What are you?

How would you answer that question? Most would probably answer based on their vocation (e.g. "I'm a doctor or teacher or ..."). That's how I would've answered it.

That's the question Mark Dever asked C.J. Mahaney on the Together for the Gospel blog last month.

Now, C.J. is the humblest man I know of. If you get the chance to see him speak, you can't help but see the overwhelming evidences of grace in his life.

So, when asked, "What is C.J.?", here is C.J.'s response:

What am I? Well, here is what I am. I am the worst sinner I know. And by the grace of God I am doing better than I deserve. For I deserve the righteous wrath of God because of my sin. I deserve to be punished eternally. But in the mystery of His mercy, God sacrificed and crushed His Son on the Cross--as my substitute--so that I might be forgiven of my sin and know God as my Father rather than my Judge. What am I? I am truly amazed by the grace of God. That’s what I am.

Whoa, what a response! It's so obvious that the gospel permeates every part of his life. What a fresh reminder of the need to place the gospel at the very center of our lives.

Young, Restless, Reformed

Christianity Today has published its article on the resurgence of Reformed thinking among youths. A lengthy read, but worth it.

Great quote from Joshua Harris:

"If you really understand Reformed theology, we should all just sit around shaking our heads going, 'It's unbelievable. Why would God choose any of us?'" Harris said. "You are so amazed by grace, you're not picking a fight with anyone, you're just crying tears of amazement that should lead to a heart for lost people, that God does indeed save, when he doesn't have to save anybody."

"I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist"

How could you not take notice of a book with a title like that? :)

I first heard of "I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist" on Justin Taylor's blog, and immediately checked it out on Amazon.com. After reading a few excerpts of it, I must say, it's excellent. Just The Thing to give to your skeptic friends.

Here's a description from the publisher:

"I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist argues that Christianity requires the least faith of all worldviews because it is the most reasonable. The authors lay out the evidence for truth, God, and the Bible in logical order and in a readable, non-technical, engaging style. A valuable aid to those interested in examining the reasonableness of the Christian faith, Geisler and Turek provide a firm challenge to the prior beliefs of doubters and skeptics."

I love Josh McDowell's endorsement on that same publisher link:

"If you’re still a skeptic after reading I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, then I suspect you’re living in denial!"

Suffering and the Sovereignty of God

I'm usually not a fan of outlines.. you know, those outlines that you receive at seminars and lectures that you're supposed to follow through and take notes. I have this tendency to take the outline home, file it, and... um, file it. :) I might refer to it once in a while but more often than not, it is left in the files, waiting to be rediscovered the next time I'm forced to do some spring cleaning.

So when my small group leader sent me a download link for a Sovereign Grace Ministries outline entitled "Suffering and Sovereignty", I let it sit in my inbox for days. Well, I finally got around to download it, expecting it to be one of "those" outlines again. Boy, was I wrong. The outline is on the very important topic of human suffering in light of the sovereignty of God. Despite being just nine pages, it is packed with biblical wisdom, insightful quotes, and application material.

Never mind about outlines, but why did I get excited over an outline on the topic of suffering, of all things? Well here's an excerpt from the outline that explains why...

"One of the major causes of devastating grief and confusion among Christians is that our expectations are false. We do not give the subject of evil and suffering the thought it deserves until we ourselves are confronted with tragedy. If by that point our beliefs - not well thought out but deeply ingrained - are largely out of step with the God who has disclosed himself in the Bible and supremely in Jesus, then the pain from the personal tragedy may be multiplied many times over as we begin to question the very foundations of our faith." Carson

You can download the outline here.

Coincidentally, John Piper and Justin Taylor just released their new book "Suffering and the Sovereignty of God" a few days ago. Would love to get my hands on it.. and maybe do a review. Then again, no promises about a review... this is coming from a guy who blogs less than ten posts a year. :)

Does God want you to be rich?

That's the question Time Magazine is asking on its cover this week.

From the link:

"For several decades, a philosophy has been percolating in the 10 million-strong Pentecostal wing of Christianity that seems to turn the Gospels' passage on its head. Certainly, it allows, Christians should keep one eye on heaven. But the new good news is that God doesn't want us to wait.

Known (or vilified) under a variety of names -- Word of Faith, Health and Wealth, Name It and Claim It, Prosperity Theology -- its emphasis is on God's promised generosity in this life. In a nutshell, it suggests that a God who loves you does not want you to be broke."

Sadly, this is the age of prosperity theology. Who cares about taking up the cross when you can gain the whole world.

Here are some helpful responses from Alex Chediak and Albert Mohler.

Choice quote from Dr. Mohler:

"Well . . . why would an awesome and mighty God want anything less for his children? The saddest aspect of that question is its focus on material prosperity at the expense of the limitless spiritual riches we are given in Christ. The problem with prosperity theology is not that it promises too much, but that it promises so little -- and promises that so falsely."

(HT: Between Two Worlds)

How good are you?

Find out!