A Necessary Foundation for the Superstructure of a Vibrant Life

It is painstakingly obvious, but all buildings need a foundation. The larger, more glorious a building, the more firm its undergirding structure needs to be. All right-minded men would scoff at the builder who plans to construct a Sears Tower-like building on a foundation sufficient for a small cottage. It simply would not work.

Similarly, if we desire to know God rightly, a right foundation must be sought. God commands us to know him rightly--not omniscient--but rightly. The very existence of our minds and God's Word proves that all humans are under obligation to know the Most High. So, if we must know him, what might be some fundamental ingredients that would bind in a firm, strong, unbending foundation of knowing God?

Tom Schreiner, professor of New Testament interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, suggests in his massive commentary on Romans that one of these fundamental beliefs must be an understanding of the heinousness of our sin. He suggests this tangentially in the following sentences on Romans 1:16-17:

The same emphasis on the name of God as the ultimate ground for his action is found in Ezek. 36:20-32. I stress here that the saving righteousness of God is rooted in his desire to glorify his name, because it will play a central role in the following verses and chapters. The fundamental sin of the Gentiles (Rom. 1:21) and Jews (Rom. 2:24) was the failure to glorify and honor the name of God. (71)

Schreiner contends that Israel was made for the glory of God. Their very existence, and the continuation of it despite their continual wickedness, was linked to the glory of God. Both Isaiah 43:7 and Isaiah 49:3 explicitly state that Israel was formed for the renown of the Lord God Almighty. God's action with Israel, from their conception to their sustenance and to their destruction, was for God's glory. Thus, because they existed for God's glory, it was completely right and just of God to wipe them out in 721 and 586 B.C. (Israel and Judah, respectively) because their sin rose up to them to God as a most awful stench. Their sins were not simply mistakes, or gaffes, or slip-ups--they were an offense against the glory of God!

The prophet Jeremiah laments concerning the state of Israel:
Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water. (Jer 2:11-13, ESV)

According to God, speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, the greatest evil that the nation of Israel committed was that they forsook him, who was the well of living water. The spurned the most valuable, precious being in the world. Furthermore, they constructed their own cisterns, but they were faulty, for they held no water. The idols Israel set up were flawed and ultimately unsatisfying. So, at the end of the day, Israel turned their backs on the Most High instead sought pleasure through petty, meaningless, heinous idols.

So, I believe the foundation that is necessary for the superstructure of a vibrant life is a correct, coupled understanding of the glory of God and heinousness of sin. They go hand in hand. One cannot have the former without the later. But the later cannot happen without the former. One cannot grasp the wickedness of their sin without helping them understand WHY it is heinous. So, may we all come to know the God who says,
"I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other,nor my praise to carved idols" (Is 42:8)

Reformed vs. Emergent Gospel

In the past decade or so, the emerging movement, lead by the likes of Dan Kimball, Brian McLaren, and Scot McKnight, has gained incredible influence over the evangelical world. Their critiques of traditional evangelicals are tantalizing; their suggestions for reform have encompassed the passions of many.

And yet, I fear that the emerging movement has many things that it must address for it to be biblically faithful and truly Christ exalting. Not least of this is their understanding of the gospel. Lee Irons does a very helpful critique of the Brian McLaren's understanding of salvation found in his recent book Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope.

Here is his conclusion:
I don’t know about you, but I’d rather stick with the “old, old story” of personal guilt, God’s holy wrath, Christ’s atonement (obedience unto death), and the hope of the resurrection. Yes, Christians ought to be deeply involved in doing good deeds that are helpful to our neighbors — all kinds of good works, from adopting unwanted babies, to seeking racial reconciliation in our communities, and even to recycling if need be. But we do so in order to bring glory to Christ and to adorn the gospel, not to save the earth. We leave that job to Christ at the end of the age.