November Update at beginningwithmoses.org

LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY BRIEFING ON MATTHEW 6v13 (LIONEL WINDSOR)

EZRA - A NEW MOSES?(JONATHAN GIBSON) PDF 167KB

Legalism & its Antidotes

LEGALISM & IT'S ANTIDOTES

In the November issue of The Briefing, Marty Sweeney reveals that he's been reading beginningwithmoses.org:

"Legalism is a terrible aberration of true Christianity. It leads more to religiosity than a relationship with the true and living God. I was heavily influenced by legalistic teachings as a young Christian, and as a result constantly doubted my salvation. By the grace of God, however, I have since been brought under more faithful biblical teaching.

However, one of the hangovers from my legalistic past hasbeen my response to sin. I was always taught that sin is best dealt with by setting up guidelines, rules and structures in order to purge sin from one's life.

One of the most popular examples of this is to seek out an accountability partner. I oftened wondered, though, if this was really adding another dose of legalism into my life. Surely, if God's law can't bring about obedience of faith (2 Cor 3), how could Bill, John or Ted.

I have recently been greatly helped by Dominic Smart's little article on the matter (Legalism and its Antidotes at www.beginningwithmoses.org). In it he discusses how legalism still rears its head even in those of us who are thoroughly evangelical. He discusses how our normal responses to sin may actually be a cover-up for the real issue - our passionate love for Christ.

I am not suggesting that accountability partners should be abandoned. If they are structured correctly and given proper attention, they foster wonderful partnerships in living out the Christian life and are the furtherst things from legalism (as Smart implies). But where is it that we put our hope, trust and confidence when it comes to our batle with sin? Human structures are never the final answer.

The real answer seems cliched but is nonetheless true. Waging war on sin comes from being truly ensconced in living for the glory of God. There can be no false-piety in that lifestyle. No-one can motivate us quite like our loving Lord and Saviour.
Smart concludes: "There is nothing like th upwardly-mobile life (a life mobvbing heavenward) to make the legalism of church life clearly apparent and transparently fulse. It's not real holiness; it never produces the largeness of heart that Christ produces; it has no glory; it gives no delight to the soul it is so obviously not what you were made for; no-one would have died to save you into that. Live for the glory of God. Therein lies your point and purpose in life; therein lies your true freedom and therein lies your own true glory"

Duckbilled Platypus

Top stuff over at Rawson Street from Dave Kirkman....
The Allure of Australian Biblical Theology

The Cross

Reformation 21 Blog reports:

In 2006 InterVarsity Press will publish a book containing Four Views on the Atonement, edited by James Beilby and Paul Eddy (both of Bethel College in St. Paul). The contributors will be Greg Boyd ("Christus Victor" view), Bruce Reichenbach ("Therapeutic" view), Joel Green (all views are equally true), and Thomas Schreiner ("Penal Substitutionary" view).

Professor Schreiner recently gave his paper at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. You can listen to it online: Penal Substitution as the Heart of the Gospel.

His talk can be outlined as follows:

Introduction
The Sinfulness of Humanity
The Holiness of God
The Sacrifice of Christ
Concluding Reflections
And here is how his rich, exegetical address begins:

The theory of penal substitution is the heart and soul of an evangelical view of the atonement. I am not claiming that it is the only truth about the atonement taught in the scriptures. Nor am I claiming that penal substitution is emphasized in every piece of literature, or that every author articulates clearly penal substitution. I am claiming that penal substitution functions as the anchor and foundation for all other dimensions of the atonement when the scriptures are considered as a canonical whole. I define penal substitution as follows: The Father, because of his love for human beings, sent his Son (who offered himself willingly and gladly) to satisfy his justice, so that Christ took the place of sinners. The punishment and penalty we deserved was laid on Jesus Christ instead of us, so that in the cross both God’s holiness and love are manifested.

The riches of what God has accomplished in Christ for his people are not exhausted by penal substitution. The multifaceted character of the atonement must be recognized to do justice the canonical witness. God’s people are impoverished if Christ’s triumph over evil powers at the cross is slighted, or Christ’s exemplarly love is shoved to the side, or the healing bestowed on believers by Christ’s cross and resurrection is downplayed. While not denying the wide-ranging character of Christ’s atonement, I am arguing that penal substitution is foundational and the heart of the atonement.

"If he didn't have the Bible he'd have nothing to say"

Tim Challies reflects on the Desiring God Conference. I don't quote this to exalt John Piper, but because it really challenges me about my preaching:

"When Piper preaches he seems to do little more than bridge one Bible verse to the next, building to a deeply biblical conclusion. With some preachers you begin to feel that they could get along just fine without the Bible, but with Piper you feel that if he didn't have the Bible he'd have nothing to say."

We love Tech Support

Our tech support people are wonderful and I managed to get into the server. Fault at my end of things! Anyways, October's updates are now online for your browsing pleasure. BIG THANKS to Kris!

Technical Problem

October's updates are coming as soon as possible.
For reasons unknown I can't login to our server at the moment.
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