More Knowledge-More Love

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, Philippians 1:9-10 NIV

The passage is clear, the Christian must not remain a babe in Christ. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit the apostle urges us to learn more, to gain knowledge that we may discern the best. Far too many Christians are passified with little knowledge; they remain on milk never moving on to the meat of the word. This point is often punctuated with a visit from the local cultist.

They lack the knowledge of the faith required to exalt Christ as Lord and exhibit a readiness to give an answer to the abherrent adherent of false faiths. Dear Christian you are compelled by our Lord and Savior to move in love toward more learning. Your theological training is just beginning on the day of your salvation. You want to be more pure? Learn more says the Apostle. You want to walk in holiness? Study to show thyself approved. You desire discernment, learn to use your teeth that you may ingest the meat and move off the milk.

Babes in Christ are easy pray for a faith that is impure, unstable, and ill-prepared in an onslaught of theological half-truths. You must gain knowledge from the giver of wisdom. Come let us reason bids the Lord God Almighty. Do not allow your lack of knowledge to rob you of a pure and holy faith. Seek wisdom and get understanding.

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Proceed with caution!

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Do not lay hands quickly on anyone, neither be partaker of the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. (1Ti 5:22) 

The Apostle’s instructions to young Timothy are clear. Do not lay hands on anyone quickly. The context of this verse has to be kept in mind. Paul sends Timothy this letter as an encouragement and a reminder. Paul had previously begged Timothy to remain in Ephesus to correct those who were teaching false doctrines.

 This was an occasion were the temptation to lay hands quickly on someone was very much present. For all intents and purposes Timothy was by himself. He was facing false teachers and he was frequently ill. Yet, Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit instructs his young charge to avoid laying hands quickly on anyone.

 If there ever was someone who needed a co-laborer in the faith it was Timothy. The outlook for his ministry was bleak. As his soul longs for a kindred spirit in the faith, the most wise and learned Holy Spirit instructs the young pastor to move very cautiously. Do not lay hands on someone quickly. Timothy was to proceed slowly in finding leaders for the church. He was to examine them to make certain that they held fast to sound doctrine (cf. Acts 2:42, Eph.4:14)

The church today would do well to give an ear to what the Spirit says; do not lay hands quickly on anyone. Spend the requisite time necessary to find men that hold fast to sound words and are prepared to defend our doctrine (Titus 1:9). We must avoid unproven and untested men lest we become partakers of their sin.

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The Schoolmaster

 

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (Gal 3:24)  

The law of God was a schoolmaster that drove us to Christ. The moral law has taken prisoner all of Adam’s offspring. The accusations of the law bind us and bring to light the exceeding sinfulness of our sin. Properly speaking the law is a mirror that allows us to see ourselves more truthfully in light of God’s perfections. 

The law of God is the prosecuting attorney that continues to plead for the death penalty due to our sinfulness (Romans 6:23). As our self-righteousness becomes apparent the sinner is brought face to face with his condition before a Thrice Holy God in which there exists perfect Holiness.

This is not to say that the sinner by virtue of his natural faculties will turn to God after facing the law’s indictment. The sinner is a cosmic criminal that will flee from the law of God storing up more wrath for himself unless by God’s grace he is converted by the Holy Spirit. Understanding our captivity brings into sharper focus the Torah reading that our Lord Jesus fulfilled in his hearers’ ears:

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

(Isa 61:1)

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Resurrection Power

 

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And God has both raised up the Lord, and also will raise us up by His own power. (1Co 6:14)

Every true believer in Christ will experience resurrection power. The first experience of this resurrection power is experienced in salvation. The Holy Spirit calls forth the dead sinner to new life in Christ. God acts alone as he calls his elect. Theologians call this monergistic salvation whereby God regenerates the rebellious sinner who was dead in his trespasses and sins.

The second experience of this resurrection power is at the end of all things. God raised Jesus after three days in the grave. This same resurrection power is applied to the believer when that which is corruptible is raised incorruptible. This is resurrection power; the death experienced due to sin is overcome by God’s power.

Finally, we realize the importance of our Trinitarian theology. God the Father raised the Son. Some believing aberrant doctrines would contend that only the “physical” body of Jesus died on the cross. According to this error the Jesus on the cross was a mere shell, just a “mode” of God. Yet, the verse is plain God raised the Lord. Our verse would not have use believe that the Lord when raised was some kind of creature devoid of spiritual faculties, and yet the distinction is present for us to observe. God raised the Lord.

Beloved in the Lord Jesus take hope in this verse. You will experience resurrection power for the Holy Spirit has promised it. The day will come when you are changed in a twinkling of an eye. That which decays will be raised to life everlasting. All Glory and Honor to Christ for he has set the captives free and is the first born over all Creation!

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Garbage Theology

But no, rather, I also count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count themto be dung, so that I may win Christ Philippians 3:8

 

The apostle acknowledges two things about the Lord Jesus. The knowledge of him exceeds in worth the value of all things “in the world”. There is nothing that can compare to Jesus Christ. He is all together worthy of praise and honor and he alone is excellent.

Secondly and perhaps just as important the Apostle tells us that all other things are dung. We should be careful to avoid superimposing our own presuppositions on the term dung. This word does not carry the same vulgarity that similar vernacular expressions in English would carry. In Ancient Greece the usage of the word was found in medical literature as opposed to being slang. The meaning of the term then pertained to that which through the natural course of digestion was removed from the body.

Thinking about this from the perspective of the Christian life we can clearly see the implication. Where Christ resides the residual toxins of the natural man are removed as we are moved by the Holy Spirit to count all things but Christ as loss.

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The Apologist’s Verse

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but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason of the hope in you, with meekness and fear;  1 Peter 3:15

This verse could properly be called the apologist’s verse. Along with Jude 3 many apologetics ministries use this verse as the keystone upon which their ministry is built. There are really two things that are important about this verse. 

The verse reminds us that there is a reason for the hope that we have within us.  Our faith is not a blind leap of faith, to the chagrin of the existentialists and mystics. Nor is our faith rooted in gnostic knowledge as the Apostle tells us to be ready to give an answer to anyone that asks, not just the initiates.

Our faith is to be one that demonstrates hope to the world. This hope is in word and deed. We cannot just talk about hope rather we must live hope. As Christ’s disciples our lives should be saturated in hope. The expectancy of that which is to come should so envelope our lives that the watching world rushes to ask the follower of Chirst, what is this hope that you have?

Our apologetic should be rooted in fear. Not fear of man as this would contradict the clear teaching of scripture in many places. Rather our apologetic should have a healthy reverential fear of the Lord who sovereignly plucked us as a brand from the fire. Second our answer is to be given with meekness. We are to rely and trust completely in the Lord’s completed work and his sovereign plan of election and predestination. The task before us does not depend on our powers of persuasion or even a method. If we are to be biblical then we are to answer the world with meekness and fear.

Most importantly though we are to sanctify Christ in our hearts. This does not mean that we can add to his holiness. He does not become holy because of man. As John Gill states in his commentary on this verse Christ is essentially, infinitely, and perfectly holy. Rather we are to proclaim his holiness, to exalt his holiness, to give to Christ alone all the praise, honor, and glory.

For the apologist this is the most important point of the verse. We are never to glorify ourselves in the apologetic task. We are to exalt Christ alone as all together wonderful. Remembering that all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ.

 

 

 

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