Selected Reading, September 12, 2020

 

A few suggestions for your weekend reading.

The Church

When Speaking About Jesus’s Bride
“The church (in every form in which it is manifested on earth) is certainly subject to criticism and correction; but, those things must always be done out of love and a desire to treat her for what she is in truth—the very bride of Christ. To speak of the church with disrespect, harshness, malice and judgmentalism is to speak of Christ’s bride in those ways.” —Nicholas Batzig

Christian History

Joshua Janavel and the Plight of the Waldensians
I have a good enough grasp of the big picture of the history of Christianity, but I don’t know the smaller stories—like this one.

Christian Living

Love What’s Near
I suspect Trevin Wax is on to something: “[W]hat if it is in loving what is nearest to us … where we are most likely to find happiness and bring about lasting change in the world? What if it’s in the cultivation of culture at home, with our neighbors, with our church, where the most significant change takes place?”

Bible Study

Context Matters: The Cattle on a Thousand Hills
In the song by John W. Peterson, this bit of scripture is used to assure us that God will care for us. God does take care of us, of course, but this is not how the psalmist applies this truth. 

Theological Term of the Week: Theodicy

theodicy
A vindication of God given the presence of evil in the world he created and rules; an answer to “the problem of evil.” 

• From scripture, the problem stated:

You who are of purer eyes than to see evil
and cannot look at wrong,
why do you idly look at traitors
and remain silent when the wicked swallows up
the man more righteous than he? (Habakuk 1:13 ESV)

• From scripture, a hint—and maybe more—at the solution to the problem:

  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory (Ephesians 1:7-14 ESV). 

• From the 1689 London Baptist Confession, Chapter 6:

Although God created man upright and perfect, and gave him a righteous law, which had been unto life had he kept it, and threatened death upon the breach thereof, yet he did not long abide in this honour; Satan using the subtlety of the serpent to subdue Eve, then by her seducing Adam, who, without any compulsion, did willfully transgress the law of their creation, and the command given unto them, in eating the forbidden fruit, which God was pleased, according to his wise and holy counsel to permit, having purposed to order it to his own glory.

• From Concise Theology by J. I. Packer, page 56:

Of the evils that infect God’s world (moral and spiritual perversity, waste of good, and the physical disorders and disruptions of a spoiled cosmos), it can summarily be said: God permits evil (Acts 14:16); he punishes evil with evil (Ps. 81:11-12; Rom. 1:26-32); he brings good out of evil (Gen. 50:20; Acts 2:23; 4:27-28; 13:27; 1 Cor.2:7-8); he uses evil to test and discipline those he loves (Matt. 4:1-11; Heb. 12:4-14); and one day he will redeem his people from the power and presence of evil altogether (Rev. 21:27; 22:14-15).

Learn more:

1. Simply Put: Theodicy
2. Blue Letter Bible: The Problem of Evil
3. W. Gary Crampton: A Biblical Theodicy
4. R. C. Sproul: Why Does God Allow Evil?
5. Don Carson: How can God allow evil and suffering in the world? (video)

Related terms: 

• decretive will
• omnipotence
• omniscience
• providence
• righteousness (as an attribute of God)
• sovereignty of God
• wisdom (of God)

Filed under Apologetics

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Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured as a Theological Term of the Week? Email your suggestion using the contact button in the navigation bar above. 

Clicking on the Theological Terms button will take you to an alphabetical list of all the theological terms.

16 Truths You Should Know: Believers Will Live With Jesus Forever

A few weeks ago, I checked out the guest book of an online obituary. Most guests just shared a memory or mentioned how much the deceased person had meant to them, but others tried to comfort the family with something more spiritual—or spiritual sounding, anyway. One person wrote, “Those of us who loved him will carry him always in our hearts.” “He lives on in his beautiful children,” said another.

I’ll leave it to you to judge how much consolation those comments would bring. If I were the one who lost a loved one, I think I would appreciate the kind intentions, but also find the remarks a little hollow. But it was interesting to see what people came up with when they dug deep to find that one phrase they hoped would bring comfort to those left behind by the person who died. Their remarks show that we all long for some sort of never-ending connection to those we love.

After his resurrection, shortly before he ascended to heaven, Jesus gave some words of comfort to his disciples. He would be leaving them and returning to his Father in heaven, and they would miss him. Still, he promised them this: 

… I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20 ESV

How is it that Jesus, who would soon leave them behind on earth, could also pledge to be with them always? Were these hollow words—a bit of wishful thinking—like some obituary guest book remarks?

The answer comes in another of Jesus’ promises to his disciples: 

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. (John 14:16-17 ESV)

The disciples were not left alone because the ascended Jesus continued to dwell with them through the real true presence of his Holy Spirit within them. This promise extends to his current followers, too. We receive, not just words of comfort, but an actual Comforter.  

Perhaps I should have titled this post Jesus Will Live With Believers Forever. That’s more like what he promises in these verses. But he also told his disciples that he was going to prepare a place for them, and eventually, he would bring them to be present with him (John 14:2-3). So both statements are true: Jesus dwells with all believers through the presence of his Holy Spirit, and all believers will eventually go to dwell with him. 

In Death

The apostle Paul writes that in everything that happens—and he includes a long list of possible harrowing circumstances—Christ’s love, and so Christ himself, is with the believer (Romans 8:35-39). Nothing in this world separates us from him, not even our death, because when we die, we to go be with him where he is.

At the moment of death, our soul separates from our body and goes to heaven to be with Jesus. The process of dying will undoubtedly be difficult, but “[a] Christian,” J. I. Packer wrote, 

may rightly think of his death-day as a date in Jesus’ diary: when the appointed time comes the Saviour will be there to lead His servant into the light of His own nearer presence and closer communion.¹

Right now, J. I. Packer is experiencing the nearer presence and closer communion he wrote about! Christians call this heavenly fellowship with Christ experienced by the souls of believers who have died the intermediate state, because this is how and where where the believer lives between their death and their resurrection.

The Bible doesn’t tell us much about the place where our souls wait for our resurrection, and despite all the popular so-called “heaven tourism” books, God’s word is the only reliable source of information about the intermediate state. What scripture does say is that being a soul in heaven is better than being a body and soul united together in this fallen world (Philippians 1: 21-23), because in heaven we will be “at home” with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:1-8). We will be with Jesus in a way that’s nearer and better than the way he is with us now. What’s more, at death, our souls are “made perfect” (Hebrews 12:23). In the intermediate state, we no longer struggle with sin, for God makes us completely holy.

Believers can face death with joy, knowing that what comes on the other side is so much better than what we experience here living sin-wrecked lives in a sin-spoiled world. We will be with Jesus, closer to him than ever.

In Resurrection

But the intermediate state, as wonderful as it will be, is not the best there is. We were created in the image of God as body and soul, and in the intermediate state, we won’t have bodies. We will still be waiting for something more and better—the day of Christ’s second advent and our own resurrection. Then we will receive our glorified bodies and begin life with Jesus in the new heavens and the new earth.

It’s then, finally, that we receive it all: a new body, a new earth, and a bodily reunion with all saints we’ve loved. But most important, we will see God face to face, and live in his never-ending presence (Revelation 21:1-4; 22:1-5). And in his presence, the psalmist writes, “there is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11).

Believers will have full and eternal joy because they will see God’s face and live in his presence forever. We will never again long for anything.

1 18 Words: The Most Important Words You Will Ever Know by J. I. Packer, page 203.

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This is the last post in this series of truths you should know. Here are the previous posts in this series:

1. 16 Truths You Should Know: God Has Spoken
2. 16 Truths You Should Know: God Is One and God Is Three
3. 16 Truths You Should Know: God Is Who He Is
4. 16 Truths You Should Know: God Has a Plan
5. 16 Truths You Should Know: God Created the Universe
6. 16 Truths You Should Know: We Are Made in God’s Image
7. 16 Truths You Should Know: We Are All Sinners 
8. 16 Truths You Should Know: God Saves
9. 16 Truths You Should Know: The Son Came
10. 16 Truths You Should Know: Jesus Died
11. 16 Truths You Should Know: Jesus Is Risen
12. 16 Truths You Should Know: Jesus Is Lord
13. 16 Truths You Should Know: We Must Believe
14. 16 Truths You Should Know: Believers Have New Life
15. 16 Truths You Should Know: Believers Belong