Counseling With Psalm 1

By Wendy Wood

Psalm 1 talks about two different types of people and where true happiness (blessedness) is found.  The way of the wicked is contrasted with the way of the righteous.  As you first sit down with a new counselee, keeping Psalm 1 in mind can be a helpful way to assess the needs of the person in front of you.  If your counselee is primarily coming in for a sin issue, how far into their sin are they?  If they are primarily coming to counseling as a sufferer, where are the “roots” of their life planted?  

Psalm 1:1

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

Nor stands in the way of sinners,

Nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

This first verse describes the way of a wicked person. It’s easy to remove ourselves from the category of “wicked”.  There are so many other people who sin worse than we do, after all!  But God’s definition of wickedness is simply listening to the way of the world. Wickedness is allowing the news, social media, entertainers, friends, teachers, and youtube to be your source of information. Every single one of us needs to take this Psalm seriously. 

First of all, the wicked are not blessed.  “Blessed is the man who…..”   Blessed is another way of saying happy.  Sin entices us and lies and tells us that we will be happy if we sin.  Sin does bring momentary happiness, at times.  Sin may be fun for the moment, but then guilt and difficulty set in.  God is clear that choosing to sin and go our own way will not be blessed.  Proverbs 13:15 and 21 confirm that “the way of the treacherous is hard” and “disaster pursues sinners”.  The negative consequences of sin may be delayed, by God’s word is clear that God will not bless those who choose sin.

Psalm 1 uses three verbs to describe the progression of a sinner choosing sin.  And this is where it can be helpful to assess where your counselee is with their own sin patterns.  The first description is one who is “walking” among the counsel of the wicked.  This person is listening to the “counsel of the wicked” or allowing godless and worldly ideas to be a big influence in his life.  This person is passing by where sin is happening.  They are “dabbling” in sin and checking out what others are involved or maybe seeing how severe the consequences might be.  This person is entertaining thoughts of a sinful lifestyle but it still seems wicked in their mind to some degree.  “Walking” implies that they are casually hanging around for periods of time with sinners and listening to sinful ideas. It may seem tantalizing to hear about sin that is happening but they are not quite involved themselves.  Is your counselee spending a lot of time with unbelievers or watching tv shows that encourage sin?  Is your counselee reading worldly books or being influenced by worldly social media more and more?  A person who is walking among the counsel of the wicked is being influenced by ungodly and unbiblical ideas.

Psalm 1 continues with a second verb that shows a deepening level of involvement with sin.  This person has progressed to “standing in the way of sinners”.  The implication of “standing” is that this person is now spending longer periods of time with sinful influences.  This person has become comfortable with sin and is “welcomed” by the sinners in the group.  Picture someone who is walking by a group of people on the street and greets them but keeps moving.  That’s the first category of being a passerby of the counsel of wickedness.  But this person is standing.  They have joined the group and are beginning to participate more and more with sin.  This person is now engaging in unwholesome talk (Eph 4:29) or is lying or gossiping among others. They may be sneaking a few looks at pornography. They may be trying to fit into the group more by engaging in sinful behaviors. This person is probably still feeling pangs of guilt and shame over the sin, but they are in danger of continuing on further into more evil. The time spent in the “counsel of the wicked” will continue to influence their thoughts, desires, and actions.

The third verb is “sitting”.  Psalm 1 says that a person will not be blessed if they “sit in the seat of scoffers”.  This person is fully involved in sinful actions.  They have become comfortable with their sin to the point where it no longer is bothering them.  This is a huge concern.  The sinner has sinned so frequently that their conscience may not be alerting them anymore to guilt and danger.  Picture the proverbial frog that starts sitting in a pot of cool water on the range burner that is heating up to boiling. As the water heats up, the frog doesn’t notice that the water is getting hotter, and continues to stay in the pot as it begins to boil.  The frog dies in the boiling water because it got used to the water each degree that it increased.  Sinners do the same thing.  As sin continues to get worse and worse, often the person will not notice how severe the problem is until it is too late and they are fully engaged in a sinful lifestyle and have become enslaved to the sin.  This counselee may be shocked to hear that you believe the sin is that serious. Radical amputation of sin is a must.  It’s tempting for a counselee to want to manage sin, rather than slay it.  One who is “sit[ting] in the seat of scoffers” needs to take drastic measures to be free of sin.

Psalm 1a, 2-4: “Blessed is the man who… delights in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.  He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does, he prospers.”

This blessed man is meditating on God’s law day and night.  Unlike the unblessed man who is listening to the counsel of the wicked, this person is delighting in God’s word and setting his mind to study and devour the truths of God.  God tells us in Proverbs 4:23 to guard our hearts.  What we allow to influence our thoughts matters greatly!  The key to happiness is listening to and meditating on God’s word.  As we see the beauty of Christ in the scriptures, delight grows in our hearts.  Meditating is much more than walking by God’s word.  Meditating is spending time mulling over, praying over, pondering and considering God’s word and seeing who God is revealing Himself to be. Does your counselee spend quality time in God’s word?  Does your counselee filter all decisions through the lens of what God says in scripture or are they more influenced by how other people do things? Does your counselee have a “the end justifies the means” mentality? Are they looking for the practical end they want more than seeking to honor God in the process? A blessed man is rooted or planted in trust in the Lord and His word.  Help your counselee learn to love and meditate on God’s word with specific scriptures to emphasize the beauty, goodness, holiness, majesty, mercy, justice, and truth of God.

This blessed man yields fruit.  Happiness is found in becoming more and more like Christ.  As a person spends time with God, His Spirit grows love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.  The fruit of repentance grows as a person delights in the grace and goodness of God.  This is “in season” meaning the growth is steady, not all at once, and in God’s timing of whatever “season” He has us in.  Can your counselee look back over the last year and see growth?  Are their sins that they have become aware of and are repenting of?  Does your counselee have a growing desire for holiness?  Are they hating their sin more? 

This blessed man “does not wither”.  A counselee who knows and trusts God’s word will be able to withstand the storms of life.  When trials come, a person who knows God’s word through mediation and knows the God of the bible will endure well.  This is one of our goals for counseling!  Typically a counselee is coming in during a trial needing to learn and grow in how to stand firm in the situation. Perhaps they have been listening to the “counsel of the wicked” and have tried to do things their own way and that has led to more difficulty. Isaiah 40:8 reminds us that “the word of the Lord stands forever”. As we guide our counselees to depend on and trust God’s word, the surety of Truth provides firm ground to stand on.  

Psalm 1:4 concludes with “In all that he does, he prospers”.  This “success” or “prosperity” refers to the difference between the blessed and the wicked.  The wicked will be “like chaff that the wind drives away”. The temporary happiness of the wicked will give way to an eternity of suffering. The wicked are not able to endure trials. Picture the parable of the soils mentioned in Matthew 13.  The rocky soil and the thorny soil represent the wicked person who is not rooted in God’s word and therefore his faith withers and dies and gets choked out by the trials of life. The prosperity promised to the blessed man is the ability to withstand this life with the joy of salvation and the joy of the Lord. The blessed man will stand in judgment and be declared righteous by God because of the word of Christ on the cross.  How does your counselee view prosperity?  Does your counselee have an eternal perspective that allows them to count the trials of this life as “momentary afflictions”?  2 Corinthians 4:17-18 reminds us that “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”  Will your counselee delay momentary happiness for the eternal weight of glory promised to those who delight in the Lord and meditate on his word?  As counselors, we need to hold out the scriptural truth of the future grace that is coming in God fulfilling all his promises.

Psalm 1 concludes with the judgment.  “Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”  The Lord “knows” his own.  He is intimately familiar with all his sheep. Our counselees need to find hope in being known by God.  There is no greater delight than to know God.

Psalm 1 is a helpful contrast of the wicked man and the righteous man.  Lead your counselee through this Psalm and paint a clear picture of the blessings that come from delighting in God’s word and the difficulty and suffering that are in store for the wicked.

Why Are You Cast Down?

By Wendy Wood

In Psalm 42 and 43, the sons of Korah repeatedly say the phrase, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?” These men are using a phrase familiar to shepherds.  A “cast down” sheep is one who has fallen over onto his back.  Sheep in this position are unable to right themselves.  They are completely helpless with their spindly legs and wide bodies to be able to turn over and get up.  This upside down position is extremely dangerous for sheep.  First of all, a sheep that is cast down is vulnerable to predators.  A wolf or coyote or bear could easily kill and eat a sheep that is upside down.  Secondly, the sheep’s four compartment stomach is in danger of building up gases that cut off circulation from the legs and result in death in a day or so.  A shepherd who has lost sight of one of his sheep will search carefully and diligently knowing that a missing sheep might be in trouble. A cast down sheep requires immediate action and the shepherd must restore the sheep’s blood flow and health to ensure the sheep will survive.

Phillip Keller from “A Shepherd’s Look at Psalm 23” writes, 

“Again and again I would spend hours searching for a single sheep that was missing.  Then more often than not I would see it at a distance, down on its back, lying helpless.  At once I would start to run toward it - hurrying as fast as I could - for every minute was critical.  Within me there was a mingled sense of fear and joy: fear it might be too late; joy that it was found at all”.

The bible uses the analogy of sheep to describe God’s chosen people, believers in Christ who are adopted into God’s family.  Isaiah 53:6 says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”  We are like the helpless sheep who wander off and get turned upside down and are unable to right ourselves.  Psalm 79:13 says, “But we your people, the sheep of your pasture…”  and Psalm 119:176 says, “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments.”  When sheep are mentioned in scripture we should pay attention because these references tell us about our condition as humans.

The picture of sheep in the bible is to show us our true state of being.  We are dependent on God, our Shepherd for everything.  Sheep cannot find food for themselves, nor can they defend themselves against predators.  Left on their own, sheep will not survive.  Matthew 9:36 says sheep are harassed and helpless without a shepherd.  Without our Lord and Shepherd, we are doomed to eternal death.  We can do nothing to make ourselves “right” with God.

Sheep are foolish.  Sheep will leave a lush pasture of green grass to feed on brown dead grass for no reason.  Sheep cannot find their way back to their own sheep pen.  Sheep do not know or use wisdom to make decisions.  Psalm 73:22 tells us that we too were foolish and ignorant and “a beast” before we were called by God.  Without God and His wisdom, we are foolish and our lives are without purpose.

Sheep wander off and get lost.  Sheep may wander because they are scared and flee, but they cannot find their way home.  Sheep may wander because they are just following the other sheep, not aware of where they are going.  Sheep may wander because they are curious and want to inspect something interesting more closely.  All of these reasons take them away from their shepherd and lead them to danger.  Without a shepherd, sheep cannot survive.  Isaiah 53:6 says “we like sheep have gone astray” and Hosea 11:6 says that “My people are bent on backsliding from me”.  The picture of both sheep and God’s people is that we are prone to wander.  We are prone to chase after other gods and idols for happiness and satisfaction.  Just like sheep, we put ourselves in danger when we wander from God.

Sheep are also stubborn. In Psalm 23, David talks about the shepherd using a rod and staff to comfort the sheep.  A stubborn sheep who continues to wander off or pursue its own way, needs a rod of correction to keep it safe.  Shepherds must watch continually for sheep who insist on going away from the flock.  This is for the stubborn sheep’s protection and safety.

So in Psalm 42 and 43 where the sons of Korah talk about their own souls being “cast down”, they are making a reference to sheep.  They are saying they feel like sheep turned over on their backs and unable to get up or provide any help or hope to itself.  This Psalmist is stuck.  Most likely they have been “listening” to their own thoughts as they have been pursued by ungodly people and feel helpless to defend themselves.  Psalm 43 starts out with “Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me.”  This Psalm is written by people who are overwhelmed in sadness and hurt from being falsely accused and tormented by people who are evil.  Our souls become “cast down” when we start listening to ourselves rather than going to God as our Shepherd.

In what ways do we listen to ourselves and become cast down?

Firstly, like sheep who are careless and stand in soft, uneven ground and then fall over, God’s sheep become careless in the disciplines of grace and instead rely on grace of the past to sustain them.  When a believer gets lazy about spending time with God, trusting in God’s daily mercies and grace, and tries to sustain themselves through past grace, the believer falls too.  John Piper, in his book “Future Grace”, argues that each day we must trust in God’s grace for that day.  The promises of God, that He is with us, that His grace is enough, that we will spend eternity with Him, all are true because God daily supplies the grace to be faithful to His promises.  It is not enough to look at the past and cling to past grace, we must actively trust that God continues to provide what is needed every moment of the day.  It is only through repentance, humility, and God’s grace that we are “righted” from being cast down in self sufficiency.

Secondly, sheep tip over when their wool becomes too heavy and cumbersome to withstand.  The wool may have clumps of dirt and the sheep simply can’t stay on its feet.  God’s sheep are often weighed down by sin and distractions.  Hebrews 12:1 tells us to lay aside every weight and sin which so easily entangles us”.  Often the weight of pride is too great to withstand.  When we convince ourselves that our way is best, that we should have been treated better than we were, that we deserve better than we have, we are upside down in God’s kingdom.  God opposes the proud (James 4:6).  We are “cast down” when we think in opposition to God because we are deluding ourselves into thinking we are something that we are not.  Our pride blinds us and leaves us helpless, hovering near death.  There is nothing more dangerous to our souls that having God oppose us.

Sheep may also be cast down due to obesity.  A sheep may overeat out of foolishness and become so heavy it cannot stay upright. God’s sheep may became cast down when the interests and distractions of the world become too great.  When a believer is drawn into social media, news, materialism, or sexual immorality promoted by the culture, he may become cast down.  The mind is fed by worldliness rather than the Word of God.  We need God’s Word to transform our minds so that we are not conformed to the world.  We get stuck in sinful patterns of thoughts and desires and become unable to rescue ourselves.

But God has provided the help and hope we need when we are cast down!  Psalm 23 tells us that “He restores my soul”.  The word restore means to “turn back” or “turn again”.  When we are cast down, we are in need of God who “turns us back” to a right position with Him.

God is our faithful Shepherd who seeks diligently to find His fallen sheep and right them.  John 10 tells us that God is our good Shepherd.  He leads his own sheep by name (verse 3).  God goes before His sheep and His sheep follow Him (verse 4).  Jesus calls Himself the door where all true sheep can find pasture (verse 9).  Jesus is the only way to be “right” with God.  We must be made upright by the atonement of His blood for our sins as we receive salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone.  Verse 11 tells us Jesus is the good Shepherd who lays His life down for His sheep.  As the faithful, perfect Shepherd, no one is able to snatch God’s sheep from His hand (verse 29).  

In a “Shepherd’s Look at Psalm 23”, Phillip Keller continues to describe a shepherd’s response:

“As soon as I reached the cast ewe my very first impulse was to pick it up.  Tenderly I would roll the sheep over on its side….  Then straddling the sheep with my legs I would hold her erect, rubbing her limbs to restore circulation to her legs.  This often took quite a little time.  When the sheep started to walk again she often just stumbled, staggered and collapsed in a heap once more.  All the time I worked on the cast sheep I would talk to it gently…. Always couched in language that combined tenderness and rebuke, compassion and correction.

Little by little the sheep would regain its equilibrium.  It would start to walk steadily and surely.  By and by it would dash away to rejoin the others, set free from its fears and frustrations, given another chance to live a little longer.”

As Keller was a careful, prudent shepherd, our Father and Shepherd is holy and perfect.  God through Christ has made a way for His sheep to be rescued and redeemed from their cast down position.  God offers His grace and mercy new every single day for us to trust and live by in whatever circumstances we face.  God gives us His word and perfect guidance for every situation.  2 Peter 1:3-4 says “ His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”  We are foolish sheep who chase after worldliness or allow pride to distract from partaking in the divine nature.  We experience emotional sadness and despondency when we are choosing to be foolish, stubborn, wanderers from God’s word.

As the sons of Korah respond to their cast down souls, “Hope in God!” we need to do the same.  Don’t foolishly keep wandering or being stubborn about how you are living.  Speak truth to yourself.  “Hope in God!”. Remind yourself of God’s promises and choose to trust that He is faithful to keep them.  Rather than neglecting God’s word, fellowship with other believers, and prayer time alone with God, tell yourself “Hope in God” and then take steps to use the graces God has given you to grow in trusting Him more deeply.  

Footnotes and references used:

Joel Beeke, “The Lord Shepherding His Sheep” page 112.

Phillip Keller, “A Shepherd’s Look at Psalm 23”, page 62

Joel Beeke, “The Lord Shepherding His Sheep”, pages 21-22
 Joel Beeke, “The Lord Shepherding His Sheep, page 113-114.  This blog is using his 3 ideas for why sheep become cast.
Phillip Keller, “A Shepherd’s Look at Psalm 23”, page 63.

Above all These, Put on Love Part 11 (Loves Does Not Rejoice in Wrongdoing but Rejoices with the Truth

Love Does Not Rejoice in Wrongdoing, but Rejoices in the Truth

By Wendy Wood

Love does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.  The original Greek language use adikia for wrongdoing.  This is translated as “unjust” or “unrighteous”.  And “truth” is alētheia which is the truth pertaining to God.  Truth pertaining to God are things that are righteous or “right with God”.  The character of God is righteous; He always does what is right.  Obedience to God’s word is righteousness.  So love approves and celebrates what God declares to be right.  Conversely, love never approves of or celebrates what God says is wrong.  Any thought, word, action, or desire that aligns with God is righteous and should be rejoiced in.  But any thought, word, action, or desire that falls short of God’s character and word must not be enjoyed.

Romans 12:9 tells us “abhor what is evil, hold fast to what is good”.  It might seem obvious to hate evil and love good.  But living this out with sinful hearts requires more than just agreeing with these statements.

Consider how this might look in your life.

Love does not enjoy hearing about someone else’s sin.  This may be a celebrity who’s exploits make the news.  It might be a friend who was able to “get back” at her husband who wronged her.

Love does not enjoy watching other people sin.  This includes watching sin on your favorite television show.  Love does not enjoy watching unmarried people live together or watching characters make sarcastic, hurtful comments at someone else’s expense.

Love does not take pleasure in watching evil happen to others.  Maybe a murderer in prison was murdered by other inmates or a television show where the hero of the story exacts vigilante justice.

Love does not enjoy watching others suffer loss or make a mistake.  Love is compassionate and sympathizes with others struggles and errors.

Love does not enjoy making people feel foolish or uncomfortable.  This may be evident in times when you want others to know you are right or correct someone’s speech or fact rather than being gracious.

Love does not enjoy exposing other people’s sin.  Maybe someone you don’t like very much sinned and you enhance your position in the group by gossiping about it.

Love is grieved by the sins in the world - the violence, brutality, and crime that happens in the world daily and is reported on the news.

The things that we are glad about and enjoy reveal our heart’s desires.  When we feel good about anything sinful, we reveal our desire for self-righteousness.  We enjoy the feeling that we would never do such a terrible thing.  We are way better than that sinner! We feel superior to those who sin and take pleasure in “not being like other men”.  We are the Pharisee standing in the temple praying loudly, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector” (Luke 18:11).  Instead of being grateful and celebrating Christ’s righteousness and the righteousness we have through faith in Him, we pridefully congratulate ourselves that we’ve never murdered or committed adultery or whatever “worse” sin we’ve witnessed.  Our hearts reveal our desire to feel superior rather than be grieved at what grieves God.  To have a heart after God’s heart, we must be sad and pained by any and all sin, and especially our own.

Love rejoices with the truth.  Love celebrates what is revealed as good in God’s word. Any obedience to God’s word is to be celebrated.  When a friend who has been struggling with a sin excitedly shares with you how she is growing, this is the time to celebrate with her, not be jealous that you continue to struggle and are jealous of her sanctification.  When someone confronts your sin and speaks truth to you from God’s word, that is time to celebrate that God’s word is right and be grateful for correction.  When a sinner repents because of the truth of the gospel, love celebrates.

Love rejoices with the truth of Jesus.  Jesus came to us with grace and truth (John 1:17).  Jesus perfectly lived out God’s character and God’s word.  Love celebrates Christ’s righteousness.  Love celebrates that any believer in Christ is covered by His perfect life and has His robes of righteousness covering their sin.  So you express joy and gladness in Christ’s life?  Do your family members see you rejoicing in the truth of Christ as you go to Him for forgiveness, strength, hope, and peace.  Do you display joy that you are forgiven and in relationship with God because of what Christ has done?

Love rejoices with truth when honesty is demonstrated.  We as sinners are so quick to fib, stretch the truth, exaggerate, tell half-truths, leave out the inconvenient parts of a story, embellish, or deceive in some way to make ourselves look better.  Maybe you blameshift and put the responsibility on others.  After all,you reason, you wouldn’t have gotten mad if he hadn’t done that. Yet the truth of God’s word is clear that everything that proceeds from our mouth comes from the heart.  Love does not shade the truth.  Love seeks to be honest, open and takes responsibility for thoughts, words, actions, and desires.  When others are honest, we should be rejoicing.  

John MacArthur said;

“Love does not focus on the wrongs of others.  It does not parade their faults for the entire world to see.  Love does not disregard falsehood and unrighteousness, but as much as possible it focuses on the true and the right.  It looks for good, hopes for good, and emphases good.  It rejoices with those who teach and live truth...Love appreciates the triumphs of ordinary folk.  Our children are built up and strengthened when we encourage them in their accomplishments and in their obedience.  Love doesn’t rejoice in falsehood or wrong, but its primary business is to build up, not tear down, to strengthen, not weaken.”*

We must always remember that we cannot love this way on our own.  “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).  We must have the indwelling Holy Spirit at work in us to love this way.  Love is the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22).  We need to pray and ask God to help us love this way as we seek to put these things into practice.

*See John MacArthur’s commentary on 1 Corinthians

Application:

What stands out to you as you read about love not rejoicing in wrongdoing but rejoices in what is right?

What are some ways that you rejoice in sin?

What are some ways that you should be grieved by sin more?

How do you demonstrate that you celebrate righteousness?

How do you need to show you celebrate righteousness more?

Gospel Centered Life Questions - Part 2

by Bob Kellemen

In the first part of this two-part blog post, Gospel-Centered Life Questions, I began by quoting Michael Horton, in his fine work, The Gospel-Driven Life, where he notes that:

“… we typically introduce the Bible as the ‘answer to life’s questions.’ This is where the Bible becomes relevant to people ‘where they are’ in their experience. Accordingly, it is often said that we must apply the Scriptures to daily living. But this is to invoke the Bible too late, as if we already knew what ‘life’ or ‘daily living’ meant. The problem is not merely that we lack the right answers, but that we don’t even have the right questions until God introduces us to His interpretation of reality.”

I then started comparing the world’s 8 ultimate life questions to the Word’s 8 ultimate life questions. And we began to see that the world doesn’t even get the questions right!

Today we look at ultimate life questions 5-8—contrasting the world’s shallow questions with the Word’s profound questions—and answers.

Ultimate Life Question # 5 

The World’s Question: “How do people change?”

The Word’s Question: “How does Christ change people?” “How does Christ bring us peace with God?”

The world’s question focuses on human self-effort—which is the very definition of secular thinking. It’s all about me and my self-sufficient efforts to be a “better me” in my power for my good.

The Word’s question focuses on Christ-sufficiency—it’s all about Him, His power, for His glory—and becoming more like Christ, not simply a “better me.” Yes, there is a role that we play—but that role is a grace-empowered role. Already changed by Christ, we now put off the vestiges of the old us and put on the new person we already are in Christ—through the Spirit’s empowerment. And Christ not only changes our inner person; Christ changes our relationship with the Father from enemy to family, from alienation to peace.

Ultimate Life Question # 6 

The World’s Question: “Where can we find help?”

The Word’s Question: “Where can we find a place to believe, belong, and to become—like Christ?”

The world says, “It takes a village.”

The Word says, “It takes a church.” Sanctification is a community journey with our brothers and sisters in Christ. As Ephesians 3:14-21 reminds us, it is together with all the saints that we grasp grace and grow in grace to glorify our gracious God.

Ultimate Life Question # 7 

The World’s Question: “Where are we headed?”

The Word’s Question: “How does our future destiny impact our lives today?”

We all want to know, “What’s the point?” “What’s our purpose?” The world asks these questions in a vacuum.

The Word asks the destiny question knowing the answer and relevantly tying our future to our present. As Christians, our future destiny is eternity with God on a new heaven and a new earth where we have intimacy with God, purity in our hearts, and victory in our lives. Since this is true, the Bible urges us to live today in light of eternity. As saints who struggle against suffering and sin—our future makes all the difference in our lives now.

Ultimate Life Question # 8 

The World’s Question: “Why are we here?”

The Word’s Question: “What’s our calling/purpose?” “How do we become like Christ”?

The world’s take on the question of ultimate meaning begins with a shallow question and responds with an even more superficial answer: “To be a better me.”

The Word sees our purpose as a calling in relationship to God and others. And the Word focuses our answer on Christlikeness. We are here to glorify the Father the way the Son glorified the Father. We are here to increasingly reflect Jesus. Each of us will do so in unique, idiosyncratic ways because we are each fearfully and wonderfully made to reflect Christ in a billion different ways.

The Right Questions and the Right Answers 

I summarized Part 1 with this tweet-size summary, which also summarizes both of these blog posts:

To offer wise & loving biblical counsel, we must ask & answer gospel-centered biblical questions.

The world not only gets the answers wrong, the world’s questions are impoverished.

The Word not only gets the answers right, the Word’s questions are rich, robust, and relevant.

Join the Conversation 

How are you biblically answering life’s second four ultimate questions?

1. “How does Christ change people?” “How does Christ bring us peace with God?”

2. “Where can we find a place to believe, belong, and to become—like Christ?”

3. “How does our future destiny impact our lives today?”

4. “What’s our calling/purpose?” “How do we become like Christ”?

Tweet It 

To offer wise & loving biblical counsel, we must ask & answer gospel-centered biblical questions.

Posted at: https://www.rpmministries.org/2016/02/4-more-gospel-centered-life-questions/

Gospel Centered Life Questions

by Bob Kellemen

As a reader of my Changing Lives blog, you know that I often discuss what I call 8 ultimate life questions. Perhaps you have wondered:

“Why don’t you call them 8 ultimate life answers”?  

Michael Horton, in his fine work, The Gospel-Driven Life, notes that:

“… we typically introduce the Bible as the ‘answer to life’s questions.’ This is where the Bible becomes relevant to people ‘where they are’ in their experience. Accordingly, it is often said that we must apply the Scriptures to daily living. But this is to invoke the Bible too late, as if we already knew what ‘life’ or ‘daily living’ meant. The problem is not merely that we lack the right answers, but that we don’t even have the right questions until God introduces us to His interpretation of reality.”

Exactly!

So…let’s compare the world’s 8 ultimate life questions to the Bible’s 8 ultimate life questions—and see that the world doesn’t even get the questions right!

Ultimate Life Question # 1 

The World’s Question: “What is truth?”

The Word’s Question: “Where do we find wisdom for life in a broken world?”

Do you see how rich and robust the Word’s question is? And how real, raw, and relevant the Word’s question is? The world asks about truth in the abstract—philosophical truth. The Word asks about and provides the ultimate source of wisdom for living—how broken people live wisely in a broken world.

Ultimate Life Question # 2 

The World’s Question: “Why is there something rather than nothing?”

The Word’s Question: “Who Is God?” “What comes into our mind when we think about God?” “Whose view of God will we believe—Satan’s or Christ’s?”

When Shirley and I recently visited the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, we read displays that constantly pondered why there was something instead of nothing. They not only failed to provide an answer, they were asking a shallow, even foolish, question.

See again the richness of the Word’s question: “Whose view of God will we believe—Satan’s or Christ’s?” We all have a view of God. We are all worshipping beings. And we all follow someone’s portrait of God—either an evil portrait painted by Satan or the beautiful portrait painted by Christ—in His blood.

Ultimate Life Question # 3 

The World’s Question: “Who am I?”

The Word’s Question:” “Whose are we?” “In what story do we find ourselves?”

Wow! Just add those two letters—s and e—and what a world of difference we find between the world’s question and the Word’s question.

“Who am I” is such a tiny, puny, self-centered question. It is a question that pictures the world revolving around me. “Who am I?” is a question that can only be answered by self-sufficiency and self-reference—I am who I see and make myself to be.

“Whose are we?” is such a gigantic, even infinite, question. It is a question that pictures the universe revolving around God. “Whose am I?” is a question that can only be answered in-reference-to our Creator—coram Deo. The story of our lives is not an auto-biography. The story of our lives is a God-biography—we are each epic poems (Ephesians 2:10) written by God as pages in chapters in God’s book of eternal life.

Paul answers this ultimate life question in Romans 1:7: “Beloved by the Father and called to be saints.” We are loved sons/daughters and cleansed saints—that’s who we are because of Whose we are!

Ultimate Life Question # 4 

The World’s Question: “Why do we do the things we do?”

The Word’s Question: “What went wrong?” “What’s the root source of our problem?”

The world answers its wrong question with a wrong answer. “I do the things I do because of others—it’s my spouse’s fault, my boss’ fault, my parent’s fault.” Or, “I do the things I do because of my feelings—they are out of control, beyond my control.” Or, “I do the things I do because of my body—I need better medication because my physical brain is the ultimate source of my soulful problems.”

The Word gets to the heart of our heart problem. Yes, our life situation is an influence. Yes, our emotions are tricky and complex. Yes, our bodies are frail and fallen jars of clay. However, the root source of our problem is spiritual—it is a worship disorder. It is a loss-of-awe disorder. We are all spiritual adulterers and heart idolaters—that’s the root source of our problem. Recognition of that root source compels us to cry out in God-sufficiency for an Answer—a Person—who has paid the price for adultery and idolatry.

The Rest of the Story 

Stay tuned for my next post when we probe ultimate life questions 5-8 and compare and contrast the Word’s shallow questions with the Word’s rich questions.

Join the Conversation 

Is it a new thought for you that the world not only has foolish answers, the world also has shallow questions? If so, what impact might this realization have on your life and ministry?

How are you biblically answering life’s first four ultimate questions?

1. “Where do we find wisdom for life in a broken world?”

2. Who Is God?” “What comes into our mind when we think about God?” “Whose view of God will we believe—Satan’s or Christ’s?”

3. “Whose are we?” “In what story do we find ourselves?”

4. “What went wrong?” “What’s the root source of our problem?”

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To offer wise & loving biblical counsel, we must ask & answer gospel-centered biblical questions.

Posted at: https://www.rpmministries.org/2016/02/gospel-centered-life-questions/

Growing Trust in Marriage

Article by Robert Kelleman, RPM Ministries

Couples Working the Trust-Soil Together… 

Shirley and I continue to watch the Paul Tripp marriage seminar video series based upon his book, What Did You Expect? I blogged about session 2 here: Who Is the Real Problem in My Marriage? It’s Me!  

Session 3 of the video focuses on couples working together to build a sturdy bond of trust. It’s a two-way relationship: each spouse needs to grow in being trustworthy. Also, each spouse needs to grow in being trusting—having faith in God’s trustworthiness so that we can grow in trust of an imperfect spouse. Here’s my summary of Tripp’s video.

Trust Is the Soil in Which Marriage Grows 

Because no spouse is perfect, every spouse will do things that make trust more difficult—things that tend toward destabilizing trust. So we have to work daily toward building trust and toward entrusting ourselves to an imperfect spouse.

We often think of trust-building being primarily the result of trust-worthy behaviors. But trust-building is equally the result of trust-giving attitudes. That is, I need to be forgiving and grace-giving toward my imperfect spouse. And, that imperfect spouse (all of us), needs to be humble and honest enough to admit my trust-breaking behaviors. Again, trust-building is a two-way street. As Tripp says, “Trust-building is a mutual construction project.” And, “every marriage, every spouse, must work at building trust.”

5 Trust Questions 

Tripp urges each spouse to answer these questions for them self, rather than thinking, “Yep, my spouse needs to work on that one!” Take the mote or speck out of our own eye (Matthew 7:3-5).

1. Do I do what I promise?

Tripp notes that it’s not just the big promises that cause trust issues. It’s the micro-promises every day. Do I promise to do something, but fail to do it? Do I promise to be forgiving, but break that promise? Do I promise to quit judging, but break that promise? Am I reliable?

1. Am I attentive to what my spouse sees as important?

It’s easy to value what I value. But do I value something simply because I love my spouse and he or she values a particular value? Don’t minimize or mock the concerns of your spouse—that destabilizes trust.

1. Do I make excuses for my failure to do what I promised?

How do I respond when my failure is exposed by my spouse, or a friend, or a counselor? Am I defensive? Angry? Do I pout and retreat into pity when my failure is revealed? Or, do I willingly and humbly confess my failure? Must I be perfect in my own eyes and in the eyes of others, or am I able to admit my faults and sins?

1. Do I forgive and “re-trust” my spouse when he or she owns up to failure?

Trust in marriage is like the soil in a garden. It must be tended to daily. Weeds must be pulled out. “Nothing breaks the trust atmosphere and environment of the marital soil of trust more than failure to forgive” (Tripp).

1. Have I withdrawn from my spouse in self-protective distance?

This builds on question 4. Am I willing to be open and vulnerable—even to an imperfect spouse? Am I defensive and self-protective and unwilling to trust my spouse unless he/she is perfect or does “penance”?

Thus marital trust has two sides: 1.) Growing in keeping promises (albeit imperfectly). 2.) Growing in granting grace and forgiveness when promises are imperfectly kept.

I would add, as I’m sure Tripp would, that there’s an interplay between these and that a pattern of broken promises also requires the grace of loving confrontation… A healthy marriage is a place where spouses speak truth in love to one another so each grows up in Christ. 

Trust Is a Matter of Character and the Fruit of the Spirit 

The more I reflect the fruit of the Spirit, the more trust grows.

In my promises, do I reflect love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?

In my responses to my imperfect spouse, do I reflect love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?

3 Morning Prayers of the Spirit-Dependent, Trust-Building Spouse 

Because trust is a matter of growing spiritual maturity, and because spiritual maturity develops as I mature in my relationship to Christ, Tripp encourages spouses to rise each morning to pray:

1. “Lord, I confess that I am in desperate need of You to produce the fruit of the Spirit.”
2. “Lord, send me your helpers today (people, Scripture, my spouse, etc.) so I can become more like Christ.”
3. “Lord, grant me the humility to receive help from You and others.”

6 Ways to Build Trust in Marriage 

Again, Tripp urges us to look at the mote/speck in our own eye, rather than pointing to our spouse to follow these 6 trust-building ways.

1. Be honest in communication: Ephesians 4:29.
2. Be true to your promises.
3. Face up to your wrong.

Self-righteousness, pride, and arrogance damage trust. A superior attitude that “you’re wrong and I’m right,” damages trust.

1. Nurture your spouse: Philippians 2:1-5.

Look out for the interest of your spouse more than your own interests.

1. Keep a short account!

Forgive.

“Unwillingness to forgive pollutes the soil of trust” (Tripp).

“The root of unwillingness to forgive is pride” (Tripp).

1. Realize that trust is spiritual warfare: Ephesians 6:10-18.

Admit your need for the Spirit’s help and for prayer and for the armor of God in building trust.

The Core to Trust: Trusting God 

The core to trust is not a perfectly trustworthy spouse.

The core to trust is trusting a perfectly trustworthy heavenly Father.

Do I trust my heavenly Father enough to become vulnerable to my imperfect and not-always-trustworthy spouse?

Do I trust my heavenly Father enough to give grace to my imperfect spouse?

Trust in marriage is less about me and my spouse and more about me and my God.

Thoughts for Reflection 

What’s the trust-soil like in your heart? What’s the trust-soil like in your marriage?

Which of the principles from Tripp’s video do you most need to ask God to work on in your heart and relationship?

Article originally posted at: https://www.rpmministries.org/2018/03/growing-trust-marriage/

Do Not Consume One Another

Article by Howard Eyrich

Galatians 5:15 "Do not consume one another".

The same Scriptures that provide us with the positive protocols about which we have written also delineates five practices that we should avoid in order to glorify God in our marriages and enhance a joyful relationship.

In this essay we will consider the protocol found in Galatians 5:15. It says this: “Do not consume one another.”  Let me suggest six ways that couples typical say or do that contributes to consuming one another. The first one is angry outbursts. Angry outbursts have a deleterious impact in several ways. They provoke anger in your mate. The anger may be a defensive anger, an anger of disgust or a retaliatory anger.  For example, Jim and Sally sat in the counselor’s office attempting to provide their counselor an understanding of how their marriage demise had spiraled. As Jim was reporting an incident for the sake of illustration, Sally responded with defensive anger. Immediately Jim shut down and withdrew.  Angry outbursts diminish affection, cooperation and hope that things can ever change.

A second way we consume one another is by an attitude of demandingness. Demandingness is often the outgrowth of unmet expectations. It is not unusual to hear in the counseling office an accusation that sounds something like this. “You are supposed to be the provider for this family (which often means I expect you to enable us to live at the level of our peers) and I am not to put up with your feeble attempts.” Or, a husband may say, “I thought when I married you that you were supposed to be available for my sexual needs. I did not see where the Bible limits that to once a week and if we are going to make it you will have to get with the program.” Now these illustrations may be simplified and overstated, but they are examples (and will be heard at times in counseling).

A third way of consuming one another is by sheer selfishness. Yes, demandingness is a form of selfishness, but this is more pervasive. What is in view here is a self-centeredness that touches all of life. Sometimes this is a malady of which the individual is totally unaware. For example, a person who was raised with the proverbial “silver spoon” in the mouth may well develop a self-centeredness that not only impacts the mate directly, but also impacts every other relationship. This person’s mate finds him/herself energy drained in attempts to manage the collateral damage with the children, the Sunday School class and even with his/her friends. The mate is consumed in the process.

Yet another practice that is consuming is sulking. The mate of a sulker finds him/herself consumed with the task of figuring out what is generating the displeasure of the mate this time. Often these attempts elicit some the anger response discussed above further exasperating the consuming of the mate.

No one appreciates being manipulated. But when manipulation is characteristic of a mate, it becomes consuming. If this trait is a character trait, it will often go unnoticed in courtship, but once engaged in living intimately it will surface. I once had a young couple in counseling where this is exactly what happened. The wife said, “If I had caught on to this when we were dating I would have broken the relationship. It takes all my effort to be alert to your tricks.

Lastly, we can consume one another by distrusting. In a relationship in which trust is absent, mates find themselves consumed with being self-protective. If I am not trustworthy, my mate is consumed by me. Her/his conscious energy is poured into the action of discernment.

So, when Paul writes, “Do not consume one another”, we once again have instruction from the hand of God as to how to live within the church and especially within the marriage in a manner that contributes to our happiness as an outgrowth of glorifying God.

10 Things You Should Know about the Presence of God

Article by: J. Ryan Lister

1. God is immanent because he is transcendent.

The Lord is “God in the heavens above (transcendent) and on the earth beneath (immanent)” (Josh 2:11). But to understand God in full we must recognize that his drawing near to creation stems from his being distinct from creation. In other words, there is no deficiency in God that creation satisfies. The Lord doesn’t relate to this world because he lacks something within himself. No, God draws near out of the abundance of who he is.

God’s transcendence distinguishes him from the created order and puts things in their right perspective. God does not come to us needy and wanting, but rather he comes to “revive the spirit of the lowly and the heart of the contrite” (Isa 57:15). It is the holy and righteous One above who restores the broken and needy below.

2. The Bible emphasizes God’s manifest presence, not only his omnipresence.

There is a difference between saying “God is everywhere,” and saying “God is here.” The former is the default category for most Christians. We talk about God’s presence being inescapable and that he is “everywhere present” (Ps 139:5-12; 1 Kings 8:27).

But it seems Scripture is more concerned with his presence manifest in relationship and redemption. And though these divine realities are certainly not at odds, the biblical story does turn on God’s being manifest with his people in Eden, the tabernacle/temple, the incarnation of Christ, and the new heaven and new earth.

3. The story of Scripture begins and ends with the presence of God.

In the book of Genesis, Eden is the first couple’s home but, more importantly, it is God’s sanctuary—the garden temple where the Creator and his image-bearers relate (Gen 3:8).

Fast forward to the end of our Bibles and we see a very similar picture but on a much larger scale. All of heaven has collided with the whole earth to make a perfect sanctuary for God to dwell with man (Rev 21:1-4). In the book of Revelation, Eden has returned and expanded into new heaven and new earth where all of God’s people enjoy his presence eternally.

4. Humanity’s mission and the presence of God are inseparable.

God gave man and woman purpose. They are to “be fruitful and multiply” in order to “fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion” (Gen 1:28). Adam and Eve are to do this in Eden, the epicenter of God’s relational presence in creation. As the first couple’s family expands, so too will the garden’s borders and, with it, God’s presence. Likewise, God’s presence was to spread to the rest of the earth through Adam and Eve’s exercising dominion (Num 14:21; cf. Ps 72:19; Isa 11:9).

5. Sin undermines humanity’s mission and the experience of God’s presence.

But there is a problem, isn’t there? Adam and Eve replace blessings for curses when they eat the forbidden fruit. These curses cut right to the heart of who they are and what they were made to do. For Eve, pain overwhelms the promise of a people. For Adam, perspiration and thorns will impede the promise of place.

Sin hinders everything now, especially man’s experience of God’s presence. Because of their disobedience, Adam and Eve are now exiles; their mission is in shambles as they stand outside of Eden. The presence of God they once knew freely is no longer free.

Sin hinders everything now, especially man’s experience of God’s presence.

6. God covenants to bring his presence back to his people.

But in grace, God steps in to pay the price. To overcome man’s sin and ensure his purposes, the Creator becomes covenant Redeemer. Through his covenant promises, the Lord restores what Adam failed to do. God makes a people and a place through the covenant all the while keeping his promises to humanity.

God does all of this so that he can be our God and we can be his people (Gen 17:7; Ex 6:7; 29:45, Rev 21:3, etc.). At the heart of the covenant, then, is a relationship—one that is decidedly on his terms. God enters into his creation to create a people and a place for his presence. And so the covenant is as the Lord declares at Sinai: “I will dwell among the people of Israel and be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them” (Ex 29:45-46).

7. The presence of God is the means and end of redemption.

As evangelicals, we talk a lot about the presence of God but seldom look to the Bible to see what it is. When we do, we find that it is first and foremost a theme on which the story of Scripture hinges. If we read our Bibles though we begin to see a two-fold pattern.

First, the Bible makes clear that the presence of God is a central goal in God’s redemptive mission. All of God’s work ends with the Lord dwelling with man. And second, the presence of God is, not only an objective, it is also the means by which the redemptive mission is fulfilled. God writes himself into his own story to bring salvation. To understand our Bibles and how it changes us, we need to know God’s presence.

8. The presence of God finds its greatest expression in Immanuel, God with us.

God himself comes to save. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, entered human history to give his life as a ransom for many (Matt 20:28; Mark 10:45). In his grace, God buys us back in the most unimaginable way possible: God in Christ became a man, walked among humanity, and died for his people.

In this merciful act, Christ reconciles us to himself and re-opens access to the Father so that those who were once exiled from his presence might again draw near to God (Heb 4:16; 7:19).

9. The purposes of the church are tied to the presence of God.

The presence of God has massive implications for the way we understand the church (1 Cor 3:16-17; 2 Cor 6:14-7:1; Eph 2:13-22). The New Testament calls the church a temple for a reason. Through this image, we see that the community of Christ is—in this time of waiting on Christ’s return—the instrument the Lord uses to disseminate his presence to a lost and sinful world.

Accordingly, the church has two clear purposes: 1) the church works within itself for the sanctification of its members to prepare God’s people for God’s present and future presence; and 2) the church works externally to share the gospel so that the lost may enjoy God’s presence now and forever as well.

10. To be a joyful Christian is to know God’s presence.

If we are honest, many of us can think of God as our “magic genie” from time to time. We keep him on the shelf until troubles arise or there is something our neighbor has that we really want. The problem is, real relationships don’t work this way—especially with the triune God. The Lord over all will not be left on the shelf of anyone’s life.

Instead, Scripture is clear that all of life—and, principally, the gospel life—is about being in God’s relational presence. This is why David proclaims, “in your presence there is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps 16:11). When we push all our peripheral issues to the periphery, this is all that is left and all that really matters.

Ryan Lister (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is an associate professor of theology at Western Seminary and has also held teaching positions at Biola University, Louisiana College, and Charleston Southern University. He is on staff with Humble Beast, a Christian recording studio in Portland, Oregon. Ryan and his wife, Chase Elizabeth, live in Portland, Oregon, with their four children.

The Moment of Truth: Its Reality

The Moment of Truth: Its Reality

FROM Steven Lawson 

During the trial of Jesus, Pontius Pilate asked a question that has resounded through the ages: “What is truth?” That is the key question for today, when the idea of absolute truth is increasingly and soundly rejected in our culture. To help us understand what’s at stake, we’re examining the conversation between Jesus and Pilate in John 18. In the first post, we looked at the rejection of God’s truth as that which lies behind all sorts of evil in society today. This post will look at the reality of truth. Let us look at our passage again:

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” (John 18:36–38a)

Jesus says, “For this I have been born and for this I have come into the world.” Here, in part, is the reason for the incarnation. Ultimately, the reason for the incarnation is the cross upon which Christ died. But He also came to bear witness to the truth, to testify, to teach, to declare, to assert, to affirm the truth. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). In that statement, Jesus claims to have a monopoly on the truth. He is the truth. There is no truth outside of the Lord Jesus Christ. And there is no way to be on the way except to believe the truth, and there is no way to have the life except to receive the truth. What is truth? In one word, truth is reality. Truth is the way things really are. Truth is not how things may appear to be. Truth is not what we want things to be. Truth is not what popular opinion polls say things are. Truth is the way things really are. So let us look at a few characteristics that help distinguish and define the truth.

Truth Is Divine

Truth does not come from this world. It does not arise from society and culture. Rather, truth comes down from above. It comes from God, who is truth and who reveals His truth to us. Truth is the self-disclosure of God’s own being and God’s own nature. God is the author of all truth because God is the truth. All things are measured by God Himself—by Himself—to determine what is in conformity with truth and what is non-truth. God is the final judge of all truth. Romans 3:4 says, “Let God be found true, though every man be found a liar.”

Truth Is Absolute

Truth is sovereign. Truth reigns over all. Truth is the definitive standard by which everything is measured. Truth is never relative. It is never arbitrary. It is never conditional. Everything outside the truth is a lie. Jesus said of the religious leaders of that day and those who followed them: “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44). Ultimately, there are only two fathers and two families in the world. There is God the Father, and all those who are of God are in His family, and they hear the truth. And there are those who are of their father the devil, and they hear the lies of Satan.

Truth Is Objective

Truth is propositional. Truth is conveyed in clearly defined words—and words that have a definite meaning. Truth is black and white. Truth is narrowly defined by God’s Word. Truth is rational. Truth is not subjective. Truth is fact; it is not feeling. Truth is contained in the written Word of God. Psalm 119:160 says, “Your word is truth.” Jesus said the same thing in John 17:17. Truth is found in specific words with specific meaning in the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of the living God.

Truth Is Singular

As Jesus represents the truth here in John 18, He speaks of the truth. When He says “the truth,” not only is He stating that it is objective and authoritative, but He is saying that it is singular. All truth from the mind of God fits perfectly together, and there is never any contradiction. What God says to one generation is true for every generation. The Bible speaks with one voice. It sets forth one plan of salvation, makes one diagnosis of the problem of the human condition, presents one history of redemption, and offers one Savior. All of the sixty-six books of the Bible hang together. If you pull a thread in Genesis, your Bible will crinkle in Revelation. Though there are forty-plus authors, writing over a period of sixteen hundred years, there is one primary Author who used secondary authors to record what is in this book—it is the infallible truth of God.

Truth Is Immutable

Truth never changes. What was true in the Garden of Eden is true throughout the Old Testament, is true in the times of Christ, is true in the expansion of the church, is true down through the centuries, and it is true today because God never changes. He is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8). It is this eternal, immutable, unchanging God who speaks truth, and when God speaks truth, it flows from his own nature and what God says never changes. His Word “is settled in the heavens” (Ps. 119:89), and the “the word of our God will stand forever” (Isa. 40:8). The truth is always the same from generation to generation. Society may try to redefine morality, culture may try to reclassify right and wrong, but truth never changes.

Truth Is Authoritative

When the truth speaks, God speaks. John Calvin used to say, quoting Augustine, that when the Bible speaks, God speaks. His written Word is authoritative. It makes demands upon our lives. Truth is never just interesting. Truth is never intended to merely provoke our curiosity. No, truth is assertive. Truth has the right to make demands upon our lives because it is the truth of God. Truth possesses the right to rule our lives.

Truth Is Powerful

Truth alone convicts. The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, able to pierce the division of soul and spirit and to expose the innermost thoughts of man. Every other statement just lies on the surface. Only truth can bore down and penetrate into the very heart of a person, exposing their hearts before God and allowing them to see themselves as God sees them. Truth saves. There is in truth the very germ of life. And when that seed of truth is received into the heart by faith, it germinates by sovereign regeneration, and there is life. We have been “born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). Truth sanctifies. It conforms us into the image of Christ. Truth encourages. Truth comforts.

Truth Is Determinative

Your eternal destiny is determined by the truth. Your relationship to the truth will determine where you will spend all eternity. Your relationship to the truth will determine whether you are in heaven or in hell forever. Your relationship to the truth will chart the course of your life in this world. Your relationship to the truth will define your family. It will direct your business. It will be a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path. Your entire life is marked by the truth. Everything that does not measure with the truth is a façade. Only once the truth has spoken may we understand what true reality is.

This is the reality of the truth. In our next blog post, we will consider the reception of the truth.

Article originally posted on Ligoneer Ministries:  https://www.ligonier.org/blog/moment-truth-its-reality/