William Petruzzo

Being a part of various Christian communities over the years, I’ve been to quite a few non-denominational or semi-denominational wedding ceremonies. Not to mention that I make part of my living photographing weddings. It seems that every ceremony the person marrying the couple has to scrape and scrounge for a new and fresh way to talk about marriage. Unfortunately, there’s only a couple of directly relevant verses—and of course the whole Bride of Christ thing. But, the point is, it starts to get tired and stale. The message is almost always the same. There’s just not that much room for creativity. (side note: that is a point to which I ask, why must we always be creative?).

All this brings me to my point today, for a blogger, It seems that every major holiday demands a relevant post. After a while, the holiday themed posts start to lose their luster and we’re just scraping the bottom of the pot looking for something to say.

Well, I decided not to do that this Thanksgiving. Instead, I’ll leave just one little verse. Perhaps the most important thing to remember today, and every day. Romans 6:17:

“But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.”

Thank God that we believe. Thank God for the gifts that come by belief. Just, just thank God.

Tim Keller writes, in The Reason for God:

“If we get our very identity, our sense worth, from our political position, then politics is not really about politics, it is about us.  Through our cause we are getting a self, our worth. That means we must despise and demonize the opposition. If we get our identity from our ethnicity or socioeconomic status, then we have to feel superior to those of other classes and races. If you are profoundly proud of being an open-minded, tolerant soul, you will be extremely indignant toward people you think are bigots. If you are a very moral person you will fee very superior to people you think are licentious and so on.”

Christians are often accused of being judgmental, and often times they are. But, the ironic thing is, it’s only by placing our identity squarely in Christ are we are given the freedom not to be judgmental.

As Keller points out here, when we place our identity on finite things, they are constantly at risk. If  a person feels their worth in their vehement support of the Republican party, then the mere fact that a Democrat exists is a personally threatening reality.

But, it’s in classic orthodox Christianity, that a person’s personal worth cannot be threatened. No man can threaten God, or the work he’s done on behalf of his children. But, what’s even more than that, as believers—saved by grace alone—we cannot heap judgment on those who do not believe, since we ourselves were once sinners, completely unable to save ourselves.

So, the reality that there are those who disagree with us, ought not produce anger, bitterness or judgment toward them. But, rather it should produce compassion for those who are where we once were.

A Parable

Imagine that there were ten men in two groups, and they were all enslaved to a third group of men. There were five in one group and five in the other and five in the group that owned them. They were to do everything they were told and if at any time the owners were dissatisfied with the men, they could exercise their rights over their property and dispose of them.

One day, a man from among the slaves rose up with great charisma and a powerful argument. The owners were moved and convicted by this charismatic leader and they freed all five members of that man’s group. The group, now free and satisfied with their own freedom turned a cold cheek to the other five men still in bondage. And, to the charismatic leader’s dismay, in time, they themselves became slave-masters.

A Double Standard

I read in the newspaper today a commentary on Obama’s intentions to sign the Freedom of Choice Act and the strange irony that it presents.

Less than 150 years ago African-Americans were still being held as property. Less than 40 years ago, there was still legislated separation between blacks and white. Now, in just a few short (compared to the whole human timeline) decades, we have a officially elected a black president. This is a profound moment in American history. And, in many ways, and on many, it is a great grace from God, overcoming sin in a fallen world.

But, the president chosen, who has personally and directly benefitted from a fight against unjust laws of slavery, segregation and discrimination, stands passionately by another legislation that ensures millions of people continue to be treated as property.

Therein lies both a philosophical problem, a logical problem and a double standard.

Indeed, no person should have the right to enslave another. No white man should ever have the freedom to own a black man. Nor should a black man have the freedom to own a Hispanic man. Or a Hispanic man, a white man. Much less should they have the freedom to dispose of them as property who no longer desired. While we would affirm these things strongly, and our president probably even more strongly, yet he, and many, affirm the right to dispose of unwanted children.

If children indeed should be treated as property and their owners should have the freedom to dispose of them for convenience sake, then why is it so passionately affirmed that the African slave trade was an evil—or the modern sex trade, for that matter. After all, these things made many lives much easier.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s niece, Alveda King, said it like this:

“The battle for equal rights has reached a major milestone [with the election of Barack Obama], but Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream of full equality remains just a dream as long as unborn children continue to be treated no better than property…”

A Conclusion

I’m finding a more tender heart these days for the unborn; the helpless, those who truly cannot defend themselves. We should:

…Pray for President Barack Obama, that God would have mercy on him and his heart would be softened and changed. 
…Pray that God would stay the hand of our government from passing into law the Freedom of Choice Act.
…Pray that God would have mercy on the millions of unborn at stake.

…Pray that God would have mercy on our nation that loves comfort and convenience, literally, more than life itself.

The most recent chapter of The Pleasures of God by John Piper was seriously outstanding. The chapter dealt with “God’s Pleasure in Election”. As you can probably guess, Piper uses the chapter to show and defend God’s glory in the reformed understanding of election.

I really wish I could share the whole chapter with you, but unfortunately that would be a copyright violation—not to mention a whole lot of transcribing. So, instead, I’ll share just a short excerpt.

When expounding on Deuteronomy 7:6-8, Piper says this:

This passage teaches again the freedom of God’s grace in loving and choosing Israel. Notice the question that verse 7 raises: Why did God “ set his love upon you and choose you”? Moses answers that it was not because of their greatness. They were very small, unlikely candidates for being chosen by God. Why then did God delight in them and choose them?

Verse 8 gives [the answer:] “It is because the LORD loves you.”  Now remember what the question was from verse 7. The question was: Why did God set his love upon you? So the… answer Moses gives is: “Because he loves you.” He loves you because he loves you. That is what I mean by the freedom of God and the freedom of electing love. He doesn’t set his love upon them because they qualify fro his love. He loves them because he loves them.

Many have trouble with the question of why God chooses some and not others. Many grasp for reasons why some might be chosen and others not. There’s a sense of “fairness” that seems to be lost when people ponder the God’s freedom in election. That’s just what it is, freedom. He is free to choose who he will for whatever reason we cannot know.

We ought to be thankful that our wills are not as free as we would be led to believe they are. If they were, then God would not be free as free is he really is and if God were not free we would have already perished by now.

Reading in John Piper’s The Pleasures of God, Piper brings up a fantastic scripture reference that got me thinking tonight.

Joshua 24:2-3:

“Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods…”

Essentially, what’s been said here is that Abraham, the father of the elected nation of the Jews, came directly from a family that “served other gods”. In the book of Romans, through chapter 9-11, Paul goes through pains to make it clear that God chose Israel, not because of anything they were or did or would do, but simply because he had chosen them.

But here, here’s the icing on the cake. God made Abraham the father of the nation of Israel, yet he came from a dark place—probably even a dark past himself.

What does this say about our own personal election. I think it serves as a reminder that our salvation is all of grace. While we may have come from and occupied a life of wickedness, that will have no bearing on our election. God’s grace is greater than our sin. It reminds me of this verse, Ephesians 3:14-21:

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

That’s awesome. Love wider, love longer, love higher and love deeper than the vilest of our deeds. Just awesome.

I was trained to read the bible as though it were always speaking to me personally. I think that’s the way most are taught to read the bible. When a “you” or “they” or “we” is introduced, we usually substitute “I” or “me” in there. It makes each piece of scripture personal, addressed to the individual reader. I think this often can be good, especially in the New Testament and reading through Psalms. But ultimately as a whole, I think it’s the wrong approach to scripture.

Just a few days ago my bible reading plan started me in the book of Isaiah. It’s a long book written by a prophet who is, considered by most to be, one of the greatest. The book is essentially a collection of prophecies and oracles concerning God’s promises and judgements on Israel. At the time, half the nation was in exile and the other half was in over their head in some pretty raunchy sin.

Basically, Isaiah’s message would be that God’s promises of salvation would stand, but not without the purification of Israel—which would come through the neighboring heathen nations.

As I begin to read through Isaiah, I find that I’m quickly stirred up emotionally. The words sound and feel so heavy (indeed they are). But upon closer examination, I can see that I’m failing to read the scripture appropriately. Now, I don’t mean to claim that scripture shouldn’t stir us up. It should. But when it does, we have to be discerning as to why and to what end.

Reading Isaiah with each piece of scripture personally addressed to "me" or "us", the words burn hot in my ears. The judgement of God looms and dangles just above the church’s head. His wrath mounts as his patience seems to be reaching a breaking point. What’s more, so many of the sins Isaiah cries against in Israel are the sins America embraces and wears on its sleeves.

Reading the book of Isaiah in this method has the affect of making every reader feel like a prophet of God with a warning of judgement for the church or for America. Sit long enough in an unchecked study of Isaiah and you’ll hear your language shift, but more importantly, you’ll notice the Gospel grow dim.

The fact of the matter is that Isaiah was a prophet to Israel who communicated to Israel the very words of God. Words that God indeed saw fit for us to hear because he put them in the bible. But that does not mean that the words spoken to Israel through Isaiah are also intended for us in the same way. In fact, I contend that the warnings in Isaiah do not stand to loom the danger of provoking an angry God, but rather to further beautify, brighten and highlight the grace, salvation, justification, propitiation and sanctification that we experience only as children redeemed by the blood of Christ—what we now call the Gospel. A hope that apostate Israel could not fully understand.

Now, to be sure, Scripture will be used by God in many ways. To bring about conviction and change. To encourage and strengthen. To save and to condemn. So for what purpose the book of Isaiah stands today, I won’t make any specific claims. Only that in reading scripture, namely Isaiah, we must use great discernment as only provided by the Holy Spirit.

We must not act on our assumptions and must remember that for the true Church of God, Jesus is the completely sufficient savior. Through whom God now feels no wrath. Through whom there is now no condemnation.

Tonight, I went into my parent’s kitchen and found my mother offering some water to a pair of young Mormon missionaries. As I passed through, I had a very brief introduction, then passed into another room where I began to sort of mentally assault them. Consider them scum, worthy of total hatred.

Shortly thereafter, then departed and it all rushed at me. Jesus desires to give mercy. We are in a time of mercy. He hasn’t yet come for judgement and so I should look at those young men mercifully and compassionately.

Unfortunately, it was too late. They had left and all of a sudden conviction set in. There’s nothing that stings quite like the sin of a selfishly missed opportunity.

So, I went and gathered up my Bible and Gospel Primer and went out onto the front porch to meditate and think and confess. As I sat quietly, reading scripture and the Primer aloud, a couple of things dawned on me about the circumstance.

Walking door to do attempting to share your faith takes guts. Frankly, it’s a humiliation to most of the church that an entire band of apostates would act on their faith so diligently as to actually go door to door to the world. While most of the church wouldn’t share it’s faith if the world came to them.

I also considered the likely hood of them actually coming to believe the Gospel. My mental consensus was “unlikely”. Most of the time the door to door people are out on a mandatory two year mission. At that point they’ve spent months and months sitting in intense (bad) discipleship and are generally more well versed in scripture than Christians are.

But my proud thinking hit me. I don’t have to convince them. Is God bigger than their discipleship? Certainly. My duty was to be faithful to the Word of God. Not to carefully assess my success in evangelism based on the hearer.

But my opportunity was gone. I was kicking myself for being so unloving and uncompassionate. I was praying for a second opportunity, mostly out of my guilt. God provided.

They circled back around and I was able to talk to them for nearly an hour. Based on my performance, no converts were made. But maybe, based on the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus one of my objections and questions will be lodged well enough to crack the stronghold of lies they’re caught in.

If you feel so compelled, you can join me praying for Bret (19) and Mark (23).