Heart Soul and Might

This is the statement of faith that came out of the Together for the Gospel Conference. A concise, well-written and thoughtful statement of faith which I personally affirm. All believers would do well to read this and consider affirming it as well. It is of utmost importance in today’s culture - especially as truth and the Gospel are under attack. I really admire the four men who crafted and signed this document and applaud them for their efforts for the cause of the Gospel.

We are brothers in Christ united in one great cause - to stand together for the Gospel. We are convinced that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been misrepresented, misunderstood, and marginalized in many churches and among many who claim the name of Christ. Compromise of the Gospel has led to the preaching of false gospels, the seduction of many minds and movements, and the weakening of the church’s Gospel witness.As in previous moments of theological and spiritual crisis in the church, we believe that the answer to this confusion and compromise lies in a comprehensive recovery and reaffirmation of the Gospel - and in Christians banding together in Gospel churches that display God’s glory in this fallen world.

We are also brothers united in deep concern for the church and the Gospel. This concern is specifically addressed to certain trends within the church today. We are concerned about the tendency of so many churches to substitute technique for truth, therapy for theology, and management for ministry.

We are also concerned that God’s glorious purpose for Christ’s church is often eclipsed in concern by so many other issues, programs, technologies, and priorities. Furthermore, confusion over crucial questions concerning the authority of the Bible, the meaning of the Gospel, and the nature of truth itself have gravely weakened the church in terms of its witness, its work, and its identity.

We stand together for the Gospel - and for a full and gladdening recovery of the Gospel in the church. We are convinced that such a recovery will be evident in the form of faithful Gospel churches, each bearing faithful witness to the glory of God and the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Article I

We affirm that the sole authority for the Church is the Bible, verbally inspired, inerrant, infallible, and totally sufficient and trustworthy.

We deny that the Bible is a mere witness to the divine revelation, or that any portion of Scripture is marked by error, incompleteness, or the effects of human sinfulness.

Article II

We affirm that the authority and sufficiency of Scripture extends to the entire Bible, and therefore that the Bible is our final authority for all doctrine and practice.

We deny that any portion of the Bible is to be used in an effort to deny the truthfulness or trustworthiness of any other portion. We further deny any effort to identify a canon within the canon or, for example, to set the words of Jesus against the writings of Paul.

Article III

We affirm that the truth ever remains a central issue for the Church, and that the church must resist the allure of pragmatism and postmodern conceptions of truth as substitutes for obedience to the comprehensive truth claims of Scripture.

We deny that truth is merely a product of social construction or that the truth of the Gospel can be expressed or grounded in anything less than total confidence in the veracity of the Bible, the historicity of biblical events, and the abilityof language to convey understandable truth in sentence form. We further deny that the church can establish in its ministry on a foundation of pragmatism, current marketing techniques, or contemporary cultural fashions.

Article IV

We affirm the centrality of expository preaching in the church and the urgent need for a recovery of biblical exposition and the public reading of Scripture in worship.

We deny that God-honoring worship can marginalize or neglect the ministry of the Word as manifested through the exposition and public reading. We further deny that a church devoid of true biblical preaching can survive as a Gospel church.

Article V

We affirm that the Bible reveals God to be infinite in all his perfections, and thus truly omniscient, omnipotent, timeless, and self-existent. We further affirm that God posesses perfect knowledge of all things, past, present, and future, including human thoughts, acts, and decisions.

We deny that the God of the Bible is in any way limited in terms of knowledge or power or any other perfection or attribute, or that God has in any way limited his own perfections.

Article VI

We affirm that the doctrine of the Trinity is a Christian essential, bearing witness to the ontological reality of the one true God in three divine persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each of the same substance and perfections.

We deny the claim that the Trinity is not an essential doctrine, or that the Trinity can be understood in merely economic or functional categories.

Article VII

We affirm that Jesus Christ is true God and true man, in perfect, undiluted, and unconfused union throughout his incarnation and now eternally. We also affirm that Christ died on the cross as a substitute for sinners, as a sacrifice for sin, and as a propitiation of the wrath of God toward sin. We affirm the death, burial, and bodily resurrection of Christ as essential to the Gospel. We further affirm that Jesus Christ is Lord over His church, and that Christ will reign over the entire cosmos in fulfillment of the Father’s gracious purpose.

We deny that the substitutionary character of Christ’s atonement for sin can be compromised or denied without serious injury, or even repudiation, of the Gospel. We further deny that Jesus Christ is visible only in weakness, rather than in power, Lordship, or royal reign, or, conversely, that Christ is visible only in power, and never in weakness.

Article VIII

We affirm that salvation is all of grace, and that the Gospel is revealed to us in doctrines that most faithfully exalt God’s sovereign purpose to save sinners and in His determination to save his redeemed people by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to His glory alone.

We deny any teaching, theological system, or means of presenting the Gospel that denies the centrality of God’s grace as His gift of unmerited favor to sinners in Christ can be considered true doctrine.

Article IX

We affirm that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is God’s means of bringing salvation to His people, that sinners are commanded to believe the Gospel, and that the church is commissioned to preach and teach the Gospel to all nations.

We deny that evangelsim can be reduced to any program, technique, or marketing approach. We further deny that salvation can be separated from repentence toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Article X

We affirm that salvation comes to those who truly beleive and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

We deny that there is salvation in any other name, or that saving faith can take any form other than conscious belief in the Lord Jesus Christ and His saving acts.

Article XI

We affirm the continuity of God’s saving purpose and the Christological unity of the covenants. we further affirm a basic distinction between law and grace, and that the true Gospel exalts Christ’s atoning work as the consummate and perfect fulfillment of the law.

We deny that the Bible presents any other means of salvation than God’s gracious acceptance of sinners in Christ.

Article XII

We affirm that sinners are justified only through faith in Christ, and that justification by faith alone is essential and central to the Gospel.

We deny that any teaching that minimizes, denies, or confuses justification by faith alone can be considered true to the Gospel. We further deny that any teaching that separates regeneration and faith is a true rendering of the Gospel.

Article XIII

We affirm that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to believers by God’s decree alone, and that this righteousness, imputed to the believer through faith alone, is the only righteousness that saves.

We deny that such righteousness is earned or deserved in any manner, is infused within the believer to any degree, or is realized in the believer through anything other than faith alone.

Article XIV

We affirm that the shape of Christian discipleship is congregational, and that God’s purpose is evident in faithful Gospel congregations, each displaying God’s glory in the marks of authentic ecclasiology.

We deny that any Christian can truly be a faithful descipple apart from the teaching, discipline, fellowship, and accountability of a congregation of fellow disciples, organized as a Gospel church. We further deny that the Lord’s Supper can faithfully be administered apart from the right practice of church discipline.

Article XV

We affirm that evangelical congregations are to work together in humble and voluntary cooperation and that the spiritual fellowship of Gospel congregations bears witness to the unity of the Church and the glory of God.

We deny that loyalty to any denomination or fellowship of churches can take precedence over the claims of truth and faithfulness to the Gospel.

Article XVI

We affirm that the Scripture reveals a pattern of complementary order between men and women, and that this order is itself a testimony to the Gospel, even as it is the gift of our Creator and Redeemer. We also affirm that all Christians are called to service within the body of Christ, and that God has given to both men and women important and strategic roles within the home, the chuhrch, and the society. We further affirm that the teaching office of the church is assigned only to those men who are called of God in fulfillment of the biblical teachings and that men are to lead in their homes as husbands and fathers who fear and love God.

We deny that the distinction of roles between men and women revealed in the Bible is evidence of mere cultural conditioning or a manifestation of male oppression or prejudice against women. We also deny that this biblical dinstinction of roles excludes women from meaningful minstry in Christ’s kingdom. We further deny that any church can confuse these issues without damaging its witness to the Gospel.

Article XVII

We affirm that God calls his people to display his glory in the reconciliation of the nations within the Church, and that God’s pleasure in this reconciliation is evident in the gathering of believers from every tongue and tribe and people and nation. We acknowledge that the staggering magnitude of injustice against African-Americans in the name of the Gospel presents a special opportunity for displaying the repentence, forgiveness, and restoration promised in the Gospel. We further affirm that evangelical Christianity in America bears a unique responsbility to demonstrate this reconciliation with our African-American brothers and sisters.

We deny that any church can accept racial prejudice, discrimination, or division without betraying the Gospel.

Article XVIII

We affirm that our only sure and confident hope is in the sure and certain promises of God. Thus, our hope is an eschatological hope, grounded in our confidence that God will bring all things to consummation in a manner that will bring greatest glory to his own name, greatest preeminence to his Son, and greatest joy for his redeemed people.

We deny that we are to find ultimate fulfillment or happiness in this world, or that God’s ultimate purpose is for us to find merely a more meaningful and fulfilling life in this fallen world. We further deny that any teaching that offeres health and wealth as God’s assured promises in this life can be considered a true gospel.

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you - unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…. - I Corinthians 15:1-4

Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to thhose who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.” - Revelation 14:6-7

Signed: J. Ligon Duncan III, Mark E. Dever, C.J. Mahaney, R. Albert Mohler, Jr.

HT: Tim Challies (Challies.com)

Last night I was in the presence of a great man. I’d never heard of him until meeting him at a university alumni event last night, but it didn’t take long to realize that this is a man upon whom God has smiled. He had Jesus all over him - and he was so not about himself. I got the impression he would rather you remember Jesus than himself. Until a recent “semi-retirement”, Dr. Jim Walters had been the Chair of the Biblical Studies department at John Brown University since 1968.

I met his wife, too. Beautiful woman - in the way you could see Jesus in her as well. She spends her life in a wheelchair with little movement, hands knarled, her body ravaged by what Dr. Walters calls the “insidious beast that invaded her body in 1978″ - multiple sclerosis. They were married in 1964, she was diagnosed with MS in 1978, she had to stop driving in 1989, and went to a wheelchair full-time in 1991. And Dr. Walters has been faithfully standing beside Linda, taking care of her every day. He told me they’re more in love today after 42 years of marriage than they were the day they got married - and I could tell that he was telling the truth.

I watched carefully how he related to Linda. He was the featured speaker of the evening, but his primary concern always seemed to be how she was doing rather than how he was coming across to the crowd of alumni and donors. They laughed together often and he always spoke respectfully to her, often adjusting her sweater that would sometimes creep up under the seatbelt that held her in her wheelchair.

During his talk, Dr. Walters held up a black and white picture of his family back from 1968 - he and Linda and their two sons - and inevitably I noticed the difference in how they’ve changed in the 38 years since. Dr. Walters was smiling widely and had darker (and more) hair. Linda had a beautiful smile and looked so full of joy in the picture. I looked over at her in the wheelchair. Her smile looked much different, her bottom lip now drooping awkwardly and her eyes tired and unfocused. But her smile was undoubtedly there and it was impossible to miss the joy they both clearly still have. Could it be that they live this temporal life with an eternal perspective? They have every right to be jaded. To be cynical of a God who would allow this terrible disease to thwart their plans for a peaceful life, free from pain and suffering - and concluding with a care-free retirement. But instead of cyncism or anger - or even pity - I saw a man who loves life…abundantly. He enjoys life supremely because he no doubt loves God supremely.

That’s why I had to meet Dr. Walters and shake his hand. This man obviously finds such satisfaction in God that he can live this life with supreme joy no matter the circumstances. As I shook his hand, I thanked him for being an inspiration to younger guys like me and that he obviously has Jesus all over him. His response didn’t surprise me. First, he graciously said Thank You, and then said he just deeply loves God’s Word so much and wants others to as well.That’s the key to his joy.

You can’t love God like he does without loving His Word like he does. And you can’t love God’s Word like he does and live with anything but an eternal perspective that puts God’s glory above earthly, temporal comfort.

I’ve been deeply impacted by this encounter with this great man of God. I hope and pray that I can love Heidi like Dr. Walters loves Linda. It will take another 40 years of loving Heidi to pass that test. And, I hope and pray that I can live with supreme joy no matter the circumstances in the way that this great man has modeled. It will take another 40 years of loving God and His Word to pass that test.

Every Friday is Fenelon Friday, where we drink from the very deep well of my favorite 17th century French Bishop in the Catholic Church. (Everyone should have a little Fenelon with their coffee in the morning…) Francois de Salignac de La Mothe-Fenelon (born 1651) was a mentor to a number of younger men on the court of Louis XIV. In fact, he was given the responsibility of raising the young man who would proceed Louis XIV to the throne of France (the King’s grandson). Many of Fenelon’s writings are actually letters he wrote to some of these young leaders as they sought to walk the life of faith in the face of opposition and adversity. Fenelon’s teachings were met with resistance within the Catholic Church because they aligned more with Reformation teachings than with Catholic dogma at times, and his hope was that once his student became the King of France, he would be instrumental in the reformation of the Catholic Church and bring a real witness of Jesus Christ to France. Those hopes were dashed in 1712 with the premature death of the King’s grandson. Fenelon died not long after that in 1715 at the age of 63, but his teachings live on and continue to influence 300 years after he died.

Bearing the Criticism of Others

Go on your spiritual journey naturally, and what others say will not harm you. A moderate, simple, decided course of conduct will impose silence upon them. Even if you have to bear some unkind mockeries, you will get off very cheaply. Having been approved by the world for so long, when you wished to please those who were blind, is it not just that you should have to suffer something from the folly of this world, so that you may acquire true wisdom? We are too jealous of whom we do not admire and whose irregular conduct we know well. The main thing for you is to reserve to yourself hours for withdrawal, when by your exercise of devotion you can provide yourself with a good antidote against all their poisonous errors.

Read the truth in the worlds of eternal life. Pray, watch, and be detached from yourself. Love God with a generous love; let that which was created only for Him belong only to Him. Expect all things from Him without neglecting yourself, that you may be faithful to His gifts.

Francois Salignac de la Mothe Fenelon, Talking With God, pp. 45-46.

I chose this passage from Fenelon because I believe this is probably one of those issues that impacts ALL of us at various levels. I don’t know of anyone who actually enjoys receiving criticism from others, and if we’re honest, most of us respond in either defensiveness or anger or some other response that seeks to preserve “self” in some way. I know that’s true for me. Criticism from others is so hard to take because I suffer from the plague of not only being a people pleaser but also wanting to preserve my reputation and image… A deadly combination at times. Sometimes criticism reveals weakness that I was trying to conceal, and my cover is blown! But, sometimes criticism is more about the one criticizing than it is about me… And that’s why it really pays to have take the Fenelon approach. Live simply before God and accept the criticism of others. If we live only to please God, the criticism of others will not harm us. It’s when we allow our self-preservation and the striving for position and reputation to drive us, that we can’t handle hearing even constructive comments, let alone full-colored criticism. Our response reveals the degree to which we trust God and what He desires to teach us in all situations.

I’m not saying this because I’ve arrived! I can only say this because of what I believe about God (and I’ve read Fenelon diligently for a few years now). My natural tendency is to get defensive and respond in my flesh… although I’ve found that slowly and in very small increments, I’m making a little progress over time in how I respond to criticism. It’s not easy! And I will continue to make mistakes along the way. But I have to admit that sometimes - I can actually hear the words of Fenelon (and the apostle Paul) ringing in my mind in a given situation. Yes, sometimes my own self-love speaks louder and drowns those voices out… but my prayer is that growth will continue to occur.

I love Fenelon’s advice. “Go on your spiritual journey naturally, and what others say will not harm you.” If we are more concerned about what God thinks about us than what others say about us, we will not be harmed. It’s that simple. That’s where my problems start since I’ve always been much more concerned about what others think about me. I wish there were an antidote I could drink to be cured of that! But Fenelon says that time alone with God IS the antidote for that, so I’ll just keep getting alone with God and see what the Holy Spirit does. I would encourage you to do the same. Get alone with God often. Drink deeply from His Word regularly. And ask the Lord to show you what He wants to show you even through the criticism of others. Great… now I’m accountable to this in my own life! OK. Here I go. Walk by faith… one…step…at…a…time…

I’m a big fan of the Together for the Gospel blog, and Louisville’s Together for the Gospel Conference is going on right now with Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, C.J. Mahaney and Al Mohler along with special guests John Piper, R.C. Sproul and John MacArthur. Tim Challies is live-blogging the conference and is covering every session.

John Piper - not surprisingly - taught a session today on The Glory of God. The full write up is here.

Here is the outline and some highlights:

Section One: “Preaching that is aware of the glory of God”

He quoted Whitefield at length as he reflected on his longing for men to preach the Word. Here is what Whitefield wanted of those who would become preachers of the Word: They were to be mighty in the scriputures; aglow with the truths of the doctrines of grace; dead to self; willing to labor and suffer; indifferent to the accolades of man; broken to sin; dominated by a sense of the greatness and majesty and the holiness of God. He believed that preaching was heralding the Word of God from that kind of heart. Preaching is not talk, teaching, discussion, but the heralding of a message permeated by a sense of God’s holiness and majesty. It can be any topic, but that topic must be taken into the blazing center of the holiness of God in the Word of God. In the last century, the man who embodied this best was Martyn Lloyd-Jones…

Section 2 - What you believe about the glory of God? 

What you believe about the necessity and nature of preaching is governed by your sense of the glory of God and how you believe people awaken to it. From the beginning to end of the Bible, nothing is more ultimate in the mind and heart of God than the glory of God, the beauty of God, the radiance of his perfections. That is the ultimate allegience and commitment in the mind and heart of God. Everywhere you look, without exception, every place God makes explicit the ultimate reason for what He is doing what He is doing is for His glory. We are predestined for His glory, created for His glory, elected for His glory, saved from Egypt for His glory, rescued from the exile for His glory, He sent Christ so the gentiles would praise Him for His glory, we are to eat and drink and do everything to His glory, Christ will return so the redeemed will marvel at His glory. The mission of the church, therefore, is to declare His glory to the nations…

Section 3 - How do people awaken to the glory of God? 

This is the goal of a pastor. He should want to so live, lead, preach, suffer that his people will rejoice at a message like this. The answer is in 2 Corinthians 3:18 - 4:6. God is the Gospel is Piper’s overflow of meditation on these verses. These verses show that people are changed the way and at the speed that God wants them to change. Far too many people abandon these verses for a new technique. They may produce change, but it may not be the change that God wants in His people. The job of the pastor is to make the glory of God seen so that people are changed…

Section 4 - How does this relate to “expository exultation” (Piper’s definition of preaching)?

If it is the purpose of God to display His glory in the world, and if come to know and enjoy it by beholding it, and if we behold it best in the gospel, and if the gospel is proclamation, then preaching is absolutely essential. It is heralding the gospel and the glory of Christ in the gospel. This is our central job…

(from Brian): I’m not a preacher… and you may not be a preacher… but we are all called to proclaim the truth of the gospel and to speak forth in a way that declares and advances the glory of God. “…The heralding of a message permeated by a sense of God’s holiness and majesty…” That’s why this post matters to everyone, preacher or not. Please click here to read the whole post. John Piper’s heart is right on.

This morning, once again I came to one of my favorites psalms - and had a sweet time in the Word meditating on a psalm that I think of probably more often than most. Some of my favorite verses in Psalm 91 are:

91:1 “He who dwells in teh shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”

91:4 “He will cover you with His pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge.”

91:5 “You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day.”

91:11 “For He will command His angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.” (I pray that over Heidi and the boys often…)

But this morning, while I did spend time meditating on some those favorites, the Lord had me spend more time ruminating on His promises for me in vv. 14-16. Those verses start out with this:

91:14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will…”

I asked myself, What does it mean…what does it look like to hold fast to God in love? Does this describe my life? Does this describe how I approach my relationship with my God? What is the intended meaning of “hold fast?” To better clarify what is meant here, I went back up to verse 9 to see a kind of parallel in the same chapter. The author says “Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place - the Most High, who is my refuge…” and then lists a number of things that will happen because of this.

So, one way to “hold fast to God in love” is to make Him my dwelling place. My place of refuge. The first place I go when I need shelter from what the world brings. Rather than finding my satisfaction in other things, places or people - in love, I hold fast to my Lord and rest in Him. And here is what came over me like cool refreshing water from the purest stream of grace… A list of promises available to those who make the Lord their dwelling place, and who hold fast to God in love:

I will DELIVER him.

I will PROTECT him.

I will ANSWER him.

I will BE WITH him in trouble.

I will RESCUE him.

I will HONOR him.

I will SATISFY him with long life.

I will SHOW HIM my salvation.

These are the promises of God to those who have an intimate, personal relationship with the Father. They are promises, not wishes. They aren’t chances… God takes pleasure in delivering, protecting, answering, rescuing, honoring, satisfying and showing… For those of you who see God as punitive or arbitrary, or unloving or one who is always just waiting for us to trip up so He can unleash His wrath… Read Psalm 91. He is a God who is FOR His people. He wants us to succeed, to be blessed, to be satisfied… only in Him.

But often we make it harder on ourselves than we should. Instead of finding our satisfaction in God alone and truly holding fast to Him, we try to operate independently, in our own strength. We rely on ourselves. Our natural abilities. Our instincts… When, if we will humble ourselves and make Him our dwelling place, holding fast to Him in love, we have all of these promises, and their corresponding benefits - at our finger tips to enjoy and find great satisfaction.

I need His deliverance.

I need His protection.

I need to hear His voice.

I need Him to be near me - especially when it seems He’s the farthest away.

There are times when I am so low, I desperately need Him to rescue me.

I must find my satisfaction only in Him. Whether its a long or a short life, that I would be satisfied only in knowing Christ and pleasing my God. Too often, I am satisfied by far less than God wants to give me in Himself, and I need to learn a difficult lesson.

O God, will you teach us what it means to “hold fast” to You in love and show us what it feels like to experience all that you offer to those who abide in You, dwell closely to You, hold fast to You and You alone. Satisfy us and show us Your salvation…

This excerpt from Reid Monaghan’s blog Power of Change (read the whole post here):

On May 19, 2006 the movie based upon Dan Brown’s fictional work, The Da Vinci Code. The trailer for the film contains the following opening:

Such are the lofty claims of this story. An ancient conspiracy, guarded by intrigue and murder, if revealed to the world would change the very fabric of society. Just exactly what could be such a secret? The Christian faith, the belief of billions on planet earth, is based on a well guarded fabrication that is revealed when a man seeks the truth in renaissance artwork and medieval legends. The book has garnered a huge following and the film will no doubt be a blockbuster success. Ron Howard is directing and Tom Hanks plays the lead role. The production values and cinematic excellence will be high and the story very compelling. From the spending some time on the film’s web site today, this project is being undertaken with the highest of quality. It will move people. For those uninitiated with the details of history or the debates about the historical Jesus the story of the Da Vinci Code can be confusing. A fictional work passing for history can be a great fog for people in our day. Many actually “learn” more from films today that responsible history. We must serve our neighbors in such a time as this. This film is a fantastic opportunity for those who follow the biblical Jesus, the Jesus of history, to grow in our understanding of our own faith, its roots, and to share the true account of Jesus with those with whom we live, work and play. I see the following benefits to the conversation which will be had around the film’s release.

• First, the film is a great opportunity to help one mature in our understanding of the historical roots of our faith. So many are completely ignorant of biblical history and the circumstances of early Christianity. It is a great time to study these issues greatly.

• Second, the film will cause “cultural Christians” and young people to struggle with what they believe and why. This will afford great opportunity for crisis and clarification. Which by God’s grace can result in deeper commitment to truth. We will need to love and teach in this context.

• Third, the film will be a great opportunity, in my opinion, for evangelism – sharing about the Biblical Jesus – not the Jesus of the Davinci Code, but the living Jesus who saves sinners.

HT: Power of Change

Friend and fellow blogger Reid Monaghan (Power of Change) taught the first part in a two-part series today on The Da Vinci Code where he laid the foundation for why it’s culturally important to understand what is behind the phenomenon of the DVC. The point is not to get sucked into the myth and the heresies behind this fictitious book, but to understand why it is taking culture by storm and be able to defend truth in light of the heretical and blasphemous claims made in the book and film.

I read The Da Vinci code almost three years ago, and knew when I read it that this book could do serious damage to some people’s fragile belief systems if it became more well-known than it had even at that time. And now, here we are with the movie release coming up May 19 - and unbelievable “buzz” surrounding this movie starring America’s beloved Tom Hanks and directed by another American “hero”, Ron Howard. This movie is sure to hit BIG at the box office.

So what is Da Vinci Code’s “perfect storm” all about? The “perfect storm” refers to the storm that developed off the northeast coast of the U.S. in 1991 where a cold front combined with a low pressure system and remnants of Hurricane Grace to create a scenario perfect for the development of a massive and destructive storm. It was such an amazing storm that a book was written and a movie was eventually produced.

Reid presented the case for a cultural “perfect storm” where a number of factors combine to create the scenario where this book has sold over 50 million copies and now is being produced into a high-budget Hollywood blockbuster. Here are the elements of the cultural perfect storm that are contributing to this Da Vinci Code phenomenon:

1. Discussion around the “Lost Gospels” - There has been a lot of interest in recent years around writings that supposedly call into question the validity of our current Scripture and present a different view of history and the life of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Mary Magdalene (among others) and most recently the Gospel of Judas are a few of those. Most of these writings have been found to have been written as late as the 200’s and 300’s - many, many years after the rest of the Canon of Scripture - and LONG after Mary and Judas had died. Yet, many people are holding these writings to the same level of Scripture. And Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown capitalizes on this in the book, bringing up many fringe writings while also calling into question the authority of Scripture.

2. Conspiracy Theories - There is all kind of interest in conspiracy theories in the world today - alien abductions, government involvement in assassinations, UFOs, etc, etc. Culture is fascinated by a good conspiracy theory, which is clearly exploited in DVC.

3. Orders, Art and Architecture - The Knights Templar, the Priory of Scion, Opus Dei… These secretive, mysterious orders - often dating back to medieval times and before - easily draw many people in to their intrigue. The mystery behind their practices and rituals is a lure into a world we know not of - and Dan Brown is aware of this curiosity of human nature. Add to the picture interest in the world of great art and beautiful architecture and you have the recipe for the success of DVC. People are intrigued to know there might be something behind the coy smile of the Mona Lisa and possible connections to the Louvre in France and other great architectural marvels.

4. The “Vatican Boogeyman” - Many people want reason to believe their fears that the Catholic Church is controlled by greed for money, power and influence to the point that it will do anything to perpetuate its belief system - even if the belief system is based on deceit and false information. Dan Brown capitalizes on this and picks on the Catholic Church, setting it up as a dominant predator that will seek to save face no matter the cost.

5. Goddess Worship and Neo-Paganism - There has been much interest in recent years in the Divine Feminine, the role and position of women in society and the worship of goddesses. Interest in witchcraft has risen sharply in recent years and Brown picks up on these issues with the interest in Mary Magdalene and the centrality of the book’s key female character, Sophie - a supposed descendent of Jesus and Mary Magdalene…

6. Pick a Fight with Jesus - Over 2.1 billion people in the world consider themselves “Christian” in some form - with belief in the person of Jesus Christ being the central focus. Brown calls all known information about Jesus into question and gets at the core belief system of the largest religious order on the planet. If Brown wanted to generate interest in his fast-paced, intriguing murder mystery, he got it from all directions by targeting the core, fundamental beliefs of those who consider themselves Christians (whether protestant or Catholic) - primarily the beliefs of the divine authority of Scripture and the life, death and resurrection of Christ…

All of these six factors (and maybe some others as well) have combined for such a time as this in the course of human history to create the perfect storm scenario where - as Brown touches on all of them in unique and creative ways - they create a stir and buzz that will be hard for the world to not take notice.

The terrible thing is that the validity and authority of Scripture are being questioned, the legitimacy of Christ’s integrity and character is being attacked and almost all of the book’s content that supports these concerns is being upheld as “fact” when in reality, a lot of it either isn’t true or wasn’t well researched.

The great thing about this is that this perfect cultural storm is getting the whole world talking about Jesus! Being aware of the issues in this book and movie will create many opportunities for dialogue over the coming weeks and months. Dialogue that presents the gospel and sees lives being changed. But, we need to know our own faith well and how it interfaces with The Da Vinci Code in order to engage culture in this unique season of opportunity. We can’t stick our heads in the sand and either not respond, or protest in ignorance when God may well be (and most likely IS) planning on using even this for the advancement of His glory. How do I know that? Because that’s just how He operates and has proven time and again that what man intends for evil, God intends for good.

Do you have any other ideas on “pefect storm” factors that might not have been mentioned? If so, drop me a line and we can continue the dialogue.

I’m not advocating seeing the movie (although I will) - but I am advocating that we know enough about the issues raised - in the book and the movie - that we can get into the cultural world without being threatened, and present the one, true Gospel. This book and movie are an open door… We all need to decide how the Spirit is leading us to walk through it into the possibility of changed lives and people giving their lives to the advancement of the Gospel and uplifting the glory of God.

Could it be that this is part of God’s divine plan? Could God Himself have devised the pieces that would come together to create this perfect cultural storm? Because of what I believe about God, my answer is YES.

Every Friday is Fenelon Friday, where we drink from the very deep well of my favorite 17th century French Bishop in the Catholic Church. (Everyone should have a little Fenelon with their coffee in the morning…) Francois de Salignac de La Mothe-Fenelon (born 1651) was a mentor to a number of younger men on the court of Louis XIV. In fact, he was given the responsibility of raising the young man who would proceed Louis XIV to the throne of France (the King’s grandson). Many of Fenelon’s writings are actually letters he wrote to some of these young leaders as they sought to walk the life of faith in the face of opposition and adversity. Fenelon’s teachings were met with resistance within the Catholic Church because they aligned more with Reformation teachings than with Catholic dogma at times, and his hope was that once his student became the King of France, he would be instrumental in the reformation of the Catholic Church and bring a real witness of Jesus Christ to France. Those hopes were dashed in 1712 with the premature death of the King’s grandson. Fenelon died not long after that in 1715 at the age of 63, but his teachings live on and continue to influence 300 years after he died.

Preserving Peace with Others

To be really pleased even with the best persons, we must be satisfied with little and we must bear with much. The most perfect people have many imperfections. We also have imperfections, and great ones. Our faults, joined to theirs, make our bearing with each other very difficult. But bear one another’s burdens, and so you shall fulfill the law of Christ. we must make a charitable allowance in this matter. Frequent silence, habitual recollection, prayer, detachment from ourselves, renunciation of all the carefully crafted criticisms, faithfulness in abandoning all vain judgments of a jealous and fastidious self-love - all these things tend very much to preserve peace and union with God. We spare ourselves much trouble by this simplicity. Happy are those who pay no attention to self-love, and who pay no attention to the criticism of others.

Content yourself with leading a simple life according to your circumstances. For the rest, obey the Lord and bear your little daily crosses. You need them, and God gives them to you only out of pur mercy. The great thing is to make light of yourself sincerely, and to consent to be made light of by others if God permits it. Nourish yourself with him alone. St. Augustine says that his mother lived only by prayer. We also are to live by prayer and die to all the rest. We can live to God only by a continual death to self.

Francois Salignac de la Mothe Fenelon, Talking With God, pp.133-134.

I think it’s that first sentence that always trips me up. To be “satisfied with little, and bear with much” - ugh… that just doesn’t satisfy my flesh like I often want it to! To bear with much must mean that we give much grace, overlook faults and harsh words, listen more than talk, wait patiently for the Spirit to do His work… I know that God has shown me “forbearance” in so many countless ways… withholding the judgment and scrutiny my words and actions have so rightly deserved. But when it’s my turn to show someone forbearance, sometimes it takes every ounce of energy I can muster! O God, may I live these wise words of Fenelon,perserving peace with others, not giving to the cravings and longings of my self-love which seeks to preserve my position, reputation and standing. But caring only for Your glory as it is revealed when your children live in peace with each other because of Christ’s work on the cross for all of us.

When we come together to worship…to pray…to share life, based on Christ and the Cross, there is no condemnation, no judgment - no reason to fear. There’s only freedom here. In keeping with this thought, here is a prayer from one of my favorite books - The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions. As you read this, I would encourage you to join with the centuries of believers who have prayed these same words, believing God for true freedom. I’m beginning to experience it.

Freedom

O HOLY FATHER, thou hast freely given thy Son,

O DIVINE SON, thou has freely paid my debt,

O ETERNAL SPIRIT, thou dost freely bid me come,

O TRIUNE GOD, thou dost freely grace me with salvation.

Prayers and tears could not suffice to pardon my sins,

nor anything less than atoning blood,

but my believing is my receiving,

for a thankful acceptance is no paying of the debt.

What didst thou see in me?

That I a poor, diseased, despised sinner

should be clothed in thy bright glory?

That a creeping worm

should be advanced to this high state?

That one lately groaning, weeping, dying,

should be as full of joy as my heart can hold?

That a being of dust and darkness

should be taken like Mordecai from captivity,

and set next to the King?

Should be lifted like Daniel from a den

and be made ruler of princes and provinces?

Who can fathom immeasurable love?

As far as the rational soul exceeds the senses,

so does the spirit exceed the rational in its knowledge of thee,

Thou hast given me understanding to compass the earth,

measure the sun, moon, stars, universe,

but above all to know thee, the only true God,

I marvel that the finite can know the Infinite,

here a little, afterwards in full-orbed truth;

Now I know but a small portion of what I shall know,

here in part, there in perfection,

here a glimpse, there a glory.

To enjoy thee is life eternal, and to enjoy is to know,

Keep me in the freedom of experiencing thy salvation continually.

The Valley of Vision, Arthur Bennett, p. 56.

This from Justin Taylor at Between Two Worlds:

A few days ago I passed along an email from screenwriter Brian Godawa, where he included a suggested strategy of going to a different movie than the Da Vinci Code on its opening weekend. After receiving feedback, he’s had second thoughts on that approach, and passes along the following note (with permission to post). I reprint it here for your consideration:

“I have had some very helpful responses to the email I forwarded about strategy dealing with the Da Vinci Code release on May 19. In fact, they were so good that they persuaded me to expand my thinking on what to do May 19. I have always affirmed the Acts 17 approach to engaging with pagan culture, and was neglectful in taking that into consideration when I forwarded that email. As I thought about it some more, based on some of your thoughtful challenges, I realized that this is a profound opportunity that we have not had in a long time (since, The Passion) to talk about Jesus so widely. Now, some Christians have different gifts and ministries than others, which mean there are several ways of dealing with this issue, and all of them are legitimate depending on what situation you are in:

1) Educate yourself and go to see another movie on May 19. This was the first suggestion. And it is great for those who would probably not go see the movie anyway, as well as those who feel they don’t want to “support” the success of the film. Hollywood does listen to box office on the first couple weekends in terms of what movies they will continue to make. In a sense, our dollars are votes for what kind of movies are going to be made. Buy some books by Christians who have dissected the fallacies and fantasies of The Da Vinci Code so you can actually converse with people and express a measure of intelligence. It is important to note here that Christians have a reputation for not knowing what they are talking about because they “haven’t seen the movie.” BUT… Remember, you don’t have to see the movie to be able to discuss it with those who have, but you DO have to know what the issues are. In fact, the most effective means of witnessing is to LISTEN FIRST. So ask what someone else learned from the movie to see just how it affected them, and then respond to those concerns with the truth.
Too often we start rattling off what we think is wrong with something before we understand what the unbeliever really needs or thinks.

Listening first places you in a humble and disarming position. JUST ASK QUESTIONS AND LISTEN to the unbeliever’s viewpoint first. Wow, what a concept!

2) Go see the movie on May 19. The fact is, some unbelievers will not listen to your viewpoint if you haven’t seen it. For those of you who are in these circles, you may need to see it in order to interact with more effect. If your friends are going to see it, go with them, so you can give your opinions when they discuss it afterward. If you aren’t there when they do, then you’ve missed a chance to share the Gospel. Go the first couple weeks because it is going to be a hot issue and a lot of people will be talking about it right away, so if we wait for a few weeks, we can miss the most important discussions. The point is that we rarely have an open opportunity to talk about Jesus and here we have the unbelievers bringing it up and willing to talking about it.

OBJECTIONS:

1) But doesn’t this give money to godless movie companies for their godless films?
Well, Either Paul or Gamaliel, under whom Paul studied, paid money to buy the plays of Menander as well as the writings of pagan poets Aratus and Cleanthes and many others in order to interact with their ideas and apply the Gospel (1 Cor. 15:33; Acts 17:24-29). So there is biblical precedent for paying money for godless works in order to interact with them.

Look at it this way: You are paying 10 bucks to listen to a godless hate theory about Jesus, but this “buys” you the opportunity to share the true Jesus with those who would not listen to you otherwise.

Christians are always griping about how hard it is to get opportunities to talk about Jesus and this is a stark raving opportunity. Who cares if you have to pay for the opportunity? Do you want to share Jesus or not? $10 to be able to share Jesus. That’s pretty cheap. Of course, if you are like many Christians and do not really have any unbelievers who are your friends, then you probably don’t need to go because who do you have to share Jesus with anyway?

2) But doesn’t the first weekend box office support the film’s success?

Yes, it does on one level. However, the other side of that coin is that the more of a success it is, the more people talk about it, the more opportunity you have to share the real Jesus with them. If you wait until the second or third week, you will not be prepared to engage in the hottest discussions which are the first couple weeks. Also, realistically, whether you go to the first, second or tenth week, it’s still gonna count toward the box office anyway, so why not have a voice for Jesus in the hottest discussions? Would Paul have opted out of speaking to the pagans on Mars Hill because they wouldn’t respect him unless he read the Poets? No! He read the Poets and entered the fray!

Because he believed the truth of the Gospel will win out and “greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world!” (1 John 4:4)

Folks, this is an opportunity to talk about Jesus! So the options are: 1) go to a different movie that weekend to cast a vote against Da Vinci Code, 2) Don’t go to the opening week of Da Vinci Code and don’t have an opportunity to talk about Jesus to those who did and won’t listen to you if you did not, or 3) Go the opening week and DO have an opportunity to talk about Jesus to those who did. Again, this has to do with the fact that there are plenty of unbelievers who will not listen to your viewpoint if you haven’t seen it. Sure, that’s unfair. Welcome to history.”

I’m not bashful about saying John Piper is one of my favorite theologians and authors, if not my favorite. His words are trustworthy because they are always based in truth, and most often on God’s Word. The following letter is a must read regarding the gospel, the Christian life, and the call for all to repentence. The call for a radical change of the heart and the “mind’s perceptions and dispositions and purposes…”
Letters From Cambridge #2

April 19, 2006

As part of my sabbatical here in Cambridge, England, I am working on a book with the tentative title What Jesus Demands From the World. The demand to repent is as basic as it gets in Jesus’ message. It is equally basic to, and almost synonymous with, the command, “You must be born again” (John 3:7). One of my concerns is to show that repentance in Jesus’ message is not behavior but the inner change that gives rise to new God-centered, Christ-exalting behavior. Here are some thoughts to help make the meaning of repentance more plain.

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)

I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. (Luke 5:32)

The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. (Matthew 12:41)

Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. (Luke 13:3, 5)

The first demand of Jesus’ public ministry was, “Repent.” He spoke this command indiscriminately to all who would listen. It was a call for radical inward change toward God and man.

Two things show us that repentance is an internal change of mind and heart rather than mere sorrow for sin or mere improvement of behavior. First, the meaning of the Greek word behind the English “repent” (metanoeo) points in this direction. It has two parts: meta and noeo. The second part (noeo) refers to the mind and its thoughts and perceptions and dispositions and purposes. The first part (meta) is a prefix that regularly means movement or change.1 So the basic meaning of repent is to experience a change of the mind’s perceptions and dispositions and purposes.

The other factor that points to this meaning of repent is the way Luke 3:8 describes the relationship between repentance and new behavior. It says, “Bear fruits in keeping with repentance.” Then it gives examples of the fruits: “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise” (Luke 3:11). This means that repenting is what happens inside of us that leads to the fruits of new behavior. Repentance is not the new deeds, but the inward change that bears the fruit of new deeds. Jesus is demanding that we experience this inward change.

Why? His answer is that we are sinners. “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32). What was Jesus’ view of sin? In the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus describes the son’s sin like this: “He squandered his property in reckless living . . . [and] devoured [it] with prostitutes” (Luke 15:13, 30). But when the prodigal repents he says, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” Therefore, throwing your life away on reckless living and prostitutes is not just humanly hurtful; it is an offense against heaven—that is, against God. That’s the essential nature of sin. It’s an assault on God.

We see this again in the way Jesus taught his disciples to pray. He said that they should pray, “Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us” (Luke 11:4). In other words, sins that God forgives are compared to the ones people commit against us, and those are called debts. Therefore, Jesus’ view of sin was that it dishonored God and put us in debt to restore the divine honor we had defamed by our God-belittling behavior or attitudes. That debt is paid by Jesus himself. “The Son of man came . . . to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). But for us to enjoy that gift he says we must repent.

Repenting means experiencing a change of mind that now sees God as true and beautiful and worthy of all our praise and all our obedience. This change of mind also embraces Jesus in the same way. We know this because Jesus said, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God.” Seeing God with a new mind includes seeing Jesus with a new mind.

No one is excluded from Jesus’ demand to repent. He made this clear when a group of people came to him with news of two calamities. Innocent people had been killed by Pilate’s massacre and by the fall of the tower of Siloam (Luke 13:1-4). Jesus took the occasion to warn even the bearers of the news: “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:5). In other words, don’t think calamities mean that some people are sinners in need of repentance and others aren’t. All need repentance. Just as all need to be born anew because “that which is born of the flesh is [merely] flesh” (John 3:6), so all must repent because all are sinners.

When Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32), he did not mean that some persons are good enough not to need repentance. He meant some think they are (Luke 18:9), and others have already repented and have been set right with God. For example, the rich young ruler desired “to justify himself” (Luke 10:29) while “the tax collector . . . beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ [and] went down to his house justified [by God!]” (Luke 18:13-14).

Therefore, none is excluded. All need repentance. And the need is urgent. Jesus said, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” What did he mean by perish? He meant that the final judgment of God would fall on those who don’t repent. “The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here” (Matthew 12:41). Jesus, the Son of God, is warning people of the judgment to come, and offering escape if we will repent. If we will not repent, Jesus has one word for us, “Woe, to you” (Matthew 11:21).

This is why his demand for repentance is part of his central message that the kingdom of God is at hand. “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). The gospel—the good news—is that the rule of God has arrived in Jesus to save sinners before it arrives at his second coming in judgment. So the demand to repent is based on the gracious offer that is present to forgive, and on the gracious warning that someday those who refuse the offer will perish in God’s judgment.

After he had risen from the dead Jesus made sure that his apostles would continue the call for repentance throughout the world. He said, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:46-47). So the demand of Jesus to repent goes to all the nations. It comes to us, whoever we are and wherever we are, and lays claim on us. This is the demand of Jesus to every soul: Repent. Be changed deep within. Replace all God-dishonoring, Christ-belittling perceptions and dispositions and purposes with God-treasuring, Christ-exalting ones.

For Christ and his kingdom,

Pastor John

This letter can be found on Piper’s website at http://desiringgod.org/library/fresh_words/2006/041906.html

“Nothing is more important to your marriage than your theology (what you believe about God), and nothing is more important to your theology and hence your marriage) than the gospel.”

“When we grasp the depth of God’s love for us revealed in the gospel, when we rest in the joy of God’s forgiveness toward us in the gospel, when we experience God’s transforming power in us through the gospel, and when we begin to emulate the pattern of humility and obedience we see in the gospel, what a wonderful difference this will make in our lives and marriages! Nothing is more essential to a marriage, and nothing brings more hope, than applying the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Gary and Betsy Ricucci, Love That Lasts: When Marriage Meets Grace , pp. 21, 23

HT: Between Two Worlds (Justin Taylor)

Mark Dever posts a great article on Christianity Today here, unpacking the cross and Christ’s work of atonement in a wonderful way. He addresses opponents of the cross and provides sound ways to refute arguments against a correct theology of the atonement. It’s a great read.

As we reflect on Christ’s work on the cross this holy weekend, I offer the lyric to this song again and pray it inspires to you to live a cross-centered life.

In the Cross Alone I Glory

In the cross alone I glory
Recognition laying down
Greatest treasures count as worthless
Standing next to heaven’s crowns
Standing next to heaven’s crowns

In the cross alone I glory
Ever reaching for the prize
Pressing on and laying hold of
That for which my Savior died
That for which my Savior died

Chorus:
In the cross alone I glory
Nothing of my own to give
Only that which Christ has offered
For my soul that I may live
For my soul that I may live

In the cross alone I glory
Holding fast the word of life
Toiling not in vain but being
Poured out as a sacrifice
Poured out as a sacrifice

Never will I seek the glory
That was never meant for me
Always heavenward reflecting
All to Jesus to receive
All to Jesus to receive

Chorus:
In the cross alone I glory
Nothing of my own to give
Only that which Christ has offered
For my soul that I may live
For my soul that I may live

words and music by Brian Petak, © 2005 Worshiptogether.com songs

We had a very sweet time of worship, prayer and hanging out this morning with some of the worship leaders here at Fellowship. We try to get together monthly for a time like this and realized that it doesn’t happen as often as it should, and we’ll try harder… But this morning was very cool. We’re very blessed and fortunate at Fellowship to have some very talented worship leaders - many of whom also happen to be successful artists in Christian music. And they don’t wear their talent or success on their sleeve, but rather have deep hearts of longing to seek the Lord and honor Him with their lives. It’s a privilege to partner with them, and to have the chance to sit around in a circle with our Bibles and guitars for a time of worship and prayer is something I hope I never take for granted.

Two of the guys in that circle are Jason Germain and Marc Martel, half of the group Downhere. They come from Canada and recently signed a record deal with Centricity Records. I’ve known them for a number of years since they were with Word and they’ve sung in a couple choirs I’ve directed here at Fellowship over the years. I say all that to say that even though they’ve won Dove Awards and the Canadian version of the Grammy, they are just your normal (albeit very artistic and creative) guys that love Jesus and want to know Him. But, they happen to be two of the most creatively talented guys on the planet. Incredible songwriters. If you aren’t familiar with their music, you need to check out their website - Downhere.com - where you can get their CDs and read up on who they are.

After we spent some time in prayer and lifted up our hearts together in worship, I asked if anyone had a new song to share. We had a laugh because in Nashville, you don’t normally hear the word “share” associated with songs… The more appropriate word is usually “showcase”. But obviously, that word didn’t really fit a group 7 guys with guitars sitting around in a circle singing worship songs, so I guess they really did “share”… (smile)
Jason gave me their demo of this song last year when they were just getting started working on their soon-to-be-released record “Wide Eyed and Mystified”. It was incredible then. And it was a special moment this morning when they played their guitars together and wove their distinctly unique harmonies to create “A Better Way” for us. Go to www.centricityrecords.com to listen. Read this lyric and be blessed. But be sure to buy their record and listen to one of the best bands around. This song is a beautiful presentation of the gospel in a really creative way. You need to hear it to fully grasp it.

A Better Way

I’m not alone, I really believe
You never go, You never leave
Here and now, You always stay
“I love you” could not be said a better way

It’s everything You’ve promised
There’s no greater love than this
From prophets until today
A man laying down His life for His friends
Your sacrifice has spoken, You gave everything
And “I love you” could not be said
A better way

I am forgiven, I clearly see
It’s why You came to do all you did for me
Trading earth with heaven, You took my place
“I love you” could not be said
A better way

Because You redeem, I know what’s to come
Everything I could lose here, You’ve already won
So You have my surrender, with passion obey
“I love you” could not be said
A better way