This year I have tried something I haven’t done in the past. I’m reading through Psalms continuously.  Sometimes it’s a psalm a day. Sometimes it’s a psalm a day and then I forget for a few days and pick it back up, but in any case I’m trying to make it a normal part of my routine.

I’m not doing this as a “This year I shall read through Psalms continuously. So let it be written; so let it be done!”  vow.  There’s almost no chance I would stick to it if that was my motivation.

No, I’m doing this because I tend to fall back on a cold, explainable, factual “faith” without the constant reminder of what it means to be in relationship with God as Father, Jesus as brother, and the Spirit as comforter.

While reading Psalms, I’m constantly surprised at how differently David approaches God than I think most of us do.

David is real. He is always real. Whether is he is shouting for joy or wasting away from sorrow, he is completely transparent before God. He tells God when he thinks that he has been wronged. He praises God for all things.

But even more interesting, David is not bashful about telling God about the things that he (David) is doing right.  Read those verses I used at the beginning. That is just a small portion of the self-affirming language David uses in Psalm 26 and something you see all throughout the psalms.

On the other hand, David is equally transparent about his faults.

I think what we see in David is balance. David is able to take the thing he knows about God and the things he knows about himself and his relationship with God and balance those ideas. (as well as any fallen human can)

What are those things?

1. David sees God as powerful, sovereign, holy, omnipotent–God.
2. David knows that he has been welcomed by God into relationship with Himself.
3. David knows that he is a sinner with endless faults.
4. David knows that God has made him righteous.

Each of these things are clear in David’s prayers. Even when he says “God, I feel like you’ve let me down” he comes back to “But God, I know you will be faithful” to me. He is able to be honest about what he is doing right for the Lord because he is also honest about what he does wrong.

I think what most Christians lack is balance. We tend to see a number of attitudes in prayer that all represent a portion of the truth but lack balance.

For some, God is simply a buddy. A friend.  Those who view God this way tend to think of Him in very human terms and ascribe their own ideas to Him.

For some, God is eternal judge, nearly unreachable and always distant.  Those who view God this way tend to spend all of their time repenting, forgetting that God has made them clean by His Son.

For others, God is their personal guarantee. He is permission to sin. People who view God this way tend to abuse God’s grace (shall we sin more than grace may abound?) and most likely shield themselves from thoughts of God’s holiness and righteousness.  This is definitely reflected in their prayers. (Though we might ask ourselves whether a Christian who sins freely has actually been transformed by Christ)

In truth, each of us has probably approached God with one of these attitudes at one time or another, and that is not completely wrong. God is our friend. He is our judge. He is our personal guarantee (but not permission to sin!)

In each case we are not seeing all of God. (Not that any of us can ever truly understand God) We are choosing the aspect of God that we are able to believe the easiest.

David is able to say “I have walked in righteousness” because He knows God has justified him. David is able to say “His anger is but for a moment, and his favor for a lifetime” because he has experienced both.  David is able to worship God, face bowed to the ground, because David understands his own insignificance compared to God. (What is man that you are mindful of him?) But by the same token, David is able to proclaim loudly that he has been accepted by this same God.

So, since practical life questions are always a great way to summarize information, I’ll leave you with this ponderable:

What would your prayer life look like if you were able to rightly esteem your God in His terrifying holiness and His unthinkable grace?

There are some theological positions that seem so untenable and unpopular that the majority of Christians try to distance themselves from the ideas, while a minority embrace the ideas with fervor. They revel in the fact that their interpretation is non-mainstream and makes God more–insert some quality here: sovereign, powerful, etc–than other’s interpetations. Some of these ideas are true. Some are false.

Sometimes this begins with prominent teachers’ interpretations of the scriptures that filter down to less mature believers, who simply cling to the idea for its radicalism rather than its merit.

A good example of this would be the answer to the question “Does God hate us?”

Most Christians, whether they have good reason or are simply reacting in their gut would say affirmatively, no.  Some, would say yes.

In fact, one of my favorite Bible teachers of all time, Mark Driscoll, takes this position. In this video, he explains his stance.  The argument goes like this: God is holy. He hates sinners. <insert Bible references here> Jesus died and God poured his wrath on Him instead of us.

Which is very close to the truth.

God is holy.
He does hates sin, and a few verses do seem to generalize that hatred to sinners.
He did send Jesus.
He poured His wrath out on Jesus so that we might live in grace.

So, if God doesn’t hate sinners, why does Psalm 5:5 say so? Or, why does God say “Jacob I have loved; Esau I have hated?”

In order to properly understand scripture, we must look at verses in light of all scripture.  We have to find the unifying theme. We have to attempt, as best as we can, to see the whole picture.  We also have to apply common sense, or, in other words, we have to use our brains.

In order to properly balance the verses which speak of God’s love and the verses that speak of God’s hatred, we have to have a proper understanding who God is.

First, we have to remember that God is a person. That is, He is personal. He isn’t an impersonal force.  Similarly, we have to remember that He is a God who desires to be in relationship with us.  He desires to communicate with us.

Second, we have to look at His relationship with Adam and Eve, the first people and the first sinners. Did God go from love to hatred and then back to love again on one sunny afternoon in the Garden of Eden? Of course not.

Third, we have to take the idea of God hating sinners to its logical end. If God simply hates sinners, why would He send his Son to die for them? Why would He devise a plan by which all sinners (all people!) can be saved? It does not follow.

Fourth, the Bible is full of verses that more than hint at His great love for all His creation.  As John 3:16 says, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.”  Romans 5:8 speaks in no uncertain terms about this. “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

God created us. He loves us. He hates some of the things we do. He sent Jesus to die for us because of that love. Jesus died to glorify the Father.

This is what the Bible preaches.

So how do we reconcile this with Psalm 5:5? Well first, we have to remember that our instinct on hatred and wrath are very human derived.  We think of wrath as flying off the handle, uncontrolled, and irrational. We think of hatred as petty and, as Jesus said, equivalent to murder.

But those things don’t apply to God. His wrath, is a rational response to wickedness, as is his hatred. It is derived from His holiness.

But why should His wrath trump His love? The answer is it doesn’t!  God loved us inspite of His wrath.  God is patient with us, despite the fact that we in no way deserve patience. 2 Peter 3:9 says “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” He isn’t speaking to believers there. He is speaking to the unrepentant sinners. God loves unrepentant sinners and is patient with them, desiring them to come to repentance so that they do not have to face His wrath.

Simply saying, “God hates sinners” relegates Him to only one of His attributes and prevents us from seeing His actions clearly.

God doesn’t hate sinners.  He hates sin.

“For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.” – Romans 6:19b

To be sanctified is to be set apart by God for God’s purposes.  It’s the next step after justification (where God makes us righteous by God’s righteousness through Jesus).

Most people with a cursory understanding of scripture and biblical doctrine know this.

So my question is: Do you believe it?

Do you really truly believe to your core that you have been set apart by God for His specific purposes? That there are things He has called you to do that He has not called others? That part of His sovereign will includes your participation with Him to accomplish His will?

I doubt it.

I don’t say this hypocritically. I say this from personal experience.

I have tried to figure out exactly what prevents me from really embracing this truth and I think it is related to two factors.

1. We’re always sure there is someone else more competent out there to do whatever God has asked us to do.

And there probably is.  While at first glance, this sentiment may appear to be humility, I believe it is more nearly a form of pride.  We are looking at the calling as a strictly human task that will have human results.  In light of this, we decide that we should be a gentleman and let God know that there is someone better.

What we’re really saying is “God, I know you thought I was the guy/girl for this job but you’re going to have to look elsewhere.  I’m flattered though and will figure out a way to tell this story so that other people will see how awesome and humble I am at the same time.”

Maybe this isn’t always the case.  But whatever the case, we have to remember that we are really saying more about our view of God’s abilities than our own abilities.

I have oft quoted this verse because it applies to so much in life. Phillipians 2:13 says,

For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

It is by God’s power that we accomplish his purposes.

2.  We forget that it is God who has called us and begin focusing on His human agents.

Recently we began a new ministry at Grace (Ev Free).  We formed 6 new small groups of ~50 or so people.  The goal being to disciple each other while simultaneously reaching out to the community. It’s exciting. It’s been a testament to God’s graciousness. It’s become larger than we ever expected and we can see how He has been working in each of our lives to prepare us for this time.

I have the privilege of reading one of these small groups.

So where is the problem?

I have been focused on what we were humanly accomplishing.  I started to think of myself as “sanctified by Josh Stone” or “sanctified by Grace Church”, or worse: “sanctified by my own need to challenge myself”.

This had a significant impact on the way I started viewing this responsibility.  For instance, if I am sanctified by God, this suggests certain things I will do to prepare for the tasks ahead.

I might:

• Pray generally for my small group and specifically for each member.
• I might study the Bible.
• I might spend time meditating and focusing on being sensitive to God’s leading by His Spirit.

But, if I am sanctified by Grace Church this is going to change my behavior.  I might:

• Try to be a really fun guy so that people will want to join my group.
• I might read books on leadership.
• I might arrange to meet with church leadership to understand their vision more fully.

The difference is stark. The contrast is clear.

To avoid this requires an honest assessment of ourselves. While my actions were focusing on human “sanctification” my mouth was telling a different story. I was still refering to it as “God’s ministry”. But I didn’t believe it.

As believers, we have been called to something greater than ourselves. We have been called to participate with God in His sovereign plan. Paul says “And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

So next time God calls you to do something I would encourage you to remember that it is by God’s power that you are able to accomplish His will.

And also, remember Who has sanctified you.