It's the gospel, stupid.

In 1992, Carville came up with the now infamous theme of the Clinton campaign, "It's the economy, stupid." The statement kept the campaign on message and eventually led to Clinton's amazing victory over a sitting President who had just been successful in war. As it is in politics, so it is in Scripture. Message is everything. Does the Bible stay "on message?" Does it stick to right theme?

If you are unfamiliar with the general flow and feel of Scripture, the answer is overwhelmingly, yes! But, rather than sticking with a message that will surely be subjected to the ups and downs of a market economy, the Scriptures reveal the timeless gospel. The one sure hope for all humanity. The only message that will one day bring a lasting peace.

As you read the Bible, whether you are reading the gospels or what you consider to be obscure minor prophets, remember the Bible is going somewhere. It is revealing something, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible never leaves room for us to think we outgrow the gospel, that somehow we enter the Kingdom by the gospel and then move on to other things. The gospel is not something we ever "get past." The gospel is something we grow in and through. The most sanctified saint is still growing in his understanding of the gospel. He is still not only trying to master it, but also to let it master him. The gospel is everything. It is not only revealing who God is, but it is also revealing who you are. Because of this revelation, reconciliation is possible. In the gospel, God not only reconciles us to Himself, but He also gives us grounds by which we can be reconciled to each other. The wealthy businessman comes to the feast on the same grounds as the poor beggar. The king comes on the same grounds as the peasant. The gospel creates a different community, a community that is not built upon the criteria the fallen world chooses to build itself upon. This community is not separated by wealth, race, class, or any other barrier that divides the fallen world. This community is centered on weakness, poverty, humility, and other qualities that so many of us unfortunately outgrow. And, yet much to our surprise, there is not a more joyful, hopeful, and enduring community than the one resulting from the gospel.

Look at the construct of the communities set up naturally around the world. Ask yourself what they are based upon. Then, look at the construct of the community described in John's vision in Revelation. What is it that distinquishes these different communities? It's the message of Scripture, the story of history. It's the gospel, stupid!!

Ecclesiastes and Hevel

Yesterday, Brad Wheeler fed our congregation well by expositing the first three chapters of Ecclesiastes. Throughout the book of Ecclesiastes, the word Hevel recurs again and again. The Hebrew word means that which is meaningless and fleeting. Ecclesiastes is a jewel in the grand narrative of Scripture as it takes a deep, hard look at reality and reveals the utter despair that life brings apart from the God who gives life.

Solomon is the writer of Ecclesiastes, and he has concerned himself with several themes. First, the repeating cycles of life are evident as he addresses the futility of wisdom, pleasure, wealth and mortality again and again. Secondly, he notes that life is constrained by time and that time is the great enemy of us all. Finally, he repeatedly uses the phrase, "under the sun." Solomon was rare in the ancient world as he truly had everything under the son at his fingertips, and, yet, he looks back in despair as its illusion is revealed at the end of his life. Yet, "under the son" is deeper than simple material things. "Under the son" is the way life must be lived as a result of the curse. In the garden, we cast our lot there when we rejected the rightful and good rule of God over our lives. Living "under the sun" is a hard life. It's a struggle. It offers some temporary relief for some but never permanent rest. Ecclesiastes leaves us in a dilemma. How will we find relief from this life "under the son?" Can we regain life as it was once? Is there a way to live life "above the son?" Ecclesiastes graciously leaves us in despair as we look to ourselves. It forces us to look elsewhere. It forces us to look to Christ.

Christ reigned with the Father from the beginning "above the sun." Yet, our redemption and hope hinged on Him being willing to cast His lot with us "under the sun." Even as he humbled Himself and incarnated in real time and space, he would have to overcome the temptations "under the sun" that Adam and Eve were unable to resist in the garden (he did not consider equality with God something to be grasped). Just as Solomon had everything "under the sun," Christ was offered everything "under the sun" in His temptations in the wilderness. In Adam, humanity wrongfully grabbed for everything "under the sun" in the garden and was banished to the wilderness. Yet, the one who rescued His people rejected the offer of everything under the sun in the wilderness so that we might be able to return to the garden.

Life is more than Hevel. It is more than a tale told by an idiot full of sound and fury signifying nothing. All around us a kingdom advances and will soon give life forever to all those who have clung to the one who brings people out of the wilderness. He came to give more than purpose. We need much more than that. He came to give Himself. And, only in Himself, we have life.

Baptists!

There is literally no-telling what comes to your mind when you see that word. For my brothers, it might be the annual "teen week" when we were youth and their sincere curiosity about how many invitations I would respond to. For my wife, it might be her time traveling the country with the NOBC youth choir growing up. (It never ceases to amaze me when she tells me about the various places they traveled. It seems they were in high demand in some of the most amazing cities in the nation....every year.) If you have any sense of cultural awareness at all, you must be aware of my people...the Baptists. My catholic friend Charley recently attended a Baptist service and was so perplexed by the invitation system that he almost walked forward himself just to get the full experience. Anyway, I digress.

Baptist life in America truly is a cultural phenomenon in many ways. From baseball leagues at megachurches with full-service restaurants to small churches in rural towns, have you ever wondered how Baptists are so diverse theologically and organizationally? I have certainly been fascinated by this issue and recently read an excellent essay on the history of Baptist polity and practice in this country. Surely, our brethren who have gone before us have much to teach us. We have weakened theologically and become lax in our polity. Set aside 20 minutes and read this essay.

Bible Ban

In what should become a public relations nightmare, the Chinese government has prohibited athletes from bringing their Bibles to the 2008 Olympic games. The New York Sun has reported this dirty scheme. Let the games begin.

The Future of Justification

The doctrine of justification has come under assault. John Piper has written a excellent historical and biblical defense of this doctrine. It is available for a really cheap price at WTS Books!