It was just four years ago today as I write that I first put in a call to my beloved wife. Up until that point every bit of communication I made with her was online, typed out, safe and at a distance. You see I was in chains. I longed for death, for the rest of the grave. I had watched Lisa walk through hardship by her living faith. Standing on the sidelines I felt I was black and white, while she carried the very vibrancy of life. It did not take me long to discern that she was a good woman. And, over time, as I felt drawn toward her I realized that she was far too good for me. That she needed a far better man than me. That I would simply drag her down. So I pushed her away.
She, however, held the keys to my chains. She refused to leave me behind. She began to help me break free, to hope, to breathe, to live. Until, on Independence Day we scheduled our first live conversation. I called, and…. there was no answer. To her credit, she did call back. And from there she called me out, set me free. She became my safe place, my best friend, my joy, my treasure. Her loyalty is fierce, her gentleness tender.
She could have retired. She had done well. She had much to be proud of. But she isn’t through with me yet. She prays for me, encourages me, inspires me. And she makes me laugh. She has, from the day she set me free, from the moment the chains fell away, put on me the bonds of love. She has entwined me with her in a cord of three strands that is not easily broken. She has bound up my wounds and wrapped me in her embrace. The one He used to set me free is now the one He has bound me to and my independence has given way to my glorious dependence on her, the dependence I joyfully declare.
Four years later and we have walked together through countless battles. Like the Spirit of ’76 we stride side by side, walking in step with the Holy Spirit, wounded and limping. But we are together and there is music in our ears. We march on toward the prize, to the Celestial City whose builder and maker is God. Step by step.
Freedom is a wonderful thing to celebrate, to thank the living God for. But I give thanks, this day and every day for being bound. The one I am bound to and the One I am bound by, my savor and my Savior, my sister and my Brother, my Lady and my Lord, my bride and our Husband these are the ones I give thanks for, celebrate and depend on. She never lets me forget that He is good. He never lets me forget that she is His good gift to me. I am a blessed man.
Opinions are like noses, they say, everyone has one. One very common nose is that this bit of received wisdom means that we can never really know the truth. Which, of course, is a truth claim, and so contradicts itself. But perhaps one of the reasons that our post-modern culture has a tendency to embrace relativism is because we are coming out of a modernist culture that was over-confident in its capacity for knowledge. Being tired of living in a culture of know-it-alls, we have become the know-nothing culture.
The pseudo-science of psychology was perhaps most given to epistemological hubris. One pop-psychologist claimed to be able to read people’s posture, telling us in the best-selling Body Language that crossed arms are a sign of hostility, folded fingers a sign of perceived superiority. Freud claimed to be able to tell us why some folks chewed pencils, and others were overly fastidious. The sub-conscious mind, we were told, was out there in the open for all of us to read. The underground man is always coming up for air.
The truth is that we don’t always know the truth. Such should not send us scurrying into skepticism, just appropriate humility. We ought not to claim to know more than we do, especially about the motives of others. Such should make us particularly cautious about making judgements about others. That all men are wicked doesn’t mean we should ascribe the basest motives to others. Instead it should give us pause before we trust our own assessment. It also means we should beware of base motives when others are speaking well of us.
Consider Paul’s trial before Felix. The Sanhedrin has hired a mouthpiece, a lawyer named Tertullus to make the case against Paul. First Tertullus sets the stage for Felix, “We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation. Everywhere and in every way, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly” (Acts 24: 2-3). Had you been Felix what you should have heard is that you are about to hear from a manipulative lick-spittle with no interest in the truth. What Felix probably heard was a wise man, one of the few to recognize his own beneficent rule. Here both speaker and hearer are caught up in their own deceitful hearts.
Gentle Tertullus then turns his attention to the accused, “We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is the ringleader of the Nazarene sect and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him” (verses 5-7). It may very well be that Tertullus believes that he is now speaking the truth. This may in fact be his perception of the events surrounding Paul in Jerusalem.
The distinction, however, between truth and falsehood is not grounded in the sincerity of the believer. Paul is equally sincere in his belief that he is guilty of none of these charges. The wise in our age would affirm that both are right, and that neither is right. Because people sincerely disagree, it is all a matter of perception, and no real truth exists. The wise in our age are fools. Paul went and preached the gospel. He did so with a clean conscience. His goal was that his brothers in the flesh would come to worship the Messiah for which they had been waiting. That preaching pricked the hearts of those who heard, and they in turn caused trouble, and rioted. The truth is that it was neither Paul, nor the truth that caused the trouble. Instead it was the hatred toward the truth that caused the trouble.
Had Paul not been sincere, however, he still would not stand guilty. Were there a battery of court appointed psychologists there at the trial to testify that Paul did have a titanic case of megolomania, (see, look at the way he folds his fingers, and how he signs his name with such big letters), he would still not be the cause of the riots. The only issue for Felix to decide is whether or not the message of Paul was true. If it was true, those who rejected it were to blame. If it were false, then Paul is to blame.
Sins are like the pores in our skin, everybody has a lot of them. One of the reasons that we go out in search of knowledge that we cannot possibly find, one of the reasons we seek to probe our darkest parts, is so that we can use the knowledge we think we have to trump the knowledge that is as plain as the nose on our face. If Felix can get at Paul’s motives, then we don’t have to trouble over the truth claims that he makes. And if he can avoid that, then Felix can avoid the claim of Jesus Christ on his life. We seek what we cannot know so as to hide from what we do know. At the end of the day, Tertullus’ message to Felix is one of praise and peace. And if Paul is right, Felix must repent, admit his sins, and serve another King. And so Paul remains a prisoner.
We would do well to judge better than Felix, to aspire to believe that which is true, because it is true, no matter what it says about us. We would do well if we would heed the wisdom of the true King, who told us that the truth would set us free. We must believe what we know, and leave the rest in the hands of the One who knows us.
It is true there is only one race, the human race. This, however, we ought not to proclaim with pride. The point isn’t to affirm that the marginalized are just as valuable as the privileged. The point is to affirm that the privileged and the marginalized are all sinners. The one race isn’t such a good one. All of its members, apart from God’s grace, think themselves superior to all others. All of its members, apart from God’s grace, think themselves superior even to God Himself. The very core of our mess is our conviction that we are not a mess.
That we are all one race of sinners, and all given to thinking ourselves and our kind are better than others doesn’t mean that racism isn’t real or isn’t reprehensible. The solution isn’t denial but repenting and believing the gospel. How bizarre it has been over the past several months to see an ancient battle being replayed before our eyes, a battle between the redeeming of souls and the remaking of culture. To borrow from Spurgeon, there is no need to “reconcile” these friends. Not only is it both/and, but it is necessarily both/and, from beginning to end.
The first gospel, the one John and Jesus preached, was this- “The kingdom of God is at hand.” Such doesn’t make of either a social justice warrior. Neither, however, can it mean merely dragging souls onto the lifeboat. The truth is that the gospel is the glorious truth that Jesus is bringing all things under subjection. He has defeated our guilt on the cross. He is defeating our ongoing sin through washing us with the water of the Word. He is bringing enemies in through the proclamation of the gospel. He changes everything.
Which gospel most assuredly includes the good news that Jesus came to save sinners. The only way to solve the problem of some people thinking they are superior to others is for all of us to recognize our own sins. That is, the elimination of racism doesn’t come through government programs. It doesn’t come through wokeness education. It doesn’t come through cramming our history into the memory hole. It comes from recognizing our sin, crying out for God’s mercy in Christ, and being remade by the Spirit.
Hiding under the cover of racism is the sin of pride. Seeking to remove the former while leaving the latter is like trying to rid your lawn of dandelions by lopping off their tops. We don’t solve the problem by building our self-esteem, by beating our chests in pride. We do so by confessing our sin and beating our breast in shame.
The Christian faith has no new insight into the problem of racism because there is no new insight into the problem of racism. What the Christian faith has is old insight into the problem of sin, an old message that brings with it not just peace with God, but with each other, that brings with it the current glory that we all come before Him, every tongue and tribe, all the people of God, united by one faith, redeemed by one Lord.
I scanned my notes rather quickly, looking for problems. I would soon be preaching amidst a gathering throng of Kenyans. Was there an allusion somewhere in here to America culture? Were there idioms that would make no sense to these saints? Was there a hint of technical jargon connected to theological controversies that had not yet crossed the Atlantic? Truth be told, I was more nervous than I have been in a long time. Nairobi West Presbyterian Church is neither tiny (which tends to make me more nervous than large crowds) nor massive (which tends to make some others more nervous.) The pews were, however, filled with a rather mixed crowd- most of them local, but a decent sized contingent of those who had been travelling with me from these United States.
My text that morning was : 1-3 wherein John enjoins us first to see how very much our heavenly Father loves us that He allows us to be called His children, and ends reminding us that we will be purified as we hold on to this precious hope, that when He returns we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is. This text means rather a great deal to me. There are two of the promises I dealt with in my book Believing God: 12 Biblical Promises Christians Struggle to Accept. My notes began with an allusion to Dr. John Gerstner, a hero to me, and to my hero, my father. That would have to go. They included a story about a whole set of my heroes from when I was a boy, the Pittsburgh Steelers. That would have to go. There was a reference to our recalcitrant Pelagianism. I probably wouldn’t have time to explain that, so it would have to go.
As I thought through these things the panic began to subside. This, after all, is what I’m supposed to do. Knowing your audience is critical to effective communication. What I lacked in knowing about whom my audience was, I made up for with what I knew they weren’t- Not students of the history of twentieth century Presbyterian history, not fans of the NFL, and not versed in the long list of heretics vanquished by Saint Augustine.
This, in turn, reminded me that I really did know a thing or two about those gathered in worship. Africans and Americans, men and women, young and old, these together were sinners saved by grace. These together had been regenerated, redeemed, and adopted. These together, like me, struggled to believe it. They, like me, needed to know the fullness of the promises of God. And so I relaxed, and I preached.
It turns out we had only one challenge flowing from our different cultures. I had to adjust to this- the constant refrain of encouraging “AMEN!”’s coming from the pews. My problem wasn’t losing my train of thought. My problem was keeping from crying while this refrain preached back to me what I needed to hear. In an age where experts encourage us to contextualize the gospel, what a joy to find that the gospel fits in any context where there are sinners in need of grace. Jesus told us where to preach- Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the outermost parts of the world. Jesus told us what to preach, that through Him our warfare has ended, and we are made the children of God. Nothing could be more simple, nor more powerful.
Thesis 31 We must honor and obey our parents.
The serpent persuaded Eve that she would have a better life if she would disregard the law of God, and strive to become like Him. The serpent still in our day seeks to entice us to a better way, laying before us ever more complicated and treacherous paths to the good life. In our day he has persuaded us that the good life can be had through the attaining of personal peace and affluence. If we go to the best schools, and study hard, we will make our way to the finest universities. If we study hard there we will be accepted to the most prestigious graduate programs. If we excel there, we will find the most coveted jobs, and bring home the bacon. Then, of course, we’ll be able to afford the finest schools for our children, so they can follow in our path. This is not God’s path to the good life. It is hell’s hamster wheel.
In the book of Exodus God is busy about the business of taking His people to a land flowing with milk and honey. Along the way He meets with them at Sinai, becoming there the very husband of Israel. And He blesses His people with His law, the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are not merely rules to follow lest God should get angry with us. They are instead guides that reflect what we were made to be. They reflect the glory of our Maker, and show forth His character. Because we bear His image, they show us what we are to become.
While all of His law directs us in the paths of righteousness, one command stands out, the first command with a promise. God says, “Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12). If we love our children, this is what we want for them, that their days may be long in the land that the Lord God has given them. Our desire is that they would have a good life. (We desire the same, naturally enough, for ourselves.) God has not left us in the dark as to how we can attain this blessing- we are to honor our parents.
It is because of the craftiness of the serpent that we find this promise to be either too simple or too good to be true. It is by the grace of God that we can learn to believe the simplicity and power of this promise. And having wisely come to believe this promise, we in turn teach our children to do the same.
The Reformation doctrine of the priesthood of all believers affirms that we need not be highly trained professionals in order to understand the Word of God. We affirm that the Bible is perspicuous, that it is clear. It does not get any more clear than this: Blessing comes to those who honor their father and mother. May God be pleased to bless us such that we come to believe Him, and to honor Him, our Father in heaven.
