Some Thoughts

It’s appalling to me how immodest our culture has become. Less and less of the human body is “private”; more and more of it “public”. I’m not advocating a new fashion trend of burlap sacks, but what if an entire generation decided to dress themselves with an eye to their (future) spouse? “This much of my body I reserve and protect for my husband (or wife), and this much I offer for public consumption.” In marriage, our bodies are no longer our own – how about the idea that our bodies belong to that spouse even before we’ve met them?

Better yet…that it belongs to Christ?

Well…it seems that it’s happening at least on one level: in searching for an image for this post that communicated ‘modesty’ I came across the one above. As it turns out, the one above is from the Harris brothers’ website, TheRebelution (read: ‘rebel’ against ungodliness) and, much to my encouragement, the image heads a survey they conducted a few years ago on modesty. (How serendipitous!) I took a look through some of the results and was quite pleased to see what respondents answered, and to see how many people have signed the ‘petition’. Do check it out – and pass it on.

“…and on this rock I will build my church.” Matthew 16:18, ESV [show] [18]And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (ESV)

… Because I live, you also will live. (John 14.19 [show] [19]Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. (ESV)
)

Jesus Christ is alive today. If he is not, then we are still in our sins; then we are “of all men, most to be pitied.” But we have it on the highest authority that he lives. And because he lives, we shall live also. He is called the firstborn over the new creation, the firstborn among many brethren, the firstfruits of the new creation: because he was raised, we shall be raised. We are the body, he is our head — what he has done, we have done; where he is, there we shall be. He is called the forerunner — the anchor dropped in harbor ahead of the ship, that guarantees the ship will make it safely to port — he is the anchor of our souls, having entered first into the holy of holies. Because he has entered, we shall enter. He is called the Second Adam, the covenant-keeping head of the church, his body: what he has accomplished, in a forensic sense, we have accomplished. There is nothing he did in his earthly life that was not to secure the safe passage of his body, his bride, to where he now is. He prayed that where he is, there we might also be. Because he is with the Father, we shall be with the Father — because we are one (1 Cor. 16:7 [show] [7]For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. (ESV)
).

When a child is born, the head is (normally) the first to push through to the “new world”; the head is the most painful, the head is most labored over, the head is the most significant part to bear, and it is the head that prepares the way for the rest of the body — once the head has been born, the body is sure to follow. There is but a short time between when the head is born already, and when the not-yet-born body is. The child is still being born, but the irreversible process has begun. The head is not the body, nor the body, the head, but they are both one child — one “new creation”. There is still labor, but the head has passed the “threshold” and, the hardest part now finished, the body is surely, and quickly to follow. The head and the body cannot be separated. Once the processes has begun, it is impossible to go back, impossible to stop.

Because he lives, we shall live. Because he has entered, we absolutely shall enter – surely, and quickly.

To quote John Calvin (I think), “as if that were any easier!”

Most of us know that the “Great Commandment”, that we are to Love God, and the second, “which is like it”, that we are to Love our neighbor, are basically summaries of the 10 commandments, and weren’t original to Christ’s ministry. (It’s new…but it’s not new – see the epistles of John.) Both were quotes from the Torah - Deuteronomy and Leviticus, I believe. The astounding thing (to me, at least) that Horton helped me to understand is that these “gospel ordinances”, these laws of love, constitute the very same law that Paul reminds us that we cannot keep. And he’s right. Though I have progressed over the years, by grace, I cannot perfectly Love God in every thought, word, and action. Nor can I consistently love my neighbor (my co-workers, my neighbors, the incapable clerk at the store, the guy in front of me in traffic, the non-English speaking customer service rep on the phone, etc) – let alone my own family!

What a humbling reminder of my need for the gospel of Jesus Christ, who “does always the things which please the Father.” What a humbling reminder of my need of this Christ, this covenant-keeping, perfectly obedient Second Adam, who died for us and for our sins, who was buried, who rose again on the third day, who now sits at the right hand of the Father, and who will come again to judge the quick and the dead…

I’ve just listened to a great interview of Rick Phillips from the gents over at the Reformed Forum about his latest book, The Masculine Mandate. (The book isn’t due out until next month, but it can be pre-ordered from Amazon here.) Phillips summarizes “the masculine mandate” in the words “work” and “keep”, keying off of Genesis 2:15 [show] [15]The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. (ESV)
: The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. He briefly discuss how this applies to marriage, family, the church, and even (briefly) a nation.

The guys at RF describe the interview thus:

Richard D. Phillips visits Christ the Center to discuss his new book The Masculine Mandate: God’s Calling to Men. The book is a reaction to recent cultural trends as well as John Eldredge’s mega-hit Wild at Heart.  Much more than a simple reaction, Rev. Phillips promotes a positive, biblical approach to masculinity by touching on biblical anthropology and God’s specific call that men should “work” and “keep.”

Rick is Senior Minister of Second Presbyterian Church in Greenville, SC and the author of several books including Jesus the Evangelist, What’s So Great About the Doctrines of Grace?, and the Hebrews and Zechariah Reformed Expository commentaries.

Favorite quote (runner-up): “Son, if your younger brother gets slugged or abused in your presence, I expect you to come home with bloody knuckles. If I’m not there to protect him, then you must.”

Favorite quote (winner): “Oh yes, we have a wonderful men’s group–it’s called the Session.” (Now that’s a breath of fresh air!)

Don’t be put off by these two quotes – he’s quite a bit more winsome, and quite a bit less ‘machismo’ than they make him appear. Check out the interview, and let me know what you think!

Wonder how your government is spending the money that you worked for? Take a look at his:

RECOVERY.GOV // AWARDED: $2,531,600 FOR ‘HAM, WATER ADDED, COOKED, FROZEN, SLICED, 2-LB’…
RECOVERY.GOV // AWARDED: $1,191,200 FOR ‘2 POUND FROZEN HAM SLICED’…
RECOVERY.GOV // AWARDED: $351,807 FOR ‘REPLACE AND UPGRADE THE DUMBWAITER’…
RECOVERY.GOV // AWARDED: $1,562,568 FOR ‘MOZZARELLA CHEESE’…
RECOVERY.GOV // AWARDED: $5,708,260 FOR ‘PROCESS CHEESE’…
RECOVERY.GOV // AWARDED: $16,784,272 FOR ‘CANNED PORK’…
RECOVERY.GOV // AWARDED: $1,444,100 FOR ‘REPAIR DOOR BLDG 5112′…
RECOVERY.GOV // AWARDED: $541,119 FOR ‘INSTALL TRAFFIC SIGNAL’…

…is this a joke?
From Drudgereport.com, today at 1:12 PM

AT THE HEART OF MATURE MASCULINITY IS A SENSE OF

BENEVOLENT RESPONSIBILITY TO LEAD, PROVIDE FOR AND

PROTECT WOMEN IN WAYS APPROPRIATE TO A MAN’S

DIFFERING RELATIONSHIPS.

AT THE HEART OF MATURE FEMININITY IS A FREEING

DISPOSITION TO AFFIRM, RECEIVE AND NURTURE STRENGTH

AND LEADERSHIP FROM WORTHY MEN IN WAYS

APPROPRIATE TO A WOMAN’S DIFFERING RELATIONSHIPS.

From Piper and Grudem’s Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, available for purchase here, and/or for free online here. The above definitions are unpacked in Chapter 1 (which alone is worth the price of the book), and would be greatly beneficial for everyone — single or married.

Commenting on the fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer (“forgive us our debts [or tresspasses], as we forgive our debtors [those who trespass against us"), Calvin writes:

...we ought not to seek forgiveness of sins from God unless we ourselves also forgive the offenses against us of all those who do or have done us ill. If we retain feelings of hatred in our hearts, if we plot revenge and ponder any occasion to cause harm, and even if we do not try to get back into our enemies' good graces, by every sort of good office deserve well of them, and commend ourselves to them, by this prayer we entreat God not to forgive our sins. For we ask that he do to us as we do to others [cf. Matt 7:12 [show] [12]"So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (ESV)
]. This, indeed, is to petition him not to do it to us unless we ourselves do it. (Institutes, III.xx.45)

Words to take to heart.

Jus Chillin at the pool

In the carseat and...happy??

We have a happy little boy!!

If I had to name the two people who have most influenced my understanding of reality (ie, Scripture’s revelation of it/Him), they would have to be Cornelius Van Til, and Meredith G. Kline. (C. S. Lewis would no doubt man a common trailhead to both paths to the summit.)

Van Til you may already be familiar with, but I’d like to pass along two short articles about Dr. “Hodge” Kline:

Meredith G. Kline: Artist-Exegete, by Gregory E. Reynolds

Meredith G. Kline Funeral Remarks, by Meredith M. Kline (son)

I greatly enjoyed both of these articles, and pass them along in hopes that you might as well.

If you’d like a sample or two of Kline’s writing, let me know in the comments and I’ll direct you to some accessible “trail heads.”

HT: MeredithKline.com

January

1. Cornelius Van Til, In Defense of the Faith Vol. I : The Doctrine of Scripture
2. Donald Van Dyken, Rediscovering Catechism : The Art of Equipping Covenant Children
3. John Owen, Works, Vol. 2 : Communion with God

February

1. Cornelius Van Til, The Intellectual Challenge of the Gospel
2. Michael Horton, Christless Christianity
3. R. Scott Clark, Recovering the Reformed Confession : Our Theology, Piety, and Practice
4. Cornelius Van Til, In Defense of the Faith Vol. II : A Survey of Christian Epistemology

March

1. Ben Schott, Schott’s Original Miscellany (bathroom reading)
2. Richard Gaffin, Calvin and the Sabbath
3. Cornelius Van Til, In Defense of the Faith Vol. III : Christian Theistic Ethics
4. David Wells, The Courage to be Protestant
5. William D. Dennison, Paul’s Two-Age Construction and Apologetics

April

1. D. A. Carson, A Model of Christian Maturity
2. T. David Gordon, Why Johnny Can’t Preach
3. Mark D. Thompson, A Clear and Present Word
4. John Murray, Christian Baptism
5. Mark J. Larson, Calvin’s Doctrine of the State
6. Cornelius Van Til, In Defense of the Faith Vol IV : Psychology of Religion

May

1. J. Gresham Machen, The Origin of Paul’s Religion
2. Cornelius Van Til, In Defense of the Faith Vol. V : Introduction to Systematic Theology
3. Cornelius Van Til, In Defense of the Faith Vol. VI : Christian Theistic Evidences

June

1. Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins

Currently Reading:

1. John Owen, Works, Vol 3. : The Holy Spirit
2. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion

(Breif comments on the above, if you’re interested, are available here.)