Chosen

A few reflections on a word...

1. The love of the initiator is a choosing love. The husband chooses and bestows love. The reason that the bridegroom analogy is so present in the Word is that it succinctly conveys the nature of God's love for us. It is a choosing love that picks from among many. Those that are loved by God are chosen.

2. Chosen implies that others are not chosen. This is the nature of things, and any dissembling here is foolish. If you choose something, you pick it out distinctly from among many things. The other things are not chosen.

3. Thus the foolishness of Arminian thought here, and the empty notion that God's choice is based on foreknowledge, that he knew who would choose him and chose them before he could do it. This is to toy with language and alter the nature of a word in pursuit of a philosophical assumption. This Arminian choosing is no choice, but rather alters things so that our love becomes the choosing love, that we chose God from among other options, and that he knew this in advance. What choice is that? This is an empty passivity that we shun when we see it at work in a human relationships.

4. No, choice is choice, and if God said that he chose us in Christ before the creation of the world, we should acknowledge that he meant that, simply, and rejoice in the fact. It exalts us not a bit to be chosen, since it happened "while we were still sinners." But choosing exalts us, cleanses us, sets us before the throne of God in glory. Choosing is the power of God, and let us leave that power in his hands.

Thoughts on Self-Control

You might be interested to know that I think the dominant problem my generation will face is a deep lack of self-control.

Titus ii.6

Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled

Obs.

1. Paul is instructing Titus on what to teach the Cretans, and he separates the teaching into four categories, distinguishing different things to be taught to different groups. The groups: Older men, older women, young women, young men. That pretty much covers everyone.

2. "Similarly"-- Paul notes that Titus should teach something similar to the young men as he does to the older men, and also the same thing that the older women are to teach the younger women. Self-control is mentioned three times with reference to four groups.

3. Note also that while longer lists of things to be taught are given for the other three categories, the only thing urged on young men is "to be self-controlled." Perhaps indicating that self-control is a particular problem for young men, or that it is an especially important quality for young men to possess. Desire, pride, anger, etc all burn stronger in young men. (Hence, I John ii.14: I write to you, young men, because you are strong)

4. "Encourage"-- That is, to urge on a person through positive and negative words. Titus is to speak strongly and specifically to the young men with the goal of urging them towards the practice of self-control.

5. From cross-reference (Gal. v), we know that godly self-control is an effect of the Spirit's work in a believer's life. It is a "fruit" of the Spirit's presence, the result of a transformed life. What Paul is encouraging is a Spirit-produced and holy control over the desires of the sinful flesh.

Interpretation

1. Holy self-control, an attribute which pleases God, is not at all present in the world, since it is a quality which is produced by the power of the indwelling Spirit. Whatever else the world possesses, it does not have power over itself.

2. Holy self-control is an inevitable fruit of the Holy Spirit's presence. If there is no holy self-control, there is no Spirit.

3. Holy self-control is produced by the Spirit through the use of means. The means in this case is the fullness of our effort. This is why Paul gives an instruction. Self-control is not mystically produced in us as we "let go and let God work." Rather, through the medium of our Word-guided and Spirit-empowered action, we walk into the fullness of godly self-control. Otherwise, why bother instructing someone?

4. Self-control should be taught, especially to the young, in a way that is practical.

A short note on holy vs. worldly self-control

In this, as in all things, our thinking must be guided by the Word.

--We know that true self-control is a fruit of the indwelling Spirit.
--We also know that externally people in the world may appear to have a great deal of self-control. Therefore, what they possess is not produced by the Holy Spirit but some other agency.
--Agents which produce self-control are often placed in the world by the grace of God in order to prevent a recurrence of what the world was like before the flood, since "that every inclination of the thoughts of man's heart was only evil all the time." Without any restraining force in place, the world would be awash in the men's lusts. We are given a taste of this when these forces do actually break down, as in war and other disasters.
--Common causes of worldly self-control: false religion, mutual pragmatism, strong law, fear of punishment, social pressure, family pressure, cultural taboos, etc. These help to restrain sinful impulses. Positive forces producing self-control include desire for success, power, comfort, cultural pressure, family pressure, sense of shame, guilt.
--Holy self-control always involves freedom. True self-control is about the freedom of the Spirit's slavery. All the causes of worldly self-control are slavery.
--Men in the world often seem to be capable of great efforts, before which we stand in awe at their discipline. Read about Kobe Bryant's work-out schedule, Napoleon's reading habits, etc. These, however, have no value towards the real progression of holiness. Holy self-control must be produced by the Spirit, according to the Word, towards the end of holiness.
--Some Christian men, therefore, may imagine that they have self-control, or may be lauded for their self-control, when in fact they possess simply the residue of worldly self-control from their culture, their home environment, etc. Natural drivenness may seem on the outside like self-control, though it is in fact quite different.

Application

1. Self-control, like all activities of the Church, is communal. Let us encourage one another toward it, watch out and guard one another. Actually, this is almost never done. Why?

2. Self-control is about having authority over your flesh. You do not have this authority in yourself, but in Christ you do. The motive for this authority over your flesh is the responsive love of obedience. In self-control, you express love to God through obedience, a conscious choosing. This does not require feeling, but in the exercise causes feeling.

3. Self-control rests in the conscious mind and happens through an exercise of the reason applied to the flesh. The Holy Spirit is the power, the pathways of obedience are the means. Read the Word, and choose obedience.

4. What has power over you? Nothing should. Is it food? Is it sex? Is it leisure? Is it TV? Is it the computer? Is it a person? Is it a relationship? Is it a job? Is it a need for success? Is it an ambition? Is it an emotion? Search yourself, think, apply the Word, and choose the pathways of obedience that are required of you.

5. Self-control is about habits, about discipline, the conscious turning from something desired. Like all of the Spiritual virtues it must be practiced, exercised, and grows stronger as you do.

Final thought, applicable especially to my generation

Here is the test of your self-control. How much have you prayed lately?

I want you to pray two hours a day.

Nay, I want you to pray four hours a day.

Yes, you. If we believe God's Word, we know there is nothing more precious than time in prayer, where we draw near to God and experience in faith the goodness of his presence. Nor is there anything as profitable to our soul and to the life of the Church than to pray. These two things being true, how much are you able to choose the best thing, to say no to the desires of your flesh? Whatever external motivators make you seem self-controlled, let this be your test. The man of prayer is the man who knows the pathways of self-control.

I hope this convicts you as much as it does me.

Talk from STP: Exposition of Hebrews 3:7-13

Text:

7So, as the Holy Spirit says:
"Today, if you hear his voice,
8do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion,
during the time of testing in the desert,
9where your fathers tested and tried me
and for forty years saw what I did.
10That is why I was angry with that generation,
and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray,
and they have not known my ways.'
11So I declared on oath in my anger,
'They shall never enter my rest.' "[a]

12See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

First, Observation

Context: The Israelites and the way they saw God in the desert--first, the ten plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, the pillar of smoke and of fire, hearing God's terrible voice on the mountain, witnessing his retribution for the Golden Calf, fed first by quail, then day by day from heaven by bread, the plague among them, the fire, the snakes. No generation had such clear and undeniable sign of God's power, his reality, his terrible hatred of disobedience, the assuredness of his punishment of it.

Then, the testing. They were instructed to enter the land, but when they saw the inhabitants, they shrank back. Thus, their hearts were expose as sinful. They showed that they didn't believe that God could save them.

Note: These people had seen more of God than anyone else, but their hearts had not been changed. No miracle, no amazing sign can cause us to believe if our hearts are not change. An important thing to keep in mind when someone says, "If only God would give me a sign and show me that he is real."

Instruction: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts"

Q: How do we hear his voice?
A: He speaks in only one way today--through his Word. The message, the revelation is complete. However, there are two kinds of hearing (thus Jesus, he who has ears let him hear).

The first hearing is ordinary hearing, to read the Word as any other book, its contents coherently taken in and made sense of.

The second hearing is to read it as though God were speaking through it--to see that it is actually God who communicates to you in the Word. This is why we call the Word living. (Tozer--The Word of God once spoken continues to be spoken)

Q: How do we harden our hearts?
A: The same way the Israelites did--by shrinking back from obedience to the Word. This is a lack of faith.

Q: What can cause us to harden our hearts?
A: Fear, a desire for pleasure, worldly success. In the case of the Israelites it was fear and desire for pleasure.

Q: What is the consequence of an unbelieving heart?
A: "I was angry with them...their bodies fell in the desert"-- They never entered the Promised Land, a terrible punishment, for what it represents unto us, hell, final banishment from God's country.

Paul calls this a "sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the Living God." The heart that hears God and knows it to be God speaking, but in the trial, falls away.

The trial: Who will you obey? Yourself, or God?

Q: What does a sinful unbelieving heart look like?
A: You cannot see it until it is time to choose. All the people heard God's voice, all of them saw his glory. But most turned away, although a few (Joshua, Caleb) obeyed.
----
So, Paul says, all of you also have heard God's voice. How do you know whether you have a sinful unbelieving heart? Or what remedy can we use to make sure that we do not have hearts that will fail when tested?

"See to it that none of you has one"
--Look and examine each other's hearts. Watch out for this type of heart in others.
"Exhort one another daily"
--Exhortation involves both rebuke and affirmation. Exhortation involves encouraging someone towards a goal and correcting them when they lose sight of the goal.

Q: What does exhortation prevent?
A: It stops sin from hardening us. Secret sins, disobedience in small ways gradually harden the heart so that when the trial comes, we fail.

Q: How long should we do this?
A: Not until we feel confident in ourselves, not until we think the job is done, but "as long as it is called Today," in other words, until we die or Christ returns.

Second, Interpretation

(The drawing of doctrine out of our observations)

1. The only way to ensure that we have sincere faith, to ensure that we will make it to the end, is to allow other people to see our lives and speak into them.
--This is the only way God has commanded. The man who hides himself, the independent man WILL fall.
--We are not meant to make it on our own. We cannot.

2. Fellowship is making every part of ourselves, even the ugly and shameful parts, known to others. Not once, but constantly throughout our lives. Where this is not happening, THERE IS NOT TRUE FELLOWSHIP.

3. It is not enough just to share our lives. We must be willing to be rebuked and corrected.

4. The main thing we must be alert for in others' lives is sin as it deceives--though we are often unable to see deceit at work in our own hearts, we can see it in the lives of others.

Interlude: A Short Comment on the Deceitfulness of Sin

Deception is manipulation--it is convincing somebody to act in a certain way through the utilization of a LIE.

Deception is a lie which others act upon.

Example of this is what I warned against in the context of evangelism: We invite someone to speak to us by implying that our motive is no more than to get to know them, hear from them, etc. We disguise our motives to get someone to hear the gospel. This is deception and Paul forbids it. [Note for my blog readers: Boom. Do you ever try and evangelize through disguised motives? Stop it.]

Sin does the same thing. It offers to us several lies, e.g.
1. This will satisfy you and make you happy.
2. This is better/safer than what God could offer.
3. There will be no consequences for this.
But these are lies.

The process of deception works like this.
--Our satisfaction with God wanes, through inattention, distraction, etc.
--Our eye is captured by some sin. We consider it, think on it. It seems to offer life to us.
--Our hearts conspire to take it. We listen to and accept a rationalization that allows us to take it.
--Once the deed is committed, we at first feel guilty, but gradually our consciences grow "seared as with a hot iron" until our hearts are hard.
This is one way.

Broadly speaking, sin in its many forms is attractive to our sinful hearts, and we will deceive ourselves in order to participate in it. We are constantly rationalizing, convincing ourselves of our own virtue. We WANT to think well of ourselves.

Because sin is deceitful, we must allow others to see our hearts.

Because sin is deceitful, you must admit that you may be deceived. Remember, deceived people DO NOT KNOW THEY ARE DECEIVED.

Third, Application

1) To our mind

We must be suspicious of our hearts. The Word probes our hearts, and we must both analyze our own hearts in the light of the Word and allow others to do the same. This is what it means to be humble. If you are humble, you will assume sin is in your motives, you will question your desires carefully.

Adjust mentally what you expect from this life. Do you expect that following Jesus will be easy? Like the Israelites in the desert didn't, you should prepare your hearts for the trial, for the time when God will ask us to believe in him and follow despite what we see.

We must think of our Christian lives as communal, shared lives. We must prepare each others' hearts to follow Jesus. Do you think of yourself alone when you think of your Christian walk?

2) To the heart

Some questions to ask yourself
--Do I desire more to be rid of a particular sin, or to maintain a good standing in someone else's eyes?
--Does my heart go out to something God has forbidden in the Word?
--Do I tend to see right and wrong with reference to social acceptability, or to God's command?

(Some things are unthinkable because of culture. Abhoring and fleeing from such things does not show that the heart is converted unto God.)

3) To the will

If there is sin in your life that you are hiding, confess it to others. Resolve not to hide sin. Put into your life people who you can confess sin to.

Be committed, throughout your life, to pursuing vulnerability.

In the Christina community which you are a part of, ask others to apply the Word to your life, and be willing to accept the results. This will not be easy.

Final Warning: If you do not have someone examining your life, you are in danger. This is the way God has the designed the Church to grow.