First, let me commend you for not selling out. The pressure you are facing is generally a motivating factor for those idiots that throw their hands in the air and say, awe, what the heck, and go out and but Rob Bell and Brian MacLaren! Before too long, their congregations love them, never sway their heads, and never complain. That’s because weak men in the ministry cater to their critics rather than boldly proclaim God’s word. To do the latter requires faith that God can and will transform whoever He chooses, even through the preaching of the word! So, in other words, I’ll pray for your ministry out there, brother! Here’s an idea – I just sketched this out real quick.

Try this.

Open up the study in prayer.

Begin by announcing that for the next few weeks you’ll be discussing
God’s love.

Inform them that the topic will be addressed based on what God has revealed about Himself in Scripture.

Then ask if anyone has a problem with that.

If there are any objections, handle them (anticipate them).

Ask if anyone knows how many verses contain the word “love” (788 I think) in the Bible.

Ask if anyone in the study can tell you what “love” is or means in these 788 verses. Ask if they all have the same meaning.

The purpose here is to establish that:

a) Some Christians can’t define love as easy as they can criticize one for not having or being it (whatever “it” is).
b) Some Christians are familiar with the fact that love has multiple meanings (give examples of this).
c) Some Christians have not ever taken a close look at what Scripture has to say about the “loves,” and have rather interpreted their personal subjective experiences in life through the world’s definition of love. Will not the two collide at points?

Close by reaffirming to your class that you regard God’s holiness as His essential attribute. Define that for them (briefly) and quote the *text I used for this post while offering a brief summary that says:

a) Because God is holy, we should aim to please Him in a way that He has revealed as acceptable (*Col. 1:9-10, Romans 12:1, 1 Peter 2:5, Hebrews 12:28, Philippians 4:18, et al) to Him.
b) In order to live in a manner that is acceptable to God, we must (by grace) adjust the way we think to what is revealed in Scripture (filled with knowledge from God, spiritual wisdom).
c) Being filled with the knowledge of God’s will bears fruit in every good work.
d) The process of being filled is continual, and since God’s will is only revealed in Scripture, the reading of Scripture is essential for spiritual wisdom and understanding.
e) Spiritual wisdom and understanding is maturity.

Then remind them that the study will be on God’s love, but since it is such a confused topic these days, and since you want for them to be mature Christians with spiritual wisdom and understanding, you had to set the ground rules because you will be continually shaping the discussion on God’s love by what Scripture says. In the closing prayer, ask God to send the Holy Spirit to enlighten your class’ minds because there will certainly be some things that the natural mind will naturally not like to hear. Preach it, then go home and trust God to work the rest. If you ever want to email me, send it to stephen at this website.

Great posts, great blog. Kuddos all around. This particular post triggered a question, or request for assistance actually, on what I think is a related issue at our fellowship. You said ‘right thinking is right living.” Bingo, nailed it again. I’ve taught adult Sunday School for years, and even now, especially, whenever I mention propitiation or the necessity of God’s justice being satisfied and His wrath placated before wicked man can be forgiven, I see heads swaying back and forth as if to say “There he goes again, wrath wrath wrath!”

They are very vocal. Afterwords I hear the same comments over and over. “God is love, why don’t you focus more on that?” To which I’ve always replied, “Yes, God is love, but love is not God!”

It’s an ongoing battle. Some of our people are so caught up in ‘love’ that its almost become their god! I kid you not, they scrunch their faces when I talk about God’s absolute abhorence over even one sin.

Bottom line, what is the best approach to dealing with this? It is my position, and will remain so, that the holiness of God is the primary attribute of Him, and all other attributes flow from that.

Any input would be appreciated. I would have emailed you personally, but didn’t know your email.

In His service,
Joel

Thanks for stopping by! You’ve hit the nail on the head – it all boils down to humanism…

Great blog and great subject. I too grow weary about the false antitheses set up by the emergents and this “orthodoxy/orthopraxy” distinction is just another example of it. I agree with D.A. Carson when he says in his book Conversation on the Emerging Church, “Damn all false antitheses to hell!”

So, the biblical data reveals that it’s not an either/or but it’s a both/and relationship. They way that I practice my Christian life (my orthopraxy) flows out of the fact that I am internally motivated by the power of the Holy Spirit through clear propositional truths called *DOCTRINE* (codifed as orthodoxy) to deny myself (the doctrine of killing sin), take up my cross (again, the killing sin doctrine), and follow after Him (discipleship proceeding from my internally motived Holy Spirit driven desires).

The real problem is this: Most of the emergents I’ve read (MacLaren, Burke, Bell, Chalke, Rollins, etc.) simply are wolves in sheep’s clothing and the modern day Christian church has been so baptized into the stream of postmodern/humanistic thought, they they see any objective, religion claim and foolish, stupid, and arrogant. May God have mercy on their souls.

I totally appreciate your comments about Laurie. He actually has some pretty good stuff to say (sometimes). Thanks for the encouragement!

Blessings, Brad

“if right thinking leads to right living and right living is evidence of right thinking, then it should be said that right thinking is right living. This is what Paul was meaning when he wrote to the Colossians”

I’m sure it was obvious however I just wanted to clear that up. Thanks Steve for the great article and your ongoing involvement in my life. I’m bumbed I’m going to miss your lecture on Biblical revelation Wednesday night but I’m glad to have been there this past Sunday for your morning lecture. You did a fine job expounding the Westminster confession. Good providence.

“And so, from the day we heard [of your faith in Christ Jesus 1:4], we have not ceased to pray for you, asking [God] that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” – Col. 1:9-10 ESV

Steve, the examples that we have seen from people who reject orthodoxy leading to orthopraxy are merely people who obviously have wrong thinking in the first place. I don’t care how theologically astute a person claims to be, if they have quote “good orthodoxy” they should be struggling against their sin and seeking to grow in sanctification. The true Christian cares not only about fighting against their sin but also living their lives for the glory of God. So when you pointed out that right thinking is right living I think you really clarified the whole discussion that was happening at the Sundeos blog. And Col 1:9-10 is a great passage to refute any who disbelieves the age old view that right thinking is foundational to right living.