Earth Hour

Tonight from 8-9 PM people around the world are encouraged to turn off their lights as a way of raising awareness about climate change and of demonstrating that when we work together we can make a difference when it comes to the environment. I know that there are many both inside the Christian community and outside of it who think that such efforts are a waste of time because either there is no problem, or it is greatly exaggerated, or there is nothing we can do about it. I have heard a variety of arguments coming from both environmentalists and those who do not want to be identified as such and I have the sneaking suspicion that once the loudest and shrillest voices have had their say that the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

But regardless of what I or anyone else thinks about the environment and the need to do something to protect it from abuse and exploitation, the Bible is clear that things are not what they were made to be. The creation has been affected by human sinfulness and presently is under a curse that keeps it from expressing its full potential until full redemption comes to the children of God.

The apostle Paul puts it like this in Romans 8:18-21...

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God."

In light of Paul's words, it seems reasonable to suggest that until that day comes Christians should not ignore the environment nor be consumed with concern for it. Rather we need to do what we can to protect what God has entrusted to us and make it possible for people in other lands to enjoy the beauty of this world as well. But at the same time we must understand that this world needs more than we can do in our own strength. It needs God to liberate and renovate it so that it will be a place where he can live with his redeemed for ever. Finding the balance is far from easy, but it is something we need to think about this evening between 8-9 PM and beyond.

600th Post

This post marks number 600. When things are busy here at TBS I sometimes wonder why I take the time to post anything, perhaps I should be writing books instead of 'blogging', after all, years from now who will read any one's blog, as one scholar recently put it! Of course, the two activities, writing blogs and writing books, are not mutually exclusive, and I would like to try my hand at the latter some day soon. However, I am not deterred from blogging by those who write books because only time will tell how many will actually read their books in years to come. Most books decorate bookshelves more than they inform people's thinking. Does this mean authors should stop writing? I think not! But if authors write solely because they believe their works will outlive them and will be read by the masses on into eternity, they are sadly mistaken, as any used book sale demonstrates. Writing, like blogging, does not guarantee that anyone is or will read what it written, but that does not mean we should stop. I believe authors should keep writing and bloggers should keep blogging because it is important to talk with those around us, using whatever means are at our disposal, about the issues of the day and of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the end God is sovereign and it should be our prayer that he will take what we offer to him and use it as he sees fit in people's lives.

One critique that is often made of the vast amount of material that the information age has made available to us is that it is of uneven quality. It would be difficult not to agree. However, among the chaff there is lots of really great material that is freely available to anyone who can access the internet. Any of the major 'search engines' can direct us in seconds to reams of biblical and theological data that was simply not available just a few years ago. Those who want to learn can do so if they are willing to follow the web-links. In our technologically advanced and advancing age it is crucial for Christians to get out there in the 'marketplace of ideas' and make the truth known. There is always the risk that we will be drown out by louder and more enticing voices, but we speak up with confidence believing that God is able to write his truth on people's hearts by the power of his Holy Spirit. So I will keep on blogging, and preaching, and writing as long as God gives me strength, and I will do so with the prayer that God will bless his word in the calling of his elect, the building of the church, and glorifying of his name. If this happens the energy exerted is never in vain.

Proverbs 1:20-23

Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square;
on top of the wall she cries out, at the city gate she makes her speech:

"How long will you who are simple love your simple ways? How long will
mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? Repent at my rebuke!
Then I will pour out my thoughts to you, I will make known to you my teachings."

Resurrection Resolve

On Easter Sunday I had a chance to go back to Sarnia and visit Sovereign Grace Community Church. It was a wonderful service celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As I took in all that was going on around me I thought that one evidence of the resurrection was the presence of the church in the world. I thought that if it were not for the power of God in giving birth to the church, and then the grace of God in sustaining it, there is no way that it would continue as a viable entity in such a hostile setting. But Jesus said that he would build his church and the gates of death would not overcome it (Matthew 16:18), and true to his word, that is what he is doing.

We should be thankful for churches who are faithful to their calling as "outposts of heaven." Our world is full of trouble and people's lives can be torn apart by so many negative forces. It is wonderful to see God break into our lives with his grace and mercy, to experience him drawing us to himself and into his family, and then bringing us together with other believers for fellowship, companionship, service and worship.

The New Testament presents the church as evidence of the world to come, the new humanity which is headed up by the Lord Jesus Christ, the second Adam. We are given a glimpse of what will be revealed at the end of all things when the Savior is revealed. Jesus who was crucified and died, who rose again third day, and ascended into the presence of God will come again in splendor beyond anything we can imagine. On that day his people will be purified from all sin and we will finally be able to serve and worship God as we ought.

Christians from all denominations need to pray for and support their churches. We need to work for the purity of the church, and do what we can to extend its influence and outreach in the world. There are many things that can spoil the beauty of the church, among them legalism, antinomianism, antiquarianism and formalism, to name but a few perennial problems. But these can be subdued by carefully following the teaching of Jesus as revealed in the Scriptures. So having come through Easter weekend let us not forget that the one who is for us is greater than any opposition we will encounter in the world. Living in the light of the resurrection we must not only allow this great truth to comfort our minds and hearts but to fill us with enduring resolve to pursue Jesus no matter what the cost.

Easter Cantata in the City

Yesterday evening my family and I attending Eternal, Almighty God, an Easter Cantata presented by the choir and Bible school of Jarvis Street Baptist Church. It has been some time since I have been to a cantata, but we all enjoyed it very much. Everyone did a tremendous job! There is something glorious and very moving about hearing the saving ministry of Jesus Christ retold with Scripture readings, music and song. It is only right that he should be so extolled to the utmost of our abilities given who he is and all that he has done for us and for our salvation.

It is also encouraging to see how God is resurrecting the ministry of Jarvis Street Baptist Church right in the heart of Toronto. The city has changed over the years but the gospel is still the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes. Just as that gospel was needed in days gone by, so it is needed today, not only in Toronto but across the province, the country and around the world.

"Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here: he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' Then they remembered his words." (Luke 24:5-8)

The Grace of Humility

Last Sunday evening, Pastor Carl Muller of Trinity Baptist Church in Burlington, preached a very good message on humility. And as I have gone about my work this week I have been thinking about what he had to say and about the predominance of this theme in the scriptures. Humility is one of those graces that makes the gospel and Christianity attractive to others, and yet, it can be so illusive. It runs counter to the spirit of the world which exalts self-assertiveness and pride. Humility recognizes that all that we are and all that we have is the result of the grace of God. In ourselves we have nothing to boast about, our only hope is in God.

This is easy to say but hard to live. When push comes to shove we are so ready to take credit for the things that we have and for our accomplishments. Theoretically all the glory goes to God, but practically, our triumphs are the result of our hard work, our discipline, our skill and intellectual savvy. In fact, the contradictory nature of our claims will reveal itself in our agitated reaction to what I have just said. We like to think that we are better than the next guy because of our intelligent, responsible actions, when the truth is that everything we have we have been given and God is the one we should be thanking and serving.

Lack of humility accounts for jealousy and envy. It keeps us from seeing the wonderful things God is doing in the world, the church and in the lives of others. Tragically it fractures communities and relationships by turning people into competitors instead of partners working together for God's glory. The great day of judgment will reveal how much has been done as a sinful expression of human pride as compared to what has been done out of a profound awareness of God's grace. If we were more conscious of God's grace and less worried about our reputations, resumes and recognitions, much more would be accomplished. The last thing we need is more human eg0. Our great need are people who have been humbled by grace and who seek to walk in humilty the rest of their lives.

At this time of year we need to remember the Savior "who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a human being, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death -- even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:6-11).

Further Reflections

In May 2003, I went to the small African country of Malawi with Emmanuel International. While there I taught a course at the Evangelical Bible School of Malawi for a week. It was an intensive course on the doctrine of Scripture. The school and its classrooms were not modern by Western standards but they were equipped with the essentials and I had all that we needed to teach the students. The students themselves were enthusiastic and worked hard, they asked many questions and we had wonderful times of discussion together.

I went away from the experience with an acute awareness of the importance of sharing what I had been taught with others. I was also conscious that God has his people everywhere and although we may be separated by great distances we all face similar challenges and setbacks. There is something to be said for working together and for recognizing that the gospel crosses national and racial barriers. This kind of concentrated theological education has the potential to touch many lives, and it is impossible to measure the long term impact of this investment in the future of the national church in other countries. I would like to return to Africa someday and do some more teaching. To me it is a tangible expression of the extensiveness of God's love and the international composition of his people.

We must not make the common mistake of supposing that everyone knows the basics of God's word and therefore it is time to move on to other things. Until Jesus returns at the end of the age there will always be a need for teaching that clearly explains the basics and then applies them with contemporary relevance to life. This is true in Africa and in North America. Because of our sinfulness we are slow to understand God's word. We can recite things that interest us with little effort. Sports fans can recall player statistics, investors know all the latest stock prices, political junkies can speak at length about the electability of their candidate. But biblical and spiritual truths are much more difficult for us to retain and understand, we need to go over the same ground until it becomes part of our way of thinking and living. Theological education is a necessity.

Finally, the work is daunting and there is always more that could be done. No school or church has a corner on the truth, and none are so self-sufficient that they cannot learn from others or benefit from their help. Some schools, like churches, are large while others are small. Both have a role to play in the purpose of God provided they stick to the gospel and do not deviate from the Bible. Faithfulness to Scripture is not achieved without great effort. There are many ways in which we can be led astray. By majoring on minor details instead of the great verities of God's word we can wander far from where we should be. By mixing our cultural prejudices and with the gospel so we end up with a right-wing or left-wing cultural Christianity we can dilute the purity of Jesus' message. Consequently we all need to pray that God will keep us on track by using Scripture in our lives in a way that filters out the impurities of our environments and our own hearts while it equips us to be faithful ambassadors of Christ.

What is Involved in Theological Education

In previous posts I have outlined the need for theological education and what must be done to meet that need. Now I want to give a brief description of what theological education involves. Theological education can be fairly simple or quite involved depending on the objective. It is not only for preachers, teachers and pastors. Everyone can benefit. And no matter what level of study or the reason for study, theological education never comes to an end. It is a lifelong study that will go on for ever as we grow in our love and knowledge of God world without end.

Beginning with the most obvious area of investigation, theological education involves the study of the Bible. The Old and New Testaments, the Law, the Prophets, the Writings, the Gospels and the Epistles. Sometimes individual books are studied, sometimes larger portions of God's word. Closely allied to Bible study is 'biblical theology' which seeks to discover what the the Bible as a whole and its individual component parts teach about God, man, sin, etc.

Theological education also involves the study of the biblical languages: Hebrew for the Old Testament (and sometimes Aramaic too), and Greek for the New Testament. Learning the biblical languages entails learning the vocabulary of the Bible and the basic grammatical structures so the student can read the word of God in the original languages and follow linguistic arguments in commentaries so as to preach and teach the Scriptures accurately.

Theological education also requires study in a number of related fields including church history and historical theology. We need to know what Christians have believed in the past so as not to repeat the same mistakes. We must also study disciplines like systematic theology which tries to organize all that the Bible teaches on a given topic so we have an appreciation of the big picture. Systematics builds on the insights of Bible and language study, as well as historical and biblical theology.

Rounding out the field is apologetics in which we defend the faith against misunderstandings and we give a reason for the hope that we have (cf. 1 Peter 3:15), and pastoral theology which is the application of God's word to the office of pastor/elder and to the church with its ministries and outreach into the world.

There is more that could be said, and many other areas study, but these are the basics and represent the core of a sound theological education. In my experience with students there is more to theological education than people expect. If you give yourself to the study of God's word you will be pushed and challenged intellectually, encouraged to grow spiritually and equipped with information and tools that will help you over the course of your life on earth. Next time I want to share a few of my experiences in theological education with you.

Toward Meeting the Need

Having considered the need for theological education, the next question is how can we meet this need? The answer different dimensions to it.

First, we must appreciate the seriousness of the need as outlined above. The need is great and it will not be addressed without hard work and sacrifice. Generally speaking, the need for theological education is not something the world will recognize. We will wait a long time for a government official to rise in the house of commons and say that we need money for theological education! This means that the responsibility for theological education falls to Christian believers, which is right because government involvement invites government interference.

Second, we must be personally committed to growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus. Theological education is for everyone in one sense. We must read our Bibles and attend places where the word is taught. We must pray that God would teach us his truth and give us hearts to obey his word. And then we must support efforts to further the knowledge of God in whatever way we can. Anything less is hypocritical and self-defeating. We to be learning and growing and maturing in the faith as much as anyone else.

Third, we must encourage pastors who faithfully teach their congregations the Scriptures. The faithful teaching of the word of God is a core responsibility of a good pastor, it is not their only responsibility, but it is central. It should be done formally and informally, publicly and privately, year in and year out, whenever there is an opportunity. In this way God's truth is disseminated to all sectors of the congregation. And even those who are unable to participate in more formal studies can benefit.

What I have outlined thus far is as far as some people are willing to go, but I think there is good reason to go further. Without in any way minimizing the importance of the local church, sometimes it is necessary to pool resources so we can do together what we cannot separately. Theological education is an excellent example of the need for cooperation. Bible schools and Christian seminaries should be viewed as cooperative projects. They do not replace the family of the church, nor the need for personal Bible study. But they do allow for specialization and a concentration of focus and resources. The seminary should always work to assist and strengthen the church. We need to work together to meet the needs of the hour.

One of the great threats in this regard is ego. In my opinion there is too much kingdom building and the adoration of personalities. When this happens both churches and seminaries lose their focus. Conferences become 'trade shows' where 'ministries' hawk their wares and promote their own religious mini-empires. The real losers however, are the people we should be trying to reach with the gospel. We do not need more superstar 'love-ins,' instead we need to teach people how to share their faith with others and we need to build authentic Christian communities that people will feel comfortable inviting their relatives and friends to. Sometime I do not think we realize how distant we are from our neighbors with our lingo and jargon. We need far less talking about the gospel and more understanding of it and living it out in our lives. May the Lord help us to put our egos aside and serve him acceptably.

Theological Education - The Need (Part Three)

Not only is theological education mandated by certain biblical realities but it is required by specific biblical injunctions. In 2 Timothy 1:13-14, Paul writes, "What you have heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you--guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us." At the end of his second letter Peter exhorts his readers to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." (2 Peter 3:18). When Jesus is praying on the eve of his crucifixion he asks his Father to "sanctify them (his believing people) by the truth," and then says, "your word is truth" (John 17:17). When Paul enumerates the gifts that the risen Lord has given to the church he mentions "apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-13). And when Jesus sends his people out into the world to make disciples of the nations he instructs them to "baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything that he has commanded them, assuring them that he will be with them always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20).

Taken together this sampling of biblical injunctions requires theological education. There is no way the truth of the gospel can be guarded and passed on, without it. We are not going to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, without it. God's people will not be set apart to him and transformed by his truth, without it. We will not reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ, without it. And we will not fulfill the 'great commission', without it! This is the way God has designed things. Theological education is not optional. The truth of God must first inform our minds and then touch our emotions and shape our lives.

Added to these specific biblical injunctions are some very apparent cultural trends. We live in a time marked by pervasive ignorance of the Bible and the biblical storyline. A recent Canadian survey found that 40% of Canadians are not literate enough to function efficiently in the workplace. If biblical literacy were surveyed the findings would be much worse. This biblical illiteracy is only fueled by the breakdown of the family unit because it further disrupts any inter-generational transmission of truth that might otherwise have taken place. Further complicating the current situation are an array of competing religious claims that leave people bewildered and confused. This is only exacerbated by technological developments that speed the communication of ideas both good and bad around the world. When these trends are joined to a democratization of 'faith' so that 'everyone does what is right in their own eyes' (cf. Judges 21:20) combined with the sorry fact that too many churches are more interested in entertaining people with a dumbed-down version of Christianity instead of teaching them how to read and understand the Bible--the need for quality theological education has never been more apparent.

The question is: How do we meet this need? We will turn our attention to this important question next time.

Theological Education - The Need (Part Two)

Continuing from last time, theological education is necessary because Christian salvation involves a true, personal knowledge of the living God. We are not saved to remain in spiritual darkness, in Christ we are brought into his glorious light. By nature we are ignorant of God and our minds and heart are foolish. But when we entrust ourselves to Jesus Christ we begin a relationship that increasingly enriches our understanding as time goes on. Christians want to know more about the God who has saved them by his grace. We want to know him better as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is vital for our spiritual well being. The better we know our God, the stronger and wiser and more useful we will be in his service.

Furthermore, theological education is necessary because the membership of the church must be continually reborn generation after generation. Saving grace does not run down family lines. No one is a Christian because of a physical relationship with someone else. Each of us must experience salvation individually and personally and we are all responsible to repent and call upon the name of the Lord. Scripture teaches that God uses his word to bring about this "new birth" (cf. 1 Peter 1:23). That presupposes the need to read and teach, study and understand the word of God. As the apostle Paul says, "faith comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ" (Romans 10:17).

One last reason why theological education is necessary (though there are many more that I have not mentioned) is the presence of false teaching and false teachers in the "last days." In the New Testament the "last days" refer to the period of time between the first and second advents of Jesus Christ. He came the first time when he was born in a manager in Bethlehem and lived on this earth until his death, resurrection and ascension to the Father. He will come again at the end of the age to judge the world and save his people. Between those two advents there is an extended period of time, a time in which we are still now living, when the gospel is preached, the church built up and the world given an opportunity to repent. When he was here on earth Jesus frequently warned that his people would have to discern truth from falsehood and that their loyalty to him as the exclusive Lord and Savior would be tested in the process. If we are going to stand our ground we must be grounded in the truth of the Bible and be able to give an answer to those who ask us about the hope that we have. Theological education should equip us to hold fast to Jesus until we see him face to face.

To be continued...

Theological Education - The Need (Part One)

Over the next little while I am going to do some posts on the importance of theological education. In my mind theological education is mandated by certain biblical realities. First, there is the awesome incomprehensibility of God. The Bible speaks about God as being awesome in every way. He reigns in sovereign majesty and dwells in light so gloriously bright that we cannot, we dare not approach unless we are given access through Jesus Christ. So great is God that unless he condescends to reveal himself to us, we would not be able to penetrate his splendor. And if, and when, he reveals himself to us--as he does in the gospel--we find ourselves stretched to the limit of our capacities as we try to "think his thoughts after him." This means that knowing God as he is, and as he has revealed himself to us, is going to require theological education. We need to be taught and we need to learn of him.

The Bible also tells us that we are created and therefore finite creatures, and that we are de-created or fallen creatures. As our original parents came from the hand of God they were good and morally upright, but even in their uprightness they were still finite, limited creatures made in the image of God. Even if they and we had never sinned and gone astray, we would need to be taught of God, but that need has only increased and intensified because of our sinfulness. Sin represents a kind of 'de-creation' that damages the fabric of our humanity and adversely affects all that we are as human beings, including our minds and hearts. Therefore we need to learn right from wrong, and we need to be taught the ways of God. The Bible tells us that there is a way "that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death" (Proverbs 14:12). Discerning the critical difference between the right way and the deadly way requires training and instruction, and hence, theological education.

To be continued...

In Praise of Silence

When I travel into Toronto on the GO Train I like to make good use of my time by reading. But I have noticed that it is increasingly difficult to read or even think because of people who sit and talk on their cell phones. Lest I be misunderstood or immediately written off as just another grouchy, sleep-deprived commuter let me say that I have no problem with people talking quietly on their phones -- if that is something they really must do! My objection concerns those who talk in voices so loud that everyone is forced to listen to their inane conversations. Perhaps they are going deaf and do not realize how loud they are talking. Or maybe they are so overlooked in real life that this is their revenge, their way of getting attention they secretly crave or their way of feeling important, valued, significant!

Whatever, there comes a point at which it seems to me to be a lack of manners, a form of technological rudeness, or spoiled self-assertion that is most unappreciated by those of us who do not want to hear their voices filling the public space. In my more perverse moments I am tempted to publish details of business deals and contracts that some Blackberry addicted buffoons are foolish enough to be blabbing to the world. In fact, it is sometimes astonishing to hear the amount of what should be 'private' information that is spoken for everyone to hear whether they want to or not. Maybe I should carry a recording device and then post their conversations to the web as neat little mp3 files as a way of getting them to make some effort to speak quietly and let the rest of us do what we want to do without the incessant drone of their voices in the background. I am sure their employers and competitors would be very interested in some of these conversations!

But alas, I suspect that my rant will fall upon deaf ears, perhaps even drown out by another ringing cell phone. We are living in a world where silence is increasingly hard to find. No wonder it is difficult to read and think and reflect upon the great issues of life. Life is busy and noisy and everything is rush, rush, rush. This is not good spiritually, politically, economically or socially. We need time to think, time to be quiet, time to ponder! We need a place where we can escape the advertiser's slogans and jingles. But fewer and fewer places like this exist. They are an endangered species in our top speed world. Although there is a place for technology in churches, I hope we never forget that there is something to be said for simplicity, silence and reverence when we gather for corporate worship. It does not have to be dead or morbid, but it should give the worshipers a chance to be still and know that the Lord is God. Modern technology is tremendously useful and here to stay, but it should assist and enrich our lives, not master them. And there is all the difference in the world between the two.

Thistletown and Theological Education

This past Sunday I had the privilege of participating in the missions conference at Thistletown Baptist Church. I was asked to speak on the value of theological education for the mission of the church. I did so by presenting the biblical basis for theological eduction, the challenges we face in our day, and then I gave a brief overview of what is involved in such a study. What struck me most about the church was their joyful worship of God. Their music and singing were great and it was wonderful to see how God is bringing people together from all sorts of different backgrounds to worship him. We need many more churches like this in the greater Toronto area. Churches that reflect the diversity of the communities in which they are located and churches that are not cookie-cutter versions of everyone else.

There are many reasons why theological education is a pressing need in our day. The profound biblical illiteracy both outside and inside the church, the breakdown of the family unit, the multitude of false theologies that compete for people's attention, and the reality that biblical salvation requires that we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Theological education is more demanding than many people realize. What amounts to "thinking God's thoughts after him" is never easy even though there is nothing more satisfying in the end. The world around us and the government will never understand the importance of theological education and there are many who wish we would cease and desist. So we must be willing to work hard and to sacrifice that the gospel might be preserved and passed on to others in a way that is consistent with the original intention of the Savior himself. To this end we labor that he might receive glory. Please pray and work with us in this great endeavor that we might make a difference here in Ontario and beyond.

The Goodness of the Lord

Closely tied to 1 Peter 1:22-25 are the first three verses of the next chapter, "Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."

If you are using a New King James Bible or a New American Standard Bible you will notice that they talk about "the pure milk of the word." The Greek word ("logikon") which is being translated "of the word" in those versions is only found in one other place in the New Testament, namely, Romans 12:1 where it translates "this is true ("logiken") worship."

As important as the "word of God" is, I agree with commentators like Calvin who think that "pure spiritual milk" refers to "a mode of living which has the savor of the new birth, when we surrender ourselves to be brought up by God." In other words, these verses tell us how purifying obedience and sincere love -- both of which are the products of the new birth -- express themselves. And how God's power compels us to rid ourselves of sinful things and crave good things (including the word of God) because the Lord is good.

Thus Peter tells us to rid ourselves (or put off) sins that destroy relationships and community. Christians must work together in this world. To do that we must rid ourselves of "all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind." And like newborn babies of the new age that has been inaugurated by Jesus, we must crave pure spiritual milk so that by it we can grow up in our salvation. This "milk/infancy" imagery is not negative as in 1 Corinthians 3:1-2 and Hebrews 5:12-13 where it refers to regrettable spiritual immaturity. Here the pictures are positive. Christians are new creations in Christ Jesus and they grow and mature by feeding on the pure spiritual milk of the kingdom of God not by indulging in the junk food of this world.

The driving assumption is that once we have tasted that the Lord is good (quoting from Psalm 34:8), we will want more and more of him and his salvation. The salvation he brings is so sweet and nourishing that it renders the world tasteless by comparison. Once we have experienced new life in Christ we will want to know him better and serve him more faithfully until we see him face to face. The world offers pleasures but they are fleeting compared to the joy and satisfaction found in Jesus.

The Word Preached

1 Peter 1 comes to a close with these words, "And this is the word that was preached to you" (v.25). We might be tempted to pass over these words quickly, but we should not. They are really quite remarkable. Peter is telling us that the gospel that has been preached to us and preserved for us in the Bible is the same living and enduring word that he has already told us was instrumental in our experience of new birth (vv.23-24). This means that we do not have to go looking everywhere else for answers to the big questions of life. We have in the word that was preached to us--as long as it is faithful to the inscripturated witness--something that we can depend on and build our lives on. The apostle Paul describes it as "the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16). If we are in a place where the word of God is preached to us, we are privileged far more than we know.

But along with privileges come responsibilities. We must be careful that we do not take what we have for granted. There is no famine more severe than a famine of hearing the words of the Lord (see Amos 8:11-12). Even in the new covenant where his word is not heeded the Lord of the church reserves the right to remove the "lampstand" from its place (Revelation 2:5), which is a figurative way of saying that he will close down the unrepentant local church that refuses to listen to his counsel and rebuke. It is therefore necessary for all of us to listen carefully to the word preached and apply what we hear to our lives. Whatever else is going on around us the word of God should be central in our lives and in our churches.

Our resolve should be that of David: "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you" (Psalm 119:11). In light of these things we should thank God for the gift of his word preached to us in power. And we should pray that God will continue to send out workers into his harvest field to call men and women to himself. May this happen around the world as the word is preached on the Lord's Day tomorrow. For when all is said and done our world needs the word of God more than anything else.