The Dream of the Three Chairs

Last Sunday we talked about how we should pursue assurance in such a way that it honors Christ and the gospel. Here's a story that illustrates my main point.

A man has a dream. In this dream, he is caught up to the edge of a bright and festive "Paradise." There he sees people in a single file line before the throne of God. He hears a loud voice say, "Your resting place on earth will determine your resting place in eternity."

There are three chairs in front of the throne which stands on the edge of "Paradise." The first chair has no bottom at all and is labeled "WC." The second chair has a trap door for a bottom and is labeled "CP." The third chair has a rock solid bottom and springs and is labeled "CA."

An angel escorts each individual to the chair he rested in while he was on earth. The man sees the angel escort a college professor, who was an atheist, over to the first chair labeled "WC." When he tries to sit down, the atheist falls straight through the chair into the dark and distant "Pit" below.

The man then sees the angel escort an elderly woman, clutching her prayer beads, over to the second chair labeled "CP." When the woman sits in the chair, it appears to hold for a moment, then the trap door opens and the woman falls through the chair into the dark and distant "Pit" below.

Next the man sees the angel escort a child over to the third chair labeled "CA." When the child sits in the chair, the bottom holds, the angels sing, and the child is gently catapulted into the middle of the bright and festive "Paradise" - right into the arms of Jesus and the joy of the Master.

The man awakes from his dream singing, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness, I dare not trust the sweetest frame* but wholly lean on Jesus' Name."

* "The sweetest frame" refers to anything in me - what I desire or do or think or feel - even on my best day!

The Meaning of the Story (Reader's Digest Version)

We all live “Coram Deo” – before the face of God. There are three basic “resting” positions that men and women have before God. These three “resting” positions are represented by these three chairs, designated as “Without Christ (WC),” “Christ Plus (CP),” and “Christ Alone (CA).”

The “Without Christ” chair represents those who are “resting” on their attempts to fulfill some standard of righteousness on their own without any dependence upon Jesus Christ and His finished work. This has come to be known as the Pelagian position.

The “Christ Plus” chair represents those who are “resting” on the work of Jesus Christ plus their own efforts and contributions and achievements and merit and condition in order to fulfill the divine standard of righteousness before God. This has come to be known as the semi-Pelagian position.

The “Christ Alone” chair represents those who are “resting” on the Person and work of Jesus Christ alone in order to fulfill the divine standard of righteousness before God. This has come to be known as the Sola Fide or Faith Alone position (or Reformed position or the Justification by Faith Alone position or the imputed righteousness of Christ position).
The Meaning of the Story (Extended Explanation)

The first two positions (WC and CP) have been declared to be heresy in the historic councils of the church and the third position (CA) has been clearly affirmed in the historic early and Reformed creeds and most of all, in the Scriptures itself.

The question is, in light of these three possible “resting” positions,

• How do we avoid heretical thinking as we consider the issue of assurance?
• How do we keep from thinking like a semi-Pelagian when we pursue assurance of salvation in our Christian lives?
• How can we keep from encouraging people to sit in the “Christ Plus” chair in their pursuit of assurance?
• This is a difficult matter.
  
  I shall [consider one point] the more readily, because of the great importance which attaches to the subject of assurance, and the great neglect with which, I humbly conceive, it is often treated in this day. But I shall do it at the same time with fear and trembling. I feel that I am treading on very difficult ground and that it is easy to speak rashly and unscripturally in this matter. The road between truth and error is here a specially narrow pass; and if I shall be enabled to do good to some without doing harm to others, I shall be very thankful. (J.C. Ryle in his book, Holiness)
  
  In light of Romans 1:16-17 and other Scriptures, I’d like to suggest what I would call A Gospel Strategy for the Fight for Assurance. This implies:
  
• That there is a “law-oriented strategy" for fighting for assurance, which I believe is insufficient and that detracts from the glory of Jesus Christ.
• That, like every other aspect of life, assurance is a matter of faith and faith in this world always involves a fight.
• That assurance is attainable to a significant degree in this life although we probably should not expect the fight to end before our “sight” of Christ has begun.
  
  Surely, while we teach that faith ought to be certain and assured, we cannot imagine any certainty that is not tinged with doubt, or any assurance that is not assailed by some anxiety. (John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion)
  
  
  Four things we need to do:
  
  1. Check the Fruit (Matthew 7:15-20)
  2. Check the Root (Luke 6:43-45)
  3. Strengthen the Root (Luke 13:6-9)
  4. Strengthen the Fruit (2 Peter 1:1-11)
  
  I am using the metaphor of a tree which has both fruit and root because this metaphor is often used in Scripture to talk about spiritual life and to talk about the issue of assurance and the distinguishing of true believers from false believers.

"Fruit" is what faith does. 1 John was written so that we could know that we have eternal life. (1 John 5:13) In 1 John, there are two primary kinds of fruit given that we should look for in our lives (to some degree, not perfection): (1) heart for God's Word (also spoken of as a pursuit of obedience or practical righteousness - 1 John 2:3-6) and (2) heart for God's people (heart for the church of Jesus Christ spoken of as a love for the brethren - 1 John 3:10-17).
"Root" is what faith is. 1 John also emphasizes one other thing that forms the foundation for the two kinds of fruit mentioned above: faith in Jesus as the God/Man who is our Right-eousness and our Propitiation on the cross (spoken of as belief in the Name of Jesus - 1 John 2:1-2; 3:23; 5:1, 4-13).
If we fail to see strong fruit in our lives (desire for God, His people, and His Word) then we need to check and strengthen the root: focus on Jesus Christ, who He is, what He did in His life and death for us, His willingness to save all who come to Him, His sufficiency to save all who come to Him, and all that God promises those who trust in Him. (2 Corinthians 3:18; 2 Peter 1:4; 2 Corinthians 7:1)
Focusing on Jesus Christ and God's promises to us because of His finished work is crucial to strengthening the root and strengthening the fruit in our lives. We need to see Jesus more clearly as a ready and willing and able Savior for sinners and the giver of LIFE!
The only safe resting place is the "Christ Alone" chair no matter how much I desire God or love His people or trust and obey His Word. And yet we should seek to grow in desiring God and loving His people and trusting and obeying His Word by "resting" even more in what Christ has done for us in providing a "righteousness that leads to LIFE" (Romans 5:21).
As we seek to sink down even more in the chair of trust in Christ's righteousness alone, we will grow in our love for "the chair" (Christ Himself) and we will be conformed more and more into the shape of "the chair" (conformity to the likeness of Christ)!
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
You can read the sermon manuscript or listen to the message by going to www.coastcommunitychurch.com and look under resources / sermons for August 10, 2008.
Look and Live! (John 3:14-16)

The Parable of the Three Little Theologians

The last few weeks we've been focusing on Romans 1:16-17 and the heart of the good news of Jesus: a righteousness freely given to us by God. As I was preparing to preach one week, this story came to my mind.



Once upon a time there were three little theologians who left home to start their own lives. The first little theologian built a house. He made the foundation out of “desiring” clay, the walls out of “doing” bamboo, and the roof out of “looking” stone. One day a big, bad wolf came along and knocked on his door, saying, “Little theologian, little theologian, let me come in.” The first little theologian said, “Not by the hair of my chinny, chin-chin.” The wolf retorted, “Then I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down.” So the wolf huffed and he puffed and he blew the first little theologian’s house down and the stone roof fell and crushed the little theologian to death. Then the wolf had a nice bowl of “wishy-washy soup.”

The second little theologian built a house too. He made the foundation out of “doing” bamboo, the walls out of “looking” stone, and the roof out of “desiring” clay. One day a big, bad wolf came along and knocked on his door, saying, “Little theologian, little theologian, let me come in.” The second little theologian said, “Not by the hair of my chinny, chin-chin.” The wolf retorted, “Then I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down.” So the wolf huffed and he puffed and he blew the second little theologian’s house down and the stone walls fell and crushed the little theologian to death. Then the wolf had a nice little “BLT” – Bible, Legalism, and Torture sandwich.

Lastly, the third little theologian built a house. He made the foundation out of “looking” stone, the walls out of “desiring” clay, and the roof out of “doing” bamboo. One day a big, bad wolf came along and knocked on his door, saying, “Little theologian, little theologian, let me come in.” The third little theologian said, “Not by the hair of my chinny, chin-chin.” The wolf retorted, “Then I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down.” So the wolf huffed and he puffed and he puffed and he huffed, but he could not blow the little theologian’s house down. When the wolf sat down and cried, the little theologian invited him inside for coffee and some “humble pie.” Many hours later, the wolf left the little theologian’s house no longer a wolf, but a sheep, and this little theologian’s house continued to stand.
The Point of This Parable (Reader's Digest Version)

Our spiritual lives are often compared to the building of a house in Scripture (for example, Matthew 7:24-27). We can try to build our spiritual houses with materials that are Biblical or with materials that are un-Biblical. These "materials" are truths we are to believe and act upon. Three of the Biblical "materials" or truths that are to be a part of our spiritual houses are: (1) "desiring clay" which is the truth that believers in Jesus should desire God above all things; (2) "doing bamboo" which is the truth that believers in Jesus should submit to the Lordship of Christ and obey His Word; and (3) "looking stone" which is the truth that the gospel calls us to look outside of ourselves to Jesus and His righteousness alone for our acceptance before God. All three of these "materials" or truths must be a part of our lives as Christians to one degree or another, but only one of these truths or "materials" was intended to be the foundation for our spiritual house: "looking stone." If we base our assurance of salvation on anything we do or desire, our foundation will not stand. But if we base our assurance of salvation on what Jesus has done for us and desired in our place, then we have a foundation that can stand the test of any temptation or trial.

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. ... not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

(Philippians 3:7-9)

The Point of This Parable (Extended Version)

Now let me try to explain, in more detail, what this story or parable means to me and how it applies to our lives before God. God has used John Piper, John MacArthur and R.C. Sproul in my life greatly. For me, Piper has emphasized the importance of desiring God above all things, and MacArthur has emphasized the importance of submitting to Christ as Lord in all things, and Sproul has emphasized the importance of the Reformation doctrine of the imputation of Christ’s righteousness, otherwise known as justification by faith alone.



I have recognized that trying to put together the important truths these men emphasize in their ministries (at least, what they have emphasized to me) can be tricky business, so I told this adaptation of the Three Little Pigs to illustrate the spiritual danger involved. It is about three men who each build a house of their own out of the same three building materials: clay (“desiring clay” - which refers to the truth of desiring God above all things), bamboo (“doing bamboo” - which refers to doing what God commands in submission to Christ as Lord in all things), and stone (“looking stone” - which refers to looking outside of ourselves - what we desire and what we do - to Jesus and what He has desired and done as our Substitute in life and death).



But each of these men use a different material as their foundation. The “Big Bad Wolf” comes along and tests the foundation of their house and two of the three houses fail the test, but one stands. It is meant to represent three basic foundations for our assurance before God: what we feel or desire, what we do or submit to, and what we look to outside of ourselves.



The three little theologians do not represent John Piper, John MacArthur, and R.C. Sproul, but rather, three ways people might try to put together into a system three things these men have emphasized to me in their ministries: the importance of the truth of desiring God or holy affections, the importance of the truth of obedience to God’s Word or submission to Christ as Lord, and the importance of the truth of justification by faith alone or the imputation of Christ’s righteousness. The main point is that, while all three of these truths are important, only one of them was meant to be the foundation of our lives and our assurance before God: the imputation of Christ’s righteousness.

According to the Scriptures, my spiritual house must consist of a desire for God (the "new heart") and submission to the Lordship of Christ (confessing Jesus as Lord), but the foundation of my hope and assurance before God can never rest upon my desire for God (which may be up today and down tomorrow) or my doing what God says (which may be "yes" today and "no" tomorrow), rather, it must be the foundation of Christ's righteousness alone. (Romans 1:17; 4:5; 5:17, 21; 10:3)


For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith ... (Romans 1:17a)


... those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:17b)


R.C. Sproul would say that justification by faith alone is shorthand for justification (being declared righteous before God) by the righteousness of Christ alone. The imputation of Christ's righteousness means that God credits to our account what isn't in us or produced by us, but what is in Christ alone and produced by His own perfect life of obedience to the Father - Christ's righteousness. This gift of Christ's righteousness includes the forgiveness of sins and His perfect record of obedience to the Law of God: perfect love for God and perfect love for man (Mark 12:30-31). God gives us this gift of Christ's righteousness through faith - as we look to Jesus and His cross, which was both His final and ultimate act of obedience and His wrath-bearing sacrifice (Romans 5:8-9, 17-19).


Why do I speak of the foundation of our hope before God as the "looking stone"? I do this because the Lord Jesus Himself defined saving faith in its essence, not as desiring or doing, but as looking - looking outside of ourselves to Him on the cross for salvation, rather than looking to what is in us (whether it is our desire for God or our doing what God commands). (John 3:14-18; Numbers 21:4-9).


As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. (John 3:14-15)


Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live." And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived. (Numbers 21:8-9)


The "rebellious and bitten" Israelites did not have to desire differently or sufficiently nor did they have to do something differently or sufficiently. They simply had to trust God's promise of life and look to the "snake on a stick." As the bronze serpent was lifted up, so Jesus was lifted up on the cross - so that all who look to Him and Him alone will be saved from their sins and given eternal life. Jesus was teaching that we simply need to "look and live" - but also that no one will do so unless they are born again (John 3:3, 7) and born of the Spirit (John 3:8). So if we look to Jesus alone for His righteousness, God gets all the glory!


Look and Live! This is the theme of this first post and the reason for the name of this blog.