“There is therefore Now No Condemnation” by C. H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, February 13, Evening)

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1 ESV)

Come, my soul, think thou of this. Believing in Jesus, thou art actually and effectually cleared from guilt; thou art led out of thy prison. Thou art no more in fetters as a bond-slave; thou art delivered now from the bondage of the law; thou art freed from sin, and canst walk at large as a freeman; thy Saviour’s blood has procured thy full discharge. Thou hast a right now to approach thy Father’s throne. No flames of vengeance are there to scare thee now; no fiery sword; justice cannot smite the innocent. Thy disabilities are taken away: thou wast once unable to see thy Father’s face: thou canst see it now. Thou couldst not speak with him: but now thou hast access with boldness. Once there was a fear of hell upon thee; but thou hast no fear of it now, for how can there be punishment for the guiltless? He who believeth is not condemned, and cannot be punished. And more than all, the privileges thou mightst have enjoyed, if thou hadst never sinned, are thine now that thou art justified. All the blessings which thou wouldst have had if thou hadst kept the law, and more, are thine, because Christ has kept it for thee. All the love and the acceptance which perfect obedience could have obtained of God, belong to thee, because Christ was perfectly obedient on thy behalf, and hath imputed all his merits to thy account, that thou mightst be exceeding rich through him, who for thy sake became exceeding poor. Oh! how great the debt of love and gratitude thou owest to thy Saviour!

“A debtor to mercy alone,

Of covenant mercy I sing;

Nor fear with thy righteousness on,

My person and offerings to bring:

The terrors of law and of God,

With me can have nothing to do;

My Saviour’s obedience and blood

Hide all my transgressions from view.”

Last week Dick and Rich Bott invited me onto their radio program, “The Complete Story,” to elaborate on my recent article, “Seven Questions Every Donor Should Ask.” In that conversation, the Botts and I were able to tease out some of the implications of Christian stewardship, including the role of Midwestern Seminary in serving the church by training pastors and ministers to stand firm on the pressing moral issues of the day. I invite you to listen to our entire conversation here.

As the father of five young children, I live with an ever-present awareness that my greatest stewardship is my children. Many men can preach a sermon and more than a few can be a seminary president, but only one can father these five children.

Thus, my wife and I approach our family with a profound sense of stewardship and intentionality. As parents, we are practitioners, but also observers, always seeking to learn and improve in order to be most faithful.

Over the past decade, I’ve witnessed in others—and, unfortunately, in myself—three parental motivations to avoid. Like weeds that force their way through the best-cultivated garden or thickest concrete, these motivations seem stubborn, always reappearing; resilient, always resurfacing.

In fact, if I could wish away three parental motives from my heart, and from others, it would be these: ambition, fear, and pride.

Parenting out of Ambition

Parenting out of ambition occurs when we channel our goals through our children. Mothers do this when they vicariously cheer through their daughters and fathers do so when they vicariously play sports through their sons. At a deeper level, this occurs when parents require of their children a level of commitment and accomplishment they never attained.

Parental ambition drove Hans Luther to deter his son, Martin, from entering the ministry. Luther’s father desired him to study law that he might enjoy financial gain and social respect. Had he been successful, Hans Luther would have deprived the church of one of one of its greatest gifts and delayed the much needed reformation and revival he brought.

There is a difference between aspiration and ambition. It is right to have aspirations for our children and to cultivate in them a healthy sense of ambition. But it is wrong to channel our ambitions—whether for their lives or our own—on them, especially when those ambitions are man-centered and not God-centered.

Parenting out of Fear

Another parental attitude to avoid is fear. Like ambition, fear appears in many forms. Sometimes it is hyper-safety, leading parents to avoid contact sports and seek to insulate children from harm. At other times, it shows up in “helicopter parenting,” remaining in proximity to our children, helping them make decisions and avoid life’s dangers.

In bourgeois Christianity it is often fear of our kids failing in life. The thinking goes, “If my son doesn’t make all As he might not score well on the SAT, not get into the best college, or find the best job. He’ll be a failure. He’ll live in my basement and play Xbox for life.”

My wife and I insist our children wear seatbelts, and we hold them to rigorous academic standards. But we aim not to parent out of fear of what they may or may not become. The point is not to be cavalier, recklessly hoping for God’s kind providence. Rather, we should parent out of stewardship and love, not fear and doubt.

Parenting out of Pride

Parenting out of pride is the most insidious—and injurious—attitude of all. If left unchecked, it will lead us to value morality over spirituality and cultivate children that are self-righteous, but know not Christ’s righteousness. Parenting out of pride is more concerned about man’s evaluation of your parenting than God’s, and more concerned about man’s opinion of your children than God’s.

Those serving in ministry are especially susceptible to parenting out of pride. An unhealthy commitment to I Timothy 3, and a well-ordered house, can cause one to incentivize moral structure to the oversight of repentance, regeneration, and true submission to Christ’s Lordship.

Even more disastrously, pride can lead parents to prod children down the aisle before the gospel has ripened in their heart. Jesus beckons children to come to him, but he doesn’t beckon parents to shove them. Lead them to Jesus, yes. Shove them down the aisle, no.

On the Contrary, Redemptive Parenting

Due to our sin natures, even our best efforts will remain indecipherably corrupt. But the more one is conscious of a propensity to err in these directions, the less likely one is to do so. Gospel-centered parenting focuses on cultivating the heart toward submission to the Word of God, repentance, godliness, and cherishing the gospel.

Conclusion

Parenting is the most enjoyable and exhilarating responsibility I know. I feel as though I am getting to create, invest, sculpt, build, and nurture all at once. It satisfies the pastor, entrepreneur, teacher, builder, evangelist, and leader within me.

As I do this, I know my supererogative responsibility is to tend the heart, nurturing my children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, and teaching them to know, love, and live the gospel. To make sure their heart is right, I must first nurture my own, and that includes forsaking ambition, fear, and pride.

“He First Findeth his Own Brother Simon” by Charles H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, February 19, Evening)

“He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which means Christ).” (John 1:41 ESV)

This case is an excellent pattern of all cases where spiritual life is vigorous. As soon as a man has found Christ, he begins to find others. I will not believe that thou hast tasted of the honey of the gospel if thou canst eat it all thyself. True grace puts an end to all spiritual monopoly. Andrew first found his own brother Simon, and then others. Relationship has a very strong demand upon our first individual efforts. Andrew, thou didst well to begin with Simon. I doubt whether there are not some Christians giving away tracts at other people’s houses who would do well to give away a tract at their own—whether there are not some engaged in works of usefulness abroad who are neglecting their special sphere of usefulness at home. Thou mayst or thou mayst not be called to evangelize the people in any particular locality, but certainly thou art called to see after thine own servants, thine own kinsfolk and acquaintance. Let thy religion begin at home. Many tradesmen export their best commodities—the Christian should not. He should have all his conversation everywhere of the best savour; but let him have a care to put forth the sweetest fruit of spiritual life and testimony in his own family. When Andrew went to find his brother, he little imagined how eminent Simon would become. Simon Peter was worth ten Andrews so far as we can gather from sacred history, and yet Andrew was instrumental in bringing him to Jesus. You may be very deficient in talent yourself, and yet you may be the means of drawing to Christ one who shall become eminent in grace and service. Ah! dear friend, you little know the possibilities which are in you. You may but speak a word to a child, and in that child there may be slumbering a noble heart which shall stir the Christian church in years to come. Andrew has only two talents, but he finds Peter. Go thou and do likewise.

This past week, the evangelical world jolted to attention when World Vision announced it would permit the employment of practicing homosexuals who are committed in a same-sex marriage relationship. Thankfully, within 48 hours they humbly and penitently pronounced a policy reversal.

In the aftermath of the World Vision controversy, one issue lingers. Given our cultural trajectory, it will only intensify. How can a Christian donor know which ministries and institutions are most worthy of financial support? Seven questions should be contemplated by every donor and answered by every recipient before a gift is made.

Does the entity have a clear and functioning confessional statement?

An organization worth supporting must have a clear statement of belief—a statement that is publicly expressed, well-defined, and enforced within the ministry. It does not have to be exhaustive, but it must be faithful to the Word of God, the gospel, and, at a minimum, other first-order doctrines. It is not enough to have a confessional statement buried on the ministry’s website. Is the document actually functioning? Are employees truly expected to believe and teach in accordance with it? Does it have functioning accountability?

What is their code of conduct policy for employees?

Most every organization has some sort of code of conduct, or lifestyle expectation, for its employees. By reviewing these documents, you can ascertain not only what behavior(s) they tolerate, but also what they encourage. Consider carefully what is stated and unstated. Note what is not mentioned. For example, do they precisely speak to issues of sexuality, gender, and marriage? Ambiguity is the breeding ground for doctrinal unfaithfulness, moral decay, and ministry drift. Do not subsidize a ministry that is already slouching toward compromise.

What is their structure of accountability?

Generally speaking, the further from the local church you find an entity, the more prone it is to drift from its original mission. Thankfully, this is not always the case. There are some para-church ministries that are strong in confession and mission, but if the non-profit is not governed by the church, one should inquire of the entity’s legal structure. Who governs the organization? Who are the fiduciaries? How are trustees elected? To whom is the ministry ultimately accountable?

Do they give a clear and sound gospel witness?

As one who supports ministries in addition to my local church, I am often presented with good, better, and best choices. Whether it is feeding children, supporting orphan care, or general benevolence assistance, there are explicitly Christian organizations that meet those needs while giving a clear gospel presentation. Why settle for meeting only the physical needs when you can meet eternal needs as well? Seek out ministries that meet the needs of body and soul.

Are they clear and public on social issues?

If the entity is not clearly, publicly, and frequently making plain its stand on marriage, abortion, and other key issues, you have every reason to be concerned. Many nonprofits function under their own version of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” If the entity is not clear on these issues, it is not cynical to assume the worst, it is wise. In this regard, do not settle for private reassurances. If the stance is not clear and public, it is not much of a stance at all. Have an eye for obliqueness and an ear for the passive tense.

From where does most of their funding come?

Just as flowers grow toward sunlight, nonprofits grow toward their sources of funding. If an entity receives most of its funding from the federal government, secular foundations, or more socially progressive sources, this should cause concern. After all, if the nonprofit is robustly Christian, then why would more secular groups be willing to fund them? Moreover, if a tug-of-war over a ministry’s future occurs, ministries tend to go the way of their most generous supporters.

How, exactly, will my gift be spent?

Finally, it is always right for the donor to gain as much insight into how the money will be spent as they desire. I do not give my children a dime without inquiring why they need the money. Why would I give an organization thousands of dollars without full disclosure into how my gift will be used?

Conclusion

Recently, I visited with the leader of an institution far to the left of the one I lead. When I inquired of her school’s position on same-sex marriage, she acknowledged their instructional staff was far more progressive than their older, more conservative donor base. She candidly admitted their intent to “hang out in the mushy middle as long as possible” so as not to offend the faculty or alienate their constituency.

I fear this strategy is common today. My greater fear is that many sincere Christians are naively supporting it. Do not be duped by a nonprofit’s sleight of hand. Make sure you know the cause to which you are giving is truly worthwhile. Furthermore, do not settle for a “good” option when even the best ministries and institutions are in urgent need of financial support.