Josh Benner

Category: Gospel

  • Can a loving God allow hell to exist?

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    Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

    Originally published: November 14, 2016

    Hell is a tough doctrine.

    In his book the Problem of Pain, CS Lewis sums up what I think many would agree with: “There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than this, if it lay in my power. But it has the full support of Scripture and, specially, of our Lord’s own words; it has always been held by Christendom; and it has the support of reason.”

    We’re fine with the idea of a loving God, but we’re less accepting of a God who judges.

    With the idea of hell, It can seem unfair. We can feel tempted to justify why hell doesn’t exist. Or maybe we think that hell is really just for people who are really, really bad. (more…)

  • Not exchanging the gospel for another to-do list.

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    Many people in our society don’t understand the gospel because they don’t understand the cost of sin. We can do nothing to earn forgiveness because of our sin. The only hope humanity has is the grace of God, freely given to anyone who trusts in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

    Many don’t understand that, don’t appreciate that, think that they’re basically good enough on their own.

    On the other side of the coin, a person can come to faith and have an appreciation for the magnitude of their own sin.

    One of the great struggles that Christians can face is making life about performance, even after you acknowledge that the grace is freely given by Jesus.

    But we’ll never be good enough on our own. That’s why we needed a savior!

    It’s a difficult balance to strike. Because I’m certainly not suggesting that we should just live however we want. We should live for God. But that must be done while also understanding that his love is not based on our goodness or obedience.

    When a person places faith in Jesus, you are saved from the sins you have committed and the ones you will commit. Jesus doesn’t just save you from the sins of your past and leave it up to you to figure it out in the future. Jesus saves you entirely, when you place your faith in him.

    We can know the forgiveness that we have though the gospel but still fall into the trap of making our relationship with God about our performance. Or acting like God has forgiven you, but like you have to earn his love. That’s not the gospel.

    That’s a good way to set a person up for a life that lacks joy and leads to an exhausting (and impossible) cycle of legalism and works based righteousness.

    For a Christian, you are adopted as God’s child. You’re his. God loves with an everlasting love. No matter how good you are, you can never make God love you more. Nor can any sin make him love you less.

    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 Church: being part of something bigger than yourself

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    An astounding 16 million soldiers, sailors and Marines served America in the Second World War.
    And while most of our focus on World War II is on the military and combat, within the United States, there was an effort to support the war unlike anything our nation had seen or has seen since.
    With millions going overseas, Americans at home took up new jobs.
    Coming out of the Great Depression, unemployment dried up, reaching an all time low in 1944.
    The war effort affected virtually every facet of American life. Companies shifted their manufacturing efforts to supporting the war and supplying the military. Maytag went from making washing machines to making parts for airplanes. Firestone Tires made artillery shells and aluminum containers for food transport.
    Products like sugar, butter, bacon, and cheese were rationed. As were penicillin and other medicines, along with rubber and certain types of metals. Materials for clothing such as silk and nylon were needed for uniforms. Everything went to supporting a cause that was so much bigger than any one person.
    And everyone’s contributions mattered.
    To help pay for the war, the government sold war bonds. Over 85 million Americans purchased war bonds to help fund the effort. To put that in perspective, that was more than half of the entire United States population at the time.
    An incredible effort.
    The church has a mission 
    As Christians, we too are called to be part of a cause that is far bigger than any of us, but where everyone has a role, where everyone has a job to do, where everyone has a way to serve.
    The mission of God on earth.
    And that mission is to spread the gospel. To make disciples. To build up the church. To love one another.
    It’s not a passive request in scripture, nor is it a good suggestion, but something which God commands from all of his people.
    If you’re a person who has placed faith in Jesus, this applies to you.
    As the Apostle Paul said in Galatians 2:20:
    I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
    You belong to Jesus when you place your faith in him.
    And part of the purpose of the Christian life is one that is lived in service of God for the mission of God in the world.
    You were made to have an impact 
    Do you ever feel like you were made for something great?
    Do you ever feel like you were meant to have an impact?
     You are made for more, you are made to do great things, you are born to have an impact in the world.
    An impact for Jesus.
    We can try to build our own kingdoms, we can try to collect our own toys, we can try to control and manipulate the circumstances in our lives to make us feel secure.
    We can do those things.
    But we were made to serve the mission of Christ in the world.
    And that includes sharing the gospel, making disciples, making Jesus known, growing together as His Church, and serving God.
    As a church, every person in the church is called to use the ways God has gifted and equipped them for the purpose of serving God and building up the church.
    That’s why we’re here.
    Writing to the Church in Corinth, the Apostle Paul said:
    Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
    Maybe you’ve never really thought about that.
    But all Christians are given Spiritual gifts.
    Doesn’t matter how well you know the Bible.
    It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been a Christian. There’s no probationary period before you can God.
    It doesn’t matter how smart you are, or how outgoing you are, or how many people you know.
    It doesn’t matter how talented you think you are.
    If you’re a Christian, God has given you gifts to serve him and build up his church.
    Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you have nothing to offer.
    I think that’s the reason why some people don’t serve.
    It’s nonsense.
    Because everyone here has much to offer. Much to contribute.
    It can be easy to see a really talented pastor, a really gifted musician, someone who’s really outgoing, and to feel insecure about what you have to offer.
    But the unsung heroes are the backbone of congregations, people faithfully and humbly serving. Books get written about generals, but the real work is done by soldiers.
    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.

  • Law and grace in Les Miserables

    LesMisLogoOriginally published October 8, 2015

    I am a huge fan of the musical Les Miserables. I saw it on Broadway when I was 11, and I thought it was just about the most amazing thing ever.  (more…)

  • 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.