Posted by Randy Peterman on 5/31/2009
This year I’ve really gotten into watching baseball. I think its in part because of my brother-in-law Kurt’s excitement for sports and my grandpa’s love for baseball. Baseball is a pastime in this country and I am a fan. I live near the Colorado Rockies’ stadium in Denver (20 minutes or so away) and I keep track of their activities with some regularity. This last Friday their head coach, Clint Hurdles, was released from his position and was replaced by their bench coach as the interim coach. This change is one I don’t agree with as a fan, but they didn’t ask me. Here’s where the theology comes in: the first basement Todd Helton, a believer, was interviewed and had this to say:
“We should be held just as accountable as anybody. Obviously, he takes the sword for us. He didn’t have any bad at-bats, he didn’t throw any bad pitches. He’s the same manager he was two years ago [editor: when the Rockies went to the World Series]. We realize that. We realize that ultimately we are the reason he got fired because we played bad baseball. We definitely feel responsible.”
There are times when one person takes the fall for a group. Christ, being the only acceptable sacrifice for the sins of mankind made the sacrifice. We all deserved the penalty for our not ‘playing well’ – there is no minor leagues for real life where you get to figure out this being a human thing and then bring it to the big game. Instead you get to screw up in front of everyone, blow it miserably in front of anyone, and ultimately stand before God as having failed to live up to His glory (Romans 3:23) – accept if Christ took your place in judgment on the cross. Then you were identified with His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection, ascension and seating. The Rockies players know that they were saved from being dropped into the minor leagues because of their coaches sacrifice.
We know that without the sacrifice of Christ we would have nothing to stand before God with that would give us any confidence. Instead of the worry of judgment for punishment, we look forward to a judgment for rewards. One where heaven will become a place for a bride and the bride groom. It will be a perfect game, one with no outs, endless innings, and no injuries. Oh, and I think that there will be no stealing of bases ;)
Posted by Randy Peterman on 1/28/2009
This afternoon I saw a twitter message from PWilson (Peter Wilson) regarding a rough day counseling a couple. Then at Bible Study we went over I John 4:8-12. As we hit verse 10 it hit me like a charging pachyderm that counseling a couple (or individual) in sin may just need to start over at the beginning. It is our tendency to start counseling in the middle of the problem. Start by making sure that everyone knows how everyone feels. The problem is that its the middle of the problem.
To start correctly you need to start at the beginning: are both parties believers? If that’s a no then you’re going to have to address that first. I will let the counselor figure out how to deal with presenting the gospel as the core issue in the case of an unequally yoked couple. After establishing the salvation of both people the next and most important question is this: do they both know who they are in Christ? If the believer doesn’t understand who they are in Christ then its very, very easy to only see who they are in the flesh [Romans 1 looks really different from Romans 5]. Go over the Unfathomable riches in Christ (AKA The 34 things) with the couple.
Propitiation is the term used to describe the accomplishment of Christ’s work on the cross from God’s perspective. From our perspective we’re saved and redeemed. From God’s perspective His righteousness is satisfied through the totally adequate work of Christ on the cross. If that sounds familiar it is because Grace can be defined as the unlimited, unmerited blessings of God through the totally adequate work of Christ on the cross.
The fundamental question that the believer must ask when confronted with the sin of himself, herself, or others is this: if God is satisfied that the sin has been paid for, why am I still focused on it? It isn’t that sin doesn’t hurt, but it is that the penalty for the sin has been paid for. The flesh wants to look at the flesh, but the Holy Spirit calls us to look to the heavenlies for a God-centric focus [see: Colossians 3:1-4]. The past cannot be changed, but it can be paid for – is it? Sins can be confessed, forgiveness can be asked – has it been asked for? Did God forgive it? Why can’t I?
Believers have to be given the key to walking without sin. Counseling unto reconciliation is awesome, but if you take them that far you need to walk with them until they recognize that they must continue to set their mind on things above so that they can be free from the bondage of sin through reckoning [See Romans 5-6, specifically 5:21, 6:11]. Reckoning isn’t a psychological game you play, it is the recognition that having been identified with Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, ascension and seating (Ephesians 2:5-6, Colossians 3:3).
I have talked with two specific elders who do counseling at our church and they both have shared this concept with me, but it was the sequence of Peter Wilson and I John today that spurred me to put this to written form. Two marriages, that I know of, have been resolved, restored, and grow in Grace to this day because of the principles outlined above. I hope that this might be helpful for you, Peter and the entire body of Christ.
Posted by Randy Peterman on 12/22/2008
Recently at Bible Study I had the opportunity to teach through Ephesians 4:1-3. The verse reads, “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” in the King James version. What struck me about this was that I had failed to endeavor keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace on so many occasions that I was hardly qualified to speak on the topic from experience. Instead I would have to humbly teach with examples of past failure: my life being an example of what not to do. Without going into every failure, which could take far more time and introduce too much confusion, I abandoned unity because I had learned that doctrine divides and that good doctrine was to be prized above all and at the cost of anything. While I’m still passionate about doctrine, the Lord has humbled me with the doctrine of Grace and its application in my own life.
You see Paul doesn’t start chapter 4 on its own, instead he starts it after a prayer that outline believers as family. And before that he outlines who the individual is in Christ. Nothing about the context of Ephesians allows for my radical and aggressive departures from various churches due to doctrinal differences. Paul reminds the believer in 4:1 that he should be walking in a manner worthy of the calling to which he was called. What calling is that? The life of Christ being lived out through moment-by-moment relationship. Each believer is called to this relationship with God first and foremost. That way the life of Christ can be manifest in a daily walk.
Paul, not wanting to stop with the profundity that is a walk that is worthy of our calling, hits the believers up with an immense request in verse 2, “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;” BAM! Its as if Paul was shooting for the very foundation of the fleshly nature and goes in for the kill: no more pride. Pride is what hits me and causes me to want to be right and dogmatic about things. I have dear friends who have endured this pride and still love me (and my family) despite this intensity. My parents told me growing up that I should consider being a lawyer because I loved to argue. Over time my love for arguing has disappeared. I’ve seen the arguments tear people down, destroy relationships and ruin church bodies. It is not that the doctrine was not important, it was, but that the way that things were discussed rapidly escalated to the point of injured soldiers who were wounded from once friendly fire.
Paul writes that the believers should be lowly or humble, meek or gentle. With patience the believers should forebear or tolerate with love. Love! I hate the term tolerance because it is so often used outside of the context of love. We tolerate neighbors with house colors and decorations we don’t care for, but we don’t often love them. Worse is that in the church we could ignore love and simply tolerate brothers and sisters whom we should know intimately enough that we could pray for them without ceasing (I Thes. 5:17), and as the Lord does things in the life of the body we never stop rejoicing (I Thes.5:16). What wound can be caused between friends when they’re gentle and humble with one another? What blow struck with the slowness of patience can be described as cutting and haughty?
It is with this attitude of moment-by-moment relationship, walking in a manner worthy of our calling, being humble, gentle, patient and tolerating in love that we are called to then endeavor or preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. If I were to say, “Hey brother (under the Father Eph.3:14-15), I have been walking with the Lord and meditating on His word and contemplating this doctrine for a while (in patience), and I think that we don’t see eye-to-eye and I would love to spend some time going over God’s word with you to see what He says about it so that we can preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,” then you would say that I have come with a noble and yet humble attitude. I didn’t come with a sledgehammer, but instead with graciousness and love.
Doctrine is critical. It is the clear delineation of what should be God’s revealed truth. But doctrine does not give us the right to depart or destroy others in the body at the onset of a disagreement. Yes, there are biblical grounds for separation. Yes, there are times when believers should part ways because one or more of the parties involved are not behaving in a manner worthy of the calling, but we don’t jump to that conclusion with haste. We rest in Christ, we seek to preserve the unity.
The Greek for the word preserve or keep there implies a guarding or maintaining of something that is whole, to prevent the decay of that thing. Unity is fragile, but in Christ it is not only positionally existent, but very easily possible for Him to preserve. The Holy Spirit has preserved His word for thousands of years and there is not much of a chance that you or I could ruin that. We’re called to a life that is rich and abundant together. Consider that togetherness the next time you start to feel your blood pressure rise. Consider tolerance in love. Consider the opportunity you may have one day in the future where your failures could be offset by the illustration of God’s work in your life to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Posted by Randy Peterman on 8/20/2008
A quote from my Uncle, Eric Peterman, who puts things in a way I can really enjoy and understand them:
The essence of religion (and there are all colors) is to avoid the necessity of actual grace by contriving means by which I avoid offending God and by which I please God. In short, in that view I try to out-Grace God.
Grace needs to be amazing. So amazing that we’re in awe of it. If we try to live the Christian life without ‘using’ Grace we miss the point that it is the very life system by which we operate.
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Posted by Randy Peterman on 6/28/2007
Hebrews 12:18-24 is a powerful passage describing the contrast of the Old Testament Law with the New Testament position that the saint has. The author of Hebrews writes with great brilliance as He points out the opposite nature of the Israelite at Mount Sinai and their relationship to the Almighty God and the saint’s relationship with the Almighty God in the New Testament. One involves trembling, a sense of conviction and separation and the other a comfort and certainty.
Tonight at Bible study we looked at this passage and I was so impressed by the visual descriptions. The graphical theology in this text is not unheard of in Hebrews, the author uses descriptive language to instill rich images in the mind of the reader, but this particular passage shows the weight of the Law in contrast to the waiting on the Lord. When you read this passage meditate on God’s unfathomable presentation of who He is in both places yet how God’s work through Christ changes who we are in the heavenly place. This is awesome. We are sanctified by the blood that allows us to be present with the judge of all humanity.