The terms

Now, for any covenant to be made, both parties have to be trustworthy. They must be dependable, able to fulfill the agreements made between them. And they have to have the resources available to keep their promises.

The problem with humankind as a party in covenant with God is that we are neither trustworthy nor dependable. That is why God cut the covenant with His own Son. We are in no position to keep our end of any kind of agreement.— It Is Finished, page 112

<idle musing>
This is the thesis of the book of Hebrews; Christ is the mediator of the new covenant. He is our surety. And he is the one who is able to fulfill the terms. You and I are the beneficiaries of his sufficiency. Praise God!
</idle musing>

Whom are you going to invoke?

Although the people’s religion did often call upon God, Jesus, Mary, and the various saints, as well as upon some pagan gods and goddesses (and even more frequently invoked minor spirits such as fairies, elves, and demons), it did so only to invoke their aid, having little interest in matters such as the meaning of life or the basis for salvation. Instead, the emphasis was on pressing, tangible, and mundane matters such as health, fertility, weather, sex, and good crops. Consequently, the centerpiece of the people’s was, as it had always been, magic. The Triumph of Christianity, page 266

<idle musing>
The issue, as it always has been, is control. We want to be in control in order to protect ourselves. We are scared and don't trust God to take care of us. After all, he might not do what we want him to do! Genesis 3, anyone?
</idle musing>

Powerless

His people were powerless, without the strength or ability to deliver themselves [from Pharaoh]. Their salvation had to come by His grace and mercy alone—through covenant. This is the one truth we must fully grasp if we are to understand the purpose of the New Covenant. God swears by oath that He will take matters into His own hands and by His power alone deliver us from all dominion of sin.— It Is Finished, page 109

<idle musing>
Reminds me of a song by the Jesus Movement group Daniel Amos. Here's the chorus:

No bribin', no conivin', no strivin' will do
They'll never make no change in you
You can hold your breath, stand on your head
Still the changes won't come, till their Spirit led
Abidin', that's when the changes come
Abide in Jesus, He's the best at gettin' it done

You can see the whole song and listen to it at the link above.

The point is that we can't do it. We're powerless, and the sooner we realize it and abandon ourselves to hispower, the better off we are.
</idle musing>

Whose job?

All across Europe, the established churches failed to convert and arouse the “masses,” by failing to recognize that it was a job for preachers, not professors. But the clergy seemed unable to grasp the point that sophisticated sermons on the mysteries of the Trinity neither informed nor converted. The Triumph of Christianity, page 265

<idle musing>
I'm all for doctrine! But, if it doesn't have an effect on the way a person lives, then it isn't being taught in a practical way. The doctrine of the Trinity should be taught in such a way that one ends up in worship. Unfortunately, it is usually taught in such a way that you end up in confusion.

Of course, there is an underlying assumption in this quotation: it is the paid, trained clergy who are the core of the church and that the institutional form of the church is the "real" church. But, throughout church history, there have been many lay-led revivals—beginning with Acts 2.
</idle musing>

Perspective matters

Very simply, the Holy Spirit changes the way we look at our sin. He knows that as long as we continue to take our lusts lightly, we will never be set free. So He shows us how deeply it grieves and provokes Him.— It Is Finished, page 92

<idle musing>
Wesley said we should pity the partially religious man: he has enough of religion so as not to enjoy sin, but not enough to truly enjoy God. The Holy Spirit wants to fix the last half of that statement by showing us the way out.
</idle musing>

Is this history?

In contrast, early Christianity was attractive to the laity because it offered a model of Christian virtue that improved their quality of life by urging attractive family norms, a tangible love of neighbors, and feasible levels of sacrifice, along with a clear message of salvation. The Triumph of Christianity, page 264

<idle musing>
Is this really history? Or is this drawing conclusions that fit preconceptions about what Christianity is supposed to look like? Sometimes historians walk a fine line—the facts can be interpreted several different ways. I fear that happened in this case...what do you think?
</idle musing>

Which is it?

OK, which is it? Warmer or Colder?! Not that either one is all that different anyway; neither one is predicting anything better than 3°F!

The overcomer

And I must emphasize again that no one in his own strength is able to live an overcoming life, free from sin’s power and dominion, He may grieve over his sins, shedding a river of tears, but in his own willpower and ability he cannot defeat powerful, besetting sins.— It Is Finished, page 73

<idle musing>
Ain't it the truth! But there is deliverance—the indwelling presence of God in the form of the Holy Spirit! Praise God for that!
</idle musing>

Reaching the rest

The primary reasons that even vigorous efforts failed to reach the peasantry and urban lower classes was the failure by both Protestant and Catholic clerics to propose a Christian lifestyle that was appropriate and attractive to ordinary people, and their failure to present Christian doctrines in simple, direct language rather than as complex theology. The Triumph of Christianity, pages 263-264

<idle musing>
The problem we have now is that nobody even tries to preach/teach basic Christian doctrines! The logic seems to be that because it is difficult to make doctrine understandable, we just won't teach it! After all, what counts is making people feel good, right? NOT! No doctrine equals bad doctrine; unexamined theology equals bad pop theology—cultural christianity at its worst...
</idle musing>

Dead-letter?

Please do not misunderstand me—I believe doctrine is essential. We need to understand important theological concepts such as justification by faith and sanctification. But if our knowledge of these things does not produce life in us, it is all just dead-letter.— It Is Finished, page 54

<idle musing>
Amen! Good preaching! Life without doctrine produces wacko spirituality, but doctrine without a living encounter with God produces death. Both extremes have happened to the church far too many times in its history. Think of the confessionalism that followed the Reformation—and gave rise to skepticism. On the other side, you have many of the camp meetings of the 1800s that gave rise to interesting cults...we need both doctrine and experience or we lose our way.
</idle musing>

Ignorance is...well, just ignorance

Not only was the medieval public lacking in Christian commitment; the same was true of the rank-and-file clergy. In fact given how ignorant the clergy were, it is no surprise that their parishioners knew so little. The Triumph of Christianity, page 260

<idle musing>
The Reformation and Counter-Reformation definitely changed that! Even the Roman Catholic Church should thank Martin and company for their contribution there...
</idle musing>

Brrr...

Take your pick. We're closer to the harbor than we are to the airport, but it's still cold! The wind is definitely blowing; I suspect the gusts are about 30-35 MPH—a good bit less than the 46 MPH that they show for earlier in the day. You can definitely feel the cold radiating off the windows—and we have lots of nice big windows on the south, east, and west sides of the house. Granted, they're double-paned, but it's still cold!

When we go for our 4 mile walk later today, we probably won't see a whole lot of people! We'll probably stop at the store to pick up a few things (we carry backpacks for that), but our walking won't raise any eyebrows; it's fairly common around here for people to walk—no matter the weather. And you don't hear people complaining about the weather. Well, that's not quite true; last year they complained we didn't get enough snow! : )

Works holiness?

Of course I believe in high standards for Christians, including decent dress codes, holy living and separation from the world. But God help us if we even hint to people that any such observance can ever make us acceptable in His eyes.

Many believers remain under constant bondage to some doctrine of works because they think it makes them holy. They simply do not want to believe that all their sacrifices through the years are for naught. And so, when they hear the message of the cross—that no human striving or works can save us, and that only the grace of Christ assures our salvation—they become offended. They cry out, as the first-century Jewish converts did, “You’re teaching permissiveness. You don’t believe holiness anymore.”

Nothing could be further from the truth. Only one person is holy—Jesus Christ—and all our holiness must come through faith in Him. It Is Finished, page 49

<idle musing>
Amen! Good preaching! </idle musing>

Medieval attendance

There are very few statistics on religious life in medieval times, but there are a surprising number of trustworthy reports from many times and places, and they are in amazing agreement that the great majority of ordinary people seldom if ever went to church. The Triumph of Christianity, page 256

<idle musing>
Interesting, isn't it. I suspect that the influence of the church was largely through the upper class, but have no way of proving that. It would make sense; all the big wigs in the church were from the upper class...
</idle musing>

Give me that Power Bar!

This is an ongoing problem with many Christians. We look to the Holy Spirit as some kind of booster shot to empower or energize our human will. We expect Him to build up our supply of grit and determination, so we can stand up to temptation the next time it comes. We cry, “Make me strong, Lord! Give me an iron will, so I can withstand all sin.” But God knows this would only make our flesh stronger, enabling it to boast. It Is Finished, page 34

<idle musing>
When I teach about the presence of the Holy Spirit in a person's life, as an avid bicyclist, I use the example of a Power Bar™. Those of you old enough to remember Underdog might recall the secret compartment of his ring that conveniently held a power pill. But all of these illustrate the same point—the Holy Spirit isn't going to work that way; we can't do it—even with a power pill. Only the presence of God via the Holy Spirit can do it.

And I praise God for that; if it depended on my strength, grit, and determination, it wouldn't happen...
</idle musing>

Abolitionists for the 8th century!

At the end of the eighth century Charlemagne opposed slavery, while the pope and many other powerful and effective clerical voices echoed St. Bathilda. As the ninth century dawned, Bishop Agobard of Lyons thundered: “All men are brothers, all invoke one same Father, God: the slave and the master, the poor man and the rich man, the ignorant and the learned, the weak and the strong…[N]one has been raised above the other…there is no…slave or free, but in all things and always there is only Christ.” Soon, no one “doubted that slavery in itself was against divine law.” Indeed, during the eleventh century both St. Wulfstand and St. Anselm successfully campaigned to remove the last vestiges of slavery in Christendom. The Triumph of Christianity, pages 247-248

<idle musing>
Only 1000 years before the emancipation proclamation! Interesting that the same arguments were being used...I guess there reallyis nothing new under the sun!
</idle musing>

The end of the matter

By nature, man does not want to be delivered from his sin. He simply will not respond to a gracious mercy call. So, God has to implement a plan or device that will allow a person to see the exceeding wickedness of his sin. This person has to become sin-sick, aware of how wicked and devastating his sin is, before he will yearn for deliverance. He has to come to his wits’ end, where he sees he is being ruined by sin—helpless, wretched, empty, ensnared and deceived by sin, and laden down with guilt. It Is Finished, pages 29-30

<idle musing>
I normally avoid pop Christian culture authors, but a friend of mine who was reading this book began quoting from it. The excerpts he shared piqued my interest, so I had to read it as well...I hope you enjoy the next few weeks of excerpts!

By the way, thanks to Jeremy Wells at Baker Academic for supplying me with a copy.
</idle musing>

I didn't know that

Finally, claims that Muslims have been harboring bitter resentments about the Crusades for a millennium are nonsense: Muslim antagonism about the Crusades did not appear until about 1900 in reaction against the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the onset of actual European colonialism in the Middle East. The Triumph of Christianity, page 216

<idle musing>
Interesting, isn't it? Again, we read back our current situation into history...
</idle musing>

It's got to be relevant

Biblical criticism that does not labor for the good of the church and of the world is truly a dead letter. For this reason African biblical scholars are explicit that they are reading the Bible with their commitments and interests declared up front. They do not hide their hopes that their scholarship may have some kind of small impact on a suffering world. They do not write merely for the sake of scoring debating with their fellow scholars. Africa’s problems are many, and they are serious: HIV/AIDS, famine, desertification, political instability, war, ethnic tension, gender inequality. The Bible is not silent about these issues. Biblical scholars who claim to follow the God of life should not ignore the groanings of creation all around us as we study, teach, and write. Global Voices, page 112

<idle musing>
Amen! Good preaching!

Too often, scholars are writing for scholars. Without compromising the scholarship, scholars should write for the growth of the church. I had a theology professor who used to say that his goal was "every pastor a theologian and every theologian a soul-winner." A noble goal indeed.

That's the final excerpt from this book. As I said in the first post, this is a great book. I'm glad I read it; it definitely broadened my horizons. We need more books like this. Thanks again to Bobby for making it known to me—even though it took me a year to read it!
</idle musing>

It's not that simple

This is not to say that the Muslims usually were more brutal or less tolerant than were Christians or Jews, for it was a brutal and intolerant age. It is to say that efforts to portray Muslims as enlightened supporters of multiculturalism are at best ignorant.— The Triumph of Christianity, page 208

<idle musing>
Why do we always insist on importing our current social context into historical interpretation?! We can never learn from history when we do that. Of course we rarely learn from history anyway! But that's another matter all together...
</idle musing>