This is the final aspect of masculinity covered in our Men’s Leadership Training.  Men are Kings, Cultivators, Protectors, and finally, Coaches (Shepherds).

As men, God has made us to coach each other in being good Kings, Cultivators and Protectors.  Being a coach doesn’t mean having superior skill sets and abilities.  In fact, a lot of professional sports coaches can’t do what they expect their athletes to do.  But the reason they get paid to be coaches is because they can improve the team’s performance (or should).  They possess the knowledge and influence necessary to secure the team’s success, and this is what makes them good coaches.

Good coaching requires knowledge and influence.  You must have knowledge: something helpful and useful to bring to the table.  And you must have influence: there has to be trust.

Here’s where we can go wrong.  If we have some specific, helpful knowledge but aren’t personally invested in others, men won’t follow us.  They may benefit from our knowledge, but our influence will be minimal.  Nobody wants to follow a know-it-all.  Sure, a know-it-all may have good insight and information, but if he’s not willing to roll up his sleeves and get involved in the game, then he’s not a leader.  His knowledge doesn’t lead to influence—that’s poor coaching.

On the other hand, we may have a lot of influence but lack wisdom and knowledge.  Celebrities can be like this: because they are famous people look to them as examples, but many times their poor choices disqualify them from being true leaders.  A fool is a person who loves influence but hates knowledge.  He leads by charisma but lacks conviction and character.

As coaches, men are responsible for training and influencing other men.  One man’s input is necessary for another guy’s maturity and progress.  You don’t have to be an expert to be a good coach—you just need to see the potential for improvement and be willing to step in and make the necessary investment.

(Note: This is Part 7 of our series on biblical masculinity, adapted from Men’s Leadership Training)

Men are made to be protectors—to guard and keep what has been entrusted to them.  But our instinct to protect can be used in extreme ways that are not good.

Some men abuse their role as protector.  Rather than protect for the greater good, a man may see his protecting instinct as an end in and of itself.  He becomes a warrior without a war, ready to fight over anything and everything.  For no good reason, he makes enemies out of people, and becomes the man whom others must be protected from, ironically.

This abuse isn’t always obvious—it’s not like this guy goes around punching people in the face.  More often, this abuse surfaces in an argumentative, overly-competitive spirit, i.e., the guy who is always right, or the guy who thinks everything is a test of his competency.  He lives to protect, but to protect himself.

Other men abandon their role as protector.  Rather than stand up for others, a man may back down from real threats, and become the person who needs to be protected (again, ironically).  This guy outsources protection, even pretending to be a victim at times so that others will stand up for him.

You may or may not find this guy crying in a corner.  More than likely, men who abandon their responsibility to protect will be whiny complainers.  They will blame the conflict in their lives on other people, and will tend to feel like they have been denied what they deserve.  They will be bitter and resentful toward those they perceive to be better than them.  Since they don’t want to accept responsibility, they will live as if they have been robbed the chance to be who they know they should be.

In both cases, these men are misunderstanding and misusing their God-given capacity to defend the people and things around them.  Good protectors will not use their fear to hurt others or manipulate others, but will push through their fear because they want to help others.

(Note: This is Part 6 of our series on biblical masculinity, adapted from Men’s Leadership Training)

Ambrose Redmoon said, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but the judgment that something else is more important than fear.”  This is the essence of what it means to be a protector–the determination to defend.  Men are hard-wired to defend what they are responsible for, even in the face of great peril, even at the risk of their own lives.

The ability to be a protector stems from a man’s natural capacity for emotional detachment.  In order to make hard decisions for the good of others and self, men must be able to consider things objectively to a degree, without the interference of their emotions, which are good, but can also be misleading.  Emotional detachment enables men to face hard and dangerous challenges because it allows them to overcome their personal fears.

Men are intrigued by danger, in large part because of their hard-wiring to take on challenges that test them, and to take down adversaries.  Little boys turn their bananas into guns, not because they have gone the way of the violent offender, but because they instinctively understand what it means to be a courageous defender (even if they are just defending their seat at the table).  The Native American Indians fought to the death–they were bound by honor to defend their people and land, even as both were disappearing.  Martin Luther King, Jr. stood up for minorities in the face of a malicious, oppressive culture.  Throughout time, men have had to rise to the occasion when the lives of those they loved were in the balance.  They have had to hold back personal insecurities and doubts and move forward with determination and honor.

Whether it’s fighting an enemy in war or standing up for a mistreated lady or installing a security system in your home, men must carry out their calling to protect the world they inhabit.  Danger, decay and death are real adversaries, and as men, we must give our attention to shielding the people and things for which we are responsible.

(Note: This is Part 5 of our series on biblical masculinity, adapted from Men’s Leadership Training)

Men are cultivators.  They are wired by God to be creative with the resources around them.  To cultivate is to produce something beautiful and useful out of the raw materials available to you.  So men make machines that are useful and functional, but with those machines they build beautiful buildings (which are also functional).  Men make stuff, and they make it good and for the good of others.  That’s what it means to be a cultivator.

However, men also misuse their creative capacities by either abusing or abandoning them.  And where this imbalance occurs, we find negative stereotypes.

For instance, a man who values beauty too much may be obsessed over his appearance.  Not that he seeks to be “beautiful” in the girly sense, but he seeks to be excellent and flawless.  So maybe this guy is the gym rat or metrosexual, always working on his outer appearance but neglecting to develop his inner man or relationships with others.  Or this could be the guy who spends long hours perfecting his lawn while his kids sit just inside playing video games because Dad doesn’t have time for them.

Consider also valuing excellence too little—a guy might be sloppy in his appearance, or overweight; a man may neglect his yard and be “that” neighbor; your coworker may work only as much as necessary to earn a paycheck and fails to do his best.  And think about the ugly buildings in your city, the ones that make you think, “Whoever signed off on that?”—these buildings might be functional, but they lack beauty.

Conversely, when you over or undervalue excellence, you will probably tend to think too much or too little of usefulness.  Think of the guy who is always messing with his phone, trying to stay “connected” with everyone except the person in front of him.  And the guy who rarely drives his expensive car  so he can keep it like new for as long as possible.  Or think fo the college student who doesn’t care what his furniture looks like just so long as he has a place to sit and watch TV and a bed to sleep in.

The goal is to have a healthy balance of both beauty and usefulness, so that you aspire to create good and excellent things that are useful and good for others.  Valuing one over the other creates an imbalance that keeps homes and businesses and entire cultures from flourishing.

“You have lived on the earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.” – James 5:5

The final point from our previous message in the book of James was that having wealth tests where we find comfort.  It’s not wrong to find comfort in the things that money affords us; it is wrong to rely on money to bring us ultimate comfort and satisfaction.  That power and ability alone belong to Jesus.

So ask yourself this question: What do you indulge in?  What do you tend to obsess over?  What does most of your time and energy and yes, money, go toward?  This is most likely going to be a person or thing that is acting as a functional god for you, bringing you temporary fulfillment and comfort.

So is it wrong to ever indulge in something?  Of course not.  It would be stupid to oversimplify this issue.  Wisdom is needed here.  Scripture tells us that we should in fact enjoy the things that God generously gives to us, but that we should not trust in these things themselves (1 Timothy 6:17).

So the difference comes in where we put our hope.  If we enjoy something in a way that diminishes the power and provision of God, we are wrongly indulging in that thing.  The right way to find pleasure in our possessions would be to recognize that they are gifts from God to be used for the glory of God.  In other words, don’t love your stuff; love God.

Here’s an example.  Food is a very good gift from God.  And food is more than a physical  necessity; it also has a spiritual use.  When we eat food, our bellies are satisfied and our bodies are comforted.  In addition, food serves to bring friends and family together—it can be prepared in love and served generously to others.  This is a good use of food.  1 Timothy 4:4 says, “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.”

But what if instead of thanking God for food, we ate as if food was merely for our taste buds, for our bellies?  What if instead of finding comfort in God’s daily provision of food, we found comfort in food itself, and ate as if food was the only thing that could make us happy?  We would be guilty of “self-indulgence” and “luxury”, which simply means using stuff to serve yourself without giving thought or thanks to God.

Is there something you use and enjoy that you aren’t thanking God for?  Could you live without that thing, or does it need to be ever-present, like God?

Your possessions are God’s provisions.  Ask God to give you the wisdom to see the distinction.  And never rely on your stuff to do what only Jesus can do: change you and satisfy you.

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For further study: Exodus 32, Psalm 23:1, Matthew 6:19-24, 1 Timothy 4:1-5, 6:17-19

I have a hard time believing that God is okay with my mistakes.  I know he can handle my sin, but when it comes to my lack of planning, my oversight, and my ignorance, I tend to think that there’s no room for forgiveness.  Good thing I’m wrong.

Have you ever felt like this, like there are things in your life that are completely your fault because you failed to pay attention to details, plan ahead, save enough money, spend time with the right people, pursue the best opportunities, make the wisest choices, or just use common sense?  Do you ever feel like God looks down on you and says, “That one’s on you,” as if he only cares about your sin and suffering, but not your “oops” moments?

We often push our mistakes into a gray area outside of grace, where the blame rests entirely on our shoulders.  And maybe it does, but we also carry with that a false sense of rejection and failure.  In a twisted sort of way, we often feel better about our situation when we sin than we just mess up.  We think, “Jesus died for my sin” but we’re not quite sure what Jesus did for our goofs and screw-ups.  The good thing is that Jesus died for these too.

There’s a story in the Gospel of Mark about the disciples’ poor planning (8:14-21).  Just after Jesus had fed 4,000+ people with a few loaves of bread and some fish, they got into a boat and headed out to another town.  As it turns out, the disciples only brought a single loaf of bread with them to feed a boat-load of men.  And as usual, they started to argue with each other about who was responsible for not packing a brown bag.  Somebody made a mistake.  It wasn’t sin; it was just stupid.

But Jesus’ response was typical too.  He basically said, “Hey, look guys, I just fed thousands of people with a fish sandwich.  I can feed you too.”  The disciples knew that Jesus was powerful—they had seen it in the miracle.  What they overlooked though was that the point of the miracle wasn’t power—it was provision.  He was willing to feed a massive crowd of people who had left home without packing a lunch, and he would take care of his disciples too.

Jesus’ best friend, Peter, knew this well.  He cut off a man’s ear in a moment of misguided passion, and Jesus simply picked up the man’s ear and put it back on his head.  Jesus graciously corrected Peter’s rash decision.  He provided a new ear for the soldier, and another chance for Peter.

Grace doesn’t just save us from hell; it can save face too.  We’re going to make mistakes, and when we do, we have to rely on the gospel in those moments like we would any other time.  It’s not a problem for Jesus to clean up our messes—he’s really good at making things new again.  So ask God for what you need, regardless of why you need it.

(Note: This is Part 4 of our series on biblical masculinity, adapted from Men’s Leadership Training)

When God created Adam, he put him in the middle of a garden and told him to make something of the world.  We know this as the Cultural Mandate: “Be fruitful and multiply; subdue the earth and fill it; have dominion over it” (Genesis 1:28).  Here we find the command to create a civilization, to cultivate the earth and turn it into something better.

As cultivators, men are to take the raw materials of the world around them and assemble them together in ways that cause others to flourish.  They are to “re-create” what God has given them in creation.  In order to bring about flourishing, man has two objectives in his life’s work and productivity: beauty and usefulness.

To make something beautiful means to add value to it, or bring out the value inherent in it.  So architects take numbers and shapes and design skyscrapers.  Janitors take cleaning products and equipment and polish a floor so that you can see your reflection in it.  A fast-food employee takes various condiments and assembles a mouth-watering cheeseburger.  A father takes a few blankets and chairs and creates a fortress for his children.

In all of these things, men are called to take the materials they find around them and do something wonderful with them.  By organizing and assembling the pieces of creation around them, men add value and beauty to society.  A flourishing culture is one in which beauty and excellence are rightly valued.

But beauty isn’t the only goal.  Men must also aim to create useful things for those around them.  Henry Ford took steel and screws and built cars.  Louisville Slugger takes wood and makes baseball bats.  Factory workers turn used tires into playground padding.  A publisher takes ideas and information and publishes magazines and books.

In all of these, men must aim to contribute to the world they live in and make it functional.  Just because something is good doesn’t mean it’s good for others.  By creating useful things, men are enabling others to be cultivators too.  A flourishing culture is one in which functionality is rightly valued.

The point is to find a balance between beauty and usefulness, between value and function.  Some things will be more valuable than they are functional (a painting) and vice versa (a stop light), but overall, a culture that is flourishing is one in which there is a healthy balance of both.  So men must work to create ideas and objects and places that are balanced in their beauty and usefulness.

In the last post in this series we saw that God created men to be kings.  As kings, men are wired to take initiative and get things done, to have dominion over every part of their lives: over themselves, their stuff, their relationships and their work.  Men are called to be get-it-done dudes who refuse to sit back and let their lives unravel and fall apart.

But as kings, men can also abuse or abdicate their power to rule.  This is where we find the stereotypes of men-as-kings, as either power-hungry bullies or passive, lazy weaklings.  These two extremes exist because men do not rightly use their God-given authority to rule with wisdom and justice.

Power-hungry men recognize their need to take control of their lives, but they overreach by using anger and fear to take control.  They often come across as obnoxious and self-consumed.  They can be tyrannical and unpredictable, and even unapproachable.  They believe they are responsible for making everything happen, so they encroach on other people’s domains in order to protect themselves.

Men who are obsessed with having all the power often are covering their own insecurities and weaknesses by exploiting others.  Rather than using their good instinct to bring order to their lives and their communities, they instead work hard to prove their own competence in order to always stay ahead of the person who is perceived to be a threat.

Passive men are afraid of power, and will do anything to avoid having it.  They would rather be ruled than rule.  They fear failure, so they don’t try to succeed at all.  They do not accept responsibility over their domains, and in consequence, their lives are often on the brink of disaster.  Nothing ever seems to work out for them because they never work hard at anything, and sadly, they don’t really care.

Men who are afraid of having power are “Mama’s Boys,” always relying on another person, often a nurturer, to assume responsibility for them.  They are not motivated, they have no convictions about important matters, and they retreat when a stronger personality is present, including dangerous people who provoke them physically, like bullies, thugs, intruders, etc.

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Men’s Leadership Training is on Wednesday evenings from 5:00-8:00 at Molly Malone’s in Covington.

(1) What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?  (6) But he (God) gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4:2, 6-10)

There is a way to feel sorry about your sin that is sin itself.  This is called “worldly grief.”  It’s ungodly because it doesn’t come from God and it doesn’t please him.  It’s also ineffective because it doesn’t really change the heart.  And of course the heart, according to James, is where it all starts.

But there is a way to regret your sin that will move you past surface-level tears and apologies to a much deeper, more fruitful way of living.  This is called repentance, and this is from God.

In this brief passage, James gives us a picture of godly repentance, a step-by-step strategy for deep, lasting change.  It involves three basic elements:

1) Identify Your Sin.  James says, “Hey, all this fighting and trouble-making is coming from inside of you!”  So often we look around us for the source of our problems, but all too often we are missing the real source of troubles: ourselves.

Are you secretly protecting a favorite sin of yours?  Do you keep running back to the same sinful behavior—is it a habit, a pattern  in your life?  Are you ignoring a problem in your life?  Do you have regular times of healthy self-examination?  Do you reflect on readings from Scripture in a way that causes you to see your own sin?  When things are hard in your life, do you blame others or do you first look for the “log in your eye?”

2) Grieve Over Your Sin.  James doesn’t have in mind here some sort of ridiculous, exaggerated over-acting.  Instead, James calls us to take our sin seriously—so seriously that it affects our emotions and our attitude.  True repentance isn’t acting—it’s being broken by God over the condition of your heart.  This may cause a few tears at the least; it will definitely be painful.

Have you been deeply broken by God over this sin?  Has this conviction of sin caused you to be alarmed by the condition of your heart?  Have you agreed with God that your sin is ugly?  Has it led you to an emotional and physical response?

3) Receive Grace and Joy.  What James is not saying is “Beat yourself up.”  What James is saying is, “Accept responsibility and run to God—he will forgive you and restore you.”  Real repentance doesn’t lead us to grovel in the dirt and feel bad about ourselves—that never changes anyone.  Real repentance causes us to recognize that we have an enemy, Satan; it causes us to run away from evil; and it causes us to run without hesitation or fear to God, because he always has more grace for broken sinners.

Do you “grovel in the dirt” when you sin?  Do you tend to feel sorry for yourself when you mess up (this is really a form of self-righteousness)?  Do you move quickly past your sin and look to the unending, forever-forgiving love and grace of God in Christ?  Which seems bigger to you: your sin or God’s grace?

When we sin (and we will), we must repent, but repentance doesn’t leave us in the grave.  Repentance doesn’t leave us on the cross either (that was Jesus’ job).  Repentance leaves us before God, broken and joyful: broken over our sin but rejoicing in his mercy and grace.

(For further study, see Psalm 51, 2 Corinthians 7, and 1 Peter 5)

We are currently in the middle of a 10 week course on manhood according to the Bible.  Our last post from this series listed the skeleton of the entire course.  This week, we want to lay out the details of the first archetype of biblical manhood: man as king.

1. Men are rulers: As image-bearers of God, man has been given the power to rule over the creation (Genesis 1-2).  This authority is a stewardship that is to be used with wisdom and justice.
2. Men have been given 4 domains to rule: First, themselves.  Men must learn to exercise discipline regarding their inner and outer selves–their heart and mind and soul, as well as their physical health and hygiene.  Second, their stuff.  Everything a man owns is to be used for the glory of God and the good of others; therefore, men need to use their stuff wisely, and take care of the stuff God gives them: money, time, their yards, etc. Third, their relationships.  Men must take initiative in keeping their relationships healthy.  This includes both leading and following appropriately, depending on the relationship (family, friends, co-workers, church, society, etc.).  Fourth, their work.  What a man does to contribute to the maintenance and flourishing of his community is considered his work.  In this respect, a man must see himself as a cultivator, taking the raw materials of creation and turning it into something useful and beautiful.
3. Men have to rule over these things themselves: A man who doesn’t take care of his domains is lazy.  The general rule is that a man must take care of himself and those he is responsible for; it is expected of him.  A man must accept his responsibility, determine his priorities, make a plan, execute that plan, and regularly evaluate it.

Men’s Leadership Training is on Wednesday evenings from 5:00-8:00 at Molly Malone’s in Covington.

For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
James 3:16-17

Most of us don’t roll out of bed every morning to a life free from disorder. We procrastinate, things don’t go as planned, people get sick, we get frustrated—all could be summed up by saying ‘life happens’. This is the existence we know of; one that is fractured. One where our circumstances intersect with our heart condition and it produces what James notes as the existence of jealousy and selfish ambition.

For those of us who are Christians, we should have no problems admitting the presence of jealousy and selfish ambition in our hearts. To varying degrees and various times, these twin sin motives can rear their ugly head in our relationships and circumstances. We are not exempt from these things because we follow Christ; if anything, the life-giving presence of the Holy Spirit within us brings these things to our attention so that we can confess them as sin.

But motives are hard to decipher. They’re like code that we need the Spirit and each other to help unlock. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Trying to sort out our jealousy and selfish ambition by ourselves is a recipe for disaster.

So often, we can’t see the root of our sinful motives, but we can see the fruit. Look at what else James says: “…there will be disorder and every vile practice.” See, he’s giving us some clues. We can’t lay every sinful motivation bare in community. What we can do is do a quick heart check in the middle of our everyday. If you find jealousy or selfish ambition possibly making an appearance in your heart, ask yourself these questions:

Am I frustrated with my circumstances? Why? What is motivating me?
Where is there disorder in my relationships? How is my sin affecting others?
Am I considering vile practices due to my angst; am I thinking of gossiping, or
avoiding, or lying?
Are my heart motives springing from the love of Christ and the freedom of the
gospel, or are I concerned with ‘my rights’?

We cannot afford to be naïve. Our root of sin will break through the soil and spring up, showing its disorder and vile practice to those around us. (Num. 32:23)

Instead, let’s be people who practice pure, peaceable, reasonable, gentle wisdom with each other and everyone around us. This is a testimony to the gospel of Christ to all those around us. In order to do this, we have to be honest with our hearts, through the guidance of the Spirit, that jealousy and selfish ambition are always there waiting for us to indulge them.

For further study: Jer. 17:9, Num. 32:23

Two Kinds of Gossip

There are two ways to gossip. We can gossip with things we say or with things we listen to other people say. Both are participating in gossip.

But the Bible does not forbid talking about other people. There are numerous instances in the New Testament where people are called out by name because their sin has affected other people and those actions were reported to church leaders. A great example is Philippians 4, where a conflict between Euodia and Syntyche was permanently canonized in scripture because someone talked to Paul about it.

So we need some way to diagnose our words and our motives in order to gain wisdom about what gossip is. The questions below reveal that most of the things we say about other people are harmful rather than helpful.

Gossip through Speaking

• Will I help or hurt the person’s character by repeating this information?
• If I talk about this, am I doing unto others what I desire to be done unto me?
• Even if the information is true, am I improving the situation by talking about it?
• Will anyone be edified if I repeat this information?
• What is my motive for telling it? Am I really seeking to build or destroy?
• Is the information true? Is there any basis for it? Is it rumor or innuendo?
• Is the information about something which the other person has repented of? (if so, leave it alone).
• Am I promoting unity by talking about this?

Gossip through Listening

• Am I enabling the sin of gossip in another person by giving audience to them?
• Will I feel better towards the one being talked about by hearing what is spread by a gossiper?
• Am I assisting the character of the person speaking to me by allowing them to talk about this?
• Am I convinced that the person speaking to me truly desires unity and love for the other person they are talking about?
• Has the person speaking to me already approached the one being spoken about?
• Even if they have, does that excuse this conversation?
• Who is being drawn more to Christ as a result of this conversation?

Proverbs 18:19 warns, “A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city, and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.” If you are speaking gossip or listening to gossip then you are fortifying walls of distrust in other people.

Don’t do that.

(This post is connected to the Christ the King Church series on the biblical book of James called Wisdom. You can download the sermon “Taming the Tongue” here.

Last week we started Men’s Leadership Training, a 10-week course on how men can be better men.  The objective is for us, as men, to see ourselves in light of who God has made us, how sin has messed us up, and how Jesus restores us.

Here is an overview of the course, a roadmap to understanding manhood:

Four Archetypes

An archetype is an ideal example of a type.  As far as masculinity goes, God has made men to embody four particular expressions of manhood.  These are the four spheres of a man’s life:

1. King: We have been given domains to rule
2. Cultivator: We harness the resources of our domains for sustenance and beauty
3. Protector: We secure our domains from entropy and enemies
4. Shepherd: We leave a legacy by training other men to be Kings, Cultivators, and Protectors

Eight Stereotypes

A stereotype is an exaggeration of a type.  These two opposing extremes are displayed when a man either abuses his sphere or abandons his sphere:

1. King:
   1. Power-Hungry (Abused)
   2. Passive (Abandoned)
2. Cultivator:
   1. Addict (Abused)
   2. Sluggard (Abandoned)
3. Protector:
   1. Manipulator (Abused)
   2. Coward (Abandoned)
4. Shepherd:
   1. Know-It-All (Abused)
   2. Fool (Abandoned)

Two Prototypes

A prototype is an original type or version of something that is the basis for later types.  There are two prototypes for masculinity:

1. Adam.  The first Adam led his family (including us) outside of God’s authority in an attempt to be his own god.  This sin obscured every aspect of masculinity, causing men to either abuse or abandon their domains.
2. Jesus Christ.  The second Adam, Jesus, ruled his life perfectly.  He demonstrated justice and wisdom in each sphere of his manhood, showing us what it means to be a true man.  Furthermore, he was God-in-the-flesh, and as such, his crucifixion is sufficient to atone for our sins, and his resurrection from the dead is sufficient to overcome death.

Men’s Leadership Training is on Wednesday nights from 5-8 at Molly Malones in Covington.

(2) For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. (8) But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
James 3:2, 8

Most of us don’t consider out tongues to be full of deadly poison. Makes me think of the spitting cobra. Ever seen one? They can spit venom almost 7 feet into the eyes of their prey in order to disable and move in for the kill. We don’t see our words as deadly poison, used to ‘move in for the kill’.

If you don’t think your tongue is full of deadly poison, consider if you do any of these three things:

1. Do you speak rashly? (Pro. 12:18, 29:20)
Do you talk without really considering what you are saying? Ever just ‘fire away’ without considering just what you are saying, and whether or not it needs to be said?

2. Do you talk too much?
“Where words are many, transgression is not lacking.” The more you talk, the more odds are your words are full of deadly poison. This is why not many of us should desire to be teachers (3:1). Consider whether or not the things you are saying really need to be said or not. Could you talk less to others and talk more to Jesus?

3. Are you regularly snared by your words? (Pro. 6:2-5)
Some of us are notorious for making promises we cannot keep, leading to disagreement between friends. Do you find yourself saying regularly, “I wish I hadn’t said that”?

Mind you, these are just three questions to ask. We could ask 30 more maybe. How did you score? I’m 0-3. When we look at what the scriptures say about things like our tongues, it is easy to despair. We think, “There is no way I can change.”

This is when we are either driven to try harder or we’re comforted by Jesus and drawn to worship him more. He is the true Word become flesh (Jn. 1:1-18). Christ has loved us and died for sin knowing we would spit deadly venom from our mouths. The resurrection reminds us that there is victory over sin and death in Jesus, not shame and defeat. As you are reminded that your words matter, remember that in Christ, our words don’t matter as much as the true Word, Jesus, dying for our sin and giving us his righteousness. This will lead us to a true change of heart and worship of Jesus.

For further study: Eph. 4:15-29, Jn. 1:1-18, Pro. 12:18, 29:20, 6:2-5, 16: 21, 23, 24, 28, Phil 2:14

There is an apparent contradiction between two verses in the Bible.

James says, “A person is justified by works and not by faith alone” (James 2:24).

Paul says, “One is justified by faith apart from works of the law” (Romans 3:28).

Although they appear contradictory on the surface, a closer examination of how James and Paul are using words shows that they are talking about two different things.

Both James and Paul (and Jesus, for that matter!) argue forcefully that saving faith will always result in a changed life; a life that is characterized by good works. But Paul and James are referring to two different things when they use the word “justified.” Paul uses the word “justified” to refer to the declaration of a person’s initial pardon at the moment of his conversion. James uses the word “justified” to refer to the final accounting of a person’s life before God on the last day.

James argues that any faith that does not produce good works is only a superficial faith. It is not real. It is a “dead” faith (James 2:14), he even says a faith that doesn’t produce good works is demonic (James 2:19). James is not saying, however, that we need to perform good works in order to be saved. The kind of faith that actually saves us is a faith that changes us and produces spiritual fruit in our lives.

Consider it this way: if a person goes through the spiritual motions of “getting saved” but is not moved to care for people in need, be more generous, experience some degree of joy and thankfulness in Christ, then what good is that kind of faith? Sobering question.

But James is not the only one who says these sorts of things. The Apostle Paul wrote similar things in the book of Titus. He says that some people “profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work” (Titus 1:6). He calls them “empty talkers” in Titus 1:10. People whose faith is nothing more than a religious accessory to round out the image of a balanced life. In Titus 3:8, Paul tells another Pastor, Timothy, this: “I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believe in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.”

Perhaps the most striking words come from Jesus himself, who said “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits (Matthew 7:19).”

James cites two examples to make his case: Abraham (Jew) and Rahab (Gentile). Both of them believed in God’s saving power, and they demonstrated their faith by incredible acts of faith. In Genesis 22, Abraham believed so strongly in God’s promise to provide him with a family, he was willing to allow his own son to die because he believed that God could even raise the dead. Rahab, who was a Gentile prostitute believed God to save her by putting her own life at risk to protect two of God’s people.

James cites these acts of faith to show that true, saving faith is lived out in every day life. When James says that “Abraham was justified by works” in James 2:21, he is saying that Abraham’s works proved in the end that his initial, saving faith was real. God did not justify Abraham because Abraham did some great work. Rather, Abraham’s faith in God was proven genuine by his works.

Consider this. Suppose a man is arrested and placed on trial for burglary. In the course of the trial, this man is able to present clear evidence that he was innocent of the crime, and he was acquitted by the judge. The man could say that the verdict justified him because he was an innocent man. But the judge could say the evidence justified him because the evidence proved he was actually innocent. The man sees his justification in terms of his actual innocence of a crime. The judge sees his justification as having been proven by evidence.

The same is true for James and Paul. Paul sees our “justification” as a declaration that God views us innocent and perfect in Christ and given new life. James sees our “justification” as the evidence of that new life demonstrated by our good works.

Thus James and Paul do not contradict each other. They are both describing different things using the same word. And both James and Paul agree that we are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and that faith changes us and produces good works in us.

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

James 2:17,19

Cramming thoughts on James 2:17 into a 400-word blog post (or a 50 minute sermon for that matter) is like shoehorning an elephant into a matchbox. Impossible. Volumes upon volumes have been written on this text; a reminder of the depth and complexity of God’s Word. The deeper we peer into it, the more complexity we see in it and in our own hearts.

Instead, let’s make one connection between verse 17 and verse 19. James, inspired by the Holy Spirit, gives us something to consider. He tells us that there is a level of information about God that even demonic beings readily acknowledge as true. Demonic theology may have some measure of technical orthodoxy, but it has no action or obedience in response.

Let’s be honest, we don’t think about demons everyday. But we should think about this; how does your faith in Christ look to yourself and the world around you today. Think back on the past 24 hours; how have you demonstrated your faith with works? Have you held your tongue? Have you prayed for wisdom? Have you served the tangible needs of another in spite of your selfish desires? Have you asked someone to forgive you and modeled the gospel of grace?

The point is not to doubt your right standing in Christ based on your works, if you are a believer in Jesus. Instead, we need to be reminded we have been…”redeem(ed) from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:14) We have been saved to good works.

But where there is a misfire between what we know to be true about God and our actions, there is sin to be repented of. When our theology and practice, our faith and works, are disconnected, we are more like a demon than a Christian, if we are prideful and unrepentant. We cannot be deceived into thinking because we know the right answers we always do the right thing.

As you think on this today, consider these things. First, the gospel of grace is that even though we constantly get it wrong, we are right before God in Jesus. Second, from this identity in Christ, we are able to do good works that please God. And finally, we live in broken world where Satan and demons are subtly active and definitely real. Rather than looking for the extraordinary, we should examine our own pride and hypocrisy, to stand on guard against the enemy.

For further reading: Ja. 3:13-15, Eph. 6:12-18, 2 Cor. 11:14, Phil. 1:6, Tit. 2:12-14.

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
James 1:27

Money and relationships are power. Wherever you are as you read this, money and relationships (or a lack of either one) have played a key role in your social status and how you see the world. Do you realize that? It is an evidence of God’s grace if you are a person who has a strong family unit and financial resources—these things are gifts to be thankful for, not feel guilty for having.

However, all to often, these ‘power’ indicators are what we use to judge a person’s importance to us. Power isn’t a bad thing necessarily, but what James is speaking of in this verse is this: if power, or social status, is what you use to judge those you associated with, that is sin.

Our world judges worth based on power rather than each human being an image bearer of God. James’ word of warning to us is a reminder that it is easy to get caught up in seeing people in a worldly way. Instead of seeing ourselves as sojourners just passing through our short time on earth, we get tunnel vision. People become valued by their ability to do something for us.

Thankfully, Jesus doesn’t judge us based on what we can do for him; the gospel is that God gave everything to those ill-deserving (us). Because of our redemption, we can in turn extend the same to those in our world who have been neglected and in some cases abandoned by society. The gospel frees us in Christ to love those who have been passed over by the power structures of this world.

So, how do you treat people who have nothing to offer you? Don’t be guilty of passing off this question without real examination. Think about this; who are your friends? Do you have people in your life that you are giving to, expecting nothing in return? Are there people around you with tangible needs you can meet? Do you have a willing heart to give both money and relationship (not just one or the other) to people who are vulnerable and in need?

The book of James pushes us to wisdom—the marriage of belief and action. Pure and undefiled religion will always have as one of its byproducts a concern and awareness for the needy among us. We live out the gospel by doing for others because of what Jesus has done for us. Be sure to check out the following references…

For further study: Pro. 19:4, 14:20, 1 Pet. 2:11, Eph. 2:19-20, Lk. 14:12-24, Ja. 4:4

*A word on using this devotional blog. The good stuff is in parentheses. Proverbs is a deep well of practical understanding for our souls that runs parallel with much of the wisdom found in the book of James. Be sure to reference the texts listed and allow God to speak to you through the power of the word. The subject matter follows along with the current sermon series in James; download each week’s podcast to journey with us.

In my previous post, I mentioned that the gospel is essentially a criticism against us and a hope for us.  It is a criticism against us because it exposes our failures and imperfections, and it is a hope for us because it offers us a way out of our total inadequacy.  Recognizing that criticism is a sanctifying grace from God will change the way we respond to criticism, right or wrong.

But criticism isn’t always something that happens to us; it is also something we do to others, or should be.  That’s right: we need to be criticizing each other.

Now before I go on, let me qualify what I mean by “criticize.”  We tend to think of criticism in strictly negative terms, as a harsh or severe judgment against us.  But criticism can be positive too, and doesn’t always have to be so “heavy.”  The reason criticism seems so heavy to us is because we have created a culture that avoids “judging” and evaluation on a personal level.  We expect criticism in D.C., in Hollywood, and on Wall Street.  On a professional level, we get criticism—it makes sense to us.

But when it comes to having our personal life objectively evaluated by another person and found wanting, it’s a different matter altogether.  We get really defensive, really fast.  That’s because we have made our personal habits and practices “off-limits” to others.  Sure, we invite people into our lives as friends, but too often we keep them at arms-length so that they cannot really get to know us, because if they did, they might have a problem with what they find.  Like Adam and Eve, we hide from those who really know what’s going on in our hearts.  It’s just easier this way.

This is where the gospel and community come together so clearly.  The gospel serves to build community, both by inviting us into God’s family, and then by continually pushing us toward hope in Jesus.  Christian community reflects the gospel in that it too is fundamentally critical and hope-giving.  We like the hope-giving part; we tend not to like the critical part so much.

But think about it.  If God intends to make us more like Jesus, then he will not stop until the job is done.  And until the job is done, he will chip away at our egos and idols, and replace them with confidence in Jesus.  But he doesn’t do this with a lightening bolt or magic wand; he does this through community, a community built by his Spirit and his Word, a “critical” community.

Criticism should be a regular part of our interaction with one another as a church.  It will not always be heavy and severe.  Sometimes it will be a gentle word of rebuke, or a good push in the right direction.  And sometimes it will be a severe warning, or a devastating blow to our pride.  Nevertheless, criticism is necessary for sanctification and fruitfulness.  We need to have others telling us how we’re doing.  It’s just better this way.

Avoiding criticism is why church-communities never really solidify, or end up unraveling.  You can never build good community if people aren’t willing to be completely and aggressively honest with one another, and you can’t hold community together if you’re overlooking sin and immaturity for the sake of “peace.”  Sure, criticism tends to be a downer; it has a way of making smiles disappear.  But the goal of criticism is to strengthen faith and hope in Christ—it leads to real peace.

So if you want to be in community, expect criticism, and don’t withhold it from those who need it.  We need to be honest with each other.  It’s the only way we’re going to mature and become the kind of disciples Jesus calls us to be.

This past week Michael preached “Overcoming Anger” from James 1:19-26.  Anger is an intense emotional response to being denied something we really want.  It can be legitimate anger, but even so, typically the legitimacy of our anger soon intersects with the sin of our heart, and it leads us away from “the righteousness that God requires” (v20).

If you are quick to dismiss the label of being an angry person, be sure you’re not also dismissing the many ways anger can express itself.  It’s not always the red-in-the-face explosion.  Here are a few other ways anger surfaces:

1. Wounded Pride—“I’m your best friend until you say something I don’t like.  I often present my bitterness and resentment as suffering.”
2. Control Freak—“If I feel like my autonomy is threatened, I’ll manipulate situations and people to position myself for maximum benefit and power.  Collateral damage is of little concern to me.  My primary goal is to be vindicated.”
3. Frustration & Irritation—“I’m tired all the time because my critical spirit is exhausting me.  I have a low-grade discontentment that keeps me at a distance from people and causes me to be easily annoyed by others.”
4. Self-Directed Anger—“I wrestle with powerful insecurities that always seem to pin me against the mat.  They cripple me.  I can hardly love anyone, and joy is elusive.  I always feel guilty, even when I haven’t done anything wrong.”
5. “Victim” Anger—“I’m never to blame, at least, never fully to blame.  I’m always getting hurt by insensitive people who don’t understand me and what I’m going through.  I am extremely bitter deep down inside.”
6. “Where’s God?” Anger—“It seems pretty obvious to me that God hasn’t done his job at being good and wise.  Somebody needs to stand up to him, and I guess that person is me.”

These are just a few.  Maybe you see yourself in one of these descriptions.  We all have anger in our hearts because we all have rebellion in our hearts.  But the Spirit is constantly working to drive anger out of our hearts and to conform us to the likeness of Jesus, the man who was cursed at, but never cursed in return; who was unjustly crucified, but trusted his Father to vindicate him.  This same Spirit is producing in our hearts the fruit that only he can create: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, & self control.  This is anger-destroying fruit.

If you are in an “angry season” in your life, you must repent for the sake of your soul.  You don’t need to control things, and besides, you don’t know how to anyway.  You don’t need to be right; Jesus is right, on your behalf.  You don’t need to whine and complain, because your Father knows what you need before you even ask him—and besides, it will only produce a bitterness that will cause you to walk away from Jesus.

Remember, in Christ, nothing has been taken away from you that you deserved except judgment, and nothing has been done to you that you didn’t deserve accept full forgiveness and acceptance into God’s family.  See the difference?

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
James 1:19-20

I am a fan of profoundly simple and practical advice. There are plenty of instances in scripture where we are presented with spiritual reality about who we are and who God is, but we’re left to wonder, “But how am I supposed to live in light of this truth?”

James 1:19-20 is crystal clear. In it we are given a practical lens to pass our thoughts and actions through, allowing us to test our thoughts before they become actions.

Be Quick to Hear
This instruction doesn’t just apply to when we’re angry. Learning to listen makes us better missionaries as well. Prayer gives us time to pause when we are trying to slow our responses. We can mentally pray, “Lord Jesus, help me to hear this person rightly.” Misunderstanding is the source of many interpersonal conflicts and frustrations. Check the following references on the importance of listening: Pro. 13:1, 19:20, Ecc. 7:5, 21, Pro. 18:13, 17, 19

Be Slow to Speak
Are you willing to let others be heard? Do you really listen to others, or are you just keeping quiet, waiting on your turn to talk? We should all consider that in our quickness to speak, often this leads to hasty, harsh, untrue words, gossip, and other sins of the heart with the tongue. (See Pro. 12:18, 21:23, 28:23, 15:1, Mt. 15:18)

Be Slow to Anger
How long is your wick? Do you burn slow or explode at the smallest spark? Again, being slow to anger will not happen if you can’t hold your tongue and listen. But doing those things doesn’t guarantee we’ll never get angry, either. Assume that things are going to tick you off from time to time, even if you listen well, and be prepared to ask for the fruit of the Spirit instead of the kindling of your anger. (See Pro. 29:11, 19:11, Pro. 15:18, 16:32)

If we’re honest with ourselves, this is a tall order for all of us. Remember, practical instruction in scripture is an evidence of God’s grace, not a law for us to be weighed down under. God loves us enough to tell us how to live with wisdom. Christians, God loves you in spite of your anger and foolishness because of Christ. Unbelievers, these principles are valid for you, too. But they’re useless a part from Christ. All the conflict resolution improving you can attempt will never truly root out the sin in your heart. For all of us, are deepest need isn’t anger management, it is Christ.

*A word on using this devotional blog. The good stuff is in parentheses. Proverbs is a deep well of practical understanding for our souls. Be sure to reference the texts listed and allow God to speak to you through the power of the word. The subject matter follows along with the current sermon series in James; download each week’s podcast to journey with us.

I’ll be completely honest with you: I can’t stand to be criticized. And it’s not that I think I’m above criticism—certainly not. It’s just that criticism has this way of . . . crushing me. That’s right—it knocks the breath right out of me, and leaves me dizzy on the floor.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not one to get angry when someone has a problem with me or something I’ve done. But I do lose my cool, for sure. For me, that means I toss out everything I’ve ever learned about grace and acceptance through Jesus, and I become a raging Pharisee for a moment, completely devastated that my self-righteousness didn’t pass someone’s test, completely frustrated with myself and others.

Here’s the thing: nobody loves to be criticized, but we all know that it’s going to happen, and it will probably happen pretty regularly for the rest of our lives. So are we going to lose our cool when our best efforts don’t impress others? Or are we going to see the redeeming value of criticism in light of the gospel and receive it with thankfulness?

A good rule of thumb for us to keep in mind is that God is continually working to increase our capacity for criticism. That’s because sanctification, the process of being shaped by God’s grace to look more like Jesus, is essentially criticism. What God is doing in us day by day through testing and trials and suffering is exposing parts of our hearts that are not fully submitted to him. He is demonstrating to us the ways in which we must learn to trust him and stop trusting in our own insight and experience and ability. God is criticizing us—he’s pointing out our sin and weaknesses. He’s being good to us.

Think about it: the gospel itself is a criticism against us. It says, “You are not good enough. You need Jesus. You must change. You must repent. You need grace. You can’t change on your own. Nothing you do impresses God.” God is perfect; we are not. Does that make you feel small? It should.

But the gospel isn’t just a criticism against us; it is also a hope for us. The gospel opens our eyes and hearts to the mercy of criticism; it becomes a means of grace to us. It gives us a hope to filter our inadequacy through. It serves to keep us knit together where we used to fall apart. Painful words don’t have to send us into fits anymore. We don’t have to hide our faults or get defensive when they’re pointed out.

Instead, the gospel gives us the full assurance that God completely accepts us, and that our inadequacies and imperfections and failures aren’t final judgments against us, but occasions for God to demonstrate his special love and grace toward us. We can face our critics with love and hope, knowing that they are God’s instruments for chiseling away our own self-reliance.

So the lesson for me is this: don’t be crushed by criticism. Take it for what it is. Many times it is legitimate, and we can learn from it and thank God for it. Criticism has a way of stretching us out and increasing our ability to handle the difficulties of being imperfect and living with imperfect people. It’s God’s way of changing and redeeming us.

Does that make you feel loved? It should.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
James 1:5

Theology, properly speaking, is defined as the study of God. Sounds heady, stuffy, maybe even boring; I’ll admit to falling asleep to a theology book or two. We have to toss the picture in our head of theology being something that is limited to books. Theology is how you think about God. Its how you think about God on your best days when the wind is at your back, its how you think about God when it seems like the roof is caving in, its how you think about God in the mundane.

The Bible tells us who God is, giving us our source for theological knowledge. When we read a passage, one of the most basic questions we can ask ourselves is, “What does this text tell me about God’s character?” One of the most notable and frequent attributes of God’s character we find in the Bible is his goodness. (Word search good or goodness for further study.) James 1:5 says God gives wisdom without reproach. What does that mean?

God’s good nature (unlike our sinful nature) means he gives wisdom to those who ask. He doesn’t give it to judge us more harshly, or to rob us of our joy, or because he looks down and thinks, ‘Man, that dummy keeps doing that, I’ll give him wisdom!’ God gives us wisdom, without ulterior motives, without reproach, because he is good.

When it hits the fan, inevitably, we all functionally toss our good theology out the window and question God’s character from time to time. Our actions do not communicate a belief in God’s sovereignty, goodness, and justice. James 1 tells us when trials and tests come our way, we should pray for wisdom and trust God—not question his character (Ja. 1:13-15). The God of the universe loves us in spite of our foolishness, gives us good gifts, and gives them because he is good, not because he is obligated to do so.

When you ask for wisdom, know you are asking God, who gives because he is good, not because you are good. When you lack wisdom and act like a fool, God gives grace to cover your sins in Christ. God’s generosity and goodness is on display most clearly in the person and work of Jesus. Reproach is defined as to address someone with disapproval. God doesn’t give with reproach because we have approval in Christ!

Today, pray and ask for wisdom. Praise God for his goodness and generosity that comes without reproach. As you read scripture, ask God to show you his character. As you go about your day, ask God to show you when your actions don’t align with a belief in God’s goodness.

For further study and meditation: Ja. 1:1-18, Ps. 25:7, 27:13, 31:19, Tit. 3:4, Rom. 8:18, 1 Pet. 4:12, Pro. 18:2, 12:15, 1:7, Ps. 14:1

I was texting with a friend of mine who, as I type, is in New Orleans, getting ready for the National Championship game tonight. He’s an LSU tiger fan and couldn’t be more excited to see his team fight for the highest prize in college football. No doubt the town is buzzing today with fans from both teams, brimming with anticipation for kickoff tonight.

We get pretty excited about sports, don’t we? Ok, maybe you don’t, but something gets you going. And whatever that thing is, your excitement and anticipation builds as you spend time talking and thinking about the meeting, the concert, the dinner date, the game, etc. The things that are important to us are the things we spend time talking about, thinking about, and preparing for…

So, do you spend time thinking about and preparing for Sunday? Every week, CTK-ers get out of bed to come and worship, hear the Bible taught, receive communion, and be in community with other believers. But be honest with yourself: does Sunday get the ‘big game’ treatment, or does Sunday get the leftovers? Is the Sunday gathering something you get to do, something you want and need and anticipate?

This coming week, we’re starting a new sermon series through the book of James. James is a short New Testament book that is easy to read in one setting and is packed with practical wisdom for living out our faith in Jesus. Here’s my challenge to you. Its simple: read the book of James this week. In fact, read it repeatedly through the course of this series.

We can’t expect to just fall out of bed and have a mind-blowing experience every Sunday. But if you do something as simple as read before you come and humbly ask God to show you truth from the Word you might be surprised at the level of engagement and interaction you will have.

When we put ourselves in a position to hear from God in scripture, we develop a taste for what is good for us. Scripture becomes our portion, our spiritual food for each day. We begin to anticipate hearing the Word preached on Sunday; we come primed to hear from God. When we repeatedly read a text, and steep in it, the Holy Spirit is able to teach us—we don’t read the Bible like we’re reading the newspaper; instead, we savor each word of it as food for the soul.

Another thing that will happen for you as you do this; you’ll want to invite others to join you. What we are passionate about tends to just come out of us. This sermon series is a great time to bring people who aren’t sure about Jesus and don’t yet believe the gospel. Most people love practical, self-help advice, and James is full of it. As you read, you may find yourself inviting others in your life to read with you and ask questions and join you on Sunday or in your City Group.

I’m already looking forward to Sunday…see you then!

I have read through the Bible several times over the past few years and have found a couple of things helpful.

Maybe you’ve come across the term “gospel-centered” recently.  And maybe this term makes sense to you, but maybe it needs more explanation.  So here are at least 2 things we mean when we use this term:

First, the gospel defines our identity.  Through Jesus, our identity is based on what God says about us and no longer by what our past says about us.  Apart from Christ, our identity is rooted in our sinful nature.  In other words, before a person is reconciled to God through faith in Jesus, they are defined by their sin; their problems shape their personhood.  But when a person is made right with God through faith in Jesus, their sin is forgiven and removed, and their sinful nature is transformed.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold the new has come.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17

When a person becomes a Christian, their identity is permanently changed.  They are no longer defined by their problems (sin), but by God’s grace.  They are no longer the “product” of their past, but the “workmanship” of God (Ephesians 2:10).  They are who God says they are.

Second, the gospel changes our community.  Because Jesus has removed the guilt, shame and power of our sin, we can now share our lives with one another without fear of being exposed and rejected.  If God knows everything about us and still chooses to love us, then we have no reason to hide from others; we can now live in lasting community with others.

This means that we can be honest with each other because we know that we are accepted completely, not because of our morality, but because of the common identity we now have in Jesus.  We can bear with one another because our love is not conditioned on our perfect performance, but on Jesus’ perfect performance.  We can have peace and unity because anything that could possibly keep us apart has been emptied of its divisive power through the cross.  There is literally nothing that can keep us apart from each other, because nothing can keep us apart from Jesus.

So when we say gospel-centered, we mean that at the center of how we understand our identity and community is the cross.  This fundamental truth, that God accepts sinners through Jesus, is the basis upon which we deal with our pasts and move forward together.