Mental Illness, Theology, and Salvation

In the Cold War era, many Eastern European Baptists abandoned the concept of perseverance of the saints, popularly denoted as “once saved, always saved.” The reason for this was that under extreme communist persecution, people who has once firmly testified and demonstrated with their lives of being saved by Christ were renouncing Christ. Rather than claim that the fruits of these “renouncers” were bad because they were never saved to begin with, the churches accepted that the renouncers had once been saved but had “fallen from grace,” that is, had lost their salvation.

While I sit here in the air-conditioned comfort of my office, not worried about governmental persecution, financial or health-related collapse, or a myriad of other calamities, I say the Eastern European churches are wrong. I would support the view that, as 1 John says, “they went out from us because they were not of us.” While they appeared to be true believers, it was revealed by the pressure of the world that they were not. Probably. But…

A friend committed suicide last week. For nearly two decades, I saw him as a faithful follower of Christ, a leader of other men, a Sunday School teacher, and for a short time he pastored a small congregation while they needed someone like him. Our sons were best friends, and as married couples we were friends. A few years ago, in a battle to control his weight, he underwent a gastric surgery. Following that, he manifested severe bi-polar symptoms, so much so that the “old” friend might as well have been dead. Behaviors which had been totally foreign and anathema to him became commonplace as he vacillated from despondency (when he recognized his sinfulness) to cavalier (when he tried to justify that he was getting better). Eventually, he left our church, was divorced from his wife. He would occasionally attend other churches, but was irregular, and made little attempt to get stabilized on medication. He sought attention from his family, but did nothing toward reconciliation or repentence. He commented to others that demons had a hold on him and wouldn’t let him be.

In summary, this man encouraged and supported others in their pursuit of Christ and modeled that pursuit with his own life for many years. Then for the past 3 years, he lived without hope, most of the time acting like an unbeliever.

Someone very close to me commented, “At least he’s whole now, released from his diseased body, at peace with the Lord.” I really want to believe that’s true. And I really believe that as merciful and gracious as our Lord is, it’s abundantly probable. And because he was someone I knew, because he was my friend, I want to say he is with Christ now.

Yet, there is that niggling little bit of theology hanging around, that “perseverance of the saints.” If my friend was truly born-again, why would he act like he did for the past 3 years? Does mental illness abrogate his bad behavior, or does it reveal the true nature of the person, stripping away any façade that may have been built? Rather than bi-polar disorder, what about those with Alzheimer’s, Turret’s, or amnesia, who have faithfully followed Christ for decades, and end up behaving badly? I also want to believe that my theology doesn't have holes, that I understand what it means for one to persevere, and this event so close to home shows me that my understanding has gaps.

A friend told me of another situation in which a faithful pastor of many years was involved in an accident and lost his memory. All his experiences with church, all his theological education and thoughts....gone! Blessedly, his is now studying with another pastor to relearn all he has lost. But what if, after this brain trauma, the man rejected Christ? Which part of his life, the first being grace-filled and Christ-loving, or the hypothetical second, Christ-rejecting, would reflect his eternal soul?

I don’t have an answer. I do know one thing. While my theology tends to keep me confident in the wisdom and power of God, it must also keep me humble. I know not with certainty about my friend, but I do trust in the rightness of my heavenly Father. I'll be satisfied to continue encouraging the living.

Cornerstone Songs for 6/28/2009

Lee Tankersley is preaching this Sunday from Daniel 9. This text includes a powerful prayer in which Daniel confess his and Israel's sinfulness before the Lord. He pleads that the Lord God forgive Israel and him and restore Jerusalem because of His great compassion and promises to "Thy people who are called by Thy name." Rather than avoiding facing the sins of the people, Daniel fully recognizes that their captivity has happened because of their unfaithfulness. Yet, he remembers that there is hope: God hears the prayer of the brokenhearted, He forgives those of humble spirit, He acts decisively to preserve His people. In addition, the angel Gabriel is sent to tell Daniel of the times to come when Jerusalem will be delivered and when the Messiah will come.

This Sunday we will sing of the honor and glory of God, remembering that He is the one who forgives and cleanses. We also rejoice in the visitation of hope, our Savior, Jesus the Christ, and we anticipate His return.

O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing
O Lord to You
Give Us Clean Hands
Psalm 51 (God Be Merciful To Me)
Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus
Joy to the World

Bill

Cornerstone Songs for 6/21/2009

Chad Davis has been an elder and our main preacher for almost 2 1/2 years. He was asked to fill this role when Lee Tankersley took a sabbatical to complete doctoral classes at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

This Sunday is Chad's last regular time to preach as one of our Elders. Lee is back from seminary, and next Saturday Chad will be installed as an Elder (and the main preacher) at Grace Church in Martin, TN. This is a church plant started because several families from that area were driving all the way to Jackson for worship at Cornerstone.

Chad's text will be Hebrews 12:1-2.

Hebrews12:(1) Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (2)fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.(NASB)

The writer of Hebrews has shown how Christ is better than the shadows provided by the Law, Temple, sacrifices, Levitical priests, and points to the reality of the promises of God. After recounting the faithfulness of people such as Abel, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Rahab, David, the prophets and many others, he exhorts us to be faithful, enduring to the end, not deterred by sin. We are to fix our eyes on Jesus (not just any Messiah concept, but the specific person, Jesus) the initiator of faith, the completer of faith, who was not deterred by the cross and now intercedes for us from His royal and authoritative position in the real throne room.

Our service will begin and end with songs extolling the excellence of God. Psalm 29 was structured for singing by Chad, and will be sung to the tune "Austrian Hymn" (which is used for "Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken" and "Word of God, Across the Ages.") The remaining three remind us of the work of our Savior in removing the penalty, guilt and burden of sin in both our daily lives and for eternity. Sing boldly for our Savior is bold!

Holy, Holy, Holy
Psalm 29 (Davis)
How Sweet and Awful Is the Place
Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross
I Will Glory in My Redeemer
Worthy of Worship

Bill

Cornerstone Songs for 6/14/2009

The text this week is Daniel 8 and Chad Davis will be preaching.

This chapter tells us of another of Daniel's visions, but this time we have at least a partial explanation. The Medes and Persians are to be conquered by Greece. Greece will thrive under their first king. Eventually, a terrible and strong king will attack the holy ones of God and truth itself, but God will, at the proper time, deliver His people. The vision and its explanation are so shocking that Daniel becomes ill. Like Daniel, we are not immune to the pressures of the spiritual war that rages around us, and we hurt for those who are harmed. We struggle to remember that our powerful Lord is never surprised by the prince of darkness, often because we long to see the rule of peace and kindness. As the end draws near, the persecution of God's people and the desecration of God's truth will continue. This end struggle, however, cannot withstand the power and love that God has toward His creation and His people. Let us be encouraged in singing of the beautiful truths of God and His Christ Jesus.

This is My Father's World
Shout to the Lord
O God our Help in Ages Past
Jesus the Conqueror Reigns
Before the Throne of God Above
Amazing Love

Bill

Cornerstone Services

I attend Cornerstone Community Church, a Southern Baptist church, in Jackson, TN. Our services are a mix of traditional piety, youthful joy, and reformation. In them, we seek to encourage one another to focus on the love and power of our Savior, Jesus Christ, through the clear exposition of Scripture in preaching and the singing of "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs."

The structure of our services is a little different from most Southern Baptist churches. First, we have no choir and no musical conductor, and the congregation does all the singing. We do have musicians (instrumental and vocal) up front as leaders, but the focus is intended to be on the songs, not the people. The words are projected (without flowers or swirling colors) on a screen, but hymn sheets with music are available for most songs. In singing hymns, we sing all the verses.


Our service order follows this general pattern:

• Psalm reading (selected by the preacher), but sometimes a different scripture
  
• Prayer
  
• 2 songs
  
• Scripture reading
  
• prayer
  
• 2 more songs
  
• offering (with an offertory or introducing a new song)
  
• time of corporate intercession (for 1 specific church or ministry or family) or welcoming and praying with new members
• sermon
  
• communion with congregational singing during the passing of the elements. Yes, we have communion every Sunday.
  
• final song
  
• scripture benediction

Yes, we enjoy congregational singing!

I am responsible for choosing the songs we sing each Sunday, and I try to bring a focus to the text of each sermon. With my choices, I write a brief explanation of relationship I see between the text and the songs I choose. I will be posting those each week from now on.

Bill

Free: 365 Lessons in Astronomy

That's right! This year is the Year of Astronomy, and every day there will be a new and interesting podcast concerning a topic relating to astronomy, all the way from telescopes to pulsars with seasons and the North Star in between.

Here is the podcast website, and you can even subscrible via RSS feed or iTunes.

There is much more to the universe than stardust, and the awesome picture painted "out there" emphasizes to me how awesome God truly is.

Evidence of Life in the Milky Way

I usually learn new things from my students while grading tests, especially Earth & Space. The things I learn most often remind me that 1) people don't have good memories, and 2) people don't think, even when they KNOW they have to remember and think.

Here are a few of some amazing "facts":

• We know there is life on Jupiter. (should be Earth)
  
• We know there is life on Mars.
  
• The Earth is cooling down. It has a temperature of 3 K. (that's about minus 454 Fahrenheit)
  
• The Earth is expanding. (don't know where that came from)
  
• The Earth appears to be young. (No, it appears to be old.)
  
• Everything appears to be the same age. (No, there are vastly different apparent ages.)
  
• The most recent modification of the standard model of the Big Bang theory is called the Interactional model. (should be the inflationary model)
  
• Evidence and model are interchangeable concepts. I asked for evidence (data) that support a certain model. I was given "inflationary model."
  
• The closest star to our Sun is 0.52 or 33.6 light-years away. (No, it is 4.3 l-y.)
  
• The time between full moons is 4 or 7 or 14 days. (Should be 29.5 days.)
  
• Kyoto, Japan is 4 time zones behind Washington, DC. (Really, it's 14

But they all knew that our home galaxy is called the Milky Way. (Okay, so I did ask the question later What is the classification of the Milky Way Galaxy? Maybe I'll change that to Andromeda next time. Will life disappear from the Milky Way?