CBMW evaluation of the 2011 NIV...

its no secret that we live in a culture that seeks to feminize or neutralize everything and emasculate men and manhood. any discerning eye and ear can see that in our culture. but its disheartening to a whole new level when we see it in the church.
a few years ago, Zondervan published the more 'gender neutral' TNIV, which didn't do very well in sales and popularity. they've made some changes in the TNIV and are releasing a new 'version' as the 2011 NIV, which retains 75% of the translation errors that the TNIV had. this is not just an attempt to neutralize language that was originally arguably neutral; its the neutralization of language that was originally masculine. its a huge deal, and churches that adopt the use of this version will instantly open doors to major doctrinal errors.
i won't belabor here, but just wanted to give a snapshot of the issue. but i do commend this link. the Counsel on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood has published an evaluation / report on the gender language of the 2011 NIV. we as Christians should read this and be informed... so that we don't get caught in this trap ourselves, and so we can help others who are uninformed. so check out the CBMW report here:
http://www.cbmw.org/Resources/Articles/An-Evaluation-of-Gender-Language-in-the
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deyoung reviews bell's 'love wins'

check out kevin deyoung's excellent review of rob bell's new book 'love wins.'

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2011/03/14/rob-bell-love-wins-review/

i not only feel informed by the comprehensiveness of the review... but i feel challenged by deyoung to be a more intense student of God's Word... and to weigh every 'wind of doctrine' against Scripture.

of liberty in faith...

so picture a beach. waves. a 6 year old kid out in the waves. the water is over his own head, but he's being held by his dad, who's chest-deep. the kid's face is extatic with enjoyment. he's riding the rushes of surging adrenaline. head barely above water. body raised up and over the breakers by his dad's grip... which is gentle enough not to harm, but firm enough to win his total confidence. the kid is having a blast. he's enjoying the intensity of an environment way beyond the capability of his own strength. why? because, whether he's conciously thinking about it or not, he's secure in the arms of his dad. he's 'charging' the waves with complete abandon because he knows his dad is strong enough for them. what reveals the anchor-hold of his confidence? imagine his face turn from abandoned joy to sheer terror if his dad were to let him go.

now switch scenes...

genesis 13... abram (later name-changed to abraham) and lot (his nephew)... find themselves in a sticky sitch. they're both rich in finance and assets, they're both in the same business (herdsman) and the geography can no longer support both of them and theirs. on top of that, their herdsmen are getting into it with eachother over who gets to use what pasture space. so abram takes lot up where they can look at all the surrounding land together. verse 8...

"then abram said to lot, 'let there be no strife between you and me and between your herdsment and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. is not the whole land before you? separate yourself from me. if you take the left hand, then i will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then i will go to the left.' and lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the jordan valley was well watered aeverywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of egypt, in the direction of zoar. ... so lot chose for himself all the jordan valley... and journeyed east."

several contextual things to consider:
-abram is the man. in 'rank,' if you will, he is senior to lot. he likely had authority to tell lot where to go... instead of giving lot the choice.
- abram and lot both have experience with famine (likely secondary to drought, considering the geography) and its effects on their livlihood... (see genesis 12.10). so water is kind of a big deal.
- abram isn't stupid. he's a pretty wise dude with experience. he's not rich and prosperous for being dumb at business. he can look just as well as lot can and see which land is well watered, by a river and fertile to the point of being likened to the garden of Eden. that has to be some crazy sweet real estate. this is kind of a bigger scale, more consequential version of standing over a plate with a friend looking at a sweet, beastly red robin kamakazie or peppercorn burger (my two favs, yes) sitting next to a 69 cent mcdonalds i'll-have-faith-that-its-really-meat wannabe burger and asking... "which one would you like?" seriously?

settling near a river was a job security of sorts, given their line of work. so its a huge deal that abram gives lot the choice of land. so how can a rich, prosperous business man give away the choice land?

i don't think these two scenes are all that different. one is a cute picture... the other one is more where rubber hits the road. but they both go back to essentially the same anchor-hold.

there's liberty in the secure hold of a father's arms.

i'm not a scholar... and this is just my take on this event in abram's life. but worldly wisdom is what we see playing out in lot's decision making. its good sense to go for the fertile land consistent water source. what has been really sticking out to me in this passage is the intense faith of abram. the natural man would choose what seems wise in his own understanding. but what i see in abram is a man who is liberated by his trust in his Father.

what are the biggest factors in my vision and decision making process? do i look first at what makes good sense? at what my wisdom sees best? or am i anchored first in faith in the sovereign goodness of my Father... and liberated by that surety to move outside the box of what seems wise in my own understanding. this, to me, helps me see this familiar verse in a fresh light...

proverbs 3.5-7... 'trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord...'

paraphrasing a quote in closing (because i can't remember who originally said it)... may i trust in both the sovereignty AND the goodness of my Father God. He is always both... never one without the other. in His goodness, He desires the best for us; and in His sovereignty, He has the power to secure it.

there is no more secure or liberating anchor.

conviction or condemnation? what's the difference?

conviction. condemnation.

what do these words bring up in your mind? are their meanings clearly different? do they seem like the same thing? or does thinking about them just bring up a muck of confusion?

whether or not we call them by their names, every Christian struggles at one time or another with understanding the difference between them. maybe not so much in defining them... but absolutely in working through them practically. the difference between them is huge, though... and critically important to our working out of obedience and experiencing freedom in Christ. i want to encourage us with this, but first i'll address a couple of things that i think will help 'set the stage'.

i think part of our struggle comes from our tendency to try to see right and wrong as polar opposites... with separate origins. white on one side; black on the other. conviction on one side; condemnation on the other. i know i personally battle this. i'm an INCREDIBLY black and white person. right is right; wrong is wrong; no confusion. its true that confusion is not the work of God, but the work of our enemy (1 cor. 14.33). so right IS right; wrong IS wrong. gray often stems from us blurring up the lines with our lame attempts to justify our sinful cravings. if we go back to the origin of who God is and who satan is... we find God to be creative in nature, while satan is corruptive. God created ALL things for His glory, man and his desires included. satan did not create new desires in man to wreck his heart OR objects for those desires to draw him to. instead, he simply twisted what God created with the introduction of sin. so now, the difference is that man seeks to expend his passions and resources to elevate, glorify and satisfy himself with his desires and the good things God has created... instead of elevating, glorifying and extolling God. i'll develop this briefly, but try not to go off on too far a tangent, as this isn't really the purpose here.

but look at any sin, and you can trace it back to an originally good thing. i'll go straight for a 'big' one. fornication/adultery/porn. the problem is not sex or our desire for it. God created sex and our drives. the problem is idolatry. sexual intimacy was created by God to be an awesome thing, enjoyed to the absolute heights of pleasure... and He set boundaries to preserve it. Satan did not create sex but he corrupted man's heart to desire his own satisfaction in sex on his own terms, outside of the boundaries God created for its enjoyment. satan did not create anything new... but he introduced sin, shifting our hearts to want to BE god, instead of worshiping our God. so i think understanding that... God as creative and Creator / satan as highjacker, perverter, liar... is important. satan's first conversation in scripture, in the garden, was 'did God really say?' how dangerous the ground we tread when we question the literality of God's Word.

so basically... God is the creator of all things good. satan is not creative... but corruptive.

moving back toward topic... i believe understanding this applies to the correct understanding of conviction and condemnation. how so? because when we believe that one thing is polar opposite from another, we logically expect them to look and act and present themselves in dramatically different ways. what i'd suggest is that conviction and condemnation stem from the same root. the difference is not where they come from. the difference lies in this... do we believe and apply the COMPLETE Gospel shown to us in Scripture, or do we listen to the enemy preach an INCOMPLETE gospel to us. did i just suggest that the enemy preaches the gospel? yes, i did. stay with me.

2 Corinthians 7.8-10... 'for even if i made you grieve with my letter, i do not regret it - though i did regret it, for i see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. as it is, i rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. for you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. for godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.' (emphasis mine)

in his previous letter, paul had addressed sin in the corinthian church. his shining the light of the truth on their sin caused grief... as it should. when our regenerate hearts see our sin in the light of God's holiness and demands of obedience, our hearts should grieve. sin and the Spirit cannot live in harmony together. the Spirit shines light on sin... and if we tolerate sin in our hearts then we grieve the spirit (eph. 4.30, eph. 4.17-32). this 'grief' we experience over seeing and understanding our sin is conviction. dictionary.com defines convict as... 'to prove or declare guilty of an offense; to impress with a sense of guilt.' when we're convicted, we see our guilt of an offense. conviction is a work or the Holy Spirit and is evidence of the grace of God at work in our hearts. love is the driver of God's discipline of His own. hebrews 12.5b-6 and proverbs 3.11-12 -- 'my son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. for the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.' (emphasis mine) so, conviction reveals sin and shows guilt, and discipline is love. it is NOT condemnation to see our sin, grieve over it, and in that moment feel the weight of it. conviction is grace. discipline is mercy. seeing our sin is the Spirit at work.

now, here's the pivotal moment. what differentiates conviction from condemnation? it is what we DO with it.

'for godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.'

we can call conviction godly grief , and condemnation worldly grief. when the Spirit convicts us of sin in our lives, we MUST go to the cross. our God is holy and just! sin against Him demands punishment. guilt demands sentence. romans 6.23 tells us that the wages of sin is death. but it ALSO tells us that the free gift of grace is eternal life. CHRIST lived perfection FOR us. we must pursue obedient lives in Christ, but we do so because we're forgiven, NOT to purchase our forgiveness or pay for our sins. here are two verses that i preach to myself when i'm feeling condemnation...

Isaiah 53.5-6 - 'But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.' (emphasis mine)

notice the exchange! is there any confusion here over who paid for ALL the sin and who experiences the FULLNESS of grace?? NO! CHRIST bore the wrath; WE know the grace. praise Him!! NOW... if that is true... then what is the implication for us when dealing with seeing sin in our lives? GO TO THE CROSS! charitie bancroft penned the hymn that says it way better than i could... 'when satan tempts me to despair, and tells me of the guilt within [condemnation] / upward i look and see HIM there, who made and end to ALL my sin / because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free / for God the just is satisfied to look on HIM and pardon ME!'

NOW, because of that exchange...

Romans 8.1-3 -- 'there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. for the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. for God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh...'

conviction is when, by the illumination of the Spirit in our hearts, we see our sin. it produces repentance that leads to salvation without regret. condemnation is when we DON'T apply the whole gospel to conviction. we see our sin, but we try to bear the weight of it and pay for it ourselves... which is why it is an endless cycle of despair. because we can't pay for our sin. if we could, Christ crucified would have been unnecessary.

so i said that satan preaches the gospel to us. this is what i mean. satan tells us that we're sinners (romans 3.23). that we're corrupt and worthless (romans 3.10-12; psalm 14.1-3; psalm 53.1). that we're disconnected from God without hope of reconciliation (ephesians 2.12). that none with sin in their hearts can stand before the Lord in His holiness (1 samuel 6.20). that we have to be clean before we can even think about coming to God (psalm 24.3-4). that we deserve to die (romans 6.23). that there's nothing we can do to be forgiven (romans 3.20). now what does all of that do to your heart? sounds hopeless, doesn't it? its SUPPOSED to! all of this is Scripture. (side note: are you seeing how dangerous it is for your heart to NOT know the whole Word?) all of this is true! but satan's lies that he uses to press our hearts down under condemnation are not stand-alone realities. they're half-truths. they're scriptural realities taken out of context (not that they're not true, because they are; but incomplete truth is truth out of context). we can even look at satan's tempting of Jesus in matthew 4. did satan say, "look at this great evil! go for it!' no. he used scripture and recitation of the attributes of God's character out of context to try to trip Jesus up. why should we expect any different? here's the thing: satan preaches the 'gospel' without Christ. all of the scriptures above are true. but they're meant to lead us to Christ. if we don't move from those to Christ, not only are we missing the point of those truths, but we're inevitably going to live in condemnation.

we WERE sinners, BUT CHRIST came into the world to save sinners (1 timothy 1.15). in our sin, we WERE corrupt and worthless, BUT CHRIST bore our corruption on the cross, and IN CHRIST we are clean and worthy because of HIS righteousness (2 corinthians 5.21). we WERE disconnected from God without hope of reconciliation, BUT IN CHRIST we have been united with Christ in his death AND resurrection (romans 6.5) and reconciled to God, in Him (colossians 1.21-22; 2 corinthians 5.18; romans 5.10). and THERE... IS... THEREFORE... NOW... NO... CONDEMNATION!! what's the qualifier?? to THOESE who are IN CHRIST JESUS!! for the Spirit of Life has set us FREE from sin and death. (romans 8.1-2). PRAISE HIM!! PRAISE HIM!!

so TO HELL with satan and his condemnation! don't let satan preach an incomplete gospel to you... which really isn't the gospel at all. if you've surrendered your life to Christ, you're His now. know and believe the whole gospel! when you experience conviction... repent. behold the Holy God who cannot tolerate sin... AND behold Christ who paid for all your sin! see your sin and grieve over it... but do not forget to move from that to BUT CHRIST. behold God's wrath and justice. but do NOT behold them without ALSO beholding Christ on the cross, bearing ALL of that wrath and satisfying ALL of that justice.

2 corinthians 5.21 -- 'for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God'

PRAISE HIM!! THANK Him for the grace of conviction. repent and know total forgiveness in Christ crucified. live in the VICTORY we have in CHRIST, because of the cross!! and send condemnation back to hell where it came from, by every day preaching the complete gospel to your own heart... and believing it!

Embracing Accusation

shane and shane

the father of lies
coming to steal, kill and destroy
all my hopes of being good enough
i hear him say, 'cursed are the ones
who can’t abide.'
he’s right; halleluia, he’s right!

the devil is preaching the song of the redeemed
that i am cursed and gone astray
i cannot gain salvation
embracing accusation

could the father of lies
be telling the truth of God to me tonight?
if the penalty of sin is death, then death is mine
i hear him say, 'cursed are the ones who can’t abide.'
he’s right; halleluia, he’s right!

the devil is preaching the song of the redeemed
that i am cursed and gone astray
i cannot gain salvation

oh the devil’s singing over me an age old song
that i am cursed and gone astray
singing the first verse so conveniently
oh, but he’s forgotten the refrain -- JESUS SAVES!!

Be Still, My Soul

i've been contemplating a lot lately how peace and rest in our lives are often something that we're called to command our hearts to. i think often we tend to think that peace is just supposed to 'happen' to us... and we even feel condemned sometimes if we feel restless. i wish i had time to go into more thoughts on this. but as i've been reading through some psalms, more often than not, we find the psalmist in a difficult place of trouble, trial or persecution... and we find him confessing his unrest and commanding his heart to rest in the Lord. Psalms 62, 77 and 131 just a few examples of this. i have many thoughts on this topic... but for now, i commend the lyrics of this old hymn to you. if you're struggling with peace and rest... read the psalms and sing this hymn to yourself. do what this hymn writer is doing... tell yourself of who God is, what He's done, why He's trustworthy... and command your heart to rest in the Lord.

'be still, my soul'

katharina a. von schlegel

be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
leave to thy God to order and provide;
in every change, He faithful will remain.
be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
to guide the future, as He has the past.
thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be bright at last.
be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
and all is darkened in the vale of tears,
then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
from His own fullness all He takes away.

be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
when we shall be forever with the Lord.
when disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
all safe and blessèd we shall meet at last.

be still, my soul: begin the song of praise
on earth, believing, to Thy Lord on high;
acknowledge Him in all thy words and ways,
so shall He view thee with a well pleased eye.
be still, my soul: the Sun of life divine
through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.