Pop quiz: Which of these is the primary cause of our salvation: our intellect, our emotions, or our will? How are they related? Which one should we appeal to in evangelism? William Hendriksen, commenting on John 7:17, answers this question with a profound analysis of these human experiences of knowledge/love/obedience. The quote is a little long, but it is rich and rewarding.

Jesus says in John 7:17, “If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.”

Hendriksen comments:

If there be no true desire to obey the will of God as expressed in his Word, true knowledge (both intellectual and experiential) will not be found. This introduces the interesting question: Just how are the various elements of Christian experience related to each other? In general it may be said that according to the teaching of Christ and the apostles, knowledge (concerning Christ and the facts of redemption: implying, of course, a knowledge of misery) comes first. When we try to trace our love for God in Christ to its source, we discover that it resulted from the contemplation of the facts of the Gospel and from our interpretation of the significance of these facts. Nevertheless, we hasten to add: knowledge as such never produces love. It results in love when the Holy Spirit applies this knowledge to the heart; i.e., when he created in the heart a response to the love of Christ, the knowledge of which is already present in the mind. Now this love, in turn, expresses itself in deeds of obedience: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” The fundamental relation between the three is, therefore: a) knowledge, b) love, c) obedience. Cf. John 17:26; 14:15.

Yet, this representation is in need of qualification. Each of the elements (knowledge, love, obedience), once present in any slight degree, enriches, intensifies, deepens the others. There is a constant interaction, each influencing the other two. In fact, the three are so closely related that none is complete in and by itself alone. Thus, not only does knowledge, applied by the Holy Spirit, lead to love; but love, in turn, is the indispensable prerequisite of full-grown knowledge. Hence, at times we find the opposite order: instead of knowledge…love, we find love…knowledge. Cf. Eph. 3:17. Similarly, instead of the order according to which obedience is last (as in John 14:15), we also find the order in which it is first. This, of course, is the way in which the sequence is expressed in the passage which we are now studying (7:17): “If anyone is willing to do his will, he shall know concerning the teaching whether it is of God or whether I am (merely) expressing my own views.” Here we have: 1. obedience (willingness to do God’s will) and 2. knowledge.

The only logical conclusion, in view of these various and (at first glance) seemingly (though never really) conflicting representations, is this: when we speak of knowledge, love and obedience, we are not thinking of three altogether separate experiences, but of one single, comprehensive experience in which the three are united in such a manner that each contributes its share, and all cooperate unto man’s salvation and God’s glory. This experience is personal in character. Hence, we can no longer speak of the primacy of the intellect or of the primacy of the emotions or of the primacy of the will, but of the primacy of the sovereign grace of God influencing and transforming the entire personality for the Glory of God. (William Hendriksen, The New Testament Commentary on John, Vol. 2, pp. 6-7)

Amen!!!

I’m encouraged today. Not because my preferred candidate picked up a lot of delegates yesterday (he didn’t); and not because Reagan conservatism achieved a great victory yesterday (it didn’t); and not because our next President will be a highly qualified person of character and experience (they might not be). Rather, I’m encouraged today because this world is not my home. My citizenship is in heaven, and my Lord Jesus Christ is a perfectly righteous King, seated firmly today upon His throne! What’s more, my King is coming again soon!

In the midst of political turmoil and uncertainty, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 gives me four reasons to be encouraged:

• I am encouraged by the coming return of Christ. “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God” (4:16). Oh, how I long to hear those three triumphant sounds – the shout, the voice, and the trumpet! I keep my ears and eyes open, because those sounds mark the arrival of my Lord. Arthur Whiting says, “The Savior is the One for whom the saints long, and He alone can meet their heart-hunger.”

• I am encouraged by the coming resurrection of the dead. “And the dead in Christ will rise first” (4:16). The resurrection of the dead is certain, because Christ’s resurrection is accomplished. We may not know yet exactly what our resurrected bodies will be like, but this much we know, “that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is” (1 John 3:2). What a glorious day that will be! But something else will immediately follow…

• I am encouraged by the coming rapture of the living. “Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (4:17). One moment, we will be walking on this earth, and the next moment, we will be suddenly “snatched up” or “seized” faster than a special forces rescue operation. This is a mystery previously unrevealed to the church (1 Cor. 15:51-52).

• I am encouraged by the coming reunion of all believers. We “will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord” (4:17). We will be united together with other believers, once and for all, with loved ones past and present who have trusted in Jesus as Savior and Lord. Finally, I will be able to spend unhurried time with spiritual heroes like my Grandpa and Grandma Goodrich, Hal Kemper, John Bunyan, and so many others.
  

For all of these reasons, I am greatly encouraged, even after Super Tuesday. Yet as long as Christ has me on this earth, there is still work here to be done. Many more must hear the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, and prepare for the coming of the King!

While studying for my sermon last week in John 6, I was struck afresh by just how foolish and offensive it must seem to believe in a broken, bloodied, crucified Messiah. Yet that is precisely what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:23: “But we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness.” Just a few verses later, Paul declares,

For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)

As I read these verses last Saturday night, it occurred to me they really do summarize my salvation, and explain God’s whole redemptive history recorded in the Bible.

Why did God set His favor on an obscure Chaldean named Abram? Why did God choose a lowly, young shepherd boy named David to become king of Israel? Why did he use a harlot named Rahab? Why did Jesus minister in the rural region of Capernaum? Why did He choose lowly fishermen for disciples? Why did the Messiah arrive in a manger, and why did He die on a cross? Because again, and again, and again in the Scriptures, God chose the foolish, and the weak, and the base, so that no man may boast. God alone deserves the praise and glory for my salvation. His redemptive story, from beginning to end, is an exciting drama of mystery and grace!

Treasure hunting is a risky business. A few strike it rich, while many others come out empty handed. Mel Fisher was one of those who had just the right mix of perseverance, luck, and ingenuity to make a fortune.

In 1969, Fisher began searching for the famous Spanish galleon Atocha. For two years, he scoured the Atlantic for any signs of the ship, and in 1971, he found his first clue: a few silver coins. Two years later, three silver bars were discovered. Fisher knew he was on the right track. After two more years, he discovered five bronze cannons, clearly marked with the name Atocha. But it took a total of 16 years and 60 million dollars before Fisher’s crew finally found what they were looking for. On July 2, 1985, Mel’s son Kane exclaimed, “Put away the charts; we’ve found the main pile!”

The Atocha was called “the shipwreck of the century,” yielding hundreds of millions of dollars, and compared by some to the discovery of King Tut’s tomb. Now, most of us will never find buried treasure, either by land or by sea. (I did find a $20 bill at the county fair one year, but that was probably the extent of my treasure hunting adventures.) There is another kind of treasure, however, which we all can obtain – a treasure which surpasses any earthly riches, and which endures beyond this life. It is a treasure called “wisdom,” and the treasure map is found in the Book of Proverbs.

Proverbs 3:13-15 says, “How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding. For her profit is better than the profit of silver and her gain better than fine gold. She is more precious than jewels; and nothing you desire compares with her.” King Solomon says that you are truly blessed when you “strike it rich” by finding wisdom.

Have you found the treasure of wisdom? In the opening verses of Proverbs, King Solomon mentions three different kinds of people. Which one describes you?

• The foolish man. According to Proverbs 1:7, “Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” A fool is someone who ignores God’s Word, is defensive when confronted, and does what is right in his own eyes. The fool wanders astray, associates with the wrong crowd, lacks self-discipline, and is notorious for saying stupid things. It’s very dangerous to remain anywhere near a fool. As one proverb puts it, “Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or a fool from any direction.”

• The wise man. On the other end of the spectrum is the wise man. Proverbs 1:5 says, “A wise man will hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel.” Whereas the fool runs from truth, the wise man actively listens. He is humble, teachable, and eager to learn. He carefully weighs decisions and never stops learning. He learns from his mistakes rather than justifying them. The very first step toward wisdom is the “fear of the LORD” (Proverbs 1:7), i.e. a holy trembling, reverence, honor, and obedience toward God. We all should aspire to be wise, but there is one other kind of person which may describe you.

• The simple man. In Proverbs 1:4, Solomon says the purpose of his book is “to give prudence to the naïve, to the youth knowledge and discretion.” The Hebrew root for “simple” (or “naïve”) means to “have an open door.” The simple is someone who is easily influenced, seduced, and swayed. They lack discernment and are kindergartners in the academy of wisdom, wandering aimlessly along and very vulnerable to error and deception. Unfortunately, many Christians remain simple their whole lives, being “tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14).

By the grace of God, let’s make sure we are not characterized by simplicity or downright foolishness, but by a steadily increasing wisdom. Let us humbly acknowledge our need for wisdom, as Solomon did in 1 Kings 3. Let us treasure and diligently study the Word of God which “makes the simple wise” (Ps. 19:7). And let us cling forever to Jesus Christ, the very One in whom “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3).