The Bible says nothing about New Year’s resolutions. It does, however, say a lot about resolutions in general—about the determination and resolve to improve our character, to sharpen our habits, and to live better in the future than we did in the past. In other words, the determination and resolve to be more like Christ.

The trouble, of course, is that we can often make resolutions that are inconsistent with God’s purpose for our lives, that are selfish instead of selfless, or that focus on the minutiae while neglecting the weightier matters. For that reason, there is great value in putting a lot of thought and prayer into our resolutions and then attaching them to truth—to making resolutions that are thoughtfully grounded in a Scriptural command, emphasis, or promise. To that end, here are some ideas for those who may be considering making a resolution to guide them in the year to come.

Family

• For the one who has been lax in showing spiritual leadership in the home. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)
• For the wife who has not been loving or respecting her husband. “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.” (Ephesians 5:22–24)
• For the husband who has not been loving or cherishing his wife. “Husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” (1 Peter 3:7)
• For parents who have been neglecting their duty toward their children. “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4)
• For children who have been neglecting the honor they owe their parents. “…Let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.” (1 Timothy 5:4)

Devotion

• For the person who has been neglecting to read the Bible. “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.” (Psalm 119:97)
• For the one who has been drifting back into bad habits. “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ…” (Philippians 1:27)

Character

• For the one who has been lax in pursuing sanctification. You were taught to “…put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22–24)
• For the one who is prone to grumbling. “See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:15–18)
• For the one who has been downcast and not seeking the Lord’s help. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4)
• For the one who has been anxious and not taking those anxieties to the Lord. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)
• For the one who spent too much of the past year in anger. “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” (Ephesians 4:26–27)
• For the person whose mind is too often filled with things it shouldn’t be. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8)
• For the one who always seems to be in the center of conflict. “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:18)
• For the one who has been convicted about a foul mouth. “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” (Ephesians 5:4)
• For the one who has been abusing substances of any kind. “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18)
• For the one who has been neglecting to show love and compassion to “the least of these.” “Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.” (Romans 12:16)
• For the one who has been struggling with contentment. “…I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:11–13)
• For the one who has not been guarding his words. “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29)
• For the one who has been suffering because of the actions of another person. “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. … Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:14;21)
• For the one who has not had an open home. “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (Hebrews 13:2)
• For the young Christian. “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12)

Vocation

• For the one who is convicted about meddling in other people’s affairs. “…we urge you, brothers … to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.” (1 Thessalonians 4:10–12)
• For the one who is laboring for his own glory. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17)
• For the one who has failed to put full effort into his work. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23–24)

Time

• For the one who wastes too much time. “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15–16)
• For the one who has been giving in to laziness. “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” (Romans 12:11)
• For the one watching too much of the messaging. “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8)

Relationships

• For the one who has felt bitterness settle into her heart. “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” (Ephesians 4:31)
• For the one who has been harsh and unforgiving. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
• For the one who wishes to impact the unbelievers around her. “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” (Colossians 4:6)
• For the one prone to comparison. “As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.” (2 Thessalonians 3:13)
• For the one who is prone to treat others with harshness instead of gentleness. “Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.” (1 Timothy 6:11)

Church

• For the one who has been rebellious against pastors. “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.” (1 Thessalonians 5:12–13)
• For the person who is quarrelsome within his church. “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:22)
• For the one who has been growing distant from his local church. “Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25)
• For the one who has grown convicted that he is not loving others in the way he should. “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8)

This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Baker Books . They are giving away three sets of Jamie Rasmussen’s books How Joyful People Think and When God Feels Far Away.

How Joyful People Think by Jamie Rasmussen (book cover is attached and can be linked here: How Joyful People Think – Baker Book House)

In this insightful unpacking of Philippians 4:8, pastor Jamie Rasmussen shows readers how to focus their thoughts and attention on the things in life that God has declared will make a meaningful impact on both a person’s outlook and experience. It’s the kind of thinking that has the power to change us, pointing us away from self-pity, anger, and resentment and toward contentment and personal peace, which helps us get the most out of life.

When God Feels Far Away by Jamie Rasmussen (the book cover is attached and can be linked here: When God Feels Far Away – Baker Book House)

With transparency and a pastoral heart, Jamie Rasmussen reveals eight ways to navigate divine distance and experience the nearness of God again. After unpacking why God sometimes feels so far away, he mines the riches of the book of Esther for principles that are available to us today. The result is an intimate and practical guide to navigating seasons of divine distance so we can once again feel closer to God.

Enter Here

Again, there are three packages to win. And all you need to do to enter the draw is to drop your name and email address in the form below.

Giveaway Rules: You may enter one time. As soon as the winners have been chosen, all names and addresses will be immediately and permanently erased. Winners will be notified by email. The giveaway closes Saturday at noon. If you are viewing this through email, click to visit my site and enter there.

I decided to begin the “Ask Me Anything” feature as a means of answering some of the questions I receive from readers of this site. Over the past few weeks I’ve received mountains of them, so please forgive me if I haven’t been able to take a shot at answering yours. Meanwhile, here are a few more attempts to answer a few more questions.

I serve as pastor of Congregational Care in a large evangelical church. Recently our lead pastor and elders promoted the egalitarian position to our congregation. A vote was taken as to whether our church should include women as elders, and it was supported by 80% of our membership. My wife and I are grieved. Women elders will be elected in the fall. We don’t know how we will be able to minister under the authority of women elders, yet we sense the Lord is directing us to stay. This is a real dilemma for us as we love the church but want to remain faithful to God and His Word. There are a few other red flags that concern us as well; ALPHA theology regarding filling of the Spirit, experience-oriented services, contemplative prayer, lectio divina staff devotionals, an expressed desire for “more” (evidence of God’s power in services), expectation of healing for all, etc. We would appreciate your opinion and advice.

There is a lot to consider here, but for now, let’s consider just the issue of women serving in the eldership. I think this is an ideal place to apply what Al Mohler calls “theological triage.” Theological triage allows us to examine an issue to determine its importance. It sorts doctrine into three levels.

First-level doctrines are those that are those that are most central and essential to the Christian faith. These are doctrines such as the Trinity, the full deity and humanity of Jesus Christ, justification by faith, and the authority of Scripture—doctrines that demanded councils and are encoded in creeds. You cannot consider yourself an orthodox Christian if you deny them.

Second-level doctrines are significant issues, but ones for which there is still disagreement among gospel-believing Christians. We can still affirm the faith of those who believe the opposite of what we believe, but we may not be able to enjoy denominational or local-church fellowship with them. An example of a second-level issue is the meaning and mode of baptism—do we baptize infants or do we baptized professed believers?

Third-level doctrines are those for which Christians may disagree, even while maintaining the closest kind of fellowship. You and I may believe different things here, but it will not diminish our fellowship and we can easily participate in the same local church. Eschatology is an example of this kind of doctrine, where as long as we affirm the bodily and victorious return of Jesus Christ, we may disagree on exactly what sequence of events will lead to it.

I tend to believe that female eldership is a second-level issue. This acknowledges it is a position that can be held by true believers, but that it is significant enough that a complementarian would have difficulty experiencing true unity in an egalitarian church and an egalitarian would have difficulty experiencing true unity in a complementarian church. When you add to this all the other issues you laid out, it seems to me you have very good grounds to consider moving to a new church.

I think it’s important to acknowledge that this situation is not your fault. The people who leave a church are often considered the ones who are divisive. After all, they are the ones who have chosen to walk away which sure seems like division. But the fault is actually with those who have embraced faulty doctrine and then taught it to the church. In such a case, leaving the church is a mark of faithfulness, not weakness.

I am a Christian. My husband claims to be a Christian but no longer goes to church or shows any signs of honoring God. He has gone back to daily, heavy drinking which repulses me, especially sexually. Am I obligated scripturally, to have sex with him? I am not doing that by the way. I don’t think I can. It makes me physically ill.

I am so sorry to hear of your situation. Your letter conveys the disappointment and heartbreak you’re experiencing. I know how it weighs on you that your husband has made choices that are so selfish and so destructive not only to himself but to you as well. I’m grieved on your behalf.

I don’t really know how to answer your letter from afar, except to say this: If you are a Christian, God has given you a local church. This local church is where you have fellow believers who can weep with you as you weep and minister God’s grace to you. This local church is where you have elders who can hear what you are going through, pray with you, and counsel you. I hope that in your grief you can express your need to your church and experience God’s blessing through it.

I wish there was more I could do or say, but the distance between us and the little I know of your situation really keeps me from being confident offering more specific counsel on so difficult a situation.

I often find myself in doubt of what God might want for my life. How can I be confident in the future when it seems so uncertain, especially in regards to what God wants for my life to be?

I am convinced we make knowing and doing God’s will far more complicated than it needs to be. We tend to think God has a very detailed and specific will for our lives that we are responsible to discover and pursue. In other words, God has a secret will for us that we need to find through prayer, through Scripture, through circumstances, or maybe even through miraculous means. If we don’t find this, we will somehow be living outside God’s will, living a kind of second-class life. We may even think God is going to punish us in some way if we’re not finding and living his will.

I believe the reality is far simpler and rather freeing. God’s revealed will for us is godliness. In 1 Thessalonians 4:3, Paul says, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification.” He describes that sanctification as involving sexual purity, love for others, and hard work. From this and other passages we learn God wants us to continue to grow and mature in godliness, to walk closely with him and to express love for others. Beyond that, he does not tell us a whole lot about his will. He certainly never tells us that he has a secret will we are responsible to learn and obey. Instead, he gives us freedom to live in such a way that we pursue our interests, whatever those interests are. So long as we do not ignore what God has clearly commanded or do what God has clearly forbidden, we have tremendous freedom.

You may benefit from reading a book like Kevin DeYoung’s Just Do Something or John MacArthur’s Found: God’s Will. Both books are tremendously challenging and liberating.

I would like to study further your “Why I am Not” topic regarding Roman Catholic Church. I have many friends who misunderstand the Church’s teaching. Can you provide clear and concise resources for us to study? Thank You!

Sure! We are well served with some excellent resources.

• Are We Together? by R.C. Sproul
• The Unfinished Reformation by Gregg Allison & Chris Castaldo
• Roman Catholic Theology and Practice by Gregg Allison
• A Christian’s Pocket Guide to the Papacy by Leonardo de Chirico
• Talking with Catholics about the Gospel by Chris Castaldo

These will get you started, at least.

What is the best way to fight evil thoughts that we confront daily, because they are hidden unless they are revealed no one knows only God?

I believe there are two kinds of evil thoughts we confront day-to-day. The first kind are the meditation of our hearts. We think these thoughts because we want to think them. We fill our minds with evil and then find that our minds continue to dwell on it. The man who watches pornography shouldn’t be surprised when he finds his mind is filled with pornographic thoughts and desires. The teenager who watches a horror movie shouldn’t be surprised when she lies awake at night with a mind filled with terrifying fantasies. This is where Philippians 4:8 comes into focus: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” We need to actively consider what is good, pure, and lovely and actively reject what is ugly, impure, and awful. We fight these evil thoughts by putting sin to death and by flooding our minds with light.

The second kind of evil thoughts are satanic, planted in our minds by the enemy. We may not talk about these ones enough, but I’m convinced they are real. I think we can all think of times in life when it seemed like we were being afflicted or attacked with an assault of negative thoughts or images. Suddenly we were overwhelmed with horrifying or impure thoughts, even though we hadn’t been dwelling on such things. I believe we best fight these thoughts with prayer, fasting, and help from others.

There was a time in my life when I was dealing with such thoughts. I spent time praying about it and searching to see if I was fooling myself and actually allowing something into my life I shouldn’t have. But I became increasingly convinced this was something extrinsic not intrinsic to myself. I went to my elders, spoke to them, and asked them to pray for me. They did, and the crisis soon came to an end.

I got saved and baptized 4 years after I was married to my ex-husband. He also got baptized but says he “didn’t really believe.” He cheated on me and left 6 years later and is now remarried. I struggle with whether or not Matthew 5 applies to me since I didn’t cheat and was “put away.” I would like to remarry, but fear I will be in adultery and so will the man I marry. Thanks for your help in sorting this out.

There are various ways in which Christians interpret what the Bible says about divorce and remarriage. In general, they break down between the minority view and the majority view (which is to say, the views held by the minority and majority of Christians). The minority view insists that remarriage following divorce is always wrong. The majority view permits remarriage in many circumstances. At their best, both are equally firm on insisting on the sanctity of marriage.

The difficulty some people encounter with the minority view is that many of those who hold it have informed themselves very well which allows them to speak with great authority. Meanwhile, many who hold to the majority view hold to it because it’s the majority view and not because they have carefully researched their position.

While I have respect for the minority position and for those who hold it, I hold to the opposite position. Based on my understanding and on your account, it seems to me that you are eligible before God to remarry. His adultery broke his marriage vows and gave you legitimate grounds to divorce him. He only compounded his sin by deserting you and marrying someone else.

My counsel to you would be to study both positions, pray earnestly, and then trust your conscience. An excellent new book which fairly describes both positions (but then defends the majority position) is Divorce, Marriage, and Remarriage by Jim Newheiser.

In one of your latest articles, you stated that your primary income comes from sponsored posts. What are sponsored posts? I’m working on getting a blog going and planning on signing up with different affiliate programs. But I would like to know what other options I have to make an income from a blog. And I had never heard of sponsored posts before. Could you please explain this?

One of the long-term difficulties for bloggers and other Internet-based publishers has been monetization. It is easy to make a little money through a blog or other website, but typically quite difficult to make more than a little. For a time banner ads could be lucrative, but those days have long since come and gone. Many sites tried moving to a paid model, but that largely proved ineffective. And this is where sponsored content began to grow in importance.

Sponsored posts are essentially paid content that appears within a site’s normal stream of content. In other words, an advertiser prepares an article or blog post which is posted to a blog like mine. I don’t think too many bloggers or other publishers especially like sponsored posts, but we support them because they are effective. They are far more effective than banner ads or most other forms of advertising.

Speaking personally, I adhere to a few principles. First, I turn down any sponsors I do not know or trust. I will not advertise content that I think may be destructive or just plain dumb. Second, I am always careful to mark such content as sponsored. The little “sponsored” tag appears over the graphic on the main page, and the first line of the article always declares that it has been prepared by someone else. Third, I am always hopeful that my site can actually make a bridge between interested Christians and helpful companies or ministries. Advertising can be a blessing when it links people to items or services that can prove a blessing to them. I hope this proves the case with my sponsored posts.

I receive questions—lots and lots of questions—as part of the feature I call Ask Me Anything. Here is another attempt to answer a few of them.

I had an abortion when I was in college. I have confessed that sin to God and know I have been forgiven. I am now dating and about to be engaged, but have never told my boyfriend about the abortion. Does he need to know? Do I need to confess the sin to him as well?

You don’t owe that kind of information to a boyfriend, but you do owe it to a husband. The difficulty, then, is knowing when it’s the right time to discuss that information with a boyfriend who may soon be a husband.

I will explain more momentarily, but first let me say how thankful I am to know that you have confessed the sin to God and received his forgiveness. We serve a God who is good and gracious and willing to forgive us for every sin, whether great or small. The freedom he offers is not only freedom from the punishment of our sin, but also the guilt of our sin. This means you can live as a Christian free from the burden of your past actions. It’s a joy to know that you have found and accepted such forgiveness.

Now, back to your question (which I wish I could discuss with you at length face to face rather than briefly through the Internet). I believe it is imperative that you tell your future husband about your abortion. This does not necessarily need to happen now, but it does need to happen before you marry him. The reason I say this is that marriage is to be a relationship of full intimacy and that includes intimacy of knowledge. You are not allowing your husband to truly know you unless you let him know this. If you decide not to tell your husband about this, you will be holding back a very important part of who you are. You will be entering into the most intimate relationship while holding onto a big secret. Even from the way you’ve asked the question, I suspect you feel in your conscience that you ought to tell him, but that you are struggling with actually doing so. That is understandable. But if he is a man worthy of marriage, he must also be a man worthy of knowing your most difficult burdens and shouldering them with you.

Part of the joy of marriage is to enlist the help of another person as your primary ally in growing holy before God and in bearing the burdens of the Christian life. Little good can come from withholding secrets from the one who is meant to know you best. So please do tell him. And perhaps seek the counsel of the pastors at your local church so they can offer their help and prayer.

I’ve read a lot of reviews about the controversial Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why. I wonder if you can give your review as well. I love how you reviewed The Shack and told us why you will not be seeing the movie. It helps a lot to explain it to other people. Thank you in advance.

I will not be reviewing this series. I will not be reviewing it because I cannot in good conscience watch it.

When I consider watching any movie or television series, I always look for reviews to tell me what it’s all about. If I learn that it contains scenes of nudity and blatant sexuality, I will not watch it. My conscience and my understanding of what God wants for his people won’t allow it. A quick look at 13 Reasons Why tells me that if I watched it, I’d spend a lot of time watching teenagers simulating having sex with one another. The parent’s guide at IMDB says it has this: “Making out, gay themes, sex, rape, showers depicted. A few shots of male and female butts. No frontal or full nudity. Sexual dialogue in most every episode of the first season about losing their virginity, sexual performance, promiscuity and sexual reputations.” Then it goes on to offer a little more detail for each of the episodes. PluggedIn says it earns its prohibitive TV-MA rating “in at least half a dozen ways. F-words and s-words fly regularly, joined by scads of other profanities. High schoolers drink and get drunk. Sex—real or not, willing or not—is very much at issue here. … We see sexual assaults and raw violence on screen. Characters engage in (or are rumored to engage in) same-sex relationships. And eventually, we see Hannah Baker—in graphic detail—commit suicide.”

That’s more than enough for me to realize that I will not and cannot watch it. And it makes me wonder how or why any Christian could watch it. One of the most concerning things I see in the church today is a willingness for believers to watch other people pretend to have sex as part of their entertainment diet. And, to add to that concern, this is often young people having sex. What would it say about me if I, as a 40-year-old man, was eager or even willing to watch teens the age of my own children simulate having sex together? Perish the thought!

There are some Christians arguing that we ought to watch shows like this so we can better understand and engage the culture. I contend that we can better serve the culture by not watching this stuff at all. I believe I am a far better witness to a friend when I explain why I won’t watch it at all than when I join him in watching it and then try to explain myself.

I have written a number of articles with the theme “Sex on the Silver Screen” and continue to gather my thoughts on this whole area. I hope to write a lot more about it in the future.

I am interested to know your perspective on the obligation a radio preacher, high-profile blogger, author, or other influential Christian minister has to shepherd those with whom he or she has a unique influence. For example, a specific podcast may speak to a person about a particular trait of the Christian life. This may be something that the author has spent considerable time pondering and praying about and through their medium has touched listeners in a deep and meaningful way—a way that the pastor of their local church may not have the expertise to copy. This then puts that pastor in an unfortunate position, having to perhaps provide counsel or influence members of a congregation who are listening to a different voice. At the same time, the podcaster gets to put their opinion out there and then leave it without responsibility for the fallout or impact. It seems like sort of a “one night stand” of information (sorry for the crude analogy). Should the John MacArthur’s, RC Sproul’s and James MacDonald’s of the world have some avenue to help guide those under their tutelage regarding their specific teaching?

It is my hope that prominent ministries and personalities do their utmost to complement the local church and do nothing to supplant it. I don’t think there is anything wrong with listening to John MacArthur on the radio, watching John Piper on YouTube, or reading R.C. Sproul’s books. I don’t think there is anything wrong with watching, listening, or reading a lot of this material. As a local church pastor, I’m perfectly content to have my congregation do so. In fact, I’m quite pleased when I learn that people are interested in learning more and more about God and his Word. But I do hope they continue to regard such teaching as supplemental to their local church, not a replacement for it. The danger is not the material itself, but the tendency of sinful people to elevate it over the local church.

Do these high-profile men (or women) have an obligation to the people who follow them? I think their obligation is to teach what is true and to continually affirm the centrality of the local church. If they are trying to gather a cult following or trying to draw people away from the local church, they are being unwise and sinful. But if they are affirming the distinct role of the local church and doing their utmost to direct people to it, they are doing the right thing. All of the people you have listed are local church pastors who continually affirm the importance of the local church. They are not attempting to gain a following, but to serve God’s people.

For the area of pornography, could you touch on why anime and cartoon renderings of sexual acts would also be wrong? This is a trend I see for gamers but they justify it in that no humans are harmed in making it. Thank you!

I recently went looking for updated statistics on pornography, and one of the strangest things I learned is that the fastest-rising pornographic search term of 2016 was related to the year’s biggest video game. Apparently, as soon as a game reaches any level of popularity, there are soon pornographic adaptations of it or tributes to it. Sometimes I prefer to be ignorant. It shows, though, that there is a connection between pornography and popular entertainment.

There are many arguments we can make about pornography and why it is wrong. Certainly it is wrong to watch other people have sex since this makes a mockery of the reality that God intends sex to be a private act of intimacy between a married couple, not a public act of exhibitionism meant to titillate others. But when it comes to anime or cartoons, we are not watching real people have sex, and therefore that line of argumentation becomes less valuable. But that’s not to say it’s right to watch it.

I might instead want to meditate on Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Or perhaps Ephesians 5:3-4: “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” Passages like these call us away from filth and toward purity. They call us not to have anything to do with sexual immorality. They call us to fill our minds with what is good and true and pure and beautiful rather than what is base and inappropriate. And then I’d want to ask whether this is really an appropriate use of time. Time is short and we are responsible before God to make the most of it (Ephesians 5:16). It would be difficult to sustain an argument that watching cartoon characters have sex with one another is a worthwhile use of time. Finally, I’d want to deal with the fact that pornography is created to incite sexual desire which is then typically satisfied through masturbation. I believe masturbation is a perversion, not a legitimate expression, of God’s intention for sexuality.

In short, sex between cartoon characters is still making a mockery of God’s good intention for sexuality. It is still meant to titillate. It is still inappropriate. It is still a total waste of time.

If Bible study is so important, how did ordinary Christians for a thousand years or more function and grow without a personal copy—without their own collection of scrolls, for example? Yet Christianity still spread throughout the known world.

We tend to believe that people who lived before us had the same experience of the world as we do. Therefore, we assume that since we have a daily quiet time that involves a leather-bound Bible and a cup of coffee, this is the way it has always been. Yet, as this question indicates, historically, this is actually the exception rather than the rule. For most of church history, people have not had the Bible available to them as we do today. It took the technology of the printing press (and, more recently, the digital explosion) to make this possible.

How did people know and obey the Bible before this? I think we can get hints from David: “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day,” and “My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise” (Psalm 119:97,148). David probably spent less time reading the Bible and more time meditating on it. He would encounter the Bible in smaller quantities, but then spend more time meditating on it to gain understanding and inspire application. This was necessary in a world where books (or scrolls) were rare and expensive.

In the New Testament era, Christians undoubtedly spent more time memorizing the Bible than we do today. They encountered the Word primarily in formal worship settings, then attempted to memorize and meditate upon it. They also copied down bits of it on whatever scraps of paper or parchment they could find. This continued until the Reformation when there was a resurgence of interest in God’s Word and, at last, a medium that could quickly, easily, and cheaply distribute it.

We have much to be thankful for in this modern world, and one of the greatest blessings is our access to the Word of God. Of course access is not the same as actually reading it, so let’s be sure we take full advantage of the blessing!

So many Christians are online, and we continually uphold one another, pray for each other and are blessed by one another. I go to my physical church, but not every Sunday. Since we are fulfilling the spirit of love and blessing others, do you think that this is acceptable?

In general, no. I do not think it is wise or consistent with God’s will to replace a substantial commitment to the local church with online community.

Of course there are circumstances in which some people must be absent from church—age, infirmity, military deployment, and so on. And, of course, there are circumstances that can keep us away from church services for a week or two—sickness and work, for example. But in general, I am convinced that God expects us to participate in a local church and to commit to it to such a degree that we miss the public gatherings only rarely and regretfully.

There are a few substantial differences between online community and the public gatherings of the local church.

The first is that online community tends to be a voluntary community where the local church is an involuntary community. What I mean is that people tend to form online communities based on shared interests and niche passions. This promotes a kind of homogenous community that rarely displays the diversity of God’s kingdom. The local church, on the other hand, is an involuntary community that is open to all. This forces us to learn to love people who are very different from us and, in that way, displays far more diversity. The gospel proves its power when we can find love and fellowship with people who are very different from us.

The second is that there is something about eye-to-eye, real-world relationship that is truer and purer than online relationships. This is not to say that online relationships cannot be genuine and meaningful. But they are not the same. There is a kind of relational intimacy and a true knowledge of others that is missing. You cannot really know and be known in the digital world as you can be in the real world. If we want to serve people to the best of our abilities (and, of course, to be served by them) we need to be with them.

The third is that online community cannot provide a corporate worship experience that approximates the local church. We cannot sing virtually like we sing corporately; we cannot pray virtually like we pray corporately; we cannot celebrate the sacraments virtually like we celebrate them corporately. All of these things require us to be together, to share space, and to share our lives.

The digital world has given us many great abilities, and interacting with other Christians and developing meaningful relationships with them is perhaps the foremost. Yet we cannot allow this to distract us from the means God uses to bless, encourage, and transform his people—the local church. Let everything else be supplemental to that.

I have recently begun to catechize my sons (ages 3 and 5) since reading your posts about catechism. It has been an incredible experience and through it, I have been forced to examine my own beliefs since I want to be confident that I agree with what I am teaching my own children! I began using the Westminster Short Children’s Catechism, but I’m not sure I agree with everything entirely (e.g. God having made a covenant of works with Adam). I now have been looking at the New City Catechism for children and I almost fully agree with everything, except for one short sentence that states that Christ descended into hell between his crucifixion and resurrection (question 31). I’m not sure that I agree with that statement. I’m considering using that catechism and simply omitting that line. Can you give me your thought on the New City Catechism? Is it one you’d feel comfortable teaching to your own children? Thank you in advance!

I was raised on the Heidelberg Catechism (in church) and the Westminster Shorter Catechism (at home). I have far less knowledge of the New City Catechism, though I do recognize it as drawing heavily upon those two, as well as Calvin’s Geneva Catechism. So while it’s new, it’s actually old.

I have not throughly studied the New City Catechism, but my understanding is that it “levels out” some of the distinctly Presbyterian or Dutch Reformed teachings to make it better fit all the Reformed traditions. It is meant to appeal to anyone who is in general agreement with the theology and emphases of The Gospel Coalition, including Baptists. So, for example, read the questions and answers on baptism and you’ll see they are broad enough to fit all the Reformed traditions, rather than only adult baptism or only infant baptism.

I may teach it to my family eventually. We have already studied the Shorter Catechism and are currently working through the Heidelberg. Perhaps when we are finished these, we will turn to the New City. But I still feel a bias toward the older and more established ones.

As for complete agreement, I’m a Baptist, but teach my family these distinctly Presbyterian and Dutch Reformed catechisms. I simply adapt where necessary. I’m not at all opposed to introducing my children to the alternative viewpoints and then telling why I do not hold them.

It is the deep longing of every Christian to be like Jesus, to imitate the one who perfectly obeyed God and perfectly fulfilled all righteousness. We long to be “transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). This is our longing because this is our purpose. According to Calvin, God means to “bring our lives into harmony and agreement with His own righteousness, and so to manifest to ourselves and others our identity as His adopted children.”

One of the means God uses to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ is temptation. Though we must never seek or desire it, still we have the confidence that God redeems the crucible of temptation to refine his people, to remove their sin, and to instill his righteousness within them. While we would never choose to be tempted, still we see how God uses it to accomplish his good purposes within us. We do not become conformed to Christ apart from temptation, but through it.

We are now well advanced in our series, “8 Rules for Growing in Godliness.” These are instructions for the Christian to live a life that is pleasing to God. We have come now to the fourth rule for growing in godliness: Watch for temptation.

Temptation

No Christian wants to be tempted, yet every Christian will be tempted. In fact, every Christian will inevitably endure times of grueling temptation, when the opportunity to sin and even the desire to sin are nearly overwhelming. The Bible promises that temptations will arise from within and from without, for the Christian’s great enemies—the world, the flesh, and the devil—are arrayed against us, each attacking with its own weapon of sinful desire. Each day and each hour, we find our hearts stirred for those things God forbids. Such is life as sinful people in a sinful world.

If we are to endure and resist temptation, to come out of temptation refined and not ruined, we must take an offensive posture against it. We do this by watchfulness, by praying against temptation, and by studying our hearts for the first signs of its stirrings.

Watchful Prayer

Christ calls us to be watchful. He tells us to prepare for the temptation that will inevitably come against us by praying against both the Tempter and his temptations. Complacency here is the height of folly, the height of arrogance.

When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he told them to plead, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13). Of course, the sinless God would never tempt his people to sin, “for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one” (James 1:13). Yet God does test our faith, and at times these tests expose inner weaknesses that generate the opportunity and desire to sin. Even then, these temptations are not God’s fault but our own, for “each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire” (James 1:14). Still, we are to “count it joy” when we meet trials and temptations, knowing that these tests product steadfastness and that steadfastness, in turn, causes us to grow in spiritual maturity (James 1:3-4). Every temptation is an opportunity to resist, to obey, and to grow in conformity to Christ Jesus.

Thus, we are to pray each day that God would keep us from temptations that might overwhelm us. John Stott summarizes the petition in this way: “Do not allow us so to be led into temptation that it overwhelms us, but rescue us from the evil one.” Jesus instructed his disciples, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38). They did not pray, they did enter into temptation, and because of their lack of watchfulness, they fell into terrible, avoidable sin. If only they had strengthened themselves with prayer, they might have held fast! Those who will not pray against temptation cannot expect to endure it. “Therefore, stay awake” (Matthew 24:42a)!

Watchful Self-Examination

At times, temptation will seem to come from nowhere and overwhelm us, like a tsunami sweeping over shore. But more commonly, temptations follow established patterns and take advantage of known weaknesses. We prepare ourselves to endure and resist temptation through the watchfulness of self-examination, which involves knowing our sinful inclinations and how we have succumbed to temptation in the past. When water comes to the desert, it flows through established stream beds, even if they have long since run dry. In the same way, temptation tends to follow established patterns, to take advantage of deep-rooted habits. Peter warns, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

To maintain watchfulness, we must first know our individual inclinations to sin. Such self-knowledge comes from looking deep within, for sin does not begin with our actions, but with our hearts. Jesus said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Matthew 15:19). The heart is the seat of our emotions and desires, our spiritual control center. And it is from the heart that sin springs up, for what the heart desires, the hands soon perform. Whenever our hands turn toward sin, we know our hearts have already turned. So we must go to the source. We must first know our heart’s sinful inclinations and its patterns that have led us to sin in the past.

Then, like guards in a tower watching for the smallest sign of the enemy’s approach, we must watch for the least stirrings of temptation, the smallest opportunity for sin. We must watch our thoughts, knowing that our imaginations are often engaged long before our bodies. When evil thoughts arise, we must immediately turn our hearts to what is good and true and pure and lovely (Philippians 4:8). We must watch our eyes, refusing to see what might arouse temptation, and our ears, refusing to hear what is crass and unfitting (Ephesians 5:1-13). We must guard ourselves from environments where temptation can rush upon us (Genesis 39:7-10). Through it all, we must be realistic and self-aware. Because of God’s grace, we are strong enough to endure some kinds of temptation. Because of our depravity, we must—at all costs—flee from other kinds temptations that can quickly ensnare us (1 Corinthians 6:18, 10:14).

All the while we must plead for God’s help, for we are too sinful and too self-interested to have the clear sight we need. Without his help, we cannot always identify evil thoughts, and we cannot adequately guard our eyes and ears. Without his help we may not even be able to recognize a temptation as it rushes toward us. But God knows even the deepest secrets of the heart and exposes them through his Word (Psalm 44:21). As we prayerfully and meditatively approach God’s Word, we find that it “is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

Thus, we watch in prayer, and we watch in self-examination. We watch against anything that might tempt us away from godliness, away from conformity to our Savior.

Conclusion

Even as we endure temptation, God offers us his kind assurance that no sin is more powerful than his grace. “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). While we must be tempted, yielding to those temptations is never inevitable—not if we watch against them in prayer and self-examination. It is God’s desire and delight to preserve us from the consequences of succumbing to temptation and to grant us the benefit of enduring them. Christian, watch! Watch for temptation, for most sin is committed precisely because we did not watch.

The “8 Rules for Growing in Godliness” are drawn from the work of Thomas Watson. Here are the words that inspired this article: “Watch your hearts: it was Christ’s watch-word to his disciples, Matt. xxiv. 42. ‘Watch therefore;’ the heart will precipitate us to sin before we are aware; a subtle heart needs a watchful eye; watch your thoughts, your affections; the heart hath a thousand doors to run out at: O keep close sentinel in your souls! Stand continually upon your watch-tower, Hab. ii. 1. When you have prayed against sin, watch against temptation; most wickedness in the world is committed for want of watchfulness; watchfulness maintains goodness, it is the selvedge which keeps religion from raveling out.”

The Christian life is one of continually growing in obedience to God, of diligently working out the salvation Christ accomplished on our behalf. This work of sanctification begins at the moment of justification and ends only at the moment of final glorification. Between these moments, we are engaged in what one author has insightfully called “a long obedience in the same direction.” This obedience begins first in our heads and then works itself out into our hearts and hands, for to have renewed desires and renewed actions, we must first have renewed minds.

We are continuing our “8 Rules for Growing in Godliness,” a series of instructions for how to grow in conformity to Jesus Christ. We have seen that God calls us to trust the means of grace for our sanctification and tells us that we must battle hard against worldliness if we are to attain any measure of godliness. Our third rule for growing in godliness is this: Think holy thoughts. As we will see, we must think a particular kind of holy thought if we are to experience great progress in our sanctification.

Unholy Thoughts

In our naturally sinful condition, our thoughts are only ever unholy, only ever opposed to God. It was God’s damning indictment of humanity that “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). The Apostle Paul, tracing humanity’s slide into ever-deeper depths of depravity, described it this way: “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools…” (Romans 1:21-22). Even the wisest thoughts are foolish when they fail to acknowledge God.

In our natural condition, we are without hope, for “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). With our minds blinded, we have no desire and no ability to do those things that honor God. To the contrary, we serve our master, the “god of this world,” in continual acts of rebellion.

By God’s power, the gospel breaks through our hard hearts with glorious light. “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). When God’s light pierces the gloom of our darkened minds, we then begin to understand and believe what is true. Thus, the Christian life is one that first depends on a renewed mind. “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). As that inner self is renewed over the course of a lifetime, we amass a growing desire to know the will of God and a greater ability to actually do it.

Holy Thoughts

If we are to live holy lives, we must think holy thoughts, for the renewal of a life can progress no further than the renewal of the mind that informs and guides it. There is benefit in thinking all manner of holy thoughts and pondering all that is good and lovely. Paul says, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2). We are to elevate our minds, to turn them away from lesser things to ponder Christ and what he has done. In another place Paul says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). In all of life, we are to find delight in pondering what pleases God.

But here we speak of a particular manner and method of holy thought: set aside time in which we deliberately consider our minds, our motives, our desires, our actions, and our sanctification. Guided by the Bible and aided by prayer, we devote time to think over our lives and consider whether they are aligned with a life worthy of the gospel. We ponder Christ and discern whether our lives have been transformed into his image or conformed to the world. It is far too easy for us to slip into complacency, to drift with the same worldliness and apathy that marks the world. This practice of thinking holy thoughts allows us to stop, examine ourselves, and turn our course toward God’s path of holiness and joy.

In Psalm 119, David tells of his commitment to this practice. “When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies. I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments” (Psalm 119:59-60). David is undoubtedly reflecting on times in the past when he had been wandering from the will and ways of God. He may have been purposefully violating God’s commandments and hardened in his sin, or he may have been transgressing God’s will through simple ignorance or careless neglect. Regardless, when he engaged his mind in evaluating his attitudes and actions, he soon saw that he had erred. When he pondered his ways, he came to see the evil of sin and the beauty of obedience.

Having seen his error, David responded without delay. He allowed no complacency, permitted no procrastination. He dealt ruthlessly with his sin, putting it to death immediately so he could come alive to righteousness. And now he tells of his determination to live in this way, to find delight in continually evaluating himself by the light of God’s Word. In another Psalm, he declares his desire that every word he speaks and every thought he thinks will be acceptable to God (Psalm 19:14). Yet he knows for this to happen, he must diligently apply himself to the Word, for only then will he be able to discern his errors, only then will he be freed from the dominion of sin, only then will he be blameless before God (Psalm 19:13-14).

Much of our sin arises and persists because we do not seriously consider our ways. We do not diligently compare our actions with the Word of God. We do not apply ourselves to thinking holy thoughts. And without such discipline, we continue on in our sin and unholiness. We neglect this practice because our lives are busy, our minds are scattered, and our hearts are burdened with the cares of this world. But this is all the more reason to make time for reflection, for meditation, for self-evaluation.

Conclusion

The Christian is visibly distinguished from the unbeliever in his actions. This is why Peter can say, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:12). Yet the Christian is first invisibly distinguished from the unbeliever in his mind, for the desire to do deeds that accomplish good for others and bring glory to God must arise from a transformed mind. Only a mind that has been pierced by God’s light and dazzled by a sight of Christ can desire something so selfless, so noble. The mind’s renewal depends upon the practice of thinking holy thoughts, of deliberately applying the light of God’s Word so it can search our hearts and lives, so it can expose all that is foreign, all that is sinful, all that does not belong. We would do well to make David’s prayer and practice our own: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24).

The “8 Rules for Growing in Godliness” are drawn from the work of Thomas Watson. Here are the words that inspired this article: “Inure yourselves to holy thoughts: serious meditation represents every thing in its native colour; it shows an evil in sin, and a lustre in grace. By holy thoughts the head grows clearer, and the heart better, Psal. cxix. 59. ‘I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.’ Did men step aside a little out of the noise and hurry of business, and spend but half an hour every day in thinking about their souls and eternity, it would produce a wonderful alteration in them, and tend very much to a real and blessed conversion.”

Since its earliest days, the church has been plagued by false teachers and deadly doctrine. Never has there been a period of rest, a time when Christians could relax their guard. Satan has opposed the church since the day of its founding, and he will continue to oppose her until the day of his destruction.

Naturally, then, Paul was seriously concerned about false teachers and deadly doctrine, warning of them in almost every one of his letters. As he comes to the end of his letter to the Romans, he reminds the church to be on guard, since false teachers are skilled at using flattery and smooth words to deceive even believers. Paul loves this church and wants them to be aware of the challenges they will face from predatory teachers. But his solution may strike us as surprising. He tells these Christians “to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil” (Romans 16:19b).

Paul seems to be echoing Jesus here. In the book of Matthew, we read of Jesus sending out his disciples and warning them of impending persecution from enemies of the gospel. He tells them how to behave in the midst of such trials: “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). Jesus and Paul both call for wisdom and innocence. Let’s see how these two passages instruct us on protecting ourselves and our churches from false teachers and their deadly doctrine.

Serpents and Doves

Jesus had taught and mentored his disciples, and he was now ready to send them on a short-term mission. They would go to their fellow Jews to tell them of the Messiah. They were like sheep being dispatched into a pack of dangerous wolves. Wolves are vicious, and sheep are helpless. Wolves are crafty, and sheep are dumb. How could these sheep survive? They would need to learn from two other creatures—snakes and doves.

Snakes are shrewd animals, able to make astute judgments. They are able to evaluate circumstances and behave in a fitting manner. When they see danger, they slither out of sight without hesitation. Doves, meanwhile, are innocent animals. Doves are simple, pure creatures who cause no trouble. Yet their simplicity is prone to lead them into danger, for they may not take flight when a predator draws near. Their purity is associated with their gullibility.

Where Christians are prone to be as innocent as snakes and as shrewd as doves, God calls us to something far more noble and far more effective. Douglas Sean O’Donnell puts it this way: “We are to be godly but not gullible—snake smart, but not snake sneaky. For our character commends Christ; our godliness proclaims the gospel.” We are to behave in a way that draws attention to the gospel, not to ourselves. We are to ensure that any offense we give is the offense of the gospel, not the offense of our own depravity. We are to preach the gospel wisely, evaluating situations to discover the most appropriate way to speak the clearest truth. Wisdom and innocence best serve the cause of the gospel.

Wise and Innocent

Paul borrows the words of Jesus and applies them to a different context. If Jesus calls for a pure witness, Paul’s call leans toward a pure mind. Paul leaves us no simile to unpack and interpret. Knowing that false teachers and their deadly doctrine are close at hand, Christians are “to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil” (Romans 16:19b). J.B. Phillips paraphrases it this way: “I want to see you experts in good, and not even beginners in evil.”

Paul was aware of the temptation to grow so concerned about evil that we develop an obsession with it. We may assume that the best way to guard our faith is to become experts in false doctrine, to study the fine details of error so that truth may stand out. But there are at least two grave problems with this approach. First, we are too weak and evil is too strong for us to immerse ourselves in evil and remain untouched. Our acquaintance with evil can soon become an attraction to evil. Second, defending truth by studying error is a fool’s errand. God’s truth is profitable, but evil is a useless counterfeit, a perversion of the truth. God’s truth is fixed and unchanging, but evil is always morphing, always adapting to the trends of the age. Becoming an expert in truth by studying error is dangerous and wasteful, a backward, perilous approach.

Paul offers a far safer and far more effective solution. We must focus the best of our attention on what is good and pure and lovely (Philippians 4:8). We must make truth, rather than error, the focus of our studies and the delight of our hearts. We must trust that the foolproof way to identify false doctrine is to become experts in true doctrine. As John MacArthur says, “Don’t study false doctrine, don’t study sin, don’t study error. Stick with the truth and godly obedience.”

Our priority must always be the truth. We defend the Christian faith best when our grasp of sound doctrine is both deep and wide. The believer with great knowledge of truth is equipped to defend against every error.

The Posture of the Christian

When it comes to false teaching, the appropriate posture is acquaintance without obsession. We do well to know of the existence of error and its strategy for infiltrating the church. The shrewd Christian will be familiar with the primary challenges of his day, the most prominent errors, the foremost peddlers of heresy. Yet he will remain innocent by equipping himself with truth, rather than obsessing about error. As heresies arise, he will respond by increasing his familiarity with God’s Word, trusting that the light of God’s Word will expose the darkness of every error.

I will grant, of course, that there will be times when it is wise to gain greater familiarity with prominent and pernicious errors—the kind of errors that threaten to “deceive the hearts of the naive” (Romans 16:18). Some believers are especially equipped to study false doctrine so they can refute it with the Word of God. Many of us have benefited from the labor of such men and women. Yet, as Robert Mounce says so well, “God never intended his children to become intimate with evil in order to communicate the gospel to those in its grasp.” We must never allow the study of error to hinder our pursuit of the truth.

There is a lot to love about the Bible. I could go on for hours about just how amazing, just how unique it is. The Bible offers us something so different from what we get anywhere else, something so opposed to our all-too-human expectations. When we live by the Bible, we live lives that are completely, radically counter-cultural.

Today I am wrapping up a little series I’ve written with younger Christians in mind—people in their teens or twenties, people in high school, college, or just getting started in life. I’ve been challenging you to see a glimpse of yourself in Timothy, in the young man the Apostle Paul mentored into ministry. Specifically, we’ve been looking at 1 Timothy 4:12 where Paul tells him, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” We’ve looked at speech and conduct, we’ve looked at love and faith, and we are left today with the simple word purity. Timothy is to be exemplary in his purity.

Low Expectations

I mentioned in a previous article that one of the challenges of being a young Christian is determining that you will not succumb to the low expectations of those who are older than you. And if there is any area of life in which older Christians have low expectations of younger ones, it is in this area of purity. Let’s be honest: This is not entirely undeserved. It’s not for nothing that Proverbs, a book written with young people in mind, says so much about the consequences of sexual sin and the joys of sexual purity. It’s not for nothing that just a few verses later Paul will insist that Timothy treat “older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity” (1 Timothy 5:1) and that when he writes to Titus he insists that young women need to be self-controlled and pure (Titus 2:5). And it’s not for nothing that here old Paul tells young Timothy, “Set an example in your purity.”

What does the culture around us expect of young people—people in their teens and twenties? It expects that you will use these years for exploration, for experimentation, even for exploitation. It expects that you will live these years wild and free, that you will sow your wild oats. A million sitcoms and movies and pop songs insist that these are the best years of your life and that you will be missing out, you will be less than a whole person, if you suppress or repress those desires. You’ve only got a few years before you’ll be bound by responsibilities, so in the meantime run wild! Be free! Set an example in pursuing hedonistic pleasure.

High Expectations

In the face of such low expectations, the Bible comes through with the very highest expectations. Paul looks to young Timothy and charges him to be exemplary in his attitude, his imagination, his actions. When older people in his church ask “What does it mean to live a life of purity?” they should be able to point to young Timothy to find their example. Now that’s a high challenge, but exactly the kind of challenge that is worthy of the Bible. The Bible never allows youth to be an excuse for sexual impurity or for any other lack of holiness.

Do you see how counter-cultural God’s Word is? Where but the Bible would we find something as unexpected as this? Young Christian, you—you, of all people!—are to be the very model of sexual purity. God expects that older people who are struggling with sexual purity will be able to look to you and say, “I want to be like him” or “I want to be like her.” Younger Christians who are struggling with sin should be able to look to you to find their example. They should all agree: He, she, sets an example.

Inner Purity, Outer Purity

But how? How do you set this kind of an example? And what does this exemplary life involve? When Paul charges Timothy to be pure, he is undoubtedly thinking of the shame and disgrace that would come upon Timothy and his entire church if he was found to be committing sexual sin. Yet we know from reading the Bible that Paul would not only want Timothy to refrain from actually committing sin. He would first want him to emphasize an inner purity. After all, what’s on the outside is always a reflection of what’s on the inside. He would want Timothy to have pure hands, for sure, but also a pure heart, and a pure mind.

Pure hands. “Hands” symbolizes the entire body, of course. Your actions are to be marked by purity. You are not to commit sexual sin, but not sinning is not enough. No, you are to take actions that are consistent with a pure and holy life. You need to live in such a way that you are not expressing lust toward others but expressing love toward them instead. This is putting sin to death and coming alive to righteousness. (Concerned about the issue of masturbation? Consider reading Self-Centered Sex Part 1 and Part 2.)

Pure heart. Of course the actions you take will be a reflection of what is happening within your heart. When the Bible speaks of the heart it refers to the desires, to the inner part of you that longs for fulfillment. Your longings eventually manifest themselves in your life, so you need to ensure that you are longing for what is right and good, what is pure and holy. (Struggling with heart desires? Consider reading Burning and Yearning. Struggling with pornography? Here are 10 Articles on Pornography.)

Pure mind. To have a pure heart and pure hands you must first have a pure mind. You need to be careful what you allow into your mind, what you see, what you read, what you hear. As Paul wrote elsewhere, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). You must not allow yourself to live in a world of fantasy, a world in which you picture and ponder what God forbids. (Struggling with fantasy? Consider reading What’s in “The Look?”)

Purity consists of pure actions, of course, but also pure desires and pure thoughts. Charles Simeon says it well: “Every word and every look, yea, and every thought, ought to be well-guarded, in order that Satan may not take advantage of us, and that not even the breath of scandal may be raised against us.” There’s God’s standard: Not even the smallest breath of scandal.

Set an Example

Young Christian, God gives to you an important task: Set the believers an example in purity. He would not demand what you could not do. At least, he would not demand what you could not do when you are indwelled by the Holy Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit who is far more committed to your holiness than you are to your sin. It is his joy to make you holy. It is his delight to help you become an example of purity—and of speech, conduct, love, and faith. My friend, set the believers an example.

Questions to Consider

1. What is your greatest struggle when it comes to purity? What actions are you taking to combat this sin and to come alive to righteousness? Who have you enlisted to help you in this fight through conversation and prayer?
2. Do you really believe that you—even you—can be an example of purity? Do you really believe that your example can make a difference to others?
3. In what ways do you think you are setting a good example to the people of your church in your purity? Pray and thank God for each of them. In what ways do you think you are not setting a good example to the people of your church in your purity? Pray and ask God for his grace to change you.

What makes holy people holy? What makes unholy people unholy? To a large degree it is what fills their minds and their hearts. This is why the battle for holiness is first a battle to flood your mind and heart with the right things, the best things, and why it’s equally a battle to avoid flooding your mind and heart with the wrong things, the worst things. So let me ask you, when it comes to what you see, what you watch, what you read, what you ponder, what you enjoy, what you find entertaining, what fills your mind and thrills your heart—what is your standard? What do you invite into your mind, your heart, your life? What do you deliberately keep out? What is your standard? Here are three options, each a variation of Philippians 4:8.

Finally, brothers, whatever is false, whatever is dishonorable, whatever is unjust, whatever is perverse, whatever is repulsive, whatever is unworthy, if there is any imperfection, if there is anything unworthy of honor, think about these things—give weight and value to them, and allow them to influence the way you live. They will. They must.

Finally, brothers, whatever is reasonably accurate, whatever isn’t too outrageous, whatever is minimally unjust, whatever isn’t wildly impure, whatever isn’t absolutely vile, whatever doesn’t make you too uncomfortable, if there is anything that isn’t too far gone, if there is anything that’s not completely without virtue, think on these things—fill your mind with them, let them go down deep within, and live accordingly.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things—think about them until they fill your mind and heart and rejoice as they then work themselves out in loving behavior toward both God and man.

I ask again, what’s your standard?

Recently, at the death of Alec Motyer, a number of people wrote remembrances of the man and a common thread was his holiness. Perhaps Motyer was deeply impacted by these verses as he wrote his excellent commentary on them. As he wrote that commentary he recorded this challenge:

We are to meditate on, to prize as valuable, and to be influenced by all that is true, all that merits serious thought and encourages serious-mindedness, all that accords with justice and moral purity, all that is fragrant and lovely, all that brings with it a good word, that speaks well, whatever has genuine worth of any sort and merits praise. It is the will of God that by giving attention to things of which he approves we should shape our minds to be like his: to those who do so, he pledges his guardian peace and his own presence as the God of peace.

The Message of Philippians

Motyer was preceded into glory by Jerry Bridges, another man who was spoken of with respect and honor for his holiness, for his desire to please God in all he did and said. Here is what he wrote in his great work, The Pursuit of Holiness:

As Christians we are no longer to be conformed to the pattern of this world but we are to be renewed in our minds (Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:23; 1 Peter 1:14). Holiness begins in our minds and works out to our actions. This being true, what we allow to enter our minds is critically important. The television programs we watch, the movies we may attend, the books and magazines we read, the music we listen to, and the conversations we have all affect our minds. We need to evaluate the effects of these avenues honestly, using Philippians 4:8 as a standard. Are the thoughts stimulated by these various avenues true? Are they pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy?

So I ask one more time: What’s your standard?

Let me give the final word to Charles Simeon: “Think of their nature, that you may be apprised of their extent: think of their obligation, that you may be aware of their importance: think of their difficulty, that you may obtain help from your God: think of their excellency, that you may be stirred up to abound in them: and think of their complicated effects on the world around you, that you may make your light to shine before men, and that others, beholding it, may glorify your Father that is in heaven.” Think on these things!

Today I’d like to do a little “faith hacking”—to find and share one of those practical methods or techniques for living the Christian life. As I read, as I listen to sermons, as I speak to people, I am always looking for insights on how other Christians live out their faith in practical ways, and today I want to tell you about one great suggestion for improving the way you meditate on Scripture.

If you are like me, you find meditation a difficult practice. You like the idea of it, but find the reality difficult to carry out. In my mind, “meditation” seems like an ethereal term, one that contains a good idea but without any clear structure. I struggle with it.

In his book Simplify Your Spiritual Life, Donald Whitney says, “When meditating on a verse of Scripture, it’s usually much easier to answer specific questions about it than to think about the text without any guidance or direction at all.” Which, I think, pretty much explains my frustration. He describes meditating on Philippians 4:8 and realizing that the verse offers helpful directions for the kinds of things he could meditate on for any passage in the whole Bible.

Philippians 4:8, which you’ve probably memorized at one time or another, says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Whitney studied the verse for a time, and came up with a list of questions that can be helpful for meditating on nearly anything in your life, but especially Scripture. Here they are:

• What is true about this, or what truth does it exemplify?
• What is honorable about this?
• What is right about this?
• What is pure about this, or how does it exemplify purity?
• What is lovely about this?
• What is admirable, commendable, or reputation-strengthening about this?
• What is excellent about this (in other words, excepts others of this kind)?
• What is praiseworthy about this?

And there you have it–8 questions that can help guide your meditation.

Do you have other questions to guide your meditation? How do you make sure you are not only reading Scripture, but also pondering and applying it?

Through the month of March, I am inviting you to 31 Days of Purity—thirty-one days of thinking about and praying for sexual purity. Each day features a short passage of Scripture, a reflection on that passage, and a brief prayer. Here is day twenty-nine:

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

(Romans 12:2)

Our bodies follow our minds. This is the consistent witness of Scripture, which always places mind before body. Throughout his life, the Christian is to be renewing his mind by the Word of God, to take it into captivity and bring it into conformity. As he does this, his words and his deeds, and even his thoughts, will necessarily follow.

If there is any area where we let our bodies dictate our thoughts and our actions, it is here in the context of sexual purity, in those times when the body seems to cry out in dissatisfaction. When we wallow in sexual sin, we fill our minds with what is impure, as if Philippians 4 commands us to think about whatever is false, whatever is deplorable, whatever is unfair, whatever is impure, whatever is ugly, whatever is critical, if there is any depravity, if there is anything worthy of rebuke, we think about these things. And, not surprisingly, our bodies follow our minds.

It is so much better to heed and to practice Philippians 4 which commands us to think about what is good and noble and pure. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). Think about those things, brother, and let God transform your thoughts and your actions.

Father, I pray that you would do your work of mind-renewal within me. I know that my behavior follows my thoughts, so I pray that you would help me to think about those things that are true and beautiful. Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, I pray that you would help me to think about these things and to love thinking about these things.

What Now? Consider joining our 31 Days of Purity Facebook group. It is optional, but you will find it a good place to go for discussion and encouragement. (Note: that Facebook group is for men only; here is one for Women Supporting Men).

A few months ago, a conversation with Joel Beeke went in an unexpected direction. We were talking Puritans (what else do you talk about with Dr. Beeke?) and we tried to think of a way we could team up to help people read A Puritan Theology. At that point I had only just begun reading the book, but was enjoying it tremendously and was eager to make it known to others. Yet I realized the price and sheer size of the volume makes it more than a little intimidating.

After some thought we decided to make A Puritan Theology the next of the books I would take on in the Reading Classics Together program. Not the whole book, mind you, but just the last eight chapters which deal with practical theology, the “so what?” of systematic theology.

This week we read chapter 53 which discusses the Puritans and family worship. I asked Dr. Beeke a few questions related to the Puritans and the way they worshipped.

TC: To hear people talk about the Puritans, you would imagine they were harsh toward their children, making them endure endless hours of family worship. Is this accurate?

JB: Endless hours in family worship would have been impossible for most people in the seventeenth-century. In Puritan New England, many people were farmers who had to labor hard to produce food. Children also had much to do in school, household chores, and working alongside their fathers and mothers to learn a vocation. The Puritans also took time for recreation. They enjoyed hunting, fishing, shooting competitions, and wrestling—two New England Puritan ministers were famous amateur wrestlers. They enjoyed music in their homes, owning guitars, harpsichords, trumpets, violas, drums, and other instruments. There was a lot to do; family devotions were one part—albeit the most important part—of a busy daily schedule.

The Puritans aimed at pithy instruction and heart-moving prayer. Samuel Lee wrote that in all our teaching of the family we should beware of boring the children by talking too much. Long devotions overburden their little minds. It is best to hold the attention of children by using spiritual analogies with flowers, rivers, a field of grain, birds singing, the sun, a rainbow, etc.

TC: The Puritans regarded family worship as a duty. Did Puritan pastors ensure that fathers were carrying out this duty? How would they have helped families do this well?

JB: The Puritans did take this duty seriously. For example, in 1647, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland adopted the Westminster Confession of Faith. Three days earlier, they had adopted the Directory for Family Worship, and required ruling elders and ministers to discipline heads of household that neglected family worship. In another branch of Puritanism, in 1677 the congregational church in Dorchester, Massachusetts, covenanted together to “maintain the worship of God” in their families, “educating, instructing, and charging our children and our households to keep the ways of the Lord.”

Puritan pastors helped families, first, by preaching on this subject; second, by writing books about family worship, and devotional books useful for family worship; third, by writing simple catechisms or promoting an official catechism; and fourth, by visiting each family in the church and catechizing the children. Parents often invited the minister over a meal, after which the minister would lead family worship. Pastoral visits both held parents accountable by revealing the level of knowledge of their children, and modeled what family worship should be.

TC: I know it is difficult to speak in averages, but maybe you could tell us what the average Puritan’s family devotions might have looked like. How long would they have spent and what things would they have done?

JB: The Puritans did not favor the following of a precise form for worship of any kind, but they did lay out principles. They called Christian parents to lead their families in the daily practice of (1) reading the Scriptures to their families; (2) leading the children in memorizing and understanding a catechism; (3) discussing biblical truth for edification such that each family member can ask questions and share thoughts; (4) praying together, which included acknowledging God as the Lord and Provider of their family, confessing their sins to Him, thanking Him for their blessings, presenting their petitions to Him for the needs and troubles of the family, and interceding as a family for friends and the nation; and (5) singing psalms to the Lord.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to speak in a meaningful way of how long the average family devotions lasted for the Puritans. No doubt it varied, also due to the ages of the children. Personally, I recommend five to ten minutes in the morning and fifteen to twenty minutes in the evening. For more practical details on implementing devotions, see my little book, Family Worship.

TC: You say, “We must beware of allowing corrupting influences into our private lives and homes.” What kind of corrupting influences do we allow in our homes today that the Puritans would have forbidden?

JB: The Puritans would probably be more concerned with the content of the media than the form of technology. The typical American home has its doors wide open for all kinds of intruders to come in, steal, and destroy the treasures of the soul. Christians must practice great discernment to guard their homes against:

(1) Lawlessness. One recent video game earned a billion dollars in sales within three days of its release. It is obviously wildly popular. The problem is that the game revolves around theft! Again, how many popular songs promote fornication and adultery? Breaking God’s laws is a very serious matter. Are you entertaining yourself with the things God hates?

(2) Worldliness. It might be an open rejection of God, a grossly immoral life, or blatant conformity to popular culture. But it might be much more subtle. Worldliness is any love not ruled by love for God. It could be pleasing people above God, seeking physical prosperity above spiritual holiness, valuing temporal gains above eternal glories, living to move forward rather than upward, or walking in pride instead of humility. In short, it is corrupt human nature without God. Someone of this world is controlled by what the Puritans called this world’s trinity: the quest for pleasure, profit, and position. The Puritans would say that the question we need to ask about an activity is: does this help my family to love Christ more, to hate sin more, and to pursue walking in the King’s highway of holiness more?

(3) Lightness. Life has light moments when we all break into laughter, but lightness (or levity) is using humor and entertainment to keep weighty realities out of our minds. We live in a culture that tries to turn life into “Comedy Central.” The tragedy of this is that it turns us away from the overflowing joy God gives through a sober consideration of gospel truth. Are you leading your family to fill their minds with distractions, or with the hope of Christ?

The Puritans would ask us today—not out of legalism but out of jealousy for the well-being of our family’s souls: What are we bringing into our homes through the music we listen to, the jokes and stories we tell, the books and magazines we read, the images we hang on the wall or welcome onto the video screen, and the games and sports we play or watch? Read Philippians 4:8, and take inventory.

Next Week

If you are reading along with us, be sure to read Chapter 54 (“Matthew Henry on a Practical Method of Prayer”) by next Thursday. Then simply check in here to see what Dr. Beeke has to say about it.

Your Turn

The purpose of this project is to read classics together. Please feel free to leave a comment below or to provide a link to your own blog if you have discussed this week’s chapter there.

The atonement is the work Jesus Christ accomplished in his life and death to earn salvation for others. This atonement is penal and substitutionary, paying the penalty due to sinners and substituting one person in place of others. Today’s infographic explains that work of atonement.

(Click on the thumbnail image below to see the complete infographic)

If you are after a high-res version, you can have it here in JPG format (7 MB). Please feel free to download, copy, email, share, or print the graphic; I just ask that you don’t sell it.

If you have other ideas for theological infographics, please feel free to leave a comment. Several more are already in development.

The New Testament contains at least 40 passages that contain the words “one another” and each one points to a way that Christians are to treat, or are not to treat, each other. This graphic seeks to display the whole lot of them.

(Click on the thumbnail image below to see the complete infographic)

If you are after a high-res version, you can have it here in JPG format (9 MB). Please feel free to download, copy, email, share, or print the graphic; I just ask that you don’t sell it.

If you have other ideas for theological infographics, please feel free to leave a comment. Several more are already in development.

(Click on the thumbnail image below to see the complete infographic)

If you are after a high-res version, you can have it here in JPG format (8 MB). Please feel free to download, copy, email, share, or print the graphic; I just ask that you don’t sell it.

If you have other ideas for theological infographics, please feel free to leave a comment. Several more are already in development.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Here we tried to capture the tree and fruit motif, but without making it too obvious. I think it worked.

(Click on the thumbnail to see the comple the infographic)

You can also download it as a desktop wallpaper if you’d like to pretty up your computer: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 2560×1440

If you are after a high-res version, you can have it here in JPG format (7 MB). Please feel free to download, copy, email, share, or print the graphic; I just ask that you don’t sell it.

If you have other ideas for theological infographics, please feel free to leave a comment. Several more are already in development.

The Visual Theology series of infographics has now visited the ordo salutis, the attributes of God, the books of the Bible, Philippians 4:8, the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Trinity, Philippians 2:5-11 and, most recently, the tabernacle. I have opened a Visual Theology store where you can purchase any of these as prints. And just for kicks, I’d like to give away some of those prints.

So here’s the deal: Simply enter the giveaway using the form below (if you are reading via an RSS reader, you’ll need to visit the blog). You will see that there are many ways that you can gain extra ballots. At the end of it all, I will select 4 winners, each of whom will receive a poster of their choosing (in the Large size, on their choice of Enhanced Matte or Premium Photo Glossy paper).

A couple of notes: First, this is open only to people in North America; unfortunately shipping rates elsewhere are too high! Also, entering the giveaway will not put you on any spam lists or otherwise cause trouble. Honest. You’ll need an email address or Facebook account to join, but your information will never be used for anything else. Honest.

While the infographics will always be free for you to download, I have also opened a store where you can buy prints of each of them. They are all professionally printed in a variety of sizes and are suitable for display. (Visit the store today and you can use coupon code DUNK22 to get 22% off your order.)

(Click on the thumbnail to see the complete infographic)

If you are after a high-res version, you can have it here in JPG format (14 MB). Please feel free to download, copy, email, share, or print the graphic; I just ask that you don’t sell it.

If you have other ideas for theological infographics, please feel free to leave a comment. Several more are already in development.

While the infographics will always be free for you to download, I have also opened a store where you can buy prints of each of them. They are all professionally printed in a variety of sizes and are suitable for display. (Visit the store today and you’ll see a few coupon codes that can bring the prices down.)

(Click on the thumbnail to see the complete infographic)

If you are after a high-res version, you can have it here in JPG format. Please feel free to download, copy, email, share, or print the graphic; I just ask that you don’t sell it.

If you have other ideas for theological infographics, please feel free to leave a comment. Several more are already in development.

While the infographics will always be free for you to download, I have also opened a store where you can buy prints of each of them. They are all professionally printed in a variety of sizes and are suitable for display. [Update: There is now a Visual Theology website.]

(Click on the thumbnail to see the complete infographic)

If you are after a high-res version, you can have it here in JPG format. Please feel free to download, copy, email, share, or print the graphic; I just ask that you don’t sell it.

If you have other ideas for theological infographics, please feel free to leave a comment. Several more are already in development.