In almost every arena of life, every sport, every profession, people are becoming specialists. Specialists specialize, that means both their knowledge and ability must become more precise and nuanced. Mechanics no longer simply use a large crescent wrench and a flat-head screwdriver; they now need to have a standard 1/2" drive pistol grip air impact wrench, offset ring spanner and a hex tamper resistant screwdriver in their 10 tiered Matco tool box that reaches to the ceiling. Doctors that are General Practitioners are becoming a rarity as well. Now you will find physicians who only work on noses or toes, backs or brains, eyes or ears, spleens or stomachs, hearts or hands, and tissues or nerves. And to be approved and trusted they must go to school to learn the Latin name and it's derivative of every bone, muscle, tendon and cell in the human body. Proper terminology matters, it could determine the difference between life and death. But this is no longer true when it comes to speaking about God. Instead of using specific words and terms to define matters of salvation and soul transformation -- pastors and professors have learned to become masters of euphemism and cliche'. People don't really go to the minister to learn, they want to feel. And there are only certain feelings they are looking for: Happiness, excitement, warm comfort, ecstasy and the wonderful and sublime "Aha, moment!" Pity the preacher who makes someone angry, sad or ashamed. God words must only soothe, not specialize. And they must never be used for surgery on the soul, never! The cultural consensus has decided that sin really isn't that bad after all. Case in point: Since I have been in ministry, ordination councils have changed significantly. In 1998, I had to stand before a council of 30 seasoned pastors to defend my doctrinal beliefs. It really mattered to them how I defined words. I was expected to logically argue, in precise terms, what I believed and why I believed it. Did I know the difference between imputation and atonement? What came first, regeneration or justification? Was Jesus omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent or not? And why does it even matter? If you couldn't answer, or there was disagreement with one of the experienced pastors, the discussion would get rather hot. And heat wasn't necessarily considered a bad thing; it often meant the person disputing with you really wanted you to take doctrine seriously. To him or her, the right word and definition could mean the difference between Heaven and Hell. And back in those days, people still seemed more frightened of Hell's fire and brimstone than a few heated arguments. Now, one of the prime goals of the ordination council is to show that we are brothers in arms. We want to be unified, we like to be nice, we look to encourage. Lets turn down the heat, because we need to keep cool. That isn't all bad, but the flip-side is that instead of defining specifics we seek vague commonality. This is especially true when it comes to understanding the categories in systematic theology. We no longer press for understanding specific words, we are simply looking for general compliance. Does the candidate love Jesus, is he faithful and does he believe the Bible? If he does, that should be enough? It is like asking a medical student if he thinks it is important for a patient to have a healthy heart? If he says "Yes, of course," then it is all good! Don't ask him why or how it works; words like ventricle, pulmonary artery, subclavian and atrioventricular valve are hard enough to say and let alone spell. Knowing that there is a heart and that it pumps red blood should be enough. This love of generalities has defined the current Christian congregation as well. They have subtly been taught over the years not to expect much in the way of doctrine and theology. What matters is whether or not their psychological needs have been met before they leave? Do they feel significant, has Maslow's hierarchy been addressed, do they even like being here, and did the pastor shed a tear? Issues of salvation and eternal destination will somehow be worked out on their own - - don't fret about your standing before God, just "smile, smile, smile." It seems the main objective for the congregant is to find delight in the moment; once the preacher obtains it, they have done their job. If only John the Baptist could of learned this before he gave his famous "Brood of Vipers" sermon, maybe Jesus wouldn't have needed to come and clean up his mess? This week in my study of Galatians 5, I ran across a very troubling verse. Verse 4 says, "You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace." Uh oh, big words like "justified" and "alienated" are in here. If I try to teach on them will the congregation roll their eyes out of indifference and boredom? Also, what does it mean when Paul says, "You have fallen from grace?" Can people actually lose their salvation? Do people even care? I may need to get specific? As I read a commentary on this verse I knew I was in trouble. Here is how it explained the verse, "The Galatian Christians had lost their hold upon the grace for daily living which heretofore had been ministered to them by the Holy Spirit. God's grace manifests itself in three ways, in justification, sanctification, and glorification...Because they had lost their hold upon sanctifying grace, it does not mean that God's grace had lost its hold upon them in the sphere of justification. The transaction was closed and permanent at the moment they believed. Justification is a judicial act of God done once and for all." You see the problem with this verse? The intricacies of salvation need to be explained to understand the meaning of this one verse. Justification and Sanctification need to be defined, the progression of salvation must be understood for a person to live in victory. Christianity and salvation is more complicated than "Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so." And most people don't want to really move beyond that. So as I sit in my study I wonder if I should take the time to explain justification, sanctification and glorification? Or are those words too big and hairy for the average Christian? Should I roll the dice and try to teach deeper, reach farther, and ask people to think? Come Sunday to find out...
8 Comments
Tom Tom
7/31/2015 02:26:33 am
Keep right on digging deep and teaching me the details and the truth no matter how hard it is for me to take. This is what makes KCBC different is teaching every detail and the absolute truth of the scriptures. 10 years ago I knew a lot less and had a whole lot less conviction about the truth than I do now and it is because you have taught the truth (the Bible) with out reserve or compromise. Never stop and never apologize for doing as God called you to do.
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Chris
7/31/2015 03:20:09 am
tom, thanks so much for the incredibly kind words!
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Heather Curtis
7/31/2015 04:39:17 am
I don't want wishy-washy, passive teaching. I am so blessed to have a church that loves God's word...all of it..and a senior pastor that teaches his flock about those "big hairy words". I may not always walk out of church completely understanding what was preached that morning and that's okay. I know then I need to study more. And if I don't feel good when I've left...that means God is proba ly trying to tell me something about myself. Thank you for your willingness to "bring the pain".
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Chris
7/31/2015 05:13:16 am
Amen Sister! Amen!!
Chris K
7/31/2015 10:23:38 pm
When we study and grow in our understanding of of what redemption, justification, propitiation, and sanctification are then the depth of our love for God grows, the joy of our salvation grows, and the smiles come naturally as we gain an appreciation for the grace and mercy He has lavished on us.
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Chris
7/31/2015 10:45:46 pm
so true!
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Keith
8/1/2015 08:52:26 am
Please don't water anything down. You have a gift of explaining the hard things so even I understand. Use the big words(with definition, please) and keep educating us. Dumbed down sermons lead to a dumbed down congregation and that has become a big problem in this country.
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Art
8/3/2015 03:38:06 am
Is it ok for me to admit that before you became the lead Pastor I never used a word with more than 4 letters in a Scrabble game? I actually tried to use ESPN once..... The way you bring the truth on Sunday makes me not only stretch my vocabulary, my thinking skills, it actually promotes a desire to read. (I can't believe I am admitting that I read more.) Keep stretching our minds and teaching us words we have never used before. Fill us with truth that matters! I actually used propitiation in a sentence a few weeks ago and even surprised my kids!
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