Let Jen Hatmaker Drive You Back to the Bible: A Reformation Call to Christian Women

This morning before I sent my kids off to school, I guess you could say we were having church up in here. Matt may be the one who gets paid to preach, but that’s never stopped this mama from proclaiming the truth passionately to my kids. And today, even though I was teaching all of them, I was speaking especially to my girls.

I saw and read Jen Hatmaker’s recent interview discussing her politics. I also saw the many different reactions to it. I admittedly had my own. The timing of her statement was interesting to me, falling just a few days before the celebration of the historical event known as the Protestant Reformation.

Anyone who has read my blog since the beginning knows how God used the teachings of the Reformation in my young adulthood, and specifically, a book by Martin Luther that I stumbled upon surprisingly (providentially!) in my small hometown public library. 

God used Martin Luther’s influence on my life to free me from man-centered theology and to drive me to the Bible. 

Did you get that? He used a flawed man (Luther had some issues!) to open my eyes to see that my conscience should be captive to the Word of God alone.

Before school in the mornings, we often read Christian biographies together over breakfast. Today we were finishing one on the life of the reformer, John Calvin. A man told Calvin, “Your books are brilliant! I know I can trust whatever you say to be true.” Calvin was appalled and told the man that was the saddest statement he had ever heard. He instructed the man that God’s Word was the only standard either of them could ever trust completely. 

And that was my message to my girls today. And to myself. And now to you.

1) Whatever your response to Jen Hatmaker’s statements, they should point out the fact that we must hear the Bible’s statements first and loudest. I fear our temptation is to jump on the bandwagon of another “celebrity” Christian woman with whose statements we agree instead of heeding the call that the voice we need to hear most is God’s voice through his Word.

2) Remember people are just people. There are some important things we can learn from Jen, both good and bad. And do you know that’s true about everyone? Your favorite Christian speaker, your Titus 2 mentor, your most-loved Christian blogger or author? Go back to the Bible and let it define what those helpfully good things are and what those things are that should be avoided. The Bible is our ultimate authority - not people.

3)  God has given you a brain and a heart. Go back to the Bible and have both shaped and trained by his truth. And ladies, this isn’t a man’s work! This is my work. And this is your work. Let us be women with big brains and big hearts. Don’t let others do our thinking (or feeling) for us!

4) We don’t need to fear liberal politics, homosexuals, or anyone with whom we disagree. The Bible teaches us to engage the world (and the people in it!) with all its/their paradoxes, instructing us to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. (Matthew 10:16) Is this incident highlighting your own lack of wisdom? Is it highlighting your heart that fears those who are different from you? Are you scared of losing a comfortable, persecution-free life?  I think you see the theme. Go back to the Bible for discernment and razor-sharp wisdom. Go back to the Bible to have cultivated in you the harmless spirit that characterizes a woman who doesn’t fear those who can destroy the body, but him who can destroy both the body and the soul. (Matthew 10:28)

Ladies, today, let’s have a new Reformation Day! Let us be women who read and know our Bibles, submit to its teaching, are shaped by its truth, and who live our lives carefully and lovingly in step with it. Let us be women who are bold reformers, nailing the truth into our heads and into our hearts. Let us go back to the Bible alone, together. That’s what God wants, because he knows that’s really what this world needs.

Reformations

On this Reformation Day, I'm thankful for the jars of clay God used to show me the all-surpassing greatness of His power, specifically as manifested in the Doctrines of Grace. 

After laboring under the burden of man-centered theology for about 5 years, I was to the end of myself. I so desperately wanted release from the guilty conscience and fear of judgment that relentlessly plagued me. It was about this time, God in His providence, brought me to a red bound book by Martin Luther in the unlikely place of our small library in Cambridge, OH. I found a companion in misery as I read and related to Martin Luther's efforts, trying to keep God's commands and gain acceptance before Him. The more he labored, the more condemnation he felt heaped upon him. But what glorious freedom he discovered when God convinced him of the liberating truth that the righteousness He justly demands, He also justly provides! And so God used the great reformer himself to start a reformation, of sorts, in my heart.

In the fall of that same year, God also used Dr. Michael P. V. Barrett, to continue lifting my eyes from the despair of bad theology to the precious doctrines I now hold so dear. Dr. Barrett's constant refrain, "Read your Bible, people!" still rings in my ears.  It was in the pages of Scripture where I began to grasp the significance of divine sovereignty. I found a theology that puts God where He deserves to be, in control of all things, starting with the salvation of my soul. God used Dr. Barrett's gospel-centeredness (before it was "in") to tear down my self-reliance and pull up all the stakes I had driven. Burdens began to roll as I sat in his class hearing, "The strength of your faith isn't in the amount of your faith, but the Object of your faith!" I saw my gracious God caring for my soul, leading me in the well-worn paths of His electing love for me where His goodness and mercy were literally chasing me down like a dog nipping at my heels. The more I knew of this God the more I loved Him, continuing still to this very day.

It is appropriate then, on the day the start of the Reformation is remembered, to reiterate my thankfulness for all God has done for me in Christ. My conscience is no longer captive to the word of man but to the Word of God. When Satan and my own heart parade all my guilt before me, I don't try harder to muster more faith to believe or dig deeper for more will power to fight against it . I run to Christ, whose work on by behalf stills all my striving.

A hymn that became precious to me during those reforming years is, "Not What My Hands Have Done", by Horatius Bonar.

Not what my hands have done can save my guilty soul;
Not what my toiling flesh has borne can make my spirit whole.
Not what I feel or do can give me peace with God;
Not all my prayers and sighs and tears can bear my awful load.

Your voice alone, O Lord, can speak to me of grace;
Your power alone, O Son of God, can all my sin erase.
No other work but Yours, no other blood will do;
No strength but that which is divine can bear me safely through.

Thy work alone, O Christ, can ease this weight of sin;
Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God, can give me peace within.
Thy love to me, O God, not mine, O Lord, to Thee,
Can rid me of this dark unrest, And set my spirit free.

I bless the Christ of God; I rest on love divine;
And with unfaltering lip and heart I call this Savior mine.
His cross dispels each doubt; I bury in His tomb
Each thought of unbelief and fear, each lingering shade of gloom.

I praise the God of grace; I trust His truth and might;
He calls me His, I call Him mine, My God, my joy and light.
’Tis He Who saveth me, and freely pardon gives;
I love because He loveth me, I live because He lives.

Pounding on Wittenberg's Door

photo: wikimedia.org

Romans 1.17 - For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."

Happy Reformation Day!

ALONE

This word sparked reform in 1517 as it still does today in the hearts of those who embrace the exclusivity of Christ - "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by ME." John 14:6

This year on my annual Reformation Day (which is actually tomorrow) tribute to Martin Luther, I want to post a hymn he wrote. Luther was a talented musician and was the forerunner of advocating that common worshippers use music in public worship. We all are familiar with his rousing hymn, "A Mighty Fortress," but Luther has many other rich hymn texts. Below is one based on Psalm 130:

"From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee"

1. From depths of woe I cry to Thee,
Lord, hear me, I implore Thee.
Bend down Thy gracious ear to me,
My prayer let come before Thee.
If Thou rememberest each misdeed,
If each should have its rightful meed,
Who may abide Thy presence?

2. Thy love and grace alone avail
To blot out my transgression;
The best and holiest deeds must fail
To break sin's dread oppression.
Before Thee none can boasting stand,
But all must fear Thy strict demand
And live alone by mercy.

3. Therefore my hope is in the Lord
And not in mine own merit;
It rests upon His faithful Word
To them of contrite spirit
That He is merciful and just;
This is my comfort and my trust.
His help I wait with patience.

4. And though it tarry till the night
And till the morning waken,
My heart shall never doubt His might
Nor count itself forsaken.
Do thus, O ye of Israel's seed,
Ye of the Spirit born indeed;
Wait for your God's appearing.

5. Though great our sins and sore our woes,
His grace much more aboundeth;
His helping love no limit knows,
Our utmost need it soundeth.
Our shepherd good and true is He,
Who will at last His Israel free
From all their sin and sorrow.

Title: 329 from The Handbook to the Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Ps. 130
Author: Martin Luther
Translated by: Catherine Winkworth, 1863, alt.
Titled: Aus tiefer Not schrei' ich zu dir
Tune: Aus tiefer Not
1st Published in: Johann Walther's "Gesangbuechlein"
Town: Wittenberg, 1524

And because part of what I love about Luther is his fieriness, I have to include this quote of his about music:
"When man's natural musical ability is whetted and polished to the extent that it becomes an art, then do we note with great surprise the great and perfect wisdom of God in music, which is, after all, His product and His gift; we marvel when we hear music in which one voice sings a simple melody, while three, four, or five other voices play and trip lustily around the voice that sings its simple melody and adorn this simple melody wonderfully with artistic musical effects, thus reminding us of a heavenly dance, where all meet in a spirit of friendliness, caress and embrace. A person who gives this some thought and yet does not regard music as a marvelous creation of God, must be a clodhopper indeed and does not deserve to be called a human being; he should be permitted to hear nothing but the braying of asses and the grunting of hogs." – Martin Luther
LOL! Said as only he could say!

October Tributes

I love October. It's one of my favorite months. My grandma's birthday is October 16. She would've celebrated her 71st birthday this year had God not taken her home to be with Him in December of 1985. Although her death from an earthly perspective was tragic, from Scripture we are convinced it was gain (phil 1:21). Her life on earth was Christ and her life in heaven with Him is far better (phil 1:23). So during this month, I can't help but remember her godly testimony and amazing influence on my life for eternity's sake.

Also, Matt's birthday is this month. I can't write about him because it's just too hard to do - honestly, I'm not eloquent enough to even touch on the kind of man he is. In scriptural categories, he meets (exceeds) the qualifications of what a godly man and Christian are supposed to be (and the true test of this is what he is in our home). And so it would only follow that in human categories - the deep heart needs that every woman hopes (but doesn't really expect) to have met - he has done what my bruised and skeptical heart never thought possible. So as October 23 approaches, I am humbled at God's giving him to me and want to remind him how thankful I am for him.

Last, Reformation Day is October 31. I've blogged about this before, but can't let it go by in 2007 w/o remembering Martin Luther. What follows is a tribute to both him and Matt. Now that I think of it, I like the fieriness of both their personalities!

Luther on Diapers

Now observe that when that clever harlot, our natural reason (which the pagans followed in trying to be most clever), takes a look at married life, she turns up her nose and says, “Alas, must I rock the baby, wash its diapers, make its bed, smell its stench, stay up nights with it, take care of it when it cries, heal its rashes and sores, and on top of that care for my wife, provide for her, labour at my trade, take care of this and take care of that, do this and do that, endure this and endure that, and whatever else of bitterness and drudgery married life involves? What, should I make such a prisoner of myself? 0 you poor, wretched fellow, have you taken a wife? Fie, fie upon such wretchedness and bitterness! It is better to remain free and lead a peaceful. carefree life; I will become a priest or a nun and compel my children to do likewise.”
What then does Christian faith say to this? It opens its eyes, looks upon all these insignificant, distasteful, and despised duties in the Spirit, and is aware that they are all adorned with divine approval as with the costliest gold and jewels. It says, “0 God, because I am certain that thou hast created me as a man and hast from my body begotten this child, I also know for a certainty that it meets with thy perfect pleasure. I confess to thee that I am not worthy to rock the little babe or wash its diapers. or to be entrusted with the care of the child and its mother. How is it that I, without any merit, have come to this distinction of being certain that I am serving thy creature and thy most precious will? 0 how gladly will I do so, though the duties should be even more insignificant and despised. Neither frost nor heat, neither drudgery nor labour, will distress or dissuade me, for I am certain that it is thus pleasing in thy sight.”
Now you tell me, when a father goes ahead and washes diapers or performs some other mean task for his child, and someone ridicules him as an effeminate fool, though that father is acting in the spirit just described and in Christian faith, my dear fellow you tell me, which of the two is most keenly ridiculing the other? God, with all his angels and creatures, is smiling, not because that father is washing diapers, but because he is doing so in Christian faith. Those who sneer at him and see only the task but not the faith are ridiculing God with all his creatures, as the biggest fool on earth. Indeed, they are only ridiculing themselves; with all their cleverness they are nothing but devil’s fools.
Martin Luther, “The Estate of Marriage”(HT: Cranach)

Happy Birthday, Daddy! We love you!

Happy Reformation Day

It's only right to remember that important day in church history when Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five thesis on the door of Castle Church in Wittenburg, Germany. Today our hearts are drawn to worship the Lord afresh for salvation of grace ALONE, by Christ ALONE, thru faith ALONE, based on the Word ALONE, all for God's glory ALONE.
God used a particular writing of Luther's my junior year of college to help start a Reformation of sorts in my own heart. Since becoming a wife, I have learned much from reading and hearing about his dear wife and her own commitment to God and thus her husband and his ministry.
We are thankful for saints like Martin and Katharine whose rest is won (although they have not yet received all that has been promised them - Heb 11:39, 40), but with whom we still have mystic sweet communion...who like, Abel, though they are dead, by faith they still speak (Heb 11:4).