I had to write today, though, after reading an opinion article published in today Chicago Tribune’s Perspective section by Sara Paretsky. I found it very disappointing that the Tribune would publish such a radical opinion on abortion without a corresponding pro-life piece, but maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. I have never heard of Ms. Paretsky before, but her opinion piece made it very clear she is a staunch supporter of abortion on demand as a vital woman’s right. She refers to pro-lifers as zealots in her piece and references “6,000 acts of terror [that] have been committed against clinics, patients and staff since 1973.” The irony is striking. Especially considering the 50 million unborn children murdered since 1973. And that’s just in the United States.

Let me be clear, I do not condone or approve of any violence against abortion providers or recipients. That is not a God-glorifying, Christ-honoring response. It is evil, too. Instead, Christians must be armed with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We must be ready to share the hope of salvation found in Christ alone through His death on the cross, how Christ paid the penalty for our sins on the cross, becoming sin for us, so that we may be clothed in the righteousness of Christ through faith. “As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12) Both the woman who has had an abortion and the doctor who performs them can find redemption in Christ as Savior and Lord.

In the last couple years, I have become firmly convinced that the issue of abortion is vitally important for us as a nation. It is inconceivable that we can turn our heads to the murder of over 50 million children. We must be clear, a child in the womb is a child and a person no matter what the stage of development. Any other line drawn is an arbitrary line that can be crossed at any time as we have seen in the recent closing down of an abortion clinic in Philadelphia last year and corresponding arrest of Dr. Kermit Gosnell who didn’t see the difference between an unborn child and a live child outside the womb, but saw both as inconviences to the mothers who came in for his services, and so brutally murdered infants born alive.

In my post last year, I linked to several excellent sermons on abortion and provided a few great steps that we can take as Christians to protect life. I will conclude with the important truth that this is not just a United States problem, but a worldwide problem, where in many places, unborn children are murdered simply because they are not boys. Take a look at this video.

“The reminder of what we have become by grace is a constant defence against slipping  back into what were by nature.” (Ferguson, Sinclair. The Christian Life. (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2006), 114)

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not merely the door by which we enter the Christian life. It is much more than that. It is the house within which we dwell as Christians. As Ferguson points out in his excellent work, The Christian Life, a regular reminder of the Gospel is the best defense against slipping back into old sinful habits. The Gospel needs to be preached weekly from the pulpit in our churches, returned to often in our small group Bible studies, and regularly remembered in our daily lives.

In his first epistle to the Corinthian church, Paul is addressing several sins that have corrupted the local congregation. His chief remedy is to remind the church of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that he preached to them.

“I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus” (1:4)

“For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel” (1:17)

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1:18)

“we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1:23-24)

“And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (6:11)

“You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (6:19-20)

“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you – unless you believed in vain.” (15:1-2)

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” (15:3-5)

Preach the Gospel to yourself daily.

Never before have I noticed the exclamation points after both ‘Abba’ and ‘Father’ in both of Paul’s letters. This cry, enabled by the Spirit, is not a peaceful, tranquil address to our Heavenly Father. No, we have exclamation points! It is cry wrought with desperation, pain, anguish behind it. Sinclair Ferguson explains beautifully in The Christian Life (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2005):

Paul speaks here about the Christian crying ‘Abba! Father!’ The verb he uses is krazein, and in the New Testament it denotes a loud cry, often a cry or shriek of anguish. (cf. Mk. 15:39, our Lord’s cry on the cross; Rev. 12:2, a woman in childbirth). The picture is not that of the believer resting quietly in his Father’s arms in childlike faith, but of the child who has tripped and fallen crying out in pain, ‘Daddy, Daddy’. That cry is the mark of the presence of the Spirit of adoption, not least because it shows that in time of need it is towards our Father in heaven that we look. (p. 100)

Beautiful!

This evening, I was reading Sinclair Ferguson’s book, The Christian Life (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2005). [Part of my 2011 housecleaning as I have been trying to finish this book for almost a year. It has taken me that long because it is so packed as a doctrinal introduction that I have wanted to read it chapter by chapter, digesting each fully.] Chapter 10, “Sons of God”, uncovered a new layer of understanding regarding the doctrine of adoption in the Bible.

Adoption in the New Testament is probably to be seen against the background of Roman Law with which the apostle Paul would be so familiar. In Roman society, unlike our own, the purpose of adoption in law was not to safeguard the rights and privileges of the child but was exclusively thought of in terms of the benefits and blessings which the adopter received. (p. 95)

This Roman background serves to remind us that even the highest privileges of the Christian’s experience do not have his own happiness as their only goal. They all eventually lead to the honour and glory of God. In the adoption of sons and daughters he restores for himself that glory of the image of his Son which was marred and shattered at the Fall. (p. 96)

Our adoption as sons and daughters of God is chiefly for God’s own glory, not for own benefit. But what great benefit we receive! An eternal inheritance as God’s adopted children.

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:11-14)

The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance and it is to God’s glory. From the Westminster Shorter Catechism:

Q. What is the chief end of man?

A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

“For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, ‘If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.’ Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, ‘I tremble with fear.’ But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” (Hebrews 12:18-24)

On the one hand, we have the Israelites at Mount Sinai with Moses as their mediator between them and God. The description is one of terror and fright. Even Moses admits his great fear. The presence of God was terrifying. The people were not holy. They rightly feared death if God were to speak to them.

On the other hand, we have Mount Zion where there is a great gathering and celebration by God’s people. The images used here evoke worship, praise, and joy. Christ is the perfect mediator of His people through His blood which brings forgiveness and atonement to those who believe. Thanks be to God!

In reference to the “already but not yet” dimension of Pauline theology on salvation history, Thomas Schreiner writes,

“When we speak of salvation history, we think of the fulfillment of God’s saving plan and promises. The fulfillment of God’s plan in history is announced in the Pauline gospel. The promises made to Israel in the Old Testament have now become a reality in and through the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God’s saving promises are already a reality for the believer in Jesus Christ…On the other hand, believers still await the consummation of salvation history…” (Schreiner, Thomas R. Paul, Apostle of God’s Glory in Christ: A Pauline Theology. Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2006)

On a more personal scale, we see the concept of “already but not yet” in our struggle with sin. Christ’s death and resurrection has cancelled the power of sin. He defeated death, taking away its sting. Those found in Christ, are freed from sin’s bondage, united to Him in His death, and made alive with Christ. Paul lays this out clearly in Romans 6:

“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. (vv. 5-7)

But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.” (vv. 17-18)

Yet, while in a real and true sense Christians are set free from sin and made right before God (justification) through Christ’s blood on the cross and resurrection, we know in a very real sense how each of us continue to struggle with sin daily. We have “already” been set free, but are “not yet” free of all sin. We will not fully and completely realize sinlessness this side of heaven, but each and every day, the Lord is making us more like Jesus (sanctification).

I appreciate the study the small group leaders at my church are going through together. For the past several weeks we have been working through How People Change by Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Trip. As a group we are learning the Biblical model for change and applying it to our lives so that we can better minister to those under our care. Over the final few weeks, we will be engaged in our own “Personal Growth Project” applying the biblical model of change to an area of sin in our lives. I highly recommend this resource.

You’ve heard David Sunday and you’ve heard other pastors here say this before. You will hear us say it again over and over and over again, and I hope you never tire of it. The gospel is not only for unbelievers, it’s for believers. It’s not only for those who come to church on Easter and Christmas, and maybe a couple other times, but it’s also for those who have practically grown up in the church. It’s not only for adults but it’s for the smallest of our kids. All of us need to hear the gospel over and over and over and over again.

And:

We are characters in the Biblical story. This is our story. If you’re a believer, or if you’re an unbeliever, this story is about you. It’s about where you came from and about where you are going and how you can get right with God.

He gives a wonderful biblical and doctrinal overview of the Gospel of Jesus Christ:

There are only two kinds of people in this world: those who are in Adam, and those who are in Jesus Christ. You can divide this room but only God knows who belongs to Him.

All of us, no matter our background, no matter how good life seems or how bad life seems, no matter where we came from, all of us were born in Adam. We were born with Adam as our  representative. We were born so that when God looks at us He sees Adam’s failure as our failure. As we start to sin, we show it;  we demonstrate that we are children of Adam. That means we are children of wrath. We are under the judgment of God. From our  conception—from the moment we are a microscopic embryo—we are all born in bondage. We are all born with Adam as our representative. But open to all is the opportunity to come to Jesus Christ and to be in Jesus Christ.

Regarding our righteousness in Christ:

But you know, even that’s not enough. Having all your sins put away does not make you righteous before God. Just like declaring bankruptcy and having all your debts removed does not give you a triple-A credit rating. Because a defendant in court is declared to be innocent does not necessarily make him a righteous man. We need righteousness to go to heaven. Only perfect people will go to heaven and none of us are perfect, so we need to clothe ourselves with the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ.

This sermon really blessed me that morning. You can read, listen, or download the entire thing here. Please do.

“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!”

David’s emphatic statement is full of conviction. He says this within a psalm where there are evildoers assailing him, adversaries and foes, an army encamped against him, and a war rising against him. (vv. 2-3) “Yet,” he says, “I will be confident.” Where is his confidence? It is in the Lord who his light, salvation, and stronghold. (v. 1) David confidently believes that his prayer in verses 4-6 to dwell in the house of the Lord, gaze upon His beauty, and inquire in His temple will be answered. And it will be answered in the “land of the living.” This he pronounces with confidence, “I believe!”

I must confess that I do not always live my life with this firm conviction. Often we can find ourselves looking toward our heavenly reward and comforting ourselves with this great promise, purchased for those who believe by the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross. About this life, we tell ourselves that it is hard, marred by sin, or a preparation for eternity in God’s kingdom. All these are true. But sometimes the easy response in comforting our own soul or that of another in the midst of deep affliction or trial is to just point to heaven where there is no pain or tears.

David certainly looked forward to the coming of the Lord and the resurrection, but his words in this Psalm are in expectation that he will see the Lord’s goodness, His gracious character, in this life, the land of the living. Do you believe that? What a difference this would make in our daily lives if we held this deep conviction with David: that we will gaze upon the goodness of the Lord. No matter the depth of your affliction, say with David, “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!” Preach it to your soul. Worship the Lord. And the Holy Spirit, who dwells inside you, will give you the “strength to comprehend…what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:18-19)