One of the most important doctrinal foundations one must have in order to unpack forgiveness is that of providence.
Theologians use the word “providence” to describe the truth that God is directly involved in history and is working all things together to accomplish His purposes. Paul said in Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Providence is a doctrine in which we can rest when we have been harmed by others. Christians must know that they are not victims. Like Joseph, we can trust that though others may intend to harm us, God will use it for good.
In short story, “The Capital of the World,” Hemingway helps explain the need for teaching on forgiveness.
Madrid is full of boys named Paco, which is the diminutive of the name Francisco, and there is a Madrid joke about a father who came to Madrid and inserted an advertisement in the personal columns of El Liberal which said: PACO MEET ME AT HOTEL MONTANA NOON TUESDAY ALL IS FORGIVEN PAPA, and how a squadron of Guardia Civil had to be called out to disperse the eight hundred young men who answered the advertisement.
Life is relationships. In a fallen world, relationships are so often broken. We must understand what the Bible teaches about forgiveness.
Most of the time, we think of anger as a negative thing. Perhaps, most of the time it is. But, in this insightful post, Tullian Tchividjian distinguishes righteous or God-centered anger from self-centered anger.
Hell, I realize is not a popular topic of discussion today. Broadly, we prefer to avoid thinking about hell too much for at least a couple of reasons. First, the biblical teaching about hell is infuriating to unbelieving culture. Those who do not know Christ, resent the idea that their Creator is a just judge.
A second reason that we prefer not to talk about hell is that emotionally it demands so much from us. I know, personally, it is draining to consider that some of the people I love the most may spend eternity in darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, with no hope of ever escaping, that every moment will be worse, and that in a million years they will have not diminished their sentence by even one second.
But, pushing the thought of hell from our thoughts is not an option; it is not up to us to choose the doctrinal truth that we believe. Laying out the scope of doctrine is God’s job through the Bible. And, what the Bible says about hell is unmistakably and graphically clear. Those who reject Christ will spend eternity in conscious torment.
Remember this. God gives us so much Scripture on hell because he is a loving and merciful God. When we learn this truth in the Bible, then as Christians we will understand more fully his glory and goodness in salvation. We will more deeply appreciate the sufferings of our savior who paid a hellacious penalty so that we might have eternal life. When we reflect on hell, we will be less inclined to be petty about minor squabbles at church or with our family and we will be bolder in proclaiming the Gospel.
The situation for families continues to worsen. A Canadian recently overruled a father’s decision not to let his daughter go on a school camping trip because of her Internet use.
We increasingly live in a world where authority of any kind: parental, school, or pastoral, is despised.
I listened this morning to a sermon by John Piper on Hell. It is very profound – - very worth considering. Piper begins by laying out that the Bible teaches the reality of hell. From there, he shows that that magnitude of the suffering in hell is an echo of the glory of God. (You’ll probably have to listen to the sermon to understand that point). He also demonstrates that the awfulness of hell helps quantify the substitutionary sufferings of Christ. Finally, he reasons that people cannot be saved simply out of not wanting to go to hell. Rather, they must desire Christ.
There is so much in this sermon – - -I think I could lead a whole small group series simply reflecting on the content.
It’s an amazing world we live in, where we have instant access to such preaching.
I grew up in the Southeast corner of the GSOI (Great State of Iowa). My parents both grew up a few miles from Oakville, IA. My mom has stories of men working through the night on the levies during floods. But, nothing like this has ever happened to Oakville to date.
In a Des Moines Register article, this author reflects on whether or not his hometown will survive. John Carlson writes that it appears grim.
There’s no convenient nearby hill to which the town can “relocate.” It may well cease to exist. That would be a very tough thing for the people who fled from Oakville Saturday and for the thousands who grew up here and scattered around the world.
You can move away from Oakville. But it always will be our home.
And, while, not all small towns are threatened by floods, many are struggling to keep their identity. Just as Oakville struggles against the practical issues of living in a flood plain, other small towns struggle with declining rural population and a move to urban areas. Oakville’s current dilemma pictures the plight of towns all over America.
A lot is at stake: a way of life, communities, identity.
Maybe it isn’t pragmatic for Oakville to rebuild, but, being from a small town, I hope they do.
Crunchy Con argues that a man who kicked a toddler to death “needed killing.” (See the original story here).
The “Mighty Favoq” (see comments on Crunchy Con’s post) counters, that he needed to be stopped. Which position do you think is better stated? I agree with the Mighty Favoq. If he needed killing, than it should have been determined through due process, not in an instant by a police officer.
I was bowled over when I turned on the television Friday evening and saw a graphic at the bottom of the screen that said “Remembering Tim Russert.” He was so much on top of his game and his life ended so suddenly.
For the most part, my background and Tim Russert’s could not be much different. He grew up in south Buffalo, the son of a sanitation worker. I grew up in the Midwest, 8 miles from a town of a thousand people. But, I can so relate to how he sees being the son of hard working people was great preparation for life. Like Tim Russert, my parents taught me that life doesn’t owe you anything; you have to get out there and work hard.
You will be encouraged if you watch even 5 minutes of this.
“. . . Chris Brauns has done a magnificent job in helping us understand the true nature of biblical forgiveness. Every Christian will profit from reading and applying this book.” Jerry Bridges.
“ . . . Unpacking Forgiveness is an engaging, convicting but emphatically encouraging treatment of this hugely important (and sometimes mindbogglingly challenging) part of life. Dr. Brauns writes from the standpoint of a faithful, wise, experienced and caring pastor . . .” Ligon Duncan, First Pres, Jackson, MS
