Condemnation and Inclusion {Romans 1-4}

  For my first swing at teaching the Bible I decided to start with Paul's letter to the Romans. Although my reasons for doing this have, since then, expanded my original intent was based off of Paul's opening statements in the first chapter. You may have read some of my views regarding this at the Cascade Presbyterian blog; so I'll state them briefly here. Paul's epistle to the Romans was written by way of an introduction. He had not yet been to Rome, and wanted to travel there for the sake of expanding his journeys to Spain. That being the case, Paul wanted to establish the cause and goal {namely the Gospel} for his journeys in the Roman church.
  During the course of teaching I've come to realize that the justification of Jesus Christ plumbs the very depths of human depravity. Simply put, the lowest you can descend is the depth to which you can be saved by faith in Jesus Christ. His redemption is more boundless than our depravity. That is why Paul spends so much time establishing the moral failure of the Gentile and the religious failure of the Jewish community. If mankind were redeemed immediately after the Fall we would not have a full understanding of the depth, height, and breadth of God's redeeming affections.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. 

(Romans 5:6-11 ESV)

Merry Christmas!

 ~Matt and Becky

Breaking Radio Silence

Hi Everybody!

  Sorry for not updating this very much lately.....obviously I have been busy, but I ought to spend more time on here. In any case, my wife and I are making a last minute trip down to Ukiah to go to the memorial service of a mentor and friend of mine who passed away last week. It has been touching to dwell on the time he invested in my life, and the fruit that I see from his ministry to me over 5 years ago coming to to maturity in my life as a married man and a college minister. That being said, I don't have any bible stuff to put up here this week. But next week I'll post a run through of Romans 1 through the first half of chapter 4 to update you on what I've been teaching during the Tuesday night bible studies.

On a random note Rainn Wilson, the comedic actor behind Dwight Schrute of NBC's "The Office" has recently released a book and a website called "Soul Pancake". Long story short: it's a forum to discuss what Wilson considers to be "life's big questions." As long as things like these are being discussed in earnest I think we ought to be involved as Christians. I mention this website specifically because of it's light hearted approach to searching for meaning.....it's a good opportunity for candor at the very least.

Blessings to all of you during this Advent season

Fall Musings

Hi All.

   Just writing a brief notion based on the coming of Autumn. The chill of a coming November is already evident in the air here in Oregon, and the morning blanket of fog seems to curl thicker and thicker around the porch of our Whitaker home. Becky and I were driving down 5th Ave. the other day and I couldn't help but point out that the tree tops were already shot through with red and gold. As I've been meditating on the change from summer to fall I've noticed some poignancy in the transition. The beauty of decline. General consensus tells us that our best years exist between 16 and 30, but I have to disagree. As we age and decline our lives as Christians become like those autumn trees, arrayed in the brilliance of God's providence. The fragrance of which, though offensive to some, is a beautiful thing to be around.

II Timothy Chapter 4:Do As You Are; Preach The Word

II Timothy 4 Available for reading here courtesy of BibleGateway.org.

First of all; I have to apologize for the lapse in my posting. It's been a busy summer here at Cascade Presbyterian, and it seems like now the dust is finally settling. Over the past three months myself, Thomas Pendell, and Justin Bruce have been involved in an intern training program courtesy of the leadership here @ Cascade. I can't say that the training was without difficulty but I believe, and I'm sure Mr. Bruce, and Mr. Pendell would agree that the time has been fruitful. We've read several books and articles, and each preached two sermons for evening services at Cascade. The experience of preaching has been instructive, and humbling for all of us. Now, enough about the summer. Let's finish up II Timothy!

So as I've been looking at this final passage I've come to see a prevalent theme: pressure, and constancy. When put through difficult circumstances will we hold firm, or fall away? If I'm honest with myself, it's a sobering question because I don't know. I can recall times where I have held my ground in spite of pressure, but I can also think of times when I've caved in. More embarrassing then the fact that I've caved in is the realization that I stand firm in public, but I cave in private! There's something about a closed living room door that makes me feel hidden, but of course in that case I'm only hidden from other people. Shutting a door on the world only suffices to trap me in a room with an omnipresent God. It's that kind of sensation that I want you to feel when you read vv.1-2 below.

"I charge in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching."

Here's a thought that I feel really summarizes this chapter, and even the majority of Paul's writing to Timothy in this particular letter. In light of God's presence in our lives; turning aside from his calling is more grave than simply not obeying directions, or even a direct command. Turning aside from God's calling on our lives is, in effect, turning aside from our very ontological roots. There is no identity outside of that which he has given each of us. Whether we're Pastors, college students, nurses, bakers, husbands or wives; each of us lives in the light of Christ's imputed identity, and as such we each have responsibilities to be Christ in each of our unique circumstances. That doesn't mean we get to contextualize and determine how Christ in us is to look to those in our sphere's of influence. It means that Christ's righteousness has practical applications for everybody we come in contact with, and as his followers we need to be diligent in serving that application.

To this effect Paul mentions his life in ministry as a guidepost of faithfulness (vv.6-8). Paul discharged his ministry by faithfully holding fast. Not necessarily what God told him to do, but who God called him to be! To serve as my conclusion I want to include a quote that I read during my devotions this morning. I found it in "The Christian Life" by Sinclair Ferguson, but he is quoting from a work called Selected Shorter Writings by B.B Warfield, an American theologian.

"We have the following bit of personal experience from a general officer of the United States Army. He was in a western city at a time of intense excitement and violent rioting. The streets were over-run daily by a dangerous crowd. One day he observed approaching him a man of singularly combined calmness and firmness of mien, whose very demeanor inspired confidence. So impressed was he with his bearing amid the surrounding uproar that when he had passed he turned to look back at him, only to find that the stranger had done the same. On observing his turning the stranger at once came back to him, and touching his chest with his forefinger, demanded without preface: "What is the chief end of man?'[the first question in the Shorter Catechism*]. On receiving the countersign, 'Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever' [the Catechism's answer]-'Ah!' said he, 'I knew you were a Shorter Catechism boy by your looks!' 'Why, that was just what I was thinking of you,' was the rejoinder.'"

These men's identity was in Christ, and it's outworking was a sense of calm dignity and restraint in the midst of a riotous city. Their imputed ontology of Christ's identity calmed them in their hearts in the midst of chaos, and identified them to each other for the glory of God. To be honest, I was blinking back tears when I read this account this morning, and write it now with a good amount of emotion welling inside of me. I say that because we all are subject to what we consider to be undue pressures. But God is so much greater than whatever we are going through. So much greater in fact that these two men had the confidence to pause in the middle of a riot, while shop fronts were being smashed in and people trampled underfoot. Surrounded by all the chaos the world can offer in one given moment they stopped and reflected on the providential aim of man.

"Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever."

* The catechism Warfield referred to is the Westminster Shorter Catechism Question 1.

Next Week

Hi Everybody. Just writing to let you know that there will be no posting next week. Becky and I are going camping in Nor-Cal near where this picture was taken. We plan to do some hiking, play in some water, eat lots of good food....and frequent the North Coast Brewing Co's. public house as much as possible (while maintaining sobriety of course). That being said, I hope you have a good week, and I'll catch you on the flip side!

II Tim 3: Where the power lies.

II Tim 3 can be found here at Bible Gateway.org

In the deliberation between Pharaoh, Moses, and Aaron there is a clear underlying question being addressed. Who has more power? What followed was a showdown of spiritual authority to establish once and for all where the true power lies. Paul refers back to this episode of the Exodus in v. 8. Jannes and Jambres are the extrabiblical names given to the Egyptian magicians in Exodus 7:8-13. To be honest, this passage is tough to teach without being able to ask questions. So I'm going to go the simple, minimalist route here.

Looking at vv 2-5 where do you see yourself? Sadly, I can't find a statement that doesn't ring true in some area of my life. Looking beyond the actions, Paul draws us to the source of the problem. Our sin lies first within the affections of our hearts, and then moves outward into our thoughts and actions.

Moving on to vv6-7 we see what could be our future if we are not mindful of our current state. Here's how this happens: living in sin as a Christian is bound to result in some sort of confrontation, when push comes to shove who are we going to love? The picture Paul gives us in this passage hearkens me back to The Fellowship Of The Ring by J.R.R Tolkien. To illustrate the power of the ring to Frodo Gandalf narrates the transformation of a hobbit like creature named Smeagol. As we know Smeagol eventually withdrew into the Misty Mountains to be alone with the One Ring, his precious, and became the character we know as Gollum. If we retreat from fellowship to be alone with our affections, that is, to be alone with our sins; we will eventually believe anything we set our minds to.

But thankfully, God is more powerful than our wills, and our affections. Just as Aaron's staff consumed those of Jannes and Jambres so also is our power thwarted by Jesus Christ. You and I, like Timothy, are being called by God to live in the light in vv.10-17. As if dying for our sins weren't enough God has also set examples like Paul before us. We have access to mentors when we invest ourselves in a church body. But more than that He has given us his written word. Which, by merit of being his word, is universally applicable to everybody. So, in the end it all comes down to a question of what we want to pursue. We may suffer as we walk along the road of Godliness, but we will progress in the liberty provided by God's grace.

II Timothy Chapter 2: 14-26 Life in the Church

II Timothy 2:14-26 Provided here by Bible Gateway.org.

In vv 20-21 Paul talks of vessels made of gold and silver, and those made from wood and clay; looking at the Christian community I think we all tend to see more paper plates than fine china, and to be perfectly honest I think that fact tends to be one of the things that keeps people away from the Church. However, in Paul's address to Timothy we find that we can't run away from the mess of the Christian community. There is the fact that this letter was written to Timothy who just so happened to be a leader of the 1st. century church. But I don't think that lets all us lay people off the hook.

The two foremost issues that can be derived from this passage are those of "quarreling over words" and outright divergent beliefs (vv.14-18). Now at first glance I have to admit that this idea of quarreling does not seem like that big of deal to me. But when it involves a church community I think there are some things that we need to face as church goers. In the second half of v. 14 Paul says that such things "do no good, but only ruin the hearers." The following notion comes to mind. When we quarrel over minor details we do so solely because we want to be right. A few years ago my wife and I went on an outreach trip through Europe, and I would say that this was a major issue for some of the people on the team (myself included). We were so focused on being right about things that we failed to care for the people around us. Putting food preferences, thoughts on global warming, or historical trivia that nobody in their right minds would care about over the feelings and well being of each other we would pull out what I call the "truth stick" and just beat each other about the head until the discussion ended. More often than not I think we hurt each other's feelings just to be right about something really unimportant. Bolstering our pride at each other's expense, the community within our outreach team was ruined. So it is with the church.

Moving on from there, we have to recognize that in claiming absolute knowledge we could be setting ourselves up for something that is far, far worse. In vv.15-18 Paul brings up two people: Philetus and Hymenaeus. Rather than getting into the theological trappings over their beliefs I think it serves us better to look at their example as the logical result of continuing in this "quarreling over words". I can understand why that might sound extreme, but in elevating your opinion over your brother's you are, in essence, elevating yourself as well. If we continue in that way for long enough, we begin to automatically give credence to every thing we think, and consequently eliminate any possibility for a source of truth outside of ourselves. Be it sermons, or the Bible itself. In the midst of the this mess we have Timothy, and God's promise to be faithful to his children.

I see the seal of God's Foundation that Paul refers to as containing two elements of God's interaction with us. The first "The Lord knows all who are his..." pertains to our justification as believers. Because our entrance into God's presence is based on the merit that Christ attained on our behalf our salvation is quite simply out of our hands. That instant this morning when you woke up and dreaded seeing your boss, or cursed your spouse in your heart for not cleaning yesterdays dishes; those particular sins have already been atoned for at Calvery. Even the false beliefs that we've all had have been atoned for! What a great reminder would have been to Timothy in the midst of his ministry conflicts. We are justified, and as secure as even Jesus himself is, because God does not change his mind. Moreover, in light of Philetus and Hymenaeus we can see that God is not shaken by false teaching. That being said, we can't run off and do whatever we want; Paul goes on to say "let every one who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity." Being justified through our faith in Jesus, we are subsequently transformed into his image(or sanctified). To put it plainly: sanctification is the process through which the Christian increasingly becomes more and more like Christ. For us fallen folk, that involves a lot of confession and repentance, and it doesn't necessarily always look like we want it to.

In conclusion; it's important to bear all of this in mind when thinking of the church. It's a mixed bag to say the least. But God has it in control. For those of us in the midst of congregational living we need to be patient with each, having the faith that God is as present in the church as we are (if not more so). When correction needs to be addressed remember that we would not be able to bring correction if we hadn't once been corrected as well.

II Timothy Chapter 2: 1-13

Today's installment will be from 2nd. Timothy 2:1-13, and can be found here @Bible Gateway

Looking at the world around us it seems as if the Gospel is waning here in the west, almost as if God's attention has been turned elsewhere. That being said it can be hard to faithfully pursue the holiness and righteousness that God calls us to through his word because more often than not we don't see any tangible reward for our work. I'll use myself as an example. To be perfectly honest, if I wasn't sitting in an office at the church right now I probably wouldn't have even thought about sitting down and writing this out. Although it's really important for me to practice how to construct a lesson, & study the Bible I probably would be killing time on Craigslist right now. What's the core issue being played out? Integrity. Truth be told I don't feel like God is necessarily watching me most of the time. But he is.

Consider what Paul is saying in vv.8-11a. He brings Timothy's attention back to the gospel of Jesus Christ who has risen from the dead. Obviously Timothy hasn't forgotten who Jesus is, or the fact that he rose from the dead...so what is Paul really getting at it here? A risen savior is also a present savior! With that being said, the ministry of the Gospel is not some vague service to an abstract religious ideal. It's the service to a present and objective truth. A risen savior is also a capable savior. This is brought to light in Paul's great phrase in v.9 "But the word of God is not bound!" As a key religious leader at the time I'm sure that Caesar and many Roman officials thought the Christianity would die out with it's key teachers were dead. The problem being that the Holy Spirit is the key teacher of the Gospel, so the word of God is not limited to any one person, place, or time. This is one of the things that makes Christianity so unique.

The aspect of the Gospel that Paul is calling Timothy to is the aspect of sharing in suffering. On a worldly level, such a thing would be useless because it involves investment in failure. You could look at it like invest money in a failing company, or pumping water out of the Titanic. Paul gives Timothy 3 great illustrations to address this mindset. The first is that of the soldier (v.4).

What we see in the example of the soldier is focus. Paul calls on Timothy to share in suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. The job of a soldier is simple. Obey orders from your superiors. Paul outlines this well when he says "the aim is to please the one who enlisted him".
Second we have the illustration of the athlete. (v.5) "the athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules..."What we see in this example is the aspect of integrity and discipline. Paul also introduces the aspect of reward here as well. Because he outlines it in a negative way he may be casting light on teachers of false doctrine. The gospel is a tough seller in the feel good vibe of our current society, but if we try to cheat our way into the kingdom by softening the word of God we will find ourselves sorely disappointed.

At last we read that it is the hard working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. This is a tough exhortation for me, and I'm sure it was for Timothy as well. Timothy was in a tough spot of weighing the cost of ministry. Being called by God into service in the church he had to consider the fact that his service would cost him, it demanded Paul's very life.

But in the midst of these illustrations we see can see the great promise of the Gospel. Because Jesus Christ is risen, and the Word of God is not bound there is eternal reward in the work of ministry. But it is a "here, and not yet" kind of reward. It's not all financial gain and comfort on this side of glory. But we have to consider this. If God has saved us, and in that salvation called us to some aspect of service. It could be that said aspect of service contains sanctifying elements uniquely tailored to each one of us. So we need to be sober minded and deliberate about what we do, and why and how we do it. Verse 11b-13:

If we have died with him, we also will live with him;

if we endure, we will also reign with him;

if we deny him, he will also deny us;

if we are faithless, he remains faithful-

for he cannot deny himself.

II Timothy Chapter I: God is faithful to his calling.

2nd Tim 1 @Biblegateway.org

Growing up in conservative, rural, Northern California I've often heard people talk of the founding fathers rolling over in their graves in connection with legislation they don't feel is constitutional. While it seems odd, I think that phrase really strikes at the heart of what is going on in Paul's second letter to Timothy. Passing the torch never really seems to work out well for institutions, be they governmental or religious. For some reasons the interests of one generation hardly ever translate, or transfer to the next, and because of that things just seem to keep changing. Christianity, and the church interestingly enough is the exception to the rule.

Most of what I'm going to cover in this lesson/discussion is neatly stated in Paul's greeting. (vv 1-2).

"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy my child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord."

First and foremost we see the Paul is an apostle of Jesus by the will of God. Meaning that not even Paul himself is a free agent, but is called by the will of God. When we think of divine calling we tend to think of God as a bigger version of ourselves. He is not, God is single-minded while our emotions change (sometimes literally) with the weather. Being single minded and eternal God does not institute temporary solutions, or make conditional promises. God doesn't say "I'll do this, if you do this" Paul's apostolic calling was permanent, special, and organic. God didn't only call Paul to be an Apostle, he created him to be one. Obviously there is a distinct problem when a normal man is called by God to do anything. Sin. Sin means that, no matter how hard we may try to accomplish what God has asked, we cannot, and most often don't want to do it. But God is faithful to his calling through his son Jesus Christ. The promise of the life that is in Jesus is a promise of redemption, life from death, and constant intercession. What God calls us to do, he also enables us to do.

What does this mean for Timothy or for us? Well, to put it plainly there is no reason to be fearful. If our calling is of the same nature as Paul's then there must be something he has done in our lives to provide for the fulfillment of that calling. For Timothy, he was raised in the faith by his family. People in whom Paul had absolute confidence.

"I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you that I may be filled with joy.I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice, and now, I am sure dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power, and love, and self control." vv 5-7

Paul goes on to outline the source of his confidence, even though it seemingly contradicts his current position as a prisoner of Rome. Essentially, we wind up back where we were in the first verse. We are called by an eternal God that has a lasting perspective over life and death. It would be easy to think that God would shield his message by not allowing harm to come to those whom he has called to preach. But, and this is the beauty of the Church and the scriptures, the cornerstones of our faith are not laid on Paul or the rest of the Apostles. The foundation of the Church is God himself, who has been made manifest in the lives of the Apostles and the scriptures. That being said, the world may, and does wage war against the Church, and us as Christians. But, both our identities and the identity of the church, are safe with God who has called us according to his purposes.

" Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you." vv 8-14

In the midst of all of this, we have the task of holding steady and believing in him who has called us. That is where Timothy was when he received this letter from Paul. His ministry had been disrupted by people preaching a divergent Gospel, and he was discouraged. Humanly speaking, this was a bad time for Paul to die, and an even worse time for him to hand his ministry of to Timothy. But, and I'll risk being repetitive here, God's calling is not altered by our circumstances, or performance. God is so sold on his calling that he sent his own son to die that it may be established in the world, and in our hearts.

Paul finishes off this chapter with some great examples. Leading up to his final hearing before Caesar Paul was abandoned by everybody that had associated with him (vs.15). Truth be told, it was downright dangerous to be anywhere near Paul, so it's not hard to understand why everybody split. But at the core of their fear was a failure to believe that God was good enough in spite of imprisonment or impending death. But in the midst of everybody running away we see Onesiphorus going to great lengths to minister to Paul during his imprisonment. Verses 15-18 imply that he may have even died for aiding Paul.

While you may be sitting at home looking at your social circumstances and weighing the cost of doing what God has asked of you consider the examples you have set before you in this chapter, and ponder the eternal qualities of the God who is calling you. If we relay upon ourselves, we will flee from the death that brings life like Phygelus and Hermogenes. But, looking at the example of Onesiphorus we can see that Jesus Christ is able to sustain our fainting hearts in times of great cost. Even more so, he has conquered death itself. So that all who believe can live eternally with him.

Intro to 2nd Timothy

How do you read the Bible? How ought we approach scripture? These are two fundamental questions I find myself faced with every time I crack the cover to read for my own benefit or to study for a teaching. The Bible presents us with some interesting dilemmas. First and foremost, it is the authoritative word of God. Meaning that the text contained within it is non-negotiable. It is always insightful, confrontational, and despite what some folks may say, remains the singularly most relevant piece of literature in the world. Secondly, the Bible though inspired by God, was physically written by men. These men existed in a time and space in history, and had sophisticated thoughts and emotional struggles just like we all do. We could pick up the Bible to read it as a sort of religious historical text, full of cold hard facts and theological concepts and we would do well. But to really begin to feast on the richness of Scripture is to look through the lines and see the narrative that lies just beneath the text. When we read the Bible as a textbook we treat the writers as if they only existed in an academic sense. That they didn't have feelings and personal struggles. Reading this way I think we glance over a major part of God's word. Not just what he was communicating, but who he was communicating through. What that looked like in their day to day lives. To sum it up, reading the Bible academically is like taking a vitamin supplement when you're presented with a three course meal.

This was my main reason for teaching 2nd Timothy over the past few weeks. When compared to the other Pauline Epistles, its' doctrinal and theological content is sparse and it's hard to see anything in the text that Paul hasn't stated in his first letter to Timothy or somewhere else in the New Testament. What interests me in this book is the content, and the people behind it.

Sorry to leave you kind of hanging there, but I will be post the first segment of teaching sometime tomorrow.

Welcome to the Wall

Hi All,

I figured that a blog would be a cool way to include more people in the Reformed Campus Fellowship. Over the remainder of this week I'm going to be posting the past months teachings on Paul's second letter to Timothy. Being that I don't have a time limit here I may go into some more details and historical context behind the book, and flesh out some of the ideas I have communicated over the past month. In any case, I hope this is edifying. Feel free to post question, prayer requests etc... .

Thanks for your time,

~Matt