The History of Calvinism

Last night I was doing some research into the history of calvinism and ran across a great lecture by Phil Johnson called "The History of Calvinism:  A Historical Survey".   There are many misconceptions out there about what Calvinism is (by both those who claim to be calvinists and those who do not), and I think that is simply due to a lack of knowledge on the subject.  It's an easy, fascinating listen, and I think you'll learn a lot...I did!

Milk Truck Monday - "Use Means, But Don't Trust in Means; Trust in God"

Here is an excerpt from a book by John Piper entitled  "Taste and See".  This book contains 140 short meditations, one of which grabbed my attention this week.  As you read it, be encouraged to trust in God today even though it is "Milk Truck Monday"!

Here is the Meditation written by John Piper:

Use Means, But Don't Trust in Means; Trust in God

This sounds so simple.  In principle it is.  But in practice we sinners are wired to trust in means, not God.  Over and over I devise plans, and then find my initial enthusiasm rise or fall as the plan seems smart or not.  This is trust in plans, not trust in God.  There is no doubt God wants us to use means to get his work done.  But just as clearly he wants us not to trust in these means.  "The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD" (Prov. 21:31).  Therefore, our confidence should not be in the horse, but in the Lord.  "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God" (Psalm 20:7).

George Mueller's life was devoted to vindicating this truth.  He explained once how it relates to our vocation.  We should work to earn a living and supply our needs, but we should not trust in our work but in God.  Otherwise we will be ever anxious that our needs will not be met if we can't work.  But if we are trusting God, not our work, then if God ordains that we lose our job, we can be confident he will meet our needs, and so we do not need to be anxious.  Here is the way he put it.  

"Why do I carry on this business, or why am I engaged in this trade or profession?"  In most instanes, so far as my experience goes, which I have gatered in my service among the saints during the last fifty-one years and a half, I believe the answer would be:  "I am engaged in my earthly calling, that I may earn the means of obtaining the necessaries of life for myself and family."  Here is the chief error from which almost all the rest of the errors, which are entertained by children of God, relative to their calling, spring.  It is no right and scriptural motive, to be engaged in a trade, or business, or profession, merely in order to earn the means for the obtaining of the necessaries of life for ourselves and family; but we should work, because it is the Lord's will concerning us.  This is plain from the following passages:  1 Thess. 4:11-12; 2 Thess. 3:10-12; Eph. 4:28.

It is quite true that, in general, the Lord provides the necessaries of life by means of our ordinary calling; but that that is not THE REASON why we should work, is plain enough from the consideration, that if our possessing the necessaries of life depended upon our ability of working, we could never have freedom fro anxiety, for we should always have to say to ourselves, and what shall I do when I am too old to work? or when by reason of sickness I am unable to earn my bread?  But if on the other hand, we are engaged in our earthly calling, because it is the will of the Lord concerning us that we should work, and that thus laboring we may provide for our families and also be able to support the weak, the sick, the aged, and the needy, then we have good and scriptural reason to say to ourselves; should it please the Lord to lay me on a bed of sickness, or keep me otherwise by reason of infirmity or old age, or want of employment, from earning my bread by means of the labor of my hands, or my business, or my profession, He will yet provide for me.  (A Narrative of Some of the Lord's Dealing with George Mueller, Written by Himself, Jehovah Magnified.  Addresses by George Mueller Complete and Unabridged, vol. 1 [Muskegon, Mich.:  Dust and Ashes Publications, 2003], 393

This truth applies not only to our vocation but to all areas of life.  Moment by moment we use means to keep us alive and accomplish the purposes of God (food, houses, phones, cars, medicines, doctors, builders, advisers, etc.).  The lesson we need to learn is not to trust in these things when we use them, but to trust wholly in God.  This applies to planning for our church.  We plan.  We budget.  We teach and preach and counsel.  The temptation continually is to trust in these things and not in God to work in and through and without these things.  So as we dream toward ministry and missions, let us use means, but let us trust God.  His promises are the only sure thing.  All our means are fallible.

Mueller summed up the principle like this:  "This is one of the great secrets in connection with successful service for the Lord; to work as if everything depended upon our diligence, and yet not to rest in the least upon our exertions, but upon the blessing of the Lord."  (Narrative, vol. 2, 290).  Or, as the Bible more carefully says it:  "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:12-13).  Even more to the point, Paul says:  "By the grace of God I am what I am and his grace toward me was not in vain.  On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me" (1 Corinthians 15:10).  (Taste and See: Savoring the Supremacy of God in All of Life, 140 Meditations by John Piper, 361-363.)

Encouragement for Moms

For all you moms out there who may be feeling, as I often am, a little overwhelmed at the hugeness of the task of gospel-centered mothering and all it involves,  here are some quick reads from the blog "Girl Talk" that I found encouraging and helpful. 

 

Gospel Food

The Gospel for Busy Moms

Prize Your Husband

Milk Truck Monday

Usually when I think of Romans 8, the first verses that come to mind are verses 28-30. 

 "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.  For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.  And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified."

But, it's the section that precedes this that has been the biggest encouragement to me over the past few weeks when it seems that God's sanctifying work in my life has been constantly opening my eyes to my inadequacies and His greatness.  It's at these times when I run to Him in prayer that I find myself at a loss for words.  I don't know what His will is or how to pray for it, but there is Someone who is already interceding on my behalf!   Romans 26-27 says,

 "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  And he who searches hearts know what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."

 Douglas Moo, professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois and author of the NICNT (The New International Commentary on the New Testament) "The Epistle to the Romans" has this to say about this verses:

Our "inability to know what to pray for cannot be overcome in this life, for it is part of 'our weakness,' the inescapable condition imposed on us by our place in salvation history... Paul points us to the Spirit of God, who overcomes this weakness by his own intercession... Our failure to know God's will and consequent inability to petition God specifically and assuredly is met by God's Spirit, who himself expresses to God those intercessory petitions that perfectly match the will of God.  When we do not know what to pray for -- yes even when we pray for things that are not best for us -- we need not despair, for we can depend on the Spirit's ministry of perfect intercession 'on our behalf.'  Here is one potent source for that 'patient fortitude' with which we are to await our glory (v. 25); that our failure to understand God's purposes and plans, to see 'the beginning from the end,' does not mean that effective, powerful prayer for our specific needs is absent."

How comforting it is to meditate on the fact that "there is one in heaven, the Son of God, who 'intercedes on our behalf,' defending us from all charges that might be brought against us, guaranteeing salvation in the day of judgment (Romans 8:34).  But there is also, Paul asserts in these verses, an intercessor 'in the heart,' the Spirit of God, who effectively prays to the Father on our behalf throughout the difficulties and uncertainties of our lives here on earth (Douglas Moo).  

What is Systematic Theology and Why Does it Matter to Me as a Wife and Mother?

What is Systematic Theology?  Wayne Grudem defines it as "any study that answers the question, 'What does the whole Bible teach us today?' about any given topic".   In his "Systematic Theology" he goes on to say, "The focus of systematic theology is on the collection and then the summary of the teaching of all the biblical passages on a particular subject.  Systematic theology asks, for example, 'What does the whole Bible teach us about prayer?'  It attempts to summarize the teaching of Scripture in a brief, understandable, and very carefully formulated statement."  

Now that we have a basic idea of what systematic theology is, you're probably asking, as I did, why in the world does it matter?  I mean, come one.  I'm constantly doing dishes and laundry, cooking and cleaning, problem solving, cleaning up spills, reading stories and playing dress up with my girls...  The list goes on and on.  So, the question remains, why should we put time and effort into the study of systematic theology?  Why does it matter to me as a wife and mother?  

 

Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.   And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20)  

I think Grudem explains it very well:

 "The task of teaching all that Jesus commanded us is in a broad sense, the task of teaching what the whole Bible says to us today.  To effectively teach ourselves and to teach others what the whole Bible says, it is necessary to collect and summarize all the Scripture passages on a particular subject... We can teach others most effectively if we can direct them to the most relevant passages and suggest an appropriate summary of the teachings of those passages.  Then the person who questions us can inspect those passages quickly for himself or herself and learn much more rapidly what the teaching of the Bible is on a particular subject.  Thus the necessity of systematic theology for teaching what the Bible says comes about primarily because we are finite in our memory and in the amount of time at our disposal.  The basic reason for studying systematic theology, then, is that it enables us to teach ourselves and others what the whole Bible says, thus fulfilling the second part of the Great Commission."

I'm a stay at home mom, so my first thought goes to my girls, Becca and Abbie (and in about 4 months, Calleigh).  They are constantly learning new things and asking questions.  How do I answer Becca when she asks, "Why is God a Father?"  How do I discipline in such a way that my actions and words point them back to Christ? How do I relay Bible stories to them so they see Christ?  They will get older and continue asking questions.  As I see it, I have two options:  give them a pat answer complete with a verse, which may or may not be used in the right context, or take them to the Scriptures, give them "the most relevant passages and suggest an appropriate summary of the teachings of those passages.  Then [they] can inspect those passages quickly for [themselves] and learn much more rapidly what the teaching of the Bible is on a particular subject (Grudem).  In order to be able to direct my girls to these passages, I need to know where they are and what they mean for myself.  

Our kids aren't the only people asking questions.  There are friends, family, co-workers, those who look up to us, neighbors, ...   When a difficult time arises in their lives, and they come to us for advice, what do we tell them?  Where do we point them?  Nobody wants to give wrong advice, so how do we make sure that the advice we give is sound and biblically correct?  We must point them back to the Word of God and help them find Jesus in it.  How do we do that?  We study the Word for ourselves fitting the pieces of our systematic theology together with "prayer, humility, reason, help from others, rejoicing and praise, and by collecting and understanding all the relevant passages of Scripture on any topic" (Grudem).  I would encourage you to study and interact with us.   We'd love to hear how God is using this study in your lives.

Purchase Wayne Grudem's "Systematic Theology"