It All Hinges on the Resurrection

April 11, 2024 Holly .

By Jonathan Clark

I’m a pastor to college-aged young adults. One of the best parts of my job is meeting with 20-somethings to process life and faith. These are sacred, vulnerable, and exciting chats, often in campus common areas with luke-warm coffee, or on Palmer Park trails, or over Chipotle burritos. One of my favorite parts of this is that I never know what a student is going to bring up. We might just “talk shop” about weights, or class, or sports, or we might get into weeds of faith and life. Anything is on the table: from science and faith, to sexuality, to canonicity, to relationship drama, to roommate conflict, and more.

As exciting as these topics are, it’s a constant challenge to steer the conversation toward that on which everything else hinges: the resurrection of Jesus.

The Hinge of the Christian Faith

Our world is becoming increasingly diverse, and Christians may feel the social pressure or personal expectation to defend and explain the Christian life in all areas, from race, to politics, to economics, to school choice, to ecology, to parenting, to…well you get the picture. One hack I’m learning to use when these topics come up is Paul’s words in 1 Cor 2:2, “I decided to know nothing among you, except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”

Later in 1 Cor 15:3-7, Paul says he delivered to the church the most important message of the faith: Christ died for our sins, and was raised, all according to the scriptures, and then he appeared again alive to hundreds of eyewitnesses. This is the core claim of the Christian faith. And in this, all Christians have the hack which cuts through the smoke and mirrors of secular society and religious life.

If the claim of the resurrection is not true, then Christianity is either the worst lie to deceive humanity (“we are found to be misrepresenting God,” v. 15) or a pitiful delusion (“we are of all people most to be pitied,” v. 18). (C.S. Lewis lovers will detect the Lord, Liar, Lunatic argument here.) Yet if it is true, then Christianity is the only and best Good News that can redeem our world and your life. Those are the stakes. And it all hinges on the resurrection.

Event and Meaning

To help the young adults I pastor understand the profound importance of the resurrection, I explain that there are two basic components: the event and its meaning. The event is the historical, in-space-and-time fact of the resurrection. A man named Jesus living in rural Palestine in the first century was also God-in-flesh. He died and then came back to life three days later on a certain day in a certain place. Hundreds of people saw him alive again, providing such compelling evidence that no one could successfully refute or deny it. And unlike a Tolkien or Clancy novel, it has real historical grounds.

This historical event also has meaning. Some events don’t have cosmic meaning. We eat our respective dinners nightly. I put clothes on each day. These are time-and-place events, but generally with low “meaning,” or import beyond even our lives, let alone the human race or the whole cosmos. In contrast, an “event with meaning” could be the Signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. That event meant the birth of the United States.

The “meaning” of the resurrection event, according to the apostolic witness (or scripture), is “for our sins” and is twice mentioned “according to the scriptures” (v. 3). Here’s what that means: the God-man’s redemption-rescue of his own elect; the defeat the Prince of Darkness and his chief weapon, Death; the purchase for himself a people from every nation; the fulfillment all the Covenant promises of the Messiah; the accomplishment of all the law’s demands substitutionally. In short, the resurrection means the reconciliation of all things to Jesus, for the glory of the Triune God, forever. That’s a lot of meaning! And, if it is true, it demands either our assent or rejection. The aroma of Christ is to life or death (2 Cor. 2:15).

Here’s the hack, though. When students want to start with their questions, their fears, and their criticisms of the church about things like sexuality, money, politics, or whatever, I can say, “This all hinges on the first claim of the faith: Was Jesus who he claimed to be, and did he do what the Bible claims he did, namely die and rise? If so, he’s our savior and our king, and the rest of our lives is the process of following him and submitting to him in every area. But if not, none of this matters, and we can just eat, drink, and be merry (1 Cor. 15:32), because we are stuck down here ‘til the worms finally get us or the sun burns out.”

A Conversation “Hack”

I’ve found the rub for people often comes to the major cultural friction point for the Christian faith in our world today: sexuality. Often in my conversations I will hear, “I can’t be a Christian because I’m gay.” I respond with something like, “Can we sideline the sexuality question, and just consider the plausibility and meaning of the resurrection first? Once we deal with that claim, then we can circle back to the other questions.” It cools down the emotional temperature of the room, it gets to the core question of the faith, and it builds trust. I’m telling you, it’s a real hack.

Yes, the Faith once delivered should be teased into every area of human experience. We should indeed take every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5). In the end, though, all stands or falls on the resurrection and the incredible grace of God on full display on that meaning-ful, event-ful day.

Jonathan Clark is a Presbyterian minister (PCA) and serves as the campus minister with Reformed University Fellowship in Colorado Springs, Colo. He holds an MDiv from Covenant Theological Seminary and a BA in politics, philosophy, and economics from The King's College. He is married to Caroline, a graphic designer, and together they have one daughter. His interests include Christian missions in a secular culture, Enlightenment philosophy and politics, and cycling whenever it's warm outside.

What is Love?

February 7, 2024 Holly .

By Jonathan Wilcox

Love is in the air...

Culture dedicates February to the topic of love. Every convenience and big box store is filled with hearts in various shades of pink and red, alongside rows of cheap chocolate and cards full of sappy poetry. This commercial emphasis can leave one feeling that to have love, you must have that mooshy-gooshy feeling toward a romantic partner.

For anyone who has been married any length of time, it is evident that this approach to love is insufficient. Basing marriage commitment solely on warm feelings is a recipe for disaster. Furthermore, marriage is not the only way we see love expressed. A great example is Jonathan and David, who shared the love that comes from being the best of friends.

Thankfully, we are not left to cultural feelings or commercialized platitudes to give us a basis or direction for our love. One of the main themes in Scripture is love. Not only does God give us numerous examples and instructions on love, but he also models it for us in Christ and empowers us to love through His Spirit.

Love is a command

When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus goes back to the Pentateuch to cite two verses. First, Deuteronomy 6:5, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,” and second, Leviticus 19:18, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

These two commands, along with the explanatory parable of the good Samaritan, are truly humbling. They demand a radical commitment with the whole person that is counter to our sinful, self-centered way of operating. To best understand these commands, we must consider them in terms of covenant. In the context of these commands, God was delineating the terms of His covenant with Israel. As such, the term love implies affection, allegiance, and action. Let me explore each in turn.

There is a passion involved in the commands to love God and neighbor. This passion is much deeper than the gooey feeling that modern culture teaches us to expect. Rather, it is much more akin to zeal. Our heart is to be consumed with God and the welfare of our neighbor.

Our passion for God and our affections in our covenant relationships with other people are not to be fleeting based on how we feel. Instead, they are to be constant. Our only allegiance should be to God, who we commune with in the vertical relationship, while we should be appropriately loyal to our horizontal covenant commitments toward other people. For example, my covenant commitment to my wife trumps every other human relationship, whether a job, immediate family, or another good friend.

God takes covenant loyalty very seriously. In fact, the sins of adultery and idolatry are very closely tied together, especially in the prophets, and both sins are emphatically denounced and have severe repercussions, such as exile.

The last covenantal component of love is action. Our zeal and commitment to God should invariably result in wholehearted obedience to not only the letter of the law but also be in accordance with the spirit of the law. Likewise, since we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, we ought to do the things that promote our neighbors' welfare. This is where the parable of the good Samaritan hits home; it forces us to ask ourselves, “To what lengths will I go to pursue the good of my neighbor?”. If you are anything like me, you are squirming in your seat, realizing how far short of this command we fall. Thanks be to God that this love has been demonstrated to us in the person of Christ and enlivened our hearts through the gift of the Spirit.

Love is a gift of God

The commands to love God and our neighbor are not arbitrary rules that God made up just to taunt us or make us to toe the line. They flow out of His character and are part of His very essence (1 John 4:7-8). God’s love is so deep towards us that He sent His son to live among us as a perfect example of what love looks like and to die on our behalf to restore the relationship that we broke in Eden.

During His ministry here on earth, Christ demonstrated what perfect affection, allegiance, and action look like. His zeal for God is evidenced by his passionate exchanges with the Pharisees and his clearing of the temple. His deep compassion for people’s emotional and physical welfare is plentiful. One instance was the raising of the widow’s son at Nain (Luke 7:10-17). Before performing the miracle, Jesus looks at the woman in distress and has compassion for her. Likewise, He weeps at Lazarus’s death alongside Martha and Mary before raising him to life. Christ demonstrates his allegiance and action toward His Father and His people best in the events leading up to the crucifixion. In the high priestly prayer (John 17), Jesus talks about how He has completed the work the Father gave Him and prays for His people (vs. 4-9). Additionally, Matthew recounts Christ’s complete submission to the Father’s will (Matthew 26:39).

Not only did Jesus fully demonstrate God’s love toward us, but He also gave us the gift of His Spirit to powerfully grow that same love within us (1 John 4:13). It is the Spirit within us that enables us to put to death our self-centeredness and begin to live passionately for God and sacrificially for others.

Tim Keller, in his book Meaning of Marriage, attributes the ability to sacrificially commit to one’s spouse to the radical work of the Spirit in their lives. I thank God that the Spirit effects change in my inner being. Left to my own resources, I often give in to the temptation to accept the status quo, and pick what is easy rather than zealously pursue my covenant commitments.

So, if you also struggle to manifest perfect love towards God or the people God has placed in your life, be encouraged to boldly go before the throne of grace, knowing that His love for you is deeper than you can imagine.

Have a blessed Valentine's Day.

*Jon Wilcox has been a participant in g+p from the beginning. He is married to Karin Wilcox and loves reading philosophy and theology. Jon, an insurance agent by trade, loves connecting with others.* *He blogs at* ***Theology in the Trenches**. You can follow him on social media*** ***here***.

Begrudging Grace

June 5, 2023 Holly .

By Jonathan Clark

In the Parable of the Vineyard in Matthew 20, Jesus tells us a parable which has offended my heart for the last 6 months. When the disgruntled 12-hour shift laborers complain about the same payment for the 1-hour laborers, Jesus, through the vineyard owner says, “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?” (v. 15). Behind these two questions is a convicting truth I am realizing I need more and more. It is all too possible for each of us, even and especially us “grace-centered” people, to become the legalists we claim to renounce.

This is not a new truth, but it is one that even our particular tradition of reformed Presbyterianism can forget. In The Whole Christ, Sinclair Ferguson tells the story of an obscure theological scuffle in early-1700s England, but one which taps into the gospel nerves of every time, culture, and human heart. The occasion was “The Marrow Controversy.” It began as a simple theology question to a pastor candidate, but quickly fanned into a large-scale theological debate. In 2023 terms, the theology question was essentially, “Does repentance precede our acceptance of Christ as savior?” Or, “Does a person need to repent of their sin before they entrust their lives to Christ?” The seminary student initially said yes… and then later no, pointing to a pseudonymous systematic theology book entitled, The Marrow of Modern Divinity. The Marrow, as it was called, argued that both scripture and the reformed tradition teach that no one can bring any meritorious work into their salvation, including repentance. Rather, Marrow argued, God lavishes undeserved favor, or grace, without prior conditions from believers. Even repentance cannot qualify a person for faith or grace but instead follows it. Ferguson writes, “Repentance [and conviction] do not constitute grounds on which Christ is offered to us. They may constitute the way in which the Spirit works as the gospel makes its impact on us. But they never form the warrant for repentance and faith” (58).

In response, the Presbytery argued The Marrow was antinomian (“against law” in Greek), since it denied the law in our lives for holiness and salvation. The Marrow Men insisted that was the whole point not just of the historic Calvinist creed but of the entire Christian faith! That we do nothing to merit any part of our salvation has always been the “offense of the gospel.”

So what? Why does an obscure theology debate in 18th century Scotland matter? Because it reveals the ever-human reality that every person, every culture, every church is capable of, in Jesus’ words, “begrudging the generosity” of the vineyard master. We begrudge the vineyard master’s generosity when we say one person deserves reward more or less than another and when we attach conditions to our personal faith. We begrudge his generosity when we internally or externally demand that the vineyard owner use his resources as we see fit, not as he designs. One of the major themes of the Bible, and the starting place of the reformed understanding of salvation, is that humans are not saved or accepted or justified by God because of any condition, character, or merit in them. God does not save us because we deserve it. In the parable, he does not pay more for long days and less for short days. He does not even save us because of foreseen faith. We are saved (elected, justified, adopted, sanctified, and glorified) because of God’s sovereign choice. It’s not fair, just like a 12-hour shift receiving the same pay as a 1-hour shift. The life-long Christian, baptized as a child, attending church every week for 90 years, devoted to acts of justice, mercy, evangelism, and piety, is just as saved as the death-bed convert. The playing field is completely leveled, and this offends our meritorious sensibilities.

The problem is that all of us are experts at smuggling in personal and cultural conditions of merit into our daily theology. For the 18th century Presbyterians, they wanted to say that some repentance was necessary for salvation. But we do the same thing today. For some of us, it is a particular ethical behavior. For others it is a social or political issue, or perhaps theological precision. Because the impulse of the sinful human heart is to seek reconciliation with God on our terms, we constantly generate new and novel proofs that “I am not that bad! I can surely bring something to my salvation.” And then- God have mercy- we do begrudge the landlord’s generosity.

What challenged me so acutely about the Marrow Controversy is that the debate occurred at the high point of reformed theological discussion in Scotland, the birthplace of Scottish Presbyterianism, among some of the best reformed pastors ever. If anyone should have discerned “salvation by grace alone,” it was these men. And yet, the Marrow controversy was a hot debate.

The same could be said for Jesus’ main opponents, the Pharisees. They were experts in the law, in covenant theology, and in morality. They had Deuteronomy 7:7 drilled into their minds: “It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you…but because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers.” The Rich Young Ruler, who set the occasion for the Parable of the Vineyard, likewise knew the law (Mt. 19:16-22). Yet they all missed the grace! The sharp reality (and this unnerves me to the core as a pastor) is that sometimes it is the most theologically learned among us who can be the most confused or deceived about the basic tenets of the faith: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost (1 Tim. 1:15).”

What do we do with this? We must humble ourselves anew, as communities and individuals. We must ferret out the dark parts of our hearts and communities which still question and reject solo gratia, by grace alone. None of us moves beyond the basics of our faith, that of sin, repentance, Jesus, and undeserved grace. Paul confessed in Philippians 3 that his former life as a Pharisee was complete rubbish. Do I account my labors as a husband and father and pastor and friend and citizen as worthless next to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ by faith and only faith? I’m not there yet. I must attend closely to “guard the deposit” of “God who saved us and called us, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace” (2 Tim 1:9, 14).

The key to understanding the Parable of the Vineyard is found Jesus’ unsettling reminder in verse 16: “The last will be first, and the first last.” The Marrow controversy showed this again. Our modern-day controversies over merit show this again, too, even those that play out in the secret places of our hearts. I pray we learn from those who have gone before.