"The imperatives are based on the indicatives and the order is not reversible"
In June 2009, Bryan Chapell, the President of Covenant Seminary in St. Louis and the author of Christ-Centered Preaching, gave a lecture at the Advance09 conference in Durham, North Carolina titled "Communicating the Gospel through Preaching." Regarding preaching (which also applies to sharing and teaching the Bible), Chapell said, "The imperatives are based on the indicatives and the order is not reversible."
What does this mean?: To those who have not heard this before, it might not be readily apparent. Very briefly, imperatives in the Bible express commands which Christians must do, while indicatives are the basis of the imperatives in the Bible. A closely related statement would be: "What you do is based on who you are and the order is not reversible."
Some biblical imperatives: Just randomly, some common biblical imperatives are: love God (Dt 6:5), love your neighbor (Lev 19:18), fear God and keep his commandments (Ecc 12:13), preach the gospel (Mk 16:15), preach the word (2 Ti 4:2), make disciples (Mt 28:19), deny yourself and take up your cross (Mt 16:24, Mk 8:34, Lk 9:23), feed my sheep (Jn 21:15-17), ask, seek, knock (Mt 7:7), the ten commandments (Ex 20:1-17), repent and believe (Mk 1:15), give thanks (1 Th 5:18), look after orphans and widows (Jas 1:27), etc, etc.
Biblical imperatives are wonderful but ... Incidentally, all of these biblical imperatives are wonderful. But they are not primary. These imperatives are always based on the indicatives, according to the flow, and pattern, and stories through out the Bible, although the indicatives are often not readily obvious. For example, when God gave the Israelites the 10 Commandments, God did not say, "Obey them or you're dead!" Instead, God prefaced the 10 Commandments (imperatives) with an indicative, saying, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery" (Ex 20:2). God did not say, "Obey the 10 commandments, and then I will deliver you from slavery in Egypt." Rather, God said, "I delivered you from slavery (the indicative), therefore, obey the 10 commandments (the imperative)."
Imperatives are primary in all religions of the world except Christianity: As I thought about imperatives and indicatives, I realized that Christians often communicate imperatives rather than indicatives, while thinking that they are being quite faithful to the teachings of the Bible. But if we communicate imperatives rather than indicatives, then we're really no different from any other religion in the world, which all communicate imperatives as the way to be righteous before God, for all religions in the world teach their adherents to be good, to be kind, to be selfless, to be loving and forgiving, to not take revenge, to be morally upright and not be a drunkard, liar, cheat, adulterer, murderer, etc. Only in Christianity is a man not righteous by what he does (or doesn't do), for in the Bible man is saved and is righteous only by faith alone, by grace alone, by Scripture alone, by Christ alone, and for the glory of God alone (The Five Solas). Titus 3:5 says, "he saved us, not because of righteous things we have done, but because of his mercy..." Ephesians 2:8,9 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith...not by works, so that no one can boast."
Our default is always toward imperatives: So how might we communicate imperatives when sharing the Bible? We might say or think, "If you don't shape up, how can God ever bless you?" Or, "If you don't repent, how can God forgive you?" Or, "Unless you obey God, God will punish you." Whether we're consciously aware of this or not, we have just communicated that God's blessings for us is up to us and on what we do (imperatives), and not on God (indicative).
We might even think on the basis of imperatives. We think, "God did not bless me day today, because I did not pray and read the Bible this morning." Or, "I better not give in to sin, so that God will bless my finals and give me an A." Or, "I better pray more and purify my heart more, so that I can preach better." Even if these thoughts seem to play out accordingly, we're still thinking and reasoning in terms of imperatives, and not indicatives.
The difference between the gospel and religion: Tim Keller, Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian church in New York, says it best in this way: Religion says, "If I obey, then I'll be accepted by God." But the gospel says, "You're accepted by God, therefore I obey." On the surface, both religion and the gospel look alike, because both believe in Jesus, both read the Bible, both want to obey the 10 commandments, both want to live by the "rules" of the Bible, both want to go to church and Christian fellowship, both want to serve the needy and the poor, etc. But in their hearts, their attitude is quite different. One does so in order to receive God's blessing and approval (religion); while the other does the same thing because they know that they have already received God's blessing and approval (gospel).
Conclusion: Religion, is what we do (or the imperatives we follow and live by), while the gospel is what God has already done for us in Chirst (or the indicative). As Bill Hybels said, "The gospel is done, not do."
If we regard what we do (imperatives) as primary, I will either become proud because I think I'm living up to it (and look down on those who are not), or I will despair because I'm failing to live up to it. So I will either become confident and not humble (because I think I'm doing well), or I will become humble and not confident (becuase I think I'm not doing well).
But when we base our Christian lives on the indicative, which is what God has done for us in Christ, then our entire lives will simply be an expression of what Jesus has done for me in spite of all my sins. When Jesus is our indicative, we can always be confident and humble at the same time, confident because it's not up to me but up to Christ, and humble because Jesus loves me in spite of all my sins.
We do not love in order to be loved by God or others. But 1 John 4:19 says, "We love because he first loved us."
11/16/2009
The way to Love and Serve
To increase influence and trust, give freedom; to decrease influence and trust, maintain control.
Man's agenda is to build himself up, but God is the God of generosity and grace who gives liberally and freely of Himself and to us.
Man's default is to keep some "safe" distance, but the Trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is fully transparent, trusting and loving.
We pull rank over one another, but Jesus gave up everything, went to the very pit and died, in order to win us back to himself.
"The stairway to the ministry is not a grand staircase but a back stairwell that leads down to the servants quarters." Edmond Clowney
"There is too much autocracy (or oligarchy) in the leaders of the church, in defiance of the teachings of Jesus and the apostles, and not enough love and gentleness. Too many church leaders behave as if they believe not in the priesthood of all believers, but in the papacy of all pastors." John Stott
"Jesus is the only Lord who if you receive him will fulfill you completely and if you fail him will forgive you eternally." Tim Keller
11/09/2009
C.S. Lewis on Pride
"A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you." C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
What a reflective quote from Lewis' chapter on The Great Sin that we heard in the sermon. I found additional meaningful related quotes from that chapter:
"There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine that they are guilty themselves."
"There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others."
"According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison..."
"...if you want to find out how proud you are the easiest way is to ask yourself, 'How much do I dislike it when other people snub me, or refuse to take any notice of me, or shove their oar in, or patronise me, or show off?' The point is that each person's pride is in competition with every one else's pride. It is because I wanted to be the big noise at the party that I am so annoyed at someone else being the big noise."
"In God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that-and, therefore, know yourself as nothing in comparison- you do not know God at all."
"How is it that people who are quite obviously eaten up with Pride can say they believe in God and appear to themselves very religious? I am afraid it means they are worshiping an imaginary God. They theoretically admit themselves to be nothing in the presence of this phantom God, but are really all the time imagining how He approves of them and thinks them far better than ordinary people..."
"Whenever we find that our religious life is making us feel that we are good-above all, that we are better than someone else-I think we may be sure that we are being acted on, not by God, but by the devil. The real test of being in the presence of God is that you either forget about yourself altogether or see yourself as a small, dirty object."
"It is a terrible thing that the worst of all the vices can smuggle itself into the very center of our religious life. But you can see why. The other, and less bad, vices come from the devil working on us through our animal nature. But this does not come through our animal nature at all. It comes direct from Hell. It is purely spiritual: consequently it is far more subtle and deadly."
What a reflective quote from Lewis' chapter on The Great Sin that we heard in the sermon. I found additional meaningful related quotes from that chapter:
"There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine that they are guilty themselves."
"There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others."
"According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison..."
"...if you want to find out how proud you are the easiest way is to ask yourself, 'How much do I dislike it when other people snub me, or refuse to take any notice of me, or shove their oar in, or patronise me, or show off?' The point is that each person's pride is in competition with every one else's pride. It is because I wanted to be the big noise at the party that I am so annoyed at someone else being the big noise."
"In God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that-and, therefore, know yourself as nothing in comparison- you do not know God at all."
"How is it that people who are quite obviously eaten up with Pride can say they believe in God and appear to themselves very religious? I am afraid it means they are worshiping an imaginary God. They theoretically admit themselves to be nothing in the presence of this phantom God, but are really all the time imagining how He approves of them and thinks them far better than ordinary people..."
"Whenever we find that our religious life is making us feel that we are good-above all, that we are better than someone else-I think we may be sure that we are being acted on, not by God, but by the devil. The real test of being in the presence of God is that you either forget about yourself altogether or see yourself as a small, dirty object."
"It is a terrible thing that the worst of all the vices can smuggle itself into the very center of our religious life. But you can see why. The other, and less bad, vices come from the devil working on us through our animal nature. But this does not come through our animal nature at all. It comes direct from Hell. It is purely spiritual: consequently it is far more subtle and deadly."
8/17/2009
A disciple - a whole person in Christ
An incomplete extemporaneous synopsis of Pastor Lincoln's sermon, "Discipleship," based on Matthew 28:19 (delivered at UIUC UBF; on 8/16/2009) by Ben Toh
1st, a disciple as a whole person. We usually think of a disciple as a pupil, student, learner of Christ, which he is. Then we might have a picture of a disciple based on our church experience or expectation, such as being a good preacher or Bible teacher. So, a broader definition of a disciple as being a "whole" person, the person that God intended for us to be (Ge 1:27), is a refreshing definition. When we are whole, we'd become a far better disciple, as a better husband, father, friend, employee, etc, rather than just a good Christian performing good Christian deeds/duties.
2nd, believing is embracing the truth about God & its consequences. When Abraham believed God (Ge 15:6), he accepted what is true about God, & he embraced this truth along with its consequences. His belief was not just mental acknowledgment, but life change.
3rd, God can use us only after adequate humility & humanity education. Moses, though able & well educated, having received 40 years of an excellent palace education, was still not "whole" enough for God to use him. For when Moses faced a situation, he killed an Eqyptian in order to help his fellow Isrealite. Sadly, many a good Christian's default is to "kick" others in order to "help" some others. Without God's molding & chiselling, we might do so all our lives. Like Moses, we are also much more likely to strike the rock in anger, instead of speaking gently to the rock, as God instructed Moses.
4th, Francis Collins, a world renowned scientist, might not be what we expect a disciple to be, since he doesn't preach or teach the Bible the way we might expect of a disciple of Christ. Yet, he shines the light of Christ as a whole person in a highly academic scientific community populated mostly with skeptics, agnostics & atheists.
Thus, being a disciple of Christ is ultimately not one's choosing or doing (to oneself or to others), but it is God's molding & chiselling of us to be the whole persons/disciples that He intended for us to be, as He did with Abraham & Moses & each Christian whom God chooses.
1st, a disciple as a whole person. We usually think of a disciple as a pupil, student, learner of Christ, which he is. Then we might have a picture of a disciple based on our church experience or expectation, such as being a good preacher or Bible teacher. So, a broader definition of a disciple as being a "whole" person, the person that God intended for us to be (Ge 1:27), is a refreshing definition. When we are whole, we'd become a far better disciple, as a better husband, father, friend, employee, etc, rather than just a good Christian performing good Christian deeds/duties.
2nd, believing is embracing the truth about God & its consequences. When Abraham believed God (Ge 15:6), he accepted what is true about God, & he embraced this truth along with its consequences. His belief was not just mental acknowledgment, but life change.
3rd, God can use us only after adequate humility & humanity education. Moses, though able & well educated, having received 40 years of an excellent palace education, was still not "whole" enough for God to use him. For when Moses faced a situation, he killed an Eqyptian in order to help his fellow Isrealite. Sadly, many a good Christian's default is to "kick" others in order to "help" some others. Without God's molding & chiselling, we might do so all our lives. Like Moses, we are also much more likely to strike the rock in anger, instead of speaking gently to the rock, as God instructed Moses.
4th, Francis Collins, a world renowned scientist, might not be what we expect a disciple to be, since he doesn't preach or teach the Bible the way we might expect of a disciple of Christ. Yet, he shines the light of Christ as a whole person in a highly academic scientific community populated mostly with skeptics, agnostics & atheists.
Thus, being a disciple of Christ is ultimately not one's choosing or doing (to oneself or to others), but it is God's molding & chiselling of us to be the whole persons/disciples that He intended for us to be, as He did with Abraham & Moses & each Christian whom God chooses.
5/05/2009
Hindrances in the Ministry of the Word
One great hindrance to holiness in the ministry of the word is that we are prone to preach & write without pressing into the things we say & making them real to our own souls. Over the years words begin to come easy, & we find we can speak of:
- mysteries without standing in awe;
- purity without feeling pure;
- zeal without spiritual passion;
- God's holiness without trembling;
- sin without sorrow;
- heaven without eagerness.
And the result is a terrible hardening of the spiritual life.
5/01/2009
A mule or a stallion for a church man?
I read this interesting paragraph in an article on church planting (http://www.acts29network.org/acts-29-blog/ten-qualifications-of-a-church-planter/):
We prefer the men in our church to be mules. A mule does not act like a jackass & they are able to carry larger loads & endure longer than a horse. They are tamer than a jackass but do not seem to want to run like a stallion. I think many pastors prefer a mule to a stallion. Stallions are designed to run & not be penned up in a stable. We are generally afraid of stallions because we are afraid of our own masculinity, our leadership, & our "importance" to the Christian community. We are afraid that the stallion will steal our oats & our affirmation by "our" people. Since our own fathers did not affirm us, this is seen as a threat. We value Steady Eddie instead of Daring Dan. Christianity is a radical following of Jesus. The problem with being a mule is that it is almost always sterile.
We prefer the men in our church to be mules. A mule does not act like a jackass & they are able to carry larger loads & endure longer than a horse. They are tamer than a jackass but do not seem to want to run like a stallion. I think many pastors prefer a mule to a stallion. Stallions are designed to run & not be penned up in a stable. We are generally afraid of stallions because we are afraid of our own masculinity, our leadership, & our "importance" to the Christian community. We are afraid that the stallion will steal our oats & our affirmation by "our" people. Since our own fathers did not affirm us, this is seen as a threat. We value Steady Eddie instead of Daring Dan. Christianity is a radical following of Jesus. The problem with being a mule is that it is almost always sterile.
4/29/2009
About preaching
Our people need a God-besotted* man. (*having an irrational passion for a person or thing) ... they need at least one man in their life who is radically & totally focused on God & the pursuit of the knowledge of God, & the ministry of the word of God...they need a true vision of the greatness of God. They need to see the whole panorama of his excellencies.
They need to see a God-entranced man on Sunday morning & at the deacon's meeting. Robert Murray M'Cheyne said, "What my people need most is my personal holiness. That's right. But human holiness is nothing other than a God-besotted* life."
And our people need to hear God-entranced preaching. God himself needs to be the subject matter of our preaching, in his majesty & holiness & righteousness & faithfulness & sovereignty & grace. And by that I don't mean we shouldn't preach about nitty-gritty practical things like parenthood, & divorce & AIDS & gluttony & television & sex. We should indeed! What I mean is that everyone of those things should be swept right up into the holy presence of God & laid bare to the roots of its Godwardness or godlessness.
What our people need is not nice little moral, or psychological pep talks about how to get along in the world. They need to see that everything, absolutely everything - from garage sales & garbage recycling to death & demons have to do with God in all his infinite greatness. Most of our people have no one, no one in the world to placard the majesty of God for them. Therefore most of them are starved for the infinite God-entranced vision of Jonathan Edwards & they don't even know it.
Excerpted from "The Pastor as Theologian" (Life and Ministry of Jonathan Edwards) by John Piper: http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Biographies/1458_The_Pastor_as_Theologian/
They need to see a God-entranced man on Sunday morning & at the deacon's meeting. Robert Murray M'Cheyne said, "What my people need most is my personal holiness. That's right. But human holiness is nothing other than a God-besotted* life."
And our people need to hear God-entranced preaching. God himself needs to be the subject matter of our preaching, in his majesty & holiness & righteousness & faithfulness & sovereignty & grace. And by that I don't mean we shouldn't preach about nitty-gritty practical things like parenthood, & divorce & AIDS & gluttony & television & sex. We should indeed! What I mean is that everyone of those things should be swept right up into the holy presence of God & laid bare to the roots of its Godwardness or godlessness.
What our people need is not nice little moral, or psychological pep talks about how to get along in the world. They need to see that everything, absolutely everything - from garage sales & garbage recycling to death & demons have to do with God in all his infinite greatness. Most of our people have no one, no one in the world to placard the majesty of God for them. Therefore most of them are starved for the infinite God-entranced vision of Jonathan Edwards & they don't even know it.
Excerpted from "The Pastor as Theologian" (Life and Ministry of Jonathan Edwards) by John Piper: http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Biographies/1458_The_Pastor_as_Theologian/
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