The Drama of Persecution

"There is no greater drama in human record than the sight of a few Christians scorned or oppressed by a succession of emperors, bearing all trials by a fierce tenacity, multiplying quietly, building order while their enemies generated chaos, fighting the sword with the Word, brutality with hope, and at last defeating the strongest state that history has ever know. Caesar and Christ had met in the arena and Christ had won." ~ Will Durant, The Story of Civilization, Vol III: Caesar and Christ (pg. 652)

Tertullian of the late 2^nd century Church said, "The blood of the martyrs was the seed of the Church." I think there is a lot of merit to this statement both during Tertullian’s time and today. The word "martyr" in the Bible also could be translated "witness," which I think is fitting in the case of the majority of the martyrs of the early Church.

The endurance of the martyrs did not go unnoticed in the Roman Empire. Justin Martyr himself was brought to belief in Christ by the witness of Christian martyrs. In his Defence he states, "I myself... used to hear Christians abused, but when I found them fearless in the face of death and all that men think terrible, it dawned on me that they could not possibly be living wickedness and self-indulgence." Justin was convicted by the Spirit on the account of Christian martyrs. He too later became a martyr for Christ and one of the most influential apologists of the early Church. The witness of the martyrs also influenced Emperor Antoninus. After a letter from Justin, Antoninus later wrote to the Council of Asia and said, "You get them into serious trouble by your accusations of atheism, and thereby strengthen their existing determination... If accused they would choose apparent death rather than life, for the sake of their own god. And so they are the real winners... whenever they happen your courage fails you, providing a painful contrast between our morale and theirs..." It is not likely that Antoninus was ever a believer, probably quite the opposite, but his letter to the Council of Asia shows respect of the Christians when he says, "they are the real winners."

This witness that convicted Justin and engendered a respect in Emperor Antoninus was seen by much of the Empire. There are even stories of the executioners themselves seemingly being converted on account of the Christian they were about to martyr. Eusebius tells us of Basilides who was the soldier who lead Potamiaena to her execution. He had great respect for her and her witness, which led him to later be martyred for being a Christian. This was the influence of the martyrs on many those who watched them die and knew of what they died for. The persecution of the Church raised up witnesses, true witnesses, for Christ and their resolve drew people to the Church.

I think it should also be noted that the persecutions separated the "wheat from the chaff" in several senses. First, the persecutions were a means of preserving the true doctrines of the Church. Many of the false doctrines in the Church died out because of the pressure from the Empire, but God’s truth continued on. Marcion’s heresy and Gnosticism, for example, died out during the age of persecution (though Gnosticism died much more slowly). The Arian heresy was over thrown by men who "bore in their bodies the branding-marks of Jesus" (according to Athanasius) at the Council of Nicea. As Apolinarius said in his defense of Christianity against the Phrygian heresy, "Is there one person… among those from Montanus… who was persecuted by the Jews or killed by the wicked? Not one." In addition, Diocletian’s edict that terminated Christianity caused the Christians to have to decide which texts were worth dying for and which were not. As a result, many heretical (or at least non-canonical) texts all but died out during this time, and the canonical books we able to live on and eventually become part of the Bible that we have today. In this, one can see the hand of God in the preservation of the canon through these dark times. Finally, like the seeds that sprung up quickly but were then choked by weeds, the continuous pressure from society and the Empire drove away from their profession those who accepted Christianity merely in an external fashion. Those truly in union with Christ were sustained and strengthened by Him even to the point of torture and death. Again, one can see the hand of God sustaining the true believers of the Church through these dark times in order to build the Church up in Him.

Persecution showed the world that God’s plans are like the foundations of the earth—they will outlast any nation or people. The persecution of the Jews and Romans was enough to kill off those cults that rose up claiming to be Christian, but the truth of God’s Word stood strong. The Roman pagans who persecuted the Christians did not last, but those they persecuted grew in number. They hammered away at the Church but their hammers broke and the Church stood strong. "Caesar and Christ had met in the arena and Christ had won."

By His Grace,
Taylor

The Missionary Question

"The missionary question is not, 'Where are there unbelievers?' and then send a missionary there. There are unbelievers everywhere! The missionary question is, 'Where are there people's who don't have any Christians in them or don't have a church strong enough to do the neighbor evangelism that we can do if we just want to do it?' That's the missionary question." ~ John Piper



Lost from AsiaLink HistoryMaker on Vimeo.
Very powerful.

By His Grace,
Taylor

Praising His Perfections

"When was the last time you were fascinated with God? At one time or another all of us have met someone we greatly admire... yet we are seldom so amazed or fascinated with God. Prayer is an excellent means of refreshing our appreciation for God. Simply telling God about His excellent qualities stirs our heart to wonder. Regrettably Christians typically ignore the qualities of God in their prayers. They may say something like 'Thank You for who You are...' but they never stop to talk about just who God is." ~ Dr. Richard Pratt

Dr. Pratt is an adjunct professor of Reformed Theological Seminary and the founder and president of Third Millennium Ministries. He is also the general editor of the NIV Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible (a great study Bible but apparently it has been discontinued so people are charging ridiculous prices for it) and the author of many books like Designed for Dignity (an excellent book) and He Gave Us Stories.

This particular quote comes from a lecture in a class I took from him. I found it to be very convicting because I often come to God also "typically [ignoring] the qualities of God" in my prayer. As I thought about this I decided to make a resolution (much like the resolutions of Jonathan Edwards), "Resolved to each day admire in prayer a different perfection of God and to spend time reflecting on it." I would be lying if I said that I have kept this perfectly, but, when I do, I find it really does refresh my appreciation for God and magnify Him in my heart.

There are several great books out there about God's perfections ("perfection" is the term that Berkhof uses in place of "attribute" in his Systematic Theology, a great resource). The above image is borrowed from one of those great books, A. W. Tozer's The Attributes of God. Below is the list that I work from (taken from Berkhof's Systematic Theology), which may differ slightly in categorization from other lists but I think it covers what God has chosen to reveal to us in His Word:

• The independence/self-existence of God -- God has the ground of His existence in Himself only.
• The immutability of God -- God is unchangeable, He is forever the same in His divine Being and perfections and also in His purposes and promises.
• The infinity of God -- God is not subject to limitations outside His nature (spacial, temporal, dynamical, etc.).
• The simplicity of God -- God is not composed of various parts. (This one can be confusing. It does not mean God is "simple" as in "easy to comprehend" because He is certainly not that. It is the way older theologians used to express the idea that God does not have parts like creatures do. Wherever He is (which is everywhere) He is completely, so at no time can we be in the presence of one of God's perfections without also being in the presence of all the others.)
• The knowledge of God -- God, in a manner all His own, knows Himself completely and all things possible and actual.
• The wisdom of God -- God's selection of worthy ends and choice of the best means for the realization of those ends.
• The goodness of God -- God's perfection which prompts Him to deal kindly and bounteously with His creatures.
• The love of God -- God's delight in His own perfections, in man as the reflection of His image, and in believers as His children. 
• The holiness of God -- God's perfection by which He is absolutely distinct from all His creatures, is exalted above them in infinite majesty, and is free from all moral impurity or sin.
• The righteousness of God -- God maintains Himself as the Holy One over against every violation of His holiness.
• The veracity of God -- God is true to Himself, His Word, and His promises in His nature, in His revelation, and in His relation to His people.
• The sovereignty of God -- God's sovereign will and His sovereign power are all-powerful and complete over everything in existence. 

Your prayer time may already be rich and may constantly leave you with a greater wonder at God's majesty (if it does, fantastic!), but if it does not, considering giving Dr. Pratt's advice a try. I have found it very helpful.

By His Grace,
Taylor

All I Have is Christ

I once was lost in darkest night
Yet thought I knew the way.
The sin that promised joy and life
Had led me to the grave.
I had no hope that You would own
A rebel to Your will.
And if You had not loved me first
I would refuse You still.

But as I ran my hell-bound race
Indifferent to the cost
You looked upon my helpless state
And led me to the cross.
And I beheld God’s love displayed
You suffered in my place
You bore the wrath reserved for me
Now all I know is grace.

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone
And live so all might see
The strength to follow Your commands
Could never come from me.
Oh Father, use my ransomed life
In any way You choose.
And let my song forever be
My only boast is You.
~ "All I Have is Christ" by Jordan Kauflin

Tonight at our evening service our worship leader, Adam Snow, played this song. It was the first time I had ever heard it and I really like it because the first two verses chronicle how we are drawn to Christ by His love, not our choosing, and the last I take to be a prayer for the Spirit to conform us to Christ's likeness so we can be used by God for His glory. My only boast is truly Him, even though I often pridefully, arrogantly find other things to boast in. This song reminds me of a quote by my friend Steve Brown when he was preaching on the prodigal son, "Don't forget the pigs... the further they get away the better they start looking... Always remember where He found you; don't forget the pigs..." If we truly remembered that (essentially the content of the first two verses of this song) our only boast would be Him.

By His Grace,
Taylor

A Life of Repentance

“Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said poenitentiam agite, willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.” ~ The first of Martin Luther's 95 Theses

Traditionally, Reformation Day is celebrated on the anniversary of the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of Wittenberg Cathedral. The first is something I often need to be reminded of even though it may look bleak. It does seem like Luther is saying Christians will never make progress in getting better so they always need to be repenting. What he really meant, however, is that living a life of repentance is the way a Christian actually makes progress. In fact, a persistent life of repentance is one of the best, telltale signs that we are being conformed to the likeness of Christ. (By the way, “poenitentiam agite” is the Latin Vulgate mistranslation of Matthew 4:17 that led to the Roman Catholic doctrine of repentance. Luther is saying that it should not be translated as “do penance” but “repent”.)

When talking about repentance we must understand the difference between “religious repentance” (a term I borrow from Tim Keller) and gospel-driven repentance. “Religious” repentance is done basically to keep God happy so He will not punish us, so He will bless us, or to bribe Him to answer our prayers. Gospel-driven repentance, however, comes from deep sorrow for sinning against our God who loves us so much and repeatedly reminds us of our union with Christ, His all-encompassing sacrifice for us, and God’s love for us that can never change. This kind of repentance will weaken our need to do those things that are contrary to God’s heart.

Sin is atrocious and dishonors God but with “religious repentance” we are not sorry for the sin; we are afraid of condemnation or punishment, which is a man-centered way of viewing repentance. The gospel reminds Christians that we are incredibly sinful (Romans 7:7ff) but also that no sin can ultimately bring us to condemnation (Romans 8:1) so we do not have to go to God thinking we must somehow avert His anger. Jesus has already done that for us with His propitiatory sacrifice for us (Romans 3:23-26)! Gospel-driven repentance opens our heart to being sorry for the sin itself and what it has done to God. Gospel-driven repentance is ultimately God-centered, which is how our entire lives should be.

Another problem with “religious” repentance is that when we have this mindset we are often trying to atone for the sin somehow. We think that if we are truly sorry for the sin then we deserve to be forgiven for it. We might even go so far as to do something that will make us suffer for the sin as some kind of act of penance. That kind of thinking is actually quite arrogant and, again, man-centered. We cannot atone for anything! The gospel, however, reminds us that we do not have to atone for our sin. Jesus has already done that! He suffered the punishment for our sins (I John 2:1-2). He earned the forgiveness. In repentance we simply receive with open, empty hands the forgiveness that Jesus earned for us. In gospel-driven repentance, forgiveness is a just/righteous thing for God to do (I John 1:9) because Jesus suffered and died for it. Think about that for a second. It would be unjust for God not to forgive us when we come to Him for forgiveness on the basis of Jesus’ sacrifice for us because Jesus merited acceptance for us! Again, this makes gospel-driven repentance humble and God-centered.

Gospel-driven repentance also makes confession of sin easy. Listen to John’s words in I John 1:8-2:2:

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

In “religious” repentance we only ask for forgiveness when we are really feeling guilty about something. There must be tremendous pressure for us to repent. In gospel-driven repentance, however, we run to God with all our sins because 1) we know we have to and 2) we know that we will be accepted. John tells us that if we say we have no sin we are a liar. Harsh words but true words. But, he says, if we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive us! Not only that, John says, “…if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” This should make us run to the throne for repentance any time we sin, no matter how “big” or “small” the sin seems. We can run to the throne because we know that God is faithful and just to forgive us and Jesus, the sacrifice that earned our forgiveness, is our advocate! Gospel-driven repentance reminds us of how sinful we are, yet also reminds us that we can freely, quickly run to God for forgiveness and be certain that He will grant it.

This is why repentance is a way of life for believers, as Luther says. We will always have sins to repent but at the same time repentance is one of the ways that God helps us grow and become better. Look again at what John tells his readers, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.” Wait, he is telling them that they are sinful and that they can confess their sins so they will not sin? That seems odd. It seems like telling people they are going to sin (no doubt about it) and that they can get forgiveness from God when they confess would make people sin more. That kind of radical grace opens the door for more sinning, right? No, John does not see it that way at all. He says that he is telling them the radical grace of the gospel so that they will not sin. Why? I like Steve Brown’s answer, “The only people who get any better are those that know that if they don’t get any better God will still love them anyway.” Gospel-driven repentance based on radical grace does not encourage sin but helps conform us to the likeness of Christ, which changes our hearts to be after God’s.

By His Grace,

Taylor