We arrived here at the conference around 8:15. We had a great breakfast (yogurt, some type of a muffin, strawberries, etc - part of my breakfast consisted of Cocoa Puffs with chocolate milk - a little too much chocolate!). I’m off to get my coffee!!
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Session 1
Phil Johnson (head of Grace to You – editor of many of John’s books)
Titus 2:6-8
Likewise urge the young men to be sensible; 2:7 in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, 8 sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.
There is a growing movement in the church that is calling for the use of foul language and pornographic words/material in order to grab the attention of the world. Under the rubric of contextualization they are delving into and using the crudeness of the world in order to ‘win the lost’.
The funny thing is, you don’t find the culture (newscasts, etc) using such course language to do its stuff – and the culture isn’t asking it to do so – so why is the church using it?
In a sickening way, we want to be at home in a corrupt culture. Contextualization is often times nothing more then a cover up (an accommodation) for our own dark and lustful desire for smut.
Sound doctrine is not enough – it must be followed by a holy life. Our lives are to adorn our doctrine.
Paul calls for Titus not to join the culture or act like the culture there in Crete (which we know historically was rather vile), instead he calls Titus to teach his people to be different – to stand out in holiness, not in likeness.
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Session #2
Steve Lawson
Galatians 1:6-10
I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! 10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.
Church history records how faithful men have battled for the pure gospel – many giving their lives.
In these verses Paul is waging war for the exclusivity of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He is fighting the Jewish legalism that had been brought into the church – they were mixing law and grace; salvation must be earned by the law and sanctification must be achieved by the works of the flesh.
The importance of this debate explains why Galatians contains so much passion. Life and death is on the line!
Outline of the text:
1. Paul’s Amazement; vv 6-7
Paul’s amazement is over their deserting of the gospel. The implication of deserting the gospel is you turn your back on God – because the gospel comes from God (cf. Rom 1:1 …set apart for the gospel of God [the gospel that comes from God]).
Why is this so crucial? The Cross is where the wrath, holiness and righteousness of God is satisfied. The gospel is where we meet God through His Son. Thus to defect from the gospel is to defect from God Himself.
To remove one’s self from the gospel is to remove one’s self from the only way of salvation. Only Christ can bring salvation – thus to abandon the gospel is to abandon all hope of eternal life.
To illustrate this he quoted the conversation between Larry King and Joel Osteen on the Larry King Live Show where Larry point blank asked Joel if someonone believed in Christ he would go to heaven while if another did not they would go to hell. To which Joel said, ‘Yeah, I don’t know…”
2. Paul’s Adversaries; v 7
They were saying that grace was good as it goes, but to be finally accepted before God they needed to add human works (ceremonial law, circumcision, etc.). Paul will answer later by saying if we could receive salvation by works then the Cross was the greatest blunder of the ages – for it did not achieve what God said it did. You cannot add works to grace and still have salvation.
Anyone who says ‘faith and’…is adding to the gospel.
Paul makes this very clear in 2:16 “nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus…”
3. Paul’s Anathemas; vv 8-9
Paul is absolutely seething at this point (is to be good to be worked up over the things that work up the heart of God!). If anyone preaches anything other than salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone then let them be devoted to destruction, to the flames of eternal hell, to be damned now so that they won’t take anymore people with them!
Paul ‘reloads’ in v 9. The gospel is so crucial to Paul (we have to get it right!). Whoever it may be (whether an apostle or even angel!!), it doesn’t matter, if they preach a different gospel, they are accursed. They have distorted the gospel, rejecting God’s truth and His Son, and are thus candidates for the destructive, eternal flames of hell!
4. Paul’s Aim; v 10
Why are there false gospels? Because false gospels appeal to the fallen nature of man. We give to people (ourselves) what we want to hear and believe. The true gospel goes against everything we are and that is why it is rejected. It is what leads to persecution and martyrdom. BUT, when we preach it faithfully, it leads to pleasing the Lord.
If we seek to please God it does not matter whom we displease. Conversely if we seek to please man, we will not please the Lord. We cannot do both. Paul understood that and so strove to please the Lord by being faithful to the gospel He had given to him.
This was one of the most powerful messages I have heard in a long time. A timely reminder to ‘get the gospel right’! Eternity is at stake!
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Session #3
John MacArthur
Why is there evil in the world?
How do you expect me to believe in a God who is all-loving and good and yet allows evil in this world?
The answer has to ultimately come back to God – who created man who fell and created Satan who fell (logically He is responsible for what His creation does since He created them with the ability to do it).
Basic axioms:
1. Evil exists
§ Natural – impersonal; cursed creation acting upon its creatures with deadly force and affect (disease, disasters, floods, etc).
§ Moral – people doing evil – Romans 3 there is no one who does good
§ Supernatural evil – Satan and his minions who express their corruption upon creation through their influence in mankind.
§ Eternal – hell; evil is the only thing that exists there
2. God exists
§ He is loving, kind, good, compassionate, etc.
§ He is also sovereign – He is in control. There is nothing that happens that does not fall within the purpose and plan of God; Ps 115:3; Dan 4:35; Ex 4:11; Lam 3:37-38; Eph 1:3-14 – greatest example of His control is the flood (only 8 survived while millions died).
o This is a hard idea to grasp – but should that surprise us? How can finite man understand the Infinite?
o There are few miracles in the OT where God’s judgment was not involved.
3. God wills evil to exist – or it wouldn’t exist.
o Is 45:5-7
I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; 6 that men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other, 7 the One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these.
o Other explanations:
§ Process theology – God grows in His knowledge and ability.
§ Openness theology – since the future is unknowable God doesn’t know it and thus the future is ‘open’ to God (He is more sovereign then the process’ God but not as sovereign as the biblical God).
§ Metaphysical – evil is only the natural opposite of good – this keeps the ‘balance’ in the universe.
§ Free Will Theism – the greatest thing in the world to God is man’s free will. God had to allow evil to protect the most highly valued thing; free will. This protected God from any blame.
· God does not value human will over His own will.
· Why did God create them with ability (which was contingent in man’s free will) to fall in the first place?
· Which means creation is out of control – Satan and mankind is doing what they want and God is scrambling to gain control (which He can’t because he values man’s free-will).
· You can’t live under the sovereignty of Satan!
4. God had a purpose for evil – His glory
o Romans 3:5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (I am speaking in human terms.)
§ Our unrighteousness gives God the opportunity to demonstrate His righteousness – at the Cross.
o Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
§ There is no love (that leads to salvation) without unworthiness and there is no unworthiness without evil.
o Romans 9:22 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory
o Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
§ God’s plans may be unsearchable and unfathomable, but they are NOT unclear.
o Does this lead to God being unjust?
§ Romans 9:14 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! 15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy…19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” 20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? 21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?
o Does the existence of evil make God more or less glorious? MORE glorious. Evil makes God more glorious.
o In a way we don’t understand God planned evil to bring Him glory.
o God orders all things (evil and good) for His own glory and the good of His own people (Romans 8:28).
