Change Inside Out, Not Outside in

    "He's gotten into some trouble but my boy has a good heart deep inside of him." This is what a father told me one time during a conversation. Another parent explained to me one time, "I know that my son stole your son's video game but that's not him because we didn't raise him up this way."

    We have all made this same rationalization in one form or another. It's a way of softening the impact of the sins we do before men and before God. The pattern goes like this : we admit that we're not perfect, that we make mistakes, and we commit sin from time to time but these are mere aberrations because deep down inside, we are basically good and our hearts are in the right place. This view treats sin as committing mistakes, making wrong choices, failing to live up to our potential or engaging in anti-social behavior. If we believe this to be true, then it's possible that we can improve ourselves and attain godly living by learning from our experience. Yet what the Bible says is completely different.

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?"

-Jeremiah 17: 9 (ESV)

"For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander."

-Matthew 15:19 (ESV)

That is the truth about our hearts. We cannot blame external influences such us our upbringing and culture for our wrongdoing. It proceeds from inside of us, not outside in. If we honestly look inside of us, our deepest thoughts, emotions and desires would be something like this:

"A fountain of pollution is deep within my nature. There are chambers of foul images within my being. I have gone from one odious room to another, walked in no-man's-land of dangerous imaginations, pried into the secrets of my fallen nature."

-The Valley of Vision

    Certainly we are capable to do good works and improve our behavior through our own efforts. Men may applaud us for it but God does not. For the righteous deeds from a corrupt heart are nothing but filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). When we deny our sinful condition, we do not see the need for repentance and our minds are blinded from seeing and rethinking our true relationship to God. We also reject the gospel because the gospel says we're not good and consequently we completely miss the grace and mercy of God.

    No human effort, positive thinking, child-rearing techniques, and character building activities can transform the wayward and sinful heart. Many people claim that they have knowledge in how you can become a better you. Bookstores are filled with so many self-improvement books. Ultimately, this kind of "fix" is superficial like polishing up a car but not fixing the broken engine. It looks good on the outside but it's broken inside so it's still dead.

    Only God can change the heart. Godliness proceeds inside out, not outside in.

"But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

-Jeremiah 31:33 (ESV)

"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules."

-Ezekiel 36:26-27 (ESV)

  This is how real change happens :

"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."

-John 1:12-13 (ESV)

"....We all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ."

-Ephesians 2:3-5 (ESV)

    He who is spiritually dead can't help himself. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 1:12)." Change comes by believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God who has come to earth to bring the light of the gospel into the hearts of men. Receive Jesus Christ for who he is - Savior and Lord. Nothing is fixed in your life if you believe that Jesus is only a moral teacher, a divine therapist, or an inspirational speaker who came to improve your life. If that is Jesus to you, then you put him on the same plane as the human peddlers of self-improvement. Jesus came to crucify and bury your old life so that you might be raised with him with a new life - a new heart - as a child of God. Change the heart, change the behavior. Regeneration from the inside. This is how radical permanent change happens. This is how real progress happens. Inside out, not outside in.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

 -Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)



If we are able to change ourselves for the better then this passage would be a lie. When we are saved, we are regenerated into this new life brought about by a new heart and new pattern of thinking. And it is all the work of Christ in whom our life is now hidden. Inside out, not outside in.

The Anti-Psalm 23

One way of getting insight into Scripture is to think of the antithesis of that passage.

Antithesis  is a counter-proposition and denotes a direct contrast to the original proposition. In setting the opposite, an individual brings out a contrast in the meaning (e.g., the definition, interpretation, or semantics) by an obvious contrast in the expression.

-Wikipedia

What would the antithesis of a well-loved passage such as Psalm 23 look like? From Justin Taylor's blog :

Antipsalm 23

I’m on my own.

No one looks out for me or protects me.

I experience a continual sense of need. Nothing’s quite right.

I’m always restless. I’m easily frustrated and often disappointed.

It’s a jungle—I feel overwhelmed. It’s a desert—I’m thirsty.

My soul feels broken, twisted, and stuck. I can’t fix myself.

I stumble down some dark paths.

Still, I insist: I want to do what I want, when I want, how I want.

But life’s confusing. Why don’t things ever really work out?

I’m haunted by emptiness and futility—shadows of death.

I fear the big hurt and final loss.

Death is waiting for me at the end of every road,

but I’d rather not think about that.

I spend my life protecting myself. Bad things can happen.

I find no lasting comfort.

I’m alone . . . facing everything that could hurt me.

Are my friends really friends?

Other people use me for their own ends.

I can’t really trust anyone. No one has my back.

No one is really for me—except me.

And I’m so much all about ME, sometimes it’s sickening.

I belong to no one except myself.

My cup is never quite full enough. I’m left empty.

Disappointment follows me all the days of my life.

Will I just be obliterated into nothingness?

Will I be alone forever, homeless, free-falling into void?

Sartre said, “Hell is other people.”

I have to add, “Hell is also myself.”

It’s a living death, and then I die.

Is Christianity a Psychological Crutch?

    It's a common objection raised against the Christian faith. Christianity is just a psychological crutch for the week, needy, and the fearful. In this view, God is a benevolent father figure for those who do not have the intellectual capacities nor the training to provide comfort and security for themselves. Two apologists point out the flaws behind this charge (links below). Several arguments are put forth so take time to read them carefully.

1. Ravi Zacharias International Ministries : Is Believing God a Psychological Crutch?

2.  Bethinking.org : Is Christianity Just a Psychological Crutch?

My take:

    Those who call Christianity a "crutch" are actually using this objection as a crutch so that they are freed from being held accountable for their sinful actions. It's their escape route to self-justification. It's a cover-up excuse for their refusal to accept the absolute sovereignty and moral authority of God over their lives.

     The God in the Bible is inscrutable. His ways are higher than our own. As I ponder about his sovereignty, his love, his holiness, and his justice and how that is fully all expressed in the saving work of Jesus Christ, he is certainly far more than the fatherly, Santa Claus-like caricature. God is not simple. This trinitarian, divine, Being whose name is a phrase ("I AM") cannot be put in a box. That is what makes Christianity a most intellectually and emotionally satisfying faith.

Sinclair Ferguson|God Finishes What He Starts

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

-Philippians 1:6 (ESV)

   God is at work in the very first nanosecond of your belief in Jesus Christ; God is at work in changing your heart to believe on Jesus Christ, just as He was at work for your salvation from before the foundation of the world.

    God is at work in declaring you to be right with Him in accepting you in the righteousness of His Son, in pardoning and forgiving you of your sins. He’s at work in that. His initiative is involved.

    God is at work in your growing up to maturity in grace. Salvation is not something that starts with you and then continues with the work of God, nor does it start with God and then He says ‘OK, the rest is up to you.’

    Salvation from beginning to end, from start to finish, is the work of the sovereign grace of God, and so He is at work building you up in Christ, and He is at work one day to present you faultless before His throne with exceeding joy and great glory, in Jesus Christ, with all the saints, perfected.

    Conversion, justification, sanctification, glorification…that’s what those words are. They’re just code words so you don’t have to take as long as I just took to say all that you want to say.


- Sinclair Ferguson

Are You Shaped By The Word or By The World?

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night."

"He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away."

'Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish."

-Psalm 1: 1-6 (ESV)

    We all need instruction in this life. Where do we get it? From whom do we get it? It's important to be discerning about this because wisdom can either come from the wicked or the righteous. Life on earth is full of trials, turmoil and uncertainty. So the last thing we need is listening to bad advice and getting the wrong counsel.

WHAT DO WE DELIGHT IN?

    We get our counsel from teachers that please us and from books that we love to read. We choose to be influenced by what we delight in. John Piper observes,

Nobody walks in the way of the wicked out of duty. Nobody stands in the way of sinners out of duty. Nobody sits in the seat of scoffers out of duty. We walk and stand and sit there because we want to. And we want to because we have been watching them so intently that what they do is now attractive.

    The counsel of the world is pleasing to our ears and appealing to our eyes. Why? Because the wisdom of this world is centered on us. How can we get rich? How can we find happiness, success, and fulfillment? How can we raise great kids? How do we have a great marriage? We all want this for ourselves and we're willing to spend money and listen to those who can show us how to get there. In short, the world's wisdom is powerfully appealing to our corrupted hearts.

   

     God desires that we walk in holiness and find our enjoyment and delight in Him. The Psalmist proclaims right at the start that blessed (or happy) is the man who delights in God's instruction and regularly meditates on His law. When we do this, we experience a blessedness from God that is not given to those who walk in the way of sinners.

THE BLESSEDNESS OF KEEPING GOD'S LAW

   God's Word is so valuable that it is more desirable than fine gold and there is great reward in keeping them (Psalm 19:10-11).

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul;
 the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
 the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
 the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.

-Psalm 19:7-9 (ESV)

  

    The instruction of the Lord is good and perfect. Far from being dry and boring, it is sweeter than honey from the honeycomb (Psalm 19:10). It preserves our lives, it revives our souls, and it uplifts our hearts. Just as water from the great river makes the tree that lie on its banks verdant and fruitful, meditating on God's Word brings fruitfulness and health in our spiritual life.  Regular meditation of God's Word firmly establishes our feet, keeps us away from making harmful decisions, and provides the stability that we need in times of struggle and trials.

If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life.

-Psalm 119: 92-93 (ESV)

    If it has this much value and importance, then why does our Bible gather dust in the bookshelf? How much worth do we put in reading the Bible? How much effort do we spend in meditating God's Word? Do we look forward to it or is it such a drudgery to read it that we just want to hurry up and finish it? Does it occupy much of our daily thinking and reflection? How barren and thirsty is the Christian who does not constantly draw water from God's Word.

THE FATE OF ONE WHO DELIGHTS IN THE WORLD

    The ungodly are not like trees planted by streams of water, rather they are like chaff that the wind drives away. There is no stability, vibrancy, life, nor reward when our thinking is shaped and influenced by the world. The end result is death and judgment. Why is this so?

But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

-James 3:14-16 (ESV)

   The world's wisdom feeds our selfish desires. And when we live like this, we might be temporarily rewarded but the end-result is destruction. For God brings judgment and wrath on the ungodly. Charles Spurgeon describes the situation of the ungodly this way,

The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous. They are like the planted tree. Not so, ye that are ungodly, not so ye; there is no special providence for you. To whom will ye carry your troubles? Where is your shelter in the day of wrath? Where is your shield in the hour of battle? Who shall be your sun when darkness shall gather about you? Who shall comfort you when your troubles shall encompass you round? You have no eternal arm to lean upon. You have no compassionate heart to beat for you. You have no loving eye to watch you. You are left alone! Alone! Alone!

So the question to you is are you shaped and influenced by the world or by the Word of God?

Stories

   

    I encourage my sons to read books. In the process, I noticed that some of the popular titles such as Big Nate and Diary of a Wimpy Kid may be amusing but they are not at all inspiring.

    As parents, it is important that that we guide our children and engage with them as they read. Reading then becomes an opportunity for teaching valuable life-lessons and spiritual insights, not merely for entertainment. Great stories help our children to understand that a spiritual world exists beyond the material world that they live in. It points them to the reality of God, who He is, what He is doing, and what He will do. They learn that the spiritual dimension helps give meaning and purpose to their lives here on earth. Author ND Wilson says:

"Feed your children stories that will keep their eyes wide with wonder when they look out their front windows or wander their yards. Feed them stories of joy and hardship and courage and tragedy and triumph. Give them heroes, real and imagined. Give them a taste for goodness, for truth, for beauty."

     Don't simply dismiss the power and wonder of stories. Ponder this: it is how God reveals his nature and his plan of redemption to persons like you and me. Someone said,

"The stories--the facts--give shape to the one we ought to worship. What God does shows who he is."

Read the Bible and you'll realize that it isn't a dry and boring book. Rather, it's full of fantastic and magical stories. Think of Moses rescuing Israel out from Egypt, Samson's amazing strength, Gideon's weaponless army of 300 men defeating the superior enemy, David slaying Goliath with a well-aimed pebble from a slingshot, Jonah in the belly of the whale, Isaiah's vision of God seated on His throne, the miracles and works of Jesus as told in the gospels, and many more stories in the Bible. There is no doubt that these are incredible stories but they were real events in history. They are not myths. These stories have a purpose and that is to demonstrate who God is and point us to his son Jesus Christ who "suffered once for sins, the unrighteous for the righteous, that he might bring us back to God (1 Peter 3:18). These stories are the foundation of New Testament theology. Read Paul's letters as well as the non-Pauline epistles. You will realize that their theology and doctrine largely come from Old Testament stories and the gospel accounts. In turn, these principles guide us in how to live as Christians who by grace are saved through faith in Jesus Christ. Ultimately, these stories greatly influence our practice in the kingdom of God.

     By the way, ND Wilson writes children's adventure and fantasy novels. I met him at a conference last year - funny guy and a great writer. I've read a couple of his books. There is the 100 Cupboards trilogy, a story about a boy who discovers mysterious cupboards in his room and they turn out to be portals into other worlds. If you like the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis then you will also enjoy the 100 Cupboards series. It's a great book for children as well as for grown-ups. And then there's Notes From The Tilt-A-Whirl which he describes as "a narrative nature of the world and the personality of the Poet behind it all." He has this gift of looking this world a little bit differently than we do in order to show how colorful and wonderfully complex our great God is and he writes it all down in this book. He also recently wrote about the relevance of stories in this post from Desiring God : Stories are Soul Food : Don't Let Your Children Hunger.

Skies and Landscapes

I was reflecting on Psalm 19:1-7 tonight. I also happened to come across this video from a blog and I marvel at how it perfectly captures the reflections of the Psalmist.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

-Psalm 19:1-7 (ESV)

Landscapes: Volume Two from Dustin Farrell on Vimeo.

    This is what the heavens are proclaiming everyday, 24x7, and it never stops declaring the glory of its Creator. This is what they were made for. This is their ministry: to communicate to us that there is a God.

    What about you and me? Perhaps we're preoccupied with building our own glory and kingdom. Hence, we're too busy to notice the infinitely glorious majesty of God that is being spoken out around us at each moment. Stop looking at yourself. Nothing good and glorious is in there. Look around you. Look up to the skies. Notice the blinding light from the sun and feel the heat that it generates. That's the handiwork of God.

    Now join with the heavenly chorus!

KEVIN DEYOUNG|The Villain With A Thousand Faces

Kevin DeYoung :

"Sin is in every human heart. It is the villain with a thousand faces."

"Even as Christians we find ways to avoid the word sin. We will speak of our imperfections, our flaws, our inadequacies, our dysfunctions, our weaknesses, our insecurities, and our growth edges. But how often do we call sin “sin”?"

"For sin may have a thousand faces, but salvation has only one."

Read more from his blog at the Gospel Coalition.

An Advice From JI Packer

Theologian JI Packer gives this advice in his book, Knowing God :

"Do I as a Christian, understand myself?
               Do I know my know my own real identity?
                                                               My own real destiny?

I am a child of God.
    God is my father;
         heaven is my home;
               every day is one day nearer.
                        My Savior is my brother too.

Say it over and over to yourself first thing in the morning, last thing at night, as you wait for the bus, any time when your mind is free, and ask that you may be enabled to live as one who knows it is all utterly and completey true.

For this is the Christian's secret of  - a happy life? - yes, certainly, but we have something both higher and profounder to say.

This is the Christian's secret of a Christian life, and of a God-honoring life and these are the aspects of the situation that really matter.

May this secret become fully yours, and fully mine.

Good Works in the Christian Life



Photo by stevendepolo

 The theology on good works is clear. We are not saved by our good works.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

-Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)

All our self-initiated good works are dead works (Hebrews 6:1). It profits us nothing. The good news is that as Christians, we are created to do good works and they count for something!

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

-Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

Good works prove that our faith in Jesus Christ is authentic.

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

-James 2:14-17 (ESV)

There's more to it. Why were we created in Christ to do good works? What is the purpose? From the book What is the Mission of the Church, authors Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert explain the motivations behind good works in the Christian life.

Here's the summary including notable quotes and related Scripture passages :

1. We Do Good Works to Obey God, Whom We Love (1 John 5:3, 1 John 4:19)

"At the end of the day, God commands us to do good works and live godly lives."

2. We Do Good Works Because We Love Our Neighbors (Matthew 5:43-45, Matthew 22:36-40)

"We as Christians should be marked by a posture of love and generosity toward our neighbors, and that includes everyone, according to Jesus, from our best friends to our worst enemies."

3. We Do Good Works to Show God's Character and God's Work.

"When we approach the world with a posture of love and generosity, our good works provide a powerful confirmation of our declaration that "God is love." They show the world the we really mean what we say, and they make it just that much more plausible the God is really there and that his influence in our lives is real, powerful, and different from anything else in the world."

4. We Do Good Works Because They Are the Fruit of the Spirit's Work In Us (Matthew 7:16-20)

"Simply put, apples grow on apple trees, oranges grow on orange trees, and good works grow on Christians."

"It's not that good works are in the root of the tree; they're not the thing that makes the tree what it is. They're not the ground or the basis of our standing with God. But if we are truly redeemed through the blood of Christ, if the Holy Spirit truly dwells in us, then we will be a people who bear fruit in good works."

5. We Do Good Works to Win a Hearing for the Gospel

"Christians, as we've seen, are to love the whole person, and therefore it makes perfect sense to love someone by giving him food and at the same time to love him in a different, higher way by giving him the gospel."

So don't grow weary in doing well. Keep up the good work!

JOHN PIPER|Thankful for the Love of God! Why?

From John Piper's sermon on the love of God :

"Have you taken the American definition of love - being made much of - and so twisted God to fit that definition so that now the only way you would feel loved by God is if he makes much of you? When in fact, the love of God is so working as to change you so that you enjoy making much of him forever and ever and ever. And that's the end of your quest. There is not anything beyond it."

"You are being tricked, many of you, into thinking that the satisfying thing in life is to be made much of. If I could just get some people to clap for me, to like me, to approve of me, to give me a raise or to give me an advancement, if I could just get someone to pay attention to me, I would be satisfied. You wouldn't. I promise you. In the name of Jesus Christ Almighty, you wouldn't. You will be satisfied when you forget yourself and are swallowed up in Jesus Christ, and he becomes your treasure and your delight and what you cherish and what you value and what you spend the rest of your eternity growing in your capacity to see and savor - to know and delight in him forever and ever - and it will get better and better and better."

LINK: Thankful for the Love of God! Why?

REVIEW|The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study

    For a Christian family it is important that their children be educated in the Bible and trained to grow in knowledge and love for God's Word. Parents must not neglect this duty nor must they leave this responsibility to the local church. Rather, they must be an example for their children in studying Scripture and be competent to teach the very Word of God.

   A great resource for parents is the new, multi-volume set from Crossway titled The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study by author and teacher, Starr Meade. It's a five-volume survey of the entire Bible designed for middle school and high school age kids. As a former youth ministry leader, I've searched for Bible study material for young teens and I can honestly say that there is nothing out there that is similar in content, breadth, and quality.

    It's a comprehensive, complete, and unique study guide. The treatment of all 66 books in the Bible is as rigorous and careful as typical science or math textbooks. It's the perfect resource for studying the Bible like the way kids study subjects such as Math or History. Yet it doesn't come across as too academic. It is faithful to emphasize the themes or main ideas of the text that is being studied. The questions help the kids to understand what they are reading and the author attempts to connect or fit what they read into the overarching story of the Bible. 

    One thing I've found helpful is the answer guide that is provided for parents and teachers so that they can understand the flow and content of each section. There is also a quiz provided at the end of each section with varied formats, i.e. multiple choice, complete the sentence, matching, that helps to evaluate the child's mastery of the subject. The author suggests ways that this set can be used: as a supplemental companion to Scripture reading or as a study guide for reading through the Bible from beginning to end. What I've found out lacking was life application questions so this is something parents or teachers must supplement on their own if needed.

    The apostle Paul says, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17)." When kids love Jesus and are captivated by the Word of God they will be established for life not just in this world but for all eternity. This Bible study guide and survey will help to bring kids in that direction.