The understandable tendency of the Protestant church is to lean heavily on the doctrine of justification. After all, as Calvin rightly appraised, “JusThe understandable tendency of the Protestant church is to lean heavily on the doctrine of justification. After all, as Calvin rightly appraised, “Justification is the main hinge upon which salvation turns.”
The Reformation was largely a backlash against the Roman Catholic interpretation of sanctification--a “sanctification” divorced from the biblical foundation of justification. In summarizing Martin Luther’s appraisal of the matter, a modern scholar writes: “Sanctification is...simply the art of getting used to justification.”
I point this out because Paul Miller does a superb job of expounding the unique role of sanctification in the Christian life. Primarily focusing on the New Testament book of Philippians, Miller references directly and indirectly a significant number of (footnoted) sources, with anecdotal accounts generously sprinkled throughout (those familiar with A Praying Life will recognize some crossover here).
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ lies at the core of Christianity. However, a read through the New Testament reveals an ongoing process of deaths and resurrections that will occur throughout the lifetime of a believer. These are what the author refers to as the “J-Curve.”
Miller builds off of this thesis: “Jesus lived the J-Curve for me [that is, justification], so that He can reproduce the J-Curve in me [that is, sanctification].”
He identifies three primary ways to trace the curve: (1) “In the repentance J-Curve, we put to death the evil in us.” (2) “In the love J-Curve, my dying is for your rising.” (3) “In the suffering J-Curve, external dying leads to internal resurrection.”
The book manages to strike a manageable balance between the theoretical and the practical. It might not appeal to those who would prefer a strictly academic treatment. At the same time, I imagine a number of readers will appreciate the accessibility of the material.
Any time theological concepts are expounded, the danger is that explanation will be divorced from application. Because Miller takes such pains to make sure this isn’t the case, he goes over some of the same ground from multiple angles. This might seem unnecessarily repetitive. For me, there was enough variation on the theme, as well as consideration of its practical import, that this was not a problem.
The Incarnation is the J-Curve. The Incarnation defines love. Just as Jesus willingly humbled Himself even to the point of death, so love is sacrificial, costly and inconvenient. But, the author argues, love as defined by the Incarnation renews a vision for goodness and beauty. Goodness and beauty are abstract concepts. They need fleshing out.
Since the Reformation, the church (in general) has been better at seeing sin than seeing and celebrating love. We have a clear vision of what we shouldn’t be but a dull vision of what we should be. Our wonderful Reformation emphasis on sin and grace needs to be enlarged to encompass a vision of beauty and love. Otherwise, we will get stuck in the darkness.
Life consists of a series of mini-deaths and mini-resurrections that often occur within a larger, multiple year death and resurrection. All of these, of course, find their expression in the grand narrative of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The author takes a biblical lense, polishes it, and holds it up for the reader to see more clearly and with greater clarity what the Lord is up to.
Life is hard. How do we deal with unfairness, raw-deals and suffering? Consider:
Almost everyone I’ve seen who has been trapped by bitterness has focused on the big dying and been blind to multiple mini-resurrections in their lives. Almost counterintuitively, the most thankful and happy people I know are confined to wheelchairs...People cultivate bitterness by retelling the story of what life has done for them. We can cultivate joy by watching for the Spirit to re-enact the story of Jesus’ dying and rising.
My hat is off to Miller for tackling this topic. Since Jesus said it is incumbent upon the Christian to take up their cross daily, it is certainly worthwhile to explore what that looks like. The church can benefit from the way the author has handled it.
This 450 page, three-year project purports to be the most extensive work on the topic of happiness to date (2015). It is chock full of quotes from theThis 450 page, three-year project purports to be the most extensive work on the topic of happiness to date (2015). It is chock full of quotes from theologians, scholars, ancients and moderns, believers and unbelievers, Calvinists and Arminians. It contains abundant Hebrew and Greek linguistic evidence to support its claims.
I admit that when beginning this book I was a bit skeptical. The subject matter could easily be taken in a superficial direction, used as an endorsement of the “prosperity gospel,” or simply come across as shallow pop-theology. However, none of these ended up being the case.
From the intro:
Rest assured, this book is not about pasting on a false smile in the midst of heartache. It’s about discovering a reasonable, attainable, and delightful happiness in Christ that transcends difficult circumstances. This vision is realistic because it’s built on God’s all-encompassing sovereignty, love, goodness, grace, gladness, and redemptive purposes in our lives.
The book’s premise can be summarized in four points.
1) All people desire happiness. This desire is instinctive and universal. It is a God-given and undeniable. The person who pursues sin does so in (a misguided) search for happiness. Likewise, the person who comes to Jesus for forgiveness and eternal life does so to escape the misery of sin---ultimately, to find the happiness that their heart longs for.
Alcorn seeks to dispel the myth that holiness and happiness are incompatible. In fact, he effectively argues that holiness and happiness walk hand-in-hand. He who pursues holiness is truly happy. I point this out because it has become an evangelical mantra that God isn’t concerned about the Christians’ happiness; He wants us to be holy. Alcorn posits that in fact, God desires both for His people. Neither holiness nor happiness negate the other. They are complementary.
2) The gospel of Jesus Christ offers people both eternal happiness and present happiness. The people of God are often viewed as somber and stoic. Unfortunately, this is because there are Christians who in actuality are not very happy people. Moreover, there is a tendency to make a differentiation between joy and happiness.
This distinction between the two terms is a modern one and does not, Alcorn argues, garner biblical support. The words for happiness, joy, cheerfulness and gladness are largely interchangeable in the Hebrew and in the Greek, with only minor distinctions. He illustrates this point through using various translations of the same verses addressing the topic. In fact, when William Tyndale translated the New Testament into English (which later became nearly 80% of the King James Version), blessed literally meant happy.
3) People are drawn to Christ when they see true happiness in His followers and pushed away when they see us chronically unhappy. This is so obvious I feel we as Christians often miss it. The gospel is “good news” and the good news of the Cross and empty tomb should make us happy people.
4) God is the sole origin of true happiness, and we should wholeheartedly seek our delight in Him. Where does happiness ultimately come from but from the God who created us in His image? If God is the source of happiness, it only makes sense that we seek and find our happiness (joy, delight, gladness) in Him.
Though Happiness is inundated with Scriptural references, quotes from Puritans and word studies, there is a certain amount of speculation on Alcorn’s part concerning the happiness of God. God’s attributes are necessarily anthropomorphized in Scripture in order to be intelligible (i.e. “The LORD is my shepherd”).
We do have Scriptural precedent for using our imaginations to aid in our understanding of God’s abstract attributes and qualities. However, the imagination must still be sanctified by Scripture. When it comes to how God’s attributes are manifested to His creation, we should be careful assuming or speculating where the Bible is silent.
That said, this a book that if I don’t reread in its entirety, I’m sure I’ll return to as a reference. It would be hard to have read it and not walked away with a deeper appreciation for the biblical call to happiness. Alcorn has done us a service by researching the topic and compiling the information in such accessible and readable form.
Perhaps a quote from Tozer on the dedication page is a succinct summary: “The people of God ought to be the happiest people in all the wide world! People should be coming to us constantly and asking the source of our joy and delight.”
Amen.
As a Christian I confess that too often the people of God (myself included) don’t live up to this expectation. Our failure to “rejoice always” not only affects our own attitudes and actions, but even more tragically, our witness for Christ.
When it comes to prayer, an author’s own experiences shape the emphasis he chooses to place upon the subject. This book is no exception. It focuses onWhen it comes to prayer, an author’s own experiences shape the emphasis he chooses to place upon the subject. This book is no exception. It focuses on the practical side of praying.
Reminiscent of Hallesby’s classic, Prayer, Miller lays the foundation of prayer being rooted in a recognition of our total dependency on God. As the Christian matures spiritually and see his own weaknesses more clearly and becomes more sensitive to sin, he should be driven to pray more, not less.
“Learned desperation is at the heart of a praying life.”
The author addresses at length that which slowly creeps in to kill the Christian’s prayer life: cynicism. Instead of the simplicity and trust of the childlike faith Jesus calls for, the circumstances of life often leave us jaded and wounded. We tend to project onto God our own perceptions of who we think He is or should be.
Miller discusses a biblical way through such cynicism. “So the feel of a praying life is cautious optimism--cautious because of the Fall, optimistic because of redemption.”
The author also stresses that prayer is a long-term investment. We need to be attuned to what God is doing in and around us. We need to see the big picture, the intricate ways in which God weaves the single threads that compose the rich tapestry of our lives. This takes not only faith and intimacy with the Father, but time as well.
A couple closing chapters address using prayer cards as opposed to the traditional prayer list. I found the author’s reasons for this approach helpful.
My critique would be that Miller seems to take a dim, or at least diminished view of listening to God. He accurately stresses that hearing from God is a combination of knowing Scripture and discerning the Holy Spirit. But in my view he undermines the importance of waiting on the Lord in prayer, of being slower to speak and quicker to listen.
I understand being cautious. A Christian can certainly be led astray by listening to any and every “voice.” Yet, as we mature spiritually, walk in obedience and build into our thinking a solid doctrinal foundation, we shouldn’t be afraid to cultivate a healthy habit of hearing from the Lord. He longs to speak His Word into our lives. ...more
This was my first Os Guinness book. An Evangelical apologist with an interesting background, Guinness was born in China to medical missionary parents.This was my first Os Guinness book. An Evangelical apologist with an interesting background, Guinness was born in China to medical missionary parents. Having been witness to the 1949 Communist revolution, he was expelled with most other foreigners and was subsequently educated in England. Hence, his Christian faith, life experiences and Oxford education combine to give him a unique approach as an author and social critic.
The Call is laid out in such a way as to be read either as a series of related essays or from a daily devotional approach (the author’s recommendation). The central premise is that the individual’s calling and subsequent vocational choice is inextricably tied to a biblical worldview.
“...the final reality is neither chance nor an impersonal ground of being but an infinite personal God who has created us in his image and calls us into relationship with himself. Our life-purpose therefore comes from two sources at once--who we are created to be and who we are called to be.”
What follows are twenty-six chapters that explore the call of Jesus to “Follow Me” and the implications of that call upon one’s vocation.
“...modern people have things completely back to front: Professing to be unsure of God, they pretend to be sure of themselves. Followers of Christ put things the other way around: Unsure of ourselves, we are sure of God.”
It is in this tension that the individual is in a position to truly discover the path that God has called him to walk.
The market is saturated with quasi-spiritual, self-help “discover your purpose” literature. Many are shallow and one-sided at best. Yet, coming before the Lord with a sincere desire to discern one’s call and course in life is a matter of eternal significance. The answers, though simple, shouldn’t be reduced to mere platitudes, and certainly shouldn’t be taken lightly. Guinness does a consummate job of exploring the complexities involved while sounding the repeated refrain: “Listen to Jesus of Nazareth; answer His call.”
Proverbs 23:7 speaks of a person’s thought life: “For as he thinks within himself, so he is…”
In other words, what we allow ourselves to worry about isProverbs 23:7 speaks of a person’s thought life: “For as he thinks within himself, so he is…”
In other words, what we allow ourselves to worry about is an indicator of what we are really like. As the author bluntly states, “This can be pretty discouraging.”
Comparing the mind to a landscape and anxieties to weeds fighting for supremacy, Witmer poses the question, “If I’m not supposed to have anxious, worried, or fearful thoughts, what am I going to think about?”
This book, then, is a practical exposition of Philippians 4:4-8, honing in on verse 8: “...whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence or if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
The problem is that biblical terms like “honorable,” “right,” and “good repute” seem abstract. The sense of dwelling “on these things” indicates that we need to delve deeply into what they actually mean. Each term listed in verse 8 is taken chapter by chapter and explored in its biblical context. Each chapter is also followed by discussion questions, making the book a practical guide for personal or group bible study.
The Christian has received the mind of Christ (I Cor. 2:16). But there is the continual need to be “renewed in the spirit of your mind” (Eph. 4:23). A study of the attributes of God--or loving Him with all of one's mind--is an excellent place to start. We think aright when we think aright of God, who He is and what He’s done for us in Christ.
I have to remind myself that “Be anxious for nothing” is a command. In between the admonitions to pray with thanksgiving, and to cultivate godly thoughts, is the promise “and the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”...more
Christians of yesteryear used to speak of events and circumstances as not being due to “second causes.” This was a quaint way of speaking of God’s sovChristians of yesteryear used to speak of events and circumstances as not being due to “second causes.” This was a quaint way of speaking of God’s sovereignty. And this is where Bridges begins. If we are to trust God, we must believe He really is in control of our lives, that He is wise in His dealings, and that He is loving.
God always seek His own glory. But He also seeks the good of those who love Him. "God never pursues His glory at the expense of the good of His people, nor does He ever seek our good at the expense of His glory. He has designed His eternal purpose so that His glory and our good are inextricably bound together.”
Therefore, we can trust Him.
Occasionally I will read a book at a time when it’s words resonate at a perfect pitch and minister to my particular needs. This book was one of those. Bridges delicately but scripturally handles an often controversial subject: God’s sovereignty. He doesn’t apologize for a clear biblical teaching, nor does he minimize our responsibility to trust and obey.
"The truth we must believe is that God is sovereign. He carries out His own good purposes without ever being thwarted….We must believe this and cling to this in the face of adversity and tragedy, if we are to glorify God in the face of adversity and tragedy, if we are to glorify God by trusting Him.”
And the truth is, we all experience adversity and tragedy. We all face numerous annoyances and inconveniences. And we all are tempted to question whether or not God is really in complete control.
If we can lay hold of God’s sovereignty, we can also trust that He is wise. "God in His infinite wisdom knows exactly what adversity we need to grow more and more into the likeness of His Son. He not only knows exactly what we need but when we need it and how best to bring it to pass in our lives.”
And along with with His sovereignty and wisdom, we know because of the Cross that God is love. "If we want proof of God’s love for us, then we must look first at the Cross where God offered up His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. Calvary is the one objective, irrefutable proof of God’s love for us.”
Bridges never minimizes the difficulty of trusting God in the midst of suffering or hardship. He reminds the reader that it is an act of the will to cast our anxieties on the Lord, but an act of the Holy Spirit to strengthen our faith and grant us peace. We choose to trust God, even when we don’t feel His presence. We stand upon the promises of Scripture and trust the Lord to accomplish His purposes, namely, to bring the Christian into greater and greater conformity to Jesus.
"A bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax shall not He quench; He shall bring forth judgment unto truth" (Isaiah 42:3; Matthew 12:20).
B"A bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax shall not He quench; He shall bring forth judgment unto truth" (Isaiah 42:3; Matthew 12:20).
Beginning with this verse in reference to its fulfillment in Christ, Richard Sibbes, in classic Puritan fashion, seeks to extract the essence by exploring the whole of Scriptural teaching on the subject.
Sibbes defines the "bruised reed" as one who "is sensible of sin and misery, even unto bruising; and, seeing no help in himself, is carried with restless desire to have supply from another, with some hope, which a little raises him out of himself to Christ..."
In other words, we come to Christ cognizant of our deep need and weakness. We confess our sins as God reveals them to us, and we trust that the Lord will not break the already broken. Rather, it is in our weakness that we learn to rely on God, and in our disappointments and failures that we cry out and find His grace ever sufficient.
"God knows we have nothing of ourselves, therefore in the covenant of grace He requires no more than He gives, but gives what He requires, and accepts what He gives."
It is at the Cross that we find both assurance of God's grace and the evidence of His love. Christ was forsaken for a season that we might not be forsaken for an eternity. "As His Father was never nearer Him [Jesus] in strength to support Him than when He was furthest off in sense of favor to comfort Him, so Christ is never nearer us in power to uphold us than when He seems most to hide hide His presence from us."
When we bring to the Lord the spark of grace implanted in our hearts at salvation, He is faithful to fan that spark into a consuming flame.
"The meaning then is that the gracious frame of holiness set up in our hearts by the Spirit of Christ shall go forward until all contrary power is subdued. The spirit of judgment will be a spirit of burning to consume whatever opposed corruption eats into the soul like rust."
By faithful obedience and through the gracious working of the Spirit, "we should always be fit for communion with God, and be heavenly-minded in earthly business, and be willing to be taken off from it to redeem time for better things. We should be ready at all times to depart hence, and to live in such a condition as we should be content to die in."
And finally, "Let us think when we are troubled with our sins that Christ has this in charge from His Father, that He shall not 'quench the smoking flax' until He has subdued all."
Regardless of where you might find yourself spiritually, Sibbes has a relevant word. All of us are bruised. Perhaps it is the bruising of a soul that has yet to realize its need for salvation. Or maybe, it is the bruising a newer believer experiences who has begun to understand the import of Jesus' words, "Apart from Me you can do nothing." Or perhaps, like Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who found great comfort in this book at a dark period in his life and ministry, you find yourself at a place in your spiritual development where the Lord desires to teach you that "power is perfected in weakness."