Christian sins, Christ is there on his behalf pleading his case before the perfect judge (1 John 2:1). So to those who claim that God is a forgiving judge and will forgive them for the sins that they are committing, I will just quote Jeremiah 5:7 one more time. Take it to heart and be extremely scared.

"Why should I pardon you? Your sons have forsaken Me and sworn by those who are not gods. When I have fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the harlot's house."

By the way, the reason why there is a picture of a glass that has fallen and is shattering into a million little pieces is because of it's visual illustration of what happens to a person when God lets go of them. If the perpetual sinner's life has not been shattered yet, rest assured it will. God is graciously restraining them until the perfect time when they will utterly destroy themselves. Check out Pharaoh's life in Exodus and Romans 9 if you are struggling with this concept. Or Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. It's not a pretty picture of what happens. Thus is the end to everyone who shoves their fist in God's face and says, "I will do what I want for I am God."

Soli Deo Gloria!