Some bad news...

Hello everyone! Wanted to let you know about what's been happening recently. Unfortunately, plans for me preaching a sermon fell through due to a lot of scheduling issues. I'll continue trying to make that happen, but it's not going to be happening for the foreseeable future (which for college students is about 2 weeks).
What I've been doing in the mean time is going through a study of Systematic Theology (Wayne Grudem's) with some guys at my church. I've been learning plenty there, and the weeks over the summer will likely be focused on that. It's been absolutely fantastic, and I'm learning so much. Looking forward to sharing that with all of you beautiful people!
So in summary, I apologize for the preaching falling through, but it was all part of God's providence. Looking forward to sharing what's going on, and talk soon!

A Message of Urgency

I went to a church member's memorial service tonight. He was 17 when he died in a fatal car accident, leaving behind a family, mother, and father. And as a college student, I simply can't imagine what that must be like – to lose a son or a daughter. It was a very sobering experience tonight.

But the one thing that stuck out to me throughout this entire experience was simply the urgency of the Christian gospel. What we have as Christians is the message of life everlasting! We have the message of salvation for all nations! Life is incredibly short, so I urge you: Live to proclaim Jesus such that not only you, but everyone around you, inherit eternal life.

I have no silver and gold

I feel like I can definitely relate to Peter saying this when I think of the mother of the boy who died. Just as Peter did not have money to give the beggar to relieve his problem, I as a human being can do absolutely nothing to give this grieving mother more time with her child. I can't lengthen the days that God has allotted for each person. I can't comfort the people who are hurting, I can't know their pain. All I can say is “I'm sorry” and give them a hug. And this is humbling. Our time on Earth is short, and don't let anybody tell you differently. Life can pass away in an instant – you might not see it coming. I know certainly this family didn't. Nor did anyone at my church.

But what I do have I give to you

It's certainly humbling whenever a death occurs. You're forced to confront the fact that one day, yes, you will die. And yet, we as Christians can rejoice in this! Death is a doorway to bring us to our faithful lover, Jesus Christ!

The Christian is well aware of the fact that they will die. But what we know in the Gospel is the message that can overcome death! The grave is beaten! No, I can't give this family more time with their son. I can only give them something better – the message that death no longer has its sting.

Eternity presses in

So what are we to do as Christians in light of this? Evangelize! Go out and spread the message that even though one day we all will die, we need not fear death. Christians have the best news in the world! We need fear death no longer!

And so I call you, and myself, to live in light of this. To realize that there are eternal souls on the line here. We are not just conversing with flesh and bone, but also with the soul, the very essence of a person.

Eternity is at stake here.

You will die once, and then live forever. But I beg you, realize your sin. You are not a perfect person, and neither am I. Yet there was a man, Jesus Christ, who came and died to save us from our sins. He came to live among us as a man, and died taking our place on the cross. He rose again as proof that his sacrifice was perfect, and that we as humans need not fear death any longer. So if you have not put your whole trust in the person of Jesus Christ, I urge you: Repent of your sin, and be made whole in Christ.

And to those who are Christians, I urge you: Realize the power of the gospel. What you carry in your heart is the message of salvation to all people. Live in light of this, and seek to proclaim Christ in everything that you say and do.

If life is but a breath, let us breathe the name of Jesus Christ.

On the Call

So now what?

As we've been going through and examining the gospel message in detail, we come to the final point I want to make. We've seen quite a few things that “are”:

• God is holy
• Man is created by God
• All Mankind are sinners
• Jesus Christ is the payment for our sins

But what do these all mean? These are not just facts to know, but truths to apply. So, now what?

Realization

First things first, we need to realize that we are all sinners. That includes Christians and non-Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Atheists. Paul demonstrates quite clearly that all have fallen short (Romans 3:23). The consequence of our sin is eternal punishment in Hell. Straight-up, that's how it is. We are great sinners.

The flipside of this is that Jesus is a great savior. We can't lose sight of this either. Jesus' death on the cross was the pouring out of God's wrath onto Jesus, and served as the punishment for sin that should have been ours. Then we must see that Jesus' resurrection was proof that his payment was final for all sin past, present, and future (1 Corinthians 15:14, 15:17).

Finally, we need to realize that the lifestyle the gospel is calling you to will cost you everything. You can no longer live in sin, because you now know what sin is. However, you gain so much more back! Why would you be so concerned about your riches on Earth, when you can have riches in heaven that don't rot (Matthew 6:19-20)? Why would you hold on to what you have when you can get so much more (Matthew 13:44, Luke 12:16-21)?

But realize that you are called to repentance, which does not just mean realizing that you sin – it requires a life change.

Repentance

Repentance fundamentally means that we as humans must admit that we are wrong, and that we have sinned against God. In no way is anyone sufficient in themselves before God.

Repentance means that we are aware of the punishment we deserve for sin – Eternity in hell. And everybody deserves this, including Christians.

Repentance also means that we are aware that our sins can be forgiven – but only through the blood of Christ. Not by anything we've done, not by any of our works, but through faith in Jesus' atoning sacrifice alone (Romans 3:21-25).

Repentance means that we put our faith in Jesus Christ – that he was the Son of God, and was the perfect and final sacrifice for our sins, and that he rose from the dead as proof that his sacrifice was sufficient (1 Corinthians 15:14).

Repentance means crying out to God, and prayer, asking for forgiveness. I wrote a sample below, but know that saying this without meaning it in your heart will not save you – only if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus was raised will you be saved. However, that's all it takes – confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus was raised, and you will be saved, and will not face eternity in Hell (Romans 10:9).

God, I realize that I am a sinner. I realize that this means I deserve eternity in hell, and punishment for the times that I've turned away from you. But I am grateful for you sending your son Jesus Christ to be the atonement for my sins, and I believe that he died and rose again to pay for my sins. I put my faith in Jesus as Lord, and want to live according to his example. Amen.

New Life

If you prayed that for the first time, and believed it, congratulations! You are now a brother/sister in Christ! You are promised eternal life (Romans 8:11) and the angels in heaven are currently throwing a party beyond your wildest expectations (Luke 15:1-10).

But you need to prepare for some life change: You need to set your mind on the things of the Spirit, and live like Jesus (Romans 8:5-6). What does that mean? It means that you are called to live a righteous life and sin no longer (Romans 6:17-18). What does that look like? It looks like Jesus – Jesus lived without sin, and so if we are to live without sin as well, we'll end up living like Jesus.

T-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-that's all folks!

And that's the gospel! That we who were slaves of death can be set free from our sin and the wrath we deserve (Romans 6:17) to live a life honoring God (Romans 6:18). God is righteous and just in condemning sin, because all are sinners (Romans 3:23). Yet Jesus Christ can take our place before God and clear our account of sin (Romans 3:24-26). And now that we are forgiven, we are to set our minds on the Spirit and live like Jesus (Romans 8:5-6).

Closing thoughts

Get involved with a church! I'll even give you a fancy link to find a good church! http://thegospelcoalition.org/network/church-directory/

Yes, your salvation is between you and God, but you need to be involved in a church to grow in your walk of life, and contribute back to other Christians.

Also, read the Word! I would recommend going through Luke and then Acts, followed by Paul's letters (Romans, Corinthians, etc.). You may want to start elsewhere, but be reading consistently! Not just once every “I feel like it.”

And finally, if you have any questions, do please feel free to contact me at bspeice.nc@gmail.com. I'm more than happy to try and answer any questions you have.

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Numbers 6:24-26

On Jesus

Who was this Jesus guy anyway?

We're now going to focus on the character of Jesus – who he was, what he's done, the life that he lived, and the death that he died. There's a whole field of study on the character of Christ – Christology – but we are not going to go that far in depth. Even so though, the character of the Christ is astounding, and what he did even more so. So, who was this Jesus guy anyway?

The Son of David

As much as people enjoy reading the rich genealogies in the Bible (1 Chronicles 1-9), they were incredibly important for the people of Israel – the expected Messiah was to be of the House of David (Psalm 89:3-4), and Jesus was (Matthew 1:1-17).

Teacher

Jesus was also known for being ridiculously smart at a young age. At only twelve years old, he was discussing with the teachers of the law, asking them questions, and answering other questions (Luke 2:41-47). Everyone was amazed.

To put it in more of a modern context, imagine this: A 12-year-old goes to a computer symposium, and begins discussing with one of the keynote speakers on the relative performance benefits of garbage collection implementation in the Python and Java virtual machines, versus the hands-on implementation in a language like C or C++.

Jesus wasn't confined to just Q and A either. Throughout his ministry, Jesus would talk in parables all the time – Jesus spoke in riddles. For example, consider Luke 8:4-8. DON'T READ ANY FARTHER YET. DON'T DO IT.

Take a moment and write down what you think Jesus was talking about. I'll wait.

Finally, open up Luke 8:11-15. Did what you write down and what Jesus meant add up? (If you already knew what the parable was, that doesn't count.)

Righteous

Many people very quickly lose sight of the fact that Jesus was God incarnate, and that all of the attributes still apply. For example, while Jesus was certainly loving, he was still jealous and holy. When there were money changers and other people defiling the house of the Lord, Jesus put an end to that (Matthew 21:12-13). He was righteously furious for the “business” they were conducting.

Prophet / Miracle Worker

There can be no doubt about it, Jesus had incredible power bestowed on him. The gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) are filled with stories of the miraculous powers of Jesus – Jesus gave the blind sight (Luke 18:35-43), he gave strength to those who were paralyzed (Luke 5:18-25), he would clean those who had diseases (Luke 5:12-13), he would give hearing to those who could not (Mark 7:32-35), he would raise the dead (Luke 7:11-15), and he would spread the news of God's coming kingdom (Luke 9:11-17).

Son of God

Jesus had many claims that he was divine, and this infuriated the people of his time: He nearly got thrown off a cliff in his hometown (Luke 4:21), and the Pharisees called him a blasphemer for forgiving sins on behalf of God (Luke 5:20-25, Luke 7:47-49). There were many times where Jesus claimed that he was on equal footing with God and that frustrated people. Yet it was his works that proved his divinity (John 10:30-38).

Sacrifice for our Sins

All four of the gospels fundamentally point to the cross as their message. The Son of God became the Son of Man, such that the sons of men could become the sons of God. Jesus died a horrible bloody death as a sacrifice for our sins, and all four gospels make this incredibly clear (Matthew 26-27, Mark 14-15, Luke 22-23, John 18-19). Finally, Jesus was resurrected to prove that his life was a perfect and acceptable sacrifice for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:17), and then appeared to many as proof of this (1 Corinthians 15:5-8).

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

Finally, when it comes to Jesus, we can't lose track of the fact that Jesus claimed he was the only way to heaven (John 14:6). It's not “I need Jesus, and I can pay off these sins” or “Jesus and hard work” or “Jesus was a great prophet, but Allah is God,” it's Jesus and Jesus alone.

Yet for whoever believes in Jesus and his claim that he is the only way to heaven, theirs is life unending (Romans 10:9).

“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronising nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

C.S. Lewis

Regarding the Dearth of Content, and some Good News

Hello again! I'm a bit late on getting the most recent post done, and for this I am sorry. As it stands with finals in college being what they are, I've been writing a lot of stuff totally unrelated to the blog and have been feeling pretty burnt out. I should be able to get the next post up this coming weekend, and then finish up the study of the gospel the weekend following. Unfortunately, the lack of content is going to get worse before it gets better.

Following the study of the gospel, I'm going to be preaching at my home church in mid May. This is quite an incredible opportunity, but to be frank, is the first time that I've ever done anything preaching. I'm sure it will be a great time to grow in my life, but in order to prepare the message, I'm going to be taking some time off writing here.

After that preaching, I'm going to be coming back again to the weekly schedule in June, and I will have plenty of time to write over the summer. Again, I'm terribly sorry for falling behind on the deadlines, but I'll be coming back stronger than ever soon!

On Sin

Sin is probably the second most well-documented fact of the Bible (behind God's Sovereignty). Many campus preachers seem to dwell on this topic almost exclusively, and while it certainly is important, it's not the entire story. However, it is still fundamental to understanding the gospel that we take time to consider what sin is. Then when investigating Sin, I find it helpful to ask the 5 fundamental questions: What, Who, When, Where, Why. Let's get unpacking.

What

So what is Sin anyway? Nobody thinks it's a good thing, but the definitions always seem to be shifting around. Then for the discussion to follow, this definition will be used:

Sin is any activity that does not fit with the character of the perfect God as described in the Law, and thus is deserving of punishment.

For example – humans do not murder, because God does not murder. Murder is an action that does not fit with the character of God.

It's important to note that this definition of sin also includes thoughts. Sinful thoughts are just as bad as are sinful actions. For example, Jesus talks about lustful thoughts as committing adultery in our hearts (Matthews 5:27-28). And I can't think of any guy who has made it through high-school without thinking lustful thoughts.

Who

Who has sinned? If you're skimming, this is an easy one: Everyone.

Technically put, this is intended to say “all born of flesh.” Just like English, there seems to be an exception to every rule – Jesus being the exception here. Because Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and not by Man, He is exempt from this.

But for all the rest of us, the rule applies – there is no man who has ever lived a life free of sin. Many people don't quite get the entirety of what is said here. Lots of people believe that they are basically “good people” and that is all that can ever be done.

The unfortunate news is that “good enough” is simply not enough. While incredibly few people commit the sin of murder, going back to high-school, I can't think of a single guy who made it through without committing adultery in his heart. Any time you lie, even if it's just a fib, is a sin. And we are all sinners in some way or another.

When and Where

These questions have a very quick response: All the time, and everywhere. Our bodies are in a constant state of rebellion against God – that's why numerous references are made to the idea of putting down our old body and receiving the new (Ephesians 4:22-24, Romans 6:3-4). We must truly see that by nature we are sinful in order to see just what sin is.

Why

Answering the question of why we sin requires a look at who we honestly are as human beings. Some people may say that they want to be righteous – and that's a valiant pursuit. In Hebrew culture there was a title given to such people – The Nazirites. However, we must still realize that we have all fallen short at some point. None is righteous, not one (Romans 3:10-18).

But that still doesn't answer the question of why we sin. This concept that by nature we are sinners is referred to as the Original Sin (for a very long discussion on Freedom and Original Sin, see here). For example, Paul writes that we as humans are literally “slaves of sin.” (Romans 6:6) All we can do is obey our master, and for those who aren't Christian, that master is sin.

We sin because it is our nature – that's just how we were born.

The Consequence

So if our sin is an act against God that deserves punishment, what is that punishment? Again, the answer is unfortunately very simple: Eternity in separation from God in Hell:

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left...Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

Matthew 25:31-33, 41-46

On Man

Talking about Man involves a lot of different issues, many beyond the scope of what we're talking about here. For instance – does the term “Man” refer to just males, or the entirety of the human race? For the sake of this post, the definition used is going to refer to females as well as males – the topics discussed are just as applicable to women.

Another dominant issue in society today is the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection. Was humanity really created from dust? Or are we the result of thousands of years of natural selection? Or even still, did God kickstart the process of natural selection and guide evolution to where we are now? We will lightly touch on the issue, but a longer discussion is beyond the scope of this writing.

So without further ado, what is the role of Man in the Gospel?

Creation

In talking about the issue of Man, it is important to start at the beginning. All the way back at the beginning.

Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

Genesis 2:7

The Bible makes it very clear – we are created by God. Whether that is created through evolution, or literally taking dust of the Earth is debatable. What is not for debate is that we are created by God, and thus are under Him.

Even beyond that, we are made in likeness of God (Genesis 1:27). This is again a point for a huge amount of theological debate, but suffice to say that we are “like God.” We'll investigate a bit more of what this means in just a bit.

Our Place in Creation

So now that we've established that we are created, what is our role in creation?

First things first, we are given dominion over everything else in creation -

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Genesis 1:28

By all means we are to respect what we've been given stewardship of – pollution is certainly a problem. In the end though, we were given a divine mandate to subdue the Earth from the beginning.

What we are not given dominion over is other humans – that remains with God. This is why there are laws against murder. If humans were just fighting for survival, then being dominant over others would be perfectly acceptable – they were affecting the survival of someone else.

This view of survival of the fittest doesn't seem to have a place in the Bible though. When we come to the gospel, Paul write extensively about how unimportant, and how low we are as human beings. Take for example 2 Corinthians:

But we have this treasure [the gospel] in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

2 Corinthians 4:7

We sharing the gospel are the jars of clay, holding a treasure of insurmountable worth. We aren't a treasure chest, we aren't fancy or ornate. We are simple, human beings who can't measure up to the gospel's worth.

The people who share the gospel need to realize that they are insufficient for carrying it forth – this is the ministry of eternity, and we are but finite human beings, and all fall short. Yet the concept that God should choose any of us is astounding. We are incredibly insignificant when compared to God's power.

Our Relationship to God

So if we are so insignificant, why did God create us? There is an incredible amount of suffering in the world, so why would a loving God send us just to experience suffering? Seems a bit sadistic...

The short answer is: We are created to glorify God. God didn't need to create Man, but did so such that we might glorify His name:

I will say to the north, Give up,
and to the south, Do not withhold;
bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the end of the earth,
everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”

Isaiah 43:6-7

If you think about that a bit, it might seem a bit prideful. We've established that God didn't create us because he was a sadist, but why would He create us just to give Him praise? We don't have children just so that they can that their parents are cool.

What I would question is our understanding of our creation role. God creating humanity wasn't something that needed to happen – God did that out of His loving nature. Thus, He is deserving of praise for His love. Even beyond that, where else would you give your praise? Your parents having you as a child was not an out-of-the-ordinary occurrence. God creating the entire human race most certainly was.

However...

We as humanity have fallen very short of truly giving God all praise. We don't live our lives in praise of Him. We've rebelled against God and are in open war against Him – and there is nobody that is an exception to this rule:

As it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
“Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 3:10-18

And thus when talking about Man, this must always be the focal point – we are all sinners. Not a single one has lived without a sinful action or desire.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”

Romans 3:23