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How to Make Your Feedback Better with 19 Words — And How This Relates to Justification by Faith Alone

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This is a great, short video by Dan Pink on how to make your feedback better.

What’s the answer? I’ll give it away (but be sure to still watch the video): Tell the person:

I’m giving you these comments because I have very high expectations and I know that you can reach them.

Why is this?

Because high expectations — and believing that people can meet them — motivate performance. High expectations but not believing people can meet them actually decreases and sabotages performance. As do low expectations.

This is incredibly well-backed by research. It’s called the “Pygmalion Effect.” I actually did a presentation on it in college, because I thought the name was funny. We all got a good laugh. I had no idea that it is actually one of the most powerful forces for human motivation that there is.

So don’t miss it — use it in your management and life. Not just because it works, but because it is respectful and the right way to treat people. Belief in people motivates. So does acceptance. If you say “you must earn my trust and acceptance by first performing,” you will diminish performance.

Last thing. For the theological folks (like me): There are echoes of the doctrine of justification by faith alone here. If God were to say to us “you must work hard and then you might earn my approval,” we would be sunk. We would never know when is enough, or if the goal post will keep changing. This uncertainty would make it too risky to engage in the hard work — as it may not pay off. And if it does pay off, we would be able to boast before God — thus putting ourselves at the center.

But because he says “I accept you through faith alone in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-10),” we are actually motivated to excel precisely because we know we already belong to him. We know we cannot fail to have his acceptance through faith, and that makes us want to serve him because we are secure.

If we aren’t sure we belong to Christ, we will fear our good works will never be enough, and at the end of the day, that kills motivation.

It is interesting that good management practice echoes good theology.

For Those in the Kansas City Area: Join Me Thursday Nights for Questioning Christianity

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Beginning this Thursday night and continuing for 8 weeks, my wife and I are doing a series for skeptics and interested Christians called Questioning Christianity. 

If you are in the Kansas City area, we would love for you to join us! And if you can, bring an unbelieving friend or two. We will be exploring the biggest challenges to the Christian faith, and we encourage people to bring their toughest questions. Our goal is to create a safe space where people can talk about the difficulties they have with Christianity, while showing that there is solid evidence for the Christian faith.

Here are the details:

What is Questioning Christianity?

Questioning Christianity is an 8-week series where you can bring your biggest doubts, questions, and challenges with the Christian faith. This is a safe space where there is no judgment for disagreeing and honest dialogue is welcome.

We will begin with a brief presentation addressing a specific challenging question or looking at the evidence for Christianity, followed by an interactive Q&A.

Some of the issues we will look at include:

  • Is there good evidence for Christianity, or do we have to take it entirely on faith?
  • Can we trust the Bible?
  • Is there good historical evidence for the resurrection of Christ?
  • How can Jesus be the only way to God?
  • Why does God allows suffering and evil in the world?
  • What does it mean to be a Christian?

These are questions that are central to life and which many people wonder about. But it is often hard to find good answers. We want to help people wrestle through their doubts and objections, showing that there are solid answers while affirming the need for people to proceed at their own pace–without feeling pressured, forced, or judged.

When is It?

Every Thursday night, March 31 – May 26, from 6 pm to 8 pm.

That means it begins this Thursday!

Where is It?

Kansas City, Kansas. Specifically, it will be at pretty cool co-working space just to the west of the Plaza:

The Village Square
4436 State Line Rd
Kansas City, KS 66103

(Here are directions.)

Who Should Come?

Anybody with honest questions about the Christian faith. Especially skeptics and seekers, but also Christians who want to know more about why it is reasonable and sensible to accept the truth of Christianity.

You can keep up to date by liking the Facebook page.

We would love to see you there!

 

To Be Productive is to Be Fruitful in Good Works

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What Does God Want Done?

Good works. What God wants done are good works.

We see this right in Matthew 5:16, where Jesus sums up for us the entire purpose of our lives: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

That is the purpose of the Christian life summed up for us in one sentence. The entire purpose of our lives—what God wants from us—is to do good for others, to the glory of God.

We also see this in one of the most important passages on productivity in the Bible—Ephesians 2:8-10: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing: it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Likewise, Titus 2:14 tells us that Jesus “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” And Jesus says in John 15:16, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.”

Being Fruitful in Good Works

Hence, good works are part of the purpose of our salvation. In one sense we have been doubly created for good works. God created us to do good works, as we see in the creation mandate in Genesis, and here we see that we are also re-created in Christ to do good works.

Productive things, then, are things that do good. Productivity always has to be understood in relation to a goal, and God’s goal is that we do good works.

Hence, we can define productivity in this way: to be productive is to be fruitful in good works. 

Adapted from What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done.

 

Why is Theology Central to the Christian Life?

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Because, as J. Gresham Machen said so well, Christianity is not just — or chiefly — an ethical code, but rather “a way of life founded on a message.”

Christianity is based on news. On something outside of us. On truth. And that’s theology.

Since Christianity is a way of life founded on a message, you can’t uphold the way of life if you disconnect it from the message. It’s like cutting a plant from its roots. It won’t last.

Further, Titus 3:8 shows us that sound doctrine (with exhortation) leads obedience when it is understood and believed. Note how Paul tells Titus there to teach the doctrine of justification so that God’s people will excel in good works.

How is theology the foundation of obedience? Because it builds the joy and hope that fuel obedience. Theology builds faith, and faith fuels obedience. The Christian life is a life of faith, and therefore doctrine is essential.

Of course it is not enough to just hear truth. We also must believe it and act on it. In turn, as we do so we find that application yields more spiritual discoveries.

So, interestingly, if you care about theology, applying what you learn leads to both love and, in turn, greater theological insight. But the ultimate aim of it all is love (1 Timothy 1:5).

What is Paul Doing in the Book of Philemon?

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The short book of Philemon is one of the greatest anti-slavery passages in the Bible.

The slave Onesimus had run away from Philemon. At some point while Paul was under arrest, he encountered Onesimus, who then became a Christian.

Paul appeals to Philemon to accept Onesimus back “no longer as a bondservant, but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother” (v. 16) and to “receive him as you would me” (v. 17). These are clear anti-slavery statements. If Paul wants Philemon to accept Onesimus as he would receive him, clearly that is not as a slave. As Paul has said elsewhere, “do not become slaves of men” (1 Corinthians 7:23).

But there is one difficulty here: Why did Paul send Onesimus back at all? Why not say “slavery is wrong, you are free, don’t go back”?

The first part of the answer is in verses 8-9, where Paul says to Philemon: “Though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you.” And verse 14: “I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your good ness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord.”

In other words, Paul wants Philemon to do the right thing willingly, by choice, and so he gives him that choice by sending him back.

The second part of the answer, and the main part, is even more amazing, and is I think this: this letter is ultimately about reconciliation. Paul is not sending Onesimus back with the intent that he would be Philemon’s slave again. As we saw, he says to receive him “no longer as a bondservant” and “as you would me.” Rather, Paul is sending him back so that the relationship may be reconciled. Not the master-slave relationship, but the personal relationship.

Onesimus is now a Christian. It is right for the rift between him and Philemon to be reconciled and restored. Not the slavery, but the relationship. And so Paul sends him back, as a statement to the importance of reconciliation and to create the opportunity for it to happen.

That’s what Paul is doing here. I find that amazing. And it ultimately reflects something more than the heart of Paul (one of the greatest Christians to ever live, in my view) but of Jesus Christ, whom Paul followed. “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Thus, the book of Philemon stands as not only a massive anti-slavery text, but also as a striking testimony to the value and importance of Christian reconciliation. And, even more than that, the reconciling heart of Jesus Christ.

Being Gospel-Centered at Work

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More and more people are asking today the important question, “How does the gospel relate to my work?”

There is a lot that can be said on this, and for the best treatment out there I recommend Tim Keller’s excellent book Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work. 

But for immediate application, if you are looking for a few simple ways to begin letting the gospel impact your work right now, here are two things that go to the heart of it:

  1. Do your work from acceptance with God, not for acceptance with God. Realize you are fully accepted in Christ apart from anything you do, through faith alone. Hence, you do not have to fall into the grueling race of working to prove yourself or validate your worth.
  2. Do your work for the good of others. Because God accepts us apart from our works, we are free to truly do it for others. This is a simple but radical shift. It means seeing your work as a way of serving and benefitting people, not just a way to make money or accomplish your goals. Do your work truly from love, from a good will toward others, just as everything in the Christian life is to be done from love (1 Corinthians 16:14). This is what it means to be “rendering service with a good will” (Ephesians 6:7).

The Vision of the Gospel Coalition

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I received the December issue of The Gospel Coalition newsletter in my inbox the other day, and I thought they did such a good job stating their vision for the organization that I wanted to share it here.

Here’s how they (Don Carson and Tim Keller) put it:

We helped to found The Gospel Coalition in 2005 with three goals in mind: first, to articulate the gospel in a theologically rich way to demonstrate its relevance to all biblical revelation and to all peoples; second, to deepen thinking and living to “act in line with the truth of the gospel” (Gal. 2:14); and third, to spread this vision of ministry to churches around the globe.

Most of you are familiar with TGC and its vision. Yet, in another sense, I think there is a lot here that is always worth a good refresher.

For example, note the first goal. Their point is that the gospel is at the heart of the Bible. In one sense that seems obvious, but that’s only because people like Carson and Keller have been making that point so well!

Many people still think of the Scriptures as a book of moral principles or disconnected stories. While it does teach us moral principles, and does have stories, the heart of everything — the center and that which connects everything together — is Christ himself, who died and rose again for us. All Scripture points to him ultimately, and is to be understood in that way.

If Christ and the gospel are at the heart of the Scriptures, then that means that mercy is at the heart of the Scriptures. For the gospel is at root a revelation of God’s mercy. And this leads to the second point: the gospel is to affect how we live every area of our lives.

It is, first of all, significant to realize that, just as the gospel is relevant to every facet of biblical revelation, so also the gospel is relevant to every area of our life. We are to think of every area of life in relation to the gospel. But what does this mean? Since the gospel is about God’s mercy, it means that we are to have a merciful angle in how we do and think about everything.

For example, with your business practices letting the gospel be the center doesn’t mean you don’t care about profit. But it does mean that you pursue profit in a people-affirming way — in a way that doesn’t use your employees or treat customers simply as a means to making money. Instead, you see your customers (and employees) as people who are valuable in themselves and whom you exist to bring real benefit to.

It also means that you don’t justify being inhuman or overly strict to people in the name of saying “this is just business.” Letting mercy govern how you do things means you act like a real human being, with emotion and compassion, in every area of life, including business.

Business is just a small example here. To act in line with the truth of the gospel in every area of life means to see yourself as a servant of others in every area, seeking to do what is right for them rather than first seeking to do what is right for yourself.

Third, this vision of the primacy of the gospel is so significant and crucial that it is not enough simply to live it; we must also spread it. And, of course, this is God’s call to his people. We are to believe the gospel, live in accord with the truth of the gospel, and spread the gospel and the vision for life that is in line with it to the world. The chief way that TGC does this is by spreading a gospel-centered vision to churches and ministries globally.

These three principles are incredibly profound, exciting, and life transforming. They are solid principles not just for a Christian ministry, but for a Christian life.

You can learn more about TGC’s vision in their vision for ministry document, and learn more about the ministry they are doing right now by checking out the full newsletter at their website.

How Satan Can Set Himself Up as the Guide and Oracle of God's People

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Jonathan Edwards:

One erroneous principle, than which scarce any has proved more mischievous to the present glorious work of God, is a notion that it is God’s manner in these days, to guide his saints, at least some that are more eminent, by inspiration, or immediate revelation.

They suppose he makes known to them what shall come to pass hereafter, or what it is his will that they should do, by impressions made upon their minds, either with or without texts of Scripture; whereby something is made known to them, that is not taught in Scripture.

By such a notion the devil has a great door opened for him; and if once this opinion should come to be fully yielded to, and established in the church of God, Satan would have opportunity to set up himself as the guide and oracle of God’s people, and to have his word regarded as their infallible rule, and so to lead them where he would, and to introduce what he pleased, and soon to bring the Bible into neglect and contempt.

(From Thoughts on the Revival of Religion in New England, part 4, section 2, page 404 in volume 2 of the Banner edition of Edwards’ works.)

Why Did Jesus Let Judas Carry the Moneybag?

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Why did Jesus let Judas carry the money bag during his ministry, knowing in his omniscience that he was stealing from it (John 12:6)? One blogger humorously points out “one is tempted to offer the Lord some consulting on good stewardship.”

It’s a provocative question. I’ve seen a few posts on this over the last few years that make some good points. But they don’t always get at why Jesus had the right to do this, and we don’t — and what this implies for what it means to follow Christ’s example. In relation to this question, I think the best answer is from Jonathan Edwards:

[Judas] had been treated by Jesus himself, in all external things, as if he had truly been a disciple, even investing him with the character of apostle, sending him forth to preach the gospel, and enduing him with miraculous gifts of the Spirit.

For though Christ knew him [that is, knew that he was a fraud], yet he did not then clothe himself with the character of omniscient Judge, and searcher of hearts, but acted the part of a minister of the visible church; (for he was his Father’s minister;) and therefore rejected him not, till he had discovered himself by his scandalous practice; thereby giving an example to guides and rulers of the visible church, not to take it upon them to act the part of searcher of hearts, but to be influenced in their administrations by what is visible and open.

Here are a few additional thoughts to flesh this out.

First, if it’s surprising that Jesus would have let Judas carry the money bag, it should be even more shocking that he let Judas be an apostle at all. For the task of going out and preaching the gospel, which Judas participated in, is even more significant than carrying the moneybag.

Second, Edwards’ point here is right on: Jesus was acting according to what would have been evident in his human nature, not what he knew from his omniscient divine nature, as it was not yet time for him to exercise the role of judge.

Thus, if Jesus had, in his human nature, actually seen Judas stealing from the money bag, I think he would have taken it away. Jesus was not intending to set an example for us here that we should knowingly appoint dishonest people to important positions. He was acting in accord with the knowledge he had not as omniscient judge, but according to the ordinary operations of his human nature. And on that basis there were likely no concerns with Judas yet.

In acting according to what was evident according to his role as minister of the visible church, Jesus was seeking to show, as Edwards points out, that we aren’t to act as though we know a person’s heart unless there are clear and obvious outward signs that reveal otherwise. In that sense, then, Jesus is modeling something for us here.

Third, obviously Jesus did have reasons in his sovereign will for appointing this task to Jesus. Perhaps it was to show all the more fully Judas’ sin and apostasy over the long-term (or, as Jon Bloom argues, to give an acted parable warning us against the love of money). However, Jesus’ sovereign will is never something we are to model. He has rights that we don’t. As the best Calvinists have always pointed out, we are to make the moral will of Christ our guide — not his sovereign will.

Fourth, it is a sobering thing that there are some people seeming to follow Christ that are not truly following him. That is a scary, shocking thing! It should lead us all to be all the more diligent to “make your calling and election sure” by constantly growing in grace (2 Peter 1:10).