Welcome back to Theology Thursday!

Here is your bite-sized lesson in orthodox biblical doctrine in 3 simple steps:

ONE concept explained

TWO concise definitions that must be kept distinct

THREE Scripture passages to meditate on

Concept: The Doctrine of Creation

The beauty of our world strikes us: The light breeze on our face, the sight of leaves hanging and falling, the push and pull of the ocean’s roar, the birds soaring through the air, the whale speeding through the deep. Most of all, we prioritize people with whom we share love, meals, embraces, friendships, and life-long vows. All of this has come solely from a Creator, a Creator who, with great precision and intelligence, designed the world by His very word, and all very good.

God is the eternal, uncaused first cause of all things. He created all things visible and invisible out of nothing (not building upon preexisting matter or “stuff”) in the space of six days, and on the seventh day, He rested. The creative decree of Father, Son, and Spirit emphasizes His transcendence: He is vastly above all His creatures. In fact, Christian Theology centers on the distinction between the Creator and the creature. It also emphasizes His self-existence or asiety. He depends upon nothing and no one for His existence. Rather, He is the fountain of all life and being. Lastly, it grounds the doctrine of revelation. Geerhardus Vos summarizes, “A God who by a self-conscious act of freedom brings the universe into existence cannot desire to do anything other than to reveal Himself directly in an unmistakable way to the world thus created.”1 Thankfully, in the person of Jesus, we behold the Creator who became flesh, dwelt among us, and infallibly revealed who God is. To behold Christ is to behold the Creator God.

(How are we to interpret the “days” of Genesis 1? Next week, we’ll explore the various views of creation that good, godly men and women have held throughout the centuries, and I will share my personal view and why I hold to it. For now, let’s not miss the point of Genesis 1, which is “Cosmic temple-building.” The Triune God is the Creator of all things, and thus, He is God, and we are not.)

Definitions/Distinctions:

Immanent Trinity (ad intra): Ad intra is a Latin phrase used to describe how Scripture reveals the inner life of the Triune God—God’s very essence—which none can fully comprehend except God alone. God is ontologically one essence and three persons. Thus, the acts of God ad intra (the personal relations that distinguish persons of the Trinity) are eternal, have no reference to anything outside of God, and cannot be bound by space, “days,” or time.

Economic Trinity (ad extra): Ad extra is a Latin phrase used to describe how Scripture reveals the Trinity’s external works in the world. God reveals Himself economically and externally in the acts of creation and providence. Thus, the acts of God ad extra happen in time and have reference to everything outside of God Himself, namely, to creatures, with whom God cannot be compared.

Passages:

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.”

Genesis 1:1–3

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,

The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,

What is man that You are mindful of him,

And the son of man that You visit him?”

Psalm 8:3–4 (NKJV)

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Colossians 1:15–17

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Welcome back to Theology Thursday!

Here is your bite-sized lesson in orthodox biblical doctrine in 3 simple steps:

ONE concept explained

TWO concise definitions that must be kept distinct

THREE Scripture passages to meditate on

Concept: Election or Predestination unto life

Believers in Jesus are described as many things. One is that they are chosen by God. The Doctrine of Election teaches that out of God’s sheer mercy, before there were ever stars in the sky or fish in the sea or humans on the earth—before time itself—God chose to save and adopt a multitude of guilty sinners with nothing about them serving as a condition or cause moving Him to do so. He chose His children merely out of His free grace and love, for His own glory. The Bible says this is according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, and for obedience to the Lord Jesus and sprinkling with His blood.

What comes to your mind when you read that? Some think of it like a black hole of mysteries that is to be avoided, while others treat it as a battering ram to beat down their opponents. But what should come to your mind? When Peter wrote to a group of struggling, persecuted, and suffering Christians, what did he want them to know as soon as they received his letter? “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to God’s Elect…” (1 Peter 1:1 NIV). Our minds should ascend to God’s majestic plan of salvation, and we should be humbled as well as comforted. In light of our sinfulness, it’s a wonder that God would choose anyone at all. Additionally, we must marvel that one of the many reasons God won’t forsake us in our suffering is that long before there were stars in the heavens, He set His love on us. These may sound like sappy love song lyrics. But rather, this is a literal doctrinal truth to rejoice the heart.

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Definitions/Distinctions

Foreordination or Decree: This is an umbrella term that refers to what God determined before creation would take place in time and history. This refers generally to all that comes to pass, but it is tied to predestination, which includes (among other things) God’s election of His church.

Foreknowledge: In the Semitic world, to foreknow means to forelove. Adam knew Eve, which speaks of a deep, intimate relationship. When God’s sovereignty in salvation is attributed to the foreknowledge of God, this does not refer to mere events that God knows will happen; the object is people. God foreknows and set His distinguishing relational love on a specific people whom He has determined to show mercy.

Passages:

“To those who are elect exiles…according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood…”

1 Peter 1:1–2

“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.”

Ephesians 1:11

“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

Romans 8:29–30

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We live in an unprecedented time, where all the problems of the world demand our constant attention and immediate judgment on social media. Through technology, we’re connected to events all over the nation and the world. Very quickly, people are polarized into those who are “for” and those who are “against” whatever controversy happens to be raging this week. We are expected to make a quick decision based on limited evidence and with limited impact upon our life or upon the lives of people near us. Some people seem to get a thrill out of the controversy and “taking a stand,” and making their voice heard, while others are exhausted by it all.

This raises an important question. Are we responsible for every controversy? And if we’re not responsible for it, should we even be weighing in? What things are our responsibility and what aren’t?

1. Moral proximity

This biblical principle teaches that you are responsible for problems that are closest to you, beginning in your family, then in your church, then in your local community, but the further out you get in terms of relationship, distance, and time, the less personally responsible you are.

This moral principle is partly based on a clear understanding of human nature. Human beings are limited creatures with limited powers. We are simply not capable of exercising responsibility over all the problems of the world. And to the degree that we try to do so, we do it very badly, and often make matters worse than had we not interfered at all. Therefore, the Bible teaches that we live within spheres of responsibility which correspond to our powers within those spheres.

Consider a few passages of Scripture that teach this principle of moral proximity.

1 Timothy 4:8 says, “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for the members of his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” In other words, we are responsible first for our own family unit, and only after that, to our relatives in extended family.

Galatians 6:10 says, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Notice that we are to do good to everyone, if we have the opportunity to do so. But this is not commanding us to do good to people if we don’t have the opportunity. While we are to do good to all, the Bible says that we are especially to do good to other Christians. So, if we must choose between doing good to a non-Christian and a Christian, we must choose the Christian. This principle is further narrowed to one’s own local church, as illustrated by the “one another” passages which are directed to particular local churches.

Christ’s parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:35-37 illustrates the doctrine of moral proximity as well. When the Samaritan walked into physical proximity of the man beaten by robbers, he became responsible to do what he could to save his life. He had the power to do something; so, he did. Before the Samaritan was in moral proximity, he had no responsibility to do anything about the man beaten by robbers.

Jeremiah 29:7 says, “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare, you will find your welfare.” After our families and churches, we are responsible within our local municipalities to do good, and to look after the welfare of our neighbors.

The Westminster Larger Catechism, Q99, A5 says, “What God forbids is at no time to be done; what he commands, is always our duty, and yet every particular duty is not to be done at all times (Matt 12:7).” This implies that while we are to serve the poor, feed the hungry, and work for justice, we aren’t to do this all the time, but only according to our moral proximity and our station and calling in life.

2. Problems with ignoring moral proximity on social media

Problems arise when people don’t observe this biblical teaching about moral proximity. The Bible warns, “Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears” (Prov 26:17). That is, bad things tend to happen if we fail to observe moral proximity.

Negative repercussions

People who weigh in on every social media debate sometimes have a false sense of accomplishment. They think because they give their opinion on an issue, they are dealing a blow for justice. But in fact, they have done very little. Worse, they sometimes feel like they’ve done the right thing and even honored the Lord, when in fact, they have not.

On the flip side, some hear about injustices on social media, and they feel tremendous guilt that they can’t do more. They have a feeling that they should do something, but they don’t know what to do. Even after “speaking out,” they still feel anger and guilt because speaking out didn’t actually accomplish anything.

People who forget the doctrine of moral proximity have the weight of the whole world resting upon their shoulders when they have no real power to be able to do anything about it. They also often invest a tremendous amount of time and energy into problems they have no power to resolve. If they invested the same amount of time and effort into matters morally proximate to them, they could actually do much more good because they would have much more influence.

Gossip and slander

One of the problems with trying to “do justice” on social media is that good information is nearly always lacking. By its very nature, social media is reductionistic. It lacks context. It has become easier and more common for people to fabricate injustices just to create outrage. Misrepresentation abounds, not only from internet trolls, but from news agencies and official sources.

Well-meaning people see allegations of injustice on social media, and they feel outrage. They feel compelled to speak out publicly, and they might even condemn the accused in the name of justice. But the Scriptures give warning about hasty conclusions in controversies. The Bible frequently speaks of the need for two or three witnesses (Deut 19:15; Matt 18:16; 2 Cor 13:1), or two or three independent lines of evidence to establish a matter.

Scripture gives a strong warning against gossip and mob justice in Exodus 23:1-3, saying:

“You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many so as to pervert justice, nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit.”

It’s far better to remain silent than to become a gossip or a slanderer. The word “Satan” means accuser. The word “Devil” means slanderer. Christians shouldn’t repeat a matter unless they have followed the biblical procedure for verification.

3. Faithfully discharging moral proximity

How then should we exercise our moral responsibility? We should invest most of our personal energy into our homes, our churches, our workplaces, and our local communities. Yes, we should be educated on national issues and try to vote wisely, but comparatively, our influence on national issues will ordinarily be quite small compared to our ability to influence things more locally. And certainly, there may be some controversies and matters of justice in which social media can be a useful mechanism. But Christians need to be careful to remember its dangers and limitations.

Author:

This article is from the blog of Pastor Tom Hicks (used with permission).

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Recently, I preached on The Great Commission. It’s the task given to the church to serve Christ by making disciples who are centered on His sufficiency. This presupposes the need for and beauty of the church—a covenant community of baptized believers under the preaching of the Word.

This all sounds great. And it is!

We neglect the community of believers to the detriment of our own souls and those around us. There is great joy to be found as you commit yourself to God’s people.

But wasn’t it the great American philosopher Mike Tyson who said, “Everyone’s got a plan until you get punched in the mouth”?

So what about when you’re wounded by the church?

Something I see and hear often is a reluctance to commit to God’s people because of the wounds we have received at the hands of other believers. I’m not just talking about those who are professing to be believers but are not true Christians. No, I’m talking about actual believers who hurt us.

This is a very real thing. Being in a family comes with its fair share of conflict and wounds. It would be enough to have the world, the flesh, and the devil to deal with, but when Christians hurt us, it’s a whole other level of overwhelming.

I fear that if we don’t deal with these hurts biblically, we toe the line between the two sins: bitterness or utter despondency.

Today, I want to draw your attention to a wounded disciple—Jeremiah. More than just a learner of God’s truth, he was a preacher of God’s truth. He was called by God to go to the southern kingdom of Judah and be a prophet who calls them to repentance. Jeremiah was set apart from his mother’s womb.

It was a beautiful yet difficult calling because along with the calling came the promise that everyone he preaches to will not listen and will not change.

Israel is in a horrible spot. God’s covenant people have rebelled by worshiping false gods. Though God had graciously given them the promised land, like Adam and Eve in the garden, Israel’s unfaithfulness will lead to them being kicked out of their paradise. Things have gotten so bad that God had already told Jeremiah to stop praying for them because they had reached a point of no return.

This increases Jeremiah’s hurt. He’s burdened. He’s despairing. He is hurt by his own people. And in Jeremiah 15, he pours it all out to His God.

Yet Jeremiah’s story is meant to point us to the greatest Prophet who would come to Israel, weep for them, be wounded, and yet establish the new covenant and accomplish the mission of renewing the heart.

The point we see in this passage is simple:

Though following Christ comes with temporary wounds and hardship, our Savior sustains us with eternal hope.

1. The Wounded Prophet

In chapter 15:15-21, Jeremiah reaches a breaking point.

First, he curses the day of his birth. He pronounces woe on his mother for giving birth to him because of his painful life.

He calls himself a man of strife and contention.

Second, we see that he is cursed by all. Literally, the whole land of Judah ridicules him and hates him for the message he is preaching. Later, they will throw him into a pit of mud because of their anger. Essentially, they try to kill him.

Yet even in this moment, God reminds Jeremiah of something essential: he is still under divine protection.

God assures him that He has been with him and has plans to preserve a remnant. But God also doubles down on the judgment that will come upon Judah. No one will stop the Babylonians. Bronze in Scripture often represents God’s judgment. Babylon will be a tool of that judgment.

2. The Complaint of a Wounded Prophet

Jeremiah pours out his heart to God.

“O LORD, You know.” (v15)

He declares that it is for God’s sake that he is suffering. He bears reproach—taunting and shame from others.

Then he appeals to his past faithfulness.

“God, I love your word! I’ve done nothing but steward this calling faithfully. I didn’t partake in their sinfulness. I’ve been a good guy. This can’t be happening to me.”

He blames God for his loneliness and anger. In other words: “So this is what I get for serving you?”

Then Jeremiah says something shocking. He calls God a deceitful brook (v18)—like a mirage in the desert that promises water but fails to deliver.

You are like a mirage to me, God.

When I read those words, I cringe. Here are two reasons why:

First, Jeremiah is a prophet who knows the true character of God. How can he accuse the faithful God of unfaithfulness? Who does He think He is?!

The second reason I cringe: his words remind me so much of my own. I have prayed like this. I’ve questioned God’s ways in the world and even in the church.

This is what it means to give into despondency. We are filled with self-pity and bitterness because of what others have done to us. We can even blame God.

How can we not relate?

God, I loved that pastor, and he treated me with contempt. How could you let that happen?

God, I loved that church member for years, and now they stab me in the back. How could you let this happen?

I remember receiving my first hate letter in ministry. I knew it was coming eventually. But I was bitter, hateful, and despondent. I wanted to quit the ministry right there.

In the midst of serving Christ, I saw a deep tendency in me to become bitter toward others or even toward God. And watch out, that bitterness can pollute the stream of ministry that flows out of you.

3. The Restoration of a Wounded Prophet

God responds to Jeremiah. Aren’t you glad that He doesn’t forsake His children even when they go off the rails? In the depths of our honesty, He retrieves us.

God’s cure for the wounded disciple comes in three ways: repentance, resistance, and reassurance.

Repentance

God begins with a surprising word:

“If you return…”

In other words: repent.

You might think, “But Jeremiah loves God! He’s a prophet no less!” Yet evidently, you can be far from God even when you’re serving Him.

Yes, others have hurt us. But God reminds us that vengeance belongs to Him. He calls us to repentance even when we’ve been wronged because there are areas of our character that need refining.

Our culture gives different advice. It tells us to wrong others in return, assert ourselves, or adopt a victim mentality. When we’re wronged, we often focus entirely on ourselves, and bitterness sets in.

But when we respond poorly, God lovingly calls us back to Himself.

Wounds only get worse when we keep picking at them, and bitterness stops the healing process.

When wronged, repentance is crucial because we are looking to Christ and His righteousness alone.

This provides the mindset shift needed for those who expected to never bear a cross in this life as followers of Jesus.

Amy Carmichael wrote:

“Have you no wound? No scar? Yes as the master shall the servant be and pierced are the feet that follow me. But you are whole! Could he have followed far who has no wound, no scar?”

When wounded, we conform to the Christ-pattern of death and resurrection; we share in His sufferings and glory. No one knows what it is to be wounded by His own people more than Jesus Christ.

He is the true weeping prophet. While He was wounded by His accusers, He cried out, “Father, forgive them.”

Because He forgave us when our sins nailed Him to the cross, we can walk in healing and forgiveness toward others.

Resistance

Next, God strengthens Jeremiah; namely, God strengthens his resistance.

God says he will become a “fortified wall of bronze”—impenetrable and mighty.

People will fight against him, but they will not prevail. He will be attacked but not broken.

By healing Jeremiah of his sin, God gives him a soft heart. By strengthening him, God gives him thick skin.

God wants to build you back up, Christian. If you’ve been broken down by sin or church hurt, God wants to restore you. He calls you to humble yourself to receive His strength.

Reassurance

Finally, God reassures Jeremiah with a promise:

“For I am with you to save you and deliver you…I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless” (Jeremiah 15:21).

Jeremiah might have asked why he had to endure these trials. God never answers that question. Instead, He answers the who question.

Remember Job. After asking “why?” again and again, God revealed His glory but never explained the reason.

“Job never got an answer to the ‘why?’ question, but he saw God—and that was enough.”1

You may never receive an answer to why you received certain wounds. But you always get God. And knowing He is with you will always be enough.

Paul said the same thing near the end of his life when many forsook him: “But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me.”

God also reassures Jeremiah with the promise of deliverance. Jeremiah knew the stories of God delivering Joseph and rescuing Israel from Egypt. These promises strengthened his faith.

But we have an even greater assurance.

These themes of redemption and deliverance reach their climax in Jesus Christ, who was wounded to redeem us from sin, death, and hell.

One day Christ will return and make all things new. Every tear will be wiped away. No more pain. No more conflict. No more sin.

We will behold our Savior face to face and see the One who was both wounded more than any of us and sympathizes with all our weaknesses.

Final Encouragement

So have you been hurt, Christian? Have you been hurt by other disciples?

God wants to bring you back.
He wants to build you up.
He wants to bolster your faith.

He calls you to repentance, strengthens your resistance, and provides constant reassurance.

Though following Christ comes with temporal wounds and hardship, our Savior sustains us with eternal hope.2

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

How many of us have heard this verse? It’s one of those coffee-cup Bible verses—found on plaques, t-shirts, and memes. But it’s also one of the most misunderstood verses in Scripture.

This typically happens when we miss the various contexts in which a verse appears. We treat the Bible like our personal promise book to meet our felt needs. Instead of allowing Scripture to set the agenda, we bring our agenda to Scripture and bend it to our will. We desire personalized revelation rather than what God has always intended to communicate.

To faithfully understand this passage, let’s follow the pattern in the previous posts:

1. Its normal misunderstanding

2. Its surrounding context(s)

3. Its faithful applications

Its Normal Misunderstanding

This verse is often presented like this:

“If you train your child the right way, check all your biblical boxes, your child is guaranteed to walk with God. Sure, they might wander, but they’ll come back. After all, it says right here they will not depart.”

I’ve heard people tell struggling parents, “Don’t worry—what does the Bible promise you?”

If treated like this, the verse can be discouraging at best and utterly debilitating at worst. It can crush parents whose children walk away. It can make them doubt their labor and even doubt the Savior.

How did we get here?

It is likely because Proverbs is often treated like a book of fail-proof promises instead of what it actually is—a book of proverbs, short sayings and principles that lead us in the knowledge of God and man, two things which are part and parcel of true wisdom.

The Surrounding Context(s)

The Immediate Context

Proverbs 22 is a collection of short sayings from Solomon. If you read verses 1–6, you’ll notice there isn’t a tight argument tying everything together. We move from good reputations to riches and poverty to parenting.

What we’re seeing are principles—truisms—generally true statements about how the world works. These are not iron-clad guarantees. They illustrate God’s ideal design.

The Book of Proverbs

Proverbs is considered wisdom literature. It is an invitation to pursue a path of godly wisdom. The contrasts of lady folly and lady wisdom are instructive—those who follow folly walk toward destruction; those who follow wisdom walk toward life.

But Proverbs gives general principles, not promises. It shows the ideal. It does not always factor in life’s complexities, God’s providence, or the fallenness of the world.

Other wisdom books like Job and Ecclesiastes highlight those exceptions. Job shows a righteous man suffering. Ecclesiastes shows the complexities of life even when lived wisely. It’s as if Proverbs shows the ideal, and Ecclesiastes shows what’s real.

Here’s an illustration:
If I say, “If you put your key in the ignition and turn it, your car will start.”

What’s your first thought? “Well, yeah! That’s how things work!”

But is that a promise? No. The battery could be dead. The engine could fail. The statement is generally true—but not fail-proof.

So when Proverbs 22:6 says to train up a child, and they will not depart, we must understand it as God’s ideal—a general principle—not a guaranteed outcome.

This takes a weight off. It reveals wisdom in training our children. It gives a general expectation that parenting shaped by God’s Word normally leads to good outcomes. But it does not guarantee salvation. It does not guarantee moral success. It does not mean it all depends on you.

Using it like a vending machine verse—good parenting in, good kids out—is actually foolish. It can produce discouragement if your child departs, or pride if they don’t. And pride is just as dangerous.

This proverb—like all of Proverbs—should point us to a wisdom outside ourselves that we must depend upon.

The Story of Redemption

If we stay only at the level of “try harder, be wiser,” we might begin to think our Christian identity depends on how wisely we parent.

But zoom out.

Wisdom is not merely an abstract principle. Wisdom is a person.

Proverbs 8 describes wisdom present before the foundations of the earth. And 1 Corinthians 1:30 tells us that Christ became to us wisdom from God—righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

Christ is the Wisdom of God on display. He was wisdom in the beginning with God. He created all things. And the only wise God was treated like a fool on the cross and rose again to bring us into union with Himself.

The gospel is not: “Become a wise parent and you’ll be accepted.”
The gospel is: “You fool, look to Christ—wisdom incarnate—Who brings you back to your heavenly Father.”

Salvation and perseverance in godliness belong to the Lord.

So when we approach parenting, we do so not as people trying to secure God’s favor, but as people who already possess everything Christ is for sinners.

Faithful Applications

What can we learn from Proverbs as it relates to parenting? We learn three kinds of foolishness we must avoid:

1. To think it all depends on you.

2. To become passive and entrust training to someone else.

3. To not be trained in Scripture yourself.

Don’t entrust your child’s whole training to the government, the public school system, or other parents. And don’t assume Sunday is enough while neglecting their discipleship at home.

Children are a blessing from the Lord. There is no greater privilege than working with God in raising a human soul—thankfully, He equips us with the right means to do so.

Paul reminds Timothy of the sincere faith that dwelt in his mother and grandmother, and how, from childhood, he had been acquainted with the sacred writings, able to make him wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. So here are some principles for resting in Christ that lead to fostering family discipleship:

Pursuing Daily Rest

Family worship—read (Scripture or books that expound Scripture), pray, and sing for fifteen minutes a day. For my family and me, this typically happens right before bed.

If you are not discipling your children, the world will. If you’re not leading them to the green pastures of God’s Word, they will look for something lush outside of the home.

Pursuing Weekly Rest

Every family ought to pursue weekly worship on the Lord’s Day (Sunday) with the body of Christ and in the home.

Sunday is a gift—a weekly holiday given by God. Your children ought to see that the gathering of believers is not optional but necessary. They should see you sitting under gospel preaching, taking the Lord’s Supper, and practicing your gifts in the body of Christ.

I remember reading somewhere, “If you only attend church when it is convenient, you train your children to grow up to do the same thing.”

Men, God has called you to lead your family to a local church with qualified shepherds. The church is the safety we need in a hostile world.

Women, you have a vital role too—submitting, supporting, encouraging, and using your gifts for the flourishing of your husband and children in the body of Christ.

A Culture of Discipleship

Finally, avoid passivity in ordinary moments.

Build a culture of discipleship in the home where you don’t shy away from the random existential question that only appears just before the kids need to go to sleep…it’s hard, but we must embrace those moments!

Final Encouragement

Proverbs 22:6 is not a fail-proof promise, but a principle—something generally true in life.

Knowing this helps us look to Christ, the true Wisdom from God. It strengthens us when we are discouraged. It leads us to depend on Him for power and ongoing wisdom.

We do not put our hope in our parenting. But we do parent with hope.

We trust that the means of grace we lead our children to may do God’s work in His time—because this is what God has promised to bless.1

This series of articles is designed to help the reader avoid the errors that come from taking verses out of context to fuel the subtle desires in our hearts for personalized revelation.

Remember that toy where you press your hand into the metal pins, and it takes the shape of your hand or face (And we wonder where COVID really came from…)?

When we take verses out of context, that’s what we’re doing to Scripture—we’re molding it into our own image. But when we put Scripture back into its context and read it faithfully, the Holy Spirit does that to us—He presses His impression upon us. Christ, by the Spirit, conforms us into His image so that we become all He has redeemed us to be. This is what’s at stake when we misuse Scripture.

So let’s look at Philippians 4:13. Perhaps we’ve missed just how wonderful it truly is.

Let’s follow the same outline from the last post:

1. Its normal misunderstanding

2. Its surrounding context(s)

3. Its faithful application

The Normal Misunderstanding

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Really? All things?

When reading/teaching the Bible, sometimes we enjoy saying, “All means all, and that’s all that all means.” If that’s the case, then we could conclude that through Christ’s strength we can literally do anything—pursue any goal, accomplish any task, heal ourselves, or even jump off a building and fly.

Those are absurd conclusions. “All things” cannot mean “all things” in this verse. Yet this is how the verse is often used in popular Christian culture: a Christian can do anything they set their mind to because Christ gives them strength.

But when we apply the verse this generally—“I can accomplish any goal because Christ strengthens me”—we miss Paul’s point and bend Scripture to our own desires.

Paul is not saying a Christian can literally do any task (spiritual or otherwise). He is speaking about something far more specific. The “all things” that Christ strengthens him to do are actually focused on “one thing.”

The Surrounding Context(s)

The Book

Philippians is a letter written by Paul the Apostle to believers in the Roman province and European city of Philippi. Paul writes from a Roman prison cell on his third missionary journey.

Why did he write? To express thanks and love to a church that supported his missionary work. The whole letter is filled with themes of gospel mission, partnership, and joy in Christ.

Paul emphasizes the centrality of Jesus Christ. Encountering the risen Christ is why Paul left his old life, why he labors in mission, and why he can rejoice even in suffering and imprisonment.

The Chapter

In chapter 4, Paul exhorts believers to rejoice in the Lord always. Notice—rejoice in the Lord—Paul is already hinting at a joy that is rooted in Christ, constant even in volatile circumstances.

In verses 10–14, Paul speaks about receiving financial support from the Philippians, but he is careful not to appear needy. Instead, he emphasizes thanksgiving and explains that he has learned the secret of being content.

He knew what it was to have little and to have much, yet in every circumstance, he was content. Contentment means finding joy and satisfaction in Christ in every situation. It doesn’t mean the absence of trouble or that life goes the way we want.

Paul is saying he can rejoice always because in all circumstances he is content.

How is that possible? Only through Christ Who strengthens him.

The Greek helps clarify this. It doesn’t say “all things” (though, of course, that can be a logical translation). It literally reads: “I am able, all, in Him strengthening me.” The “all” refers back to the circumstances in the previous verse. We could paraphrase it like this:

“I can be content in all my circumstances through Christ who continually strengthens me.”

And how does Paul know this? Many miss that we can’t understand Philippians 4:13 without Philippians 4:19, “My God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

As a Pastor friend of mine helpfully summarized, “Because God meets my every need in Christ, I can be content in every circumstance.”

The Story of Redemption

Does this not point us to how God has cared for His people throughout redemptive history? From the beginning, God has supplied every need of His people. Even basic needs like food, clothing, and shelter have always been connected to His larger plan of redemption.

God cared for Abraham when he left his homeland.
God cared for His people through Joseph in Egypt.
God preserved them in slavery and multiplied them under oppression.
God delivered them through Moses and sustained them in the wilderness—bread from heaven, water from a rock, and clothes that did not wear out.

All of this led to the coming of Jesus Christ, who, through His death and resurrection, brings us back to God. In His presence is fullness of joy—contentment, satisfaction, life.

In Christ, we have everything we need for life and godliness. God doesn’t give His blessings piece by piece—we already have all we need in Him, and thanks be to God, He’ll even provide our practical needs so that His redemptive work continues to form a people for Himself. According to the riches of Christ, we are fully provided for.

Faithful Application

1. Contentment Is Found in Knowing the Shepherd

When we know the Shepherd as He is offered in the gospel, we can say with David, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”

This is the gospel-logic of true joy: The gospel brings us to God, and in His presence is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).

2. Contentment Is Learned

Contentment is not an event; it’s something that is learned. He learned it through two semesters in the school of contentment:

Semester one—having much.
Semester two—having little.

We must go through both semesters as well. In seasons of plenty, we thank the Giver for His gifts. In seasons of need, we look to Christ as our sole satisfaction. In both, we learn that God supplies every need. We have all we need in Christ instantly, but the experience of contentment grows over time as we learn to trust Him.

There’s someone who learned this in great difficulty.

A woman named Louisa M. R. Stead was once on the beach enjoying a day with her daughter and husband, when her husband suddenly ran into the water to save a drowning man. As with many drowning victims, he pulled Louisa’s husband under the water, and her husband drowned with him, right in front of Louisa and their daughter.

It was in this time of intense pain and loss that she penned the words:

“I’m so glad I learned to trust thee,

Precious Jesus, Savior, friend.

And I know that though art with me,

Twill be with me till the end.”

3. Contentment Comes Through Dependence on Christ

Whatever circumstance you are in, you can submit it to Christ, who placed you there. Dependence looks like prayer—pouring out your heart to God and asking Him to help you trust Him, knowing all the while that strength is only found in Him, the fountain of all life and blessedness.

Indeed, you learn contentment. You learn to trust Him. But you learn that you can only do this through Him who strengthens you.

Final Encouragement

Philippians 4:13 is not about achieving your dreams or accomplishing any goal you set your mind to. It is far better than that.

It is about having unshakable contentment in every circumstance because Christ is sufficient.

Never forget: because God meets every need in Christ, you can be content in every circumstance.

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”1

We often enjoy treating the Bible like our personal promise book to meet our felt needs.

Instead of reading through the Scriptures systematically and in context, we bring our felt needs to our favorite feel-good verses for a massage. Thus, we don’t let the Bible set the agenda—we bring our agenda to Scripture. We pull verses out of their context because they make us feel good in a moment. It’s very natural for us to do, especially in our overly individualistic American context.

Some may think, “What’s the big deal?”

The reason this matters is that when we repeatedly treat the Bible like this, it can mislead our hearts or reveal something about them. It can reveal that we don’t submit to the authority of Scripture. Rather than allowing the Scriptures to bend us to God’s will, we bend the Scriptures to submit to our will. And most false teaching comes not from a complete rejection of the Bible, but from a misreading of the Bible.

Worst of all, Bible verses ripped from their context and used in contradiction to their intended meaning are no longer God’s Word—we’re simply robbing language to propagate our word. God’s Word is the meaning of any verse in light of its context and what the author intended to convey.

So consider one of the most misused verses in the Bible: Jeremiah 29:11. You’ll find it on plaques, pillows, mugs, and paperweights. As the most searched for Bible verses on the internet, it’s often taken as a fail-proof promise that God will bring about nothing but good things in your life—that God wants to bless your plans.

Is that what the verse means?

My brother-in-law, Pastor Skylar Dunham, once humorously called a series on misused Bible verses, “Coffee Cup Theology: Sipping on the Clarity of Context.”

So let’s drink deeply together: We’ll take a look at its common misunderstanding, its surrounding context(s), and its faithful application.

The Common Misunderstanding

When taken apart from its context, Jeremiah 29:11 can sound like this:

“God wants you to know everything is going to be fine. He will bless you and prosper you, and all your dreams will come true if you just believe.”

This turns the verse into a personal promise we lay claim to: “God wants to bless my plans.”

There were false prophets in Jeremiah’s day preaching something very similar. They cried “Peace, peace!” even though there was no peace. They promised good news based on temporal prosperity.

This same distortion shows up today in what is often called the “prosperity gospel” or, in more modern terms, the “God exists to fulfill my hope and dreams” gospel. It makes us the centerpiece of the Bible and distorts the true gospel. It presents God as a Santa Claus figure who gives out free stuff rather than a Father who knows, cares, and disciplines.

This false gospel avoids suffering, ignores self-denial, and misunderstands God’s timing. It repackages the American dream and makes us want God’s gifts rather than God Himself, like marrying someone just for their money.

So the question is: what does Jeremiah 29:11 actually mean?

The Surrounding Context

We must interpret any verse in its context—the chapter, the book, and the whole storyline of Scripture.

The Chapter

Jeremiah 29 is a letter from God to the exiles taken from Jerusalem to Babylon. God tells them to settle down, build houses, and seek the welfare of the city. He tells them to reject the lies of false prophets.

Then comes the key: God tells them they will be in Babylon for seventy years—A very bleak existence. But after that, God will bring them back.

Then He says, “For I know the plans I have for you… plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

God does have plans for them—but not to make life easy or fulfill all their dreams. His message is that God’s people must trust His plan even when things are hard.

The word translated “welfare” is the Hebrew word shalom, a rich word meaning wholeness, peace, everything being the way it was meant to be. God essentially says, “My plans for you are shalom.”

The Book

In the book of Jeremiah, God is judging Israel for idolatry. Yet He promises to restore His people—not just to land, but to Himself. Here we start finding hints of the fullness of this promise.

First, His promise, like a lot of the promises in Jeremiah, is primarily corporate, not individual. The “you” is plural.

Additionally, the promise is not merely material but spiritual. God promises a new covenant—a new heart (that will love and obey Him), the forgiveness of sins, and new power.

Finally, this promise is not merely for now, but for the future. Some of those exiled would not live to see its fulfillment. Yet the future is bright because God’s promises extend to a new heavens and new earth.

The Story of Scripture

From Genesis onward, God promised redemption through the skull-crushing seed of the Woman who will restore the covenant that God’s people broke. That promise is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who establishes the new covenant through His death and resurrection.

The good news was never primarily material blessing—it was the reconciliation of guilty sinners to God.

Jesus Christ is the true fulfillment of Jeremiah 29:11 because only Jesus can restore the shalom that sin destroyed.

Faithful Application

Jeremiah 29 contains a beautiful promise: we can remain faithful in exile because, despite our pain, God is sovereignly working out His plan for our good and His glory. Though this verse was not written to us, it was written for us.

Receive This Promise as a Body

The “you” in this verse is in the plural—it’s not an individual promise. This promise belongs to the corporate, gathered people of God. God’s plan for His people is peace—an inner peace that cannot be shaken by difficulty.

The promise of peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God with His people. He uses the church to comfort, strengthen, and build one another up.

Resting in God’s promises is a community project.

Apply It Spiritually in Light of the Gospel

Like Israel, we are exiles in a foreign land. We await our heavenly home. This life will include pain and struggle, but we must trust God’s plan.

Any gospel that leaves no room for suffering or self-denial is not the true gospel. Pain is often how God shapes us and causes us to persevere.

So yes, claim Jeremiah 29:11—but claim it in Christ. The gospel is not that all your career dreams come true, or that your finances are blessed, or that you will avoid pain, or that every desire will be fulfilled. God may bless you with those things, but they are not the good news.

The gospel is a person—Jesus Christ—who gave Himself for us, entered our suffering, and reconciled us to God. God’s plan for your life is not for you to build your own kingdom, but to thrive under His.

Look to the Ultimate Future

A day is coming when all God’s promises will be fully realized. Christ will return, every injustice will be made right, death will be no more, and every tear will be wiped away.

That day is not yet here. For now, God sees every tear and knows every pain. Not one tear falls unnoticed by your heavenly Father.

Final Encouragement

Jeremiah 29:11 does not promise God will fulfill your hopes and your dreams. It promises you something far greater:

God Himself—His sovereign plan, His redeeming grace, and a future hope that cannot be taken away.

To state the obvious, God knows what He is doing. As pastor Jeremy Treat put it, God had a wonderful plan for Job’s life. But Job lost everything, including his family, for a time. God had a wonderful plan for Peter’s life, who, church tradition tells us, was killed and crucified upside down. God had a wonderful plan for Stephen, who ended up being stoned to death.

But in every instance, God worked these things for good according to His eternal plan to keep, renew, and strengthen His people. I believe it is the same for us despite our present pain.

Be encouraged, “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”1

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“There is law and gospel in the Old Testament, and there is law and gospel in the New. The law comprises everything in Scripture which is a revelation of God's will in the form of command or prohibition, while the gospel embraces everything, whether it be in the Old Testament or in the New, that pertains to the work of reconciliation and that proclaims the seeking and redeeming love of God in Christ Jesus.”

-Louis Berkhof (1873-1957)

Law and Gospel—God’s two distinct words which live in both the Old and New Testaments.

Get this distinction wrong, and you’ll often get preaching wrong, your Bible reading wrong, and potentially cripple your Christian life.

John Calvin’s successor, Theodore Beza, rightly observed, “Ignorance of this distinction between Law and Gospel is one of the principal sources of the abuses which corrupted and still corrupt Christianity.”

One fruit of law/gospel confusion that still poisons Christianity is called moralism.

It grows when God’s people walk away from a sermon or Bible reading, (unintentionally) believing that those justified by faith are actually justified by faithfulness. The remedy lies in distinguishing between what God commands (law) and what God graciously provides (gospel)1, as reflected in differentiating scriptural indicatives and imperatives.

This process will keep the church from moralism, eliminate self-sufficiency, direct attention to Christ as the ultimate fulfillment of the law, and enable true obedience.

Indicative/Imperative Paradigm

Rightly dividing the Word of Truth entails that the believer knows the difference between scriptural indicatives and imperatives. Indicatives are statements of fact; imperatives are commands that could naturally flow from that fact. One could say, “The room is dark.” That’s an indicative statement. The imperative would necessarily be, “Turn on the light!”

Often in scripture, these two elements are connected by the word “Therefore.” You have indicative statements from Paul (gospel)—those in Christ are not condemned, and nothing can separate them from the love of Christ (Romans 8), and then he’ll proceed with law, “therefore… present your body as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1).

Gospel indicatives empower us by declaring what we have received; only then does the law guide us in what we ought to do. Thus, many New Testament imperatives can boil down to: “Be who you already are!” In sum, as Dr. Justin Holcomb put it, “Imperatives grow in the soil of the indicatives.”

The Scriptures are filled with imperatives and positive human examples. True Christian discipleship would not be a reality if others were not being taught to obey all that Christ had commanded (Matt. 28:20).

But moralism grows when discipleship is divorced from the gospel's indicatives and from union with Christ. What makes Christian discipleship, well, Christian is that it is rooted in gospel grace. Dennis Johnson eloquently defines moralism in preaching as the

homiletical practice of issuing ethical demands without grounding them in the gospel or showing how they are integral to a grateful response to the redemptive work of God in Christ. The result of such moralistic preaching is that hearers come away with the impression that God’s favor towards them rests to some degree on their (always imperfect) performance of obedience and love rather than wholly on the perfect obedience and vicarious suffering of Jesus Christ.2

Have you sat under this kind of (well-intentioned) preaching? Perhaps this is the cause of man-centered Bible reading.

Apart from Christ, it is natural to desire a moral code to achieve one's status. In the gospel accounts, Jesus reveals how Pharisaic legalism is symptomatic of a deep problem in the heart. The Pharisees drew near to God with their lips while their hearts were far from Him (Matt. 15:8). This kind of living is exalts man rather than God; man is now the focal point, and the worship of God is redirected, resulting in either pride or despair. Geerhardus Vos put it well:

“Legalism lacks the supreme sense of worship. It obeys, but it does not adore.”3

Test Case: Nehemiah

For instance, someone will read the text of Nehemiah, drawing straight-line applications from his life to the lives of people, and go no further. The applications can sound something like, “Nehemiah was a man with a broken heart for people; you all should be broken-hearted over lost people and seek to go reach them.” Or “We should be a Nehemiah to our communities–stepping up to be strong leaders amid much opposition.” Of course, this is not wrong. The Apostle Paul tells us that the things written in the past were written for our example so that we may learn (1 Co. 10:11), but subsequent revelation shows us that Christ is the fulfillment of these themes and characters.

Take a look at Nehemiah chapter 8: God restores the spiritual lives of His people after restoring the city walls. We then see Nehemiah, a compassionate man, leading well and, in essence, shepherding them towards deep joy in God by telling them to “Drink sweet wine” and that “The joy of the LORD is your strength” (8:10). The people are then seen pursuing God through confession and obedience to His law.

But one will quickly find, in the book's rather abrupt and obscure ending, that human leadership is insufficient. The covenant people of God break their covenant with God. They are taking foreign wives and not living out the commands of the Torah. Nehemiah is then seen responding in violent and harsh ways to reprimand the people.

What the text looks forward to is the new heart that is needed, and therefore, the only One who can effectively lead the charge. A better leader who is both God and man, who leads with perfection, humility, and boldness, is the kind of leader needed to restore true covenant faithfulness and true joy.

Jesus Christ is the one who wept over the city of Jerusalem and extended compassion towards the broken (Luke 19:41–44).

Jesus Christ is the one who restores and rebuilds His people (Matt. 16:18).

Jesus Christ is the restorer of true joy and displays this as He begins His public ministry, not by offering sweet wine, but by turning water into wine (John 2).

At the wedding in Cana, He declares in full measure what Nehemiah only gave in part: He alone is the restorer of true joy and the one who shepherds His people into all of God’s promises. After all, they find their “yes” and “amen” in Him (1 Cor. 1:20). Nehemiah points us to a Messiah who, because He is both God and man, can accomplish true restoration because He took the place of those who can’t restore themselves at the cross. Despite the opposition facing Him, He conquered the ultimate enemies of sin and death and took upon Himself the infinite weight of the wrath of God. Three days later, He rose again, securing and providing new life for all of those who would trust in Him.

He is the leader that men desperately needed.

Conclusion

This Biblical distinction enables believers to look to Christ and His grace alone, not only for their justification but for their sanctification. Application of Scripture can shift from, “Here’s what Nehemiah did, be like him,” to, “Here’s what Nehemiah did. You can’t accomplish this. Look to Christ as the one who did this perfectly, and through your constant trust in Him as your substitute, you not only have a desire to carry out these commands, but you have new power.” Or as Paul put it, “You were darkness, now you are light in the Lord (indicative). Walk as children of light (imperative)” (Eph. 5:8).

Dear believer and preacher, don’t settle for easy-listening legalism4; let the law be the law, let the gospel be the gospel, and never confuse the two, and thereby safeguard the church from legalism/moralism. Put yourself under preaching that upholds these two words with enthusiasm and watch a crippled church walk in vibrant obedience by the Spirit. As Pastor Justin Purdue often says, “The law demands everything and gives nothing. The gospel demands nothing and gives everything.”

Showers taken. Teeth brushed. Bedtime is near.

My son and daughter, now in their jammies, are jumping and swaying as the speaker plays, “Oh, oh! Your way’s better!”

In the Zacchio household, after the bedtime routine, it’s extremely typical for a speaker to be playing music for our impromptu dance party. And it’s not untypical for Forrest Frank to be part of the playlist. We know the words. We saw him live—needless to say, we’re fans.

But isn’t this just eye-roll worthy, shallow CCM music? Why does his music seem to resonate with so many, even deep thinkers?

We hear his music on the radio, church social media pages, and even Reformed Baptists and Theonomic Presbyterians are giving him more than just a nod. I’m not about being “trendy” or following what’s popular. But when someone has such a broad reach and enormous influence, we had better pay attention.

Here are 3 reflections on this huge sensation among the next generation.

A Personal Reflection

Growing up in the broader, non-denominational world in NYC, I was introduced to Christian hip hop at a young age. Guys like Ambassador, Crossmovement, Lecrae, Trip Lee, Shai Linne, and Beautiful Eulogy shaped me as they lyrically provided a robust theology of God, Christ, and His salvation. I couldn’t get enough.

As I got older, my passion for music only grew when I learned to sing and play guitar. From that point forward, the Lord was pleased to use me in music (or worship) ministry for 15 years. While in high school, I grew to like most of the CCM music, but Christian hip hop began to crest. To this day, things are just not what they used to be. Jaded, I turn off a lot of the new stuff (Thank you, Shai Linne and a few others for still holding the line!).

Enter stage right, Forrest Frank.

He officiated a marriage between two genres that I loved since I was a kid. Is he as precise as he should be on other doctrines? No. Could his music be perceived as shallow? Perhaps. He comes from a different church tradition than mine, and I have disagreements. But I’m not convinced that “shallow” is the right word. What’s often dismissed as shallow may actually be simple.

The Psalmists paint not only with deep colors but also truly simple ones. Psalm 131 and Psalm 117 are extremely short, filled with praise, and simple enough for a child to understand. Simple songs, when added together, form a corpus that is filled to the brim with truth to drink deeply from. I wouldn’t sing these songs while gathering on the Lord’s Day, but during the week, it’s a part of my enjoyment of Christ. In fact, I’ve found that the longer I walk with the Lord—and the more steeped I am in Scripture—the more meaningful these simpler expressions become. They give new believers something solid to stand on, and seasoned believers something warm to return to.

Recovering a Theology of Gift

Another reason he resonates with the next generation is that he is displaying how to enjoy the things of life, without turning them into idols, something my generation (perhaps) was not taught to do very well. In other words, music like this can help Christians recover a theology of “gift.” In his song “Good Day,” Forrest talks about enjoying his family, living in the present, but roots his ultimate happiness in the fact that God knows his name.

Pastor Joe Rigney points out how, on the one hand, we know that God transcends all. He’s supreme and should be the supreme object of our love and delight.

And yet on the other hand, we see the good around us, whether in material blessings or creation (what we sometimes call “Common Grace”), and we like them, but we don’t want to like them too much. So, the overreaction is to stiff-arm God’s blessings, a kind of “asceticism.”

This comes from what Rigney calls the merely “comparative approach” to the world around us. Meaning, we compare God to His gifts, and we rightly declare, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps. 73:25–26). This is absolutely true; it’s the first step!

But this isn’t the only approach.

We can “keep Jesus first” and still enjoy all of His secondary gifts in this life. Rigney calls this the “integrative approach.” We enjoy everything in God and enjoy God in everything since all the gifts we have point us to His character. Indeed, “The heavens declare the glory of God,” and His divine nature has been “perceived since the creation of the world” (Ps 19; Rom. 1:20). It all points us to His infinite majesty, and, for us who know Scripture, they remind us of the gift of His only begotten Son.

Everything in reality is an invitation—our food, our family, music, hiking, baseball—to enjoy and know God more deeply. There’s a way to worship the Creator without worshiping the creation; that’s why you need a theology of “gift” that helps us look through the gift and out to the gift-giver. Forrest is helping us recover that.

A Recapitulation of Ecclesiastes?

Related to this, Forrest gave me a renewed appreciation for the book of Ecclesiastes. In another Forrest song, “Live Your Life,” he sings,

“Joy comes with the morning sun
Just look what God has done

Hey, you’re gonna be okay
Don’t let a little gray sky
Rain on your parade
Hey, you’re gonna be alright
Don’t spend all of your daylight
Waiting for the night.

Just go live your life.”

You may roll your eyes. But here’s the thing: the younger generation is latching on to this for a reason.

You may well know that Gen Z is an increasingly anxious and depressed generation. No doubt due to societal pressures, economic collapse, and social media, one study1 found that High school students report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness (42%), which is much higher than in earlier generations at the same age.

Thus, when a young artist comes out singing songs that give people a vision of living in and enjoying the good things God has made, this is a breath of fresh air.

It’s very…how do you say…Ecclesiastes. Whether or not he acknowledges it, his songs are very much echoing the shouts of this obscure book of the Bible:

“I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man” (Ecc. 3:12–13).

The point of Ecclesiastes (I believe) is to point to the utter elusiveness of life. From wisdom to riches to pleasure, everything is a mere breath (hebel), and to seek ultimate satisfaction in them is like “grasping for the wind.” But if we live in light of death, we can fear God and enjoy this life as God’s gift. We are called to “live life backward,” so to speak,2 recognizing that the brevity of life enables us to stay in the moment with Godward joy. In other words, you don’t truly experience life to the full until you live it backward, living in light of the end and the satisfaction that is ultimately found in fearing God and keeping His commandments.

Eternal matters are the end of the matter, which is all that really matters (Ecc. 12:13). While having that as a backdrop, we can live “in the present—not woulda, shoulda, or could.” Life is painfully short, and Ecclesiastes shows us how not to live every moment as if the other shoe is about to fall.

We can enjoy this life as a “gift,” not as an ultimate “gain.” While we seek to find our true gain only in Christ, our anxieties dissipate as we pursue our hobbies, swing our kids around, go to class, and have a picnic—all to His glory and for our joy.

Take the advice above. Quit spending all of your daylight waiting for the night. Recognize that life is a breath, God created you for His glory, and therefore, you can enjoy Him while enjoying the day.

Dear Failure,

In times past, I have “paid the fare” because of sin. You have too.

In the moment of temptation, the costliness of sin can completely evade our memory. Thankfully, there is eternal hope for the backslider.

A Man Who Paid the Fare

Once there was a man named Jonah who was called to preach to God’s enemies, and Jonah sinfully ran to Tarshish. The opening chapter of Jonah emphasizes many shocking things. One thing that should shock the reader is that Jonah paid a price for his rebellion—he “paid the fare” (Jonah 1:3).

Of course, sinful straying shouldn’t shock us. We know we are inherently sinful beings; we are “prone to wander.”

But is it not shocking that, to sin against God, Jonah worshiped convenience, then immediately inconvenienced himself in the area of his money? He didn’t pay the cost of following God, but paid the cost of following his own desires.

Our Costly Straying

Just know that when you make your journey into sin, you also pay the fare. We can be nonchalant toward the things of God. After all, the cost of discipleship seems pretty high. But oh, we jump through hoops to sin, don’t we? I know I have.

Some believers sit in church, put on a smile, say “churchy” things, but their heart is pounding because they know that when they leave, they are going to take the road of sin.

They may entertain that email chain or text thread, which is cultivating a sinful, adulterous relationship, costing them their family.

As a student, they may cheat on that test or project and deceive others, costing them their integrity.

They may disregard the body of Christ and neglect the calling on the church to make disciples, costing them a life that counts for the glory of God.

They may give up on prayer and become prayerless, costing them communion with God.

Don’t forget, when pursuing sin, we are paying the fare.

This is the shock of sin: not that we commit it, but that we’re so willing to sacrifice for it.

As the Puritan John Owen said, “Sin dethrones reason.”

Translation?

Sin makes us stupid.

The text says, Jonah went “down to Joppa,” “down” to the ship, and “down into the inner part of the ship.” Every step towards sin is always one more step away from God—it’s always a step “down” in life. And by the time we realize the price we paid, it’s already too late.

The Remedy

But if we have paid the fare, what is the remedy? What we may have missed is, like the lost son in the prodigal son story, this prodigal prophet was brought to his senses even before the ordeal with the “great fish.” It’s because God, by His discipline, lifted Jonah’s eyes to see the magnitude of His mercy.

When the storm and the sailors woke him up, God showed Jonah his own misery and how he must be absolutely dependent upon his Creator. Jonah deserved to die in the storm. Instead, Jonah learned of the merciful presence of God even when he thought he outran it. He learned by experience what he only knew intellectually: “Where can I go from your presence? Where can I flee from your Spirit? If I fall to the depths of the sea, even there your hand will lead me…” (Psalm 139:7-10)

For us, we especially know this because of Christ. Because God’s holiness is enormous and his purity infinite, He requires total perfection to enjoy His presence. But we have not been faithful to our Lord. We have not loved Him totally as required. And any sinner who unrepentantly runs down the path of sin will reach a door, beyond which is the pit of eternal suffering away from God’s presence.

Therefore, God Himself pursued us by taking on flesh. He was faithful to the mission and was cast out of His Father’s favorable presence on the cross, so that by His providence, we can be brought safely back in.

The story of mercy unfolds this way for everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ for eternal life: We pay the fare and try to undo it, but our hard work will never cut it. We try jettisoning the cargo, we try steering the boat through storms, to no avail. And yet, in our spiritual bankruptcy, we forget that God loved us with an everlasting love and paid the highest price to reconcile us to the Father. Even as Christians, when things fall apart, God restores them again. We find ourselves broken; God puts us back together again. We find ourselves dirty; God cleanses us yet again. We run from Him, so He runs after us.

Maybe all of the painful consequences won’t be taken away, but take heart, dear believer, who is a failure just like me, God will never be unfaithful to His own, no matter how many times we’ve been unfaithful to Him. Spiritually speaking, He’ll restore our hearts, our character, and our capacity to bear fruit for His glory as we take the off-ramp of repentance.

Jesus was the true prophet, the greater-than-Jonah, Who fulfilled His Father’s mission. Why? To restore us into the Father's care so that we’ll grow to delight in His presence instead of fleeing from it. So, repent. Come back to Him. Watch Him receive you as before.

Thankfully, He pursues us because the sinners He paid for are forever His possession.

Purchase Here

Welcome back to Theology Thursday!

Here is your bite-sized lesson in orthodox biblical doctrine in 3 simple steps:

ONE concept explained

TWO concise definitions that must be kept distinct

THREE Scripture passages to meditate on

Concept: God’s Decree

The Triune God is the self-sufficient One, a perfectly pure spirit, who is infinite in being and perfection, and who is love itself. Thus, God is revealed as the ultimate reality and the one who truly has free will; He is “most free.” God freely decides to create and redeem a people for Himself, bringing them into the union and fellowship that God enjoyed even before creation. It's as if the perfect love shared between the three Persons of the Trinity brimmed over, resulting in a design for creation and human history. This is what theologians have called God’s “decree.” A decree speaks of a command or an official order given by an authority. So God’s decree refers to His authoritative, determined plan for all creation and human history, which was decided before time began. The Bible is nothing less than the story of the decree of a King and His kingdom, which extends over all things. It is aimed at His own glory, it is eternal, wise, universal, and infallible; all things come about exactly as God planned it. Now we know that nothing comes about randomly or by mere chance. Nothing is purposeless. He knows what He is doing simply because He has already planned what He will do. Your story is situated within a grander story that transcends your every desire, action, or pursuit. The God who cannot lie and always does what is just is the cosmic Author of your small existence, and few things should comfort us more deeply.

Definitions/Distinctions:

Necessity of Infallibility: This refers to God’s decree as it unfolds. Though it was planned before creation in eternity past, it comes about infallibly in time and space. In other words, all things, including the actions of free creatures, come about exactly as God planned. It can be nothing else; the blueprint cannot be modified.

Necessity of Coersion or Coaction: Not to be conflated with the definition above, this refers to forcing someone to do something against their will, or to act for someone. Just because God’s will always happens exactly as He planned does not mean His decree excludes the free actions of His creatures. Some things in God’s decree come about by a necessity of nature (the earth cannot freely decide to stop revolving around the sun), and some things come about contingently or freely (such as man’s actions).

Passages:

"I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.’”

Isaiah 46:9–10

“The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”

Proverbs 16:9

"His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’”

Daniel 4:34-35

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[This is an excerpt from the appendix in my book where I seek to provide concise answers to the most common questions about God’s decree and regeneration as it relates to free will.]

Concise Answers to Curious Questions

Q: Is all evil attributed to free will?

A: Yes, in one sense, but no in another sense. Evil came about by a voluntary act of our first parents (Adam and Eve) to disobey the revealed will of God. This is the direct and immediate cause of all evil. However, evil can be conceptualized as the absence of something rather than the presence of something. Evil is the absence of God and His goodness. Like the hole in a t-shirt cannot exist unless the t-shirt exists, so evil cannot exist unless God exists in the first place, because God is the standard of all true morality and goodness. When God removes His hand of goodness from a situation, evil ensues. He decreed to permit the first fall to happen, and every other evil that followed.

Q: Is God the author of sin and evil?

A: No, God is not the author of sin and evil if what we mean by that is He is the immediate cause of a person’s sin and therefore, morally culpable. However, He does stand behind evil, just not in the same way that He stands behind good. Evil is actively decreed by God but comes about by His divine permission (not a bare permission as if he passively watches events unfold). While He sovereignly decrees all that comes to pass, He does so in a way that neither makes Him the direct cause of sin nor compromises His perfect holiness. He actively allows evil to come to pass, and at the same time, sin arises from the creature’s own will, not from any creation of evil by God.

Q: Did God decree the fall of man? Or did He merely know it would happen and leave it up to Adam’s free will?

A: God decreed the Fall, not merely by foreknowing it, but by ordaining it as part of His eternal plan for His glory. However, He did so in a way that did not violate Adam’s will—Adam fell freely, choosing to believe the deception of sin employed by the serpent. God’s decree ensured the Fall would certainly come to pass, but the responsibility remained with Adam because Adam did what He wanted to do.

Q: How is the will free in heaven if they can only choose good and cannot choose otherwise?

A: True freedom does not consist in the mere ability to choose between opposites like good and evil, but the unhindered ability to choose according to one’s nature. In heaven, the will is perfectly free because it is fully aligned with God’s holiness. Just as God is supremely free yet cannot lie, the glorified saints are free in the truest sense when sin is no longer plaguing their desires.

Q: If God has to grant us the gift of faith to be saved, how can a person still be held responsible for unbelief?

A: Man is responsible for unbelief because his nature is fallen, and he/she willingly reject God; they are merely doing what they want to do. Though faith is a gift of grace, unbelief is the sinner’s own doing, and they do so by default because of Adam’s sin.

Q: If God has to cause someone to be born again before believing in Christ, how is this not forcing people to believe against their will?

A: Regeneration does not force someone to believe against their will; it transforms and frees their will. In his fallen state, man freely rejects Christ, but in regeneration, God graciously grants a new heart, making him willing to believe. The sinner does not come kicking and screaming—he comes joyfully because his eyes have been opened to the gospel of Christ.

It ends shockingly. He essentially shuts down the conversation, presenting us with these two options: either people have the full ability to accept or reject Christ of their own volition and God’s saving love is bestowed on everyone equally, OR we’re left with Islamic determinism. Those cannot be our only two options.

Above, I try to respond to this claim. I think there is a better way forward, and it is (what I believe is) the Biblical understanding of free will. I don’t have all the answers; I’m nowhere near as good a scholar or apologist as Frank, but I pray my response helps people understand the true nature of the will and the infinitude of God’s love, as revealed in Scripture.

It’s finally here!

The Freed Will: Reforming Our Understanding of Free Will is available now on Amazon! Grab your copy here.

This introduction to the doctrine of Free Will was written primarily for the local church I have the privilege of pastoring, and I hope it will also serve many other local churches.

Here are the endorsements from men of God I deeply love and respect! I’m truly grateful for their kind words:

Pastor Zacchio has produced a solid introduction to the often thorny topic of freewill. His treatment is grounded in the doctrine of God and His decrees, yet still both practical and pastorally sensitive. He builds upon the sure foundation of the biblical text and the best of the confessional tradition, providing a helpful primer for those wanting to learn more about what it means to be truly free in Christ: if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36).

—Dr. Jon English Lee, Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary, Owensboro, KY

Johnny’s work will be a profoundly helpful resource as you seek to understand the first of the double-barreled inquiry that grips the mind of every generation, namely, “Who am I? And why am I here?” And perhaps the most asked questions that flow from the initial query are “What is the nature of my will? Am I truly free?” This book helpfully explores human nature in its fourfold state and takes the reader to a profitable place. Knowing that we can only understand who we are if we know God, he presents a sound and interesting development of Theology proper before delving into Anthropology. You will find deep truths communicated in an understandable and gripping fashion. As your mind is fed, your soul will be enlightened with solid orthodoxy that is accessible and thoughtful.

—Robert Elliot, Pastor of Reformed Baptist Church of Riverside, CA

Thorough yet accessible, theologically rich yet down-to-earth, Zacchio’s treatment of human freedom and divine sovereignty is both doctrinally compelling and deeply encouraging. Written with warmth, candor, and pastoral precision, this is a much-needed contribution to a timely and often misunderstood discussion.

—Justin Windham, Pastor of Faith Community Church, Carlsbad, CA

The world presents us with many false dichotomies, but what God has joined together, let no one separate. In this book, John Zacchio addresses one of the most common themes—divine sovereignty and human responsibility—through a biblical and confessional lens. The result is a work that is both pastorally sensitive and deeply practical.

—Mike Chaddick, Senior Pastor, Image Church OC, San Juan Capistrano, CA

Also, here’s a podcast episode from over a year ago (when I still had hair) that should whet your appetite even more for the full treatment in my book (Thanks, David Horner, for the opportunity!):

There’s a taste in your mouth when you hear the term “Puritan.” Right?

Describe it real fast. Sour? Bland? Bitter?

You’re not alone if you feel this way. Many haven’t read the Puritans. But for those who have dipped their pinky toe into the ocean of their writings, they take away a Pharisee-esque vibe, where doubt is fueled by excessive introspection. Assurance? Nowhere to be found.

Let me ask another question:

Did Puritanism breed doubt?

In other words, was there anything inherent to the Puritan movement or their practical theology that caused hyperintrospection and a lack of assurance? Or was this simply part of the musing of a few individuals?

Many accuse Puritans of constantly looking inward and focusing on works to obtain or maintain assurance of faith. While a few Puritans fell into this trap, the Puritans' theology developed from a Christ-centered perspective on assurance.

The Source

The Puritans were those who submitted to the Westminster Confession of Faith. However, interestingly, a method for attaining assurance used language different from that of the Westminster Confession itself.

The method was called “The Practical and Mystical Syllogism.” The practical syllogism focused on the sanctification and new obedience in the daily life of the believer, which confirmed assurance of salvation. The mystical syllogism focused on the inward moves of grace and new desires, which bolstered assurance. Here is one of them:

“Major premise: According to Scripture, only those who possess saving faith will receive the Spirit’s testimony that their lives manifest fruits of sanctification and good works.

Minor premise: I cannot deny that by the grace of God I have received the Spirit’s testimony.

Conclusion: Consequently, I may be assured that I am a partaker of saving faith.”

In a previous post, the Puritan Thomas Boston is seen to look within briefly and apply these very elements. However, what overwhelms Boston’s writings is a constant view of the Lord Jesus and His sufficiency rather than whether his performance accords with godliness or his heart is inclined to Christ enough. And this is largely due to WCF 16.2, which is the lens through which one should view this syllogism:

“These good works, done in obedience to God’s commandments, are the fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith: and by them believers manifest their thankfulness; strengthen their assurance, edify their brethren, adorn the profession of the gospel, stop the mouths of the adversaries, and glorify God, whose workmanship they are, created in Christ Jesus thereunto; that, having their fruit unto holiness, they may have the end eternal life.”

The language is important and is what the Puritans built the syllogism on. Good works—evidence of a “lively faith”—strengthen their assurance. What the confession never asserts is that good works or repentance or emotional stirrings or sorrows for sin or love for God are the ground of one’s assurance. This would be to ground one’s assurance in law. The law, being the standard of true holiness and, thus, one’s ultimate death sentence outside of Christ, can never be the ground of true assurance since it requires personal, perpetual, and perfect obedience to every line of it.

Unfortunately, one could understand why someone can take the syllogism and make inward graces and outward works the ground of their assurance rather than Christ crucified. The syllogism ends with, “consequently, I may be assured…” There’s a sense in which, if someone doesn’t have the lens of the confession while looking at the syllogism, one may take away that good works ground my assurance.

But the Westminster divines, following the precision of Scripture, sought to make the believer’s sole ground of both justification and assurance, the sure promises of God in the gospel (Christ crucified) and the inward testimony of the Holy Spirit. It’s only after one has firmly fixed their eyes on Christ that they can now look inward to see if they are bearing true fruit of repentance unto life.

The confession, the writings which gave rise to the confession, and all subsequent writings must be taken together. Therefore, I would contend that Puritanism does not inherently breed doubt and a lack of assurance, though there were a handful of Puritans, perhaps even Boston, who may have fallen into the trap of hyperintrospection. It likely stemmed from a misunderstanding of the syllogism. The Puritans didn’t encourage hyperintrospection theologically, but through tone and emphasis. By emphasizing one thing, some may have missed the main thing.

Joel Beeke, writing extensively on William Perkins, who was called “The Father of Puritanism,” noted,

“For Perkins, the ‘practical syllogism,’ and what was later called the reflex act of faith, never pointed away from Christ, the Spirit, or saving faith, but through Spirit-worked faith was chained to Christ. Perkins advises those troubled by satanic temptation that they are not of the elect to defend themselves by remembering ‘not to behold faith, but the object of faith, which is Christ.’ Because all of salvation was Christocentric and part of an unbreakable divine chain, Perkins could speak of the syllogismus practicus as an ‘infallible certainty.’”

In sum, according to Puritan theology and pastoral application, Christ and His work are the sole ground of assurance, and our good works serve to strengthen and bolster our assurance. The believer can be encouraged by the works produced in him/her by God, but must never place all hope in them.

But What About Passages on Self-examination?

There is, of course, a healthy kind of introspection. But primarily, in the New Testament, the believer is called to look to Christ rather than within. Out of all places in Scripture, we’re explicitly told to examine ourselves only twice (2 Corinthians 13:5; 2 Peter 1:10—you could include 1 Cor. 11 but this is in context of flippantly partaking of the Lord’s Supper, not examining whether or not you’re in the faith.), and in context, this is after looking to Christ and the great, precious promises made by Him. But some can be tempted to misapply such passages.

In 2 Corinthians, Paul’s apostleship has been constantly doubted and examined by the Corinthian believers. Thus, he calls believers to examine if they have truly believed the gospel since they’re doubting him, the very preacher who brought them the message. The logic from Paul is, “If you’re doubting me and my apostleship, then you ought to put yourselves to the test since you’re likely doubting my gospel I preached to you. Have you truly believed?”

In 2 Peter, we see qualities that flow from one who has believed the promise. If these qualities are lacking, the believer is invited to examine whether they have been effectually called; however, Peter’s tone throughout the passage is one of assurance and confidence in the faith of the believers he is addressing.

In other words, these passages have a context and are heavy on the work of Christ rather than the performance of believers. One must not pull these out of context to risk crafting a “prove yourself” gospel which smacks of moralism and encourages self-dependence.

Believers are called to run the race with endurance, laying aside weight and sin, while looking unto Jesus, not how well they are running (Hebrews 12:2). An easy trap for Christians to fall into is a constant looking at self to examine performance, which can be a breeding ground for doubting one’s salvation.

Parting Encouragement

Dear believer, don’t risk smuggling works into the back door of the gospel by grounding your assurance in your performance. Some of you are doing that, and you’re exhausted. This happens unknowingly when you’ve been taught to constantly examine yourself through “are you really saved?” kinds of preaching.

Don’t look for something within to ground your assurance. But look away. Look away from yourself. Look to Christ. For every one look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ.1 You and those around you will be greatly helped if you do.

If you ask just about anyone on the street–regardless of age, social status, or ethnicity–whether humans have free will, odds are, they will respond with a resounding, “Of course!” So why even ask the question? Is it that important to explore the topic of free will in light of such wide agreement? Unfortunately, the concept of free will continues to be misrepresented and misconstrued. Frankly, what Christians often mean by “free will” and what the culture means often present a distorted picture. It’s time to reclaim and reform our understanding of it and resist these disorienting winds of doctrine.

In the early 2000s, the children’s soccer film, Kicking and Screaming, depicted the (hilarious) rivalry between two coaches who just so happened to be father and son. The not-so-athletic son sought to live up to his competitive father’s expectations but always fell short. At the beginning of the movie, the son begins narrating the story of his life: “I was born a baby–a blank slate, thinking I was in control of my own destiny. And then, I met my father…” The underlying frustration of some Christians is embodied by this quote. We naturally assume that I am in control of my own destiny, but there’s someone in the way–God the Father. Our felt experience convinces us that our choices are autonomous, independent of any internal or external influence, but then we bump our heads up against the Bible’s teachings about an all-sovereign God.

Swimming in the ocean of man-centeredness pervading our culture, Christians could be led to approach the Scriptures with the assumption that God’s will and man’s will are competing for space. Some give that space to God’s will at the expense of man’s will, and some give that space to man’s will at the expense of God’s will. But sadly, the idea of unqualified, unhindered free will is winning the day.

Of course, most, if not all true believers in Jesus will confess that God is in charge. They won’t deny God’s sovereignty as a reality or treat it as a problem, but at the same time, many merely give it a nod while preserving as much autonomy as possible. It’s probably because our experience doesn’t lie: You chose what toothpaste to use, you chose your shoes today, you chose to pick up this book. But what’s more, you “chose” to believe in Christ. Majoring in this can sometimes allow our experience to dictate how we read the Scriptures or view God Himself. How many of us have heard the classic statements, “God never forces Himself on us,” “God is always a gentleman,” “God never violates our free will, etc.”?

Therefore, some have sought to reconcile these things in a variety of ways, and this has given rise to a debate that has gone on for centuries, from the apostle Paul and his readers to Augustine and Pelagius, to Luther and Erasmus, to Whitefield and Wesley, to Olson and Horton, to Geisler and White. These debates were the seedbed for the spectrum of interpretations Christians have held. Here’s a brief overview of this spectrum:

• Libertarian Free Will (Free Will Theism)

This view says that man has full, autonomous free will, defined as the power of contrary choice. While those who believe this say that man has prior influences, they can make decisions contrary to any prior conditions or factors that may influence their decisions. God gives His creatures full ability to make choices, including the ability to receive or reject His Son. Man’s choices are completely self-determined since God will not infringe upon man’s free will. In this view, man’s free choice is incompatible with God having a determined plan for history.

• Hard Determinism

This view says that the events of history and man’s choices are necessarily determined by prior factors (sometimes, including God’s sovereignty) and will come to pass no matter what people do. Human freedom is simply an illusion. Whether caused by biology or God’s determined plan, man’s actions come about necessarily and not voluntarily, negating man’s responsibility. In this view, man’s responsibility or choice is incompatible with God’s determined plan (a view held by some versions of atheism and Islam).

• Compatibilism

This view says that there is a dual explanation for all human willing and acting–God determines all that comes to pass in history, providentially working all things according to His secret counsel, but does so in a way that does not negate man’s responsibility. Man voluntarily makes choices–decides, believes, repents–and will do so (or not do so) according to his or her nature, whether redeemed by grace or enslaved to sin. Man’s free actions in no way make God contingent. In this view, man’s free choice is compatible with God’s determined plan for history (the perspective I will be writing from).

Most Christians would likely believe in some form of Libertarian Free Will; I’ll refer to them as “Libertarians” (not to be confused with the political party that goes by the same name). This is a view that pushes utter self-determination–God prizes man’s free will so much that He relinquishes some of His sovereignty. As libertarian Theologian Roger Olson puts it, “In free will theism, God is in charge (because he is God and therefore the omnipotent Creator of all) but not fully in control (because he chooses to relinquish some control to others).” It seems as though someone other than God is ultimately decisive in matters of decision-making and even salvation. Indeed, Olson confesses that “God is not the all-determining reality” of the universe. Additionally, and perhaps most surprisingly, the effects of the fall of man are greatly minimized, if not totally ignored, in the Libertarian view since, according to them, man has the full ability to respond positively to God, even in the state of sin.

Our Culture

Another reason we ought to reclaim and reform our understanding of free will is that our culture has produced many people who are seeking to define themselves. True freedom, according to our world, is the ability to define and create your own reality. Truth claims are often identified as “my truth” or “your truth.” We hear of those who desire to be self-determined, self-created beings. We’re enamored with the Disney-esque individualism seen in the mythological “self-made” man/woman. Carl Trueman writes, “The idea that we can be who or whatever we want to be is a commonplace…consumerist self-creation is the order of the day.”

Our culture worships autonomy. I’m in charge. I’m the one who calls the shots. I can do what I want with my body, my future, my destiny. As a result, the body becomes nothing more than a lump of clay to shape as we please, dreams are chased at the expense of those we love, and we construct our own reality regardless of the cost. It’s frightening to think how the perception of “free will” may be misconstrued in the minds of the little children who skip around singing, “It’s time for me to see what I can do, to test the limits and break through. No right, no wrong, no rules for me, I’m free.”

A Way Forward

I will argue that the story of man’s will is a revelation of God and the image that He created for His own glory. This is the story of the freed will–a story of image-bearers who became enslaved but then freed by grace and will one day be completely free as they live in unhindered oneness with their Creator. My aim in this little book is to show you that the key to understanding free will is to see it from the angle of the Imago Dei (Image of God), which is part and parcel of God’s blueprint for humanity. We must not start with our experience and reason our way up to God, but start with God and reason our way down to our experience. Only when we behold His sovereign design, recognize man’s fallen state, and savor Christ’s redemption will we truly understand what it means to be human and come to reflect His glory once again.

Getting this right matters greatly for your life. Pastor and author Scott Christenson lists out ways this topic impacts our understanding of major biblical themes:

• Sorting out God’s role and our role in matters of salvation.

• Making sense of how regeneration, conversion, and sanctification work.

• Understanding how we should engage in evangelism and discipleship.

• Building greater confidence in God’s providential purposes for both history and our individual lives.

I will seek to define “free will” biblically within a confessional framework and stir your heart to rejoice in Who is truly in charge, see how your actions matter, and be further conformed to the image of Christ, which is the basis of the freedom we enjoy now and will throughout eternity. Though we may not have answers to all of the hardest questions, the Scriptures provide sufficient answers to the most important questions we should be asking.

In Part One, we’ll seek to understand God and His decree (established before the foundation of the world), and how this decree establishes man’s natural free will or liberty. We’ll come to a working definition of “free will” and learn how the image of God relates to it. In Part Two, we’ll survey the various phases or states in which the image of God exists and address man’s will as it relates to sin and salvation. So fasten your seatbelts, put your seat in the upright position, and store your tray table in front of you–we’re going to travel back in time to the time when there was no time…

Part 1: Before the Foundation of the World

Chapter 1: Who is Most Free?

Welcome back to Theology Thursday!

Here is your bite-sized lesson in orthodox biblical doctrine in 3 simple steps:

ONE concept explained

TWO concise definitions that must be kept distinct

THREE Scripture passages to meditate on

Concept: The Incarnation & Jesus’ First Miracle

Have you ever thought about the connection between Christ’s first Advent and His first miracle? He could’ve chosen anything for His first miracle—Blind eyes opening, lame walking, dead rising—but He chose turning water to wine. What does this have to do with Christmas?

The context of the first miracle in John’s gospel is John’s prologue: “The Word was God…He was in the beginning with God…the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Here, we have a claim about the incarnation, followed by the introduction of a man named John, and a wedding in Cana. But no birth narrative. Why, John? Why?!

First, He makes it clear that when the Word became flesh, we beheld His glory. When He began His ministry and miracles, Jesus desired His glory to be revealed as the second person of the Trinity who took to Himself a true human nature. In His miracles, He showed He was the God-man, the One who could do what only God can do. The question remains: Why water to wine?

Second, the glory of the Son of God was progressively revealed. So, when the narratives began, John took the angle of a wedding that lacked wine rather than a manger laced with hay. The miracles of the incarnate Son were not only signs to show off His Godhood—they were snapshots of a coming Kingdom that has now broken into the present. When Jesus turns water into wine, it should’ve shocked some onlooking Jews who knew the Scriptures, and not just because it was an unusual party trick. In the Old Testament, wine was a symbol of the restoration of God’s Kingdom. For the rebellious Israelites, the promise of wine and fruitful vineyards was tremendous good news since it was a sign of redemption and the restoration of true joy in their land as they lived under God’s benevolent rule. Through this inaugural miracle, it’s as if Jesus was communicating, “The world sat in joyless darkness for hundreds of years—no word from the Lord. But the true Word has arrived, light has dawned, and He has arrived as the bringer of true joy, the restorer of God’s people.”

We sing “Joy to the World” this season, but let’s do so remembering that it’s only because of Christ’s first Advent that His joyous Kingdom has broken into the present, and joy will be restored in its fullness when He comes to this World in the future. Because the Word became incarnate, new wine has come; thankfully, true joy is now forever restored to God’s people.

Definitions/Distinctions:

Miracles: A miracle is an unusual, unexplainable, and extraordinary act of God in time and space that transcends all laws of nature, logic, and scientific exploration.

Redemption: Redemption refers to being purchased and delivered from bondage. God works redemption for His people by purchasing them out of the slavemarket of sin through Christ’s sacrifice and transferring them under His loving rule, where they may be fully renewed and restored.

Passages:

“Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain. the early and the latter rain, as before. ‘The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.’”

Joel 2:23–25

“Jesus said to the servants, ^‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.’ So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from… This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.”

John 2:7–9, 11

“You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man’s heart.”

Psalm 104:14–15

New book to be released January 15, 2026. We live in a culture where autonomy is worshiped, and confusing debates on the nature of man ensue within the church. I wrote The Freed Will to defend the doctrine of free will from a Biblical, Pastoral, and Confessional perspective to hopefully shed some light on a difficult subject. Be sure to pick up copies on Amazon (1.15.26) for you and your church!

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”

Titus 2:11–14.

Did you know that Christmas is about how grace appeared? Paul tells us above that grace became visible in the person of Jesus Christ. He is grace incarnate.

We typically associate grace with initial salvation in the past through His undeserved pardon of all of our sins (this is gloriously true!). But did you know that Christmas is not just about the incarnate Son of God redeeming our past, but also about Him transforming our present? It’s not just that God justified us by grace through faith, but He continues to sanctify and change us by that very same grace, namely, through Jesus Christ Who dwelt among us and Who now dwells in us.

Check out the sermon below from our current Advent series entitled “Grace Appeared.”

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In the previous post, we observed Matthew’s portrayal of the story of Jesus’ temptation. He employed the strange but fascinating device called the Historical Present. This linguistic tool causes suspense and highlights certain aspects of the story. Luke, as we’ll see, takes a different approach.

Luke’s Use of the Aorist Tense

What dominates Luke’s portrayal of the story is the aorist tense. Our passage has four present tenses, five future tenses, seven perfect tenses, and twenty-three aorist tenses. This is the default tense that indicates past time or a holistic action. But one ought not to interpret the aorist in a vacuum. Other linguistic features will aid any reader in discerning the choice of a certain tense. The surrounding context will often determine the specific use of the aorist, showing how the author portrays his story. It’s worth exploring the uses of the aorist in this passage, examples of which include the ingressive, constative, and consummative aorist.

After introducing the narrative and setting up the context, Luke writes in verse 2, “καὶ συντελεσθεισῶν αὐτῶν ἐπείνασεν.” The aorist verb ἐπείνασεν (“He was hungry”) seems to be used in an ingressive or inceptive manner. In other words, Luke describes a state that Jesus enters into– a state of hunger. This becomes clear from the context.

Before this statement, Luke clarifies that Jesus had not eaten for forty days. No one of a sound mind would believe that Jesus would be anything other than hungry. Luke, being a doctor, well knows that this phrase can appear superfluous. So why the clarification? The reader gets a clue from the participle συντελεσθεισῶν. This is an aorist adverbial circumstantial participle that is functioning temporally, indicating that the verb (συντελεσθεισῶν) is after the forty days ending. The prepositional prefix συν should give the reader pause, as it informs him that it’s at the end of these forty days that Jesus enters into this state of hunger. In other words, He would’ve been hungry after three days, but Luke clarifies this to show the inception of a new state of hunger such that if Jesus does not eat, he’ll die. Luke also makes use of the constative aorist.

A constative aorist is used for a “past action unspecified by the context as to its kind of action.” In verse 5, Luke writes, Καὶ ἀναγαγὼν αὐτὸν ἔδειξεν αὐτῷ πάσας τὰς βασιλείας τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐν στιγμῇ χρόνου… (“And he, taking Him up, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.”) The verb ἔδειξεν is an example of the constative aorist. It’s the default way the aorist is used in narrative. It communicates very little about time and the progress of the action. Even when combined with other linguistic features, it will describe an action using the least amount of information possible.

By using this here, Luke portrays this action holistically without reference to the beginning or end. It’s as if the reader is getting the full summary of this action. How long did it take for the devil to show him all these kingdoms? Was it simply this vision of the full panorama of the kingdoms of the world? How long was he up there seeing this before the devil tempted him? That information isn’t given. Luke intends to show the reader a minimal summary, thus emphasizing the temptation rather than the kingdoms of the world. It’s why when someone reads this in English, what is remembered is the fact that Satan owns these kingdoms and is offering them to Jesus, not how he showed him these things. The last use of the aorist is consummative.

The consummative aorist (also known as the culminative aorist) is used in contexts where the action is completed and has lasting effects or implications. Luke ends his narrative this way: Καὶ συντελέσας πάντα πειρασμὸν ὁ διάβολος ἀπέστη ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ ἄχρι καιροῦ (“And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.”) As the name suggests, the aorist participle συντελέσας points to the culmination of the devil’s actions and the narrative as a whole.

The consummation of this passage is found when the devil ends all of his temptations and departs from Christ. Luke, by employing this use of the temporal aorist participle, is letting the reader in on the fact that the whole narrative has been building to this moment: when Christ Jesus wins His initial victory over satan. The temptations didn’t last forever– they ended. And when they end, the saints stand and applaud in amazement that this isn’t a mere human; he is the God-man.

Conclusion

Verbal aspect is crucial to one’s understanding of any passage of scripture. The more the Bible student grasps the aspect or portrayal of a verb, the closer they are to finding the intent of the Biblical author and consequently, the message of God’s Word. Matthew and Luke serve as test cases. To understand how both Matthew and Luke portray the temptation of Christ, one must understand verbal aspect in Koine Greek, Matthew’s use of the Historical Present, and Luke’s abundant use of the aorist tense.

Matthew’s use of the HP is a masterful way of slowing down the narrative to point forward to the surprising actions of Satan and, most of all, the victory of Christ over them. The HP points away from itself to establish prominence in the text, which aids the reader in understanding the great thematic elements emphasized by Matthew throughout his entire gospel.

When examining Luke’s use of the aorist, one finds that, along with all the other linguistic features, there’s something more happening than just employing the aorist to move the narrative along quickly with very little information. Understanding the aorist along with the surrounding context, the prepositional prefixes, and participial clauses helps the reader understand that Luke’s portrayal of the story establishes a meaningful relationship between the verbs and a thoughtful progression of each action. Interestingly, Luke has no HP’s in his narrative, which shows that he decided to portray the story without highlighting anything, whereas Matthew decided to draw attention to and highlight specific aspects of the story.

Everyone has incredible stories to tell. Sometimes two people will tell the same story with different perspectives. What often makes the difference is the way the story is told. Matthew and Luke tell the story of Christ’s temptation with creativity and intentionality, pointing each reader to the victory and sufficiency of the Savior.

Introduction

I can’t think of any passage of Scripture more unpopular among evangelicals today than the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, especially in our conversations about discipleship.

When I’m crushed by the weight of these commands and driven to Christ, who perfectly fulfilled their requirements, I run back to them as the guide for my living as I walk in union with the Lord Jesus. I often say: “When I want to know how to please the One who saved me, don’t give me more ‘disciplines’; give me the Ten Commandments.”

However, embedded in these commandments, in the same list as the sins of adultery and murder, we do find a discipline that should regularly define followers of Christ:

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Exodus 20:8–11

The Creation Ordinance

If there are evangelical Christians who adhere to the Ten Commandments, they still balk at Commandment #4.

Many Christians say that the Sabbath was fulfilled in Christ; He is our Sabbath rest, therefore, the Sabbath command has been abolished. It is posited that “the Sabbath command is nowhere repeated in the New Testament. You can follow it if you want to, but it’s not binding on all of humanity.”

The problem?

Nowhere in the New Testament do we see the Sabbath explicitly abolished. Jesus calls Himself “The Lord of the Sabbath,” but that is not an explicit abrogation of the command.

Three lines of evidence point us to this remaining pattern and the perpetuity of the command.

First, Genesis tells us God “sanctified the seventh day.” If it was only to be obeyed as a ceremonial law once it was written on tablets of stone, why was someone condemned for breaking the Sabbath in Exodus 16 before the giving of the law? The people merely assume that the Sabbath command is known by virtue of creation, not Sinai law-giving.

Second, God roots the command, not in a specific covenant with the Jews, but in creation. “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” The Sabbath, then, is not a Jewish ordinance. It’s a creation ordinance that transcends culture.

Third, Jesus told us that the Sabbath was made for the Jews… oh wait, He didn’t say that.

He actually said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27–28). The Sabbath as a creation ordinance means that it was a pattern woven into creation, to be observed by mankind, not just one nation (Isn’t this the “repetition” of the command many are hoping for?). Undoubtedly, there was a ceremonial aspect to the Sabbath fully codified in the Mosaic law after the Ten Commandments were given, but even this was rooted in the foundational creative pattern.

Therefore, it is to be obeyed, not just as a discipline to temper the hustle in your life, but as a command that displays God’s design.

The Day Change

“But wait,” you say, “then why do many Christians worship, rest, and serve on Sundays?”

We later discover that this creation ordinance revealed to Adam and Eve and, subsequently, Israel, was a type or a pointer to the grand plan of redemption in Christ. Because of how the Jews structured days (based upon Genesis 1 language: “And there was evening and there was morning…”), we observe, counting from evening to evening, man’s first full day was God’s Seventh—His day of “ceasing” or resting from His creative work.

Thus, man rested with God in the garden before he worked it. Already, we get a glimpse of man resting in God’s finished work before putting forth effort. Sin fractured this beautiful design, and under the Mosaic covenant, God allowed the Jewish people to structure their week as beginning with labor before a day of rest.

So, what would it take to move the day of the creation ordinance from day seven to day one? In the words of John Owen, it would take “a New Creation.”

Fast forward to the New Testament. “Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb” (Matthew 28:1). The Jewish Sabbath was coming to a close, and what the Mary’s didn’t know is that as this day was closing, the Jewish, seventh-day Sabbath, was coming to a close forever on the first day of the week.

The resurrection of Jesus was the inbreaking of a new creation. But the Jews saw resurrection as part and parcel of the future new creation. And when Martha, Lazarus’ sister, revealed that line of reasoning to Jesus, He declared to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). And Paul then tells us later, “Therfore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a New Creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Clearly, Christ’s resurrection was the reversal of the curse, the inauguration of a new creation; it was the time when Christ “ceased from His work as God did from His” (Hebrews 4:10) and entered His rest. In light of this, the writer of Hebrews wrote, “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9).

Conclusion

The Sabbath remains, but the day has changed. It was once on Saturday, and was moved to Sunday, not by Emperor Constantine, not by gentile Christians, but by the Lord who went into the tomb and rose again the third day to usher believers into eternal rest. This is why Christians have historically called the first day of the week “The Lord’s Day” (Revelation 1:10)—It’s a day to rehearse the fact that we began our life in Christ resting in what has been done before we went on to do anything for Him.

I acknowledge that good Christians can disagree on this topic. But rather than develop an allergy to this command, being conditioned by a culture that defines worth based upon productivity, we can look to Christ, the great gift-giver, who sets apart the first day to bring your soul rest through the gathering of God’s people and the ceasing of your normal labors.