What's Your Perspective?

Several years ago I had an experience as a flight instructor that reminded me of the importance of perspective.  I was giving a "check ride" (a flight evaluation) to a fellow pilot in a simulator.  We normally had two students being evaluated at a time but on this occasion, there was another instructor filling in as a seat support for the captain's position.  So the student was the first officer and he was getting all the attention, and on this particular day, he was not performing up to the highest standards.  In one of the most difficult scenarios he was struggling with the engine out sequence and we had to repeat the event twice before I felt that he demonstrated proficiency.

During the debrief for the first officer I stressed the importance of being prepared for all scenarios in the actual aircraft for the very reason that if indeed something went wrong, there would be no chance to make a reset and do it again like we had done in the simulator.  After all, aircraft can be very unforgiving at times.  He was apologetic and compliant and I felt he had made a rededication to proficiency at all times.  But, while I was debriefing the student I noticed that the other instructor I had worked with that day stayed behind and was pacing about outside the debriefing room, looking in at me a couple of times with concern and consternation.  He had a different perspective on the student's performance and thought he should have been failed and brought back in for remedial training.  After conferring with the other instructor I decided to go to the manager to get his perspective of what he would have done.

The perspective of the manager was very similar to the other instructor and I began to see the reason why.  We all had previously been military pilots before we joined the ranks of civilian aviation.  The fellow instructor that day had been a Marine fighter pilot, the manager had been a Navy fighter pilot and a fighter squadron commanding officer, and I had been a Navy anti-submarine pilot.  Both the fighter pilots had been trained to be very aggressive in their approach to aviation, and this came through in their perspective as instructors.  I too had the same basic primary flight training but applied that training to a land-based multi-engine turboprop aircraft, which was very similar to the type of aviation we now flew in our current civilian jobs.  The student that day had been a civilian pilot which may have contributed to his difficulty in engine-out training.  Each of our perspectives was shaped by our experiences and we all came to different conclusions at that time.

Our perspectives in life are like this and heavily influenced by our conditioning and backgrounds.  We all have different personalities and priorities as some people are introverts and others extroverts.  Some want instant results and others need to consider every angle.  There are differences in age and technology, who would consider walking a mile to ask a friend a question if we could simply pick up a phone and call them?  Who even would keep a landline now that we have cell phones?  There are differences in perspectives from gender, male, and female, and from dads and moms, grandparents and grandchildren.  There are people who love woodworking and those who love reading books on philosophy.  Some people have the perspective that we must always be aggressive in defending our freedom in our country because "freedom isn't free".  Other people believe that war and fighting are inherently evil, and that aggression just provokes more aggression, but if we could all just love one another it would foster love in return.

Those of us who hold a Christian perspective come into our faith with the same diversity of perspectives of experiences, priorities, desires, beliefs, talents, development, gender, and even family conditioning, traditions, and loyalties.  The big question we need to ask is what is God's perspective?  To ask this we see the flip side of the coin in the question of what is our perspective?  And are we putting our perspectives ahead of God's, or are we putting his perspectives ahead of ours?  Even more, which doctrine of God do we believe is the most important?  Is the chief doctrine the grace of God, or the truth of God, and are these being affected by our own perspectives and biases?

Christians have an obligation to know the truth of God as he truly is, and not just as we prefer him to be.  We often need our own perspectives to be examined as we all are finite.  Our perspectives are limited and we need to always compare them to the truth of the Bible.  To know this truth we must first establish the truth of truth itself from which we can then compare any other truth.  From a truth perspective, we can teach all doctrines of Scripture and not let our perspectives and priorities become greater than God's perspectives and priorities.  Christian leaders in particular must proclaim God's truth for the health and sanctification of the church in our secularistic culture.

I believe the truth of God must be our highest priority in this way to prioritize all doctrines correctly.  Truth can guide us in understanding even the grace of God, which so often becomes the priority in a broken world.  If we make love our primary perspective then the truth of God can be lost as we can become like the world in its philanthropy and humanitarianism.  And the world can be very unforgiving at times.  But with truth as our priority, the grace of Christ can never be lost as it is the truth of the gospel.  We need to continually ask what God's truth is therefore so that we can evaluate our perspective to his, and so that we can bring the whole truth of Christ into the world.

The truth of God also brings a transformation from our sinful nature and helps us from falling into any self-righteousness as it always appeals to Christ's humility and righteousness.  This truth-centeredness glorifies God for Christ is the one who is true at all times.  He is the one who declares in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes unto the Father, except through me."  The truth of God always includes the grace of Christ to the glory of God, and this is why I believe truth is the priority.

Why Was Jesus Baptized?

The discussion of baptism can challenge us with some deep questions about our faith.  With as many questions that are presented, there may be as many different answers from various people.  I believe the differences in perspectives lie primarily in understanding the purpose of baptism as we understand it from the Bible.  The purpose isn’t that clear though because there are several assumptions that have to be made for differing perspectives.  It's also important to remember that this is a secondary doctrine in the faith as it is not essential to the faith itself, and many devout Christians hold differing perspectives with conviction.

The three primary positions I've understood that different denominations hold are baptismal regeneration, baptism as a sign of a person's faith, and baptism as a sign of the covenant of grace.  The first position of baptismal regeneration I disagree with wholeheartedly as the Bible is not ambiguous on this, it clearly does not teach any regeneration that occurs from baptism.  Catholic tradition can lead people to believe that regeneration takes place, but this is not the teachings from the Bible.

Regarding the second and third positions, I changed my position many years ago from baptism being a sign of a person's faith to one that signifies God's covenant of grace.  Baptist denominations primarily hold baptism as an ordinance and as the sign of faith, as a believer's baptism.  Many other Christian denominations hold baptism as the sign of the covenant.  The covenantal position I believe is most consistent with the purpose of baptism and is most consistent with the OT giving of the sign of the covenant in Abraham.  The male children received the sign of circumcision, which was a permanent and physical sign to them that they were to be set apart as God’s elect.  Circumcision was the sign of the covenant that Abraham first received when he was called to become the father of the people of God. 

When we come to the NT we see many changes because we are now a part of the "new covenant" as Jesus described.   In Luke 22:20 Jesus said, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood."  Even more, the sacrifices of bulls and goats were discontinued because of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.  In Hebrews 8:13 we read, "In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete.  And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away."  As we also know God promised that Abraham would be the father of many nations, Gen. 17:4, "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations."  This describes how Israel would not be the only nation to receive the covenant of grace.

The new covenant is not proclaimed to just one nation but to all nations.  And the sign of this new covenant was no longer circumcision but baptism, and it is not just to the male children but to the females as well.  Receiving the sign of the covenant in the NT is consistent with the pattern and principle of the people of faith in the OT.  But the key point is that it is the sign of the “new covenant” and not the old.  

This then affirms that the sign of the new covenant is also to be given to adults when they are converted, and not just to children.  But a question remains, is the sign of the new covenant to be administered as an act of faith of the parents or the children?  When Christian parents have children, they are to baptize them as a sign of the new covenant, and in keeping with the covenant obligations to God for their children, just like in the OT.    

The new covenant is radically different from the covenant in the OT in that the Messiah has now come.  And the baptism of Jesus was a sign of his obligation with the Jewish community to prepare for the new covenant.  He was not being washed from sin but he was identifying with his own identity as the Messiah, ushering in the new covenant, and giving an example for his fellow countrymen.   

So why then was Jesus baptized?  Jesus was identifying in his humanity as the Messiah and the Mediator of the new covenant, and submitting in all his human obedience and faith to receive this sign.  We do know that Jesus was leading by example to receive the sign of the new covenant, and that he was not receiving a believer's baptism.  Baptism is the sign of the new covenant, and even Jesus accepted this sign.  

Onward and Upward

Since March of this year I've seen ministry opportunities close and others open.  I believe the Lord is moving me back to finishing a seminary degree I started in 1989 at RTS.  The culture has steadily degenerated into further and further Spiritual decline and this has affected our Christian faith substantially.  We are thinking more and more in line with the world instead of the Bible.  We need a modern-day reformation in truth so as to understand the truth of Scripture.

Instead of debating the issues I am hoping to move onward and upward toward a degree and an opportunity for another ministry after I retire from my current employment.  It will be more like a redeployment instead of a retirement.  Many years ago I also started writing a paper that I now hope to complete and use for a master's thesis.  It will be something about truth and the truth of God.  In our high-tech and secularistic society we can hardly even understand objective truth and how this relates to our faith and sanctification.

The news media frames the arguments of the culture wars along the lines of "anti-abortion" and "homophobic" language, instead of "pro-life" and "pro-morality."  A century ago there was no question about these social issues because morality was understood from the Bible.  Today there's lots of work to do to help people throughout the culture and the church to understand unchanging truth and the truth of Scripture.  There's lots of work to do to help people understand the veracity of the Bible through a truth hermeneutic instead of a contemporary worldview.  So, it's onward and upward.

Hebrews 4:12 declares, "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."  The Bible is the living word of God and through its truth, we can move onward and upward, and discover life that is truly life indeed.

For Purity and Peace

Those of us who have been ordained as Ruling Elders have taken vows to work for the "Peace and Purity" of the church.  This is essential for the health and vitality of the church as back bitings, criticisms, and in-fighting can ruin the work of ministry.  I believe to really attain the peace that is from God one must first receive the grace of Christ and then work for the purity that comes from that grace.  It is imperative to set the priority to the purity of our faith and then the peace will follow from that purity.  For sin divides and causes conflicts of every sort, but purity in faith leads us to God and his peace.  The leaders of the church must follow this paradigm and not let worldly desires distort their priorities.

The teaching of Paul in Colossians 3 makes this priority clear.  We read in vs.1-2, "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God."  Paul instructs us to "seek the things that are above" as our identity now is being "in Christ."  The reason is "you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God."  We have been raised with Christ, we are called to turn away from the flesh and the natural life, for we have been made alive by the Holy Spirit.  We are new people, and we should focus our lives on Christ.

Even more, we read in v.5, "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry."  After we are called to seek the things above, we are called to "put to death therefore what is earthly in you."  Paul is calling us to sanctification in our lives, by putting off sinful habits and desires.  Sins of the flesh include covetousness, which corresponds to the tenth commandment, and is set on par with sexual immorality, which is so often considered a far greater sin.  Covetousness is an attitude of the heart that corrupts all of our desires in our lives.

The list of sins continues until we read in v.12, "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience."  Now Paul instructs us, once we have put off the sinful practices of this world, to "put on then ... compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, and patience."  The work of sanctification involves two steps, putting off the sinful desires, and putting on the holy habits of being Christ-like.  Our purity is always a matter of God taking away our sins and imputing his righteousness in Christ.  And we are called by the Holy Spirit to appropriate this transformation of life by living obediently to him.

This process includes putting on love as we see in vs.14-15, "And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful."  The peace of Christ can only rule in our hearts after we have the conflict of sin dispersed from our desires.  The peace of God comes from our justification in Christ after we have been given the righteousness of Christ, and this is manifested by living in the Spirit.  We can have Spiritual peace only in Christ as we live in his grace and as he is in us.  Paul calls us to let this peace rule in our hearts and to walk in faith, but this can only happen when we take conscientious steps of obedience to his commandments.

Life in Christ is further described in v.16-17, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."  We see that "the word of Christ" is the key element for our sanctification, in that we are instructed to "do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus," so as to bring glory to God.  The word of Christ is the doctrine or teachings for this new life, it is the entire Bible understood through the lens of the grace and truth of Christ.

The peace of Christ then will resonate through the Body of Christ as we grow in the purity and sanctification of the Lord.  Purity must be the priority therefore for the Elders of the church so as to lead in righteousness and give an example of the life of Christ in our day.  We must die to our own sinful desires and set our hearts and minds on Christ.  This example we see in Colossians 3:1-2 where we are admonished to "seek the things that are above" and, "set your minds on things that are above."  And also in vs.15-16, "let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts," and "let the word of Christ dwell in you richly."  If we set our hearts and minds on these truths we will walk in purity through the power of the Holy Spirit, which in turn brings peace with God.  This purity and peace will then lead to the building up of the Body of Christ.  Amen!

True North

Have you ever had a problem finding your way through a busy city?  On several occasions, I've been confused by someone's directions as I didn't have the same orientation as the person giving the directions.  I've discovered how important it is to understand a person's language and to have a common starting point to make references.  The work of navigation requires clear directions, the same definitions of words, and a common point to start from. We also need to know the difference between magnetic north which is a shifting position, with true north where latitudes meet longitudes that don't change with time.

As a young college graduate many years ago I once was making my way into downtown Boston from outside the city and discovered the traffic was worse than expected causing me to be late for an appointment.  I parked my car in a hurry and worked my way through the skyscrapers without paying much attention to the location of the parking garage.  Hours later I tried to find my way back and could only remember the street name of the garage but not the direction to turn to get there.  Did I need to turn left on that street or right to find my way?  And coming from the opposite direction did a left turn mean turning east or west?  It all depended on whether I was coming from the north or the south, as from the north it meant a left turn but from the south, it meant a right turn.

Our understanding of truth can be objective or subjective depending on the reality of something and our perspective of that reality.  For me that day in Boston the parking garage hadn't changed locations from when I first parked my car, but my perspective of where it was had changed.  My car was still parked in the same location but I was turned around and saw things completely differently.  In today's world, I could have pulled out my smartphone and checked the directions on my map, and been back to my car quickly.  But back then it took me a long time to get my orientation and some real anxiety to find my way.

The GPS in our smartphones allows us to find out where we are based on the objective point of the triangulation of many satellites.  And with Inertial Navigation Systems we can pinpoint exact positions with accelerometers and gyroscopes.  These are great developments in the world of navigation and they serve as tangible illustrations for our understanding of truth.  For if the truth is completely subjective and tied simply to each of our own perspectives we could not find our way through the skyscrapers of the city.  But because truth is also objective, it is something factual that is outside of us, we can reference it and understand reality as it really is.

It's important to acknowledge the subjective truth that we all have with our perspectives as we see things initially through our own eyes.  But it's even more important to proclaim objective truth, the true-truth that also exists throughout the universe.  Even the truth of subjectivity is an objective truth that proves objectivity.  The truth of truth is irrefutable therefore just as we know there is a true north for navigation.

This discovery of truth is essential in navigating through all of life and not just finding our way in a busy city.  And this is one of the most important characteristics of the Christian faith, that it is based upon the true north that comes from God.  God alone is purely objective with no biases, no lack of understanding, or shadow of turnings at all.  He is the one who has the perfect perspective in all of life, and he is in complete control of all things.  Because of this truth, we know we can trust him.  And because of this, we need to seek the objective truth of God to find our way.

The prophets of old were inspired to proclaim the truth of God's word.  And those who seek to teach the objective truth of the Bible are the true prophets of our day.  Jesus himself said in John 8:31-32, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set your free."  True freedom and spiritual liberty come from knowing the truth of God's word and living by it.  Amen.

Spiritual Reconciliation

I really don’t understand the ‘Racial Reconciliation’ movement in the PCA.  Apparently, it started at the GA in 2015 as a time to seek forgiveness for being non-active during the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s.  It seems that it has turned into a denominational-wide movement for the sins of some to which we may have all become guilty.  My question then for the people leading this movement is, ‘What are the charges that are being made against us today that require reconciliation?’  For if there is to be reconciliation, we first need to identify our sins and then make confessions and repentance of them.  

Many more questions come to mind in the discussion of reconciliation.  Do we see that the primary need of all people is not racial reconciliation but Spiritual reconciliation?  Do we distinguish between the injustice of racism between men, and the offense of sin that all mankind has before a holy God?  Are we teaching that even the political realm needs to come under the Lordship of Christ?  Did the leaders of the Civil Rights movement persuade men to trust in Christ or to seek legislation from the federal government?  It’s one thing to fight for civil rights and it’s a completely different matter to proclaim the gospel of Christ.  I believe the church’s primary responsibility is in proclaiming the need for salvation and Spiritual reconciliation in Christ alone.  From this foundation, all ministries found in Scripture can be developed.

The church should ask what priority, therefore, the Racial Reconciliation movement comes under.  We should first consider the priorities from the Scriptures of – the Gospel, Discipleship, Family, Vocation, and then Missions.  In the inner cities or suburban areas, all churches are called to the Word of God and the whole counsel of God.  We must worship God in all of life because of the gospel of grace in his Son Jesus.  Then we are called to grow in our knowledge and Spirituality as disciples in all aspects of faith and practice.  We are also called to Christian marriage and family, to be responsible to protect and provide for our children, and to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  In addition, we are called to fulfill the vocation of the creation mandate in being fruitful and multiplying and having dominion over all creation and to seek first the kingdom of God.  This all leads to the various missions we are called to by going into the world with the gospel to all people.  Foreign missions and mercy ministries are just two aspects of missions for which Christians are called.  But we are first called to be reconciled with God and then with our fellow men.

The Spiritual reconciliation of the sinner to Christ is the only reconciliation that will bring a change to the broken and sinful heart.  Before all the various aspects of ministry that the Christian church will be engaged in, we must first remember the words of Jesus in John 3:3, “Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  We must also proclaim that all people and races need Christ because we all are sinners.  For Paul reminds us in Romans 3:9-12, “What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”  And Paul continues in Romans 3:22-23, “For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”  The primary mission of the Christian church is always to proclaim the Spiritual reconciliation that comes from the gospel of Christ alone.

This gospel of Christ proclaims that “both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,” which means all races are sinful, that we all need Christ for salvation.  Spiritual reconciliation also refocuses all our ministries toward Christ as he taught in Mark 12:29-31, “The most important is, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”  Our primary calling is to love the Lord God with all our being, and this becomes our joy and strength.  The second then is, as Jesus taught, to love our neighbor.  

This is the perspective that all Christian churches need whether in urban or rural areas, whether in our country or in foreign missions.  In this love for God, by the love we have from God, we are then able to love our neighbor with the same agape love we have been given in Christ.  Spiritual reconciliation gives us a Spiritual orientation for all of life so that we then can seek to do all things to advance the kingdom of God.  The church must recognize the first priority of loving God and proclaiming the gospel of Christ as this also empowers us for ministry.  I believe that ‘Spiritual Reconciliation' is the primary mission of the church from which nothing can compare, and by which the gospel can truly reform the city of man.  

The "Evangel" of Evangelicalism

In our modern world there is often confusion about what Christmas is all about. It's good to remember the Christ of Christmas as the "Evangel" of God. An "evangel" is a messenger of God, particularly one who is heralding the "good news" of salvation.  Jesus is the great Evangel of God, and the good news is his salvation by grace from our sins, through faith in him.

To be an “Evangelical” then is to proclaim this great truth as we discover from Scripture. We see in Luke 2:10-11, “And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”” These angels were the first to proclaim the good news that the Savior was Jesus born in Bethlehem. 

Evangelicals are those who rejoice in this good news that there is salvation in Jesus because he is the Christ, the Savior of all who call upon his name. Evangelicals also proclaim that Christ can sanctify us into his image and character. We can be transformed and strengthened by His Spirit from our sinful nature into a Christ-like nature in this life if we follow him in faithfulness. We can live a new Spiritual life in the grace of Christ in the here and now. 

Even more, we Evangelicals proclaim the good news that Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords over everything in the world today. We can only find peace amidst the changing times and chaos of our world in Christ because he has conquered death itself. In Christ, we find the truth that changes our worldview from the brokenness of this life to the vision of the majesty of God. Here we see that God is sovereign over all things, he is building a Spiritual kingdom, and he is working everything together for his glory. 

God is seeking his glory by bringing salvation into the world through the Evangel, Christ, and Savior of the world. We also see in Luke 2:13-14, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”” The birth and life of Jesus still brings great glory to God. This “Evangel” is the Christ of Christmas, and eternal salvation is through faith in him.