Tag: Bible

Guest Post: And God Created… New Year’s Lessons from Genesis 1-3

~ Evan Lenow

bible-cover-pageThis is a guest post from my wife, Melanie. She originally wrote this post for Biblical Woman, the blog site for the Women’s Programs at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The post originally appeared here.

One of my goals this year is to read the Bible from beginning to end in 2015. Maybe you have that same goal. Whether or not, I do pray that one of your goals is to fall in love with God’s Word more than you have before, for there is nothing more satisfying and life changing than reading Scripture. On New Year’s Day, as I started the year reading those familiar chapters, I began to think about the potential for 2015. I love the New Year, for it is like a beautiful blank calendar waiting to be filled or a brand new book waiting to be opened and enjoyed. The “newness” of the beginning of Genesis correlates perfectly with the “newness” of a new year.

As I began to read, I took special notice of God’s actions as he created, knowing that every day of 2015 will be filled with those same promises.

  1. God is the author of my days, weeks, and year. I can see throughout Genesis 1 how God creates out of nothingness. He simply says, “Let there be…” and it was. He was the creator of light, the sky, the birds that fill that sky and the food to feed those birds that fill that sky. Also, at the end of every stage, God declared that His creation was good. The new year is a vast expanse before us that God will fill with His purposes. He is the author of each of my days. I can plan, as men do, but God is the ultimate creator of all things including the happenings of my day. He will speak into my life and say, “Let there be this time of blessing or this day of trial. Let there be this sickness or this change of plans.” But no matter what happens, He will also say, “it is good”, because He is good and everything he creates is good (Ps 199:68). I can trust in this principle when I feel like life is slipping out of control or when I can’t see the sense of a situation. I can look to the heavens and see that the same God who created those skies, creates my days.
  2. God has a plan for everything He creates. Everything God created in that first week had a purpose. Whether to provide light or darkness or nourishment or a balance to days and seasons, everything had a reason for God to bring it into being. At the pinnacle of it all, when God created man, his purpose was to fill the earth and rule over it. Man was created, in God’s own precious image, for a specific reason. You will find no room for happenstance within Scripture. There are no accidents or coincidences. I find rest and peace that my God is a God of purpose and, no matter what happens this year, He has a plan for my good and His glory.
  3. God will provide in every way. Sometimes when the vastness of time is before me, I find myself not only uncertain of what the days will bring, but also wondering if I have what it takes to make it through. Will I have enough money? Resources? Wisdom? Courage? However, God intends for me to look at the future with hope and promise, not fear and trepidation. As God created the world, He provided for everything. He made sure the details were taken care of for every living thing to be able to survive and thrive. The days were the perfect length. The animals were satisfied and looked after and had a place to live and roam. Once man was created, God provided a helper suitable just for him and gave them both jobs to live and work and fulfill their purpose. Because God did those things and an innumerable amount more, I can have total faith that He will also provide for me in everything that comes my way. In the joys, He will provide, and in the trials, He will provide.
  4. Sin will be available, but I have a choice. Unfortunately, life did not stay perfect for long in Genesis. We read in the third chapter, Adam and Eve chose to listen to their own reason and the reasoning of Satan himself and disobey God’s instructions for them. Despite all the things I have mentioned before, God’s perfect plans and provisions, Eve still chose to turn away from God and listen to the lies of Satan. As much as I don’t want to admit it, I know this year I will have the opportunities to do the same thing. Day by day, I can choose my own fleshly path or I can choose to follow fervently after God’s direction for my life. Just like in the garden, sin will always be available. However, I can also learn from Genesis that I have a choice.
  5. God’s redemption is perfect. Finally and most wonderfully, we can learn from Genesis 1-3 that God’s redemption is perfect. Even when Adam and Eve sinned, God completely covered them and clothed them. God pronounced judgment on them, but at the end, described how sin will ultimately be defeated through Eve’s offspring. I pray this year I will make great decisions for God’s glory. However, the chances are good that I will make mistakes as well. Either way, my desire is for God’s redemption to speak so loudly through my life that those around me will see His grace and mercy at work.

As I look into 2015, my goals are set and my plans are made. However, in reading through Genesis 1-3, I am reminded that a wonderful God is ultimately in control. And based on those three chapters, I can trust him, have faith in Him, and rejoice in Him for he is my Author, my Provider, and my Redeemer this year and every year ahead of me.

Guest Post: Opening the Sieve

~ Evan Lenow

This is a guest post from my wife, Melanie. She originally wrote this post for Biblical Woman, the blog site for the Women’s Programs at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The post originally appeared here.

I remember the moment very well. I don’t know the time or date, but I was sitting with my two oldest girls watching a show on our favorite network about people buying and selling houses. The next episode came on and the “couple” buying the house was two men. Before I could react with a pre-emptive, “Hey, let’s go outside!” one of my daughters said, “Why would two men be buying a house together without wives?” This began one of the dreaded conversations that a parent must have with their children, explaining to them the idea of homosexuality.

In regards to raising our children in a sinful world, a parent’s job is much like a sieve. When they are young, very little comes into a child’s life without the parent’s consent and approval. Whether it is through TV, books, or peers, we try to surround them with good, beautiful things. But over time, as our children become older, we must slowly open the sieve, allowing them to encounter more and more of the world. Sometimes it happens through some sort of media. Sometimes, through school. Sometimes, it is just standing in line at the grocery store. I will not tell you the exact appropriate time to begin discussing more worldly topics with your children. That is for you, your husband, and God to decide. However, if your children grow, which they have a habit of doing, conversations will arise, and it is wise to have a plan to engage with our kids about the culture around us.

1. Answer their questions until they are satisfied.

It takes supernatural wisdom to know when to speak and when to listen. However, God is faithful and will lead us and guide us as we lead and guide our children. When a question comes up, don’t shy away from the opportunity. Engage your child with as much of the truth as is needed at the moment. Try to satisfy their natural curiosity with pointing the conversation back to how wonderfully God created us or how much God loves us. For example, one of my kids asked a question regarding the lack of clothes a model wore on the front of a magazine in the checkout line at the grocery store. After answering her question in the most discreet way I knew how as I paid for my groceries, I turned the conversation to how our bodies are beautifully created by God and how we should adorn them in a way that honors the One who Created him. I didn’t avoid the question, but I turned the conversation to focus not on the sin of public nudity, but on our call to modesty.

2. Honor and encourage their common sense.

During a speech on the campus of Southwestern Seminary, Jennifer Roback Morse shared the idea that if we ever feel like we are constantly bombarded by liberal propaganda wanting to convince us of their lies, it is because we indeed are. The reason for this relentless battering ram of nonsense into our lives is because it takes a lot of brainwashing to overcome our own God-given common sense (Rom 1:18-32). God displays all over creation that men and women are different. In the same vein, simple human anatomy and physiology show us how same sex marriages are not natural. When my girls started asking questions after seeing the television show I mentioned before, one actually thought I was joking when I explained the situation. “That would never work,” she said. In a slightly different vein, a friend was teaching a small class of boys about how we can pray for China. In the flow of conversation, the fact arose that they abort baby girls because their culture values boys more. A smart boy spoke up and said, “That’s ridiculous. Who do they think all those boys are going to marry when they grow up and want to have families?” I think the leaders of China could learn something from the common sense of an 8-year-old.

3. Remember, God is sovereign and you can trust him with your children.

We are just recently getting into this stage of parenting. I excelled at the “closed sieve” stage. It was my delight to keep all the bad away and protect my kids. But, if my goal is to raise warriors for Christ (and it is), I must open the sieve of the world and allow my kids to get some field practice. The main thing that held me back, and still does if I allow it, is fear. I was afraid of what would happen if they saw too much or heard too much or were exposed to too much. However, once again, God reminds me that my children are not my own. I have them for a short amount of time, and then they will have to face the world on their own. It is my job to train them and teach them how to act in battle. Yes, your child might come home from school asking you about a word they heard. Or your child might overhear something on the news that they know is not right. Or a neighbor might practice a different lifestyle than yours and your child sees it. Whatever the situation, God is sovereign and trustworthy and as we do our job as parents, He will use all those hard conversations for His glory.

New Bible Study Available: Biblically Sound

~ Evan Lenow

More than a year ago, I embarked on a journey of writing two Bible studies commissioned by Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, TN. At long last, the journey is complete. Biblically Sound: Embracing Doctrine for Life is the second study, and it is now available for purchase through the CreateSpace Store and on Amazon. Biblically Sound is a 10-week study of basic Christian doctrine from an admittedly Baptist perspective. This study is great for small or large group Bible study, Sunday school classes, or special doctrinal emphasis teaching as a congregation.

Don’t think of this study as a seminary-level systematic theology class. I have intentionally stayed away from much of the technical language found in formal, academic study of theology while still dealing with several nuanced views of theology. You will find that I direct you to the Scripture to answer questions because it is the Bible that forms the foundation of our theology.

If you want to see how one church used the study, you can watch the videos from Bellevue Baptist Church’s women’s ministry here. The large group time was co-taught by Donna Gaines (wife of Pastor Steve Gaines) and Jean Stockdale (longtime MOMS Bible study teacher at Bellevue).

You can always purchase copies of Biblically Sound and Biblically Correct through CreateSpace or Amazon. However, if you are interested in purchasing 10 or more copies for your church, please feel free to contact me by email or phone (you will find that information on my faculty profile), and I can work with you on pricing for large orders.

Biblically Correct on Kindle for $1.99 Starting Thursday

~ Evan Lenow

My recent Bible study, Biblically Correct: Engaging Culture with Truth, will be available on Kindle at a special price starting Thursday. Rather than $6.99, you can get it for $1.99 Thursday through Sunday (July 10-13). After Sunday, it will return to regular price. If you are looking for a Bible study for your church small group or personal use and you want to learn how to address some of the most pertinent topics of the day, this is a great opportunity to preview the study on Kindle.

If you have any questions about the study, feel free to ask me in the comments section or send me an email via the address linked in my faculty profile on the right. If your church would like 10+ copies of the print edition, contact me for special pricing.

*Stay tuned in coming weeks for the release of my next study, Biblically Sound: Embracing Doctrine for Life.

**If you have already , I would love to have more reviews on Amazon. Just log on and write a review. Thanks.

Book Review: God and the Gay Christian

~ Evan Lenow

*The following book review will appear in a forthcoming issue of the Southwestern Journal of Theology. Published here with permission of the editor.

God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships. By Matthew Vines. New York: Convergent, 2014. 213 pages. Hardcover, $22.99.

Same-sex marriage, gay rights, and alternative sexual lifestyles seem to dominate the public consciousness today. From professional sports players coming out as gay to judges overturning marriage laws to allow same-sex marriage, the conversation regarding homosexuality is constantly around us. In most of these instances, the conversation pits Christianity against a secular worldview hoping to affirm homosexual identity. However, a highly anticipated book recently changed the focus of the conversation from “Christians against the world” to an in-house discussion among self-proclaimed evangelicals. In God and the Gay Christian, Matthew Vines attempts to reform the historic teaching of Christianity on the issue of homosexuality and same-sex marriage.

Vines proposes that “Christians who affirm the full authority of Scripture can also affirm committed, monogamous same-sex relationships” (3). In order to support his thesis, the author sets out to debunk the traditional interpretation of the six main biblical passages that have been used to condemn homosexuality. In addition, he seeks to show that celibacy for the person struggling with homosexual desires is a damaging state that undermines their expression of the image of God. Finally, he desires to show that committed, monogamous same-sex relationships are on par with traditional heterosexual marriage and should be supported by the church.

In order to make his argument, Vines works from a few key assumptions. First, he assumes that suffering is inherently evil. In his opening chapter, Vines draws on Jesus’ parable in Matthew 7:15–20 regarding a tree and its fruit. He compares any pain or suffering brought to homosexuals through the condemnation of their sexual activities to be bad fruit brought forth by a bad tree. By contrast, he considers the affirmation of homosexual activity to be good fruit produced by a good tree.

Vines’ second assumption is that Scripture and its authors know nothing of sexual orientation. As a result, none of the traditional interpretations of Genesis 19, Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, Romans 1:26–27, 1 Corinthians 6:9, and 1 Timothy 1:10 are valid for contemporary discussions of sexuality. He believes that modern understandings of sexuality as immutable and unchosen dismiss any interpretation that condemns homosexual behavior for any reason other than gross excess.

The author also assumes that biological difference and role complementarity have nothing to do with marriage and sexuality. Vines believes that Scripture does not speak of biological difference as valid for sexual expression. He also holds that any discussion of role complementarity is grounded in a cultural hierarchy that understands women to be less than fully valuable. As a result, he builds a vision of sexual expression and marriage on commitment and covenant-keeping.

Using these assumptions, Vines builds his case that Christian teachings need to be modified in order to support same-sex relationships. In modifying these teachings, Vines embarks on a dangerous hermeneutical path that leaves some questions unanswered and creates some problems that he does not foresee.

First, Vines elevates his personal experience above Scripture as a source of authority. This is not a critique of which he is unaware. In fact, he says he was confronted by a church member early on with this exact critique (13). Even though he claims not to do so, he in fact affirms this very thing. He states, “I had a second reason for losing confidence in the belief that same-sex relationships are sinful: it no longer made sense to me” (12). His own experience of trying to affirm his lifestyle with the text of Scripture led him on a journey to reinterpret the Bible in light of his own experience. We see this throughout the book from his basic desire to have same-sex relationships no longer be called a sin to his condemnation of expecting celibacy from Christians who struggle with same-sex desires. His personal experience and desires do not fit that biblical expectation, so he believes it must be wrong.

Second, Vines fails to defend his position that committed, monogamous same-sex relationships are equal to marriage. The biggest failure in his argument is that he does not explain why such relationships have to be monogamous. He dismisses the idea of the potentiality for procreation as a key aspect of marriage (137–141); thus, he can no longer claim any natural extension of parenting as a reason to limit marriage to only two people. He considers the key element of marriage to be covenant-keeping, yet he fails to provide an argument why this would limit marriage to two people. As a result, he assumes marriage is monogamous but provides no real reason for such a limitation. His choice of monogamy is arbitrary in light of his definition of marriage.

Finally, Vines neglects to realize that his claims regarding homosexuality open the door for misunderstanding the Christ-Church relationship. While discussing the text of Ephesians 5 and its implications for marriage, Vines argues that the authority and submission structure in the text is built on ancient patriarchy. He notes the connection to slaves and masters in Ephesians 6 as evidence that we can no longer justify role complementarity since we do not affirm the institution of slavery. However, there are two serious failings of his argumentation. First, he ignores the fact that parents and children are also mentioned in Ephesians 6. The authority of parents over children, and the subsequent submission of children to parents, would also have to be overturned by Vines’ argumentation; however, he does not even mention those verses. In addition, Vines’ argumentation requires elevating the church to be equal with Christ. In doing so, one steps into the realm of heresy since Scripture states that the church is in submission to Christ. Vines’ cultural hermeneutic fails to protect against this logical conclusion to his own argument.

While this book has been highly touted by a number of pastors and theologians, the arguments fall short of making a biblical case. Instead, Vines sets out to make Scripture align with his own desires rather than conforming himself to the truth of Scripture (Romans 12:2).