Toothless Warnings - Perseverance and Apostasy

If you don't clean your room, I am going to sell you to the Indians.  That was a threat I used to use with my kids when they were little.  Yes, I know I am depraved.  I understand.  It doesn't work anymore, because I have older kids that know its not true.  If I use that threat, one of the older kids will whisper in the younger kid's ear, "He is just kidding.  He wouldn't sell you to the Indians."  So, my warning loses its bite.  It loses its persuasive push, because the consequence has been shown to be illusory, not real.  

As I preach, I constantly come across warning passages in the Bible.  I call them the "if" passages.  IF you continue in the faith, then you will be saved.  A clear one comes in Colossians 1:22-23, "But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation  -  IF you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel."  Notice the "if."  These passages crop up all the time, all over the Bible, not just a few times in Hebrews.

They are warnings meant to stimulate us to do the right thing which is to persevere and to hold onto Jesus no matter what happens.  They are warnings with some bite to them.  IF you don't persevere in the faith and you abandon Jesus, you had better watch out.  The consequences are real and intended to motivate people to "persevere" or to "overcome" as John puts it. 

So, what's the problem then?  Just issue the warning with its consequence and leave it at that!  It's not that easy.  Theologically, I believe that the Bible teaches that a true believer cannot lose their salvation.  So, for years, whenever I would come across an "if" passage, I would immediately give a 3 minute discussion on "once saved always saved".  I was defending my theological conviction (which I still hold firmly), but at the same time I was taking the bite out of the warning.  I was reading Shreiner's commentary on Jude the other day, and was heartened when I saw him do the same thing.  He was looking at an "if" passage and immediately set forth a defense of an eternal security type of teaching.  I know I am not the only one who struggles with this, because it is a tension inherent in the New Testament itself.


Paul can emphatically say that "He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus," and then he can issue an "if" passages like the Colossians one above.  So, here is how I see it at this point, and here is how I tend to frame it today.  D. A. Carson put it like this, "Perseverance is the test of reality."  In other words, theologically and logically speaking, those who persevere in the faith are by definition true believers.  Those who do not persevere in the faith and apostatize never were true believers in the first place.  This logical construct helps me make sense out of the Scriptural data.  It also helps me to maintain my belief that true believers cannot lose their salvation, while at the same time keeping the bite to the warning.  A Christian is one who perseveres in the faith.  True believers cannot lose their salvation, but church members and those who have made outward professions of faith and appear to be saved can be lost.

John says in 1 John 2:19, “They went out from us, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us (perseverance), but they went out from us so that it might be made clear that they were never part of us to begin with.”

Jesus says something similar, "He who endures to the end will be saved" (Matthew 10:22).  The author of Hebrews says, “We share in Christ, IF we hold our first confidence firm until the end (Hebrews 3:14).  Salvation is tied to us persevering in the faith.  Those with the Spirit will persevere and not depart from the faith.  Those who do leave prove that their commitment never existed in the first place.


So, all of these "if" passages are really warnings calling us to persevere, to stand strong in the truth of the gospel.  They are a call to commitment.  I understand that this is a logical systematic construct, but it is one that helps me in the pulpit keep the bite in the warnings of Scripture and at the same time not deny what in my mind is a clear teaching of Scripture.  What do you think?

"Why is Paul So Pushy?"

I have a 3 year old, so I know pushy.  The other day Sarah would have nothing to do with me.  It was an "I Love Mommy" day.  Then, all at once, everything changed.  I sat down on the couch for the evening, turned on a favorite show, and popped the top of a delicious mouthwatering can of Mountain Dew.  

The next thing I know my breath was knocked out of me as Sarah ran and jumped on my gut.  She took her two grubby paws and grabbed my cheeks and she said, "Dad . . . you my best friend."  I knew what that meant!  It meant, "Dad . . . that Mountain Dew looks good; give me some!!"  But . . . how can you say, "No," to your 3 year old best friend?

I am just wrapping up preaching through Philemon, and I still have one question that is nagging at me. I haven't answered it for myself satisfactorily.  Is Paul's pushiness something that we should imitate today or not?  Let me take a moment to clarify. 

PAUL IS PUSHY!!! 

The first word that actually comes to my mind is manipulative, but I have since discarded that word as too much for how Paul is acting here. You might still like that word and I wouldn't blame you. 

Paul is urging his friend, Philemon, to forgive his runaway slave and perhaps even to free him.  He gives him 8 reasons why he should do it:

Welcome And Forgive Onesimus (17) . . . BECAUSE . . . 

1.   . . . He became a believer (8-10)

2.   . . . He served me (11)

3.   . . . I have grown to love him (12)

4.   . . . He took your place serving me (13-14)

5.   . . . He is now your brother (15-16)

6.   . . . You can charge his debts to my account (18-19a)

7.   . . . You owe me one (19b)

8.   . . . You have to keep up your reputation (20-22)

Paul uses every technique he can to twist Philemon's arm.  For instance, he not only writes this letter to Philemon, he also writes it to his wife (Apphia), his pastor (Archippus), and to the entire church that meets in their home!  That means that this little letter would not only be read by Philemon, but also his entire spiritual family.  Paul does that to put even more pressure on Philemon to make the right choice. 

He also tells Philemon that he could command him to forgive Onesimus, but he would rather Philemon choose to do so on his own. 

And . . . finally, he promises to pay any debt that Onesimus owes Philemon. However, he wants Philemon to remember that he owes Paul.  Paul reached beyond his comfort zone and shared the gospel with Philemon and his life was changed forever. He owes Paul his salvation. The least he could do was forgive Onesimus.

So . . . Paul grabs Philemon's arm and twists it almost to the point of breaking it.  By the end of this letter, there is no decision that Philemon could make except the right one.  

Now . . . I think Paul did the right thing.  Philemon apparently needed to be pushed.   I am just wondering if this is the style of persuasion that we should use today.  And by we . . . I of course mean me.  Should I push this hard on people to live out the gospel?  I am not going to lie.   I have been this pushy before, occasionally.  But, on average, I am not this pushy.  I try to persuade people to do the right thing and to live the kingdom, but I also try to give them the space to make the choice for themselves.  

The tentative conclusion I have come to is that this is just Paul's style.  Paul's style doesn't have to be my style.  I think we often hold up one person who has a certain personality and gift set and say that everyone should be just like this person.  I have the spiritual gifts of shepherding and teaching; others have the gifts of evangelism, still others have the gifts of service.  God has created and gifted each of us uniquely. 

It wouldn't be right for me to suggest to the evangelist that he is shallow and only focuses on the gospel and needs to begin to grow people better.  Neither would it be right for him to say to me that you are too inward focused and that I need to sharing my faith with my dental hygienist.  We are uniquely designed by God differently, each of us with our own gifts and personality.  It is when we work together through the Spirit's empowerment that the gospel's impact is maximized.

God uses all sorts of different types of people in all sorts of different types of ways.  Thank goodness I don't have to be Paul to be effective.  Because I know one thing for sure, I am no Paul.  :) 

Discernment vs. Censorship

I was talking to my pastor friend Tim once about a book.  A book I think both of us were supposed to think was BAD, but neither of us really did.  Well . . . we agreed that the author was wrong on many things, but other things we really liked.

Then he said something that struck a deep chord with me.  He said it as an apology.  He said it fearing what I might say.  He said it as if it was a bad thing.  He said, "I almost always find something in any book that I like."  I agreed.  My first instinct when I disagree with something is not to censor it, but to study it.  I try to look at things from the opposing point of view as best as I can.  Usually I see a nugget of truth there that I need to deal with and learn from.

I fear too many of us are in the censoring business (Harry Potter is from the devil; Twilight is satanic; the Hunger Games glorify violence, etc.).  I believe the Holy Spirit can speak through many avenues, including pop media   I watched a horrendous movie the other day.  It was the worst movie I think I had ever seen.  Yes . . . it was a Sundance award-winning movie.  That fact alone pretty much seals the deal for me.  I watched it, thought I was going to kill myself, and then wished I had those hours back when I was done.  BUT . . . I still was able to discern a good message.  EVEN from a pile of garbage (from my point of view).

The message was about not trading short term pleasure for long term happiness and satisfaction.  A woman didn't return to her home country when her student visa ran out, because she was in love.  But . . . that very act led her to not be able to come back and be with her loved one in the future.  Man does that speak to the Christian life or what.  How often do we trade the immediate pleasure of sin for its long term negative consequences.

I can even find redeeming things about Rob Bell's work (cue gasp)!  In "Love Wins" he is rightly trying to focus us on the blessings of the Kingdom of God in the present age and curses of disobeying God in this life.  Life in the kingdom of God is not just about holding a future fire insurance policy.  We can live heaven now through the Spirit, or we can live hell.  Now . . . there is the whole swinging the pendulum way in the other direction to the point of denying the clear biblical teaching on a future hell.  But . . . if we have open ears, we can still find truth that can cause us to grow, while rejecting the garbage. Discernment.

Maybe I am as wrong as rain!  I probably am!  I just believe that diamonds of God's truth can be found in even the most ordinary of places.  Are you looking for God's truth?

Are you really a victim or just paranoid?

A man attacked a dog this past weekend claiming that it was a racist. Can a dog be racist? Did this man really think that? Check out the story here at the Sun Times

Apparently this man walked by the dog's home many times, and each time he claims that dog discriminated against him. It barked at him and other minorities, but left white people alone. After the attack, the owner felt the need to defend his dog. So, he went out and tried to convince the public that the dog was not racist by citing the dog's minority friends. Did this dog owner really think that this defense was necessary?

Last night on CBS's Amazing Race a U-Turn was offered to the contestants. A U-Turn is when one team can make another team go backwards and do an additional task. Immediately, the teams began to discuss which team they would U-Turn if they had a chance. A few teams decided that they would U-turn a team made up of two women. These two women happened to be Lesbian. When a young man from another team heard this discussion (who happens to be gay), he immediately thought that these other teams wanted to U-Turn the women because they were Lesbian. No . . . they just didn't like these women's personalities!

I think our society has created a climate where our default setting is to cry abuse. We are always a victim. Did the man with the dog actually sit and watch the dog for days on end to make sure that it was racist and not just mean to everybody? No. . . he just immediately assumed that he was a victim. When I go to the store and get bad service, I don't immediately think that they aren't serving me well because I am 1/4 Serbian. I think that they are a poor employee. Others immediately claim that they are a victim. They didn't serve me well because I am a homosexual. They didn't serve me well because I'm Irish. Sometimes this may be true, but I think most of the time it isn't. Before we cry racist, sexist, or homophobe, maybe we should get all the facts. Or . . . maybe we just shouldn't be so paranoid and not care so much about what others think.

My Mother's Homegoing

On Wednesday December 23 my mother went home to be with the Lord. This is a tribute that I wrote for her, detailing a little of what she meant to me.

Things I love about my mom:

She was fantastic at hide and seek, or at least the hide part. I had to do the seeking. Every time I got in trouble, she would hide my guitar. Then, I would have to spend the rest of the day trying to find out where it was hidden.

She was a classic over-reactor. If I didn't wear a coat outside at 60 degrees, I would get grounded. But . . . she was also a classic under-reactor. When I got suspended from school for fighting, I didn't get in any trouble at all.

She was a great motivator. When I was quizzing, if I didn't recite enough chapters of Scripture to her, I wasn't allowed to eat dinner. Alright, it wasn't quite that bad, but it was close.

She was a stickler for a clean house. I was allowed in the family room, but never the living room. If I stepped foot in the living room, she made me go back in and vacuum up my footprints.

I love that she was a strong Calvinist. I remember telling my Advanced Theology class in Seminary that I'm glad I married a Calvinist girl, because I think she would have disowned me if I didn't.

She knew her Bible better than almost anyone I’ve met. She caught me in a lie when I was young, and the next thing I know she is handing me a new Bible. In that Bible, every passage of Scripture about lying was highlighted. She did the same thing when we argued about whether drinking alcohol was a sin or not. When she found out I didn’t agree with her, she took my Bible and marked and underlined every passage having to do with the consumption of alcohol.

She was pretty funny. Last week, the last time I saw her at least somewhat alert, she was brushing her hair on the side of the bed. I reminded her of the time she smacked me in the mouth with a brush for talking back. She then proceeded to imitate the action one more time for me. Thankfully, my face was 7 feet away from her brush.

She was better than any doctor. I would tell her my symptoms and she knew exactly what was wrong with me or my kids, because chances were that she had had the same issue at one point or another.

She cared about people. She never wanted to do anything that would harm them. She tried her best to think about other people's feelings over her own.

She loved her family. Over this last couple of years she worked hard at getting her father and her brother moved here, so that she could look after them better. Who knew it was going to be her that needed the looking after. She was always there for me. When a solo pastor has a medical procedure, there is no one to come with him and support him, but his wife. However, my mom would drive all the way up to Fort Wayne to sit with me, no matter how minor the problem.

She was the best grandmother in the world. When she first came out of her induced coma in October, she rattled off the weights of all five of my kids. These weights were from right before she got sick. She wanted an update right away. When she saw baby Sarah for the first time after she woke up, I was standing between them. Even though she couldn't talk yet, she waved frantically for me to get out of the way, so that she could see her better. She was always buying our children gifts, and spoiling them. She wouldn't even think twice about giving them ice cream or pickles for breakfast, if that was what they wanted.

She was greatly used by God. She suffered much in her life. The biggest suffering was the loss of her firstborn son. She took that grief though and she used it for good. She threw herself into helping others who also had sick kids or kids that had passed away. She volunteered for years at the Ronald McDonald house, trying to help families with terminally sick kids. She even wore a Ham-Burglar suit a couple of times for the sick kids. Can you imagine my mom in a Ham-Burglar suit? She also threw herself into the Candle-lighters group, which was a support group for families that had kids with cancer. She reached out to those who still had kids alive with cancer, even though her own had gone into the presence of the Lord. She also became part of the bereaved family support group, and reached out to families who had not only lost children to cancer, but also to car wrecks and even to SIDS. Not to mention the families from her church that she helped through similar situations. She was always using the pain in her life to help others. She was an embodiment of 2 Corinthians 1, channeling her experiences in order to bring comfort to others.

This list doesn't even begin to exhaust the things about my mom that I love, nor the great things that she has done for me and my family, nor does it adequately sum up the imprint that she left on this world and the people's lives in it. She is so much more than we can sum up in a half hour service. So . . . I just want to close with my mom's own words. They were words that she wrote to my wife after we miscarried our fifth child. She reminded us that time is the great healer, and there seems to be so little of it. My mom had a lot to live for: two kids, 8 grand-kids, a wonderful husband, and supportive church family. But . . . she also has a lot to die for. She has a son to get reacquainted with, a grandchild to meet, a Savior to heal her, and a mansion to decorate.

Good bye Mom. See you again. Aaron

Consequenes of Losing the Amazing Race

I can't believe I lost! Like the proverbial Cub's fan, I guess there is always next year. You see, I live in a very competitive household. It is not enough for us to just watch the Amazing Race, we have to raise the stakes a little bit. Each of us chooses a team to root for. If our team wins the race, they get to choose a restaurant for us to eat at. I usually root for my own team, but more than that, I root against my younger kids' teams. They will choose Chuck E. Cheese every time. While I like the mouse, I hate his pizza! Call me a pizza snob, but its disgusting. To borrow a line from Kevin Malone, "It is a hot circle of garbage."



This year I didn't win, but thankfully none of the Chuck E Cheesers won either. Somehow, baby Sarah was allowed to choose a team halfway through the season, and conveniently Shannon was allowed to choose the restaurant, since the baby can't talk yet. So, we ended up eating at the Olive Garden. Not a fan of the pasta, but I would rather eat pasta off the floor, than eat the Mouse's pizza. Next year I will just have to pick a better team. You're globetrotters guys! Come on!!

Family is important. Find as many creative ways as you can to spend time with them! They are always our number one mission field! You got any cool ideas, throw them my way!

My Tiger Woes

Is anyone else just severely disappointed in Tiger? Despite all my theological knowledge on the depravity of man and my lack of faith in the moral quality of athletes in general, this news still caught me by surprise.

I have been a golf fan for 10 years and a Tiger fan for the same amount of time. I really believed the hype of his image. I believed that he was a family man. I believed that he had a hard work ethic. I even pictured him in my mind practicing his swing from morning until night.

My heart's desire (as far as golf is concerned) was for Tiger to smash every single one of Jack's records. Now I find myself wondering who to root for. I once tried to root for David Toms, because I didn't want to be part of the "everyone loves Tiger" crowd. That lasted for about a minute. I don't know about you, but I just can't choose who I root for. I just root for the person my brain tells me to root for.

Why do we put so much faith in people that we know are driven by a fallen nature? In college I really respected one of my professors who was also my pastor at the time, only to have him fall into sin with the youth director! How can you expect the best of someone, but at the same time be prepared for the worst. That has been my motto for many years, but I always seem to just default to expecting the best, and I am still not prepared for the worst. I don't think the answer is to just expect the worst either. What do you think? And who am I supposed to root for now!?