The Second Greatest Truth (Part 2 of 2)

Books That Have Shaped Me – Part Eleven

Robert V. Rakestraw

June 2, 2012 

“The Benediction Project”

http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

13b. The Works of John Wesley, edited by Thomas Jackson, 14 vols. 3^rd ed. (Reprint of 1829-31 edition), Baker, 1979. [All of Wesley’s writings, esp. “The Scripture Way of Salvation” in vol. 6, pp. 43-54.]

This posting is the second of a two-part discussion on “The Second Greatest Truth.” If you read the preceding posting (part one), this piece will be more clear and helpful.

In part one I began to write about the issue of sin in my life after I experienced the new birth at the age of 19. Before that life-changing conversion I thought of sin only as something that would send me to hell. Since I became a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, I thought quite differently. While I still saw sin, and sins, as leading to eternal separation from God if not forgiven, I came to see it not only as a damning power but also as something that grieved and dishonored God, hurt other people, broke my communion with God and hindered my spiritual growth and usefulness in this world.

As a new believer and follower of Jesus, I didn’t want sin in my life and I desired to live consistently above it. In part one I related my frustration as I tried to find some truth or “key” that would unlock the (to me) tightly barred gate to God’s victory garden.

A major breakthrough for me came when I was reading one of John Wesley’s sermons, “The Scripture Way of Salvation.” For the previous year or so I had been reading Wesley’s numerous writings: his letters, journals, essays, sermons and edited works by others that he highly valued. I had come to appreciate Wesley greatly, and now I was reading some of his sermons for a course on Wesley I was taking from Dr. Thomas Oden at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, where I was a doctoral student. (I later did my Ph.D. dissertation on Wesley.)

Concerning “The Scripture Way of Salvation,” Albert Outler, one of the premier Wesley scholars of the last century, said, “If the Wesleyan Theology had to be judged by a single essay, this one would do as well as any and better than most” (John Wesley, ed. Albert C. Outler, Oxford University Press, 1964, p. 271).

Wesley’s sermon is based—very appropriately—on “You are saved through faith.” By the words “saved” and “salvation” he includes not only our initial coming to Christ for forgiveness and pardon (justification) but also our being set apart to be conformed to the image of Christ (sanctification). Both are accomplished by God’s free grace (his favor and power) as we receive them by faith (God’s work of opening our eyes and enlightening us to the truth, and giving us the trust, belief, conviction and assurance that he will do what he has promised in his word as we call upon him like little children).

John Wesley thought much and wrote much about the issue of sin in those who are justified. Even though new followers of Christ are regenerated and inwardly renewed by the power of God, they come, before long, to realize that not all sin is gone from their lives. They now feel two principles in themselves, plainly contrary to each other: “the flesh lusting against the Spirit”—nature  opposing the grace of God. If they are true Christians, however, they seek to overcome sin in their lives by worshipping God in spirit and in truth, taking up their cross daily, and denying themselves every pleasure that does not lead them to God.

Wesley’s following remarks are pivotal. “It is thus that we wait for entire sanctification; for a full salvation from all our sins—from pride, self-will, anger, unbelief; or, as the Apostle expresses it, ‘go on to perfection’. But what is perfection? The word has various senses: Here it means perfect love. It is love excluding sin; love filling the heart, taking up the whole capacity of the soul. It is love ‘rejoicing evermore, praying without ceasing, in everything giving thanks’.”

John Wesley never used the term “sinless perfection.” He did use “Christian perfection” at times, but even more used such terms as full salvation, circumcision of the heart, entire sanctification and—his favorite—perfect love. While God’s people wait for full salvation by serving him with works of piety and works of mercy, they also need to receive from him “a conviction of our helplessness, of our utter inability to think one good thought, or to form one good desire; and much more to speak one word aright, or to perform one good action, but through his free almighty grace, first preventing (preceding) us, and then accompanying us every moment.”

Wesley then explains the faith that is necessary for receiving the gift of perfect love. “It is a divine evidence and conviction, First, that God hath promised it in the Holy Scripture. Till we are thoroughly satisfied of this, there is no moving one step further…. It is a divine evidence and conviction, Secondly, that what God hath promised he is able to perform…. It is, Thirdly, a divine evidence and conviction that he is able and willing to do it now. And why not?... He cannot want more time to accomplish whatever is his will.”

Wesley continues: “To this confidence … there needs to be added one more thing—a divine evidence and conviction that he doeth it. In that hour it is done: God says to the inmost soul, ‘According to thy faith be it unto thee!’ Then the soul is pure from every spot of sin; it is clean ‘from all unrighteousness.’ The believer then experiences the deep meaning of those solemn words, ‘If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin’.”

Wesley then urges his listeners and his readers to ask God for this gift. “You shall not be disappointed of your hope: It will come, and will not tarry. Look for it then every day, every hour, every moment! Why not this hour, this moment? … If you seek it by faith, you may expect it as you are; and if as you are, then expect it now. It is of importance to observe, that there is an inseparable connexion between these three points—expect it by faith, expect it as you are, and expect it now! … Stay (hold back) for nothing: Why should you? Christ is ready; and He is all you want. He is waiting for you: He is at the door!”

 *    *    *    *    *     *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

As I read these words, I realized that this was the truth I had been missing for my twenty years as a child of God. I knew God commanded his children to be filled with his perfect love (Matt. 5:48; 22:37-40; 1 Cor.10:13; 2 Cor. 7:1; 1 Thess. 3:12-13; 5:16-24; 1 Jn. 3:3-6; 4:16-18; 5:18), but I had never heard that this full salvation was actually possible in my life right then, by faith, apart from works and self-effort. In fact, I had been taught (directly or indirectly) that these scriptures referred to an ideal toward which we should strive but never expect to live completely. This teaching discouraged me, and even, at times, gave me license to sin. I wondered: why would God command us to live a certain way yet not enable us to live that way?

As I pondered these solemn yet exciting and liberating words of John Wesley, I knew I was at a crisis point in my life, just as I was when I was born into God’s family 20 years earlier. God was stirring me deeply, and I received Wesley’s words as though God were speaking them to me. I knew the time had come. I cried out to God silently and asked him for the full salvation I had come to see as God’s will for his children in this life. I came poor and needy, thirsty and desperate, expecting his blessing by faith (trust) alone, just as I was and at that moment.

Just as when God brought me to initial salvation many years ago, I believed at that moment that the work had been done. I felt no tingling, heard no bells nor angels singing, but simply rested and rejoiced with gratitude and astonishment that God had begun a new work in me. I knew I had much to learn (and still do) about this new understanding of the spiritual life. But I also knew that God had graciously worked in me—in my head and in my heart—The Second Greatest Truth.

I am aware how sensitive—and perhaps confusing, and even boastful—my words may seem. I know how Wesley’s view is not only greatly misunderstood but sometimes ridiculed. I will therefore close with three thoughts that may be helpful.

First, I have not lived a sinless life since that momentous day in 1982. I sometimes violate God’s word, and when I do, I repent by confessing the sin to God and anyone I may have hurt. God graciously forgives me and I move on, trusting God’s perfect love to flow through me again.  Wesley never taught that a believer who has had an experience (or crisis) of entire sanctification (or “second blessing”) is thereafter guaranteed never to fall. Furthermore, any sin in such a believer of which he or she is unaware (since no one is perfected in love in an absolute sense) is continually being washed away by the blood of Christ (I John 1:5-2:6).

Second, I have never been the same since that wonderful experience. Before, when I arose in the morning I never expected to live that day fully pleasing to God. Now I start the day with (among other important thoughts) the very encouraging awareness that, unless I am convicted otherwise, I am living for the glory of God. Holiness and happiness are blended closely together as I “pray without ceasing” throughout the day, and as I look to (and expect) God’s Spirit to produce his delightful fruit in and through me (Gal. 5:22-23). To God alone be the glory!

Third, my purpose in these two postings is not to advocate for Wesley’s views or anyone else’s views. I am simply telling my story. It is one among millions of stories that could be told by God’s people, many of them probably quite different from mine. One common denominator in all of them, however, is that our growth in holiness is a process—a lifelong process. If there are crisis experiences after the new birth for some Christians, they are never once-for-all. We must continue, until the day we see Christ, living closely to God and making progress continually in love for our God and our neighbors.

 *    *    *    *    *     *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

I recognize that this is a long piece, and if you are still with me I rejoice in your seriousness about holy living and serving. Of the 100 or so postings I have published during the five-year span of this blog, the previous article and this one are, in my view, the two most important I have sent out. And the most difficult to write. I’d love to read and publish your comments!

                                                                                                                       

The Second Greatest Truth (Part 1 of 2)

Books That Have Shaped Me – Part Ten

Bob Rakestraw

May 2, 2012 

“The Benediction Project”

http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

13a. The Works of John Wesley, edited by Thomas Jackson, 14 vols. 3^rd ed. (Reprint of 1829-31 edition), Baker, 1979.

For the first 20 years as a new and serious follower of Jesus Christ I experienced some times of spiritual success and some times of spiritual defeat. Fortunately, the latter did not dominate, but they did trouble my mind and soul.

From the time God revealed to me his way to salvation by grace through faith in 1962 until the time God revealed to me his way to holiness by grace through faith in 1982, I was searching for the highly elusive (to me) truth about the way to the remarkable life of godliness described and prescribed in the Bible. I was especially struck by certain statements in the epistles of Paul, but also by the words from the Torah and from Jesus: “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength, and your neighbor as yourself.”

During these 20 years I grew steadily (but sometimes shakily) in my Christian life through the reading of the whole Bible (about12-15) times, reading good Christian literature, hearing and preaching numerous sermons and Bible lessons, serving as a pastor in two churches, earning B.S. and M.A. degrees in Biblical studies, missions, and theology, teaching Bible and preaching courses in college, and studying the Church Fathers, ethics and more in two years of Ph.D. course work.

Over these years, however, I was hungering for a more consistently victorious Christian life. I had some areas of my life (thoughts, words, actions, attitudes) in which sin was sometimes the victor instead of the vanquished. I didn’t know how to take the “next step” (if there was one) to live a life more pleasing to God—a life of true holiness.

For the first half of this period of searching I was under the influence of “Keswick” (pronounced without the “w”) teaching on (what was variously called) the deeper life, higher life, crucified life, surrendered life and other such labels. Most of the key points of Keswick teaching are found in Romans 6-8, especially chapter 6. I learned that even though I had been crucified with Christ, in order to have victory over sin I had to continually “reckon” (count, consider) myself dead to sin and alive to God, and surrender my will, hopes, ambitions and all of my “self” to God. I also had to present my body and the parts of my body to God, not to sin. Victory over sin was available to those who did these things, and who “let go and let God.” Human effort and struggle were not emphasized in Keswick theology.

While I knew that these teachings were biblical, I felt there was something more I was not seeing, or not being taught. I longed for holiness more and more, but sin was still a bothersome presence.

During my years under Keswick theology I was also reading many books in the Reformed or Calvinistic tradition. While a good number of these works helped me significantly in increasing my thirst for God, I was not able to find the way to positive spiritual living.

Reformed theology emphasizes the inbred nature of sin in every person, even born-again Christians who have the indwelling Holy Spirit. There is a way of living righteously, however, by reading the Bible and being faithful in prayer, and by refusing the lures of the tempter.

While both Keswick and Reformed teaching are based in the Bible, and overlap in essential points, they both left me with a negative view of the extent of godliness possible in this life. The Keswick approach so stressed our death with Christ and living the crucified life that it tended to neglect the resurrection life. And the Reformed approach stressed our inbred sinfulness so much that it failed to present a robust picture—attainable in this life—of the joyful, holy, Spirit-filled person we may become.

One Reformed theologian friend of mine told me he believes there is an element of sin in everything he does, even when he is worshipping God or helping others. Sin is ever-present in the life of every Christian, he believes, and taints all that we do and are.  We must continue to struggle upward, even though we regularly slip back down the hillside.

After 20 years into my Christian life I was more frustrated than ever. I confessed every sin that I was aware of, and I knew that God forgave me, but I did not really expect to live as a consistent conqueror in Christ. Perhaps Romans 7 (“what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate, I do”) was the best any Christian can hope for in this life. Yet I did not believe that! And I determined that I was not going to settle for that!

Late one night in our small two-bedroom apartment, after Judy and our girls had been asleep for hours, I was reading some of the writings of John Wesley. It was very quiet, Judy was asleep on our bed next to my desk, and I was reading for my work toward the Ph.D. degree. But, as indicated above, I had been hungering for a more God-honoring life. I was poor and needy and spiritually weak. I longed to be drenched and filled with the water of holiness that I knew God had for his children.

In the stillness, about 1:00 a.m. I suppose, I was reading one of Wesley’s sermons. God saw this hungry soul—one who had been saved by his grace for 20 years—and came to him with the breakthrough he had been seeking all these years.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *  *  *

The Greatest Truth I had ever heard, and ever expect to hear, is that the eternal God took on a human body, lived like you and me, was murdered, rose by his own power and now lives forever to draw all people to him. Those who come to him sincerely, in whatever condition they are, are welcomed into his eternal family because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in our place.

The Second Greatest Truth was about to be revealed to me. However, because I have exceeded my (self-imposed) word limit I will need to continue this account in my next posting.

Expect the Fire

Bob Rakestraw
April 3, 2012

“The Benediction Project”
http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com


12. Preaching and Preachers, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Zondervan, 1971), pp. 325.


Most people enjoy a public speaker who has something substantial to say and says it with clarity, creativity, and enthusiasm. Even if we are walking by a political rally and don’t care to hear about the cause being promoted, we may stop and listen a while just because of the speaker’s intriguing ideas and dynamic style of communicating. One famous preacher said, “When you preach, be on fire; at least people will come to see you burn.”

In Preachers and Preaching Martyn Lloyd-Jones focuses on the preparation and delivery of sermons. Everything in this book builds on the conviction that during the preparing and preaching of the message there must be the presence and power of the Holy Spirit at work. This should be true of every sermon preached from every pulpit every time.

The most powerful way this book has influenced my life and ministry (teaching as well as preaching) has been through this persistent and consistent emphasis on the Spirit. Lloyd-Jones is both convinced and convincing concerning his thesis because it is based solidly on scripture and experience.

This is not a formal textbook on homiletics—the art and science of preaching. It is, rather, almost completely a transcript of a series of lectures the author presented at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia during six weeks in the spring of 1969. He was speaking, as he says, in a “conversational and intimate style” about “the various detailed problems and questions that [ministerial students] have often put to me privately, and which have also often been discussed in ministers meetings.”

Even though Lloyd-Jones writes, “I can say quite honestly that I would not cross the road to listen to myself preaching,” many thousands of people did just that, and most of them traveled much farther than across the road. During his most active ministerial years the author—a former heart doctor—was the pastor of two churches: eleven and a half years in South Wales and thirty years (1938-1968) at Westminster Chapel, London.

He was the most outstanding preacher of his day, and was especially known for his expository preaching—working from one specific text of the Bible and allowing the Spirit to “expose” the truth in it by a sustained and rigorous examination of the content and its implications. He also taught expositorily. I remember reading that he taught a weekly Bible study attended by 1200 people—on Friday nights in London! He spent years just teaching through the book of Romans in these sessions.

I wish I had discovered this remarkable book much earlier in my life, instead of serving for 17 years of ordained ministry before reading it. When I obtained the book, however, in 1984, I devoured it. While my years serving as a senior pastor were then behind me, I continued doing guest preaching and interim pastoral ministry until my poor health necessitated the end of my preaching. In the later part of my preaching career, after I read and thought deeply about this God-inspired book, I experienced a distinctly heightened awareness of spiritual power and authority in my preparation and preaching. This was no small thing to me. Actually, it was glorious!

After I had preached several sermons led by this growing and gripping power of the Spirit, a man came to me with great seriousness in his face and voice, and said that my past few sermons had been definitely more powerful and convicting (my paraphrase) than my previous sermons. He had sat under my weekly preaching for years before this, so while I rejoiced in his comment I also regretted that I did not fully grasp the liberating and quickening ministry of the Spirit previously.

In the last chapter—the most stirring—Lloyd-Jones quotes Paul’s words to the Corinthian church: “The kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.” He then adds: “There is no text, perhaps, of which we need to be reminded so much at the present time as just that.” He also revels in the truth of First Thessalonians: “For our gospel came not to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance.”

Lloyd-Jones concludes the book with a strong plea. “What then are we to do about this? There is only one obvious conclusion. Seek Him! Seek Him! ... But go beyond seeking him; expect him. Do you expect anything to happen when you get up to preach in a pulpit? … Seek this power, expect this power, yearn for this power; and when the power comes, yield to Him. Do not resist. Forget all about your sermon if necessary. Let Him loose you. Let Him manifest His power in you and through you. … Nothing but a return of this power of the Spirit on our preaching is going to avail us anything. … It is the greatest need of all today.”

Searching for Truth

Bob Rakestraw

“The Benediction Project”
http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com


11. Christian Theology(Second Edition), Millard J. Erickson (Baker, 1998), 1312 pp. First published as three separate volumes: 1983, 1984, 1985.


Two thousand years ago Pilate uttered (seemingly in frustration) the famous words, “What is truth?” The very definition of truth, how one can know truth and test for truth, whether any truth is absolute, and whose truth is the “truer” truth—all of these questions, and more, have been swirling in the eddies of vast and often murky philosophical and theological waters for many centuries, and will be with us until the end of time.

Millard Erickson is a valuable contributor to the never-ending quest for truth. He has been a distinguished professor of theology in several leading seminaries, including the school where I served most recently before retirement, Bethel Theological Seminary. He is an outstanding scholar and prolific writer, noted for his method of interacting not only with ancient, medieval and modern theologians, but also with the most recent thinkers and the latest controversies. Erickson is the author of dozens of highly regarded works of theology.

The most comprehensive and influential of all of Erickson’s works is Christian Theology. It is his magnum opus, and has had widespread use in dozens of colleges and seminaries both within and outside of the United States. As a professor I used it mostly in the three volume set, but some in the revised one-volume edition of 1998. It was my primary classroom text for fifteen years, and served well at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. My students greatly profited from it, as I did.

The twofold way this work shaped me and helped me since I first started using it is that it served as a clear and comprehensive overview and review of much that I had learned in my educational pilgrimage, and it taught me and deepened my knowledge in areas where I was not well informed. I agreed with many of Erickson’s conclusions, disagreed with some, but always benefitted from the reverent, biblically-grounded and scholarly manner with which Erickson wrote.

All of the main theological loci are covered here, from the nature of God, the nature of revelation, creation, sin, humanity, the person and work of Christ (Erickson excels here), salvation, and every other division of theology.

Even those who say they want to learn about the great Christian truths from the Bible, not from man-made theology books, will be very grateful for this volume if they read it. Like me, they will be shaped by the topics studied, the questions raised and the proposals offered. The book will influence both your mind and heart, and will prepare you for further discovery in the never-ending search for truth.

Amazing Grace Books That Have Shaped Me - Part Seven

Bob Rakestraw

“The Benediction Project”
http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com


10. Grace Unlimited, Clark H. Pinnock, editor (Bethany Fellowship, 1975), 264 pp.


This book came to me at a crucial time in my life and ministry. There was a crisis coming, and I knew I had to face it soon. I was just finishing my second year as pastor of a Baptist church in New Jersey, and the pastoral responsibility that gave me the deepest satisfaction was preaching. I thoroughly enjoyed both the sermon preparation and the sermon delivery. As in most churches, our Sunday morning service was considered the major gathering time for the church members and all others who wished to attend.

As I stood at the pulpit preaching, I was always aware of the possibility that some in attendance might not be true followers of Jesus Christ. In light of this, I always—at some time during the sermon—explained in brief the message of the Bible that everyone is sinful and needs to respond to God’s invitation to come to him, through the cross of Jesus Christ, to be saved for time and eternity. I always included a plea to those present who had never received Christ in true repentance and faith to “receive him now—today!”

But I had a problem, and it was growing worse every Sunday. Basically, it had to do with my telling the truth. When I urged people to “come to Christ today,” whether they were regular attenders or visitors, I would also emphasize that God was reaching out to them and to all people to bring them by his grace into his spiritual family. God longs for everyone to be saved.

My difficulty was that I was becoming more and more aware of a contradiction in my mind between this open invitation to come to Christ and the idea that everyone—before his or her birth—has been predestined to go either to heaven or hell, and nothing can change God’s sovereign decree.

The latter view, which has come to be known as the Calvinistic or Reformed view of salvation, is in contrast with the Arminian or Wesleyan view that I was preaching. My issue was that I regarded myself as a Calvinist, because I felt that Calvinism was what the Bible taught, yet I was preaching as an Arminian. The tension within me was becoming unbearable. I knew I needed to present the truth of the Bible consistently, no matter what the consequences would be. Yet, what was the truth?

When I came to the church as pastor two years earlier I did not have this problem. I was a Calvinist, but a reluctant one, because the “horrible decree” (John Calvin’s own words) of predestination was extremely difficult to accept, both in my mind and in my heart. Yet I was determined to be faithful to God’s Word. God’s ways were just and good, and his wisdom was past finding out.

When I offered an invitation on Sunday mornings before my conversion from Calvinism to Arminianism, I would qualify my words enough so that they did not contradict my Reformed theology. “I urge you, if you sense God working in your heart right now, drawing you to himself, then come to him in repentance and faith to receive his gift of salvation. God will not turn away anyone who comes to him.” Of course, in my mind, I assured myself that my words were biblical because the only ones who would come to God were those who had been predestined to do so. They, and they alone, are given true repentance and saving faith. So my words in themselves were true, but I felt insincere by leaving out the huge Calvinistic qualifications.

As time progressed I felt I could no longer perform these mental gymnastics on Sunday mornings. I began to study in a fresh, new way the biblical teachings on how people come to Christ. I studied the major scriptures that seemed to support Calvinism and the major scriptures that seemed to support Arminianism. Gradually I was returning to the Arminian view that I had held for my first several years as a new Christian. And I was becoming more and more excited about this renewed theology that was fitting together harmoniously and biblically. I no longer felt discomfort while I was inviting people to come to Christ.

Grace Unlimited, contending for the Arminian view, came along at just this time. My switch from Calvinism back to Arminianism was pretty well complete by the time I discovered this book. Even so, I simply devoured it. So many of the biblical teachings explained in this valuable book were points that I had discovered already. These twelve essays confirmed over and over the truths I had been finding, and explained and refined them even more clearly.

In addition to his introduction and article, editor Clark Pinnock includes essays from I. Howard Marshall, Grant R. Osborne, David J.A. Clines, Vernon C. Grounds and other highly-esteemed scholars—all building a solid and biblically consistent case for Arminianism. (I really don’t care for the labels Calvinist and Arminian, but they are so widely used I decided to stick with them.)

Even though the church congregation had no idea of my recent struggles, I felt a freshness and a freedom as I preached, counseled, served and lived daily. While I have numerous Calvinistic friends—ones I have respected deeply for many years—I have to live and serve God according to the scriptures as I see them.

This is all God asks of any of us. He does not expect us—whether Calvinists or Arminians—to devise a flawless theological system with no loose ends, no questions unanswered, and no elements of mystery. But he does ask us to study his word with diligence, open-minded attention to other views, honesty, humility, and with an eagerness to believe and obey what we are finding. He also asks us to love and respect all people, including those with whom we disagree on predestination and the universal salvific will of God.

Moral Absolutes—Do They Conflict?

Bob Rakestraw


“The Benediction Project”
http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com


After a two-month bypass on “What I Most Love Doing,” I now return to the series on “Books That Have Shaped Me.” As I stated previously these are not necessarily the best books on their respective topics, nor were they at the time they were published. They are however, the books that have had the greatest influence, one way or another, on my life, thinking and ministry.


9. Ethics: Alternatives and Issues, by Norman L. Geisler (Zondervan, 1971), 270 pp.

This was my first book on Christian Ethics. It’s primary value to me is that it gave me a framework to think about approaches to God’s moral absolutes, and how these differing approaches influence one’s whole life in this world.

Geisler’s book consists of two parts: ethical alternatives (part one) and ethical issues (part two) such as war, sex and euthanasia. In the first part, which was the most eye-opening to me, and the focus of my remarks here, Geisler lays out the six basic views on moral norms. Norms are ethical laws, rules, commands, guidelines or (in some cases) absolutes. They are statements that tell us what to do or not do, such as “Do not defraud another person” or “Be kind to others.”

Antinomianism says that there are no moral laws. It is neither right nor wrong to steal something; just do what seems most convenient for you. Situationism (sometimes called situation ethics) says that there is only one moral absolute—the law of love. You may steal if it’s the most “loving” way to help a needy person. Generalism claims that there are some general laws but no absolute ones. It is generally wrong to steal, but in some cases one may make an exception.

Bible-believing Christians rightly reject (in theory) these three options, but the latter two tend to infiltrate the church and corrupt Christian behavior when God’s people do not live in close fellowship with him nor read and meditate in the scriptures regularly.

The following three ethical alternatives are more acceptable to Christ-followers. Non-conflicting absolutism (sometimes called unqualified absolutism or the third-alternative position) believes in many moral absolutes which never conflict. They may appear to conflict at times but in truth do not. There are apparent moral dilemmas but no genuine moral dilemmas. A hungry man should never steal because “Thou shalt not steal” is an absolute moral norm.

Conflicting absolutism (sometimes called ideal absolutism or the lesser-evil view) holds that there are many moral absolutes that truly do conflict at times, and in such cases one is obligated to do the lesser evil. If you have a very hungry family at home, and you work in a silver mine but will not be paid for several days, it is better for you to steal some silver ore to sell for food money than to let your family go hungry.

Hierarchicalism (sometimes called graded absolutism or the greater-good view) affirms that God’s many absolute moral laws actually do conflict at times, and in such cases we are to obey the higher law. In conflicting absolutism, mentioned above, we are to choose the lesser evil, while admitting that it is an evil deed, and confessing it as sin.

With hierarchicalism we choose between two options, each of which is good. We need to determine which is better. In the case of the poor silver miner, if you believe that taking some ore is the greater good, then you are not sinning. You are doing what is morally right, because the absolute to provide food for one’s hungry family is a higher norm than the absolute not to steal.

Most Bible-believing Christians who give thought to the matter prefer non-conflicting absolutism (my view) or hierarchicalism (Geisler’s position). A smaller percentage opt for the lesser-evil approach, although the idea that we are morally obligated to sin in certain situations seems so bizarre that this view will probably never have a large following among Christians.

I hold to my position rather than Geisler’s because, although we both believe that God reveals numerous absolute norms in the Bible, I do not believe (as does Geisler) that these moral absolutes actually conflict. I find it extremely difficult to be convinced that God has given absolutes in such a way that, at times, one of them must (not “may”) be disregarded.

In a conflict situation such as stealing to save lives, I believe that God, who is a wise, compassionate and powerful lawgiver (Psalm 119), and who knows we are weak and ignorant of many things (including possible outcomes), will strengthen the heart, mind and will of those who trust in him to care for their starving loved ones without requiring theft to accomplish that.

Having said all this, I am very grateful for this book. Even though I disagree with the author I hold him in very high esteem as a brilliant and faithful servant of Jesus Christ. Also, Norm, I thank you for treating me to the delicious Vietnamese egg rolls at the busy lunch spot by Dallas Theological Seminary when I visited you there a long time ago.

To conclude, I need to mention that the book under review has been replaced by Geisler’s more recent work, Christian Ethics: Options and Issues (Baker, 1989). While his basic approach to the apparent conflict of moral absolutes remains the same, he has updated and modified some of his views on specific ethical issues such as abortion. In addition, if you wish to pursue the complexities of this topic further, you may refer to pages 113-176 in Readings in Christian Ethics, Volume 1: Theory and Method, edited by David K. Clark and myself (Baker, 1994). These pages contain selections from Geisler, from me, and from other scholars on the subject matter of this posting.

What I Most Love Doing – Part Two

Bob Rakestraw


“The Benediction Project”
http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com


Greetings to each of you dear readers! I trust that your celebrations of the birth of Jesus included some awareness of and experiencing of the gentle yet powerful grace of God unleashed by the miracle of the Incarnation.

In this posting I will offer five more categories of “What I most love doing.” You may wish to read the post of November 30, 2011 before reading these thoughts.


Spending Time with Family and Friends

While actually an introvert by nature, I am still a “people-person.” It is a privilege and pleasure to talk with, eat with and play with my dear family members, and to interact with good friends. Substantial, stimulating conversation is a special treat. In the interest of full disclosure, however, I should add that time with family and friends, while priceless, is becoming more and more difficult for me due to my failing heart and difficult breathing.


Spending Time with God

This activity and the one following are my favorites of the ten items in these two blog postings. Which of these has priority? Well, they intertwine quite a bit, but I have to say that spending time with God is what I love doing most.

I find that sitting in bed, stretching out on a recliner, and sitting at my home office desk are three postures/places that are most conducive to listening to God, confessing to God, offering praises to God, and discussing with God the needs of others and myself. Sometimes I am reading the Bible during this time, sometimes I am reading stimulating literature, and sometimes I am just floating along weaving in and out of the above practices and subject matter.


Resting and Thinking Good Thoughts

As indicated above, this activity overlaps significantly with the previous one. One way I distinguish these two is my posture. In resting I am more horizontal, while in spending time with God I am somewhat more vertical (from my waist up, that is—I rarely stand or kneel, and I walk only enough to transport my anatomy from point A to point B).

I call this category “resting and thinking good thoughts.” Some of the time I fall asleep, but often I lie on the bed with no need for sleep—just rest and restoration. I love these times, not because I can simply “do nothing,” but because I can do everything—in my mind. I might close my eyes and recite a list of things very important to me (such as my top twelve scripture texts) or place myself (in my thoughts) in the middle of an adventure story that I make up as I go along. Or I teach a class or preach a sermon. I am in my glory (actually God’s glory) during these times.


Entertaining Myself

Lest some of you doubt that I am normal, I do enjoy good entertainment and things that are just plain fun. Because I seldom leave the house, however, my fun activities are now much more limited than ever: listening to music, listening to talk radio, playing computer games, romancing, playing table games, enjoying food and drink, doing crossword puzzles, reading, and watching television about thirty to sixty minutes a day. I also enjoy sitting or lying in the yard, as long as I am totally in the shade. Because I am immunosuppressed I must be diligent about avoiding sunlight, which may cause—and already has in my case—skin cancer.


Participating in the Work of God Around the World

My final activity—the last category of things I most love doing—is being actively involved in the work of the Holy Spirit advancing Christ’s kingdom ministry through love, justice and mercy.

I deliberately used the word “actively” even though I cannot pack groceries for local and global folks in need, work a telephone crisis hotline, or help caulk a drafty house in Uzbekistan or Minneapolis. I no longer preach or teach in formal settings, nor do I attend planning meetings for wholistic ministry strategy or participate in group prayer meetings.

I try, however, to be alert to and active in the great advancement of God’s kingdom around the world. I write both for national and international audiences. I follow closely several excellent publications that document the exciting developments in my country and many others. I pray for specific missionaries and ministries, including my own church, and find great delight in being able to give financially so that others may continue to do the works of Jesus in this terribly needy world.

Well, these are a few of my favorite things. As I said in the previous posting, I am not presenting these items as some ideal list. Your list may look different, but as long as you try to put down on paper what you most enjoy doing and actually do, I believe you will be helped greatly as you set the direction for the rest of your life. A truly blessed New Year to each of you!