First Evangelical Free Church Sioux City, Iowa

Grace throughout the Bible

Grace permeates the pages of the Scriptures. The Bible "stinks" of God's grace. There's simply no other way to say it - page after page of text about who God is, how sinful people are, and how wonderful Christ is all add up to one thing: God's grace is shown to those who turn to Him in repentance by trusting His Son Jesus Christ. This is what we mean by the word "salvation."

All of this said, sometimes it is easy to miss the forest for the trees as we move verse by verse through the Scriptures - sometimes it is easy to lose track of the grace. I once came across a blog post entitled "The Grace of God in the Bible" which I found to be an encouraging reminder of God's grace. Read and be refreshed:

Genesis shows God’s grace to a universally wicked world as he enters into relationship with a sinful family line (Abraham) and promises to bless the world through him.

Exodus shows God’s grace to his enslaved people in bringing them out of Egyptian bondage.

Leviticus shows God’s grace in providing his people with a sacrificial system to atone for their sins.

Numbers shows God’s grace in patiently sustaining his grumbling people in the wilderness and bringing them to the border of the promised land not because of them but in spite of them.

Deuteronomy shows God’s grace in giving the people the new land 'not because of your righteousness' (ch. 9).

Joshua shows God’s grace in giving Israel victory after victory in their conquest of the land with neither superior numbers nor superior obedience on Israel’s part.

Judges shows God’s grace in taking sinful, weak Israelites as leaders and using them to purge the land, time and again, of foreign incursion and idolatry.

Ruth shows God’s grace in incorporating a poverty-stricken, desolate, foreign woman into the line of Christ.

1 and 2 Samuel show God’s grace in establishing the throne (forever—2 Sam 7) of an adulterous murderer.

1 and 2 Kings show God’s grace in repeatedly prolonging the exacting of justice and judgment for kingly sin 'for the sake of' David. (And remember: by the ancient hermeneutical presupposition of corporate solidarity, by which the one stands for the many and the many for the one, the king represented the people; the people were in their king; as the king went, so went they.)

1 and 2 Chronicles show God’s grace by continually reassuring the returning exiles of God’s self-initiated promises to David and his sons.

Ezra shows God’s grace to Israel in working through the most powerful pagan ruler of the time (Cyrus) to bring his people back home to a rebuilt temple.

Nehemiah shows God’s grace in providing for the rebuilding of the walls of the city that represented the heart of God’s promises to his people.

Esther shows God’s grace in protecting his people from a Persian plot to eradicate them through a string of 'fortuitous' events.

Job shows God’s grace in vindicating the sufferer’s cry that his redeemer lives (19:25), who will put all things right in this world or the next.

Psalms shows God’s grace by reminding us of, and leading us in expressing, the hesed (relentless covenant love) God has for his people and the refuge that he is for them.

Proverbs shows us God’s grace by opening up to us a world of wisdom in leading a life of happy godliness.

Ecclesiastes shows God’s grace in its earthy reminder that the good things of life can never be pursued as the ultimate things of life and that it is God who in his mercy satisfies sinners (note 7:20; 8:11).

Song of Songs shows God’s grace and love for his bride by giving us a faint echo of it in the pleasures of faithful human sexuality.

Isaiah shows God’s grace by reassuring us of his presence with and restoration of contrite sinners.

Jeremiah shows God’s grace in promising a new and better covenant, one in which knowledge of God will be universally internalized.

Lamentations shows God’s grace in his unfailing faithfulness in the midst of sadness.

Ezekiel shows God’s grace in the divine heart surgery that cleansingly replaces stony hearts with fleshy ones.

Daniel shows God’s grace in its repeated miraculous preservation of his servants.

Hosea shows God’s grace in a real-life depiction of God’s unstoppable love toward his whoring wife.

Joel shows God’s grace in the promise to pour out his Spirit on all flesh.

Amos shows God’s grace in the Lord's climactic promise of restoration in spite of rampant corruption.

Obadiah shows God’s grace by promising judgment on Edom, Israel’s oppressor, and restoration of Israel to the land in spite of current Babylonian captivity.

Jonah shows God’s grace toward both immoral Nineveh and moral Jonah, irreligious pagans and a religious prophet, both of whom need and both of whom receive the grace of God.

Micah shows God’s grace in the prophecy’s repeated wonder at God’s strange insistence on 'pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression' (7:18).

Nahum shows God’s grace in assuring Israel of 'good news' and 'peace,' promising that the Assyrians have tormented them for the last time.

Habakkuk shows God’s grace that requires nothing but trusting faith amid insurmountable opposition, freeing us to rejoice in God even in desolation.

Zephaniah shows God’s grace in the Lord's exultant singing over his recalcitrant yet beloved people.

Haggai shows God’s grace in promising a wayward people that the latter glory of God’s (temple-ing) presence with them will far surpass its former glory.

Zechariah shows God’s grace in the divine pledge to open up a fountain for God’s people to 'cleanse them from sin and uncleanness' (13:1).

Malachi shows God’s grace by declaring the Lord’s no-strings-attached love for his people.

Matthew shows God’s grace in fulfilling the Old Testament promises of a coming king. (5:17)

Mark shows God’s grace as this coming king suffers the fate of a common criminal to buy back sinners. (10:45)

Luke shows that God’s grace extends to all the people one would not expect: hookers, the poor, tax collectors, sinners, Gentiles ('younger sons'). (19:10)

John shows God’s grace in becoming one of us, flesh and blood (1:14), and dying and rising again so that by believing we might have life in his name. (20:31)

Acts shows God’s grace flooding out to all the world--starting in Jerusalem, ending in Rome; starting with Peter, apostle to the Jews, ending with Paul, apostle to the Gentiles. (1:8)

Romans shows God’s grace in Christ to the ungodly (4:5) while they were still sinners (5:8) that washes over both Jew and Gentile.

1 Corinthians shows God’s grace in favoring what is lowly and foolish in the world. (1:27)

2 Corinthians shows God’s grace in channeling his power through weakness rather than strength. (12:9)

Galatians shows God’s grace in justifying both Jew and Gentile by Christ-directed faith rather than self-directed performance. (2:16)

Ephesians shows God’s grace in the divine resolution to unite us to his Son before time began. (1:4)

Philippians shows God’s grace in Christ’s humiliating death on an instrument of torture—for us. (2:8)

Colossians shows God’s grace in nailing to the cross the record of debt that stood against us. (2:14)

1 Thessalonians shows God’s grace in providing the hope-igniting guarantee that Christ will return again. (4:13)

2 Thessalonians shows God’s grace in choosing us before time, that we might withstand Christ’s greatest enemy. (2:13)

1 Timothy shows God’s grace in the radical mercy shown to 'the chief of sinners.' (1:15)

2 Timothy shows God’s grace to be that which began (1:9) and that which fuels (2:1) the Christian life.

Titus shows God’s grace in saving us by his own cleansing mercy when we were most mired in sinful passions. (3:5)

Philemon shows God’s grace in transcending socially hierarchical structures with the deeper bond of Christ-won Christian brotherhood. (v. 16)

Hebrews shows God’s grace in giving his Son to be both our sacrifice to atone for us once and for all as well as our high priest to intercede for us forever. (9:12)

James shows us God’s grace by giving to those who have been born again 'of his own will' (1:18) 'wisdom from above' for meaningful godly living. (3:17)

1 Peter shows God’s grace in securing for us an unfading, imperishable inheritance no matter what we suffer in this life. (1:4)

2 Peter shows God’s grace in guaranteeing the inevitability that one day all will be put right as the evil that has masqueraded as good will be unmasked at the coming Day of the Lord. (3:10)

1 John shows God’s grace in adopting us as his children. (3:1)

2 and 3 John show God’s grace in reminding specific individuals of 'the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever.' (2 Jn 2)

Jude shows God’s grace in the Christ who presents us blameless before God in a world rife with moral chaos. (v. 24)

Revelation shows God’s grace in preserving his people through cataclysmic suffering, a preservation founded on the shed blood of the lamb. (12:11)

Excellence

If you haven't figured it out by now, I like reading books. Actually, let me clarify: I like to read A LOT of books. It's one of the joys of being a pastor that I am able to spend time reading what other faithful Christians have written so that I can draw off of those wise lessons in sermons, Sunday school lessons, counseling appointments, my daily life, etc.

One book that I recently picked up (Excellence by Andreas Kostenberger) implies a simple question: "What does Christian excellence look like?" The book is written by a theology professor and so of course it is geared to that sort of profession, but take a moment and glance through the titles of his chapters and I believe you'll see many parallels to your life as well:

Part One: The Foundations for Excellence

1. The Excellence of God

2. The pursuit of Excellence

3. Holiness

4. Spirituality

Part Two: Vocational Excellence

5. Diligence

6. Courage

7. Passion

8. Restraint

9. Creativity

10. Eloquence

Part Three: Moral Excellence

11. Integrity

12. Fidelity

13. Wisdom

Part Four: Relational Excellence

14. Grace

15. Humility

16. Interdependence

17. Love

The question that arises for me is this: do I pursue excellence - which I would define as God-glorifying effort with grace-filled joy as I serve Him by serving others - in every area of life? Take a look at the list again and notice how comprehensive it is. Do I (and you as well, dear reader) think deeply about every area of our lives and how we can press on towards Christian maturity - not out of guilt, but out of grace? Spend time this week thinking intentionally and deeply about what tasks and roles God has called you to - parent, spouse, employee/boss, church volunteer, community leader, etc. Ask yourself "what does it look like to reflect God's grace and His character in each of these roles - and all the more so when the going gets tough, the boss gets upset, or my children don't obey?"

Desiring God Pastor’s Conference

I was privileged to attend the Desiring God Pastor's Conference in Minneapolis, MN over the past week alongside one of our overseers. It was a wonderful time of hearing and learning from other men of God on the topic of "God, Manhood, and Ministry." I took a few notes during the sessions and wanted to share some select quotes with all of you which I found to be helpful or challenging:

1 )  "If you want your kids to give away their heart [to God] then you must show them how by doing it yourself." -Pastor Douglas Wilson, speaking on how to raise up your children with a vibrant and healthy faith.

2 ) The idea of headship (and the consequent idea of submission) has been taken to unhelpful extremes in the church. "The issue in headship isn't necessarily related to gender," said Wilson, referencing how Christ relates to God. Similarly, "Submission isn't about disrespect or lack of value," again referencing how Christ submitted to God. Instead, Wilson argued, we would be wise to realize that "Biblical headship is bleeding sacrifice... The application then is that men are called to provide and protect... A man is to be a fortress for his family. This is exactly what Adam did not do when the serpent tempted Eve." Or, to cast the whole debate in a different light: "Men, your authority is a gift to others, not a gift to you."

3 ) Speaking of setting an appropriate balance in the home between what is prohibited (i.e. parents saying "no") and what is encouraged, Wilson observed that "The Garden of Eden was a world primarily of 'yes' with only one 'no.' Do our homes have any relation to this balance?" (As an editorial sidenote, don't take this out of context - Wilson's point is that we should be encouraging out children to live with wide-eyed wonder at all that God has provided for them while at the same time respecting and obeying what God has commanded of them which their parents are responsible for teaching)

4 ) "You are called to have a home of grace regardless of whether your kids are 'good' or 'bad'." Wilson made this excellent point when he was asked by a parent about what to do with children who are difficult. His wise reply indicates that our parenting is answerable to God - there aren't escape clauses stating that we get out of our responsibilities when our kids don't behave like we would want them to. Regardless of their actions, we are in control of our own actions.

5 ) Pastor Crawford Loritts noted that "manhood must be engraved into your boys." This is to be done by showing them that a "real man embraces obligation and responsibility."

6 ) Another helpful comment by Pastor Loritts: "Your children need you [their father] more than they need you to work for more square footage in the home." The point is simply this: if the choice is between providing "better" for your kids or actually being there with them, the second should always win out even if it means you make do with a little less.

7 ) Pastor Darren Patrick had this wonderful quote that every Christian needs to understand: "Struggle in life isn't a sign of God's absence, but instead it is a sign of God's presence." Why would he say this? Because "spiritual fruit grows painfully - this is the truth of Christianity."

8 ) One closing quote from Ramez Atallah of the Egyptian Bible Society: "Western countries may actually be more hostile to Christianity than muslim nations because there are fewer religious similarities in western countries." By this Atallah means that at least there is a basic religious underpining in muslim nations. Granted, that underpining is not God honoring, but it creates a national conversation that allows folks to speak more openly about their faith than is common in most western countries.

For anyone who is interested in listening to the sessions, they have been posted online (both audio and video) here.

Review: Revelation Commentary

Revelation: The Spirit Speaks to the Churches is a new commentary written by Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor James Hamilton. Hamilton is known from his magnum opus, God’s Glory in Salvation Through Judgment: A Biblical Theology which is an excellent and highly recommended work. There is much to commend this work, starting with its accessible content valuing clear explanation and application, which is to be expected from a book in a series entitled Preaching the Word. This commentary series is intended for pastors and others involved in the teaching ministry of the church and, through my other interactions with the series (namely Hughes and Chapell’s 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus: To Guard the Deposit), I had high hopes for this entry and, presentation issues aside, I was not disappointed. Let's begin with areas that I quibbled with and then move on to what I found to be helpful...

Right off the bat, one area of disappointment is the manner in which the commentary has been put together: these are a series of teachings which are broken down and explained exactly like sermons with sections on introduction, body, and conclusion. While the structure can be helpful at times, it took away from the book’s usefulness as a commentary and in some chapters is more noticeable (and thus less helpful) than in other chapters where it is virtually invisible (and thus quite helpful). While Hughes & Chapell do some of this as well, I never got the feeling while reading their text that I was reading sermon manuscripts and at the same time I could easily find their comments for any given passage.

Moving forward, the book begins with a single chapter overview of the entirety of Revelation, which is a feature that more commentaries should have as the Biblical-Theological implications of this are massive and help us to locate the teachings of the text within the larger framework of the entire revelation of Scripture. After this introduction, Hamilton then moves into his first section, Revelation 1:1-8. On the content side of the equation, the comments that Hamilton makes on the text itself are spot on and quite helpful. On the other hand, to get at those nuggets one has to dig through quite a bit of sermon text linking everything together. For example, when speaking of 1:3 (p.33), Hamilton offers some explanation of the text itself, but then launches into a section of question after question (“Is your experience of Christianity like John’s?” and “Do you know the relief that comes from knowing that faith in Christ and his death on the cross makes you right before God?” amongst others). While these questions are well meant and potently asked, their helpfulness in a commentary seems at times distracting from the point that these particular verses are making. Perhaps they would make more since in a concluding application section at the end of each chapter. Speaking of, application is of course, a perennial issue in our information-overload culture, but before we can get to application we need observation and interpretation. It is in these two attributes that I occasionally was left lacking in my understanding of the text before jumping straight into the application.

On the positive side in the same chapter, Hamilton describes the blessing of reading the Book of Revelation as the “blessing of being affected by the reading and hearing of the words of this prophecy. The reading and hearing of the words of Revelation changes those who experience it. They believe what it reveals, and as a result they ‘keep what is written in it’ (p.34).” Now this is helpful stuff: Hamilton’s view is that the blessing isn’t some sort of undefined action that God does as a reward for reading but that instead the blessing is offered in the reading itself. The message from God itself is the blessing, which should provoke us with much food for thought.

Moving forward, Hamilton also does an adequate job of dealing with differences in interpretation (a major issue in the Book of Revelation!). To give just one example, we see that Hamilton describes the angel’s purpose in 10:2-3 is to reflect Christ’s glory rather than to be an apocalyptic picture of Christ Himself: “…some suggest that this angel might be Christ himself. But this figure is called ‘another mighty angel’ in the first part of 10:1…we saw a ‘mighty angel’ back in 5:2…we’ll see a third ‘mighty angel’ in 18:21. So I don’t think this angel is Jesus because there are other ‘mighty angels’ in Revelation (p.224).” This is good, practical commentary, using the entire teaching of the book to show us what the book says.

Another area in which Hamilton excels is in drawing out Old Testament references and parallels. There are numerous examples of this throughout the book, but one that sticks out is found in the parallels between Ezekiel’s eating of the scroll and John’s eating of the scroll (to show that John is a true prophet just as Ezekiel was, p.228). Hamilton continues with a chart and explanation of how the Book of Ezekiel very much parallels the structure of Revelation (p.229). Seeing this connection is incredibly valuable to our understanding both of Revelation itself and of the Bible as a whole.

Finally, let us close by examining one more chapter. Revelation 21 gives us a picture of hope and great joy when, in a very tangible sense, God will be “with us.” I am greatly pleased to see Hamilton reinforcing this picture in ways that are nothing short of worshipful. Continuing his helpful links between Old Testament and New, Hamilton states: “Verse 1 gives us the wide-angle view of the new heaven and earth, and now 21:2 seems to focus in on the new city… here John describes the fulfillment of Isaiah 52:1, where Jerusalem, the holy city, is called to put on beautiful garments, and it also fulfills Isaiah 61:10, where the redeemed are likened to a bride who ‘adorns herself with jewels’ (p.383).”

Another helpful comment is given regarding the relationship of the word-pictures that John gives us: “So this new Jerusalem is a city because God will dwell there, and it seems to be likened to a bride because God will be in covenant with his people who dwell with him there (p.384).”

In conclusion, I would recommend Revelation: The Spirit Speaks to the Churches as a worthwhile commentary provided that you have other more focused resources available to aid you as well. This is a commentary that gets right to the point of understanding the big picture of Revelation and would be well used as preparation for a small group or similar teaching role as well as for personal understanding and devotions.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I wish to note that the publisher of this book, Crossway, provided it to me at no cost as a review sample. That said, my review is in no way influenced or controlled by them and thus I write my review of this book with honesty and integrity.)