You can lead a horse to water

I was out jogging the other day listening to a sermon on Psalm 1:

¹Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

²But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

³He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

⁴Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.

⁵Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish,

when the saying, “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink,” ran through my mind. My first reaction was, “Why in the world did this come to my mind?” But, the saying was resounding in my thoughts and was persistent, so I paused the sermon and allowed my mind to run with the thought.

The thought ran between the two doctrinal paths of soteriology and sovereignty. These two doctrines are so intriguing to ponder together. I have found you cannot stuffy these two doctrines a part from one another and yet I find at their intersections the mystery of God Scripture speaks of in passages like 1 Corinthians 4:1, Colossians 1:27; 2:2, 4:3, and Revelation 10:7. Further, I find myself thinking of 1 Corinthians 2:11 along with Isaiah 40:28 and Romans 11:33.

So, for an interlude I settled into these thoughts. I thought of Christ, the Living Water. I thought of how I find myself planted like a tree by the streams of still waters. I thought of the truth of verse 3, how even when the scorching heat of daily life surrounds me, I do not wither. I thought of how I through grace alone had been offered refreshment in the cup of the new covenant.

I thought and lingered here…Oh, how it is true, In that day you will say: “I will praise you, O Lord. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. ²Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” ³With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation (Isaiah 12:1-3)!

And then I thought, “Why doesn’t everyone drink from the well of salvation?” For Scripture teaches every man thirsts. But fallen humanity does not look to God for drink, rather he tries and fails to quench his thirst with wickedness. The Lord Almighty declares, “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water, (Jeremiah 2:13).

And oh, don’t I know the truth which is that all men do cup of a cup. For some it is the live saving and giving water of new birth, but I cannot forget the cup of wrath. The cup of judgment and condemnation. I am filled with humble fear when I think of Jesus’ own prayers before laying His live down for me; ³⁴“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” [Jesus] said to them… ³⁵Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. ³⁶“Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will,” (Mark 14:34-36). It was the silence that followed that rings of the truth found in Romans 8:32, “[God the Father] did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all.”

I was moved to think of the cost of the cross and my thoughts shuddered at the thought of the cup of wrath. That cup is not refreshing; it leads to eternal unquenchable thirst. I felt sick thinking of the rich man and Lazarus, because I know the rich man is my own father. “ ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ ²⁵ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us,’ (Luke 16:24-26). “Oh,” I cried in my head, “Why won’t my father drink?”

That thought brought me back around to leading a horse to water. I thought only the Father can create a thirst for Christ, only Christ is sufficient to quench the thirst, and by faith alone given of the Holy Spirit will a God-hater be drawn into the baptismal pool of new birth. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day,” (John 6:44). You may be able to lead a horse to water or plant a tree near water, but Jesus said, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots,” (Matthew 15:13).

Praise to you Christ Jesus, lover and Lord of my soul, who drank the cup of wrath meant for me, so that I would drink from the cup of the new covenant!

My thoughts ended with my taking heart in His complete sovereignty and plan of redemption. I will continue to pray earnestly for the lost. I will continue to share the live giving Gospel. I will continue to lead those who cross my path to the Living Word and Water, but I will not force any man to drink. Instead, I will rejoice when the Lord draws one unto Himself.

Grace and peace be with you.

Atonement is whose problem?

Atonement is whose problem[1]?

The primary reason the atonement is God’s problem is because of who God is. It is the very nature of God that makes sin heinous. God set the standard, “be holy because I am holy,” (1 Peter 1:16)[2]. Sin is not measured quantitatively or even by the act of sin itself. Sin is wretched because God’s nature that demands perfection. Sin is an affront to God. God set the bar or standard that we cannot achieve on our own. The expectation of righteousness is perfection[3].

God’s justice demands punishment for unrighteousness. People through out the ages have pondered, “Did God have to send Jesus to the cross? Was there another way?” The answer is, “No.” Romans 8:32[4] states that He did not spare his own son but gave him up. The truth behind this statement is this; if God could have spared His only Son, he would have. This speaks to the seriousness of sin, the holiness of God, and God’s justice.

One may be tempted to ask, “What about mercy? Could not mercy substitute for just punishment?” The answer again is, “No.” God’s whole nature has been affronted by our sin. All of who God is must be satisfied. Calvary is where mercy and justice met. Christ’s blood shed for the guilt of men satisfies the requirement of punishment and displays the mercy of God. To be cleansed by the blood does not mean blood is a cleansing agent. Blood is sticky and gross. The efficacy of the cleansing is grounded in the efficacy in the substitution. This is why the blood of animals was useless.

Luke 24:26[5] asks, “Was it not necessary?” The necessity is clear; the punishment must be fulfilled, because if God overlooks sin, then God is not to be taken seriously. From the beginning it was God who provide reconciliation. Jesus’ death on a cross was the only way for God’s wrath to be placated[6]. For only a human could represent humanity and only God is righteous and able to be an effective substitute.

By nature all humans are children of wrath. All fall short of the glory of God. There is no one righteous, not one (Romans 1-3). Sin against the Holy God is what separates humans from God and it is impossible for a human to reconcile himself to God. Therefore, God had to be the active participate in reconciling humans to Himself (2 Corinthians 5). Although it is not as obvious in the English translations, it is extremely important to realize that humans are passive in this process. God does the reconciling; man is a passive participant. The objective view of the atonement holds that no amount of human sorrow or word by a human can atone for sin and that the atonement is solely achieved by God. For this reason, only God is due praise and glory!

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[1] This essay is a compilation of lecture notes given by Dr. David Hogg, SEBTS and supplement references as so marked.

[2] But as he who hath called you, etc., v. 15, 16. Here is a noble rule enforced by strong arguments: Be you holy in all manner of conversation. Who is sufficient for this? And yet it is required in strong terms, and enforced by three reasons, taken from the grace of God in calling us,—from his command, it is written,—and from his example. Be you holy, for I am holy. Learn, (1.) The grace of God in calling a sinner is a powerful engagement to holiness. It is a great favour to be called effectually by divine grace out of a state of sin and misery into the possession of all the blessings of the new covenant; and great favours are strong obligations; they enable as well as oblige to be holy. (2.) Complete holiness is the desire and duty of every Christian. Here is a two-fold rule of holiness: [1.] It must, for the extent of it, be universal. We must be holy, and be so in all manner of conversation; in all civil and religious affairs, in every condition, prosperous or reverse; towards all people, friends and enemies; in all our intercourse and business still we must be holy. [2.] For the pattern of it. We must be holy, as God is holy: we must imitate him, though we can never equal him. He is perfectly, unchangeably, and eternally holy; and we should aspire after such a state. The consideration of the holiness of God should oblige as to the highest degree of holiness we can attain unto. (3.) The written word of God is the surest rule of a Christian’s life, and by this rule we are commanded to be holy every way. (4.) The Old-Testament commands are to be studied and obeyed in the times of the New Testament; the apostle, by virtue of a command delivered several times by Moses, requires holiness in all Christians. Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible : Complete and Unabridged in One Volume (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1996, c1991), 1 Peter 1:13.

[3] Suggestion for further study in regard to personal holiness is Holiness, by J.C. Ryle.

[4] 8:31-32. It is astounding to realize that God’s plan of salvation for people is a program that reaches from eternity past to eternity future which God will carry out perfectly. Recognizing this, Paul asked and answered (in vv. 31-39) seven questions to drive home the truth that a believer’s eternal salvation is completely secure in God’s hands. The first question is general, What, then, shall we say in response to this? (cf. 4:1; 6:1; 9:14, 30) The obvious response to 8:28-30 would be to say “Hallelujah,” or to stand in open-mouthed amazement.

This leads to a series of six more specific questions. The first is, If God is for us, who can be against us? Obviously, Satan and his demonic hosts are against believers (cf. Eph. 6:11-13; 1 Peter 5:8), but they cannot ultimately prevail and triumph over believers. God is the self-existent One and the sovereign Creator and, since He is for believers, no one can oppose believers successfully. He is for believers to the extent that He . . . did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all. The word “spare” (epheisato, from pheidomai) is the same word used in the Septuagint in Genesis 22:12 where the NIV translates it “withheld.” God said to Abraham, “You have not withheld your son.” Then God directed Abraham to spare Isaac and to offer a ram as a substitute (Gen. 22:2-14), whereas God offered His own Son as the Sacrifice for sin (John 1:29). In view of this supreme act of God’s grace, How will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? Since God gave the greatest Sacrifice of all, His own Son, He will certainly not hesitate to give believers all other things pertaining to and leading to their ultimate sanctification (cf. 2 Peter 1:3). John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-c1985), 2:474.

[5] That was the problem with most of the Jews in that day: they saw Messiah as a conquering Redeemer, but they did not see Him as a Suffering Servant. As they read the Old Testament, they saw the glory but not the suffering, the crown but not the cross. Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, "An Exposition of the New Testament Comprising the Entire 'BE' Series"--Jkt. (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996, c1989), Lk 24:13.

[6] Reconciliation of the warring parties is needed, but this can occur only if God’s wrath is somehow absorbed and quenched and man’s anti-God heart, which motivates his anti-God life, is somehow changed. In mercy, God the angry Judge sent his Son into the world to bring about the needed reconciliation. It was not that the kindly Son acted to placate his harsh Father; the initiative was the Father’s own. In Calvin’s words, “in an inconceivable way he loved us even when he hated us,” and his gift to us of the Son as our sin bearer was the fruit of that love (John 3:14-16; Rom. 5:5-8; 1 John 4:8-10). In all his mediatorial ministry the Son was doing his Father’s will. J. I. Packer, Concise Theology : A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House, 1995, c1993).

How ought Christians react to the shifting moral values of culture?

The question, “How ought Christians react to the shifting moral values of culture?” has been posed. First, I believe the question to be moot because the Bible describes Christians as strangers in a world (cf. 1 Pe 1:1)[1] of cultures whose moral values have been shifting since the beginning of time. However, the Holy Scriptures are timeless and sufficient. If one operates on the presupposition that the Bible is the timeless, inerrant, and sufficient Word of God, then one will find that the Scriptures exhort believers to live a holy life and makes no adjustment for how the moral values of a culture shifts. Further, believers ought not to succumb to nor be swayed by evil desires (2 Timothy 3:6), as they have been called by the Father (cf. Ro 1:7; Jud 1), are made holy through the blood of Christ (cf. He 10:10), and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures command believers to put on the armor of God (Eph 6:13) and to prepare themselves so that they will not wilt like blades of grass and fade like flowers (Isaiah 40:7-8), but rather they will run the race (Hebrews 12:1) and persevere to the end (1 Timothy 4:16).

Unfortunately, in churches across America we see the exact opposite. Today we find anemic churches; churches that refuse to preach about sin and the depravity of man, churches that preach blasphemy stating, “Christ is not the only way for salvation,” churches which breed tolerance, churches teeming with unregenerate church members, in short, we find the church of Revelation 3:16. But all is not lost, because God will carry out His plan using the elect and the non-elect. For the Kingdom of God is at hand (Mark 1:15) and the Gospel will be proclaimed and the Gospel will transform lives! It is this picture that drives my next reaction to the question, which is to turn to the pages of the Holy Scriptures and seek out the answer to this question, “How ought Christians act?” Christians are to be the salt and light to a world of blandness and darkness, namely, tolerance and evil. The Bible offers much instruction as to how Christians ought to act.

First Peter 1:15-16, “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” is a concise summation of how Christians ought to act. However, the question then becomes, “How does a Christian ‘be holy?’” In the two prior verses, 1 Peter 1:13-14, we find the starting point for this task of pursuing personal holiness. First “prepare your minds for action.” Second, “be self-controlled.” Third, “set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” And finally, “as obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.”

As with any task, one must begin with some amount of preparation. The pursuit of holiness begins with the Word of God. For, “all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Ti 3:15-16). Christians have been called “to be imitators of God” (Eph 5:1), to “keep in step with the Spirit” (Ga 5:25), and to be regarded as “servants of Christ” (1 Cor 4:1). Christians can only imitate the character of God if they have knowledge of God’s character. Therefore, in order for Christians to be holy like God is holy, they must turn to the Bible, God’s self-revelation to humanity. When reading Psalm 111 and 112 one reads: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise…Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.” Preparation, specifically studying of the Scriptures, is foundational. But, “To what end?” one may ask. The answer is this- “prepare your minds for action…always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Pe 3:13, 15). It is the command of Jesus that Christians to “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” (Mt 28:19-20; cf. Mt 24:14; Mk 13:10; Ac 1:8; Ac 16:10; 1 Co 9:13; 2 Co 9:13). Part of holiness is one’s personal witness, both in words and deeds.

Being self-controlled is the second part of being holy. God is our model of self-control as God is shown throughout the Scriptures to be immutable (cf. 1 Sa 15:29; Jas 1:17). God does not act rashly, or unjustly, nor does he does show favoritism (cf. Ac 10:34; Ro 2:11; Eph 6:9). Rather, God is patient, merciful, compassionate and gracious (cf. Ex 34:6; No 14:18; Ps 103:8; Jon 4:2). James chapter 3 brings into view the tongue of a Christian; albeit a small organ it is most difficult to control. Part of being self-controlled is controlling the tongue. However, self-control does not stop with words uttered but rather it dives deep and forces us to consider every thought and attitude that enters the heart and mind. Scripture reveals to us that the heart of man is wickedly deceptive (cf. Ge 6:9; Ps 64:6; Je 17:9), so Christians are commanded to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Co 10:5).

Setting “your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed,” brings two things into view that motivates the Christian to be holy. One, the future and two, grace. Christians are exhorted throughout the New Testament to live with a heavenly perspective and not an earthly perspective because the things of this earth will pass away (cf. 1 Co 7:31). “Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind” (Is 65:17).

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away (Rev 21:1-4).

But, as a Christian looks to the future with longing, he should also remind himself daily of the grace that has been extended to him. Scripture is so very clear “there is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Ro 3:10-12). All humans are born condemned to suffer the wrath of God. But for some, God’s grace is made manifest, and through faith in Christ these are saved from death and receive eternal life. Because God loves to bless his children, he has designed the salvation process to include his children- that is Christians are Christ’s ambassadors (2 Co 5:20) and are to share the Gospel as commanded by Christ when he said “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mk 16:15). I believe there is no better way to glorify God today then by sharing the Gospel.

Finally, “as obedient children, [Christians are] not [to] conform to the evil desires [they] had when [they] lived in ignorance.” For, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Co 5:17) and “the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God…And that is what some of you were. 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” (1 Co 6:9, 11). Therefore, the Christian is to be holy, because he has been washed, justified and sanctified.

The pursuit of personal holiness is evidence of a regenerate heart. For “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Ga 5:22). These fruits are made manifest in the life of the believer who is being sanctified (cf. 1 Th 5:23; 2 Th 2:13) and conformed into the image of Christ (cf. Ro 8:29). “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

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[1] All Scripture references are from the New International Version.