FROM THE PASTOR'S PEN........MAY, 1995
The Reformed church is caught in the middle of the battle over understanding cultural relativity
in the world of relativism (the state of contingency) and utilitarianism (the state of convenience).
We're living in a high tech world with a communications ability that boggles the mind. Imagery,
impulse, and intuition has buried the intellectual process so that any attempt to recover the
rational will be challenged by the irrational. But like the preacher says, "There is nothing new
under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
The church is invaded with a barrage of unbiblical thinking, and that is nothing new. The priest
,Pashhur, "prophesied lies" to the church of the old covenant. Jesus warned that many false
prophets would appear and deceive many. In that context in Matthew 24 Jesus explains how the
"gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world." So the false prophets include those
preachers who are not telling the truth. They speak deceitful words, although the words may
sound very religious, even evangelical. These false teachers may not be devious devils attempting
to overthrow the church, they may just be misinformed and lazy. Dr. R. C. Sproul hit the nail on
the head when he said, "the evangelicals of today are so anti-intellectual that they are getting away
with murder. They are spiritualizing their intellectual slothfulness." Dr. Sproul said that in a
theology class at seminary and he went on to say that "we're not willing to do what it takes to
master the Word of God." His statement profoundly affected me. I realized that I was not
making the sacrifice necessary to master the Word of God.
In contrast to that profound statement by Dr. Sproul, I remembered my days at Columbia Bible
College when a professor said "a sermon should be on the 7th or 8th grade level and make the
sermon so simple that anyone can understand. " Babes in Christ must be fed baby food doctrine
and theology, but like a baby the spiritual man will prove not to be spiritual or he will grow to
maturity. It is natural to seek the security that comes with being a babe, but it is not prudent or
biblical for God's appointed teachers to treat the church as a whole like pre school children.
There is a Proverb that says "There is a way that seems right to a man" (Pro. 16:25). This is
certainly not something new. Adam and Eve believed that their way seemed right. In their
culture it was a matter of contingency (relativism) and convenience (utilitarianism) to eat the fruit,
even though it was forbidden by God. There was a way that seemed right to Abraham and David
as well as to Saul and Zedekiah. It is incumbent on the converted sinner to bring "every thought
into captivity to the obedience of Christ." The mind, the emotions and the will must be held
captive by a Christian world and life view. What seems right to you may not actually be right
according to God's measuring stick. We know that "the god of this world has blinded the minds
of the unbelieving" (2 Cor. 4:4), but he will also try to mislead the elect if possible (Matt. 24:24).
I talk to laymen, ruling elders, and teaching elders all the time who are wrestling with the
complexity of ministering with cultural relevance without embracing cultural relativism. In one
form or another I'm asked, "how can we minister in a society engulfed by relativism on one side
and utilitarianism on the other side?"
First it is necessary to formulate a biblical (Reformed) world and life view. This is not an easy
process nor is it a comfortable position. The only way to formulate a biblical (Reformed) world
and life view is by hard work. Precious few are the people who love to read, study, think,
capture propositions, and render conclusions. It is not only hard work and uncomfortable, but
you lose the security and peace of "going along with the crowd." It is much easier to read a
survey, determine what people like, and try to provide that service. While I was in the business
world that is exactly what I tried to do. "Find a need and fill it at the right price" would bring
success ($). In the church it is called "meeting felt needs" which in itself is nothing new, but it
does seem right to man. It is much easier to "meet felt needs" than it is to busy oneself inquiring
and examining the Word of God, the history of the church, and the culture so one can make sense
out of all three. Such work will issue a biblical (Reformed) world and life view that is culturally
relevant.
Another way to minister in a society engulfed by relativism on one side and utilitarianism on the
other side is to keep our purpose in view. You must remember that your primary purpose is to
worship God. When the Passover was instituted the people of God "bowed their heads and
worshipped." God demanded a sense of fear and reverence in that culture as He does today in
our culture. Yet because of a so-called cultural revolution, human cleverness has replaced God's
mandates. In 1841, long before post modern thinkers emerged, James Henry Thornwell said, "It
is not to be disguised, that our church is becoming deplorably secular....We are doing God's work
by human wisdom and human policy." It is not possible to worship God "according to the
imaginations and devices of men, but the acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted
by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will." (WCF 21.1). Theological debate will always
end up in the category of worship. We study the nature and character of God so we will know
how to worship Him. If worship to God is our primary duty, then we must worship Him in spirit
and truth. When we assemble to worship in anticipation of the beatific vision (when we see God
face to face, which is the ultimate spirit and truth), the worship is directed to Him by His pleasure.
We cannot devise methods of worship because it makes us feel good. The concept of
entertainment such as drama skits, special music, and even preaching, must be removed if its
purpose is to entertain. I know people who actually believe that the preacher should entertain
them with a light and lively sermon. Our primary purpose is to worship God not entertain a
human audience.
We can minister in a society engulfed by relativism on one side and utilitarianism on the other side
if we will submit to the authority of God. We can't allow psychology, managerialism, or
charismatic personalities control our thinking, because Satan used these from the beginning and
just because they seem right to man, they are not necessarily right in the eyes of God.
We can be soldiers of the gospel even though we live in the cities of relativism and utilitarianism, but we can't embrace relativism and utilitarianism in our worship to God. We can destroy the false arguments raised up by the enemy of the gospel when we learn and practice a biblical (Reformed) world and life view. What do you think?
FROM THE TRACTS OF JOHN CALVIN
OF ORIGINAL SIN
Moreover, we hold that original sin is a corruption spread over our senses and affections, so that
right understanding and reason is perverted in us, and we are like poor blind persons in darkness,
and the will is subject to all wicked desires, full of rebellion, and given up to evil; in short, that we
are poor captives held under the tyranny of sin; not that in doing evil we are not pushed by our
own will in such a way that we cannot throw our sins, upon another, but because sprung of the
cursed race of Adam, we have not one particle of strength to do well, and all our faculties are
vicious.
OF THE SOURCE OF OUR SALVATION
Hence we conclude, that the source and origin of our salvation is the pure mercy of God; for he
cannot find in us any worthiness to induce him to love us. We also being bad trees cannot bear
any good fruit, and therefore cannot prevent God so as to acquire or merit grace from him; but he
looks upon us in pity, to show mercy to us, and has no other cause of displaying his mercy in us
but our misery. We likewise hold that the goodness which he displays towards us proceeds from
his having elected us before the creation of the world, not seeking the cause of so doing out of
himself and his good pleasure. And here is our first fundamental principle, viz., that we are
pleasing to God, inasmuch as he has been pleased to adopt us as his children before we were born,
and has by this means delivered us by special privilege from the general curse under which all men
have fallen.
All false teaching is to be hated and opposed. . . .the Lord Jesus Christ denounced evil and
denounced false teachers. I repeat that He denounced them as 'ravening wolves' and 'whited
sepulchres', and as 'blind guides'. . . .There can be little doubt but that the Church is as she is
today because we do not follow New Testament teaching and its exhortations. . . .The result is
that people do not recognize error when they meet it. They accept what appears (my emphasis,
"There is a way that seems right to man", Proverbs 16:25) to be nice and are impressed by those
who come to their doors speaking about the Bible and offering books about the Bible and
prophecy and so on. . . .Imagining themselves to be full of a spirit of love, they are beguiled by
Satan, the predatory beast who was on their tract, and who has suddenly caught them and
pounced upon them in his cleverness and subtlety. . . .
It is not pleasant to be negative; it is not enjoyable to have to denounce and to expose error. But
any pastor who feels in a little measure, and with humility, the responsibility which the Apostle
Paul knew in an infinitely greater degree for the souls and the well-being spiritually of his people
is compelled to utter these warnings.
There are churches in the world today which appear on the surface to be very flourishing. People
crowd into them and they display much zeal and enthusiasm. But on closer examination you will
find that most of the time is taken up with music of various types, and with clubs and societies and
social activities. . . .The unfortunate minister, if he does not see these things clearly, is afraid to go
against the wishes of the majority, his livelihood depends upon church members and the result is
that everything is made to conform to the desires and wishes of the pew.
We need to recapture something of the spirit of John Knox whose preaching caused Mary Queen of Scots to tremble.