simply beautiful

It is a bit lengthy, but there may not be a better presentation of the blessedness of union with Christ than Martin Luther in "the Freedom of the Christian."

Here we have a most pleasant vision not only of communion but of a blessed struggle and victory and salvation and redemption. Christ is God and man in one person. He has neither sinned nor died, and is not condemned, and he cannot sin, die, or be condemned; his righteousness, life, and salvation are unconquerable, eternal, omnipotent. By the wedding ring of faith he shares in the sins, death, and pains of hell which are his bride's. As a matter of fact, he makes them his own and acts as if they were his own and as if he himself had sinned; he suffered, died...

...now since it was such as one who did all this, and death and hell could not swallow him up, these were necessarily swallowed up by him in a mighty duel; for his righteousness is greater than the sins of all men, his life stronger than death, his salvation more invincible than hell. Thus the believing soul by means of the pledge of its faith is free in Christ, its bridegroom, free from all sins, secure against death and hell, and is endowed with the eternal righteousness, life, and salvation of Christ its bridegroom. So he takes to himself a glorious bride...

Beautiful!

abide with me

One of the benefits of attending a Presbyterian seminary is their love for hymns. Not only are the classics heard, but also those which may either be far less popular or altogether unknown. One falling in the latter category is "Abide with Me" by Henry F. Lyte.

It serves as a prayer, which would benefit us each and every day.

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide; 

the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide. 

When other helpers fail and comforts flee, 

Help of the helpless, O abide with me. 

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day; 

earth's joys grow dim; its glories pass away; 

change and decay in all around I see; 

O thou who changest not, abide with me. 

I need thy presence every passing hour. 

What but thy grace can foil the tempter's power? 

Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be? 

Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me. 

I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless; 

ills have no weight, and tears not bitterness. 

Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory? 

I triumph still, if thou abide with me. 

Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes; 

shine through the gloom and point me to the skies. 

Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee; 

in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

walking in the light

Every Wednesday I attend chapel from 10:30-11:15. And every Wednesday at 10:25 I attempt to convince myself of using those 45 minutes for something else. And every Wednesday at 11:20, I am thankful for my lack of persuasive skills.

The text was 1 John 1:5-10. At one point, the speaker harped on verse seven, But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. He stressed that walking in the light does not mean perfection. The verse assumes that even when walking in the light, we will slip and fall. More bluntly, he said we walk in the light as a "mess" inviting the Spirit to work in us and the Body to come along side of us.

Walking in the light is a corporate endeavor. Later on in verse nine, John stresses confession which is also a corporate endeavor. We are to walk in the light and confess our sins to one another. It keeps us in the light. It brings true and lasting fellowship. It brings cleansing.

So why don't we see this more often? Why are we content groping in the darkness?

The simple answer is pride, which is a great irony.

When we wrestle and struggle with sin, what is we most often ask for? Grace. We ask God for the grace to overcome the particular sin. We ask because God promises to grant such requests. However, Scripture is very clear the means by which we receive this grace: humility.

God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5; Proverbs 3:34 (loosely)

The grace we desperately long for in our struggle against sin comes through humility. Humility ties back to 1 John 1:7. Humility means stepping out of the darkness. It means allowing the Spirit to expose our sin. It means allowing others to see our sin. It means removing the facade of perfection we unsuccessfully put on. It means letting other see us in our messiness. It means embracing the biblical notion of fellowship. It means confession.

Much of the pain and grief we bear because of our sin feeds off the pride by which we keep that sin in the dark. Bring it out in the light. Confess it to brothers and sisters. Find the grace promised in the time of weakness.

fall

While you would not know it by this picture (of which I must give credit to my fiance), autumn has arrived. By far, autumn is my favorite season. 

The colors are beautiful, even for a colorblind individual like myself. I can be distracted easily simply looking at the vast array of colors on display by endless trees.

The weather is ideal. The days are comfortable. The nights are crisp and cool, perfect for fires and s'mores. And this year has started off exceptionally well with the warm days coupled with the cool evenings.

The sports world is thriving. Football season is in full swing. Baseball decides its champion. Hockey and basketball start back up again. 

The pallet expands. Apple season is upon us rendering apples (my favorite) plentiful and cheap. This leads to applesauce, apple cider, apple pie, and general apple eating. Pumpkin becomes a staple to my diet: pancakes, muffins, cakes, and lattes (though only occasional because I prefer my coffee black). Spices such as ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg abound.

Throw in a little "September Grass" by James Taylor, and I cannot help but smile.

drama

I watch the television show Nashville.

I admit it.

First and foremost, I like the music. While I am not a country fan, I do like the live music scene, which is incorporated into just about every episode. Simply I have always been a sucker for music, so it was inevitable that I would wind my way to this show since it centers on the music industry.

Equally More appealing is the aspect of human drama and emotion. Nashville is ripe with it. The show is essentially an soap opera with far better acting and story lines. In fact, the lead female was nominated for an Emmy which validates my watching (or at least I hope). No matter how mad the characters make me, I still find myself coming back each and every week.

While the show is not always the most wholesome, it does provide an excellent glimpse into the human experience. It reveals the innumerable ways broken people deal with the brokenness around them. In these responses, it is evident where these individuals look to for salvation. And each and every time, this salvation miserably fails.

Here are a few examples from just the first episode of the second season:

The victim of an alcoholic relationship and a failed marriage throws inhibition to the wind. She indulges in all sorts of immoral behavior because her attempts at virtue and happiness have left her scarred and more broken.

An alcoholic turns to self-hatred and self-abuse. He hopes it will serve as a means of penance to make up for all the lives he has effectively ruined.

A terrible husband along with his equally terrible father-in-law rely on power and prestige to manipulate people. They feel this will cover over or at least mask just how poorly they have loved their wives and daughters.

A brother cannot cope with the guilt of his success at the expense of his criminal, and now dead, brother. He turns to women, partying, and shutting out everyone and anyone to dumb the pain.

The love deprived daughter of a drug-addicted mother cannot trust anyone. She is entirely self-sufficient, which leaves her miserable. Very few people like her and even those who do can only handle her in small doses. She looks for love in all the wrong places with all the wrong people.

A sweet and naive girl tries to save everyone in her life. She fails over and over, but still holds out hope that one day she will break through. She gets taken advantage of. She is treated poorly. Her hearts is repeatedly broken.

A young girl copes with the divorce of her parents. Their lies to her are exposed sending her into a tailspin. She chooses to bottle up her emotions. She seeks the approval of questionable role models. Eventually, she seeks out the counsel of one whose own life is filled with the same brokenness.

This all sounds depressing. It is depressing to watch. However, it is not far from what many people deal with each and every day. They are walking around looking for someone or something to save them from their guilt, misery, and brokenness. Sadly, every savior fails to come through.

If anything shows like these remind me how good the good news of the gospel is. The gospel exposes all functional saviors. They are unable to save anyone from anything.

In his life and death, Jesus bore all our shame, guilt, pain, brokenness, and sin. He took it upon Himself. And in His resurrection, Jesus claimed victory over them all. His resurrection promises our freedom from them, both now and in the age to come.

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. ~Acts 4:12

divine vs. human love

Honestly, I am not the biggest fan of studying church history. It is not exactly the most exciting field to study. However, I will admit it is extremely valuable. The Church, the bride of Christ, formed two thousand years ago, and has continued through the ages. Contrary to the belief of some, the Church did not fall off the map at any point in history. And God's Word tells us the Church will stand forever. Therefore, it is beneficial to know and understand the history, particularly when it comes to what we proclaim.

Not surprising, the men and women who have gone before us are also valuable resources for insights into Scripture and what it teaches. I found this quote from Martin Luther's Heidelberg Disputation (just as good as his 95 Theses in terms of content not significance) worthy of note.

The love of God does not find, but creates, that which is pleasing to it. The love of man comes into being through that which is pleasing to it.

While I do not agree with everything Luther ever wrote, this may be one of the most succinct, yet powerful statements made about the love of God outside of Scripture.

Obviously I am not an expert regarding human love. However, I can agree wholeheartedly that it begins with that which is already lovely. I began the pursuit of my fiance because there was something about her that I deemed lovely and pleasing. My love took form and grew as I engaged more and more with those things I found desirable.

Praise God that His love operates in the opposite way! God does not look first onto that which is lovely. In fact, He first loves that which is altogether unlovely and disgusting. He sets His love and affection on sinners actively rebelling against Him. And not only does He gaze lovingly, but through Christ He transforms the unlovely.

I was an active rebel, dead in my sin. I wanted nothing to do with God. I was an object of His righteous judgment. And yet, His love for me in Christ pursued me. It paid the debt of my sin. It raised me to life. It clothed me in Christ's righteousness. It made me lovely. It made me pleasing to God.

that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge ~Ephesians 3:18-10

back to the grind

Last Thursday I began my third year of seminary. As of three o'clock this afternoon, I had survived the first class in each of my five classes this semester. The period of syllabus reading and workload panicking is over. The ebbs and flows of another semester are upon me.

But in the midst of my mental weariness and ongoing adjustment, I am reminded of the blessing seminary continues to be for me.

A place where relationships form and grow as people study, learn, pray, and fellowship together.

A place where prayer is preached and practiced. The prayers of the professors are passionate, steeped in Scripture, genuine, God-honoring, and, often times, on behalf of the students.

A place where knowledge and study supplements personal intimacy and communion with God.

A place where grace is preached day in and day out to sinners in desperate need of it.

A place where one learns more about themselves as they learn more about their Creator.

I know there is a lot in store for this semester, but unlike the ones prior I enter with great anticipation for what God will do in and through it.