10 Words All Christians Should Understand

Can you explain these 10 words?  You should, we all should.  As Christians we should all be able to use, understand, and explain these 10 words.  As Karl Barth said in his famous quote, “The church of Jesus Christ can, and should, not have any non-theologians.”  We need to all be theologians!  We need to all be committed to the study and understanding of God.  As such, it is imperative that we learn these definitions and use these words as they are meant. 

1. Faith: not referring to “blind faith”, but referring to “saving faith”
   1. Faith indicates a knowledge of Christ, and His work in salvation
   2. Faith finds agreement that the claims of Christianity are true
   3. Faith is complete trust in Christ alone for our salvation
   4. Faith is the instrument through which Christ’s perfect atoning sacrifice is credited to us. 
2. Grace: Grace is an attribute of God.
   1. “Grace is God’s free, sovereign, undeserved favor to mankind, given to him while still in a state of sin, which manifests itself in the forgiveness of sin and the deliverance from justice.”- Louis Berkhoff
   2. Grace cannot me earned in anyway.  We receive it solely as a sovereign and unmerited choice from God.
3. Peace: the state of order and equilibrium, of “shalom”
   1. Christians are declared at peace with God through Jesus Christ.  That means that we have peace with God regardless of how we feel or how we keep His commandments at any given time.
   2. Even when we feel anxious, knowing we have this peace should spur us on to trust God even more, to repent of our sins, and to live in a manner that honors our Lord.  That is where we will find peace.
4. The cross: the instrument of Christ’s atoning death
   1. We cannot separate God’s love from His holiness, mercy, or justice
   2. “God would not be God if he did not possess all His attributes in the perfection of His essence.”- Michael Horton
   3. Jesus was born in the flesh so that he could fulfill the whole law, and be the perfect sacrifice on behalf of all those who place their faith in Him.
   4. At the cross, Jesus offered up His life as a once-for-all, perfect sacrifice for all who trust in Him for salvation.
5. The Law: The Old Testament
   1. “The law is like a mirror.  It can show us our sin, but it cannot save us.”- RC Sproul
   2. Jesus was born in the flesh to be the perfect Son whom God had promised since the fall of Adam in Genesis 3:15.
   3. Jesus kept the law perfectly on behalf of all those who trust in Him for salvation, and we are then counted righteous in God’s sight through faith alone, by grace alone in Him.
   4. The law also serves the purpose of restraining evil and showing us what is pleasing to God. 
       
6. The Gospel: The Good News of Jesus Christ
   1. The Gospel is the Good News of what Jesus did to redeem His people (His birth, life, death, and resurrection), and to inaugurate the Kingdom of God and the new creation.
   2. It is Good News because without Jesus we were unable to save ourselves because everything we do is tainted by sin.
   3. Without Christ, there could not have been a perfect, once-for-all sacrifice for our sin.  That is the Good news.  That is why there is salvation in no other name.
7. Justification: Just-as-if-I’d-never sinned
   1. The Bible says that we are declared righteous in Christ.
   2. Christ has taken upon himself the punishment that we deserve, and has earned life for us through His perfect obedience.
   3. We believers will never have to face the JUST sentence of our sins, or spend eternal life in hell because we have been justified in Christ.
   4. Actually, not only are we spared punishment, we are made co-heirs to the Kingdom through Jesus.
8. Sanctification:
   1. Here the Holy Spirit indwells in justified believers, working to conform them to the image of Christ.
   2. We are daily dying to the “old self”, and then living unto God.  We should be diligent as believers to seek to live Godly lives
9. Imputation (of Righteousness):
   1. This may be the most under-taught, neglected doctrine in the church today, and we all need to know it!
   2. Imputation means that God “credits” to us the righteousness of Christ, though faith alone.
   3. Additionally, our sin is “credited” to Jesus Christ who knew no sin, and was punished on behalf of all who trust in Him for salvation.
   4. Martin Luther referred to this as “The Great Exchange”: Christ’s righteousness counted to us, in exchange for our sin counted to Christ.
10. Resurrection:
    1. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is our greatest hope.
    2. It proved that Jesus conquered death.
    3. Christ’s death proved that He was a man, and His resurrection proved that He is God
    4. It gives us comfort knowing that one day we too will have resurrected bodies.
    5. One day all suffering and pain will be gone, and we believers will behold the beauty and splendor of our Savior.

Definition Of A Good Friend

With so much going on in the world, and so much anger, and so much toxicity, and so much tribulation, we can all use a friend. A real friend.  A true friend. I think we should take a moment and consider what friendship is.  We have friends on Facebook.  We have friends at work, on our teams, or in our groups, or sitting with us at church.  We talk about loving Jesus and others, about being involved in out communities.  But have you considered one fundamental question:  Can we truly love others, can we truly be Christ in our communities, if we are unable to be a good friend?  I think this is something worth considering.

Our Lord Jesus gave us the definition of a true friend when He said: "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you" (John 15:13-15). Jesus is the pure example of a true friend, for He laid down His life for His "friends." He eliminated the status that existed between “servant and master”. That is a true friend. What is more, anyone may become Jesus’ friend by trusting in Him as their Savior, being born again, repenting and receiving new life in Him.  And note, Jesus’ friendship is not dependent on the friendship being reciprocated!  Jesus is a good friend, even if you are not a good friend back.

Another example of true friendship in the Bible is between David and Saul's son Jonathan, who, in spite of his father Saul's pursuit of David and attempts to kill him, stood by his friend David. You will find that story in 1 Samuel chapter 18 through chapter 20.  Jonathan remained a friend to David despite it costing him his relationship with his dad, and regardless of David reciprocating.  Although, David did reciprocate the friendship and the two were very dear friends.

Proverbs is full of wisdom and advice regarding what it means to be a friend. "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity" (Proverbs 17:17). "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother" (Proverbs 18:24). There are several others too.   In these examples here, in order have a friend, one must be a friend.

The meaning of friendship is also found in Amos. "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" (Amos 3:3 ). Friends are people that get along, are of like mind, and care for each other.  Back stabbing, gossiping, jealousy, conniving have no place in a friendship.  Friendship brings joy, love, encouragement, kindness, and rest for the soul.

The truth that we can gather from all of this is that friendship is a relationship that is entered into by individuals, and it is only as good, or as close as those individuals choose to make it. Someone has said that if you can count your true friends on the fingers of one hand, you are blessed. A friend is one with whom you can be yourself with and never fear that he or she will judge you. A friend is someone that you can confide in with complete honesty and trust. A friend is someone you respect…and probably more importantly, a friend is someone that that respects you, not because you have “earned” it, but out of love. A friend is refuge during a storm, and a strong defender during an attack. That’s why when a friend hurts you, it hurts.  It really, really hurts.

Finally, what I would consider the ultimate definition of a true friend comes from the Apostle Paul and the Apostle John: "For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:7-8). "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends" (John 15:13). Now that is true friendship!  Examine yourself, and model Jesus Christ by being a true and loyal friend.  Be friend to all.  Stay close to Jesus.

Jesus Will Never Let You Down

In everything set them an example by doing what is good.  In your teaching show integrity, seriousness… Titus 2:7

Over and over again we are reminded that people, no matter how good or how sincere, can and do let you down. Even though I have personally witnessed this several times in my own life, I was reminded by that again this week in a more casual way. 

Mark Driscoll was the founding pastor of Mars Hill Church back in 1996, and a leader in the Young, Restless, and Reformed Movement that started in the late 90s.  He was also someone that I looked to as an example early in my Christian walk.  He was bold, aggressive for the Lord, unabashedly Biblical, and gave Reformed Theology a young, cool, hip look.  He was dynamic, irreverent at times, and funny.  As a result, his books sold, his fame grew, as did his congregation which reached over 14,000 and had several satellite campus’.

Sadly, the fame got to him.  Pride got to him.  He came to love himself more, and the Gospel he preached less.  He started speaking out on topics he should not have.  He was accused of plagiarism.  Finally, the leadership of his congregation came out and accused him of being a bully, and of spiritually abusing those that were under his care (please note I am summarizing a lot here).  As a result, he lost his church, was went through a period of reconciliation, rehabilitation, and restoration.  For me this was tough news to take.  I know that all leaders are prone to making mistakes, but some of the things he said and did to those under his care were awful, and the church did what was right.  I was hoping that during his time off, he would realize his ways and truly change and come back stronger than ever.

Well after some time off, Mark did come back.  I haven’t heard much about him lately, until last week.  In an interview last week, Mark stated that he has now learned that the 5 points of Calvinism (something he had advocated for years) are not Biblical, and that they are garbage.  I was stunned.  Not only was I stunned because he is clearly wrong (Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints are absolutely Biblical), but I was stunned thinking about how many thousands of people may have come to the Christ because of Mark Driscoll that are now hearing him say that what he taught for all those years is “garbage” and “not Biblical”.  Its such a letdown.

A great professor of mine during a Pastoral Ministry class taught us two things:

1) Having the title of Pastor is the most wonderful, and the most honorable title anyone can have, and that it comes with immense responsibility.

2) That every single decision we make will have a ripple effect.  There will be people that we have impacted along the way, and that any decision we make will impact each and every single person we have ever touched.

I wonder of Mark Driscoll thought, or cares about those people he touched in his 20+ years in the ministry?  I wonder if he considers that some people that came to faith because of him now hear him calling what he taught unbiblical garbage, and I wonder if he considers how that might impact some of those folks.

It’s sad, it truly is.  But as I said when I started this, people can and will let you down.  Its good to have mentors, its good to have role models, but at the end of the day, Jesus is the only one that will never change and will never let you down.  Let’s keep focused on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-3).