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Dr. D.A. Carson gave a three part talk, commenting reflectively on the Emerging Church Movement, or as some prefer, the Emergent Church Movement.

In the first address of the three talks, he describes the movement and some of its leaders. Dr. Carson then draws attention to some of it’s strengths.

In the second address, he tries to evaluate it more critically but runs out of time.

The third, somewhat frustrated that he can’t take several hours critically evaluating the movement, he abandons the project entirely, and instead, expounds Scripture on the relationship between experience and truth.

It is this third address of the three talks that I would like to draw your attention to. Dr. Carson first teaches about the reality of our experience and then about our confidence in the truth. He begins by reading the first chapter of the Apostle Peter’s second epistle, of course, like Carson always does, from the NIV.

I know that most of our readers probably don’t use the NIV translation, nor do you have an old copy lying around somewhere.

So, I have provided you with the NIV translation of 2 Peter chapter 1 so that you can read along with him. Go ahead and read through this post, but don’t short-change yourself –

listen to the mp3 and follow along with my notes.

It’s less than an hour long.

Go on a quick TV show fast and invest a quick 49:02 towards your Spiritual Formation, which is the postmodern term for sanctification. You’ll be glad that you did. Then post comments as we open up the topic for discussion.

I don’t know if it was just me, but it sounds like Carson has been listening to Morey.

Take a listen and you’ll see what I mean.

Hear now the Word of the Living God.

2 Peter 1:1-21 [NIV]

^“1Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:

²Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Making One’s Calling and Election Sure

³His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

⁴Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

⁵For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;

⁶and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;

⁷and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

⁸For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁹But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

¹⁰Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall,

¹¹and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Prophecy of Scripture

¹²So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.

¹³I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body,

¹⁴because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.

¹⁵And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

¹⁶We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

¹⁷For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”^[a]

¹⁸We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

¹⁹And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

²⁰Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.

²¹For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

2 Pet 1:1-21 [NIV]

- This is what the Word of God says.

Chapter Outline

v. 1-2 = introduction / greeting – Peter combines experience and truth

v. 3-11 = experience – Peter appeals to experience

v. 12-21 = truth – Peter appeals to truth

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- Three observations from Scripture regarding the reality of our experience.

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1. The reality of our experience is grounded in God’s transforming power. v. 3-4

2. The reality of our experience is attested by spiritual productivity. v. 5-7

3. The reality of our experience is conditioned by our unflagging perseverance. v. 10-11

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-Three observations from Scripture regarding our confidence in the truth.

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1. Our confidence in the truth is stabilized by constant review. v. 12-15

2. Our confidence in the truth is established on historical witness. v. 16-18

3. Our confidence in the truth is grounded in Biblical Revelation. v. 19-21

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The following is a quote from the end of the talk

“So, which is it?

Experience or Truth?

The left wing of the airplane or the right?

Love or Integrity?

Evangelism or Discipleship?

Subjective knowledge or Objective knowledge?

Faith or Obedience?

THE FRONT WHEELS OF THE CAR OR THE REAR WHEELS???

In the light of Holy Scripture, brothers and sisters in Christ…

DAMN ALL FALSE ANTITHESIS TO HELL!!!

I put it as strongly as that. Do you know why?

Because:

• They generate false gods.

• They generate idolatry.

• They perpetuate idols.

• They twist and distort our souls.

• They launch the church into violent pendulum-swings, whose oscillations succeed only in dividing brothers and sisters in Christ, and taking us away from the cohesiveness of God-given, life transforming Revelation.

The Truth is, that Jesus is Lord of all!

He is Lord of the truth and our experience.

He insists that we bring every thought into captivity to His gracious self disclosure.

He insists that we love him and that we trust him.

He makes us slaves in every domain, and thereby frees us.

Jesus is Lord!” – D.A. Carson