Josh Benner

Category: Faith

  • Not taking the Lord’s name in vain – more to it than just bad words

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    The Third Commandment
    “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
    -Exodus 20:7
    The third commandment involves more than just not using God’s name in profanities. That’s part of it but it’s not the whole picture.
    In its historical context, it seems that part of the meaning of the third commandment involved swearing oaths in the Lord’s name. A person could make such an oath and yet fail to follow through, and God doesn’t want his name invoked with falsity.
    However this commandment is more broad than only applying to oaths.
    It also involves misusing the Lord’s title.
    Psalm 29:2: “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.”
    In the beginning of the Lord’s prayer, Jesus addresses God the Father and says:
    “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. (Matthew 6:9).
    God’s name is to be hallowed. It is to be spoken in reverence.
    There are still Orthodox Jews who won’t say the word God out of concern that they’ll never say his name with due reverence.
    We must keep in mind the awesome holiness of the Lord when we invoke his name.
    The Westminister Confession of Faith puts it well:
    The third commandment requireth the holy and reverent use of God’s names, titles, attributes, ordinances, Word, and works.
    But another way how people speak the name of the Lord in vain is by misrepresenting God theologically.
    People often attempt to speak for God. People will say what God’s standards are for love but it can misrepresent God’s holiness and justice.
    People speak for God in comparison to other religions.
    People who don’t seek to honor God speak for what God does or doesn’t accept.
    This is a terrible blasphemy against the Lord.
    We misuse the name of the Lord when we speak for God in ways that are not true to how God has revealed himself in scripture.
    We see that at the heart of the original sin.
    God originally gave one commandment.
     “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17).
    But his words were twisted.
    Genesis 3:1: “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
    He never said such a thing.
    But then Eve responded by further misrepresenting the words of the Lord.
    Genesis 3:2-3
    2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”
    And the serpent undermines the consequences that God had spoken.
    Genesis 3:5: “You will not surely die.”
    Listen to the ways people talk about God. It’s a pattern that constantly happens.
    Twisting his words. Speaking on his behalf in false ways.
    Terrible sins.
    In undermining the consequences of God’s word, we make God out to be a lair and there is no deceit in the Lord. He is true to his word.
    This is part of the reason why it’s so important to have such reverence for the scripture.
    Because people are imperfect but God’s word is perfect.
    2 Timothy 3:16-17 says: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
    Unfortunately, our society has little Biblical literacy today.
    As we continue to study the Israelites, we will see that it had consequences for them and we suffer consequences in our world for a lack of reverence and training in God’s word.
    So in the first three commands, we get glimpses of the position where God is to be in our lives: first. We see glimpses of the reverence for how God wants us to approach him.

    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.

  • Billy Graham’s last will reminds us of how short life is

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    Billy Graham’s last will and testament was released to the public today. The great evangelist died in February.

    In the frist section, he encourages people to take up Godly devotion in their daily lives and to defend the gospel.

    I commit myself wholly into the hands of my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing by God’s Word that through His shed blood my sins have been atoned for and taken away and that through His merits I shall be presented faultless in the presence of His glory.

    When you read this I will be safely with Jesus in Paradise. I will be awaiting the reunion of our family in Heaven. Time on earth is so short. It seems only yesterday that I was a little boy playing on the family farm near Charlotte. It seems only yesterday that I took your mother on our first date on the second Sunday of December, 1940. It seems only yesterday that we were married on the full moonlit night in August, 1943. It seems only yesterday that I opened a letter from your mother to say that we were expecting our first child in the fall of 1945.

    That idea is what struck me in his note.

    Billy Graham lived 99 years. And yet even long lives are still so short.

    I’m in my thirties. Billy Graham was older than some of my great grandparents. But it is amazing how quickly time goes by. Memories of my youth, events that happened over a quarter century ago “seem only yesterday.”

    Life is short. And while we’re so tempted to all assume that we will have long lives, no one knows when the last day will be. It’s easy to take time for granted. But it’s finite and fleeting.

    As I think about Billy Graham, he was a man who had his first priority right: living a life that revolved around the gospel.

    There’s no time to wait. We need to live for God today. If you don’t know Jesus, or if you do but you have never really taken that relationship seriously, don’t wait. Don’t put it off. Today is the day.

    Childhood seems only yesterday. And even for those who live Billy Graham lifespans, the last day will seem like only tomorrow. Live for Jesus today!

    Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
    -1 Peter 5:6-7

    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.

  • Repentance, Facebook, and Wells Fargo

     

    Has anyone else noticed that Facebook and Wells Fargo are both essentially running the same commercial.
    Both companies have been the subject of recent scandals. Facebook with data collection and publishing algorithms. Wells Fargo was just hit with hundreds of millions of dollars in fines for securities fraud.
    Both commercials point to their origin and how the companies changed the world. Then “oops, we messed up.” Followed by, “But we promise we won’t do it again.”
    Apologies are easy. It’s also true in life. It’s EASY to simply say “I’m sorry.”
    Actually changing is much more difficult.

    In life, the sincerity is seen in true repentance and change. With Facebook and Wells Fargo, the standard is the same.

    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.

  • The lost art of lament

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    Lament is a topic that is often overlooked in American churches (especially in predominately caucasian churches).
    Lament is very common in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. We see it as a theme throughout the prophetic books, and the Bible has more books on prophecy than in any other genre. We see it in places like Job, Ruth, and Ecclesiasties.
    Lament is not whining.
    It’s not complaining. It’s not grumbling. Lament is an expression of grief and sorrow. Lament is based in the reality of who God is. Lament is based in a high view of the goodness of God in a fallen world. Grumbling is not based in reality and doubts the goodness of God.
    In the Psalms, lament is the theme of more Psalms than any other subject. And that is the hymnal of the Old Testament!
    We also see lament in…Lamentations. A book literally named after lament.
    We do see elements of lament in the New Testament as well.
    For example, Matthew 5:4 says “blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.” And the mourning that Jesus talks about is mourning sin, grieving the sin that is in the world. Jesus lamented in the garden, when he asked God “if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39).
    Lament is honest
    With the times where people lament in the Bible, God never rebukes them for lamenting.
    The heart that cries out “how long O Lord” isn’t criticized for asking.
    In the dialogue of our hearts with God, we must always be honest with how we feel.
    Lament applies to struggles we face, times where we feel lonely or betrayed. Times where we have poor health. We can lament other hardships that we face. We can lament our own sins.
    God knows your thoughts and your heart.
    We need to be honest with God.
    We need to be honest about the hurt that we feel. About the distressing nature of sin.
    We need to be honest with God about the struggles we’re experiencing. We need to be honest about the harshness we see in the world around us.
    The temptation can be to keep a stiff upper lip, to remain stoic. To give the outward appearance that we’re fine. And I think that we can be tempted to want to appear strong. But the problem with that is it doesn’t make you weak to hurt. It makes you human.
    Lament is an important aspect of the Christian experience in a fallen world. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
    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.

  • Major step forward for pro-life movement as Iowa passes heartbeat bill

    DcYNoxhVwAAUDilYesterday, Iowa governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law that will ban most abortions in that state. The law, which passed the Iowa house 51-46 .

    The new law will ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected (roughly six weeks into gestation). This is the most restrictive abortion law on the books in the country. Some women don’t even realize they’re pregnant prior to six weeks. This new law gives a very short window when a pregnancy could e terminated in Iowa.

    This law is facing backlash and criticism from abortion advocates.

    NARAL Pro-Choice America president Ilyse Hogue said that it was “a sad day for women and families in Iowa”

    In an official statement, governor Reynolds:

    “I believe that all innocent life is precious and sacred, and as governor, I pledged to do everything in my power to protect it…I understand that not everyone will agree with this decision. But if death is determined when a heart stops beating, then doesn’t a beating heart indicate life? For me, it is immoral to stop an innocent beating heart. For me, it is sickening to sell fetal body parts. For me, my faith leads me to protect every Iowan, no matter how small.”

    The law will undeniably face legal challenges and could potentially go before the supreme court.

    I applaud the Iowa governor of Iowa and the state’s legislature as they make a law that will protect unborn babies in their state.

    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.