Josh Benner

Category: Bible

  • The Holy Spirit and the Christian Life

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    But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
    -Galatians 5:16-17
    God is supposed to be the focus of everything we do, everything we have, everything we are, everything we think.
    God doesn’t get the scraps, he gets our whole lives.
    To some, that might not sound appealing.
    “I want to do may own thing,” or “”That’s too demanding.”
    Then you’re not going to have much of a relationship with the Lord.
    But if you want joy, if you want peace, if you want kindness, if you want love, walk in the Spirit.
    It’s about having a love for God.
    Walking with God. Not so he will love you. Not so you’ll earn brownie points. But so that you’ll live on earth as it is in heaven. So that you’ll experience God more fully. So that you’ll have a fuller life, based around God not based around yourself, or your hobbies, or your own pursuits.
    God freely gives grace. But having a relationship with the Lord takes commitment and intentionality. We must cooperate with the Spirit.
    Philippians 2:12-13 says: “As you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
    The Christian life is not meant to be a bunch of rules. It’s living life in the Spirit of a good God who brings life and purpose.
    It’s about seeing the beauty of God.
    Psalm 27:4 says:
    One thing have I asked of the Lord,
    that will I seek after:
    that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
    to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
    and to inquire in his temple.
    Psalm 50:1-2 says:
    The Mighty One, God the Lord,
    speaks and summons the earth
    from the rising of the sun to its setting.
    Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
    God shines forth.
    It’s about enjoying the goodness of God.
    Psalm 34:8
    Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
    Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
    So again, the Christian life is not about “do this” or “don’t do that.” Rather, the more closely you walk in step with the Spirit, the more your love and affection are in the beauty and glory of God, the more you taste and see that the Lord is good, the more you hunger and thirst for righteousness, the more fruit God produces in your life and the more your life reflects God’s moral character.
    The Spirit enables us to live out God’s law.
    Galatians 5:18 says, “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”
    Romans 8:3-4 is a significant verse on this idea:
    For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
    We couldn’t follow the Law. We needed a savior. The law is kept by virtue of faith and through walking according to the Spirit.
    Submit your life to the leadership of the Spirit.

    Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe! 

    Josh Benner is the associate pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in Minnesota.

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  • The Doctrine of the Trinity in the Bible

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    While the Bible might not mention the word “trinity,” the concept is Biblical and cannot be so easily dismissed. For almost 2,000, years this doctrine has been considered orthodox within the Church, including within the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches as well as Reformed, Lutheran, Anglican, Baptist and most Pentecostal churches.

    The greatest minds in the history of the Christian Church have affirmed the doctrine of the Trinity. Furthermore, the doctrine is not only standardly held within orthodox Christendom, it is also a necessary doctrine. Historically and in the contemporary era, when church bodies undermine the Trinity, it is sowing the seeds of heresy.

    I think the first step in understanding the Doctrine of the Trinity is understanding that it is Biblical.

    Wayne Grudem summarizes the Biblical teaching on the Trinity in three propositions:

    1. God is three persons.
    2. Each person is fully God.
    3. There is one God.

    At first glance, these look to be contradictory. But from the early church until today, these three propositions have been affirmed. In fact, they must be affirmed because each of these propositions has strong Biblical attestation.

    With the three scriptural statements, in arguing that God is three persons, the point is that there is distinction between the persons of the Trinity. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, and the Spirit is not the Father. The opening verse of John affirms both that Jesus was with God and that the Jesus was God in the beginning (John 1:1), and by virtue of the Son accompanying the Father, it shows that the two are distinct.

    Another important piece of evidence showing the distinctiveness within the Trinity is when Jesus prays to God the Father throughout the gospels (Mark 1:35; Matt. 14:23; Luke 6:12, 23:34; John 11:41-42). Some have argued that this is a distinction between Christ’s two natures, such as his humanity praying to his divinity. However the matter is complicated to an even greater degree when factoring in the Holy Spirit. At the beginning of the ministry of Jesus, all three persons of the Trinity are present. Jesus is baptized in Mark 1:10, the Holy Spirit descends on him, and a voice from heaven addresses Jesus as the beloved son (Mark 1:11).

    There are also verses which talk about the Spirit working with the Father and the Son (Matt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 12:4-5; 2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 4:4-6; 1 Pet. 1:2).

    The second proposition affirmed by scripture is that each person of the Trinity is fully God. There is rich Biblical support as to the divinity of Christ as the second person of the Trinity. Jesus is worshipped as God. He talks of being one with the Father, proclaiming his divinity (John 10:30). Jesus also calls God his Father, which the Apostle John says was putting himself on the same level with God the Father (John 5:18).

    Jesus talks of his existence prior to the incarnation and before Abraham (John 8:58). The works of Jesus witness to his divine nature (John 10:25-26). Jesus is the image of God (Col. 1:15). Jesus tells Phillip that those who have seen him have seen the Father (John 14:9). Jesus is called the “radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature (Heb. 1:3). When Thomas encounters the risen Lord and is able to see the pierced hands and side of Jesus, he exclaims “My Lord, and my God!” (John 20:28). In the context of Thomas making this proclamation, it is approved of by Jesus and agreed to by John as a climax of his gospel (John 20:20-31). After his resurrection in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus is seen as being worthy of worship by the disciples (Matt. 28:9, 17). Jesus is worshipped at his ascension at the end of Luke (Luke 24:52). 1 Corinthians 8:6 speaks to monotheism while also calling Jesus the Lord. While the term “Lord” does not inherently speak to divinity, the verse further elaborates that it is through Jesus that all things and all people exist.

    A significant support as to the divinity of Jesus is his ultimate victory over death on the first Easter. In the gospels, Jesus had already shown control over life and death by raising people from the dead (Luke 7:11-15p John 11:1-44), but it is only Jesus who was raised and never experienced the second death.

    While being worshipped as God, Jesus does not deflect this worship. The Bible affirms that angels are not worthy of worship (Heb. 1:6). The Apostle Paul deflects a cult of personality within the Corinthian Church (1 Cor. 3:4-6). When Jesus heals a man born blind, the man worships Him (John 9:38).  As has been mentioned, there are other instances in which Jesus is worshipped. For Jesus to not be God and to not forsake the worship of himself would be blasphemous. In Jesus coming to fulfill the Old Testament, he is also pointed to as being divine. In the prophecy of Isaiah 9:6-7, when talking of the child who will be born, it says he will have the name “Mighty God.” New Testament writers ascribe divine qualities to Jesus, as noted by John Feinberg. Jesus is immutable (Heb. 13:8); omniscient (John 2:24-25); holy (Luke 1:35); and he exists in aseity (John 5:26).

    A further point to the divinity of Christ is that he forgave sins on multiple occasions, something that can only be done by God (Luke 5:20, 7:48). Paul also affirms that we have redemption and forgiveness through Jesus (Col. 1:14). Based on the Bible, and with a belief in the inerrancy of scripture, the divinity of Christ is clear.

    In understanding the divinity of the Holy Spirit, two of the primary functions of the Holy Spirit in the Christian Church are to indwell and regenerate believers. Feinberg notes two theological implications which would result if the Holy Spirit were not fully God: “If the Holy Spirit is a lesser God or not God at all, how can we be sure that he can do any of these things?”

    Furthermore, if the Holy Spirit is not fully God, and indwells believers, it seems difficult to have ultimate assurance that the sanctification of the Spirit would necessarily be approved of or in accordance with the will of God the Father.

    Divine qualities are ascribed to the Spirit by Paul in 2 Corinthians 2:10-11, talking of the Spirit searching the depths of God, and then rhetorically asking “for what person knows a man’s thoughts except the spirit of the man which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” Michael Horton gives a treatment where he notes passages which ascribe various qualities of deity to the Spirit. The Spirit is omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-10); omniscient (Isa. 40:13-14); regenerative (John 3:5-6; Titus 3:5) and is given “divine homage” (Matt. 28:19; Rom. 9:1; 2 Cor. 13:14).

    The third proposition given by Grudem that is essential to formulating the doctrine of the Trinity is that there is one God (Deut. 6:4-6). With the Shema, while it teaches that there is one God, it can also be argued that it is making a statement to God’s unity and integrity as one being. The fact that there is one God does not change in the New Testament and is affirmed by Paul (1 Tim. 2:5; Rom. 3:30). More importantly, the Biblical teaching on one God is also stated by Jesus. When asked what the greatest commandment is, the first part of his response refers back to the Shema (Mark 12:29-30).

    On numerous occasions in the Old Testament, when the Israelites turn to idols, they are mocked because these pagan deities are unable to intercede or act on their behalf (Isa. 46:5-7; Jer. 10:5, 14-16, 14:22; Hos. 15:8). The reason is simple: it is because the pagan gods do not exist! There is only one God.

    It has been argued that the doctrine of the Trinity comes from nowhere in the New Testament. But is this true? Within Christianity, Jesus is the ultimate hermeneutic through which to interpret the Old Testament. Jesus talks of a true understanding of the Old Testament necessarily pointing to him (John 5:45-47). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks of his coming in fulfillment of the Law (Matt. 5:17-20) and Jesus interprets moral issues with authority (Matt. 5:21-48). The synoptic gospels all attest to Jesus teaching as one with authority (Matt.7:28-29; Mark 1:22; Luke 4:31-32).

    Glimpses of the Son and the Holy Spirit can be seen in the Old Testament, going back to the beginning of the Bible and prior to the beginning of time. The Spirit is present in creation, with the Spirit hovering over the face of the primordial waters (Gen. 1:2).

    At the end of Genesis 1, God proclaims “let us make man in our own image, after our likeness.” (Gen. 1:26). This is a passage that would not necessarily be interpreted as Trinitarian in isolation. Various interpretations fall short of Unitarian interpretations. One is that it is God and the heavenly hosts who are speaking, but this view is problematic for two reasons. The heavenly hosts do not create, only God creates ex nihilo. The second problem with this view is that man is not created in the image of angels. Man is created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). Another interpretation is the royal we, the idea that God is referring to himself in the second person while ultimately referring to him in his Unitarian sense. This view would be plausible if the royal we were utilized elsewhere in the Old Testament, but given the obscurity of such grammatical constructions, this interpretation should not be favored. While the plurality in Genesis 1:26 does not necessarily prove it is Trinitarian, the verse is assuredly not Unitarian.

    Several books in the New Testament talk about the work of Jesus in creation. In part, these sections help to clarify Genesis 1. In the Christ Hymn of Colossians 1, it talks of Christ’s preeminence. The passage informs the reader that “by him all things were created” (Col. 1:16). Hebrews 1 talks of the majesty of Christ and shows his dissimilarity from the angels, because he is greater than the angels. In that passage, it talks of Jesus laying the foundation of the earth from the beginning, and says the heavens are the work of his hands (Heb. 1:16). One of the most significant passages with respect to Jesus’ role in creation is the beginning of the gospel of John. In that section, John writes that Jesus was in the beginning and that all things were made through Jesus, and that nothing has been made without being made by him (John 1:3). Jesus is specifically depicted as an actor in creation.

    Based on all of these points, it is again affirmed that the doctrine of the Trinity is Biblical. Christianity is a monotheistic faith. There is one God who is three persons. Each of the three persons are distinct from each other and each of the three is fully divine.

    Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe! 

    Josh Benner is the associate pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in Minnesota.

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  • Political correctness shows why we need the gospel

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    Comedian Kevin Hart. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

    Last week, it was announced that Kevin Hart would host the Academy Awards in February. But then some Tweets were unearthed that used the word “gay” in a negative light. The Tweets were several years old, but as a result of the backlash, Hart withdrew from hosting the awards show two days later.

    I notice several theological themes in our current social discourse.

    Law 

    With modern political correctness, there are a dizzying amount of rules. And there is no consideration given to historical context or accepted norms. The rules are treated as universally binding. In June, an award named after famed writer Laura Ingalls Wilder was changed due to the fact that Wilder used terms for Native Americans that were common in her time and vernacular.

    The modern PC movement reminds me of the Pharisees in the gospels. The Old Testament had laws, but then the Pharisees added laws on top of laws. So many rules and laws that it became impossible to follow. It was crushing. Jesus railed against the pharisees for placing crippling burdens upon people. Constantly changing language. (more…)

  • Mary too? Professor argues Mary carried Jesus without consent

    Came across a story this morning about a recent Tweet from a college professor at the University of Minnesota Mankato.

    Eric Sprankle talked about the virgin birth of Jesus and said: “The virgin birth story is about an all-knowing, all-powrful deity impregnating a human teen. There is no definition of consent that would include that scenario. Happy Holidays.”

    “There is no definition of consent that would include that scenario?”

    First of all, he’s entirely missing the point. Second of all, he’s wrong. In the Gospel of Luke, Mary actually does say “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

    People have brought that up. But that doesn’t count, according to Dr. Sprankle who says, “The Biblical god regularly punished disobedience. The power difference (deith vs mortal) and the potential for violence for saying “no” negates her “yes.”

    Seriously?

    Christians believe that before the conception of Jesus, an angel of God appeared to Mary and told her that she had been chosen for this once in human history task of being able to carry the Lord.

    And this professor is essentially arguing that because of a power imbalance, she didn’t really have a choice?

    His Tweets are incoherent. In the first one, he says that God is all-powerful and all-knowing (both of which are true). But then he argues against the divine plan of an all-knowing God in choosing Mary to give birth to Jesus. She wasn’t chosen at random.

    And God is all-powerful. Men are not all-knowing nor are we all-powerful. We are unworthy of God. We are created for God. There is a power imbalance. We are not equal to God. And when I say the Tweets are incoherent, I mean that it’s incoherent to say that God is all-knowing and then to question his wisdom of morality and his plans.

    Sprankle’s definition of consent is so radical and limited that even giving consent doesn’t count. It’s intellectually dishonest. It’s referring to a once-in-human-history event. Also, this has nothing to do with sexual consent anyway!

    But if you continue to read in the gospel account, Mary continues to be perfectly happy with this situation.

    “My soul magnifies the Lord,
     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
    for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
    For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

    -Luke 1:46-48

    She didn’t give consent? Mary seems pretty ok with the arrangement. And it was through this act that the savior of the world came into the world to save the world from sin.

    One day we will all be held to account for our lives and actions. And there won’t be equality with God then either. God is awesomely powerful, righteous, and holy. We are not. We are sinful. We are so sinful that the only way we could be redeemed was for God to come into the world. The birth of Christ shows us that from beginning to end, Jesus had a divine ministry. Jesus came into a world that was so sinful that the world killed him. He did that so we could be forgiven. We are sinful and cannot make ourselves right with God. But Jesus came so that we could be with God. Not because we deserved it. Not because we are God’s peers. But out of his goodness and grace.

    Jesus did that to save sinners. Even sinners who mock the gospel and the righteousness of God. But we must repent of our sins and turn to Christ and trust in the life that he promises.

    Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe! 

    Josh Benner is the associate pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in Minnesota.

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  • Lauren Daigle catches heat for punting on LGBT question

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    Lauren Daigle’s new album “Look Up Child” has been incredibly poplar. It’s been a #1 album on Christian charts but the incredibly talented singer has also been achieving mainstream success with her album reaching as high as third on the Billboard Top 200, a rarity for a religious album. She’s even appeared on the Tonight Show, Ellen, and Dancing with the Stars.

    On a recent interview with Domenick Nati, Daigle was asked if she believed homosexuality was a sin. The singer responded: “You know, I can’t honestly answer on that…too many people that I love (that) are homosexuals.”

    Within Evangelical circles, Daigle has been heavily criticized this week.

    She did have an opportunity to publicly defend the sanctity of marriage.

    But I can also appreciate that it was a difficult situation to be in. Because it’s an issue where it’s hard to disagree and not be viewed as hateful or bigoted. It’s an issue that warrants individual conversations rather than broad commentary.

    I do think she could have handled that question better than she did, but she was basically put in a no-win situation.

    I know many Christians would disagree with me.

    But I think we can make a mistake of weighing homosexuality ahead of other areas of sin, as if it’s preeminent. We can put it on a pedestal.

    Don’t misunderstand me. I do believe it’s a sin.

    And if you’ve ever listened to my preaching, I don’t think I’m someone who would be accused of taking sin lightly.

    All sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). All are equally dead in sin apart form Christ. The gospel is not saving someone to heterosexuality but it is saving people to Jesus. The gospel is not “get straight and then get saved,” it’s to come to Jesus where you are. The starting point of the gospel is not to try to change a person’s orientation. It’s to love people unconditionally, and invite them into a relationship with Jesus.

    The Bible is clear that marriage is between one man and one woman. The Bible is clear that the only framework by which a sexual union can be morally engaged in is through marriage. The Bible is clear that anything outside of that is sin.

    But someone want people beating their chest in the public arena on this issue.

    It’s true that in the Old Testament, there were prophets who warned Israel of divine wrath and judgment. In the New Testament, Paul called out those who were distracting people from the gospel. Jesus railed against the sinfulness of the moral teachers. But these were groups within the Jewish religious communities.

    I’m not arguing for cultural relativism. God is righteous and God has a righteous standard to approach him: Jesus. My point is that in the Bible, within the faith community, because it was a faith community, there was a common and agreed upon standard to which to hold people accountable and question people for disregarding.

    God’s moral will is still righteous, and holy, and good. And immorality should be addressed. But in the context of desiring to build relationships, does calling out everyone’s individual sins need to be the starting point? Or is the issue not about one particular sin but a sinful nature and a life that is sinful and opposed to God apart from Christ?

    The disease for all of humanity is sin and the cure is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

    I have no doubt that she does have relationships with people who are homosexual that she genuinely loves. It’s a complicated subject. It’s a hard balance to maintain relationships and to hold to fundamental Biblical truths which many dislike. Because those relationships are important. And publicly coming out with a hard line position against homosexuality could be harmful to relationships. She’s a singer not a theologian.

    I can appreciate not wanting to alienate a lot of people (not just in terms of record sales and popularity), but also not wanting to turn people away from a message.

    Much of our society has made up its mind on this subject and so a traditional Biblical view will make a person seem hateful and homophobic. The idea that you can “love the sinner, not the sin” has been rejected by much of the culture.

    However we love the sinner, not the sin in all sorts of other areas of life. Why is there no room to love people while morally disagreeing on this issue?

    I know some are extremely critical of Daigle. I don’t see what that really accomplishes. Frankly, the vast majority of people will never be in the position she’s in with the platform she has. I’ve heard people say that she’s not even a Christian based on her response. That seems a bit heavy handed. The Apostle Peter denied even knowing Jesus on Maundy Thursday.

    The starting point needs to be the gospel.

    Since she was asked, I do have criticism that she basically avoided the question. If she doesn’t have an opinion on that issue, she needs to study the clear Biblical teachings on the matter. If she does think it’s wrong but didn’t want to say it, she should have more backbone than that.

    Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe! 

    Josh Benner is the associate pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in Minnesota.

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