My definition of Redemption
By Basil Rehill | November 2, 2011
Redemption is a concept that has many levels necessary to understand completely. Webster defines it as “Repurchase of captured goods or prisoners; the act of procuring the deliverance of persons or things from the possession and power of captors by the payment of an equivalent; ransom; release; as the redemption of prisoners taken in war; the redemption of a ship and cargo.”[1] So what can we make of this basic definition? Redemption is paying some fee or payment in kind to release someone or something from possession of another. I think of the bottle redemption that we have in some states. The redemption center pays the consumer some fee in exchange for the bottle or can that they can then recycle. The consumer releases the bottle or can to the center to do with as they wish. What does this have to do with the Bible and counseling? Hopefully you will see very soon.
In the Old Testament redemption involves releasing from bondage based on a person paying a price to release someone or thing in bondage. There are three Hebrew words used to convey the idea of redemption. The first is pâdâh which means to ransom, redeem, rescue, or deliver.[2] It was used in Exodus 13:13 regarding redeeming firstborn unclean animals that were pledged to the Lord. Humans were also redeemed in Numbers 18:16 where this verb is used. The second word is gâ’al which is translated to redeem, act as kinsman-redeemer, avenge, revenge, ransom, or to do the part of a kinsman.[3] This verb is shown in Leviticus 25:24-25. In this sense if a relative has sold some or all of his possessions to pay a debt, a kinsman, the closest living relative has the right and obligation to pay that debt and receive the possession back. The third word is kôpher which can be translated price of a life, ransom, or bribe.[4] We see this word used in Exodus 30:11-16. We can see from these three words that the idea of redemption includes the setting free from captivity or slavery, the buying back of something lost or sold and the exchanging of something that we have for something that someone else has.
In the New Testament the message of redemption is fundamental. Jesus is the fulfillment of Israel’s messianic hope. They sought deliverance from its state of alienation from God. We can see this conveyed in 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” In the New Testament, “redemption requires the payment of a price, but the plight that requires such a ransom is moral not material. Humankind is held in the captivity of sin from which only the atoning death of Jesus Christ can liberate.”[5]
It is interesting that although redemption is fundamental to the New Testament that redemption terminology is very limited. The writers use other images instead such as atonement, sacrifice and justification. We can see in Matthew 20:28 that lutron is used which means – something to loosen with, that is, a redemption price (figuratively atonement): – ransom.[6] Jesus stated in Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Christ’s death is portrayed as the payment price for the deliverance of those held captive by Satan Jesus death provides not only forgiveness of sin (Colossians 1:14), but also newness of life (Romans 6:4). Even though Christ’s work was perfect the redemption of believers will not be complete until the return of Christ as in Romans 8:23, “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”
So what does this all mean to me and to you? Redemption is a very old concept that means that in light of what Jesus Christ has done on the cross, we have our debt that we owe due to our sins paid in full. Jesus Christ has paid the fee that we owe. In Romans 6:23 is says, “the wages of sin is death.” Jesus paid those wages for us. We have received eternal life is we believe. Romans 10:9 says “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
From a practical perspective this means that we don’t have to stay in bondage to sin for the rest of our lives. We can live lives that are full of the new life that Jesus promises. The change takes place in our hearts and is an ongoing change. Each time we are confronted with our desire to sin we can make the decision to choose another option. We can choose to glorify God through our words, thoughts and actions. The Holy Spirit is the power that is promised to help us in our day to day decisions. We are free indeed.
[1] Webster’s Dictionary 1828, Foundation for American Christian Education; Facsimile of 1st edition (June 1, 1967)
[2] Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Hendrickson Pub; Revised edition 1996.
[3] Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Hendrickson Pub; Revised edition 1996.
[4] Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Hendrickson Pub; Revised edition 1996.
[5] Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Edited by Walter A. Elwell Baker Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1996.
[6] Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries, provided by Esword.
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7 Things to Know About Sexual Sin in the Church
By Basil Rehill | October 25, 2011
1. Who or what you pursue will ultimately determine what you do and who you become. It is a spiritual impossibility to pursue Jesus AND sexual sin at the same time. (Psalm 25:15)
2. As a friend of mine has often said, “God is not after our begrudging submission but rather our joy!” And long-term joy, peace, and fulfillment are never the result of pursuing sexual sin. (Please read Proverbs 5, Proverbs 6, & Proverbs 7 for further confirmation in regards to this point.)
3. Sexual sin is not something that can be “prayed away,” nor can we simply read Bible verses about grace after committing it in order to feel better. NOR can we simply promise God over and over that we won’t do it again (how’s that working for you?) We CAN be set free from it…but it will not be pretty. It must be confessed (James 5:16) and repented of (Revelation 2:21-23!) (I did not overcome my nearly 20-year battle with pornography until I confessed it and asked for help!)
YES, it may “cost you” when it comes to your reputation…but remember, the costs of concealment are far greater than the costs of confession…and repentance is WAY more important than our reputation.
4. Sexual sin costs us our spiritual esteem…people who are involved in sexual sin feel disconnected from God, guilty, and spiritually dead.
5. For those who want to STOP sinning sexually…a decision MUST be made to renew your mind (Romans 12:1-12), to FIGHT the battles in your mind (II Corinthians 10:5), and to ask GODLY men and women to come along side of you and both encourage and spur you when necessary (Hebrews 10:24-25).
(PS…this means you have to stop saying, “I messed up sexually.” OR “I made a mistake!” Call it what it is…sin. AND stop meeting with people who are doing the same things that you are doing and so when you get together to “hold one another accountable,” you are actually hoping that the other person “messed up” so that you don’t feel bad about doing so!)
6. Understand that IN CHRIST, you CAN have victory over sexual sin! (See Romans 8:37, I Corinthians 15:57, Philippians 4:13!) IN CHRIST, you are NOT a victim but rather a receiver of VICTORY! If Jesus overcame DEATH, then Christ in you can help you breakthrough the stronghold of sexual sin! (Luke 1:37!)
7. For those who belong to Christ and are trying their best to pursue Him on a daily basis but are still haunted by a sexual past…remember that is who you WERE, it is not WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST! (II Corinthians 5:17!) Do not allow what used to defeat you to define you! You are no longer defined by what you did but rather by what CHRIST did for you on the cross!
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My Definition of Repentance
By Basil Rehill | October 18, 2011
Repentance
There are 2 Greek words that are used in the new testament that are translated repentance. The first verb metamelomai is used of a change of mind, such as to produce regret or even remorse on account of sin, but not necessarily a change of heart. This word is used with reference to the repentance of Judas in Matthew 27:3. This is a worldly repentance or regret for being caught at something that you know you did wrong. The second is Metanoeo, meaning to change one’s mind and purpose, as the result of after knowledge. This verb is used of true repentance, a change of mind and purpose and life, to which remission of sin is promised. Evangelical repentance consists of (1) a true sense of one’s own guilt and sinfulness; (2) an apprehension of God’s mercy in Christ; (3) an actual hatred of sin and turning from it to God; and (4) a persistent endeavor after a holy life in a walking with God in the way of his commandments. This type of repentance is not simply regret or sorrow that may pass away and lead to other sins but is an inward change in the soul towards God and holiness, which is lasting and effective, and which may be associated with peace and joy in believing. True repentance is Godly sorrow for one’s sin together with the resolution to turn from it.
It is very important to remember that repentance is a prerequisite for salvation. There are many verses that make it clear that repentance is necessary. We can look at Luke 24:46-47 for an example, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” Acts 17:30 also helps to drive this idea home, “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” There can be no doubt that repentance is a requirement for salvation , it is integral to the message of the Gospel and that all people are called to repent.
True repentance is the soul’s understanding of the terribly heinous nature of sin and the determination to forsake it. Repentance is inconsistent with the continuance in sin because of grace abounding. There is an intellectual, emotional and volitional element to repentance. Repentance is that change of a sinner’s mind which leads him to turn from his evil ways and live. An emotional element is necessarily involved in repentance. While feeling is not the equivalent of repentance, it nevertheless may be a powerful impulse to a genuine turning from sin. Then we must make a change in our will. We must do something with that changed heart. Repentance begins inside and flows outside in our actions and reactions to temptations.
Practically speaking repentance is the beginning of change in our lives. Without repentance we would not be able to enter into a right relationship with Jesus Christ and would not be able to avail ourselves of His saving grace. What this means in my life is that as the Holy Spirit convicts me of my sin I must see it as God sees it and turn from my ways of living and live the way that God has commanded me. This is an ongoing and continual process in my life. This process is also vital to those I am blessed to be allowed to help. I need to be able to describe what this is and how to work with the Holy Spirit each and every day to truly repent. This is what allows us to change. It is what we need and what God commands of us. It is a wonderful gift that God has given us to be able to repent. He knows exactly what we need and provides it in the most amazing ways.
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Thoughts today
By Basil Rehill | October 14, 2011
I read Matthew 6:33 and had some thoughts that I wanted to share “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
In this passage we are told to seek His kingdom and His righteousness. In order to do this we have to turn away from things that get in the way of seeking Him. In general we need to: Seek God, not sin. Fear God, not man. Love God, not the world. Believe God, not the deceiver. Obey God, not your appetites. Serve God, not self. Worship God, not comfort. If we do God will add so much more to our lives that we can’t even imagine.
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My definition of holiness
By Basil Rehill | September 23, 2011
Holiness is one, if not the most important aspect of God’s character. “Holiness is what God is. Holiness also comprises his plan for his people.” [1] In Isaiah 6:3 the seraphim calls out “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” The Hebrew word for holy means “sacred, holy, Holy One, saint, set apart” [2] God is unlike anything or anyone else in the entire universe. He is unique and totally separate from all of creation. Exodus 15:11 says “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” Another aspect of God’s holiness is His absolute purity. In Habakkuk 1:13 addressing God it says “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong.” God cannot even look at evil.
The example we have is from God as to what Holiness is and looks like. We are told in Leviticus 11:44, “For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.” Holiness is “the state of being holy; purity or integrity of moral character; freedom from sin; sanctity. Applied to the Supreme Being, holiness denotes perfect purity or integrity of moral character, one of his essential attributes.” [3] We are called as Christians to be holy. “To be holy is to be morally blameless. It is to be separated from sin and, therefore, consecrated to God. The word signifies “separation to God, and the conduct befitting those so separated.” [4] We can look at 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 for more information on what this looks like. In general we are to be separate from this world. We are not to be like the world, but are to be like God in his disdain for evil and His love for purity.
The more we draw close to the Lord the more we discover that we are anything but holy. When Isaiah saw God he said, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”, Isaiah 6:5. Our pursuit of holiness is a lifelong endeavor. Because of this there are many hindrances, but we are encouraged in scripture to be watchful, prayerful and to persevere.
Practically speaking holiness is an attribute that we need to pursue daily in our prayer life, in our fellowship, in our Bible study and in our actions. It is this pursuit that motivates our perseverance in overcoming the obstacles that life throws in our way. Holiness is the caret that is hung before our eyes urging us to take the next step in faith. It is also the attribute that we cannot attain in our own strength, but must rely on our cooperation with the Holy Spirit for progress. The desire for holiness is at the root of counseling. Without this as a goal for counselees we have our ladder against the wrong wall. We can work diligently and faithfully but will hit the wrong target.
I have seen my own failures in not seeing holiness as my goal. When I try and try to attain the lofty goal of helping another and my goal is to help them through this problem they are having right now, I lose sight of what is really important. I can put a Band-Aid on the wound, but if I don’t stop to look at what is causing this reoccurring problem I have left those who come to me for care in a deeper hole than when they first came to me.
[1] Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Edited by Walter A. Elwell Copyright 1996 by Walter A. Elwell. Published by Baker Books, a division of Baker Book House Company, PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, Michigan
[2] Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Hendrickson Pub; Revised edition 1996.
[3] Webster’s Dictionary 1828, Foundation for American Christian Education; Facsimile of 1st edition (June 1, 1967)
[4] The Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges. Navpress, Colorado Springs, CO 1996
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Process of Repentance
By Basil Rehill | September 16, 2011
Repentance is the backbone of the Christian life. Without repentance salvation would not seem so important to us. The process of repentance is misunderstood by most believers today. According to Steve Gallagher “spiritual repentance is an experience whereby a person’s will is altered for the express purpose of bringing it into line with God’s will.” This is a change in our very will, not just a change in our opinion about whether we have sinned or not. This is a transformation that occurs in our hearts to bring us in line with the will of God. It is a process that can only be accomplished through the power of the Lord.
Every process must have a starting point. In repentance a person must come to the conclusion that their ways are not God’s ways and are therefore wrong for repentance to begin. There must be a need in order for something to come about. This involves recognition that the problem is our self will. We have placed our own selfish desires upon the throne of our lives which drive us to sin over and over again. One of the key pieces of the process of repentance involves “having one’s will altered to bring it into subjection and consecration to the will of God.” Repentance is the process where we change from doing our own fleshly will to doing the will of God.
What does this process look like? How do we get from here to there? The beatitudes provide an outline for the process of repentance. They take us from the recognition of the need to the transformation of the process of repentance to showing us the fruit of true repentance.
In Matthew chapter 5 beginning with verse 3 we read “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This describes the condition of a person’s heart that has come to the point where they recognize their need for God’s intervention in their life. When we understand who Christ really is we are humbled. We see that we are powerless over our own sin. The harder we try to overcome sin on our own the stronger sin seems to get. From this place of lowliness we can look up and see that there is only one way out. That is through the saving grace of Jesus Christ. To be poor in spirit means to recognize that we have no ability to overcome sin apart from God’s help. This is the first step in repentance. To recognize we need God, because we are helpless without Him. From this place we can begin to move towards freedom.
The next step is to mourn. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” This is not to mourn about the loss of a loved one or some thing that we have misplaced. This is a deep sorrow over how we have disobeyed, offended and hurt the Lord through our sin. We mourn what our sin has done to God. This is true godly sorrow over our sin. This begins the process of changing our heart. At this point we begin to hate our sin because it is what has kept us from true intimate fellowship with the Lord. We can look to 2 Corinthians 7:9-10 to understand what godly sorrow and repentance is. The sorrow is not over what we have lost or how it has affected us. Godly sorrow is about how we understand that our sin has affected the Lord. We see what our sin has done to our families, our church, and our community. We have true sorrow over the effects of our sin on others, not on us. We are desperate for a change. Its only after we truly hate our sin that we can overcome it. The problem with trying to do things on our is that we never really get to the point where we hate our sin. We still want the pleasure of our sin more than we want to give it up. The change happens in or heart through the work of the Holy Spirit. He helps us to see things as God does.
The next step is meekness. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Meekness is “the willing subjection one person’s will to the will of another.” In this step we conquer our will. We voluntarily submit our will to God’s will. Jesus provides us with the best example of what it means to be meek. In John 5:30 he says “…I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.” Jesus spent His entire life here on earth in subjection to the Father’s will. Jesus had a big advantage. He waw not born with indwelling sin. He was perfect in every way. The only way we can experience this meekness is by the breaking of our will. This is a work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit takes us through the process of surrendering everything that we are. We must recognize that we are not in control of our lives, the Lord is. From this place we can have freedom. We stop doing it our way. We see that only by doing what God says in His word can we find victory. Victory is not in our strength, but in reliance on the Lord to deliver us in the times of temptation.
From this place of meekness we have a natural thirst. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” When we learn to live under the watchful eyes of the Lord we desire to please Him. We search out righteousness. This longing creates a hatred for sin in us which leads to a desire to get rid of all the idols in our life. As this desire grows we can lay down our desires, lusts and cravings that we have sought after our entire lives. When we truly hate the sin it no longer has power over us. We can then fill that hole left by our sin with a truly intimate relationship with the Lord God. We will long for that intimacy more than we ever longed for our sin.
The next three beatitudes describe the fruit of repentance “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” ”Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” ”Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Our lives will be marked by mercy, purity and peace. As our hard hearts are crushed mercy takes the place of selfishness. We begin to seek the good of others instead of seeking self-gratification. The peace of Jesus Christ fills our hearts because He is at the center of all that we do. True repentance replaces a lonely self focused life that leads to death, with an others focused, life centered on intimacy with the Lord that leads to peace and life forever.
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Think Before You Look – Avoiding the Consequences of Secret Temptation by Daniel Henderson
By Basil Rehill | April 28, 2011
In his book, Think Before You Look – Avoiding the Consequences of Secret Temptation Daniel Henderson presents forty chapters, each presenting positive reasons to avoid the snare of pornography. Here they are in summary as a positive dose of pure prevention.
1. I fully enjoy the pleasure of my love relationship with Christ.
2. I fulfill my true identity as a child of God.
3. I experience God’s provision of empowering grace.
4. I enjoy my freedom in Christ to its fullest.
5. I avoid a life-pattern of deception.
6. I cultivate a soft and sensitive conscience.
7. I turn away from the solicitation of harlots in my heart.
8. I refuse the temptation of idolatry.
9. I prove to be a faithful steward of my money.
10. I prove to be a faithful steward of my time.
11. I abstain from any promotion and support of the pornography industry.
12. I preserve God’s gift of loving sexual expression for its intended purpose.
13. I protect the purity and power of my God-given imagination.
14. I develop disciplined character.
15. I guard the integrity of my Christian testimony.
16. I promote health and harmony in the body of Christ.
17. I cultivate a stronger resistance to future interpersonal sexual sin.
18. I nurture the proper biblical view of the sanctity of womanhood.
19. I relate to women as equals and persons of ultimate worth.
20. I learn to live in reality rather than fantasy.
21. I steer clear of unnecessary personal guilt and shame.
22. I cultivate a lifestyle of contentment and satisfaction.
23. I experience the blessing of living as a servant
24. I learn the relational skills of authentic intimacy.
25. I avoid future mental, emotional and spiritual scars on my life.
26. I experience the joy of the Christian life.
27. I lay up eternal rewards.
28. I learn to deal with the causes of my problems rather than treating symptoms.
29. I prevent potential temptations for others in my sphere of influence.
30. I honor the trust and prayer support of those who have invested in my spiritual life.
If I am married:
31. I avoid adultery in my heart.
32. I encourage my wife’s trust.
33. I honor my vow of marital purity and faithfulness.
34. I keep my marriage union pure from fantasies of other women.
35. I communicate acceptance and honor toward my wife.
36. I avoid the pathway that could easily result in infidelity.
If I have children:
37. I minimize the risk of my children being exposed to pornography.
38. I model strong and genuine moral values for my children.
39. I avoid embarrassing and embittering my children.
40. I encourage all of the above positive qualities in their lives.
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“The Finished Work of Christ; the Truth of Romans 1-8”, Francis A. Schaeffer Book Review
By Basil Rehill | March 6, 2011
I have studied the book of Romans on 3 separate occasions. Each time I have come away with a new sense of God’s grace and have been left in a state of awe. Francis Schaeffer has left me in that state again. He has helped me to see a new way of applying the first eight chapters to my life and the life of those who come to me for counseling. He breaks down the first eight chapters of Romans into three sections; Justification (vs. 1:1-4:25), Sanctification (vs. 5:1-8:17) and Glorification (vs. 8:18-39) with an introduction thrown in at the beginning. In this introduction he states that chapter 1-8 “…are really an exegesis of vs. 1:16-17. You never get beyond these two verses. 1:1-15 in the introduction; 1:16-17 is the theme; then 1:18-8:39 is the exegesis of that theme.”
It makes sense to look at this verse. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.’” This salvation spoken of has three tenses, past, present and future: or justification, sanctification and glorification. When I read the first eight chapters with this framework the lights began to turn on in my mind. I could see the structure more clearly than in my past studies.
In order to understand justification we must first understand our need for it. Romans begins with the person without the bible and addresses his need first and then proceeds to the person with the bible and addresses his need and finally concludes with the fact that all have sinned and need salvation. Mr. Schaeffer points out that all are found guilty. “Salvation is not just making a wager with our eternal destiny, or repeating some magic phrase. Salvation begins with the fact that God exists, and that man has rebelled against Him. Then there comes a point when each of us must decide: Will we believe God, or will we continue to rebel against Him?” Once we have accepted Christ as our savior “we have peace with God.”
Mr. Schaeffer point out a very important aspect of Romans as it pertains to counseling. “People struggle like mad to have peace in their hearts. They try all kinds of psychological methods to find some point of integration. But all such efforts lead only to disappointment unless it involves the relationship and the purpose for which we were created. The only way we can return to that purpose and to that relationship is by having our guilt before God removed on the basis of Christ’s finished work.” This is the essence of all our problems and struggles. We fight against all sorts of things in our lives and try to find that peace, but look in every place but in Christ. We never find what we search for until we come back to God through Christ.
Assuming we have accepted Christ as our savior, the next phase of salvation is sanctification. This is a process we go through each and every day as we learn to become more and more like Christ. This process can feel overwhelming at times if we take our eyes off the Lord. “But if salvation is going to have any reality in my everyday life, I must think also about walking according to the spirit.” We are either walking according our flesh or walking according to the spirit. There is no such thing as neutrality in our relationship to God. Most importantly we have no obligation to live according to the flesh. After we are justified we can begin building on a new foundation, that of our faith. It is based on the promise of God. Even though we may fall back into sin at times we can rest on the assurances that God has provided. The first is whoever believes on the some has everlasting life. This we can come back to as often as we need to throughout our lives. No matter how beaten and fallen we become we can come back to this fact. We are saved because of Christ’s finished work. This fact will always be an assurance for our counselees. This will always be our anchor to come back to.
The final phase of salvation is our future glorification when Christ returns for us and our bodies become like Christ’s glorified body. “Because the spirit indwells us, we can be sure that the Lord has purchased our whole being, and that he will one day claim it by raising us from the dead.” This gives us hope that we can share with all the people in our lives. We will one day no longer have to deal with sin and its consequences. We will no longer have to deal with our aging bodies. We will no longer be limited by the results of sin. This is what gives us hope to live today, the promise of Jesus.
Francis Schaeffer has helped me to see the larger implications of Romans not only in my life, but in the lives of those I will counsel. My foundation in my understanding of salvation and its three tenses will help me to help those who come to me. I found some of the author’s writing styles to be more difficult to understand than others I have read. The effort I had to make was well worth it to get to what was being said. I believe that I will retain the information longer since I had to work hard to get there in the first place. I highly recommend this book to anyone who desires a deeper understanding of Romans and its theology. It is also extremely helpful for anyone who wishes to counsel others.
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“Trusting God” by Jerry Bridges Book Review
By Basil Rehill | March 6, 2011
Jerry Bridges poses the question, in “Trusting God”, “Why is it easier to obey God than to trust Him?” He proceeds to discuss the issue of trusting God by looking at the foundation of this concept, God’s sovereignty. He then proceeds to address god’s wisdom and then His love. He makes a compelling argument that God is in control of everything in creation. God is in control of His people, the rule over the nations, over nature and even our responsibilities. Whether we make wise or foolish decisions, God is sovereign in those decisions and uses them to accomplish His purposes.
I must admit that I found it difficult to admit God’s sovereign control over the nations given the foolish decisions that some nations and leaders have made over the years. Mr. Bridges points out that Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” It is God who determines whether a man’s plans succeed as he intended or go a much different course. He also points out that God determines who rules in government. We don’t always understand what God may be doing by allowing a certain leader to hold office, or to lead a country in a particular direction. What we do know is that God has His reasons. We must trust that God knows far more than we do about such matters. While this is a difficult concept to swallow it opens one up to possibility of God’s infinite wisdom and sovereignty in a very humbling way. If I can learn to trust God in the decisions made by the leaders of this country then I can truly seek God in prayer for their blessing. I do not have to agree with our leaders to pray that they will make godly decisions.
Another area that Jerry Bridges sheds light on is grief and natural disasters. God causes all things to happen. In Lamentations 3:38 it says, “Do not both adversity and good proceed from the mouth of the Most High?” God causes the rain to fall on the good as well as the wicked. He causes the sun to shine on both. He causes tornados to run into both. Looked at from my perspective, it may seem senseless. Looked at from God’s perspective there is a beauty in the purpose that he intends. I can only look at the countless stories I have heard about people accepting the Lord in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina in New Orleans to see that God had plans that I would never have thought of. Mr. Bridges rightly points out that God is truly in charge of the seeming good and bad. We are limited by our human understanding when we look at so called natural disasters.
God’s wisdom is greater than the wisdom of any of our adversaries according to Jerry Bridges. No matter who or what our adversary is God’s wisdom is greater. That is comforting news for many of us. We don’t need to worry about the wisdom of Satan or some world leader; God will bring about things according to His greater wisdom that we would never imagine. This also makes God’s ways incomprehensible to humans. In Romans 8:29 the Bible says that we are being conformed to the likeness of His son. All things that happen in our life are designed to bring about the changes in us to become more like Jesus Christ. God in His infinite wisdom uses all of man’s foolish decisions, all his selfish actions and all his sinful desires and actions to change each of us into His likeness. It boggles my mind to think that the death of my pet rabbit can have such noble purposes for the Lord most high. That is what Mr. Bridges is hinting at. God uses all things no matter how small in His wisdom for His purposes.
I must admit that I am tempted to doubt God’s love for me at times. I have wondered where He was in my times of trouble. If God is all-powerful, all knowing, and ever-present how could he allow some things to occur such as the tsunami in Indonesia. Jerry Bridges points out “To question the goodness of God is, in essence, to imply that man is more concerned about goodness than God is…” And in Job 1:21 Job says the lord gives and the lord takes away. God in His perfect love allows things into our lives and this world that demonstrate His love for us. He uses what may seem like a tragedy to reveal himself to us in our time of most need. He demonstrated His love most vividly when His son, Jesus died on Cavalry. It is difficult to truly understand Just how deeply God loves us. I cannot imagine allowing my son to die for the evil ways of another. Yet that is exactly what God has done.
Throughout “Trusting God” the author challenges us to stretch our understanding of God beyond what we humanly can; To look at the big and the small things in our life equally as the tools that God uses to bring about the changes that He deems fit; To look at the things that happen in our life, the good and the bad, as tools for change. I must admit that my mind was truly challenged in many areas. I must admit that my view of suffering has truly been changed by the author’s views. He has provided me with many ways that I can apply this understanding to my day-to-day experiences. He has helped me to see how I can help others to see God’s hand in the ordinary things of life. He has helped me to see the truth that bears upon each of us in a new light. He has helped me to see God more clearly and more humbly. I now know how truly inadequate human wisdom is in dealing with life’s challenges. I would recommend this book for anyone seeking to know God more clearly.
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Book Review “The Pursuit of Holiness” by Jerry Bridges
By Basil Rehill | February 27, 2011
I have been a Christian for around 10 years. Many of my friends have been Christians much longer than that. In all the time I have known my Christian friends and known Jesus Christ as my savior I have not seen a more thorough explanation of what it is to put off my sinful nature as I have found in “The Pursuit of Holiness” by Jerry Bridges. Holiness seems to have become almost a forbidden word these days. We can talk about grace, love and forgiveness, but when we talk about sin or holiness we seem to be treading on thin ice in many Christian circles. I have to ask myself why? I was hoping to find out about this in this book.
Jerry Bridges explores holiness from a beginner’s perspective and builds upon that premise. He explores the holiness of God, the holiness of Jesus and exclaims that holiness is for all of us. It is not just for the super Christian or the pastor and leaders of the church, but for all Christians. To live a holy life is to “live in conformity to the moral precepts of the Bible in contrast to the sinful ways of the world.” This is characterized by a life of putting off the old sinful life and putting on the new Christ-like life. Throughout this book the author stresses that the process of living a holy life is a cooperative effort between us and the Holy Spirit. We have a responsibility to obey what God tells us and the Holy Spirit enables us to do just that when things seem impossible.
Each chapter of “The Pursuit of Holiness” focuses on a single scripture. It then uses this scripture as a foundation for discussing one aspect of holiness. Chapter seven for instance, focuses on Romans 6:11 “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” The title of this chapter is “Help in the Daily Battle.” The author helps us to understand that when Satan comes to us and says “give up! You can never overcome sin.” We can honestly say that’s true if we are talking about doing it in our own power. But we are strengthened by God in our union with Him through Jesus Christ. We need to count on this fact as being true. Then we will experience the strength we need to fight temptation. In order to do this we must form the habit of continually realizing that we are dead to sin and alive to God.
Throughout this book the author stresses our need to learn to hate sin as God hates sin. We tend to make friends with certain sins such as gossip or a judgmental attitude. Somewhere we have a list of things that are OK in our book and a list of things that we would never do. We justify our own sin by looking at people who have committed a sin much worse than ours. We need to hate all sin just as God does. He doesn’t make excuses for some sin. All sin has the sin consequence, death. We must see all sin in this way if we ever hope to overcome anything. The Bible often uses the concept of yeast in bread as an example of how sin affects us. If only a very small amount of sin is in us it affects everything. We often don’t even see how far our sin really goes.
One of the tools that the Holy Spirit uses to help us overcome sin is the use of scripture. A daily Bible reading habit changes the way we think and see things. It changes our outlook and our focus. What we spend our time focusing on becomes what we think about and eventually do. “If we truly want to live in the realm of the Spirit we must continually feed our minds with His truth.” We must come to the Word in a spirit of humility. We must recognize that we are sinful and often are blinded to the sinfulness of our own heart. We need the work of the Holy Spirit through God’s Word to open our eyes to the truth.
Jerry Bridges offers concrete examples of how God uses all the tools that He has to help us to walk in this life of holiness. He focuses on the areas of our lives that we need to work on with the Holy Spirit’s help. He helps us to see the habits we need to develop to truly become holy. God would not ask us to do something that He would not help us to do. He also helps us to see that the world will do everything in its power to prevent us from walking in holiness. At times it almost seems impossible to live this life he talks about. Just when I started to get discouraged Mr. Bridges would offer a gem of wisdom from God’s word to bring me hope. He helps us to see that one day soon we will be with the Lord in all His glory forever worshipping Him. The joy that we experience here today pales in comparison to the joy we will experience forever.
I would recommend this book to any serious student of the Bible. It brings together many aspects of the Bible into an easily digestible format. It focuses on one aspect of Christian living, but without it there would be no life. This book could be used for a small group Bible study. Each chapter would be about right for an hour’s study time. There is a workbook that can also be used for this purpose. There are 17 chapters which may be a little long for some Bible studies, but is well worth the time and effort.
At the beginning of this review I asked why people don’t like to hear about sin and holiness. After reading this book I think I have an answer. When we are forced to take a good look at ourselves and honestly evaluate the condition of our hearts we find that we are not really all that nice and clean as we might thing we are. It is much easier to go through life pretending that everything is alright. When we find that we see ourselves more honestly we don’t like what we see. The Bible says in the end times we will seek out teachers who tickle our ears. We want to hear that we are good and worthy. We want to think that we are a wonderful gift to humanity. Talking about sin and holiness forces us to see ourselves as we really are; a sinner and unclean.
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