Alan Hardy’s Blog

All error on the subject of justification springs from defective views on the spiritual requirements of God’s law. The key things that bring this about are that we underestimate our sinfulness or overestimate the virtues of our personal character.

We often speak of good works, but without thinking about makes a work good. The following conditions may be useful to help us reckon whether our good deeds have truly satisified the requirements of God’s law.

A right motive

If a work isn’t done with a right motive, the work may be materially good, yet morally evil. Works such as prayer to God, giving to the poor, and fasting for the mortification of sin, are actions which are good in their own nature, and yet if they be done ‘to be seen of men’, they are utterly desecrated by that corrupt motive, and become examples of abominable hypocrisy.

Conformity with God’s law

If a work is in violation of God’s law, it cannot be a ‘good work’, whatever the motive from which it springs, for the motive cannot consecrate a sin, nor can the end justify the means.

Obedience to God’s will

If a work isn’t done in obedience to God’s will, it may be in conformity with the letter of His law, but is utterly destitute of its spirit. It is a godless morality which places conscience on the throne of God, and creates an autonomy within, independent of Him who is the supreme lawgiver, governor, and judge. It may indicate some sense of duty, or at least of prudence, while those who practise it have ‘no fear of God before their eyes’, and may never have yielded, in any one action of their lives, a dutiful submission to his authority.

An expression of love, supreme towards God, disinterested towards men

If a work isn’t an expression of real heartfelt love, supreme towards God, and disinterested toward men, it has no right to a place among the duties of either table of God’s Law; for the first and great commandment is, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart’ and the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’.

Directed to God’s glory as its end

If a work is done without regard to God’s glory, it is a dereliction of our chief end, for in our most virtuous actions we may ‘fall short of the glory of God’.

If men could only be brought to understand and believe, that these are really the requirements of God’s Law, and if they would then apply them seriously as tests of their conduct and springs of action, their own conscience would ‘bear witness’ against them, and no other argument would be needed to prove that, as sinners, we cannot be justified by Works.

Adapted from Buchanan, Justification. Pp 352-3

It’s amazing what you find in the bargain bin at Koorong. It was there that I scooped a hardcover copy of Marcus Loane’s Oxford and the Evangelical Succession - a set of five biographies, including Whitfield and Newton. Not a great sacrifice for five dollars - a highly recommended read.

Also on Koorong’s rubbish rack for $10 was The Doctrine of Justification by James Buchanan. Widely read that I am (not), I’d never heard of him. After a flick through the forward it looked worth the punt.

It turns out to be quite a treasure. Thus far in my reading, Buchanan is detailing the evangelical instruction contained in the Old Testament. His bit on the Psalms had me captivated and I reproduce it here at some length for your benefit.

Concerning the Book of Psalms, he wrote, “It may be safely affirmed, that every point in the Gospel doctrine of Justification is there brought out by anticipation, and strikingly exhibited in connection with the faith and worship of Old Testament believers.

• There is the same confession of sin : “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Ps 14:1);
• There is the same conviction of guilt and demerit : “If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquity, 0 Lord, who shall stand?” (Ps 130:4,7);
• There is the same fear of God’s righteous judgment : “Visit me not in Thy wrath, chasten me not in Thy hot displeasure (Ps 6:1);
• There is the same sense of inevitable condemnation on the ground of God’s Law: “Enter not into judgment with Thy servant, for in Thy sight shall no flesh living be justified” (Ps 143:2);
• There is the same earnest cry for undeserved mercy : “Have mercy upon me O Lord, according to Thy loving-kindness; according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions” (Ps 51:1);
• There is the same faith in His revealed character as the just God and the Saviour : “Good and upright is the Lord; therefore will He teach sinners in the way” (Ps 25:8);
• There is the same hope of pardon, resting on a propitiation; for “with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption (Ps 130:7);
• There is the same pleading of God’s name, or the glory of all His perfections : “For thy name’s sake, 0 Lord, pardon mine iniquity, for it is great” (Ps 25:11);
• There is the same joy and peace in believing; for “blessed is the people that know the joyful sound : they shall walk, 0 Lord, in the light of Thy countenance ; in thy name shall they rejoice all the day” (Ps 89:15-16);
• There is the same trust in God and the faithfulness of His promises : “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever ; with my mouth will I make known Thy faithfulness to all generations; for mercy shall be built up for ever, Thy faithfulness shalt Thou establish in the very heavens” (Ps 89:1-2);
• There is the same trust in the Saviour of sinners : “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way ; blessed are all they that put their trust in Him” (Ps 2:12);
• There is the same confidence in another righteousness than their own: “Behold, 0 God, our shield, and look on the face of Thine Anointed” (Ps 84:9);
• There is the same patient, persevering, hopeful waiting upon God : “My soul, wait thou only upon God, for my expectation is from Him ; He only is my rock and my salvation : He is my defence ; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us” (Ps 62:5-8).”

Source: James Buchanan. The Doctrine of Justification: An Outline of Its History in the Church and of Its Exposition from Scripture. Solid Ground, Birmingham (USA) 2006. Pp 42-44. Reformatting to bullets mine.

” … Jehu destroyed Baal worship in Israel. However, he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit–the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.” 2 Kings 10:28-29

Chapters 9 and 10 of II Kings describe how Jehu didn’t mess around in establishing his throne. But although he was zealous to rid Israel of the worship of Baal, Jehu didn’t challenge other established forms of idolatry.

It may be important to note here that Baal was a Philistine deity, whereas the worship of the golden calves was established by Jeroboam, one of Israel’s kings.

Does this help us to understand our own attitude to idolatry? Are we selective in what we root out? More specifically, are we less likely to clean the scene of idolatry which has its origins at home or is ‘part of the way we do things around here’? If this is true then is it because our culture blinds us (ie we don’t see it as idolatry) or is it just more difficult to let go because it is more tightly woven in to our daily practices?

“Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather” Matt 24:28

Tasker’s commentary on Matthew (IVP, 1978) suggests a couple of interpretations for this verse.

First, we can understand it based on the more immediate context in the passage of Christ’s return. Thus, according to Tasker, “when the world will become rotten with evil, the Son of Man and His angels will come to execute the divine judgement”. In this interpretation Christ and His cohort are understood to be the vultures.

A second interpretation is that it may refer to the fall of Jerusalem, foreshadowed in v22. Hence, the passing of the Old with the New Covenant meant that the rotting corpse of Judaism would naturally attract the eagles of Rome, depicted on the standards carried by the Roman armies.

A third option is that the passage conveys a general meaning that, when life passes from something, vultures take liberty with what remains. Perhaps it can describe how the working of sin in us, in concert with the powers who are eager to co-operate, is both to expedite death and to prey on that which is under its power. Their operation is so insidious that they will utilise anything to bring on this process, including the good things God has shared with us.

Luther describes this corruption of gifts in the Heidelberg Disputation. In thesis 24 he accounts that “man misuses the best in the worst manner”. The best which Luther speaks of is the law, which is “not of itself evil, nor … to be evaded”. However, once our confidence in the Cross is weakened, the law, intended to be a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ, becomes a tool for corruption.

Romans 2:15 describes how the law, which is written in the hearts of all men, alternately accuses and defends them. The law accuses us, becoming a mainspring of guilt, and we respond either through the Cross or by defending ourselves in self-justifying thoughts and works.

The work of the Cross is to free us from accusation and unite us to God through Christ. When we turn to self-reliance, and not to Christ, in our response to accusation then our faith becomes lifeless and the vultures gather for more.

Parenthood seems to involve two things, among others. One is leadership and nurturance: sharing wisdom, giving direction, setting boundaries, providing advice etc. The other is facilitating discovery and providing opportunity for freedom so that a child can benefit from real experience. Each of these is important and so is the way they are applied. It depends on the readiness of the child and whether the experience is helpful etc.

When either of these is applied in a distorted way then there are problems. An overly strict style of parenting, where forms and standards are enforced without freedom, can lead to rebellion or a stifled child who may be square or just an imitator of their parents, without their own convictions or sense of ownership or real understanding borne from experience.

On the other hand, when there is freedom without leadership then the child is left to work the world out by themselves without helpful guidance and protection. They can end up being exploited by others, stunted, deceived and damaged.

These two applications of parenthood mirror two key challenges that the child will encounter in adult life. That is, every adult has daily encounters which require them to act responsibly in a framework of freedom and restraint. Accordingly, when the duties of parenthood are applied in a balanced way, then it is good preparation for the freedom and restraint that the child will experience in adult life. An adult needs to live in a way in which they continue to receive wisdom, advice and instruction and to live within boundaries set for them. The child moves from having freedom made available to them by parents to having it made available to them by others. When they grow up they need to discern for themselves where the boundaries are and how to act within that freedom. Wise parents will prepare them for this.

We all like encouragement, don’t we, whether it comes in the form of some affirming circumstances or as someone coming alongside, building us up with some fortifying phrase.

This one from Hebrews 12:5-6 is probably not what we would like to hear. It refers to the word of encouragement that addresses you as sons, which is “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

I guess it shows once again: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. (Isaiah 55:8)

I stumbled across this article today - a really interesting read on the limits of Islam to foster scientific endeavour.

The following quote is enough of a teaser.

Social scientist Rodney Stark states that Islam does not have “a conception of God appropriate to underwrite the rise of science … Allah is not presented as a lawful creator but is conceived of as an extremely active God who intrudes in the world as he deems it appropriate. This prompted the formation of a major theological bloc within Islam that condemns all efforts to formulate natural laws in that they deny Allah’s freedom to act.”

Read on: http://www.globalpolitician.com/articledes.asp?ID=3768&cid=2&sid=2

I’ve pondered this one for a while now. Which one is more difficult to cope with - cancer or unemployment?

I was diagnosed with a testicular tumour in 1992, followed by a secondary tumour in the lymph nodes, the chemo treadmill and some rather wrenching surgery. We had just returned from L’Abri. We had no money - had to borrow from parents for a bond on a house. I had no job, no life insurance and Janelle was pregrant with our fifth child.

Against this backdrop, when confronted with the news, after a few days of crying out to God, I was comforted in several ways, which I can only describe as coming to me as a gift of faith.

• a clear knowledge that God was more capable than I as my family’s keeper, that He would never forsake them or leave them as orphans.
• a conviction that God was glorified in my life or my death and that His hand was utterly on whatever took place.
• a vivid picture of heaven; there seemed to be barely a membrane that separated me from it. The relationships there were warm and rich and I sensed a deep belonging there. At different moments this appeared as more real and more my home than this present life.
• a great assurance that my eternal destiny was in Christ’s hands.

With these comforts at hand, it seemed that letting go of this life was hardly a chore. Together they had the effect of placing me at rest, having dispelled any ideas that I should take charge of the situation (spiritually) or that what was happening was untimely, robbing me or the result of personal failure.

Unemployment has struck me in quite different ways. There have been several times as an adult in which I have had periods of up to six months without work.

First, unemployment does not readily appear as a challenge of faith. It seems to strike you as more of a personal failing. Perhaps it is for this reason that the problem is not shared more openly.

The second difference is the way in which unemployment is viewed by others. It became very clear to me when I had cancer how people view hardships unequally. We seem to swarm to help someone out with a terminal illness. Compare this to the way we in the church come alongside the deserted wife, the lonely, the socially awkward and the unemployed.

The upshot is that times of unemployment have been more challenging to me than dealing with cancer. My experience with cancer was that it affirmed my faith and strengthened my focus on God’s eternal plan. Unemployment has delivered no such sense of purpose. Rather it has been like being plunged in to a vacuum, where there seems to be no answers, but only a drain on every resource one has.

Perhaps this calls for a change in thinking. There are no hardships facing believers which God is absent from. Surely it is another valley of death-like shadows, like the psalmist referred to in Ps 23:4. And an occasion to cry out to see the faithfulness of God, praying along with Jehoshaphat:

… we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you. 2 Chron 20:12

And looking back on my experience, the answers do always come.

This is Session One from Money and Life, a seminar held at St Peters Anglican Church in September 2007.

As far as money is concerned, some things in life are beyond our control. We don’t choose the country in which we are born, which is a key factor affecting our scope of opportunity. We don’t choose whether we will be born in to wealth or whether we will be groomed by parents or mentors at some formative stage of life to manage our finances well; whether our broader social environment will endow us with vision or horizons which inspires us to amass wealth. Or whether by virtue of our vocation, our natural giftings, we have the capacity to earn well. We don’t choose whether we, by some other stroke of providence, have been in the right place at the right time to take advantage of some opportunity. As in the parable of the talents, where one was given five talents, another two, and another one, we have been endowed unequally.

However we are equal in a crucial way: not in how much we have or will have, but in the way in which we take what we have and use it responsibly and wisely.

What do you think about money? The question could rather be caged as what do we think about money? It is common enough to talk about the idea of a person’s worldview; their overall framework of beliefs about the ways things are, the way things should be. The thinkers who discuss these things extend this by talking about worldviews as bundles of belief that are shared among people in a culture, who live in the same period of time. If this is true then we might talk about my ideas on money, but we can also talk our ideas on money.

Read on: Money and Life

“He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need” Eph 4:28

At the outset this verse seems to be answering a ‘how do I live as a human being’ type of question. We can see a face value meaning readily enough: don’t steal, work at something useful, and in so doing have something to give to others; that in this way we can live as responsible members of society. It’s the beginnings of a Christian work ethic, of sorts.

But, we should hesitate to view the passage in isolation. It’s important first to understand Paul’s purpose in writing to the Ephesians and where the text is coming from in terms of its purpose, flow and content.

In the broadest view, Ephesians is concerned with “the eternal purposes of God, which He is fulfilling through His Son Jesus Christ, and working out in and through the Church” .

And Paul urges us to comprehend the breadth of these things, before he speaks to us about our manner of life and how we should behave. Consider his prayers in 1:18 (“that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” etc) and 3:18 (that you “may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ”).

There are a number of threads of thought which Paul keeps restating and these form a basis to understand the verse we have before us:

1. God’s purpose is to bring all things in heaven and earth under the headship of Christ. The church, as Christ’s body is swooped up in this grand task
2. The idea of us being God’s possession. Being His possession, we are called to be his workers.
3. God enables us to the task he has called us to. We are His workmanship and he is bringing us into conformity with what He is like.

Read on: Christians & Work