Tag Archives: PC(USA)

Keep Calm and Carry On

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“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”
(Psalm 42:5 (ESV))

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) is meeting this week, and while many good things may be coming out of this meeting, it’s hard to stay positive when so much of what is reported just makes you want to shake your head.  From the election of a Vice Moderator who had just officiated a marriage ceremony in Washington, D.C. (in violation of the constitution which the Vice Moderator is sworn to uphold – BTW – the VM resigned from the position within 36 hours of being confirmed), the Rainbow stoles and tablecloths that decorated the cross and Lord’s Table for the opening worship service (suggestive of the denomination’s implicit support of the LGBQT body of the church), and the playing of ABBA and Cyndi  Lauper music over the PA system as transition music between session, I can honestly say I’m glad I stayed home this year.

I am not optimistic that there will be good news at the conclusion of the General Assembly regarding the historical and Biblical teaching of the church on marriage.  It has already been decided that the Presbyteries will once again have to take up the issue of adding the Belhar Confession to our Book of Confessions, which was defeated by the Presbyteries after the last GA.  As I write this, the plenary session is currently discussing the issue of gracious dismissal and the release of church property for churches seeking to separate from the PC(USA).  Other decisions regarding ordination standards and the possible divestment from American companies such as Caterpillar, Motorola and Hewlett-Packard which allegedly profit from non-peaceful pursuits in Israel-Palestine will be made before the end of the week; we await the results.

Having attending General Assembly in the past, once as an observer, once as an Overture Advocate, and as an active Teaching Elder I am very interested and concerned with the business before the GA, but perhaps a little less interested and concerned than in years past.  I honestly admit, as I am writing this and also preparing my sermon today, I am streaming the video of GA and scanning the blogosphere and twitters – but I have found myself rather unflappable when more news comes out.  And that, for me, is a big change.

Previously, GA would send me into a downward spiral.  I’d get so caught up in the arguments and felt like I’d taken a personal blow when something was approved with which I disagreed, it would take me a couple of weeks to shake the funk.  Having witnessed it personally, I was so disheartened by the vitriol and political posturing used by both sides of the arguments that the application to truck driving school looked very tempting.

But not anymore.

It’s not that I am no longer disappointed and disheartened by the continuing descent of the PC(USA) into the realm of cultural relativism and Biblical and moral ambiguity, my heart still breaks for this church.  Still, there is a greater joy that sustains me through the midst of such troubled waters.  As the Psalmist said above, “Why are you downcast, o my soul?  My hope is in God.”  Each morning and evening I have the privilege of coming before the Lord in prayer and supplication, of listening to His word and applying the teaching of Scripture to my life; I have the assurance of the promises of God’s covenant, secured in the Spirit; I have been in the presence of God – what more could I possibly ask or seek?

Such joy, such presence, is enough to sustain me through the ups and downs of the denominational hoopla, and it is sufficient for whatever you are facing today.  If you have spent time in fellowship with the Father, if you have trusted in His promises, His grace, His love for your salvation, there is nothing that this day holds that should be able to quench that joy.  As the saying goes, “keep calm and carry on,” for we know that “for those who love God all things work together for good” and there is nothing that can separate us from His love for us in Jesus Christ our Lord.”

SDG

Revealing Wisdom in the Church

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“so that through the Church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known…”
(Ephesians 3:10 ESV)

 I’m not sure how much focus I can give on this passage during my sermon on Sunday, but I can say that this particular phrase has really been hard to work out this week.  In Ephesians 3:1-13, Paul gives a brief account of his mission to the Gentiles.  He demonstrates that by the grace of God he has been charged to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, to reveal the mystery of Christ (that rather than having to become Jews, the Jews and Gentiles have become a new creation, they are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise of Christ).  In summation, “Paul says that he was given grace to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known…”

There are days when I don’t see how this is possible.  When the church is divided, how is the manifold wisdom of God made known?  When the church wanders down the path of idolatry and license for sin, how is the manifold wisdom of God made known?  When truth and falsehood are put on the same level, and it makes no difference what a man’s opinion might be; when faith and practice are separated; when that which Scripture clearly calls a sin is readily approved and embraced by the church, how is the manifold wisdom of God made known?

I guess the real question is: What is the wisdom of God?

There is a sense in which we cannot know the wisdom of God.  Paul writes in Romans 11:33 “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”  God’s wisdom is not our wisdom, God’s thoughts are not our thoughts.  It is ludicrous to suppose that our limited, finite minds could ever grasp or try to contain the limitless and infinite mind of God our creator.  To think that we could contain or define the wisdom of God would be to reduce God and rob Him of His glory.

At the same time, God has revealed His wisdom in the person of Jesus Christ.  Consider Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 1:

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption… (1 Corinthians 1:27–30)

Through Christ, God has shown that the wisdom of man (which equates success with strength and power, goodness with outward beauty and charm) is folly.  God chose what would be foolish in the eyes of the world, a crucified Messiah from an oppressed people, to reveal and accomplish His wisdom in righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

And so we read in Ephesians that it is the mysterious wisdom of God that in Christ there would be a new creation, where no longer was membership in the covenant community based on heritage, gender, or social status, but by faith alone in Jesus Christ.  In the wisdom of God, the old way of life, following the passions of the flesh and the mind, has been put to death, and in exchange we have been given a new life, a sanctified life of holiness, righteousness, and godly living.  This is the manifold wisdom of God that God intends to reveal in the church today.

The question now is, has the church forgotten her charter?  How many churches have “making known the manifold wisdom of God” in their mission statement (mine doesn’t).  Instead, churches become preoccupied with social or environmental issues (which are well and good) and put the mission of proclaiming the mystery of Christ aside.  Though Christ has torn down the dividing wall of hostility, too often we find ourselves with brick and mortar in hand, letting political issues, class envy, even music preferences drive a wedge of division between us. 

The recent decision of the PC(USA) makes it extremely difficult for our church to live up to its calling to making known the manifold wisdom of God.  By removing the requirement that those who “refuse to repent of any self-acknowledge practice which the confessions call sin shall not be ordained” the church has obscured its message and muddied the water.  Does the gospel of Jesus Christ actually have the power to transform our lives and put to death the dominion of sin?  Does the new life in Christ look any different than the life apart from Him? 

The mystery, according to Paul, is that in Christ, those who were outside the covenant, and those who were within, have been made into a new creation.  Apparently, the mystery of the PC(USA), is that the church has lasted as long as it has while continually abandoning any sense of the authority of Scripture and the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Still, as one who believes in the sovereign and almighty God, I do not think that God has changed His mind (since he can’t) about choosing the church as the agent of revealing His wisdom.  Charles Hodge wrote, “This [passage] gives us our highest conception of the dignity of the church.  The works of God manifest his glory by being what they are.  It is because the universe is so vast, the heavens so glorious, the earth so beautiful and teeming, that they reveal the boundless affluence of their maker.  If then it is through the church God designs speedily to manifest to the highest order of intelligence, his infinite power, grace and wisdom, the church in her consummation must be the most glorious of his works.” 

When the church is at its best, it demonstrates the grace and mercy of God as we proclaim the gospel of redemption, forgiveness, and reconciliation with God and one another through Jesus Christ our savior.  When the church is beset with sin, controversy, and schism and falls short of this glorious call, she demonstrates to the world most vividly our need for the gospel to be taught and the wisdom of God to be brought to light.

God is not powerless, even today in light of all that’s taken place.  We must remain faithful to His calling, faithful to His Word, faithful to His gospel.  So do not lose heart, even this is for the glory of God.