by Sam Waldron | Sep 17, 2014 | Soteriology
Do you want the male version or the female version? Have you ever heard that question? Or perhaps you have yourself asked that question. You know the difference between the male and female versions of a story.
Take the simple question: Did you go to the store and buy the milk? The typical male would give you a one word answer, Yup.
The typical female answer would involve telling you how hard it was to find a parking place, how she met Sally at the story, how she had not known that Sally worked there, how she noticed that the price of milk had gone down 10 cents, how there was a new girl at the cash register, how that new girl looked a little like the girl you both knew in college, and how she almost put the transaction on credit rather than debit. I am exaggerating—a little!—but you recognize the truth in this illustration. Men can be thick-headedly and frustratingly short. Women can drive you around the block before they tell you what you want to know.
But let me defend the fairer sex. There are some issues about which we want cannot have too much detail and too much information. One such issue is the important matter of growing in grace. In the passage about growing in grace we have been looking at, Peter is engaged in giving us The Bible’s Most Systematic and Detailed Exhortation to Growth in Grace.
We have discovered that the order of graces Peter gives us in these verses has an important rationale. Peter is concerned that Christian character be genuine and complete. The tell-tale mark of false, defective, or stunted Christianity is the failure to supply each virtue with the counterpart virtue that completes it. This counterpart virtue—this balancing grace—delivers each Christian virtue Peter mentions from being only a deformed counterfeit of the genuine thing. In the last blog we saw that even moral excellence needs completing with the virtue of knowledge—a deeper and more systematic understanding of the Christian faith.
But Christian knowledge—necessary as it is and wonderful as it is—also needs completing. Peter tells us that it must be supplied with self-control. Without self-control the professed virtue of Christian knowledge is just a twisted and deformed imitation of the true, Christian virtue. Our present theme, then, is Supplying Knowledge with Self-control.
We must ask and answer three questions about self-control.
I. Why must knowledge be supplied with self-control?
II. What is the self-control with which knowledge must be supplied?
III. How can such self-control be attained?
I. Why must knowledge be supplied with self-control?
Each time I have asked this question so far, I have been able to turn you to one key passage that crystallized the rationale for Peter’s order. Faith must be supplied in moral excellence because according to James 2:17 faith without works is dead. Moral excellence must be supplied with knowledge because there is a blind zeal that is not according to knowledge (Romans 10:2).
There is also a key passage that explains why knowledge must be supplied with self-control. Notice these excerpts from 1 Corinthians 8:1-11: “Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies. 2 If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know; 3 but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him…. 9 But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols? 11 For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died.” Notice also 1 Corinthians 10:12: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.” Let me paraphrase Paul: Let him who thinks he stands in his knowledge take heed that he does not fall through his lack of self-control.
Now what is the answer of these verses to the question: Why must knowledge be supplied with self-control? It’s clear, isn’t it? Knowledge must be supplied with self-control, because knowledge not supplied with self-control may lead to moral falls in ourselves and others. Knowledge may make us over-confident in the use of our liberty. Knowledge may make us use our liberty in a way which is a stumbling-block to others. Knowledge tells us that there is nothing wrong with an occasional adult beverage. Thus, we indulge ourselves without realizing that we have a special vulnerability to alcohol which makes one drink lead to too many and drunkenness. Or perhaps we can safely and moderately indulge, but we use our liberty in front of someone who has a peculiar problem with alcohol and our example and encouragement makes them take the first and fatal drink. This is why—to use one example—knowledge must be supplied with self-control.
Returning to 2 Peter, we also notice this. Peter was probably already thinking in our text of the false teachers he was intent on exposing and condemning in chapter 2 of this very epistle. Look at 2 Peter 2:18-20: “For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.”
These false teachers had knowledge of the doctrine of grace for salvation. It is likely that they had come into contact with the teachings of the Apostle Paul about grace and freedom in Christ. Compare 2 Peter 3:15, 16: “and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.”
These false teachers, however, did not supply in their knowledge self-control. Rather they turned the doctrine of the grace of God into a license to sin and get away with it. They gave unrestrained liberty to their lusts for money, power, partying, and sex.
This tendency of knowledge un-supplied with self-control to lead to serious, moral lapses is rooted in an even more basic principle. In the language of Paul knowledge makes arrogant. It puffs up. This leads Paul to warn in 1 Corinthians 10:12: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Remember the famous proverb? Proverbs 16:18 declares, “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.” It is by this ethical pathway that knowledge can lead to the most horrible moral lapses and falls. Knowledge leads to pride, and pride makes you fall.
There are enormously important lessons we must consider before we move on.
First, there is a lesson for all those who know and love the doctrines of grace. Many of you know and love the great doctrines of God’s free and sovereign grace. They are wonderful doctrines indeed. They are doctrines that are the solid foundation of all our assurance and comfort. They are also doctrines that many Christians do not understand. This lays people who love and believe these doctrines open to the possibility of the pride bred by superior knowledge. Those who love the doctrines of grace should be deeply concerned about this possibility. They should cry out to the sovereign God of grace that they love that He would make them the humblest and holiest of Christians and keep them from becoming the proudest and most carnal of professing Christians. They should pray, in other words, that they should add to their indisputable knowledge “self-control.” There is a great, moral danger especially when the Reformed Christian has large and liberal ideas about Christian liberty.
Second, there is a lesson for pastors here. Pastors by definition ought to have a deeper understanding of the Christian faith—more knowledge—than most Christians. They have special need to supply in their knowledge self-control. What a solemn warning this is for us! What a call it is for you to pray for your pastors that God would give us unusual measures of the grace of self-control!
Dr. Sam Waldron is the Academic Dean of CBTS and professor of Systematic Theology. He is also one of the pastors of Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Owensboro, KY. Dr. Waldron received a B.A. from Cornerstone University, an M.Div. from Trinity Ministerial Academy, a Th.M. from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. From 1977 to 2001 he was a pastor of the Reformed Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI. Dr. Waldron is the author of numerous books including A Modern Exposition of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, The End Times Made Simple, Baptist Roots in America, To Be Continued?, and MacArthur’s Millennial Manifesto: A Friendly Response.
by CBTSeminary | Sep 16, 2014 | Book Reviews
Stanley D. Gale, A Vine-Ripened Life: Spiritual Fruitfulness Through Abiding in Christ (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2014). Reviewed by John Divito
With all of the confusion surrounding our growing in grace and godliness, I am always on the lookout for a good resource devoted to examining what the Bible teaches about becoming more like Christ. Stanley D. Gales’ new book A Vine-Ripened Life: Spiritual Fruitfulness Through Abiding in Christ is a welcome addition to help laypeople gain insight and encouragement as they seek to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.
The author begins by explaining the title of his book: “To speak of a ‘vine-ripened’ life points us to Jesus. Jesus describes Himself as the Vine of life (see John 15) through whom we live and grow and bear the fruit of a grace grown life. We ripen on the Vine, where we grow to bear the expected fruit of new life. Having begun in Christ we remain in Christ, continuing to draw our life from Him and maturing in grace” (x). With this in mind, Gale focuses his chapters on explaining the fruit of the Spirit as given in Galatians 5:22-23. After explaining the process of sanctification and growing in grace, each chapter examines the fruit of the Spirit in more detail. He concludes by considering how the fruit of the Spirit is produced by God’s grace.
While the entire book was an edifying read, I found especially insightful Gale’s look at the fruit of self-control. In explaining the difference between willpower and self-control, he writes:
Willpower is by definition “self-discipline.” It looks to exertion of the will for restraint. . . . Willpower is the secular version of self-control. Self-control us a fruit of the Spirit for management of self in the strength of Christ. Willpower is seated in the natural man, while self-control is rooted in the Vine and is a produce of abiding in it. It enables the believer to wage war against the deeds of the flesh (134).
From this point he continues to practically unfold how self-control is manifested in a believer’s life.
I also appreciated Gale’s chapter on humility. As he notes:
Every fruit of the Spirit is touched by humility. It is an essential element necessary for the production of the fruit of new life in Christ. Humility enables our abiding, drawing us to Christ, driving us to prayer, and drawing on the word of Christ to dwell in us richly. In that sense, it is not numbered among the listed fruit of Galatians 5, but it is present as a nutrient to all (144).
Additionally, this work is filled with helpful illustrations and practical application. Gale is not content to merely explain the fruit of the Spirit—he seeks to flesh out what this fruit looks like in our everyday lives. While I do not have time in my brief review to provide many examples and quotes, I can definitely say that Gale is a gifted wordsmith.
As a result, this book is delightful for devotional reading. Its small size and short chapters can easily be read and pondered in bite-sized nuggets. It would also be a wonderful resource to use in small group studies. With thirteen chapters including discussion questions at the end, it could easily be used in a weekly study over a quarter. I warmly recommend Gale’s book for all those who want to grow in their devotion to Christ.
CBTS Faculty fully subscribe to the 1689 Confession of Faith, hold an advanced
degree in their field of instruction, and possess significant pastoral experience.
by Sam Waldron | Sep 15, 2014 | Soteriology
A second question which must be asked about supplying moral excellence with knowledge:
What kind of knowledge must moral excellence by supplied with?
In other words, what is this knowledge of which Peter is speaking? Peter uses a word that carries enormous weight in the Greek language. He uses the word, gnosis, from which is derived the words, Gnostic and Gnosticism. Let me ask you to listen to the dictionary definition of this word.
gnosis…basically, as the possession of information what is known, knowledge; (1) as a characteristic of God and man knowledge (RO 11.33; 1C 8.1); (2) as the result of divine enlightenment knowledge, understanding, insight (LU 1.77); (3) of heretical claims to higher forms of knowledge available only to a select few Gnosis, (esoteric) knowledge (1T 6.20).
Though this is the general Greek word for knowledge, in many cases it implies something more specific. It implies insight—something more than a superficial knowledge of things—a deeper understanding of things. This is why it was used by the gnostic sects to refer to the higher knowledge (gnosis) of things that they claimed for themselves.
1 Timothy 6:20 O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”
These heretics claimed that ordinary Christians had only a superficial knowledge of divine truth. Only Gnostic Christians really had a deeper insight into the truth. This idea of a deeper insight—something more than a superficial insight—into truth is brought out by 1 Peter 3:7.
You husbands likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way (according to knowledge), as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman; and grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
Each of these passages, then, in their own way speak of a deep insight into truth. Now let’s go back to our question. With what kind of knowledge must moral excellence be supplied? This knowledge refers to that deeper insight into the Christian faith that will enable us to wisely direct the zeal and energy we have for God’s cause.
Remember that Peter’s recipients were already believers. This means that they already had some knowledge of Christ and Christianity. Some knowledge of Christ is necessary for faith itself to exist and for repentance itself to be exercised. Something must be believed to be a Christian. Repentance is unto the acknowledgement of the truth (2 Timothy 2:25). There are elementary principles of the Christian religion which must be accepted when a person believes.
Hebrews 5:11 Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. 6:1 Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.
The knowledge in view, then, must be that knowledge which will enable us to wisely direct the zeal and energy we have for God’s cause. It is that knowledge of the truth that will deliver us from blind zeal and useless activity and insure that our zeal and activity effectively furthers the cause of God.
Now we have a name for this deeper knowledge of the Christian faith, this knowledge that goes deeper than the initial knowledge necessary for faith, that word for a deeper more systematic understanding of the Christian faith is theology. Theology literally means the science of God and refers to a knowledge of the Christian faith that is thought through, that is more than elementary, and that has a systematic and logical character to it.
This is why every genuine Christian must be a student of theology. Every genuine Christian must grow in the knowledge of Christ, and this means getting beyond and going deeper than the basic and simple understanding of the gospel that he had when he first became a Christian. Unless a Christian grows in knowledge by becoming a student of genuine, Christian theology, he runs the grave danger of blind zeal and worse than useless activity. Christian theology must guide Christian zeal.
This brings us to a third question, How can such knowledge be attained?
How can such a deeper knowledge of the Christian faith—one that will guide our zeal and make it really useful—be attained? Well, of course, nothing will be accomplished unless a person has a deep and abiding interest in the Word of God himself that leads him to read and study privately. In our highly individualistic day and age, however, there is a danger that we will completely ignore one of the major emphases of the Word of God on this issue. The Bible tells us that no small part of coming to a deeper knowledge of the truth has to do with our willingness to subject ourselves to the public ministry of the Word by the pastor-teachers Christ gives to the church. The key passage here is Ephesians 4:11-15:
11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ
The language is plain, isn’t it? Pastor-teachers are given to the church so that they will attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ. Blind zeal and useless activity result when the instruction of pastor-teachers is absent or not heeded. What a responsibility belongs to the pastor faithfully and fully to preach the Word of God! What a warning to the Christian to make attendance upon a faithful ministry a life-priority!
But it is not just living and/or present pastors to whom you must give your attention. Christ has been giving the gift pastor-teachers to His church for 20 centuries. We must devote our attention to good books written by those men as another means of coming to a deeper and theological knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus. One of the things we need to do and have been encouraged to do by our deacon is to begin a book table to encourage reading of good, Christian books among us. Look we are not against reading for mere recreation and relaxation, but are you reading any solid books intended to help you add knowledge to your moral excellence? Are you listening to any good sermons that will help you supply your knowledge with moral excellence?
Here is how to add knowledge to your moral excellence! Read your Bibles every day. Listen to good preaching! Read good Christian books.
My fourth and last question on this subject is, Who especially is in need of such knowledge?
Young Christians
One answer to this—the last of our four questions—is also plainly implied in Ephesians 4:11-15. It is immature Christians who especially need this deeper insight into truth. Here they are likened unto children. Now pardon me for saying so, but this means it is especially young Christians and Christians who are young people who need such instruction. So much is this the case that it is almost proverbial that young Christians are known for their immoderate zeal. We even have a phrase for them that I have often heard. They are “young Turks”. Do you understand the reference of that phrase? It is not a reference to young Turkeys. It is a reference to the young Turkish soldiers of the Middle Ages who were famous for their utter, death-welcoming, and fanatical commitment to their generals and to the Islamic faith. These are those whose zeal for Christianity has an off-with-their-heads kind of flavor.
Now this is no advertisement for less zeal. There must be zeal for Christ and for truth. If there is no zeal for Christ and for truth, there is no true faith. Moral excellence must be supplied into true faith. Praise God for young people with zeal! But just because they have such zeal, they must earnestly seek to grow in the knowledge of Christ. Otherwise, much of their fine zeal for Christ may be wasted. Also, young Christians must seek to be guided in their zeal by older Christians. Their zealous activity for Christ should be wisely guided by experienced leaders. This is why God has appointed that the church should be led by elders and not by youngers!
Christian Fathers and Mothers
The Bible calls on fathers and mothers to be disciple their children in the Christian faith. Ephesians 6:4 says, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” The whole book of Proverbs in its calls for children to pay attention to the wisdom of their fathers and mothers teaches the duty of parents to teach the Christian faith to their children. How can fathers do that and how can mothers assist them unless they are themselves theologians? I have to confess that I have not read the book, but I really like the title of the book, Housewife Theologian! This is why it is particularly crucial for fathers to be growing in their knowledge of the Christian faith and in their ability to speak of it and teach it to their children.
Pastors and Aspiring Pastors
This is also why pastors and aspiring pastors must be theologians. It is they who are primarily responsible to make theological knowledge of the Christian faith practically available to the Christian church. Untold damage has been done by so-called pastors who simply do not understand the confessional and theological tradition of the church. This means ordinarily, although not universally, that pastors and aspiring pastors be required to study a thorough theological curriculum in preparation for the Christian ministry. Of course, there are men (like Spurgeon) who because of natural gift and blessed upbringing do not require such a course of study. But frankly most men are not Spurgeons in either way and need such a required course of study. That is why places like Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary must exist and may make a claim on the church’s resources because such training is necessary.
There is never any room for self-satisfied complacency or moralistic pride in our graces and virtues in the Christian life. This is one of the clearest lessons that Peter teaches us in this list. No virtue except love is complete by itself, and who can ever say that they have enough love? You can never rest satisfied with your attainments. If one says, I have faith, he must ask himself, but do I have moral excellence? If one says, I have attained moral excellence, he must be asked, but do you have knowledge? We may never have the attitude in the Christian life that says: “I have attained. Leave me alone. I don’t need to be exhorted. I’m alright.” Young people, especially, how can you justify having this attitude to your parents when they try to talk to you about ways you need to grow in grace? We must always strive to be approachable by those who would help us grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Every grace and virtue (again except for love) has its counterfeit, its evil twin, its deformed counterpart. What we think is the beautiful nose of faith can be the Pinocchio deformity of dead orthodoxy. The lovely and caring hands of moral excellence can really be the claws of blind zeal. As we will see next week, the strong chin of what we think to be knowledge may be the witch’s jaw of arrogant opinionated-ness. Every virtue may be deformed into something evil and ugly. Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. You have faith, do you? It is only true faith, if it has a zeal for God. You have moral excellence or zeal, do you? It is only true zeal, if it is supplied and guided by a deepening knowledge of God. It is possible to be religious and deceived. It is possible to be a professing Christian and deceived. It is possible to be active in the church and deceived. It is possible to be moral and deceived. Take a closer look at those things in yourself that you thought were Christian grace. If they are really, they will stand up to a closer inspection. Is your faith characterized by moral excellence and zeal for God? Is your moral excellence supplied with a deepening knowledge of God and His Word? Is Christ really formed in you? And if He is not, isn’t this a good time to admit it and to cry out for the mercy that alone can remake you in the image of Christ.
Dr. Sam Waldron is the Academic Dean of CBTS and professor of Systematic Theology. He is also one of the pastors of Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Owensboro, KY. Dr. Waldron received a B.A. from Cornerstone University, an M.Div. from Trinity Ministerial Academy, a Th.M. from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. From 1977 to 2001 he was a pastor of the Reformed Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI. Dr. Waldron is the author of numerous books including A Modern Exposition of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, The End Times Made Simple, Baptist Roots in America, To Be Continued?, and MacArthur’s Millennial Manifesto: A Friendly Response.