F R O M L I G O N I E R M I N I S T R I E S A N D R .C . S P R O U L | AUGUST 2008 | $3.

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T H E N E W

AT H E I SM

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 C O R A M D E O Living before the face of God

New Dog, Old Tr ic ks

B Y B U R K P A R S O N S

S ince hearing about the supposedly “new” atheism I have been trying to figure
out what’s so new about it. Its proponents are not saying anything different
than their atheist ancestors have said throughout history. In truth, they are sim-
ply using the same old spin on a new generation of skeptics. Take, for instance,
new atheism proponent Richard Dawkins’ assertions. In his article “On Debating
Religion,” he writes, “The hypothesis of God offers no worthwhile explanation
for anything” and “faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need
to think and evaluate evidence.” In his book The Selfish Gene, he writes, “Faith is
powerful enough to immunize people against all
The new breed of appeals to pity, to forgiveness, to decent human
atheists employ feelings.” None of this seems all that different from
the old atheism of Karl Marx, who in 1844 wrote in
popular-level his introduction to A Contribution to the Critique
of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right: “Religion is the sigh
arg uments to of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless
give them the world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the
opium of the people.”
broadest appeal. The trouble with this new atheism is that it is
not new at all but is the same old humanistic ser-
mon that has been proclaimed on the soap box of cynicism throughout the ages.
Nevertheless, perhaps what’s most troubling is that these new atheists employ
popular-level arguments in order to give them the broadest appeal.
What is even more troubling is that many Christians have shut their mouths
and closed their eyes, pretending that this humanistic, atheistic nonsense will
all just go away without affecting our churches or our children. Make no mistake
about it, the Lord God Almighty reigns, and because His kingdom shall overcome,
we shall overcome by His grace and before His face, coram Deo. And although
these new atheists might call us deluded Christians, they are most certainly not
deluded in their mission to convert the undiscerning world to the god of atheism —
they know full well for whom they’re working as they seek new ways to suppress
the eternal truth of God in their unrighteousness (Rom. 1:18).
Burk Parsons is editor of Tabletalk magazine and minister of
congregational life at Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Florida.

P U B L I S H E R Ligonier Ministries E X E C U T I V E E D I T O R R.C. Sproul E D I T O R Burk Parsons

S E N I O R A S S O C I AT E E D I T O R Chris Donato A S S O C I AT E E D I T O R S Keith A. Mathison, Robert Rothwell
P R O D U C T I O N M A N A G E R Scott Devor C R E AT I V E D I R E C T O R Geoff Stevens A R T D I R E C T O R Monty Morgan
CO M M U N I C AT I O N S D I R E C T O R Chris Larson M A R K E T I N G M A N A G E R John Cobb C I R C U L AT I O N Dawn Sanders

Tabletalk (usps 009-013) is published monthly by Ligonier Ministries, Inc., 400 Technology Park, Lake Mary, FL 32746. Annual subscription price (12 issues): $20.00.
Periodicals postage paid at Lake Mary, FL, and additional mailing offices. The daily Bible studies are copyright 2008, Ligonier Ministries, Inc. Unless noted, all Scripture
quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Ligonier Ministries, 400 Technology Park, Lake Mary, FL 32746-6229.

1-21.indd 2 5/13/08 4:16:21 PM

 ta b l e tal k

IN THIS ISSUE
contents
{ THE NEW ATHEISM }

A U G U S T 2008
F E A T U R E S VO LU M E 32 | N U M BER 8

4
Faith and Reason
DA I LY S T U D I E S

23 Into the Word

25 United in Truth and Love
By Robert Rothwell
RIGHT NOW COUNTS FOREVER
34 For the Record
BY R.C. SPROUL
By Joel R. Beeke
45 The Generous Landowner
By Jerry Bridges
52 True Greatness
By Tom Ascol
59 The Joy of the Lord
By Greg Barolet

10 God’s Dupes?
BY RAVI K. ZACHARIAS C O L U M N S

14
64 Pastor’s Perspective
By Philip G. Ryken
68 Pro Ecclesia: For the Church
By Carl R. Trueman
Has Science
Got Rid of God? 70 Generation to Generation
BY JOHN BLANCHARD By Steven J. Lawson
74 Tolle Lege: Take Up and Read
By Keith A. Mathison

18
The True Face of Evil
BY DAVID A. ROBERTSON
80 Seek Ye First
By R.C. Sproul Jr.
82 Truth and Consequences
By Gene Edward Veith

1-21.indd 3 4/17/08 3:11:41 PM

 &

1-21.indd 4 4/17/08 3:12:05 PM

 In this postmodern cult ure we have

witnessed a fascinating rev iva l of a ncient

Gnosticism. The Gnostics of a ntiquit y were

ca lled by that na me because they asser ted

that they had a superior t y pe of knowledge

that surpassed the insights found even in

T RU E FA I T H I N VOLV E S T RUS T I NG I N

T H E E V I DE NC E T H AT G OD H A S A M P LY

P ROV I DE D I N A N D T H ROUGH H I S WOR D.

RIGHT NOW COUNTS FOREV ER BY R.C. SPROUL

the apostles of the New Testa ment. They

ma inta ined that the insights of the apostles

were limited by the nat ura l limitations

suf fered by huma n beings tied to rationa lit y.

1-21.indd 5 4/17/08 3:12:36 PM

 RIGHT NOW COUNTS FOREVER FAITH AND REASON R.C. SPROUL
True knowledge, according to these
heretics, was found not through
reason or sense perception, but
through a highly developed mysti-
cal intuition. In like manner, in this
postmodern world we’ve seen a wide
spread rejection of rationality. This
rejection of rationality has infi l-
trated the church with a vengeance.
We see frequent attempts to remove
the Christian faith from all consid-
erations of rationality. It is being
argued today that biblical revela-
tion is only intelligible by intuition
or by a particularly sensitive poetic
imagination. This carries with it the
We must be on our g uard and
vigilant at every moment against
the intrusion of irrationality.
idea that biblical revelation is unin-
telligible through reason.
For good cause, the church in
recent centuries has had to reject
rationalism in its many faceted
forms. There is no monolithic philos-
ophy of rationalism; rather, rational-
ism wears various faces. On the one
hand, we think of rationalism as dis-
tinct from empiricism with respect
to how we come to know what
we know. Second, Enlightenment
rationalism contrasts reason not
with sense perception but with rev-
6 TABLETALK AUGUST 2008
1-21.indd 6
elation, arguing that revelation is
unreasonable and the only truth that
can be known is that which can be
known by natural reason. The third
and most complex form of rational-
ism is Hegelian rationalism, which
defi nes reason with a capital R, and
reality is the unfolding in space and
time of ultimate reason. None of
these philosophies represents his-
toric Christianity. Christianity is
not based on rationalism. However,
the rejection of rationalism in the
modern church often carries with
it the rejection of rationality. This
rejection is itself irrational. When
we reject humanism, we don’t reject
being human. If we reject existen-
tialism, we don’t reject existence.
So, if we reject an “ism” attached to
reason, it does not mean that we are
to reject reason itself.
Any discussion of faith and rea-
son has to ask the question, “What is
faith?” The biblical answer, accord-
ing to the author of Hebrews, is
that faith is the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things not
seen (11:1). The author goes on to say
that by faith we understand that the
4/17/08 3:12:57 PM
 world was formed by the Word of
God. The fi rst thing we notice in this
assertion is that faith is something
that is substantial, not ephemeral.
Secondly, faith represents a type of
evidence. It is the evidence of the
unseen. At the heart of the concept
of New Testament faith is the idea
of trust, namely, that faith involves
placing one’s trust in something. In
this regard all human creatures are
subject to depending at one point or
another on faith. I am not an expert
in medicine, so I must give a certain
trust to the diagnoses offered to me
by experts in the field. That trust
may be provisional until I fi nd that
it is not based in substance or evi-
dence. But in the meantime, to trust
what we do not see is not necessarily
a matter of being irrational. Without
reason, the content of biblical faith
would be unintelligible and mean-
ingless. So we say that biblical faith
is not the same as reason, but that
faith is rational and reasonable. The
fi rst assertion that faith is rational
means that faith is intelligible. It
is not absurd or illogical. If biblical
revelation were absurd and irratio-
nal, it would be utterly unintelligible
and meaningless. The content of
the Bible cannot pierce the soul of a
sentient creature without fi rst going
through the mind. It was Augustine
who declared that faith without
evidence is credulity. At this point
we understand that though faith
is rational, it is also reasonable.
Biblical faith does not call people to
crucify their intellect or take irratio-
nal leaps of faith into the darkness
with the hope that Christ will catch
us. Rather we are called to leap out
of the darkness and into the light.
1-21.indd 7
When the Scriptures say that
faith is the evidence of things not
seen, what are we to understand
that to mean? The example given
is that by faith we understand the
world was formed by the Word of
God. None of us was an eyewitness
of the action of God in creation.
Yet we trust that the universe has
come into being by the act of God’s
divine work of creation because we
have come on reasonable grounds
to believe that God’s Word is trust-
worthy. Because we are convinced
that God’s Word is trustworthy and
that that conviction is a reason-
able conviction, we can trust God’s
Word even for those things that
we cannot see. John Calvin also
argued the point that true faith
is not believing against evidence.
Rather, true faith involves trusting
in the evidence that God has amply
provided in and through His Word.
That faith is not without what
Calvin called evidences; rather, it is
a faith that surrenders to or acqui-
esces to the evidences.
We must be on our guard and
vigilant at every moment against
the intrusion of irrationality com-
ing from existential philosophy,
neo-orthodox theolog y, and the
resurgence of mysticism set forth in
neo-Gnosticism. What is at stake is
the coherence and intelligibility of
God’s divine work.
Dr. R.C. Sproul is founder
and president of Ligonier
Ministries, and he is author
of the books Defending Your
Faith and Reason to Believe.
TABLETALK AUGUST 2008 7
4/17/08 3:13:15 PM
 Lig onier M inistr ies R e ach es millions

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 PA R T N E R S A R E

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1-21.indd 9 4/17/08 3:13:53 PM

 God’s Dupes?

B Y R A V I K . Z A C H A R I A S

1-21.indd 10 5/13/08 10:55:53 AM

 I
s the Christian faith intellec-
tual nonsense? Are Christians
deluded?
“If God exists and takes an inter-
est in the affairs of human beings,
his will is not inscrutable,” writes
Sam Harris about the 2004 tsunami
in Letter to a Christian Nation. “The
only thing inscrutable here is that so
many otherwise rational men and
women can deny the unmitigated
horror of these events and think
this is the height of moral wisdom”
(p. 48). In his article “God’s Dupes,”
Harris argues, “Everything of value
that people get from religion can
be had more honestly, without pre-
suming anything on insufficient
evidence. The rest is self-deception,
set to music” (The Los Angeles
Times, March 15, 2007). Ironically,
Harris’ first book is entitled The
End of Faith, but it should really be
called “The End of Reason,” as it
demonstrates again that the mind
that is alienated from God in the
name of reason can become totally
irrational.
O x f or d z o olo g i s t R ic h a r d
Dawkins suggests that the idea of
God is a virus, and we need to find
software to eradicate it. Somehow,
if we can expunge the virus that
led us to think this way, we will be
purified and rid of this bedevil-
ing notion of God, good, and evil
(“Viruses of the Mind,” 1992). Along
with Christopher Hitchens and a
few others, these atheists are calling
for the banishment of all religious
belief. “Away with this nonsense!”
is their battle cry. In return, they
promise a world of new hope and
unlimited horizons once we have
shed this delusion of God.
1-21.indd 11
I have news for them — news
to the contrary. The reality is that
the emptiness that results from the
loss of the transcendent is stark and
devastating, philosophically and
existentially. Indeed, the denial of
an objective moral law, based on the
compulsion to deny the existence of
God, results ultimately in the denial
of evil itself. Furthermore, one
would like to ask Dawkins, are we
morally bound to remove that virus?
Somehow he himself is, of course,
free from the virus and can there-
fore input our moral data.
You ca nnot have a
mora l law unless the
mora l law itself is
intrinsica lly woven
into personhood….
A nd that person
ca n only be God.
In an attempt to escape what they
call the contradiction between a
good God and a world of evil, athe-
ists try to dance around the reality
of a moral law (and hence, a moral
lawgiver) by introducing terms like
“evolutionary ethics.” The one who
raises the question against God in
effect plays God while denying He
exists. Now, one may wonder: Why
do you actually need a moral law-
TABLETALK AUGUST 2008 11
4/17/08 3:16:03 PM
 GOD’S DUPES? RAVI ZACHARIAS
giver if you have a moral law? The
answer is because the questioner
and the issue he or she questions
always involve the essential value
of a person. You can never talk of
morality in abstraction. Persons
are implicit to the question and the
object of the question. In a nutshell,
positing a moral law without a
moral lawgiver would be equivalent
to raising the question of evil with-
out a questioner. So you cannot have
The world do e s not u nder s t a nd
mora l law is a l l about . Some get
a moral law unless the moral law
itself is intrinsically woven into per-
sonhood. This means that an intrin-
sically worthy person must exist if
the moral law itself is to be valued.
And that person can only be God.
Our inability to alter what is
actual frustrates our grandiose
delusions of being sovereign over
everything. Yet the truth is that we
cannot escape the existential rub by
running from a moral law. Objective
moral values exist only if God
exists. Is it all right, for example, to
mutilate babies for entertainment?
Every reasonable person will say
“no.” We know that objective moral
values do exist. Therefore, God must
exist. Examining those premises
and their validity presents a very
strong argument.
The prophet Jeremiah noted,
“The heart is deceitful above all
12 TABLETALK AUGUST 2008
1-21.indd 12
things, and desperately sick; who
can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9).
Similarly, the apostle James said,
“But be doers of the word, and not
hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
For if anyone is a hearer of the word
and not a doer, he is like a man who
looks intently at his natural face
in a mirror. For he looks at himself
and goes away and at once forgets
what he was like. But the one who
looks into the perfect law, the law
of liberty, and perseveres, being no
hearer who forgets but a doer who
acts, he will be blessed in his doing”
(James 1:22–25).
The world does not understand
what the absoluteness of the moral
law is all about. Some get caught,
some don’t get caught. Yet who of us
would like our heart exposed on the
front page of the newspaper today?
Have there not been days and hours
when, like Paul, you’ve struggled
within yourself and said, “I do not
understand my own actions. For I
do not do what I want, but I do the
very thing I hate…. Wretched man
that I am! Who will deliver me from
this body of death?” (Rom. 7:15, 24).
Each of us knows this tension and
conflict within if we are honest
with ourselves.
Therefore, as Christians, we
ought to take time to reflect seri-
4/17/08 3:16:28 PM
 ously upon the question: “Has God
truly wrought a miracle in my life?
Is my own heart proof of the super-
natural intervention of God?” In the
West we go through these seasons of
new-fangled theologies. The whole
question of “lordship” plagued our
debates for some time as we asked if
there was such a thing as a minimal-
ist view of conversion? “We said the
prayer and that’s it.” Yet how can
there be a minimalist view of con-
wh at t he a b s olut ene s s of t he
c au g ht , s ome don’t g e t c au g ht .
version when conversion itself is a
maximal work of God’s grace? “The
old has passed away; behold, the
new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17).
If you were proposing marriage
to someone, what would the one
receiving the proposal say if you
said, “I want you to know this pro-
posal changes nothing about my
allegiances, my behavior, and my
daily life; however, I do want you to
know that should you accept my pro-
posal, we shall theoretically be con-
sidered married. There will be no
other changes in me on your behalf.”
In a strange way we have minimized
every sacred commitment and made
it the lowest common denominator.
What does my new birth mean to
me? That is a question we seldom
ask. Who was I before God’s work in
me, and who am I now?
The immediate results of com-
1-21.indd 13
ing to know Jesus Christ are the
new hungers and new pursuits that
are planted within the human will.
I well recall that dramatic change
in my own way of thinking. There
were new longings, new hopes, new
dreams, new fulfillments, but most
noticeably, there was a new will to
do what was God’s will. Thomas
Chalmers characterized this change
that Christ brings as “the expulsive
power of a new affection.” This
new affection of heart — the love
of God wrought in us through the
Holy Spirit — expels all other old
seductions and attractions. The
one who knows Christ begins to
see that his or her own misguided
heart is impoverished and in need
of constant submission to the will
of the Lord — spiritual surrender.
Yes, we are all gifted with different
personalities, but humility of spirit
and the hallmark of conversion is
to see one’s own spiritual poverty.
Arrogance and conceit ought to be
inimical to the life of the believer.
A deep awareness of one’s own new
hungers and longings is a convinc-
ing witness to God’s grace within.
Dr. Ravi K. Zacharias is founder and president of Ravi
Zacharias International Ministries in Norcross, Georgia,
and he is author of The Real Face of Atheism.
TABLETALK AUGUST 2008 13
4/17/08 3:17:19 PM
 Has Sc ie nce Got
R id of God?
B Y J O H N B L A N C H A R D

VEGETAL TISSUE (2005) © ISMAEL MONTERO, MADRID, SPAIN / DREAMESTIME

R
ichard Dawkins, based at
Oxford Universit y, off i-
cially operates under the
title of Charles Simonyi Reader and
Professor of the Public Understanding
of Science. Unofficially, he may be the
best-known atheist in the world, part-
ly as the result of his best-selling book
The God Delusion, published in 2006.
With these credentials, we should
expect Dawkins to answer the title of
this article with a resounding yes, and
he does not disappoint us. In a 1999
BBC Television programme Soul of
Britain, he stepped up to the plate and
let fly with his trademark panache: “I
think science really has fulfilled the
need that religion did in the past, of
explaining things; why we are here,
what is the origin of life, where did
the world come from, what life is all
about…science has the answers.”
If Dawkins is right, religion is
an outdated indulgence and God an
irrelevant myth. But is he right? The
simplest way to answer that question
is to test each of his four claims to see
whether they can be substantiated.

14 TABLETALK AUGUST 2008

1-21.indd 14 4/17/08 3:18:33 PM

 Science explains his own image, in the image of God he
why we are here. created him; male and female he cre-
ated them” (Gen. 1:27), a statement that

I n context, the word why can have

one of two meanings: either “How
did we get here?” or “What is our pur-
resonates with all we know about our
unique and astonishing properties. If
the full text of Encyclopædia Britannica
pose in being here?” As the final claim
touches on the second of these, let us
look at the first — and Dawkins has
no doubt as to the answer: “It is abso-
lutely safe to say that if you meet some-
Dawkins claims that
body who claims not to believe in evo-
lution, that person is stupid, ignorant, while so many things
or insane (or wicked, but I’d rather not
consider that).” Having dispatched give an appearance of
all opposition with a single sentence,
he then endorses the idea that Homo
sapiens is the state-of-the-art product
having been designed, the
of a vast sequence of tightly related
species and kinds, beginning with the impression is a false one.
first living cell and moving on through
invertebrates, fish, amphibians, rep-
tiles, birds, furry quadrupeds, and
ape-like mammals.
All atheists are evolutionists, and had arrived on earth from outer
this is the default setting for the model space it would be regarded as unchal-
they promote. If they are right, we lenged proof of extra-terrestrial intel-
should expect to find our planet teem- ligence. As human DNA houses vastly
ing with fossils of intermediate life more organized information than the
forms — but they are simply not there. Encyclopædia Britannica, it points pow-
Writing about such evolutionary links, erfully to the truth of Nobel laureate
Colin Patterson, senior palaeontolo- Arthur Compton’s conviction that “a
gist at the British Museum of Natural supreme intelligence brought the uni-
History says, “I will lay it on the line. verse into being and created man.”
There is not one such fossil for which
one might make a watertight argu- Science explains
ment.” On the other hand, if God cre- the orig in of life.
ated fully formed and separate kinds,
we should expect to find the remains
of countless fully formed specimens,
all without any apparent ancestors —
I n what he calls the central argu-
ment of The God Delusion, Dawkins
claims that while so many things
and that is exactly what we do find. give an appearance of having been
In the early chapters of Genesis the designed, the impression is a false one,
creation narrative comes to a climax because it raises an unanswerable
with the words: “God created man in question: Who designed the designer?

TABLETALK AUGUST 2008 15

1-21.indd 15 4/17/08 3:18:44 PM

 HAS SCIENCE GOT RID OF GOD? JOHN BLANCHARD
Two things need to be said in response.
First, where is the scientific proof that
the appearance of design is deceiv-
ing us? There is none — and to deny
design before discussing the issue is on
a par with declaring that miracles are
impossible before finding out whether
any have taken place. This illogical
approach might be expected from
someone at grade school, but hardly
from an Oxford don. Second, can sci-
ence prove that the designer must have
been designed, in other words, that
the ultimate Creator must have been
Cla i m i ng t hat science r u les out t he
bibl ica l accou nt of creat ion i s ig nora nce
m a s querad i ng a s i nt el l ig ence.
created? Is there any branch of science
that can definitively rule out any pos-
sibility of there being a supernatural,
uncreated person?
As Ludwig Wittgenstein, the lead-
ing analytical philosopher of the
twentieth century, said in his monu-
mental Tractatus: “The solution of the
riddle of life in space and time lies out-
side space and time.” This synchro-
nizes precisely with the Bible’s teach-
ing about God being “from everlasting
to everlasting” (Ps. 106:48) and its
unanimous testimony that this tran-
scendent and eternal Creator “gives
life to all things” (1 Tim. 6:13).
Science explains
where the world came from.
T he origin of the universe has
fascinated people ever since
16 TABLETALK AUGUST 2008
1-21.indd 16
they first begin thinking about the
subject, and scientists have come up
with an endless raft of theories. Yet
science can never go any further back
than the moment at which the laws
on which it leans began to operate. As
Edgar Andrews, emeritus professor of
materials at the University of London,
notes, “Science, even at its most spec-
ulative, must stop short of offering any
explanation or even description of the
actual event of origin.”
This seems pretty obvious, yet
there are atheists who try to evade the
issue with a flurry of phrases. Peter
Atkins, an atheist professor of chem-
istry at Oxford, claims that the entire
universe is “an elaborate and engaging
rearrangement of nothing” in which
“space-time generates its own dust in
the process of its own self-assembly.”
Those who hold to this idea, more for-
mally known as the quantum fluctua-
tion hypothesis, were neatly upended
in New Scientist: “First there was
nothing, then there is something...and
before you know it they have pulled a
hundred billion galaxies out of their
quantum hats.” In A Brief History of
Time, the renowned theoretical physi-
cist Stephen Hawking, with no reli-
gious axe to grind, has a much more
reasonable approach. Commenting on
the odds against the universe’s incred-
ibly complex and perfectly balanced
array of fundamental factors coming
4/17/08 3:19:04 PM
 into existence
stence by chance, he wrote: “It
would bee very difficult to explain why
the universe
verse should have begun in just
this wayy except as the act of a God who
intended d to create beings like us.”
Richard
ard Dawkins not only dismiss-
es the biblical
blical account out of hand, but
ranks it with the Hindu myth about
the worldld being created in a cosmic
butter-churn
hurn and the West African
notion that the world was created
from thee excrement of ants
ants, but this
hardly qualifies as serious thinking.
C.S. Lewis came to a very different
conclusion: “No philosophical theory
which I have yet come across is a
radical improvement on the words of
Genesis, that ‘In the beginning God
made heaven and earth.’” Claiming
that science rules this out is ignorance
masquerading as intelligence.
Science explains
what life is all about.
I t is curious that Dawkins should
make such a claim, as he denies
that human life has any purpose,
describing such an idea as “a nearly
universal delusion.” In a 1995 issue
of London’s Observer newspaper, he
dismissed a question about the pur-
pose of life by saying, “Well there is
no purpose, and to ask what it is is a
silly question. It has the same status
as, ‘What is the color of jealousy?’”
Elsewhere he claims that life is
“just bytes and bytes of digital infor-
mation” and that human beings are
“survival machines — robot vehicles
blindly programmed to preserve the
selfish molecules known as genes,”
but this is hopelessly inadequate. It
offers no explanation of the fact that
as humans we are self-conscious,
1-21.indd 17
thinking beings, with an insatiable
desire to evaluate data, develop
ideas, exercise imagination, and
make decisions. Nor does it explain
our unique sense of dignity, our aes-
thetic tastes, our ability to compose
and enjoy art, music, and literature,
our moral dimension, and our spiri-
tual longings. As the distinguished
modern thinker Francis Schaeffer
pointed out: “No one has presented
an idea,
idea let alone demonstrated it
to be feasible, to explain how the
impersonal beginning, plus time,
plus chance, can give personality.”
Sir John Eccles, a Nobel Prize-
winning pioneer in brain research,
presses the point home: “Science
cannot explain the existence of
each of us as a unique self.” Even
Steve Jones, a passionate athe-
ist and professor of genetics at
University College, London, frankly
admits, “Science cannot answer
the question: ‘Why are we here?’”
The Bible can — and does so in the
words of those who cry to God,
“Worthy are you, our Lord and
God…for you created all things, and
by your will they existed and were
created” (Rev. 4:11).
Science is the ongoing search for
truth in the natural world, and we
rightly rejoice at the countless bene-
fits that science and technology have
brought into our lives. To go beyond
that and claim that science has got
rid of God is to promote nineteenth-
century fantasy to the status of
twenty-fi rst century fact.
Dr. John Blanchard is an evangelist, apologist,
author, and conference speaker in Surrey, England.
He is author of Has Science Got Rid of God?
TABLETALK AUGUST 2008 17
4/17/08 3:19:17 PM
 THE TRUE FACE OF

EVIL

B Y D A V I D A . R O B E R T S O N
D E TA I L O F WO M A N W I T H A M A SK BY LO RENZO L IPPI (16 0 6 −16 65), MUSEE D ES BE AUX-A RT S, A NGER S, FR A NCE / BRID GEM A N A RT L IBR A RY

R
“ eligion is an insult to human should a Christian respond? We
dignity. With or without it, will leave the Muslims, Hindus,
you’d have good people doing Mormons, and Jedi Knights to
good things and evil people doing evil respond for themselves, although we
things. But for good people to do evil note in passing that it is another fun-
things, it takes religion.” So writes damental belief of the atheist creed
the Nobel Prize-winning American that all religions are essentially the
physicist Steven Weinberg. His same — hence the oft repeated state-
observation has become a standard ment or accusation that “atheists
mantra of the new atheism. So how do not fly planes into skyscrapers.”

18 TABLETALK AUGUST 2008

1-21.indd 18 4/17/08 3:19:50 PM

 It may have escaped the new athe-
ists, but neither do Presbyterians,
Catholics, or Southern Baptists!
In The God Delusion, Richard
Dawkins repeats Weinberg’s claim
that religion is a virus that infects the
human race and causes otherwise
“good” people to behave in a way
which is dangerous and evil. Given
Dawkins faith in empiricism, what
is his evidence for this sweeping
condemnation? His major evidence
appears to be 9/11 and Fred Phelps of
Godhatesfags.com infamy. The new
atheists also declare that we are all
implicated in the “extremist” forms of
Christianity (and Islam) because we
keep silent and because they are just
being consistent with the Scriptures!
Apart from the danger of taking our
theology from atheists, let me point
out unequivocally that Fred Phelps
has nothing whatsoever to do with
any form of biblical Christianity. His
“gospel” is a self-serving rant from
the pit of hell and is utterly repudiated
by all biblical Christians.
We could have endless fun ridi-
culing the inconsistencies and ad
hominem attacks of Dawkins and his
friends, but that would be like shoot-
ing ducks at a fairground, and some of
our brethren do not think it is “nice.”
(Although the methodology of Elijah
in 1 Kings 18:27, “Cry aloud, for he is a
god. Either he is musing, or he is reliev-
ing himself, or he is on a journey, or
perhaps he is asleep and must be awak-
ened,” does have a lot to commend it.)
So, what other approach can we take?
We could point out that Dawkins’
view is a simplistic and fundamen-
talist Hollywood fantasy view of the
world that divides humanity into the
good guys and the bad guys.
1-21.indd 19
We could admit mea culpa, and
agree that religion has done a great
deal of harm. Furthermore, although
we would not accept that all religions
are the same, we must also acknowl-
edge that many bad things have been
done in the name of Christianity and
that the name of God has often been
blasphemed amongst the Gentiles
because of those who have inconsis-
tently professed the precious name
of Christ.
And then we could swap accusa-
tions, gently reminding our new athe-
ists that when atheism has become the
state philosophy, it has rarely lead to
an outbreak of love and peace. Stalin,
Mao, Pol Pot, Hitler, and others who
also shared the belief that religion is
a virus that needs to be eradicated,
are hardly shining examples of the
good that atheism has brought to the
world. At least they were consistent
in following their prophet Nietzsche
who declared, “I call Christianity the
one great curse, the one great intrinsic
depravity, the one great instinct for
revenge for which no expedient is suf-
ficiently poisonous, secret, subterra-
nean, petty — I call it the one immortal
blemish of mankind.”
We could point out that Western
civilization, including the science
and morality that Dawkins and the
new atheists profess to love, is rooted
in Christian teaching. We could
indicate the numerous examples of
Christians who have built hospitals,
set up schools, and provided multiple
social work programs. Dawkins, of
course, would argue that people
would have done this anyway and
that atheists are just as moral and
virtuous as Christians. Thus we end
up in a kind of spitting contest where
TABLETALK AUGUST 2008 19
4/17/08 3:20:03 PM
 THE TRUE FACE OF EVIL DAVID ROBERTSON
Christians could easily demonstrate
that we build more schools, paint
more pictures, and heal more people
than members of American Atheists.
But that would ultimately prove noth-
ing. As Christopher Hitchens points
out, one could just as easily argue that
Hamas provides a great social welfare
program in the West Bank.
We need more than this. The
proof that Christianity is a force for
good rather than evil is found in the
outworking of the great biblical doc-
trines — the teachings about Christ
and humanity that provide us with the
explanation as to why our world is in
such a mess; the motivation for us to
do something about it; and the means
whereby we can.
Total Depravity
I n the words of George Thorogood,
we are “bad to the bone.” We do not
believe in “good empires” and “bad
empires,” “good” people and “bad”
people. We accept the biblical teaching
that all humans and all areas of human
life are infected by sin. Religion is not
the virus. Sin is. As a result, religion
becomes a tool for human sinfulness.
Rather than the simplistic and fool-
ish optimism of the new atheism, we
know that human beings are inher-
ently and deeply flawed. Christless
religion only adds fuel to the fire, but
take away all religion and we will still
have the fire. As G.K. Chesterton so
masterfully wrote in a letter to The
Times: “Dear Sir, What’s wrong with
the world? I am.” The loss of this basic
doctrine thanks to an unjustified
Enlightenment optimism was a major
factor in the genocidal regimes of the
twentieth century, the failed atheist
20 TABLETALK AUGUST 2008
1-21.indd 20
century. The philosopher John Gray,
no friend of Christianity, summarizes
it neatly: “As we understand it today,
utopianism began to develop along
with the retreat of Christian belief”
(Black Mass: Apocalyptic Religion and
the Death of Utopia).
Idolatry
H uman beings have a sense of
God. The law of God is written in
our hearts. Even Dawkins admits that
there is an inherent God conscious-
ness in children, but he attempts to
explain it away by regarding it as an
“evolutionary misfiring.” The biblical
explanation is much simpler. We are
created in the image of God. We are
created with a capacity for relation-
ship with our Creator. We do have a
“God-shaped hole.” The trouble is that
we attempt to fill that hole with any-
thing or anyone except God. We invent
our own religions, we create our own
idols, and we even deify ourselves. It is
little wonder that the hole is not filled
and that the result is discord, frustra-
tion, anger, and brokenness. Idolatry
is false religion. It is an argument for,
rather than against, true religion.
The Cross
J esus Christ and Him crucified
is the divine surgery that fi xes
the problem. We do not need to be
patched up. We do need forgive-
ness, grace, mercy, a new heart, and
a new birth. The cross deals with
every aspect of human sinfulness,
individually and communally. It is
through the cross that the love of
God is shed abroad in our hearts. The
Beatles were right to sing, “All you
4/17/08 3:20:29 PM
 need is love.” They just did not know
what they were singing about. This is
love, not that we loved God but that
he loved us and sent His Son as the
atoning sacrifice for our sin.
The Sovereignty of God
J esus is Lord a nd Sav ior.
Everything comes under His
Christians are
not utopians or
religious moralists.
We do not think
that we can
legislate to make
people moral…
lordship. There is no area of life
that is not His. Therefore those who
belong to Him, go on to live for Him
in every area of life — in education,
family, work, sport, politics, health-
care, social work, and entertainment.
Rooted in these great biblical doc-
trines we then go on to produce fruit.
Christians are not utopians or reli-
gious moralists. We do not think that
we can legislate to make people moral,
or that there is some kind of religious
band-aid that will soothe over the
deep wounds in humanity. Neither are
we pietists who retreat into our reli-
1-21.indd 21
gious communes. We are salt and light
in a world that is tasteless and dark.
Because we have come to know the
love of Christ, we cannot but reflect
and share that love. The love of Christ
constrains us. According to his sec-
retary, Traudl Junge, Hitler despised
the church because “only mankind
and above all the church have made
it their aims to keep alive the weak,
those unfit to live, and people of an
inferior kind.” Exactly. The history of
the Christian church is full of people
who, having been ransomed, healed,
restored, and forgiven, are then set
free to serve the living God and do so
by going on to keep alive the weak,
heal the sick, fight injustice, feed the
hungry, visit the prisoners and dem-
onstrate in their life, words, and deeds
the mercy and compassion of God.
It is ironic that in 2007 members of
the British Parliament listed as their
favorite summer reading two books:
the fi rst being Dawkins’ The God
Delusion, the second, William Hague’s
wonderful William Wilberforce.
Whilst the Dawkins rant exempli-
fies the irrational and deeply rooted
hatred of humans for God, the life of
the great anti–slavery campaigner
Wilberforce demonstrates what a
powerful force for good is a forgiven
sinner in the hands of a gracious God.
Wilberforce exemplifies the great
argument of Jesus against the new
atheist creed that all religion is de facto
evil: Let your light shine before men,
that they may see your good deeds and
praise your Father in heaven.
Rev. David A. Robertson is minister of St. Peter’s Free
Church in Dundee, Scotland. He is author of The Dawkins
Letters: Answering Atheist Myths.
TABLETALK AUGUST 2008 21
4/17/08 3:20:42 PM
 R E C O M M E N D E D R E S O U R C E S

If There’s a God,
Why Are There Atheists?
BY R . C . S P RO U L

Christians across the United States have found

If There’s a God, Why Are There Atheists? a
helpful tool for explaining the true roots of unbelief.
This book shows that men deny God because they
do not want to be accountable to a transcendent
judge of the universe and helps us defend the Lord’s
existence through sound, logical argumentation.
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B Y R AV I Z A C H A R I A S

One of the most respected Christian apologists

today takes a look at what atheism really promises
and concludes that only despair results from a
worldview that denies the existence of God. This
book explores the meaning of life, morality, death,
and other issues, showing that Christianity alone
provides answers that make sense of the world we
live in. Available for a limited time.
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T O P L A C E A N O R D E R , C A L L 1 - 8 0 0 - 4 3 5 - 4 3 4 3 O R V I S I T W W W . L I G O N I E R . O R G

22-61.indd 22 4/17/08 3:27:41 PM

 A u g u s t 20 08
I N TO t h e WO R D
d a i l y B i b l e s t u d i e s

“Fear not then, as though your honor was put down.

Rather, be ready to abase yourself. For in this way
your glory is exalted even more, and in this way it
becomes greater. This is the door of the kingdom.”
J O H N C H R Y S O S T O M , H O M I L I E S O N T HE G O S P E L O F S A I N T M AT T HE W , 65.4

M atthew’s gospel informs us that Jesus came

to save His people from their sins (1:21).
Essential to this work of salvation is Christ’s build-
Abiding
in the
ing of His church, against which even the gates WOR D
of hell cannot prevail (16:18). Life in this believing
community was an important theme of our study These verses parallel the themes
of chapter 18 last month, but we were not able to of the studies each week.
explore the nature and attributes of the church in
We encourage you to hide them
much detail. Therefore, our studies in August will
in your heart so that you may
begin with a more comprehensive examination of
not sin against the Lord:
the attributes of the church using Dr. R.C. Sproul’s
teaching series The Bride of Christ. WEEK OF AUGUST 4
Following this study we will look at Matthew EPHESIANS 2:19 –20
19–20 and the important teachings on divorce, the
need to exalt Jesus above all else, the grace of God, W E E K O F A U G U S T 11
and humility. Christ’s call for us not to seek our own E XO DUS 20:14
glory is a difficult one to fulfill; thus, it behooves us
WEEK OF AUGUST 18
to pay close attention to His teaching on the subject.
M AT TH E W 19:14
In a day and age when Christians more often look
to be served than to serve, let us never forget the WEEK OF AUGUST 25
example of Jesus who did us the greatest service of PSALM 84:10
all when He gave up His life for our sins (20:28).

TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008 23

22-61.indd 23 4/17/08 3:29:52 PM

 Friday
A U G U S T
The Church Is One
JOHN 17 “Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have
given me, that they may be one, even as we are one” (v. 11b).
1
O ur study of Matthew 18 now complete, we have seen how the church is to
exhibit pastoral concern, guard the church’s holiness, and readmit to com-
munion all those who, though they have broken fellowship, turn from their sins
and seek restoration. Before returning to Matthew’s gospel, however, we need
to look at the nature of the church in order to understand why discipline and
forgiveness are needed to preserve the purity of the church. Dr. R.C. Sproul will
guide our study through this subject with his teaching series The Bride of Christ.
John 17, which records the longest prayer in the New Testament, provides
some of the most important teaching on the church. As we can see in this chap-
ter, Jesus is concerned with the unity of His people, praying for His disciples and
all those who come after them to be one in purpose and mission even as He and
His Father are one (vv. 11b, 22–23). It is therefore regrettable that the church of
Jesus Christ in our day evidences little visible unity. In the United States alone,
there are hundreds of different Protestant denominations, including dozens of
varieties each of Presbyterians, Baptists, Lutherans, and so on.
Faced with this scandalous reality, there has been a tendency in the twenti-
eth century and now, in the twenty-first century, to try and correct this prob-
lem. As a result of the ecumenical movement, many new denominations have
formed through the mergers of old ones, and there has been a push for believers
to affirm what unites them over and against what divides them. This is laudable
when those professing unity agree on the fundamental tenets of the Christian
faith, but such is not often the case. Many times those seeking “unity” are those
who are most eager to jettison any real adherence to the confessional standards
of the church. Such unity is merely visible, and cracks begin to show when
Bible-believers in the church begin to rightly protest the excesses of the liberal
wings of their denominations.
If unity is to mean anything, Jesus also affirms in John 17, it must be a unity
grounded in the truth (vv. 17–19). Unity is meaningless when church members
do not confess the same Lord and Savior.

COR AM DEO Living before the face of God

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Consider today the importance of true Christian unity, one that is a unity of
Amos 3:3
faith and not only an organizational unity. What type of unity is your particular Ephesians 4:1–6
church concerned to promote? What type of unity is your passion? Take time
THE BIBLE IN A YEAR :
today to pray for your particular church and denomination that they would seek Psalms 68–69
to be one with other Christians, but not at the expense of the faith once given Romans 4
FOR THE WEEKEND :
to the saints. Do what you can to promote such unity with other believers. Psalms 70–72
Romans 5
24 TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008

22-61.indd 24 4/17/08 3:30:11 PM

 F O R T H E W E E K E N D o f A U G U S T 2 – 3

United in Truth and Love

B Y R O B E R T R O T H W E L L

Summers are traditionally a time for vacation, and that was

certainly true of my youth. Besides journeys to visit grand-
parents and time spent on the beach, however, summers dur-
ing my high school years usually involved one kind of church

retreat or another. These were represented — all invaluable truths if

not your ordinary, garden-variety
retreats made up solely of people who
were members of my local congrega-
tion. No, these retreats were a broad-
er affair, involving people from all
sorts of denominations in my home-
town of Miami, Florida. Baptists,
Pent e co s t a l s , P r e s by t er i a n s ,
Lutherans, Methodists, non-denom-
inational evangelicals, and even
Roman Catholics were all repre-
sented on these spiritual getaways,
making them ecumenical in a very
strong sense.
I do look back on these retreats
with a certain fondness, for I believe
God did use them to instruct me
about important topics like service
and repentance. The need for person-
al faith in Christ was always stressed
as well, along with a call for us to be
actively involved in the churches we
ever there were any.
Yet hindsight is often twenty-
twenty, and I would not encourage
anyone to attend them today, despite
the good these retreats did for me.
In order for these gatherings to take
place and welcome Roman Catholics
along with Protestants, there had to
be a white-washing of the important
differences that separate these bod-
ies. Certainly, the church of Rome
and the heirs of the Reformation hold
many beliefs in common, but essen-
tial components of the biblical Gospel
separate us. Until Rome abandons
its understanding of justification,
the role Mary supposedly plays in
redemption, and other such distinc-
tives, a committed, Bible-believing
Christian cannot in good conscience
affirm the Roman system as a valid
pathway to Christ. To participate in a

TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008 25

22-61.indd 25 4/17/08 3:30:41 PM

 spiritual retreat like this would be, in
effect, to affirm the fallacies of Rome.
That being said, I hope that my
commitment to the visible unity of
the church is as strong as my convic-
tion of the truths of the Gospel. After
all, we often think that we can have
one without the other. Of course, the
invisible unity all Christians share is
important, but we too often act as if
Jesus is really not all that interested
in visible unity. But how will the
world know we are Christians by
our love (John 13:35) when we are
lobbing insults at each other because
we do not like anyone to disagree
with us over baptism, the Sabbath,
eschatology, and so on? Believe me,
the pagan does not see us as one in
the Spirit when we all confess the
Nicene Creed and then tear down
each other over the timing of the rap-
ture. The unbeliever also has diffi-
culty understanding how Christians
can possibly love one another when
we are dispersed across many
different denominations.
So even though I would steer
clear of the retreats from my past
today, I still want to be someone
who, without sacrificing truth,
embraces the spirit of love and
unity these retreats tried to pro-
mote, albeit at the expense of vital
doctrines. To that end I have made
several commitments:
First, I will strive not to disrupt
the unity of the individual church of
which I am a member. This means
that I will endeavor never to grumble
to my leaders nor join with other
members who might disparage them
behind their backs (Heb. 13:17). I will
submit to the elders in every decision
until the day they deny the Gospel
itself, which, Lord willing, shall
26 TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008
22-61.indd 26
never happen. In other words, I will
not make my opinions the standard
by which I evaluate my church.
Second, I will maintain contact
with my Christian friends who
do not attend my church. Since I
am a member of an independent,
Reformed congregation, this neces-
sarily means that the friendships I
have with Christians outside of my
local church body are friendships
with those in different denomina-
tions. May I never be unconcerned
with how God is moving in other
parts of the body of Christ.
Third, I will seek to understand the
nonessential doctrines found in other
traditions in order that I might respect
them and not dismiss them outright.
If all believers did this, our thoughts
and discussions would be more civil.
We might even learn from each other
and find a new consensus on issues
that might promote visible unity.
My fourth commitment is to
pray for the peace and purity of the
church. My heart is not yet as broken
as it should be over the disunity of the
church, and only the Holy Spirit can
make me long truly and deeply for
Christians to be one again. Without
such longing, I will not be motivated
to work for the unity of the church.
Of course, I share these promises
not merely to tell you about myself, I
share them in the hopes that you will
make them with me. If they can help,
even if in a small way, to help believ-
ers work for a unity based on the
clear truths of the Bible, then I will
consider all this talk of retreats and
commitments a heavenly success.
Robert Rothwell is an associate editor of
Tabletalk magazine.
4/17/08 3:31:01 PM
 Twisting the Truth Monday
A U G U S T

ACTS 20:7–35 “Fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing
the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking
twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them” (vv. 29–30).
4
H istorically speaking, divergent viewpoints have existed within the church
since the days of the apostles. Christians have always had to live in com-
munity with other believers who do not agree with them on every single point,
and they have had to do so in a way that keeps “the unity of the Spirit in the bond
of peace” (Eph. 4:3). As an example of this, Paul in Romans 14 clearly intends to
bring civility to Christians who are arguing over matters of diet and calendar.
No matter the particular issue, all disagreements occur only because one
or more parties in the disagreement are at least partially in error. Both you and
I can be wrong when we differ over something, but we cannot both be totally
right. Not every error is a legitimate cause for division, and differences must be
tolerated whenever they do not undermine Christian faith. Paul in Romans 14
makes this point, telling certain Christians not to judge other Christians who
abstain from meat (mostly Jews still concerned with purity laws) even though
no food is unclean in itself (v. 14). As long as the consciences of “the weak” did
not bind the consciences of “the strong,” their view of food was tolerable.
Other errors deny those very beliefs that set Christians apart from all other
people, that is, they deny those truths without which the Christian faith is
impossible. Denials of the Trinity, the virgin birth, and other such matters are
errors that we refer to as heresies. To preserve the purity of its testimony to the
one, true God, the church has historically stood against heresy, calling councils
and writing creeds to define the boundaries of orthodoxy.
Traditionally, heretics have been unwilling to admit that they do not affirm
Christianity as it has been handed down throughout the ages. This problem was
compounded beginning in the nineteenth century when heretics were increas-
ingly able to stay in their churches without being disciplined for their aberrant
views. Many unbelievers today are leaders in some Protestant denominations,
which have suffered a mass exodus of members. The complicity of many church
bodies in looking the other way when soul-damning lies are taught has forced
many to flee these churches lest they be devoured by the wolves.

Living before the face of God COR AM DEO

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Paul in Romans 14 urged the toleration of those who in error felt it was wrong
Proverbs 16:6
Jeremiah 29:8–9 to eat what they thought was unclean. If this is so, should we not also tolerate
Mark 13:22–23 those who disagree with us over issues such as the method of baptism or the
1 John 4:1
millennial reign of Christ, especially when it is impossible to determine with
THE BIBLE IN A YEAR : absolute certainty which views are less faithful to Scripture than others? Are
Psalms 73–74 nonessential truths something over which you break fellowship?
Romans 6

TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008 27

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 Tuesday
A U G U S T
Doctrine Divides

5 JEREMIAH 6:1–15 “They have healed the wound of my people

lightly, saying,‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace” (v. 14).

T hroughout history men have appeared who would become famous for seek-
ing peace at any price. Perhaps the greatest twentieth-century example of
such a figure is the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain who in 1938
proclaimed that he had achieved “peace in our time” with Adolf Hitler even as
he was preparing to unleash his blitzkrieg on Europe. Chamberlain’s aversion
to hostility was so great that Hitler played him for a fool.
Conflict is something that most people, when given the opportunity, try to
avoid. Peace is so desirable that significant differences between individuals and
groups are often ignored, and unity is sought under the lowest common denom-
inator. When peace is sought under these auspices, it can be easy to ignore
the importance of truth altogether. The modern heirs of nineteenth-century
Christian liberalism reveal such tendencies. In the drive to live peaceably with
other professing believers and even other non-Christian religions, liberalism
has tended to redefine Christianity as “the universal fatherhood of God and the
universal brotherhood of man,” or some other innocuous definition. Ironically,
liberals tend to tolerate any kind of belief system unless it happens to represent
orthodox, biblical faith.
We cannot, however, judge mainline Protestantism without recognizing that
these problems are increasingly evident within evangelicalism. Even though
many different denominations were born out of the Protestant Reformation,
evangelicals have traditionally confessed the inerrancy of Scripture and the
doctrine of justification by faith alone whether they were Lutherans, Baptists,
Anglicans, Presbyterians, and so on. Today, unfortunately, the desire for unity
means that such essential doctrines are often diminished so that Protestants,
Roman Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox can all get along. Professing evangeli-
cals no longer necessarily believe that justification by faith alone is an essential
doctrine — even though without it there is no Gospel (Gal. 1:6–9; 2:15–16).
If Christian unity is to mean anything, it must be a unity of faith grounded in
the truth. To sacrifice conviction for “peace” is to have no conviction at all.

COR AM DEO Living before the face of God

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Christians have often divided over matters not essential to Christian orthodoxy
Job 34:12
and lobbed charges of heresy at one another. Such actions have created a Jeremiah 5:1–3
distaste for theology in the minds of many people, and there is now a tendency Romans 14
to downplay any essential differences within the visible church because of all 2 Timothy 2:8

the vitriol shown over the less important points of doctrine. Let us be passion- THE BIBLE IN A YEAR :
ate for the truth, but let us not divide unless Christian orthodoxy is at stake. Psalms 75–76
Romans 7

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 The Church Is Holy Wednesday
A U G U S T

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

6
EPHESIANS 1:1
To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful
in Christ Jesus” (v. 1).

T he biblical doctrine of the church can be found summarized in the Nicene

Creed, which confesses belief in “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.”
Our focus thus far in our study of the church has been on its oneness — its unity
— and we have seen that the church cannot be truly one unless it is united in the
truth. Though it is regrettable that the church as a visible body is currently far
from unified, we do recognize that Christians share a profound, invisible unity
in Christ when they hold to the faith once delivered to the saints (John 17; Gal.
3:28). All who believe the Gospel are one in Christ Jesus the Lord.
Holiness is the second attribute of the church defined in the Nicene Creed.
Of course, we must honestly admit that the church at various times in history
has appeared far from holy. Too often we hear stories of church members act-
ing no differently than the world around them, even indulging in the vilest of
behaviors. To be sure, not every church member is actually a believer, and pro-
fessed Christians who sin boldly without repentance are not Christians at all
(James 2:26). Nevertheless, regenerate people sometimes commit heinous sins
(Mark 14:66–72); thus, it is difficult to think of the corporate body as holy.
Looking at the Greek word that we translate into the English as “church”
will help us understand what the holiness of the church really means. This
term, ekklesia, literally means “the called out ones.” The church’s holiness lies
in its being separated from the world, called by God to be a unique people whose
vocation is to serve Him (1 Peter 2:9–10). Our Creator has made the church
uncommon, a body set apart to live differently than the world.
That Christians often fail in this vocation does not make their calling any
less real. Positionally speaking, in Christ the church is always set apart as holy
(1 Cor. 1:2). But the reality of this holiness in practice is something after which
the church is always striving. God has declared us holy in His Son (we are
“saints,” Eph. 1:1), and now, by the power of His Spirit, He is making us holy so
that one day we might be without spot or wrinkle (5:25–27). Those called by the
Spirit pursue sanctity, endeavoring to live up to the high calling of holiness.

Living before the face of God COR AM DEO

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
The holiness of the church universal should make us take our membership in
Leviticus 19:2
Psalm 4:3 local congregations seriously. Were we to be convinced of the church’s holiness,
2 Corinthians 7:1 we would not casually drift from one denomination to another. We would
Hebrews 12:14
understand that to leave a church for reasons other than doctrine, distance,
THE BIBLE IN A YEAR : or to accept a call to service manifests a questioning of that church’s holiness,
Psalms 77–79 which is something we must not do lightly if God has said His church is holy.
Romans 8

TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008 29

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 R E C O M M E N D E D R E S O U R C E S

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 The New Atheism

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22-61.indd 31 4/17/08 3:33:46 PM

 Thursday
A U G U S T
The Church Universal

7 HEBREWS 12:18–24 “You have come to…the city of the living

God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal
gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn” (vv. 22–23).

M any Protestants wonder why they profess belief in the “holy catholic
church” when they recite the Nicene Creed. Is this a confession of alle-
giance to the pope? If a church is not in communion with the Roman Catholic
Church, why would it affirm this part of the creed?
The answer, of course, is that the “holy catholic church” and the “Roman
Catholic Church” are not identical. The term catholic simply means “universal,”
and in the creeds of the church it refers to the reality that the one church of
Jesus Christ is not limited to any particular geographical region, ethnicity, eco-
nomic class, age group, historical era, or sex. When we say that we believe in the
“catholic church,” we are simply affirming that the church is made up of people
from all kinds of backgrounds. Anyone who turns from sin and trusts Jesus
alone for salvation is a part of the church universal (Gal. 3:28).
Practically speaking, this means that English-speaking Christians can find
brothers and sisters in Chinese house churches. Indians, Arabs, and Europeans
can all worship together freely. Africans who meet for worship in a chapel made
with mud bricks have less in common with countrymen who do not know Christ
than they do with Brazilians who praise God thousands of miles away. Even
when verbal communication is impossible, two believers have intimate fellow-
ship with one another because both are united to Jesus, who enables them to be
in union with every other believer on earth and in heaven.
Today’s passage is a good picture of catholicity as it applies to Christians
from all times and places. When we come into worship we enter into the heav-
enly sanctuary and join with “the spirits of the righteous made perfect” (Heb.
12:22–24). Though this reality is not apparent to our eyes, our worship includes
not only the members of our individual church but Moses, Esther, Augustine,
Calvin, and every other believer from history are worshiping as well.
Most importantly, when the body of Christ gathers for worship, Jesus is pres-
ent in ways He is not present at other times. This is hard to understand, but it is
true and should make us all the more eager never to miss corporate worship.

COR AM DEO Living before the face of God

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
As important as it might be, the commitment we have to our country is super-
Genesis 12:1–3
seded by our commitment to the church of Jesus Christ. Because the church is Isaiah 56:1–8
to embrace people from across the globe, it is incumbent upon us to support Matthew 28:18–20
churches in other parts of the world, even if they are located in countries that Revelation 7:9–12

are hostile to our own. Pray today for the church around the world and remem- THE BIBLE IN A YEAR :
ber that the catholicity of the church enriches our study and worship. Psalms 80–84
Romans 9:1–10:4

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 Founded on the Apostles Friday
A U G U S T

“You are…members of the household of God,

EPHESIANS 2:18–22
built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus
himself being the cornerstone” (vv. 19–20). 8
A postolicity, the fourth aspect of the church confessed in the Nicene Creed,
is the subject of our study today. We affirm apostolicity when we say that
we believe in the “apostolic church,” declaring that the church is founded on
the apostles, a concept taught in Ephesians 2:18–22 and other passages.
To say that the church’s foundation includes the apostles is not in any way
to denigrate Jesus as the cornerstone upon which the church rests (v. 20).
Actually, to affirm the apostolic nature of the church is to affirm strongly the
headship of Christ over His church. The function of the apostle helps us under-
stand how this can be the case. Apostolos is the Greek term for “apostle” and in
the first-century Roman world was used of those delegated to speak for a person
of authority. The caesar and other ruling officials could send apostles to speak
for them in other places, and when these apostles spoke, their words carried the
authority of the official who sent them. To reject these apostles was to reject the
authority of the one who commissioned them for service; therefore, to deny the
apostles of Jesus is to deny the authority of Jesus Himself.
Paul mentions the prophets as part of the foundation of the covenant commu-
nity (v. 20), a clear reference to Isaiah, Daniel, Amos and all the other well-known
men who spoke for God under the old covenant, and whose words were recorded
in the books that bear their names. But this grouping of prophets also includes
all the authors of the Old Testament, such as Moses, David, and the other
unnamed writers of books like Judges and Chronicles. All of these individuals are
also prophets because they give us the Almighty’s very Word (2 Peter 1:16–20).
If the prophetic foundation of the church is to be equated with their writ-
ings, so too is the apostolic foundation of the church found in the apostolic
writings. The Gospels, Acts, Epistles, and Revelation carry equally the author-
ity of Christ, for they were written by those our Lord called to speak for Him
(Luke 10:1–16; John 14:26). It is a great error to elevate the words of Jesus in the
Gospels above other parts of Scripture, for the words of Scripture, no matter
where they are located, are breathed-out by God Himself (2 Tim. 3:16–17).

Living before the face of God COR AM DEO

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Liberals tend to elevate the words of Jesus (except for the ones about hell),
Deut. 4:1–2
2 Thess. 2:15 over the rest of Scripture. Evangelicals may not do this knowingly, but there is
still a tendency to think the words of Jesus (in red letters) are somehow more
THE BIBLE IN A YEAR :
Psalms 85–87 binding than the rest of the canon. But God’s words are found in the letters
Romans 10:5–21 of Paul, the law of Moses, and every other part of the Bible. Take care not to
FOR THE WEEKEND :
Psalms 88–93 elevate one portion of Scripture over another.
Romans 11
TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008 33

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 F O R T H E W E E K E N D o f A U G U S T 9 – 1 0

For the Record

B Y J O E L R . B E E K E

People in the news are often asked to give their views

on hot issues of the day. Matthew 19 presents such a sce-
nario: Christ is at the height of His public ministry, when
“great multitudes followed him” (v. 2 kjv) and pressed

for His views. Christ speaks “for the
record” on several issues that have
surfaced many times in Christian
history and on which Christians
have often disagreed.
Christ is traveling “the coasts of
Judaea” (19:1) where another band
of Pharisees decides to put Him to
the test, asking Him to weigh in on
the controversial practice of men
divorcing (“putting away”) their
wives “for every cause.” In an age of
no-fault divorce, we can guess what
the Pharisees had in mind (v. 3).
Christ insists that the marriage
bond is intended by God to be
monogamous and permanent. “What
therefore God hath joined together,
let not man put asunder” (v. 6), He
says firmly.
The Pharisees respond with
an objection they are sure can-
not be overruled: “Why did Moses
then command to give a writing of
divorcement, and to put her away?”
(v. 7). Christ answers that Moses
never commanded anyone to put
away his wife, he only “suffered”
this practice. Backing the letter of
Moses’ law, Christ insists that the
only just cause for divorce is fornica-
tion or “uncleanness” (Deut. 24:1),
that is, some form of sexual sin.
Christ’s view of marriage and
divorce shocks even the disciples.
They respond, “If the case of a man
be so with his wife, it is good not
to marry” (Matt. 19:10). They were
probably thinking Jesus’ restrictions
on divorce would limit too severely a
man’s freedom in marriage.
Instead of refuting their words,
Christ invites the disciples to con-
sider the possibility of remaining
unmarried so they can devote them-
selves to the service of God more

34 TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008

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 completely. He cites the example of
eunuchs, some of whom were born
with impaired sexual organs, while
others were subjected to castration.
Others, however, “made themselves
eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s
sake” (v. 12).
About the same time, some par-
ents come to the Lord Jesus, asking
Him to bless their little children with
the laying on of hands and prayer.
The disciples discourage these par-
ents in the strongest terms; clearly,
they regard the parents’ proposal
as sentimental folly and a waste of
Jesus’ valuable time. The Gospel is
for grown-ups, not for children car-
ried in their parents’ arms.
Christ quickly sets the record
straight. These parents are doing
what every believing parent ought
to do: take their children to Jesus.
Children have a place in the kingdom
of heaven. Christ’s words and deeds
are a fulfi llment of Isaiah 40:11:
“He shall gather the lambs with
his arm.” The children of believers
need Christ’s blessing upon being
nurtured within the fellowship of
Christ’s church as the community of
the new covenant.
On another occasion, an appar-
ently earnest young man comes to
Christ to pose a question: “Good
Master, what good thing shall I do,
that I may have eternal life?” (Matt.
19:16). As pious as the question
sounds, it betrays an entirely errone-
ous understanding of Christ and His
Gospel. Eternal life is offered not to
those who do good things, but to sin-
ners who believe on His name.
Christ challenges this young man
on two points: his view of Christ, and
whether good works can be done to
merit eternal life. On the first, Christ
22-61.indd 35
asks, “Why callest thou me good?
There is none good but one, that is,
God” (v. 17). The young man is left to
draw his own conclusion about the
true identity of Christ.
On the second, Christ initially
seems to agree with salvation by
good works. But then He reminds
the young man that the standard
of the Law is perfection: “If thou
wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou
hast, and give to the poor” (v. 21). In
doing so, Christ puts His finger on
the secret sin of this young man: his
attachment to his great possessions.
Not even the hope of eternal life is
enough to break that attachment.
Christ is not insisting that all
Christians take a vow of poverty.
His directives to the young man are
related to the question he posed.
Even so, the desire for riches is a trap
into which many fall (1 Tim. 6:9–10)
— not just the wealthy.
Again, the disciples are “exceed-
ingly amazed” to hear that wealth
can be such an obstacle to faith and
salvation. But Christ offers them a
most consoling word: “With God all
things are possible” (Matt. 19:26).
Chapter 19 concludes with Christ
warning His disciples to expect
more surprises in the future. God’s
ways are not our ways, as Isaiah
55:8 says. As followers of Christ
and citizens of a heavenly kingdom,
let us measure things according to
new standards, denying ourselves
for Christ’s sake and letting God
be God.
Dr. Joel R. Beeke is pastor of Heritage Netherlands
Reformed Congregation and president and professor of
systematic theology and homiletics at Puritan Reformed
Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008 35
4/17/08 3:36:09 PM
 Monday
A U G U S T
Servants of the Lord
PHILIPPIANS 1:1 “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the
11 overseers and deacons” (v. 1).

T here is much similarity between the English term for the assembly of God’s
people and the terms for the same concept in other languages. Church in
English, kirke in Dutch, and kirche in German all sound alike and are even, in
some ways, spelled alike with the hard k or ch sound at the beginning and the
r in the middle. The reason for this is that all of these words find their origin in
kuriake, which is itself Greek in origin.
Literally, kuriake means “belonging to the Lord” and is a derivation of the
Greek word for “Lord,” kurios. It makes perfect sense that English would look to
kuriake as the root for the word church because, after all, what is the church if it
is not that group of people who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ?
Kurios in the Greek language can also refer to the master of slaves or ser-
vants. This explains Paul’s emphasis in today’s passage and elsewhere that he
is a “servant” of the Lord. If Christians, the kuriake, belong to a master, then
we are the servants or slaves of that master. To be known as servants or slaves
of Christ is not to imply that our master is cruel; by no means could Jesus ever
mistreat us. Instead, we are the Lord’s possession because He has purchased
us from slavery to sin and death and thus also from the righteous wrath of God
(1 Cor. 7:23). As such, He is worthy of our total allegiance.
Understanding that all followers of Christ are possessions of the Lord has
important implications for how we treat other Christians. To do wrong to
another believer is to do wrong to one of Jesus’ own beloved. Lest we miss the
point, to mistreat another Christian is to mistreat Christ Himself. All believers
are so closely united to Jesus that to treat people in the church poorly is to dis-
honor the Lord of the church (Acts 9:4).
Therefore, we should be known as those who are kind to others in the body
of Christ. We must exercise that love that overlooks a multitude of “minor”
sins (1 Peter 4:8). As servants together in the kingdom of God we must be ever
conscious that He takes our treatment of His people seriously; thus, we must do
good to them just as we would do good to Him.

COR AM DEO Living before the face of God

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
That we are all servants of the same Lord and master forbids us from ever
Exodus 21:1–6
thinking that certain people or deeds are beneath us. It also means that Jeremiah 50:33–34
whatever we do, we must do it unto the Lord with our very best. Consider today Mark 10:35–45
what it means to serve the Lord in your life. Have you ceased to see your job as 1 Timothy 2:5–6

a vocation given to you by God? Do you esteem yourself above others? Strive THE BIBLE IN A YEAR :
always to serve the Lord in humility and with a true love for other believers. Psalms 94–95
Romans 12

36 TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008

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 The Marks of the Church Tuesday
A U G U S T

12
1 CORINTHIANS 11:17–34 “In the same way also he took the cup, after
supper, saying,‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this,
as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me’” (v. 25).

T oday we conclude our study on the church by noting that there are many
different bodies that call themselves churches, whether or not they are
true manifestations of the church of Jesus Christ. How then can we tell when a
church in name is also a church in reality?
Faced with this same problem, the Reformers and Roman Catholics
answered this question very differently. Rome has said that the bishop is the
mark of the church, that is, the true church is present when you have a duly
consecrated bishop who is part of a line of succession going back to the apostles.
Ultimately, a bishop is a true bishop only if he submits to the pope; thus, in
Roman Catholicism only Roman Catholic parishes constitute the true church.
Protestants recognize the biblical failings of this view and, in studying
Scripture, traditionally define a true church according to two criteria:
1. The Word — there is no true church without the right proclamation of the
Word of God. In other words, a group that denies any of the essential truths
of the Christian faith is not a church. The essential truths of Christianity are
clearly taught in Scripture, and the Nicene Creed is one document that help-
fully summarizes them. A truth like justification by faith alone is included in
this list even though it is not specifically mentioned in the creed, because Paul
lists it as a defining mark of the Gospel (Gal. 1:6–9; 2:15–16), and it is a necessary
deduction from the creed’s emphasis on salvation through Christ alone.
2. The Sacraments — a true church rightly celebrates the Lord’s Supper and
baptism. That is, the sacraments must be conducted in line with Scripture’s
clear teaching, and we must allow for latitude where such things are not so
plain. For example, the biblical instruction on the mode of baptism is not as
clear as we might like; thus, we cannot anathematize those who disagree with
us in this specific area. Celebrating the sacraments correctly also involves
keeping unrepentant sinners from partaking in these means of grace (church
discipline). Though inseparably linked to the sacraments, sometimes we make
special mention of church discipline as the third mark of the church (1 Cor. 5).

Living before the face of God COR AM DEO

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
First Corinthians 11:17–34 gives us the marks of the church specifically and
Exodus 12:43–51
Micah 2:5–7 through good and necessary deduction. The whole passage concerns the
Acts 2:42 Lord’s Supper, a reference to the sacraments. Paul also gives the words of
1 Timothy 1:18–20
institution, a reference to the Word of God since these words were first
THE BIBLE IN A YEAR : spoken by Jesus. How highly do you value these means of grace and marks
Psalms 96–98 of the church? They are necessary for your spiritual growth and maturity.
Romans 13

TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008 37

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 Wednesday
A U G U S T
Hard Hearts and Divorce

13 MATTHEW 19:1–8 “He said to them,‘Because of your hardness

of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the
beginning it was not so’” (v. 8).

T hough He has made a few excursions into Gentile areas (Matt. 8:28–34;
15:21–39), Jesus’ roughly three years of public ministry have thus far been
confined mostly to the region of Galilee (4:12–25; 9:1–7; 10:5–42; 17:24–27). But
we see now that He has left Galilee for Judea (19:1–2), the place where His time
among His disciples will conclude with His death, resurrection, and ascension.
Upon arriving in Judea, Jesus meets some Pharisees who, as we have
come to expect (12:1–14; 15:1–20), seek to test Him once more. Now the issue
is divorce, and the Pharisees’ question (19:3) is rooted in the controversy over
marriage in their day. First-century Jews interpreted Deuteronomy 24:1–4,
which allows for divorce on the grounds of “indecency,” in two major ways.
Rabbi Hillel and his students understood “indecency” liberally, allowing a
husband to divorce his wife for anything not up to snuff, even the quality of
her cooking. More conservative were Rabbi Shammai and his disciples. They
generally read the divorce-permitting ground of “indecency” as lewd sexual
behavior. Even so, Shammai allowed those who divorced for other reasons to
remarry. For reasons of their own, the Pharisees want to know whose view
Jesus prefers.
However, the starting point for a marriage discussion cannot be the argu-
ment as to what constitutes lawful grounds for divorce. As Christ teaches, we
must look first to God’s original intent for marriage: a lifelong bond between
one man and one woman (Matt. 19:4–6; see Gen. 2:24). The rabbinic debate
was concerned primarily with how one may exit the marriage covenant. Both
schools agreed that the old covenant law made a provision for divorce. Yet they
differed as to what the provisions were. Divorce is permitted due to the fall,
something the Father graciously allows in cases when sin has grievously shat-
tered the union of husband and wife (v. 8). God permits divorce in select cir-
cumstances to help us endure some effects of sin and the broken relationships
it produces. Had evil not entered the world, there would be no broken relation-
ships, and hence, no divorce.

COR AM DEO Living before the face of God

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
John Calvin says that God “did not lay down a law about divorces, so as to give
Ezra 9–10
them the seal of his approbation, but as the wickedness of men could not be Proverbs 18:22; 19:14
restrained in any other way, he applied what was the most admissible remedy.” Malachi 2:10–16
Many of God’s laws are concessions to contain the effects of sin, and we should Mark 10:1–9
be grateful that in His grace the Lord seeks to mitigate the damaging power of THE BIBLE IN A YEAR :
evil. May our deeds be pure so that their effects never need to be contained. Psalms 99–101
Romans 14
38 TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008

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 Divorce and Remarriage Thursday
A U G U S T

MATTHEW 19:9 “I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for
sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery” (v. 9). 14
I t would be an understatement to say that sin makes a mess of things. The
earthly consequences of our selfishness can haunt us for the rest of our lives
and bring untold ruin upon our friends and families. Innumerable people have
been destroyed through their own evil choices or the wickedness of others.
Because of the way sin complicates life, we are sometimes forced to make
choices that we would not have to make in a perfect world. The decision to get
a divorce is one such example. Divorce is a sad event, something that may be
necessary when sinners reject God’s command for marriage to be a lifelong
covenant between one man and one woman (Matt. 19:1–8). Our Creator allows
divorce in certain circumstances, because in this fallen world gross sin often
destroys the trust upon which the foundation of marriage is established.
Today’s passage, which allows for divorce and remarriage in the case of
“sexual immorality,” is one case in which God makes a concession to fallen
human beings that acknowledges the difficulty and complexity of life in this
present age. As our study of Matthew 5:32 noted, the Greek word for “sexual
immorality” in 19:9 is porneia, which can include sexual sins in addition to
intercourse between a married person and someone who is not his spouse.
Knowing that porneia has this wider meaning is important because issues of
sexual infidelity can be extremely complex and provide just grounds for divorce
even if no extramarital affair has occurred. However, we must see that Jesus is
not allowing divorce for just any occasion of sexual sin, regardless of its severity.
His exception clause is more restrictive than the marriage legislation of His
day. He recognizes how hard it is to live in this fallen world and gives those who
have been heinously offended an out, but He also draws boundaries between
what allows people to separate lawfully and what does not.
Jesus does not mandate divorce in these situations. Acts of porneia grossly
betray the one-flesh covenant (see Jer. 3:1) and permit the offended spouse to
divorce and remarry, but reconciliation is better still. More often than not, the
wisest action is to save the marriage, if the offended party is willing.

Living before the face of God COR AM DEO

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Our emotions can get in the way of biblical decision-making. We therefore
Exodus 20:14
Hosea 2:1–13 need an outside perspective to help us discern how to deal with troubled
1 Cor. 7:10–16 relationships. Pastors and elders, who are called to look out for our spiritual
Colossians 3:5–11
well-being, must deal wisely with troubled couples, taking into account the
THE BIBLE IN A YEAR : situation in order to apply God’s Word correctly. Life-changing decisions
Psalms 102–104 cannot be made independently, they must be made within the church.
Romans 15:1–21

TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008 39

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 Friday
A U G U S T
Eunuchs for the Kingdom

15 MATTHEW 19:10–12 “There are eunuchs who have made themselves

eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is
able to receive this receive it” (v. 12).

C hrist’s appeal to creation and His restrictions on the lawful grounds for
divorce (Matt. 19:1–9) rebuke any desire to find loopholes in the marriage
laws in order to escape unions that sinners find unfulfilling. Marriage is to be
cherished wholeheartedly, not to be dispensed with as we futilely attempt to find
“happiness” outside of God’s gracious law. Husbands and wives are called to obey
the Lord together and work tirelessly to become one flesh physically, emotionally,
and spiritually by guarding and renewing their relationship (Gen. 2:24–25).
As seen in today’s passage, the disciples misunderstand the inherent worthi-
ness of holy matrimony, believing marriage to be appealing only if liberal provi-
sion is made for divorce and remarriage. When they say, “If such is the case…it
is better not to marry” (Matt. 19:10), they really mean, “If these words are true,
Jesus, we are better off unmarried than to find ourselves in a dissatisfying mar-
riage that does not meet your criteria for a just divorce.”
Christ does not deny the truth of this response entirely, confirming that
singleness can be desirable (vv. 11–12). However, He disagrees with His follow-
ers that the potential for imperfect marriages makes singleness a better alterna-
tive. Instead, singleness is preferable only when those who have been given the
gift of celibacy exercise this gift for the kingdom. Marriage, Jesus implies, is the
norm for most of God’s people and is not in itself inferior to lifelong singleness.
Singleness is better than marriage only for those to whom God has given the gift
of celibacy (1 Cor. 7). Thus, as John Calvin wrote, “God gives [the gift of single-
ness and celibacy] to whom he chooses…it is folly in any man to choose to live
unmarried, when he has not received this special gift.”
All marriages in this fallen world have bad days, but we should not discour-
age marriage or seek divorce frivolously. Marriage offers kingdom opportuni-
ties, like the discipleship of children, that are generally unavailable to single
people. At the same time, single people can more easily do kingdom work in for-
eign lands or other tasks that keep them away from home. Neither marriage nor
singleness are inherently superior; both vocations can serve the Lord.

COR AM DEO Living before the face of God

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Single believers like Daniel and Paul as well as married believers such as
Jeremiah 16:1–4
Abraham and Peter have been used mightily of the Lord to advance His 1 Corinthians 9
purposes. Knowing this to be true, our churches should be places where both
THE BIBLE IN A YEAR :
singles and married couples are equally valued and given opportunities to serve Psalms 105–106
in the congregation. If you serve as a leader in your church, do what you can to Romans 15:22–33
FOR THE WEEKEND :
encourage both married couples and singles to take part in ministry. Psalms 107–110
Romans 16–1 Cor. 1
40 TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008

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 R E C O M M E N D E D R E S O U R C E S

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BY JOHN BLANCHARD

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 R E C O M M E N D E D R E S O U R C E S

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 E n h a n c e Yo u r B i b l e S t u d y

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 R E C O M M E N D E D R E S O U R C E S

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 F O R T H E W E E K E N D o f A U G U S T 1 6 – 1 7

The Generous Landowner

B Y J E R R Y B R I D G E S

Chapter divisions in the Bible are usually helpful as they

allow us to find our way around the Scriptures. Occasionally,
however, they can hinder our understanding of a passage if
they cause us to look at it apart from its context. This often is

the case with the parable of the labor-
ers in the vineyard (Matt. 20:1–16).
Because of the chapter division at the
end of Matthew 19, we fail to under-
stand the parable in its context of
Jesus’ teaching in 19:16–30.
Because that section of Matthew
has already been treated in another
article, we will not look at it now,
except to observe that the occasion
of the parable is Peter’s question in
Matthew 19:27: “See, we have left
everything and followed you. What
then will we have?” Like many of us
today, Peter thought he related to
God on the basis of merit, and he was
already adding up his merit points.
The parable is part of Jesus’ reply
to Peter, which begins in chapter 19,
verse 28. The message of the parable
can be summarized in this statement:
The operative principle in the king-
dom of heaven is not merit but grace.
We readily understand this principle
in the context of our salvation. We
know Paul’s words: “For by grace you
have been saved through faith. …not
as a result of works, so that no one
may boast” (Eph. 2:8–9), but many
believers assume that we earn God’s
blessings by our works — apart from
God’s grace.
The parable of the laborers in the
vineyard, however, teaches us that
not only our salvation, but also our
entire Christian lives are to be lived
on the basis of God’s grace. Then the
parable also teaches us about two
amazing qualities of grace: the abun-
dant generosity of His grace, and His
sovereignty in dispensing it.
Consider first the abundant gener-
osity of His grace. The master hired
laborers for his vineyard first at 6 a.m.,
then periodically throughout the day.
Finally, he hired some at 5 p.m. to

TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008 45

22-61.indd 45 4/17/08 3:40:25 PM

 work only one hour. This man, who
obviously represents God, was both
fair and generous. To the first group
of laborers he was fair, as he readily
agreed to pay a denarius, the ordinary
wage for a day’s labor. Then he was
progressively more generous to each
group of laborers hired throughout
the day. The master could have paid
them what they earned, but he chose
to pay them according to their need,
not according to their work. He paid
according to grace, not debt.
The parable focuses particularly
on those workers who were hired at
the eleventh hour. They were treated
extremely generously, each receiving
twelve times what he had earned on an
hourly basis. Why did the landowner
hire these laborers at the eleventh
hour? Was it because an extra push
was needed to complete the work?
More likely, since Jesus was not teach-
ing about Jewish agriculture, but
about the kingdom of heaven, those
eleventh hour workers were hired
because they needed to receive a day’s
wages. Laborers of that day lived a day-
to-day existence. That is why the Law
required land owners to pay hired men
at the end of each day (Deut. 24:15).
This is the way God treats us. Over
and over again, the Bible portrays
God as gracious and generous, bless-
ing us not according to what we have
“earned” but according to our needs
— and often beyond our needs. He has
already blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in Christ Jesus (Eph. 1:3), and
He promises to supply every temporal
need, again in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19).
The truth is, we cannot “earn”
anything from God apart from His
grace. As Jesus said elsewhere, when
we have done all that we are com-
manded, we should say, “We have
46 TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008
22-61.indd 46
only done what was our duty” (Luke
17:10). We have not obligated God
or earned His blessings. Rather, all
blessings come to us “in Christ,” that
is, by His grace.
God, however, is not only gener-
ous with His grace; He is sovereign
in dispensing it. We often speak of
“sovereign grace.” In one sense that
is a redundant expression. Grace, by
definition, must be sovereign. The
master of the vineyard expressed it
this way, “Am I not allowed to do what
I choose with my belongings?”
Many are troubled by the apparent
unfairness of the landowner. After all,
it does seem unfair to pay one-hour
workers the same as was paid to those
who worked a full twelve hours, who
had “borne the burden of the day and
the scorching heat.” But the one-hour
laborers did not think the master was
unfair; rather, they considered him
very generous. If we are troubled by
the apparent unfairness, it is because
we tend to identify with the twelve-
hour workers. And the more commit-
ted we are to serious discipleship, the
more apt we are to fall into the trap of
envying those who enjoy the bless-
ings of God more than we.
The truth is, we are all eleventh-
hour laborers. None of us have even
come close to loving God with all of
our heart, soul, and mind. None of us
have come close to loving our neigh-
bor as ourselves (Matt. 22:37–39). So
let us learn to be thankful for all God
gives to us and not begrudge blessings
He gives to others.
Dr. Jerry Bridges is an author and speaker, as well as
a part-time staff member with The Navigators in
Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is author of the
book Transforming Grace.
4/17/08 3:40:46 PM
 Jesus and the Children Monday
A U G U S T

“Jesus said,‘Let the little children come to me

18
MATTHEW 19:13–15
and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.’
And he laid his hands on them and went away” (vv. 14–15).

C
“ hildren should be seen and not heard” is a popular expression that can
evidence any one of several different attitudes toward youngsters. Some
would repeat this phrase because they believe children are too simple to offer
any meaningful contribution to our society. Others say it because they expect
children to be mini-adults — to stand still and quietly under any and all circum-
stances. Some adults believe that kids should be seen and not heard because, for
whatever reason, they just cannot stand to be around children.
None of these attitudes is appropriate for the Christian. This truth, however,
was not always well-understood among God’s people. In today’s passage, when
several people, presumably parents, try to bring their children to Jesus for a
blessing, the disciples attempt to turn them away (Matt. 19:13). We do not know
why the Twelve forbid the parents from coming forward; they may just feel that
the Master has better things to do than to spend His time with these little ones.
Even though Jewish culture prized children, the disciples’ attitude is not unusual
since young people also had a fairly insignificant role in first-century society. Still,
parents commonly sought out respected rabbis to bless their children, and the
disciples, knowing the custom, should not have been so quick to cast them aside.
Our Savior’s response indicates that children are anything but outsiders to
the kingdom. Once again He uses them as an object lesson, telling His follow-
ers the kingdom of heaven belongs to them (v. 14) and that salvation belongs to
those who become like children. Of course, Christ is not teaching anything sig-
nificant about an “age of accountability”; rather, He means that only those who
possess childlike qualities like absolute dependence and simple trust can turn
from their sin and rest upon Him alone (18:1–6; John 15:5; Gal. 2:15–16).
Jesus’ words also demand that Christians treat children well. If Christ will
not turn them away, how can we? Unfortunately, if we are not careful, we can
steer children away from Jesus either through programs that separate them
from corporate worship and the preached Word of God, or by just assuming our
children are believers and not taking the time to disciple them.

Living before the face of God COR AM DEO

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Dr. R.C. Sproul often notes the difference between childishness and childlike-
Genesis 27
Psalm 127 ness. Believers must be childlike in that they trust and believe God without
Luke 18:15–17 hesitation, just like little kids trust their parents. However, Christians cannot
1 Peter 2:1–3
be childish, never having anything more than an elementary knowledge of the
THE BIBLE IN A YEAR : faith. Young and old alike must be growing in their knowledge of God, trust-
Psalms 111–112 ing Him like a child while maturing in their doctrinal comprehension.
1 Corinthians 2

TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008 47

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 Tuesday
A U G U S T
A Man Who Loved Riches

19 MATTHEW 19:16–22 “Jesus said to him,‘If you would be perfect,

go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven; and come, follow me’” (v. 21).

M atthew 19:16–22 describes Jesus’ meeting with the man we call “the rich
young ruler” (Luke 18:18 says he was a “ruler,” probably a synagogue offi-
cial). This story is well-known, but it has not always been applied correctly.
Before encountering Christ, the man has evidently done some soul-search-
ing, since he wants to know what will give him eternal life (Matt. 19:16). Later
on, the rich young ruler admits to following the commandments (v. 20), and so
his question reveals that he is looking for assurance beyond God’s revealed will.
Our Lord knows the man is looking for more, but He starts with the law of God,
for the Law is where salvation begins. Jesus reminds the man that His Father
defines goodness and that obeying Him is the way to eternal life (vv. 17–19).
Jesus is not teaching that we are able to obey God perfectly and merit
redemption. John Calvin writes that “the keeping of the law is righteousness, by
which any man who kept the law perfectly — if there were such a man — would
obtain life for himself. But as we are all destitute of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23),
nothing but cursing will be found in the law; and nothing remains for us but to
betake ourselves to the undeserved gift of righteousness.” Only in trying to keep
the Law will we see our failure and need of Christ, who flawlessly kept God’s
law in our place (Rom. 5:20–21; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 5:2–5).
The man cannot verbalize this truth, but he knows of his failure to obey the
Almighty’s rule. After all, he asks Jesus what more is required of him (Matt.
19:20). Of course, Jesus’ reply agrees with what Paul explains, namely, that fol-
lowing Christ is the only way to be saved (Rom. 10:13–14). For the ruler, follow-
ing Jesus requires him to give away all his belongings (Matt. 19:21).
Wealth does not interfere with everyone’s discipleship (Gen. 13:2; Luke
8:1–3), and not everyone needs to sell all his possessions. Nor are the poor inevi-
tably “better Christians” than the wealthy. Yet riches stood between this man
and Christ; thus, he had to surrender his money. Likewise, we all must abandon
idols (14:25–33; 1 John 5:21). Will we cling to that which keeps us from full com-
mitment to Jesus, or will we surrender all that we have to the Lord?

COR AM DEO Living before the face of God

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Even though not every Christian is called to sell all his possessions, one
Psalm 49
commentator has helpfully noted that those who find comfort that this call is Proverbs 3:9–10
not universal are precisely those to whom Jesus would issue it! As citizens of Ecclesiastes 5:10
the wealthiest culture to ever appear on the planet, we Westerners must be Hebrews 11:24–26

perpetually careful that our standard of living is not our idol. What comforts THE BIBLE IN A YEAR :
would Jesus have you surrender for the sake of His kingdom? Psalms 113–115
1 Corinthians 3

48 TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008

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 The Trouble with Riches Wednesday
A U G U S T

MATTHEW 19:23–24 “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to

go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the
kingdom of God” (v. 24).
20
S eeing the difficulty with which the rich young ruler faced the choice Jesus
gave him, our Lord’s observation that it is very difficult for rich people to
enter God’s kingdom (Matt. 19:23) comes as no surprise. Christ underscores just
how hard it is for the wealthy to be saved with a proverb that says it is easier for a
camel to pass through a needle’s eye than it is for the rich to find salvation (v. 24).
Our Savior’s proverb is similar to other Near Eastern sayings that vividly
depict a near-impossible task. Other writings refer to “elephants,” but Jesus
speaks of a “camel,” which, as the largest animal used in His culture, is natu-
rally chosen for the illustration. Christ is also talking about the eye of a sewing
needle, the tiniest opening known in ancient Palestine, and not, as some assert,
a small gate through which a camel can indeed pass, albeit with great difficulty.
Jesus often uses hyperbole (see also 23:24), and only a reference to a large ani-
mal having to pass through a sewing needle conveys the impossibility of salva-
tion without God’s grace, which is one lesson of this proverb (19:25–26).
Note that our Redeemer is not condemning wealth in itself, nor is it inher-
ently sinful to be wealthy. Rich people like Joseph of Arimathea (27:57–61)
have always been among the godly faithful. Scripture does not demonize rich
people, nor does it endorse a class warfare that suggests poor people are always
exploited by the rich or work harder than those with means. Money itself is
indifferent; it can serve the kingdom or Satan. The problem is not wealth itself,
but rather the love of money (Luke 12:13–21; 1 Tim. 6:6–10). John Calvin writes,
“Riches do not, in their own nature, hinder us from following God; but, in con-
sequence of the depravity of the human mind, it is scarcely possible for those
who have so great abundance to avoid being intoxicated by them.”
Rich people at times can be tempted to seek security in their wealth, and
poor people, because they have nothing else to trust in, may be more receptive
to the Gospel than the wealthy. Materialism is therefore a danger of which we
must be constantly aware, for if we love money, we will trust in money and not
recognize the spiritual poverty we all have before the Father.

Living before the face of God COR AM DEO

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
John Calvin writes that Jesus’ proverb “is highly useful to all; to the rich, that,
1 Kings 3:1–15
Psalm 52 being warned of their danger, they may be on their guard; to the poor, that,
Proverbs 11:4 satisfied with their lot, they may not so eagerly desire what would bring more
1 Timothy 6:17–19
damage than gain.” Even if we do not hold vast riches, our culture tempts us
THE BIBLE IN A YEAR : to believe that the pursuit of wealth (otherwise known as “upward mobility”)
Psalms 116–119:48 is the be-all and end-all of life. May we never believe this soul-damning lie.
1 Corinthians 4

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 Thursday
A U G U S T
God’s Omnipotent Grace

21 MATTHEW 19:25–26 “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man

this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’” (v. 26).

B ecause in the Old Testament many of the old covenant saints are depicted
as wealthy (Gen. 13:2; Job 42:10–17), and since it often links prosperity with
God-pleasing behavior (Ps. 1; Prov. 22:4), first-century Jews commonly believed
that riches were a sign of righteousness. To have wealth, they thought, is to be
favored by God, signifying that a person has a share in the kingdom of heaven.
To be sure, personal righteousness and wealth are sometimes directly
linked. In a capitalistic society, honest businessmen often prosper because their
trustworthiness encourages many others to do business with them. Knowing
this to be generally true, the biblical wisdom literature links wealth and holi-
ness. But Scripture does not say rich people are always righteous (James 5:1–6),
and we can by no means link goodness with wealth in every case.
Yet our Savior’s disciples have bought into the assumption that the wealthy
deserve the kingdom. This is seen in their response to Jesus’ teaching on the
stumbling block of riches in salvation (Matt. 19:23–24). In today’s passage, the
disciples are astonished at Christ’s words, wondering aloud how anyone can be
saved (v. 25). In essence they are saying this: “But Jesus, if rich people cannot
find the salvation they obviously deserve, what possible hope is there for the
rest of us, who show that we are undeserving by our lack of money?”
Though He could do so, Christ does not question His followers’ unsubstanti-
ated link between riches and salvation. Instead, He uses the opportunity to teach
them about His Father’s grace. Some wealthy people never find salvation because,
no matter how hard they try, they cannot stop worshiping their bank accounts.
But though this is impossible with men, it is possible with God (v. 26). Some rich
people like Abraham and David enter the kingdom, but only because the Lord,
who can do all things, has intervened on their behalf, as He does for all the elect.
Matthew 19:26 deals mainly with the ability of God’s grace to rescue those in
bondage to their wealth. In the light of the entire canon of Scripture, however,
we realize that were it not for this sovereign grace, no person would be saved
from the sin that has enslaved his soul (Eph. 2:8–10).

COR AM DEO Living before the face of God

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
James Boice writes: “The only way anyone will ever be saved is if God operates
Exodus 33:19
entirely apart from us and for his own good pleasure” (The Gospel According Jeremiah 31
to Matthew, vol. 2, p. 410). We are tempted to look at our own efforts for our Romans 3:21–31
salvation and to believe that all “good people” will be saved, no matter their 2 Thess. 2:16–17

religious affiliation. It is therefore vital to constantly remind ourselves that none THE BIBLE IN A YEAR :
of us would love and serve God apart from His grace. Psalm 119:49–104
1 Corinthians 5

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 Rewards for Discipleship Friday
A U G U S T

MATTHEW 19:27–30 “Everyone who has left house or brothers or

sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake,
will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life” (v. 29).
22
O ften we think we should only follow Jesus because of His inherent worth
and that to seek a reward from Him is entirely wrong. Christ’s inherent
goodness and beauty is, of course, enough to motivate discipleship; however, it
is not altogether improper to look for other blessings as well. In fact, Hebrews
11:6 says God is pleased when we believe “he rewards those who seek him.”
Today’s passage reinforces this understanding of serving Jesus in hopes of
a reward. Jesus’ earlier promise of treasure in heaven to the rich young ruler
(Matt. 19:21) probably moves Peter to ask what the disciples will gain from fol-
lowing Christ. The disciple is not rebuked for his question; on the contrary, Jesus
says His followers will receive “a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life” (vv.
27–30), implicitly affirming that Peter’s question is not wholly wrongheaded.
According to Mark’s account, the hundredfold reward Jesus promises is not
limited to the future; it is also experienced in the present (10:29–31). We will
enjoy our blessings fully only in the new heavens and earth, but we err if we
expect them in the age to come alone. Still, benefits today will not be without
hardship; Mark’s record says that good things come with persecutions (v. 30).
This cautions us against thinking believers will be the most wealthy and suc-
cessful of all peoples, according to earthly standards. Yet Christians are better
off than unbelievers even when our standard of living seems comparatively less
than theirs. John Calvin writes that “God gladdens his people, so that the small
portion of good which they enjoy is more highly valued by them, and far sweeter,
than if out of Christ they had enjoyed an unlimited abundance of good things.”
Therefore Jesus also says that in the age to come, many who are first will be
last and vice versa (Matt. 19:30). The exact sense of the proverb in this context is
a bit unclear, but James M. Boice helpfully interprets it to mean that “those who
have the most here will not necessarily have the most in heaven” (The Gospel
According to Matthew, vol. 2, p. 411). All who for the Savior’s sake reject power,
position, and possessions now, though they suffer much, will find in eternity
that their sacrifice was worth the temporary shame of being last today.

Living before the face of God COR AM DEO

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Any reward that God gives us is by His grace, for He is the one who prepares
Proverbs 22:4
2 John 8 good works for us and enables us to do them (Eph. 2:8–10). Because it is all
by His grace, we should never arrogantly demand that He bless us, but neither
THE BIBLE IN A YEAR :
Psalm 119:105–176 should we never expect a reward in this life. Take time today to think on the
1 Corinthians 6 blessings of Christian friends, your church family, and other such things in this
FOR THE WEEKEND :
Psalms 120–125 present age. Make sure to thank the Father for all of these rewards.
1 Corinthians 7
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 F O R T H E W E E K E N D o f A U G U S T 2 3 – 2 4

True Greatness
B Y T O M A S C O L

As Jesus approached His final week leading up to His

crucifixion, He spoke plainly to His disciples about
the events that were about to unfold in Jerusalem.
He wanted them to know that the horrific things

that would happen to Him were I wonder if it ever dawned on

fully anticipated. So He spells it out
for them (for the third time), that in
Jerusalem He will be arrested, con-
demned, mocked, flogged, and cruci-
fied before being raised back to life on
the third day (Matt. 20:18–19).
It would be reasonable to expect
that our Savior’s words would stir
within His disciples deep concern or
at least questions about His welfare.
That is hardly, however, the response
that is recorded.
Instead of concern for Jesus,
Matthew tells us that James and
John, together with their mother,
were preoccupied with concern for
their future status. In their presence,
their mother knelt before Jesus and
made this outlandish request: “Say
that these two sons of mine are to sit,
one at your right hand and one at your
left, in your kingdom” (20:21).
James and John — those “sons of
thunder”— how incongruent their
aspirations were with their moth-
er’s intervention. James and John
watched as their mother tried to
coax Jesus into elevating them into
positions of greatness. If you want to
be seen as great, then it is probably
best not to have your mama give your
nomination speech.
Despite the insensitivity that was
displayed by this request at this time,
Jesus does not scold His disciples (or
their mom) for making it. Instead, He
takes the opportunity to underscore
the nature of true greatness, a lesson
He had previously taught in Matthew
18:1–4, and to teach them how to
achieve it.
In the world, greatness is usually
measured in terms of power, pres-
tige, and popularity. The greatest

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 person is the one who has the most
people under his authority. Jesus
contrasts this common understand-
ing of greatness with true greatness.
“You know that the rulers of the
Gentiles lord it over them, and their
great ones exercise authority over
them. It shall not be so among you.
But whoever would be great among
you must be your servant, and who-
ever would be first among you must
be your slave” (20:25–27).
The pathway to true greatness is
humble-minded servanthood. This
lesson is so counterintuitive that it
is not easily learned or remembered.
When we think of great people,
servants and slaves are not the first
images that come to mind. Yet Jesus
says that we will pursue true great-
ness only to the degree that we regard
ourselves in such terms.
He doesn’t condemn the aspira-
tion to be great. He directs it along
the right path. The lesson is very
simple, yet incredibly hard. If you
want to be regarded as great in God’s
kingdom, then make it your agenda to
give yourself in service to others. If
you want to attain the highest rank,
then start thinking of yourself as a
slave to your brothers and sisters in
the Lord.
Greatness in God’s kingdom will
not be achieved by misusing your
authority, nor by being content mere-
ly to care only for your own needs.
Rather, it will be developed by inten-
tionally meeting the needs of other
people. Preparing a meal for a family
with sickness, helping a widow with
household repairs, helping an immi-
grant to learn English — the possibili-
ties are endless. The point is this: If
you want to be great in the kingdom
of God, then you must serve others.
22-61.indd 53
Servant-deeds must be accompa-
nied by a servant-attitude. Actually,
Jesus uses an even stronger word by
saying that whoever desires to be
fi rst in His kingdom must become
a “slave.” How does a slave think of
himself? He certainly does not go
around expecting people to serve
him. On the contrary, he recognizes
that it is his lot to meet the needs
of others.
The attitude of a slave is described
by Jesus in Luke 17:7–10. After per-
forming their service, they do not
expect praise or even expressions of
gratitude in return. They see them-
selves as “unworthy servants” who
have merely done their duty.
You can gauge how far along you
are in developing a servant’s heart
by taking note of how you respond
when someone treats you like a ser-
vant. When feelings of resentment,
bitterness, or anger emerge when
our acts of kindness seem unappreci-
ated that is a good indicator that we
still have a way to go in our pursuit of
true greatness.
Jesus caps off this lesson by
reminding us that, as our Master, He
Himself “came not to be served but
to serve” (Matt. 20:28). And His ser-
vice cost Him His very life in order to
rescue us for God.
No one is greater than Jesus
Christ, and no one has humbly served
others more sacrificially than He. If
you want to be great in His kingdom,
then take up your cross and follow
Him in a life of joyful sacrifice that
blesses and serves other people.
Dr. Tom Ascol is pastor of Grace Baptist Church
in Cape Coral, Florida, and editor of the book
Dear Timothy: Letters on Pastoral Ministry.
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 Monday
A U G U S T
Divine Generosity

25 MATTHEW 20:1–16 “‘Am I not allowed to do what I choose with

what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the
last will be first, and the first last” (vv. 15–16).

A fter promising Peter a great reward for leaving everything behind to follow
Him (Matt. 19:27–30), Jesus tells the parable of the laborers in the vineyard
20:1–16). This lesson reminds Peter that even though kingdom servants will
receive a great prize, all such gain is entirely due to God’s sovereign grace.
Day laborers in the first-century Roman world typically gathered in the mar-
ketplace where they were hired first thing in the morning to assist in the harvest
for the standard wage of one denarius per day. It makes sense for Jesus to draw
upon these facts when He tells the story in today’s passage because parables are
based upon everyday life and the disciples would be familiar with the plight of
the day laborer. That the master hires workers right up to the end of the work-
day, however, is unusual. People typically worked from six a.m. to six p.m. and
the eleventh-hour hire would be made at around five o’clock (vv. 1–5). That no
one else has yet hired these workers implies that they are seen as unprofitable.
Only a gracious and compassionate master would employ them (vv. 6–7).
When the time comes to pay the workers (Lev. 19:13), those who served a
short time receive the same as those who labored for hours (Matt. 20:8–10). This
latter group of workers grumbles that they do not get more (vv. 11–12), but this
is entirely inappropriate. As Matthew Henry comments, “God is a debtor to no
man.” Our Lord has the sovereign right to do as He wills, says John Calvin, and
“men have no right to complain of the bounty of God, when he honors unworthy
persons by large rewards beyond what they deserve.” Though our Father’s favor
may fall disproportionately on those who to us seem to be the least deserving, no
one can accuse Him of giving less than what He has promised (Matt. 20:13–16).
This passage does not exhaust all there is to say about rewards, as we see in
Jesus’ teaching elsewhere (25:14–30). The point here is only that God, by grace
alone, makes all believers citizens of the kingdom regardless of their service
or fervor. None deserve His favor, and we must never think that He owes us a
reward, nor should we be resentful when those who have flouted His will most
visibly and heinously also find blessing “at the last minute” (Luke 15:11–32).

COR AM DEO Living before the face of God

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
All sins make us guilty before the Lord, but some sins are worse than others
Proverbs 14:30
in their impact on people and in the way they violate God’s will. We might Matthew 8:5–13
think it strange that our Father calls the most notoriously wicked people to be Luke 14:12–24
His children, but, as Calvin says, “God is not limited to any person, but calls Romans 8:16–17

freely whomsoever He pleases, and bestows on those who are called whatever THE BIBLE IN A YEAR :
rewards He thinks fit.” Psalms 126–129
1 Corinthians 8

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 Up to Jerusalem Tuesday
A U G U S T

MATTHEW 20:17–19 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son

of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes,
and they will condemn him to death” (v. 18). 26
F ollowing the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, Jesus’ advance toward
the cross progresses in earnest. He is drawing ever closer to Jerusalem
and in today’s passage explicitly predicts His death and resurrection for the
third time. Jesus has succeeded where His people failed, overcoming Satan’s
temptations (Matt. 4:1–11), rightly understanding and teaching God’s law (chap.
5–7), and initiating the restoration of the cosmos (9:18–26; 12:9–14; 17:14–21).
He has fully qualified Himself to be the true Israel and hence, the new Adam,
whose perfect obedience will justify all those in Him (Isa. 53). All that remains
for Christ to accomplish salvation is to endure the punishment David’s line
deserved for leading God’s people astray (2 Sam. 7:1–17) and, in so doing, endure
the curse Adam’s children deserve for violating the Father’s will (Gal. 3:10–14).
Our Savior’s prediction in today’s passage adds several bits of information
to the disciples’ growing knowledge of their Master’s fate (Matt. 20:17–19). For
the first time they hear that the Gentiles will be involved in Jesus’ death, which
adds to the shame of His crucifixion. They hardly could have imagined that
pagans would execute the God-fearing Messiah before Jesus revealed it.
Jesus has to pull His disciples aside (v. 17), probably because they are travel-
ing with great throngs of Galileans on the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem for
the Passover. They are going “up” because Jerusalem is on Mount Zion and the
only way anyone can get there is to ascend the mountain. Jesus’ words, “We
are going up” (v. 18, emphasis added), likely hint that discipleship from here
on out involves suffering. Though they will not yet die, the Twelve, in going to
Jerusalem with the Christ, will take part in His travails, albeit in a lesser way.
Considered in itself, the crucifixion would be bad news indeed. Yet Jesus
also gives the good news of His resurrection (v. 19). This hopeful message is
given, Matthew Henry comments, “to encourage his disciples, and comfort
them, and to direct us, under all the sufferings of this present time to look at the
things that are not seen, that are eternal, which will enable us to call the present
afflictions light, and but for a moment.”

Living before the face of God COR AM DEO

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Following Christ in a world that hates Him is difficult and often earns for us
Psalm 22
Micah 4:6–13 derision and outright persecution from His enemies. This strain can be hard to
Romans 8:18 bear and would be impossible to endure without the comforting promise of
1 Peter 5:10–11
Jesus. Just as His suffering would result finally in His glory, so too do we know
THE BIBLE IN A YEAR : that our travails will one day give way to resurrected life in His presence. Think
Psalms 130–133 on these things when you encounter trouble for serving our Lord and Savior.
1 Corinthians 9

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 Wednesday
A U G U S T
Jockeying for Position

27 MATTHEW 20:20–23 “He said to them,‘You will drink my cup, but

to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it
is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father’” (v. 23).

M atthew’s gospel has thus far revealed the disciples’ failure to comprehend
the full import of Jesus’ passion predictions. Peter protested vigorously
our Savior’s need to die for His people (16:21–23). Soon after hearing of Christ’s
death a second time, the disciples argued about who was the greatest among
them, not who was most eager to suffer with the Messiah (17:22–18:6). By now
the Twelve should know better, but they are dense and display their ignorance
again immediately after Jesus predicts His death for the third time (20:17–19).
This time, James and John, brothers who are uniquely close to Christ (17:1;
26:36–37), are the ones who grossly misunderstand what kingdom greatness
really means. Their presumptuous request to sit on either side of Jesus in His
kingdom — to have preeminent honor (Ps. 110:1) — is in keeping with their
nature as “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17), even though their mother speaks for
them (Matt. 20:20–21). That they miss the point of what it means to be exalted
before God is evident in our Lord’s reply when He tells them they do not know
what they are asking (v. 22). Apparently, though it is futile to do so (10:38–39),
James and John are seeking glory without suffering, a crown without the cross.
John Calvin comments, “None will be a partaker of the life and the kingdom of
Christ who has not previously shared in his sufferings and death.”
James and John affirm their readiness to drink from the cup of Jesus (20:22),
which is rooted in a biblical metaphor for suffering, especially the pain that
comes from disobeying God (Jer. 25:15–29). To drink from Christ’s cup means to
share in His suffering, though not in precisely the same way, for only the God-
man can bear the Creator’s wrath against sin. Perhaps without knowing it at the
time, the sons of Zebedee confess their willingness to die for their Master.
At first this confession rings hollow (Matt. 26:47–56), but in time the broth-
ers, by the Spirit’s power, will freely suffer for Christ — James as a martyr (Acts
12:1–3) and John as an exile (Rev. 1:9). They start out arrogant and ignorant
but finally learn, Matthew Henry says, that “religion, if it is worth anything, is
worth everything; but it is worth little, if it is not worth suffering for.”

COR AM DEO Living before the face of God

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
One commentator notes that we are asking to suffer when we ask to be useful
Psalm 9:11–12
in the kingdom of heaven. We must therefore also ask for the ability to suffer Isaiah 53
with Jesus if we want to advance in His kingdom. Matthew Henry writes: “We Luke 24:13–35
do not know what we ask, when we ask for the glory of wearing the crown and Acts 5:17–42

do not ask for grace to bear the cross in our way to it.” Are you asking for grace THE BIBLE IN A YEAR :
to withstand suffering as you ask for God’s kingdom to advance? Psalms 134–137
1 Cor. 10:1–22

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 The Greatness of Service Thursday
A U G U S T

MATTHEW 20:24–28 “Whoever would be first among you must be

your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve,
and to give his life as a ransom for many” (vv. 27–28). 28
T he other ten disciples cannot believe that James and John would ask to sit
at the right hand and left hand of Jesus and become “indignant” toward the
two brothers (Matt. 20:24). This feeling is not entirely unbecoming to a follower
of Jesus, if the other members of the Twelve are upset because James and John
fail to practice the humility Christ has commended in His followers (18:1–4).
It does not seem, however, that their anger is provoked by the failure of James
and John to obey Jesus; rather, they are perturbed because the two disciples
have been trying to take glory for themselves without sharing it with the others.
After all, Jesus gathers the entire group together in today’s passage to describe
the greatness of service, something only James and John would need to hear if
the other ten disciples had the proper motivation for their indignation. At this
point, position is what all of Christ’s disciples are seeking.
To seek one’s greatness and power, Jesus tells us, is at odds with kingdom
values (20:25–28). Gentiles lord their authority over one another, a reference
to the Roman system where humility was a vice and might was always right.
On the other hand, God’s children serve one another. Greatness is found in put-
ting others first and in seeking the welfare of others above one’s own (see Phil.
2:1–11). John Chrysostom comments, “Loving the first place is not fitting to us,
even though it may be among the nations. Such a passion becomes a tyrant. It
continually hinders even great men” (Homilies on the Gospel of Saint Matthew,
65.4). In the kingdom, the last are first and the first are last (Matt. 20:16).
Christians are servant-leaders because that is how their Master operates. He
came to serve and give His life “as a ransom for many” (v. 28). Certainly, we can-
not give our lives for others precisely as Jesus did since we cannot atone for sin.
Yet we can imitate Christ’s service by not clutching tightly to any “rights” we
think are ours, letting them go for the sake of another’s good. Like Jesus, we are
able to see others as friends, not worthless subjects (John 15:13–15). We are not
to think ourselves above “menial” tasks (13:1–17). Whatever it may look like in
our lives, the only way to be great is to put the needs of others above our own.

Living before the face of God COR AM DEO

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Matthew Henry writes, “It is the duty of Christ’s disciples to serve one
Psalm 84:10
Mark 10:35–45 another, for mutual edification.” A true leader leads by example, never asking
John 12:20–26 others to do something that the leader is unwilling to do himself. He does not
1 Peter 4:7–11
seek leadership in order to have power and authority over others, he leads in
THE BIBLE IN A YEAR : order to do good for other people. Is the leadership function you perform, no
Psalms 138–141 matter how large or small it might be, characterized by such service?
1 Cor. 10:23–11:1

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 Friday
A U G U S T
Healing on the Way

29 MATTHEW 20:29–34 “They said to him,‘Lord, let our eyes be

opened.’ And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they
recovered their sight and followed him” (vv. 33–34).

C hrist began His final trip to Jerusalem after Peter’s great confession (Matt.
16:13–23). In all likelihood, He traveled mostly along the eastern bank of the
Jordan River as He and His disciples moved southward from Caesarea Philippi.
This was a common route for Galilean pilgrims in His day, and the crowds that
we have read about during this trip are those Jews who, while traveling to
Jerusalem for the Passover, have seen the deeds of Jesus and are hoping that He
is the Messiah (17:14–18; 19:1–2). These men and women are among those who
will hail our Savior’s triumphal entry into the Holy City (21:1–11).
Today’s passage indicates that Jesus will soon arrive in Jerusalem to com-
plete His messianic work, for He has been in Jericho, located fifteen miles or
so from the Holy City, about a day’s journey in first-century Judea. Leaving
Jericho, Christ and His followers begin the ascent 3,000 feet up to Jerusalem,
but they do not get very far before meeting two desperate men in need. These
blind men, one of whom is named Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46), beg Jesus to heal
them, confessing Him as the “Son of David” (Matt. 20:30), a title loaded with
messianic assumptions. Knowing that the Messiah is present gives them hope
that He will fulfill His call to work miracles and give them sight (see Isa. 35).
Yet the crowd is displeased with these blind men, rebuking them as they cry
out to Jesus (Matt. 20:31). They probably feel the beggars are unworthy of the
Messiah’s attention since many first-century Jews thought blindness was God’s
punishment for sin (John 9:1–3). It is also likely that they do not want Jesus to
“waste His time” on these blind men. Those who believe Jesus might be the
Christ would be looking for Him to enter Jerusalem immediately so that He
might overthrow the Romans and set Israel over the world.
For Jesus, however, it is not a waste of time to pause and heal the blind men,
so moved is He by compassion (Matt. 20:32–34). This healing is against the peo-
ple’s idea of what the Messiah should do, and it portends stronger opposition to
come. The crowd that now does not want Him to help a fellow Israelite will later
call for Jesus’ head when He does not live up to their expectations (27:15–23).

COR AM DEO Living before the face of God

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
When we do the work of ministry it can be easy to get so caught up in the big
2 Samuel 9
plans and programs we have going that we miss the needs of certain individuals Acts 6:1–7
among us. As followers of Jesus, we must imitate His compassion and take the
THE BIBLE IN A YEAR :
time to minister to hurting individuals even if it may sometimes get in the way Psalms 142–144
of our own plans and purposes. What are you doing in your church to make 1 Cor. 11:2–16
FOR THE WEEKEND :
sure people are shown compassion and not forgotten? Psalms 145–148
1 Cor. 11:17–12:11
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 F O R T H E W E E K E N D
The Joy of the Lord
B Y G R E G
A s I consider Matthew 20, I find
that the laborers complained
because they worked all day and
received a certain wage. Then those
who worked just part of the day
received the same amount as the
ones who gave it their all through-
out the day. They grumbled because
“they thought they would receive
more” (v. 10). I can see them digging,
wiping the sweat from their eyes,
muscles aching with pain, saying to
themselves or to those who worked
the same amount of time: “I deserve
a great deal more money today then
those who worked just a few hours.”
Can you see their faces when each
worker received the same pay?
I have been a Christian now for
twenty-eight years, and I can attest
to the fact that I and others act the
same way as these laborers. Why?
Because we forget to do all things
to the glory of God, we forget to
emulate Christ who said, “The Son
of Man came not to be served but
to serve, and give His life a ransom
for many” (v. 28). He gave us His all,
even His life. He was last, but God
the Father made Him the first.
“The last will be first and the first
will be last” (v. 16). Jesus said that
22-61.indd 59
o f A U G U S T 3 0 – 3 1
B A R O L E T
many times, to be sure. Jesus came
to do the Father’s will, and we are to
do the same without grumbling and
complaining. How do we do that? By
being in the Word. The Word of God is
a transforming agent in our lives. If we
have a desire to be first in notoriety, we
will have our reward in full here, not
in heaven. We may grumble because
of hardships we might be enduring.
But this only shows that our thinking
is askew. We think we don’t deserve
difficulties. Yet if we don’t put Jesus
first, we will be bitter, not better, when
the bumps in the road come our way.
We are to do all things unto the
Lord whether or not we get recogni-
tion, and the joy of the Lord is surely
felt when we serve others. But how
do we endure hardships and disci-
pline from the Lord? We understand
that it is for our good (James 1:2–4).
God is transforming us into the
image of Christ. We therefore glo-
rify God by being last, even though
the world will not understand this,
because God’s ways are contrary to
the ways of the world.
Greg Barolet is a media resource specialist who has
worked for Ligonier Ministries for fourteen years.
TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008 59
4/17/08 3:47:03 PM
 R E C O M M E N D E D R E S O U R C E S

The Expository Genius of

John Calvin
B Y S T E V E N J . L AW S O N

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 Learn from John Calvin

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of the True Christian Life
B Y J O H N C A LV I N

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 R E C O M M E N D E D R E S O U R C E S

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 Wo r l d v i e w s

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 P A S T O R ’ S P E R S P E C T I V E
Be P repa red
B Y P H I L I P
M ake no mistake: there is an
aggressive new atheism in
America. The new unbelievers are eager
to win people to their cause. Not content
simply to disbelieve in God for them-
selves, they want to persuade other
people not to believe in Him either.
Some of these evangelists for athe-
ism are famous authors with a high
public profile. Others are professors
on college or university campuses.
Still others are ordinary people we
meet at work or in the neighborhood.
They may even be the members of our
own families. But in each case, their
opposition to the God of the Bible
poses a challenge to our faith. In fact,
some Christians may find aggressive
atheism more than a little intimi-
dating. Any time our faith is under
attack, we face the real temptation to
keep quiet about our firm confidence
in biblical truth or our personal rela-
tionship with Jesus Christ.
The apostle Peter wrote his first
epistle to believers who were facing
similar challenges in the days of the
early church. Their faith was under
attack and there was real danger that
standing firm for the Gospel would
cause them to suffer for the cause of
Christ. Thus Peter told them to be ready
to witness with courage — an exhorta-
tion that still applies to us today: “Have
no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in
64 TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008
62-84.indd 64
G . R Y K E N
your hearts regard Christ the Lord as
holy, always being prepared to make a
defense to anyone who asks you for a
reason for the hope that is in you; yet do
it with gentleness and respect, having a
good conscience” (1 Peter 3:14–16).
Peter’s words of comfort are reas-
suring: “Have no fear of them.” Even
more reassuring is the reason why:
Because Jesus is with us to help us. If
we know Christ, then we regard Him
as the Lord of our hearts. Now Jesus
is with us — in all the power of His
grace — in every difficult situation we
face. This includes every opportunity
we have to bear witness to His suffer-
ings on the cross and His triumph over
the tomb. There is no need for us to be
intimidated by people who deny the
Gospel, or who even deny the very exis-
tence of God. The true and living Lord
is with us to help us speak the truth
about His crucifixion and resurrection,
giving people the hope of eternal life.
We must be ready to witness, how-
ever. The helping presence of our Lord
does not eliminate our own obligation
to be well-prepared to tell people about
His saving grace. Peter’s exhortation
about how to do this is comprehensive.
We should always be ready to explain
the hope that is within us. We should
be ready to do this in a logical way, giv-
ing reasons for our faith in Christ and
answers to the legitimate questions
4/17/08 3:55:00 PM
 people have about the Bible. We should
be ready to do this for anyone and
everyone who asks, regardless of their
religious commitments.
Are you ready to give people an
answer when they ask about your
hope in Christ, especially people
who claim to be atheists? Reading
this issue of Tabletalk is one practi-
cal way to get ready to give people
an answer. Another good way to get
better prepared to share our faith
is to read good Christian books like
R.C. Sproul’s Essential Truths of the
Christian Faith. It is also important
for us to develop growing friendships
with people outside the church. The
better we know people, the more
they will share their spiritual
questions, and the better we
will understand all the ways
they need the Gospel. Peter’s
words remind us to do this
spiritual questions with
with gentleness and respect,
loving people who still need to
know Christ.
Yet the most important
thing for us to do is point peo-
ple to the Scriptures. The best
reasons we can give people for our
hope in Christ are biblical reasons;
the clearest answers we can give to
their question about God are biblical
answers. The Holy Spirit will use the
true words of God to do His spiritual
work in people’s lives. God has not
promised to use our personal testimo-
nies to bring people to Christ. No mat-
ter how eloquently or persuasively we
speak, our words in themselves do not
have the power to give people spiritu-
al life. What God has promised to use
in a saving and sanctifying way are
His own words — the words we read
in the Bible and understand by the
help of the Spirit. God’s Word always
62-84.indd 65
does God’s work (see Isa. 55:10–11).
The Word of God even has the
power to save atheists, changing the
minds and hearts of people who say
they do not believe in God. The real
truth, of course, is that even the most
hardened atheist actually does believe
in God, he just works very hard to
deny it. In order to maintain a consis-
tently atheistic point of view, unbe-
lievers must actively suppress what
they know to be true about the exis-
tence of God. Deep down, everyone
knows there is a God (see Rom. 1:21).
The inescapable reality of God’s
power should give us tremendous
confidence for personal evangelism.
Although we may not have very much
Answer people’s
gentleness and respect,
loving people who still
need to know Christ.
confidence in ourselves, or in our
ability to respond to every objection
an unbeliever may raise against the
Gospel, we ought to have every confi-
dence in the goodness of God. By the
power of the Holy Spirit, the Bible con-
fronts every person’s conscience, testi-
fying that the God who is really there
speaks to people today. Whether we
are fully prepared to give an answer
or not, God is always ready and able to
save people by His mighty Word.
Dr. Philip G. Ryken is senior minister of Tenth
Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He is author of What is the Christian Worldview?
TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008 65
4/17/08 3:55:12 PM
 tough questions
christians face
2008 West Coast Conference
September 26–27, 2008 | Phoenix, Arizona

Duncan | MacArthur | Sproul

62-84.indd 66 4/17/08 3:55:41 PM

 About the Conference Related Resources

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 E C C L E S I A
T h is We Be l ieve
B Y C A R L
M any evangelical Christians are
instinctively suspicious of the
whole idea of creeds and confessions,
those set forms of words that certain
churches have used throughout the
ages to give concise expression to the
Christian faith. For such people, the
very idea of such extra-scriptural
authoritative statements of faith seems
to strike at the very heart of their belief
that the Bible is the unique revelation
of God, the all-sufficient basis for our
knowledge of Him, and the supreme
authority in matters of religion.
Certainly, creeds and confessions
can be used in a way that undermines
the orthodox Protestant view of
scripture. Both Roman Catholic and
Eastern Orthodox churches invest
such authority in the declaration
of the institutional church that the
church creeds can seem to carry
an authority that is derived from
the church’s approval rather than
conformity with the teaching of
Scripture. Evangelicals are right to
want to avoid anything that smacks
of such an attitude. Yet I would like
to argue that creeds and confessions
should fulfill a useful function in the
life of the church and in the lives of
individual believers.
First, Christians with no creed sim-
ply do not exist. To declare that one
has “no creed but the Bible” is a creed,
68 TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008
62-84.indd 68
0 F O R T H E C H U R C H
R . T R U E M A N
for the Bible nowhere expresses itself
in such a fashion. It is an extra-biblical
formulation. There are really only
two types of Christian: those who are
honest about the fact they have a creed
and those who deny they have a creed
yet possess one nonetheless. Ask any
Christian what they believe, and, if
they are at all thoughtful, they will not
simply recite Bible texts to you; they
will rather offer a summary account of
what they see to be the Bible’s teach-
ing in a form of words which are, to a
greater or lesser extent, extra-biblical.
All Christians have creeds — forms
of words — that attempt to express
in short compass great swathes of
biblical teaching. And no one should
ever see creeds and confessions as
independent of Scripture; they were
formulated in the context of elaborate
biblical exegesis and were self-con-
sciously dependent upon God’s unique
revelation in and through Scripture.
Given this fact, the second point
is that some Christians have creeds
that have been tried and tested by the
church over the centuries, while oth-
ers have those that their pastor made
up, or that they put together them-
selves. Now, there is no necessary rea-
son why the latter should be inferior
to the former; but, on the basis that
there is no need to reinvent the wheel,
there is surely no virtue in turning our
4/17/08 3:57:11 PM
 backs on those forms of sound words
that have done a good job for hun-
dreds of years in articulating aspects
of the Christian faith and facilitating
its transmission from place to place
and generation to generation. If you
want to, say, reject the Nicene Creed,
you are of course free to do so; but you
should at least try to replace it with
a formula that will do the job just as
effectively for so many people for the
next 1,500 years. If you cannot do so,
perhaps modesty and gratitude, rather
than iconoclasm, are the appropriate
responses to the ancient creed.
Third, the creeds and confessions
of the church offer us points of con-
tinuity with the church of the past.
As I noted above, there is no need
to reinvent Christianity every
Sunday, and in an anti-historical,
future-oriented age like ours,
what more counter-cultural move
can we as Christians make than
to self-consciously identify with
so many brothers and sisters who
have gone before? Furthermore,
while Protestants take justifiable
pride in the fact that every believer
has the right to read the Scriptures
and has direct access to God in Christ,
we should still acknowledge that
Christianity is first and foremost
a corporate religion. God’s means
of working in history has been the
church; the contributions of indi-
vidual Christians have been great,
but these all pale in comparison with
God’s great work in and through the
church as a whole. This holds good
for theology as for any other area. The
insights of individual teachers and
theologians over the centuries have
been profound, but nothing quite
matches the corporate wisdom of the
godly when gathered together in the
62-84.indd 69
great councils and assemblies in the
history of the church.
This brings me to my fourth point:
Creeds and confessions generally
focus on what is significant. The early
creeds, such as the Apostles’ and
the Nicene are very brief and deal
with the absolute essentials. Yet
this is true even of the more elabo-
rate statements of faith, such as the
Lutheran Augsburg Confession or
the Westminster Confession of Faith.
Indeed, when you look at the points
of doctrine that these various docu-
ments cover, it is difficult to see what
could be left out without abandoning
something central and significant.
Far from being exhaustive state-
Creeds and confessions
offer us points of
continuity with the
church of the past.
ments of faith, they are summaries of
the bare essentials. As such, they are
singularly useful.
Evangelicals should love the great
creeds and confessions for all of the
above reasons. Yet we should ulti-
mately follow them only so far as they
make sense of Scripture, but it is surely
foolish and curmudgeonly to reject
one of the primary ways in which the
church has painstakingly transmitted
her faith from age to age.
Dr. Carl R. Trueman is associate professor of church
history and historical theology at Westminster
Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
and is author of The Wages of Spin.
TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008 69
5/13/08 11:39:04 AM
 G E N E R A T I O N T O
Resolved
B Y S T E V E N
F or the last four years, I have
spoken at a conference on the
West Coast called “Resolved.” The
name is drawn from the Resolutions
of Jonathan Edwards and is aimed
at college students and “twenty-
somethings” in the next generation.
As an eighteen and nineteen year old,
young Edwards wrote seventy reso-
lutions, which became his personal
mission statement to guide his life. To
launch the first conference, I spoke
from Edward’s first resolution, what
Edwards determined would be the
single most important pursuit in his
life — the glory of God.
Edwards began his Resolutions
with what he desired to be the driv-
ing force of his life — an all-absorbing
passion to pursue the glory of God.
“Resolved: that I will do whatsoever I
think to be most to God’s glory and to
my own good, profit, and pleasure, in
the whole of my duration, without any
consideration of the time, whether
now or never so many myriads of ages
hence. Resolved: to do whatever I
think to be my duty, and most for the
good and advantage of mankind in
general. Resolved: to do this whatever
difficulties I meet with, how ever so
many and how ever so great.”
With this before his eyes weekly,
this first resolution set the tone for his
entire life. In every arena, he resolved
70 TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008
62-84.indd 70
G E N E R A T I O N
J . L A W S O N
to honor God supremely. Everything
else in his life would be subsidiary to
this one driving pursuit.
What is the glory of God? The Bible
speaks of it in two ways. First, there
is His intrinsic glory, the revelation
of all that God is. It is the sum total
of all His divine perfections and holy
attributes. There is nothing that man
can do to add to His intrinsic glory.
Second, there is God’s ascribed glory,
which is the praise and honor due His
name. This is the glory that man must
give to God.
For Edwards, to be resolved to live
for God’s glory means to exalt His
most glorious name. It means to live
consistently with His holy character.
It means to proclaim and promote His
supreme greatness. This is the high-
est purpose for which God created us.
Why did Edwards place this
resolution first? He understood that
Scripture places the glory of God first
in all things. Edwards was gripped
with a transcendent, high view
of God. As a result, in writing his
“resolutions,” he knew he must live
wholeheartedly for this awesome,
sovereign God.
Thus, Edwards intentionally chose
to “do whatsoever I think is most to
God’s glory.” Here is the interpretive
principle for everything in life. You
want to know what God’s will is? You
5/13/08 11:08:16 AM
 want to know whom to marry? You
want to know what job to take? You
want to know what ministry to pur-
sue? You want to know how to invest
your resources? You want to know
how to spend your time?
There it is! Everything in life fits
under this master theme. Anything
out of alignment with this prin-
ciple pursuit is in dangerous terri-
tory. Sometimes our decisions are not
between right and wrong. Sometimes
they are between good, better, and
best. These are sometimes the hard-
est decisions. Edwards said that he
would not live for what is merely good.
Nor for what is better. He purposed to
live only for what is best. Whatever is
most to the glory of God — that is
what is best!
Edwards believed that God’s
glory was inseparably connected
with his “own good, profit, and
pleasure.” Whenever he sought
God’s glory, he was confident that
it would inevitably yield God’s
greatest good for his life. The
glory of God produced his great-
est “pleasure.” So it is with us.
Would you know unspeakable joy?
Abundant peace? True contentment?
Then pursue God’s glory.
With unwavering determina-
tion, young Edwards chose this first
resolution to mark “the whole of my
duration.” As long as he was alive, this
was to be the driving thrust of his life.
He must always live for God’s glory.
He would never outgrow this central
theme. He must never exchange it for
a lesser glory.
Also, Edwards’ believed that his
commitment to God’s glory would
bring the greatest “good of mankind.”
By seeking God’s honor, the great-
est advantage would accrue to oth-
62-84.indd 71
ers. Thus, living for the glory of God
would lead to the greatest influence
of the Gospel upon the world. Souls
would be converted. Saints would be
edified. Needs would be met.
Would you have maximum impact
upon this world? Would you lead oth-
ers to Christ? Would you live for eter-
nity? There it is! Live for God’s glory.
No matter what, Edwards resolved
to live for God’s glory despite “what-
ever difficulties I meet with, how
ever so many and ever so great.”
Regardless the cost, despite the pain,
he would pursue God’s honor. Even if
it meant persecution or poverty, his
mind was made up, his will resolved.
He would pay any price to uphold the
Would you know
unspeakable joy?
Abundant peace? Then
pursue God’s glory.
glory of God, regardless of the hard-
ship that awaited him.
This is my challenge to the next
generation: Would you seek the high-
est goal? Would you know the deepest
joy? Would you realize the greatest
good? Would you cast the widest
influence? Would you overcome the
greatest difficulties?
Then make this first resolution of
Jonathan Edwards your chief aim. Be
resolved to live for God’s glory.
Dr. Steven J. Lawson is senior minister of Christ
Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama, and
author of The Expository Genius of John Calvin.
TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008 71
4/18/08 9:49:15 AM
 R E C O M M E N D E D R E S O U R C E S

The Wages of Spin

BY C A R L R . T RU E M A N

This collection of essays by a noted professor of

church history illustrates the nature of effective
Christian debate, calling upon believers to
present a persuasive case for the truth of the
Christian worldview and counter the spin our
culture places on the Christian faith.
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Whatever
attever Happened
Hap
H appe
pene
ned
d to Hell?
BY JOHN BLANCHARD
In a day
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for unrepentant sinners, this book defends the
existence of hell and deals with many of the
pastoral issues raised by the doctrine.
NEW Available for a limited time.

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Loving God with All Your Mind

B Y G E N E E D WA R D V E I T H

It can be a challenge to maintain a distinctive, biblical

way of thinking in a world that denies the existence
of transcendent truth. This book helps believers be
transformed through the renewing of their mind
according to the teachings of the Word of God.
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 From Our Contributor s This Month

Deliver Us from Evil

B Y R AV I Z A C H A R I A S
This book looks at the problems of postmodern society
such as the misuse of reason, the collapse of decency,
and the denial of absolute truth in order to awaken us
to return to the unchanging Word of God and stem the
tide of evil in our culture.

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NEW

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B Y S T E V E N J . L AW S O N

From Moses to David to Jeremiah, Jesus, John,

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salvation is by grace alone to the glory of God
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Father’s electing grace is found on
every page of Scripture.
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Artt For
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God’s
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BY P H I L I P G R A H A M RY K E N

Art for God’s Sake is a helpful application of

the Christian worldview to the arts, demon-
strating that Christianity has a distinctive view
of what constitutes the beautiful. This book is
a helpful resource for those interested in what
makes a quality piece of art and a useful tool
for artists seeking to convey the truth and
beauty of Scripture in their work.
Available for a limited time.
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 T O L L E L E G E T A K E
Hope in Life and Death
B Y K E I T H
O ne of the f irst Reformed
aut hors I ever read wa s
Sinclair Ferguson. I was a dispen-
sationalist in transition at the time,
and I ran across a little book titled
The Christian Life: A Doctrinal
Introduction by Dr. Ferguson. I
started reading it in the bookstore,
and I fi nished it in my apartment
the same evening. This wonderful
little book was instrumental in my
transition from dispensationalism
to the Reformed tradition. Since
that time, I have continued to read
everything I can from the pen of
Dr. Ferguson. Like the great theo-
logians of old, he writes with the
heart and experience of a pastor.
No dry and dusty tomes from the
ivory tower here. For these reasons,
I was excited to hear of the release
of his new book In Christ Alone
(Reformation Trust, 2007).
As with Ferguson’s previous
books, readers will not be disap-
pointed in this one. I would say that
this book needs to be on the shelf of
every Christian, but that cliché is
sometimes taken a bit too literally.
Far too many Christians buy great
books, put them on their shelves,
and then leave them there. This
74 TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008
62-84.indd 74
U P A N D R E A D
A . M A T H I S O N
book does not need to be on the shelf
of every Christian. It is a book that
needs to be read by every Christian.
The content is too important to
remain on a shelf gathering dust.
This is a book about living the
life of faith in Christ. Its chapters
were written over a period of years
as articles for Tabletalk and Eternity
magazines. They have been gath-
ered together in this volume and
arranged thematically. Their origin
as magazine articles means that
each of the fifty chapters is brief,
accessible, and to the point. Each
chapter can be read in only a few
minutes time. Are there any draw-
backs to such a format? One might
think that having been written over
a period of years that the chapters
would lack a certain flow and unity.
One would be mistaken.
The chapters have been orga-
nized under six major headings. The
first section of the book contains
several chapters dealing with the
person of Christ. Here Ferguson
outlines the basic biblical teaching
concerning our Savior, who is truly
God and truly man. The primary
focus of these chapters is on the
mystery and miracle of the incarna-
4/17/08 3:58:59 PM
 tion. The second major section of the
book contains chapters dealing with
the work of Christ. Here Ferguson
discusses the atonement, the res-
urrection, and Jesus’ work as our
prophet, priest, and king. The third
section of the book, then, contains
chapters on the Holy Spirit, the one
sent by Christ as another comforter.
The focus of these chapters is upon
the Spirit’s transforming work in the
lives of believers.
In the fourth major section of the
book, Ferguson begins to turn to the
Christian life. This section, entitled
“The Privileges of Grace,” covers
subjects such as our union with
Christ, regeneration, and assur-
ance of salvation. Section five, “A
Life of Wisdom,” deals with
subjects such as discern-
ment, the law of God,
and Christian content-
ment. In the final sec-
tion, Ferguson explores
the biblical teaching on
subjects such as spir-
itual warfare, temp-
tation, apostasy, and
the perseverance of the
saints. The conclusion
of the book contains Dr.
Ferguson’s heartfelt dedication to
his longtime friend and former col-
league Al Groves, who recently went
to be with Christ.
One of the many things that is
so refreshing about this book is its
thoroughly Christ-centered mes-
sage. From beginning to end, Christ
is exalted. With so many authors
writing about Jesus in a detached
and abstract manner, it is a blessing
to read a book in which the author’s
love for Christ shines through on
every page. This is theology for the
62-84.indd 75
heart and the mind. The author’s
love for Christ, however, does not
result in a sentimental or watered-
down theology. Ferguson is not hesi-
tant to touch upon the deep truths of
Scripture, marveling at the Lord’s
amazing work of redemption for His
people.
Sections four through six of
the book are deeply practical and
reflect the wisdom of one who has
shepherded Christ’s sheep for many
years. There are numerous chapters
here that will repay careful medi-
tation and application. None of us
have “arrived” yet. We all battle the
world, the flesh, and the Devil every
day, and we are foolish if we ignore
the wisdom of our elders.
Jesus Christ is faith-
In Christ Alone
by Sinclair Ferguson
In his inimitaable style, Sinclair
Ferg
Fe rgus
rg uson
us o loooks at the person
on
and
an d wo
work
ork of Je
Jesus Christ and its
appli
ap plicatio
pl at on to our lives.
Avaiila
Av labl
blee at www.ligonier.org
w
ful. He knows those who are His
sheep. Let us all take heed to hear
the message of this book, to trust
and obey our Lord, to live a Christ-
centered, Gospel-centered life, that
we might not be ashamed at His
coming. Let us fight the good fight
and run the race to the finish, know-
ing that our only hope in life and in
death is in Christ alone.
Dr. Keith A. Mathison is an associate editor of
Tabletalk magazine.
For more reviews go to www.ligonier.org/bookreviews
TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008 75
4/17/08 3:59:15 PM
 R E C O M M E N D E D R E S O U R C E S

What’s So Great
About the Doctrines of Grace?
by Richard D. Phillips
This book looks at the beauty and power of the doctrines of grace,
otherwise known as the Five Points of Calvinism. As this work demonstrates,
the doctrines of grace are not examples of idle theological reflection;
rather, they are profound truths that transform our lives and
motivate us to live for the glory of God.
WHA14BH Z HARDCOVER, 111 PAGES Z (REG. $15) $12

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 New from Ligonier Ministries

The Five Dilemmas of Calvinism

by Craig R. Brown
The Five Dilemmas of Calvinism is a useful resource for helping to defend
Reformed theology against its critics. Many people have found
this tool helpful for clarifying certain misconceptions about Calvinism
and for demonstrating how the Reformed tradition accurately
summarizes the teaching of Scripture.
FIV04BP Z PAPERBACK, 127 PAGES Z (REG. $9) $7.20

F O R A D D I T I O N A L R E S O U R C E S , P L E A S E V I S I T W W W . L I G O N I E R . O R G

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 M I N I S T R Y F O C U S

Tabletalk ministering to
those who minister
T abletalk magazine is issued faith-
fully every month in the hope that,
among other things, it will encour-
study guide since our book bags never
made it from the States. I decided to
give Tabletalk to myself as an early
age readers to ponder the truths of Christmas present.
God when they lie down, when they
Q: How do you use Tabletalk? Do you
rise up, and, yes, even when they
have a section you read most or first?
fly. Missionary pilot Glenn Grubb
recently wrote to share how he relies A: I go through the daily devotional
on Tabletalk magazine for renewal and readings, but I really enjoy the lon-
encouragement. ger articles. Dr. Derek Thomas’ article

THE PHRASE “DARK PROVIDENCE” HAS GIVEN ME A

R A L LY P O I N T T O W H I C H I C A N C A R R Y D I F F I C U LT Q U E S -

T I O NS W H E N I T RY TO R ECO N C I LE W H AT I SE E H A PPE N I N G

A RO U N D M E W I T H W H AT I K N OW IS T RU E I N SC R I P T U R E .

“Everything Is Against Me!” really got

Q: When and how were you introduced
to Tabletalk?
A: I became aware of Tabletalk while
trying to find a new Bible. While doing
the research on the Reformation Study
Bible, I came across the Tabletalk site.
I was looking for something to use as a
Real world training
my attention (Sept. 2007, pp. 27−28). He
used the phrase “dark providences” to
describe the things that occur that we
don’t understand but must acknowl-
edge to be truly from the hand of God.
As an aircraft accident investigator for
a missionary aviation organization, I
have heard the questions that come
up when bad things happen to good
people who try to live lives that glorify
God. The phrase “dark providence”
has given me a rally point to which I can
carry difficult questions when I try to
reconcile what I see happening around
me with what I know is true in Scripture.
Q: Why do you think it is important for
Christians to use a devotional, specifi-
cally one that is theologically and doc-
trinally sound?

62-84.indd 78 4/17/08 4:00:12 PM

 T A B L E T A L K M A G A Z I N E

A: In our flight department, we train for Note:

real-life scenarios. We practice what Recently the Grubb family experienced
we will do when emergencies arise. a dark providence. While visiting with
We practice low-level engine failures, friends who work in the jungle, they
engine failures at cruise, fires, instru- received a satellite phone call with the
ment failures, and so on, so that when news that their house had been burglar-
the real thing happens, our response ized and burned to the ground. When
is second nature. Our discipline and asked about it, Mr. Grubb’s response
practice helps us get over the initial was, “I knew that we were experiencing
shock of a problem and get on with dark providence. To say that this wasn’t
what it will take to remedy it. from the hand of God for our good
I view my devotions the same way. I would be to deny God His own person-
don’t read or study just to check off a
box. I study towards a real-world stan-
dard. What will I do when confronted
with this scenario? How can I become
practiced in the discipline of respond-
ing to what God places in my life in a
way that is glorifying to Him?
The theme of Hebrews 5 has become
especially meaningful to me these last
six months. How can I become skilled
in the Word of righteousness? What Glenn Grubb and family
solid food can I take that will mature
me? I want my powers of discernment
ality. He is sovereign! I won’t lie to you
trained by constant practice too so
and say that we have been stoic during
that I can distinguish good from evil.
this experience. There have been the
In looking at this, I recognized that a
emotions that loss and grief bring, but
guide would help me achieve these
God has guided our spirits through it all
goals. I also knew that the devotion-
with a strong and gentle hand. I know
al had to be based on the Word of
that my spirit had been stilled by the
God and not on fads or sentimental-
Holy Spirit’s use of Dr. Thomas’ article in
ity. These requirements narrowed my
the weeks leading up to the fire.
search down to Tabletalk. I download-
ed a trial copy from your website and “Thank you for God-honoring articles
saw that there was a mix of daily devo- that stick to the meat of Scripture. It is
tions and larger ar ticles surround- this and not faddish sentimentality that
ing a monthly theme. That, coupled will help sustain a believer during the
with it coming from a known source difficult times that will come. It is this
whose basis of ministry is grounded type of devotional that will help us say
on sound Reformed principles, made with Joseph, ‘You meant evil against
the decision easy. me, but God meant it for good.’”

62-84.indd 79 4/17/08 4:00:26 PM

 S E E K Y E
Bel iev i ng God
B Y R . C . S P R O U L
W e live in an age of spin and
propaganda. We no longer
weigh careful arguments and reach
our conclusions judiciously. Instead,
we inhabit what one cultural critic
called a “sensate culture.” We do not
think, we feel. We do not decide, we
choose. We do not deliberate, we do.
Our choices are made for us by the
master manipulators. They tell us
through images, through associa-
tions, but never through logic, what
toothpaste we will use, what shoes
we will wear, and what party we will
vote for.
Consider, for a moment, our own
self-image. Christians, in the West
at least, tend to see themselves in
terms of cultural trade-offs. We may
not, we reason, be as smart as the
unbelievers, but we are nicer. We
may not be quite as sophisticated as
the unbelieving intellectual crowd,
but we are cleaner. We may not read
their highbrow authors, attend their
ponderous films, or frequent their
trendy galleries. But we read nice,
clean historical romance novels,
watch rapture-fever movies, and
have paintings of nice, warm cot-
tages hanging over our mantels.
There is some truth to this self-
image. After all, has not the apostle
Paul told us, “For you see your call-
ing, brethren, that not many wise
80 TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008
62-84.indd 80
F I R S T
J R .
according to the flesh, not many
mighty, not many noble, are called.
But God has chosen the foolish
things of the world to put to shame
the wise, and God has chosen the
weak things of the world to put to
shame the things that are mighty;
and the base things of the world and
the things which are despised God
has chosen, and the things which are
not, to bring to nothing the things
that are, that no flesh should glory in
His presence” (1 Cor. 1:26–29 nkjv).
For those of you keeping score, that’s
us — we are the foolish, the weak, the
ignoble, the despised.
Fools that we are, we sometimes
seek to undo this arrangement. We
look across the battlefield at the seed
of the serpent. We see their sophis-
tication, their wisdom, their nobil-
ity, their strength, and we seek to
imitate them. We think that in order
to win the debate, we need fi rst to
win their approval, to demonstrate
to those outside the promises of God
that we are just as together, just as
hip as they are. We take our gnawing
hunger for approval and baptize it,
turning it into being “all things to all
men” (1 Cor. 9:22).
We have need of two things. First,
we must jettison this approach to
winning the lost. We will never
“cool” anyone into the kingdom. The
4/17/08 4:00:50 PM
 more we pander to them, the more
we persuade them that they are what
really matters. The more we mimic
them, the more they delight to see
themselves in our mirror. The more
we become like them, well, the more
we become like them. We end up,
as we seek to shine our own lights,
under a bushel. We become savorless
salt, good for nothing but being trod-
den underfoot.
Second, we need to have a bet-
ter, more biblical understanding of
those with whom we are dealing.
The image shows us learned men and
women, sitting in endowed chairs at
prestigious universities. They have
letters after their names. We pay
tens of thousands of dollars a
year to have our children listen
to them. They appear on C-Span
and PBS. They write for The New
York Times Book Review, as well
as writing books reviewed there-
in. They are graduates of elite
universities, and now teach at
elite universities. And God says
that they are fools. The new athe-
ists are, in the end, not apprecia-
bly different from the old ones,
of whom God said, “The fool has
said in his heart, ‘There is no God’”
(Ps. 14:1). Their image is power and
glamour. The reality is that they are
mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging
rubes. We, when we enter into the
arena of truth, are not facing Goliath.
We are not coming face to face with
the chariots of Pharaoh. Instead we
do battle with frightened and fool-
ish little children who already know
what we are seeking to prove.
As Christians called to seek
fi rst the kingdom of God — to make
known the glory, the power, and the
beauty of the reign of Jesus Christ
62-84.indd 81
over all things — we must do far less
than trying to fit their image of what
it means to be urbane, but we must
do far more than merely believing
in God. Instead, we are called to
believe God. He is the one who says
they are fools. He is the one who says
that in Christ we are more than con-
querors (Rom. 8:37). Our calling is to
be as unmoved by their image as we
are by their “arguments.” Both are
mere folly.
Jesus told us to set our worries
aside. Wherever we fi nd ourselves,
whether we are walking through
the valley of the shadow of death
or engaged in the battle of ideas on
We need to have a
better, more biblical
understanding of
those with whom
we are dealing.
Mars Hill, we ought have no fear. He,
after all, is with us, even unto the end
of the age. Our calling is not to seek
grand victories. He will not, after all,
share His glory with another. Our
calling is fundamentally simple — to
seek fi rst the kingdom of God and His
righteousness. Then, and only then,
will all these things be added unto
us. May God grant wisdom to His
fools, that by them more fools might
be brought into His kingdom.
Dr. R.C. Sproul Jr. is founder of the Highlands Study
Center in Mendota, Virginia.
TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008 81
4/17/08 4:01:16 PM
 H & C O N S E Q U E N C E S
Making Atheism Enchanting
B Y G E N E E D W A R D
T he old atheists maintained that
belief in God is not true. The new
atheists maintain that belief in God
is not good. The atheists’ problem,
though, is that however much they
attack belief in God, their own world-
view lacks all appeal. They get hung up
on the last remaining absolute: Atheism
is not beautiful. It is so depressing.
If there is no God and this physical
realm is all there is, life is pretty much
pointless. A person might believe
such a bleak worldview, but no one
is going to like it. The old atheists, to
their great credit, usually faced up
to the implications of their disbelief.
Walter Berns, writing in The Weekly
Standard (February 4, 2008), sums
up the worldview of Albert Camus, as
expressed in his novel The Stranger:
Meursault, its hero (actually, its
antihero), is a murderer, but a
different kind of murderer. What
is different about him is that he
murdered for no reason — he did
it because the sun got in his eyes,
à cause du solei — and because
he neither loves nor hates, and
unlike the other people who
inhabit his world, does not pre-
tend to love or hate. …As he said,
the universe “is benignly indif-
ferent” to how he lives. It is a
bleak picture, and Camus was
82 TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008
62-84.indd 82
V E I T H
criticized for painting it, but
as he wrote in reply, “there is
no other life possible for a man
deprived of God, and all men are
[now] in that position.
But although Camus may have
aniticipated the mindless, non-
reflective godlessness of our culture,
his world-view has little to commend
it. By his own admission, throwing
out God also throws out meaning,
joy, and everything that makes life
worth living.
Enter Philip Pullman, the British
author of children’s stories. Out of his
hatred for C. S. Lewis’ “Chronicles of
Narnia,” Pullman resolved to write a
fantasy series that would do for athe-
ism what Lewis’ fantasy series did for
Christianity. Thus was born the tril-
ogy “His Dark Materials.”
The first volume, The Golden
Compass, was recently made into a
movie, which, despite its elaborate
and expensive special effects, bombed
at the box office, illustrating what he
is up against. But the trilogy is enor-
mously popular, especially among
teenagers and young adults, having
sold some fifteen million copies.
The story has to do with multiple
worlds, marvelous adventures, and
an epic conflict between good and
evil. Except that, in line with the new
4/17/08 4:01:33 PM
 atheism, God is the evil one and Satan
is the good guy.
Pullman, as in the old Gnostic
texts, portrays God the creator as a
cruel, tyrannical “Authority”; Satan is
the liberator; and Adam and Eve were
right to eat the forbidden fruit. In
Pullman’s fantasy, the church, head-
ed by Pope John Calvin, is all about
black-robed clerics sneaking around
establishing inquisitions and spoiling
everyone’s fun.
The books, though, are imagi-
natively stimulating. The fantasy is
exciting, well-written, and pleasur-
able. And, as with other fantasies, the
story is idealistic and even inspiring.
Here, in a quote from the second
volume of the trilogy, The Subtle Knife,
is how Pullman portrays the
virtue of Satan’s rebellion and of
the cosmic struggle against the
Authority:
There are two great powers…
and they’ve been fighting since
time began. Every advance in
human life, every scrap of knowl-
edge and wisdom and decency
we have has been torn by one side
from the teeth of the other. Every
little increase in human freedom
has been fought over ferociously
between those who want us to
know more and be wiser and
stronger, and those who want us to
obey and be humble and submit.
The prose evokes a stirring heroism
— again, like traditional fantasies —
but the enemy of knowledge, wisdom,
and decency in this anti-Narnia is God
and His evil minions in the church!
The central image of the Pullman
books is the “dark materials,” a term
taken from Milton, whose Paradise
Lost the author turns upside down.
This “dust” is the stuff of love and
62-84.indd 83
consciousness. In fact, it turns out
that everything is made out of this
dust, which is the essence of both
spiritual and physical existence. This
is true even of the Authority, who
turns out to be just another physi-
cal being, an old, senile relic who
dissolves back into dust once he is
dragged into the light.
This is nothing more than classic
materialism, of course, which insists
that matter is all there is, so that
everything that exists is made out
of particular tiny bits of matter
called atoms. Pullman glorifies and
mystifies this “dust.” How wonderful
it is to have evolved into so many
wonderful things! And when we
die, we go back to dust. As Pullman
Atheism is not beautiful.
It is so depressing.
puts it in the last volume, The Amber
Spyglass, when people die “all the
atoms that were them, they’ve gone
into the air and the wind and the
trees and the earth and all the living
things. They’ll never vanish. They’re
just part of everything. And that’s
exactly what’ll happen to you.”
Pullman mystifies materialism
and turns atheism into an actual
religion. In doing so, however, he
does what the old atheists have
always falsely accused believers of
doing: indulging in irrational wish-
fulfillment and constructing an
escapist fantasy.
Dr. Gene Edward Veith is academic dean of
Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Virginia,
and author of Loving God with All Your Mind.
TABLE TALK AUGUST 2008 83
4/17/08 4:01:47 PM
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