Re the Video: On the Other Hand....

Yesterday  I linked to some critiques of the "I Love Jesus but Hate Religion" video. To be even handed, here's an excerpt from a defense of the video by Stephen Altrogge.

...So let me offer a few of words in defense of the video, because I actually think it’s very good. I’m a songwriter who cares very much about creativity and sound doctrine. I love to see them blended and fused into something beautiful and doctrinally sound.

One of the first rules when it comes to interpreting a song, or any creative work for that matter, is that it must be judged on it’s own terms. In other words, the content must be interpreted based on the author’s intent. The first line of the piece is “Jesus came to abolish religion.” To that I say, “Oh really? Tell me exactly what you mean by the word ‘religion’.” Because the meaning of the entire piece depends on what Jefferson means by the word “religion”. If I’m going to critique it, I need to critique his meaning of religion, not my meaning of religion.

The critique of the video generally runs along the lines of this: Jesus was not against religion. That’s a false dichotomy that Jefferson is creating.

But I think that the wrong question is being asked. The question everyone seems to be asking is: was Jesus against religion? The answer to that question is: yes. And no. And maybe. It all depends on what you mean by the word “religion”.....

More at the link.

UPDATE:  Keven DeYoung and Jefferson Bethke have been talking on the phone and exchanging e-mails regarding DeYoung's critique of Bethke's video.  I wish all disagreements among believers could be handled with this level of humility and class.  Good job, guys!

Curing a Complaining Spirit

I was feeling a complaining spirit coming on this morning.... and then I read this:

The fact is, most of our complaining stems from a faulty sense of entitlement. We all have long lists of things we think we deserve. When everything that we “deserve” doesn’t fall in our laps, we complain. We view ourselves as the injured party who has every right to grumble. Work is stressful, we don’t feel like we deserve that. We have relational problems, we don’t feel like we deserve that either....

...The gospel makes it clear that all we deserve is hell. God created us. Therefore he owns us, and we owe him our complete allegiance and gratitude. But we rebelled. We wave him off as unimportant even as we revel in his blessings every day, living in warm houses, eating delicious food, and enjoying the company of loved ones.

The beauty of the gospel is getting what we don’t deserve. We have mercy instead of justice, salvation instead of damnation. Even on our worst days we are doing infinitely better than we deserve. When we complain, we are telling God that this incredible grace isn’t enough.

In order to cut complaining out of our lives, we should actively savor and apply the gospel. We must adopt an attitude of deep thankfulness. Let’s remember the incredible grace and blessing we have received in light of our utter depravity. We really could not ask for more.

          ----By Stephen Altrogge from The Greener Grass Conspiracy

Not much room for complaining left, is there!

Hat Tip:  Cutting the Nerve of Complaining | Crossway

You Might Be an Idolator If…

Here's a healthy (but painful) self-test for idolatry:  You Might Be an Idolator If…

"How do we know if we love something too much? Where is the line between a healthy enjoyment and an idol? Idolatry is often subtle. It can creep up on us in the form of good desires, like getting married or excelling in the work place. You may have created idols for yourself if:

• You are crushed when you don’t get what you want. When that end of the year bonus you have been anticipating for months is taken from you, does it shatter your joy?
• You stake your happiness on getting what you want. All of your friends are finding their soul mates and getting married, and you can’t even find a date. Do you resign to bitter hopelessness in your singleness?
• You grumble and complain when you don’t have what you want. Are you angry with God for not creating you with the supposed external beauty that everyone around you seems to have?
• You demand what you want. Have your humble prayers for healing from a physical ailment turned to angry demands of God? Do you feel you deserve to be healed?

When good gifts (like marriage, beauty, healing, or money) turn into idols, they become terrible and consuming masters. To destroy these idols, we must put them off by the power of the Holy Spirit. We need the Holy Spirit to give us a deep love for God that drives out all lesser loves and gives us power over our idolatrous desires, in both our thoughts and actions. Through the Holy Spirit, we find contentment.

If we have made an idol out of something good that does not need to be driven from our lives entirely, such as a desire for children, repentance comes in the form of prayer. Stop demanding that God give you children, but rather pray humbly, offering your requests to God but submitting to his all-knowing plan for your life."

Excerpt modified from chapter 4 of The Greener Grass Conspiracy, by Stephen Altrogge

Transform Your Christmas Expectations

What are your expectations from this Christmas season?  Do your holiday expectations ever get dashed?  The following is from a post by Stephen Altrogge at Crossway:  When the Gospel Transforms Your Christmas Expectations::

"I have certain expectations when it comes to Christmas. I expect to drink egg nog, even though I don’t really like it. I expect to listen to hours upon hours of Christmas carols. I expect to watch the movie Elf. I expect to drive around with my family and look at Christmas lights. And I expect to get some gifts. Twenty-eight years of Christmas experience has taught me what to expect.

But how would I feel if some of my expectations weren’t met? What if I didn’t get to do the things that I so look forward to? No Elf. No Christmas lights. No nog. No gifts. Could I be happy? Could I be content? Could I rejoice in what I have instead of what I don’t have?

If I’m going to be content during Christmas, I need to make a concerted effort to remember what I have received, particularly what I’ve received in the gospel. So what have I received?

Forgiveness – Through the gospel I have received forgiveness from God. How quickly I take this for granted! I deserve fury, but instead I have forgiveness. I deserve wrath, but instead I’ve received mercy. God has really pardoned all my sins. They can’t come back to haunt me like ghosts from the past. During the Christmas season I want to revel in my forgiveness.

Fellowship With God – Through the gospel I have fellowship with God. Through the gospel God calls me his friend. His son. His heir. His beloved. I can actually speak to God and he hears me. He gives his presence to me, and his joy to me. What is such a gift worth? What would I pay for such a gift? It’s priceless. Precious. Invaluable. And because of Jesus I have it.

Freedom – Billions of people will wake up on Christmas morning as slaves of sin. Unable to break free from the desires and passions that are ruining their lives. Unable to change, but miserable because they can’t change. Unable to love things that are truly lovely. In Christ I am free. Sin doesn’t rule me, Christ does. He has set me free to pursue a life that truly matters. Apart from Christ my life would be dark and aimless. Christmas is a celebration of freedom.

This Christmas I can be content in Christ. The gospel is enough to make me content. Forgiveness is enough to make me content. Fellowship with God is enough to make me content. Freedom is enough to make me content. What else do I need to be happy? In Christ I have it all, and then some."

 Contentment in Christ - A great gift for Christmas!

EscapingThe Black Hole

Stephen Altrogge at The Blazing Center has posted some good stuff on "Escaping The Black Hole of Condemnation"  -Part 1 and Part 2.

I can’t believe I fell into that sin. How can God possibly forgive me? I shouldn’t even call myself a Christian. Will I ever get the victory? I’m such a miserable failure. How can God accept me?

Have you ever felt like this? Most of us have been there. The black hole of condemnation. We can feel hopeless, depressed, discouraged. We grieve over offending God. Our sin stings. And we often regret the pain we inflicted on others or consequences brought on ourselves. Sometimes we can be filled with regret for years of sin or failure.

The greater the sin, the deeper our grief can be and the deeper the hole of self-reproach. We can believe we must do penance or punish ourselves. Or that it’s wrong to have any joy or to try to remove the weight of our sorrow from our backs.

We hear Scriptures like “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Ro 8.1), yet still feel condemned. We know technically we’re accepted by God, but just can’t believe he really loves us now. We feel like if we let go of our guilt, we’re not really sorry for our sin. How do we escape the swirling vortex of condemnation?

Stephen gives us the following steps to escape condemnation:

• Know where condemnation comes from
• Focus on Jesus
• Fight to believe the gospel
• Trust God's Character
• Grieve Appropriately
• Beware Self Pity
• Give Thanks
• Get Back Up
• Trust God to Finish the Job

Good stuff, and well worth reading.

To Good to be True?

Yep, it really does seem to good to be true (But it is!)

"How can I know when I am really, truly understanding the gospel?

When it seems too good to be true.

The more astonished I feel at the gospel, the more I’m understanding and applying the gospel. The more I find myself saying, “This is just so hard to believe!”, the more I’m getting to the heart of the gospel.

Because the gospel cuts against everything that feels true. It feels like I should have to give something to God in payment for my salvation. It feels like I must be able to, or required to add something to Jesus’ finished work. The idea of receiving salvation as a completely free gift feel so…unnatural.

And the gospel is unnatural. It’s supernatural. Only God could come up with a plan for salvation where he gets the glory and we get the grace. The gospel seems almost ridiculous it’s so good."

From Stephen Altrogge at The Blazing Center