Be Counter Cultural, Have a Lot of Children

Al Mohler had a interesting post yesterday about the way society views large families. I wanted to post on an experience I recently had that ties in with what Mohler said.

I work part time at West Virginia University. As with most college campuses it is filled with your rank and file liberals who believe they are being different by being like everyone else. I was in a conversation where I was being castigated for not taking my plastic bottle down the hall to the recycle bin. A young lady claimed that it was irresponsible. Then a friend of her's added, with a negative tone, "remember he has created six consumers." At this both of them sneered a bit. This was a reference to my children. (The sixth one is not yet here.) It was clear that these two ladies found my large family to be a waste and overall a detriment to society. I am not doing my part to save the environment. How can the earth handle more consumers!!! And the mantra goes on and on.

If these girls truly wished to swim against the flow and not just spout off standard rhetoric, they would find a good husband and have lots of children. For all the words spoken in the college setting about begin unique and finding your individuality, most students and faculty go with the flow and think just like everyone else. There is a range of ideas, but it is generally a very small range. It is rather odd to think this way, but those of us with large families are this society's rebels. We are the ones fighting against the standard political rhetoric that children are a drain on society. We are the ones shaking our fist at the establishment. It is a strange position to be in, but I for one am glad to take up that mantle.

Predestination and Creation

I am reading through several of John Calvin's works. It is difficult to think of man whose writings are as rich in Scriptural insight and pastoral theology as Calvin's are. I am continually amazed by the relevance of what he wrote. Here are a few quotes from his book, Concerning the Eternal Predestination of God. The final quote is actually Calvin quoting Augustine to prove his point.

Those who suggest that they were ordained [to salvation] by the motion of their own heart deserve no more refutation that those who say the world was created by itself. (p. 104)

Nothing higher is demanded of us than that we be sons of God...The more anyone tries to invade and penetrate those profound recesses of the divine counsel, the further he recedes from God. (p. 113)

Attend to who God is and who you are. He is God, you are man. Should you think you are talking of justice, is the fount of justice dried up? You as a man expect an answer from me. But I also am a man. Let us both therefore listen to one who speaks: O man, who art thou? Better is the ignorance of faith than the temerity of knowledge! Seek for merit, and you will find only punishment. O the height and the depth! Peter denies, the thief believes. O the height and the depth! You ask a reason. I stand in awe before the height and the depth. You ratiocinate [to think or argue logically], I admire; you dispute, I believe. I see the height, but I do not comprehend the depth. Paul rests quietly because he found wonder. He calls the judgments of God inscrutable-do you mean to scrutinise them? He say His ways are past finding out-do you suppose to find them out? Similarly in another place he [Augustine] says: Will you dispute with me? Rather admire with me and exclaim: O the height and the depth! Let us agree to tremble together lest together we perish in error. (p. 118)

Science and the Trinity

I have quoted previously from Ralph Smith's Trinity and Reality. Here is another quote where he extols the virtues of a Christian view of science.

This view of creation [a biblical view] also makes the purpose of science very clear. Science is not the pursuit of ultimate answers, but penultimate answers-answers that will make us better stewards of the world. Science gives us the tools that extend our understanding in order to gain wisdom for dominion. From a Christian perspective, therefore, the work of science is a vital aspect of man's fulfillment of his historical destiny. Man cannot develop the creation to its full potential without the work of science. (p. 65)

Hollow Trees, Fruitful Branches

As a pastor, one question that must be grappled with is how to deal with people who want to join your church. How does a pastor decide whether to allow some to join his church or not? What is necessary to consider someone a Christian? Must a person go through a new members class to be brought fully into the church? Denominations also add a level of difficulty to the situation.

All those who are baptized in the Triune name are part of the Church, unless they have been excommunicated. It does not matter whether someone is a Methodist or Roman Catholic or Lutheran, their baptism has brought them into the Body of Christ. However, there are entire denominations on the edge of apostasy. For example, the PCUSA as well as the Episcopal Church are well on their way to being hollow in their confession of Christ. There are also several denominations that are solid in teaching biblical, orthodox truth. Notables are the PCA and the Southern Baptists. One may think that I would treat someone from a Episcopal church differently than a person from a PCA church. They would be wrong in this assumption. Even if the denomination is hollow, there may be members within it who are fruitful. In fact, they may be seeking a transfer in membership for that very reason.

The individual's situation and the specific church they are coming from are what need to be considered. We should not say someone is coming from the Episcopal Church, but rather they are coming from Redeemer Episcopal Church across town. The denomination should not determine their entrance into our local body. But still the denomination matters because doctrine matters. If a Roman Catholic wanted to join our church, I would want to sit down with them and make sure they understood the differences and were willing to submit to the elders. The same goes for any other church where the teaching varies widely from what we believe. I think this is why the specific church matters a lot. While a denomination is drifting from the faith, there are often good ministers and churches within the denomination. A pastor should not assume that just because a person is coming from a corrupt denomination that they have received corrupt teaching.

Here is the process I think should be used when someone seeks to join a specific local body. The person/family should be invited over to the pastor's house, so the pastor can get to know them better. Depending upon the size of the church this could be done by an elder. Contact should also be made with the church they are transferring from to make sure the person is not under church discipline. If the person is not under discipline and they have been baptized in the Triune name, then they should be transferred in without delay, perhaps taking some vows to submit to the elders and promote the peace and unity of the church. A new members or catechism class is fine, as long as it is not a requirement to join. Failure to agree on all the details of theology, immaturity, or general prickliness are no reasons to keep someone from joining your church.

Marriage as Death: The Wife's Role

Here are some notes from a sermon I preached two weeks ago. These are bare bones. I will try to post some on the following sermon for husbands some time next week.

Marriage as Death: Ephesians 5:22-33

Introduction
Having a good marriage is not simply about studying the “practical” stuff in the Scriptures. Men you want to be good husbands study the life of Christ. Matthew can be as big a help in marriage as Proverbs. Women if you want to be good wives study the Church. Revelation can be a big a help in marriage as Ephesians 5 is.

Context
Here in Ephesians 5:22-33 Paul is expanding on his discussion of what it means to be filled with the Spirit. Paul tells the church at Ephesus that they are not to get drunk with wine, but rather are to be filled with the Spirit. This filling is described by four characteristics.
1. Speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
2. Singing & making melody in our hearts
3. Giving thanks always
4. Submitting to one another

Then under this final category of submitting Paul goes on to give us three specific relationships in which submission is required and how that submission looks.
1. Husbands and Wives
2. Parents and Children
3. Slaves and Masters

Body of the Sermon
Wives and husbands are each given one central command. Wives are told to submit to their own husbands as to the Lord. Husbands are told to love their wives as Christ loved the Church. For wives what is in view is Christ’s office. When they see their husbands they are to see a lord and king, who loves them. For husbands what is in view is the work of Christ. Husbands are to constantly be asking themselves does my work in my wife's life bear resemblance Christ's work in and for the life of the Church.

For many wives this passage is very familiar and therefore we can assume that we know what is being said. More than that we can assume that we are obeying the commands put forth here. With familiarity often comes assumptions. This can be deadly if we do not put our lives under the spotlight. Wives do not assume that just because you know this passage that you are actually obeying it.

It is also very easy to take the edge off of this passage. We like to add qualifiers and “yeah, buts” to Paul’s admonition. But Paul never backs away from what is said here. It is the straight stuff. When a wife hears her husband she is supposed to hear the voice of Christ. She is supposed to listen as the sheep listen to the shepherd. (John 10:4, 27)

A wife by submitting to her husband is protected from submitting to other men who would seek to degrade or take advantage of her. By following the commands given by Paul she is actually setting up a barrier around herself. Too many women do not see this and end up submitting to various people, especially employers, because they do not submit to their husband.

It is important to have a proper view of the Church if we are to have a proper view of women. The picture Paul has is not a meek, quiet woman who is stuck in the corner somewhere why her husband does the important work. The picture of the Church given to us in Scripture is quite different from what we see in many Amish cultures and the like. The Church is glorious, powerful, a queen who has the King of Kings as her groom. She is not to be trifled with. The Church cries out to her Lord and regularly lifts prayers up to Him. The Church in the end will be robed with glory and garments of white. A wife should seek to be a living, incarnate image of the Church. As we will discuss next week, a husband should seek to make sure she becomes that.

Here are a few diagnostic questions for wives to ask to see how they are doing.

Is your default set to yes? Do you regularly question your husband’s decisions? Is your initial reaction to one of his ideas positive or negative? Are you constantly reviewing in your mind the things that could go wrong if your husband decides to go through with it?

Do you see your husband as lord? (I Peter 3:6) We do not live in the Middle Ages anymore, but you still need to see him as a king. More specifically your king.

Do you seek to glorify him? This is a primary purpose of the Church. She is to bring glory to Christ. Are you imaging the Church in this area. Are his vocation and interests central for you? Do you find yourself downplaying the importance of what he is doing? Do you publically lift him up?

Do you make small things big? Do you take minor disagreements and make them into major ones? If you do this is a sign that you are not properly submitting to him.