Bulimia Matters.7

“Music and theology alone are capable of giving peace and happiness to troubled souls. This plainly proves that the devil, the source of all unhappiness and worries, flees music as much as he does theology.”

16th Century Reformer Martin Luther in a letter he penned while in prison.

G. Mark Sumpter

Jerome, On the Bethlehem Scene

An important part of biblical and historical reflection in the old Mediterranean world includes the early church Fathers. One such pastor, scholar and servant is Jerome (lived 347 A.D.-420 A.D.). Bethlehem was his home from roughly 384 A.D. to 420 A.D. He’s best known at the popular level for his translation work and editorial scholarship of the Bible. He worked at producing a translation into the vulgar speech of the Latin Christian world of his own day. It became recognized as the Latin Vulgate. He began this venture in 381-382 A.D. and completed the project there in a Bethlehem monastery in 405 A.D.

Historians look back on Jerome and interpret his life with shades of controversy: was he truly the capable linguist, well versed in the biblical languages, as he’s been made out relative to the Vulgate? What about his loose interpretative commentary on the types and metaphors in the Bible in the area of biblical studies? But one matter over which there’s little debate is the access he provided for subsequent scholars with respect to the later work of Bible translation. His work with the Vulgate became an epoch-making contribution for comparative study for the Middle Ages and Reformation period. And with respect to the language of Latin, his work paved the way for Ecclesiastical Latin, the Latin of the church and of theological scholarship, and we know today, there’s a huge debt owed to Jerome in this light.

G. Mark Sumpter

Spring Training

The Simeon Trust helps men with their preaching. An 8th Workshop on biblical exposition will be hosted at Christ The Redeemer Church in Spokane, WA, March 17-19, 2009. I think also there will be some training offered in McMinnville, OR!!




Kent Hughes of Wheaton, Ill will be on hand. OPC Pastor Larry Wilson has raved about the teaching and training offered through College Church, where Hughes is the preaching pastor.

To check out the brochure and see the application for the 2009 Spokane workshop go here: www.simeonworkshops.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=114

G. Mark Sumpter

Growing Fat Little Bodies

To postpone the work of religious education until preparatory school and college is as rash as it is foolish. ‘Let a child wait until he is grown and then choose his own religion,’ said an English statesman in the hearing of Coleridge. Coleridge made no reply, but led the speaker out into his garden. ‘Look around upon the bare ground’ he said quietly: ‘I have decided not to put out any flowers and vegetables this year, but to wait till August and let the garden decide for itself whether it prefers weeds or strawberries.’

From Catechetics by the Lutheran Churchman Michael Reu, (1869-1943)

G. Mark Sumpter

Liturgical Foot Prints

Printed forms of liturgy in the worship bulletin or no?

“The right balance, it would seem, would be an orderly approach that employs Biblically based historical liturgical forms, while leaving room for free prayers and the work of the Spirit. Again, the practice of the early church provides guidance. While moderate liturgical worship developed very early (with use of the Ten Commandments, Creed, Confession, Lord's Prayer), the responsive litanies (e.g. santus, sursum corda, kyrie eleison, the peace), are mainly a later development. Worship that employs only fixed forms is stifling. The complete absence of fixed forms, however, may leave the church unnecessarily vulnerable to the every changing cultural-ecclesiastical environment.”

Terry L. Johnson in Leading in Worship, p. 7

G. Mark Sumpter

A Richly Textured, Higher Life

When the church loses control at the wheel and she swerves and spins going down the slippery slope of covenant absent-mindedness, then we all suffer. For example, with absence of covenant mindedness and covenant living, then why consider church membership with church vows? And another, with a down-play of covenant teaching, then there's no wonder when businessmen renege with respect to contracts, and/or do away with follow-through.

Listen to the value and the place of covenant-mindedness and living on the basis of word, promise, obligation and commitment. This piece comes from Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck, he writes in the book, In The Beginning:

“But the doctrine of the covenant of works is based on Scripture and is eminently valuable. Among rational and moral creatures all higher life takes the form of a covenant. Generally, a covenant is an agreement between persons who voluntarily obligate and bind themselves to each other for the purpose of fending off an evil or obtaining a good. Such an agreement, whether it is made tacitly or defined in explicity detail, is the usual form in terms of which humans live and work together. Love, friendship, marriage, as well as all social cooperation in business, industry, science, art and so forth, is ultimately grounded in covenant, that is, in reciprocal fidelity and an assortment of generally recognized moral obligations.

It should not surprise us, therefore, that also the highest and most richly textured life of human beings, namely, religion, bears this character. In Scripture 'covenant’ is the fixed form in which the relation of God to his people is depicted and presented. And even where the word does not occur, we nevertheless always see the two parties as it were in dialogue with each other, dealing with each other, with God calling people to conversion, reminding them of their obligations, and obligating himself to provide all that is good.”

From In The Beginning, Baker Book House, p. 203

The local church must hold fast to her Bible-teaching terms and expressions within her own assembly; she must hold fast to covenant life, for such covenant life sets the pace for all of life, 24/7.

G. Mark Sumpter

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like

This is the standard drive-by, click-and-paste-picture from the web. Grants Pass gets a dusting.

G. Mark Sumpter

Elect Lose Salvation?

From a Christian inquirer: Paul said in one of his books that a fellow evangelist left the church, seeking after his own ways not Christ’s, doesn't that imply that he left the faith and lost his salvation?

Answer: I think you’re referring to 2 Timothy 4: 9-10---- “Be diligent to come to me quickly; for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica—Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia.”

You specifically ask: “…doesn’t that imply that he left the faith and lost his salvation?”

Yes, it does. And then we extrapolate to another question, then, how do we explain, “once saved, always saved”—has grace been interrupted or withdrawn by man’s disobedience?

The Bible speaks plainly and with urgent appeals to members of the visible church that they not presume on God, nor rest with irresponsible ease with things pertaining to their salvation. Listen to Hebrews 2:1 “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away…”

The Bible doesn’t hold back from warning the elect about drifting or losing their salvation. Does this mean that in fact the elect can lose their salvation?

Let me make a distinction. The Bible holds two truths together—we’re back to the twin truths found in the Word of God, about 1) His sovereign plan and purpose, and 2) man’s responsibility. Again, see Deuteronomy 29:29-----there are the unrevealed ways of God (His eternal plan are things known only to Him), and the revealed ways of God (His plan is revealed in the Word and in history): His promises, wondrous works and commands.

1. God has His eternally elect, the saved, only known to Him (unrevealed) 2 Tim. 2:19.
2. God has His in-history people known as the elect, the church (revealed). Eph. 1:1-5.

The Bible presents these two truths side by side; they fit like one circle overlapping the other. There’s the eternally elect of God right alongside of the historically elect. Bible teachers will sometimes refer to the invisible church and visible church. They are so closely matched, really and truly indistinguishable from our viewpoint.

Only God Himself, as the Divine One, knows the hearts of all men. From the human side, we see things outwardly: men say they love the Lord, His Word, and they work at following him, and so we walk together as the church. We worship and serve together, and we mutually trust the Lord’s work in us all. This is the life and work of the church.

But the heart can be deceitful. God is the searcher and watcher of the heart. He proves our hearts, and various tests prove-out motives, desires and the deeds of men (see the parable of the sower and the soils in Mark 4).

Demas was a member of the visible church, the elect of God, and even was a worker in the things of God with the great apostle Paul. Paul treated him as the elect of God. He’s named among the beloved stalwarts, brothers, in gospel-work at Paul’s side: Mark, Barnabas and Luke (Col. 4:10, 14). But, from 2 Timothy 2:9, as Demas showed a love for the world’s ways, and then showed that he was unrepentant, ultimately then, a heart of unbelief began to surface. Such unbelief, along with the lack of repentance, is inconsistent with being a member of the invisible church, the eternally elect of God. This drifting and this hardening, with no repentance, means there’s a departure from the living God taking place; there’s a forsaking of God’s promise (Hebrews 3:12, see verse 19 too). Demas left the Lord; he left the church for he was not of the church, eternally (please see, 1 John 2:19).

With the non-heeding, non-repentant, the visible church is to make a human judgment about them (Jesus said, “…treat them as a heathen and a tax collector” Matthew 18:17-18). God will have the final say on the last day about this; with the unrepentant, even those who are presumably followers of the Lord, they are to be put out of the visible church, because they no longer are listening to the counsel of the Word.

This area of Bible teaching turns us back again and again to the Lord Jesus Christ. God always, always holds hope to the repentant. Our hope of salvation is not in our faith, or in our doing, etc. We are frail and weak, and we do fail. But He is our hope.

This teaching also reminds us that the Christian faith is a promise-believing faith! We’re always directed from Scripture to believe the promises of God—to continually believe the promises. Jesus said that the mark of discipleship in His kingdom is faith and repentance (Mark 1:15). Turning to Him—making that our practice is the day by day practice of the Christian faith. Our rest is Jesus, the God-Man! He can and does carry us through to the end.

While we trust His ability to carry us, we always put our trust to work: we must heed the call from Scripture, “He who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matt. 24:13). And those who hold fast to the Lord are doing so assured that He is holding fast to them!

One last thing. The Bible clearly establishes the point that a man or woman can have assurance of salvation in this earthly life. How? Our Lord Jesus said: Truly, truly, I say to you, He who believes in Me has everlasting life—John 6:47. Also, 1 John 5:12-13: He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. Believe the promises! Live them out—daily!

Our assurance of salvation rests on the Promise-Giver, the Lord. His Word, the Bible, is the promise-Book. Yes, He has His eternal plan of sovereign election of His own children—and He will carry His elect all the way home; and Yes, the Bible holds out the sure mother-promise: “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13). Our daily trust in Christ does not, and will not, ever disappoint. We’re to rest in Him, but not with an irresponsible rest.

G. Mark Sumpter

Bulimia Matters.6

Yes, surely the wicked actions of men have a place in God’s eternal purpose. The Bible makes that abundantly clear. Wicked men may not think they are serving God’s purposes: but they are serving His purposes all the same, even by the most wicked of their acts.

At that point, however, serious questions might seem to arise. If wicked actions of wicked men have a place in God’s plan, if they are foreordained of God, then is man responsible for them, and is not God the author of sin?

To each of these questions the Bible returns a very unequivocal answer. Yes, man is responsible for his wicked actions; and No, God is not the author of sin.

That man is responsible for his wicked actions is made so plain from the beginning of the Bible to the end that it is quite useless to cite individual proof texts. But it is equally clear in the Bible that God is not the author of sin. That is clear from the very nature of sin, as rebellion against God’s holy law. It is also expressly taught. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God, says the Epistle of James: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts He any man: but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

J.G. Machen in The Christian View of Man, p. 43

G. Mark Sumpter

Hauling Chickens

Steer Clear of Flatbed Chicken Trucks on the Road

Crates of birds can send a bunch of nasty bacteria flapping in your direction

ATLANTA - You've heard about the chicken that crossed the road. But have you heard the one about the chickens traveling down the road? It's no laughing matter. Crates of chickens being trucked along the highway in the back of an open truck can shoot a bunch of nasty bacteria into the cars behind them, researchers have found. Drivers stuck behind such a truck should “pass them quickly,” advised study co-author Ana Rule, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University. Even so, it's not clear that germy debris will make you sick. None of the scientists who studied this problem got sick. And the disease-causing bacteria in question are normally spread by food or water, not air.

Germy Travels

Rule and her colleagues at the Bloomberg School of Public Health focused on the so-called Delmarva Peninsula, a coastal area that includes parts of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. The region is a chicken Mecca, with one of the highest concentrations of broiler chickens per acre in the nation.The researchers chose a 17-mile stretch of highway connecting chicken farms in Maryland to a processing plant to the south in Accomac, Va. They rode in four-door cars with all the windows down and the air conditioning off. They checked the cars for bacteria after driving when there were no chicken trucks around. And they checked for bacteria after 10 trips behind flatbed trucks carrying crates of broiler chickens.They collected bacteria from air samples, door handles and soda cans inside the car. In all the truck chases, they found high levels of certain bacteria, including some that are resistant to antibiotics.

‘Unnatural Experiment’

The study, released this week, is being published in the first issue of the Journal of Infection and Public Health, and it's billed as the first to look at whether poultry trucking exposes people to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. It was a casual conversation that inspired the effort. “Somebody said, ‘I went to the beach the other day and I got stuck behind a chicken truck, and boy, is that nasty,’” Rule said. She said studies to determine if chicken trucks can make you sick are somewhere down the road. Dr. Keith Klugman, an Emory University epidemiologist who was not involved in the research, said getting sick that way is unlikely. Most healthy people don't suffer serious illness from these bacteria even when exposed in more conventional ways.

“It was kind of an unnatural experiment, in that people were driving behind these trucks with the windows open and the air conditioning off — for 17 miles,” he added.

“If you were driving behind a truck that was spewing stuff out the back of it, the first thing you would probably do is close your windows.”
AP Story on November 25, 2008

G. Mark Sumpter

Fleshly Words Well-Pleasing to God

Some have expressed concern that Evangelical and Reformed churches offer to God man-made creeds, catechisms and confessions of faith, and it’s put forth, shouldn’t the Scriptures be our sole spoken word offered in the public service of worship?

Many claim the authority of Scripture—let’s recite sections of Scripture, say, a Psalm or one of Paul’s letters; that’s Scripture! We do not at all disparage the authority of the Bible when we cite the man-made creeds and confessions, any more than discredit or depreciate the office of the pastor when he’s in the pulpit preaching, teaching and exhorting. Just as faithful man-made words from the pastor in the pulpit make for a well-pleasing offering of worship, so are the faithful man-made words offered by the whole of the congregation with her collective confessing voice.

Biblical, expository preaching proclaims, expounds and applies Jesus Christ—and all full of Scripture, scriptural portions, allusions and points; in a like manner, historic creeds of faithful men as they are confessed are freighted full of Scripture and scriptural portions. In this way, the vocabulary word-choice and the specific phraseology of Christian doctrine recited in the creeds builds up God’s people with equipping as God’s visible people of history.

Confessions of the church make strikingly clear that the visible, historic church marks herself as earthly and this-worldly and tells God and one another that she’s catholic throughout the globe (He’s Lord of all places and peoples) and catholic down through the generations (He is Lord of time).

God is Lord in history and works through history; He works through those with bodies, brains and bowels. He works for “us men and our salvation.” The creeds and catechisms are the fruit of the church’s hands. Men and women who confess their faith are not afraid of fleshly, man-made words. God gave us the gift of the church, let's be the church.

G. Mark Sumpter

The Arch-Way of Tyre

The Trye of old Phoencia was situated on an island about one-half mile off the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. This narrow water barrier fostered some protection and security for the citizens of the island. Of course, being an island-city, there were disadvantages; it meant having to maintain supplies from the mainland. The greatest import regarding Trye was her strategic location for overseas trade. She became a city to emulate, and many around the Mediterranean theater took economic and military cues from her.

Isaiah 23, Jeremiah 25, Ezekiel 26-28, Joel 3, Amos 1 and Zechariah 9 bring words of judgment, in fact, each prophet made doubly-sure that the inhabitants of Tyre knew that complete devastation was in the forecast. Why the strong words against Trye?

1. The alliance between Ahab and the Phoenician wife, Jezebel? (1 Kings 16:30-31)

2. The self-proclamation of being a 'god'? (Ezek. 28)

3. For selling the inhabitants of Jerusalem into slavery? (Amos 1)

Scholars make the case that it was Alexander the Great that ultimately brought Tyre to her knees (332 B.C.).

Jesus heaped up words of confrontation to His very own people of Galilee, and He refers to Tyre: Matthew 11:21-2 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

Trye, along with these other cities, should register a recall for us, a recall to plead with God for pliable consciences and supple hearts, to heed His Word.

G. Mark Sumpter

Sha-a-rim

This is located off the border-edge of the Valley of Elah, as mentioned in 1 Samuel 17:52, in the region where David conquered Goliath. Specifically, it's the location on the way of the rout carried out by the Israelites, when they chased the Philistines out of the area, back to Philistia. It's cited as the way of the Sha-a-rim.

1 Samuel 17:52 “....by the way to Sha-a-rim, even unto to Gath...”

Jeremy, my 16-year-old son and I, the Lord willing, will see places just like this one in the coming weeks. We're grateful for what's ahead. Stay tuned for more details.

G. Mark Sumpter

Friday Catechism

At the Sumpter home in Grants Pass on Friday mornings, we draw Westminster Shorter Catechism questions out of the basket and quiz one another. Below is an outline that I've used here at Faith OPC. I've seen these kinds of outlines and teaching helps on the web and in books, and what not.

An Outline of the Westminster Shorter Catechism

Catechism=orderly, sounding-over, sounding-through instruction “…to write to you an orderly account…” Luke 1:3 “Apollos…had been instructed in the way of the Lord…” Acts 18:24

I. Introduction to the Catechism: God's Summum Bonum (highest good) for Man
What is man’s purpose? Where is this purpose taught? (Questions 1-3)

II. What Man is To Believe: The Triune God, Creation and Providence (Questions 4-38)
The Doctrine of God (Questions 4-6)
The Doctrine of God's Works (Questions 7-11)
The Doctrine of God's Covenant of Life or Works (Questions 12-19)
Man's test or probation (Question 12)
Man's fall into sin, his misery (Questions 13-19)
The Doctrine of God's Covenant of Grace (Questions 20-38)
Jesus: The Redeemer and His Work (Questions 21-28)
Holy Spirit: His Work of Applying Redemption (Questions 29-38)

III. What Man is To Do: Obey the revealed will of God (Questions 39-107)
The Rule of Man's Obedience Summarized: 10 Commandments (Quest. 39-42)
The Rule Prefaced with God's Gracious Work (Questions 43-44)
The Rule of Man's Duty to God—Commandments 1-4 (Questions 45-62)
The Rule of Man's Duty to Man—Commandments 5-10 (Questions 63-81)
Man's Need for Faith and Repentance (Questions 82-87)
God's Gifts of the Means of Grace (Questions 88-97)
God's Gift of Prayer (Questions 98-107)

G. Mark Sumpter

Observing Advent with a Cheer Conscience

Faith OPC stands in the Evangelical and Reformed stream of historic Christianity. The matter of observing Advent, the coming of the Lord, though not being a matter of explicit command is, in our session’s judgment, a sound scriptural application of the teaching of the Bible. Israel learned from the creation account, Genesis 1:14, that God marks time, days and seasons by the sun, moon and stars, and the Lord provided a way of marking particular acts of His saving power, like in the setting up of the stones near Gilgal by the Jordan River after Israel crossed into the land of promise (Josh. 4:19-24).

All of the Old Testament historic signposts of grace, the days of offerings, feasts and memorials, are clearly fulfilled in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus on the Lord’s Day (Matt. 28:1-11; Col. 2:14-17). Faith’s session gladly leads the congregation to celebrate the grace and truth of the life, death and resurrection of Christ with the weekly memorial of the Lord’s Sabbath. But as an application of God’s work in history, we, along with other Reformed churches, place an emphasis for teaching and discipleship on the great gospel-based events of history: Advent, Good Friday, Christ’s Resurrection, His Ascension and Pentecost.

One example of Reformed application of such teaching, is stated by the Second Helvetic Confession of 1566 (XXIV): “Moreover, if the churches do religiously celebrate the memory of the Lord’s Nativity, Circumcision, Passion, Resurrection, and of his Ascension into heaven, and the sending of the Holy Spirit upon his disciples, according to Christian liberty, we do very well approve of it.”

This Advent season, the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, and on Christmas Day, the session will lead in worship, teaching and preaching with:

Nov 30 Christmas Through the Eyes of the Angels (Sumpter)
Dec 7 Christmas Through the Eyes of Joseph (Sumpter)
Dec 14 Christmas Through the Eyes of Zecharias (Jeromin)
Dec 21: Christmas Through the Eyes of Mary (Sumpter)
Dec 25: Christmas Through the Eyes of TBA (Jeromin)

G. Mark Sumpter

More Gift-Giving Ideas

Carolyn Custis James writes:

A cartoon appeared in the October 1998 issue of Christianity Today, next to a book review titled, “Theology for the Rest of Us.” The reviewer was assessing Dr. Ellen Charry's book By the Renewing of Your Minds, in which she argues from Jesus and Paul through the writings of Augustine, John Calvin, and other church leaders that theology is (and always has been) good for every Christian in practical everyday ways.

The cartoon pictures a mother seated on a park bench with one hand resting on the handle of the stroller containing her wide-eyed, pacifier-plugged infant. Her other hand holds a book, balanced on her knees, which she is reading with the same undivided interest you would expect her to devote to the latest romance novel. The apprehensive look on the baby's face is explained by the title on the book jacket: “Theology for New Mothers.” What the cartoonist intended as a joke (or at best a bit of satire on the notion that a mother would find any use for theology) is, in fact, an excellent suggestion.

I have not yet attended a baby shower where the new mother unwrapped a systematic theology book, but upon reflection, that might not be such a bad idea. The value of reading Dr. Spock is negligible compared with the help a new mother would gain from focusing on her theology.

From her book, When Life and Beliefs Collide, pp. 138-139.

G. Mark Sumpter

Genealogy Whistle Stop

Bible readers have to stop at Matthew 1:6 when they note that the Spirit dropped in king when referencing David as a place-holder in the genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ. No one else gets a handle in the flow of the names. Up to verse 5, and then picking up the account on to verse 7 and past, it's standard family-tree information, albeit, a royal one. But the train, noticeably, has pulled into Kingsville.

Some reinforcement on the importance of Matthew's use of the king with reference to David comes from the lone son of Jacob mentioned in verse 2, Judah. Jacob had twelve sons, only Judah is noted here. Genesis 49:10 tells us that Judah will have the scepter, that's reinforcement about royalty in the line from Judah to David.

The Gospel writer lays out quite a bit of literary groundwork with the Old Testament sweep of history, starting out the genealogy on a note of David (v. 1) and ending it on a note about the same royal figure (v. 17). Then Joseph is called the son of David (v. 20) at the very point of doubting the Spirit's work of conceiving this One within Mary. David's line is in full view.

Matthew 2:2 then gives us the question from the wise men on the whereabouts of the One born King of the Jews. Why is Matthew arranging his Gospel this way? His story about the baby Christ in Matthew 1:18-25 and 2:8-21 is the story of the One who has legal right to the crown. And this King brought His Kingdom in order to bring relief from sin's warfare and oppression (1:21). He is the Son of David, the son of Mary, and He is God with us.

G. Mark Sumpter

It's Not About Me and More

The legs of the stool for faithful singing in worship are: 1) the content of the words, 2) the muscial score of the tunes and 3) the manner in which worshipers offer the praise, thanksgiving, contrition and edification. Beauty is discovered when these three matters line up in a worship offering from the voices of God's people. Psalms 148 and 33, as examples, point us in the direction of keeping proportion about text, tune and a comely, fitting manner of expression.

The point of matching text, tune and manner of expression has not been an issue in the contemporary worship music movement. The issue rather has been the breadth of selections of text, tune and manner of expression. Contemporary worship music has settled for a reduced repertoire; her focus has been God's forgiveness through the cross of Christ. “It's not about me,” and that's so very true. CWM has rightly led the way in this one: God is holy and God alone has provided salvation through faith in His Son. So far, so very, very good. But CWM has neglected a theology of text, tune and manner of expression regarding the subjects of wisdom and warfare. Read the Psalms. God's Song Book calls us to greater faithfulness, a greater breadth, guiding us to round out what we sing and how we sing it.

Contemporary worship music has three legs of one particular stool, and it's a super, super vital one; but God has many more stools in His house.

G. Mark Sumpter

Bulimia Matters.5

“God does not play dice with the universe.”
- Albert Einstein


“Einstein was doubly wrong when he said, God does not play dice. Not only does God definitely play dice, but He sometimes confuses us by throwing them where they can't be seen.” -Stephen Hawking


G. Mark Sumpter

Laws of Creation

“The laws of creation [are] no more or less sure than the laws of redemption. And these laws of creation are sure precisely because God has covenanted to make them sure as a part of His carrying out His own purposes [see Jer. 32: 16-23; 33:19-22]. If the laws that govern creation are covenantal in nature, we should expect that a study of the nature of God's covenant should give us insight into the character of the laws of creation. Yet at the same time we must not miss Jeremiah chapter 31 echoing the book of Job in saying that God's wisdom in His establishing and working out His purposes in creation is unfathomable to us:

Were you there when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone--while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? Job 38:4-7

...By implication, all of creation, though mysterious to us in many ways, answers directly to God who upholds it...We should not expect the world to act entirely predictably as a big machine; we should expect that it holds surprises for us that we will never entirely uncover and comprehend.”

From Science and Grace: God's Reign in the Natural Sciences, p. 104

G. Mark Sumpter

Book Review: Pleasing People

In John Stott’s The Cross of Christ we read, “Bought by Christ, we have no business to become the slaves of anybody or anything else. Once we were the slaves of sin; now we are the slaves of Christ, and his service is the true freedom.” Freedom through our Heavenly Father’s gracious act of adoption because of Christ’s person and work includes freedom from man-pleasing. Author Lou Priolo aims to get our attention about this.

His 2007 publication, Pleasing People deserves a very high recommendation, and yet, a caution.

The book gets very high marks on its analysis of the sin of the fear of man. For nearly 100 pages, the author explores the labyrinth of deception regarding man’s own ways of self-promotion, self-service and man-pleasing. The look at biblical passages and quotes from the 17th century pastor Richard Baxter solidly point out the need of the Great Physician’s LASIK corrective surgery that gives liberating and glorious sight! You’ll read excellent commentary diagnosing man’s foolish ways with respect to:
▪hypocrisy
▪pride
▪fear of man
▪applause-seeking
▪excessive sensitivity to correction
▪self-centeredness about fulfilling man’s expectations

High marks here! Pastors, parents, Bible study leaders, Sunday school teachers, youth workers, here’s your practical guide!

However, readers must be cautioned. The book lacks attention on explaining God’s liberty for His children through justification by faith in Christ, His favor with adoption taking His children into His love, and the foundation of God’s definitive work of sanctification from which the believer moves forward walking in daily life. In short, the book fails to explicate the doctrine of the believer’s union with Jesus Christ. My specific concern? Just as the book turned over stone after stone with super exactitude for analyzing man’s sin, so I was seat-belted into the book anticipating the same stone-turning—appropriately geared for the popular readership—in the primary area for Christian faith and life: union with Christ. The book didn’t deliver the gospel mail. The counter-balance of expository work in the second half of the book was assumed, not handled and applied. The thorough diagnosis seen in Part 1 Our Problem needs the same thoroughness for antidote, healing and recovery in Part 2 God's Solution.

Priolo realizes that Pleasing People needs this caution. In the book’s preface we read: “It is possible to open up this volume at any point and read for pages without any apparent reference to justification by faith, the gospel of Christ or the ministry of the Holy Spirit, but these truths are to be understood throughout.”

OK. Acknowledgement and qualification appreciated. But the model of the rhythm of God’s indicative and then the imperative as in Paul’s letters urges us to follow that method of Bible teaching. There are places where the book rightly employs the indicative and imperative pattern, like on pages 173-175. But consistency with opening up vital truth about God’s pleasure in His Son’s life, cross-work and resurrection places a discussion on the far-reaching temptations of the fear man in the right spot. The book needs this balance of digestible expository practical help and hope. Such work in the truth, when applied with the Spirit’s help, sets a man free, and thereby, he's equipped to shake loose from the snare of being an approval junkie.

Proiolo's work over the years has shown that he knows how to use the Word well; this volume is super high octane in Part 1 about putting off the sin of man-pleasing; however, Part 2 needs to be throttled up with biblical line upon line, spoon-feeding and teaching on putting on Christ. Lou, revisit Part 2 and do a re-write, and you'll have World Series stuff.

G. Mark Sumpter