Spring at JPC
I believe our best days are ahead of us at Jordan Presbyterian Church. Over the past couple years we’ve had to face a number of difficult situations, and we’ve felt the burden of that. But God has been faithful and he has carried us through these times. Now we stand at a junction. What kind of church will JPC be going forward? Will we let fear and disappointment define us? Or will we step forward believing God is not finished with us yet? I believe our best days are ahead of us. Over the past year I’ve seen God working in subtle, yet significant ways.
- I’ve see an excitement and unity among our elders and deacons that is greater than I’ve ever seen at JPC.
- I see more and more people praying for the church and our ministry.
- God is bringing people to our church. Over the past year we’ve seen a handful of new people come. Many of these people are new to Christianity or returning after a long time away. They’ve come to Jordan because it has been a safe place for them to learn about Christ and grow in him.
- We have more people stepping up to help serve the church. New people are helping with music, cleaning the church, and teaching and in other places.
- I’ve seen people growing in Christ. I’ve had conversations with members who tell me that for the first time they have a strong urge to start reading their Bible on their own. Others have told me how they are finding a new identity in Christ because of the ministries of this church. People are coming to know Christ as their redeemer.
We cannot let the shadows of our disappointments overtake what God is doing among us right now.
Last year closed one chapter in the history of our church. But what will our next chapter look like? We don’t know how God will use us. But to simply think the best is behind us would be wrong for several reasons.
First, we want to honor the work of all those who have been part of JPC. We’ve seen many people come and go. Many of them put blood, sweat, and tears into the planting and growth of this church. We want to honor what they did by continuing their work. Those people want to hear about how JPC is thriving even after they left. If we do not do the work of renewal we dishonor those who have come before us.
Second, we want to have a church where the next generation grows to know Christ. We want a church that our kids and grandkids love to attend, and more importantly where they put their faith in Christ. If we only focus on the church reaching our individual needs, we will never be a church that reaches the next generation. We want to see our faith passed down to our kids and grandkids.
Third, there are so many people in our community who are searching for truth. The faith they grew up in suddenly doesn't seem to make as much sense as it once did. Others believe there has to be more to life than what they are currently experiencing, but are not sure where to find it. Our communities are full of people struggling with these questions. I believe Jordan Presbyterian Church is a good place for people to take that next step in their journey towards truth. I believe we are uniquely equipped to help people who are searching. Why? Because that is the story of so many of you. Our church is full of people who transitioned out of a religion that couldn’t answer their deepest questions. Our church is full of those who were searching for something more and found Christ here. We are a church that knows what it is like to be on a journey to know Christ.
What will the next chapter in the life of our church look like? The answer to that is up to all of us. The church is a community. When any one of us holds back we all suffer. This is the time for us to come together and start writing that next chapter. It’s the time for us to remember what JPC has meant to us. It’s time to remind yourself why you love your church.
Central to all this is our mission: that we are inviting everyone on our journey to know Christ above all else. The verb in our mission is inviting. We want to be an inviting church. We want to be inviting to those who are questioning their faith, we want to be inviting to those who are struggling, we want to be inviting to those looking for something more.
Next Steps
This process of renewing our vision will take place over the next year or so. In May we will have a short Sunday School series to have conversations about this. Here’s what I want you to do right now. Remind yourself why you love your church. What attracted you in the beginning? What kept you coming back? Why do you love your church? In a marriage, as time goes on, we get used to our spouses, and we can forget what attracted us to them in the first place. It’s the same with a church. I want you to take some time to remember why you love JPC. After doing that, I’d ask you make an extra effort reflect those things that first attracted you to JPC, because we want others to experience that as well.
I was recently talking with some of our long-time members and one of them said that it was time for spring at JPC. We’ve had a tough winter, but it’s spring now. We are seeing signs of new life. Spring is an exciting and beautiful time of year. Will you come out and celebrate spring at JPC with us?
In Christ,
Pastor Jon
Ten Reasons You Can Trust the Bible - Part 2
Last month we looked at five reasons you can trust your Bible. The first five reasons had more of a theological bent, looking at what Scripture said about itself. In this second set of reasons, we will focus more on technical reasons for why the Bible you read today is the same Bible that was originally written.
6. While there are thousands of variations, they are not significant.
Many Christians are not aware that there are thousands of variations in the New Testament text. We get clues to this when we compare 1 John 5:7 in the NIV and KJV or when many translations do not include Acts 8:37. Initially this can be concerning. If there are so many variations how do we know which is correct? We will deal with that in the next points, but first you should know that of the thousands of variations, none of them offer a significant challenge to Christian doctrine. Why are there so many variations? It’s because the New Testament is a victim of its own success. With so many different people making copies of the Bible, certain variations arose. Let’s look at a breakdown of the types of variations in the text.
● Spelling Variations: About 70% of the variations are spelling differences. So one text may leave out a vowel, while the other includes it. We still have this type of thing today, take color and colour. Some people copying the New Testament couldn’t read themselves, so if they made a mistake in copying the text they didn’t necessarily know what they were writing and couldn’t check it by actually reading what they wrote. While some scribes were meticulous in copying, others seemed to pay less attention to detail.
● Variations that do not affect the translation: About 22% of the variations fall into this category. An example of this is where Luke 2:16 (ESV) reads, “And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph...” Some Greek manuscripts include the word “the” before Mary and Joseph. This doesn’t affect the translation or meaning of the text, but is likely a stylistic change.
● Variations that are not feasible. About 7% of variations would fall into this category. One example is where Luke 6:22 (ESV) reads, “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!” One manuscript from around the 10th century doesn’t include “on account of the Son of Man.” This changes the meaning of the verse because it teaches that any persecution is a sign of blessing, not just persecution for the sake of Christ. But this variation is easily ignored because it only occurs in one manuscript and comes almost 1000 years after the original text was written.
● Variations without a clear choice. These are variations where there is not a clear correct choice, but these account for less than 1% of the variations in the New Testament. Even more, they don’t challenge any core doctrines. Many of these variations are actually rather boring. In seminary I did a project on one of these variations. In John 19:39 (ESV) it reads, “Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes...” Now there are several manuscripts with a different word for what is translated here as mixture. In addition to the Greek word for mixture, some manuscripts have a Greek word for package, another has a Greek word for ointment and other manuscripts have a spelling variation of one of the Greek words. In the end it is difficult to definitively say which Greek word used there was original. But you know what, none of them change the meaning of the verse.
7. The manuscripts are geographically separated.
The New Testament texts we have are geographically separated. This is helpful because if there is a variation in the text in the manuscripts coming from Western Europe, but those variations show up no where else in manuscripts from Egypt or the Middle East or Eastern Europe, then we can say that the variation was likely not original because all the variations are kept to a single geographical location. This makes the argument that the Bible was changed to fit certain theological positions untenable. Yes, there were changes made for this reason, but because the text was geographically separated, we can isolate those changes and see they were not part of the original text. No single group of people controlled the whole text of the New Testament.
8. There are objective methods used to figure out the original text
A lot of the work in figuring out the original New Testament text is done by scholars who are not necessarily believing Christians. This is actually a good thing! Because it means that they are seeking to put together the text without the same bias as, say, a Christian who may want to see things harmonize perfectly. Because this work is often done by scholars, they have less interest in getting everything to fit theologically and are more interested in figuring out the original text. These scholars have developed several principles when picking textual variants. Here are some of them:
● Lectio Difficilior – the more difficult reading is to be preferred because scribes would generally want to smooth things out or make it theological simpler
● Lectio Brevior – the shorter reading is the preferred reading. The scribe wants to make an idea more complete or clear.
● Lectio Potior– the longer reading is to be preferred. In manuscripts before the 4th century it was more common to shorten things to save space.
● The reading that best explains the rest of the others is preferred. Of the variations, which one would scribes be most tempted to change somehow.
9. The manuscripts are very old.
Some people criticise the New Testament because they say we don’t have the original copies of the books. Even worse, the earliest texts we have date to many years after the originals were written! For us, in this day-in-age, that seems to cast doubt on the reliability of the New Testament. But if we were to hold every ancient document to this standard we would be left with very few, if any ancient documents that we could trust. We have fragments of the Gospels that date to within a century of the original writings. While this may not sound like a lot for us where we keep preserved archives of all kinds of documents, the ancient world did not have this luxury. For a historical document that is almost 2000 years old it is quite remarkable to have such early manuscripts.
10. The Books of the New Testament were settled early on.
Many people are familiar with other gospels that existed around the time of the early church like the Gospel of Thomas. Why were these books not included in the Bibles we have? Here are several reasons for why we can be confident we have the right books in our Bibles.
● Many of these other Gospels are clearly different. The Gospel of Thomas includes 114 sayings of Jesus. One of these contains these words attributed to Jesus, “For every woman who makes herself male will enter into the kingdom of heaven.” It’s hard to believe Jesus actually said those words. Another example is from the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, where a boy messes up a mud puddle that a young Jesus is playing in. Jesus gets mad at the other boy and causes him to be withered up like a tree. While such a story is amusing it does not fit with the image we have of Jesus in the other Gospels.
● The Gospels we have are the oldest ones. While there are other “Gospels” they mostly date to the second century. The oldest Gospels we have are the four that are in our Bibles.
● Certain books were seen as Scripture early on. In 2 Peter 3:15-6, Peter writes “ Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.” What is pertinent for this discussion is that by the time 2 Peter was written, Paul’s writings were seen as Scripture.
● The early church quickly moved to the use of books. A scroll doesn’t have a clearly defined end, because you can just start writing on a new scroll. But when you make a book you have to decide what is included and what is left out. This plays into the discussion of books of the Bible because we see the early church was quick to start copying scriptures in a book format instead of a scroll. This indicates that early on they had a sense of what books were part of Scripture.
In conclusion, there are many reasons for why we can trust our Bibles. While these reasons may not convince the hardened doubter, they should provide confidence to the Christian as he or she reads, Scripture and seeks to conform his or her life to it.
Again, I’d love to talk with you more about this if you have questions.
In Christ,
Pastor Jon
For further reading:
Good online resource: http://michaeljkruger.com/
A good entry-level book: The Heresy of Orthodoxy: How Contemporary Culture's Fascination with Diversity Has Reshaped Our Understanding of Early Christianity, http://amzn.com/1433501430
A technical book on the manuscripts of the New Testament: The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration, http://amzn.com/019516122X
Ten Reasons You Can Trust the Bible - Part 1
I was encouraged because a handful of you asked questions after the sermon a few weeks ago when I talked about why we can trust our Bibles. I thought it would be helpful to go into a bit more detail for why we can trust the Bibles we have. So, I am taking the next two months to give you ten reasons why you can trust your Bible.
1. God Uses Language
We live in a time when many are skeptical of language. Academics question where language come from, is it simply a human invention? Philosophers ask where the meaning of a word lies. Can we trust language? All these questions are relevant to Christians because the fundamental way we know anything about God is through words. Scripture is God’s word to us. So can we trust the message?
If words are simply a human invention, then perhaps words would not be a reliable way to understand God. Words would just be descriptions of what God said, but not what God actually said. But as Christians we can have confidence in the words of Scripture, because language finds its origin in God himself. How did God create the world? By speaking. (Gen 1). How is Jesus described? As the word of God made flesh (John 1). We can trust language to be a reliable way for God to communicate to us because language was created by God himself.
But you may ask, what about the fact that we read our Bibles in English while the Scriptures were written mostly in Hebrew and Greek? Can we trust our English Bibles? Yes, we can. Consider Isaiah 55:11 where God says:
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
This passage describes God’s words in a remarkable way–that they always accomplish their purposes. Now combine this thought with Jesus’s command to take the Gospel to all nations (Acts 1:8). The command presupposes that Scripture must be translated. With these two ideas, we can conclude that God will work through translations of Scripture to accomplish the purposes of his word. Even though we read our Bibles in a language much different that the language Jesus spoke, we can have confidence that God’s word will accomplish his purposes in our lives.
2. God Says The Bible is Trustworthy
Does God believe our Bibles are trustworthy? Yes, because he shows that all of Scripture, even though written by humans, are still God’s words. It is not just the red letters that we should say came from God, but every word in our Bible is God’s word. Consider the following passages:
2 Tim 3:16, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness”
This verse equates Scripture (the written Old and New Testaments) with God’s very own breath. When we speak, we breathe out. Scripture is the breathed-out word from God’s own mouth. This means that the words we have in Scripture are not just someone's individual interpretation of what God said, but the words of Scripture are actually God’s very words.
Matt 19:4-5, “[Jesus] answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?”
Note that in this passage, Jesus says that God (the one who created Adam and Eve) said, “Therefore a man shall leave....” Now if you look up this passage in Genesis 2:24 you will find that God did not actually say these things, but they were the words of the human author of Genesis. Now, was Jesus mistaken? Certainly not! Even though a human wrote these words, he was inspired by God (just as he observed in 2 Tim 3:16) and that means that Jesus believed what Scripture says is what God says, even if the words are not in quotes.
3. Jesus Trusted It
Some Bibles have red letters, to indicate the words Jesus spoke. People seem to intrinsically be interested in these words of Jesus. So then, if we are interested in Jesus’s words, a helpful question about the reliability of Scripture is what did Jesus say about Scripture itself?
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said that he came not to abolish the law or prophets, but to fulfill them. The law and prophets were general categories to describe many of the Old Testament books. In Matt 6:18 Jesus says, “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” While Jesus only mentions the law, he likely still has in view most, if not all of the Old Testament and he is saying that the smallest little details of the written word of God are important. He references an iota, which is the smallest greek letter (it looked something like a comma) and a dot, which probably referred to a small marking in Hebrew, something similar to the dot of an ‘i’. Jesus shows that even the smallest details of Scripture are reliable and to be trusted.
4. The New Testament Is Built Upon The Apostles’ Foundation
In Acts we learn the job of the Apostles was to be witness to Jesus to “Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) The question arises, “how were the apostles to be witnesses to the ends of the earth?” For they never made it to North or South America. But in one sense haven’t they? Their records were written down in the books of the New Testament and so they continue to be witnesses to Christ today. Jesus intended for Scripture to be written down, so it could actually make it to the ends of the earth after the apostles had died. This is what Paul means when he says the church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets” (Eph 2:20). If we want to know the true Christian message, we need to look back to the teaching of the apostles. Where in the teaching of the apostles? In the twenty-seven books of the New Testament.
After looking at some theological reason, let’s now move to some practical and technical reasons for why we can we trust our Bibles.
5. There are thousands.... or millions of manuscripts
There are by far more manuscripts of the New Testament than any other historical document. Because we have so many manuscripts we can be confident that we have the original text of the New Testament. People often have a double standard when it comes to historical documents, tending to trust other historical documents more than Scripture. Yet just by looking at the number of manuscripts we have, it would be logical to put more trust in the reliability of the New Testament simply because of how many copies we have of it.
Document Number of Known Manuscripts
Livy’s History of Rome 27
Thucydides’s History 20
Herodotus’s History 75
Plato’s Tetralogies 200
Homer’s Illiad 2000
New Testament 5,700 greek, 10,000 latin, more than a million quotations of Scripture from the early church fathers
Next Month we will look at the next five reasons we can trust our Bibles. They are:
1.While there are thousands of variations, they are not significant.
2.The manuscripts are geographically separated.
3.There are scientific principles used to figure out the original text
4.The manuscripts are very old.
5.The Books of the Bible were settled early on.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further, I’d love to meet up you. Just contact me and we can arrange something.
In Christ,
Pastor Jon
New Year's Resolutions
We set New Year’s resolutions because we have some picture of a better future that we hope to get closer to. We set a fitness goal because we hope to see our health improve. We set a financial goal, because perhaps we took on too much debt this past year, or didn’t have enough saved for an unexpected expense. We set a goal to simplify our life because we’ve felt to distracted lately. So we set goals based on what we want our future to look like. We picture the joy of living without credit card debt. We imagine ourselves wearing clothes that we haven’t been able to fit into for years. We love the idea of a simpler life. And so we set goals to help us get there.
But let me ask you this question, “Are you setting goals with eternity in mind?” We often don’t put much thought into why we accept certain things as good. Common sense tells us it’s good to be financially secure, in good shape, and good at our work. Certainly there are biblical precedents for doing such things. But these goals can also be taken to extremes. The man who pursues personal fitness at the expense of everything else, turns what is good into an unhealthy obsession. His religion becomes fitness. The woman who is so concerned with being financially secure, may find she is so concerned with money that she never enjoys her financial freedom. She has turned money into an unrelenting god.
Underlying these goals is what we could call an ultimate goal. Many of the goals we make serve this ultimate goal. For most it is some picture of a “good life.” But as Christians we have more to hope for. We have the picture of us as the Church reaching the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Eph 4:13) I don’t fully understand what that means, but I know it will be pretty awesome!
As you think over your goals for this next year, are you keeping eternity in mind? I mean, do you see how your goals fit into that ultimate goal–attaining the measure of the fullness of Christ? Certainly this means some of our goals should be tied to our own holiness. But other goals, say fitness should relate to this as well. For me, I find when I spend time on my bicycle I have more energy and clearer thinking. Exercise is a gift from God to help me serve him better in other areas of life. It’s the same with other goals. Are your goals an end in themselves? If so, perhaps you aren’t thinking Christianly about these goals, for we should take every thought captive to Christ. (2 Cor 10:5)
When we make goals with eternity in mind, we may be surprised at the progress we make in keeping them. Why? Because then our goals will be in line with Jesus’s goal for us. His goal is to present us before God without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish. (Eph 5:27) And when we put our goals in line with Jesus’s goals, we may end up in places we never expected, but it will be so much better than we imagined.
In Christ,
Pastor Jon
There's No Place Like Home
One of the highlights of 2014 was moving into the home that Lisa and I had built in Daybreak. We loved the house design and location, but more than that, this house was the first place that we would call home. Since getting married, Lisa and I have moved around from Hawaii, to Colorado, Pennsylvania and now to Utah. Finally, we were settling down in a place where we had no plans to leave. We had dreams of raising our girls in this home and growing old together here. We were excited for a place to call home.
The theme of “home” is appropriate to talk about during the advent season. Our longing for home is stronger during the holidays. When introducing us to Jesus, John 1:18 says that Jesus Christ became flesh and dwelled among us. We could even translate this as Jesus became human and made his home us with. The first Christmas is a story of God making his home among humans.
Such an act is incredible! God left his heavenly home to live with humans. It would be like a monarch leaving the palace to go live among the poor. On earth, kings and rulers build homes that separate themselves from the common people. Walls, guards and gates are all used to keep that separation between the king and everyone else. But Jesus is unlike any earthly king. He tears down the barriers between heaven and earth. He rips the temple curtain open. He removes the separation between God and his people. Jesus makes his home with us!
When we look at Scripture we see that the theme of home runs from the beginning to the end. Eden was the first home that God made for humans. In Revelation 21-22 we read of a New Jerusalem where God lives in the midst of his people. We could even summarize Scripture by saying it is the story of God’s quest to make a forever home for his people.
I’m excited for you to join us as we look at this theme of home during our advent series. It’s a message of hope for everyone. It’s a message of hope for those who have broken homes–Jesus is making you a new home in heaven. It frees us from the pressures to make our homes look perfect–these homes are only a shadow of our eternal home. It reminds us of God’s incredible love–that the king would want to make his home with us.
I’d encourage you to be praying for people in your life who need to hear this message about God’s love and then take the opportunity to invite them to one of our services. See what we will be studying each week at http://www.jordanpresbyterian.org/christmas-services
In Christ,
Pastor Jon
Daily Provision
God miraculously provided food for Israel when they were traveling through the desert on their way to the promised land. The Israelites had never seen something like this before, so they called the food “manna”, which could literally be translated as, “What is it?”
We all long for God provision. We have those thoughts, those desires and prayers. We long for God’s provision in our lives. But sometimes when God responds, his answer looks different than what we were expecting. And like those Israelites, we also want to ask God, “what is it?”
When manna came, people were told to only take what they needed for that one day, no more. That meant you must trust God for the next day’s food. Some Israelites decided it was much easier to trust their ability to take a little extra manna today than trust God’s provision tomorrow. But Exodus 16:20 says, “some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell.”
God wants us to trust him day-by-day, step-by-step. But instead we believe that no one is looking out for us, so we had better look out for ourselves. And, perhaps, no one on this earth is looking out for you, but don’t forget you have a loving father in heaven. And a loving father never forgets his children. He just wishes we wouldn't forget him so often.
This is true for you as an individual, but also as a church. The church is God’s forever family. We are Christ’s bride. God is our father. This means we don’t need to fear the future, but we trust God day-by-day, because he is taking us on this journey.
In a couple of weeks we are holding our missions conference, and I’m really excited for it. We’ve arranged to get some great food. We will hear about how God is providing for our missionaries. We’ll also hear from a guest speaker who will teach us about our unity that we have in Christ.
We don’t call our missions giving “faith promise,” for nothing. We pledge this money in faith, because we trust God will provide. And God has provided! One encouraging thing that I’ve seen happen in the two-plus years I’ve been here is that God has blessed us financially. Even though we’ve given away so much, God has blessed us with more. Even though our monthly giving fluctuates, the average internal giving at this church has been at some of the highest levels in the past two years.
As you consider your faith promise giving, do so in faith. God is our father, he provides. He doesn’t want us to hoard, but to trust him day-by-day and step-by-step. God never forgets us. Just like manna, God’s mercies are new every morning.
In Christ,
Pastor Jon
One Body, Many Parts
When we first moved out to Utah, people would often ask why we moved. “Work,” I would say. This usually led to them asking what I did for work. “I’m a pastor at a church in West Jordan,” I responded. About 99% of the time this would lead to more questions. This alone made Utah unique, because elsewhere in the U.S. most people will run for the exits if they find out they are talking to a pastor!
In these conversations people would often speak of the “Presbyterian Religion” or the “Baptist Religion,” or some other religion. Other than thinking it was an odd way to speak, I didn’t catch the significance of this. But I later realized that many people saw all these denominations as equally separate, so that the distance between the Baptist faith and the Presbyterian faith was about the same distance as the distance between the Presbyterian Faith and the LDS Faith.
While most Bible-believing Christians would agree that we are all one in Christ. We also, in our actions and thoughts, can ignore this unity God has given us. We can be jealous of other churches when they succeed. We can hold onto what we have instead of giving it to others. We can fail to partner with other churches because we are not sure how it would help us out. We can act like we are alone out here.
But notice how the Apostle Paul speaks about the church:
●1 Corinthians 12:13: “ For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body–whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free–and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”
●1 Corinthians 12:26: “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.”
●Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
●Ephesians 4:3-6: “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
Paul is clear that we are all one. Why? Because there is only one Jesus, and therefore one body.
Have you ever wondered why the baptismal formula is very simple? “I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” It doesn’t get into much doctrine, but is a simple statement. These words given by Jesus almost seem to anticipate that there would be various interpretations of Scripture that would arise throughout history. That is one reason we see various denominations today. It was almost like by giving us the baptismal formula that expresses the absolute basics of the Christian faith, Jesus is reminding us that though some non-essential doctrines may differ, we are united in our belief of Father, Son and Spirit. We were baptized into one body. Though we may not agree about every little detail, it doesn’t mean we are not united to one another. The unity we have comes from God, through Jesus, and is applied by the Spirit.
How can we better show the unity we have with other believers? I’d encourage you to be thinking about this. To help us, our missions team decided that the theme for our missions conference this year will be about our unity in Christ. Our speaker will talk about this theme and get us thinking about how we can show our unity in Christ. We will also hear from the missionaries we support. We do this because we are all part of the same body. Their successes are our successes, and their struggles are our struggles. We are united in Christ.
What ideas do you have for showing our unity? I’ve often thought it would be really cool to invite all the other PCA churches, or even various other churches in the valley for a combined worship service. There is something very powerful about when God’s people gather and pack out a room while praising him! What are your thoughts and ideas? I’d love to hear from you!
In Christ,
Pastor Jon
Our Journey to Know Christ
This spring the church leadership met for our semi-annual officers retreat (it sounds nicer that it is: we met in a conference room in a West Jordan hotel). At that meeting we started a discussion where we asked, “What is the mission of our church?” Jesus gave his church a mission, to be his witness (Acts 1:8) and to make disciples (Matt 1:28). So, that is our mission. But we also recognized that we are not the only gospel-centered church in our community. Paul speaks of the diversity of the church, that each individual believer, and even churches, have gift sets, but no one person, or even one particular church has all the gifts that Christ has given his church. JPC is a part of the Body of Christ.
So, considering the gifts, interests, people and location of JPC, how do we do our part to further the mission that Christ has given his church? After a lot of prayer and discussion, we decided that the mission of our church was: “We are inviting everyone on our journey to know Christ above all else.”
Let me explain a few things about this mission statement:
- We wanted our mission to be something we could actually do. In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul speaks about how he planted seeds of the gospel, Apollos watered them, but God gave the growth in people. We can’t make people become Christians, we can’t make people grow in Christ, only God can do this. But we can invite people to know him and grow in him.
- We are inviting people on a journey. This journey metaphor is found throughout Scripture. A journey means that we have not arrived. That means we are not inviting others as people who have finished, but we are inviting people to walk with us. Journeys are full of rough patches, hills, dark valleys, sometimes it seems like you aren’t making progress. The Christian life is a journey. On a journey some people are further along, some are slower, but we still have further to go.
- We are inviting people on our journey. None of us makes the journey alone, but with others. We carry each other's burdens, we pray for each other. We are in this together.
- We are inviting people on our journey to know Christ above all else. A journey has a destination. For us it is knowing Christ above all else. Everything that we do must be Christ-centered. We are introducing people to Christ. As Pastor Tim has often said, “introduce them to Jesus and let him change what he wants with them.”
There are all kinds of ways we can invite people. We can invite them to church. But we can also invite them into our lives. We invite neighbors over for dinner to develop relationships. We invite each other to take the next step in our journey to know Christ.
Is this a new direction for the church?
No, this is re-emphasising and refocusing on the core values this church was founded on. Perhaps some of you remember a triangle diagram Pastor Tim used to draw, with “making disciples” at the top and on the left and right sides of the triangle were evangelism and discipleship. In many ways we see this mission as simply putting into words that diagram Pastor Tim established.
One thing we did note in our discussions was that the leaders had different ideas about what our mission statement was. We realized that we didn’t have a clear mission statement. We had a motto, “knowing Christ above all else,” but didn’t have a mission statement. So, we asked how do we take our motto, which we all know and love, and turn it into a mission?
What will change now that we’ve got a mission statement?
None of the leadership is under the impression that having a mission statement will magically change everything. In fact, much will look the same. But let me share a story that illustrates the benefit of having our mission always before us.
This summer when VBS was approaching there would often be a group of children playing near the church. I would think, “I should invite them to VBS.” But I would then turn back to my to-do list and, be reminded of all the stuff I needed to get done today. Tomorrow I could invite them to VBS. Then I put the mission statement on the wall. And those words, “we are inviting everyone on our journey to know Christ above all else” started nagging me day after day. Yes, each day I had a list of things to do. But that statement on the wall reminded me what was most important. It gave clarity amid the busyness of day-to-day life. Unless I’m inviting people on this journey, all this other stuff doesn’t really matter. So the next time I saw those kids I walked outside and talked to them and their mom. Then I invited them to VBS. Did they come? No, but like the mission statement says, all we can do is invite people.
In Christ,
Pastor Jon
Friend Day!
Join us this Sunday August 30th!
Thinking about going back to church? Perhaps you've never been, but are interesting in learning more. Perhaps you're just looking for some new friends. This is a great Sunday to come and check things out!
Join us this Sunday for a worship service that lasts just over an hour. We guarantee you'll find a group of people that will welcome you with open arms. Dress is casual.
The theme for this friend day is "someone worth waiting for." We all wait for things, but are they worth it? Is anything worth waiting your whole life for? How do we wait well? Jesus has an answer for us, and he is worth waiting for. Come this Sunday to learn why.
Lunch follows!
Stick around afterwards for lunch! We've got some great cooks in the church and we would love to share our food with you! See you Sunday at 9:45am!
Who Defines You?
We’ve wrapped up our summer sermon series looking at our Union with Christ. I really enjoyed preparing each sermon as it reminded me of these fundamental truths that I often forget. I hope you also were blessed as we looked at eight things that are ours because we are united to Christ. As I reflected on this series, I realized that ultimately our union with Christ is about our identity. When we become Christian, we take on a new name, that of Christ. The gospel is about taking a new identity, that of the risen King. I think that is pretty awesome!
The message of a gospel-shaped identity is also relevant to the questions so many are asking in our world right now. Who/what defines one's identity? One interesting bit of recent news involved a woman who led an NAACP chapter in Washington. She said that she identified as black, even though she was born to white parents. When it came out she was not biologically black, many decried her as a fraud. But it seems to me there is an inconsistency here. If our culture says that one can choose their sexual identity why can one not choose their racial identity? (As a Christian I do not believe we ultimately get to chose our identity.) Underlying all this is the question of what defines us and who gets to decide that.
Many today believe that humans are basically good. That within each one of us is good and we need to let that out. This is a powerful and attractive cultural narrative. But we should also note that it stands in contradiction to Scriptures teaching that we are sinful from birth (Psalm 51:5). One implication of this cultural narrative is that we can then trust what feels right to us, because inside us we are good. And so we must do what feels right in order to achieve our full potential. Thus we see so many looking inward to find their identity.
But there is an unintended side effect of this. If my true identity is found wholly within, and not through some human ideal which unites us, a natural segregation of people occurs. This leads to a breaking of community and instead a creation of isolated, homogeneous groups. Diverse communities ultimately disappear because there is nothing to bring unity in diversity. These groups are not true communities. A true community has something in common. I think this is why so many people struggle with loneliness today.
One aspect of the gospel is that Christ is building a new community in him. And this brings us back to our union with Christ. This community is based off the ideal human, Christ. He is the supreme example of what it means to be human. The church is this new community. It’s a community that is welcoming to all who would take on Christ’s identity. It’s a true community because we all share something in common, our identity in Christ. It’s a community that can celebrate diversity because we see diversity in the one, triune God: father, son and spirit. It’s a community with a united purpose and mission, to invite everyone on our journey to know Christ above all else.
In Christ,
Pastor Jon
Strength in Weakness
The past few months were packed with a number of events that brought to the forefront some of the deepest questions we are dealing with as a country. Questions about gender, identity, marriage, and love. As these events and people's reactions have blown up across our screens and conversations, it leaves those who hold to historic Christian beliefs in a unique place. For one, it has shown how quickly those who hold to these historic Christian beliefs are being pushed aside.
There have been many reactions to all these events. But one thing I haven’t seen many people talking about is this: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor 12:9) These were the words God spoke to the Apostle Paul when he found himself in a position of weakness. Paul wrote, “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Perhaps in our current situation, where we as Christians feel new weakness, where we face new insults, persecutions and difficulties, perhaps there is now a place for us to rejoice. For when we are weak, then we are strong.
Such rejoicing in weakness sounds so foreign to us as American Christians. For so long we’ve enjoyed the benefits of a culture that largely overlapped with our beliefs. We’ve enjoyed not just a seat at the table, but at the head of the table. We’ve been in a position of power. Perhaps we made the mistake of thinking that was normal. Perhaps when we’ve felt secure in our power, we didn’t leave room for Christ to work.
Let me take it one step further. Perhaps this power, that we have enjoyed for so long, has actually led us to lose a vital part of what it means to be Christian–that the way to glory comes through the cross. Instead, we’ve gone right for the glory, looking to bypass the cross.
But here is the problem with that - glory without a cross is not a Christian way. Because without the cross there is no salvation. For Jesus took a cross, which looked weak and foolish, and turned it into the gateway to salvation. Christ subverted the powers of this world, by taking what looked like loss and turning it into victory. Because we are united to Christ we are called to follow the same route. We walk the path of the cross because we know it is the gateway to glory. So, maybe all that’s happening in our culture is for our good. It’s putting us on the path we should have been on long ago – a path that leads to the cross. Perhaps we should embrace our weakness, not lament it.
Philippians tells us that Christ emptied himself. I believe the way ahead is to get back to this model. We should be known as people who empty themselves, not those who try to fill themselves up. When we do that I believe our lifestyle would better match up with the gospel which we share. Because at the center of the gospel is a cross. So let us rejoice with the Apostle Paul because when we are weak, then we are strong in Christ.
In Christ,
Pastor Jon
Sharing the Gospel...With Yourself
We’ve finished our two-week series that looked at some barriers we face in evangelism. Each message has been helpful to me as I work to get better at sharing about my faith. One other barrier we face in our evangelism is that we do it so little, every time it feels like we are starting over. We never get comfortable at it. What if you could share the gospel every day? You’d probably get better at it. Well, you can share it every day. How? By sharing the gospel with yourself. Now I don’t mean practicing some rehearsed speech in the mirror. I mean actually taking various gospel truths and applying them to the situation and struggles you face. Because ultimately you need the same thing as the person who has never heard the gospel. We all need Jesus and we never get beyond that.
Let me explain with a personal example. I often seek to find my worth in what I do. If I’m succeeding in my work, I think I have worth. If I’m not, I can feel like a failure. I’m often driven to be successful because I believe that will give me more worth. This appears in various places in my life. I can feel this temptation in my work as a pastor, but I also feel this temptation elsewhere. I’ve learned one of the reasons I like pushing myself on my bike is because in my heart I believe that if I can be faster than others, that gives me more worth. Perhaps that sounds silly, and it is! But it’s also the way my sinful heart works.
So what’s the solution? It’s ultimately the gospel. Nothing else will truly change me. So how does the gospel speak to this struggle? Here are a couple ways:
●The gospel shows me that nothing I do will ever be enough. I’ve learned my successes fade quickly. They have a short shelf-life. Soon I’m yearning for something new to give me a renewed sense of worth. The gospel confirms this experience - I could never do enough to be worthy. I need something else to give me lasting worth.
●The gospel offers a worth that is greater than anything I could provide. The gospel offers me Christ Jesus and says everything that is his can be mine. That far outshines any success I could achieve.
●The gospel says I can have the greatest worth right now. The gospel doesn’t just promise some future reward. No, it says, right now, you are a son of God. God gets close to you, and smells the fragrance of Christ. God loves you like he loves his son or daughter. Right now, in Christ, God sees us as having the worth of Christ Jesus himself. So rest in that! Stop trying to find worth in cheap imposters.
I need to hear the gospel as much as anyone else. I never stop needing to hear the gospel. And you know, the better I get at sharing the gospel with myself, the better I get at sharing it with others. In fact, those gospel truths that I shared with myself, I could just as easily share with an unbeliever who is struggling with the same things I am. The root sins are the same: I need Jesus as much as the unbeliever.
We all need to get better at sharing the gospel. First, share the gospel with yourself. Then share it with other believers. Share with fellow believers where you are applying the gospel in your own life. Help other believers see how the gospel speaks to their struggles. When you get comfortable at doing that, sharing the gospel with an unbeliever will actually seem surprisingly natural.
I’d encourage you make sure you listen to this next sermon series. Each week we are looking at a gospel truth, and how it applies to our life. My goal is at the end of this series, we will have eight gospel truths that we can apply both to our own lives, and share with others around us.
One book that has been helpful for me in growing in my evangelism is The Unbelievable Gospel: Say Something Worth Believing by Jonathan Dodson. I'd encourage you to read it too. If you do, let me know. I'd love to discuss it with you!
In Christ,
Pastor Jon
Christ Is Alive
That Jesus Christ is alive is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Without it there is no Christianity. The Apostle Paul said as much in 1Corinthians 15:14.
“If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”
But He is alive and that’s the point. And every benefit we draw from the gospel is because Jesus Christ is alive. Below are four questions that are raised in Romans 8:31-35. The answers are beautiful. But they would not be if it were not for the simple fact that Jesus is alive.
1) If God is for us, who can be against us? God didn’t spare His own Son but freely gave Him up for us all. Why do you think He would hold back on you now?
2) Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? God is the one who justifies. He justifies us in Jesus.
3) Who is he that condemns? The only one who has the right to condemn you is Jesus Christ and He is not some corpse in a tomb, but He is alive at the right hand of the Father, praying for you. Still today He is connecting Himself willingly to sinful people, replacing the sin-filled record of our life with His righteous record. As long as He stands in our behalf, the Father judges us according to how good Jesus is. WOW!
4) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ…nothing and no one. Jesus died to save you. He lives to take you home. He loves His people with a passion.
So we live with confidence. No one can successfully oppose the church in its mission on Earth to make Christ known.
We live with peace. God sees His church as beautiful and righteous.
We live encouraged. Jesus is our protector and defender.
We live loved and loving. That is our real experience. We are loved by God, and as a result, are able to love like God.
All of this and so much more is because Jesus is alive. There is no reason to doubt it. We have God’s word on it. So enjoy it and do everything in your power to give it away. Christ’s love is solidly and eternally yours. And since you didn’t earn it, you can’t lose it. Your security in Christ is Christ’s gift to you. Gratefully, humbly receive and share Jesus.
Your brother in Christ,
Pastor Tim
Why Utah Matters
This past weekend I had the opportunity to speak at a church in Greenwich, CT. In many ways Greenwich, CT is completely different from West Jordan, UT. For example it was about -20 degrees in Greenwich, while it was rather sunny and warm when I left Utah! Greenwich is home to many wealthy hedge fund managers who commute into NYC each day. The pastor there lamented that they would likely never be able to buy a house in the area because a small three bedroom house would cost around $750,000. I was thankful for our rather affordable housing here! But for all the differences between Connecticut and Utah we have this in common: we are both living in the least Christian areas of the United States. A recent survey I saw listed the twenty least evangelical metro areas in United States. Provo took the top spot. In fact, five of the twenty least evangelical metro areas are in Utah, which happens to be ALL the metro areas in Utah! The remaining fifteen come from places in the Northeast.
This means that Utah and Connecticut, the least Christian places in America, are some of the most important places for the future of Christianity in America. Why? Because every year around 4000 churches shut down. Only 1000 churches are started each year. This is a net loss of 3000 churches. There are less than 3000 Christian churches in Utah right now, so imagine if every single Christian church in Utah disappeared this year! That is essentially what is happening every year around our country. This means the United States will look like Utah in terms of the number of churches. As fewer people attend church in the United States, churches will find their message is less valued. Thus the church in the United States will see itself relegated more and more to the sidelines, but in Utah, this is how the Christian church has always operated.
Utah matters because we have the chance to learn how to be the church-on-the-sidelines in our society. As we learn how to do this, we have the opportunity to share what we learn with others as they find their churches relegated more and more to the sidelines. While some may see Utah as the final frontier--the last place in the United States to be reached by Christianity--we should also see it as the next frontier, a place where the church exists in the margins.
This is why we are continually trying new ways to reach out to our community. We’ve reached many new people through things like VBS, MOPS and the recent MRM Symposium. But we need bigger ideas, we need input from those who grew up here. Colossians 4:5-6 says, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” In short, we need to be a church that has answers for the questions people are asking in our communities. Too often churches only have answers to questions we wish people would ask. Our conversations need to be filled with grace. Our doing so does not just impact the future of JPC, but it could also have an impact on the Christian church in the rest of the United States.
In March, Reid Jones is leading a missions team of college students from the University of Alabama, Huntsville out here. One reason they are coming is because Reid wants to show his students a place where Christianity is on the sidelines. There will be many opportunities to help serve these students by providing them a place to stay and helping to cook meals. But also, one of the most helpful things you can do is teach them about Utah. Tell them your stories of living in a place where we are in the minority.
Your brother in Christ,
Pastor Jon
Engaging Mormonism with Compassionate Boldness
Jordan Presbyterian Church hosted Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson co-authors of Answering Mormon's Questions and hosts of the radio program Viewpoint on Mormonism for a Engaging Mormonism with Compassionate Boldness Symposium.
UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE
If you have children, or have ever interacted with them, then you know that they don’t always make sense. I am not talking about when they instantly slip into some imaginary role of a superhero or princess or doctor or dinosaur. Those things actually do make sense in an imaginary way. What is most confusing to me is how so often siblings growing up in the same home, with the same parents, same teachers, same church, same foods, same everything, can look at life and respond to it so differently. I’m not even talking about “good and bad”, but just different.
I suppose we just have to remember that they are individuals, and enjoy that about them. And of course we need, as parents and fellow church members, to get to know them individually and to understand them. I have always believed that this is the highest honor you can pay to a child. They need and want the adults in their lives to care enough about them to pay attention, and try to know them. They are just “little people.”
All people want to be understood and loved. I think it is safe to say that if you don’t take the time to understand someone, you probably shouldn't give them advice or direction. There’s nothing more annoying than a self-proclaimed expert who doesn't know you but tries to tell you what to do. To speak to people constructively and productively you have to know them.
That’s why we are hosting the “Compassionate Boldness Symposium” presented by Mormonism Research Ministries. It is on Saturday, February 7 from 9:00 to 1:00pm.
We live in a culture where there is one dominate religious expression. It seems odd to a lot of people. Many have moved here to straighten them out, to teach them grace while showing very little of it. This is not a very Christian way to approach someone. A gracious attitude is much easier to have and keep when you have taken the time to know people.
So this is an opportunity to better understand the teachings of the LDS church, to appreciate the LDS people, all the while looking honestly at the differences that exist between LDS theology and historic Christianity. You are having these conversations all the time. I hope this learning opportunity makes you more humble, gracious, and effective. The Compassionate Boldness Symposium will give you a better understanding of the people you are speaking with. And honestly, this is Jesus-like. He became human. So when He gave Himself for us on the cross, He fully understood you, and why you needed a Savior so desperately.
Growing with you,
Tim
Waiting For Something?
We are all familiar with waiting. It is a part of life. Entire rooms have been devoted to it. The DMV, Medical offices, and the tire store all have waiting rooms. We wait for babies, for houses to be built, for resolutions to problems, for the cable company, for the slower spouse and for meals at a restaurant. Sometimes we tire of waiting and are wrongly accused of impatience. Other times we tire of waiting and are correctly accused of impatience. Pain, hunger, fear, busy schedules and excitement all feed our sense that we can’t wait any longer.
The wait has a purpose. Waiting for something good makes you value it more when you get it. (Waiting for your children to put their shoes on doesn’t count) Anticipating your wedding, waiting for a new car, counting the days before a vacation, looking forward to retirement or expecting a joyous reunion with someone you love helps you enjoy it more when you actually gain the thing you’ve been waiting for. And yet all of these things while good in themselves cannot permanently satisfy. You wait for them, gain them, enjoy them temporarily and then they are over. Even those things that last a lifetime, end.
Waiting for Something? That’s the title of our Advent Series this year. Every one of us is waiting for something. Have you set your heart on things that won’t last? Or have you given yourself to the very purpose for which you were made which is to know Christ better than you know anyone else and to love Him more than you love anyone or anything else? If so then you know that you must wait.
We are told much about how to wait. Patiently, actively and happily we are to wait on Christ. Some things He gives us instantly like the forgiveness of sins, a new heart and certainly a new relationship with God as our Father. But the final fulfillment of a permanent home where there is no sorrow, sadness, crying, pain or sin is in our future. It is a future with Jesus, living in His direct presence together with all who have trusted Him. This is our destiny, our hope, our certain rest. Waiting for it will take us a lot of different places and require more changes than a teenager’s wardrobe. But Jesus is worth the wait. Many tire, give up and chase lesser things that will never satisfy. But for those who “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness…all these other things will be added unto them.” Matthew 6:33
Make Christ central. Revolve your life around Him. And you just wait and see if He isn’t worth it.
We began this series last Sunday with a message titled, “When you die waiting.” (It is available on our website, www.jordanpresbyterian.org)
Merry Christmas,
Tim
There Are No U-Hauls Behind Hearses
Fall is fully upon us. The mornings are colder. The leaves are falling. And Starbucks is selling Pumpkin Spice Lattes, which I recently learned actually have no trace of pumpkin in them! It also means that we renew our financial and prayer support for our missionaries. We believe the most important thing people can know is that God offers forgiveness and new life in Christ. And there are many people in Utah who still have not heard this message of grace. Because of this we send all our missions money to local efforts to spread the good news of Christ. Let me share an illustration with you that I recently read in John Piper’s book, Desiring God. I found it convicting and a good reminder that we are simply stewards of God’s gifts. The illustration is based on 1 Timothy 6:7, “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.”
Suppose someone passes empty handed through the turnstile at a big-city art museum and begins to take the pictures off the wall and carry them importantly under his arm. You come up to him and say, “What are you doing?”
He answers, “I’m becoming an art collector.”
“But they’re not really yours,” you say, “and besides, they won’t let you take any of those out of here. You’ll have to go out just like you came in.”
But he answers again, “Sure, they’re mine. I’ve got them under my arm. People in the halls look at me as an important dealer. And I don’t bother myself with thoughts about leaving. Don’t be a killjoy.”
We could call this man a fool! He is out of touch with reality. So is the person who spends himself to get rich in this life. We will go out just the way we came in.
Over the next two weeks I’d encourage you to pray about how to support our church plants and RUF at the University of Utah. There isn’t a right amount to give; that is a decision between you and God. But know that investing in missions gives others the opportunity to know that same grace that you’ve experienced in Christ Jesus!
Your brother in Christ,
Jon
Jesus Loves the Little Children
When we joined a Presbyterian church in 2011, my wife and I were faced with the decision of whether to baptize our children or to be “conscientious objectors” to the Reformed doctrine of infant baptism. I dedicated myself to a study of the question over the next two years, reading many book-length treatments of the issue from both credobaptist and pedobaptist perspectives, as well as chapters on the subject from many systematic theologies on both sides.
At the end of those two years, I had become persuaded of the covenantal infant baptism position, but felt there was no single concise, accessible, and convincing resource on the topic to which I could point inquiring friends and family. I had even set out to write a book about it myself—I may still finish it some day—but then I discovered Daniel Hyde’s Jesus Loves the Little Children: Why We Baptize Children.
Hyde hits all the right notes in under 100 pages (in fact, the core of his argument fits in under 40 pages). He does a great job demonstrating the implications of covenant for the issue of baptism and the connection between the two important covenant signs of circumcision and baptism. I especially appreciated his section showing why anyone who believes in baby dedication should affirm infant baptism instead.
On the whole, this is the best single resource I know of for understanding covenantal infant baptism, and the irenic and winsome tone throughout makes me comfortable sharing it with friends and family of all backgrounds. This is the book I wish I had read first.
CONTENTS
THE COVENANT OF GRACE
First up, Hyde does a great job explaining covenant theology, the bedrock for covenantal infant baptism. The basic logic goes like this: if the old and new covenants are essentially one and the same covenant of grace, and if baptism is a sign and seal of the new covenant in the same way that circumcision was the sign and seal of the old covenant, then we should place the sign of baptism on our infant children just as the sign of circumcision was placed on infants.
I found Hyde’s explanation of the word sacrament helpful. “Sacrament” comes from the Latin sacramentum, which was “an oath of allegiance by Roman soldiers.”[1] The very word we use for sacred ordinances like baptism is rooted in the idea of covenant! What is remarkable in Hyde’s view is that this oath is not ours to make to God, but God’s oath made to us. As he points out, Romans 4:10–11 tells us Abraham’s circumcision was the seal of a righteousness imputed to him by God because of his faith. So as we talk about covenant, it’s important to keep in mind we are not talking about a covenant we enter into with God, but a covenant God enters into with us. God is the prime mover here, as in every other sphere.
Spending an entire chapter, Hyde shows persuasively from Scripture that the covenant God made with the Old Testament patriarchs and prophets is synonymous and continuous with the new covenant we are members of in the New Testament era. His key passage for showing this is Romans 11:11–24, where Paul explains that the Gentile church has been grafted into the same olive tree with Israel. Just as Ephesians 2:11–22teaches, there are not therefore two peoples of God with separate covenants and promises, but one people of God united in the same covenant of grace. Among many other passages, Hyde also cites Galatians 3 where Paul teaches that if we are Christ’s then we are Abraham’s offspring and heirs with him to one and the same promise.
CIRCUMCISION AND BAPTISM
Hyde also convincingly establishes the biblical link between the old covenant sign of circumcision and the new covenant sign of baptism. He provides a number of scriptural parallels between circumcision and baptism:
They are both initiatory rites signifying and sealing (confirming) entrance into a covenant with God.
In both, the outward aspects symbolize inward realities—circumcision of the heart (Deuteronomy 10:16; Romans 2:28–29) and baptism in the spirit (Acts 1:5; Titus 3:5).
They both symbolize the putting away (cutting away or washing away) of sin.
Both also symbolize curses for breaking the covenant. Circumcision symbolizes being cut off from God and the covenant community (Genesis 17:14). Baptism corresponds to Noah’s flood by which the whole world was judged (1 Corinthians 10:1–6; 1 Peter 3:20–22).
They both symbolize death and resurrection, putting off the old man and putting on Christ.
In addition to these parallels, Hyde shows most importantly that circumcision and baptism are directly equated in Colossians 2:11–12.
THE PROPER SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM
Following from the connections between the old and new covenants and between circumcision and baptism, Hyde comes to the question of who are the proper subjects of baptism. If our children are still members of the covenant the way the children of believers were members of the covenant anciently, then they should have the covenant sign of baptism placed upon them just as the covenant sign of circumcision was administered anciently.
Hyde proceeds to argue that our children are indeed members of the covenant, fully owning that he is making an argument from silence:
. . . after the people of God placed the sign of the covenant on their children for two thousand years, an explicit revoking of this practice is necessary if this practice is to end. Continuity between the Old and New Testaments exists unless the New Testament states otherwise by revoking a practice. Those who deny infant baptism have labeled this an argument from silence. But the silence is deafening! Arguments from silence are not weak arguments when it can be demonstrated that the reason for the silence is an assumed truth.[2]
But although Scripture may not make explicit statements, Hyde demonstrates a number of passages that imply or infer that children are still in the covenant. In addition to a careful study of passages describing household baptisms and the oft-cited statement that children of at least one believing parent are holy in 1 Corinthians 7:14, two important passages Hyde uses are Ephesians 6:1–4 and Colossians 3:20. In these passages, Paul teaches that children are still obligated to keep the commandment to honor their parents, which obligation implies they are members of the covenant community. Hyde calls special attention to the phrase in Ephesians 6:1, “obey your parents in the Lord,” arguing from the way “in the Lord” is used elsewhere that it can only mean they are in Christ and therefore in the covenant.
BABY DEDICATION OR INFANT BAPTISM?
One chapter I found especially intriguing is concerned with baby dedication. This is something I’ve never come across in any of the books I’ve read on the subject, but it immediately struck me as an obvious and important topic to cover in a book like this.
Hyde points out that the four biblical examples for baby dedication (Samuel, 1 Samuel 1:11, 24–28; Samson, Judges 13:3–5; John the Baptist,Luke 1:13–17; and Jesus, Luke 2:22–24) were each exceptions to the norm, and were all done in addition to circumcision. Hyde claims these examples of baby dedication actually serve as further evidence that children should be baptized in the new covenant. At the very least, one cannot make a valid argument from these texts that baby dedication can or should replace the covenant sign.
ONE COMPLAINT
I have only one gripe about this book. Coming from a credobaptist background, the only thing that could have convinced me (and ultimately did convince me) of the validity of pedobaptism is Scripture. Hyde’s book is, as I hope I have already shown, thoroughly biblical, but in a few places he appeals to various authorities outside the Bible for support of his position.
First, throughout the book he frequently quotes Reformed confessions and catechisms such as the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Heidelberg Catechism. Sometimes he is careful to state that these are secondary sources, but other times he seems to quote them as if they are primary authorities in and of themselves. Now, I love these documents, and have personally come to see them as faithful distillations of Scripture (I would self-identify as a confessional Presbyterian), but Hyde’s not infrequent use of them weakens his argument with Baptists and non-denominational Christians who pride themselves on being “people of the book,” never appealing to extra-biblical sources for a defense of their faith and practice.
Second, Hyde includes a chapter of quotes from early church fathers, but most of the fathers seem to have in mind something closer to the Roman Catholic view of baptismal regeneration when they comment on infant baptism. Hyde’s point in bringing up the quotes is simply to show that infant baptism has been around since the earliest days of the church, but he has to do so much explaining that this point gets lost in the weeds, so to speak. I fear some will see this chapter as an appeal to tradition or human authority, though I am certain that was not Hyde’s intention. I’ve read other reviews that say they found this section very helpful, but I wish he would have stuck to quoting the Bible instead of venturing into this territory.
CONCLUSION
My one complaint aside, this is the best resource on infant baptism I have found. It is inviting and conversational in its tone and thoroughly scriptural and persuasive in its arguments. If you read only one book about covenantal infant baptism, make it this one.
God is at Work
Each time I return to the Southeast I have the opportunity to update people on how the work of church planting in Utah is going. They always want to know about Jordan Presbyterian and the larger effort.
Giving these updates is always fun for me, and honestly its sort of clarifying. When I have to think about the ministry here and how to explain what is happening and answer questions it helps me think accurately. I refuse to embellish these reports but just want to be honest. So here is what I told them.
Our church is growing slowly but surely. If you came to church a year ago and if you came to church this past Sunday you might not think so but we are ministering to more people. It just hasn’t translated consistently to Sunday attendance yet. But because of recent new efforts at outreach like VBS and MOPS, Women’s ministry like the Beth Moore seminar as well our other outreaches we have more people today who would call Jordan Presbyterian their church than before. And I told them that our own congregation is beginning to invite friends more than you used to and that you do the best job of any congregation I have ever seen of welcoming guests on a Sunday morning. And our finances are solid.
I told them that the Devil has been active as well. But God has continued to protect us. I also told them how invaluable Pastor Jon has been in leading and coordinating ministries and developing leaders and in pastoring my crusty old soul. (They support the Stoddards financially and with prayer through their missions giving.)
I also told them how Pastor Jon has helped us to see our ministry role more clearly. We offer an alternative to both the legalism of the LDS church on one side and the licentiousness of the un-churched on the other. Between these two we stand offering the Biblical Jesus, which means freedom to live and to enjoy God, not as slaves but as children.
And I told them about our plans for church planting that we hope to grow so that out of a position of greater strength and resources we can then plant healthier churches. That we called Pastor Jon as a co-pastor not because a church our size needs two but because we want to continue to expand this ministry.
And I updated them briefly on the other Utah ministries in the PCA. Some really good things are happening. New Song Presbyterian is calling an assistant pastor, Thomas Warmath, following in some respects our example. And did you know that Bryan Lee (from Gospel Presbyterian Mission) who has been so good to serve us when needed is taking his ordination exam? We plan to host his ordination service on Sunday night, October 19th.
Going back to where I came from always reminds me of why I came. It is gratifying to see and be reminded of all the Lord has provided and accomplished. And in some ways I honestly think that we are just getting started.
Serving with you,
Tim