Romans 7 (and 8!) is normal

I think John Stott is wrong.

There, I said it. If you knew what a huge fan of Stott I am you would know how hard those 6 words are for me to type.

But I'm reading through his commentary on Romans 7 and he is dealing with the BIG question of Romans 7.... Who is the "I" of Romans 7... the cat who seems to do what he doesn't want to do and can't do what he wants to do

Options SEEM to be:
1.) An unconverted man (a nonXn)
2.) An Old Testament Christian
a.) Who loves the law. Only true Christian can
b.) but who lacks the Spirit
3.) A normal Christian
4.) An abnormal Christian, struggling too much with sin

Stott says he thinks Romans 7 is written from #2 perspective. If it is... I am toast. I'm so thankful that other heavyweights see it as #3. (John Murray, J.I. Packer, John Piper, James Boice, et al)

For what it is worth, the standard Puritan understanding of our Christian experience in this world, was Romans 7 & 8. Like this:
Romans 7: we sin like crazy, even against what we know and want often
Romans 8: but we have a rescuer who is granting us life in the Spirit, to put our sin to death... little by little

John Murray clarifies this state in his Principles of Conduct:

The believer is a new man, a new creation, but he is a new man not yet made perfect. Sin dwells in him still, and he still commits sin. He is necessarily the subject of progressive renewal; he needs to be transfigured into the image of the Lord from glory to glory.

Fred Malone writes:
Do not deny that Rom. 7:14-25 is the Christian. You will despair if you are honest with your soul. Do not think that you will ever (totally) get out of Rom. 7 into Rom. 8. If you do, you will chase a figment of men's theological imaginations which will destroy your assurance of salvation and blind you to the work of God in your soul or else it will foster a spiritual pride and antinomianism which may end up destroying your soul in hell. Rather, look into Rom. 7:14-25 and see the work of God begun in the Christian soul and rejoice that He has not left you alone to harden your conscience against sin. Rejoice that the dominion of sin is broken and he is leading you into deeper repentance, increased holiness, and greater dependence upon Christ and joy in His free and ever available grace. Then do with your people what Bunyan did: "I preached what I smartingly did feel."

The poor, struggling sinner who is erroneously told that the struggle with sin he or she is currently experiencing is a sign of defeat and that the person is not yet a Christian, or else has chosen not to take advantage of the victory offered to all those in Christ, should instead see the struggle with sin as proof that sanctification is actually taking place. --Kim Riddlebarger

sources:
http://www.founders.org/journal/fj02/article1.html
Romans 7 and the Normal Christian Life by Kim Ridddlebarger, in Modern Reformation

A picture

Wondering if this is helpful... i've just been trying it on since hearing it a few weeks ago in a sermon by John Piper:

Picture your marriage as a grassy field. You enter it at the beginning full of hope and joy. You look out into the future and you see beautiful flowers and trees and rolling hills. And that beauty is what you see in each other. Your relationship is the field and flowers and the rolling hills. But before long, you begin to step in cow pies. Some seasons of your marriage they may seem to be everywhere. Late at night they are especially prevalent. These are the sins and flaws and idiosyncrasies and weaknesses and annoying habits in you and your spouse. You try to forgive them and endure them with grace.

But they have a way of dominating the relationship. It may not even be true, but it feels like that’s all there is—cow pies. I think the combination of forbearance and forgiveness leads to the creation of a compost pile. And here you begin to shovel the cow pies. You both look at each other and simply admit that there are a lot of cow pies. But you say to each other: You know, there is more to this relationship than cow pies. And we are losing sight of that because we keep focusing on these cow pies. Let’s throw them all in the compost pile. When we have to, we will go there and smell it and feel bad and deal with it the best we can. And then, we are going to walk away from that pile and set our eyes on the rest of field. We will pick some favorite paths and hills that we know are not strewn with cow pies. And we will be thankful for the part of our field that is sweet.

Our hands may be dirty. And our backs may ache from all the shoveling. But one thing we know: We will not pitch our tent by the compost pile. We will only go there when we must. This is the gift of grace that we will give each other again and again and again—because we are chosen and holy and loved.

Sunday we sing "It is Well With My Soul"

This hymn was writ­ten (you are looking at the original) af­ter two ma­jor trau­mas in Horatio Spaf­ford’s life. The first was the great Chi­ca­go Fire of Oc­to­ber 1871, which ru­ined him fi­nan­cial­ly (he had been a weal­thy bus­i­ness­man). Short­ly af­ter, while cross­ing the At­lan­tic, all four of Spaf­ford’s daugh­ters died in a col­li­sion with an­o­ther ship. Spaf­ford’s wife Anna sur­vived and sent him the now fa­mous tel­e­gram, “Saved alone.” Sev­er­al weeks lat­er, as Spaf­ford’s own ship passed near the spot where his daugh­ters died, the Ho­ly Spir­it in­spired these words. They speak to the eter­nal hope that all be­liev­ers have, no mat­ter what pain and grief be­fall them on earth.

Words: Ho­ra­tio G. Spaf­ford, 1873.

Music: Ville du Havre, Phil­ip P. Bliss, 1876 (MI­DI, score). The tune is named af­ter the ship--Ville du Havre-- on which Spaf­ford’s child­ren per­ished, the S.S. Ville de Havre. Iron­ic­al­ly, Bliss him­self died in a tra­gic train wreck short­ly af­ter writ­ing this mu­sic.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

--his daughter Bertha Spafford Vester, born in 1878 later wrote:

In Chicago, Father searched his life for explanation. Until now, it had flowed gently as a river. Spiritual peace and worldly security had sustained his early years, his family life and his home....... All around him people were asking the unvoiced question; "What guilt had brought this sweeping tragedy to Anna and Hoaratio Spafford?" ..... Father became convinced that God was kind and that he would see his children again in heaven. This thought calmed his heart, but it was to bring Father into open conflict with what was then the Christian world........ On the way across the Atlantic, the captain called Mr. Goodwin and Father into his private cabin.

"A careful reckoning has been made," he told them, "and I believe we are now passing the place where the Ville du Havre was wrecked."

Father wrote to Aunt Rachel: On thursday last we passed over the spot where she went down, in mid-ocean, the water three miles deep. But I do not think of our dear ones there. They are safe, folded, the dear lambs, and there, before very long, shall we be too. In the meantime, thanks to God, we have an opportunity to serve and praise Him for His love and mercy to us and ours. "I will praise Him while I have my being." May we each one arise, leave all, and follow Him.

Now I (Rob) think of the people of CCC who will sing this Sunday... and so many of you who are so wonderfully living out your hope in Christ. Some of us have had weeks that have been full of joy: kids off to good start in school, perhaps some travelling, fine meals with friends & family.... and others of us have
had weeks we are glad to put behind us and we hope the coming week shall be less painful. For ALL of us in Christ we can say.... It is well with my soul!

Psalm & ANTI-psalm

ANTI-psalm 23

I'm on my own.
No one looks out for me or protects me.
I experience a continual sense of need. Nothing's quite right.
I'm always restless. I'm easily frustrated and often disappointed.
It's a jungle — I feel overwhelmed. It's a desert — I'm thirsty.
My soul feels broken, twisted, and stuck. I can't fix myself.
I stumble down some dark paths.
Still, I insist: I want to do what I want, when I want, how I want.
But life's confusing. Why don't things ever really work out?
I'm haunted by emptiness and futility — shadows of death.
I fear the big hurt and final loss.
Death is waiting for me at the end of every road,
but I'd rather not think about that.
I spend my life protecting myself. Bad things can happen.
I find no lasting comfort.
I'm alone ... facing everything that could hurt me.
Are my friends really friends?
Other people use me for their own ends.
I can't really trust anyone. No one has my back.
No one is really for me — except me.
And I'm so much all about ME, sometimes it's sickening.
I belong to no one except myself.
My cup is never quite full enough. I'm left empty.
Disappointment follows me all the days of my life.
Will I just be obliterated into nothingness?
Will I be alone forever, homeless, free-falling into void?
Sartre said, "Hell is other people."
I have to add, "Hell is also myself."
It's a living death,
and then I die.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil.
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Can you taste the difference?

You might want to read both antipsalm and psalm again, slowly. Maybe even read out loud. The psalm is sweet, not bitter. It's full, not empty. You aren't trying to grab the wind with your bare hands. Someone else takes you in His hands. You are not alone.

Dare I Write on this topic?

Below is a wonderful snippet from Peggy Noonan. She wonderfully expresses why I regularly:

1.) Have to repent of cynicism

2.) Rejoice that our KING IS slowly & stealthily bringing His Kingdom for all in need

3.) Release a silent, "YES!" when my child recently said to me, "We aren't democrats or republicans, are we Dad?"

Democrats in the end speak most of, and seem to hold the most sympathy for, the beset-upon single mother without medical coverage for her children, and the soldier back from the war who needs more help with post-traumatic stress disorder. They express the most sympathy for the needy, the yearning, the marginalized and unwell. For those, in short, who need more help from the government, meaning from the government's treasury, meaning the money got from taxpayers.

Who happen, also, to be a generally beset-upon group.

Democrats show little expressed sympathy for those who work to make the money the government taxes to help the beset-upon mother and the soldier and the kids. They express little sympathy for the middle-aged woman who owns a small dry cleaner and employs six people and is, actually, day to day, stressed and depressed from the burden of state, local and federal taxes, and regulations, and lawsuits, and meetings with the accountant, and complaints as to insufficient or incorrect efforts to meet guidelines regarding various employee/employer rules and regulations. At Republican conventions they express sympathy for this woman, as they do for those who are entrepreneurial, who start businesses and create jobs and build things. Republicans have, that is, sympathy for taxpayers. But they don't dwell all that much, or show much expressed sympathy for, the sick mother with the uninsured kids, and the soldier with the shot nerves.

Neither party ever gets it quite right, the balance between the taxed and the needy, the suffering of one sort and the suffering of another. You might say that in this both parties are equally cold and equally warm, only to two different classes of citizens.

We Can Sing Through Days of Sorrow

There is so much brokenness... in my heart, in the world, in the church. Sometimes I can be tempted towards despair & discouragement. This morning God met me and was the lifter of my head... with these great promises. Et toi?

All Must Be Well

Through the love of God our Savior........All will be well
Free and changeless is His favor....All is well

Precious is the blood that healed us
Perfect is the grace that sealed us
Strong the hand stretched forth to shield us

All must be well

Though we pass through tribulation.....All will be well
Ours is such a full salvation.........All is well

Happy still in God confiding
Fruitful if in Christ abiding
Steadfast through the Spirit's guiding

All must be well

We expect a bright tomorrow..... All will be well
Faith can sing through days of sorrow...... All is well

On our Father's love relying
Jesus every need supplying
Yes in living or in dying

All must be well

--All Must Be Well by Mary Bowley Peters (alt Matthew Smith)

Oh by the way... if you don't own the CD Wake Thy Slumbering Children... why not?

new Powlison article

David Powlison is one of the people who has seriously & deeply impacted my thinking/praying/living. Powlison helps me:
<> know my heart without becoming too introspective or despairing
<> know Christ in a way that is very earthy and far from "pie in the sky"
<> hope

He has written a new article--in three parts--for Boundless.org:

• part 1
• part 2
• part 3

Unbelief Fears While Faith Treads

“Satan, with all his wits and wiles, shall never defeat a soul armed with true grace. Let the devil choose his way. God is a match for him at every weapon. The devil and his whole council are but fools to God.

Be still, troubled Christian, and know that the contest is not between the church and Satan, but between Christ and Satan. These are the champions of the two sides. Stand still, army of saints, by faith, to see the all-wise God wrestle with a subtle devil. You shall behold the Almighty smite off this Goliath’s head with His own sword, and take this cunning hunter in the trap of his own schemes.

That faith which ascribes greatness and wisdom to God will shrink up Satan’s subtlety into a thing of nothing. Unbelief fears Satan as a lion; faith treads on him as a worm.”

—William Gurnall, Christian in Complete Armour

I read ahead

this is Spurgeon's Evening for August 22

"Sing, O barren."
- Isaiah 54:1



Though we have brought forth some fruit unto Christ, and have a joyful
hope that we are "plants of his own right hand planting," yet there are
times when we feel very barren. Prayer is lifeless, love is cold, faith is
weak, each grace in the garden of our heart languishes and droops. We are
like flowers in the hot sun, requiring the refreshing shower. In such a
condition what are we to do? The text is addressed to us in just such a
state. "Sing, O barren, break forth and cry aloud." But what can I sing
about? I cannot talk about the present, and even the past looks full of
barrenness. Ah! I can sing of Jesus Christ. I can talk of visits which the
Redeemer has aforetimes paid to me; or if not of these, I can magnify the
great love wherewith he loved his people when he came from the heights of
heaven for their redemption. I will go to the cross again. Come, my soul,
heavy laden thou wast once, and thou didst lose thy burden there. Go to
Calvary again. Perhaps that very cross which gave thee life may give thee
fruitfulness.

What is my barrenness? It is the platform for his fruit-creating power.
What is my desolation? It is the black setting for the sapphire of his everlasting love.

I will go in poverty, I will go in helplessness, I will go in all my shame and backsliding, I will tell him that I am still his child, and in confidence in his faithful heart, even I, the barren one, will sing and cry aloud.


Sing, believer, for it will cheer thine own heart, and the hearts of other
desolate ones. Sing on, for now that thou art really ashamed of being
barren, thou wilt be fruitful soon; now that God makes thee loath to be
without fruit he will soon cover thee with clusters.

The experience of our barrenness is painful, but the Lord's visitations are delightful.

A sense of our own poverty drives us to Christ, and that is where we need to be, for in him is our fruit found.

Be at peace with one another

Sounds boring doesn't it?

I don't know why but it can have a blah sound to it. Yet it is vital and life-giving and when you've experienced conflict with someone... to be at peace is not boring at all. It is a joy.

The next couple of weeks I will be speaking on How the Gospel Transforms Personal Relationships (even marriage)

Why?
1.) The words of Christ resonated with me as we went through Mark 9 and I was pricked to consider.... "Should we park here for a couple of weeks?"
2.) Christ Community is undergoing many changes. And these are NOTHING compared to the changes we'll experience when we move into the building on Parker Road.
3.) September 7 is a communion Sunday and preaching on this topic prior to communion seems wise.

Pray for me, as I pray for you. May God use these two messages to help us all grow in grace.
Rob

When temptation assails,
when care darkens,
when trial oppresses,
when bereavement wounds,
when heart and flesh are failing,
who throws around us the protecting shield,
who applies the precious promise,
who speaks the soothing word,
who sustains the sinking spirit,
who heals the sorrow,
whodries the tear? -Jesus!

Octavius Winslow

An effective church should have all types of sexual sinners!

An effective church should have people struggling with all types of sexual sins! Because
of the love of Christ, the church should pursue
all sexual sinners. And through its exaltation of Christ in
preaching, corporate prayer and worship, the church
should attract all types of sexual sinners. It should minister the Word
to those who are already in church by flushing out the
self-deceived, exposing the dishonest, confronting the
rebel, offering forgiveness to the guilt-ridden, and giving
hope. The church should also welcome and hold the
attention of those who struggle with sexual sin but
have never been part of the church. With such people we
can add that the church should minister by surprising
them with love, a sense of family, and the absence of self-righteous
judgment. It should offer truth in such a way
that it is convicting, attractive, and radically different
from anything else the sexual sinner has ever heard. --adapted from Ed Welch

Victorious King, Stretch out Thine Arm

“Stretch out Thine arm, victorious King, My reigning sins subdue
Drive the old dragon from his seat, with all his hellish crew

A guilty, weak, and helpless worm, on Thy kind arms I fall
Be thou my strength and righteousness, My Jesus, and my all”.

Manland is Thursday

Yep

7pm

brian schackow & pat sell are your peeps if need more info... but check website 1st

Misc on y'day

There was a teenager in our midst who had NEVER been to church before... what a privilege to be the 1st place someone comes... also let it motivate you to remember there are many many truly UN-churched folks in our n'hoods.

Parents, your kids would do well to enjoy the music of derek webb and his wife Sandra McCracke (i can never remember how to spell her name?!)
Chris Hiatt sang a derek webb song y'day that is taken almost directly from Ezekiel 16... see if you can read ez.16 without blushing!

Manland Thursday night

Monday

Justification (its source God and his grace, its ground Christ and his cross, and its means faith alone, altogether apart from works) is the heart of the gospel and unique to Christianity.  No other system, ideology or religion proclaims a free forgiveness and a new life to those who have done nothing to deserve it but a lot to deserve judgment instead.  On the contrary, all other systems teach some form of self-salvation through good works of religion, righteousness or philanthropy Christianity, by contrast, is not in its essence a religion at all; it is a gospel, the gospel, good news that God's grace has turned away his wrath, that God's Son has died our death and borne our judgment, that God has mercy on the undeserving, and that there is nothing left for us to do, or even contribute.  Faith's only function is to receive what grace offers.
John stott

That's a nice day.

Regarding marriage.... 30's & 40's and up... you must resist cynicism and despair in your marriage... but, young people--gah gah over each other .... recognize that it is possible that the veterans have a slightly nuanced view of marital bliss than you. A weak illustration may help:

Sam Elliott plays a crusty & seasoned St. Major in We Were Soldiers. Plays it brilliantly! The kind of man who eats oatmeal while chewing on a cigar.

Early in the movie there are two tone-setting and funny exchanges as the SGT. MAJOR passes a Staff Sgt

Sgt: "Good morning, Sgt Major"
Sgt Major: How the do you know what kind of a day it is going to be?"

another day...
Sgt: "Beautiful Morning, Sgt Major."
Sgt Major: "What, are you the weatherman now?"

after a day and half of battle, in which the young seargeant's platoon gets trapped behind enemy lines and is later rescued.... as the sun descends...
The young seargeant is not so green anymore. He is tested. He's still alive. The eyes of the Sgt and the Sgt Major meets and the voice of experience says:

"Now that is a nice day."

I take it to mean... you've fought the good fight, and you are alive... and you haven't given up.

Vision Night... the morning after

Joy Joy

Simply a great time to see and visit with new and old CCC'ers. Jamie & Lindy Gordon & Chris Hiatt did a tremendous job. The evening dripped with excellence & creativity.

If you weren't there. We missed you and will update you on the huge news tomorrow morning. Better yet, phone a friend who was there!

excerpt from vision night

How is Christ Community experiencing & extending the grace of Jesus Christ?

From a Children's Sunday School teacher...

I am always moved by their honesty. Recently we were discussing obeying God, how hard it can be to trust Him. We read Jesus' words, "If you love me you will obey my commandments." Then our lesson was from 1st Samuel and showed King Saul's disobedience of God, his lack of hoping in God. Then I asked, "How do you struggle to obey?"

The answers were raw and real... and after everyone--teacher & assistant included--had shared... we went to Jesus and asked Him to HELP!

I meet Christ with these kids. In fact, community is one tangible aspect of our time together. Last year there was one child in particular who really benefited from having a place where weekly they could ask for prayer, report on God's work, and be loved.

MMMM.... good stuff.

Vision Night is ON !!

Friends,
While we recognize the storms are not over and that some of you may be prohibited from attending... we are having Vision Night tonight from 7-9pm as scheduled.

Obviously, you should use your own wisdom about venturing out this evening. We hope to see most of you there tonight.
Rob