Author: Bob Hayton

I am a graduate of a conservative independent fundamental Bapist college who has discovered new life in Reformed Theology. This blog is where I chronicle my journey out of extreme fundamentalism (IFBx) while discussing the shortfalls of fundamentalism and the strengths of Calvinism. I'm under no illusion that I might transform fundamentalism, but I hope to share my struggles and discoveries with others who might benefit from my journey.

The Cross of Christ: Central and Singular

~ Bob Hayton ~ 2 Comments

Happy Easter

This Easter morning, I am thinking of the cross. And I wonder that I do not think of it more. Around Easter time it is easy to think of the cross, but we should not leave such thoughts to Easter time alone. The cross is the heart of the Christian faith, but in all the doctrinal discussions and practical considerations, in all the preaching and praying and studying and living, in all the ministry and fellowship and missions and evangelism, in all we as God’s church are called to do, do we minimize or marginalize the cross? Directly or indirectly, neglect of the cross is all too common in my life and yours. I pray these thoughts will be fodder for further meditation. I pray that we will ponder these things and focus our gaze more intently and more enduringly on the cross of Christ–today, tomorrow, and beyond.

The cross of Christ is clearly central. In a great post on the nature of the gospel, C.J. Mahaney points out that while the gospel is the “good news of God’s saving activity in the person and work of Christ” (a definition he borrows from Jeff Purswell) it focuses more particularly on the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. And more specifically still, he asserts, the gospel is summarized by the cross–“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” 1 Cor. 2:2. The resurrection is essential, for without it the cross’s message would be pointless, but the cross is where the gospel is seen most clearly.

The cross, then, proclaims the message that God became man to take upon Himself the punishment for our sins. Further, the perfect and righteous life of Christ–the God Man–enables God to give us the righteousness of Christ graciously and freely. This transaction occurs to those who believe on Jesus Christ and is wholly of grace and not in any way deserved by man. The cross shows the seriousness of sin–in that God would sacrifice His own Son because of the weight of our sins; and it also shows the magnitude of God’s mercy–that God would offer up His Son for us who in no way deserve mercy.

Further, the cross is seen as central in that it is the pinnacle of history, for it is the ultimate display of God’s glory–which is the ultimate purpose for God’s creation and all of its subsequent history. (I would encourage you to check out my friend Nathan Pitchford’s “Meditation for Good Friday” posted over at Reformation Theology Blog which deals with the centrality of the cross in all of history.)

But the cross is not only central to our faith, it is singular. Or rather it should be. What do I mean? Look at these verses:

“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Cor. 2:2)“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Gal. 6:14)

The cross–and the Christ of the cross–should be our single treasure, our single pursuit, our single love. Every boast should only be in the light of the cross. Our only boast should be the cross. John Piper put it like this:

“Only boast in the cross of Jesus Christ. This is a single idea. A single goal for life. A single passion. Only boast in the cross. The word “boast” can be translated “exult in” or “rejoice in”. Only exult in the cross of Christ. Only rejoice in the cross of Christ. Paul says, Let this be your single passion, your single boast and joy and exultation.” (from pg. 49 of Don’t Waste Your Life–available as an online book here)

All of life should be viewed through the view of the cross. And as Piper points out later in that book, we can only boast singularly in the cross when our lives are crucified by and on that cross (notice Gal. 6:14b). Everything we do should be as a result of or a reflection of the cross. C.J. Mahaney points this out well in his book The Cross Centered Life. Our struggle to be pure in this world and our struggles to provide for our family–every aspect of our lives is touched by and should be shaped by the cross.

Let us aim to appreciate the centrality and significance of the cross of Christ, and endeavor by God’s grace to make it our single affection, joy, and boast!

Toward All the Fullness of GOD Through Christ

~ Bob Hayton ~ 1 Comment

I have been meaning to post about this for some time. Our pastor, John Piper, is on a 5 month sabbatical. Most of that time is a special gift from the church in honor of his 25 years of ministry. He typically takes a one month sabbatical to write each year, as it is. Anyway, in his absence, our church has planned a thematic preaching schedule to include both some of our own pastors and other speakers with whom Bethlehem has a special relationship with. The theme is “Toward All the Fullness of GOD Through Christ”, based on Eph. 3:14-21.

Not long before Pastor John left for his sabbatical, he preached an excellent message challenging our church to pray and work toward the best 5 months in our 135+ year history. Why? He believes that God would get more glory in working gloriously in Piper’s absence–where John could have no opportunity at all to get any credit. He also pushed us to not simply coast through these months and expect for things to happen only when Piper returns. So far, the preaching and the spirit of the church has been wonderful. God has worked in the hearts of members to push for having every service covered in prayer (following the example of Spurgeon’s boiler-room prayer meetings–people praying during the entirety of each service [4 downtown, and 2 at our north campus each weekend]), and also toward calling many individuals to commit to praying daily for God’s blessing during these months.

I previously posted my sermon notes from Wayne Grudem’s message on the Fullness of the Holy Spirit. Let me now direct you to the preaching schedule, where you will also be able to listen to each sermon online for free (or you can download the mp3s for free). Here is the schedule.

Now remember to pray for us, and be stirred up to pray for your own church and heart as well.

Eph. 3:14-21 “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith–that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

The Rising of The Sun of Righteousness

~ Bob Hayton ~ 7 Comments

The Sun of Righteousness shall rise with healing in [His] wings...

Mal. 4:1-2a For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.

Is. 60:19-20 The sun shall be no more your light by day,nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself;for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended.

Matt. 17:2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.

Rev. 1:16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

Ps. 84:11a For the LORD God is a sun…

Rev. 22:5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Acts 26:13 At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me.

...the Lord God will be their light...

As I drove home from work early Sunday morning, I encountered a fiercely bright sunrise. It reminded me of the glory of Christ, who is the Sun of Righteousness. The Sun is the brightest and most awesome light that we encounter in God’s physical creation. Since Jesus is compared to the sun, we are to see Him when we see and are arrested by the sheer glory of the physical sun. This is a means of us comprehending how much more amazing and brilliant is Christ’s glory, He who is brighter than the noon-day sun (as Paul experienced on the road to Damascus).

Jonathan Edwards--a life which illustrates that theology can and should move the heart more than the mind!

Thinking about how the sun and Christ (the S-O-N) compare has made me ponder some thoughts my close friend shared with me recently. When giving me A History of the Work of Redemption by Jonathan Edwards recently, he had opportunity to share some thoughts about the book. The book traces God’s work of redemption from the Fall to the Ascension and beyond. Edwards does a spectacular job dealing with OT types and highlighting the gospel/Christ-centeredness of all of Scripture. He has excellent thoughts on the advance of the gospel after the writing of the NT up to his present time, as well. His thoughts are rooted in Scripture and the work is well worth puchasing and reading, as it magnifies God for His great and glorious work of redemption.

A few thoughts Dave (my friend) shared have stuck with me. First, he mentioned that the natural creation was created to show the glories of God’s spiritual work. When encountering Scriptural teachings on types or comparisons, I typically just assumed that God was borrowing from the natural realm, so to speak, to highlight truth about His spiritual works. But the work of redemption was planned “before the foundation of the world”! So, when God created the world, the very way in which He did it was not arbitrary but planned. He knew that He would expressly compare the creation of life in dead hearts to the creation of physical light (2 Cor. 4:6). The physical process of human birth was designed with the new birth in view. I think one of the ways the heavens and physical creation declare the glory of God is that they provide illustrations of His work of redemption. When God is compared with light–the very quality of physical light is meant to teach us about God’s character (albeit it cannot teach us perfectly or completely, as it is only a picture of Someone who defies description). The family unit, with father-child and husband-wife relationships, were designed and established to reveal aspects of our relationship with God as His beloved children, and our relationship with Christ as His church-bride. This thought can be expanded and more examples found for sure.

The other thought Dave left me, concerned a specific allegory Jonathan Edwards used over and over again in his book. In looking through the book recently I encountered it in at least 8 different places. Here is the picture:

Behold, the day is coming...for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings...

The OT reflects the light of the glory of Christ and the gospel much like the moon reflects the light of the sun. At first the OT only has brief glimmers here and there of Messianic prophecies and gospel teachings. But the moonlight of OT revelation grows and grows until it reaches its zenith in the period of David and Solomon. David is the greatest personal type of Christ, Edwards argues (pg. 104). The Psalms written at this time, display the glories of Christ in unparalleled fashion in the OT. The building of the Temple and the reign of peace experienced in Solomon’s reign represent the greatest epoch of Israel’s history.

But then the moon begins to wane throught the less glamorous reigns of Solomon’s heirs and the exile and post-exilic periods of Israel’s history. Edwards explains, “As the moon, from the time of her full, is approaching nearer and nearer to her conjunction with the sun, so her light is still more and more decreasing, until at length, when the conjunction comes, it is wholly swallowed up in the light of the sun….If the Jewish church, when Christ came, had been in the same external glory that it was in, in the reign of Solomon, men would have had their eyes so dazzled with it that they would not have been likely joyfully to exchange such great external glory for only the spiritual glory of the poor despised Jesus.” (pg. 129, 131-132)

The incarnation of Christ and His ministry are represented by the dawning of the sun. Edwards argues that after redemption has been purchased on the cross and specifically upon the resurrection of Christ, the sun actually rises over the horizon. “Thus the Sun of Righteousness, after it is risen from under the earth, begins to shine forth clearly, and not only by a dim reflection as it did before. Christ, before his death, revealed many things more clearly than ever they had been revealed in the Old Testament; but the great mysteries of Christ’s redemption, and reconciliation by his death, and justification by his righteousness, were not so plainly revealed before Christ’s resurrection….Thus we see how the light of the gospel…is now come to the light of perfect day, and the brightness of the sun shining forth in unveiled glory.” (pg. 282)

...His face was like the sun shining in full strength...

We are thus now living in the age of daytime. The sun is rising in the sky slowly and steadily. The glorious noon-day shining of the sun in unparalleled glory will be the consummation of the eternal kingdom of Christ (which we experience already, but not yet in its fullness)!

That allegory by Jonathan Edwards in a succinct and vastly helpful way sums up the history of redemption (and revelation for that matter). It should help us see the glory of the Sun of Righteousness. And it should make us realize anew the incredible grace we have to be living on this side of the cross. May the light of Christ shine ever brighter and may we be ever entranced and pleased with His light alone!

Pictures above from top to bottom were accessed from these 5 sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

∼striving for the unity of the faith for the glory of God∼ Eph. 4:3,13 “¢ Rom. 15:5-7

What is the Gospel?

~ Bob Hayton

What would you say is the essence of the gospel?

Today many answers might be given. “The gospel is the good news that God loves you.” “Forgiveness of sins based on faith in Jesus’ atoning death on the cross is the main point of the gospel.” “Jesus died and rose again so that we might have eternal life–This is the gospel!” “The gospel is the news that God loved each of us so much He did everything He could so that we could spend eternity with Him!”

To a greater or lesser degree we all might be tempted to agree with each of the statements above. Yet this might lead us to think of the greatness of the gospel from a dangerously human-centered viewpoint. WE are SO SPECIAL that God did EVERYTHING He could so that WE could escape Hell and BE HAPPY for ever in heaven. Is the gospel God’s way of showing the great value of man? Or is the gospel the means for our self-centered enjoyments and pleasures to continue on without the bother of sin and pain? Or is the gospel really much, much MORE than that?

The Bible speaks of the gospel as being the “gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). 2 Cor. 4:3-6 highlights the gracious nature of the gospel in a breathtakingly beautiful way:

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

These verses declare that God sovereignly, in an act comparable to His work on the first day of creation, sheds the light of His gospel into our hearts, overcoming Satan’s work of actively blinding sinner’s eyes to the glorious worth of Christ (cf. 2 Tim. 2:24-26). More teaching concerning the nature of the gospel comes from a recognition of the parallel phrases in vs. 4 and 6. “The light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” is compared to “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”. Without a communication of knowledge, there is no reception of the gospel. Further, the gospel centers on the glorious worth of God. This glory belongs to the Triune God and is revealed by seeing the face of Christ–the very image of God.

This book is a cry from the heart of John Piper. He is pleading that God himself, as revealed in Christ's death and resurrection, is the ultimate and greatest gift of the gospel. (Taken from the back cover.) Click to order the book.John Piper takes on this theme in his latest book God Is the Gospel: Meditations on God’s Love as the Gift of Himself. He argues that the gospel is all about God giving Himself to us for our good and His glory. The gospel trumpets God’s worth not man’s.

Piper says, “The best and final gift of the gospel is that we gain Christ….In place of this, we have turned the love of God and the gospel of Christ into a divine endorsement of our delight in many lesser things, especially the delight in our being made much of. The acid test of biblical God-centeredness–and faithfulness to the gospel–is this: Do you feel more loved because God makes much of you, or because, at the cost of his Son, he enables you to enjoy making much of him forever?” (pg. 11)

He goes on to contend that God’s saving love “is God’s commitment to do everything necessary to enthrall us with what is most deeply and durably satisfying, namely himself.” (pg. 13) Piper explains further what he means: “None of Christ’s gospel deeds and none of our gospel blessings are good news except as means of seeing and savoring the glory of Christ. Forgiveness is good news because it opens the way to enjoyment of God himself. Justification is good news because it wins access to the presence and pleasures of God himself. Eternal life is good news because it becomes the everlasting enjoyment of Christ.” (from the back cover)

So when we think of the gospel are we thinking of the gift being God Himself?

Piper asks, “If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there?” (pg. 15) He then challenges Christian leaders to “preach and teach and lead in such a way that people are prepared to hear that question and answer with a resounding NO“. (pg. 15)

He goes on to wonder “Have we presented the gospel in such a way that the gift of the glory of God in the face of Christ is marginal rather than central and ultimate?” (pg. 15)

All of the thoughts presented here, basically come from Piper’s intoduction. As I read through this book, I plan to periodically post more excerpts and thoughts on this all-important topic. (I will link all subsequent posts to this first post, by the way.) I encourage you all to get and read this book (you can order it by clicking here). And may we come to love and prize Christ more so that we might answer Piper’s question with that resounding NO! I leave you with the concluding paragraphs of Piper’s introduction, and a brief prayer of my own.

When we celebrate the gospel of Christ and the love of God, and when we lift up the gift of salvation, let us do it in such a way that people will see through it to God himself. May those who hear the gospel from our lips know that salvation is the blood-bought gift of seeing and savoring the glory of Christ. May they believe and say, “Christ is all!” Or, to use the words of the psalmist, “May those who love your salvation say evermore, ‘God is great!” (Ps. 70:4). Not mainly, “Salvation is great,” but “God is great!”May the church of Jesus Christ say with increasing intensity, “The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup” (Ps. 16:5). “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Ps. 42:1). “We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8). “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (Phil. 1:23).

The world needs nothing more than to see the worth of Christ in the work and words of his God-besotted people. This will come to pass when the church awakens to the truth that the saving love of God is the gift of himself, and that God himself is the gospel. (pg. 16-17)

Lord! Open my eyes, open our eyes to the glories of Christ. May we declare “God is great!” rather than merely saying “Salvation is great!” Lord may You do a glorious work within us that our lives would reflect Your worth. May we prize You above life and above Your blessings. May we risk all to advance the cause of Your great Name! May we declare Your Glory to all our friends and acquaintances. May we spur one another on to love and good works in our fight of faith looking unto our glorious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Fill our eyes and minds with Your Glory as manifested in Jesus. Do this because of Your great love and Jesus’ atoning work on our behalf. We pray in Your name, Amen.

∼striving for the unity of the faith for the glory of God∼ Eph. 4:3,13 “¢ Rom. 15:5-7

Outreach Special in Time for Easter Evangelism

~ Bob Hayton

Great Evangelistic Tool Available from Desiring God Ministries for only $1 per Book!Desiring God is offering a great special on a newly redesigned resource. Originally entitled The Passion of Jesus Christ: Fifty Reasons Why He Came to Die this short book (122 easy to read pages) was published to capitalize on the notoriety of Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of Jesus Christ. Now Desiring God has renamed it Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die in hopes of broadening its already huge distribution (1.5 million copies so far).

Now, Desiring God is offering cases of 108 books to churches or individuals who pledge to distribute them free of charge, for a suggested donation of $108 or only $1 per book!

This would be a great opportunity especially in light of Easter being around the corner. The special is good only through April 14th. For all the details, click here.