So says Sinclair Ferguson on Romans 6:6. Speaking to a gathering of pastors a couple years ago, Ferguson shared his sentiment that most people who sit before the preached word each week do not know what it means to be united to Jesus. And yet this doctrine is so central in how Paul conceives of what it means to be a Christian and a minister of the gospel. We want to know what it means.
If you do, ChristianAudio is offering the audiobook version of J. I. Packer’s Knowing God for free . . . 100% free . . . no strings attached. It is an incredible book. Go get it now!
I would especially recommend the podcast option available from Crossway. And before you go making big plans to read through the Scripture, be reminded that Jesus died for our neglect of his word (along with all the rest of our sin). So when you inevitably find yourself behind in your reading, don’t get discouraged, but be reminded of the goodness of the grace of our great God.
I was brought near tears as I watched this video. I am personally very thankful for Christ Church Savannah. They were an important part of my college years and helped to financially support me during my seminary days. It is likely I would not be where I am today had it not been for the encouragement of Christ Church’s Rector, Marc Robertson. I am also very thankful for Independent Presbyterian Church which so warmly greated them.
We live in a world that is pretty easily satisfied in its messiahs these days, do we not? A gadget man becomes a saviour. Who would have thought it? Of course, our messiahs are a function of our understanding of the human condition. Where the problem of the fall is not alienation from God but rather boredom, the messiah is the one who nails that boredom to the cross and casts it as far from us as the East is from the West. Trivial messiahs save a trivial humanity from a trivial problem.
Steve Jobs was extraordinary in countless ways—as a designer, an innovator, a (demanding and occasionally ruthless) leader. But his most singular quality was his ability to articulate a perfectly secular form of hope. Nothing exemplifies that ability more than Apple’s early logo, which slapped a rainbow on the very archetype of human fallenness and failure—the bitten fruit—and turned it into a sign of promise and progress.
Yesterday driving to Georgia for vacation I had revelation about driving and drivers. I am pretty confident that there are only two types of drivers.
Type #1: Those who don’t care about anybody else. This is the driver that drives in the left lane and never gets over. He cuts across a couple of lanes and never looks back. He is oblivious to the fact that anyone else is driving on the road.
Type #2: Those only concerned about themselves. This driver gets very upset that #1 is oblivious to others on the road. He gets upset, though, because at the end of the day, he is only concerned about himself. He gets upset because others on the road aren’t as “thoughtful” as him and are therefore getting in his way.
Which driver are you? Are you both?
I think our problem (or should I say my problem) is that we don’t treat other drivers as neighbors to be loved but cars that are in our way and to be avoided.
The BBC ran a program the other day (unfortunately not available in the U.S.) called Secrets of the Superbrands. In this program, Apple fans were shown images of Apple products while an MRI was being done. And what was the interesting result? “They found brain activity that mirrors how a religious person’s brain reacts when presented with a picture of their chosen deity.” (source)
Should this suprise us? Is this unique to Apple? I don’t think so. I think this is actually how things have always been.
Do you recall Isaiah’s striking picture of idolatry in Isaiah 44?
Isaiah 44:14–17 (ESV) 14He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. 16Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” 17And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”
Do you see the striking picture? “The rest of it he makes in to a god, his idol, and falls down to worship it.” How foolish we are! Maybe we don’t carve many physical idols these days, but let us not be deceived into think that we aren’t still creating idols. It is not just Apple. As one commentator says:
Implying that Apple fandom equals zealotry may be attention-grabbing (and does indeed make me want to watch the program . . .), but the neurological similarity isn’t surprising or particularly novel. You could almost certainly make the same observations about Red Sox fans, Twilight groupies, Van Halen lovers, Ducati collectors … the list goes on, and whatever object of desire makes your heart pitter-patter will resonate in the neural patterns of your gray matter. (source)
And yes . . . by the way . . . I do have an iPhone, wouldn’t mind having an iPad (or a MacBook Pro for that matter), and I am not sure how well I would do on the same MRI.
Child: I want that toy and he won?t give it to me!
Me: Why do you want the toy?
Child: I don?t know.
Me: What?s going on in your heart when you desire that toy?
Child: I don?t know.
Me: Think about it son. Use your brain. Don?t you know something?
Child: I guess I just want the toy.
Me: Obviously. But why?
Child: I don?t know.
Me: Fine. [Mental note: abandon “why” questions and skip straight to leading questions.] Do you think he is having fun playing with the toy right now?
Child: No.
Me: Really?! He?s not having fun? Then why does he want that toy in the first place?
Child: Because he?s mean.
Me: Have you ever considered that maybe you are being mean by trying to rip the toy from his quivering little hands?
Child: I don?t know.
Me: What do you know?
Child: I don?t know!
Me: Nevermind. [I wonder how my brilliant child can know absolutely nothing at this moment.] Well, I think taking the toy from him will make your brother sad. Do you like to make him sad?
Child: I don?t know.
Me: [Audible sigh.]
Child: He makes me sad all the time!
Me: Well, I?m getting sad right now with your attitude! [Pause, think, what would Paul Tripp do?? Thinking . . . .thinking . . . .man, I can’t stop thinking of that mustache. This isn’t working. Let’s just go right to the Jesus part.] You know, Jesus wants us to love each other.
Child: I don?t know.
Me: I didn?t ask you a question!
Child: [Pause.] Can I have some fruit snacks?
Me: No, you can?t have fruit snacks. We are talking about the gospel. Jesus loves us and died for us. He wants you to love your brother too.
