Josh Benner

Category: Faith

  • Being “born again” and why it’s so important

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    In John 3, a Pharisee named Nicodemus has seen the ministry of Jesus and he’s intrigued by this man. He approaches the Lord and Jesus tells this respected Jewish leader, who had dedicated his life to knowing the Bible and following God’s laws, that he must be “born again.”
    Being born again is also called regeneration and it is new life given by God through the Holy Spirit.
    In John 3, Jesus says that a person cannot see the kingdom of God without being born again (John 3:3).
    Jesus words on the subject matter. He is the authority.
    He’s telling Nicodemus, but he’s also telling all of us what must be done.
    The one who died and rose and lives today died that death so we could have life.
    There’s nothing else that counts. You can’t be good enough. You must have faith. The Spirit isn’t given to everyone, only to those who are born again. And you can have that if you believe in Jesus by faith.
    People like to believe in false gospels, because they hate the idea that Jesus is the only way.
    But Jesus was lifted up so that everyone who believes can have eternal life.
    Without that, you don’t have eternal life.
    Jesus died once so those who are born twice only have to die once.
    Everyone else will die twice. There will be their physical, earthly death, and also the eternal death and torment apart from God.
    Unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.
    It’s not up for debate in the same way that the laws of gravity aren’t up for a debate. They’re what they are regardless of if you like them.
    Born once, die twice. Born twice, die once.
    Have you been born again? Have you come to faith in Jesus?
    We don’t get to walk into heaven on our terms.
    Jesus is the way.
    Because a Christian is born again, they are given this spiritual life, they are justified, which means they are in right legal standing with God. They are declared holy and righteous. A person is adopted into the family of God and is promised a heavenly inheritance. A person is sanctified which is the continual process of being made Holy and is equipped with Spiritual gifts.
    All of these things happen to a person who has been born again and has faith.
    Without being born again, a person doesn’t have the Spirit which means they’re not born again.
    If a person doesn’t have the Spirit, they’re not justified. Jesus’ grace does not apply to them if they haven’t responded in faith to the gospel.
    You must be born again.
    It all goes together.
    You don’t have an inheritance if you’re not born again because you haven’t been adopted if you haven’t been born again.
    They have nothing to do with how nice we are, how moral you are. This entire system flies in the face of a person’s ability to earn salvation.

    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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  • Proverbs: A wise way and a foolish way

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    There is a way that seems right to a man,
    but its end is the way to death.

    -Proverbs 14:12

    The Book of Proverbs is one of the most beloved books of the Bible. Hundreds of Proverbs covering topics ranging from finance, to time management, to interpersonal relationships, to raising children, the words we use, and the importance of hard work.

    I think it’s easy to take Proverbs as pithy statements. They are that but they’re also so much more. Proverbs are profound statements that point us to the wisdom of God and the reality of the world he has made and the best way to live is in accordance with God’s creation. Proverbs are meant to be internalized.

    Trying to view the world with Godly wisdom should be the pursuit of our lives. There is a way that seems right to man, but its end is the way to death.

    There are two ways to go. There is a way that is in accordance with the wisdom of men, there’s a way that’s what we want to do, there’s a way that’s enticing. In the end, that way leads to death, to destruction, to ruin, to sin.

    Which way are you going?

    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.

    Let’s connect!
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  • Tim Keller argues that Christians don’t fit into the two-party system – he’s right

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    Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons @Frank Licorice

    Pastor and theologian Tim Keller had an op-ed in the New York Times last week entitled “How do Christians fit into the two-party system? They don’t.”

    In the piece, Keller outlines the complexity of the situation for Americans in the political arena. Keller argues (and I agree) that neither political party perfectly encompasses Christian teaching. This can be a challenging view for people because the temptation can be to look at whatever their party is and think “THIS is where real Christians belong. Honestly, I don’t even know if a person can be a Christian and vote for the other side.”

    The conservative platform certainly has elements which more closely align with Christianity including traditional marriage values and a pro-life stance.

    It is problematic that the democratic party holds to unbiblical beliefs on these issues.

    But they’re not entirely wrong and the republican platform is also not perfectly aligned with Biblical teaching. For instance, the Bible does have much to say about care for the poor, those who society looks down upon, and aliens. Now there is room for disagreement on the extent to which social welfare programs should go, but it’s a conversation where there is often greater empathy on the left side of the political aisle.

    Both parties have major flaws. One of the unfortunate issues in our society is that we’re losing the ability to see anything good or any redeeming qualities in the political party we oppose.

    That’s why I like Keller’s article (and he’s said similar things elsewhere). Because Christians are doing life in a fallen world and that fallenness most certainly carries over into political philosophies.

    Some have opted to go a third route which is to remove oneself from the political process. But even being apolitical is to be political. Not taking a stance on major moral evils is taking a stance.

    I’ve been saying for a long time that political values are a common  idol in our society. Politics matter. But they’re not the end all, be all. And politics are not our hope for a better world. The gospel is.

    Again, the point isn’t to totally withdraw from politics. But I think we need to keep our priorities straight. And for Christians, the objective is not to politically conquer our enemies but to love and serve, to spread the gospel and make disciples. And for those who politically disagree, I think we must be respectful and humble. Another key point that Keller makes is that if we get too concerned about prioritizing political beliefs and giving them gospel importance, we are then adding requirements to the gospel. And that’s wrong.

    At the end of his piece, Keller says:

    The Gospel gives us the resources to love people who reject both our beliefs and us personally. Christians should think of how God rescued them. He did it not by taking power but by coming to earth, losing glory and power, serving and dying on a cross. How did Jesus save? Not with a sword but with nails in his hands.

    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.

    Let’s connect!
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Instagram

  • The worst of sinners

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    In a letter to his protege Timothy, the Apostle Paul calls himself the worst (1 Timothy 1:15).

    I think we all need to look at ourselves as among the worst of sinners, because all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). All of us have lied, have cheated, have harbored anger, have held ill will towards others, have acted selfishly, have manipulated. We sin.

    Our society likes to undermine sin, and call it freedom. We like to deny sin and blame other factors such as society and upbringing. We like to undermine the culpability for addictions and call them diseases.

    But we regularly, freely, reject to carry out the will of God.

    The higher the view we have of sin and of the cost of our sin, the greater the appreciation we can have for the grace of God. Because in the gospel, in spite of our sin and imperfection, we see Jesus dying so that we could be redeemed. We have a savior who died to save the worst of sinners. And on that cross, he shows that sin is costly. The cross makes no sense otherwise. Jesus died to make the ungodly, Godly.

    May we rejoice in 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.

    Let’s connect!
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Instagram

  • Love, justice, and the heavenly way

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    Originally published August 24, 2017

    From the sermon Love, justice, and the heavenly way

    The gospel is offensive.

    God is perfect and righteous. And the only way for imperfect and unrighteous people to be with him was for Jesus to pay the price of sin. To absorb the wrath of God. And for some reason, the world is so twisted that that idea is offensive. That the Lord paid the penalty for our sin so we could be with him. But that’s not good enough. Because that takes the control away from us.

    And people hate that idea. We’re fine with the love of God but we are not ok that sin needed to be atoned for. (more…)