Theology Matters: Eulogy for a dead man

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.--Matthew 7:15-20

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.--Galatians 5:16-24

I have mentioned it a couple other times here, but I can recall a line in one of C.S. Lewis' books to the effect of people having two equally wrong ways to deal with sin: we either take it too harshly and become legalistic jerks, or we take it far too lightly and begin thinking we can do whatever we wish.  In both cases we cease to recognize both the effect and the gravity of Christ crucified: Jesus died on the cross because our sins are deadly serious, and because He has died and risen again we are able to walk in freedom and grace--away from our sin, into God-glorifying lives of sanctification.

Unless you've lived under a rock for the past decade or so, you have probably seen the antics and nonsense from the so-called "Westboro Baptist Church."  I say "so-called" because they are not a church, and they are certainly not Baptist.  They have done everything from give incredibly foolish and nonsense-filled interviews on TV to protesting funerals, to proclaim that the death being mourned has been brought about by a vengeful God because of America's sins, in particular its tolerance of homosexuality.  There is precisely zero understanding of the Gospel, no desire whatsoever to submit to the full counsel of Scripture, and a complete lack of regeneration evident in their words and deeds.  In short, this is what happens when Category A Self-Righteous Hypocrite goes on steroids: you have someone who can see what's wrong but believes, foolishly, that because they aren't engaged in such and such sin that they are clean.  Believing the Gospel does not produce this wicked fruit.

But likewise, the answer is not "You can do anything you want to do, because God made you and therefore anything you want is okay!"  And those are the two sides we find engaged in a battle of "who can be more wrong," amplified by the recent death of Westboro's founder, Fred Phelps.  The fruit of his life is on display for all to see, and one can argue he has been one of the biggest allies of the pro-homosexuality movement: his behavior and words have provoked such a dramatic response that it's hard for anyone with even an ounce of compassion for another human to find a way to make an argument against the normalization of homosexuality.  And so the diseased, thistley, dried-up fruit of his tree is seen before the whole world, many of whom turn and...eat the diseased, thistley, dried-up fruit of unashamed sinfulness.

Phelps was a man dead in his heart reading from a book that could not possibly have any meaning to him.  "How can you say that?" you ask.  "I thought Christians weren't supposed to judge."  Oh, but I can--by what the man produces.  And we know what the life of a man transformed by the power of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit looks like; read it again:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

 So why write all this?  I'm sure that few would begrudge this if I said I simply was in a mood and wanted to kick the man while he was (literally) down, but that could not be farther from the truth.  On the contrary, I'm writing this as a follow-up to my last post, as a demonstration of why, exactly, theology does matter.  When we view the God of the Bible as nothing more than pure, unadulterated judgment of God and do not preach the Gospel, do not believe in God's power to save (in spite of their claimed "Calvinist" position) and do not believe in God's ultimate goal of restoring His creation but rather simply see Him showing up on the scene at some point to damn everyone except...well, them.  When we do not seek to line theology up with what the Bible actually says--the whole Bible--there is almost no end to the foolishness that can result.  Fred Phelps was perhaps one of the most obvious and blatant examples of it, but the danger always exists and we must be vigilant to sit in the Word, to sit in prayer and to celebrate with gratitude and great joy the mercy God has shown us in the person and work of Jesus--for if we don't, we tread very dangerous ground.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.--Galatians 1:6-9

Berthing on the Dawn Treader

My roommate and I ended what has been a joyous Christmas day with a trip over to the theater. Seeing movies on holidays is a bit of a tradition in both our families, especially later in the day after the excitement of presents and dinner has worn off and left people bored and ready for distraction. Last year my siblings and I headed out to see Sherlock Holmes, a great movie that we enjoyed quite a bit. With me being in Texas far from my family and Aaron's day of family stuff done, we decided to go out and see the new Chronicles of Narnia movie, Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

When I was young, before I could even read, my parents would read from these books to me and introduced me to the incredible world that C.S. Lewis had created. When I learned to read it was not long before I was attempting to tackle these, and I read through them countless times as a child. It is no small surprise, then, that as I dig through theology books and pursue Christ by renewing my mind through the minds of others, that Lewis' works are such an inspiration to me. This book was always my favorite of the Narnia series--a grand adventure, exploring the unknown, and such joy in finding Aslan's paw moving in the lives of those aboard.

This movie was a joy on so many levels. On a purely earthly level, it is beautiful; in 3D or not, one feels immersed in the wide open expanse of the world of Narnia, the great ship plowing through the waters towards adventure and battle. But what fascinated me the most was that whether intended or not by the movie producers, Lewis' picture of Christ, His sacrifice and our salvation will not be denied. There was such a heavy, palpable truth cutting through the movie that I was overwhelmed with the joy in just that tiny, insufficient picture of God's great plan in motion. The eyes of the heart were opened and there was beauty that I long to see, joy I crave to live in, a fullness of life that lies beyond that just tore me up.

To enter Narnia, one must be a child. At a certain point you're just too old to pass back through into the Narnian world from the "real" one--but even in that plot device lies truth from the Word:

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the
kingdom of heaven?" And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them
and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you
will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child
is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.--Matthew 18:1-3

It was the young Lucy's ability to believe in something besides what was right in front of her that led her into Narnia, and from that first trip a love for Aslan--a love for Christ--was planted in her that did not wither but grew stronger. This movie portrayed, in a moving and personal way, the manner in which sin consumes us and holds us back from living in the true freedom that Christ has called us to. My lusts of the flesh tempt me away, and like Lucy I have dark desires that lead me to wicked thoughts and acts that I try to hide in secret. But Christ has done so much to renew me, to call me back to him in such a deep and irresistable love that I cannot say no. Even as I sit in a moment of failure He urges me on, calls me to Himself, reminds me that it is not I that rend the scales of wickedness from my body to become what I truly am in Him, but that it is His work that frees, that heals.

But even in that these children are called to be warriors--they fight the enemy head on and there is no mercy from that enemy, that would destroy them all were it allowed. They must face their own weaknesses; Lucy desires to be adored by men as her sister is, while Edmund is haunted by his past betrayals. I saw so much of my own struggles in both of them and I found so much joy in seeing their own victories.

One of the most impressive moments of truth came when they reached the island that was their final destination, where Aslan's table resided--the table that he was killed upon by the White Witch in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Lords from Narnia are at the table, asleep, not to be awakened until Aslan sets things to rights. And that table, that instrument of death that had been used to hold Narnia in captivity for an age, was now the place of feasting for those called to life in him. It was a reminder that God will renew all things in this world, and that through Christ's sacrifice we find true life and joy.

O Lord, grant that I would battle as bravely against the enemy when his temptations to lust after earthly things comes. Grant that I would have the faith and innocence of a child and the ferocity of a warrior in seeking after you all my days on this Earth. And grant me, Father, that I would be brave enough to tell of my joy to those around me; this word must be spread, His joy must go forth!

God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the
mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and
foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
Selah

There
is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of
the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God
will help her when morning dawns.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

Come, behold the works
of the LORD,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars
cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
"Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!"
The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah--Psalm 46