Worshiping

Home Worshiping Page 6

Why Be Moral?

When you ask “why be moral?” your answer needs to be more than, “Because it’s the right thing to do.” That is circular. What makes something the right thing? What goal does a man achieve by doing right?

Some answer that, “Virtue is it’s own reward.” Others answer that “Morality benefits others, and that is what really matters.”

But what motivation does Scripture offer? Your life. Your reward.

Christian Motivation: An Interview with Lydia Borengasser

“Put others first.” “You think too highly of yourself.” “You’re selfish.”

If you hear these ideas enough, they can take over your understanding of morality.

What should our motivation be? Why care about doing the right thing?

I recently interviewed a writer named Lydia Borengasser. We found common ground on the controversial topic of Christian motivation.

What Exactly Is Worship in the Bible?

Have you ever asked this? I want to share a helpful way of understanding what worship consists of.

We can worship God because he has spoken. That’s where worship in the Bible starts: God speaking. If he had not told us who he is and what pleases him, we would have no way to worship him. It is helpful to understand worship as a sequence: God’s revelation to us, and our response to him. In God’s revealed word he shows how he wants us to respond. He doesn’t leave us guessing how to worship him.

“Self” on Trial: A Look at Christian Motivation

Wikimedia Commons

As Christian leaders speak out for missions, some have set up “self” as a bogeyman. I regularly hear pastors rail against “self.” Apparently, the lowest insult is that a person be “selfish.”

I don’t accept this understanding of Christian motivation. In fact, “right and wrong” are categories for guiding us in pursuing life; and for any individual man, this means: his own life. Therefore, “self-interest” (a.k.a. selfishness) is the very foundation of morality.

The Importance of Reversing John Piper’s Maxim

Can John Piper’s famous maxim be reversed?

Piper said the chief end of man is “to glorify God by enjoying him forever.”

But what if we said the chief end of man is “enjoy God by glorifying him forever”?

These statements have different meanings. Let me show how they are both true. Piper’s version speaks of God’s purposes for us. God made us so that we could enjoy him and thus bring him glory. There is a means and an end.