Only God Can Save Us Now

This past December while visiting family in Michigan, Amanda and I enjoyed a show by our favorite band, Over the Rhine.  One of the songs that really caught my attention was, Only God can Save us Now.  Karin, the lead singer, explained that she wrote the song not long after her mother had to be moved to an assisted care home due to a stroke.  The song is a tribute to some of the people in the home where her mom lived.  Linford, Karin's husband described it as "a head on collision between comedy and tragedy," very funny, yet touching and serious.  There was Barb who would "borrow" meds from the med-cart, Bob who would repeatedly say, "How Now Brown Cow", and Miss Cleve who would victoriously sing "Hallelujah."  The song culminates with the chorus, "only God can save us now."

As I listened to this song the other day, I was struck by the reality that brokenness which births faith is the first step of finding our salvation in God.  In Matthew 18:3 Jesus says, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."  Why would Jesus commend us to become like a child to enter the kingdom of heaven when as adult we seem much smarter and wiser when it comes to spiritual things?  The answer lies in a child's natural disposition towards trust, humility, and faith.  When I hold and pray with one of my daughters who were awaken by a bad dream their world is completely secure.  They don't have a back-up plan in case this daddy thing doesn't work.   Instead, they fully trust in their daddy's capacity to protect and comfort them.  Unfortunately, as we grow up we tend to become our own genius, foolishly believing the lie that we have everything under control.   God's challenge in Matthew 18:3 for us is to take on the traits of childlike humility because until we shed our self-reliance and affirm our own brokenness we will foolishly believe we have no need for God.

Our first steps towards the Gospel begin with humble recognition that only God can save and redeem us (Romans 5:6-10), the first step of discipleship is humble recognition that only God can save and sanctify us,  and the last step of discipleship is humbly understanding that only God could save and keep us from stumbling.

I suppose it is good that I am not walking around the house singing, "How Now Brown Cow", but if that is what it takes for me to recognize that, "Only God can save me", may God break me...and spare the sanity of my wife and kids:)  May God mercifully bring us to the point that we gladly recognize, "Only God can save us, sanctify us, and keep us."

The Danger of Safely Pursuing God

Years ago while living in the suburbs of Cleveland, I had a conversation with an elderly neighbor about our home security system. We had just purchased the home on a quiet cobblestone street and our neighbor commended us on the importance of our security system. The truth was, although I had kept the sign up in our yard warning intruders that the house was armed with a security system, I had canceled the service because I was too cheap to pay the monthly fee.

The reality is that our culture is consumed by safety. We have organizations and groups dedicated specifically to providing safety while we work, travel, eat, and sleep. As a father of two energetic girls, safety is usually (according to my wife I am using the term loosely) at the forefront of my mind. I wonder sometimes if we have allowed our obsession with safety neuter our relationship with Christ. Has our passion for safety affected the way we choose to live out the Christian life or define God's purpose and plan for us? How often have we readily agreed with the statement, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life?"; all the while defining this "wonderful plan" based on our desire for safety, security, and immediate happiness. We forget to leave room for suffering and self-denial, both key aspects of discipleship as defined by Christ in the Gospels. Christ said in Matthew 16:24 that, "If anyone would come after me [Christ], let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Self-denial does not correlate with safety. In fact, self-denial is the antonym of safety. Why then have we defined a "safe" life with material prosperity a sign that one is living out God's "wonderful plan" for their life? What if God's "wonderful plan" for our lives was that we find redemption through Christ's atoning sacrifice on the cross and then live as radicals whose passion to bring glory to God outweighs the passion for comfort and safety? What if Dietrich Bonhoeffer is right in saying that to endure the cross is not a tragedy; it is the suffering which is the fruit of an exclusive allegiance to Jesus Christ?[1] What if our brothers and sisters in Christ being persecuted for their faith around the world are the ones truly living out God's "wonderful plan" for their life?

In the end of course all this is easy for me to write as I sit "safely" in my office where I am paid to be a "professional Christian". May my own desire for safety be crushed by a life driven to take up my cross daily and follow Christ, all the while basking in Christ's promise found in Matthew 11:28 to give rest to the heavy laden.

---

[1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

Heaven, Hell, & the Glory of God

I recently preached a sermon entitlled, "Hell, Adding Dimension to Hope," from 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 as part of our current sermon series, "Unwrapping Hope." The premise of the message was that just as the study of heaven helps Christians to better understand the hope that God has given them in salvation, the study of hell adds greater dimension to a Christian's understanding of hope.

I would like to take a moment to expound on a concept that I was only able to briefly touch on in my sermon. The connection of God's glory and hell. Within pop culture, hell is viewed as Satan's hangout spot. Within much of western Christendom, hell is overtly or inadvertently diminished by treating the subject with silence. Contrary to these two views, the Bible clearly teaches that hell is a real place that demonstrates God's glory.

God created heaven so that His unveiled glory could be demonstrated to believers. The awe of heaven will not be so much the beauty of heaven itself, (although the beauty will be beyond anything our finite minds can imagine), but the reality that one will be able to bask in the presence of God's unveiled glory. Simply put, God's glory is demonstrated through heaven by the fact that He can redeem sinners and make them holy so that they can experience His unveiled glory.

God created hell to punish sin with eternal righteous punishment. So then how does this reflect God's glory? Well, whenever we sin it is an attack on God's glory. God's response to this attack on his glory by punishing the offender is a demonstration of both His glory and the infinite value of His glory. This does not mean that God delights in a sinner suffering, but instead demonstrates that the infinite value of God's glory, His justice, and righteousness demand the ultimate penalty for sin be eternal punishment in hell. This is how John 3:17, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him," fits with 2 Thessalonians 1:7b-8, "When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might."

Both the beauty of God's redemption and horror of God's judgment equally demonstrate His glory.

Praise God that he sent His Son to pay the penalty for sin by being an atoning sacrifice so that one might someday stand in the presence of God's unveiled glory.

Intellectual Honesty, Questioning God, & David Bazan

I enjoy music, the arts, and film, all of which demonstrate the creativity God has bestowed upon humanity. I recently picked up a new album by David Bazan, the front man for the now defunct indie rock band Pedro the Lion. I was a big fan of Pedro the Lion and enjoyed their creativity, intellectual honesty, and spirituality, so was quite excited to find that Bazan had put out a new album.

As I listened to the album I noticed a shift in Bazan’s worldview. I applaud Bazan’s authentic and frank discussions about his doubts of God, the Scriptures, and original sin; however when his questioning turned him into his own genius peppered with cynicism rather than coming back to a faith in God, I was quite disappointed.

Is it wrong to question or doubt God? The book of Job and much of the Psalms record people questioning God, his goodness, his power, and what He does. Questions are good, because God desires people who process and think. The problem is when one’s question turns them into their own genius and they begin to set the parameters for their own reality. This was exemplified in the fall of Adam and Eve. Was it wrong for Adam and Eve to question God?...Probably not. What was wrong however was when the questions turned Adam and Eve into their own genius and they placed their intellect above God.

Each of us experience times of questioning God. For me this has happened both at an intellectual level as I tried to wrap my mind around what I believed to be truth as well as, at an emotional level when my soul had been hurt. The important question is, “What do we do during seasons of doubt in our life?” The answer to this question is in Job 40:8 and 42:1-6. Job 40:8-9 records God’s response to Job after Job has questioned Him and states, “Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right?” God was saying, “Man-up and instruct me…condemn me so that you can justify your own genius.” God then gives Job a demonstration of his power. Job responds in 42:1-6 with repentance and confession to the majesty of God.

Just as with Job, may our doubts and questions towards God conclude in the arms of God.

Worship

Some of my greatest joys and most challenging moments stem from interaction with my daughters, Selah (3 ½ yrs.) and Kaiyah (2 yrs.). As a new parent I am continually trying to mold (otherwise known as con) my girls to do the right thing for the right motives. Through this process I am beginning to uncover what every veteran parent knows; it is much more challenging to help kids obey with the right motive than to just merely obey.


The book of Hosea records how God dealt with this same issues as He interacted with the children of Israel. The theme of this book is God’s loyal covenantal love for His people despite their unfaithfulness. Hosea 6:6 reads,

“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather
than burnt offerings.”

God’s people had failed to understand His true desire for them. Instead of steadfast love and knowledge for God they brought him sacrifices and burnt offerings. So why did God want steadfast love? Had He not commanded them to bring sacrifices and burnt offerings? Yes, however the sacrifices were not an end in themselves. Instead, the purpose of the sacrifice was an outward demonstration of inner allegiance and love that their covenant with God demanded. The Hebrew word translated steadfast love in this verse is, hesed, which is the same word used throughout the Old Testament to describes God’s loyal covenantal love towards his people. God desired that they not only be obedient to His commands, but that their heart/motivation driving their obedience be right. Even though the Israelites continued the motions of worshiping God, their heart for God was nonexistent. This made the sacrifices and burnt offerings meaningless and offensive (Isaiah 1:11-20).


It is easy to get wrapped up into the motions of, “doing church”. Sometimes I have to step back and ask myself, “What is the driving force of my worship to God?” When we understand that our worship towards God should be an authentic response to His work within us, great freedom emerges. The driving force of our worship and obedience towards God becomes driven by love. May we not enter into worship with the wrong motives so as to relegate it to meaningless ritual, but instead may we live out the words of Hebrews 12:28-29, “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”