Tag: theology

doctrinal tiers
An Alternative to Doctrinal Tiers

An Alternative to Doctrinal Tiers

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You have probably heard the phrase “doctrinal tiers” at some point if you have been involved at Church for any length of time. Each Church I have attended in both my childhood and adult life have either mentioned doctrinal tiers or explicitly included them on their Church website. Suffice to say, at some point in your life I have no doubt you will encounter doctrinal tiers if you attend a Bible-preaching Church.

But what are “doctrinal tiers?” Is it a helpful concept? Are there any problems with using it? And is there a better way to solve the same problems doctrinal tiers tries to solve? In this post, I want to answer each of these questions and, in particular, propose an alternative to doctrinal tiers which I call “doctrinal uncertainty.”

What are doctrinal tiers?

Doctrinal tiers are a means to categorize different Bible doctrines in order of importance, orthodoxy or necessity of belief. The number of tiers, what each tier contains, and how the tiers are used varies from person to person and from Church to Church. I have seen them formulated as a pyramid and as a target. Essentially, doctrinal tiers is a way to answer the question “what doctrines and biblical interpretations can Christians disagree on and yet still be considered orthodox in their theology?“

Knowing what Biblical doctrines are essential to be considered saved and orthodox and what doctrines are “secondary” is a vital and practical distinction to make. And that is really all the tiers are: a method of categorization. It is a way of saying “this set of biblical beliefs you must hold to in order to be considered Christian, but these other issues, while important, have varying valid, orthodox interpretations.”

Generally “first tier” issues are the foundational doctrines of the gospel:

  • Who Christ is
  • What the nature of Sin is
  • What is the gospel
  • How is one saved

And so on. In contrast, secondary or tertiary doctrines include:

  • Infant baptism vs. believers’ baptism
  • The various eschatological interpretations
  • Views on Church structure

And others. From these lists, it is clear the first set deals with doctrines essential for saving faith while the second list deals with different practical matters of Church life and the interpretation of difficult passages.

Now, the concept of doctrinal tiers is important and helpful to a degree. By knowing where the lines of orthodoxy are drawn, Christians can contend for “essential” issues and agree to disagree on other issues. However, there are several problems with the doctrinal tiers model.

Issues with doctrinal tiers

1. Who decides how many tiers should their be and why?

This is a common problem I see when I read about doctrinal tiers: there is no “standard” for how many tiers one creates. Many Churches I know of have either two or three tiers. If you have two tiers, you divide up doctrines between necessary for orthodoxy and doctrines which Christians can disagree on. The three tier model adds another category, typically on doctrines which affect Church practice.

But hypothetically, one need not stop at two or three tiers. Why not four? Five? Ten? At some point the categories end up losing their usefulness, but I think this highlights an issue with the doctrinal tiers model: there is no limit to which you can categorize doctrines by degree of importance. As soon as you open the door for “ranking” doctrines so to speak, there is no reason you have to stop at two or three levels. This can create a situation where some doctrines are seen as “unimportant” simply because they are in a lower tier. Eschatology is a great example: I have met many people who refuse to study the topic because it is “less important.”

2. Who or what decides what doctrine goes in what tier?

This becomes more of a problem the more tiers you add to your model. Who decides which doctrines are essential and which can be safely disagreed upon? For the most part, Christians agree doctrines related to Christ and the gospel are tier 1. But what about different view on God’s providence in salvation? For some people, this is closer to a tier 1 issue than to other people.

Additionally, many of the tier 2 or 3 doctrines in Scripture have a direct relation to tier 1 doctrines. For example, your understanding of the doctrine of baptism (tier 2+) is not independent from what you believe about the gospel (tier 1). And as mentioned above, your view of God’s sovereignty in salvation (most of the time tier 2+) is integral to what you believe about the work of Christ on the cross (tier 1).

The issue with doctrinal tiers is someone has to sort all this out in a way that is not arbitrary. But if you examine what different Churches put into different tiers, you will find enough variation to call into question the process of how the doctrinal tiers are developed. Not every Church agrees with what doctrines goes into what tiers. How then does one discern what the “right” tier is to put a doctrine into? Without some objective or explicitly Scriptural process to decide what doctrines go into what tier, the decision potentially becomes arbitrary.

3. Is there a strong textual basis for doctrinal tiers?

A final critique of the doctrinal tiers model is the Bible generally presents itself as a unity of truth. What I mean by this is Scripture does not label its own doctrines or order them from “most important” to “least important”. Rather, the Bible is presented as God’s revelation to man as a whole. Moreover, doctrines are developed from synthesizing a wide variety of Biblical literature: poetry, prophecy, narrative, epistles, etc. Very rarely does Scripture explicitly say a certain doctrine takes priority over a different doctrine, such as ecclesiology (doctrine of the Church) being in a “higher tier” than eschatology (doctrine of end times).

There are two potential exceptions to this general rule. The first is the Bible puts an enormous emphasis on God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. All other doctrines throughout the different literature forms of Scripture build and point to this central reality. Therefore, one could say the doctrines of Christ & the gospel are in a tier or a class of their own.

The second exception is those portions of Scripture which seem to elevate certain moral commands over other commands. Examples of these would be when God says “I desire mercy not sacrifice” in the Old Testament or when Jesus says the Pharisees neglected the weightier matters of the law. This seems to imply a priority placed on the moral commands of Scripture over and against the ceremonial commands.

These two exceptions, however, are insufficient textual evidence for the doctrinal tiers system. Doctrinal tiers as a model does far more than merely emphasize the importance of the Gospel and it deals with whole Biblical doctrines rather than Biblical commands. Therefore, it could be said there is little internal evidence that one can form tiers of doctrines from the text of Scripture. In fact, the internal witness of Scripture seems to lead readers more towards trying to unify the doctrines of Scripture rather than categorize them in order of importance.

An alternative: doctrinal uncertainty

So, while doctrinal tiers is not a terrible or useless concept, it has its problems and the question must be asked if there is a better way forward. I think there is: rather than talking about doctrinal tiers, Christians should instead use a concept I will call “doctrinal uncertainty.” What do I mean by “doctrinal uncertainty?” There are certain doctrines in Scripture that are clearer and require less interpretation and synthesis than other doctrines. To use a previously referenced example, building out a doctrine of the Church is easier than synthesizing an entire eschatology.

The difference between doctrinal tiers and doctrinal uncertainty is how you group together different doctrines. With doctrinal tiers, you group doctrines by how important they are or how necessary they are to be considered orthodox. Doctrinal uncertainty, on the other hand, orders doctrines by how clear the Biblical text is on any given doctrine, how much interpretation is needed on the part of the theologian to synthesize a doctrine, and how likely it is for any given two people reading their Bible to come to the same conclusion on a doctrine.

Therefore, a doctrine such as the Gospel is less uncertain because the amount of times Scripture expounds/describes the Gospel and the clarity with which the text speaks about it. By contrast, a doctrine such as “gifts of the Spirit” has more uncertainty because there are less texts which address the topic, some of the texts are open for multiple interpretations, and the wide variety of interpretations which exist on the topic.

The doctrinal uncertainty model orders doctrines not by an arbitrary or semi-arbitrary selection by a pastor or theologian. Rather, it looks at where the doctrine came from, what texts are synthesized to reach a given conclusion, and asks “how clear and certain is this conclusion? or are there other other valid, orthodox interpretations?” Therefore, the question of infant baptism vs. believers baptism is framed not in terms of “this is a doctrine which is not essential to the faith” but “this is a doctrine with which there is uncertainty and therefore there are several valid conclusions.”

What are the sources of doctrinal uncertainty? Or to put it another way, why do different orthodox Christians come to different conclusions with the same text of Scripture? I think there are three main sources of doctrinal uncertainty.

Sources of doctrinal uncertainty

1. Different interpretations of specific texts

Certain texts have ambiguous language which lends itself to two or more valid interpretations. Of course, Scripture must be compared with Scripture to choose a single meaning, but any ambiguity in a text introduces uncertainty to your exposition. A good example of this is the beginning of John 3:16. Many English translations say “For God so loved the world…” Certain translations, however, say “God loved the world in this way.”

Why the different translations? Because the Greek word houtos can either refer to a degree or a means. The first translation “For God so loved the world” would therefore mean “God loved the world to this great degree.” The second translation would mean “The way or means in which God has shown love to the world is…” The point here is not to argue for one of these or the other; you can do that in your own study. The point here is the language used in the verse introduces uncertainty.

Different interpretations of language in certain texts is one source of doctrinal uncertainty. Oftentimes, when part of a doctrine is based primarily on a few verses, this uncertainty can become significant if any of these verses uses ambiguous language. When two different Christians choose two different interpretations of an ambiguous verse, they may come to different conclusions on a doctrine.

2. Different synthesis of the data

This is probably the most common source of doctrinal uncertainty. Maybe all the texts you are studying are crystal clear. However, building a doctrine involved synthesizing those texts into a coherent statement on whatever topic you are trying to study. Sometimes, it is uncertain how certain verses fit together. This uncertainty in synthesis leads to uncertainty in the doctrine itself.

This is one reason why eschatology is possibly the most uncertain of doctrines: Christians continue to disagree on the topic because synthesizing all the passages which discuss eschatology is incredibly difficult and lends itself to several valid interpretations. Additionally, many of the individual texts use ambiguous imagery. The reason Christians should not divide over eschatology isn’t because it is a “second level” doctrine per se. Rather, eschatology has so much uncertainty built into it that dividing over it would be foolish compared with dividing over a clearer doctrine such as Christ and the gospel.

A quick look at the different doctrines many people put into the “second or third tier” of the doctrinal tiers system shows that most of these non-first tier doctrines are the ones which have more uncertainty around their synthesis of the Biblical data. Examples are eschatology, Church government, covenant theology, and so on. They are not second tier in the sense of less important than other doctrines. Rather, they have more uncertainty when interpreting all the Biblical data on the topics.

3. Different historical conclusions of the Church

There are certain doctrines which the Church has generally agreed upon for hundreds of years. These doctrines generally have less uncertainty then other doctrines. For example, the doctrine of the Trinity was expressed so clearly in the early Church, that there has been little deviation in interpretation among Bible believing Christians since then. However, other doctrines have always been interpreted differently throughout the history of the Church. If you are dealing with one of these doctrines, you will find uncertainty among the historical conclusions of the Church.

Many “second tier” doctrines are those which the Church throughout history has disagreed upon. I think one of the reasons God’s sovereignty in salvation (i.e. Calvinism vs. Arminianism) is often delegated as “second tier” has nothing to do with it’s importance. Rather, it is an issue that has long been debated throughout the history of the Church. This historical uncertainty leads causes current Churches to adopt a “don’t divide over this issue” stance.

Conclusion: doctrinal tiers vs doctrinal uncertainty

Both the concept of doctrinal tiers and doctrinal uncertainty are useful for understanding and categorizing the Bible’s teaching. They can, in fact, both be used together; one does not need to exclusively use one or the other. Christians must understand what Scripture teaches clearly about salvation and the Gospel while realizing certain texts are more difficult to interpret. Both doctrinal tiers and uncertainty are methods to get at this distinction.

However, while tiers are helpful, I think doctrinal uncertainty is in many cases a better concept to highlight. Doctrinal uncertainty captures not just the difference in relative importance of doctrine, but also the difference between how clearly Scripture presents a doctrine. Doctrinal uncertainty is inherently more focused on the text of Scripture itself. In this way, doctrinal uncertainty is an attractive alternative to doctrinal tiers when dealing with the question of why Christians disagree on some interpretations of Scripture and which interpretations are within orthodoxy.

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book quote of the week
Living Out Your Identity in Christ

Living Out Your Identity in Christ

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The past few years, I have heard sermons and read dozens of articles discussing my “identity in Christ.” It is a crucial Biblical concept. But I have personally found it difficult to connect my identity in Christ with my behavior day by day. “Identity in Christ” can easily become an abstract doctrinal truth which does not enter enter my mind throughout the day.

Recently, I was reading a section of a book called “Grit” which helped me understand how identity and action relate. I have previously written about the book in last week’s “Book Quote of the Week.” It is a helpful book for the most part, but there is nothing in it which is not already in Scripture. There is, however, a brief section which deals with “living out who you are.” I think it gives some helpful questions to aid you in living out your identity in Christ.

Who am I? What is the situation? What does someone like me do in a situation like this?

Grit by Angela Duckworth

What the quote means

Who you proceeds and informs what you do

In “Grit”, author Angela Duckworth discusses how passion and perseverance (or “grit”) both predict, to some degree, “success.” The chapter in which this quote appears focuses on developing a culture of grit. The point she makes is grit does not come from calculation or cost benefit analysis. It comes from “the strength of the person we know ourselves to be.”

Now, buried in this mire of self-focused self-help is the important point: most of what you and I do is not based on some sort of pros and cons calculation. For example, let’s say you saw an old lady fall over in front of you. How do you decide what action to take next? Do you sit down and write out the benefits of helping her up compared with the amount of time it would take out of your day? Perhaps you write out the pros and cons of coming to her aid?

Of course not. You would not do either of those things. Instead, you simply act: you either help the old lady up, or ignore her. The type of person you are will determine what you do. Most of your actions throughout a day are not calculated (although granted, some bigger decisions like what house you should buy are often calculated). They proceed simply from who you are. Your character. Your values.

Why it is important

How does Christ change your actions?

What I love about the quote I gave above, is it gives three memorable little questions for living out your identity in Christ. “Who am I? What is the situation? What does someone like me do in a situation like this?” Now, for Angela Duckworth and the American culture as a whole, identity is self-defined. Personal values and personal essence are a buffet as it were: you pick and choose who you want to be. But the Biblical worldview could not be more different.

God defines your identity. And for a Christian, you are “in Christ.” United with Christ. Paul constantly reminds almost every Church he writes to that they belong to Christ and therefore cannot continue living in sin. In fact, they must kill sin and “put on” Christ. So a Christian version of the three questions Duckworth gives is “Who am I in Christ? What is the situation? What does someone who is in Christ do in a situation like this?”

These three questions have really helped me live out my identity in Christ. You and I experience dozens of situations a day, some unexpected, some expected. You no doubt want to respond to each situation in a God-honoring, Christ-exalting way. But how?

Respond to each situation by asking yourself “What does a sinner redeemed by God’s grace in Christ and living under His Lordship do in this situation?”

Oftentimes, just asking the question will re-frame the whole situation. Instead of responding based on your own ideas or desires, you focus your mind back on Christ. What does Jesus value? How does the Lord want me to respond in this situation? What is the action which most pleases Him?

Living out your identity in Christ is not complicated. You just have to pause and remind yourself of who you are. If you do, oftentimes the Lord will bring to your mind Scriptures which clarify what you should do or what you should value.

Takeaways

1. Remind yourself of who you are in Christ each day

You can only live out your identity in Christ to the extant that you know who you are in Christ. Thankfully, this is clearly important to the New Testament authors. Reminding yourself of the gospel and theological truth is not some abstract, heady thing. There is nothing more practical than taking yourself back to the source of your life and hope: Christ.

How can you respond to situations in a Christ-honoring way if you don’t remind yourself what honors Christ? You and I have short memories. In the absence of Biblical truth, you will define your own identity and values. You will respond in a way that “feels best” to you. But one of the great joys of being a Christian is being free to live for Christ, not self.

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20 ESV, emphasis added

Are you a Christian? You no longer live. The identity you made for yourself is dead and gone. But Christ lives in you. And the life you are living now is completely centered on Christ. In order to practically live that out moment by moment, you must remember who you are.

2. Don’t trust your instincts. Pause and reflect before you respond

It is so easy to live your day on autopilot. You go from one thing to the next without asking what you are doing and why you are doing it. You can easily live by “instinct” rather than by conscious obedience to Christ and His word. The old person you used to be before Christ with its attitudes, actions, and values can easily appear in how you respond to those around you. The antidote: pause.

Someone cut you off in traffic? Pause. Just for 5 seconds. Long enough to ask yourself “what does a Christian do in this situation?” Your spouse lashed out at you unfairly. Give it five seconds. Maybe ask the Lord “what would you have me do?” Reflect before you respond. Remind yourself of the omnipresent Lord of your life before you act. It is not actually that difficult and does not practically take very long.

Develop the habit of thinking of Christ before you respond to a particular situation

This is a tough habit to develop and maintain. But if you really want your “identity in Christ” to have a definite impact on your life, you need train yourself to constantly return to Him and who you are in Him. Behavior modification won’t work. Analyzing every possible response to a given situation is not possible or practical. You must pause, pray, and act as a Christ would act.

Transform your day simply by asking each moment along the way: How would Jesus want me to respond? In 90% of situations, just by asking this question the Lord will give you insight into how you should act.

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Proverbs 22:29 and Faithfulness in Work

Proverbs 22:29 and Faithfulness in Work

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As hard as it is to believe, I have almost been out of school working at my current job for two years. When I was an engineering student at Cedarville University, I memorized Proverbs 22:29 for a class. It has been in my mind since as a vital verse on what faithfulness in work looks like.

Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.

Proverbs 22:29, ESV

I thought about his Proverb many times since memorizing it. I never expected to live it out less than two years into my career.

In a previous post, I talked about my personal struggle with staying an engineering major. I desperately wanted to switch to Biblical studies, or a type of major I would enjoy more. But in God’s providence, I stuck it out and already I seen the opportunities He has given me. Opportunities I would not have gotten if I had not completed my engineering program.

In March 2021, I met and received a coin from General Raymond, the highest-ranking officer in the US Space Force, in recognition of my work. It was a great honor; one I couldn’t imagine receiving as a student. I certainly didn’t have many “goals” for my job right out of college. When you first graduate, you have no idea if you will even like your first job, much less be good at it.

Through this experience and two years of working out of college, the Lord has taught me three lessons about faithfulness in work. I would share these thoughts with any student at my Church or any professional early in his or her career.

Lesson 1: You don’t change the world your first day on the job

Building relationships, respect, & skill takes time

I disliked my job for the first couple months. It was uncomfortable, I had no idea what I was doing, and I clearly knew the least of anyone in my office. I had no idea what faithfulness in work meant for me. Suffice to say, this was wake-up call after being told for four years that I would graduate and “change the world for Jesus.” Certainly I wanted to, but it’s hard to change anything when you know almost nothing about your job and other people don’t know or respect you.

It takes time. My first year was God teaching me to slow down, practice patience, and wait on Him. I came to realize no one hired me to change the world. No one wanted me to change the office culture or lead my first day in the building. They wanted me to build relationships and skills. And it took some time.

Don’t get discouraged your first year or so in your job. Focus on getting to know the people God has you working with and developing the skills necessary to do your job well.

If you start working out of college with unrealistic expectations, it is easy to get discouraged. You start to ask “is it God’s will that I work here? Did I make the right decision?” Don’t think that just because you are uncomfortable that it isn’t God’s will. Stick with it. Faithfulness in work is a long-term goal.

If you honestly want to reflect Christ to your coworkers and have opportunities to speak about Him, focus less on “doing big things for Jesus” and instead get to know everyone in your office. Get to know their names. Practice humility by admitting you don’t know everything and that you need help. Learn from others.

God gives the opportunities. Work hard at them when they come.

There is only so much you can control. A trap I feel into when I first started working is trying to control what opportunities I got. But trying to manipulate situations to get opportunities to prove yourself is exhausting and often ineffective. Two years into my job, I see that every “impactful” opportunity I have been given so far has been from the Lord. I didn’t force my way into them, He sovereignly gave them to me.

But just getting the opportunity wasn’t enough. I also had to work hard when I was given opportunities. You have to be faithful when God gives you opportunities. I think that starts with gratitude: thanking the Lord for giving you the chance to be on a cool project or move up in the company. Then, you have to actually take whatever opportunity and work hard at it with all the skills God has allowed you to develop.

Hold these two truths always in your mind: you are not responsible for the opportunities you receive but you are responsible for how hard you work at those opportunities.

That is why it is so crucial to focus on developing skills and relationships when you first start your job. If you focus on chasing respect or “impact” or opportunities right away, you won’t have time to develop real skill at your job. If you really want to be respected at work, don’t aim at respect. Aim at becoming skilled. If you have not read the famous C. S. Lewis essay “The Inner Ring” I highly recommend it. It is a convincing argument for aiming at developing skill rather than aiming at being known or forcing your way into situations.

Develop a reputation as a teachable person, a hard-working person, and a caring person your first year.

Wait on the Lord. Be patient. Nowhere has God promised that you would change the world your first day at work. So trust Him and develop skill so when He gives you opportunities, you will be ready.

Lesson 2: A Christian work ethic stands out

Christians have a deeper motivation for work

I work with a lot of high-performing, intelligent unbelievers. And quite honestly, I didn’t expect that to be the case based off what I heard at my Christian University. A lot of times, it seems Christians tell young people there are a few simple steps to having impact at work:

  1. Get hired
  2. Out-perform everyone in your office
  3. Wait for unbelievers to ask you “why are you so amazing at your job?”
  4. Share the gospel with them and repeat

Implied in this oversimplified profess is that you as a believer will naturally be better than anyone else at your job. That simply is not true, especially if STEM fields. In fact, it may never be true. There are a lot of incredibly motivated, hardworking, smart unbelievers who you might never match in terms of work performance.

Christians are not guaranteed to outperform every unbeliever in their office. They are called to have a deeper motivation for the work they do.

That is what separates me from the unbelievers are work. Motivation. As a Christian, you are called to work to the glory of God rather than working to elevate self. It is that simple. In an office where unbelievers boast in self, are focused on money or power, and are driven solely by their own goals, Christians are called to boast only in Christ, focus on pleasing God, and are driven by a theology of work that centers on God’s glory.

When you are driven by God’s glory, you will naturally work hard and produce excellent products. Why? Because God’s glory is infinitely worthy and you as a Christian understand your job is to bear that image and display God’s worth in all that you do. Don’t compare your level of success to unbelievers success to stand out. Let your motivation be clear to those around you, then back it up with action.

Work as if you know and worship an infinitely glorious God and you will stand out in your office, even if you never are the smartest or most successful.

Christians have a God-centered perspective of circumstances

Everyone wants recognition for their work. It is natural in many ways. Besides what motivates you, another way the Christian work ethic stands out is how you deal with recognition or the lack of recognition. For the unbeliever, discouragement and bitterness are proper reactions to negative circumstances at work. Working with difficult people. Getting passed up for a promotion. Not enjoying a project. All of these are just a few examples of situation where the unbeliever looks at a situation and sees simply a roadblock to what they want.

Christians, on the other hand, worship a God who works all things together for their good. Not their success or comfort or pleasure. Their good. And what is that good?

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Romans 8:28-29, ESV emphasis added

The greatest good God can give us is to make us more like Jesus. So what will the Christian do when the promotion goes to someone else? Keep working hard for God’s glory.

Christian’s don’t let circumstances affect their work. They trust the Lord and keep being faithful.

If you have a rock-solid view of God’s providence in all areas of life, when you don’t get the results you want at work, you won’t despair. You won’t give up. Simply trust the Lord, and keep working. And if you do get the promotion or recognition, you will see that that too is a gift from the Lord. You won’t boast or obsess with promoting yourself. The Christian humbly thanks the Lord for any recognition, draws attention to the motivation for why they work, and then continues to do what God has called them to.

Lesson 3: Serving God looks like one day of faithfulness in work at a time

Noah building the ark is a good example of faithfulness in work

We all love big acts of faithfulness. Martin Luther nailing the 95 theses to the chapel door. Jonathan Edwards preaching and revival breaking out. I could go on. But I think the best biblical example to set our expectation for what faithfulness looks like is Noah. Noah built an ark and condemned the world. That is a pretty monumental act of faithfulness to God.

But ask yourself: did Noah build that ark in a day? Of course not, it took years. Then what did “every day” faithfulness to God look like for Noah? Cut down a tree, use it to build a little more of the ark. Every day was not a big act of faithfulness for Noah. But everyday the little things Noah did demonstrated his faith in God’s promises and built towards the big memorable act of faithfulness: the ark.

I think this is a powerful metaphor for how the Christians should view work. Serving God takes place one day at a time, one act of faithfulness at a time. Faithfulness in work begins with asking yourself each day “What trees does God want me to chop down today? What larger things has He called me to that this tree will help build?”

As you start each new work day, look for small acts of faithfulness God has called you to for that day specifically. Then, think through what those daily acts of faithfulness could be building towards.

Next time your are tempted to think there isn’t a lot of big ways to glorify God at work today, think of Noah. Remind yourself that for a long time faithfulness looked like daily finding a tree and chopping it down.

Aim at the next act of faithfulness, not big awards

We all want to do “big things” for the Lord. But practically, what does that look like? Waking up each day, committing it to Jesus, then doing the next thing He calls you to. Don’t aim at getting awards, money, or recognition. Aim at giving Jesus your best each and every day at your job.

If you are obsessed with recognition and awards and reputation, it will be very difficult for you to stand out as a Christian in your job. Everyone wants those things. There is nothing naturally Christian about craving success and status. Self-focusedness and self-motivation are the obsessions of the sinful world system, not of Scripture. So if you are not aiming at awards, what should you aim at? Jesus gives us an answer:

One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.

Luke 16:10, ESV

When glorifying God is your aim, no task is unimportant or too small. You don’t cut corners because you can get away with it. Smaller projects aren’t a burden to you. Why? Because as a Christian you see every opportunity, no matter how small, as a way to display Christ and His glory. And there is a further promise and warning Jesus gives:

For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

Matthew 13:12, ESV

When you work hard for God’s glory in little things, it has been my personal experience that God gives you more opportunities to glorifying Him. Matthew 13:12 has become real to me these past two years working. If you aim at daily working hard and glorifying God, God will be faithful to give you further opportunities to do so.

Faithfulness in Work: Summary & Conclusion

I opened this post with a Proverb:

Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.

Proverbs 22:29, ESV

I have seen this Proverb become a reality in my experience, even within my first two years working. But when I reflect on how God brought me here, it wasn’t the way I expected. “Standing before kings” came from focusing on developing skill rather than having “impact”, trying to be motivated by God’s glory rather than selfish goals, and aiming at daily faithfulness in the small things rather than trying to achieve big awards.

I don’t know what God has called you to work at. But I hope these brief lessons I have learned are an encouragement to you. Not every day at work is easy and I fall short of all these rules practically every week. But as a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit in you, a God who says “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” and a Savior who said “Lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age.” Faithfulness in work is only possible because of the faithfulness of God.

Let’s get to work.

Click here to read my other reflections on circumstances God has brought me through. Follow The Average Churchman on Instagram so you don’t miss out on new content.
4 Christ-centered Books to Read This Easter

4 Christ-centered Books to Read This Easter

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Reading is one of my favorite things to do. My shelves are full of books I have read, books I am reading, and books I want to read in the future. As Easter approaches, I thought I would give four Christ centered books I recommend reading.

In this post, I will go through each of the books and give a brief summary of what I personally found helpful. Each of these Christ centered books have helped me understand Jesus and His work at a deeper level. I hope they will help you in the same way.

The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross by A. W. Pink

I picked up this book for a dollar or so at a book sale. After reading it, I would have paid a whole lot more for this gem of a book. The book focuses exclusively on seven last phrases Jesus said on the cross as recorded in the four gospels. Because of the way it is structured, it is an incredibly easy book to read and think through.

The demands of justice must be met; the requirements of God’s holiness must be satisfied; the awful debt we incurred must be paid. And on the Cross this was done; done by none less than the Son of God; done perfectly; done once for all. “It is finished.”

A W Pink

I absolutely loved this Christ centered book. By expounding each of these seven sayings, Pink shows you as a reader what Jesus accomplished through His death. Each saying is a jumping off point for a larger discussion of Christ’s character, His work, and His heart towards those around Him. I recommend this book frequently and if you want a book to focus your mind on Christ, it is an amazing Easter read.

His Blood Works: The Meaning of the Word “Blood” in Scripture by Alan M. Stibbs

This is a lesser known book, but it is rich in teaching. Essentially, the book is a Biblical Theology of “blood” through the entirety of the Bible. In tracing “blood” through Scripture, Stibbs helps you understand the significance and importance of Jesus having to shed His blood for our sins.

Blood is a vivid word symbol for referring to someone’s violent death and for connecting other people with the consequences (positive or negative) resulting from it.

Alan Stibbs

The book is very short and consumable. You could read through it in a day, or stretch it out a couple days if you want. Stibbs shows you just how important Christ shedding His blood is to Christianity. It isn’t “cosmic child abuse” or disgusting to talk about and sing about Jesus shedding His blood for believers. It is the heart of the Gospel.

Rejoicing in Christ by Micheal Reeves

This small book is a well-written and insightful introduction to Christology. It is one of the most Christ-centered books I have read in the past few years. I enjoyed it so much I read the whole book in one night! The thesis statement of the book is simply Christianity is Christ. Christ isn’t a part of Christianity. He is the whole thing.

…the center, the cornerstone, the jewel in the crown of Christianity is not an idea, a system or a thing; it is not even “the gospel” as such. It is Jesus Christ.

Micheal Reeves

The book goes through why Jesus had to be fully God, fully man, Jesus death and resurrection, what Jesus doing now, and Jesus’ second coming. All in 133 pages. If anyone is a new believer, or a believer who just wants to get back to the heart of the Christian faith, I recommend reading this book. It is one of those books you can read multiple times and still be encouraged for each reading. It is also accessible enough that I would recommend giving it out for free at your Church if possible.

Christ’s Glorious Achievements by Charles Spurgeon

Spurgeon’s whole ministry was Christ centered. Every sermon pointed to Jesus and the gospel. This little volume contains seven “sermons” on different things Christ accomplished. It is another short book, only 113 pages but rich in theology. Sometimes, I find Spurgeon a little flowery in his preaching, but this volume represents his preaching at its best. I found the chapters on Christ the destroyer of death and the maker of all things new particularly edifying.

When Christ died He suffered the penalty of death on behalf of all His people, and therefore no believer now dies by way of punishment for sin, since we cannot dream that a righteous God would twice exact the penalty for one offense.

Charles Spurgeon

I recommend reading one sermon per day as a devotional leading up to Easter. It will help you focus your mind on what Christ actually did. This book turns your heart towards worship with every sermon and will deepen your wonder at all Jesus did for His Church.

Those are my book recommendations for Easter reading. I hope you choose one to read through.

Do you have any Christ centered books you read around Easter? Send me any recommendations.