We start by encouraging doubting Christians to look away from themselves to Christ and to the free grace of God. Many of our doubts find their root in the secret fear that we must do something to prime the pump of grace. The gospel speaks eloquently to such insecurity. To receive grace, we need no other prior qualification or merit besides sin. At no point in the golden chain of salvation is God waiting for us to take the first step before He will open the floodgates of grace. Every Godward thought, every desire for Christ, comes down from above and is itself the fruit of grace—grace previously and freely given.
In the quest for a well-grounded assurance, many teachers would have us stop there. To their mind, the equation of certainty goes something like this: Jesus + nothing = everything. Are they right? Well, yes and no. When it comes to the question, “How can I be saved?” they are spot on: “I need no other argument, I need no other plea, it is enough that Jesus died, and that He died for me.” But strictly speaking, that is not the question we are dealing with here. We are concerned not with the question, “How can I be saved?” but with the additional question, “How can I know I am saved?” And when it comes to answering that question, we must go further than just passively looking to Jesus. The Bible demands we go further by actually living out that faith in a life of what one author called, “a long obedience in the same direction.”
The reason for this, I trust, is clear: looking to Christ and living for Christ go together like water and wet. They cannot be separated. Indeed, in the life of faith, they feed off one another. In a spiritual chain reaction, we will find that the more we look to the Savior, the more we will love Him, and the more we love Him, the more we will find ourselves living for Him. And, coming full circle, the more we live for Him, the more we will find ourselves looking to Him, ever firmer in the conviction that we can do nothing without Christ.
We see echoes of this truth all over the Bible. In Philippians 2, for example, Paul exhorts his hearers to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. Why? “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (v. 13). I can never read those words without hearing Eric Alexander’s booming, sonorous tones: “We work out what He works in.” And we do it not to earn grace, you understand, but as a response to grace.
Or, consider Paul’s teaching in Titus 2:11–14, where he reminds the church in Crete that “the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation for all people.” Now what does this grace do? Does it only receive us as sinners and leave us just as we are without one plea? No, it does more than that. It trains us “to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.” Paul’s point is clear: Grace always makes a real difference in the lives of real people. So, when that difference is missing (or falls by the wayside), sooner or later it raises the question of whether grace was ever there in the first place.
Peter ostensibly makes the same point in the first chapter of his second epistle. Follow his argument with me. First, he greets the church with the assured blessing of God’s multiplied grace and peace in Christ (2 Peter 1:2), confident that God Himself has given us all the resources we need for life and godliness (v. 3). Using these resources, the Christian is able both to escape the world and its corrupting influence, and to become more and more like God (v. 4). As a result, Peter urges his hearers to put on an expansive list of Christian virtues (vv. 5–7). These virtues are necessary if we are to live fruitful lives in God’s service (vv. 8–10). It is by making a practice of such a lifestyle that we make our calling and election sure (v. 10). This is the way to enter into eternity with full assurance (v. 11).
So, do you see that the Bible clearly teaches that making our calling and election sure is the everyday duty of every faithful Christian? And we fulfill this duty by turning from sin to Christ. True assurance will never be found going in the opposite direction.
Is this not why Paul warned the Roman church, “If you live according to the flesh you will die” (Rom. 8:13)? Commenting on these verses, John Murray said, “Here is an inevitable and inviolable sequence, a sequence which God himself does not and cannot violate.” So, no matter how confident you or I might be of our election, if we live according to the flesh, we will die in hell forever. The same logic undergirds Paul’s repeated warning for us to put off the deeds of the flesh, for “those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:21; see 1 Cor. 6:9).
Not even Paul’s great understudy, Timothy, is immune from the sharp edge of this teaching:
This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander. (1 Tim. 1:18–20)
Paul is clearly warning Timothy here not to follow these men’s example. If he does, following God’s inevitable and inviolable sequence, he can expect to share their fate (1 Tim. 1:20).
For this reason, when I am dealing with a professed Christian who lacks assurance of their salvation, once I have made sure they understand the gospel, I try to ensure that they are living it out in a life of repentance and faith. For in my experience as a pastor, when I find a Christian who really struggles with assurance, it is almost always because they are embracing a life-controlling, conscience-defiling, presumptuous sin (Ps. 19:13). In such cases, for true assurance to start, this pattern of disobedience must stop.
Addressing the age-old problem of mental adultery, wasn’t this the very point Jesus made in His famous Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:27–29)? “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.” Do these words not clearly teach that, from the perspective of the Lord Christ, sanctification is a life and death matter. Before the chickens come home to roost, and they will, the soul enslaved to sexual sin (or for that matter any other sin) faces a simple choice: Lose your lust or lose your soul. John Owen said as much in his most famous quip: “Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you”—killing your soul, killing your assurance of God’s love, and killing your certainty that when you come to die, you will go to heaven.
Perhaps the Holy Spirit has brought these words home to your heart. As the prophet spoke to King David after his adultery with Bathsheba, your conscience is pointing its accusing finger, exclaiming, “You are the man!” (2 Sam. 12:7). Take comfort and run to the Savior. He stands as ready as ever to rescue, redeem, and forgive you. His promise, “Whoever comes to me I will never cast out,” is as good for you as it is for any (John 6:37). Anyone who comes, He will take in. And what He would do for any, He will do for you. Come to Jesus, and you will find in Him more than enough grace to subdue your sins, trampling them under His feet, and casting them into the depths of the sea (Mic. 7:18–20). Come to Jesus. You have a heaven to win, a hell to lose, and not a moment to waste! Of that, you can be certain.
Editor’s Note: This post is part of a series on assurance and was originally published on November 13, 2019. Next post.
The three Pastoral Epistles are unique among Paul’s thirteen letters because they were written to Paul’s co-workers, Timothy and Titus, who were exercising pastoral oversight of churches. Both men were dealing with false teachers and other trials that made pastoral duties challenging. Although addressed to Timothy and Titus, the letters end with Paul’s benediction, “Grace be with you,” with “you” in the original Greek being plural. Thus, they are, in a sense, semi-public. Paul expected the letters to be read to the entire church. With this in mind, let’s look at four tips for reading the Pastoral Epistles.
Many Christians today have lost a sense of the importance of the church. To them, the Christian life is more focused on their personal relationship with Christ than on being an active member of the body of Christ. Paul’s concern in the Pastoral Epistles is for the health and faithfulness of the church. It is the place where God’s people are nurtured and grow in faith. This is why Paul spends time detailing qualifications for godly leaders, including both elders (1 Tim. 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–16) and deacons (1 Tim. 3:8–13). It is also why Paul repeatedly exhorts Timothy to devote himself to the teaching and preaching ministry of the church. A healthy church requires God’s people to be fed the manna of the read and preached Word of God.
The Pastoral Epistles, although written to individuals, aim to build up Christ’s church and encourage active corporate life together. This includes worship together (1 Tim. 2; 4:13), working and serving together (2 Tim. 2:21; Titus 3:1), generosity to others in the church (1 Tim. 6:17–19), and serving one another faithfully. In the Pastoral Epistles, Paul presents the church as central to the Christian life, not an afterthought or add-on.
Paul takes up more time in the Pastoral Epistles combatting false teaching than any other subject. In 1 Timothy, he devotes three passages throughout the letter to false teachers. In fact, at the beginning of the letter, instead of the standard section of thanks that normally follows the opening greeting in Paul’s letters and which was customary in his day, he immediately addresses the false teachers at Ephesus (1 Tim. 1:3–11). Paul comes back to the false teachers in chapter 4 and again in chapter 6. Combatting false teaching is also prominent in 2 Timothy and Titus.
Why does Paul so strenuously combat false teaching, even setting aside social convention in letter-writing to do so? Because false teaching is a life-and-death matter. Salvation and eternal life rest on believing and holding fast to the truth revealed by God in Christ. Thus, Paul treats it as deadly serious. As Paul writes of the false teaching in Galatia, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump” (Gal. 5:9).
The flip side of combatting false teaching is the necessity of teaching the truth. This leads to a third tip for reading the Pastoral Epistles.
Paul gives instructions for many ministries of the church, but the one he emphasizes most is the ministry of preaching and teaching the Word of God. He exhorts Timothy to “devote [himself] to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation [preaching], to teaching” (1 Tim. 4:13). The ministry of the Word is critical to faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Moreover, sitting under the Word strengthens the faith of God’s people. In 2 Timothy, Paul exhorts his younger colleague to “preach the Word . . . in season and out of season . . . for the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions” (2 Tim. 4:2–3).
The ministry of the church also includes corporate prayer—for those in the church, as well as for rulers and authorities outside of it (1 Tim. 2:1–2). It involves the hands-on ministry of elders and deacons. Qualified elders are needed to care for God’s people spiritually as shepherds. Deacons are entrusted with a ministry of mercy, caring for physical needs. While deacons often do their work in the background, unseen by most in the church, God gives a wonderful promise that “those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 3:13). All ministries are vital to the proper functioning of the church, yet the Word is central.
Historically, Paul has often been depicted negatively—even by many in the church. A popular physical description of Paul is that he was short, bald, and bowlegged, with a big nose and one unbroken eyebrow, usually wearing a scowl on his face. Paul has also been described as irritable and unable to get along with people. He parted ways with Barnabas, the son of encouragement, of all people. And he refused to give Mark a second chance.
Yet, as is displayed in Acts and his other letters, Paul’s love and compassion for others overflows in the Pastoral Epistles. He refers to Timothy as “my son” and as “my beloved child.” He calls Titus “my true child in a common faith.” But we especially see Paul’s heart for others at the end of his last letter, 2 Timothy. We hear his heartbreak over those who abandoned him. But we also see his love for other colleagues and friends, such as Timothy, Luke, and even Mark, with whom he has evidently been reconciled. The Pastoral Epistles make it clear that Paul’s deep love for Christ overflows in his love for others.
This article is part of the Hermeneutics collection.
]]>Once we are rescued from sin and death to receive new life in Christ, we have the privilege of daily growing in the knowledge of our Savior. This week only, discover a collection of discounted discipleship resources on the person and work of Jesus Christ.
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To Seek and to Save: Daily Reflections on the Road to the Cross
Meet the people Jesus encountered on the way to the cross with these reflections by Dr. Sinclair Ferguson. Each day’s entry in this book allows you to think about a passage of Luke’s gospel with a short meditation, reflection questions, and space to respond in prayer.
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]]>Perhaps such people give formal assent to the church’s historic creeds and catechisms. However, practically, neither the Holy Scriptures nor these documents inform their personal decisions, vocational commitments, moral convictions, and worldview. If they are not officially atheists, they are not far from it.
The radical departure of our generation from the truth in favor of an anemic Christianity must be answered with a radical return to orthodoxy and orthopraxy. The God of the Bible affirms His holy purity by revealing that He is light, with no darkness in Him at all (1 John 1:5). Every regenerate and forgiven believer is summoned to practice a holiness that will testify to their identification with God’s holiness, even though their holiness is imperfectly expressed. Because God is holy, God’s people must also be holy (Lev. 11:44).
In the New Testament, the apostle Peter quotes this passage from Leviticus, giving us a clear picture of the rationale for a return to a more radicalized Christianity (see 1 Peter 1:13–16). He points out that we must be radical for Christ in separating ourselves from this world and imitating God, knowing that our time here on earth is short and this world is not our home.
Anticipating the Future
Peter writes, “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13). The central thought in this verse is expressed in the command, “hope to the end.” We are called to wait for the Lord in joyful anticipation of the completion of the good work He has begun within us (Phil. 1:6). This hope is strong, wholehearted, and unwavering in its expectancy and desire.
The focus of our gaze must always be upward and forward, not backward or around us. There must be a longing in our hearts for the beautiful city of God, combined with a holy indifference to the things of this world that we will all inevitably leave behind us. Even the good things in our lives should not be allowed to own us. There must be a readiness in the twinkling of an eye to trade this mortality for immortality and the corruptible for that which is incorruptible (1 Cor. 15:51–52).
Separation from the Worldliness
Peter goes on, “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance” (1 Peter 1:14). Peter’s gentile hearers were to mortify the evil desires that characterized their past pagan lives. It is a totalitarian call to turn one’s life in a new direction, ceasing to conform to the manners and morals of pagan society. Peter’s readers were to be motivated and incentivized by the new paradigm in which they now lived, as obedient children of God. They rejected the pretentious autonomy that is the essence of rebellion against the true and living God. In its place was a call to integrity—to be known consistently for their obedience to God.
True believers in Jesus Christ have no interest in blending in with the status quo. Because obedience to Christ is our new identity, we will, of necessity, become subversives who are determined to undermine the wicked and perverse patterns of the world in which we must now live. We are biblical separatists and radicals, and we will never accept the corruption of this world, no matter how strongly it infiltrates the environment around us.
Imitating Our God
God has not only commanded holiness; God Himself is the standard for Christian holiness. We are only to do what is consistent with God’s character. Peter concludes this section of his epistle by saying, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15–16). He admonishes the believers to be dedicated to the God of the Bible, a God of absolute moral purity. They, like their God, are to be marked by moral purity in a way that makes them quite distinct from people around them.
When believers sin, they forget who they are. We are a royal priesthood, a peculiar people, God’s special possession (1 Peter 2:9). We must not forget that we are joint heirs with Christ and that our inheritance is secure in Him. Thus, we cannot allow ourselves to become common and profane.
A radical call to holiness does not imply that we are proud or part of a pretentious spiritual aristocracy. We are not looking down on anyone, but we are looking up at the Lord Jesus and so we cannot be ordinary, for our Savior is extraordinary—He is altogether lovely. We cannot engage in the works of darkness, for our God is light, and in Him, there is no darkness at all. We cannot be profane, for we have an exalted calling to share in Christ’s ministry of reconciliation. Our life must be consistent with our eternal destination. We will dwell forever in the very presence of the immortal, invisible, only wise God. As the Scottish pastor John Brown once wrote, “Holiness does not consist in mystic speculations, enthusiastic fervours, or uncommanded austerities; it consists in thinking as God thinks and willing as God wills.”
This is an excerpt from Pastor Hensworth Jonas’s latest book, Radical Discipleship.
]]>I enjoy these pastoral conversations, because that is my story. A covenant child who made a profession of faith at age six, I never went the way of the Prodigal. But I did ask Jesus into my heart at least a hundred times because, “What if . . . ?” Each time I prayed the sinner’s prayer, I hoped to rise the next morning an indisputably new man, one able to look back on that moment—that pleading and answered prayer—as the definitive marker of my salvation. It never happened.
Years later, I came to see that I was looking for assurance in all the wrong places. Under some faithful preaching and teaching, I finally laid hold of the precious gift of having “confidence before God” (1 John 3:21). In subsequent years of ministry, it has been a joy to help other believers, especially those who grew up as covenant children, look in all the right places to discern the reality of their salvation.
Yes, all the right places, for there is not one place only, but at least three taken together, that believers should look for assurance of salvation. G.K. Beale helpfully presents them as the triangle of assurance.1 If you often struggle with assurance of salvation, I would encourage you to consider these three sides to assurance: faith in God’s promise, feeling our sin, and fruit in our lives.
“If I’m a Christian, why does my faith feel so weak?” I’ve heard that question spoken across the table and rattling in my own mind. The question assumes that if we were to “take a peek under the hood” and look at the inner workings of our faith, we should be impressed by what we see. But an honest look at our faith rarely makes a favorable impression. Why?
Biblical faith isn’t supposed to look like a six-cylinder engine powering our lives. Rather, it looks more like the small accelerator pedal on the floorboard—unimpressive and utterly powerless in itself but designed for connection with the true source of power. Just as we wouldn’t say, “The accelerator pedal of my car powered us over the mountain,” in the same way we shouldn’t say, “My faith got me through this.” Rather, faith connects us to God Himself acting according to His divine promises. Paul does not tell us that Abraham was impressed with his own faith but rather that Abraham was, by faith, impressed with God’s faithfulness and power to fulfill His promises, being “fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised” (Rom. 4:20–21, emphasis added).
The nature of true faith is to look not at itself, which may disappoint us, but to look away from itself to Christ, who will never disappoint us. I know of no one who has put it better than John Murray: “All the efficacy resides in the Savior. . . . It is not even faith in Christ that saves, but Christ that saves through faith. . . . The specific character of faith is that it looks away from itself and finds its whole interest and object in Christ. He is the absorbing preoccupation of faith.”2
Or, in the words of A.W. Tozer, “Faith is the gaze of the soul upon a saving God.”3
If you often lament the weakness of your faith, ask yourself, “Do I believe that Christ is who He says He is, and that ‘He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him’ (Heb. 7:25, emphasis added)?” Lift your eyes away from your faith and fix them instead on Christ—that’s what faith is for.
The second side of the triangle of assurance is the evidence of fruit in our lives. Beale writes that believers find assurance “as they look back at their former life and see the changes that have come about since they became a Christian.”4 Those with dramatic conversion stories can look back and mark the enormous difference between who they once were and who they are now.
Those without dramatic conversion experiences can feel unsettled when they try to “look back at their former life.” First, they’re usually not able to put their finger on a watershed moment sharply dividing the person they “once were” from the person they “are now.” Second, they can easily disparage the degree of change in their lives as small compared to that of someone who started much farther from the Father’s home. “She went from atheism, drug addiction, and promiscuity to becoming an amazing Christian mother and passionate witness to Christ. If I grew that much, shouldn’t I at least be Mother Teresa? Could this be a sign I’m not actually saved?”
It can help to remember that the New Testament not only gives us the example of Paul, dramatically converted from a persecutor of the church to become the great missionary to the gentiles, but also of Timothy, growing gradually in his faith since childhood (2 Tim. 1:5, 3:14–15). If Paul’s journey was like that of a man who began at sea level, but ended with him standing atop Mount Everest, then Timothy’s was like that of a Himalayan Sherpa, born in the high mountains and trained from childhood to scale the peaks that he called home. The fact Timothy began his life in the high mountains didn’t make him any less of a climber than Paul. And the same is true for covenant children, for whom it should be considered a great privilege, not a source of regret, to be have been brought up on the slopes of Mount Zion (Heb. 12:21–22).
This does not mean covenant children are free from struggles and slips and perhaps seasons when storm clouds hide the heights of God’s grace from view. But it is not uncommon for covenant children, through it all, to have an abiding sense that the majestic peaks of the Father’s love have always surrounded them, echoing with the words, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours” (Luke 15:31). Rather than regret their lack of a dramatic conversion experience, they should rejoice that God has made the grand drama of the covenant of grace, flowing from one generation to another generation, to be the defining backdrop and heartbeat of their lives.
Looking within their own hearts, they should see changes that, though smaller and more gradual than the Prodigal’s dramatic turn, are nonetheless real. Over time—years and decades—they can discern gradual changes in their attitudes and actions stemming from a gradually growing view of God, of His grace in Christ, and of their own sin. This brings us to the third and last side of the triangle of assurance.
Many people doubt their salvation under the constant weight of this thought, “I don’t know how I can be a true Christian if I’m still discovering and fighting against so much sin in my life!” They imagine a true Christian would have an easier time with sin than they do. If that’s you, I have good news for you—this weighty thought may be one of the surest signs that you’re a Christian.
G.K. Beale writes, “When Christians think or do unholy things, there should be immediate conflict and dissonance with the indwelling Spirit.”5 Notice Beale’s well-chosen words: “When Christians think or do unholy things . . .” Jesus didn’t teach us to pray daily, “Forgive us our debts” (Matt. 6:12), for show—He taught us to pray that from an ever-growing sense of the holiness of the Father’s name, producing in us an ever-growing sense of our sin.
It is critical to remember that only the regenerate child of God grieves and hates sin as sin. The unbeliever may grieve and oppose particular sins or the consequences of sin.6 But to be filled with a sense of “the filthiness and odiousness of his sins” as something “contrary to the holy nature and righteous law of God” (Westminster Confession of Faith 15.2)—that’s a sure mark of true salvation.
So if you find yourself thinking, “I don’t know how I can be a true Christian if I’m still discovering and fighting against so much sin in my life,” you may need to rephrase that and say, “I must be a true Christian since I’m still discovering and fighting against so much sin in my life!” And don’t forget: it won’t last forever. Complete freedom from sin awaits us in glory, and you are one day nearer to glory than you were a day ago.
If you find yourself doubting your salvation because your faith seems so weak, your fruit seems so little, and your sense of sin seems so great, it may be that you’re correct about all these things but are misreading their significance. These are, contrary to your doubts, the signs of one who is safe in the arms of Jesus. And never lose sight of the fact that the most dramatic aspect of any believer’s salvation is the drama of what God has done to bring all of His elect to salvation: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on April 14, 2021.
The Law of God, also known as the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), is not always easy to understand. A proper approach to the Law would emphasize that we can learn from all the laws of the Old Testament, even if we no longer observe some of them because they have been fulfilled in Christ. Several principles are given to help us understand this biblical genre.
The threefold division of the Law is commonly defined as the moral law, the ceremonial law, and the civil law. The moral law is summarized by the Ten Commandments. They are absolute and universal statements that have no specific penalties attached to them and were written by the finger of God (Ex. 31:18). They are foundational for the rest of the laws in the Old Testament and are quoted by the Apostles as still binding on Christians today (Rom. 13:8–10; Eph. 6:1).
The ceremonial laws focus on the worship of Israel and the matter of being clean and unclean, because if someone is in a state of uncleanness, he or she is not able to worship at the tabernacle. They include the laws related to sacrifice (Lev. 1–7), to food (Lev. 11), and to various conditions that relate to being unclean (Lev. 12–15).
The civil laws focus on governing Israel and include laws that deal with judges who apply the law (Deut. 17:8–13), various social conditions such as slavery and indentured servitude (Ex. 21:1–11; Lev. 25:39–55), and other situations that require the regulation of human behavior (Ex. 21:12–26; Lev. 24:17–23; Deut. 19:1–22:8). Although the distinction between the moral, ceremonial, and civil laws is not absolute, it is a helpful teaching device that is affirmed in the New Testament by how the Apostles refer to the Old Testament laws.
A common way of explaining how the law relates to the lives of God’s people is often described as the “threefold use of the law.” The law has curses attached to it, which apply to God’s people when they do not trust God and when they persist in disobedience. This is known as the first use of the law, by which the law acts as a mirror and shows us our need for redemption. The second use of the law refers to the restraining function of the law that warns people of the civil consequences if they break the law. The third use of the law emphasizes the blessings of God’s law. The law is given to God’s people in the context of redemption (Ex. 20:2) so that God’s people know how to live in a way that is pleasing to Him. In this sense, the law functions in our sanctification to help us grow in our relationship with God.
As an example of the New Testament’s authorization of the threefold use of the law, we see how Paul uses the sixth commandment, “You shall not murder,” in all three uses: the first use in James 2:9–11, the second use in 1 Timothy 1:9–10, and the third use in Romans 13:9–10. We are condemned by the law because we have broken it, but the good news is that Christ has fulfilled the law for us by perfectly keeping it. As we stand before God our judge, He justifies us by declaring us righteous through faith in what Christ has accomplished for us. In sanctification we relate to God as our Father and the law is a blessing to strengthen our relationship with Him.
Certain changes took place when Christ fulfilled the law, which affects how the law relates to God’s people today.
Although the moral law is binding, even the moral law has ceremonial elements that are affected by the coming of Christ. For example, the day of rest and worship of the fourth commandment was the seventh day as a commemoration of creation and redemption (Ex. 20:8–11; Deut. 5:12–15). In the new covenant, believers worship on the first day because the resurrection of Christ inaugurated the new creation. We rejoice in His victory over sin and death and look forward to our final eschatological rest when He comes again (Rev. 1:10; Heb. 4:1–11).
The civil laws of the Old Testament relate to Israel as a nation. They establish principles of righteousness given by our righteous King that can be instructive to the rulers of the world and our lives as Christians, even if those exact laws do not need to be established today in the same way (see Westminster Confession of Faith 19.4 on the “general equity” of the civil law). The Apostles relate the death penalty of the civil laws to the possibility of excommunication in church discipline, which has the same effect of keeping the people of God pure (see 1 Cor. 5:13; Deut. 17:7).
The ceremonial law regulates sacrifices, principles of being clean and unclean, and ceremonies related to the temple. These laws are now abrogated and fulfilled by the work of Christ. He is the sacrifice offered to God so that we don’t bring sacrifices as part of our worship (Heb. 10:11–14). He is the temple bringing to us the reality of the presence of God so that we don’t worship in one geographical place but are scattered throughout the nations worshipping “in spirit and truth” (John 2:19; 4:24). Certain regulations related to food and blood no longer make God’s people unclean so that the Jews could take the gospel to the gentiles in fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19–20; Acts 10:9–14). For those who are followers of Christ, the law is good:
O how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.” (Ps. 119:97)
This article is part of the Hermeneutics collection.
]]>"Therefore, forasmuch as no man is excluded from calling upon God, the gate of salvation is set open unto all men; neither is there any other thing which keepeth us back from entering in, save only our own unbelief" - John Calvin, Commentary of the Acts of the apostles 2:21
In this fifth part, I would like to begin looking at the mentions of Thomas Aquinas in the 7 Volumes of his “Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews”.
As I mentioned previously, there are 20 of the 36 works which do not have any mention of Thomas Aquinas (not even in editorial footnotes). And from the other 16 books there are only 36 mentions of Thomas Aquinas. The first four parts covered 22 of those 36 mentions and this post will cover an additional 6. Including the information in this post, the 28 mentions of Aquinas only span 11 books. Counting the 20 without mentions, this is 31 of the 36 books which we will have covered by the end of this post.
The posts from Hebrews will be in multiple parts and they will be in order of occurrence
Mentions of Aquinas in An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews, Vol. 1
In this first citation, Owen is discussing the definition and contents of the Canon of Scripture and cites the synod at Laodicea, the deposition of Paulus Samosatenus, Irenaeus, Chrysostom, Augustine and Aquinas. The only thing he states about Aquinas is a basic definition of the Canon.
Section I. The canonical authority of the Epistle to the Hebrews: And he pursues the metaphor of a scale and a measure in many words elsewhere. And thus Aquinas himself confesseth the Scripture is called canonical, because it is the rule of our understanding in the things of God; and such a rule it is as hath authority over the consciences of men, to bind them unto faith and obedience, because of its being given of God by inspiration for that purpose.
Next, and in the same section, Owen mentions how some have objected to the canonical authority of Hebrews because of various things in Chapters 11 and 12 stated as being from the Old Testament but not contained in the Old Testament writings. He brings up a poor solution offered by Aquinas with which Owen disagrees.
Section I. The canonical authority of the Epistle to the Hebrews: The remaining objections are more particular and direct to their purpose by whom they are pleaded; as, first, that the author of this Epistle cites sundry things out of the Old Testament which are not therein contained. Such are many of the stories related in the 11th chapter; and that, in particular, in chap. 12:21, where he affirms that Moses, upon the terror of the sight that appeared unto him, said, “I exceedingly fear and quake.” This place Erasmus supposeth Jerome to have intended when he says that some things are mentioned in this Epistle that are not recorded in the Old Testament. And Aquinas perplexeth himself in seeking for a solution unto this difficulty; for, first, he would refer the place to Moses’ sight of the Angel in the bush, and not to the giving of the law, contrary to the express discourse of the context. And then he adds, “Dixit saltem facto;” though he said not so, yet he did so. And lastly, worst of all, “Vel forte apostolus aliâ utitur literâ quam nos non habemus;”—”Or, it may be, the apostle used another text, that we have not.” But there is no need of any of these evasions. The author quotes no book nor testimony of the Old Testament, but only relates a matter of fact, and one circumstance of it, which doubtless he had by divine revelation, whereof there is no express mention in the place where the whole matter is originally recorded.
The final mention in the first Volume is again a mention of Aquinas alongside other authors. Owen states agreement with this notion if it was meant only that Paul us unskilled in “seducing, enticing rhetoric”.
Section II. Of the penman of the Epistle to the Hebrews: Again, he answers by concession in this place, Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἰδιώτης τῷ λόγῳ,—”Suppose I be (or were) rude or unskilful in speech, doth this matter depend thereon? Is it not manifest unto you that I am not so in the knowledge of the mystery of the gospel?” “He doth not confess that he is so,” saith Austin, “but grants it for their conviction.” And in this sense concur Oecumenius, Aquinas, Lyra, Catharinus, Clarius, and Cappellus, with many others on the place. If, then, by λόγος here, that seducing, enticing rhetoric wherewith the false teachers entangled the affections of their unskilful hearers be intended, as we grant that St Paul, it may be, was unskilful in it, and are sure that he would make no use of it, so it is denied that any footsteps of it appear in this Epistle; and if any thing of solid, convincing, unpainted eloquence be intended in it, it is evident that St Paul neither did nor justly could confess himself unacquainted with it; only he made a concession of the objection made against him by the false teachers, to manifest how they could obtain no manner of advantage thereby.
Mentions of Aquinas in An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews, Vol. 2
In this first mention, Owen states his agreement with Aquinas on whether Christ would have been made flesh had sin never entered the world. Aquinas, Bonaventure, and Calvin are stated as also being opposed to this notion.
Section XXVI. Of the origin of the priesthood of Christ: And those of this persuasion are of two sorts:—First, Such as acknowledge a pre-existence of the Lord Christ in a divine nature. These affirm that [even] had not sin entered into the world, he should have been so made flesh by the uniting of our nature unto himself in his own person, as now it is come to pass. This some of the ancient schoolmen inclined unto, as Alexander ab Ales., Albertus Magnus, Scotus, Rupertus; as it is opposed by Aquinas, p. 3, q. 3; Bonaventura in Sentent., lib. iii. dist. i. ar. 2, q. 1, and others. Immediately on the Reformation this opinion was revived by Osiander, who maintained that Adam was said to be made in the image of God, because he was made in that nature and shape whereunto the Son of God was designed and destinated. And he also was herein opposed by Calvin, Instit. lib. ii. cap. xii., lib. iii. cap. xi.; by Wigandus de Osiandrismo, p. 23; and Schlusselburgius, lib. vi. Yet some are still of this judgment, or seem so to be.
The other sort are the Socinians, who contend that God would have given such a head unto the creation as they fancy Christ to be; for as they lay no great weight on the first sin, so they hope to evince by this means that the Lord Christ may discharge his whole office without making any atonement for sin by sacrifice. And this, with most of their other opinions, they have traduced from the ancient Pelagians, as an account is given in this particular by Cassianus de Incarnatione, lib. i. p. 1241.
This next citation is several pages later and is on the same topic as above – it’s dealing with “arguments or reasons” put forward by those who think Christ would still have become incarnate even had Adam never sinned. Owen utilized the general outline of the arguments which Aquinas proposed, but Owen thought that the answers of Aquinas were “insufficient in many instances.”
Section XXVI. Of the origin of the priesthood of Christ: Let us, therefore, now consider the arguments or reasons in particular which they plead who maintain this assertion. The principal of them were invented and made use of by some of the ancient schoolmen; and others have since given some improvement unto their conceptions, and added some of their own. Those of the first sort are collected by Thomas, 3 p. q. 1, a. 3, as traduced from the Pelagians. I shall examine them as by him proposed, omitting his answers, which I judge insufficient in many instances.
This final example is also from the same section and just a few pages later. Owen offers a tongue-in-cheek agreement with the assertion by Thomas that we must look for answers to spiritual matters “in so far as they are transmitted in the sacred Scriptures”. Regardless of whether Thomas could have been more consistent in this matter (as Owen stated), in this case he was correct. He then also mentions another argument which Thomas brought forward regarding the “predestination of the man Christ Jesus”. Owen said that modern Scotists had improved upon this as well as “some divines of our own.”
Section XXVI. Of the origin of the priesthood of Christ: But both these things were so ordered, in the wisdom of God, as that they might represent another union, in a state that God would bring in afterwards, namely, of Christ and his church. What Adam spake concerning the natural condition and relation of himself and Eve, that our apostle speaks concerning the spiritual and supernatural condition and relation of Christ and the church, because of some resemblance between them. Aquinas himself determines this whole matter, with an assertion which would have been to his own advantage to have attended unto upon other occasions. Saith he, “Ea quæ ex sola Dei voluntate proveniunt supra omne debitum creaturæ, nobis innotescere non possunt, nisi quatenus in sacra Scriptura traduntur, per quam divina voluntas innotescit. Unde cum in sacra Scriptura ubique incarnationis ratio ex peccato primi hominis assignetur, convenientius dicitur incarnationis opus ordinatum esse a Deo in commodum contra peccatum, quod peccato non existente incarnatio non fuisset.” (As translated from translate.com: “Those things which proceed from the will of God alone above all the debt of creatures, cannot be known to us, except in so far as they are transmitted in the sacred Scriptures, through which the divine will is known. Hence, when in the Holy Scriptures the reason for the incarnation is everywhere attributed to the sin of the first man, it is more fittingly said that the work of the incarnation was ordained by God for the benefit of sin, for if there had been no sin there would have been no incarnation.“)
17. There is yet another argument mentioned by Aquinas, and much improved by the modern Scotists, insisted on also by some divines of our own, which deserves a somewhat fuller consideration; and this is taken from the predestination of the man Christ Jesus. This the schoolmen consider on that of our apostle, Rom. 1:4, “Concerning Jesus Christ, ὁρισθέντος Υἱοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν δυνάμει:” which the Vulgar renders, “Qui prædestinatus est Filius Dei in virtute;”—”Predestinate the Son of God with power,” as our Rhemists. But ὁρισθέντος there is no more than ἀποδεδειχθέντος, “manifested, declared,” as it is well rendered by ours. Nor can expositors fix any tolerable sense to their “predestinate” in this place. But the thing itself is true. The Lord Christ was predestinated or preordained before the world was. We were “redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, προεγνωσμένου πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου” 1 Pet. 1:20,—”foreordained” (“predestinated”) “before the foundation of the world.” Now, it is pleaded that “this predestination of Christ unto the grace of union and glory was the first of God’s purposes and decrees in order of nature, and antecedent unto the predestination of the elect, at least as it should comprise in it a purpose of deliverance from the fall. For God first designed to glorify himself in the assumption of human nature, before he decreed to save the elect by that nature so assumed; for we are said to be ‘chosen in him,’ that is, as our head, Eph. 1:4, whence it necessarily ensues that he was chosen before us, and so without respect unto us. So in all things was he to have the preeminence, Col. 1:19; and thence it is that we are ‘predestinated to be conformed to his image,’ Rom. 8:29. This preordination, therefore, of the Lord Christ, which was unto grace and glory, was antecedent unto the permission of the fall of man; so that he should have been incarnate had that never fallen out.”
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]]>In God’s work of creation, the crowning act, the pinnacle of that divine work, was the creation of human beings. It was to humans that God assigned and stamped His divine image. That we are created in the image of God gives to us the highest place among earthly beings. That image provides human beings with a unique ability to mirror and reflect the very character of God.
However, since the tragic fall of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, that image has been subject to serious change and corruption. As a result, we speak of the “shattering of the image.” The term shatter may go too far, however, because it could suggest the idea that the image is now destroyed and that no vestige of it is left in our humanity. Such is not the case. Though the image has been radically blurred and corrupted, there remains some aspect of that image left in our humanity, which remaining vestige is the basis for human dignity. Human dignity is not inherent, it is derived. It is not intrinsic, it is extrinsic. Human beings have dignity because God, who has dignity inherently and intrinsically, has assigned such dignity to us.
When we speak of the fall and of original sin, we are not speaking of the first sin committed by Adam and Eve, we are speaking of the radical consequences of that sin, which followed to all future generations of mankind. In Reformed circles, the doctrine of original sin has often been described by the phrase “total depravity.” That it’s called “total depravity” is explained in one sense because the letter “T” fits so neatly into the historic acrostic TULIP, which defines the so-called “five points of Calvinism.”
Nevertheless, the word total with respect to our depravity may seriously mislead. It could suggest that our fallen natures are as corrupt and depraved as possible. But that would be a state of utter depravity. I prefer to use the phrase “radical corruption,” perhaps because the first initial of each word suits my own name and nature, R.C., but more so because it avoids the misunderstanding that results from the phrase “total depravity.” Radical corruption means that the fall from our original state has affected us not simply at the periphery of our existence. It is not something that merely taints an otherwise good personality; rather, it is that the corruption goes to the radix, to the root or core of our humanity, and it affects every part of our character and being. The effect of this corruption reaches our minds, our hearts, our souls, our bodies — indeed, the whole person. This is what lies behind the word total in “total depravity.”
What is most significant about the consequences of the fall is what it has done to our ability to obey God. The issue of our moral capability after the fall is one of the most persistently debated issues within the Christian community. Virtually every branch of Christendom has articulated some doctrine of original sin because the Bible is absolutely clear that we are fallen from our created condition.
However, the degree of that fall and corruption remains hotly disputed among Christians. Historically, that dispute was given fuel by the debate between the British monk Pelagius and the greatest theologian of the first millennium, Saint Augustine of Hippo. In defining the state of corruption into which mankind has fallen, Augustine set up some parallels and contrasts between man’s estate before the fall and his condition after the fall. Before the fall, Augustine said that man was posse peccare and posse non peccare, that is, man had the ability to sin and the ability not to sin. Not sinning was a possibility that Adam had in the Garden.
In addition to this, Augustine distinguished between our original estate, which involved both the posse mori and the posse non mori. This distinction refers to our mortality. Adam was made in such a way that it was possible for him to die. At the same time, he had the possibility before him of living forever had he not fallen into sin. So both the possibility of sinning and not sinning and the possibility of dying or not dying existed as options for Adam before the fall, according to Augustine.
He further argued that the consequence of the fall upon the human race can be defined this way: since the fall, man no longer has the posse non peccare or the posse non mori. All human beings now have lost the natural ability to keep from sinning and thus to keep from dying. We are all born in the state of sin and as mortal creatures, destined to death. After the fall, Augustine defines our condition as having the posse peccare. We retain the ability to sin, but now we have the dreadful condition of the non posse non peccare. This double negative means that we no longer have the ability to not sin. Likewise, we have now the non posse non mori. It is not possible for us not to die. It is appointed to all of us once to die and then the judgment. The only exceptions to this would be those who remain alive at the coming of Christ.
When we get to heaven, things will change again. There we will no longer have the posse peccare and the non posse non peccare. There we will only have non posse peccare. We will no longer be able to sin or to die. It all comes down to this, to the issue of moral ability. Augustine was saying that apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit that God performs in the souls of the elect, no person in His own power is able to choose godliness, to choose Christ, or to choose the things of God. That ability to come to Christ, as our Lord Himself declared in John chapter 6, is an ability that can only be the result of the regenerating power of God the Holy Spirit. That position spelled out by Augustine remains the orthodox position of historic Reformed theology.
]]>I do pray, and I hope we all pray earnestly, that we would ever more delight in God more and more. The Westminster Divines often talked about enjoying God, delighting in God. So, that's our prayer together. Well, let's read together Ephesians chapter 1. This is God's holy word, which will never pass away, so pay close attention to it. Ephesians chapter 1. "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus, grace be to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of His will.
To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace, wherein he has abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he has purposed in himself. That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth even in Him. In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his own will, that we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ, in whom you also trusted. After that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. In whom also after that you believed you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory.
Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. The eyes of your understanding be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and he set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come. And has put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that fills all in all."
Now, let's pray together. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, it gives us delight to read your word, to read this word of revelation that you have given to us, your people. Father, we are amazed at your goodness, at your care to us, your people. Not only are you a majestic God, one who excels in every way, one who is majestic above and beyond compare, but you are the Lord, the one who cares for us, your people, in and through your son, Jesus Christ. We thank you Lord that not only are you transcendent and incomparable, but that you are imminent and close to us in and through Jesus Christ, but also through your revealed word. Thank you Lord for this glorious chapter that Paul has recorded here for your inspired word. We pray, Lord, that we would feast upon the word of God, that it would bring us great joy and delight in knowing you, the God who has worked an amazing salvation for us.
Thank you Lord for this word, and we pray, we echo this prayer of Paul that you would indeed open our eyes, our spiritual eyes, that we might understand the glorious things that you have done. Father we pray this, asking for your Holy Spirit as well to be upon our discussion now, and that you would be glorified. And we pray this in your son's name, Father. In Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Well, as someone who teaches historical theology at Puritan Reformed Seminary, especially focusing on reformed orthodoxy, this is the period following the Reformation, I often stress to my students the need for definitions, the need for precise definitions. Definitions, good definitions have immense practical value. Now, there is one word in this title given to this address that I think deserves a proper definition from the start. Again, the title that I've given here is The Paradox of Suffering and Sovereignty in King Jesus. Now, you might already guess what word I'm trying to define from the beginning. It's that word paradox. What is meant by the word paradox? Well, I could simply and somewhat blandly give you a classic dictionary definition and move on, but another way to define something, to give a good definition, is through stories. So I ask you, would you rather me give you a story in the definition, or the simple bland definition?
I'm not going to have a show of hands here, I'm going to go with a story. Before Queen Elizabeth II died, she loved to tell this story, a story of her meeting with two particular American tourists. Now, I like this story because I grew up in Canada, I identify as a Canadian when it's appropriate for me, so I can pick on American tourists when it's appropriate. Queen Elizabeth was out walking with her bodyguard, Richard Griffin, when she happened to meet two American hikers. These hikers did not recognize the queen, and so they asked Elizabeth where she lived. She replied, "London," and that she also had a holiday home on the other side of the hill. Still not recognizing who she was, one of the excitedly asked her if she had ever met the queen. Well, Elizabeth replied that she had not met the queen, but that her companion, who was her bodyguard, met her quite often.
Passing quickly over Elizabeth, these two American tourists turned their attention to Richard Griffin, and asking him what the queen was like, what is the queen like, and if they could take a picture with him. Well, Richard obliged, and with a twinkle in his eye he noted that the queen, yes, she could be quite cantankerous at times, and yet she had a lovely sense of humor. The queen took a picture of the tourist with Richard, the bodyguard, and then she too posed with the tourists. Concluding her story, Elizabeth would often say, "I would love to be a fly on the wall when they show those pictures to their friends in America." Well, the story is of course humorous as the paradox in the story is so patently clear. In the very presence of royalty, the two American tourists were vainly searching for it.
In their desire to see royalty, they missed it right in front of them. What a paradox. And by the way, if you still want the dictionary definition, it's this, I'm going to give it to you as a bonus. A paradox is one such as a person, situation or action having seemingly contradictory qualities or phases. Now, if you reflect on this definition you will notice that paradoxes are all around us. Paradoxes may be minor, paradoxes may be more major. Paradoxes may be as seemingly minor as the clashing of me wearing brown shoes with a blue suit. You just have to ask Dr. Barrett about that one, that's a longstanding joke that we have. He does not believe that brown shoes goes with a blue suit. Paradoxes may be small, they may be more major, more significant. In fact, you might say that the entire Christian life is paradoxical in nature. I think of Luther's description of the Christian, how did he define the Christian? As [Latin 00:11:37] at the same time justified and a sinner simultaneously. Or you might think of Paul's confession in Romans 7.
Romans 7 echoes this confession by Paul echoed by all Christians at some point in their life, of often not doing what we want and conversely at times doing the very thing that we hate. But taking our analysis one step further, it is arguable that the greatest paradox of all is evident in the person and work of Jesus Christ. We could go to numerous places in the scriptures to see this at work, this great paradox. One of the greatest great chapters that echoes this is Philippians 2, where Paul in very vivid fashion puts side by side this great humiliation of Christ and this great exaltation of Jesus Christ. Or consider second Corinthians 8 verse 9, this glorious passage which says this, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich."
Well, many, many more examples in scripture can be drawn on for this great paradox seen in Jesus, both in his person and his work. But for the remaining time here we will focus especially on verses 15 to 23 of the chapter that we read, Ephesians 1. In considering this prayer of Paul for the Ephesian church, we will see that it is Jesus Christ's paradox of suffering and sovereignty that gives definition and power to the Christian's paradoxical life. Now that was a mouthful, so I'm going to give it to you again. In this prayer of Paul, we will see that it is Jesus Christ's paradox of suffering and sovereignty that gives definition and power to the Christian's paradoxical life. We might state that another way. In order for you as a Christian to understand your own life, your own life that involves undoubtedly suffering, you must first consider your life as bound to and united with, and identified with the person and work of Jesus Christ, the suffering servant king. Only then will you know and experience God's sovereign power working through you. And we can consider this truth under two main overarching points.
Number one, first the paradoxical display of God's power through his royal son Jesus Christ. And second, we will look at the paradoxical display of God's power through his people. So, first display of God's power through his royal son, and second display of God's power through his people. First then, this paradoxical display of God's power through King Jesus. Now in the original Greek, Ephesians 1:15 to 23, this prayer that we are looking at is actually one long sentence. It's made up of 169 words. No, I did not count them. I actually relied on somebody else for that. So, 169 words in this first sentence. And this long sentence actually follows on the heels of another very long sentence, verses 3 to 14, this very long sentence of 202 words in the Greek.
Now, some might quibble that these are run on sentences. My wife is an English teacher, any English teachers in the midst, some may quibble that these are run on sentences but you might say that these two very long sentences in Ephesians 1 are complementary. That is they work together. In the first long sentence, verse 3 to 14, Paul breaks out in this extended praise or doxological blessing of God for all of the many benefits of being united to Jesus Christ.
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Open your Bibles again if you don't have it, and run through. Run through with me, scan your eyes again over these verses 3 to 14. "God is to be blessed," verse 3, "For blessing us with many spiritual blessings in Christ, for choosing us in him," verse 4, "For adopting us as children," verse 5, "For accepting us," verse 6, "For redeeming us and forgiving our sins," verse 7, and verse 9, "For making his will known to us." In short, God lavishes, he pours out all of these spiritual blessings upon his children. And this culminates in the greatest inheritance of all. This is verse 11, what is the greatest inheritance of all? That's Jesus Christ.
And as if this is not extravagant enough, God seals all of these blessings to us. How? By His Holy Spirit, verse 13, all with a resounding end or purpose. Why? Verse 14, "That we might live to the praise of God's glory." It's as though in this first breathless sentence, Paul doesn't want to stop. He just continues. Almost gushing from him is this effusive praise for all that God has done for us, and in and through Jesus Christ. Well, after this long litany of extolling God for these generous and multitude of spiritual blessings in Christ, Paul follows this up with another long sentence, sentence number two, that we are considering. Notice how in verse 15, as Paul begins, he links everything that he just described, all of these spiritual blessings, he links that in verse 15. Look how he begins in verse 15, he says, "For this reason." That's how he begins his prayer.
Why does Paul give thanks for the church in Ephesus? Why does he pray for them? What causes him to pray? What gives him this unshakable confidence and boldness in his prayer? Well, it's precisely all of these spiritual blessings that he enumerated, all the spiritual blessings found in Christ. Now, note carefully the logical order, logical flow to Paul's reasoning here. First, sentence number one, as we just quickly surveyed, it details what? It details the objective reality of the many spiritual blessings possessed by all those who are in Christ. So, the objective reality. In sentence number two, Paul first gives thanks for this reality and then he prays that the objective reality would be more and more subjectively or experientially known in the minds and hearts of the Ephesian Christians, even if their present physical circumstances try to tell them otherwise.
So, you have this movement from the objective reality bound up in Christ, to this subjective realization of this despite circumstances. Well, how does Paul do this? How does he begin to do this? Not surprisingly, in sentence number two, by again focusing on Jesus Christ. You see, Jesus is not only the core or foundation for Paul's first sentence, but Jesus is central to his second sentence as well. In other words, Jesus is both the focus of the Christians objective reality as well as the focus of the Christians subjective experience. And key to seeing Jesus as the focus of the Christians subjective experience and reality is realizing the paradoxical nature of Jesus's person and work. Paul's prayer is that the Holy Spirit would open the spiritual eyes of the Ephesians, and as a consequence our eyes, to consider more fully who is Jesus Christ.
Verse 17 is clear that Paul's prayer is that we might receive by the spirit the knowledge of him. Well, who is that him here? Who is that him that Paul focuses on? Paul does not have in mind simply the second person of the Trinity, or the logos, but more precisely he has in mind the God man, Jesus Christ, the one who is fully God and fully man. And this, I give you, is our first awe-inspiring paradox. Jesus Christ is simultaneously the one who has, by divine right, all power and authority given that he is God. And he is at the same time the one who receives authority and power from the Father. You might say that authority and power are both original to Jesus Christ, and simultaneously given to and received by Jesus Christ. And herein lies the paradox. How is it that these two truths are held simultaneously?
How is it true that he has original power and also received power? Well during the 17th century, an anti-Trinitarian group known as the Socinians latched onto this dilemma, and they argued that this is indeed a true contradiction. They drew on various scripture passages like ours, Ephesians 1, that speak of Jesus receiving authority and power from the Father. They looked as well at passages such as Matthew 28:18, think of that verse, "All authority and power is," what? "Is given unto me." Or these Socinians looked at passages that describe Jesus handing back authority to the Father.
Think of 1 Corinthians 15:24. And the Socinians said, "Aha, here is evidence that Jesus is not divine. That he must rely on authority and power from another. And at the end of the age he actually must give back that authority and power to the one for whom it is original." According to the Socinians, power or authority is not of Jesus himself and therefore Jesus is not divine. In fancy terms, if you want to fancy theological terms, they argued that Jesus is not [Latin 00:25:39], he is not of himself. Well, as articulated in their Racovian catechism, the Socinians held that Jesus is a unique son of God, but because he must rely on power and authority from another, namely the Father, they said the Son is not divine as is the Father. Now, why am I noting this here? Why am I going into this 17th century heresy?
Well, Paul's prayer echoes this same dilemma that the Socinians wrestled with. Look at, notice the language of verse 20 and following. Who is the subject? Who is the object here? It's the Father who raised up Christ. It's the Father who seats and establishes Jesus at his right hand. It is the Father who exalts Jesus above all power, authority and name, and it is the Father who puts in subjection all things under Jesus's feet. Now, you might ask, "Well, is this or was this not a already true of Jesus because he is God? Does Jesus not already have all power and authority above every name, and is not everything already under his feet? Why must he rely on the Father for this?" Well, an answer to these questions and in contrast to the heretical position of the Socinians, the Reformed Orthodox actually distinguished between what they called a two-fold kingship and authority of Jesus Christ.
They spoke of both an essential kingship that Jesus Christ has, owing to his divinity, that in which he's equal in power and authority with the Father and the Holy Spirit, an essential kingship, but they also identified a mediatorial kingship that Jesus Christ exercises as God man. In this sense then, Jesus exercises his sovereign rule in two ways. First, he is sovereign over all things, essentially as God, as second person of the Trinity. Authority and universal power is essential to him. If he did not have it, he would cease to be God. It's of his essence. In precisely the same way as it is essential to the Father and the Holy Spirit, Jesus has that power. But second, Jesus is sovereign over all things in his mediatorial capacity as Redeemer, and this he holds as God man. It's only in this official capacity as mediator that Jesus submits himself to the Father, and is said then to receive power, to receive authority from the Father.
And so based on this distinction, John Owen, in a work written against the Socinians, helpfully remarked this. He said, "Inequality and respect of office is well consistent with equality in respect of nature." In other words, Jesus could submit himself in his official capacity, but according to his nature he is one of the same essence. So, Jesus receives power and authority as mediator, this truth is not contradictory to the fact that all power and authority is inherent to him with respect to his divinity. Jesus can therefore rightly claim that, number one, he is the great and sovereign I AM over all things, and simultaneously without contradiction he could declare, "I came to do my Father's will." This is the great paradox that the Socinians missed in the 17th century. But there's another paradox concerning Jesus Christ that we can consider from Ephesians 1, and especially verses 19 to 21.
Now, Paul's point here is to highlight the incredible demonstration of God's power. This is the focus of verses 19 to 21, the power of God. In fact, the language of verse 19 is quite striking. Paul heaps up four different synonyms emphasizing God's power, and he couples this with two different adjectives describing this power. As if straining at the limitations of the Greek language, God's power, in Greek [Greek 00:31:10], from which we get the word dynamite, is described by Paul here as, "Exceedingly great." His working, or perhaps better translated, powerful energy is of might and great force. It says though, Paul's prayer here is this. It says though, he says, "I would have your eyes open to this incredible, this incomparable power of God." This is a might that far surpasses your most exaggerated imaginations of power, and yet here comes the second paradox. God displays this astonishing power in a manner that seems to contradict our very definition of power.
God's power, this incredible blinding power, is manifested most clearly in Jesus Christ. And particularly in a suffering king who first dies and only then is resurrected to life. The very fact that Jesus is raised to this new resurrection life assumes that he first died. The fact that Jesus is exalted to the right hand of the Father assumes that he was first humiliated and brought low. Suffering to sovereignty, thus defines the very core of Jesus's work, and this, Paul says, is the great display of God's power that he worked in his son. Friends, this is the great paradox of the gospel. This is, you might say, the essence of the gospel, this great paradox. Well with this paradigm, this paradox in your mind of suffering to sovereignty, run through in your mind's eye the many scriptural examples when this was to be the case. Time and time again, God chose to demonstrate his power through this pattern of weakness to greatness, or this movement of suffering to sovereignty.
Think of Moses. Moses was a man who was afraid, he was weak, he was afraid to speak in public. I'm sure many of us can relate to that. He was afraid, he was weak. He had to have Aaron by his side, and yet he was used by God to deliver, as the greatest mediator in the Old Testament used by God, to deliver his people from Egypt. Think of Gideon, God used weak Gideon. You remember Gideon, this man who hid himself in a winepress. God used him to deliver Israel from the Midianites, and in fact used this very weak army of only 300 men. You remember the story of God shaping that army, cutting that army down to only this motley crew of 300 men, this weak army to deliver his people. Think of David, the youngest brother, a keeper of the sheep. Someone, you remember, overlooked by Samuel, the prophet of God. Overlooked by Samuel, and yet David was chosen by God to be, by most standards, the greatest Old Testament king of Israel.
Well, many more examples could be added here. We considered Joseph as well as an example, with Ian's address. Many more examples could be added here. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1, time and again God saw fit to choose the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. God chooses the weak things to confound the mighty. And you should note that all of these Old Testament examples of this are pictures of types of Jesus Christ. These examples of suffering to sovereignty are picture object lessons for us to consider the greatest paradox of all, the greatest example of this, Jesus Christ. Now, the significant difference however, is that all of these previous types, all of these Old Testament examples, they failed. They often deviated from this prescribed pattern. Scripture notes that these pictures or these types, these paradoxical types, they failed in that at times they strove for or pursued their own glory.
They sought their own power, they sought their own might apart from this pathway of suffering. Moses, it appears, wanted to display his own power by, what did he do? By striking the rock. He wanted to reveal his own power, his own might, and he was not for that allowed into the promised land, Numbers 21 through 13. Judges 8 records this tragic end to Gideon's life. It's not often told in this story, but what did Gideon do? He heaped up to himself more gold and many concubines, seemingly reveling in his own role in delivering God's people. Think of David too, this man after God's own heart, what did he do? He incurred the wrath of God. By what? By numbering the people, apparently trusting in his own strength, his own abilities, 1 Chronicles 21. Jesus, on the other hand, this great example, never failed in this pathway of suffering to sovereignty.
He is, you might say the preeminent, the final anti-type of all of the failed examples that preceded him. It's for this reason then that Paul focuses so much on God's display of great power as it centers on the person and work of Jesus Christ, this sinless God man who suffered and died but rose again as the great resurrected king. So, we've seen this centered on Jesus Christ, this great paradoxical nature in these two aspects. We've seen Paul in this prayer highlight this display of God's power in his suffering and sovereign son, but secondly that this paradoxical display is at work in God's people. Yes, the once humbled but now exalted Jesus takes center stage in Paul's prayer, and yet Paul repeatedly stresses that this divine power that was worked in Jesus is also at work in those who believe in him. Notice again from Ephesians 1 verse 19.
It says this, "And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe." Notice also the clause beginning in verse 22. It says, "To the church," which is his body, the fullness of him that fills all in all. The same sovereign power, this same incredible power that raised Jesus from the dead, this same power that exalted our Lord to the Father's right hand, this same mediatorial authority that Jesus Christ exercises as the God man is at work in those who believe. What are we to make of these statements? Do you believe this concerning yourself? Do you understand that this incredible power of God is at work in you? When you reflect on your own life, your own circumstances, is this what first comes to mind? That the same power that raised Jesus from deadness to life, this resurrection power is at work in you, is that what first comes to mind when you consider your own life?
Consider Paul himself when he wrote these words. Ephesians is considered to be one of Paul's so-called prison epistles, as this book along with Philippians, Colossians, Philemon were likely written during his two-year imprisonment while in Rome. We heard something of that from Dr. Bagas. But seems that Paul deliberately does not focus on his own suffering or his immediate condition, rather reflecting a theme that's echoed throughout this letter, Paul focuses his readers' attention, our attention, on the power of the triune God at work in us.
One commentator has noted this. He says, "Ephesians will point time and time again beyond the surface affairs and the obvious perceptions we might take in. A key purpose of the letter, explicitly so," chapter 1:17 to 19 and 3:16 to 19, "Is to reshape the spiritual sense or sensitivity of the reader. Paul intends," he continues, "To stretch the dimensional constraints of our sight, lest our myopia incline us to miss the most interesting activity." I love that statement there. Paul intends to stretch the dimensional constraints of our sight, lest our myopia incline us to miss the most interesting activity. This is what Paul means when he prays that our spiritual eyes would be opened and enlightened. Now, what is not meant here is that the Christian suffering is negligible or insignificant. Paul is not here advocating this simple cheer up attitude, or this aura of bravado as if suffering is not even worthy to be considered. Surely not.
Paul's prayer is indeed quite the opposite. "We are," he says, "To consider our suffering, the pain, the hurt that we experience in this age in light of the awe-inspiring, blinding power of God." What then is the suffering that you are enduring currently? What is the suffering that you are experiencing? Is it the sting of death? Is it the sorrow of losing someone that you have loved dearly? This week alone, I know of two families who have lost loved ones, two families within our communities who are grieving due to this cold sting of death. If death has taken someone that you love, what are you to do? You bring this pain, this sorrow to your God, who is full of might and power. And who is, according to Paul, at work in you with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Is your suffering from a broken relationship, a disease that plagues you or someone you love? A persistent sin that continues to tempt, to distract you?
Or is it a spiritual enemy that seems to haunt you at every turn? Depression that haunts you? Open your eyes to see the might of the Father, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the dominion of Jesus Christ. As Paul says here, he says, "All things are put under subjection of Jesus's feet." That means, friends, all suffering, all loss, indeed every single evil force, including the devil himself, must bow before king Jesus. Verse 21 stresses this, that there is no power, no evil force, no fallen angel, no temptation, no power, no might, no dominion, no name at all that can stand before this great king.
Everything, comprehensively everything, everything you might say in the British sense, full stop, everything period must bow low to our great king. This then, is the Christian's hope. Verse 18 declares, "With your eyes open to this power of God over all things, over all causes of suffering, over all effects of suffering, that you have every reason for abundant hope." And this, friends, constitutes in turn the Christian's paradox. In the face of suffering, in the face of sin, in the face of death there is incredible hope. Why? Because as verse 18 continues, you are what? You are the inheritance of God. Now, notice here in this verse that this is not talking about the Christian's inheritance. That's as, for example, verses 11, verse 14 speaks of the Christians inheritance. But what does verse 18 speak of? It speaks of God's inheritance.
Reflecting on this particular construction, the great 19th century Scottish minister, Robert Kinloch, remarked this. He says, "It is a great thought that God should not merely give us an inheritance, or even give us himself as our inheritance, but that he should take us to be his inheritance. Well may it be associated with richness of glory." This is covenantal language that is echoed throughout the scriptures. "I am your God and you are my people." Those who believe in God are his inheritance, his prized possession, those for whom he died and paid the price. The circumstances of your life may be screaming the very opposite. You might be experiencing sickness, anxiety, loneliness, grief. This might be swirling around you. Every external indication in your life might seem to lead you to the conclusion that you are abandoned or cast off. We heard it was referenced, Psalm 77 with David in this Psalm, you might look at your life and you might say, "Will God cast me off forever? Will he be favorable no more? Is his mercy clean gone forever?"
This might be your thoughts, but Ephesians one declares the exact opposite. If you are truly God's possession, his inheritance for which Jesus has died, and if he is working in and through you with this same sovereign power that raised Jesus, your only conclusion can then be that your Father in heaven is the one who has all power, that he is sovereignly in control of all things, and that he is ordaining your suffering for your good. This then is the Christian's paradox. You may be beaten down with suffering and yet have hope. You may be afflicted or tormented on all sides but not undone. 2 Corinthians 4:6 to 10 outlines precisely this paradox.
Paul writes here beautifully, "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken. Cast down, but not destroyed. Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body."
What wonderful words of comfort and hope, this paradox experienced by Jesus, the one who was dead and is now alive must therefore define who you are as a Christian. Seen in this light then, your present sufferings, which are but for a moment, follow in step behind your Savior. So then, let me stress at least two points that I think you should take away from this consideration of Ephesians 1. First, Jesus's paradox of suffering to sovereignty must take preeminence in our lives. It must take preeminence over our own suffering, a paradox of suffering to sovereignty. It has preeminence both in order and both in focus. This is critically important. Indeed, without Jesus's humiliation and exaltation, in fact, there is then no paradox for the Christian. Rather, without Jesus's paradox, it would simply be our complete abandonment and rejection by God.
It is precisely because Jesus suffered and is exalted now as sovereign overall that you, having placed your faith in him, might have this expectant hope of glory, even if it means there is present suffering for a brief time in this age. 1 Peter 5:10 to 11 assures us of this. Here Peter writes, "But the God of all grace, who has called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that you have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To him be glory and dominion forever and ever, amen." Second, recognize that a pathway of suffering to sovereignty has already been blazed for you. Like Jesus, our pathway to glory is through the cross, through suffering. But unlike Jesus, ours is a pathway that has already been cleared.
It's well-defined, it's well-established, this pathway is cleared for you. Your trailblazer has made the path clear. Jesus has already suffered, he has already entered into the heavenly rest. It's a sure historical reality that Jesus died. It's a historical reality that he rose again. And he is even now assuredly, firmly established as king upon his holy throne. It's indisputable, he is upon his throne. Brothers, sisters, as Jesus has secured his royal throne and everything is under his feet, this means that we can walk through the present sorrows of this life, confident of better things to come.
So in conclusion, what is this message of Ephesians 1:15 to 23? What is the sum? It is that we need the Holy Spirit to open our eyes, to behold this amazing power of our triune God. A power so amazing that it raised Jesus from suffering and death to resurrected royal sovereign life, all in order that we might experience this resurrecting power in our own lives, having been raised ourselves from deadness to newness, to new life in Christ, our present suffering when understood in this perspective is redefined as what? As a temporary paradox. Our paradox is but for a moment, it's for the moment that we experience suffering. For the moment this is a paradox, but for an eternity we will be called to rule and reign with Jesus Christ. Paul's challenge, indeed his prayer here is that we would not be as these American tourists who were blinded to the reality of royalty right before them.
Rather, behold your sovereign Lord on the throne, established on the throne who promises, in the words of Revelation 2:10, your sovereign Lord promises this, "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried. And you shall have tribulation." For how long? "For 10 days. Be thou faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life." And finally, as Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:12, "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him." But know two, that this second half of the verse is equally true. "If we deny him, he also will deny us." So friends, I challenge you with this same prayer as Paul, that your eyes would be opened to know this power of God, this power, this blinding power of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and that it would be true in your lives that you would know this, and that your suffering for a moment might be seen in this light. Let's pray.
Our Father in heaven, we come and we bow before you. We confess that you are altogether lovely. We thank you Lord for this paradoxical suffering to sovereignty that is evident in the light, in the person and work of Jesus Christ, our great sovereign Lord. We thank you Lord, for his incredible power, for his great might, and yet how he forsook this, how he lived upon this earth, how he suffered and how he died on our behalf. But Lord, we do thank you and praise you that you and your great power raised Jesus from deadness to life, and that he is even now ascended as the royal king, the royal sovereign Lord who sits upon the throne interceding for us, your people. We thank you for his power, we thank you for his might. We ask God, that you would help this, help us to consider our own present suffering, our own present and temporary paradox in light of your suffering and to sovereignty. Thank you Lord for your son, we pray that our lives will be bound up and identified in Jesus. And so help us, we pray in his name, amen.
Thank you for listening to All of Life for God, by Reformation Heritage Books. If you have enjoyed this episode and would like to hear more, please consider subscribing and sharing with a friend. Reformation Heritage Books is a nonprofit ministry, aiming to strengthen the church through reformed Puritan and experiential literature. To learn more about this ministry and how to support us, please visit RHB.org.
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In the last post, we considered Charles Spurgeon’s public evangelism in terms of his support and practice of open-air preaching. In this post, we will consider the other means that Spurgeon used to wield the sword of the Spirit and the gospel of salvation in the public square.
First, Spurgeon wholeheartedly believed that sinners must be sought on a personal, one-to-one basis. In many cases, open-air preaching, and personal evangelism work in harmony together when the local church goes on mission in the public square. Spurgeon writes:
True-hearted open-air preachers will be sure to join with their preaching very much earnest private talk … Every open-air preacher should not only address the hundreds, but he should be ready to pounce upon the ones, and he should have others with him who have the same happy art. How much more good would come of preaching in the streets if every open-air preacher were accompanied by a batch of persons who would drive his nails home for him by personal conversation.[1]
Though open-air preaching can reach the masses, personal evangelism can reach the individual directly and personally: “One advantage of dealing personally with souls is, that it is not so easy for them to turn aside the message as when they are spoken to in the mass.”[2] Again, Spurgeon emphasized that “many precious souls have been brought to Christ by the loving personal exhortations of Christian people who have learned this holy art! It is wonderful how God blesses very little efforts to serve him.”[3]
Now, one may ask, did Spurgeon actually take the time to practice this “holy art” in the public square? Indeed, he did! In his autobiography, Spurgeon told of a time when he met a man on a boat. After conversing with this man for some time, Spurgeon was burdened for this man’s soul. This lost sinner was confronted with the reality of death in his own life. Prior to their encounter, this poor man lost more than thirteen children due to the cholera outbreak. Knowing this man’s greatest need, Spurgeon proceeded to ask him if he would be going to heaven or hell once he died. Sadly, the man told Spurgeon that he had no hope for life or death. Commenting on the man’s response, Spurgeon writes, “then I told him, as plainly as I could, how the Lord Jesus Christ had taken the place of sinners, and how those who trusted in him, and rested in his blood and righteousness, would find pardon and peace.”[4]
After pointing this man to Jesus Christ, Spurgeon concluded with the following statement: “I cannot say what was the final result of our conversation, but I had the satisfaction of knowing that I had at least set before him God’s way of salvation in language that he could easily understand.”[5] From Spurgeon’s example, we must learn that every conversation with sinners in an opportunity to point them to Jesus Christ.
Second, where open-air preaching or personal conversations were not available, Spurgeon saw gospel tracts as a helpful tool in the hands of an evangelist. Spurgeon loved to distribute gospel tracts:
The very first service which my youthful heart rendered to Christ was the placing of tracts in envelopes, and then sealing them up, that I might send them … And I well remember taking other tracts, and distributing them in certain districts in the town of Newmarket, going from house to house … I used to write texts on little scraps of paper, and drop them anywhere, that some poor creatures might pick them up, and receive them as a message of mercy to their souls.[6]
Spurgeon’s high view of the sovereignty of God encouraged him in these evangelistic labours. Due to his Calvinistic theology, Spurgeon had great confidence that God may use a tract to save the lost. As a result, he earnestly sought to distribute as many tracts as possible, knowing that the Lord could use this literature for the advancement of the gospel.
A gospel tract is a helpful tool in the evangelist’s pocket. Spurgeon urged his hearers to always carry gospel tracts on them: “If I walked along the street, I must have a few tracts with me; if I went into a railway carriage, I must drop a tact out of the window; if I were in company, I must turn the subject of conversation to Christ, that I might serve my Master.”[7] In other words, “when preaching and private talk are not available, you have a tract ready, and this is often an effectual method. A telling, touching gospel tract may often be the seed of eternal life. Do not go out without your tracts.”[8]
Additionally, Spurgeon wrote evangelistic letters to the unconverted, urging them to come to Christ: “There is also power in a letter to an individual … When they get a sincere letter from a respected person such as yourself, they think a great deal of it. And who knows? Perhaps, a note received by post can hit the man your sermon missed.”[9] It is important to note that Spurgeon viewed a gospel tract or letter as a means for further follow up with an individual. It should not be viewed as an exclusive action. Rather, it should be a bridge for further conversation. Spurgeon writes, “I suppose, besides giving a tract, if you can, you try and find out where a person lives who frequently hears you, that you may give him a call. What a fine thing is a visit from an open-air preacher!”[10]
To conclude, after seeing Spurgeon’s Public Evangelism in these first two posts, namely, his open-air preaching, personal evangelism, and tract distribution, we will consider in the next post how Spurgeon trained evangelists in his local church. In the meantime, may we take heed to Spurgeon’s exhortation and do everything we can to seek the lost:
“Get on your feet; ye that have voices and knowledge, go forth and preach the gospel, preach it in every street and lane of this huge city … Let every one of us who knows the Lord seek to fight under his banner!”[11]
[1] C. H. Spurgeon, The Soul Winner: Advice on Effective Evangelism (1992; repr., Ross-shire, Great Britain: Christian Focus, 2015), 141.
[3] Spurgeon, Autobiography: The Early Years, 373.
[8] Spurgeon, The Soul Winner, 142.
[11] Spurgeon, Autobiography: The Early Years, 154.
The post Charles Spurgeon’s Public Evangelism (Part Two) appeared first on Founders Ministries.
]]>“For God so loved the world . . .” (John 3:16).
“In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us” (1 John 4:10).
From eternity God set His love on His people. In time and space, the Father sent His Son as the great display of that love. On the cross Christ secured our salvation out of love for us. Not one of Christ’s blood-bought people will be lost, because He loves every one of them. The gift of the Holy Spirit is a further outpouring of divine love. Truly the heartbeat of biblical religion is the love of God.
God has loved us so much and blessed us so abundantly in Christ that the only appropriate response is to love Him in return. We do not need to be reminded of Christ’s incisive summation of the law as “love God and love your neighbor” (Matt. 22:34–40). We read our Bibles, hear inspiring sermons, and wholeheartedly agree that Christians should love their Savior because He first loved them. Yet, the reality for many is that this truth is rarely experienced in practice. If we are honest, despite being convinced that we should love Christ, most Christians struggle to love Him in any meaningful and consistent way. Our love for Him is at best intermittent and often elusive.
This lack of affection for our Lord and God can be seriously debilitating. Some learn to live with a permanent sense of guilt, leading them to feel like second-class citizens among Christians who appear to know and experience Christ in deep and intimate ways. Others find that their lack of heart devotion for their Savior causes them to doubt whether they are truly one of God’s people. Questions of assurance of faith crowd in as they look at themselves in the mirror and fail to see anything that even approximates a biblical love for Christ. This problem is exacerbated by the way that we normally experience love and devotion in our everyday relationships. Shared time, places, experiences, interests, joys, and griefs, along with a myriad of other relational minutiae, combine to create a sense of connectedness with others. These produce deepening emotions that in turn draw out our love and affection for family and friends. The same does not seem true of our relationship with Christ. How can we relate to, and therefore grow in love for, someone we have never seen? How can we enjoy a deep devotion to a Savior with whom we struggle to share time, space, and experiences?
The Bible answers this very real problem in a number of ways. It may surprise you to hear that Christ was Himself deeply concerned about this precise issue. He devoted His last hours with His disciples to preparing them for His physical departure and reassuring them of the presence of another Helper—namely, the Holy Spirit (John 13–16). The teaching and experience of the New Testament church is clear. Jesus Christ can be known and a living relationship with Him enjoyed despite His physical absence. Through the Word of God, and especially in what the church came to identify as the means of grace (preaching, sacraments, and prayer), Christ communicates His grace to His people, and His people enjoy a living relationship with their Savior. In addition, the knowledge of God in His Word, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, obedience to His holy laws, delight in the beauty and majesty of God in the created order, the sovereign providence of God in our lives, heartfelt prayer and thanksgiving—all these, though different from our everyday means of cultivating love, nonetheless provide real and meaningful ways that we can seek, savor, and strengthen our love for Christ.
There is another way that love for Christ is to be known, expressed, and experienced. This way is often overlooked and under emphasized, yet it is powerful, helpful, and immensely encouraging. What am I referring to? Simply that we love Christ by loving Christ’s people. The words of 1 John 4 are striking. Having repeatedly asserted that “love is from God” and that “God is love” and that God has “loved us,” what does John encourage us to do? To love one another! (1 John 7, 11, 12). Our response to God’s love for us is to show we know God and abide in His love by loving one another.
In 1 John 4:19–21, John takes this one step further, anticipating the very problem many Christians experience. Using compelling gospel logic, he questions whether we can love God whom we have not seen, when we hate our brothers whom we have seen. He concludes, “Whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:21). This is more than compelling in its logic, it is persuasive in its pastoral care. What are we to do when we struggle with loving our God who has loved us so much? Where do we go to both express our love for God and be reassured that we do actually love Him? We turn to our brothers and sisters in Christ, and we love them. Our love for God is shown in our love for other Christians.
Jesus, in Matthew 25, takes this connection between devotion to Him and devotion to His people one step further. In His description of the final judgment, Christ tells us that when He returns in glory, seated on His glorious throne, all nations will be gathered before Him. He will divide them into two groups: the sheep and the goats. The distinguishing mark that will differentiate the sheep from the goats will simply be their treatment of Christ—whether they gave Him food and drink and welcomed Him and clothed Him and even visited Him. The sheep will be perplexed, wondering when they did these things to Christ Himself. And He will answer, “As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matt. 25:40). In other words, to bless one of Christ’s children is to bless Christ Himself. To show love to other Christians is to show love to Christ.
It is worth considering how this works. How can it be that when I love my fellow Christian it is as if I am loving Christ personally and directly? The answer is union and communion. As Christians, we are united by faith to our Savior. We are His and He is ours. We are one with Him. To use the language of Paul, we are “in Christ” and “Christ is in us” (2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 2:20; Col. 1:27). The truth of our union with Christ is not only the basis for our understanding of salvation itself, but it is also wonderfully encouraging. We become joint heirs and co-heirs with our Savior. And yet there is more. By virtue of our union with Christ, we are brought into communion with all of His people. All Christians have this in common—their union with Christ. And this union with their Savior unites them to each other in mutual fellowship.
Perhaps an illustration will help. If you tune one hundred pianos with a single tuning fork, you accomplish two things. First of all, each individual piano is in tune with the tuning fork. At the same time, and by the same means, all one hundred pianos are now in tune with each other. The harmony of each piano to the tuning fork results in a harmony between each and every piano. This highlights the twin effects of our union with Christ. We are each brought into union with Him. This union has the additional benefit of making all those who are brought into union with Christ to be brought also into communion with every other Christian. This, then, wonderfully explains how it is that when we love each other we are also loving Christ. It also explains how Christ can say that by feeding, welcoming, clothing, and visiting the least of His brothers, we are actually doing it to Him. Our Savior is bound to each and every one of His blood-bought children. And we are bound to each other in Christ. This union is such that to bless His children is to bless Him, and to love His children is to love Him. When we love our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are loving Christ even though He is physically absent from us.
If you struggle to love Christ as much as you would like to, then be encouraged. Not only is our High Priest sympathetic to this struggle of faith in our Christian lives, but He has given us numerous ways to know, experience, and cultivate our love for Him. One of those is by loving His people. When we love Christians, we are loving Christ.
So what are you waiting for? This Sunday at church, or sometime during the week, serve and bless one of Christ’s dear saints. Do them good, encourage them, and love them, because when you do, it as if you are doing it to Christ. And all it takes is a cup of water, a friendly conversation, a meeting of a practical need, or an invitation for coffee. When you doubt your love for Christ, then actively pursue your love for His people. When we love other Christians, we are loving Christ. In fact, we love Christ by loving His people.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on February 16, 2022.
Ezekiel’s pages are littered with tension of all sorts: the people of God severed into exiles in Babylon and besieged residents in Jerusalem, a wound-up prophet from a priestly lineage who lies on his left side for 390 days and who refuses to mourn the death of his wife, and visions of esoteric symbolism combined with graphic, unsettling oracles (Ezek. 4:4–8; 24:15–24). Perhaps the greatest tension in Ezekiel lies in the revelation of God’s character: transcendent but immanent, holy and offended by sin but forgiving, and terrible in His judgment but wondrous in His mercy. Although these tensions have the potential to distress or confuse the reader, the book of Ezekiel makes known the name and glory of the Lord in a unique and instructive way.
These three things should assist you in unwinding the tension and delighting in Ezekiel’s prophecies.
You don’t have to read far into Ezekiel to experience bewilderment. His inaugural vision and call feature four living creatures (later identified as cherubim) with monstrous characteristics, a theophany of the “likeness of the glory of the Lord” that rattles the mortal senses, and a series of activities that come with his commission—including consumption of a scroll and muteness (Ezek. 1:1–3:27; 10:20). And this is just the beginning of the book. Symbolic acts, images, and pronouncements, and visitations by the glorious Lord and His angelic entourage, recur throughout its entirety (see Ezek. 10:1–22; 40:1–4).
But know this: you should experience wonderment. Encountering the glory of the transcendent God demands a response of amazement and humility. Upon receiving it, Ezekiel falls on his face (Ezek. 1:28). Part of the purpose for this record of his Spirit-filled ministry is to prompt the same awe-filled response in us. Human beings like Ezekiel, like the Babylonian exiles, and like us cannot know God on our own terms: He must make Himself known. Yet, make no mistake, Ezekiel discloses that our sovereign God is immanent and does make Himself known throughout the world, as the phrase “You will know that I am the Lord” occurs throughout the oracles both to Israel and to the nations (Ezek. 7:4, 9; 11:10; 13:9, etc.).
Sadly, human sin and apostasy require that the holy God reveal Himself first in judgment, which leads to our next point.
Ezekiel identifies himself as a priest at the outset of the book, but likely he never had the opportunity to serve in this capacity in Jerusalem (Ezek. 1:3). Instead, the Lord calls him to serve as His prophet, first issuing oracles of judgment against His own rebellious people, then against the wicked nations (Ezek. 1:1–24:27; 25:1–32:32). Despite this career change, Ezekiel draws heavily upon his priestly knowledge, especially regarding God’s holiness in judgment.
Ezekiel, in his Spirit-filled, prosecutorial office, does not hold back in laying bare the old covenant church’s transgressions against God’s covenantal statutes and their defilement through idolatry (Ezek. 5:6; 16:59). These actions risked “profaning” the very name of the Lord, prompting God to preserve its sanctity by removing His glorious presence (symbolized by His heavenly, portable throne) from Jerusalem and appointing for it a day of doom (Ezek. 20:9, 14). Ezekiel demonstrates the heinousness of Israel’s rebellion through different literary presentations, perhaps none more disconcerting than the allegory of two unfaithful sisters (Ezek. 23:1–49). And lest the nations rejoice over the downfall of Jerusalem and think themselves invulnerable, Ezekiel targets seven surrounding kingdoms—symbolic of all the nations of the world—with similar oracles of judgment. They, too, will answer for their wickedness and rebellion against a holy God, and the world will know His glory through their judgment.
But lest Israel abandon hope, Ezekiel invokes another priestly concept to anticipate restoration: the temple.
Even in the midst of judgment, the glorious, holy God of Israel prophesied restoration. He would resurrect His covenantal people as surely as Ezekiel had witnessed the revivification of dry bones (Ezek. 37:1–14). However, the Lord would not restore them merely to their condition before judgment, but He would cleanse them and give them a new heart, reestablish them in their ancestral kingdom, place over them a righteous Davidic prince, and dwell in their midst forever (Ezek. 36:22–37:28). Ezekiel envisions this changed condition of covenantal peace foremost through his vision of the new temple, which symbolizes the everlasting presence of the Lord, as made clear by the city’s name, “The Lord Is There” (see chapters 40–48).
The fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy surpasses the reconstruction of the Second Temple, finding its culmination in Jesus. The Apostle John’s inspired works bear witness to it. The fullness of the glory of God is manifested in the incarnate Son of God, who tabernacles in the midst of His people and makes God known (John 1:14–18). Jesus identifies Himself with the temple, comparing the trauma of its destruction with His crucifixion and the glory of its restoration with His resurrection (John 2:18–22). Furthermore, even as Ezekiel envisions a river flowing from the temple, giving life to all the world, so Jesus declares Himself the source of living waters (John 4:1–43; 7:37–39). In his own final vision, John witnesses this same river flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb, having brought cleansing and healing to His people scattered among the nations (Rev. 22).
The great tension of Ezekiel has blossomed into the greatest potential imaginable: the everlasting presence of God and the Lamb.
This article is part of the Every Book of the Bible: 3 Things to Know collection.
]]>The post Road Trip DL: Stream Died in the Wilderness; Tuggy and Flowers Comments, More John 6. appeared first on Alpha and Omega Ministries.
]]>The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ lies at the very heart of the Christian faith and message. It is Christ’s victory over sin and death that Christians celebrate each Lord’s Day, and especially each Easter. For as R.C. Sproul said, “The supreme enemy that afflicts human life—death itself—is triumphed over with the resurrection.” The following resources, curated by the Ligonier editorial team, can help believers understand more fully God’s glorious grace in salvation.
In this book, Dr. Sproul shows that the death of Jesus Christ on the cross was always God’s plan by which to bring salvation to His people, and that apart from the cross, there is no salvation. This overview of the atonement can help readers better understand the meaning and purpose of the cross and point them to the essence of the biblical message on redemption: a holy God who seeks and saves the lost.
The resurrection of Jesus is often dismissed as a myth by those who assert that miracles are a scientific impossibility. Is faith in the resurrection nothing more than blind belief? In this book, Dr. Fluhrer contends that the account of the resurrection is no myth, but rather, it is a historic reality supported by evidence. And by God’s grace, embracing Christ’s resurrection means having our lives forever changed.
In 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul discusses Christ’s resurrection as a historical reality that provides the basis for the believer’s future hope of resurrection. This book takes readers through Paul’s teaching, examining its inner logic, theological content, and practical application, focusing on the hope that Christ’s resurrection offers to all who believe.
Compiled from sermons that Dr. Boice delivered to his congregation over the years, this book presents the resurrection as historical fact, refuting arguments leveled against it, explaining seeming discrepancies, and focusing the reader’s attention on the significance of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead: the justification and deliverance of God’s people.
This book contains a compilation of Calvin’s sermons from 1557–1558, in which he explores Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection as described in the gospel of Matthew. Emphasis is placed on the fruit and efficacy of Christ’s redemptive work, and Calvin lays out the implications of Christ’s death and resurrection for how believers live, serve, worship, and pray.
This article is part of the Recommended Resources collection.
]]>Long before twentieth artists like Pablo Picasso began to use the technique of collage, employing a collection of objects in their work, and long before Charles Ives wrote his Second Symphony, incorporating quotations from America’s history like Columbia the Gem of the Ocean or the folk hymn Bringing in the Sheaves, John Newton gave us a theological collage in the hymn “Amazing Grace.”
While most hymns keep the thematic boundaries close that is not the case with Amazing Grace. It is true that the grace of God is the overarching theme. But Newton makes clear that this grace of God had confronted him with his wretchedness and that implies the preaching of the law and the conviction that comes from it. His heart would know fear because grace had caused him to see the perfection of the righteousness of the Lord. He takes us from this convicting work of God to the awakening of his soul, and leads us to see where that the journey of sanctification leads. His collage honors the word of God in the fourth verse and the sureness of the promises of the Lord to protect us in this life. In verse five he reminds us of our mortality but like Paul sees that day as a doorway into the very presence of Christ. It is a little strange that, with this doctrinal variety, Newton would not have celebrated the death and resurrection of Christ in an explicit way.
But like the book of Esther which never mentions the name of the Lord directly, apparently for literary effect, Newton gives us a hymn that does not mention the cross but honors it as many others fail to do. He has set us on the pilgrim journey and assured us that the Lord is trustworthy. Many Christians having sung the words hundreds of times, “When we’ve been there ten thousand years bright shining as the Sun, we’ve no less day to sing God’s praise than when we first begun,” would be surprised to discover that Newton did not write them. What Newton wrote about the future is usually not sung and that is a shame because Newton’s verse is glorious. Here is how it reads, The sun shall soon dissolve like snow, the moon forbear to shine, but God who called me here below will be forever mine.
John Newton, writing over a millennium and a half after the crucifixion of our Lord, speaks about the “soon” destruction of the present order. How can Newton speak in this way? The apostle Peter tells us that scoffers will come who question the second appearance of the Lord. But Peter reminds us that the example of the flood should cause us to understand that the end of time will be like Noah’s day. The flood came and took them all away. Only Noah and his family were saved. It is the same with our blessed hope for the resurrection of the body and the removal of the sin touched order. With the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. That day will come, but as a thief in the night. The Lord Jesus Christ will appear without warning. When the apostles asked about the destruction of the temple (Christ had said that not one stone would be left standing) the Lord gave them several signs to look for before the destruction of the temple and the horrible conquest of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. But of the final day of judgement the Lord prophesied no signs. He told his disciples “That day” would catch many by surprise. Like the flood in Noah’s day many would be taken away to judgement.
Nothing that happens at the coming of the Lord will overshadow the accomplishment of his first advent. When the Lord first appeared on the earth almost two thousand years ago, he came to establish God’s kingdom in perfection. He came to bring righteousness to the earth in a way that had never been known before. He came to bring God’s eternal life to the people of God. All these things were accomplished by his death and resurrection. He is reigning above and interceding for his own. The battle for the souls of God’s elect people is proceeding and Christ is going forth to conquer the foe. Satan’s doom is sure. The return of our Lord will bring to fulfillment all the things that were won by his death and resurrection. But the time of the Lord’s return is unknown.
No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Matthew 24:36)
When you hear of someone who claims to be able to predict the time of the Lord’s appearance, you may write them off as a charlatan, or at best a very confused person. No one knows the time of Christ’s return. You may say, “but didn’t the Lord speak about earthquakes, and famines, and wars and rumors of wars that would take place just prior to his return?” “Aren’t there signs that we can look for?” The Lord did speak of such things but specifically warned us not to be alarmed. These were signs of the beginning and of the sure proclamation of the gospel to all the nations. (Matthew 24:1-14)
The Lord will come at an hour which will be characterized by its normalcy. He taught that the time of his return would find the people of this world doing the things that they were doing when the flood of Noah came upon them and took them all away. (Matthew 24:37-40) They were eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage (normal human behavior). They did these things right up until the time that Noah and his family boarded the ark. They did not expect the judgement of God to fall on them. They would go on doing the things that human beings do and there would be no accountability for sin. Or so they thought.
Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. (Matthew 24:41)
Just as the wicked people of Noah’s time were “taken away” to judgment by the flood so the coming of our Lord will divide humanity into two parts, those who are taken away to judgment and those who are not.
Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. (Matthew 24:42)
The Bible teaches the imminent return of Christ. He may not come today, but we do not know that. We must not think that there are so many things to be fulfilled, before his return, that we may rest a while. We must be ready. The Lord taught several parables which emphasize this truth. He spoke about the master of a house that went away to a wedding banquet. His servants were expected to be alert and ready to open the door immediately on his return. (Luke 12:35-40) On another occasion he spoke about the owner of a house who would in time close the door of the house. Those outside would knock and plead with him, but he would tell them “I don’t know you or where you come from.” (Luke 13:22-30)
The Lord will return in bodily form. Luke gave us an account of the ascension of the Lord after his resurrection from the dead. The Lord was taken up into heaven before the eyes of his apostles and hidden from their sight by a cloud. Two “men” dressed in white appeared and spoke to the apostles in this way,
“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11)
The clear teaching is this. Our Lord ascended bodily and was concealed from sight, one day he will be revealed again in bodily form and will descend from above.
And the second coming of Christ will also bring about a union of the church militant and the church triumphant. One of the oldest confessions of faith speaks of the communion of saints.This is not merely a reference to the fellowship of living Christians, but includes the common experience of salvation through Christ, which is shared by the living and the dead. Thousands who came to faith in Christ while living here on the earth are now with the Lord. They live in heaven with him and are far better off for it. They have traditionally been called the church triumphant while those who are still here in this world are thought of as the church militant, the church on the march against the forces of evil here below. The Bible teaches us that the church triumphant will return with our Lord.
We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17)
This very important passage teaches us that the return of Christ will not be a hidden event. There will be a loud command, the voice of the archangel will be heard, and the trumpet call of God will sound. The second coming will be a noisy event. One cannot miss it. All people will know that Christ our Lord has returned. Christians will rejoice, but the lost will be terrified because of their sins and the judgement to come. As we have seen, the dead will be raised. This is true of both the righteous and the unrighteous.
Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will come out–those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. (John 5:28-29)
The Lord did not call the experience of the resurrected unbelievers “life.” Only the righteous really “live.” The wicked exist in a state of eternal torment. Hell becomes their dwelling place forever. But all the dead shall be raised. The Bible does not give us much information concerning the bodily existence of those who are eternally lost. But there is quite a bit of information concerning the future state of the redeemed. Since we will be “like Christ,” it is instructive to remember that he even ate with his disciples after he had been resurrected from the dead. Our existence will not be a shadowy matter but the reality of our life, in that new day, will be, if anything, far more real than life in this world. And our new body will be one that is designed for perfect fellowship with our God. All sin and mortality (which is the result of sin) will now be past. The immortal life of God will be ours in truth. As Paul said,
. . . we shall bear the likeness of the man from heaven. (1 Corinthians 15:49)
The return of our Lord will also bring in the final judgment of God, which will be a judgment based on principles of righteousness. The Scriptures teach us that all must face this judgment.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10)
Those who try to stand before the righteous judge in that day, without the grace of God to shield them, will only know the wrath of the Lamb of God. Their sins will be judged, and their “righteous acts” will be shown to be nothing more than filthy rags in the sight of God. Those who know Christ will also be judged on principles of righteousness but will have the continuing intercession of the Son of God. They will be shown mercy for their sins, and their works which were done as the result of the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit, will be recognized as pure and acceptable in the sight of God.
The return of our Lord will mean the end of the present creation and the revelation of a new heaven anda new earth. The old creation has been spoiled by Adam’s fall and the sins of subsequent generations. It must and will be replaced. A new creation has already come in Christ. The death and resurrection of our Lord brought in a new and perfect order. That new order has been advancing against the forces of evil for many years. One day the Lord himself will return and we will see the unveiling of Christ’s perfection and the glorious character of his kingdom. That kingdom will displace all others. We may love the country in which we were born. We may be strongly patriotic. But the mature Christian comes to understand that we are first and foremost citizens of God’s kingdom, and it is the only kingdom that will endure for all eternity.
And there will no longer be a great divide between heaven and earth. (Revelation 21:1) In other words, the dwelling place of God and the dwelling place of man will have been brought together by the graciousness of our God. In a sense, we will dwell on the earth forever. Earth, our dwelling place will have been created new, and there will be no essential difference between heaven and earth. But the significant thing is that we will be able to live in the very presence of our God because we will have been brought to perfection ourselves. We were once justified before God despite our sins because of God’s grace given us in Christ. We were sanctified by the continuing work of God in us over the years of our lives. But on that day, we will be glorified. We will know the perfection of absolute holiness. We will truly be righteous as our Lord is righteous. There will be no more tears. (Revelation 21:4) There will be no more sin. (Revelation 21:8) The same passage teaches that Christ will have made his church splendid in holiness. The figures of this passage do not describe the literal streets of heaven; they set before us the splendors of the church in all her redeemed glory. We are told that we will have entered an eternal day. Light is a symbol of truth and righteousness in scripture. There will be no need for the sun. We will have the light of God’s presence forever. And there will be perfect joy and satisfaction. We will drink the water of life.
And then, at the end of this most famous hymn, Newton reminds us of God’s call to undeserving sinners.
The children of God have heard the call of God. The apostle Paul tells us that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. The proclamation of the gospel of Christ’s death and resurrection for our sins is the heart of Christian experience. We must hear that we are sinners who have broken the laws of God and deserve hell. And we must hear that we should look away from ourselves to Christ and his perfect righteousness. He alone has the perfect obedience that we need.
And so, the church preaches Christ. We preach Christ with the truth of holy scripture. We preach the gospel events and with Paul say that these truths are the things of first importance. As individuals we preach Christ when we are baptized. Without a spoken word we say to those who are present, “Christ died for me to take my sins away and he was raised for me to give me eternal life.” And when the church gathers around the Lord’s table, we preach Christ. There we see the Lord’s body and blood, and together with all our brothers and sisters in the Lord we remember his death as our atonement. And we eat the bread and drink the cup. Thus, we preach his sustaining life. As we are nourished by his body and blood, we preach again the resurrection life of the Lord.
But there is another work of the Lord, another calling of God that Newton had experienced. That work of God is the effectual calling of the Holy Spirit.
Which comes first —the new birth or repentance and faith?
The order is this, first comes regeneration or the new birth by the Spirit. Then repentance and faith in Christ come as the result of the work of God. The Baptist Faith and Message puts it this way,
Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God’s grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace.
Notice the order. First there is the new birth. Then repentance and faith appear. They are “inseparable experiences of grace.” If you have been born again, you will repent. If you have been born again, you will believe in Christ. These things have come to us because of the grace of God. He has given us new life. He has given us the ability to repent when others do not. He has given us faith in Christ when others do not believe in him. On one occasion the Lord even told some of his enemies that the reason they did not believe in him was because the Father had not enabled them to do so. (John 6:60-65) One might say, “But I thought that God gives us new life because we repent. Isn’t repentance the condition for being born again?” Not according to the Lord Jesus Christ. He told Nicodemus,
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. (John3:8)
Can you and I control the wind? Do we arise each day and decide how fast the wind will blow or from what direction the wind will come? Can we stop a tornado from creating havoc as it passes through a defenseless town? Of course not. The wind blows where it pleases. Do you see the point that the Lord is making? We cannot control or direct the Spirit of God in his work of imparting new life to sinners. He regenerates. He resurrects to new life. He causes us to be “born again.” The wind of the Spirit must blow. That is why we pray for the Holy Spirit to come to our friends and relatives who do not know the Lord. We ask God to save them. We know that if they are to come to Christ, they must be drawn to him by the work of God. The Lord Jesus said,
I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. (John 5:24-25)
The Lord was not speaking about the last day when the dead will be raised from their graves. That is clear because, just after he spoke these words, he began to talk about that day.
Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out . . . (John5:28-29a)
We are dead in our sins. We cannot help ourselves. God must come to our rescue. He has done that by sending his Son to die in the place of sinners on the cross. But that atoning work must be applied to us individually, and that is the work of God’s Spirit. The Father chose us in eternity. The Son died for his people in time and history. And the Holy Spirit brings the benefits of Christ’s death to us. He brings with him the resurrection life of Christ. With the same power that raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead he touches us as we lie spiritually helpless, dead before God. Suddenly we rise from our spiritual grave. We believe the gospel. We believe in Christ. We depend on him to save us. In our dead state we did not love God. Now we love him because he first loved us. We did not love our fellow man. Now we love even those that we once hated. All this is the miraculous result of the new birth. The Lord has touched us with resurrection power. We are truly alive for the first time. We have been born again! We must make clear that the Holy Spirit, in accomplishing this work of God, uses the word of God. The preaching of the gospel is an essential part of the Holy Spirit’s regenerating work.
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. (1 Peter 1:23)
There must be a presentation of the truths of the gospel if a sinner is to come to Christ for salvation. But the external call to receive Christ as Lord and Savior cannot save if it stands alone. There must also be an internal work of God. The Holy Spirit must hover over us as surely as he hovered over the formless void. Just as the voice of God said “let there be light” so the Holy Spirit brings light to our dark world. He says to each of our dead souls, arise! It is like the Lord Jesus Christ appearing before the tomb of Lazarus and shouting for the dead man to come forth. And, just as Lazarus was called from death to life by the power of God, so we are raised by God’s powerful work for us. But Lazarus died again. Not so with those who are born again. The life that began with the new birth will never end.
John Newton had heard both the external call and he had “heard” the precious call that comes from the Spirit of God. He could look forward to the blessings of heaven, when the earth dissolves like snow because he had been called by the Lord to an amazing salvation by grace!
The post Amazing Grace in the Return of The Lord appeared first on Founders Ministries.
]]>John Newton’s Amazing Grace was originally titled “Faith’s Review and Expectation.” By faith and in the power of the Holy Spirit, Newton “reviewed” his life to see it from the lens of reality: “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me!” One of the enduring qualities of Amazing Grace is that believers have identified with the brutal honesty of the text as they reflect and personalize the darkness of their past and the hope of their future in Christ.
The preacher-hymn writer beautifully and poetically captured his “life in review” and his eternal “expectation” of hope everlasting in verse five of this powerful and popular hymn: “Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease, I shall possess, within the veil, A life of joy and peace.” For Newton, there was no question as to “if” his flesh would give out and “if” his heart would stop beating; it was for him, “when” the cessation of life would take place. Indeed, the day will come when “mortal life shall cease.”
But for Newton, and subsequently those of us who have the joy and privilege of singing this hymn, there seems to be implications far beyond the ultimate last expansion of air in the lungs and the final beat of the heart. Throughout the hymn, “Amazing Grace,” the wise pastor might also be pointing worshipers to the reality that flesh and hearts fail on a daily basis. There is no lack of sin in the life any believer, and a realization of such a reality is a step toward a “life of joy and peace” through the work of Jesus Christ.
In the compilation of the Letters of John Newton, first published in 1960, Newton wrote the following in his missive titled, “Christ All-Sufficient:”
We are never more safe, never have more reason to expect the Lord’s help, than when we are most sensible that we can do nothing without him. This was the lesson Paul learnt, to rejoice in his own poverty and emptiness, that the power of Christ might rest upon him. Could Paul have done anything, Jesus would not have had the honour of doing all. This way of being saved entirely by grace, from first to last, is contrary to our natural wills: it mortifies self, leaving it nothing to boast of…in truth, such a poverty of spirit is the best mark we can have of an interest in his promises and care.”[1]
To the recipient of the letter, Newton makes it clear that salvation is “entirely by grace.” Life itself is lived in the power of Christ alone and there is reason for believers to rejoice in their poverty. As the Apostle Paul reminded the church at Corinth: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me”’ (2 Cor. 12:9).
The “life of joy and peace” will indeed come when Christ calls the believer home, but there is the very present reality that believers have a place “already” in the heavenlies seated next to Christ as they submit to the certainty that we can do “nothing without him.” As the Apostle Paul reminded the church at Ephesus and us: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:4-7). Newton reminds believers of the eternal “joy and peace” that will eventually come “on that day.” But there is a prevailing realism in the “immeasurable riches of his grace toward us in Christ Jesus” as we live life now.
Even though mortal life will cease and our hearts will stop, Newton turns the darkest of realities into a glorious hope in just a few choice words: “I shall possess within the veil, a life of hope and peace.” The veil refers to the curtain that functioned to separate the holy place from the holy of holies in the temple. In other words, the prohibitive function of the veil conveyed the restrictive nature placed on Israelite worship.[2] But for those in Christ, the access to God was made complete. As the writer of Hebrews describes: “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:19-22).
“Within the veil” verbalizes a metaphor as poetically intense as it is theologically profound. It carries with it an amazingly pertinent and diverse body of gracious gifts given to believers that all arise from the broken and torn body of Christ—“that is, his body”—that constituted the heart of his work of reconciliation. “Within the veil” we have forgiveness. “Within the veil” we are justified. “Within the veil” we are reconciled to our most dangerous enemy. “Within the veil” redemption from the slave-block of iniquity is executed. “Within the veil” the promise and energy for sanctification reside. “Within the veil” the certainty of perseverance is rooted. “Within the veil” assurance becomes a source of unmitigated joy. “Within the veil” the opening of death into heaven and eternal life makes that final breath an entrance to the status of “far better” (Philippians 1:23).
Another compelling word fittingly placed by Newton in verse five is the term, “possess.” In context he writes, “Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease, I shall possess, within the veil, A life of joy and peace.” Through the completed work of Christ, Newton encourages worshipers to know without a doubt that Jesus owns and holds and keeps their position for them within the veil – within the presence of the most Holy God. Believers possess their place within the veil not because of their efforts, but because of Christ’s perfect sacrifice.
And as believers look forward to the day beyond this mortal life, there is a perfect hope and perfect “joy and peace” yet to come. In another letter, Newton wrote: “The state of true believers, compared with that of others, is always blessed. If they are born from above, and united to Jesus, they are delivered from condemnation, and are heirs of eternal life, and may therefore well be accounted happy.”[3]
The truths succinctly and beautifully articulated in just a few lines of a hymn remind us to “review” our lives and live them in the light of Christ’s presence now and in “expectation” of eternity, and we will surely “be accounted happy.”
[1] Newton, John. Letters of John Newton. (London, The Banner of Truth Trust, 1960), 178.
[2] Daniel Gurtner, “The Veil Was Torn in Two: What Happened on Good Friday.” Desiring God, accessed June 26, 2023, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-veil-was-torn-in-two 2019.
[3] Newton. Letters, 148.
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]]>When John Newton penned his classic hymn in 1772, first sung in January 1773, the autobiographical reflections of his life to that point were clearly at the forefront of his mind. He had experienced more misadventures in his first few decades than most men, and the grace of the Lord had marvelously saved him from spiritual death as well as severe earthly danger.
In his fourth stanza Newton shifts his focus to the future, and he declares that the goodness of God which had thus far followed him through 46 years was his certain expectation for the remainder of his days. Indeed, believers should commemorate God’s previous acts of kindness and deliverance, and Newton reminds us we should also entrust ourselves to the goodness of God for all our future days. Christians should expect God’s perpetual goodness towards us. We should hold a posture of what one might call “Christian optimism,” rooted in the character and the sure promise of God.
God has promised good to his children. The reality of this statement is enough to make one marvel forever. The supreme Lord over all, who created the heavens and earth and is Himself majestic beyond comprehension, has condescended not merely to notice man, but to care for man and to devote himself to the good of man (Psalm 8). In God’s act of creation, he makes for man a good world full of blessing and wonder. When he calls Abraham, he states that his purpose is for Abraham to be blessed and to be a blessing to humanity (Genesis 12:2). Indeed, throughout redemptive history we see God dealing with his people with the design of goodness and blessing in view (Exodus 19:6, 34:10; Deuteronomy 26:18-19; 2 Samuel 7; Jeremiah 29:10-14, 31:31-34). Paul declares to us who believe in Christ that God is actively at work in our lives to bring about our good and his glory (Romans 8:28-39). We shall say more about the substance of the good that God has promised, but may we first believe this promise, embrace it, and wonder at it.
There is a danger for us who want to resist popular and pervasive caricatures of God found in modern Christian teaching, music, and subculture, which emphasize the goodness of God and his “friendliness” to the neglect of presenting his holiness, sovereignty, and righteousness. That danger is that in our efforts to champion these latter traits we can become myopic and fail to cherish and celebrate the kindness and genuine goodness of God and his delight in his people, “For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation,” (Psalm 149:9; cf. Zephaniah 3:17).
Instead, we must not lose sight of the consistent theme of scripture that God intends to bless his people and do good to them. True, God is not a cosmic Santa Claus, but neither is he a cold and indifferent potentate; he loves his children. Calling upon God as our Father is an act of faith in his benevolent disposition toward us. Hence, Jesus compares our love for our children with that of the Father for us: “Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him,” (Matthew 7:9-11). Christians ought to be the most hopeful, the most optimistic people because we know that the God who superintends the universe has a loving heart. Furthermore, the goodness of God is not a generalized intention but a personal promise; each believer can rightly say, “The Lord has promised good to me.” Believing that God is good and intends to do good to us is a matter of believing his Word.
As Newton asserts, our hope in God’s promise is a certainty because it is grounded in his Word and his character. The author of Hebrews makes this same connection in reference to Abraham’s hope and our own as heirs of the promise:
So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus as gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. [1]
Our hope is for that which is certain and yet presently unseen, namely God’s future goodness towards us in this life and ultimately in the final resurrection (Romans 8:20-25; 1 Corinthians 15:19). The Word of God is the basis for our hope; we believe the promises God has communicated to us. God’s Word is also the means by which this hope is secured or brought to pass in our lives and in human history. When the Lord speaks, he is acting; unlike the mere words of a man, God’s Word accomplishes purposes and has tangible effects on his creation. God’s Word secures our hope because it is his Word that produces saving faith and repentance, and his Word is the very power of God to direct the course of human events (Romans 10:17; James 1:21; Isaiah 55:10-11; 1 Corinthians 1:18). Though Peter was an eyewitness of Christ’s glory, he asserts that the prophetic word of the Scriptures was more certain than his own firsthand experience (2 Peter 1:16-20). Hence, when we do not see firsthand that God is being good to us, we can nevertheless believe it.
God has promised good to us, but what is meant by “good?” Is it the “good” that is peddled by prosperity gospel hucksters, Word of Faith teachers, and even misguided evangelicals – namely physical health, material prosperity, and an abundance of self-esteem and self-affirmation? Does God’s word promise a life of comfort and ease to believers? Or is there a higher good which we should expect from God, one that transcends our own experience, emotions, and even existence? Newton answers this by directing our attention heavenward and insisting that essence of God’s promise for good is the promise that God would give himself to us – “He will my shield and portion be.”
Scripture declares that God himself is both the source and the substance of our good. As John Piper helpfully summarizes, “The best and final gift of the gospel is that we gain Christ… the highest, best, final, decisive good of the gospel, without which no other gifts would be good, is the glory of God in the face of Christ revealed for our everlasting enjoyment.”[2] So, what is this good that God has promised to us? It is nothing less than God himself. God calls, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies us for our good because these are the means by which we will know him, the ultimate treasure.
The world and the enemies of the gospel define “good” based upon human sensory experience: an attractive spouse, an expensive car, an adventurous vacation, a clean bill of health, successful children, worry-free existence, political power, and the list goes on. The good which God will bring about in our lives certainly permeates our human experience and is delightful to us, but it is not centered on us; it is anchored in and defined by him. This is the sense in which God is our portion. The reward of believing the gospel is that we gain Christ, and there is no possible higher reward.
We ought not expect the world to understand that supreme gladness is found only in knowing the Lord, and yet do we believers not also sometimes seek to find our chief happiness in those things which cannot ultimately satisfy us? Even good and commendable things can usurp God’s rightful place on the thrones of our hearts, individually and corporately. In Jeremiah 2:13 the Lord upbraids his people for such an exchange:
For my people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken me,
The fountain of living waters,
And hewed out cisterns for themselves,
Broken cisterns that can hold no water.
The Lord declared himself to be the shield of Abraham (Gen 15:1), Israel (Deuteronomy 33:29), and David (Psalm 3:3; 5:12, 18:2), depicting himself as the one who protected them from trouble and calamity. Each of us could undoubtedly recount myriad ways in which the Lord had delivered us from hardships, and yet the Lord has most certainly protected us from unknown and unexperienced trials about which we know nothing simply because he spared us and shielded us from them. We can be sure that God will not permit anything to penetrate his shielding except that which he designs to afflict us for our good. This is why in the face of profound loss and unfathomable suffering, those who know God can say that such afflictions are themselves good (Job 1:20-22; Philippians 3:7-11).
If the Lord were to promise us good only in this lifetime, we should be thankful for his mercy even in that short span of time. Yet God’s promise extends through the end of our days on earth and beyond, “as long as life endures.” As Jesus declared to Martha, so he promises to us, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26). To believe this promise is to echo the praise of David, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever,” (Psalm 23:6).
The comfort that is ours in knowing the promise of God to do good to us, for us, and in us is a cause for great rejoicing when we see and experience this in our times of blessing. The birth of a child, a plentiful harvest, and seasons of spiritual growth and refreshment are tangible proofs of God’s promises and his faithfulness. But it is in the valley of the shadow of death, the periods of drought and famine, and the times of spiritual despondency when we most need to be reminded of God’s promises of goodness that will ultimately prevail over the trials we experience. When our temporal vista gives way to the perspective of eternity, we shall see that all along the Lord was doing everything for our good, just as he promised. As Newton’s friend William Cowper[3] penned,
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour:
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower. [4]
In his summary of Newton’s life and theology, biographer Josiah Bull places a special emphasis on Newton’s optimism towards God’s providence, “But here we would especially speak of Mr Newton’s faith in the overruling providence of God. In all circumstances his soul stayed itself upon the Lord. Thus in the perils of the deep he possessed his soul in peace.”[5]
Newton saw that even the sufferings of life are part of God’s plan to bring about good, both in his own life and in the lives of others. In his deepest sorrow following the death of his wife, he remarked in his journal, “I acknowledge that it was well worth standing awhile in the fire for such an opportunity of experiencing and exhibiting the power and faithfulness of His promises.”[6] Newton looked externally to God for his support, and he was sustained through his trial by considering that others who saw both his afflictions and his steadfast trust would have reason to look to God and be comforted when their own trials came. Newton preached the funeral service for his wife, and he remarked in his journal that he expected this to bear fruit, stating, “I have reason to hope that many of my hearers were comforted and animated under their afflictions by what they saw of the Lord’s goodness to me in my time of need.” Thus, our trust in God amidst the darkness may be used to be a blessing to others if we will but have eyes to see beyond ourselves in our travails. The good purposes God has for him who is suffering extend beyond the sufferer himself (Philippians 1:14, Colossians 1:24-25).
The Christian is not called to be a Pollyanna, willfully oblivious of the troubles that beset us and blindly optimistic about happiness lying just around the corner. Neither should Christians be like Eeyore, the old perpetually pessimistic donkey, incapable of finding contentment due to an expectation of inevitable hardship. Instead, we ought to trust the promise of God, that he intends good for us and that “He who calls you is faithful. He will surely do it,” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
[1]Hebrews 6:17-20
[2]John Piper, God is the Gospel (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005), 13.
[3]For a concise account of their friendship, see George Ella, “John Newton’s Friendship with William Cowper, https://www.christianstudylibrary.org/article/john-newtons-friendship-william-cowper.
[4]William Cowper, “God Moves in a Mysterious Way.”
[5]Josiah Bull, The Life of John Newton (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2007; reprinted 2020), 317.
[6]Bull, 262.
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]]>“Amazing Grace,” or “Faith’s Review and Expectation,” appeared in “Olney Hymns” in 1779, six years after it was first sung in the parish church at Olney. It was number 41 in Book One, devoted to “select passages of Scripture” the lone entry under 1 Chronicles. Newton viewed the prayer of David in that text, 1 Chronicles 17:16 and following, as a review of the operations of divine grace in his experience. David looked to the past, to the present, and then to the future. When the Christian contemplates the grace of God, he sees it in its seamless power, recognizing its effectual workings of the past, observing its sustaining power in the present, and confident of its immutable purpose in the future.
The text of “Amazing Grace” contains the word grace six times. Notably, verse two has the most direct exposition of the operation and effects of converting grace—grace to fear and grace for fears relieved. This is “grace upon grace” (John 1:16). John explains that the first grace was in this, “The law was given through Moses.” The grace that was layered on top of that was found in this: “Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). The powerful grace of the Spirit in using the law to teach the fear of God and the consequences of sin led inexorably to the grace of faith in the completed work of Christ. Led to biblical belief by the Spirit of God showing the glory of Christ, the believer finds such grace as precious when the assaulted conscience under the terrors of God’s curse on lawbreakers find release by the certainty of acceptance. Verse two captures it
‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!
Verse three continues with the emphasis on sustaining grace, the necessary concomitant to saving grace. All of it is of the same quality and necessary, not only for the power and effectuality of regeneration, but for sustaining faith in a world hostile to the gospel and those who believe it.
Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
Verse four, five, and six look to the future of God’s sustaining grace in the believer’s life: “As long as life endures. … when mortal life shall cease, … will be forever mine.” Though the final three stanzas do not contain the word grace, the preciousness of the promises communicated find their origin and certain sustenance in sovereign omnipotent grace.
Newton did not view grace as a cooperative power of God, but a unilateral and effectual exertion of power based on the eternal saving intent of God. In the preface to Olney Hymns, Newton made clear that he did not intend the hymn book to be an element of a polemical dispute with those who “differ with me, more or less, in those points which are called Calvinistic.” [Newton, 3:303] He was not out to promote controversy, but to edify the worshipper and convict the unregenerate of sin and absolute dependence on God. He claimed the freedom, however, as others of a different viewpoint claimed for themselves, to make his hymns as clear as he could on points of doctrine and Christian experience that glorified God and sent the sinner to the merits of Christ and the grace of God without reservation. “The views I have received of the doctrines of grace,” Newton explained, “are essential to my peace; I could not live comfortably a day, or an hour, without them.” As to any accusation that they promote carelessness and diminish evangelistic concern, Newton contended for an opposite viewpoint. “I likewise believe, yea, so far as my poor attainments warrant me to speak,” Newton averred, “I know them to be friendly to holiness, and to have a direct influence in producing and maintaining a Gospel conversation; and therefore I must not be ashamed of them.” {Newton, Works 3:303]
In a sermon entitled, “Sovereignty of Divine Grace Asserted and Illustrated,” Newton began his final paragraph with the encouragement, “Does it not appear from hence, that the doctrine of free sovereign grace is rather an encouragement to awakened and broken-hearted sinners than otherwise?” [Newton Works, 2:413, 414] Newton consistently encouraged his auditory to find in Christ not only a sovereign Savior, but a merciful and willing Savior. In 1800, preaching before the “Lord Maor, Aldermen, and Sherifs,” Newton closed a message on “The Constraining Influence of the Love of Christ” with an earnest appeal to flee from “everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord,” for “We have incurred the penalty annexed to the breach of this law.” [Newton 6:516]
To those who are sensible of their desert and danger, the gospel points out relief and a refuge. Jesus invites the weary and burdened sinner, and says, “Him that cometh, I will in no wise cast out. You have heard something of his glorious person, power, authority, and love. He is able, he is willing, he has promised to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him. Oh, that today you may hear his voice, and comply with his invitation! [Newton 5:516.]
When Newton, therefore, wrote of grace, he had in mind the sovereignly chosen, eternal disposition, of love toward sinners viewed as fallen and under just condemnation. From the unit of fallen sons of Adam, the triune God placed electing, redeeming, justifying, persevering love on particular individuals to bring them from being under a sentence of eternal damnation to inherit the status of sons of God and receive eternal life. In a hymn on Leviticus 8, Newton versed, “He bears the names of all his saints deep on his heart engrav’d; attentive to the states and wants of all his love has saved.” [Newton, 3:328] At the same time, that the gospel call is to be sent to all, Newton gave no pause. He wrote, “But Jesus invitation sends, treating with rebels as his friends; And holds the promise forth in view, to all who for his mercy sue.” [3:330] He used Samson’s lion to teach God’s protective grace for believers: “The lions roar but cannot kill; then fear them not my friends, they bring us, though against their will, the honey Jesus sends” [Newton, 3:333]. Contemplation on 2 Kings 2 in the story of Elisha’s healing the waters of Jericho with salt led to this verse. He emphasizes human depravity which can only be healed by grace.
But grace, like the salt in the cruse,
When cast in the spring of the soul;
A wonderful change will produce,
Diffusing new life through the whole:
The wilderness blooms like a rose,
The heart which was vile and abhors,
Now fruitful and beautiful grows,
The garden and joy of the Lord.
[Newton, 3:349]
The present experience of grace forms the substance of verse three. Newton viewed that experience in two parts—the dangers, toils and snares, of struggle involved in present sanctification, and second, the settled assurance that grace will lead us home. That idea is an element of and leads into the internal dominant hope (1 John 3:3) energized by the “Blessed Hope” (Titus 2:13) we find in verse 4–“His word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures.”
Newton described the “fears-relieved” kind of grace (verse 2) in a sermon entitled “Grace in the Blade” on Mark 4:28. Though punctuated with various manifestations of immaturity, lack of knowledge, fright, and terror before enemies, this is a time “remarkable for the warmth and liveliness of the affections.” [Newton 1:202] This new and enthusiastic believer Newton has named “A.”
The next stage, “B,” is “Grace in the Ear.” (Mark 4:28). Whereas desire and perhaps rapidly fluctuating joy and despair characterize “A,” Newton saw conflict as the state of “B” leading to a maturing understanding of the nature of the conflict caused by the operation of the flesh against the Spirit. “Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come.” The person denominated “B” knows that grace has brought him safe thus far.
Having felt the wrath of God pacified by the blood of Christ, having achieved some spiritual equilibrium, and having seen the deadly enemies of the past held at bay, B may think that little conflict will occur in his future pilgrimage. He learns otherwise very soon. “Alas!” Newton says.” “His difficulties are in a manner just beginning; he has a wilderness before him, of which he is not aware.” God’s operations of grace will include some severe tests to “humble and prove him, and to shew him what is in his heart.” Aiming toward the “latter end” of life with more sustained comfort and anticipatory joy, this stage is designed by God “that all the glory may redound to his own free grace.” [Newton 1:205]
B learns that he lives “in a world that is full of snares, and occasions, suited to draw forth those corruptions.” [206] He is wiling to endure hardship and knows from Scripture that his heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, but he could never anticipate how deeply he could fall if left to his own devices and strength. When he finds respite from breakthroughs of perversity and malicious sin, God gives occasions in which he still will discover “new and mortifying proofs of an evil nature.” Hezekiah and Peter had exalted manifestations of grace followed by events in which, left to their own strength and determination, they fell to a sensible and distressing experience of their own evil nature when unsustained by immediate grace. A variety of experiences will teach B to be more “distrustful of his own heart” and view the way before him with ever-increasing conscious dependence on grace and “to suspect a snare in every step he takes.” [209]
As Newton described his own pilgrimage as person B, he found “multiplied instances of stupidity, ingratitude, impatience, and rebellion, to which my conscience has been witness!” [208] The person in this stage of pilgrimage in grace has a mind is more thoroughly informed by Scripture truth concerning the call to “lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily besets us” (Hebrews 12:1). Parallel to that, and with a maturing grasp of the coordinate operations of the “renewing of the mind” (Romans 12:2) and the “renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5), he has an increased awareness and admiration of “the rich sovereign abounding mercy of the covenant.” [209] “Through many dangers toils and snares I have already come. ‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far.”
When the result of grace is the “Full corn in the ear,” the Christian pilgrim can say, “and grace will lead me home.” Newton labeled this stage of pilgrimage as the experience of “C.” He more fully develops this in verse 4, but the threshold to that stage is introduced here. C recognizes more profoundly that whether living or dead, he belongs to Christ. He knows that even if he lives as long as Methuselah, and does not enter heaven for centuries, this will mean fruitful labor for him. It will involve opportunities for glorying in Christ before a wicked and perverse age. Like Paul, he desires to be with Christ, knowing that such a state is far better, but he has learned to be content in any condition in this life and to trust God’s wisdom as to the time and condition of his entry to the heavenly presence of Christ among the “spirits of just men made perfect” (Hebrews 12:23), for he knows that, by invincible grace, his place there is assured. “Grace will lead me home,” and that same grace will sustain me while I am here.
Newton described this state of grace as characterized by humility, spirituality, and “a union of heart to the glory and will of God.” [214, 215] He learns humility in looking back “upon the way by which the Lord has led him; and while he reviews the Ebenezers he has set up all along the road, he sees, in almost an equal number, the monuments of his own perverse returns.” [212] He learns a deeper and more humble submission to the will of God in all circumstances. While he is impatient with his own failures in light of God’s immeasurable grace, he learns to bear with others as they also will stumble over the “snares of the world.” [213].
C learns more intensely how deeply rooted is the evil principle that clings to him in this life and thus learns to seek and value more profoundly the operations of the Spirit in mortification of the flesh. He learns how vain it is to cling to temporal things and how excellent it is to increase in the knowledge of God and conformity to Christ. As he looks with confidence to the grace that will lead him home, “He sees that the time is short, lives upon the foretastes of glory, and therefore accounts not his life, or any inferior concernment dear, so that he may finish his course with joy.” [214]
For C, grace still reminds him of the sinful pit from which he was lifted, and reminds him of the snares, dangers, and toils that once were more prominent and threatening than now. He still knows and feels the power of indwelling sin and yearns to be free of its hindrances. Increasingly diminished, however, is the fixture on oneself, and ever more prominent is a joy in savoring and contemplating the glories and beauties of God. “That God in Christ is glorious over all, and blessed for ever, is the very joy of his soul.” [216] They may have great grace for great difficulty and appear to make slow progress in their grasp of the glory of God. They may also have less intense outlays of grace for small difficulties and seem to advance rapidly. In both cases grace makes them endure.
Grace must sustain us from first to last. Preceded by the grace of election, Christ’s condescension, and victorious resurrection, we are dependent on divine grace even prior to any experience of it in our hearts. Made by grace to fear the curse and brought by grace to embrace the cure, we find grace upon grace. Born spiritually by the Spirit’s grace and secured eternally by the Redeemer’s intercession, grace will lead us home. The absolute and perpetual need of grace arises from the depravity of our hearts. We are humbled by this but not thrown down for an unending fountain of grace flows from the saving wounds of Christ “since Jesus is appointed to me of God, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption; and since I find that, in the midst of all this darkness and deadness, he keeps alive the principle of grace which he has implanted in my heart.” [Newton 1:250, “On a believer’s Frames.”]
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]]>This second stanza of John Newton’s “Amazing Grace” provides Christians with a rich and subtle insight into the nature of God’s saving work in the lives of believers. The verses encourage us to consider God’s providence over both the universal, objective elements of conversion – the new birth, including conviction of sin, repentance, and faith – but also over the subjective, particular circumstances of that conversion: the events, conversations, and degrees of the conviction that all believers feel. All are under the sovereignty of God in working out His purpose to save His people.
What might surprise the reader upon closer examination of the hymn is the stanza’s first line: “’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved.” What is interesting about this line is that it at least implies that the same grace which prompts fear answers that fear. But how can the grace of God prompt fear? The fear Newton mentions is spurred by recognition of the Law’s demands and the wrath of God imminent upon a sinner. The Scriptures reinforce this fear of God’s wrath. As far back as the Exodus, Moses observes, “Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of You?” (Psalm 90:11-12). In the New Testament, the writer of Hebrews rhetorically declares, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31). This fear from God’s righteous standards is succinctly articulated by Abraham Booth, the great English Particular Baptist:
“[W]hen the Spirit of God convinces of sin by the holy law, and manifests its extensive demands to the conscience of the sinner; when he is informed that every sin subjects the offender to a dreadful curse; then his fears are alarmed and his endeavours are quickened…for now, guilt burdens his soul, and conscience sharpens her sting; while the terrors of the Almighty seem to be set in array against him. The duties he has neglected, the mercies he has abused, and the daring acts of rebellion he has committed against his divine Sovereign, crowd in upon his mind and rack his very soul.”[i]
But again, how can fear be gracious? It is gracious in hindsight when considered as part of the process through which God redeems a Christian. It could be said that God prepares a person for salvation through an awareness of the guilt and judgment impending upon him as a sinner before God. The fear of God’s Law can precede the comfort of God’s Gospel as day follows night.
Newton’s own life and conversion provides a concrete example of just this kind of providential work. While a sailor at sea, living in “carnal security,”[ii] Newton was awoken by a violent storm that threatened to sink them, and though working frantically to exhaustion to save the ship, he despaired of any hope of deliverance:
“As he was returning, [Newton] said, almost without meaning, ‘If this will not do, the Lord have mercy upon us!’…[s]truck with his own words, it directly occurred to him, What mercy can there be for me!”[iii]
Ultimately, the ship and crew were spared, but it was through these circumstances that Newton came to reflect on the Scripture’s teaching of his need for Christ and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit within him, and during this trial became a follower of Jesus. Yet, it should be clear, it was not ultimately physical death that concerned Newton – he was terrified that, were the Scriptures true, his soul would be lost, condemned before a holy God. It was precisely this experience of fear before the terror of God’s holy wrath that John Newton learned about the allaying power of the Gospel.
Nor is Newton’s life an anomaly in redemptive history. The book of Acts especially provides examples of fear preceding the comfort found only in Christ. There is the record of Pentecost. After hearing Peter’s preaching, the Jews were “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37) – that is, they were filled with anxiety and remorse over the realization that they had been responsible for crucifying the Lord’s Christ.[iv] In their desperation they cried out for some source of hope – “Brothers, what shall we do?” – recognizing that they had no apparent hope for redemption against the God they had offended. Yet they received the words of Peter to repent of their sins and became devoted to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship (2:42). Another example can be found in the Philippian jailer. He too, upon learning of Paul and Silas’ presence in the cell, became filled with fear and trembling, and not merely due to his concern for his life, but clearly through the witness of their praying and singing hymns (Acts 16:25).
The idea that God prepares sinners for conversion prior to regeneration has roots in Protestant history. Particularly during the Puritan era, as Scriptural truths were being rediscovered and developed, it was a topic of discussion how much of God’s illumination merely convicted of sin and how much actually saved a person.[v] They astutely observed that Law works in the hearts of men so as to deprive them of any sense of hope to stand before God in their own righteousness and power, and it is through that helplessness that the sweetness of the Gospel message is tasted. For example, in Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, we see in the early pages that the pilgrim Christian is tormented by the burden of his sin lashed to his back. He is aware of his guilt, and desires to be free of its ponderous weight. Yet it will be some time in the narrative before Christian is free of his burden. In fact, it will not be removed until he enters the Wicket Gate and the place of deliverance beyond. Consequently, the reader may infer that, though we cannot know for certain how long it is, there is sometimes distance between a believer’s awareness of his burden (the fear of God’s Law) and that burden’s removal (the power of the Gospel to save).
Yet this fearful sensitivity, called conviction of sin, cannot be identical with regeneration. It is not clear merely from conviction whether the Spirit’s work is completed, or whether this constitutes earthly fears of heavenly realities now considered. John Owen, reflecting on the work of the Spirit in regeneration, observes, “ordinarily there are certain previous and preparatory works, or workings in and upon the souls of men, that are antecedent and dispositive unto it. But yet regeneration doth not consist in them, nor can it be educed out of them.”[vi] Newton himself concurs, “We may be unable to judge with certainty upon the first appearance of a religious profession, whether the work be thus deep and spiritual or not; but ‘the Lord knows them that are his.”[vii] Though the outside fear may not be infallible as to its origin, it is nevertheless true that such fears can be and often are expressive of a heart in the process of being converted. This makes the nature of when regeneration takes place imprecise. The divine aspect of regeneration, the work of God, is internal; we only see external aspects – conviction of sin, repentance, faith in Christ. The new birth, in Jonathan Edwards’ words, may come in “a confused chaos…exceeding mysterious and unsearchable.”[viii] B. H. Carroll further articulates this imprecision:
“[c]onviction, repentance, and faith are the constituent elements of regeneration; that is, they are the elements within our range of vision. We can see only the under side of what is above us. When we describe it, we describe it as we see it. As the view is partial, the description is partial.”[ix]
Occasionally, some Puritans steered into language and concepts of God’s convicting work prior to conversion that were unhelpful and imbalanced. A particularly famous example is the New England Puritan Thomas Hooker. In some of his works he asserted that an acute sense of fear from God’s Law is a necessary qualification to repentance and faith: “[the pre-regenerate person] must be a lost man in his own apprehension…All men must thus be disposed before they can be saved.”[x] However, many contemporaries challenged Hooker’s suggestion that godly terror must first precede regeneration. From the earlier quote from Owen, we can see how he qualifies his observations with the word “ordinarily.” Preparatory works resulting in fear can certainly be present, but that is not a necessary precondition for the Spirit to work. Notably, the early Particular Baptist William Kiffen found Hooker’s thoughts distasteful, and his thoughts are reflected in Article 25 of the First London Baptist Confession of 1644 (1646 revision): “The preaching of the gospel to the conversion of sinners, is absolutely free; no way requiring as absolutely necessary, any qualifications, preparations, or terrors of the law, or preceding ministry of the law.”[xi]
More recent Christian theologians, especially after the First Great Awakening, have concurred with this hesitancy toward a unilateral experience prior to salvation. The thoughts of Archibald Alexander, living in the generation subsequent to the labors of Edwards, Whitefield, Rowland, and Wesley, summarize this consensus. After observing the idea of legal conviction (being convicted of the law’s curse) had “generally prevailed in all our modern revivals: and it is usually taken for granted, that the convictions experienced are prior to regeneration,” he then states, “But it would be very difficult to prove from Scripture, or from the nature of the case, that such a preparatory work was necessary.”[xii] In the present day Sinclair Ferguson observes, “Because God sees what he intends to produce in us and through is as his children, he exposes us to differing levels of conviction. Some like Peter’s sermon on Pentecost, are under conviction for minutes; others, like Paul, perhaps for days; yet others go through a dark night of the soul which seems interminable, like Bunyan and Luther before him.”[xiii]
These historical-theological accounts invite the question: if conviction of sin is a part of salvation – one sign of regeneration – why is it not essential prior to salvation? Further, how can some experience the conviction of sin and its attendant fear more acutely than others? Why do some not experience the degree of fear Newton summarizes so well in “Amazing Grace”? The answer to this lies in understanding what might be called universal and particular aspects of salvation. Every Christian is saved in accordance with God’s eternal electing plan, the universal character of this saving work between the God who redeems and the person who is redeemed. All sinners are hopeless in themselves to be saved. All three Persons of the Godhead participate in a person’s being brought from death to life; the work of the incarnate Son, accomplished in His earthly ministry, is implemented by the Holy Spirit who regenerates the believer at the behest of the Father’s effectual call. Every Christian is incorporated into the one people of God (Eph. 4:4-6). In sum, the work of redemption has a linear process, from the effective call to glorification, with regeneration, repentance/faith, justification, and sanctification falling between these (Rom. 8:30).
Nevertheless, this work of redemption, universal in character, takes place during a person’s life and experience, the particular aspect. Were it God’s will, He could simply redeem a person immediately with the fullness of Christ’s purchased salvation. This is certainly within the power of Him who called all things into being by the utterance of His Word (2 Cor. 4:6). Yet God has rarely chosen such an expeditious manner in saving sinners. Very often, in fact almost always, He works in a believer’s life through the events, circumstances, and processes unique to his life. Archibald Alexander, in his insightful Thoughts on Religious Experience, places these differences in experience within the situational, historical, and constitutional differences between each individual person, requiring pastoral wisdom in assessing a person’s spiritual state.[xiv] There is manifold wisdom in God’s way of saving sinners. Each person participates in the one salvation wrought by Christ, yet each person also contributes a distinct story of how that saving grace is manifested in him. John Murray observes, “If God has provided for the salvation of men, it must be salvation that takes effect in the sphere of human existence, that is, in the temporal, historical realm. Salvation as accomplished in time comprises a great many elements, factors, and aspects.”[xv]
The universal and particular aspects of redemption lead us to conclude that, though there is one salvation for all, the experience of one Christian in that process may drastically differ from another’s. All these circumstances, though unique, are not outside of God’s purview, but are the very means through which the Gospel, like leaven, works in the sinner’s heart to convict him of sin and bring him to faith and repentance. Whether the night of conviction is long or short, God’s grace brings a recollection of how He worked providentially in each of us to save us, drawing Christians into deeper devotion to Him for His grace, and a greater sense of our dependence on Christ for our unimpeachable hope.
“How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed.”
[i] Abraham Booth, The Reign of Grace: From Its Rise to Its Consummation (reprint, Sprinkle Publications, 2017), 100. A similar insight into the uncertainty of when redemption is genuinely effected can be found in John Bunyan’s autobiographical Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners. This short piece can be found in The Whole Works of John Bunyan (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1977), 1:6-65. The Banner of Truth Trust has a standalone version of this title.
[ii] The Works of John Newton (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1988), 1:25.
[iii] Ibid, 1:26, italics original.
[iv] The verb used here, κατανύσσομαι (“to be pierced, stabbed”), can mean pain in reference to anxiety or remorse. See Bauer, Danker, Arndt, and Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 3rd edition (Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2000), 523.
[v] For a helpful discussion of the topic of “preparation,” see Joel R. Beeke and Mark Jones, A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2012), 443-461, especially 455-461.
[vi] John Owen, The Works of John Owen (Banner of Truth, 1981), 3:229.
[vii] Newton, Letters of John Newton (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1976), 15, emphasis added.
[viii] Jonathan Edwards, Religious Affections, quoted in Beeke and Jones, A Puritan Theology, 459.
[ix] B. H. Carroll, “The Human Side of Regeneration,” in J. B. Cranfill, Sermons and Life Sketch of B. H. Carroll, D. D. (Philadelphia: American Baptist Publication Society, 1893), 177.
[x] Thomas Hooker, The Soul’s Preparation for Christ, 170-171, quoted in James M. Renihan, For the Vindication of the Truth: A Brief Exposition of the First London Baptist Confession of Faith (Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press, 2021), 99, emphasis added.
[xi] Quoted from Renihan, Vindication, 98. For evidence that Kiffen’s views are harmonious with the 1st London Confession, see ibid, 98-102.
[xii] Archibald Alexander, Thoughts on Religious Experience (reprint, Banner of Truth Trust, 1967), 15-16.
[xiii] Sinclair Ferguson, The Christian Life: A Doctrinal Introduction (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2017), 42. Roland Bainton provides a useful summary of Luther’s “Damascus Road” experience in Here I Stand (New York: Mentor Books, 1950), 15. It is interesting to compare Luther’s earlier experience and subsequent vow with his later wrestling over salvation seen in the same biography at 46-51.
[xiv] Alexander, Religious Experience, 32-36.
[xv] John Murray, The Collected Writings of John Murray (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1977), 2:123. Though Murray is specifying the diverse aspects of the plan of salvation from election to glorification, it is just as applicable to the personalized experience of salvation in the believer.
The post The Grace of Fear appeared first on Founders Ministries.
]]>Reflect on past mercies and consider future hopes so that you can sing in the present.
This year is the 250th anniversary of the writing of the hymn Amazing Grace so a little reflection on the past might prove helpful. Knowing about the author of the text – John Newton – and what motivated him to pen those memorable words should also be an encouragement to us who still sing this great old hymn.
It would seem that Newton himself was reflecting on the biblical text, 1 Chronicles 17:16-17, on his own life and on some key doctrinal truths. Such reflection led him to put into poetic form words and phrases that summarized biblical truth leading to a response of heartfelt worship. Reflection on God’s revelation should lead to doxology.
Amazing Grace was first published in Olney Hymns (1779), titled “Faith’s review and expectation.” Literary scholar Madeliene Forell Marshall described the overall message of the hymn in this way:
As usual, the original title, unavailable in our modern hymnals, provides useful direction to our reading: the hymn will look back in time, tracing the experience of faith (i.e., “review”), and forward, anticipating the future (i.e., “expectation”).[1]
Referring to Newton’s sermon notes we observe that he understood how this looking backwards and forwards assisted him in learning the rich doctrines that nourished his spirituality for the rest of his life. He was concerned about living a life of thankfulness and gratitude in response to God’s blessings:
The Lord bestows many blessings upon his people, but unless he likewise gives them a thankful heart, they lose much of the comfort they might have in them. And this is not only a blessing in itself but an earnest of more. When David was peacefully settled in the kingdom, he purposed to express his gratitude by building a place for the Ark…. My text is part of his acknowledgement. Omitting David’s personal concerns, I would accommodate them to our own use as a proper subject for our meditations on the entrance of a new year. They lead us to a consideration of past mercies and future hopes and intimate the frame of mind which becomes us when we contemplate what the Lord has done for us.[2]
According to these sermon notes, under points two and three, Newton asks the reader to reflect on the past and then consider the future. In the first of the two points Newton asks the reader to look back to past mercies, before conversion, at the point of conversion, and those mercies since then. In the first of the subpoints Newton pointed to God’s providential care in preserving us from all kinds of danger by His secret guidance. The second subpoint was a reminder about the moment where the merciful God enabled us to believe; and the third subpoint was reflection on the way mercy and goodness had followed us kept us through temporal and spiritual troubles.
The third point pointed called his congregation’s attention to future grace. “Are these small things? Yes, compared to what follows – He has spoken for a great while to come, even to Eternity. Present mercies are but earnests of his love, present comforts but foretastes of the joy to which we are hastening. O that crown, that kingdom, that eternal weight of glory! We are travelling home to God. We shall soon see Jesus, and never complain of sin, sorrow, temptation or desertion any more.”[3]
This was a common technique in his sermons. He would supply historical examples to help us to consider past mercies and point to the promises of God to get us to consider future hopes all for the purpose of helping us to approach present problems in a way that would honor God. That is what he does in this hymn.He wants us to reflect on past mercies and consider future hopes so that we can sing in the midst of present problems.
Contemplate how the power of hymns might more fully develop our perceptions of God.
It is one thing to state that doxology flows as a response to God’s revelation and that the response is a reflection on the past works of God. It is another thing to understand how both a reflection on the past and a consideration of future grace of God helps us to respond in worship to the present works of God’s providence. I would like to add a supplementary principle to this thesis. Contemplation about the power of hymns help to form our perceptions of doctrinal truths like the grace of God.[4] For example, not only does meditation on God’s word about His grace inform and enlarge our conception of the nature of God, but, in addition, deep thinking and singing about hymns themselves help to strengthen our views of God’s magnificent grace.
Have you not found yourself in deep admiration of God’s grace and thankfulness for His mercy and grace when you sing some great hymn? Consider the hymn by Samuel Davies, Who is a pardoning God like Thee, and who has grace so rich and free? The Scriptures certainly teach from Micah that God is one who pardons our iniquities. We know that, but when we sing that truth and repeat it in the chorus of the hymn, the truth grows down deeper into our soul. And then, we rejoice with thankfulness and gratitude that God’s grace indeed is rich and free! We remember the thousands of times that God has pardoned our sins and our soul melts at the thought that God has lavished His rich grace upon us. And when we sing it, not by ourself, but with other believers who understand that same truth and who sing about it with great joy in harmony with us, then our heart grows stronger and we exult in the grace of God.
Observe how Newton gets you to think with him about past mercies. Consider the first stanza of the hymn, phrase by phrase. Each phrase informs the singer about some essential biblical truth and how it has affected Newton. It tells us in the very first line that after long, deep reflection Newton has discovered and glories in the fact that the grace of God that has been shown to him throughout his life should always arrest the heart as something that is truly amazing! Grace is qualified! This sounds like Paul after meditating on grace in Ephesians 1 breaks forth in doxological wonder. We sing because of God’s amazing grace!
This was in accord with Newton’s confessional concept of grace as found in the 39 Articles of Religion that he ascribed to as an Anglican minister.[5] In section 17 about predestination and election the confession teaches that God’s grace enables us to obey the gospel call, justifies us, and causes us to be adopted as a child of God; and all according to the everlasting, predestinating purpose of God.[6]
Newton’s view of grace is based on Scripture and enriched by the language of the confession. It is amazing grace and he is going to explain why in the hymn! Newton’s sermon notes reference an initial question: Who am I? His shorthand notes then mention:
The frame of mind: humility and admiration. Who am I, etc. This question should be always upon our minds. Who am I? What was I when the Lord began to manifest his purposes of love? This was often inculcated upon Israel, Thou shalt remember – Look unto the pit from which we were taken. Lord, what is man! [7]
His next subpoints are a reflection on his pre-conversion condition of misery, rebellion, and the need for mercy. When we consider our pre-conversion we discover that we were shut up under the law and unbelief. And therefore miserable. We were also blinded by the god of this world and rebellious. We didn’t even have a desire of deliverance. Instead of desiring the Lord’s help, we breathed a spirit of defiance against Him. His mercy came to us not only undeserved but undesired. And we didn’t know that it was the Lord against whom we sinned and who showed us mercy. “What just cause of admiration, that he should appoint such salvation, in such a way, in favour of such helpless, worthless creatures.”[8]
So then, consider how fully did Newton understand this doctrine of grace. Surely a reflection on the truth that prior to his conversion he was in a miserable situation, was a deliberate, intentional, rebellious sinner, was a sinner undesiring and underserving of any kind of mercy or grace — surely a reflection on these truths would be just cause for admiration of God’s amazing grace!
A few years later, Newton referenced this amazing grace in a letter to John Thornton, 12 Sept. 1776:
. . . surely no one could be a greater libertine in principle or practice, more abandoned or more daring than I. But I obtained mercy. I hardly feel any stronger proof of remaining depravity than in my having so faint a sense of the Amazing Grace that snatched me from ruin, that pardoned such enormous sins, preserved my life when I stood upon the brink of eternity and could only be preserved by miracle, and changed a disposition which seemed so incurably obstinate and given up to horrid wickedness.[9]
With all of this in mind it is no surprise that Newton would have tried to think of poetic ways to exult in such grace. And, thankfully, the language of grace is descriptive and doxological. There is an aesthetic quality about it. It is all about the truth, goodness, and beauty of our LORD and His ways. Newton uses the language of the senses to elaborate on holy things. There is hunger for the things of God and there is a taste of sweetness in the Word of God. But the Word of God is also something that is heard with the ear, and in a beautiful mix of literary devices, there is a sweetness even in the sound of the Gospel in a believer’s ear. The eyes are not forgotten. I once was blind, but now I see. Touch is also implied and employed in the idea of his being lost, but found, reminiscent of the familiar story of the Shepherd carrying the lost sheep on his shoulders or the embrace of the prodigal son in the arms of the loving Father. You can feel the touch of His arms underneath your tired body and the loving arms of His care and love surrounding you with welcome. The language is almost sacramental.
Notice how Newton articulated his understanding of this grace. Consider how he describes grace as a “sound”? How sweet the sound. Was he not thinking about the word of grace that was proclaimed and, thus, heard? And why does he describe the “sound” as “sweet”? This is not the language of an unbeliever, but of a believer who understands that God has called him out of darkness into His marvelous light. To Newton the word of grace that he heard was understood and interpreted within the context of the doctrine of effectual calling, of irresistible grace. It is because Newton understood that God had called him in such a way that he describes this grace as sweet. How sweet the sound.[10]
But why was the sound of the message of grace so sweet to Newton? It is because he saw himself as one who had been delivered by the power of the gospel.[11] Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved…. The language of deliverance or rescue was very prominent during Newton’s life. As someone who had spent so much time on the seas he knew full well the impotence of anything seeking to overcome the dangerous, powerful waves of the ocean that would lift themselves up against the slave ships. But he had also learned of the omnipotence of the Maker of the heavens and the earth, and that God alone, the Creator, was the only one who could rescue him from the storms.
Newton’s scripture reference in his sermon notes, 1 Chronicles 17:16–17, poses the question from King David, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?” This is reflected in the hymn when the writer speaks of being a “wretch,” “lost,” and “blind,” yet delivered “through many dangers, toils, and snares.” The agency of that deliverance? “’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far.”[12]
It seems as if Newton understood well his salvation as a deliverance from sin and from the wrath of God. Once again, in his sermon notes, read:
We had not so much a desire of deliverance. Instead of desiring the Lord’s help, we breathed a spirit of defiance against him. His mercy came to us not only undeserved but undesired. Yea few [of] us but resisted his calls, and when he knocked at the door of our hearts endeavoured to shut him out till he overcame us by the power of his grace. [13]
Newton often would preach of the atoning, saving grace of God that had propitiated the wrath of God. This was a favorite theme because he understood just how wicked a sinner he had been before God saved him.
Newton never ceased to be amazed by God’s grace and told his friends, “My memory is nearly gone; but I remember two things: That I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior.”[14] He knew the doctrine of the depravity of mankind. He had a fully articulated understanding of anthropology. He knew that he was a sinner through and through; and so he worked hard at putting into poetic form a view of his own sinfulness. This is reflected in the hymn when the writer speaks of being a ‘wretch,’ ‘lost,’ and ‘blind’.
In a sermon on 1 Timothy 1:15, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—and I was the worst of them all!” Newton states
Innumerable cases might be published to the honor of the great Physician; none more memorable perhaps than my own. I was laboring under a multitude of grievous evils: fired with raging madness, possessed with many devils, and bent upon my own destruction!
But Jesus interposed—unsought and undesired. He opened my eyes, and pardoned my sins! He broke my fetters, and taught my once blasphemous lips—to praise His name. For the foulest of the foul—He dies! [15]
Newton often reflected on his past wretchedness: Once he described his moral condition in the words of 2 Peter 2:14, “Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin.” Newton later wrote, “The troubles and miseries . . . were my own. I brought them upon myself, by forsaking [God’s] good and pleasant paths and choosing the way of transgressors which I found very hard; they led to slavery, contempt, famine and despair.”[16]
This is the same truth found in the 39 Articles that Newton adhered to as well as the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechism that Newton’s mother had taught him as a child. In section 9 on original sin the 39 Articles state that depravity is the “fault and corruption of the Nature of every man, that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam; whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and is of his own nature inclined to evil, so that the flesh lusteth always contrary to the Spirit; and therefore in every person born into this world, it deserveth God’s wrath and damnation.”[17]
One can see that this was an important truth for Newton. In his sermons he would express what he had learned through the Scripture, through the confessions, and through his own experience. He understood the depths of his depravity. He had felt it; he had seen it for years. Otherwise, why would he go to such lengths to detail the effects of sin upon his life? Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.[18]
He also described himself as one who was lost. He just piled up terms to make sure the fullness of his sin was adequately understood. To understand why he would use this language you should remember Newton’s understanding of the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son were important for his poetic language in the hymn.
Once again, Newton’s understanding was informed by the Scriptures and his confessional statements, not only about his sinfulness, but also about the unconditional, electing love of the Christ who saved him and who watched over him and would not let him swerve too far from His providential keeping. I once was lost, but now am found.
Newton was convinced of the doctrine ofunconditional election:
If any people have contributed a mite to their own salvation, it was more than we could do. If any were obedient and faithful to the first calls and impressions of his Spirit, it was not our case. If any were prepared to receive him beforehand, we know that we were in a state of alienation from him. We needed sovereign, irresistible grace to save us, or we would be lost forever! If there are any who have a power of their own, we must confess ourselves poorer than they are.[19]
Newton had an understanding of the major Calvinistic doctrines and it is obvious that he loved this doctrine of irresistible grace. In an article printed in the Banner of Truth magazine, Dudley Reeves wrote:
The tide of the battle for Newton’s soul slowly turned with the dawning of gospel light, though for another six years he did not understand or enjoy evangelical preaching or conversation. Finally, the irresistible grace of God (or, as Newton preferred to say, the invincible grace of God) won the day — the crisis of capturing the citadel of Newton’s soul was over and the life-long process of mopping-up operations was begun.[20]
Newton labored to explain the glories of this grace. He was a wretch, yes, but he was also spiritually blind. He was in need of the powerful operation of the Great Physician to open his eyes to see the beauty of the only One who could save him. In an exposition on Luke 24:45, Newton explains:
He opened their minds—so they could understand the Scriptures.” Luke 24:45. When God opens the eyes of our understanding, we begin to see everything around us to be just as the Scripture has described them. Then, and not until then, we perceive, that what we read in the Bible concerning the horrid evil of sin, the vileness of our fallen nature, the darkness and ignorance of those who know not God, our own emptiness, and the impossibility of finding relief and comfort from creatures—is exactly true.[21]
In another sermon Newton described what it was like after the Lord opened his eyes. Newton employs the language of Isaiah 6:1-5 as his own voice and then prays for the same vision.
I saw the Lord! “In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord! He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of His robe filled the Temple. Hovering around Him were mighty seraphim, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with the remaining two they flew. In a great chorus they sang, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty! The whole earth is filled with His glory!’ The glorious singing shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire sanctuary was filled with smoke! Then I said, ‘Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty!'”
Oh! for a glance of what Isaiah saw, and has described! Oh! that we, by the power of that faith, could behold the glory of the Lord filling this house; that we could realize the presence and the attitude of His attendant angels! [22]
According to the Dictionary of American Hymnology, “Amazing Grace” is John Newton‘s spiritual autobiography in verse.[23] Newton himself testifies of this:
I would tell you how it is with me if I could; at the best, it would be an inconsistent account. I am what I would not, and would what I cannot. I rejoice and mourn; I stand fast and am thrown down in the same moment. I am both rich and poor; I can do nothing; yet, I can do all things. I live by a miracle. I am opposed beyond my strength, yet I am not overpowered. I gain when I lose, and I often am a loser by my gains. IN A WORD, I AM A SINNER! A vile one; but a sinner believing in the Name of Jesus. I am a silly sheep, but I have a gracious, watchful Shepherd; I am a dull scholar, but I have a Master who can make the dullest learn. He still enables me, He still owns me. Oh, for a coal of heavenly fire to warm my heart, that I might praise Him as I ought! [24]
We have considered only the first stanza of this beloved hymn but we see how many precious biblical truths are embedded in it, how many doctrinal principles are inculcated in it, and how many pastoral instructions can be gleaned from it. It is no wonder that has become one of the most popular hymns of all time. May we take time to reflect, as Newton did, on these same biblical truths, meditate on these same doctrinal principles, and consider the many pastoral instructions. May we learn to sing, with the rest of God’s chosen ones, just how amazing His grace has been and continues to be for wretched, lost, blind, rebellious sinners.
[1] Madeline Forell Marshall, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,” Common Hymnsense (1995), pp. 80-84.
[2] “Amazing grace: the sermon notes,” The John Newton Project.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Thanks to Tom Nettles for suggesting this thought. “Ruminations about the power of hymns help to form our middle mental perceptions of doctrinal truths.”
[5] Note: Newton was raised by a devout Congregationalist mother who taught John the Westminster Catechism and the hymns of Isaac Watts; so he heard and recited the rich doctrinal catechism of the Presbyterians. Cf. John Piper. https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/john-newton-the-tough-roots-of-his-habitual-tenderness
[6] 39 Articles of Religion, article 17.
[7] “Amazing grace: the sermon notes,” The John Newton Project.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Letter to John Thornton, 12 Sept. 1776, Cambridge University, Thornton Papers, Add 7674/1/B19, transcribed b Marylynn Rouse for The John Newton Project. http://www.johnnewton.org
[10] Newton seemed to like this phrase as he wrote another hymn adding extensively to the meaning of the words. How sweet the name of Jesus sounds. This hymn is based on Song of Solomon 1:3. How sweet the name of Jesus sounds In a believer’s ear! It soothes his sorrows, heals his wound, And drives away his fear. It makes the wounded spirit whole, And calms the troubled breast;‘Tis manna to the hungry soul, And to the weary rest. Olney Hymns.
[11] Romans 1:16, I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation….
[12] “Amazing grace: the sermon notes,” The John Newton Project.
[13] Ibid.
[14] John Newton, Wise Counsel: John Newton’s Letters to John Ryland Jr., Ed. Grant Gordon (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2009), 401.
[15] John Newton, The Works of John Newton, Volume 6 (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2015), 6: 203-204.
[16] John Pollock, Amazing Grace: John Newton’s Story (San Francisco: Harper & row, 1981), 62-63.
[17] 39 Articles of Religion, section 9.
[18] For further detail on this truth see Morgan Cunningham. “A Wretch Like Me”: John Newton and ‘Amazing Grace’” Whitworth University (2018). History of Christianity II: TH 314. Paper 22. https://digitalcommons.whitworth.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1021&context=th314h
[19] John Newton’s Letters. The doctrines of election and final perseverance. https://www.gracegems.org/Newton/09.htm
[20] https://banneroftruth.org/us/resources/articles/2019/five-examples-of-amazing-grace-in-the-life-of-john-newton/
[21] https://www.gracegems.org/Newton/john_newton_excerpts2.htm
[22] Ibid.
[23] Dictionary of American Hymnology, “Amazing Grace”
[24] https://www.pristinegrace.org/article.php?id=51794&title=A+Testimony&author=John+Newton
The post Why Do You Sing That God’s Grace Is Amazing? appeared first on Founders Ministries.
]]>Learning the bare facts of a person’s biography can orient us to his life. Here are some for John Newton. John Newton was born in London, July 24, 1725. His mother died in 1832 and with her perished all instruction in Christian truth. His formal education began at a boarding school when he was eight and ended when he was ten years old. He sailed on a merchant ship with his father from 1836 through 1842. Eventually, Newton served as the master of a slave ship. After years of unrestrained blasphemy, wild and carless living, in which he “bore every mark of final impenitence and rejection”[1] a gracious work of God patiently and by degrees brought him to serious searching around 1748 and saving faith sometime the next year. Eventually, Newton served as a parish minister in the Church of England at Olney from 1764-1780. Along with William Cowper he authored Olney Hymns, published in 1779.
Newton moved from Olney to St. Mary Woolnoth in London in 1780. He was active as a supporter of William Wilberforce in the abolition of the slave trade in England. He maintained his ministry at St. Mary Woolnoth until his death December 21, 1807.
John Newton never forgot the rescue from sin and devastation that God wrought on him. Early in his life he picked up and set down a form of legalistic, self-righteous religion. By 18, he had been convinced by a clever sceptic of the fantastic character of all religion and Newton “plunged into infidelity with all his spirit.”[2] The few years subsequent to this saw him careless in all eternal and temporal things. He was a deserter from a ship, whipped and scorned, tormented by a slave-holding woman, sick almost unto death, and in great dangers in storms at sea. Newton narrowly escaped death on several occasions. In retrospect, he viewed these escapes as special arrangements of divine providence to secure him for salvation and for ministry.
He reached a high position on a slave ship and was given responsibility to manage a long-boat in Sierra Leone in order to sail from place to place to purchase slaves. He had rejected his former infidelity by 1748 and had several times of serious thought about his need of forgiveness. Later as he addressed skepticism and infidelity among parishioners in London, Newton described his escapade with this intellectual difficulty in a letter to his parish, St. Mary Woolnoth, in London.
I know how to pity persons of this unhappy turn, for it was too long my own. It is not only a hazardous, but an uncomfortable state; for, notwithstanding their utmost address and endeavours, they cannot wholly avoid painful apprehensions, lest the Bible, which they wish to be false, should prove to be the truth. It was thus with me, and it must, in the nature of things, be thus with every infidel. To doubt or deny the truth of Christianity is too common; but to demonstrate that it is false, is an utter impossibility. I laboured in the attempt, but when I least expected it, I met with evidence that overpowered my resistance; and the Bible which I had despised removed my scepticism. He against whom I had hardened my self, was pleased to spare me; and I now live to tell you, that there is forgiveness with him.[3]
He made progress in abandoning some of the evil practices of former years but still lacked any consistent grasp of the nature of gospel faith and true holiness. Similar to a line in verse three of “Amazing Grace,” Newton stated, “I was no longer an infidel: I heartily renounced my former profaneness, and had taken up some right notions; was seriously disposed, and sincerely touched with a sense of the undeserved mercy I had received, in being brought safe through so many dangers.”[4] He seems to have come to genuine faith around 1749; he married February 1, 1750, to a girl he had loved since 1742 when she was 14 years of age. He became master of a ship and was gone for fourteen months, but used the time for reading, discipline, and solitary contemplation. In all he made three voyages to purchase slaves that had been collected by slave traders on shore.
Newton’s reflections on his nine years in the business of buying and transporting slaves caused him deep shame. In writing “Thoughts Upon the African Slave Trade,” Newton stated, “I am bound in conscience to take shame to myself by a public confession, which, however sincere, comes too late to prevent or repair the misery and mischief to which I have, formerly, been accessory.”[5] Having begun in 1745 on the coast of Guinea, mastering a ship by 1750, ready for a fourth voyage in 1754 on his ship, God visited him with a sudden illness and he resigned his ship to another captain. His nine-year involvement in the slave trade came to an end. He had found it disagreeable but did not consider it unlawful and wrong. At a distance of thirty-three years, Newton described the effects of the slave trade, the slave ships, the slave auctions, the life on plantations on captor and captive alike. The slave men endured—if they finally endured at all—difficulties designed for them; the women have to submit to outrages they have no power to resist, “abandoned, without restraint, to the lawless will of the first comer.”[6] He gave himself to join forces with those who argued in Parliament to abolish the African slave trade. He knew of nothing “so iniquitous, so cruel, so oppressive, so destructive” as that.[7]
Through a series of clearly providentially arranged circumstances, Newton was able to find by 1757 a business that allowed him much time for study. He formerly had taught himself Latin, had read many of the Latin classics when on ships, and now determined that he would give himself to learn Greek. This was done to a degree that he could consult and use certain helps in the language in order to draw his personal conclusions as to the meaning of texts. He also read much of “the best writers in divinity” in English, Latin, and French. Soon he began to engage in writing and confined his reading mostly to the Scriptures. He summarized, “I have been obliged to strike out my own path by the light I could acquire from books; as I have not had a teacher or assistant since I was ten years of age.”[8] Having had some opportunities to preach and engaged in an encouraging discussion with a seasoned minister, Newton wrote his wife, “I fear it must be wrong, after having so solemnly devoted myself to the Lord for his service, to wear away my time, and bury my talents in silence, … after all the great things he has done for me.”[9]
Newton grew in his deep conviction that God was preparing him for some work of gospel ministry. For a while he considered joining the Dissenters until his mind was relieved of some of his “scruples” concerning conformity. After receiving approval for parish ministry, several attempts for a parish failed until 1764 when the Bishop of Lincoln approved him and promised to ordain him. He carried through on this, though as Newton reported, “I was constrained to differ from his lordship on some points.”[10] After being ordained deacon in April 1764, he was ordained as priest in June of 1765 and was appointed to the parish of Olney.
In 1768 he published “An Address to the Inhabitants of Olney.” He began with a pledge of genuine concern for these people in the parish: “Every person in the parish has a place in my heart and prayers, but I cannot speak to each of you singly.” After giving a summary of gospel truth, Newton addressed six groups of parishioners. One, he addressed those who had faith or were convinced of its necessity. He encouraged them to pursue true faith and not to allow distractions to interrupt their quest. Two, those who felt the gospel to be a burden and would not give it a patient hearing he challenged them to examine his preaching and consider the sure approach of death. On what would they lean in that hour? Could they prove his doctrine was out of accord with the New Testament or the doctrinal standards of the Church? Third, he addressed those who abstained from public worship and their profanation of the Sabbath. He feared that they might be given over to a reprobate mind. Others who found time for only one public service a week should not be surprised that God withholds his blessing from them even in that service. Fourth, he lamented how generally the word of God was ignored among the people of the parish. In particular he pointed to sexual sin of multiple varieties. Such person are especially susceptible to divine judgment for God “will not hold you guiltless in the day of his wrath.” He urged these parishioners to humble themselves, repent, and “flee to the refuge provided for helpless sinners in the gospel.”[11] Fifth, Newton addressed the spirit of open impiety and infidelity. He held up his own case as one in which a blasphemer, persecutor, and injurious man “to a degree I cannot express” obtained mercy. “The exceeding abundant grace of our Lord Jesus Christ brought me out of that dreadful state” He urged this sort of unbeliever to seek the Lord while he may be found; if not, do not increase wrath by making jest of the Scriptures, the gospel, and those who love them. Sixth, there was a considerable number that were not believers, but were not openly profane, were regular in their attendance, but probably rested in their outward privilege and thought their freedom from open abominations made them safe. To them he urged, “May the Lord awaken you to a diligent search into your own hearts, and into his holy word, and not suffer you to take up with any thing short of a real and saving change.”[12]
In both parish ministries, at Olney and in London, Newton experienced spiritual success and ministerial distress. At Olney, his influence on William Cowper induced in Cowper “the only sunshine he ever enjoyed, through the cloudy day of his afflicted life.”[13] Cowper’s intense state of mental and spiritual distress had led him to serious plans and attempts at suicide. A mental confrontation with Romans 3:25 and the reality of the propitiatory sacrifice of Christ led Cowper to an experiential appropriation of gospel comforts. He moved to Olney in 1767 for the purpose of receiving the preaching and pastoral care of Newton. Cowper devoted himself to consistent and helpful ministry among the parishioners at Olney. Newton and Cowper often discussed evangelical doctrine and spiritual life, sharing common passion for the rescue of their lives by divine grace including their collaboration on Olney Hymns. The publication of Olney Hymns by Newton was Cowper’s first literary appearance. Among these were “There is a Fountain Filled with Blood,” based on Zechariah 13:1, “Oh, For a Closer Walk With God,” based on Genesis 5:24, and “God Moves in a Mysterious Way,” containing the line “Behind a frowning providence, he hides a smiling face.” Subsequent to writing this hymn Cowper relapsed into a severe depression for almost a year. Newton gave him consistent pastoral care during this time.
J. M. Ross, the memoirist of Cowper in Cowper’s Poetical Works [14] nursed an intense dislike for Newton and his piety as well as his theology. He called him an “intensely evangelical and energetic divine.” He blamed him for Cowper’s’ relapse into severe depression by characterizing his influence as driving him to “pharisaic minuteness” prompted by religious feelings … unusually gloomy and atrabiliar.”[15] He called Cowper’s happy labors beside Newton in ministry as “the unhealthy nature of the work in which he was now engaged.” Ross possessed the uncanny talent for passing around his insulting evaluations by saying of Cowper, “His thoughts were neither mystical nor profound; they were not even subtle or warmly poetical. Seldom indeed has so genuine a poet possessed so poor an imagination.”[16] Ross did recognize, however, the consistent and even powerful influence Cowper had on the middle classes of Englishmen. The religious received him as a notable ally. He did not “veil in doubtful haze the truths of Christianity,” but with him “all is as orthodox as a sermon.” Englishmen could understand him as “easily as they did their clergymen on Sundays.”[17] The clarity and resonant relevance of Cowper’s poetry was largely due to his years of hearing the sermons of Newton, even if later years and Cowper’s unstable mental condition and wide variety friendships and pastimes cooled their relationships.
Also, at the time that Cowper had lapsed into a period of deep mental and emotional instability, Newton began an extended correspondence with Thomas Scott, writing at least eight letters from June to December, 1775.[18] Scott, verging toward Socinianism and resistant to creedal subscription, looked on Newton as shackled by “enthusiastic delusions” and “rank fanaticism.” Newton dealt tenderly with him. Without insulting him or treating him condescendingly, he discussed both orthodoxy and Christian experience with friendly firmness. Giving only mild defense of the necessity of subscribing a creed and practicing a liturgy, Newton was firm on the specific doctrinal issues that he suspected were at the bottom of Scott’s challenges. “I am far from thinking the Socinians all hypocrites,” Newton assured him, “but I think they are all in a most dangerous error; nor do their principles exhibit to my view a whit more of the genuine fruits of Christianity than deism itself.” In the matter of God’s acceptance of sincerity in place of accurate understand or mental commitment, Newton responded, “It is not through defect of understanding, but a want of simplicity and humility, that so many stumble like the blind at noon-day, and see nothing of those great truths which are written in the Gospel as with a sun-beam.”[19] Newton wrote of total depravity, the necessity of regeneration and its insuperable power, the Trinity, justification and other doctrines as clearly taught in Scripture and verified in experience. “Since my mind has been enlightened, “Newton testified to Scott, “everything in me and everything around me, confirms and explains to me what I read in Scripture; and though I have reason enough to distrust my own judgment every hour, yet I have no reason to question the great essentials, which the Lord himself hath taught me.”[20] Scott’s final reception of these truth and experience of this faith in Jesus was yet several years away. Eventually, however, he was brought to see the truth of Newton’s doctrine and experience and to become the “humble recipient of the kingdom of heaven as a little child.”[21]
Despite his consistent, loving, and biblically faithful labors at Olney, the group of faithful hearers which afforded him joy and support passed away but were not replaced by other persons of similar spiritual experience. Finally the unconverted so dominated the social life of the parish, that on one occasion Newton had to ransom his house from their intent to do violence on a particularly rowdy and riotous evening. Within a year he left Olney for a new appointment in London. Newton told Richard Cecil that “he should never have left the place while he lived, had not so incorrigible a spirit prevailed, in a parish which he had long laboured to reform.”[22]
The move to London did not eliminate the difficulties of an evangelical, experientially-alive Anglican priest in an Anglican parish. Criticism mounted during his first year of parish ministry there, and he felt that an explanatory letter concerning his doctrine and his preaching was necessary. On November 1, 1781, he published “A Token of Affection and Respect to the Parishioners of St. Mary Woolnoth.”[23] Part of the difficulty of a parish ministry in an ecclesiastical establishment is that confidence in the regenerate character of the congregation must be very low. The minister does not minister to a church. His is a task to herd goats and seek to justify his ministry and his message to those who are naturally and principially opposed to his purpose. The appeal Newton makes to the parish is admirable for its courage, its spirit of legitimate deference, and its undercurrent of evangelism, but as an implied comments on the condition of the parish, it is lamentable.
He admonishes those who are in the parish and have received the baptism of the established Church of England whom he never sees on the Lord’s Day. The auditory is numerous but Newton observed, “I see so few of my own parishioners among them.”[24] Many to whom the “word of salvation is sent, refuse to hear it.” Also, Newton observed the progress of “infidelity” among them, a general disregard for the Christian religion in particular. He reminded them clearly that the facts, provisions, and conditions of the gospel message were matters of divine revelation and they “cannot wholly avoid painful apprehensions, lest the Bible, which they wish to be false, should prove to be true.”[25] Many others perhaps believe in a formal sense that the Bible is true but give little energy to either knowing or obeying it. They are offended when “a faithful preacher forces upon your conscience” the consequences of careless regard to the dictates of the final judge and, therefore, find sufficient excuse for not hearing him again. Some still attend worship, but do it in other parishes to avoid the intensely Bible-centered preaching of Newton. They should be careful that their contempt is not really against him, though they may delude themselves to think so, but is against “the doctrine of the prophets and apostles, and of Christ himself.”[26] Newton professed never to have purposely given offense, but also he knew “that if I would be faithful to my conscience, some of my hearers must be displeased.”[27] How to sort out the meaning of terms of opprobrium used against him, Newton was unsure; he was sure, however, that any term used, such as “Methodist,” even if void of any clear meaning would be “sufficient proof that it cannot be worth their while to hear me.”[28] Others complained that he preached too long at forty-five minutes when they were quite eager to use a much longer portion of their day to hear useless entertainment or political speech. “It is not so much the length,” Newton warned, “as the subject matter that wearies you.”[29] Other complained that he preached extempore and did not read his sermons. His complaint evoked the most extensive response from Newton. He explained the historical situation which led to reading sermons as a safety measure for the preacher and how that developed into a mark of scholarly preparedness. Newton objected to the impression and showed how extempore reasoning and admonition showed expertise and knowledge in a way that a manuscript did not. Scripture topics, moreover, are fit “to awaken the strongest emotions, and to draw forth the highest exertions of which the human mind is capable.”[30] Since his subject matter is of infinitely “more concern to his hearers” than any other subject upon which men can place their thoughts or employ their tongues, “shall a minister of the gospel … be thought the only man who has chosen a subject incapable of justifying his earnestness.” Given that his office requires him to “unfold the wonders of redemption, or to enlarge on the solemn themes of judgment, heaven and hell” can it be conceived that he should not indulge “such thoughts and expressions upon the spot, as the most judicious part of his auditory need not disdain to hear?”[31] He urged them to consider with penetrating earnestness that eternity was at stake and that they could not be accepted by him in the great day of his appearing if they were not “born from above, delivered from the love and spirit of the world, and made partakers of the love and spirit of the Lord Jesus.”[32] He declared himself without guilt of their blood in that day. To those who believed the gospel, had not deserted their place under his preaching, and maintained a viable experiential fellowship with Christ in his saving work, he gave a serious call. They could assist him to stop the mouths of gainsayers with conduct consistent with gospel faith and spiritual virtue. Such consistent heavenly-mindedness would “constrain them to acknowledge, that the doctrines of grace, which I preach, when rightly understood and cordially embraced, are productive of peace, contentment, integrity, benevolence, and humility.” Many would look for their halting and miscarriages, but the Lord has “engaged to support, to guide, and to guard you, and at length to make you more than conquerors, and to bestow upon you a crown of everlasting life.”[33]
Very few days of his life subsequent to his appointment to Olney were free of his astonished admiration of such a transaction of grace and eternal security. His letter to London parishioners stated, “No person in the congregation can be more averse from the doctrines which I now preach than I myself once was.”[34] In a letter to John Ryland, Jr., Newton pointed to the providence of God in the death of useful ministers and in the calling of the most unlikely persons to gospel ministry. Samuel Pearce was taken very early in life (33 years of age), “not half my age,” wrote Newton, “but undoubtedly he lived to finish what the Lord had appointed him to do. So shall you and I.” Newton considered himself old at 74 but expressed his confidence in divine purpose, “Old as I am, I shall not die before my set time.” He wanted to “improve the present” and be prepared for the future. “Indeed,” he wrote, “I see little in this world worth living for on its own account; though I think no one has less reason to be weary of life. But I am not my own, and desire to have no choice for myself. May we live to His praise and die in His peace.” Further meditation on these phenomena brought Newton to observe, “The usefulness of some is protracted, while others like Mr. Pearce, are taken away early. … He who has the fulness of the spirit will never want instruments to carry on his work. He can raise them up as it were from the very stones.”[35]
Newton regularly called to mind the testimony of Paul as an encouragement. After Paul’s description of the deep rebelliousness and injurious intent of his life, he said of himself that of sinners “I am the chief” (1 Timothy 1:15). For Newton, this meant that even chief sinners could be saved and would thereby magnify the grace of God. He frequently drew attention to Paul’s testimony for he knew that its broad parameters enveloped him in its embrace. In a hymn entitled “Encouragement” Newton wrote
Of sinners the chief,
And viler than all,
The jailer or thief,
Manasseh or Saul;
Since they were forgiv’n,
Why should I despair,
While Christ is in Heav’n
And still answers prayer.[36]
Not only was Paul’s salvation designed for the encouragement of others, but his vibrant apostolic ministry given him by grace stirred Newton with God’s sovereign and surprising intentions. Paul received the grace of God for salvation and further to be an apostle, a preacher, and a teacher (2 Timothy 1:11). In fact, the glorious gospel of the blessed God was committed to his charge (1 Timothy 1:11). The grace to Newton imitated that to Paul even in that. In reflecting on his appointment to the parish of St. Mary Woolnoth in London, Newton wrote, “that one of the most ignorant, the most miserable, and the most abandoned of slaves, should be plucked from his forlorn state of exile on the coast of Africa, and at length be appointed minister of the parish of the first magistrate of the first city in the world—that he should be there, not only testify of such grace, but stand up as a singular instance and monument of it—that he should be enabled to record it in his history, preaching, and writings, to the world at large—is a fact I can contemplate with admiration, but never fully estimate.” [37]
In 1799 Newton wrote John Ryland, Jr. with further expressions of amazement at God’s choice and qualifying of unlikely instruments. “He can call the most unworthy persons, and bring them from the most unlikely places, to labour in his vineyard. Had it not been so, you would have never heard of me. From what a dung hill of sin and misery did he raise me to place me among the princes of his people! Consider what I was and where I was (in Africa) and you must acknowledge I am a singular instance of sovereignty and the riches of His mercy!”[38] When friends thought at eighty years of age that he had gone beyond the competence required to maintain a pulpit ministry encouraged him to step down, he replied, “What! Shall the old African blasphemer stop while he can speak?”[39]
Newton’s epitaph inscribed on a memorial tablet at St. Mary Woolnoth celebrated the truly surprising grace of God in his conversion as well as in his long and effective ministry.
JOHN NEWTON,
CLERK
ONCE AN INFIDEL AND LIBERTINE,
A SERVANT OF SLAVES IN AFRICA,
WAS,
BY THE RICH MERCY
OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR
JESUS CHRIST,
PRESERVED, RESTORED, PARDONED,
AND APPOINTED TO PREACH THE FAITH
HE HAD LONG LABOURED TO DESTROY.
[1] John Newton, The Works of John Newton, 6 vols (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1985) 1:24. Hereinafter designated as Works.
[2] Works, 1:10
[3] Works, 6:569.
[4] Works, 1:32.
[5] Works, 6:522.
[6] Works, 6:535.
[7] Works, 6:548.
[8] Works, 1:50.
[9] Works, 1:54.
[10] Works, 1:55.
[11] Works, 6:559.
[12] Works, 6:562.
[13] Works, 1:61.
[14] William Cowper, Cowper’s Poetical Works. Edinburgh: William P. Nimmo, nd. Hereinafter designated as Cowper’s. An introductory “Life of William Cowper” was written by J. M Ross.
[15] Cowper’s, v.
[16] Cowper’s, xiv.
[17] Cowper’s, xvi.
[18] These letters are contained in Newton’s Works, 6:556-618. Thomas Scott gave an account of his skepticism and his rescue from it in the Force of Truth, London: Printed for G. Keith, 1779. Scott’s “authentic narrative” was published the same year that Olney Hymns was published.
[19] Works, 1:568.
[20] Works, 1:570.
[21] Works, 1:68.
[22] Works, 1:69.
[23] Works, 6: 567-583.
[24] Works, 6: 568.
[25] Works, 6: 569.
[26] Works, 6: 371.
[27] Works, 6: 572.
[28] Works, 6: 574.
[29] Works, 6: 574, 575.
[30] Works, 6: 577.
[31] Works, 6: 578..
[32] Works, 6: 580, 581.
[33] Works, 6:583.
[34] Works, 6: 582.
[35] Grant Gordon, Ed. Wise Counsel, (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 2009) 369, 370.
[36] Works, 3:581.
[37] Works, 1:73. Quote included in the biographical introduction by Richard Cecil.
[38] Wise Counsel, 370, 371.
[39] Works, 1:88
The post John Newton: A Brief Biography appeared first on Founders Ministries.
]]>Here are a few reflections on the way “Amazing Grace” might shape our own walk with Christ and service to Him.
The name of this hymn is more well-known than its author, and that’s exactly how Newton would want it to be. When he sat in his study on a cold winter day in the small town of Olney to write this hymn, he never dreamed it would go on to become the most famous hymns in history. He wasn’t thinking about the world; he was thinking about Olney. Newton never dreamed this song would one day be sung by world leaders; he was thinking about his own congregation. Newton wrote ‘Amazing Grace’ with the goal to honor Christ and edify His people. He didn’t write for fame but to serve.
Every pastor (and every Christian) must always be on guard against the tendency to do things for our own glory. We may not have global or even national aspirations, but we all desire recognition or credit from someone for the work we do. We all, like the disciples, have spent our energy arguing (even inwardly) over which of us is the greatest (Luke 22:24). Newton knew this battle in his own heart as he once wrote, “Self likes to do great things, but grace teaches us to do little things with a great spirit – that is for the Lord’s sake.” We should pray that the same amazing grace that saves sinners like us would also grow a humble heart in each of us that cries out with John the Baptist, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)
The shape of “Amazing Grace” flowed out of a long-established habit of Newton’s. At the beginning of every new year, he would dedicate time to both look back over the past year reflecting on what the Lord had done and look forward to the next year dreaming about what the Lord may do. In Newton’s words, he was looking to “past mercy and future hope”. In fact, Newton’s original title for “Amazing Grace” was “Faith’s Review and Expectation”. Newton knew the importance of anchoring our present experience in God’s past faithfulness and future promises, and he lived, pastored, and wrote with the wide view of God’s work in mind.
The words of “Amazing Grace” carry you across the entire path of the Christian life. One author describes this hymn as “a collective autobiography for every Christian. ‘Amazing Grace’ is perceptive biblical theology, embraced by one man deeply moved by his own redemption, articulated for corporate worship.”[1] If you want to know where your life and ministry have been, currently are, and are going, allow Mr. Newton to tell you the story of God’s grand redemptive work. He is the God of our past, present, and future. He is the Ancient of Days. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Newton’s faith-filled reflection should prompt our own: Is our view of the past characterized more by nostalgia and regret or God’s mercy and faithfulness? Is our view of the present shaped more by our mood and circumstances or by God’s presence and truth? Are our hopes for the future built on the world’s temporary joys or God’s eternal promises?
John Newton knew that faithfulness to Christ over a lifetime could only grow out of a wide view of God’s work. Living with this wide view adjusts our outlook on what a life of faith looks like for ourselves and for those we serve. As Newton once wrote, “Remember, the growth of a believer is not like a mushroom, but like an oak, which increases slowly indeed but surely. Many suns, showers, and frosts, pass upon it before it comes to perfection; and in winter, when it seems dead, it is gathering strength at the root. Be humble, watchful, and diligent in the means, and endeavor to look through all and fix your eye upon Jesus, and all shall be well.”
“Amazing Grace” was one of many hymns written by Newton over the course of his ministry. In their famous Olney Hymns, John Newton and William Cowper compiled almost 350 hymns, and 280 of them were written by Newton.
His goal was never hymn writing for the sake of hymn writing. He originally began the practice of writing hymns to accompany his sermons with the goal of making God’s Word more accessible for his people. The small village of Olney was made up of mostly poor and uneducated laborers, and Newton’s hymns put theological truths in a form that was both accessible and memorable for his people. “Amazing Grace”, like many of Newton’s hymns, is written with great simplicity. Most of the words in the song are only 1 syllable! Newton demonstrated great love and care for his congregation.
The specific truths that he wanted to communicate to the people of Olney through “Amazing Grace” flowed out of 1 Chronicles 17. King David’s prayer in these verses sparked Newton’s own “review and expectation”, and he wanted to guide the faith of his church in the same direction. This connection to Scripture is one of the most important lessons of this famous hymn. The lyrics of “Amazing Grace” are not a compilation of Newton’s own thoughts and opinions; they are expressions deeply rooted in biblical truth. His own active relationship with the Lord through the Bible was the source of his ministry to his people. For Newton, ministry was not utilitarian, it was devotional. God’s Word was not simply a tool used for pastoring people, it was a treasure that led to abiding in Christ. As we learn to enjoy Jesus in our daily lives and serve Him in ministry, may we say with the psalmist, “I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil.” (Psalm 119:162)
Though “Amazing Grace” is one of the most famous songs of all time, the circumstances of the day Newton first introduced the song have remained in the background. The story of January 1, 1773 demonstrates the honesty of Newton’s experience of God’s grace and the sincerity of his commitment to express that grace to others.
In Newton’s journal entry from that day, after preaching from 1 Chronicles 17 and singing “Amazing Grace” for the first time ever, he wrote the following entry in his journal, “I preached this forenoon from 1 Chronicles 17:16-17. Hope I was enabled to speak with some liberty, but found my own heart sadly unaffected.” Newton’s honesty here should be a great encouragement to every Christian that senses dullness within your heart. On the day that John Newton introduced what would become the world’s most renowned hymn, his heart was “sadly unaffected”. To some this may raise a red flag, but it should do the exact opposite. Newton’s freedom to acknowledge his flat heart only serves to further spotlight the beauty of God’s grace. It is not a sign that his lyrics were insincere but proves their sincerity. How amazing that God graciously chose to save sinners knowing our hearts will be slow to respond even after experiencing such a great salvation.
On top of the condition of Newton’s soul on that cold day in 1773 is the state of his friendship with William Cowper. The renowned English poet was one of John Newton’s closest friends. Cowper was in the service at St. Peter and St. Paul that morning. He heard Newton preach from 1 Chronicles 17, and he sang “Faith’s Review and Expectation” with the congregation. But, unfortunately, this was the last time Cowper would attend a worship service for the rest of his life. Cowper experienced seasons of deep depression, and as he walked home from church that day he felt himself slipping into another bout of depression. His mind drew darker as he struggled home. Once home, he wanted to express his faith in the midst of his emotion and doubt, so he sat down and wrote another now famous hymn, “God Moves In A Mysterious Way”. As Cowper continued to sink into a downward spiral, Newton was called to Cowper’s house that evening. Cowper had attempted suicide, and Newton arrived, cleaned him up, and continued to show his love and care for his friend by visiting him many times in the weeks and months to come. It is not far fetched to think that Newton had Cowper in mind as he wrote and sang “Amazing Grace”.
John Newton was no stranger to suffering throughout his life. From Newton’s perspective, the most significant trial he ever endured was the death of his dear wife, Polly. On the 1-year anniversary of her death, Newton wrote in his journal, “At length, the trial which I most dread came upon me…My right hand was not chopped off at a stroke…It was sawn off by slow degrees; it was an operation of weeks and months; almost every following week more painful than the preceding. But did I sink…The Lord strengthened me, and I was strong…I felt as much as I could well bear, but not too much; and to this hour I only stand because I am upheld.” Through his own circumstances and through his care for people like William Cowper, Newton learned the sustaining power of God’s grace.
Finally, the words of “Amazing Grace” were the result of a heart that was in awe of Jesus. Newton wondered at God’s salvation. He never got over God’s grace. No matter how many hymns he composed or how many letters he wrote or how many visits he made, Newton worked hard to keep his focus on Jesus, “Every step along the path of life is a battle for the Christian to keep two eyes on Christ.” This is true in both life and ministry.
All of us are tempted to let our focus drift to what we have done for Jesus rather than what Jesus has done for us. We would do well to heed Jesus’ words to his followers in Luke 10:20, “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Jesus’ mission for us should thrill our hearts more than our ministry for Him. Newton knew this doesn’t come easy for any Christian. He once wrote, “I find that to keep my eye simply upon Christ, as my peace, and my life, is by far the hardest part of my calling.”
Every day of the Christian life is a day we need God’s grace. The Christian life is started by grace, continued by grace, and completed by grace. Newton wondered at this grace day after day all the way until his last day. As he approached the end of his earthly life, 34 years after he wrote “Amazing Grace”, he told one of his friends who stopped by to see him, “I am packed and sealed and waiting for the post.” Newton’s wonder created within him a deep longing for glory. He once said about heaven, “If I ever reach heaven, I expect to find three wonders there: to see some I did not expect to see there, to miss some I did expect to see there, and, the greatest wonder of all, to find myself there.” May God’s grace never cease to be amazing to us, and may our wonder only increase as we get closer to the day when we will see our gracious Savior’s face.
Though many songs, events, and characters of 1773 have long since faded into history – including much of Newton’s own work and ministry – the eternal truths of gospel grace continue to echo forward for every generation. Newton would likely prefer to be forgotten as long as Christ is remembered. Some of Newton’s final and most famous words lead us to this very truth, “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior!” 250 years later, His grace is still amazing.
[1] Tony Reinke, Newton on the Christian Life. Page 39.
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]]>Exposition of “Amazing Grace:”
An Appreciation of 250 Years of Edifying Influence
The 250th anniversary of the first singing of “Amazing Grace” was January 2023. It was written by John Newton and sung by his parish congregation in Olney, England. This Journal is committed to a theological exposition of that hymn. I have written the discussion of verse three and a biographical sketch of Newton. My pastor, Cam Potts, who preached a series of sermons on “Amazing Grace” at the beginning of 2023, has written how a study of the hymn energized certain pastoral commitments. A seasoned musician and profound theological thinker, Jim Carnes, worship pastor at Southwoods Baptist Church in Germantown, Tennessee, has provided an enlightening discussion of verse one. Paul Taylor gives an edifying exposition of verse 2 and includes a doctrinal investigation of the concept of the fear of the Lord: “ ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear.” Erik Smith, a theologically and historically trained business man, discusses verse four by looking at how God’s promise [“The Lord has promised good to me”] is worked out in the various aspects of his providence. How pleasant and assuring it is to consider the truths of which Erik reminds us. Joe Crider, Dean of the School of Church Music at The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, has taken on verse five and the often fearful impressions given concerning the time “when this flesh and heart shall fail.” He gives us a look at the vail of death and the pleasant prospects that God’s saving and preserving grace present to believers. Joe Nesome, pastor at First Baptist Church in Jackson, Louisiana, looks at verse six with a peek into the dissolution of this present temporal order (“The earth shall soon dissolve like snow”) that will be replaced by an eternal fellowship with the living God.
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]]>But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Eph. 2:6)
We can all recall a time when we had a seating assignment. Perhaps in schooling, at work, or around the dinner table, a particular chair may come to be known as your seat. We tend to size up the quality of our assigned seat by factors such as visibility, the ambience, and, above all, the surrounding company. If we’re off to a concert or sporting event, our first question may well be “Do we have good seats?” We intuitively recognize that where we sit and (more importantly) whom it is that we sit next to play no small role in our experience. Thus, as Christians, we do well to pause and ask the question, “Do we have good seats?”
Christians possess the most awesome of all assigned seats. How so? In this passage from Ephesians, Paul has just outlined the dreadful truth that mankind is dead in trespasses, in step with the age of this world, and by nature children of wrath. Far from making us victims, such realties are fully congruent with the desires of the corrupted heart and the passions of the flesh. Should we be offered a new and higher seat, we would resolutely decline, preferring instead our positions of autonomy.
But just as the tidal wave of despair is about to break, Paul interjects that great gospel conjunction “but,” as in “but God” (Eph. 2:4). How bleak our condition . . . but God . . . How ceaseless the diagnosis of death . . . but God . . . How settled in our seats of wrath . . . but God . . . For it was precisely in our state of death that God made us alive; namely by making us alive together with Christ (Eph. 2:5).
As an overflowing benefit of our life in Christ, Christians receive a novel assigned seat that postures us in the age to come. We have the best seat in all the cosmos: a seat in the heavenlies. Above all, we are seated with Christ Jesus. Since the believer is in Christ, then wherever Christ is seated, Christians are necessarily seated with Him.
Where, then, is Christ seated? As Hebrews tells us, it was “when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God” (Heb. 10:12). This act of “sitting down” crowns the truth that the Lord Jesus fully accomplished all the work that His Father gave to Him. To be a priest was to be “on your feet,” as it were, for a priest’s work was never done. To “take a seat” was not in the priest’s job description, as “every priest stands daily” (Heb. 10:11). The repeated sacrifices that could “never take away sins” required perpetual standing for the priests of old. But Christ’s single sacrifice was singularly perfect. That Christ lived, died, was buried, resurrected, ascended, and only then granted a seat at the “right hand of majesty” sets forth the irrefutable truth that His sacrifice was the “once for all” offering. Every reason to stand has been eliminated, and therefore “heaven must receive him” (Acts 3:21).
Sitting also signifies ruling authority. A court is in session only when the judge sits down (hence the Latin word session—“to sit”). Christ received His throne as the coronated King, having received the name above all names. All judgment is committed to Him. The covenant promise to establish David’s throne has been fulfilled (2 Sam. 7), and Yahweh’s promise of old that a Son shall “sit at my right hand” has been realized (Ps. 110:1). There is no enthronement for partial victories. Since He has received all authority in heaven and on earth, His reign to make all enemies His footstool is in session. He is seated with His rod of iron and scepter of righteousness, and the principalities and powers are put to open shame as the spoils of war go to the risen King.
Herein lies the inseparable connection that Christians receive their heavenly seat only because the Lord Jesus Himself is first granted His seat (Eph. 1:20). We sit because He first sat down. In this sense, Christ’s session is uniquely majestic, a seat reserved only for the God-man, in whom the Father fully delights and honors. He occupies first chair, you might say, a throne of unparalleled glory where He is worshipped “day and night” without end. It is not for us to sit at the right hand of Majesty and yet, as Christ is our Head, He is seated there for us.
How, then, do we come to share in this royal seating assignment? Such a seat is impossible to access as we are, but all things are possible with God. That we are raised with Christ (Eph. 2:6) returns us to the glorious truth that the resurrection of Christ is our heavenly transport to our new seat. So inseparable is Christ’s resurrection from our own resurrection that the church confesses that because Christ has been raised, we too have been raised with Him (cf. Col. 3:1). While resurrection certainly awaits a final consummation, it is also a present reality. By way of Spirit-wrought union with Christ, the Christian has already been resurrected and seated with Him. As much as our seat is our heavenly hope, it is our present position as well. As Calvin comments on this verse, Paul writes “as if those blessings were presently in our possession, he states that we have received them. . . . It is as if we had been brought from the deepest hell to heaven itself.”
So let’s ask once more, “Do we have good seats?” As Hannah said, God “raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor” (1 Sam. 2:8). How much more, then, has God raised us up to sit with the Prince of Peace? We sometimes speak of setting someone up for success or putting them in a position to win. God has done far more—He has stationed us next to the risen Christ. He has set us up for so great a salvation. We see the Trinity in full harmony as it is the Father who seats us with His Son by the power of the Holy Spirit. What a gracious God who bestows upon His children the best seat of all in His heavenly house.
Sitting shapes life. A rocking chair next to grandpa may suddenly transport a child to a realm of great stories or a flood of wisdom (or ideally both). Therefore, it is of no small importance in the Scriptures. To presumptively take a seat at the head of the table, for instance, is foolish. To sit in the seat of scoffers is heavily warned against (Ps. 1:1). To sit with someone is to commune and fellowship with them, even to sympathize with them (cf. Job 2:13). The higher the seat, the grander the nobility (Prov. 9:14). Perhaps most of all, to be able to sit down with a king is the greatest of honors. Think of the ending of the book of 2 Kings. Just as it seems all is lost and despite his faithlessness, Jehoiachin is “graciously freed” from prison and the king of Babylon “spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon” (2 Kings 25:28). It is incalculable what an undeserved honor this was for Jehoiachin.
And yet, Christian, your seat is far better and higher. For you have been graciously freed from the worst of prisons and have been given a seat far above all earthly realms—a seat with the Lord Jesus Himself.
The reality of our assigned seat is truth for life. As you battle against the principalities and powers, stand firm knowing that your Savior sits enthroned. If the present darkness seems to be advancing, know that the Lord is laughing, for His Son is seated upon Zion. When the hindrances of sin befall you, be assured yet again of full atonement by the only One qualified to sit down. Cling to the comfort of your Great High Priest, whose posture is one of perfect intercession. The King is on the throne, and He must reign until all His enemies are put underfoot. And there you are, with a reserved seat next to your King, for Satan will soon be crushed under your foot.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on August 31, 2022.
Many Christians today feel like outcasts in a hostile world. How can we navigate life in a society that seems increasingly opposed to our faith? In the first century, the Apostle Peter wrote a letter to believers who faced a similar situation, revealing to them—and to us—how the gospel strengthens God’s people in times of adversity.
In his new teaching series, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson presents the encouraging message of 1 Peter. The promise of our glorious future with Christ sheds light on our present trials, empowering us to live faithfully as pilgrims heading toward our heavenly home. Order your copy of Sojourners and Exiles today.
Want to start your study immediately? Watch the first message for free. As Dr. Ferguson introduces us to the original readers of 1 Peter, we discover that they share a lot in common with Christians today. For God’s people living in the pagan Roman Empire and in the post-Christian West alike, the gospel of Jesus Christ is our unchanging hope and our message to the world.
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]]>The Spirit primarily does two things in us, and if you understand these two things, you’ll understand how the Spirit helps us pray. First, the Spirit illumines us. He opens our eyes to see who God is truly, and we then find our minds turned. We have a complete misunderstanding of what God is like, and then the Spirit opens our eyes, and it’s a mighty aha moment that carries on as we carry on being educated by the Spirit. So, the Spirit renews our minds as we think: “Oh, that is what God is like. I did not think God was like that.”
Second, by renewing our minds, the Spirit transforms our hearts. He takes away a heart of stone to give us a heart of flesh. That is an initial work that He does, but it’s also an ongoing work. The Spirit gives us a new mind and a new heart, but He also ongoingly educates us and affects us. In regard to prayer, that means that as the Spirit works in me, my mind is enabled to know what to pray for.
As a young Christian, I naturally tended to have a prayer life like a shopping list of blessings for me, my family, and my friends, and it was pretty self-centered. And then I’d remember that I ought to do some less self-centered prayers. But as the Spirit works in me and transforms my mind, and I see reality differently, as I start seeing the centrality of God and not me, then my prayers start following that change. My prayers start becoming more God-centered and less me-centered. That’s the Spirit’s re-education work.
Further, through the Spirit’s re-education work, He is also transforming my affections and desires. It’s not merely as the Spirit works in me that I know, “Yes, I really ought to be more God-centered and less self-centered.” Rather, the Spirit is doing a deeper work. He’s actually making me want to be and enjoy being God-centered so this just becomes natural to me. I’m not trying to work at it. It just comes out of who the Spirit is making me to be. Therefore, I begin to desire to pray God-centered, God-loving, and God-adoring prayers.
The Spirit educates and affects me such that I begin to desire to pray, to desire long communion with God in a way that I did not think about before. Initially, prayer was just one of those things that I ought to do every now and again. But the Spirit’s work runs so deep that I begin to enjoy communion with God.
So, it’s those two things that the Spirit does. He educates me, transforming my mind, and He transforms my affections so that I enjoy prayer and begin to pray more intelligently and more Christian prayers.
]]>To begin to unravel the misconceptions about the doctrine of limited atonement, let’s look first at the question of the value of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Classical Augustinianism teaches that the atonement of Jesus Christ is sufficient for all men. That is, the sacrifice Christ offered to the Father is of infinite value. There is enough merit in the work of Jesus to cover the sins of every human being who has ever lived and ever will live. So there is no limit to the value of the sacrifice He made. There is no debate about this.
Calvinists make a distinction between the sufficiency and the efficiency of the atonement. That distinction leads to this question: was Jesus’ death efficient for everybody? In other words, did the atonement result in everyone being saved automatically? Jesus’ work on the cross was valuable enough to save all men, but did His death actually have the effect of saving the whole world? This question has been debated for centuries, as noted above. However, if the controversy over limited atonement was only about the value of the atonement, it would be a tempest in a teapot because the distinction between the sufficiency and efficiency of the atonement does not define the difference between historic Reformed theology and non-Reformed views such as Semi-Pelagianism and Arminianism. Rather, it merely differentiates between universalism and particularism. Universalists believe that Jesus’ death on the cross did have the effect of saving the whole world. Calvinism disagrees strongly with this view, but historic Arminianism and dispensationalism also repudiate universalism. Each of these schools of thought agrees that Christ’s atonement is particular and not universal in the sense that it works or effects salvation only for those who believe in Christ, so that the atonement does not automatically save everybody. Therefore, the distinction between the sufficiency and efficiency of Jesus’ work defines particularism, but not necessarily the concept of limited atonement.
As an aside, let me say that while not everyone is saved by the cross, the work of Christ yields universal or near-universal concrete benefits. Through the death of Christ, the church was born, which led to the preaching of the gospel, and wherever the gospel is preached there is an increase in virtue and righteousness in society. There is a spillage from the influence of the church, which brings benefits to all men. Also, people around the world have benefited from the church’s commitment to hospitals, orphanages, schools, and so on.
The real heart of the controversy over limited atonement is this question: what was God’s intent or His design in sending Christ to the cross? Was it the purpose of the Father and the Son to make an atonement that would be made available to all who would put their trust in it, with the possibility that none might avail themselves of its benefits? In other words, was God’s purpose in sending Christ to the cross simply to make salvation possible? Or did God from all eternity plan to send Christ to die a substitutionary death in order to effect an actual atonement that would be applied to certain elect individuals?
Historic Reformed theology takes the biblical doctrine of divine election seriously. Because of it, Calvinists believe that God had a plan from all eternity to redeem a people for Himself. That plan encompassed only a portion of the human race; it was never God’s intention to save everybody.
Remember, given our sin and His justice, God was under no obligation to save anyone. Indeed, He would have been perfectly just if He had consigned all people to eternal damnation, but in His mercy, He chose to save some. If it had been God’s intention to save everybody, then everybody would be saved, but God’s purpose in redemption was to save a remnant of the human race from the wrath they had earned for themselves and justly deserved. These people will receive God’s mercy; all others will receive His justice.
The design of the atonement was that Christ would go to the cross, as He Himself said, as “a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28b). He would lay down His life, as He said, “for the sheep” (John 10:11b). The purpose of the atonement was to provide salvation for God’s elect. Simply put, Reformed theology teaches that Jesus Christ went to the cross for the elect, and only for the elect. That, in a nutshell, is the doctrine of limited atonement.
People have trouble with that, particularly if I use those words to describe the doctrine. What if I say Jesus went to the cross to make an atonement for believers, and only for believers? In that statement, I declare that it was God’s design that Jesus should die not for everybody indiscriminately, but only for those who would believe. If you accept that, you see that only the elect are believers and that only believers are the elect. I’m not saying anything different when I say that Christ died only for the elect. Can you conceive of people who are believers who are not elect, or of people who are elect who are not believers? That kind of disjunction is utterly foreign to the New Testament.
Many other objections are raised to limited atonement. One of the major stumbling blocks is Scripture’s own statements that Jesus died for “the world.” Such statements must always be weighed against other biblical propositions that clearly state specifically for whom Jesus died. Also, we must strive to gain a true understanding of the meaning of the word world in the Bible. The point the New Testament writers were making, particularly to a Jewish audience, is that Jesus is not just the Savior of Jewish people, but that people from every tongue, race, and nation are numbered among the elect. In other words, the atonement has implications for the whole world, but that doesn’t mean each and every person in the world is saved. That can’t be drawn from the text.
Some people react against the doctrine of limited atonement because it appears to take away from the greatness of the work of Christ. In reality, it’s the Arminian position that diminishes and devalues the impact and power of the atonement. The point Calvinists stress is that Christ accomplished what He set out to accomplish, the job the Father had designed for Him to do. God’s sovereign will is not at the whim and mercy of our personal and individual responses to it. If it were, there is a theoretical possibility that God’s plan could be thwarted and, in the end, no one might be saved. For the Arminian, salvation is possible for all but certain for none. In the Calvinist position, salvation is sure for God’s elect.
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]]>On this complex issue, Spurgeon provides pastors and churches with a faithful model to follow. One biographer writes, “Almost unparalleled in church history, the ministry of Charles Haddon Spurgeon epitomized the perfect blending of evangelistic fervency and deep social concern.” Spurgeon believed that the mission of the church is primarily bound up in evangelism and disciple-making. He was suspicious of missional drift and did not believe the church should ever become primarily consumed with social activism. However, Spurgeon did believe social concern occupies an important place in the ministry of the church, but it is always subordinate to and, indeed, flows out of gospel proclamation and the ministry of the Word. In this way, Spurgeon promoted social ministry as a necessary fruit of true gospel ministry. Care for the poor and needy is not an optional add-on but an indispensable part of the individual Christian’s witness and of the church’s ministry.
The essence of Spurgeon’s view of the mission of the church is helpfully summarized by Spurgeon scholar Geoff Chang, who writes, “The church’s mission was to bear witness to Christ and to advance the truth of the gospel for the salvation of the world.” Chang is undoubtedly correct that Spurgeon held gospel proclamation to be at the heart of the church’s mission.
As prominent as gospel proclamation and Word ministry were in Spurgeon’s understanding of the church’s mission, he did not believe the church is only to be concerned with the spiritual needs of the world. He believed the church ought to address temporal suffering and material needs as well and plainly understood ministry to the poor and needy to form a vital part of the church’s work. However, it must be emphasized that he did not believe the church was called to embrace what the next generation would commonly refer to as the social gospel.
The phrase social gospel is hard to define. At its heart, however, it is usually an understanding of the gospel that views social reform as central to the church’s work. Thus, the goal of the church’s ministry is social activism leading to widespread social renewal. The church’s primary aim is to improve society as a whole, especially the material conditions of the poor, rather than saving souls.
Spurgeon never preached anything approximating a social gospel. Social renewal and economic betterment were not at the heart of the gospel for Spurgeon. Rather, the gospel Spurgeon preached was one of personal salvation and spiritual renewal, leading to a transformed life that expresses itself in good works of benevolence. Christian social concern comes into play as a demonstration of the Christian’s renewed nature, a manifestation of the character and love of Christ, and a vindication of the gospel message. In the August 1883 Sword and the Trowel he writes, “It seems to us that our Lord gave more prominence to cups of cold water, and garments made for the poor, and caring for little ones, than most people do nowadays. We would encourage our friends to attend to those humble unobtrusive ministries which are seldom chronicled, and yet are essential to the success of the more manifest moral and spiritual work.”
For those who embrace the social gospel, social ministry is at the heart of the gospel. For Spurgeon, social ministry flows out of the gospel. Spurgeon believed ministry to the poor, though not the gospel itself, nonetheless enhances the witness of the gospel. In this sense, social concern serves gospel ministry. It serves the preaching of the gospel by validating the message and providing a tangible expression of Christ’s love toward those in need. In this way, the two are inextricably linked together.
This article is adapted from Alex DiPrima’s book, “Spurgeon and the Poor.”
]]>While Jesus frequently taught His disciples about the certainty and necessity of His death on the cross (Matt. 16:21; Mark 8:31; Luke 9:22; 17:25; 22:22), He only explicitly tied those aspects of His death on the cross to its meaning on three occasions—in Mark 10:45, in the Good Shepherd discourse (John 10), and at the institution of the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:19–20). In these places, Jesus taught the substitutionary nature of His death for the forgiveness of the sins of His people.
When we move from the Gospels to the Epistles, an explicit articulation of the substitutionary nature of the death of Christ appears. When one considers the many instances in which the Apostles explain the death of Christ, it is incontrovertible that the doctrine of substitutionary atonement is the Apostolic doctrine of the atonement. In what is perhaps the clearest exposition of the death of Christ, the Apostle Paul teaches the vicarious sacrifice of the Savior when he declares, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). Likewise, the Apostle Peter explained that Jesus “himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24).
Behind the Apostolic interpretation of the death of the Savior is the Old Testament teaching on the atonement. The prophet Isaiah, in speaking of the Suffering Servant, foretold of the sufferings that Jesus would undergo in the place of His people: “He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isa. 53:5). All of Israel’s prophets alluded to the substitutionary nature of the work of the Redeemer when they spoke of the work of redemption. This, of course, also has its foundation in the nature of Old Testament sacrifice.
In his Reformed Dogmatics, Herman Bavinck explains the significance of the old covenant sacrificial system for seeking to understand the sacrifice of Christ:
The New Testament views Christ’s death as a sacrifice and the fulfillment of the Old Testament sacrificial cult. He is the true covenant sacrifice; just as the old covenant was confirmed by the covenant sacrifice (Ex. 24:3–11), so the blood of Christ is the blood of the new covenant (Matt. 26:28; Mark 14:24; Heb. 9:13f.). Christ is a sacrifice (θυσια, זֶבַח), the sacrificial victim for our sins (Eph. 5:2; Heb. 9:26; 10:12), an offering (προσφορα, δωρον; מִנְחָה קָרְבָּן; Eph. 5:2; Heb. 10:10, 14, 18); a ransom (λυτρον, ἀντιλυτρον; Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45; 1 Tim. 2:6) and therefore denoting the price of release, a ransom to purchase someone’s freedom from prison, and hence a means of atonement, a sacrifice by which to cover other people’s sin and so to save them from death. He is a payment (τιμη, 1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23; 1 Peter 1:18–19), the price paid for the purchase of someone’s freedom; a sin offering that was made to be sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 John 2:2; 4:10); the paschal lamb that was slain for us (John 19:36; 1 Cor. 5:7), the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and is slain to that end (John 1:29, 36; Acts 8:32; 1 Peter 1:19; Rev. 5:6; etc.). He is an expiation (ἱλαστηριον, Rom. 3:25), a sacrifice of atonement (θυμα), a curse (καταρα, Gal. 3:13) who took over from us the curse of the law, like the serpent in the wilderness lifted high on the cross (John 3:14; 8:28; 12:33) and like a grain of wheat dying in the earth in order thus to bear much fruit (John 12:24).1
When I was in seminary, I had a professor who would tell the students that the most important parts of speech when studying the Old Testament in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek are the pronouns, conjunctions, and prepositions. The doctrine of the substitutionary atonement is seen most clearly in the Scriptural use of the prepositions associated with the death of Christ. For instance, in Galatians 2:20, the Apostle Paul says, “The Son of God . . . loved me and gave Himself for me.” When Jesus teaches His disciples about His forthcoming death, He says, “The Son of Man did come not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Geerhardus Vos explains the importance of understanding these prepositions:
Besides ὑπέρ, ἀντί also appears, which always means “in the place of” (Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45). Obviously, ἀντί in no way excludes ὑπέρ. That Christ gave Himself as a substitute for His own is not only well understandable along with the fact that He gave Himself for their benefit but also directly includes the latter consideration . . . in more than one place ὑπέρ itself has the full force of ἀντί (cf. 2 Cor. 5:20–21; Philem. 13; 2 Cor. 5:14). Here, too, we again have the same result: What Christ did as priest, He did as the substitutionary Surety of believers and, precisely for that reason, did before God and not toward man.2
On one occasion, Jesus explained the nature of His death under the figure of the shepherd laying down his life for the sheep. In that discourse, Jesus taught that His forthcoming death was voluntary. He said: “I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again” (John 10:17–18). He went on to say that He had received the command to lay down His life for the sheep from His Father. However, the perfect harmony that He had with His Father was manifested in His laying down His life for His people of His own accord. It is for this reason that any insistence of divine child abuse must be rejected wholesale. The Son of God eternally loved His own and willingly laid down His life for His people in order to save them from the eternal wrath of God.
Whatever other dimensions belong to the work of Christ crucified, on this much we must be settled: The principal work of Jesus on the cross was atoning for the sins of His people by standing in their place and bearing the consequences and judgment of their sins. Jesus was constituted a sinner—though without any sin of His own—by the imputation of the sins of God’s people to His own person so that He might bear that sin in His body on the tree and receive the just punishment for those sins. In doing so, Jesus atones for the sins of all those for whom He died, removing their guilt and providing the basis of forgiveness for their sin. When we come to understand this in our hearts, we sing: “Bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place condemned he stood. Sealed my pardon with his blood. Hallelujah! What a Savior!”
Editor’s Note: This article is part of a series and was first published on June 8, 2018. Next post.
The post Road Trip: Debate, Does John 6:44 Teach Unconditional Election? Leighton Flowers, First Lutheran Church, Houston, Texas, 3/7/24 appeared first on Alpha and Omega Ministries.
]]>Imagine a drowning man in a stormy sea who is thrown a lifebelt. In desperation, he grabs hold of it, clings to it, gets within it. At last, he begins to ride the fearful waves. Still full of terrors and doubts, he is troubled lest the lifebelt should somehow fail him, and he be swallowed by the deeps. Imagine he notices that the lifebelt has a small waterproof booklet attached to it. The anxious man—despite the circumstances—begins to read and discovers that the booklet extols the virtues of his life preserver. He reads of the materials from which it is made, the features of its design, and its phenomenal qualities of buoyancy and reliability. He reads of how thoroughly it has been tested, how it has borne the heaviest weights in the fiercest seas, and that no one holding to it has ever drowned. As he reads, his confidence increases.
Is he still amidst the storms of the sea? Yes. Might some occasional great waves still cause him deep concern? Yes. Is he any safer or more secure than he was? No. He is just as safe and secure as when he first laid hold of that life preserver, only now he has greater and ever-growing confidence in its capacity to hold him up through all the dangers and troubles he faces, until he is finally plucked from the waters and brought safely to land.
Admitting the limitations of the illustration, let me suggest some parallels for the growth of faith. When a sinner first trusts in Jesus, that sinner is saved and safe. No one and nothing can pluck him out of the hands of Jesus. He is as secure as he can ever be. But he may not fully understand his security. He knows enough to come to Christ but needs to know more of the Christ to whom he has come. His confidence will only increase as he knows more of the Savior in whom he trusts. How can this be brought about?
First of all, spiritual growth comes through the Scriptures. This is the book which not only makes a man wise for salvation through faith in Christ, but also makes the man of God complete. Christians always need the gospel. We need to keep our eyes fixed on Christ, to consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus (Heb. 3:1). Notice how against all the snares and sorrows of Christian life, all the distractions and deceits of false teaching, the Apostles set Christ and Him crucified before the eyes of God’s people for the increase of their faith. By studying Christ in the Scriptures, we are looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, and so our faith grows.
A second way to grow in faith is through praying to God for His Spirit to work greater faith. He is the giver of faith, and so He must be the One who strengthens it. The disciples prayed, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:5). A troubled father cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). Such prayers remind us that true faith can be weaker or stronger and show us that one of the ways in which faith is increased is by asking for it. In answer, Christ shows us more of Himself. Perhaps we do not have because we have not asked (James 4:2)?
Another sweet way to increase faith is fellowship with the saints. The world will sap our faith and Satan will assault it, diverting us from Christ, distracting us from truth, and demanding our attention for other things. One delightful way to counteract this is to spend time with God’s people, speaking of what belongs to the kingdom (Mal. 3:16–18). In such communion with the saints, our sense of heavenly things is refreshed and restored, and comforts are communicated (1 Thess. 4:18, 5:11).
That brings us to experience—both our own and that of others. Reading our Bibles sets before us how the faith of God’s people increases through trials. Abraham, the father of the faithful, had both testings and triumphs of faith (Rom. 4:20). The psalmists strengthened themselves by remembering God’s past works. It is valuable to read of and listen to other believers, past and present, regarding how the Lord has sustained and helped them. Consider that every wave that does not sink us proves again the solidity of the Rock on whom we stand, the efficacy of our great Life Preserver.
It is not simply our faith that saves us. There is a danger of trusting in the strength of our faith, rather than trusting in the Lord Himself. It is Christ who saves us by faith. Christ is the strong man to whom faith is attached, and it is Him in whom we trust, and He who saves. As we look to Him, our faith must increase. Thus, in the words of Isaac Watts:
]]>Should all the hosts of death, And powers of hell unknown, Put their most dreadful forms Of rage and malice on, I shall be safe, for Christ displays Superior power and guardian grace.
Well, the topic I've been given is Suffering and Sovereignty, John Flavel and the Puritans on Afflicted Providence. Before we begin, let's open in a quick word of prayer. Heavenly Father, thy word is a lamp unto my feet. And we do thank you for that word, and we do pray your blessing upon us this afternoon as we consider the teaching of your word as exposited, as taught through your servants the Puritans. May we gain a greater desire for our savior who suffered for us, in whose name we pray. Amen.
Amen.
So the history of Christianity is a history of suffering. The history of Christianity is a history of suffering. I want to read something from 1 Peter, this has been referenced already. But 1 Peter Chapter 4, and I was thinking, and I was trying to actually make some notes on my notes, based upon things I've heard, because things that have been said, or were in my notes, and now they're not in my notes because they've been said. So what I want to do, I think, this afternoon, I think most helpful, is to do what the Puritans were wanting to do in their own day, and that was to prepare their congregants to suffer well. In fact, there was a book by John Flavel called Preparation for Suffering, and very few people even know about Flavel, much less any of his writings. But this is one of those books that if you were to read Preparation for Suffering, you would think it was written for today because there's some very direct parallels, not like it was then in the 17th century, but some very direct parallels to what we, I think, were heading today.
The 1 Peter 4:12 says, "Beloved, I think it not strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you, but rejoice in as much as your partakers of Christ's sufferings, that when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy. If you be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, for the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part, he is evil spoken of, but on your part, he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or as a thief, as an evil doer or as a busy body in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed. Let him glorify God on his behalf. The time has come that judgment must begin at the household of God. And if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore, let them that suffer according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their souls to him and wellbeing as unto a faithful creator."
Certainly, timely in all seasons for us. There was, during the period of the Reformation, starting around 1560, you had this movement that sprang up, that we know today as Puritanism. And I may not hardly go into an introduction of Puritan history here, but it is important to look at the Puritan movement through the lens of a history of suffering, because so much of the Puritan cause ebbed and flowed with persecution. And of course they faced, you might even say, greater sufferings in their day compared to maybe we who live here in the United States. But I think at the outset, it's important to see this history that was ingrained upon their own minds as Puritans, primarily through books like John Fox's, he called it Actes and Monuments. We know it today as Fox's Book of Martyrs. And what made that book in particular so powerful in the minds of the Puritans and really, for many beyond just English Puritanism, was not just the stories of those who were persecuted down through the ages, it's written in 1563.
It wasn't just the stories, but the pictures. It was like one of those first books that really utilized the woodcut [inaudible 00:04:51]. And those pictures would be seared into the minds of the Protestant and reformed in England. And when you had those stories so fresh, and you got to remember that whoever... There was not the separation of church and state back then. And so when you had a monarch, and that monarch, let's say, was a Roman Catholic, then everyone in that monarch's kingdom was Roman Catholic. And if you were not Roman Catholic, then you would suffer, typically. And you also have to remember that there were wars going back and forth on the continent in Europe. There was great fear.
And so when Queen Mary, we affectionately know her today as Bloody Mary, but when Queen Mary became Queen in 1553, and you had a lot of ministers and others that fled England to the continent to find refuge and safety. And [inaudible 00:05:50] when she died, they would bring back all of those [inaudible 00:05:56] tenants and values, and statements of faith that they learned on the continent, back to England, and it was something of a revival.
And so when Queen Elizabeth I became Queen, she took a middle-way approach. And this middle-way approach is so important to understand the rise of Puritanism, because the Puritans wanted to purify this middle-way and make it a further reformation in England. So from the first days in the 1560s, you had this fresh on their minds, this seared on their minds, what happened during the reign of Queen Mary. And all those that were burned at the stake, Thomas Kramer famously looking out his jail cell and watching his friends Latimer and Ridley being burned at the stake 1555. And this was such a, always in front of them. For us, this is not where we typically are in our country here, but other places, yes, yes. I was just having lunch today with Paul Washer, and things that he's dealing with around the world. This persecution is right there for many, many people, and so we have to understand this when we come to theology of suffering from the Puritans, just a couple of dangers that we need to be aware of.
One is that today there's this perceived immediate need to simply escape suffering. That we just, as soon as it comes, our only thought is how do I get out? How do I make my suffering less? And we need not think that way, and I think the Puritans can help us in this. A second is a sense of entitlement, that if we think that we deserve health, wealth, and prosperity, we deserve life, liberty and continual happiness, that if we don't get that, then God is not treating us fairly or justly. A third danger is a false belief that joy is only found in the absence of suffering. Paul would write that he was sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. And then a fourth danger is that some seem today, to diminish certain attributes and qualities of God. They'll say, "Well, God, he's not there as he should be," or "He's not sovereign over suffering."
I was serving on a committee examining candidates down in Tennessee, and this one guy was coming through our committee. He had been through seminary, well-trained, and I asked him this one simple question, "Does God ordain suffering?" And he says "No." And you all would've gotten that right. Here is a minister who is about to go to be a gospel minister over a church, because he couldn't imagine a good God. He liked the goodness of God, but he would also be sovereign over suffering, or see any purpose of it. Of course, he didn't pass. He's not... We got to be careful because if God is good, but he's not sovereign, well then he can't do anything about it, suffering. If he's sovereign but he's not good, well he's just a divine bully. If he's sovereign and good but he is not omnipresent, well then he can't be wherever it needs to be, to help and to guide and direct that suffering.
So we need to uphold the full manifold attributes of God when we come to this topic. Why the Puritans? Why the Puritans? This has already been talked about here this weekend, so I'm not going to go into this in great length, but they did write a tremendous amount of literature on the subject of suffering. Why? Well, because many of them were persecuted. There was a moment, so King Charles was beheaded, the first, beheaded in 1649. His son goes into refuge, he's hiding, and Oliver Cromwell becomes of the commonwealth. Some people argue that he basically took on the roles of a king, even though he's called a protectorate. But anyway, so they called back King Charles II, the son, the restoration. When that happened, there was a great ejection, and they ejected a lot of people from the Church of England, nearly 2000 ministers August 24th, 1662. Flavel was one of them.
And then three years later, 1665, you could not be serving. If you were a Puritan minister, you could not be serving within five miles of your parish, your church that you were at. And so then you had all these Puritans, that at one point they would write that "Because we had no employment in the pulpit, we had to make more work for the press." Why is it that we have such a huge volume of Puritan literature? Because they were having to live out in the country. They were having to live out on farms. They could not be in the day-to-day ministry. They would sneak into towns oftentimes, but they could not be in the day-to-day ministry, and so they would have all this time to write. I think Dr. Beeke mentioned at one point in the 17th century, that nearly 20% of all books sold were Puritan sermons. Imagine this, today. I mean, are there any books of sermons being published today?
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Another reason why the Puritans, they had a unique place as those expositors of practical, or what Dr. Beeke likes to call experiential Christianity, applying Christianity, applying the truths of the gospel. And we do need to recover, I think, a biblical theology of suffering. Why John Flavel? Because this has his name in the title. Why John Flavel? And I do think it's Flavel by the way, not Flavel or Flavel, or something else. One of the reasons I know that is because I would call several places where he lived in Dartmouth, England, and that still bear his name, and they would answer the phone, the Flavel Center, the Flavel Church. And I was like, "Yeah, I'll go with that."
Let me give you three reasons why John Flavel. Number one, John Flavel personally experienced severe suffering throughout his lifetime. He personally experienced severe suffering. He's born sometime between 1627 and 1630, we don't know exactly. At one point, his parents were holding an unauthorized worship meeting. They were arrested, they were thrown in prison. They caught a plague, the plague in prison, and even though they were released, they died from the plague shortly thereafter. He was very fond of his parents. He wrote of his parents in his works, and it was difficult for him to bear. He was married four times, not at the same time, four different ladies, different times. Three died, three wives passed before he married his fourth wife who would outlive him. But imagine losing three spouses. And his first one died in childbirth, and they lost their only son. He would write, after that happened, "The Almighty," notice, "The Almighty visited my tabernacle with the rod, in a one year, cutoff from the root and the branch, the tender mother and my only son."
And of course the persecution, I mentioned the great ejection. After the Five Mile Act and he could not serve within five miles of Dartmouth in southern England. He moved out to a little town called Slapton, and there he would write a book called Husbandry Spiritualized. We don't use that word husbandry anymore. I have a farm, so we have goats and chickens in my house and kids, they're kind of grouped into that. But he writes, he sees the world through the lens of scripture. And as he's trying to do everything he can to minister to the people of God, and because he couldn't be in his home church, he would be out. And there would be always running from authorities. At one point, he was up in this upper room, holding a secret meeting in Dartmouth by the cover of night. And they hear about, "Hey, the authorities are coming. They found out where you are and they're coming to arrest you Flavel."
And his good buddy is there with him, John, another John. So Flavel gets out, and as a early biographer, one of his friends [inaudible 00:15:11] is that his friend, also named John, was trying to get out because he was also wanted by the authorities. But it says, quote, "Out of his too great civility, he let a lady pass before him going downstairs, but the long train of her robe, it took a while for her to get down. And by the time she got down, the authorities were there, he was arrested, he died in prison." It's those kinds of stories. And there's times where he would be being chased on a horseback and actually go off into the sea trying to get away. And so this kind of persecution, he was not riding as one from an ivory tower. I think a second reason why Flavel, he was very influential in his own lifetime, within his own lifetime, locally and nationally. A royalist historian, so this would be a historian, he taught at Oxford, who did not like the Puritan cause.
So anti-Puritan historian Anthony Wood, he said that Flavel, quote, "Had more disciples than ever. John Owen, the Independent or Rich Baxter, the Presbyterian." Another contemporary of Flavel and one of his friends, John Galpine said he was, quote, "Deservedly famous among the writers of this age." I remember reading about from Increase Mather, who was actually a president of Harvard at one point, early on, saying that Flavel was deservedly famous among the writers of this age, both in old and in New England, and it shall be so until the Lord returned. Well, that's not the case. But in his own lifetime he was very influential, and I think that's another reason why I think he is an ideal Puritan from whom to learn about suffering.
We also see how his enemies regarded John Flavel. They would create effigies and burn those effigies, in both Old England and in New England. One Church of England clergyman, Edmund Ellis, wrote in a letter in which he claims that there are three enemies, quote, "Three enemies of the church whose writings have made so much noise in the world, Dr. Owen, R. Baxter, and John Flavel." And in fact, we see those three names grouped together quite often in historical records. Those three seem to represent something of the Puritan element. I think a third reason why I think Flavel is an ideal candidate, person to learn about Puritan theology, is that it consisted of a large portion of his own writings, just a few titles, just from his works. You can buy his complete works, a six-volume set by Banner of Truth. Listen to these titles, three titles, A Token for Mourners, or Advice of Christ to a Distressed Mother Bewailing the Death of Her Dear and Only Son. You don't get much more practical than that.
Preparation for suffering. I mentioned this earlier, Preparation for Suffering subtitle, or the Best Work in the Worst Times. The Best Work in the Worst Times. I like this one. Number three, the Balm of the Covenant. The Balm of the Covenant Applied to the Bleeding Wounds of Afflicted Saints. People say theology is not practical. Flavel would disagree with you. The Balm of the Covenant Applied to the Bleeding Wounds of Afflicted Saints. Well, the types of suffering that they faced, you had plagues, you had things like the great fire of London in 1666, poverty, persecution. You had ongoing sickness, dysentery, affliction of conscience, loss of reputation, public calamities, loss of friends, confinement, exile, blindness, deafness, spiritual conflicts, many things that we deal with today.
But it is that element of persecution, if I can prepare you today, to be persecuted, to suffer well for the sake of Christ. Historian John Spurr says, "Persecution ranged from minor harassment through disruption and rough handling by constables, soldiers, or mobs, personal injury, destruction, to mass imprisonment." Gerald Cragg, historian noted that during the restoration period, the last half of the 17th century, persecution of non-conformists was the official policy of England's rulers. What was a non-conformist? So a non-conformist was one who did not conform to the prescribed worship of the Church of England. And they saw that through the use of the Book of Common Prayer. And so if you wanted to worship in a way that you felt was biblical and not go along with the Book of Common Prayer in your worship, you'd be considered a nonconformist.
And again, that persecution against you would ebb and flow depending on who was in power. But it's important to know that one of the reasons they're called Puritan, is because they wanted to purify the worship primarily. They didn't want to just go in and kneel at the bread and the wine, because they saw that as idolatry, because Christ is physically not there. He is in heaven. So they didn't want to do the sign of the cross. They didn't want to call it an altar because it's a table. Christ was sacrificed once for all.
But the enforcement ebbed and flowed. Flavel writes, "Though millions of precious saints have shed their blood for Christ, whose are now crying under the altar. How long Lord? How long, oh Lord? Yet there are many more coming on behind in the same path of persecution and much Christian blood must yet be shed before the mystery of God be finished. Thus you see, to what grievous sufferings, the merciful God has sometimes called his dearest people." So there are external sufferings, of course. You can find lists of these external sufferings in the Bible. Paul does this with his own life. You see this in places like Hebrews 11, in those that have been even sawn asunder, it says. But he says that the worst sufferings are internal, not external. In fact, this is interesting, if you go in order to read the Puritans on suffering, most of their writing to encourage and give comfort to people in regards to suffering, is not dealing with physical pain.
Maybe that's typically how we think of suffering. I was poked in the eye and I'm blind in that eye, or something. But they're dealing with internal pain, internal pain, grieving, sorrow, mourning, despair. And he says, Flavel would say that these are far worse. He refers to these, even the death of a loved one, quote, "The greatest of earthly sorrows." And of course he knew all about that. And even that title I gave you just a minute ago, the Balm of the Covenant Applied to the Bleeding Wounds, in the book, he's not dealing with physical blood. He's dealing with heart wounds, heavy wounds of soul, of conscience, and spiritual sufferings brought about by Satan. We miss this sometimes. Temptations, spiritual oppression, feeling removed from God, the overburden of guilt. Now we probably don't... We don't have enough guilt in some sense today, right?
But they had such a heaviness of their guilt before God, and they couldn't release it. They couldn't read Romans 8:1 and trust the promise, that there is no more condemnation. And he calls this spiritual suffering. Flavel would write, "Thou has more reason to lament thy dead heart, than thy dead friend. To lose the heavenly warmth and spiritual liveliness of thy affections is undoubtedly a far more considerable loss. And to lose the wife of thy bosom, or the sweetest child that ever a tender parent laid in the grave." Who could write that today? Who could write that? He says "Spiritual distresses are those afflictions brought about when sin lay heavy and helped by Satan's malice." Thomas Watson explains that some sufferings like the breakdown of family or suicide, the effects of addiction, those are all things that happened in the 17th century. Direct of result of temptation of Satan. He said "If Satan tempts some to do away with themselves and work some kind of inclination in the heart to embrace a temptation."
But this internal discouragement and sorrow, despair that they're beyond forgiveness, that God could not forgive even if I run to him in faith. That makes God simply a terror, and not a God that I adore. Well, we've already heard this weekend, on where suffering comes from as a curse, or a fruit of the fall is what Flavel would say. It's a fruit of the fall. You don't [inaudible 00:24:29] suffering and affliction and death and disease and dying, thorns and thistles before the fall. By the way, you can't have millions and billions of years stuff living and dying before the fall. But he wrote a book, his most famous book, Flavel, called Divine Conduct, or it's well known today as the Mystery of Providence. The Mystery of Providence. And if you know anything about John Flavel, it might probably be the book that you've heard about.
And Dr. Beeke has written that he calls it the best Puritan work on divine providence. He calls, if you're probably wondering about Stephen Charnock's book, he calls that the second best. Sinclair Ferguson writes that of all of Flavel's works, none speaks with more power than this spiritual classic. The Mystery of Providence, the Mystery of Providence. God's ways and thoughts are higher than our ways and thoughts, and when you bring that to the subject of suffering, there's great mystery to it. Why? He doesn't just allow it, but ordain it. Well, Flavel would write that sovereignty is an attribute of God. How do you see it? How do you experience the attribute of God's sovereignty? He says, "You see it or experience it in two ways." One is what we call eternal decrees. The eternal decrees of God. And the other is in the temporal providences of God, which are simply those decrees brought into time and space.
If you think about the eternal decrees, Isaiah 46, perfect example, "God has declared the end from the beginning." But then the providence of God is taking all of those decrees and saying, "Today is the day, today is the day of your salvation." I have decreed your election, from before the foundation of the world, but today is the day. I remember the story of R.C. Sproul. He was preaching, and a lady who had been visiting his church for a year, came up to him and said, "Dr. Sproul, today is the first time I've heard you preach the gospel." Of course he'd been preaching it for the whole past year when she was there. And he said to her, "Ma'am, it's the first time you had ears to hear the gospel."
Providence says today was the day for her. Eternally elected, decreed, today is the days, the idea that Jesus talks about, not even a sparrow can fall to the ground apart from the will of my father in heaven. And so this idea of providence is one that the Puritans stressed, why? They believe in the decrees of God. They believe in God's sovereignty, but why do they stress providence as a word? Because it was the practical application of God's sovereignty in our lives. Does that make sense? The practical application of God's sovereignty in our lives, is that, is why they would stress and use this idea of providence more. Flavel would write, "We ought to ascribe nothing to chance, but to the appointment of providence of God." And it's interpreted through scripture, through the word. Providence works in concurrence with the word, and no testimony of providence is to be accepted against the word. And so in these reasons, the Puritans would be very much against the ideas of deism, that God would wind up the universe like the clock maker, and let's let it all go.
There's been people who have argued that Flavel was a deist, and could be farther from the truth. He believed in, certainly, in the decrees of God, but providence. And he believed in, what we call today, the Doctrine of Concurrence. Maybe you've heard of this, and you know this well, this idea that God uses what Flavel would call this secondary means, or secondary causes. You know you have the laws of nature, of gravity, of weather systems. I got here last night, and I get checked into my hotel, and then all of a sudden get out and my phone's blowing up. There's a tornado coming through. And I hear that y'all had to go, I guess, down here in the basement. Did that surprise God? Did it surprise God? You think about hurricanes, things like that. So he's created even weather systems, and yet concurrently, the Doctrine of... Concurrently, governs them towards his very end, even specific ends.
One great example of this Job 37. In Job 37, it says, verse 6, "For you, say it to the snow, be thou on the earth. Likewise to the small rain and to the great rain of his strength, he seal up the hand of every man, that all men may know his work." And he goes on, in verse 9, he says, "Out of the south cometh the whirlwind, and a cold out of the north. By the breath of God, frost is given, and the breath of the waters is straightened. Also by watering, he wearieth the thick cloud, he scattereth his bright cloud, and it is turned around by his counsels that the may do whatsoever he commandeth them upon the face of the world in the earth." He causes it to come, whether correction, or for his land, or for mercy. He causes it.
And so sometimes you would have those big, like Katrina, wondering, and they'd have people on the, used to be an old Larry King show, have John MacArthur on there. It's always a breath of fresh air when he was on there. And he would just, who caused this? God. No question, no question. But I think we want to apologize for God when bad things happen. We want to apologize. Now that tornado came through, and we're thinking, we want to say, "Well God," no, he's not in this because bad things happened, bad things happened. I know we have to deal with, in some ways, the problem of evil. I'm not going to get into that, but let me just say this about the problem of evil here because suffering in itself is not evil, morally evil. Okay?
It'd be weird if Paul were to say, "I rejoice in my sufferings," if sufferings were evil. God permits evil and sin. He permits evil and sin. Case in point, Job. He permits it for his own purposes. In fact, Paul would write even in 2 Corinthians 12, about the thorn in the flesh, and he calls it a messenger of Satan. Interesting. But God sends it to keep him humble or so he is not inflated with air, literally, in the Greek there, so he could understand that my grace is sufficient for you.
He permits evil and sin, he restrains it. There's a story of Abimelech in Genesis chapter 20, and this is where Abraham and he's lying. And it says in Genesis 20:6, "And God said to him," Abimelech, "in a dream, yay, I know that thou did this in the integrity of thy heart, for I also withheld thee from sinning against me." He restrains, he overrules. We heard this earlier, didn't we? What you meant for evil, God meant for good. He overruled their sin, their evil, for his greater purposes. And he ordains all for his glory. All things work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. But God is sovereign over suffering. If you're going to hear one thing, please hear that.
We'll get into the why in just a second. But just the fact that he is sovereign over suffering, he's not surprised by your suffering. Remember my mom died when I was 14, and I was an only child, and I remember my dad waiting for me out in front of the house. And I got home from a friend's house, and he came out, and he was in tears. And he told me, and I remember I ran to my room that night and thought, "I've heard so much about God and yet I feel that he's not here in this moment." And I wanted to think, "Well, maybe he didn't have anything to do with it, maybe this was Satan or something."
And over the years, I've seen so many countless ways that God has used that in my life and others, to shape and form me. And as we'd heard earlier today, that it's in those trials, those moments of affliction, that we tend to grow most. Even the details, Flavel would write "In all the sad and afflicted providences that befall you. I, God, see God as the author and order of them. God's hand is to be acknowledged in the greatest afflictions that befall us. Lift up thine eye to the sovereign wise and holy pleasure that ordered this affliction." And it's to the detail, for a purpose.
Thomas Watson would say, "Whoever brings an affliction to us, it is God that sends it." Why does God ordained suffering? Let me give you some basic principles on this. Because it is ultimately for God's glory, and we see it really in two ways. For the unbelieving world, suffering comes as raw effects of just judgment. In part, in this life, and in fullness in the life to come. Let me say it again. For the unbelieving world, those who reject Christ, suffering comes as raw effects of just judgment in part, in this life, and in fullness in the life to come. But for his people, his elect, those who are bought by the blood of Christ, suffering comes as good and loving discipline. We just heard this from Hebrews 12, God chastises, he disciplines those whom he loves. And so this is why the Puritans, Flavel and others, would distinguish between sanctified afflictions. You heard this earlier, sanctified afflictions and unsanctified. Sanctified being those afflictions for believers because they come to you as it were through the, I'm just quoting Flavel here, "Through the veins of Christ."
They come into to you through a different channel because you're not under the condemnation of God if you are in Christ. So how could you receive this kind of affliction in your life, only through the channel of Christ as believers. That's how you receive it. And so Flavel would argue from our standpoint as believers, these afflictions are sanctified, sweetened, and even turned into blessings. He would say, "Behold then, as a sanctified affliction is a cup, where into Jesus had the rung and press the juice and virtue of all his mediatorial offices. Surely, that must be a cup of generous royal wine like that in the supper, a cup of blessing to the people of God." Of course we heard this too, about the Gethsemane, a cup of wrath that he would drink to the bitter end.
The unsanctified afflictions, those for unbelievers. Again, raw effects of God's wrath and judgment. In fact, Flavel And the Puritans would argue that suffering, when it comes to those who are not in Christ, actually hardens them even more. In that way, suffering comes as a way to distinguish believer and unbeliever. So here's a summary. While affliction and suffering come upon the unbeliever as signs and effects of his judgment and wrath, they come upon the elect as loving discipline, with a design to produce greater godliness. You can think about the man born blind in John 9. Did this sin or did his parents sin that he was born blind? Neither one. But that the works of God might be displayed in him.
The other thing we got to be careful about is over-reading God's intentions in our sufferings. This morning, if you got up, you stubbed your toe and you thought, "Ah, that's because I didn't pray last night." This happens, this happens. Something bad happens and we think immediately, "Okay, there was something directly. I failed to open the door for the lady last week. That's what it is." It's over-reading God's intentions into your suffering. Suffering in your life isn't always a sign that you've just done something just immediately evil or sinful. And prosperity in your life isn't just a sign that you're doing everything great. We know this again, from the story of Job. Have you considered my servant job?
It wasn't because job was particularly wicked man, right? It's just the opposite. This is why they called suffering the school of affliction, because in it we learn. Well, let me give you five quick reasons, and I'll cut short and we can ask maybe a couple questions. Okay? Five quick reasons here why God ordained suffering for believers. Coming from Flavel from the Puritans, one, to kill sin, to produce godliness. One is to kill sin and produce godliness. This is why they also called them searching afflictions, because they would search out your sin and discover them unto you and to others. It's in the middle of the trial that's like, "Ah, I'm pretty impatient, aren't I?" Stuck behind cars in an interstate somewhere, and you realize I'm in this affliction and I'm angry about it.
We see our affliction through, I'm sorry, we see our sin through affliction. We confess it, we can repent of it. In that way, it's a cleanser. Suffering is a cleanser revealing to us our sin, deterring us from greater sin. It drives community, where iron sharpens iron. If you think about iron sharpening iron, it's not a soft kind of thing. There's something that sparks are coming off. There's metal that's being discarded. Richard Sibbes says, "We need bruising so that reeds may know themselves to be reeds, and not oaks." Even reeds need bruising by reeds and of the reminder of pride in our nature, and to let us see that we live by mercy.
Number two, reason that God ordained suffering for you and me as believers, to relinquish that we might relinquish the temporal for the eternal. I actually heard Dr. Beeke use this word earlier. To wean us, to wean us from a love of this world, that we would redirect our thoughts and affections for that which is to come, that we would have... He would talk about it's better to lose, pluck out an eye than your whole body, soul would be cast. We are sojourners and pilgrims here. Our citizenship, Paul would write, is in heaven. Instead of holding on to the fading things of this world, sometimes God will take those things that are too close to our hearts, good things even. Sometimes we can make an idol of the best things, and God will sometimes remove those best things, that we would redirect our affections after him.
Number three, to produce a sincere faith devoid of hypocrisy. Sometimes suffering will come. And for the Puritans, this is what Flavel would talk about, is that persecution would ebb and flow. And when it would come, that's what he called Jesus' summer friends would flee. Those that were just around him when things were bright and sunny. But when the fires of persecution came, those summer friends of Jesus would leave. And in that way, that's what I was talking about earlier. In that way, suffering comes to distinguish it. You see it all the more, those that in the midst of pain and suffering, by and large, I mean there are those times where we don't do this, but by and large, we want to cry out to God. We want to say Psalm 55:22, "I'm going to cast my burdens upon the Lord, knowing that he will sustain me." The void of hypocrisy distinguish the believer and the unbeliever.
Number four, when suffering comes, one reason is that it gives us the opportunity to bear witness to the world. Unbelievers watch how we suffer. There's been plenty of examples, plenty of stories where unbelievers are watching believers suffer and they suffer well, and it becomes a great witness and testimony to them, of the reality and truthfulness and the veracity of the gospel.
Number five, suffering comes to the believer to cultivate fellowship with God through his word, prayer, and the Lord's supper. So when suffering comes into our lives, that we are driven to his word, that we're driven to our knees, that we're driven to the Lord's table for that assurance. Does he love me? In the midst of this affliction, I just got a cancer diagnosis, let's say, or you just got some kind of disease, you just lost... Had a family in our church, they lost a daughter. Does God love me? And after considering their heart before the Lord and taking those elements, that assurance, sealing to them, those promises, yes. Tokens of love to you. Those promises, as Dr. Beeke was talking about earlier, those promises of God.
You're driven to drink deeply of those promises in his word, in the midst of suffering. He's our refuge and strength, the very present help in trouble. Cast light burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain me. Suffering does not give a justifying excuse to sin. I think sometimes, if we are in the midst of suffering, people say, "You know what? I'm just going to get drunk and just not even think about it." Or "I'm suffering because of that person, and I'm going to go take it immediately out on him." Of course we know what Romans 12 says, "Vengeance is mine, declares the Lord." Suffering does not give us a justifying excuse to sin, and we should not have excessive sorrow, grieve as those without hope, not to become the chronic victim, which is so common today. Flavel says, "The least sin is more formidable to you than the greatest affliction. Doubtless, you would rather choose to bury all your children than provoke and grieve your heavenly Father." I don't know if I could write that.
Sin increases. Hear this, sin increases the sting of suffering. We have this temptation and thought, false belief that if I just go and sin, it'll just make me feel better. But it increases the sting of suffering. But it is right and good to prepare to suffer. Jesus was always preparing his disciples to suffer well. Remember this, in the gospels, and again, if I can encourage you to read his book, Preparation for Suffering. But we respond to the suffering sometimes passively. And this is, I'm just going to trust the Lord. Your grace is sufficient for me. I'm going to trust the Lord. It's the old hymn, it is well with my soul, peace like a river, I am just going to trust passive response.
But there's active responses to suffering. Communing with God by reading and meditating upon his word, individual and corporate prayer, resting in the assurance of his promises in the Lord's supper, reading helpful literature on the subject, repenting of any particular sin that has become evident during her trial, serving others as followers of the suffering servant, being involved in the fellowship of your local church. The Lord has given and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Let me just mention one final thing regarding Christ and then just a couple of takeaways. With Jesus, and we just heard this, what a wonderful message to consider a suffering servant. Consider Isaiah 53, "And what Christ has done in his suffering on our behalf," that even drinking that cup of suffering.
Flavel would write as it were from the father's perspective. Listen to this, from the father's perspective regarding his son, "I will now manifest the fierceness of my heart to Christ and the fullness of my love to believers. The pain shall be his, that the ease and rest may be theirs. The stripes, his, and the healing balm issuing from them, theirs. The condemnation, his, and the justification, theirs. The reproach and shame, his, and the honor and glory, theirs. The curse, his, and the blessing, theirs. The death, his, and the life, theirs. The vinegar and gall, his, and the sweet of it, theirs. He shall groan, that they shall triumph. He shall mourn, that they may rejoice. His heart shall be heavy for a time, if theirs may be light and glad forever. He shall be forsaken, if they may never be forsaken. And out of the worst miseries to him, shall spring the sweetest mercies to them."
How should we minister to suffering, those suffering? How should we minister to them? One, be quick to listen. Be quick to listen. Sometimes people in the midst of their affliction, they say things that are not theologically the most accurate. There's a time to talk about that. It may not be that moment. It's what Job 6 says, it's words for the wind. Words for the wind. Speak truth and love. Restrain the impulse for just empty platitudes. Don't apologize for God. Point them, and lead them to the means of grace. Follow through with community. We are great at the first two weeks, helping someone after they've gone through an affliction. You take the meals, care for the children, two weeks. For some reason, it's the two week number, and they were like, "You're on your own now." And sometimes it's those chronic afflictions that are most difficult
And apply the balm of the gospel. Oh, give them an eternal perspective. This is not the end. There will come a day when Jesus will return, and he'll make all things new, and there will be no more suffering and no more tears. And the one who is called the lamb, will be called our shepherd, and he will shepherd us. And we'll sing, worthy is the lamb, with the saints triumphant from every tribe and language and people and nation. And we need to give our people that balm of the covenant and apply it to the bleeding wounds of afflicted saints, but point them to the Savior, and to that time when he will come and make all things new. There's a wonderful hymn. I just want to close by just reading a couple of the verses from this hymn. How Firm a Foundation, maybe you've heard it.
From the Father's perspective here, when through deep waters I call you to go, the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow. For I will be with you to trouble, in trouble to bless, and sanctify to you, your deepest distress. When through fiery trials, your pathway shall lie. My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply. The flame shall not hurt thee. I only design your dross to consume and your gold to refine. That soul, that on Jesus has leaned for repose, I will not desert to its foes. That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I'll never, no, never, no, never forsake. Amen.
Here, let me close in a word of prayer and let you go to dinner. Okay? God, these are weighty topics. We do thank you for the Puritans. We thank you for their labors, their sacrifices, who have gone before us, that we can learn and grow in greater godliness, greater piety, greater love for you. God, I do pray that you would make us see that every aspect of our life is dependent upon you. That everything that we have from you, comes from your hand. God, we do pray that you would be glorified in us when we face times of affliction and suffering. Father, we thank you for the Lord Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.
Thank you for listening to All of Life for God by Reformation Heritage Books. If you have enjoyed this episode and would like to hear more, please consider subscribing and sharing with a friend. Reformation Heritage Books is a nonprofit ministry aiming to strengthen the church through reformed, Puritan, and experiential literature. To learn more about this ministry and how to support us, please visit Rhb.org.
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]]>The love language of all marriages is self-denial. When both husband and wife are consumed not with their own immediate happiness but with the happiness of one another, they will enjoy a happy marriage. The same is true for enduring friendships and for authentic community.
With the disintegration of marriage has come the dissolution of community. As such, community has fallen on hard times. What every generation in every society in all of history has enjoyed, the rising generation will have to fight for. With the rise of online communities, online church, and online everything, face-to-face, eye-to-eye, shoulder-to-shoulder community has become increasingly difficult to find. Moreover, many don’t know what real community is and thus don’t know what to look for. Real community doesn't happen on its own—it takes time, patience, repentance, forgiveness, and love that covers a multitude of sins. The church community is not just a crowd of people on a Sunday morning; it is the gathered, worshiping people of God in a congregation where masks aren’t needed and where real friends help bear the real burdens of one another. Community is not just getting together; it is living together, suffering together, rejoicing together, and dying together.
Although many Christians claim to want genuine community, many want it only on their own terms, when it’s convenient, and when it demands nothing from them. What they want isn't the church community, but a country club where they pay their dues for services rendered. They want to be served without having to serve anyone else. Real community forces us to die to ourselves and get over ourselves so that we might love one another as ourselves. Francis Schaeffer observed that “the early church practiced two things simultaneously: orthodoxy of doctrine and orthodoxy of visible community.” Such orthodoxy of visible community is grounded in the “one another” passages of Scripture, which provide us with the essential elements of authentic community. They strike at the root of our self-centeredness, and they lead us to take our eyes off ourselves and to deny ourselves so that we might love one another, encourage one another, confess our sins to one another, forgive one another, and not slander one another, gossip about one another, devour one another, or envy one another. In so doing, our Father in heaven is glorified as we manifest the beauty of the gospel of Christ through the power of the Spirit, who has united a bunch of repentant sinners like us.
]]>In understanding the reasons for these three marks of the church, or the notae ecclesiae as they became known during the Reformation, a few important clarifications should be kept in mind. Otherwise, we will miss the purpose of upholding these marks and their place in the life of the church.
First, when we speak of the marks, we are speaking of the visible church. Theologians have distinguished between the invisible church, or all the elect through all time both in heaven and on earth, and the visible church, which is all those who profess to be Christians. The three marks help determine among all visible gatherings which ones can truly be thought of as churches belonging to Christ.
Next, the visible church possesses, or at least should possess, numerous qualities, attributes, and activities, but only certain marks define her as a church. We can discuss adjectives that should describe her, such as holy or loving. Various titles are given to the church, such as the bride of Christ or the body of the Lord. The church should be engaged in many activities, including worship, evangelism, service, and caring for the poor. But when we stress the three classic marks of the church, we are speaking of the essential identity of the church. What makes a church a church? Preaching the gospel, practicing the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and encouraging formative and corrective discipleship show the presence of God’s Spirit among those who claim to be a Christian church. As Francis Turretin said in his Institutes of Elenctic Theology, “It is of great value to know [the church’s] true marks that we may be able to distinguish the true fold of Christ from the dens of wolves.”
During the Reformation, great struggles ensued between Protestants and Roman Catholics not only over doctrinal matters such as justification by faith alone but also over the very definition of the church. The Roman Catholic Church based its definition of the true church on the four qualities found in the Nicene Creed, which declares, “We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.” The Roman church made it clear in the Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent, in a section titled “The Marks of the Church,” that each of the attributes of oneness, holiness, catholicity, and Apostolicity is treated individually, and further that all within the church should know these marks. Each of these attributes, Trent claimed, finds its expression in the papal throne, as this statement regarding oneness makes clear:
The first mark of the true Church is described in the Nicene Creed, and consists in unity: My dove is one, my beautiful one is one. So vast a multitude, scattered far and wide, is called one for the reasons mentioned by St. Paul in his Epistle to the Ephesians: One Lord, one faith, one baptism. The Church has but one ruler and one governor, the invisible one, Christ, whom the eternal Father hath made head over all the Church, which is his body; the visible one, the Pope, who, as legitimate successor of Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, fills the Apostolic chair.1
This claim by Rome that the oneness of the visible church comes from the pope was vigorously denied by the Protestants, who saw Christ alone as the Lord over both the invisible church and visible church. As the Westminster Confession of Faith states: “There is no other head of the Church but the Lord Jesus Christ. Nor can the Pope of Rome, in any sense, be head thereof” (WCF 25.6).
The affirmation of the headship of Christ leads us to a clear conclusion. If Christ is the Head of the church, which is His body (Eph. 1:22–23; Col. 1:18), then the church has marks because it has a Marker. In other words, who Jesus is defines who we are as His people. In particular, because it “pleased God, in his eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, his only begotten Son, to be the Mediator between God and man, the Prophet, Priest, and King, the Head and Savior of his Church” (WCF 8.1), then we should expect the church to reflect these offices of Christ.
Put another way, because Jesus as our Head is our Prophet, Priest, and King, He shares these identities and roles with us. That is why we find in Scripture such statements as Peter makes to the church, when he says, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9, emphasis added). We can see here that the church is to be prophetic, priestly, and kingly because its Lord and Savior is. These three offices of Christ, reflected by the true church, correspond directly to the marks and show us how our congregations should worship and live for the Lord in this world.
The church is to be prophetic, preaching purely the Word of God. You should be in a church where the whole counsel of God is proclaimed faithfully from the pulpit each week by a godly minister who not only preaches the message but lives according to it (Acts 20:20–21, 26–28). You should come with the congregation to church each week eager and prepared to hear and to heed the gospel. Knowing the blood of Christ is upon you, you and your fellow worshipers should respond to the message with a heart and attitude that says, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient” (Ex. 24:7). Your congregation should eagerly study God’s Word in other settings as well, and it should have a reputation as a place where the gospel is known, cherished, and promoted throughout the community and the world.
The church is to be priestly, meaning that each member is like a living stone in a holy temple offering sacrifices to God (1 Peter 2:4–5). As such, your congregation is to be holy, consecrated for service by participating in the sacraments that mark you as being under the blood of Christ. Thus, the Lord sets your congregation apart by applying the pure waters of baptism on each person upon their entrance into the church. He then nourishes you along the way with the Lord’s Supper. You should see each fresh application of baptism on a new member and each new time of examination and sitting at the Lord’s Table as a call to marvel again at God’s choice of you and of your consecration to the holy service of Christ. Pay careful attention to the sacraments and live out with the church its priestly function.
The church is to be kingly by living as sons and daughters of its risen King. By making disciples of its members according to the command of the One who has all authority and power, the church reflects the lordship of Christ in the congregation (Matt. 28:18–20). As a faithful member of a local church, are you being formed as a disciple by learning and obeying the commands of the Bible? Are you open to correction from godly mentors and leaders in your congregation, and do you receive it humbly when it is given? Is your church a place where, if a member strays into sin, there are loving, sincere efforts to reclaim that person and even exercise formal discipline if necessary? Are your elders true shepherds who seek the lost, bring back the straying, bind up the injured, strengthen the weak, and protect from strong, harming influences (Ezek. 34:16)? Your church should show by how it lives that it is truly ruled over by Christ.
If you are in a congregation where the marks are present, you should rejoice and give thanks for Christ’s work in your midst. And if not, the lack of these marks shows you something both profound and frightening about your church: Christ is not present. May the Lord lead you to a church where His Spirit is clearly among His people.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on September 13, 2019.
The book of Esther doesn’t directly mention God’s name. In fact, the story is rather void of religion and piety altogether. The main characters don’t seem to be devout and faithful Jews that are overly concerned with keeping God’s covenant. What can we learn about God and His ways in such a book?
Notwithstanding my love for Esther and her story (one of my daughters is named Hadassah, Esther’s Jewish name), I must admit that there are times in the narrative when I am left wondering where Esther and Mordecai’s true hope lies and whether their actions reflect the faith described in Hebrews 11. Despite these initial impressions, on closer inspection, Esther teaches us deep theological truths that can invigorate the Christian life. Here are three things to know about the book of Esther.
Esther takes place far away from the promised land. Some of the Israelites had returned to Jerusalem from exile after the decree of Cyrus in 539 BC (see Ezra 1:1–4). Some, however, decided to stay in Persia. The reader is quickly introduced to one of those Jews who stayed. She is swiftly swept up into high Persian life, becoming queen after the Persian king had been embarrassed by his prior queen’s insolence.
Through masterful storytelling that weaves in suspense, irony, and satire, the author recounts how a petty, nonverbal gesture ignites a personal dispute between two men (Haman the Amalekite and Mordecai the Jew). This dispute almost results in the annihilation of God’s covenant people (and thus, His promises) through government-sanctioned genocide. It’s only through a bout of insomnia for a foolish king and the momentary shrewdness of a morally compromised queen that the tables are turned at the last minute. The leader of the genocide, Haman, ends up on the gallows that he constructed for his enemy, Mordecai, and the Jews are spared from extermination.
The book reads like a suspense novel, and if you haven’t read the story in one sitting, I encourage you to do so. The plot twists teach us something very important: God is committed to keeping His covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and no puppet of Satan—not Pharaoh, not Ahab, not Absalom, not Nebuchadnezzar, not Haman—can thwart God’s covenant commitment to preserve a people for Himself.
The satirical almosts in the book of Esther narratively demonstrate God’s works of providence, which the Heidelberg Catechism describes:
Providence is the almighty and ever present power of God by which God upholds, as with his hand, heaven and earth and all creatures, and so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty—all things, in fact, come to us not by chance but by his fatherly hand. (Q&A 27)
It might appear that everything in the book of Esther is happening by chance, but the heavenly-minded reader will appreciate that there is a masterful Playwright orchestrating all things for the good of His covenant people—those who love Him and are called according to His purposes (Rom. 8:28). There are no accidents in God’s providential care. Each and every coincidence in the book of Esther is shouting of God’s silent and invisible providence, which governs all His creatures and all their actions (WSC 11). The silence of God in this book teaches a very important lesson: God’s all-powerful governing and preserving all His creatures is too silent to ignore. There is nothing outside His providential purview, even if we can’t see the Playwright directing His play.
Consistent with Hebrew narrative style, the author of Esther narrates actions without giving an evaluation of every action. This has often led to the book’s two main characters—Esther and Mordecai—being lauded as moral paragons and heroes of faith. The story, however, is muddled with a messy mixture of fear and faith, and the reader isn’t always able to determine which is which. There are many unanswered questions that the reader is left with regarding Esther and Mordecai’s character and actions. A few of these unanswered ambiguities include the following questions:
While these questions might seem like insurmountable problems—for how can God’s people, who serve as significant players in redemptive history, display such concerning moral ambiguity?—it’s rather a spotlight on the welcome news that God’s salvation does not ultimately depend on His people’s faithfulness or lack thereof. He is faithful to His covenant promises for His name’s sake (see Isa. 48:9–11; Ezek. 20:44). Esther and Mordecai—both by their sinful, fearful actions and their righteous, faithful actions—carry out God’s unthwartable and resolute blueprint to “do good to Zion” (Ps. 51:18). This is the true meaning of Hadassah’s beautiful story. Though a simple “myrtle tree” (the Hebrew meaning of “Hadassah”) who doesn’t get everything right, Queen Esther is the Lord’s instrument to preserve His covenant blessings and to carry out His providential purposes. This much is unambiguous in the story of Esther.
This article is part of the Every Book of the Bible: 3 Things to Know collection.
]]>What if God told you that every evil you suffer—all your pain, including every adversity, alienation, abandonment, and false accusation you endure—was part of His good and sovereign purpose?
For the child of God, that is precisely what He has told us.
When you give a gift of any amount to Ligonier’s outreach this month, we will send you a new book on God’s good and sovereign purpose in all things drawn from Dr. R.C. Sproul’s teaching on Joseph. We’ll also give you streaming access to a teaching series from Dr. Sproul. More on that below.
The Bible gives us example after example and testimony after testimony of God’s faithfulness toward His people. The loyal love of the Lord never fails.
“You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”
Years of heartache pour through Joseph’s tearful words in Genesis 50. You remember his travails, I trust. Reflect on sitting in that Egyptian prison, thinking of all the years of estrangement and betrayal. Imagine the loneliness, not understanding what the Lord in His sovereignty was about to do. Yet Joseph confessed his confidence in the God who never left his side and who controlled every detail of his life to fulfill His good promises.
Christians need to be reminded of the sovereignty of God, especially in our day of wars, economic upheaval, political machinations, and media spin. Believers who are well-grounded in God’s Word know that God is good and that He is in control. Truth brings stability to our lives. The Bible teaches that even in this fallen world, even in the storms of this life and in the evil of our enemies, God is accomplishing His faithful redemptive purposes.
As Dr. R.C. Sproul frequently taught us, a sound understanding of God’s sovereignty will benefit us in every season of life:
Ligonier boldly proclaims God’s all-encompassing sovereignty because this doctrine is a help for the whole Christian life. God’s sovereignty informs all our teaching as we develop the most extensive library of discipleship materials true to the historic Christian faith and distribute this teaching to the nations. God uses your support to translate and distribute biblical teaching to graciously bear real fruit in people’s lives—whether missionaries enduring persecution or parents enduring unimaginable grief. For instance, Donna told us:
“A friend led us in a study of Chosen by God, where I learned of God’s sovereignty in all things. This prepared me for dark days ahead. A few months later, my eight-year-old son was called to glory. Knowing, because of Dr. Sproulʼs teaching, that my son’s days were numbered before they ever came to be by the good God who loved him specifically carried me through the worst time in my life. Had God not sent me that teaching at just the right time, I donʼt know how I would have survived. God’s mercy amazes me. Ligonierʼs faithful stewardship has blessed me. Thank you.”
Working alongside you to produce resources that help a grieving mother is a privilege we may truly understand only in heaven. When you support Ligonier, you provide a lifeline of biblical encouragement to people worldwide. As this teaching is translated into the world’s top twenty languages, your support enables much of it to be freely available online.
Dr. Sproul taught beautifully about God’s sovereignty and often turned to Joseph’s life. I’ve heard few teachers who could teach an Old Testament narrative so vividly. It was from R.C. that I learned about the doctrine of concurrence and its relevance to my struggles in understanding the will of God. We see in Joseph how the Lord used adversity to prepare him for greater usefulness and a greater grasp of God’s glorious presence. Moreover, we see that God was preserving His covenant promise to Abraham, protecting the people of Israel to eventually deliver them back to the promised land.
Joseph’s life and testimony are bedrock reminders of God’s sovereignty, and we have a new book for you drawn from one of R.C.’s most beloved teaching series. The hardcover book Joseph: From Dreamer to Deliverer is yours this month when you give a gift of any amount to Ligonier’s outreach. Additionally, you’ll receive lifetime streaming access to Dr. Sproul’s timeless series. Joseph’s life demonstrates that God’s hidden providence is always working, even to bring good out of evil.
Ligonier seeks to be faithful in producing discipleship resources that provide real encouragement grounded in biblical truth and then getting them to as many people as possible. A donation this month enables trusted teaching on God’s sovereignty to go forth and change more lives. Thank you.
]]>In this fourth part, I would like to look at the mentions of Thomas Aquinas in Volume 14 of the Banner of Truth edition of Owen’s works. This volume is titled “True and False Religion”.
As I mentioned previously, there are 20 of the 36 works which do not have any mention of Thomas Aquinas (not even in editorial footnotes). And from the other 16 books there are only 36 mentions of Thomas Aquinas. The first three parts covered 15 of those 36 mentions and this post will cover an additional 7. Including the information in this post, the 22 mentions of Aquinas only span 9 books. Counting the 20 without mentions, this is 29 of the 36 books which we will have covered by the end of this post.
This post, dealing with only quotes from “Owen’s Works, Volume 14 – True and False Religion” will be broken into several sections below. They will deal with Thomas’s promotion of image worship, Owen’s statement that Thomas has provided a guideline for the articles of faith for the Catholic Church, and a section with a few brief general mentions.
Mentions of Thomas Aquinas and his promotion of image worship
In this passage, Owen points to the fact that Thomas should be included alongside the “great champions” of the Roman Catholic Church. From the Second Council of Nicea through Trent and the moderns, Thomas and the rest of them believed what Azorius was quoted as saying below: “It is the constant judgment of divines, that the image is to be worshipped with the same honour and worship wherewith that is worshipped whose image it is.” Furthermore, Owen correctly stated that “Thomas contendeth that the cross is to be worshipped with ‘latria'”. This is nothing less than “idolatry” (latria given to idols).
Your church is fallen by idolatry, as otherwise, so in that religious veneration of images which she useth; whereunto you have added heresy, in teaching it for a doctrine of truth, and imposing the belief of it by your Tridentine determination on the consciences of the disciples of Christ. I know you would fain mince the matter, and spread over the corrupt doctrine of your church about it with “silken words,” as you do the posts that they are made of with gold, when, as the prophet speaks of your predecessors in that work, you lavish it out of the bag for that purpose. But to what purpose? Your first council, the second of Nice (which yet was not wholly yours neither, for it condemns Honorius, calls Tharasius the oecumenical patriarch, and he expounds in it the rock on which the church was built to be Christ, and not Peter); your last council, that of Trent; your angelical doctor, Thomas of Aquine; your great champions, Bellarmine and Baronius, Suarez, Vasquez, and the rest of them ; with the Catholic practice and usage of your church in all places,—declare sufficiently what is your faith, or rather misbelief, in this matter. Hence Azorius, Institut. lib. ix. cap. 6, tells us that “It is the constant judgment of divines, that the image is to be worshipped with the same honour and worship wherewith that is worshipped whose image it is.” The Nicene council, by the instigation of Pope Adrian, anathematizeth every one who doth but doubt of the adoration of images, act. 7. Thomas contendeth that the cross is to be worshipped with “latria,” p. 3, q. 25, a. 4; which is a word that he and you suppose to express religious worship of the highest sort. And your council of Trent, in their decree about this matter, confirmed the doctrine of that lestrical convention at Nice, whose frauds and impostures were never paralleled in the world but by itself.
And here is Owen reiterating this same thing.
In the meantime, the most prevalent opinion of your doctors is that of Thomas and his followers, “That images are to be adored with the same kind of worship wherewith that which they represent is to be worshipped.” And, therefore, whereas the Lord Christ is to be worshipped with ” latria,”—that which is peculiar, in yourjudgment, to God alone,—” it follows,” saith he, ” that his image is to be worshipped with the same worship also.” And as some of your learned men do boast that this indeed is the only approved opinion in this matter in your church, so the truth is, if you will speak congruously, and at any consistency with yourselves, it must be so; for whereas you lay the foundation of all your worship of them, be it of what sort it will, in that figment, that the honour which is done to the image redounds unto him whose image it is, if the honour done to the image be of an inferior sort and kind unto that which is due unto the exampler of it, by referring that honour thereunto, you debase and dishonour, it by ascribing less unto it than is its due. If, then, you intend to answer just expectation in this matter, the next time you speak of figures, pray consider what your Thomas teacheth as the doctrine of your church, 3 p. q. 25, as. 3, which Azorius says is the constant judgment of divines, lib. ix. cap. 6 as also the exposition of the Tridentine decree by Suarez, torn. i. d. 54, sect. 4 ; Yasquez, Costerus, Bellarmine, and others.
And here is another paragraph on the same topic.
Did you never read your Tridentine decrees, or the Nicene canons commended by them? is not the adoration of images asserted a hundred times expressly in it? Hath no man alive such thoughts? Are not only Thomas and Bonaventure, but Bellarmine, Gregory de Valentia, Baronius, Suarez, Vasquez, Azorius, with all the rest of your great champions, now utterly defeated, and have not one man left to be of their judgment? I would be glad to hear more of this matter. Speak plainly. Do you renounce all adoration and worship of images? is that the doctrine of your church? Prove it so, and I shall publicly acknowledge myself to have been a long time in a very great mistake.
Mention of Thomas Aquinas as a guideline for the Catholic Articles of Religion
Owen mentioned that Thomas was indeed “the best and most sober of all your school doctors” and that he had laid out 522 articles of the Catholic Religion in his Summa Theologica. This Summa was so important that Owen would say to the Catholic that “much of the religion amongst some of you lies in not dissenting from them”. It wasn’t without reason that the Council of Trent laid the Summa alongside the Bible as one of its authorities.
Lastly, The determinations of your church you make to be the next efficient cause of your unity. Now these, not being absolutely infallible, leave it, like Delos, flitting up and down in the sea of jwobabilities only. This we shall manifest unto you immediately; at least, we shall evidence that you have no cogent reasons nor stable grounds to prove your church infallible in her determinations. At present, it shall suffice to mind you that she hath determined contradictions, and that in as eminent a manner as it is possible for her to declare her sense by,—namely, by councils confirmed by popes ; and an infallible determination of contradictions is not a notion of any easy digestion in the thoughts of a man in his right wits. We confess, then, that we cannot agree with you in your rule of the unity of faith, though the thing itself we press after as our duty. For, (2.) Protestants do not conceive this unity to consist in a precise determination of all questions that are or may be raised in or about things belonging unto the faith, whether it be made by your church or any other way. Your Thomas of Aquine, who without question is the best and most sober of all your school doctors, hath in one book given us five hundred and twenty-two articles of religion, which you esteem miraculously stated: “Quot articuli, tot miracula.” All these have at least five questions, one with another, stated and determined in explication of them; which amount unto two thousand six hundred and ten conclusions in matters of religion. Now, we are far from thinking that all these determinations, or the like, belong unto the unity of faith, though much of the religion amongst some of you lies in not dissenting from them.
General Mentions of Thomas Aquinas
Here, Thomas is offered as giving another definition of what idolatry is. He is also referred to derisively as the “angelical doctor.”
Are idolatry and heresy the same? Tertullian, who, of all the old ecclesiastical writers, most enlargeth the bounds of idolatry, defines it to be ” Omnis circa omne idolum famulatus et servitus ;”—” Any worship or service performed in reference to or about any idol.” I do not remember that ever I met with your definition of idolatry in any author whatever. Bellarmine seems to place it in ” Creaturam aeque colere ac Deum;”—” To worship the creature as much or equally with the Creator:” which description of it, though it be vain and groundless (for his “seque” is neither in the Scripture nor any approved author of old required to the constituting of the worship of any creature idolatrous), yet is not this heresy neither, but that which differs from it ” toto genere.” We know it to be ” Cultus rehgiosus creaturge exhibitus,”—” Any religious worship of that which by nature is not God;” and so doth your Thomas grant it to be. … But if it will follow hence that your church is guilty only of lawful idolatry, I shall not much contend about it; yet I must tell you, that as the poor woman, when the physicians in her sickness told her still that what she complained of was a good sign, cried out, “Good signs have undone me,” —your lawful idolatry, if you take not better heed, will undo you. In the meantime, as to the coincidence you imagine between idolatry and heresy, I wish you would advise with your “angelical doctor” who will show you how they are contradistinct evils; which he therefore Aveighs in his scales, and determines which is the heaviest, 22se q. 94, a. ad 4.
In this section, Owen is stating how he can produce “authentic instruments of [RCC] worship and prayers” with prayers to Thomas, among many others. Also note that he understood purgatory to be something that indulgences were used by the popes to grant time off of for those who sought them.
Instead of this, he tells us that his Catholics do not invocate saints directly when I shall undertake (what he knows can be performed) to give him a book, bigger than this of his, of prayers allowed by his church, and practised by his Catholics, made unto saints directly, for help, assistance, yea, grace, mercy, and heaven, or desiring these things for their merit, and upon their account : which, as I showed, are the two main parts of their doctrine condemned by Protestants. I can quickly send him Bonaventure’s Psalter; Prayers out of the Course of Hours of the Blessed Virgin ; Our Lady’s Antiphonies of her Sorrows, her Seven Corporeal Joys, her Seven Heavenly Joys, out of her Rosary ; Prayers to St Paul, St James, Thomas, Pancratius, George, Blase, Christopher, whom not?—all made directly to them, and that for mercies spiritual and temporal ; and tell him how many years of indulgences, yea, thousands of years, his popes have granted to the saying of some of the like stamp: and all these, not out of musty legends, and the devotion of private monks and friars, but the authentic instruments of his church’s worship and prayers.
This final citation from this work is a reference to “one of the angelical or seraphical doctors” of the Roman church who would undertake “very profound theological discourses”. The mention of an angelical doctor can only refer to Thomas.
“Nor doth it stand with his nature and deity to change, dispense, or vary the first table of his law concerning himself, as he may the second, which concerns neighbours, for want of that dominion over himself which he hath over any creature, to take away its right, to preserve or destroy it, as himself pleaseth; and therefore you conclude, that if God had commanded his people to set up no images, he could not have commanded them to set up any, because this would imply a contradiction in himself.” A very profound theological discourse, which might become one of the angelical or seraphical doctors of your church! But who, I pray, told you that there was the same reason of all the commands of the first table? Vows and oaths are a part of the worship of God prescribed in the third commandment; yet, whatever God can do, your pope takes upon himself to dispense with them every day.
The post John Owen’s Usage of Thomas Aquinas, Part 4 appeared first on Alpha and Omega Ministries.
]]>Sunday school provides opportunities for church members to grow in their knowledge of God and be better equipped to live for Him every day of the week. Ligonier Ministries produces teaching series to help Sunday school leaders and teachers provide faithful and biblical content for their Sunday school classes.
Using Ligonier teaching series for Sunday school enables churches to provide theologically trustworthy teaching in an established and accessible format. While most teaching series are geared toward adults, many teaching series can be used effectively as Sunday school curriculum for high school students, providing churches with more opportunities to impart biblical teaching to the next generation.
For example, The Holiness of God teaching series with Dr. R.C. Sproul includes a twenty- to thirty-minute video message with each lesson, and a study guide is available to build upon the teaching. Because the lessons are in a video format, the Sunday school teacher or facilitator is freed up to focus on leading the discussion based on the study guide rather than preparing lesson material.
Here’s one example of what this might look like:
Each week proceeds in the same way until the series is complete and the class is ready to start a new series. The pairing of the study guide with the lesson material provides a clear educational rhythm for each week—an introduction, the presentation, and review—for long-term retention.
A Digital and In-Person Format
Use of online streaming allows churches to have even more flexibility when using Ligonier resources in the Sunday school classroom. With online video streaming available for teaching series as well as Ligonier Connect—our online learning platform—a Sunday school class can engage in a teaching series in several different formats:
Whether it’s a teaching series or a Ligonier Connect course, Ligonier’s ready-to-use resources for Sunday school provide the trustworthy teaching and group discussion questions to help facilitate spiritual growth in your church.
Other Recommended Teaching Series:
One has to appreciate a medieval figure whom Martin Luther and John Calvin looked on with favor and, to a certain degree, approval. The figure in question is Bernard of Clairvaux, a Cistercian monk, abbot, mild mystic, and formidable theologian. It’s an understatement to call him an abbot. His monastery eventually founded a daughter institution, then another, then another. By the time of his death, seventy monasteries had been directly planted or started by him, with those institutions responsible for establishing hundreds more.
So revered was Bernard that Dante left his faithful Beatrice behind as his guide and had Bernard of Clairvaux lead him into the final sphere of heaven (Paradiso, Canto XXXI). Dante was not only drawing on Bernard’s recognition, but also on one of his most significant writings, On Loving God.
Before Bernard wrote On Loving God, he enjoyed a life typical of medieval nobility in the Burgundy region of France. At twenty-two, he entered the abbey at Citeaux, France. Showing his leadership potential, Bernard brought thirty others with him when he joined. The monastery at Citeaux was purposefully committed to recovering the ideals of the Benedictine monasteries, many of which had drifted from their moorings. Bernard would go even further when he assumed leadership.
Bernard’s desire to reform his church extended far beyond the monasteries. He made a career of advising and rebuking popes, playing a significant role in the eventual settling of the papal schism in the 1130s. He entered the theological ring, confronting the heretical tendencies of Abelard. Bernard also advocated for the Second Crusade and preached rather stirring sermons promoting it. Cambridge University historian G. R. Evans makes the point well: “Bernard never did things by halves.”
One exception to Evans’ otherwise insightful claim might be Bernard’s mysticism. From the twelfth century on, two streams of thought dominated medieval theology and church life, namely, scholasticism and mysticism. Anselm and, later, Thomas Aquinas stood as representatives of the scholastic tradition. The mystical tradition would eventually encompass a wide range of figures. Mysticism may be best seen as a continuum. On one side are extreme examples, full of writings of fanciful and ethereal visions. On the other are much milder examples. Bernard belongs to this milder camp. Scholars tend to identify Bernard as a “monastic theologian,” implying that for him reality and meaning are found in the spiritual, that contemplation trumps intellectual dispute, and that experience trumps understanding. Two Latin sayings show the difference between scholasticism and mysticism. The scholastics declared Credo ut intelligam, “I believe in order to understand.” Bernard favored Credo ut experiar, “I believe that I may experience.”
The distinctions, however, should not be overdrawn. Anselm certainly had his share of contemplation, often breaking into a prayer in his philosophical writings, and Bernard appreciated the value of reason and logic. But, to be sure, there were different emphases.
Like the scholastics, Bernard appreciated the limits of experience. Appreciating the limits of experience would not be so prominent in the later, more extreme mystics, who believed the Bible paled in comparison to the direct revelations they said they received from God.
Bernard’s commitment to Scripture kept his feet firmly grounded. In Sermons on Conversion, he sounds a delightful note in the first few sentences: “Blessed are they who hear the Word of God.” Similarly, he opens On Loving God by reminding us that we love God only because “he first loved us.” Bernard continues, “God deserves to be loved very much, yea, boundlessly, because He loved us first, He infinite and we nothing, loved us, miserable sinners, with a love so great and so free.”
As the pages of On Loving God unfold, Bernard fully endorses reflecting on and contemplating the love of God. But he’s careful to lodge that reflection in the concrete revelation of God— first and foremost in His Word, then in the world, and then in experience.
This commitment to Scripture would lead Luther and Calvin to express debt to Bernard. Luther especially appreciated his writing on the incarnation and humanity of Christ, as evidenced in the hymn attributed to Bernard, “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded.”
Bernard represents a refreshing spring in the arid environs of medieval theology. It would be a few centuries yet until the Reformers would come along and be used by God to help the church find its way. But we can, like those Reformers, be appreciative of this medieval monk and his writings.
]]>For our purposes, I am defining “spirituality” as the pursuit, by means of scriptural disciplines, of an ever-growing, deeply felt communion with the triune God. My argument is that the doctrine of union with Christ is at the very heart of all our fellowship with God and every discipline or habit of grace by which that fellowship may be cultivated.
In John 14:16, Jesus promised the disciples that He would ask the Father to give them another Helper, whom He identifies as the Spirit of truth. The phrase “another Helper” means another of the same kind. Jesus was departing to the Father, by way of the cross, but He would send another helper of the same character as Himself. This Helper is the Holy Spirit, who would dwell with the disciples and be in them. But in verses 18–19, we learn that the link between Christ and the Spirit is far more profound than we might first think. Jesus says, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me” (emphasis added). Jesus, though departing, would come to His disciples. This isn’t a reference to the resurrection or to the second coming of Jesus at the end of the age. This is a reference to the coming of the Holy Spirit. There is a union between Christ and the Spirit such that the Spirit communicates to us the presence of Christ. Jesus comes to us and indwells us by the Spirit. When Jesus says, “Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I in you” (vv. 19–20), He is telling us the consequence of the Spirit’s mighty work. In the Spirit, we are united to Jesus Christ.
Jesus helps us see the wonder of that union in verse 20: “In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I in you.” Jesus and the Father are one. There is a union and communion between the Father and the Son in the fellowship of the blessed Trinity. The Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, communicates to us, mediates to us, our union and communion with Christ, who is one with the Father. The Spirit’s ministry will be to help us know, experience, and enjoy the fact that Christ is in the Father and that we are in Christ and Christ is in us.
That is what the Apostle John meant when he said in 1 John 1:3 that his purpose in preaching Christ was “so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” What is the full glory of the fellowship we have with the Apostolic church when we come to believe the gospel John preached? It’s not just that we enjoy fellowship with one another, but rather, with one another we have fellowship with the Father and with the Son. That is stunning in its scope and glory. When the Holy Spirit unites us to Christ when we believe the gospel, we are swept up into communion with the triune God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As Ephesians 2:18 puts it, “For through him [Jesus] we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.” The Spirit brings us to Jesus, plants us into Christ, and in Christ we have access to the Father.
I’m making a plea for an experiential, felt Christianity. I’m making a plea for a felt Christ. It is the work of the Spirit always to lead us into deeper and more soul-nourishing communion with Christ. We are not rationalists. We are supernaturalists. We believe in the Holy Spirit who brings us into real communication and communion and fellowship with the risen and exalted Christ Himself, and, in Christ, with the Father. If that makes us uncomfortable, if our theology is satisfied with doctrines and practices only and knows nothing of spiritual intimacy with God, it may be that we are still not yet converted.
But how do we grow into a deepening experience and understanding of communion with the triune God? Is it just something that comes over you, like a chill, when you’re not expecting it? Is it some eerie, spooky mumbo-jumbo that only the super-spiritual can know, the fruit perhaps of some second blessing? Or at the other end of the spectrum, is a deepening communion with God the product of the right application of technique? Can spiritual experience be manufactured? Can you produce an experience of God with the right ambience, with maybe a few candles and the right aesthetic?
Westminster Larger Catechism 154 asks, “What are the outward means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of his mediation?” Having described our union with Christ, our question now is, How do we enjoy the benefits Christ has won for us? Now that we are “in Him,” how do we commune with Him? Listen to the catechism’s answer: “The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to his church the benefits of his mediation, are all his ordinances; especially the word, sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for their salvation.”
All the ordinances, all the disciplines and practices ordained by Christ in His Word are the outward and ordinary means. Then it lists the three central and primary means, of which all the others are derivative. Christ communicates His benefits to us by the Word, the sacraments, and prayer.
But, before we go much further, we need to recognize that the means of grace fall into two broad categories. There are private means of grace, and there are corporate means of grace. Strictly speaking, they are not two separate sets of disciplines, but they are different applications of the same three means: the Word, the sacraments, and prayer.
Christ has ordained the public (and private) use of the Word and prayer, and the corporate use of the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, that by the diligent, believing use of them the fact of our union with Christ might be enjoyed in growing communion with Him. If we are longing for a deepening experience of Jesus, if we want more of the felt presence of Christ in our Christian lives, we do not need to attend special meetings. We do not need to undergo some kind of spiritual catharsis or any kind of second blessing. We need to go to corporate worship. We need to sit under the faithful exposition of the Word week in and week out. We need to open our Bibles at home and drink in its truth. We need to cry to God for the work of the Spirit in our hearts. We must not neglect the Lord’s Table; rather, we must join with our brothers and sisters in eating the bread and the wine.
By such means Christ has promised to strengthen our faith, to kill our sin, to comfort our hearts, and to deepen our assurance that we are indeed in Him and He in us. May God help us use the means of grace with faith and expectation that we might enjoy the glories of our union with Christ to the praise of His great name!
Editor’s Note: This post is part of a series on union with Christ and was previously published February 8, 2019. Previous post. Next post.
A frequently cited objection against the doctrine of limited atonement is that it undermines evangelism. All orthodox Christians, Calvinists included, believe and teach that the atonement of Jesus Christ is to be proclaimed to all men. We are to say that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes on Him should not perish but have everlasting life. The misconception exists that because Calvinists believe in the doctrine of limited atonement, they have no passion to go out and preach the cross to everyone. Calvinists have been careful since Augustine to insist that the gospel is to be offered to all men—even though we know that not everyone will respond to it. Many Calvinists have been zealous evangelists.
The doctrine of limited atonement, in reality, is helpful in evangelism. The Calvinist knows that not everyone will respond to the gospel message, but he also knows with certainty that some will respond to it. By contrast, the Arminian doesn’t know that not everyone will respond. In the Arminian’s mind, it’s a theoretical possibility that everybody will repent and believe. However, the Arminian also must deal with the possibility that no one will respond. He can only hope that his gospel presentation will be so persuasive that the unbeliever, lost and dead in his trespasses and sins, will choose to cooperate with divine grace so as to take advantage of the benefits offered in the atonement.
If we can get past such perceived problems with the doctrine of limited atonement, we can begin to see the glory of it—that the atonement Christ made on the cross was real and effectual. It wasn’t just a hypothetical atonement. It was an actual atonement. He didn’t offer a hypothetical expiation for the sins of His people; their sins were expiated. He didn’t give a hypothetical propitiation for our sins; He actually placated God’s wrath toward us. By contrast, according to the other view, the atonement is only a potentiality. Jesus went to the cross, paid the penalty for sin, and made the atonement, but now He sits in heaven wringing His hands and hoping that someone will take advantage of the work He performed. This is foreign to the biblical understanding of the triumph and the victory Christ achieved in His atoning death.
In His High Priestly Prayer in John 17:6–9a, Jesus said:
I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. . . . They have . . . known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. I pray for them.
This was Jesus, the Savior, speaking here. Notice that He said He was praying for His disciples—not for the world. In the most poignant prayer of intercession He offered in this world as our High Priest, Jesus explicitly said He was not praying for everybody. Instead, He was praying for the elect.
Is it conceivable that Jesus would be willing to die for the whole world but not pray for the whole world? That doesn’t make sense. He was being consistent. He had come to lay down His life for His sheep. He was going to die for His people, and He made it clear here that those were the ones for whom He was about to die. There is no question here of indiscrimination. Jesus was about to make atonement, and that atonement would be effective for everyone for whom He intended it to be effective.
If you are of the flock of Christ, one of His lambs, then you can know with certainty that an atonement has been made for your sins. You may wonder how you can know you’re numbered among the elect. I cannot read your heart or the secrets of the Lamb’s Book of Life, but Jesus said: “‘My sheep hear My voice’” (John 10:27a). If you want Christ’s atonement to avail for you, and if you put your trust in that atonement and rely on it to reconcile you to almighty God, in a practical sense, you don’t need to worry about the abstract questions of election. If you put your trust in Christ’s death for your redemption and you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, then you can be sure that the atonement was made for you. That, more than anything else, will settle for you the question of the mystery of God’s election. Unless you’re elect, you won’t believe on Christ; you won’t embrace the atonement or rest on His shed blood for your salvation. If you want it, you can have it. It is offered to you if you believe and if you trust.
One of the sweetest statements from the lips of Jesus in the New Testament is this: “‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’” (Matt. 25:34b). There is a plan of God designed for your salvation. It is not an afterthought or an attempt to correct a mistake. Rather, from all eternity, God determined that He would redeem for Himself a people, and that which He determined to do was, in fact, accomplished in the work of Jesus Christ, His atonement on the cross. Your salvation has been accomplished by a Savior Who is not merely a potential Savior but an actual Savior, One Who did for you what the Father determined He should do. He is your Surety, your Mediator, your Substitute, your Redeemer. He atoned for your sins on the cross.
]]>However, many in the professing church and in its pulpits are baffled by the cross. When they consider that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was nailed to a cross outside the walls of Jerusalem about two thousand years ago, they regard this event with sheer sentimentalism. After decades of attending church, teaching Sunday School, and living exemplary moral lives, they are still ignorant about the very heart of Scripture’s claims concerning the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
How different is that grievous reality from the magnificent conviction of the first disciples of Jesus Christ, those witnesses of His life, crucifixion, and resurrection. The apostles not only documented Jesus’s life, miracles, and appearances, but also His humiliation and death. They did not shrink from thoroughly and accurately documenting the Last Supper, the garden of Gethsemane, and the arrest, trials, whipping, crucifixion, and burial, of the Lord Jesus.
Nevertheless, these were not sentimental or discouraged disciples. They were dynamic men filled with a divine energy. “The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits” (Dan. 11:32). It is the message of the cross that creates this strength of character and life. That message bifurcates the response of all who hear it: it is either total folly, like belief in the Loch Ness Monster, or it is the most relevant and life-transforming reality possible for men and women living on this planet. The apostle Paul stated that “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18).
We might have expected Paul to write that the word of the cross is the wisdom of God, or the love of God, or the mercy of God, or the grace of God, but he says that the proclamation of the crucifixion is the power of God. What God did on Calvary was far more than all that the brilliant achievements of mere man could ever accomplish.
The transference of guilt from the souls of an innumerable company to the God-man required not only vast mercy, but also unimaginable divine energy. It required that same omnipotent love and might that made a cosmos by a divine word. The daily transformation of all who claim, “I was crucified with Christ” can be affected only by omnipotence.
All the evangelical church is wringing its hands about a crisis stemming from a felt lack of power in her pulpits. Christians feel marginalized as their presence and opinions are brushed aside and ignored by the watching world. Popular speakers and church revitalization specialists offer many suggestions as to how a powerful, living voice from heaven may be heard again in our gatherings. However, Paul tells us that this renewal cannot occur apart from the word, the logic, the doctrine of the cross. It is the one declaration that God will always accompany with His power.
In contrast, the absence of the cross—as it is revealed to us in the New Testament—will always result in a vacuum at the heart of our worship. Cross-less preaching and cross-less worship are like Shakespeare’s Hamlet without the Prince, like Van Gogh’s paintings without the sunflowers, like the history of American baseball without a mention of Babe Ruth, like the victory of the Second World War without Churchill. Without the cross, the sermon becomes a display of the wisdom of man, a hopelessly insipid collection of religious and moral comments.
I do not mean that our worship should be characterized by the vain repetition of a phrase like “Jesus died for our sins,” but rather by the rich, multifaceted declaration and explanation of what was occurring on the green hill far away. The professing church will always be quite impotent and powerless without this big declaration of the accomplishments of the Son of God on Golgotha.
Christianity claims that there is one true understanding of the cross, and it causes a radical response in favored men and women. No other understanding can create that change in thinking and values. No other message contains such extraordinary power. We are claiming that there is but one valid understanding of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Once that understanding has grabbed you, it means that things are never the same again. As a direct consequence, you begin to love God as never before; you love your neighbors quite selflessly, and you deny yourselves.
The apostles gave their lives to spread the word of the cross throughout the known world. That word transformed the lives of many hundreds of thousands of people. It is just as relevant and life-transforming today as it was twenty centuries ago. In fact, it is only the cross that has transformed the destiny of the universe and will continue to change the lives of millions until the end of the world.
]]>The hand appears immediately and disrupts the hapless, reckless celebration initiated by the drunken regent Belshazzar. Contrary to some interpretations, the vision seems to be literal and apparent to everyone. The image of the appendage is so disturbing that it has a physical effect on the king, causing the color to drain from his face and making his knees buckle (v. 6).
We should also notice that no one in the room can understand the message. It may be in a script that appeared illegible. Perhaps the letters are visible, but the significance of them is not. Whatever the case, no one—not the king, the lords, or even the wisest men in his kingdom—can interpret the writing (vv. 7–8).
Any reader of the previous chapters of Daniel might wonder why Belshazzar does not immediately call for Daniel. After all, the young Judahite must have been well known for his interpretive skills given his previous interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams as described earlier in the book. But twenty years have passed since Nebuchadnezzar ruled in Babylon, and it is possible that Daniel’s renown has been lost to the memory of the kings’ entourage. What he knows of Daniel seems to be merely what he has just been told.
It is the queen who recommends Daniel to Belshazzar (vv. 10–12), and we should note that she is not at the party along with Belshazzar’s wives and concubines (v. 2). The absence indicates that this queen is not his wife but, perhaps, his mother.
Daniel’s absence among the initial group of wise men who are asked to interpret the message also hints at developments in Babylon since the events of the previous chapter. Where Daniel had once enjoyed a close, even respectful relationship with Nebuchadnezzar, he seems to have been ignored by Belshazzar and excluded from a position of influence in the royal court.
Daniel has become an outsider, and his response to the king suggests his alienation from power. When Belshazzar offers to clothe Daniel in the regalia that symbolize royal authority, he is offering Daniel an honor similar to the one he was offered by his ancestor Nebuchadnezzar (2:48), but Daniel lightly rejects the recompense: “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another” (5:17). By rejecting the reward, Daniel shows that he does not accept the standards of meaning and significance of Babylon. He represents another system of meaning and significance, namely, the meaning and significance of the kingdom of God.
The words on the wall are basic Aramaic. Mene is repeated twice, then tekel, and parsin. “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin.” In short, they are terms of measurement, often used for currency. The mina (mene) is mentioned elsewhere as a form of currency (1 Kings 10:17; Ezra 2:69; Luke 19:13). A tekel is related to the Hebrew word shekel, and the word parsin means “half,” as in half a measurement of currency.
Daniel’s interpretation revolves around this commercial use of the three words, but instead of measuring money, it is the Babylonian Empire, its leadership, and its values that have been measured by God and found wanting. As a result, Babylon will be divided between a coalition of Medes and Persians.
From a historical distance, we might miss the significance of this message both for Belshazzar and for Daniel. For Belshazzar, the condemnation is clear, but we should note that he does not respond with repentance. Instead, he forces rewards upon Daniel, dressing him in his robes and jewelry.
The king’s response suggests either that he does not believe the indictment of the Lord or that he is fatalistically committed to the idea that his kingdom was doomed anyway (the party itself may be further evidence of royal fatalism).
The passage, however, is emphasizing another important aspect of divine sovereignty. The writing on the wall indicates that God’s justice will not be ignored even by the grandest powers. No empire is too big to fail. The Babylonian Empire was an oppressive slave state whose economic engine thrived on the conquering of smaller nations and the forcing of refugees into labor. This empire had reigned for more than seventy years.
In its pronouncement of judgment on one of the most powerful empires in world history, Daniel 5 assures us that oppression will not stand forever and that human suffering will end.
It is not so difficult for us to relate to Daniel and his fellow exiles. The reality of Babylon’s fall ensures their own liberation. In fact, shortly after the fall of Babylon, the new Persian emperor Cyrus sends the Judahite exiles back to Jerusalem to rebuild the city. The end of Babylon means the deliverance of God’s people.
The justice and deliverance that we see in Daniel 5 is a microcosm of a much larger narrative. It is the narrative of the coming of the kingdom of God in Jesus Christ. This is the big story Daniel wants to tell, the story of the coming cosmic victory of the kingdom of God.
Behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed. (7:13–14)
Many readers of the book of Daniel are tempted to view Daniel as a model for faithfulness in positions of influence, and there is some value in that. We can look to these accounts and see how we can be faithful in the halls of power, but if that is all that we do, then we miss Daniel’s main point. We miss what the book itself is telling us.
The systems and structures of this world are corrupt and destructive. Nebuchadnezzar was a ruthless, prideful emperor who was confronted by the Lord and saw some measure of change as a result (4:34–37). Belshazzar represents the other way things can go. His confrontation with God only serves to harden him more.
But the point of Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin is that no oppressive regime will escape the measuring, the weighing, and the parsing of God. Daniel is telling us that God’s kingdom will come to end the oppressiveness of human sin once and for all.
This news should lead us not only to rejoice in the end of oppression but should also lead us to humility and hope. We, too, have been measured, our offenses, our oppressions, and we, like Belshazzar, are found wanting. Yet our hope is that in Christ we are rescued from the same destruction that Babylon earned.
As followers of Christ, like Daniel, we are called to bear witness of the kingdom of Jesus Christ, a kingdom of grace, that offers us meaning and significance in the person of Jesus Christ, who bears the guilt of our offenses so that we might become citizens of His better kingdom.
Editor’s Note: This post was first published on March 16, 2018.
It happens with irregular regularity: suffering inserts itself into our otherwise pleasant lives and disrupts yet again. Grievous experiences have an unwelcome way of doing that. They barge right in, uninvited, leaving those who take the impact mourning, sorrowful, and feeling diminished. These painful providences bring about genuine harm and loss. Additionally, they never come at a desirable time, because honestly, there is no desirable time to face hardships.
And yet, there is sometimes a mentality in the church that we must seek to conceal our grief, put on a happy face, and go about life as though these challenges we face are “fine.” We answer the regular greeting of “How are you?” with “I’m well, thank you,” when inside we are far from “well.” We go to worship and sing songs that feel just a bit too chipper for our present situation.
There seems to be the thought that Christians, buoyed up by the strength of the Lord, need not (perhaps ought not) welcome grief—that there is strength in downplaying such distress at life’s difficulties. After all, we are to consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds (James 1:2).
With such perspective, though, believers are left wondering what place there is to mourn. Ecclesiastes 7:2–4 is conspicuously absent in our day-to-day theology:
It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.
Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
We can understand the world not wanting to grieve, for they mourn as ones who have no hope (1 Thess. 4:13). Such a casting off of pain makes sense to the world’s position. But what about the church? Why are we tempted to buy into the lie that suffering should be treated as minor and trivial? And why do we avoid the house of mourning and instead rush headlong to the house of feasting, laughter, and mirth?
Perhaps we are beginning to preach the world’s solution to ourselves of, “Eat, drink, and be merry” (Eccl. 8:15) “for tomorrow we die” (Isa. 22:13). We have effectively taken that which is heinous; that which is abnormal to God’s original design and creation; that which has intruded upon all that He made “very good” and sullied this sphere of life, blessing, and bounty; and we have made that intruder something it is not. We have said of this enemy, Suffering—this interloper and invader of God’s good design—which came as a result of our fall into sin, “You’re not so bad.” However, God’s truth is so much more glorious than attempting to face sorrow with mere stoicism.
In God’s economy, the believer can rightly call aguish what it is: awful and unpleasant. We can go to the house of mourning, rightly taking these griefs to the Lord (1 Peter 5:7) and rightly taking them to heart (Eccl. 7:2). After all, the Psalms are replete with godly expressions of lament. In fact, there’s an entire book of the Bible dedicated to it (Lamentations)!
We also simultaneously hold the hopeful truth that God has overcome the curse in Jesus Christ. He has triumphed over this sphere of sin and misery and has redeemed even all our woes, commandeering difficulties for His good purposes in our lives. So, we do not grieve as those without hope. We rightly grieve, but we also rightly trust the Lord’s good providence in the midst of grief. These truths stand in godly unison and not oppositional tension.
So, dear Christian, let us sorrow well. Let us weep and grieve, but not despair. Let us allow our brothers and sisters to mourn and not place a moratorium on their grief—an amount that is Christianly acceptable before they ought simply to smile again. And may we all take heart, for even though we face all kinds of trouble in this world, Christ has overcome the world (John 16:33).
One day, every sorrow will be wiped away (Rev. 21:4). But today is not that day. Until then, we say, “Come, Lord Jesus.”
]]>Parents are entrusted with a sacred charge to communicate the truth of God to their children. In Deuteronomy 6:6–9, we read,
“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
The New Testament affirms the call for Christian parents to diligently teach their children: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). Both fathers and mothers share in this task of imparting the knowledge of God’s holiness and grace to their sons and daughters.
The command is clear, yet its application takes place in as many different ways as there are different families. Are you looking for a biblical discipleship resource to use during your family worship time? The daily Bible studies in each monthly issue of Tabletalk magazine can provide a reliable and flexible structure for studying God’s Word as a family.
In addition to thought-provoking articles on biblical, theological, and practical themes, Tabletalk includes daily Bible studies for each weekday and a study for each weekend. These daily studies can serve Christians in their personal worship during the week, and they can also be an excellent tool for family worship.
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The different elements of each daily study can be combined, expanded, or abridged to meet the needs of your family’s worship. For a shorter study, parents can simply read the Bible passage and devotional commentary. For a lengthier session, passages from the “For Further Study” section can be read.
For families with younger children, parents can use the daily studies to ensure their own solid grasp of the text, and the family devotion can simply be reading the text together followed by some age-appropriate questions based on the Scripture reading that parents can devise to match their children’s cognitive and developmental abilities.
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In the eleventh century, one of the church’s most brilliant thinkers, Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury, wrote three important works that have influenced the church ever since. In the field of Christian philosophy, he gave us his Monologium and his Proslogium; in the field of systematic theology, he penned the great Christian classic Cur Deus Homo, which being translated means “Why the God-Man?”
In this work, Anselm set forth the philosophical and theological foundations for an important aspect of the church’s understanding of the atonement of Christ, specifically the satisfaction view of the atonement. In it, Anselm argued that it was necessary for the atonement to take place in order to satisfy the justice of God. That viewpoint became the centerpiece of classical Christian orthodoxy in the Middle Ages, in terms of the church’s understanding of the work of Christ in His atonement. Since then, however, the satisfaction view of the atonement has not been without its critics.
In the Middle Ages, questions were raised about the propriety of thinking that the atonement of Jesus was made necessary by some abstract law of the universe that required God’s justice to be satisfied. This gave rise to the so-called Ex Lex debate. In the Ex Lex debate, the question was raised as to whether God’s will functioned apart from any law or outside of any law (ex lex), or whether the will of God was itself subjected to some norm of righteousness or cosmic law that God was required to follow and, therefore, His will was exercised under law (sub lego). The question was: Is God apart from law or is He under law?
The church’s response to this dilemma was to say basically “a pox on both houses,” and to declare that God is neither apart from law nor under law in these respective senses. Rather, the church responded by affirming that God is both apart from law and under law, in so far as He is free from any restraints imposed upon Him by some law that exists outside of Himself. In that sense, He is apart from law and not under law. Yet at the same time, God is not arbitrary or capricious and works according to the law of His own nature. The church declared that God is a law unto Himself. This reflects not a spirit of lawlessness within God, but that the norm for God’s behavior and God’s will is based on what the seventeenth-century orthodox theologians called “the natural law of God.”
The natural law of God, as a theological expression, can be easily misunderstood or confused with the broader concept that we encounter in political theory and in theology of the so-called “law of nature” (lex naturalis). In that sense of the phrase, the law of nature refers to those things that God reveals in the world of nature about certain principles of ethics. In distinction from this common use of the term natural law, what the seventeenth-century Westminster divines had in view when they spoke of the natural law of God was this: that God operates according to the law of His own nature. That is to say, God never acts in such a way that would contradict His own holiness, His own righteousness, His own justice, His own omnipotence, and so on. God never compromises the perfection of His own being or character in what He does.
When the church confesses the necessity of the satisfaction of God’s righteousness, this necessity is not something that is imposed upon God from the outside, but it is a necessity imposed upon God by His own character and nature. It is necessary for God to be God, never to compromise His own holiness, righteousness, or justice. It is in this sense that an atonement that satisfied His righteousness is deemed necessary.
In more recent times, modern thinkers have objected to the satisfaction view of the atonement on the grounds that it casts a shadow over the free grace and love of God. If God is a God of love, why can He not just forgive people gratuitously from the pure motivation of His own love and grace, without being concerned about satisfying some kind of justice, whether it’s a law of His own nature or a law imposed from without? Again, this view of the atonement fails to understand that God will never negotiate His own righteousness, even out of His desire to save sinners.
In the atonement, we see that God both manifests His gracious love towards us and yet at the same time, manifests a commitment to His own righteousness and justice. Justice is served by the work of Christ who satisfies the demands of God’s righteousness, thereby maintaining God’s commitment to righteousness and justice. God satisfied the demands of His righteousness by giving to us a Substitute who stands in our place, offering that satisfaction for us. This displays marvelously the graciousness of God in the midst of that satisfaction. God’s grace is illustrated by the satisfaction of His justice in that it is done for us by the One whom He has appointed. It is God’s nature as the Judge of all the world to do what is right. And the Judge who does what is right never, ever violates the canons of His own righteousness.
The Bible explains the cross in terms of both propitiation and expiation, the twin accomplishments of Christ in our behalf. Propitiation refers specifically to Christ’s work of satisfaction of God’s righteousness. He pays the penalty for us that is due our sins. We are debtors who cannot possibly pay the moral debt that we have incurred by our offense against the righteousness of God, and God’s wrath is satisfied and propitiated by the perfect sacrifice that Christ makes on our behalf. But that’s only one aspect of the work. The second is expiation. In expiation, our sins are removed from us, remitted by having our sins transferred or imputed to Christ, who vicariously suffers in our stead. God is satisfied, and our sin is removed for us in the perfect atonement of Jesus. This fulfills the dual sense in which sin was atoned for on the old-covenant Day of Atonement, both by the sacrifice of one animal and the symbolic transfer of the sins of the people to the back of the scapegoat, who was then sent into the wilderness, removing the sins from the people.
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]]>Having just heard earlier this afternoon about faithfulness in the midst of opposition and thinking of passage of our topic. Now at this point, to connect the two, I would like to read a few verses from 1 Peter chapter three. 1 Peter chapter three, and there we will start at verse 12 and read through to verse 18. 1 Peter, I should actually start at verse 11.
1 Peter three, starting at verse 11, the word of God, "Let him eschew evil and do good. Let Him seek peace and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over their righteous and his ears are open unto their prayers, but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil and who is he that will harm you if he be followers of that which is good? But and if he suffer for righteousness's sake, happy are ye and be not afraid of their terror. Neither be troubled but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. Having a good conscience that whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better if the will of God be so that he suffer for well-doing then for evil-doing. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the spirit thus far." Let us pray.
Oh Lord God, we pray unto thee in this afternoon as we gather together once again to receive instruction from the truth of thy word. And Lord, we give thee thanks that in the midst of all that happens in our lives and all that goes through us, all that may seem so uncertain and unstable thou does give a firm foundation in thy word that reveals who thou art as the unchanging God, the God who is glorious, the God who is wise, the God who is mighty, and the God who is merciful.
And thou does reveal it in thy son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so, oh Lord, we pray that whatever we go through it would only lead us to sink down upon thee, the glorious God of grace and know thy faithfulness to thy own word. Bless us in this afternoon also as we are later in an afternoon after having a day in which we have received so much. Would thou give alertness and also cause us to benefit also from this address. Be with us Lord in thy undeserved mercy for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ. In his name we pray. Amen.
Dear friends, this theme of this conference has been sovereignty and suffering and that combination of sovereignty and suffering has brought us to the providence of God because after all, the providence of God is about him ruling over all things, controlling all things including suffering. And I'd like in this afternoon to take actually many of the things that we have heard earlier already in this conference and give them flesh and blood in the time of the Reformation and in the person of Guido de Brès, the author of the Belgic Confession and through the focus also on the confession bring that to us today.
And so I'd like to begin with you by reading what we find in the Belgic Confession article 13 about divine providence. In the Salter books in the pew. You can find it on page 10 in the back. The back pages are numbered. There we have in Article 13 a confession about the providence of God.
And there is this confession. "We believe that the same gods after he had created all things, did not forsake them nor give them up to fortune or chance, but that he rules and governs them according to his holy will, so that nothing happens in this world without his appointment. Nevertheless, God neither is the author of nor could be charged with the sins which are committed. For his power and goodness are so great and incomprehensible that he orders and executes his work in the most excellent and just manner. Even when devils and wicked men act unjustly and as to what he doth surpassing human understanding, we will not curiously inquire into it further than our capacity will admit of, but with the greatest humility and reverence, adore the righteous judgments of God which are hid from us, contenting ourselves that we are disciples of Christ to learn only those things which he has revealed to us in His word without transgressing these limits." And we'll stop there in that confession at this point.
Notice how it begins. We believe that the same God, and I'm not sure where this translation comes from because in the original it's we believe that this good God. Do you notice how it begins? When it comes to the providence of God, this same good God. The same good God of Article 12 of creation who created all things that confesses there according to his good pleasure and he looked at it all and it was very good. In Genesis three, we went from good to evil, but God is the same. The God who created all good is still the God who is good and this is the God of providence.
What a message that is for us that when we think of providence, we don't begin with the things that we go through in our lives and try to draw conclusions about God, but that we begin with what God reveals to us in his word about himself and that that light would shine upon his dealings of providence. And when again we ask who is this God, then he is the God who's confessed already in the first article of this Belgic Confession that he is eternal, incomprehensible, invisible, immutable, infinite, almighty, perfectly wise just, good, and the overflowing fountain of all good.
That's the God of providence. And when you think of that, then it makes us very small, doesn't it? Before this great God who's governing overall things and his attributes, his praises, his perfections are revealed in the word of God and confessed here in this first article. And yet it's in the midst of the suffering and the sin that abounds in this world, that there can be this struggle. God is good and he's the fountain of all good and yet there's so much sin, there's so much brokenness, there's so much suffering in the midst of this world. How can we fit these two together who God is and the reality of sin and of suffering here below. Article 13 doesn't use the theological escape of saying God's hand is not sovereign over Satan and over sin or even over suffering. It doesn't go in the direction of other religions that just say evil was always there.
No, it confesses that he's over all governing according to his holy will and then notice how it stresses. God is not the author of sin but the one who justly uses sin evilly committed by man to carry out his holy purposes. Speaks of Pharaoh. He raised up Pharaoh, that evil man who hardened his heart and yet God was ruling and appointing him to fulfill his purposes to show his might in getting Israel out of Egypt. The ultimate display as Christ himself isn't it has been quoted already. It was wicked hands that slew him and the determinate counsel of God that appointed it. Do we understand that all? Sometimes the hardest providence is our providence is that involves sin. It's one thing if there's a storm we see God's hand, but when it's sin that's brought suffering into our lives or when it's our own sin and we suffer the consequences of it, how do those two things relate?
This article is the believing confession of the church that doesn't try to understand and comprehend everything, but it says we are disciples of Christ and desire to learn what he has revealed and not pry into what he has not revealed. It's a confession of the church that sings "Not haughty is my heart, not lofty is my pride. I do not seek to know the things God's wisdom has denied with childlike trust. Oh Lord, in thee I calmly rest contented as a little child upon its mother's breast." Psalm 133. And yet when we hear that psalm, we can think it's easy to confess that when things are going well in life, but what about in the midst of the storms of life? It's easy to say God is an overflowing fountain of all good and he's in control of all things when we're enjoying good but in the midst of the storms of life, then what? Article 13, we go back to that article and you see how it continues there in that second paragraph.
"This doctrine affords us unspeakable consolation since we're taught thereby that nothing can be fallen us by chance but by the direction of our most gracious and heavenly father who watches over us with a paternal care, keeping all creatures so under his power that not a hair of our head for they are all numbered nor a sparrow can fall to the ground without the will of our father, in whom we do entirely trust. Being persuaded that he so retrains the devil and all our enemies that without his will and permission they cannot hurt us and therefore we reject the damnable error of the Epicureans who say that God regards nothing but leaves all things to chance." Says here, this doctrine affords us unspeakable consolation. And so if you are a confessing member of a reformed church, then this is your confession. You confess with the Belgic Confession, it's your confession. This affords us unspeakable consolation.
And if you're not a member of a Dutch reformed church who has this as their confession, then you're also called to join in this confession. This doctrine affords us unspeakable consolation. And when we hear and we think of how that was written in that way, it makes us ask the author of this confession, "What makes you say that?" And it makes us ask those churches who first confessed it there in the 1560s, "What makes you say this gives you unspeakable consolation?" Are you also suffering and is God also comforting you personally with this doctrine? Then we see not only this as a confession of the providence of God, but we also see that this is a confession out of suffering.
Guido de Brès was born in a Roman Catholic home in the south of the Netherlands in around 1522. At the time present day Belgium and Luxembourg and the Netherlands were all together known as the lowlands in English or the Nederland in Dutch or Belgica in Latin. They were all together an area ruled by Charles the V, who was not only the ruler of the Netherlands but was also the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Charles the V was not able to squash the Reformation in those German territories over which he was, but he had more power to do so in the Netherlands and in those days the Netherlands was the place where there was the most martyrs of all the countries in Europe.
De Brès was converted before his 25th year in 1547. When he was converted, he joined the Protestant church in Belgium and when he did so he realized it could cost him his life. Shortly after his conversion, there were two Protestant preachers and their wives traveling through and stopped in his town and they were arrested and the two pastors were burned at the stake publicly and the one wife was buried alive and the other wife, we don't know what happened to. As a young man of 24, 25, he saw that. Imagine what would go through your mind. How can God let his sheep be slaughtered by wolves?
Guido De Brès did not draw back. The Lord kept him. But he did go to London, England where he remained for four years during the reign of Edward VI. At that time there was a Dutch-speaking congregation and a French-speaking congregation of refugees from the lowlands. There was three or 4,000 people were in these two congregations, people who had been scarred by persecution, people who had family members who were still there in the low land, suffering.
And while he was there in England, there was a decree that was issued by Charles V that no one was to print or possess any writings of the reformers or participate in any gatherings led by a heretic and anyone caught doing so or supporting someone doing so could be put to death. Well, what do you do when you know that's the case? You stay where it's safe, right? And yet God led De Brès back to the southern Netherlands and he came to a town called Lil where a church had formed just after the Reformation began. Seven years before De Brès arrived, its Pastor Pierre Brulé, one of the first reformed ministers to come into the Netherlands from Switzerland was martyred.
Yet he came there and God bless his ministry, his friend Jean Crespin reported in the space of three years the gospel has been preached secretly in homes, in forests and in fields and caves of the earth at the peril of life to those who came. Fear of tyranny could not cool off the fiery love of the people who hungered for pasture and food for their souls. And yet persecution intensified and as a result, many of these also became refugees and went elsewhere and Guido De Brès also left that area and you can imagine the heartache that must have involved, the encouragement to see the church grow and see the Lord bless his word, and then the church being scattered by the wolves.
He left to elsewhere in Europe visiting Frankfurt, Lauzun, Geneva studying under Theodore Beza and others. And yet he returned again after some time to the same area where he administered, going to this time to Doornik, a strategic center. And you ask why did he return? He said, "I sought nothing else than the salvation of people, not my honor or my advantage." Around this time he married Catherine Ramon, who seems to be from that town. He loved her. He later wrote in a letter to her, "You knew that when you married me, you married a mortal husband who is unsure of his life for every moment, and yet it pleased the Lord to give us a time of seven years together and grant us five children."
He labored spreading the word of God under the pseudonym of Jerome. He was a wanted man. You just think of the suffering of being a husband, seeing your little children, saying goodbye to go out and minister in the evening and someplace not knowing if you had ever come home, not sure of your life, every moment. There he was. Some of the persecution was unbelievably cruel, even in the town he was serving. There's a report of a rug weaver who dishonored the Mass and was dragged to the marketplace with an iron ball in his mouth to prevent him from speaking. And his hand and his foot was burned off with red-hot tongs. And I'll just stop there. Think of the suffering of seeing that as a fellow member of your church suffering. Suffering so.
Some felt they had to do something to show their strength because the Reformation was growing there. And so they began these Psalm singing chantries. As they went in the night under the cover of darkness early evening, and they began singing Psalms through the streets and stopping at important people's houses and as they were doing so there was too much for the authorities elsewhere. And they came in to clamp down upon this and it was in that context that Guido De Brès took the Belgic Confession and several other materials including a letter and threw them in a package over the wall to the authorities.
And in that letter he said, "We offer our backs to the whips, our tongues, to the knives, our mouths, to the gags and our whole bodies to be burned at the stake, knowing that those who want to follow Christ must take up their cross and deny themselves." You see that God was rescuing them from the mouth of the lion. They were not caving into that temptation to deny him as sadly too many did. And so when the Belgic Confession article 13 speaks of suffering and the sovereignty of God and that the providence of God affords unspeakable consolation, this was not just some nice words.
Suffering was real and this confession, this good God governs over all things. Even the very hairs of our head was so tested by that suffering. Do you still confess that in the midst of suffering? Is that indeed your comfort in the midst of suffering? Then we let us seek to see how those two things came together, this confession and this context of suffering in Guido De Brès.
It's going a little further in his life. By 1566, the Reformation had grown a lot in the Netherlands and there was a time of relief from persecution. And De Brès was called to preach in an important town Valencia, and there were reports of thousands of people coming together in the open fields to hear the preaching and then the Protestants came in and said, "We're taking the cathedral." And so there was Protestant preaching in the cathedral in town. It was too much for the authorities and they came and besieged the city and eventually forced it to surrender and Guido De Brès escaped.
He escaped but he was caught in a nearby inn. He later reported to his congregation, "We were handed over, we were bound hand and foot with irons and thrown into a wagon like sheep for the slaughter" and he ended up in prison in chains. Later to his wife he wrote, "I am held in the strongest and most wretched prison that exists dark and gloomy. The only air I get is through a small reeking hole into which people dump filth. I have a heavy thick iron about my feet and my hands, which torment me wearing away the flesh to my bones."
There he was, Guido. Do you still hold to what you wrote? The doctrine of the providence of God affords as unspeakable consolation even now? No, it didn't. It didn't. He wrote to his wife talking about the sovereignty of God and he said, "Human reason rebels against this doctrine, this I have experienced. When I was arrested, I would say to myself, so many of us should not have traveled together. We were betrayed by this one or that one. We ought not to have been arrested. And with such thoughts, I became overwhelmed." Do you hear his honesty?
Haven't you had those things go through you? If only, if only, if only, and why did this have to happen and why did it have to be just then and why? Oh, if only I, and he said these thoughts overwhelmed him. As he sat there in those chains. He was honest and then he went on, "With such thoughts, I became overwhelmed until my spirits were raised by the thought of this providence of God." And then he said, "At that moment my heart began to feel a wonderful rest and I began to say, my God that was caused me to be born in the hour of thy appointing during all the time of my life that was kept me and preserved me from unusual dangers and that was delivered me from them. And if at present my hour has come in which I will pass from this life to thee, may thy will be done."
Do you see what he saw? The very same hand that had protected him from these dangers so long is the very same hand that was leading him into this suffering at this hand. The hand had not changed. It was still the hand of the good God. That's why he continued writing from prison. "I cannot escape from thy hands and even if I could, I would not want to, since all my happiness consists of conforming myself to thy will. All these considerations made and still make my heart cheerful and willing."
Do you hear it? I can't escape God's hand and if I could, I wouldn't want to. What will make us say that? Is it not knowing that hand and knowing that God whose hand of providence it is. He was writing to his wife, the mother of their five children, he said, "I feel your sorrow over this separation more keenly than mine." Then he gives this comfort. "If the Lord had wished us to live longer together, he would've provided the way, but it did not please him to do this. And may his good pleasure take place and let his good pleasure be reason enough." We heard it this morning. God is beyond our comprehension
And then he goes on to say, when he speaks about the providence of God, he quotes the words of Christ, "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore. You are of more value than many sparrows. What is there that we value less than one hair of our heads? These words of divine wisdom say that God knows the number of my hairs. How then can harm come to me outside of the command and providence of God if it could not happen unless one should say that God is no longer God."
Do you see it? Do you hear it? This confession of Article 13 is not just a confession of someone who sits in his study and writes nice things about God. This is a confession that is confirmed there in a prison cell as death is awaiting him. As he writes to his dear wife and his pain in his heart about the suffering that she's going through, he says, "God counts every hair of our head and if anything could be outside his providence, then God would no longer be God." And so this unspeakable consolation here of this article is no mere theory. This is a confession of reality and because it's a reality concerning God and because it's a reality that God is good, God also shows that goodness even in the midst of the darkest places.
The point is not to put Guido De Brès on a pedestal. The point is not to make someone who cannot attain to the degree of comfort filling his heart into discouragement, but the point is this. That when what we confess is the word of God, then that word of God will stand no matter what situation you may be in, and it's that word that will give comfort also in the darkest and the filthiest places like a prison cell. The key to knowing the sovereign God as the God of all comfort is in Jesus Christ.
Now, this is not just a comfort from the bare doctrine of God's providence and sovereignty, but now I'm going a step further. This is a personal comfort in God through the redeeming Christ. From prison he wrote to his dear mother, "I submit myself to all that it pleases him to do with me knowing that he will not do anything that is not just and right. He is my God and Father and he does not lack goodwill towards me nor the power to deliver me if it pleases him to do so. Therefore, I rest in him in everything." Do you see what the key is? He is my God and my father. That's key. The only way to know God as my God and my father is in Jesus Christ.
It's beautiful that some of the most moving articles in the Belgic Confession are about the Lord Jesus Christ. If you look just at Article 20, "We believe that God who is perfectly merciful and just sent his son to assume our nature" and then it goes on, "God therefore manifested his justice against his son when he laid our iniquities upon him and poured forth his mercy and goodness on us who were guilty and worthy of damnation out of mere and perfect love, giving his son unto death for us and raising him for our justification, that through him we might obtain immortality and life eternal."
Where's the comfort? At the cross, you see most clearly that God is the overflowing fountain of loving gracious good even as he pours out his inexpressible wrath upon his son. At the cross you find a God of unspeakable mercy. Article 21 goes on and says, "We believe that Jesus Christ is ordained with an oath to be an everlasting priest." And then later on it says, "Wherefore, we justly say with the Apostle Paul, we know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified. We count all things but loss and dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, our Lord in whose wounds we find all manner of consolation."
Those are words to memorize. In his wounds, we find all manner of consolation. It's not just bare cold providence, but it's the providence then of the God who sent his son to suffer the wrath of God to deliver from that and give his blessing and his favor. Why do you find consolation in his wounds in whatever situation? It's because in his wounds you find the favor of this God overall. Only there my friend can you echo the confession here. In the midst of whatever you go through in his wounds, we find all manner of consolation.
Not only in his wounds. Article 26 goes on to speak of him as that great advocate, Jesus Christ, the righteous. We heard this morning that that is such an under, it doesn't receive enough attention that an intercession of Jesus Christ. But one of the most beautiful articles in this whole Belgic Confession is on the intercession of Jesus Christ. Now it stresses that we have no access unto God, but only through the mediator and advocate Jesus Christ.
And then it says, "If then we should seek for another mediator who would be well affected toward us? Whom could we find who loved us more than he who laid down his life for us even when we were his enemies? And if we"... Well, I'll stop there, but the point is he is that advocate right now at the right hand of his father. What is a comfort not only in his wounds but also in his ongoing intercession that on the basis of what he has done in being wounded and offering up his soul as a sacrifice for sin, he is there as that great advocate and mediator or the comfort. When in the midst of suffering, your conscience accuses you that you don't deserve comfort. When in the midst of suffering you are troubled about your own sin and your own unworthiness and you think, "Why would God come to my help now?" You don't deserve it and you never will.
The hope and the comfort is in a mediator, Jesus Christ. And so the point here is that it's not just about the God of providence because if all we have is a God of providence ruling our lives as sinners who are rebelling against that very God who holds our life in his hand, then the very providence of God is a terrifying thing because that God of providence is a God against us. And if that God be against us, who and what can never be for us? The comfort is to know this God of providence in Jesus Christ, the redeemer. Not against us but for us.
But there's more. He's not only the Christ who has secured that salvation. What's striking about Guido De Brès and the letters that he wrote from prison is that his comfort was also in the living Christ today. Article 26 of the Belgic Confession cites Hebrews two and Hebrews four. Those well-known words about how Christ is that great high priest who's been tempted, who has suffered and is able to strengthen us in our suffering, in the present tense. Was that just theory for Guido De Brès? Did he just put it in the Belgic Confession because that's in the word of God? And so he wrote to his wife from prison, "I have found by experience that he will never leave those who have trusted in him. I would never have thought that God would've been so kind to such a poor creature as I. I feel the faithfulness of my Lord Jesus Christ."
Christ was so real to him. Exactly because Christ is real and because Christ is the living savior, not only then but also now. He says, "I have great reason to rejoice when I see my master, Jesus Christ has honored me in allowing me to sit with him at his table. Is it a small thing to follow such a Lord? It is he who made the heavens and earth from nothing by his mighty word. It is he before whom the angels and archangels cover their faces and tremble and here am I, a poor worm of the earth, full of weaknesses and it pleases him to call me his friend. Oh, what an honor. Christ is a living one who is real, who leads on that path of suffering and then goes with his suffering people that gave comfort."
He wrote, "He is in prison here with me. I mean Jesus Christ, my master. I see him enclosed and enshackled in my irons and chains, just as he promised me in his trustworthy word to be with me to the end. He says that when the least of his disciples is taken prisoner, that it is he himself saying, I was a prisoner and you visited me. Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"
We often pray that God would be with us, Christ would be with us. Do you know what that is? That he is with you according to his faithful word. Sometimes he can show his gracious presence in such a rich and comforting way. Sometimes he can just be there even in the midst of the darkness as maybe we'll hear tomorrow morning sustaining and keeping from perishing. But notice what De Brès says. He's with me just as he promised me in his trustworthy word. And so let Guido De Brès not just let you look at him, but see in him that God is faithful to his word and he's as faithful to his word today as he was there in that prison, as he was in the days of Paul as he ever was.
De Brès continued, "He is here with me comforting strengthening me, causing the words of his mouth to fall as a sweet melody upon my ears. He is saying unto me, to him who overcomes I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." And he goes on quoting text after text after text and every time he says, "He is saying unto me, he is saying unto me", do you notice it? The comfort is that the living Christ speaks through his written words. The living Christ speaks, can I say present tense but not new revelation, but what he's written in his words.
He knows what you need to hear, he knows and he lives to speak. For that word, to strip away all other comforts, that word to humble you and that word also to comfort you with himself. And so the comfort of the sovereign God of providence is known in the Christ to a secured redemption and lives in the present to give comfort in suffering.
There's one final aspect here and that is the comfort in the Christ who will come again because riddles remain suffering presses real questions on our minds, on our hearts. Suffering involves real pain. Pain that can continue so long, it can involve such real injustices and there seems to be no righting of them. Where's the comfort of God's sovereignty?
He's carrying out his whole plan of redemption till he perfects his great work. Nothing will frustrate his plans so nothing will hinder his work whereby he carries it out. That's why the Belgic Confession can end in Article 36. "Finally, we believe that according to the word of God, when the time appointed by the Lord which is unknown to all creatures has come and the number of the elect complete that our Lord Jesus Christ will come from heaven as he ascended with great glory and majesty to declare himself judge of the quick and the dead."
It goes on to say, "The consideration of this judgment is justly terrible and dreadful to the wicked and ungodly." And it is, isn't it? Because that great day when he will judge the living and dead, if we're outside of Christ, then his coming will spell the end of every creaturely comfort we have ever enjoyed, every bit of prosperity that we've ever had. It'll be the end of it all. It'll be the beginning of eternal suffering of the wrath of God. It's the most fearful thing ever, but most desirable and comfortable to the righteous and the elect.
It goes on to say, "The Lord will cause them to possess such a glory as never entered into the heart of man to conceive." That's what Guido De Brès wrote. Guido, do you still confess that in the prison? When everything speaks of suffering and of death and of injustice? We have a letter of the consistory of Valencia to the congregation of what happened on May 31st, 1567. At three in the morning, the chief officer woke De Brès and several others to inform them to prepare themselves for death since they would be executed in three hours' time.
The letter then states, "Then these gospel ministers began to praise God and to thank the official for the good news. They then said to the other prisoners, my brothers, I am condemned to death today for the doctrine of the Son of God. May he be praised. I am very joyful about this. I never thought God would give me such an honor. It seems to me that my spirit has wings to fly to heaven because today I am called to the wedding of my Lord, the son of God."
And his fellow pastor who has executed the same day, he said to his fellow prisoners, "My brothers, I am condemned to death today for the doctrine of the son of God. I am going to life eternal, for my name is written in the book of life and cannot be erased from it since the calling and gifts of God are without repentance."
The sovereignty of God was such a foundation for comfort because it was about the sovereign grace of God in Jesus Christ. A few hours later there when the gallows, there were those bodies dangling and the enemies could look and they could think we've defeated them, their comfort's gone. But little did they know that the very fact that they were willing to die rather than deny their savior, the Lord Jesus Christ was a demonstration of the power of the grace of God in them. And that in this way they were than conquerors.
Then we can understand why the Belgic Confession ends in this way, "Therefore, we expect that great day with the most ardent desire to the end, that we may fully enjoy the promises of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord." Do you hear it? This confession, because it was grounded on the word of God, was a confession that sustained them through all the sufferings because it is the truth that God uses to give comfort in the midst of suffering. Our situation may be different, but this is what it's about. Having a foundation for comfort in the good God who's an overflowing fountain of good and whose providence rules over everything as the God who spared not his son, but delivered him up. And the God who lives today to preserve and to give comfort, until that day when all his promises shall be fulfilled. This is the great comfort that's been tested and found true because God is faithful. Let's pray.
Oh, great and glorious God, thou who are holy and wise and just and good and the overflowing fountain of all good. Lord, we easily confess so many things about thee. Fill our minds, our hearts with these truths and that in the midst of all their thoughts that go so many different directions, thy word would take them all captive and that we'd be filled with thy word and thy Christ.
Lord, we pray to fill us with this comfort of who thou art in Jesus Christ. If we still only have thee as a God of providence overall and do not know thee as that God of grace in Jesus Christ, turn us in repentance to the faith in Jesus Christ. And if we do, Lord cause us to live out of the faithfulness of thee to thy promise, never to leave, never to forsake, come what may.
Lord, we thank thee that thou art faithful. We thank that thou art God and that thou art supreme over all things. And we pray Lord, to remember especially those who suffer in particular ways, which may be so painful and that there would not just be a momentary lifting at a conference, but that that would enable them to continue on following thee and that it would lead close to thee. Lord, we pray to receive our thanks, to hear also our prayer and to bless us further in this conference. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
]]>Each local church plays a vital role in the great commission. Sadly, according to C. H. Spurgeon, the great commission has become the great omission. Spurgeon writes:
The gospel command is so little obeyed that one would imagine that it ran thus, ‘Go into your own place of worship and preach the gospel to the few creatures who will come inside.’ ‘Go ye into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in’ … we ought actually to go into the streets and lanes and highways, for there are lurkers in the hedges, tramps on the highway, street-walkers, and lane-haunters, whom we shall never reach unless we pursue them into their own domains.[1]
The aim of this article is to set before you a minister of the gospel, namely Charles Haddon Spurgeon, who sought to wield the sword of the Word in the public Sphere. Spurgeon made it his every effort to win the lost wherever he went. Speaking of this, he writes: “not only must something be done to evangelize the millions, but everything must be done … This must urge us onward to go forth into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in.”[2] As we begin, let’s think of the “what” and the “how” of Spurgeon’s evangelism.
First, what is an “Effective” Public Witness? As we begin, we must think of that common argument you often hear regarding public evangelism. Is it an “effective” witness in our day? One may attempt to argue that this “public” witness was effective and acceptable in Spurgeon’s day, but times have changed! Many would argue that a “public” wielding of the Word is offensive to the sinner. However, it is critical to understand that society has never been accepting of such evangelistic labours. Consider the following statement from an interview done with Paul Washer:
Spurgeon was constantly attacked in his culture for the openness of his faith and the openness of his preaching. If you go back to the time of Whitefield and just look at the political cartoons written against Whitefield, I mean, he was considered an absolute fanatic, a crazy man. Why? Because he preached in the open-air … It has never been with the culture to do open-air evangelism … It has been against the culture since the moment the apostle Paul stood up in that great coliseum and spoke the Word of God.[3]
In his public witness into the community, Spurgeon was not trying to “re-invent” the wheel of public evangelism, but instead was seeking to go back to the “ancient paths” and follow the pattern of his Lord. Spurgeon argued that “open-air preaching is as old as preaching itself … Indeed, we find examples of open-air preaching everywhere around us in the records of the Old Testament.”[4] Similarly, through open-air preaching, Spurgeon followed the pattern of the Lord Jesus Christ, and his apostles, who actively sought the lost outside of a building. Spurgeon writes: “Our Lord himself, who is yet more our pattern, delivered the larger proportion of his sermons on the mountain’s side, or by the seashore, or in the streets. Our Lord was to all intents and purposes an open-air preacher.”[5]
Second, what did Spurgeon to do bring the Gospel to the public square? Over the next three articles, we will seek to look at Spurgeon’s public witness in terms of open-air preaching, personal evangelism, and tract and literature distribution. For this article, I want to look at Spurgeon’s use of open-air preaching in his early years of ministry.
The prince of preachers, Charles Spurgeon, avidly supported open-air preaching, arguing that it is “very easy to prove that revivals of religion have usually been accompanied, if not caused, by a considerable amount of preaching out of doors, or in unusual places.”[6] The great benefit of open-air preaching is “that we get so many new-comers to hear the gospel who otherwise would never hear it.”[7] Recalling his former days of ministry at Waterbeach Baptist Chapel, Spurgeon wrote the following:
There went into that village, a lad, who had no great scholarship, but who was earnest in seeking the souls of men. He began to preach there, and it pleased God to turn the whole place upside down.[8]
Throughout his journals, Spurgeon would fondly recall his days of open-air preaching: “I preached at Bristol, many years ago, in the open-air … I had a crowd of sailors and collier to listen to me, and when I began to talk to them about Christ’s redeeming work, I saw the tears streaming down their cheeks.”[9]
As the Lord richly blessed and multiplied Spurgeon’s pulpit ministry, he still made it his effort to preach in the open-air from time to time, and he greatly encouraged others to do so:
I have preached twice, on a Sabbath day, at Blairmore not far from Benmore, on a little height by the side of the sea … I have been compelled to abstain from these exercises in London, but not from any lessened sense of their importance. With the Tabernacle always full, I have as large a congregation as I desire at home, and therefore do not preach outside except in the country; but for those ministers whose area under cover is but small, and whose congregations are thin, the open air is the remedy, whether in London or in the provinces.[10]
The street evangelist has the great privilege of picking up those who would never enter a church building: “The open-air evangelist frequently picks up these members of the no church party, and in so doing he often finds some of the richest gems that will, at last, adorn the Redeemer’s crown.”[11] Therefore, if we are to see multitudes of sinners won to the Lord Jesus Christ, the church must actively seek them. The doctrine of the total depravity of man showed Spurgeon that man is not seeking after God. Instead, the evangelist must seek after the lost.
However, Spurgeon believed that open-air preaching must only be done by some men, men who are called by God, sent out by the blessing & support of the local church, and compelled with love for sinners. Far too often, open-air preachers are controlled by their pet peeves, and not the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this reason, Spurgeon gave certain criteria for open-air preachers:
He must have (1) a good voice; (2) naturalness of manner; (3) self-possession; (4) a good knowledge of Scripture; (5) ability to adapt himself to any congregation; (6) good illustrative powers; (7) zeal, prudence, and common sense; (8) a large, loving heart; (9) sincere belief in all he says; (10) entire dependence on the Holy Spirit for success; (11) a close walk with God by prayer; (12) a consistent walk before men by a holy life.[12]
From this list of criteria, we can learn two lessons. First, open-air preachers must have large and loving hearts: “We win hearts for Jesus by love by pleading with God for them with all our hearts that they would not be left to die unsaved, by pleading with them for God.”[13] We must proclaim “a great Saviour to great masses, a great Saviour to great sinners” showing that “Jesus, by his death, has become immensely rich in pardoning grace”[14] If properly done, open-air preaching can be greatly used by God:
I am persuaded that the more of open-air preaching there is in London the better. If it should become a nuisance to some it will be a blessing to others, if properly conducted. If it be the gospel which is spoken, and if the spirit of the preacher be one of love and truth, the results cannot be doubted … The gospel must, however, be preached in a manner worth the hearing.[15]
On another note, the open-air preacher must be resolved to fix his eyes upon the gospel of Jesus Christ. When preaching in the open-air, Spurgeon rightfully argues that “our object is not to conquer them in logical encounters, but to save their souls … Christ is to be preached whether men will believe in him or no.”[16] Similarly, the preacher must “keep to [his] subject, and never be drawn into side issues. Preach Christ or nothing: don’t dispute or discuss except with your eye on the cross. If driven off for a moment always be on the watch to get back to your sole topic. Tell them the old, old story.”[17]
Second, Spurgeon argued that the open-air preacher must be done in a manner worth hearing. This means that the style of preaching must be simple, clear, and compelling. The open-air preacher must acquire a style fully adapted to a street audience. Spurgeon suggests that “the less formality the better, and if you begin by merely talking to the two or three around you and make no pretence of sermonizing you will do well.”[18] Additionally, the preacher must use illustrations and interact with the audience: “In the street, a man must keep himself alive, and use many illustration and anecdotes.”[19] The preacher must “have something to say, look them in the face, say what you mean, put it plainly, boldly, earnestly, courteously, and they will hear you.”[20] Therefore, when open-air preaching, Spurgeon would recommend a quiet, loving, penetrating, conversational style of preaching.[21]
So what? How do we go forward as the people of God in 2024? As pastors, if our congregation is to function as a public witness for Jesus Christ in the twenty-first century, we must prepare our people for it. Our people must know the message of the gospel that we are to proclaim. They must be firmly committed to the means that God has given us to share the gospel, namely, the proclamation of his Word. And as pastors, we must seek to train and disciple leaders who will then go out and proclaim the gospel on the streets. To encourage public witness in the church, Spurgeon would do two things. First, he would make public evangelism regular pray in the life of the church. Second, he would actively encourage and development evangelists in his local church. We can do the same as we seek to be salt and light in this dark generation.
In terms of prayer, you can see Spurgeon’s evangelistic heart in the following exhortation to his congregation:
Preaching the gospel is the means which He is pleased to bless. much that he may work by the means of our Evangelists and bring thousands to the Lord Jesus. They are men full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and God is with them.[22]
In terms of encouraging the development of evangelists in the local church, Spurgeon his pastoral students to be active in open-air preaching. Spurgeon writes: “One of the earliest things that a minister should do when he leaves College and settles in a country town or village is to begin open-air speaking.”[23] One of Spurgeon’s students, Thomas Medhurst, followed Spurgeon’s advice and began his ministry preaching in the open-air. This open-air ministry later led to his call as pastor at the Baptist Church at Kingston-upon-Thames.[24] Pastor, what are you doing to equip and send out evangelists into the public square? Who knows what God would do if His people unleashed His Word in the streets of our Nation! May God bless your efforts for the glory of His great name and the advancement of His gospel.
The post Charles Spurgeon’s Public Evangelism (Part 1) appeared first on Founders Ministries.
]]>The best way to energize our explorations of what God revealed to His people before Christ’s first coming is to recognize how deeply the Old Testament Scriptures are about Christ. The covenant of grace is God’s one plan to bring all His people to salvation, describing how God distributes His grace to believers. Reformed Christians readily affirm that the whole Bible tells the one story that culminates in Christ. Still, they may not as thoroughly realize that Christ is not simply the climax of the story but also the major character even before He explicitly appears by name. Christ’s role in this sense is the often under-considered aspect of the covenant of grace.
Good mystery stories maintain suspense until the big reveal. On a second reading, however, all the clues needed to deduce the big reveal should be obvious. The Apostles discovered this once Christ rose from the grave when they reread the Old Testament and found that Christ Himself is the shadow across the whole of God’s written old covenant revelation. For example, Jude addressed a church infected by false, godless teachers by reminding them of Christ’s role during the exodus of Israel and the nation’s time in the wilderness: “Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe” (Jude 5). Jude’s striking claim is that Jesus saved Israel out of Egypt. Obviously, the book of Exodus never mentions Jesus’ name explicitly as it records how God rescued His people from slavery. Still, Jude recognized that Israel was saved not merely by God, nor merely by God the Son, but by God the Son as the mediator of the covenant of grace. In other words, Jesus Christ has always been active as the Savior of God’s people.
How does this help us reenergize our Bible reading? Christ’s role as the Savior in the Old Testament pushes us to examine the whole counsel of God with fresh eyes so that we can put all the clues together ourselves. As Paul summarized in 1 Corinthians 15:1–5, the gospel that he preached concerned Christ’s death and resurrection “in accordance with the Scripture.” The Westminster Confession of Faith suggests some further ways that Christians today can recognize Christ’s work in the Old Testament:
Although the work of redemption was not actually wrought by Christ till after His incarnation, yet the virtue, efficacy, and benefits thereof were communicated unto the elect, in all ages successively from the beginning of the world, in and by those promises, types, and sacrifices, wherein He was revealed, and signified to be the seed of the woman which should bruise the serpent’s head; and the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world; being yesterday and today the same, and forever. (WCF 8.6)
Notice that before Christ had executed His priestly work in time of living, dying, and rising for His people’s salvation, “the virtue, efficacy, and benefits” of that work was applied to believers in the Old Testament.” So, even before God’s eternal Son walked the earth according to His human nature, believers received the saving effects of His mission as they trusted in the coming Messiah. The two questions that rise from this are (1) how does this work? and (2) how does this help us see Christ in Scripture?
First, Old Testament believers were saved by Christ’s work in the same way that we are today: by faith alone. The difference between Old and New Testament faith is not quality but perspective. Imagine that you and I visited a museum together and decided to look at a statue. Now, maybe you look at it from the front side and I look at it from the back. Regardless, we are both doing the same thing—looking at the same object—though we are doing so from different vantage points. So it is with Old and New Testament faith. Believers who lived before the Son became incarnate trusted in the Christ who would come, and on this side of the resurrection we trust in the Christ who has come. The difference of perspective serves only to underline that saving faith has always been the same—namely, a heartfelt trust in the Savior whose work covers all our sins.
The Bible clearly teaches exactly this point about Christ as active in the Old Testament. We have already seen Jude’s awareness that it was specifically Jesus who saved Israel out of Egypt. Paul highlighted the same idea for Israel’s wandering in the wilderness in 1 Corinthians 10:1–4: “For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.”
Astonishingly, Paul wrote to a gentile church that the exodus generation was our fathers, underscoring how believers of every era are connected as God’s one people. God’s old covenant people in the wilderness ate the same spiritual food that new covenant Christians eat today, showing how God’s one people are unified in one Savior. After all, “there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Tim. 2:5–6). The rock that provided for the Old Testament Israelites was Christ. It did not simply point ahead to Christ but was Christ, who was always received by faith in every age since the fall.
Second, Christ’s role as the Savior throughout redemptive history helps us see Him in all Scripture because, as the Westminster Confession says, the promises, types, and ordinances communicated the virtue and efficacy of His work to Old Testament believers. In other words, the means of grace that God provided in the Old Testament distributed Christ to those who would receive them with faith. The means of grace are God’s appointed instruments for conveying and applying Christ and his benefits to his people, creating or building up faith in them. In the New Testament, Word, sacrament, and prayer are the means of grace. As Romans 10:14–17 tells us, faith comes by hearing the Word of Christ proclaimed by a preacher. God uses the preached Word as His means of grace to create and deepen faith. So too, in the Old Testament, God used Israel’s various outward practices to do the same. Noah’s ark foresignified Christ, who shields His people from God’s wrath (1 Peter 3:18–22). Circumcision foresignified how Christ was cut off for His people, dying for their sins (Col. 2:11–15). The animal sacrifices fore-signified His death, offered up in our stead so that we would not have to die (Heb. 9–10). In the Old Testament, everyone who received these outward markers with true faith, not in the sign itself but in the One about Whom each sign taught, received Christ Himself and the virtue, efficacy, and benefits of His work.
So, as we read the Old Testament, we should remember that every time we read of a promise, a type, or an ordinance, Christ Himself is present in it. There are abundant mysteries to discover in God’s Word, knowing that Christ Himself is the topic of every page. The Old Testament Scripture was inspired to communicate Christ Himself and His benefits to God’s people of old. Still, it was written for our instruction as well, not as moral lessons, but so that we too might see Christ and have Him by the same faith that Abraham had.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on February 9, 2022.
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]]>The Dividing Line will be LIVE at 6:00pm EST https://t.co/l3i5RmypoW
— Alpha and Omega Ministries (@AominOrg) February 26, 2024The post The Dividing Line will be LIVE at 6:00pm EST appeared first on Alpha and Omega Ministries.
]]>In the world vs. not of the world. Pilgrims here vs. citizens there. Living in the US vs. our home is heaven. Sojourning in the city of man; looking to the city of God.
In the 5th c., Augustine of Hippo penned his greatest work, The City of God. Some have even termed it as one of the most monumental and influential works within the entire Christian corpus of literature. Rome, the greatest empire the world had seen up to the 5th century, was falling. The Goths had just sacked the mother city, and unmanageable social and economic issues were prevailing over the once-mighty empire. In an empire that had become saturated with the Christian religion, Roman Christians needed guidance. They needed wise counsel—how were they to suffer the loss of this city of man while yet living as citizens of the city of God?
We live in an age that often causes us to wonder how long our city of man will last. The West faces issues uncannily similar to the moral, social, economic, and geopolitical challenges Rome faced in the 5th century. As such, we may be helped by retrieving the mind of Augustine for the sake of informing our 21st-century moment. We will look at three things that will hopefully help us understand our place in the world so that we can be encouraged even when the world does things we don’t want it to do.
We will look, first, at the city of man. Second, we will look at the city of God. And third, we will consider what it means to live in both at the same time as we no doubt do.
The city of man is characterized by three things: sin, suffering, and impermanence.
The origin of the city of man is the first — and thus fallen — creation. In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve, and He commanded them to “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it…” (Gen. 1:28) This is where God sanctioned the human community. And this human community was to fill the earth while worshiping and glorifying the Creator. This would have resulted not only in families, not only tribes but also in cities and nations. These cities and nations were to have God as their God with Adam as their intermediate or representational king.
But it didn’t go this way.
Adam sinned, and all his descendants sinned in him, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned…” (Rom. 5:12) At the point of sin, however, this first creation didn’t disappear. The natural order didn’t just go away. It all remained intact through the mercy of God, though sin was now part of the picture. And this means that men would go on to form communities—families, villages, cities, etc. But all of these institutions would be infected with sin.
One of the first examples we might think of when we consider whole communities affected by sin is the Tower of Babel. There, we see a city full of sinful people in rebellion against God. So, we know humanity went forth after the fall and, in principle, tried to continue the dominion mandate—albeit in a fallen way. Humanity went forth from the fall onward trying to take dominion, trying to fill the earth, trying to subdue the earth—but never able to consummately succeed on account of sin.
If we take this whole situation—fallen man, effects of sin, suffering, impermanence, lack of success, etc.—and we summarize it in one term, it would be “the city of man.” This is how Augustine referred to it. He calls “the city of man,” “the earthly city, which, though it be mistress of the nations, is itself ruled by its lust of rule.”[1] (Emphasis added) The Bible refers to the city of man as impermanent. It doesn’t last. So, the writer of Hebrews says, “For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.” (Heb. 13:14)
The city of man is characterized by rebellion against God, suffering the effects of sin, and impermanence—it doesn’t last. And everything in this city of man will one day fade. Look how the apostle Paul characterizes the temporary nature of suffering in this city of man, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory…” (2 Cor. 4:17)
The Christian is in a unique position because, at present, the Christian lives in both cities — the city of man and the city of God. The Christian experiences sin, suffering, and impermanence. But the Christian also experiences grace, joy, peace, and righteousness in the Holy Spirit — things that will never pass away, things that characterize the city of God. Things that only God can give. The city of man is the present moral order of man generally. It began at the first creation but was plunged into sin by the first Adam. It is comprised of unbelief, active rebellion against God, suffering, and temporary things that will not last. That’s the city of man. It’s bleak. But the Bible tells us of something better — a city of God, whose builder and maker is God.
If the city of man is characterized by sin, suffering, and impermanence, then the city of God is characterized by righteousness, happiness, and eternity.
Scripture speaks of the city of God in several places. In the book of Revelation, it’s called the New Jerusalem. In the book of Hebrews, it’s called the city “whose builder and maker is God.” In Revelation 3:12, we read, “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.” And, at the end of Revelation, in ch. 21, we read, “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” So, here the city of God bookends the whole book of Revelation because John is encouraging his audience — the seven churches — with an eternal destiny, life in the city of God.
In Hebrews, the project is similar. There, the author is encouraging his audience to remain faithful to the end because, after all, there is no lasting city here — we look to another.
In Hebrews 11, we see that the Old Testament saints were likewise looking for this city of God, “for [Abraham] waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” (v. 10) In Hebrews 12:22, it’s called the “heavenly Jerusalem,” “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem…” In Hebrews 13:14, it is written, “For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.” And this is our encouragement to follow Christ outside the camp, bearing His reproach. (v. 12)
In Galatians 4, Paul speaks of the city of God, or the heavenly Jerusalem, “the Jerusalem above.” Contrasting the earthly city and the heavenly city, Paul writes:
For these (Hagar & Sarah) are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar—for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children—but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. (Gal. 4:24-26)
Notice the difference between the two cities. It corresponds to what we’ve said about the city of man and the city of God. The city of man is characterized by sin and suffering, i.e. bondage. But the city of God is characterized by liberty in Christ, joy, and glory, i.e. it is free.
Augustine, commenting on Paul’s words here, says:
This interpretation of the passage, handed down to us with apostolic authority, shows how we ought to understand the Scriptures of the two covenants — the old and the new. One portion of the earthly city became an image of the heavenly city, not having a significance of its own, but signifying another city, and therefore serving, or “being in bondage.”[2]
The old Jerusalem, the one we know on earth, the earthly city, prefigures the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of God. The earthly city, fallen in sin, subject to suffering, and various forms of heartache, was a type that looked forward to the other and greater heavenly city, the heavenly Jerusalem — whose builder and maker is God.
Augustine is writing to Christians who were converted out of the Roman Empire. And the occasion is the sacking of the city of Rome by the Goths. Rome is falling. Augustine takes this two-city image and uses it to essentially say, “As a Christian, your meaning, your significance, your identity was never tied up entirely with Rome. You belong to a greater city. You look to a greater city.”
We know from Hebrews 11 that Old Testament saints looked to this heavenly city. We see glimpses of that in places like Psalm 48, where the Psalmist writes, “Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, The city of the great King.” (v. 2) And in v. 8, “As we have heard, So we have seen In the city of the LORD of hosts, In the city of our God: God will establish it forever.”
The city of God is the new world to which God has saved His people through Jesus Christ. And this means that the church — Christ’s people — represents this city in the here and now. Christ’s people live in both the city of man and the city of God at present.
City of man. City of God. As Christians, we have one foot in each.
In His high priestly prayer to the Father, Jesus says, “Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You.” (Jn. 17:11) Jesus was once in the world, and His people remain in the world. But then, in v. 16, He says, “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” Christ’s people are in the world (in the city of man), but they are not of the world (not of the city of man).
While the church lives here, it is not ultimately from here. Remember, though we were naturally born into this world, into the city of man, we have been born again as Christians. And in this new birth, we are born into the city of God and are thus from the city of God, as Paul says — “but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.” (Gal. 4:26) Though we live in the city of man, following the new birth, we are no longer of (or from) the city of man. We have been born of the city of God. We have been made a new creature in the new creation, whose capital city is the city of the living, triune God.
What does all of this mean?
Christians have been through a lot over the last 2,000 years. The first time Christians had to struggle with the tension between living in the city of man on the one hand and living in the city of God on the other is, perhaps, the looming destruction of Jerusalem between the years 66 – 70 AD. At this time, if they hadn’t known it before, the Jewish converts to Christ learned that their home was not earthly Jerusalem — they were to look for something more sure, lasting, and stable. As they left earthly Jerusalem for Pella, they illustrated their true hope in real-time. They had to come to terms with the fact that their “home” wasn’t ultimately their home.
But the second major instance in which Christians had to wrestle with living in the city of man and the city of God was during the fall of Rome. It’s the 5th c., Rome has just been attacked by the Goths (pagans), and everything they had known on this earth up to that point was falling apart. Some other times when Christians were forced to deal with this tension would be the Holocaust, when Jewish Christians were persecuted by the Nazis, forced from homes, loved ones, etc.; or the Armenian genocide when the Ottoman Empire murdered probably over a million Armenian Christians in the early 1900s.
The question in the minds of Christians should always be, “How do I live in the city of God even when the city of man is falling apart?” Even in times of prosperity, we should consider this question. How is Hebrews 13:14 real for us? “For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.”
Here’s how: We trust Christ. We grow in our love for Him. And we labor to know what both of those things mean. Hebrews 13:14a admonishes us, “let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach.” Do we trust Him to follow Him away from the city of man as it’s destroyed by sin, death, and the devil?
Or, like Lot’s wife, will we be so attached to the comforts and pleasantries of the city of man that we look back?
As a church, who are we? Are we an outpost of the city of God in this world? Or are we just another organization in and of the city of man? Could we continue our worship if the city of man went away tomorrow? If everything we knew faded into history, could we still be a church—constant, remaining, set upon the Rock, identified by that heavenly, unshaking city of God?
[1] Augustine, Saint. The Complete Works of Saint Augustine: The Confessions, On Grace and Free Will, The City of God, On Christian Doctrine, Expositions on the Book Of Psalms, … (50 Books With Active Table of Contents) (p. 58). Kindle Edition.
[2] Augustine, The City of God … (50 Books With Active Table of Contents) (p. 615). Kindle Edition.
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]]>What else must be excluded from this divine generation? Don’t take that question lightly. As I explain in Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son, and Spirit, a right answer might just guard you from heresy, especially considering the dangers that lie at the end of our adventure. Consider with me two final marks of an unhealthy generation.
The Son’s generation involves no priority or posteriority, and certainly no inferiority but designates order alone. If it did involve priority or posteriority of any kind, then the Son would be inferior to the Father.
Previously, I emphasized that the Son is begotten by the Father, but unlike our human experience, the Son’s generation is eternal (before all ages, timeless). And if eternal, then the generation of the Son is not the generation of a lesser being (made in time or before time) but the generation of a Son who is equal in deity to His Father. But the reason the Son is not inferior to the Father is because the one divine essence wholly subsists in the Son due to His generation from the Father’s nature or substance. As the Son is true God from true God, there can be “no diminution of the Begetter’s substance” in the generation of the Son.1 The Father begets His Son, and the two are, to return to that key word from Nicaea, consubstantial, meaning they are to be identified by the self-same divine essence. Priority or posteriority would undermine the Son as consubstantial, as One who is of the same nature as the Father.
As we’ve learned, the lack of priority or posteriority is due in part to the timeless nature of the Son’s generation, which is eternal, not temporal. Gregory of Nazianzus was once asked why the Son and the Spirit are not co-unoriginate along with the Father if it is true that they are coeternal with the Father. His response: “Because they [Son and Spirit] are from him [Father], though not after him. ‘Being unoriginate’ necessarily implies ‘being eternal,’ but ‘being eternal’ does not entail ‘being unoriginated,’ so long as the Father is referred to as origin.” To drive this point home, Gregory appealed to the illustration of the sun. “So because they [Son and Spirit] have a cause they are not unoriginated. But clearly a cause is not necessarily prior to its effect—the Sun is not prior to its light. Because time is not involved, they are to that extent unoriginated—even if you do scare simple souls with the bogey-word; for the sources of time are not subject to time.”2
With a nudge from Gregory, consider the biblical imagery of light (John 1:4, 8–9). The Nicene Creed says the Son’s eternal generation from the Father can be compared to “light from light.” The Cappadocian Fathers (Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus—key fourth-century church fathers who helped clarify our doctrine of the Trinity) also appealed to this imagery of light to counter the belief of subordinationists who said an effect is inferior to its cause, the Son subordinate to the Father. Consider the sun, they said in response. It is the cause of light, but by no means is light inferior to its source. In essence, they are one and the same. How much more so with divinity? Is not the divine essence simple and inseparable, eternal, and immutable?
We might also add that the Son cannot be less than His source (the Father), because there is no hierarchy in the Trinity. The Father is not greater than the Son—not in any way. In order to avoid misunderstanding, some may prefer the word source instead of cause (as I do) when talking about the Father, which better safeguards the Son’s equality. But regardless, in the Great Tradition neither word means the Son has a beginning or is less than the Father because He is from the Father.
In sum, the Father is the principle in the Godhead—the principle who alone is without principle. Unbegotten. But that does not mean that the Father and Son are not coequals. Rather, the eternal relations reveal the origins of the persons. To read hierarchy of any kind into these origins is to abuse them, even manipulate them. (This includes recent attempts to subordinate the Son to the Father within the immanent life of the Trinity.) The Father may be the principle without principle, but He is also the “principle without priority.”3 Whenever we or the Great Tradition uses words such as source, the intention is only to identify the personal origin of the Son: the Father. Hierarchy and priority are precluded by the very nature, will, power, and glory the three persons hold in common. As Gregory of Nazianzus says: “They do not have degrees of being God or degrees of priority over against one another. They are not sundered in will or divided in power. You cannot find there any of the properties inherent in things divisible.” In short, “The Godhead exists undivided.”4
If the Son’s generation from the Father involves no priority, can we also say it involves no mutation?
The Son’s generation from the Father involves no change in God. In a sermon series on the Gospel of John, Augustine once said to his congregation, “Although changeable things are made through the Word, that Word is unchangeable.”5 God may create the changeable world through His Word, but remember, the Word Himself does not change. For He is not created but begotten from the Father’s nature from all eternity. The Son, Athanasius says, “being from the Father, and proper to His essence, is unchangeable and unalterable as the Father Himself.”6 Whereas a bodily begetting involves mutation, a begetting that is without a body (incorporeal) does not.7
Remember, says the seventh-century church father John of Damascus, eternal generation means that the Son is “from the Father’s nature.”8 If He is from the Father’s nature, a nature that is not only simple and eternal but immutable (unchanging), then no change can occur in generation. If it does, then either the Father’s nature is not immutable or the Son is generated from another nature, external to the Father, and in that case could no longer be coequal to the Father in divinity.
In John Gill’s nine marks of an unhealthy generation, you may have noticed that five of them—motion, mutation, alteration, corruption, diminution—have one thing in common: they are all the result of change. This is inevitable with human generation, for where finite creatures are involved there is always change, and where there is change, we have the potential to change for the worse, which means corruption is a real possibility.
But not so with the triune God, whose nature is not only eternal but immutable. If immutable, then the Father begets His Son without alteration to the divine nature. That is because there is no potency in God, meaning God has no unactualized potential He must reach, as if He is not true God until He reaches His full potential. Instead, He is the perfect being, self-existent, self-sufficient, always and forever His perfect self, maximally alive, without any need to somehow become more perfect than He is for all eternity—which is why the fathers called Him pure act. The Father does not beget His Son as if the Son must somehow reach His potential over time, as if He must grow and change and become more perfect than He was before. Remember, the Trinity is perfect, maximally alive, never in need of becoming something more or greater or better. That means eternal generation “is a perfect generating perfect act.”9 Perfect generating perfect—that sounds a lot like Nicaea’s true God from true God.
All that to say, if the Son’s generation is eternal, so also it must be immutable. Where there is a succession of moments (time), change will follow; indeed, it must. But in eternity, there is no successiveness and therefore no mutation in God. The Father begets His Son not as a new moment in time but from eternity. To say, as the Nicene fathers did over against the Arians, that there never was a time when the Son was not is to also confess there never was a time when the Son was not immutable. If He was not begotten out of the eternal, immutable nature of the Father, then we would be right to ask whether something is lacking in God, whether God Himself is incomplete and imperfect.
But we can rejoice with Thomas Aquinas, who says:
The Father’s nature has been complete from all eternity; the action whereby the Father brings forth the Son is not successive, because then the Son of God would have been begotten in stages and his begetting would have been material and involved movement. All impossible consequences. What remains, then, is that whenever the Father was, the Son also was and so is co-eternal with the Father, as also is the Holy Spirit with them both.10
I’m afraid our adventure must end. But your adventure has only just begun. For the Trinity, after all, is a marvelous mystery, summoning many a Christian wayfarer to explore its infinity glory. Before I leave you, I’m afraid I must warn you. Along the way, you will meet some who dismiss this Christian doctrine called eternal generation. Others will join you on your journey, but as your pilgrimage continues, you will find they misuse, even manipulate this Christian doctrine for their own agenda. But if you remain faithful, you will reach the blessed land of the Trinity, and there your theology will turn into doxology.
Editor’s Note: This post is part of a series on Bible study and was originally published on May 19, 2021. Previous post.
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]]>by John Calvin
"Open mine eyes, that I may see the wondrous things of thy law." - Psalm 119:18
Have ready access unto Thee;
When in distress to Thee I fly,
O hide not Thou Thy face from me.
Attend, O Lord, to my desire,
O haste to answer when I pray;
For grief consumes my strength like fire,
My days as smoke pass swift away.
My heart is withered like the grass,
And I forget my daily bread;
In lonely grief my days I pass
And sad my thoughts upon my bed.
My foes reproach me all the day,
My drink is tears, my bread is grief,
For in Thy wrath I pine away,
My days are like a fading leaf.
But Thou, Jehovah, shalt endure,
Thy throne forever is the same;
And to all generations sure
Shall be Thy great memorial name.
The time for Zion’s help is near,
The time appointed in Thy love;
O let Thy gracious aid appear,
Look Thou in mercy from above.
O Lord, regard the prayer of those
Who love the walls of Zion well,
Whose hearts are heavy for her woes,
Who sad amid her ruins dwell.
Thy power and glory shall appear,
And Zion’s walls shall be restored;
Then all the kings of earth shall fear
And heathen nations serve the Lord.
The Lord, exalted on His throne,
Looked down from Heav’n with pitying eye
To still the lowly captive’s moan
And save His people doomed to die.
All men in Zion shall declare
His gracious name with one accord,
When kings and nations gather there
To serve and worship God the Lord.
– Johann Michael Haydn (1737–1806)
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]]>About eight months after my grandfather passed away, I was traveling on the highway and passed the exit I would take to get to his house. I suddenly started crying and couldn’t stop. The wave of grief came out of nowhere; it was jarring, like being sideswiped by a car.
Grief is a wilderness we all travel at multiple times in our lives. Sometimes we grieve the loss of a loved one. Other times, we grieve a broken relationship, a shattered dream, or a ministry failure. Loss takes many shapes, affects us in different ways, and often lingers longer than it seems we can stand it.
The Israelites had a liturgy and structure they followed during times of grief. They wept and wailed. They tore at their clothes. They covered themselves in dust and ashes (Job 1:20; 2:12). They cried out to God in sorrow. They sang out in lament. In our culture, we’ve forgotten how to grieve. We rush through painful experiences to put them behind us. When others around us grieve, we are uncomfortable with their tears and do whatever we can to distract them. We might even altogether avoid the grief-stricken around us.
But grief is not something to be distracted from, overlooked, or avoided. There’s no timetable and no way to rush through it. Grief is not something that we just have to trudge through or endure until a certain amount of time has passed.
The journey we take through the wilderness of grief is necessary. There are important things that take place there. There are things we learn, experience, and walk through in that wilderness that will change and transform us into the likeness of our Savior. These lessons may be different for each person, depending on God’s specific redemptive purposes. We learn at least four important lessons in the wilderness of grief.
First, this world is not our home. Grief cuts into our comfortable everyday life and reminds us that this world is not all that there is (John 14:3). It opens our eyes to things we don’t see every day as we go about our daily tasks and routines. Grief opens our eyes to eternity. Despite what our culture says—“We only have one life to live”—there is life on the other side of death. Eternity lies ahead for us. Whether we lose a loved one, a relationship, or something else in this life that we hold dear, grief and loss remind us that there is more to come. Grief pierces at that longing deep in our heart for the joy and peace found only in the presence of God (1 Cor. 13:12). It loosens our grip on this world and turns our heart to the joy that awaits us with Christ in eternity (Heb. 11:16).
Second, grief teaches us that this world really is fallen. When our daily lives go on in a predictable way, we tend to forget how sinful and broken the world is. When life is comfortable and safe, we tend to forget the effects of the fall. We all too easily live as though this world isn't as bad as it is. But then grief steps in, and we are reminded that Adam and Eve really did sin and that the curse of death is a harsh reality (Gen 3:14–19). This means that we are right to grieve the death of loved ones (1 Thess. 4:13). We should weep and wail as the Israelites did. We ought to lament, bemoan, and hate the curse that has gripped our world. In fact, such grief should prompt us to pray, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20).
Third, grief can reveal idols in our heart. When our lives are flipped upside down by loss, we discover just how much we cling to things other than God to meet our needs. As sinners, we often find our joy, security, peace, comfort, significance, and meaning in other people, in circumstances, and in created things rather than in our Creator (Rom. 1:25). When we lose a job, a relationship, a dream, or something else we hold dear, we find out just how much we depend on something other than God to give meaning and purpose to our life. Wandering in the wilderness of grief opens our eyes to see these idols, bringing us to confession and repentance. As we do so, we can replace those idols with a greater love for our Savior, the One who alone is our joy, hope, and peace.
Fourth, grief and loss offer a unique place where we are united with our Savior in His grief and sufferings. Isaiah tells us that Christ “was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isa. 53:3). Our Savior understands our grief because He lived in this broken world. He knew heartache, sorrow, loss, and grief. Knowing that our Savior understands what we are going through draws us closer to Him (Heb. 4:15). When we look at the tears our Savior wept in the garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 26:36–46), we understand the depths of His love and grace for us.
C.H. Spurgeon once said, “I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.” The wilderness of grief is a stark, lonely place. But it can also be a wave that throws us against our Savior. The lessons we learn there are for our good and God’s glory, as the Spirit works in us, changing and transforming us into the likeness of Christ. Though the wilderness is a dark and scary place, we never journey there alone; Christ is with us. And having gone before us, He knows the way and will guide us through to the wilderness’ end.
Editor’s Note: This post was first published on February 1, 2018.
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]]>On the surface, this book may appear to be an interruption in the unfolding story of redemption, disconnected from the God revealed in the rest of Scripture. But God’s covenant name, Yahweh, which is so prevalent in the book, reveals that this book has much to teach us about the Lord of redemption.
In fact, when read in its proper context, we can see that this book looks back at God’s covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses and Israel, and David, and then forward to the New Covenant, all which find their fulfillment in Christ.
The Place of Proverbs in Redemptive History
We see the origin of one of the major themes of Proverbs in the first book of the Bible. In Genesis 3:15, the covenant of grace was announced: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” From the fall forward, we see a division between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, those who call upon the Lord and those who do not. Proverbs echoes this division by presenting the theme of the wise vs. the foolish.
After delivering His covenant people from Egypt, God gives them laws which are to govern their lives. When we come to the book of Proverbs, we find that it is not original content. In fact, we will be hard-pressed to find anything in Proverbs that isn’t already mentioned in the Pentateuch, specifically in the Ten Commandments. This book expounds the principles which undergird each law, teaching God’s people how to apply them to numerous aspects of daily life while looking to Him as the Lord of life and wisdom.
In addition, the book of Proverbs reminds us that God is King. He rules his people with perfect wisdom, giving them laws that protect them and cause them to flourish. This is a truth that is further revealed in God’s covenant with David, who pictured God’s kingly rule over His people.
The Person to whom Proverbs Points
Walking in wisdom’s way finds its climax in the life of Jesus, who is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). In the book of Acts, we learn that Saul was to bring any belonging to “the Way” bound to Jerusalem (Acts 9:2). Christians were simply known as those belonging to the Way. This is shorthand for what Proverbs describes as the “way of wisdom,” or “the way of the Lord.” In the New Testament, we learn that “Christ Jesus…became for us wisdom from God” (1 Cor. 1:30). In the broader context of this verse Paul is contrasting the wisdom of the world with the wisdom of God, so that believers might “glory in the LORD” (v. 31). The book of Proverbs, by contrasting the wisdom of the world with the wisdom of God, reveals the Lord of wisdom, so that we might understand what it means to live for His glory in every aspect of life.
If you desire to know the Christ of wisdom better, pick up the book of Proverbs. By God’s grace you will come to a deeper understanding of what it means to walk in the way of wisdom, how God has instructed His people at different times in redemptive history, and how Christ “became for us wisdom from God” (1 Cor. 1:30).
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]]>I think academically and spiritually, I have always been something of a blue collar preacher. I haven't studied in the great halls of learning, but I received a lesson from the Lord many years ago. I was up speaking about heaven, about the great commission, about the beauties of Christ, about so many things, and a man came to me after the message. He was furious. He was furious and it was a bitterness of soul that created that fury in him. And he said, "You preachers," and I said, "Brother, how have I offended you?" He goes, "You talk of great commissions and glory and the church militant and all these things," he goes, "My wife won't talk to me. My children are a mess. I go to work every day. I'm engulfed in filth and I come in here. You don't even understand what I go through. You hide away in your rooms, but I don't see it."
That was one of the greatest things I think I ever heard. Whenever we talk about a longing for heaven, preaching or writing on a longing for heaven, it's very dangerous. And I'll tell you why. There's two main reasons. First of all, it allows the preacher or the writer, whether he knows it or not, to put his piety on display, his private devotion on display so that everyone looks at him and says, "Oh, how he longs for Christ. What a spectacular man." I remember one time being in a conference and it was several men and we were all talking about marriage and they were asking us questions and I saw it. I looked out and I knew that the Holy Spirit would deal with me severely if I didn't stop it. I saw men, looking up, 3000 men, looking at all of us, sitting on the platform ashamed thinking, "These men are wonderful. And me?" And I saw their wives elbowing them like, "Why can't you be like those men?"
And I knew if I didn't stand up and confess my own struggles as a husband, my own struggles as a father, at times that I failed, that God Himself would deal with me, that He would deal with all of us. And it started a chain reaction in which men started standing and saying "Yes, what we're teaching you is what we seek to live out, but you must understand we are also weak and if we've made any achievement, it is by the grace of God," that nothing differs one man or one woman from another except the grace of God. I remember a man by the name of Brother Puckett. There have been a few men that I've known in my life that had an extraordinary love for their wives. You can see it. They treat their wives like a queen, and he was that way. And his wife preceded him to the gates of glory and he was preaching her funeral.
And what was amazing is he never talked about how much he loved her, how much he cared for her. He actually didn't even show very much emotion. And when he was done, someone challenged him on it and he said, "My wife's funeral is not an opportunity for me to display my spectacular love. Do we really want people walking away from this service saying, 'Oh, how much that man loved his wife?' Or do we want them walking away saying this, 'The grace of God that saves sinners'?" And it's the same way here today. I want you to see this. This is not about the example of one man or certain men and their extraordinary piety and all of you need to fall in line. It's not the case at all. All of us are weak. All of us struggle. All of us have these conflicting competing loyalties. All of us find ourselves going two steps forward and sometimes three steps back. And so we must be very, very careful. There's only one hero in this story and it's our elder brother, Jesus Christ. Other than that, I find nothing else to rejoice in. Another thing that we need to be careful of is in the rapture of the moment, the preacher may speak more than he lives.
There are some times I am so full with zeal in a pulpit I feel like I could rip a car into. Honestly. And I think honestly it's the work of God, but an iron doesn't stay that hot twenty-four hours a day, and we have to be very, very careful that I don't start talking with rapture about heaven and you think, "Oh my, this is the standard. This is how a godly man lives," because this man struggles. Longing for heaven is not proven in the pulpit, but in one's private devotions and their inward demeanor as they walk. Another thing, it is not proven in one's discourse with men. A longing for heaven is proven in one's discourse with God in the night watch. It is not proven as we could say, "Anti hominem," before men. It's proven quorum deo before God. And so I want to be very careful here. Now, regarding the man standing before you, I am the perfect candidate. You couldn't have gotten a better preacher for this topic.
Just so you all know the privilege that you're under today, you couldn't have got a better preacher to talk about the longing for heaven, but it's not for the reasons you think. It's not because I'm like Enoch and I walk so close with God that one day he's going to say to me, "Paul, we're closer to my house than we are yours, so just go home with me." That's not the reason why I'm the perfect candidate to talk about a longing for heaven. Here's why I'm a perfect candidate. Because I'm like, well, what a guru said one time to eat the ale, "Surely I am more brutish than any man and have not the understanding of a man. I have neither learned wisdom nor have the knowledge of the holy." I'm a perfect candidate because I'm like the man that David described in Psalms 32:9.
I am as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, whose mouth must be held in with a bit and bridle else they will not come near to thee. Yes, God's providence is in my life, barricading this wild horse and turning my attention to Him when competing loyalties would send me somewhere else. I'm a perfect candidate because I'm like Israel of whom God said in Hosea two, six and seven, "Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns and make a wall that she shall not find her paths and she shall follow after her lovers. She shall not overtake them and she shall seek them but shall not find them. Then shall she say, 'I will go and return to my first husband, for then was it better with me than now.'" I battle contrary things in my heart and my mind. And I know that if it wasn't for this extraordinary exquisite wisdom of God that comes to me in unconditional love, if it wasn't for his wisdom and putting an obstacle here and a barricade here and a creating a weakness here and a trial here and a pain here and disappointment here, and yes, even allowing me to fail in sin, if it wasn't for all those things, whatever longing I do have, which is meager, would not be there.
I want to preach not this way today. I want to preach this way, as you and I were so much like. Do you think I don't know what you're like? I know what you're like because I'm like you. We're going to reach a point where God is going to orchestrate, He's already done it. He's cleaning the evangelical church. I've heard that forty-some percent of evangelicals are not returning to church. He's doing what all our weak preaching could not do. He's purging His church, and we're going to come a point in time where the people who sit before a pulpit like this, it is because they love the Lord. But when people truly love the Lord, they're always inside. There's this conflict because they know their failure, they know their apathy. They know their two steps forward and three steps back. They know their struggles, they know their disloyalty. They know all these things. And what you need to know before we get started in this, is Jesus Christ did not become a man, humble Himself to the point of death, even death on a cross, and suffer what he suffered for you so that the first time you see Him when you cross over into glory, He has a scowl of disappointment on His face.
That's not why He did all of this. The greatest pain of a true preacher is that he knows he's comprehended nothing of the love of God. But the even greater pain is this, that he knows that even what he's comprehended, he cannot communicate because language is weak. I just wish that I could grab you by both sides of your head and drill into you how much He loves you, how unconditionally. Because if you could see it, you would do something like Peter. On that day when the Lord did that great miracle in front of him and he said, basically what's going on there, he says, "Lord, this is wrong. Someone like me should not see this. I should not be privy to this type of thing, Lord, it's wrong. I'm not fit." If you really could see the love of God, that's what you would have a tendency to do. Lord, this is just not right. No one should love me this way.
And so when we talk about suffering and we talk about a longing for heaven, we can somehow take that and make it all about us and our piety and everything else, when that is not what's going on here. It's all about what comes from Him. It's all about what comes from Him. You are so loved if you call upon the name of Christ, if He owns you and you know Him, you are so loved. So the purpose of my sermon is not to display some meager piety. The purpose of my sermon is to tell you that even the greatest saints, even the greatest saints, need the sufferings of this life to create in them an ongoing discontentment with the world and turn their eyes towards heaven. But know this, every suffering is ordained by God, and that ordination is always and forever in the context of His immutable, unconditional love that He has set upon you. Now, before we go on to talk about suffering, I need to lay some groundwork about something, that if you have a longing for heaven, it is the work of God.
Everything comes from Him, through Him, goes to Him. And if you long for Him today, it is the work of regeneration. And I want to talk about that for a moment. Prior to regeneration, what is a man like? Well, in John 3, 19, "And 20, and this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved." If you have a longing for God, He created it in you, and He who created it in you will sustain it in you, develop it, cultivate it, and make it grow. He who began a good work in you will finish it. You see, you take a little boy and you take him fishing and you tell him to go out and he needs to get some worms.
And so he goes out, the farm boy, and he throws over a rock or a log. And the moment that rock is lifted and light comes into that darkness, the worms, the insects, the beetles, they drive themselves into the earth farther and farther and farther. Why? To get away from the light. They hate the light. They hate the light. That's us. That was us. We hated light. We hated God. Now, why would anyone hate a good God? Well, they would only hate a good God because they're not good. And so they hate Him. They hate His person, they hate His will and that was us. Now, I want you to think about this saint. He did such a work in you that you are no longer like that. He who can make such a change in you, can He not continue to cultivate that change so that as you go through time, day after day, year after year, you grow in your longing for heaven.
But let's be careful here. Let's not put heaven between us and the throne of God. You grow in your longing for Him. So you need to be encouraged. You need to be encouraged. Also, I want to just go to Ezekiel 36:26, "A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you. And I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh." Imagine that I had the figure of a man here made in solid stone. What could I do with him? I could pinch him and pluck him and kick him and punch him. And how would he reciprocate? What would be his answer? How would he respond? There would be no response. Why? Stone. Inanimate. Dead. Insensitive to me. And that's the way you were prior to becoming a Christian. But now how are you? He's made you alive. So if I could turn that man who's a solid stone statue into flesh, when I pinch him, he would wince. When I kick him, he would move.
He's flesh, he's living. He can respond. That's what happened to you in conversion if indeed it happened to you, you became alive. But I know you would say, "Brother Paul, you're right, I'm alive. But it sometimes doesn't seem like it." Do you know what I've discovered? I read through the New Testament and I just looked at the two words, hope and encouragement. I have discovered that you could put the greatest challenge in front of me and if I have hope, I can get up every day, even if it's going to take a hundred years to finish that challenge, I can do it. You take away hope and I cannot accomplish even the smallest task. I wither. And what I want you to see, you've heard sermons about how you should long for heaven. You've heard sermons about how Puritans, you read Isaac Ambrose and you read all these things and you marvel at these men and you should read them.
But sometimes you look back and go, "What kind of stuff were they made of? Because I don't appear to be made of the same stuff. How was it that they advanced so when I seem to crawl?" We're going to deal with that in just a little while. But know this, they came from the same stock of Adam as you. They were not cleaner or better. They came from the same stock of Adam as you and they were regenerated by the same Holy Spirit. So there's hope. If you see a saint who seems to exceed others, then know whatever that saint has, has been given to all the children of God. So let's go on. I've had people tell me I'm not a great exposit or a great... I spend most of my time just dealing with souls, evangelism, but I'll hear people say, some of my friends, "We just need to preach Jesus to them." Yeah. But there's a problem, you can preach Jesus all day long, but they don't have any eyes to see.
And you say, "Well, all right, we just need to pray that God will open their eyes," yeah, but that doesn't solve anything that makes matters worse. Why? Because if they see Jesus with the heart they have, they're going to hate Him even more and the more they see Him, the more they're going to hate Him. What has to happen? Just what we read in Ezekiel 36. God has to change the heart. And there's hope that you can go on with God if you'll just go back and look at the work of conversion, regeneration. In modern day evangelicalism born again-ism is just that you pray to prayer, but that's not true Christianity. Being born again is a supernatural work of God that eclipses, I believe, creation itself. Creation came [foreign language 00:20:21], it's out of nothing. But God created, recreated you, a massive fallen humanity. He gave you a new nature. He didn't just tell you to walk a new way. He made you a new creature. He did.
And not only that, because people read 2 Corinthians 5:17 wrongly I believe because they sit there and go, "If any man be in Christ, he's a new creation." Well, that's true, but it means a lot more than that. It's literally if anyone in Christ, new creation, and what it means is this, not only has He changed you ontologically, that you are a new person with a new nature, but you've entered into a new realm of existence. You're now part of the new creation which continues to unfold. It's the idea of the already and the not yet. But make no mistake about it, you have totally and completely moved out. This is Romans five, six and seven continues on in this era, "That you have moved out of this sphere of Adam and you are now in a completely different sphere of existence. Not only are you different, the whole realm of your reality is different before the throne of God." And He did not just save you and now you're trying to make your way
And all this is important to understand before we get to suffering because you need to know, He's orchestrating absolutely everything in your life. You say, "To make me holy," yes, but be careful with that because I have seen a type of holiness that is a morality independent of a love for God, a boasting in one's changes. No, His greatest thing is for you to look to Him. Everything He's doing in your life, and that's one of the true meanings of holiness, is to look to Him, to constantly depend upon Him, to constantly trust in Him. That's what He's doing in your life. Now I realized I've already... I've got several pages. I'm just going to have to choose some things now because I'm going far too slow. Now you know why I got my worst grade in seminary in preaching. Now, where should I go?
Let's stop here. I can't pick one Puritan because I've heard Spurgeon say it, other Puritans say it, and it needs to be said all over. And it's simply this, if your heart has been regenerated, then it has become so enlarged. Now this is something you must believe, it has become so enlarged that if you gained the whole world, it would not satisfy your heart. And if you lost the whole world, it cannot disappoint. You have been made into another creature, for another reality, for another existence. And you must believe that, that if you were to gain everything, every desire and exponentially beyond your desire, you can not be satisfied. Your heart's too big now. Augustine said it this way, "[foreign language 00:24:19]." What does it mean? "You have brought us to you Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you." This is what you have to become utterly convinced of, utterly convinced of. And when you see it, it helps you chase away all the little foxes that spoil the vineyard.
It helps you to chase away all the others clamoring for your love, to know that no matter who calls on you in this world, no matter what they offer you, they can do you no good. They can simply do you no good. They cannot make you happy. Let me say it another way, I hear people say, "Your wife completes you or your husband completes you," if your wife can complete you, you're not born again. Now, there is a way that you can say that biblically, but I'm saying this for shock value. If your wife can fill you, complete you, satisfy everything for you, then you don't know Him. If your husband is all you ever need, well then your heart has not been enlarged. And matter of fact, that's caused a lot of problems in marriage because people will look at their wife or a wife will look at her husband and go, "He doesn't fill me to my fullest. This must be wrong." What you need to understand is that if you belong to him, there's going to be discontentment everywhere you look horizontally, and the only place you're going to find satisfaction is vertically in him.
And I would borrow from Isaiah, "Why do you run?" Why are you just banging your head constantly against the wall? Why are you going to all these lovers all the time who do nothing but disappoint, who ruin you, who hurt you? Why are you looking horizontally for what you can only find vertically in God? Stop doing it. It's of no benefit and you know it, don't you? You know it. No matter what you accomplish, no matter what you gain, no matter what pleasure or notoriety or advancements you make, That it turns out to be nothing more than sawdust in your mouth and rot in your gut. You're only going to find satisfaction in Him.
Now, I want us to go to Genesis 3:16-19 for a moment, "Unto the woman, He said, 'I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception. In sorrow, thou shalt bring forth children and thy desire shall be to thy husband and he shall rule over thee.' And unto Adam, He said, 'Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife and has eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying, thou shalt not eat of it, cursed is the ground for thy sake and sorrow. Thou shalt eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face, thou shalt eat bread till thou return unto the ground, for out of it was thou taken, for dust thou art and unto dust, thou shalt return.'"
Now what's going on here? A lot of people who do a trite reading of this text are unbelievers who use this text to try to show the absurdity of what's going on. It was a piece of fruit. And just think about it for a moment. It was a piece of fruit and the entire cosmos, the created order, the universe was thrown into chaos, was brought into judgment, was brought into condemnation. It's a piece of fruit. No, here's what you need to understand. It was atheism. It was a direct attack upon God. And you go, "Well, how so?" Remember two nights ago I preached and I mentioned Abraham and I said, so Abraham, he's told he's going to have a son. He looks at his body, he examines his body, he's looking at himself. There is absolutely no evidence. There's no reason to believe, looking at his own body, he's going to have a son. He looks at his wife. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever. There's no evidence in her that he's going to have a son.
Zero. What must he do? There's only one thing. He is confined to one thing. He must trust in the word of God. And what does that mean? Far more than that. He must trust in the nature of God, all that God is. In his mind now, it has to be decided, Abraham, what do you believe about God? It's the same way with Adam and Eve. He says, "You eat of that tree, you die." They look at the tree. There was nothing in that tree that would tell them they would die. It was obviously beautiful. It was obviously pleasing to the eye. There was nothing about that tree that showed any evidence whatsoever that they would die. As a matter of fact, all the evidence was to the contrary. Everything in the garden was good and that tree looked more splendid than all of it. So what's going on here? There was only one reason to believe that that would bring death, because God said it would. And when you say "Yes, they had to believe God," but there's simply no way to speak of how profound that idea truly is.
When they took that fruit, it was a direct attack upon the godness of God. It was a direct attack upon His character, His nature, and they had to believe Him. It was a heinous crime. It was an unspeakable crime that goes far beyond anything the mind of a man or even an archangel can conceive. And so the whole world is cast into judgment, and now you see, it is a proper judgment. But now here's something I want to point out to you that is so often the case with God. This is one of the, if not the terrible judgment of judgments that fall upon mankind. It's as Babylon as the mother of all harlotry. So an idolatry. So this is the mother of every pain and sorrow in this world, but even in this judgment, there is mercy. Because the effects of this continue till today, is that not true? Everything that He says about Eve and He says about Adam, it continues till today.
It's judgment, but also I want you to see in your own life, it is mercy. In a sense, in that curse is a mixture of gospel proclamation. You go, "Yes, the Proto Evangelical in Genesis 3:15." No, here. In what way? In what way? Every time Eve suffered in giving birth, God was crying out to her, "Fallen, fallen, fallen. Broken, broken, broken. Return to me, return to me, return to me." Every time her relationship with Adam became convoluted, distorted, dislocated. Every time he was harsh, every time she was rebellious, all of it. And she looked there and she sat in the night and she wondered, "What is all this?" It was God going, "Fallen, fallen, fallen. Turn to me, turn to me, turn to me." Every time Adam plowed a field and it brought forth no fruit. Every time he made his way back to his home wore out, it was God going, "Fallen, fallen, fallen. Broken, broken, broken. Return to me, return to me. Look to me, look to me."
But how shall we return? Genesis 3:15. That's how you shall return. It's the same way with you, saint. It's the same way with you. You've got to understand this. I know I get up in the morning, I go to the office, we pray. Every day I'm met by godly men and women and we sit and we pray and the prayers go on and on and on. Maybe I do a devotion. Then we go on to do missions or the men go to study passages that they're going to have to teach in Myanmar or wherever they're going. We get together at lunch and we're talking about winning the nations and we're doing all these things and where are you going to preach tonight and what are you going to do and how are we going to work with these believers in a certain area? It's like, think about it, in a sense, a bubble, but you, many of you, it's off to the tool and die shop.
It's off to go with the contractor. It's to go to the secular school. It's to go to the hospital in labor. It's to go to your janitor closet. Or it's to go with a group of men, not to pray, but you have to pray before you meet them because of what will come out of their mouth, the wickedness that you're going to have to deal with every day, every day, every day. You know what I'm talking about, you know how it grinds you down. Allow that to be the catalyst. You need to realize, you need to walk in there and you need to go, "This is not who I am. No one sees it because they don't see Him. I am a child of God and this providence that I'm in, that seems to be so discouraging, in fact, God is protecting me. He's not allowing me to draw satisfaction from anything in this world but Him. He loves me so much to the point of a zeal, of a jealousy, that He hems me in, around and about me and He keeps me looking up."
That's what's going on. As you live in this world and you're going, "Why can't things go right? Why is everything so difficult?" It is Him still crying out to you, "Look up to me, look up to me, look up to me." Every vile thing said in the shop, every vile image, every vile conversation, every difficult relationship, it's Him saying, "Son, look to me. Look to me. I am your hope. I am your hope. I am your hope. I am your hope." Paul said it this way, "For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God, for the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him who hath subjected the same in hope because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now, and not only they but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the spirit. Even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting for the adoption to it, the redemption of our body."
How did Adam fail? He did not believe God, because everything pointed to the contrary. You're being put to the same test. You go to church and you're told you are a child of God. You're a member of the kingdom of heaven. You go back into the world and now you're given an opportunity to glorify God in a far greater way than any minister or missionary. You're going to go into that world of yours and you're going to go into that tool and die shop and that factory and you're going to go work construction and you're going to go to the mechanic shop and you're going to go to all these places and everything is screaming at you, "There's no reason to believe anything you heard on Sunday. Anything." All the world lies in the power of the evil one and it seems to grow darker every day.
But you can do something in the power of the Holy Spirit. You can bring such glory to God wherever you are. The darker, the more difficult. You can say, "Though I see nothing, though I hear nothing, I will believe the word that was spoken to me." People will sometimes come to me and they'll say, "Brother Paul, your life and missions, what an opportunity. You get to work in missions, advance the kingdom." Oh dear Saint, I would be lying from this pulpit if I tried to flatter you, I would betray the mantle, but I'm not flattering you. It's not like that. There are no spiritual elites. Ministers are not spiritual elites. In our core values and heart cry, which I had to write and rewrite over and over again, one of the parts is on [foreign language 00:41:10], we are servants of God. But it just... No, it's too distracted. It's too separated. We are servants of the servants of God. And on that day, please don't ever in my presence use this kind of conversation, "Oh, there's RC Sproul or there's Charles Spurgeon or there's these men and they'll be so close to the throne. I'll never see them."
Really? That's why he did all this so that all that hierarchy and all those other things could just continue. And as you were a little person here, you'll be a little person there, really? Is that what he did all this for? No, that's of the old world. That's of Adam. You will receive a grand welcome, stand fast. When you leave here, when you go into your workplace Monday or when you're there as a stay-at-home mom and it seems like its just laundry and all these other things, know that all these wonderful things said about you in this conference with regard to being a child of God, you look around, you see nothing of it, believe it, stand on it. Know who you are, know what's prepared for you and rejoice in it and know that nothing greater is prepared for someone in this pulpit than what's prepared for the smallest saint. I'm finished with all this stuff. There's only one hero in this story. There will always only be one hero. All of us have failed always in everything. Only our elder brother triumphed and He triumphed for every one of us.
It's Him. It's all of Him. It's all Him. It's always Him. It's nothing but Him. He's the hero. And sometimes I hate preaching. I hate words because they just don't work, when you begin to talk about how much God loves what even the church would consider the smallest, weakest saint. You're dearly loved. So all this is intended to turn your eyes toward Him, but some of you can't. Do you know why you can't? Because you're not convinced of the love of God. You look at this world and you go, "Yeah, there's nothing here for me. But then again, I look in the mirror of God's word and I see how failing I am and how backward I am and how apathetic. So when I look to heaven, I'm sure they don't want me there either." Don't do that. Don't do that. He will be happier to see you than you will be to see Him because you are the works of His hand and He will make you stand. He will make you stand.
I would love right now just to throw this whole thing aside and preach through the whole Song of Solomon because some of you need to hear you are altogether beautiful, my darling. Altogether beautiful. Never forget, it's a greater than Joseph here. Joseph's brothers were angry with him because of his coat of many colors, but Christ is greater than Joseph. Because he took his coat of many colors and he dressed us all, he dressed us all. Oh, I can't wait. I can't wait to rejoice with you, to sing, to dance, to run, to be with you there, all of us. It's a world of glory. Now let's go on. Not only is the fallenness of this age meant to turn you vertically to Him, but also the wicked are. Yes, the wicked have a purpose. Oh, God is big. I mean, He's big. Even the wicked have a purpose. I want to read a passage that's not often applied this way, but in 2 Peter 2:7-8 about Lot.
It says, "Lot was vexed." The word literally means he was wore down. He was exhausted. The word can mean he was almost like he was ground to powder. It says, "Lot was vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked, for that righteous man dwelling among them in seeing and hearing vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds." First of all, let me point out to you something. I'm sure you know something about the history of Lot. I mean if there were bad choices in that man, yes, vexed in his righteous soul, that we can see that even Sodom was used. And it's the same way every time you go out there into the world, every time you're tempted to chase the things that unbelievers chase, every time you hear the vulgarities, every time you turn on the news and wonder what in the world has happened to the west. Again, it's to turn your eyes toward heaven. The nineties were far more dangerous than what we're going through now. Why? Well, it was all about Christianity in America and flags and parades and prosperity and so many things we could accomplish without God in God's name.
He put an end to all of it, didn't He? He put an end to it. Now you go out there, even where I live, there are Christians that are fearing for the loss of their job if they're just asked one question and they answer incorrectly. So even the wicked, God is using. Even when you turn on the news and go, "Why? Why? Why? Why?" You want the answer? He won't share you with anyone, not even with a country. You belong to Him. You belong to heaven. And this is extremely, extremely important. Now, I want to go on with another thing that this is especially true, is that our remaining inward corruption, our battle with sin compels us to long for heaven.
Paul says in Romans 7:18, "For I know that in me that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing, for to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would, I do not, but the evil which I would, not that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law that when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man but I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind and bringing into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members. Oh, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord." I've often and so have many other people asked the question, why did God sanctify us entirely immediately after conversion?
Because what is this whole salvation thing about? The holiest among us wins? I mean, what is this really all about? The great purpose of God is not even that we would be holy and satisfied in our holiness. And holiness is so very important, don't get me wrong. But the real purpose is that we would look to Him, that we would always look to Him, that we would find in Him everything that we would appreciate. Christ, I hate my sin. I fight against sin. I mourn sin. Yet at the same time, I know this about myself, I have one good day. I get up in the morning, I have a devotional that lasts what, thirty-five hours and I witness to everybody and I do all these things and I mean everything is going perfect. And about 12 o'clock, I can't figure out why everyone else can't get right like me.
I remember there was a time when an extraordinary time of prayer that went on for more than a few years and to pray was to breathe, but then a malady happened and I was like, "Why are people so prayerless? Why can't they pray? I mean, why don't they?" And then I couldn't pray and I had to be taught. What do you have that you have not received? And if you have received it, why do you boast? When they couldn't cast out the demon, he says, "This kind comes out by prayer." Have you ever wondered what's going on there? Well, what I believe is going on there is this. They had been given authority and they thought that authority was inherent in them now. You are always going to be a branch. You must always be connected to the vine. It must always be communion. It must always be flowing from Him. It must always be that. Now, let me give you an example.
If I have a seven-year-old daughter, and if I walk across the parking lot at Walmart, I hold her hand and I take her all the way across. But it would look rather ridiculous if I was doing that with my grown son whose six foot five. But that's not Christianity. Christianity is not that you grow so mature that little by little, you become more and more independent of Hm. Stand on your own now. That analogy doesn't cross over in Christianity. No. As you grow in Christ, what God is doing is He's working greater and greater weakness in you, greater and greater distrust in you so that you cling to him and cling to him and cling to him more deeply, more deeply. That's true, Christianity. It's not the opposite.
It's not the opposite. Now I want to show you something that I wish I could actually had a graph or something here. So let's just pretend that we have one. When I first became a Christian and I read Leonard Ravenhill and Ian Bounds and Praying Hide and the autobiography of George Mueller and Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret and all these different books, I had in my mind that... Well, I thought that I would've made far more progress in sanctification than I've made. I thought that by this stage I would be a lot better than I am. But I've come to discover, this didn't come to me. I've heard it in a few different places, but I have sat and meditated upon it and looked through scripture. I want you to look at sanctification in two different ways. So imagine I have a graph, a line graph. I thought that from this point, my sanctification would do this. And I thought I'd be somewhere way up there by now. But I found that my sanctification did something like this, and it just didn't go as far as I had hoped. I thought I would be less selfish by now. I thought... I just thought a whole lot of things. So this hasn't been that spectacular.
But there is one aspect of sanctification that has become quite spectacular. As a matter of fact, it's grown like this and it's grown like this because this has been rather disappointing. And what is this aspect of sanctification that has grown like a rocket as the result of all my other failures? The recognition of my need of Him, that all I have is Christ. If you asked me as a new believer, "Paul is Jesus everything?" Yes, yes, He is. Now? "Paul, do you have anything other than Jesus?" No. Righteousness, no. Holiness, no, no, no. Nothing but Jesus. A young guy came to me one time after hearing me preach. He goes, "You're right, Brother Paul. Jesus is all we need." I said, "Jesus. Son, Jesus is all we have. We don't have anything else." He's everything. He's everything. No, no, you're not hearing me. He is everything. Everything, everything. He is. He's absolutely everything. Now, let me show you. Let me show you the Christian life and it's found in quite an unexpected place.
In Mark 1:14, this is what we read. "Now, after that, John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and saying, 'The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent ye and believe the gospel. This is the whole of the Christian life.'" And you say, "How can that be?" Well, repent and believe are both in present tense imperatives. We could maybe say it this way. Now, the kingdom of God is at hand, spend the rest of your life repenting and believing. So how does that work itself out? Well, let me show you. So here I am. I'm an unbeliever and I hear the gospel and I see God and His holiness, His righteousness as I have never seen Him before. And in that light, I see my sin in a way that I have never seen it before. And I have a brokenness and a sorrow over sin that previously was unknown to me, but it's not a brokenness unto death because in that same gospel, I see God's provision in Christ as I have never seen Him before.
And my brokenness gives way to joy. First day of Christianity. But then as I begin to grow in the word, as I read books of other men that have gone before me, as I hear preaching. So the very next day from all of that, from those means of grace that were called upon to use, oh, I thought I saw it all back yesterday. No, there's more. I see His holiness and His righteousness in a way that I didn't see it yesterday. I see more of my sin now. Even though I've already grown a bit in sanctification, I see more sin and my sorrow is even deeper than it was yesterday. But then I see the provision in a greater way than I saw Him yesterday and my joy is greater, and then it's the next day and the next year. So that one day as an old man, I have been transformed, but I see His holiness and His righteousness in a way that I never saw it 40 years ago. And even though I've changed, I see my sin closer to the light, deeper roots.
I see my sin like I have never seen it before and my brokenness is far greater than it was when I was even first converted. And I would be fractured to the point of utter despair. But then I see Him, I see Him. Oh, bless God for the son, my righteousness, Jehovah my righteousness. I see Him. And so these old men that are walking contradiction, their sorrow is so great, their joy is so great but in that, there is a transaction that occurs also for as a young man, I saw my worth in how much I prayed and read my Bible and how much I preached on the streets. But as time goes by, I'm done with all that. I find no joy there. I find no hope. All of that hope that was once deposited, maybe in those things unknowingly, it's gone now and it's deposited there. He is everything. Everything. As I said on my tombstone, I contributed nothing to my salvation but my sin and nothing to my ministry but my weakness.
And I long for heaven because He made me long for heaven. He orchestrated it. And I want to say a few last things here, I know I've gone... I try to teach this almost everywhere I go now, so many people come to me and they say, "Brother Paul, I love God, but I lament that I do not love God as I ought." And that's the biggest thing they say. I say, "Do you love God?" And I never hardly ever see anyone go, "Yes, yes I do." I see people go, "Not as I ought to." I want you to think about something for a moment. How do we work on that? How do we work on that? So I use this illustration, if I were laying on this platform on my back and I had both hands grabbing a hold of my belt and I was pulling with all my might, and you came up to me and you looked down and you said, "Brother Paul, what are you doing?" I said, "Well, isn't it obvious? I'm trying to get up." And you said to me, "You've never really studied physics, have you? To get up in that way, you must be acted upon by an outside force."
And this is what I want you to see as the secret of many of the missionaries and biographies and people that you admire. This is the secret right here. Remember that story? I say this often, you see a man who just loves his wife, loves his wife, loves his wife. I mean, he's just crazy about his wife. And what do you automatically do? You go, "What an amazing man." Maybe he's a brute of a man. Maybe he's not amazing at all. Maybe it's his wife. That's amazing. And her virtue and beauty draws out his affection, even though he's just a rock. You see someone who seems to have an extraordinary love for Jesus, and you go, "What an amazing man. What an amazing woman." Maybe they're not amazing at all. Maybe they've just seen more of something than you've seen. So that guy trying to get up by pulling in his belt, he can't do that. He has to be acted upon by an outside force to get that way. Someone has to pull him up. What does the church need above everything else?
A greater and greater vision of the love of God in Christ. A greater and greater vision of this spectacular person. If your heart has been truly regenerate, the more you see of Him, the more you see of His love, then the more He's going to draw out your affections. And in the end, what will you say? Will you boast? "I love Him." Yes, but you won't stop there because that seems a bit proud and idolatrous. What will you do? "Yes, Brother Paul. I love Him because He first loved me. I love him. I am compelled by the love of Christ. I'm not compelled by my love for Christ, but I'm compelled by Christ's love for me." I've seen bigger pictures, and this is also the job of the preacher. This is the job of the preacher. This is why he hides away.
Because well, you see what you need to understand, if you're a preacher here today, you're not just studying for you. You're studying for the mechanic who works 12 hours a day and can only get in about a half an hour of Bible study. You're studying for the homemaker, the homeschool mom. You're studying for the... You're studying for them. And you go into your study and you stay there and you read the scriptures and you're on your knees and you're reading good books. And what you're doing is Job 28, you're the minor who goes in where no one else can go. You turn mountains over at their base. You dam up streams. You dig through rock. You do whatever you can to bring out these pictures, these words about Christ, and then give them to His bride. That's the job of preaching. That's the job of preaching.
Yes, we must teach principle. Yes, we must teach wisdom, but nothing is taught apart from Christ and exalting Christ and making much of Christ. Christ, Christ, Christ. The preacher is Abraham's servant. Abraham says, "Go fetch a bride for my son." And so that servant goes and he finds the bride. He's bringing her back. It's a long journey. She's never seen her spouse. As she leaves her home, she looks back and the servant sees I, she's worried. He reaches into his bag and he pulls out a gold bracelet and he says, "Look here. He'll be worth it. Don't look back. He'll be worth it." And they're going along and they come to a well.
And some fine young men appear, muscular and young and handsome. They move the stone and that servant watches that bride. And all of a sudden her eyes cut to the right, and he reaches into his bag again. And he goes, "No, no, no. Look here, look here. Another jewel. Don't get distracted. These, they're nothing. Wait for Him. Wait for Him." That's the job of the preacher every Sunday. You've been distracted, I know. You're out there in a terrible, terrible world. Things are laid before you. No, no, no. Look this way, look this way. Keep going. We're almost there. We're almost there. He'll be worth it. He'll be worth it. Oh, He will. He's worth it. His beauty is so great that if you were to catch the smallest glimpse of the smallest glimpse of the back part and most extended part of His train, it would fracture your mind, the beauty of it, in a thousand pieces that you'll have to be strengthened and changed and transformed even to stand in His presence. To saints, He's worth it. And everything in this fallen world is screaming at you. And it's Him calling to you through it, "Look to me, look to me. Look to me."
]]>In a word, everything. Soteriology is based on ontology. Salvation occurs in creation. Redemption takes place in reality. This should be self-evident but in our post-modern world where more and more reality is being judged as simply social constructs or determined by the almighty self.
Let me explain. Ours is day when the very idea that absolute truth exists is judged outmoded, offensive, and hateful. This, of course, means that moral relativism dominates the thinking of many people. You can have your truth and I can have my truth and the two need not even approximate each other much less agree. What’s right for you may not be right for me. Ultimately each person (the self) is the determiner of is true and false, right and wrong, and good and bad.
It’s all relative, except, of course, the fact that it is all relative. That, my friend, is absolute. If you doubt me just try to live as if it is not and see how quickly you are charged with hate speech (or thoughts), bigotry, or violence. Such heresy must be canceled. The guardians of the left will not tolerate any questioning of their orthodoxy a person’s identity is precisely what [insert preferred pronoun] says it is. Biological sex has nothing to do with gender. Today when anxious friends ask brand new parents if their baby is a boy or girl, the only politically correct answer is, “We won’t know until they tell us.”
Ours is day when the very idea that absolute truth exists is judged outmoded, offensive, and hateful.
What is going on in the LGBTQIA+ revolution through which we are living is fundamentally a rejection of “Nature and Nature’s God.” This is the Apostle Paul’s point in Romans 1:26-27 where he describes the end result of those who “exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (25). “For this reason,” Paul writes, “God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error” (26-27, emphasis added).
Paul is talking about female (v. 26) and male (v. 27) homosexuality. Both are not “natural.” The word he uses is φυσικόςis (physikos)” everything which by its origin or by observation of its constitution seems to be a given. To call it ‘given’…is already to go beyond the sphere of naive description and implies a judgment on its actual constitution or true nature.”[1] In other words, male-male and female-female sexual relations are unnatural—against nature; against what is “a given.”
To put a fine but biblically and theologically fine point on it, such relations are a denial Genesis 1:1 and the rest of the creation account in chapters 1 and 2. It is a denial of creation and, therefore, of the Creator.
Here is where the connection to John 3:16 comes in. The God who “so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life,” is the same One who created the world in the beginning. To be reconciled to that God a person must lay down the arms of rebellion against him. That is, a person cannot continue worshiping the creation rather than the Creator and experience the saving grace of Jesus Christ, who is the Creator’s Son.
To make sure I am being clear—there is no such thing as a “gay Christian” or an “LGBTQIA+ Christian” or any other reality-denying-hyphenated Christian. You cannot deny the Creator and his creation and have his salvation at the same time. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus took place in the real world. He is a real Savior for real sinners. The salvation he gives is a real salvation. It is impossible, therefore, to experience this salvation while denying reality and the real God who both created it and accomplished salvation in it.
You cannot have the God of salvation while continuing in rebellion against the God of creation. He is the same God.
What this means is that Tim Keller’s would-be aphorism, though readily parroted by J.D. Greear and Ed Litton (and who knows how many after them) is as spiritually dangerous as it is disingenuous. Said Keller, “I know homosexuality doesn’t send you to hell because heterosexuality doesn’t send you to heaven.” While progressives and homosexuals readily applaud Keller’s cleverness, the Apostle Paul begs to differ. He wrote, “For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 5:5–6). Homosexuals do are not excluded from the “sexually immoral.”
You cannot have the God of salvation while continuing in rebellion against the God of creation. He is the same God. You cannot have the real Jesus while you insist on living in unreality. An inevitable component of true repentance is the renouncing of every relation that is “contrary to nature.”
Soteriology is built on ontology. You cannot have the grace that saves while rebelling against the nature that is. We should never mislead anyone by suggesting they may savingly believe the gospel of Jesus Christ while living in the unreality of LGBTQIA+ identity or the contra-reality of homosexuality.
The good news is that those who are enslaved to such false ways of living are not beyond hope. The gospel really is the power of God to salvation for all who believe. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Corinthian church was a living testimony of this. In his list of the kinds of people who will not inherit the kingdom of God, Paul includes “the sexually immoral,” “adulterers,” and “men who practice homosexuality.” But then he reminds the church that “such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
By all means, let us proclaim the amazing grace that is announced in John 3:16. But let us never do so to the exclusion to the undeniable reality that is revealed in Genesis 1:1.
[1] Helmut Köster, “Φύσις, Φυσικός, Φυσικῶς,” ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 253.
The post What Does Genesis 1:1 Have to Do with John 3:16? appeared first on Founders Ministries.
]]>The Church has had to fight for her life from the very beginning. We have seen how the apostles were arrested and thrown into prison, how they were threatened, how they were commanded to stop preaching. From the moment it was born, the church has faced a world that has done everything it could to exterminate Christianity.
Although this perhaps tempts us to be more anxious than anchored, it reminds us that what we face is, in fact, not entirely unprecedented. It also causes us to look to the early church to see how they faced difficult circumstances and remained faithful. The life of Stephen, in particular, can help us understand how we are to live.
Stephen was chosen to serve the church and at his choosing, the needs were growing alongside the opposition. It is important we remember how glorious the truth is that our God is sovereign. The world does not rule, the world will not win, and the church can be confident that with every assault thrown at her, she will ultimately not fail—not because she is strong but because the One who stands behind her and dwells within her is strong. We get a glimpse of this reality in the life of Stephen. Although very little is said about him in the Scriptures, what is said has ripple effects ringing throughout eternity. Stephen lives a life full of faith that enables him to die in faith. How does this happen? Luke tells us that Stephen was filled not to be full, but to be faithful.
Luke says that Stephen was “full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5), “grace and power” (Acts 6:8), and wisdom (Acts 6:10). A “man of faith” can be used simply as a cultural phrase that amounts to nothing, so what does Luke mean when he says that Stephen is “full of faith”? Fundamentally, true faith answers the need of every person. We, having fallen short of the glory of God and therefore justly under God’s perfect judgment, need to put our faith in Christ as our only substitute and atonement for sin. Faith trusts in Christ’s work alone for the forgiveness of sins, that His record is reckoned to us as Jesus took our payment. This is why the author of Hebrews can say, “Without faith it is impossible to please [God]” because it is faith that makes us right before God (Heb. 11:6).
At my former church, it was common to hear this simple reminder of faith from the pulpit: “Forsaking all, I take Him.” If we are honest, having faith and experiencing or exercising it is different. We can have true faith and yet not experience the full measure of it. It is why the father in the Gospel of Mark exclaims, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). When there are challenges, trials, and struggles, we may feel unstable or insecure. We are not sure what God is doing. It is why we take comfort in the Scriptures that remind us that there are different experiences in our faith. Jesus says several times to His disciples, “O you of little faith” (Matt. 6:30; 8:26; 16:8; Mark 4:40; Luke 12:28). Paul also says there are those who are strong in faith and weak in faith (Rom. 14). Our experience or feelings of faith are mutable, while the source of our faith is not. Stephen is full of faith because, having been justified by faith, he now lives confident in that justification, prepared to forsake any worldly treasures for the cause of Christ. Having such a faith enables one to face trials and persecutions because the One in him was greater than those persecuting him.
Stephen was also full of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5; 7:54). This is not a new phrase for Luke, for he also used it in the context of Pentecost (Acts 2:4), with Peter and John before the Sadducees (Acts 4:8), and even in the prayers of the church for boldness (Acts 4:29, 31). It’s a wonderful truth to understand that the Holy Spirit lives within all who have been born again. This brings confidence because it reminds us that we do not receive only some of the Spirit; instead, we receive the entirety of the Holy Spirit. Luke is reminding us that the ministry of the Spirit supplies all that we need.
Stephen, being full of faith and the Holy Spirit, is also full of grace, power, and wisdom. The grace of God that saves us also changes us. There is a status change, but there is also a character change. We live differently because we are different. God was present in the life of Stephen, and it showed in the ministry of Stephen. One perhaps could summarize what Luke is saying by looking to what Paul says in Ephesians 1: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:3). What was the purpose of being filled with every spiritual blessing? It was so that Stephen would be faithful.
Stephen is opposed by those who seek to destroy him, but Luke states that their aim is not the destruction of Stephen but the suppression of truth (Acts 6:10–13; 7:51, 57). What takes place with the persecution of Stephen has a great deal of similarity with the persecution of Jesus. The enemies of Christ attack Stephen’s theology—specifically his doctrine of God and his theology of worship—and they send false witnesses to accuse him. But why? Stephen was peeling back the layers of their hearts and showing that true worship isn’t the place, and it certainly isn’t the building, but it’s the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is why Luke tells us that those who saw Stephen described his face like that of an angel (Acts 6:15). We aren’t to speculate as to what angels look like, but rather to have our attention directed to someone else who was described this way, Moses (Acts 6:11). What did it mean if not to describe that Moses and Stephen had met with God? Being in the presence of God changes us.
Stephen became the first Christian martyr. He is an example of what it means to live well and die well. Yet, we would miss the overarching point if we saw Stephen as a model merely during trial and tribulation, when one’s life is at stake. Stephen reminds us that those who have been bought with the precious blood of Christ, having been filled with every spiritual blessing in Christ, will be shown faithful because of our faithful God even when we are not under trial. Our faithfulness is not only expressed at moments of trial or in opportunities to defend the gospel but is displayed each Lord’s Day when we demonstrate our understanding of faithfulness by coming into the presence of Almighty God in worship. The same truth expressed by Moses and Stephen takes place every time we come to meet with God in corporate worship. Corporate worship not only fills us but also gives us an opportunity to exercise our faith because we trust not in our efforts, or even in our worship, but in the One whom we have come to worship. May we as the people of God recognize together that we have been filled that we might be faithful in this life as we journey into the next.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on April 20, 2022.
The Philippines is a country of almost eight thousand islands spread over more than one hundred thousand square miles. Metro Manila, the nation’s capital, is a metropolis with great affluence alongside abject poverty. The strong influence of Roman Catholicism is evident throughout the nation— an enduring legacy of hundreds of years of Spanish influence. Yet, in the large southern island of Mindanao, Islam remains influential. Nevertheless, Protestantism and Reformed truth are seeing encouraging growth.
David Woollin, CEO of Reformation Heritage Books recently visited the capital city to take part in the 33rd Cubao Reformed Baptist Church Pastor’s Conference alongside Pastor Jeremy Walker from the UK, and Pastor Noel Espinosa from the Grace Ministerial Academy locally. The theme of the conference was Ministerial Faithfulness, and RHB was delighted to equip more than three hundred precious brothers with essential resources for their ministries.
We encourage you to pray for our dear brothers and sisters across this sprawling nation. Also, pray for RHB as we enact plans to continue to support them both with English books, and translations into the national language, Tagalog.
]]>In this third part, I would like to look at two different types of usage. First will be a couple of disagreements in which Thomas is mentioned alone, not in a list of others. Second, there are what appear to be a few points of agreement, one where Thomas is mentioned alone and another among a few others. Also note that these first three posts do not deal with Owen’s usage of Aquinas in the Hebrews volumes. I believe I will begin working through those in part 5.
As I mentioned previously, there are 20 of the 36 works that do not have any mention of Thomas Aquinas (not even in editorial footnotes). And from the other 16 books there are only 36 mentions of Thomas Aquinas. The first two parts covered 11 of those 36 mentions and this post will cover an additional 4. At this point, the 15 mentions of Aquinas only span 8 books. Counting the 20 without mentions, this is 28 of the 36 books which we will have covered by the end of this post.
Mentions of Thomas Aquinas where Owen disagreed with him
In “Owen’s Works, Volume 03, Part 1 – Pneumatologia”, Owen offers a disagreement with Thomas regarding the means of revelation.
1. Prophecy: The distinct outward manners and ways of revelation mentioned in the Scriptures may be reduced to three heads: 1. Voices; 2. Dreams; and 3. Visions.
And there are two incidental adjuncts of it: 1. Symbolic actions; and 2. Local movements.
The schoolmen, following Aquinas, 22. q. 174, a. 1, commonly reduce the means of revelation to three heads, for there are three ways by which we come to know anything — 1. By our external senses; 2. By impressions on the fantasy or imagination; and 3. By pure acts of the understanding.
So God revealed his will to the prophets in three ways —
1. By objects of their senses, such as audible voices;
2. By impressions on the imagination in dreams and visions;
3. By illustration or enlightening of their minds.
But because this last way expresses divine inspiration, I cannot acknowledge it as a distinct way of revelation by itself — for it was absolutely necessary to give an infallible assurance of mind in the other ways also.
In “Owen’s Works, Volume 12 – The Mystery of the Gospel Vindicated”, he relates a discussion between Franken and Socinus regarding “a twofold religious worship”. Owen, of course, disagreed with the assertion by Thomas Aquinas that the same worship is due to an image of Christ or a crucifix that is due to Christ.
XIX: The next argument of Franken, whereby he brought his adversary to another absurdity, had its rise from a distinction given by Socinus about a twofold religious worship;—one kind whereof, without any medium, was directed to God; the other is yielded him by Christ as a means. The first he says is proper to God, the other belongs to Christ only. Now, he is blind that doth not see that, for what he doth here to save himself, he doth but beg the thing in question. Who granted him that there was a twofold religious worship,—one of this sort, and another of that? Is it a sufficient answer, for a man to repeat his own hypothesis to answer an argument lying directly against it? He grants, indeed, upon the matter all that Franken desired,—namely, that Christ was not to be worshipped with that worship wherewith God is worshipped, and consequently not with divine. But Franken asks him whether this twofold worship was of the same kind or no? to which he answered, that it was because it abode not in Christ, but through him passed to God. Upon which, after the interposition of another entangling question, the man thus replies unto him: “This, then, will follow, that even the image of Christ is to be worshipped, because one and the same worship respects the image as the means, Christ as the end, as Thomas Aquinas tells us, from whom you borrowed your figment.” Yet this very fancy Socinus seems afterward to illustrate, by taking a book in his hand, sliding it along upon a table, showing how it passed by some hands where truly it was, but stayed not till it came to the end: for which gross allusion he was sufficiently derided by his adversary. I shall not insist on the other arguments wherewith on his own hypothesis he was miserably gravelled by this Franken, and after all his pretence of reason forced to cry out, “These are philosophical arguments, and contrary to the gospel.” The disputation is extant, with the notes of Socinus upon it, for his own vindication; which do not indeed one whit mend the matter. And of this matter thus far.
Mentions of Thomas Aquinas where Owen agreed with him
In “Owen’s Works, Volume 10, Part 2 – The Death of Death in the Death of Christ”, Owen brings up an objection to free Grace that is made by Arminians in his day. Looking back over this one, Owen actually does mention Thomas here as being in line with Augustine and Calvin’s objections to the matter.
Chapter 21: First, That which is now by some made to be a new doctrine of free Grace is indeed an old objection against it. That a non-necessity of satisfaction by Christ, as a consequent of eternal election, was more than once, for the substance of it, objected to Austin by the old Pelagian heretics, upon his clearing and vindicating, that doctrine, is most apparent. The same objection, renewed by others, is also answered by Calvin, Institut. lib. 2, cap. 16; as also divers schoolmen had before, in their way, proposed it to themselves, as Thom. 3. g. 49, a. 4. Yet, notwithstanding the apparent senselessness of the thing itself, together with the many solid answers whereby it was long before removed, the Arminians, at the Synod of Dort, greedily snatched it up again, and placed it in the very front of their arguments against the effectual redemption of the elect by Jesus Christ. Now, that which was in them only an objection is taken up by some amongst us as a truth, the absurd inconsequent consequence of it owned as just and good, and the conclusion deemed necessary, from the granting of election to the denial of satisfaction.
And, finally, in “Owen’s Works, Volume 10, Part 1 – Display of Arminianism”, Owen is discussing God’s secret and revealed wills and how there must be some distinctions. This section starts with a quotation that can be found in Thomas and Owen also agrees with how Thomas says that the revealed will can only metaphorically be called God’s will as it is a sign of His will.
Chapter 5: “Divinum velle est ejus esse,” 130 say the schoolmen: “The will of God is nothing but God willing;” it does not differ from his essence “secundem rem,” in the thing itself, but only “secundem rationem,” in a relation to the thing that is willed. The essence of God being a most absolute, pure, and simple act or substance, his will can only and simply be one; we ought to make neither division nor distinction in it. If what signifies God’s will was always taken properly and strictly for the eternal will of God, then the distinctions that are usually made about it, are distinctions about the signification of the word, rather than the thing itself.
In this regard, these distinctions are not only tolerable, but necessary, because without them it is utterly impossible to reconcile some places of Scripture that are seemingly repugnant to one another. In the 22nd chapter of Gen, verse 2, God commands Abraham to take his only son Isaac, and offer him for a burnt-offering in the land of Moriah. Here the words of God declare some will of God to Abraham, who knew it ought to be performed, and thought little but that it should be. Yet, when he actually addressed himself to his duty, in obedience to the will of God, he received a countermand in verse 12, that he should not lay his hand upon the child to sacrifice him. The event plainly manifests that it was the will of God that Isaac should not be sacrificed; and yet notwithstanding, by reason of his command, Abraham beforehand seemed bound to believe that it was well-pleasing to God that he should accomplish what he was enjoined to do. If the will of God in the Scripture is conceived of in only one way, then here is a plain contradiction. Thus God commands Pharaoh to let his people go. Could Pharaoh think otherwise? No. Was he not bound to believe that it was the will of God that he should dismiss the Israelites at the first hearing of the message? Yet God affirms that he would harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would not allow them to depart until God had showed his signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. To reconcile these and similar places in Scripture, the ancient fathers and schoolmen, along with modern divines, affirm that the one will of God may be said to be diverse or manifold with regard to the various ways by which he wills things to be done, and in other respects. Yet, taken in its proper signification, God’s will is simply one and the same. The common distinction between God’s secret will, and his revealed will, is such that all the other distinctions may be reduced to these two; and therefore I have chosen to insist upon it.
The Secret Will of God is his eternal, unchangeable purpose concerning all things which he has made, to be brought to their appointed ends by certain means. He himself affirms that “his counsel shall stand, and he will do all his pleasure,” Isaiah 46:10. Some call this the absolute, efficacious will of God, the will of his good pleasure, which is always fulfilled. Indeed this is the only proper, eternal, constant, immutable will of God, whose order can neither be broken nor its law transgressed, so long as there is neither change nor shadow of turning with him. Jas 1.17
The Revealed Will of God does not contain his purpose and decree, but our duty – not what he will do according to his good pleasure, but what we should do if we would please him; and this will, consisting of his word, his precepts and promises, belongs to us and our children, so that we may do the will of God. Now this, indeed, is to< qelhto>n rather than to< qe>lhma – that which God wills, rather than his will – but what we call the will of a man is what he has determined shall be done: “This is the will of him that sent me, that every one which sees the Son, and believes on him, may have everlasting life,” says our Savior, John 6:40; that is, this is what his will has appointed. Hence it is called “voluntas signi,” or the sign of his will. It is only metaphorically called his will, says Aquinas; 131 for inasmuch as our commands are the signs of our wills, the same is said of the precepts of God. This is the rule of our obedience, the transgression of which makes an action sinful; for hJ aJmarti>a ejsti<n hJ ajnomi>a, “sin is the transgression of a law;” such a law is given to the transgressor to be observed. Now, God has not imposed on us the observation of his eternal decree and intention (his secret will); and as it is utterly impossible for us to transgress or frustrate it, we would be unblamable if we should. A master requires of his servant to do what he commands, not to accomplish what he intends, which perhaps he never revealed to him. No, the commands of superiors are not always signs that the commander would have the things commanded actually performed, but only that those who are subject to his command are obliged to obedience, as far as the sense of that extends. “Et hoc clarum est in praeceptis divinis,” says Durand,132 etc. – “And this is clear in the commands of God,” by which we are obliged to do what he commands. Yet it is not always his pleasure that the thing itself, in regard to the event, should be accomplished, as we saw before in the examples of Pharaoh and Abraham.
Footnote 130: Aquinas, p. q. 19, ar. ad. 1.
Footnote 131: Aquin., q. g. 19, a. 11, c.
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]]>The Dividing Line will be LIVE at 7:00pm EST https://t.co/EhIqp933tH
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]]>I would like to suggest a means of becoming acquainted with the first five centuries of the church through the reading of primary sources—the writings of those who lived at that time. There are, of course, other options. One could begin with a book summarizing the names, dates, and important events of key church fathers, and that option has its advantages. For example, this approach provides the big picture within which the many individuals fit. For those who prefer this approach, I would recommend beginning with Nick Needham’s 2000 Years of Christ’s Power, Vol. 1: The Age of the Early Church Fathers.
While getting the big picture is necessary, there is also an argument to be made for reading some of the primary sources first. Many people decide to visit a foreign land only because they first met fascinating individuals who either live or have lived there. Perhaps they met a foreign exchange student who piqued their interest in a different nation. Perhaps they met someone from another nation in the course of their business. Meeting fascinating people from another place can encourage our interest in that place. And meeting fascinating people from another place and time can do the same.
But where to begin? I would suggest that there are many early church fathers who are quite interesting, but if I had to choose five whose writings are a particularly accessible means of being introduced to the early church, I would recommend the following.
Some might express surprise at the choice of Irenaeus. He is best known for writing Against Heresies, a work that relentlessly dismantles early Gnosticism. Granted, the first two books of this lengthy work are often tedious because they recount and describe all the various gnostic myths and errors. Sadly, however, many readers have failed to reach books 3–5 because they gave up before getting to these sections of the works. James Payton has done every student of the early church a favor by editing a condensed version of Against Heresies under the title Irenaeus on the Christian Faith. This work allows readers to focus on books 3–5, where Irenaeus provides a positive exposition of Christian teaching.
Athanasius is one of the most significant fathers of the early church, primarily because of his contribution to the Trinitarian debates and his refutation of various forms of Arianism. His defense of orthodoxy led to his being exiled multiple times. Athanasius wrote numerous works. The best entry into his writing is likely the pair of works titled Contra Gentes and De Incarnatione (Against the pagans and On the incarnation). In the first work, Athanasius critiques the pagan religions, and then in the second work he defends the necessity and nature of the incarnation of Christ.
Gregory of Nazianzus was a key figure in the resolution of the fourth century Trinitarian controversies. His style of writing is extraordinarily beautiful, especially when his reflections on the Holy Trinity result in lengthy doxologies. Much of his best writing is found in his numerous orations. A good starting place is his five theological orations on the Trinity. They are now available in a small volume titled On God and Christ.
Augustine is widely acknowledged as the greatest theological mind of the first thousand years of the church’s history. His influence continues to be felt to this day, so his significance cannot be overstated. Augustine’s written output was extraordinary, so knowing where to begin with him is almost as big a challenge as knowing where to begin with the church fathers themselves. It is probably impossible to go astray, however, if one begins with his Confessions. This work is more than a mere autobiography. It is also a work of profound theology. Though it is not a primary source, I would be remiss if I did not also recommend Peter Brown’s biography of Augustine. This work remains the best biography of anyone, ancient or modern, that I have ever read.
Of these five church fathers, Cyril of Alexandria is the one with whom Protestants are likely the least familiar. This should not be the case, for Cyril was just as significant in the Christological controversies of the fifth century as Athanasius and Gregory were in the fourth century Trinitarian controversies and as Augustine was in the fifth century Pelagian controversy. Cyril’s theological works, in fact, set the parameters for the Chalcedonian settlement, and his doctrine is enshrined in the Definition of Chalcedon. The best introduction to Cyril, including a lengthy selection of his most important primary sources, is John McGuckin’s book Saint Cyril of Alexandria and the Christological Controversy.
There are certainly other early church fathers whose writings are significant and fascinating, and many different titles could be suggested. These five individuals are a good place to start, however, so take the time to make their acquaintance. Tolle lege: Take up and read.
Editor’s Note: This post was first published on May 21, 2018.
]]>In this respect, the book of Judges seems to be emblematic of the history of the church. There are times of declension when God’s people trust in anything but the Spirit of the Lord to do the work of God. The church, in such times, languishes in weakness until she cries out to God, “Will You not revive us again?” There follow times of flourishing, when the church is teeming with vigor and power, and there is a conscious dependence upon the might of the Spirit of God.
2. Revival Is a Work Grounded in the Sovereignty of the Holy Spirit.
Revival—the breathing of new life into the church—is a divine work of grace. It cannot be accomplished by mere human zeal and ingenuity. If it were possible for men and women to revive the church by their own innate energy and will power, what need would there be of the Spirit of God in our midst? The outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples at Pentecost is our model here: wait in Jerusalem, their Lord told them, “until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49).
3. When God Determines to Revive His Church, He Begins by Stirring up His People to Pray for What He Will Do.
The fact that revival is a work of the Holy Spirit does not mean that in times of declension, God’s people can sit back, do nothing, and wait for the Spirit to act. No, they are called and indeed energized to pray for revival and to repent of their sins and spiritual lethargy.
4. Times of Revival Are Attended by a Solid Commitment to the Bible as the Word of the Living God, Infallible and Unerring.
The Scriptures have been created by the Holy Spirit, who has breathed them into existence (2 Tim. 3:16). During those times when His work of regeneration and sanctification is so remarkable, it is unthinkable that the Bible, by which He saves sinners and sanctifies them (James 1:18; John 17:17) should be held as anything but what it is: the Holy Word of God.
5. Genuine Revival Is Always Attended with Faithful Preaching of the Scriptures.
The Word of God is the great instrument of conversion and sanctification (see Heb. 4:12–13), not human oratory and eloquence, nor the sacraments (important as these are in the life of the church), nor the pattern of worship. It is the Word of God in the hand of its author, the Holy Spirit, that convicts, illumines, liberates, regenerates, and rejoices the heart.
6. Revival Is Accompanied by Theological Renewal, for the Holy Spirit Is Ever the Spirit of Truth.
The Holy Spirit, who is the leading agent of revival, is ever the Spirit of truth (John 14:17; 16:13). When He comes in power to revive His people, He takes them back to the truth of His Word, and there is theological renewal and even degrees of reformation.
7. Spirit-Wrought Revival Always Impacts the Societal Context of the Churches That Are Being Renewed and Revitalized.
Revival cannot be contained within the four walls of Christian congregations. As the hearts of God’s people are revived and stirred afresh, they engage in evangelism and mission to those outside of their communities. They engage in good works, which leads to significant streams of blessing.
8. Revival Is a Christ-Centered Experience.
The central feature of the new-covenant ministry of the Holy Spirit is the glorification of Jesus Christ (John 16:14). As a work of the Holy Spirit, revival then is first and foremost a time when Jesus Christ is set forth in all of His glory as Savior and Lord.
]]>What if you could pray with 100 percent certainty—if you could know God will answer all of your prayers, all of the time? In Mark 11:22–25, Jesus says that such confidence in prayer is actually refreshingly simple. It only requires two ingredients: faith and forgiveness.
And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:22–24)
At first glance, this might look like “name it and claim it,” “gab it and grab it” theology—that if you believe with absolute certainty, God cannot deny your prayer request. This is not the case. I once heard a story of how three farmers in a time of great drought prayed for rain. Day after day went by, and day after day they prayed. But no rain. A stranger walking by their field one afternoon observed their ritual supplications and inquired what they were doing. When they told him, he said, “I am not sure you expect God to answer. . . . You didn’t bring any umbrellas!” He certainly had a point. How often do we pray without really expecting an answer? But perhaps the stranger’s theology is off. He seems to assume that if they had brought umbrellas into the field, God would have been too embarrassed not to give in to their request. The real question when it comes to their prayer, however, is, How do we know God intends to send rain? And, of course, there is no way of knowing that. Our only recourse at such times is to cry out, “Lord, if it be Your will, send rain upon our thirsty fields.”
I think we all know that. But the real question facing us today is, How do we square such sanctified uncertainty with Jesus’ words in our text? Doesn’t Jesus promise that if you believe that you have received it, it will be yours?
What are we to make of these words?
The key is to remember that faith finds its certainty in the Word of God. Remember the context of Jesus’ teaching. The day before, He verbally cursed a fig tree (Mark 11:12–14). On this day, the disciples are shocked to see that Christ’s word has been fulfilled. In the context of that fulfilled word, Jesus says, “Have faith in God!” In other words, they ought not to have been surprised that what God said, He did. So what Jesus is saying is that if you have a promise from God, no matter how great that promise seems to be, even if the promise speaks of a mountain being lifted up and hurled down, ask God to fulfill His promise, and you can believe with 100 percent confidence that it will be done for you.
If you want to pray with such confidence, take yourselves to the Word of God. Ask God to help you obey His commands, plead with God to keep His promises, and you will never bow your knees in vain. The only question with which to wrestle is not will God keep His word but when. Calvin makes the same point in his commentary on the Gospels:
If it be objected, that those prayers are never heard, that mountains should be thrown into the sea, the answer is easy. Christ does not give a loose rein to the wishes of men, that they should desire any thing at their pleasure, when he places prayer after the rule of faith; for in this way the Spirit must of necessity hold all our affections by the bridle of the word of God, and bring them into obedience. Christ demands a firm and undoubting confidence of obtaining an answer; and whence does the human mind obtain that confidence but from the word of God? We now see then that Christ promises nothing to his disciples, unless they keep themselves within the limits of the good pleasure of God.
And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. (Mark 11:25)
Our prayers must not lack faith, and they must not lack a forgiving spirit.
Once again, at first glance, it might seem as if our forgiveness earns both the answer of our prayer and the forgiveness of our sins. But, of course, it does not. The rest of the New Testament makes it clear: we don’t earn forgiveness by showing forgiveness. Rather, we evidence that we have been forgiven our sins when we offer forgiveness for the sins of others (Matt 18:21–25). We are to forgive others with the same liberality with which God has forgiven us (Eph. 5:1). And when such a forgiving spirit is lacking, it calls into question our whole standing before God. When there is no forgiving spirit, it may be an indication that we haven’t actually trusted in Christ. For when God wipes a sinner’s slate clean, that soul is scarred with a merciful disposition toward others for the rest of their earthly lives. And what a beautiful scar that is!
Do you see the connection then? If we pray with a hard, merciless heart, could we ever expect a favorable response from the Father? Such an unforgiving posture in prayer would betray a heart profoundly estranged from God. Such a heart can be confident of only one thing: God will not hear; their prayers are an abomination to Him.
With this in mind, therefore, when you bow to pray, check your soul. Do you have promise on your lips, and do you have mercy in your heart? If you do, take comfort; none of your words shall ever fall to the ground in vain. But you might say, “What if God hasn’t given me a particular promise for this particular need?” Then you can pray with confidence that your heavenly Father knows best: “Lord, You have promised not to withhold any good thing from me. Lord, search this request, my heart, and my life, and if it be good and in accordance with Your will, open Your hand and satisfy the desire of Your servant.”
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on February 10, 2021.
We will read in a number of places in the word of God, first of all in Isaiah chapter 50, then in 2 Corinthians 1 and 4, and then in Mark chapter 8. Isaiah 50, reading from the fourth verse. This is the third of the fourth servant songs. There is an escalating darkness that is beginning to envelop the mind and heart of the servant of the Lord, the promised Messiah and Savior. The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.
(01:08)
The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? Let us stand together: who is mine adversary? Let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord God will help me; who is he that shall condemn me?
(02:07):
Lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up. Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.
(02:57):
Then in 2 Corinthians, first of all, in chapter 1, reading in verse 8. For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: but we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead. Then in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 8, reading at verse 34. And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, "Whoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life will lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
(04:27):
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." If someone were to come to your door this evening, you've returned from the conference, the doorbell rings and a neighbor is standing there. Clearly, he or she is distressed and they look at you and they say, "I know you are a Christian. Please can you tell me what must I know to be a follower of Jesus Christ?"
(05:45):
I wonder if any of us would have the courage to say to them, "I can tell you exactly what you need to know. You need to be ready and willing to die." Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." We have heard those words so often that we have I think almost domesticated Jesus' words. We talk about people having crosses to bear. We're thinking about maybe a man who has a nagging wife, he's got a cross to bear, or a woman who has a pusillanimous husband or she has her cross to bear, or parents who have wayward children or they have their cross to bear. That is not what the Lord Jesus Christ is speaking about. His listeners would've known exactly what he meant.
(07:04):
They would know from the language he used that he was saying to them, if you are not ready and willing for my sake and for the gospels to be nailed to a Roman cross, considered the offscouring of the world, you cannot be my disciple. It's all or nothing. The Bible has many ways you will know to describe the life of saving faith in our savior Jesus Christ. It tells us that saving faith unites us to a risen, ascended, regnant savior. It tells us that in Jesus Christ, we have life in all its fullness. It tells us that because of Christ and through union with Christ, we are new creations. The old is passing away and the new is daily becoming. It tells us that because of Christ and united to Christ, we are eternally safe and secure.
(08:28):
It tells us that we are caught up in Christ's triumphal procession and we could go on and on, couldn't we? These are glorious descriptors of every life that has been savingly united to Jesus Christ. This is not what the mature life of faith inherits. This is what saving faith at its weakest inherits, because we inherit Jesus Christ who is Himself the gospel. All of the blessings of God are found in Jesus Christ. It is in Christ that we are blessed with every spiritual blessing. One of the verses that most beautifully and evocatively presents those glorious descriptors to us is found in 2 Corinthians 2:14, words that you will all know I'm sure so well. "That we have been caught up," says Paul, "in Christ's triumphal procession. We are always," he says...
(09:50):
Now, notice the word. We are always being led in Christ's triumphal procession. Not some of the time, not most of the time, but every moment of every day, of every week, of every month, of every year, we are caught up in the cosmic triumph of our savior Jesus Christ. We are always being led in His triumphal procession. But then if you were to jump two chapters to 2 Corinthians 4 from verse 10 through verse 12, Paul says something very striking. He says, "Yes, we are always being led in Christ's triumphal procession, but at the same time, we are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake so that death works in us but life in you." Now, notice the juxtaposition of those two phrases.
(10:58):
We are always being led in triumphal procession, but at the same time, synchronously, not sequentially, but synchronously, we are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake. The life of faith is synchronously at the same time a life that enjoys the glories of God in Jesus Christ and at the same time experiences the cost of being united to a savior whom this world despised and rejected. This is the life of faith. Here in Isaiah 50 at verse 10, we are given one of the most striking descriptions of the experience of a true believer that we find anywhere in the Bible. Who is among you that fears the Lord, that obeys the voice of His servant?
(12:20):
So he's speaking of someone who not only confesses the servant of the Lord, the promised Messiah and Savior, who fears the Lord that is who walks in holy believing reverence before Him, who obeys the voice of His servant, who walks in darkness and has no light. Utter darkness, no light, not a pinprick in the cosmos, darkness everywhere you look out and then no light. Unless you have been there in some measure, you cannot begin to imagine what that must be like. I would guess all of us here this morning for whom Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior and King, we have all known seasons, maybe even lengthy seasons of darkness and trial and trouble. The heavens are as brass. Our hearts are cold. We're enigmas to ourselves.
(13:46):
We struggle through a day and it's a triumph just to get through the day. We, all of us, in some measure know that experience, but I wonder how many of us know what it is to all the lights to go out, for all the lights to go out. Bear with me for a moment or two as we try to unpack exactly what the prophet is saying to us. Some very fine scholars actually think that we need to translate the Hebrew just a little differently to capture the essence of what Isaiah is saying to us. They think that we should read the passage thus, who among you that fears the Lord, that obeys the voice of his servant, who walks in darkness and has no light.
(14:57):
They argue, and I think they can argue cogently, that it's the servant who has no light, that God's believing people are called to live with and to follow after one for whom all the lights had gone out. I think that makes sense actually. That's the truth, of course, and we'll come to that, which is embedded in the word of God, because the Lord Jesus Christ more than anyone else who ever walked in this Earth knew what it was to have all the lights to go out. But I still think that the text reads most naturally the way we have it in our various English versions. Who is among you? He's speaking to the community of faith, to the remnant of faith. Who is among you that fears the Lord? That's one of the great descriptors of authentic saving faith in the Bible, to fear the Lord.
(16:16):
It's not an old covenant descriptor. It's a Biblical descriptor of authentic, genuine faith. Who among you who reverence and honor and bow down and hold in awe the Lord Yahweh? Because of that, who obeys the voice of his servant whose lives are shaped and styled and directed by the word of the servant of the Lord, but who walk in darkness and who have no light? Trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon your God. Let me take a step back and consider the context with you, which I think will illuminate precisely what the prophet is saying to us. If you know the context of these latter chapters of Isaiah, God's covenant people are facing the unimaginable prospect of exile from the land.
(17:28):
Now, we read about this and we hear about it, but we can hardly begin to appreciate the mental, emotional, spiritual anguish and devastation that that prospect had for God's covenant people, His visible church on earth, to be exiled from the land. But aren't all of God's promises embedded in the land? Actually no. One of the favorite texts I have that I think about often is in Romans 4:12 and 13, where Paul tells us that Abraham, the great exemplar of believing trust in God, was the heir of the cosmos, not of a tiny little bit of real estate in the Middle East. He was the heir of the cosmos. But for these old covenant people, the very thought that they could be exiled from the land was just utterly devastating.
(18:41):
But Isaiah's telling them again and again and again, that because of their willful, persistent, deliberate rejection of God, God's word, God's grace, His love, what God had promised He would do back in Deuteronomy 28, for example, Leviticus 26, what God said He would do if they persisted in willful rebellion would come to pass. He would uproot them from the land. He would cast them off. What He promised 700 years before through Moses is a reality that's now about to engulf this covenant people of God. The darkness of rejection, the darkness of exile is about to be their portion in life. So in verses 4 through 9, we have this third servant song.
(19:48):
If you know the servant songs at all, Isaiah 42:1-4, and then in 49:1-9, and then in these verses in Isaiah 50, then climactically, in Isaiah 52:12 through to the end of 53, you will know that there is an atmosphere of escalating darkness that is engulfing the servant of the Lord. You see it in chapter 42 at verse 4. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. What does it mean he will not fail nor be discouraged? It's the beginnings of this awareness that the servant of the Lord is going to face controversy, hostility, and worse. Then in 49 verse 4, the darkness continues its escalation. Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain.
(21:01):
He is the servant and he's discovering that because of his faithfulness to the Lord and his faithfulness to the commission entrusted to him by the Lord, his soul is being overwhelmed with discouragement, with sinless perplexity. This servant is not going to effortlessly cruise his way to glory. Then you have in this third servant song in chapter 50, the Lord God opened my ear. I was not rebellious, I turned not back. I gave my back to the smiters, my cheeks to them who plucked off the hair. I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
(21:59):
Can you imagine the understanding of the servant of the Lord, our Savior, Jesus Christ whose humanity was not omniscient and who day by day began to experience in an escalating manner what it would mean for him to be the unyielding better than Adam servant of the Lord? He would not cruise to glory. He would face unimaginable anguishes and struggles and hostilities and harm. Of course, the darkness reaches its omega point in chapter 53, where we find the servant having laid upon him the iniquity of us all.
(23:05):
The point that is being highlighted here in Isaiah 50:10 is that the experience of the servant will be the experiences of those who will obey the voice of the servant, that the prototypical servant of the Lord will have the template of His holy, faithful, believing, obedient humanity laid across the lives of His people and the darknesses that He experienced will be their experience, because the Holy Spirit has come in their union with Him to overlay upon their lives that principial template of what it means to believe God when all the lights go out. Remember Jesus' words, if the world hates me, it will hate you also. Do you know why the world hates you and will oppose you? Not because you or me or Joel or Paul or Anthony or anyone is anything.
(24:40):
It's because the world hates Jesus Christ, hates the one who is the light of the world, hates the only begotten of the Father who is full of grace and truth. The light came into the world and the world loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. I want to make two very basic points from these words. The first, very obviously, the experience of darkness belongs natively to the life of faith. Now, darkness, spiritual darkness may come to us because of our sin and rebellion. We know that, but here, the darkness has come to those who fear the Lord and who obey the voice of His servant. The darkness has come not because they've been recalcitrant, not because they've been unbelieving or disobedient.
(25:49):
The very reverse, it has come to them because like the servant of the Lord, they have feared the Lord and obeyed His voice. Darkness may come to you because you are seeking to live faithfully and obediently before God. When I was a very young Christian, I met some older Christians who began to encourage me to believe that it was possible to escape from the troubles and perplexities and failures of life and enter a higher life. Some of them called it the second blessing. You could imagine for a young Christian with no background in anything, this was an immediate attraction. Who doesn't want to escape to a higher life? We need to learn, they said, to leave behind us the wretched man of Romans seven and enter into the high land of Romans eight.
(27:15):
Well, in the Lord's kindness, I quickly realized how foreign, how antithetical to the word of God was that kind of teaching. Some of you will know the name Alexander White. He was a renowned Scottish Presbyterian, end of the 19th, beginning of the 20th century. Alexander White had a deal with his local bookseller and the deal was this, that the bookseller would send him every new commentary on Paul's letter to the Romans. But there was a proviso that if Alexander White didn't like what they said in Romans seven, he would send it back without paying. The first thing he would do, the first thing Alexander White would do with every new commentary, he'd turn to Romans 7:14-25.
(28:21):
If any of them said, "This is not the experience of a seasoned child of God," he closed the book and sent it back. Brothers and sisters, the holiest, purest, most God trusting man who ever walked this earth suffered disappointment, affliction, sadness, and heartache. When you read through the gospels, we have a propensity I think to read the gospels flatly. I think when Paul says to Timothy, "Give careful attention, prosecho, give careful attention to the public reading of scripture," he's saying something very profound. We've to learn to read the word of God within the contours and landscapes of the spirituality of the word of God. When we read passages like the Savior saying, "How long must I remain with you?", there is a mountain of emotion in those words.
(29:37):
The Lord is expressing His sinless frustration with the fallenness of this world, with the inability of His even closest disciples to understand what He was saying to them. Do you not yet understand? We read those words so easily, but they're betraying a heart that is breaking. You see, our Lord Jesus Christ was made perfect through suffering. At every stage of His life, He exhibited the perfection of that maturated stage of life. He wasn't excused the maturated processes of spiritual growth. He grew in wisdom and in favor with God and with man. Now that doesn't mean He was moving from imperfection to perfection. It means that He was as perfect in the womb as an embryo in the womb could be.
(30:50):
He was as perfect at one as a one-year-old could be. He was as perfect at five as a five-year-old could be. He was not excused the maturated processes. He grew in wisdom and in favor with God and with man. His humanity, as we were hearing two evenings ago, His humanity was a genuine, authentic humanity. He was made like unto us in every way apart from sin. He even came in the likeness of sinful flesh. He looked like a sinner, but He wasn't. But in His sinless humanity, He experienced an escalating darkness as He tremblingly made his way to the cross. That's why Gethsemane is such a signal passage in the gospels. Like Paul, I am always reading in the gospels. When I was younger, folk would say, "Start preaching the gospels because they're easier to preach than the epistles."
(32:26):
I don't think so. I feel out of my depth more than anywhere in the Bible in the gospels, because we find our Lord Jesus Christ traversing himself the valley of the shadow of death and not doing it effortlessly. Do you think it was effortless for the Son of God in our frail flesh, addicted to so many wretchedness as Calvin so dramatically puts it? Do you think it was effortless for the Son of God to resist the devil? He sweat in the garden as it were great drops of blood.
(33:20):
He who himself walked through the valley of the shadow of death leads His own people not just to green pastures but in His good purposes through the valley of the shadow of death, because just as He was made perfect through suffering and there was no other way for Him to be made perfect, but through suffering as it was with the master. So it will be with those united to the master. Some of you will know, I hope, that the name Amy Carmichael. I remember years ago reading her poem Hast Thou No Scar. How many of you know that poem Has Thou No Scar? It's a remarkable poem. You remember how she ministered in Dohnavur in Southern India?
(34:27):
She wrote this poem Has Thou No Scar. Hast thou no scar on hand, or foot, or side? I hear thee sung as mighty in the land. Hast thou no scar? Yet as the Master shall the servant be, and pierced are the feet that follow Me. But thine are whole. Can he have followed far who has no wound nor scar? When Paul wrote, "Let no man trouble me, I bear in my body the marks of Jesus Christ," he was saying precisely that. My very body is a testimony to my faithfulness. I have known darkness and death. What we need to understand and the Bible wants to impress this on us again and again and again, that the life of faith is never simply even and always sweet.
(35:51):
It's punctuated with times of trial and trouble and darkness, but in the midst of all, God is weaving His bright designs just as He did with His own son who is the prototypical man of faith. Calvin uses a very striking phrase when he speaks of the new covenant ministry of the Holy Spirit as a ministry of replication. He comes to replicate in us what He first etched into the holy humanity of the Son of God. Brothers and sisters, when I pray, Lord make me more like my savior, we need to know what we are asking. We need to know what we are asking, because if the Lord takes us at our word, who knows what He might be pleased to do? You want to be more like my Son? Well, let me lead you through the maturated processes of suffering that made Him the man that He was and that He became.
(37:11):
So darkness is natively part of the life of faith, but then secondly, this darkness that is natively part of the life of faith may be utterly, completely, and pervasively dark. That's what Isaiah is highlighting here, who is among you that fears the Lord, that obeys the voice of His servant, that walks in darkness? We say, "Yes, I have some sense of what that means," and who has no light? No light. I had a friend who's now in glory who once said to me, "Ian, I used to admire the lampposts in Glasgow because they had light." There was a time in his life when darkness just engulfed his whole being and he envy. Can you imagine envying the streetlamps of Glasgow, because they had light. No light, not a pinprick of encouragement. All that you have, all that you have is yourself and God.
(38:53):
We'll come to it more in a moment, but what's the antidote? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord. You see, we belong to a savior for whom all the lights went out on Calvary's cross. The hours of darkness were sacramental of the darkness that overwhelmed and engulfed every aspect of our Savior's mind and heart. There was darkness without, there was darkness within. That's why the cry, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani? My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" I've preached in that text relatively recently and I've preached it a number of times, but maybe for the first time, I thought, "I don't know how to preach this text."
(39:58):
I don't know where the accent lies. Is it my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Or is it my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Or is it my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Or is it my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Or is it my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Or is it, which I now tend to think it is, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Am I not the son that you love? At my baptism, did you not reign the heavens and say, "This is my beloved son"? On the Mount of Transfiguration when I was transfigured before my disciples with Moses and Elijah, did you not reign the heavens again and come down in the glory cloud and say, "This is my son"?
(41:18):
You can almost feel the emotive of, I dare use the language, the emotive heart of God as He placards to the cosmos His delight in His son, but now where is the Father? He can't even say, "My father, my father, forsaken me. Am I not the son you love? Have I not come from the glory?" His forsakenness was not imagined. It was real, but my brothers and sisters, this is where the comfort of the gospel takes us, because the Savior is one who knows darkness in its fullest extent. Because of that, He's able to help us in our darkness. You'll know these words. We've heard them this conference, Hebrews 2:17. Wherefore it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God.
(42:35):
For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted. It's in our darknesses that Satan tempts us most acutely. He has been there. He has been there and he's able to help us not because of His divine omniscience, but because of His human heart. There is a lamb in the midst of the throne bearing the marks of our redemption and it's out of those marks that He is able to minister grace to His suffering, struggling, and darkened people. He knows our frame. He remembers that we are dust. If we were to understand those words in the 103rd Psalm, rightly, we need to see them transcending the omniscience of God to the incarnation of the Son of God. He knows our frame because he shares our frame.
(43:58):
There is dust on the throne of heaven, glorify dust on the throne of heaven, and that dust has tasted darkness to its ultimate degree and triumphed. He knows your darkness. He knows your frame. He remembers that we are dust. He is able to help us as the writer to the Hebrews, the end of chapter 4. Seeing we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not a high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Are you in a time of need this morning?
(45:15):
There is a man in heaven given by God to meet you in your time of need, who knows your humanity from within, who didn't cruise effortlessly to glory. He is able to help you. I sometimes think we underestimate, at least let me speak for myself. I underestimate greatly the triumph of simply getting through another day when all hell is raging against you, when the devil is a roaring lion, is looking to pounce and devour you, when his wiles and methods and stratagem are internally devised to turn you aside or to apostatize you. I sometimes think simply to get through another day and to lay our head in the pillow still standing in Christ is a triumph of the heavenly intercessor.
(46:36):
I think in heaven's glory, we'll discover that simply getting through a day was a glorious triumph, but our time has really gone. But let me simply mention as we close the antidote to those who are walking in darkness and who have no light. It's very simple but very profound. Let him trust in the name of the Lord. The response of faith to the experience of darkness is simple but profound. Trust in the name of the Lord. Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said he could forgive a preacher anything as long as he gave him exalted thoughts of God. That's what we need in the church today. We need to be reacquainted with the godness of God. We need to be reminded Lord's day by Lord's day, especially in the opening prayer and in the opening praise.
(47:47):
We need to be reminded who it is we have come to worship. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. The name of the Lord, of course, reflects all that He is essentially and attributively. His name is all that He is, the unchanging and unchangeable. I am the everlasting one, the one who has loved us in Christ with an everlasting love, who will never stop loving us, because He never began to love us. I have loved you with an everlasting love. Remember Jesus' disciples came to him and He said to them, "You know your great need, have faith in God." We think too much about faith and too little about God. We need to have God in His self-revelation unpacked for us and set before us.
(49:01):
We need Lord's day by Lord's day and day by day in our own personal private readings to be reacquainted with the godness of God and to know that He is far as in Christ, because this name in which we are summoned to trust is the one who spared not His only son, but who delivered Him up for us all. You see, you never get beyond Calvary. You never get beyond the cross, because there, God has exegeted His glory. It's bewildering to the world that for Christian believers the glory of Almighty God was most seen in a garbage heap outside the city walls of Jerusalem. "May I never boast," says Paul, "except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ because their God's name was most exegeted for humanity to see."
(50:19):
So Isaiah concludes by saying, there are two ways to live. We don't have time, but there are two ways to live. You can live by the light of your own fire, verse 11. You can construct your own pinpricks of light to help you navigate your way through the darkness of this life, but if you do that, the wrath of God rests upon you. There are two ways to live. We can trust in the name of the Lord or we can trust in ourselves. Jonathan Edwards would often say that heaven will be a world of revelations. I think part of what he meant was in heaven, we will no longer see through a glass darkly. We'll see face to face. God will make all things clear and plain. In an instant, perhaps in a moment, all that was perplexing, bewildering, confusing, even crushing will be banished in a moment of light emanating from God.
(52:00):
Perhaps we won't be able to say anything. We will simply marvel, bow down, and worship. One day, the darkness will be no more and we shall be in that city bright, closed at its gates to sin, not that defileth shall ever enter it. We shall be in that city where the lamb will be the light of the new heavens and the new earth, and we will wander around, marveling, wondering, hardly able to take in all that has come to us. Because by God's grace, we refused to turn back when the darkness came and prove that there was indeed grace to help in time of need.
(53:26):
Let us pray. Our blessed Father in heaven, our word seems so inadequate, so lacking, and yet you delight to hear your children come to you. We thank You that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ, a savior who has entered into the deepest extent of darkness and who is able therefore to help us in our darkness. Lord, grant us the grace in these darkening times to be faithful unto death that we may, by your grace, receive the crown of life, and we ask it in our savior's name. Amen.
]]>What are other objects worth?
But to see Thy glory shine,
Is a heaven begun on earth:
Trifles can no longer move,
Oh, I tread on all beside,
When I feel my Saviour’s love,
And remember how He died.
Now my search is at an end,
Now my wishes rove no more.
Thus my moments I would spend—
Love, and wonder, and adore.
Jesus, source of excellence!
All Thy glorious love reveal!
Kingdoms shall not bribe me hence,
While this happiness I feel.
Take my heart, ‘tis all Thine own,
To Thy will my spirit frame;
Thou shalt reign, and Thou alone,
Over all I have, or am.
If a foolish thought shall dare
To rebel against Thy Word,
Slay it, Lord, and do not spare;
Let it feel Thy Spirit’s sword.
Making thus the Lord my choice,
I have nothing more to choose,
But to listen to Thy voice,
And my will in Thine to lose.
Thus, whatever may betide,
I shall safe and happy be;
Still content and satisfied,
Having all in having thee.
The post True Happiness appeared first on Founders Ministries.
]]>First, considering the sacrifices, grain and animal offerings are both part of the Old Testament sacrificial system. While animal sacrifices are important, without the grain offerings Israel would not be worshiping the Lord appropriately (Lev. 2), and not all grain offerings were firstfruit offerings. Moreover, both Cain’s and Abel’s offerings are called a minhah in Hebrew, and while this can be a general term for “offering,” it is used in Leviticus 2 in reference to approved grain offerings. In light of these observations, the particular kind of offering that both Cain and Abel brought—grain and animal—were part of the sacrificial system and therefore appropriate to bring before the Lord. The distinguishing feature of each offering, therefore, cannot be in the kind or quality of the sacrifice. The answer must lie elsewhere.
Too often this question of the sacrifices is asked without regard for the broader context of the Genesis narrative. Genesis 2:4–4:26 forms one narrative unit; therefore, we must understand the Cain and Abel narrative within the context of Genesis 2–3. Mankind was created good, with original righteousness and holiness in the image of God (Gen. 1:26–27; 2:7, 22), but the fall (Gen. 3:1–7) drastically affected our nature. Rather than being in a state of original righteousness, mankind is now in a state of sin and misery, of confirmed wickedness. But God in His mercy established a covenant of grace in Genesis 3:15, promising to redeem fallen sinners through the “seed of the woman” who would restore them to blessed communion with God. This covenant of grace is also marked by enmity. In the fall, Adam and Eve spiritually associated themselves with Satan. The Lord then graciously promised to sow enmity with Satan and restore a people to fellowship with Him. This enmity in Genesis 3:15 extends to the offspring of the woman such that two spiritually distinct lines descend from this one couple. One line, the seed of the woman, will have the humility of faith; the other line is spiritually associated with the serpent. This conflict of lines in Genesis 3:15 provides an outline for the rest of Genesis and even the entire Bible as it traces the “generations” of the righteous and the wicked, eventually climaxing in the fully righteous One (Christ) who crushed the serpent by being struck. With this context for Genesis 4, we must understand the narrative focus not as two different sacrifices but rather as two spiritually distinct persons—an initial outworking of the conflict from Genesis 3:15 in the first generation after the fall, a conflict that will see the seed of the serpent seeking to kill the seed of the woman.
The New Testament focuses on the character of the worshipers in its interpretation of Genesis 4, with Cain being “of the evil one” (1 John 3:12) and Abel offering his sacrifice “by faith” (Heb. 11:4). But how is this spiritual distinction revealed in Genesis 4? The character of Cain is on full display with the murder of his brother (Gen. 4:8). But this comes after the sacrifice, and some people may argue that his anger was his response to his rejection rather than the reason for it. If we couple this act with an analysis of names, however, Cain’s murder of his brother is illustrative of a consistent character issue rather than simply a response to circumstances.
Cain is the firstborn son of the first married couple, and his status as firstborn comes with all the pomp and show of his name. Upon his birth, he is named Cain, which Eve interprets, saying “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord” (Gen. 4:1). Translational difficulties abound in this line, which more literally reads: “I have acquired a man, the Lord.” The addition in the ESV “with the help of” is an attempt to smooth out the difficulty. Without getting into all the details, one thing is clear from his name: Cain is associated with the Lord. In light of the Genesis 3:15 context, in all likelihood Eve is identifying Cain as the seed of righteousness, the one promised to come, defeat the serpent, and win salvation for humanity.
Abel’s name could not be more different. In Hebrew, Abel (hebel) means vain, breath, or fleeting. His birth also contrasts him with Cain as he is referred to as “his brother” (Gen. 4:2). In contrast with Cain, Abel is but a breath, one of fleeting existence. Cain is associated with the Lord and His promise, but Abel with the vanity of the fall. Imagine that every time your mother calls your name you hear, “Fleeting!” Or for Cain, every time you hear your name, you hear of your association with God. How might you approach the task of worship in light of your namesake? Cain, in his named association with the Lord, approaches in the merit of his name, but Abel in the demerit of his.
From his birth and considering his namesake, Cain had every reason to believe in his acceptance before the Lord. But Abel came downcast in humility, hoping in salvation from God. The Lord is a God of mercy; a humble and contrite heart He does not despise (Ps. 51:17). This is why the Lord gazed upon—“had regard for” (Gen. 4:4)—Abel’s offering. Coming in the demerit of his name, he approached with his face downcast but hoping in God. And this is why Cain’s offering was rejected, coming in the self-righteousness of his namesake he approached with his face held high, and therefore the Lord did not “gaze upon” Cain’s sacrifice and Cain’s “face fell” (Gen. 4:5).
When considering the sacrificial system, a humble heart of faith was always necessary. The prophets regularly indicted the Israelites for their maltreatment of the sacrifice not simply because they offered improper sacrifices (though they did at times) but especially for their heart condition as they offered them. This is why Hosea says, “I desired steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hos. 6:6; also 1 Sam. 15:22). Sacrifices and burnt offerings were required by God, but without steadfast love and without knowing God—that is, without the humility of faith—they hold no value. The Old Testament sacrificial system was not a sacerdotal one where simply “going through the motions” rendered a proper relation to God. A humble heart of faith was always necessary. When considering Cain and Abel, the narrative teaches us that while the Lord does not despise the humble who come to Him in faith, He is against the proud such that “the haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled” (Isa. 2:11). Genesis 4 calls us to consider our character, and to come to the Lord not in self-righteous pride but in the humility of faith, for “those who humble themselves will be exalted, but those who exalt themselves will be humbled” (Matt. 23:12).
]]>What is your reflexive reaction in this hypothetical situation?
Perhaps you have noticed the lack of context in this thought experiment. Regardless of what context you may have added in your imagination, now consider if your visceral response is any different if our fictional guest speaker is:
Each of these scenarios that what the phrase “Christian nation” denotes can vary widely from what it connotes.
If this thought experiment teaches us anything, it is that context matters. Such is always the case in matters of theology in general, and this is nowhere truer than in matters of political theology, and specifically, the conversation on Christian nationalism.
In terms of the latter, Andy Naselli has attempted a helpful taxonomy of the various species of this movement—making clear the great deal of overlap between various camps of principled, biblical conservatism regardless of whether one willingly wears the Christian nationalist moniker. Naselli has done commendable work, with all the necessary nuance and carefulness in his definitions. Yet in the emotion-laden discourses that prevail in the negative world, Christians do not always have the opportunity to offer such clarifications. Sometimes, we are best off attempting to steer the connotations in a positive direction.
But, returning to our hypothetical scenario, we can easily imagine how the connotations of terms like Christian nation or Christian nationalism can vary widely, even among ostensibly conservative evangelicals. In political discussions, such shibboleths often arouse suspicion, thanks to progressive rhetoric linking them with colonialism, racism, or other aberrations. But in the context of global missions, to long for the flourishing of Christian nations is simply to echo the refrain of Scripture’s great missionary texts:
My simple contention is that as the debate over Christian nation boils, we must keep these texts close at hand for the sake of our brothers and sisters who have yet to work out their theology of political engagement. The missionary spirit of the Christian faith, expressed in these and similar passages, contains all the resources we need to awaken (some might say “radicalize”) our fellow evangelicals to the monumental task of subjecting our civil life to the lordship of Christ. If our fellow Christians who are indifferent to the civil sphere, or who have imbibed the secularist fantasy, would but consider what Scripture says about discipling the nations, they’d soon be our allies in discipling ours.
By way of illustration: recently, I was privileged to spend nearly two hours with a pastor from the Indian state of Manipur—now a war zone. My pastor friend described in detail the conflict between the Hindu-majority valley tribes and the predominantly Christian hill tribes, along with the persecution and internal displacement happening to Christians as a result.
“The conflict between the two tribes flared up on [May 3rd], 2023,” he explained, “when the students from Kuki-Zo community namely All Tribal Student Union of Manipur called for a Tribal Solidarity march to oppose the High Court’s recommendation for inclusion of Meiteis in Schedule Tribe list. The Kuki-Zo were against this inclusion because it would help the Meiteis to monopolize all privileges and resources such as jobs, lands, and property which would be a threat to their very existence.”
He continued, “Thousands of tribal students participated in this rally which was held peacefully. In retaliation, the valley-based Meitei organizations organized counter-blockades, beat a pastor to death, and started burning houses belonging to Kuki-Zo community. From then on, the situation spread like wildfire with the burning of over 300 churches, hundreds of villages, 150 deaths, 60,000 displaced with ongoing kidnappings and arsons.”
At the heart of these tensions lies a complex interplay of ethnicity, religion, and political maneuvering—most notably a broader Indian political context in which radical Hindu groups, leveraging the Meitei tribe, have expanded their influence. Despite these barriers, the pastor to whom I spoke, together with his church, is ministering to displaced Christians who have lost everything and preaching Christ to those they encounter from the valley tribe. Sacrificially, they have devoted themselves to frontlines ministry including orphanage work, education, evangelism, and more.
Hearing such accounts overwhelms comfortable suburban ears such as mine. Yet impressed as I was with the faith and endurance of this community of believers, what struck me most was the pastor’s analysis of the situation in general and its potential answer: “The only solution to end this ongoing conflict is to grant Total Separate Administration to the Hill Tribals who are under the governance of Valley State government.” This amounts to the division of Manipur into two states: one with a Christian government, the other under Hindu rule.
At this point, I questioned my friend. Surely this is not possible, I reasoned, given the Hindu character of India as a whole. But he then proceeded to list several Indian states in which Christianity, in his characterization, is a “dominant cultural force”: Kerala (18.4% Christian), Nagaland (80%), Mizoram (80%), and Meghalaya (70%).
He shared as well, of course, the way in which the current Hindu regime would resist the addition of a new Christian state in India. “India is still a Hindu majority country,” he explained. “There has been propaganda to make India an entirely Hindu nation, with many pro-Hindu parties and government calling for everyone to return to Hinduism.”
Still, from his standpoint, the notion of organizing the hill tribes into a Christian state was at least plausible—especially since the hill and valley tribes currently cannot coexist peacefully. For him, this “Christianized” hill tribe government would simply entail freedom from persecution, freedom to consume foods such as beef, and freedom from anti-conversion laws which impede Christians throughout the country—benefits, he noted, which other predominantly-Christian parts of India do enjoy.
Throughout the entire conversation, I was struck by the straightforwardness of this pastor’s reasoning. Here was a Christian pastor—hailing from a corner of the world marked by idolatry, spiritual warfare, violent persecution, high concentrations of unreached people groups, and Hindu nationalism—unironically advocating for Christian self-governance. Yes, he was completely aware of the negatives of a nominal Christianity. (He shared that calling nominal hill tribes Christians to true discipleship forms a major part of his ministry.) Still, he saw no conflict between his evangelistic aims and the parallel goal of aligning their civil polity with the aim of Christ’s kingdom. And why should he?
Put another way: it apparently did not occur to this faithful minister that statements such as those found in John 18:36 (“My kingdom is not of this world”) and 1 Peter 2:13 (“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution”) preclude the formation of Christian states or nations. This shepherd was willing to “dirty” his hands with political concerns because of his overriding concern for the peace of his people and the welfare of his sheep. His desire for the conversion of the nominal Christians of his tribe and the ultimate evangelization of the enemy tribe cannot be fulfilled if his own tribesmen are all dead. Christian self-rule in Manipur, thus it seems, is the logical implication of missionary zeal and love for one’s neighbor.
Reasoning according to a biblical worldview demands we employ just weights and measures (Leviticus 19:35-36). This means employing the same standards evenhandedly upon others’ ideas as we would use in measuring our own. Thus, when we hear talk of Christian nations or even Christian nationalism, ought we not afford such persons the benefit of the doubt—given that their aims for our body politic are those same aims we pursue in missions for all nations? And if this is the case, could we not win more and more of our brothers to the cause of godly Christian political engagement by emphasizing these biblical realities—that Christ has received authority over all the nations (Revelation 11:15), and that we are to labor in the public square in light of that authority ourselves?
Brothers: let us recognize that if we truly believe in global missions, then we necessarily confess the imperative of striving for Christian nations—and inversely, if we believe in shaping Christian nations, then we must joyfully commit ourselves to doing so not only at home but also abroad. And in this way, may the Lord establish the work of our hands.
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]]>Transcript:
Well, good evening to you all. I'm going to pray before we begin our time in God's word, but I want to say a couple of things. One is, I want to just thank all of you. This will be the last time I speak with you, at least from the pulpit that you all have been so very kind to my wife and me. We have just sensed the spirit of God here and his kindness and his grace and your comments and encouragements have been just heartfelt. Thank you. Just coming from our environment in California to come out here and to see so many people of different backgrounds and different places, it's just been a great encouragement that the Lord is building his church and his church is well. So very oftentimes we hear so much about how poorly the church is faring, but Jesus is building his church and his church is strong. We've been encouraged in our own faith just with our time with you guys. So thank you very much just for your hospitality.
Then secondly, I need to ask you all for your forgiveness. I mentioned last night that I had a bout with cancer, and I just left you guys hanging. So many of you have came up and just said, "Brother, are you okay? Are you okay? Are you okay?" Some of you guys spent most of the night praying for me. Thank you for that. I am cancer-free. I have been for 12 years. Amen. I didn't mean to leave you guys hanging on last night. Thank you for those of you that reminded me not to do that again.
Let's go to God and ask him for his help as we turn to his word.
Father, indeed you, through the spirit and your word, through the exalted Christ, our building, the church, and we are indeed grateful to be a part of it. You have been very kind to us, dear God, as we have gathered ourselves together this past couple of days. We have heard from you through your word, through your chosen servants. For that, we're grateful. We pray now, Lord God, that you would bless us, that you would give us ears to hear what the Spirit has to say to us, that you would gird up the loins of our minds and grant us the grace to think your thoughts after you. Father, help us to be alert having just eaten, God, that our flesh may feel heavy right now. May your spirit just stir our minds and our affections as we come to your word that we might just see the glories of Christ and think together how you are sovereignly working in our lives, even through our suffering.
We commend and commit ourselves to you. Bless our evening and our Q&A session that is to follow our talk now. God, may it all be done for your glory and for your honor. We thank you in advance for what you're going to do. In Jesus' mighty name, we pray. Amen.
Well, in our last session together, I set out to set before you five pillar statements, five theological pillar statements, with the desire to give us a biblical foundation of God's sovereignty over suffering. My aim in that talk was to just help us think biblically and theologically about how God is working all things together for our good and for his glory, which includes suffering and affliction and hardship and in pain.
For this evening, what I want to do is I want to help us to think more personally and more practically about our suffering. I was really helped this morning, I trust all of you were as well, from Brother Ian. His talk was just so helpful, particularly when he was encouraging us and reminding us that we don't always understand what is going on in our lives; that God can take us through seasons of ups and downs. I think the way that he talked about it was resurrections and deaths, all at the same time going from one season to the other season. We don't always know what God is doing, but whatever God is doing, we can know that he's doing it well.
How many of you guys found that helpful, found that very, very helpful, that God doesn't always answer all of our questions, that we can be under the afflictive providences of God and we don't know why, we don't know what he's doing, that the Psalms are so helpful for us that we can, in fact, ask, "How long, our Lord? How long?" It's helpful to have that freedom to be able to come to God with our questions and knowing that he's not taken aback by our questions.
What I want to help us to do is to say, are there some things in God's word that we can know because he's revealed them to us that these are lessons that we can learn when we do find ourselves under affliction, when we do find ourselves being persecuted, when we do find ourselves suffering. Are there some lessons that God has revealed to us that we can latch onto, that we can see that he has told us that this is what he designs some at least of the afflictions that he has appointed and ordained for us in our lives? I think there are several that we can go to.
Now, we must understand that God can be doing one thing and a thousand things all. At one time, in the same act, he could be working in our lives and doing a whole host of other things, even in the lives of the people around us. He may not always give us all those answers. We do still see and look into a mirror dimly. The full scope and revelation of all of the details and the intricacies of God's work in our lives he has not revealed to us, but God has revealed some things. God has given us his word so that we can go to it and we can see ...
I'm oftentimes drawn, and you can turn here just for a moment to James chapter one. You can open up there in your bibles with me in James chapter one. The way that James begins is he says, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, various temptations, various hardships, various difficulties, various sufferings, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance." Then he says, "Let endurance have its perfect result so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."
Then we have this verse, which oftentimes we believe starts another section, but I want to just suggest to you that it's in the same context when James says this, "But if any of you lacks wisdom ..." I think contextually what James is saying is that if any of you lack wisdom with respect to the trials that you're going through, I think that's the context of wisdom. Certainly, we can ask God for wisdom at any time concerning anything, but I think, contextually, James is driving us to say that there will be times when, in fact, you fall into diverse temptations and trials and difficulties, and you just simply don't know what God is doing. You simply don't know how to respond. You simply don't know what to do. You simply don't know how to pray. I think James is saying here that you can ask God.
At that moment, you can turn your confusion and your perplexities and usher it up to God. God will receive it, and God will give you an answer. Maybe you might not like the answer that he will give you, but he will offer you answers. I would suggest to you that he will offer you answers in his already revealed word, that he will take us to text where we can see that we know that I'm in this situation and God wants me to respond this way or God is doing this in me. God is working this grace in my life. God is working this virtue in my life.
James, I think, gives us just an understanding that we can go to God because God, notice what he says, “Who gives to all generously and without reproach.” It will be given to you if you ask by faith. It is our faith that can take us up to God, trusting God and asking God to give us wisdom to know how to receive into our lives the temptations and the sufferings and the persecutions and the afflictions, and know that God is at work in a very sovereign way.
The question then is, “What are some of those lessons that we can learn? What are some of those things that God is working in the lives of his people when he brings about suffering into our lives?” I want to suggest to you, at least give you, seven. This is not a comprehensive list. I'm sure there are more that we can come up with, but I want to try to boil these down into seven words that will help you. I'm putting it this way because I really want this to be practical. I want you to be thinking about worshiping the Lord through your suffering and in your suffering. These are seven words to help you maintain a posture of worship even in the midst of suffering, knowing that God intends your suffering, again, for his glory and for your good.
My real prayer, my hope, is that as we walk through this, that it will impact your hearts, that it will move your minds to trust God even more, to actually worship God, even when you don't feel like it, knowing that what he has brought into your life will, in fact, be for your good. It will, in fact, work. It will, in fact, produce in you comprehensive righteousness and Christ's likeness to the praise and the glory of God. Is that not what life is all about? To be like the Lord Jesus Christ in thought, word, and in deed. That's what we are here for because God is doing that. God predestined us to that glorious end. Even as Brother Ian had mentioned to us, because the grand end of it all is that Christ might receive many brethren into heaven that will look like him. How glorious will that be, that we will share in the glory of the exalted Jesus Christ. We will in the end be as much like Christ as glorified humanity can be.
God is at work, if you are a believer, here, in your life right now, producing that and he does that very oftentimes in our suffering. I pray that with our talk here and all of the messages that when suffering comes into our lives, we will be able to receive it with faith, rather than with fear, that we can endure our suffering with hope rather than despair and that we can come through our suffering rejoicing in God, rather than being embittered against God. Those are real temptations, even for the strongest of us as Christians. My prayer is that this will be helpful to us.
Seven lessons, if you're taking notes and you want to frame it that way. Seven lessons that we can learn from God as we ask God for wisdom to help us understand as he sovereignly ordained suffering for us, as his people. I put these in just one word. Number one, humility. Write that down. Humility. If your Bibles are still over with you, turn to second Corinthians chapter 12. Again, we'll be going through several texts. Second Corinthians chapter 12. You all know is that in second Corinthians, it may be one of Paul's most personal letters. He's defending his apostleship, not because he's so concerned about himself and his reputation, but he knows that his detractors are knocking down who he is so that they can undercut the gospel. He's defending himself only for the gospel's sake. He's speaking somewhat foolishly here. He doesn't like to talk about his experiences, he doesn't like to talk about all of the privileges that God has given to him but God had gave him a tremendous blessing and he speaks of it here.
Look at verse seven. This is second Corinthians chapter 12. He says this, "Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations ..." The revelations that he mentioned here is that God had taken him up to the third heavens and he had heard things and seen things that he wasn't even able to talk about or to share, profound privilege that God had given to him and because of the surpassing greatness of those revelations, for this reason, to keep me ... This is what Paul says, "To keep me from exalting myself there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me, to keep me from exalting myself."
Now I want you to notice several things here. Oftentimes we're told that after suffering we'll receive a blessing. What Paul says here is that after receiving a blessing, he actually received suffering. He had been given this tremendous blessing of revelation and being in heaven to see the glories of Christ. He says as a result of that God ordained to give him an affliction. It's what he called a thorn in the flesh. Paul doesn't tell us what the thorn in the flesh is. It could be something literally that buffeted him physically or it could be something else. Maybe it was a demonic led individual that just dogged his ministry, it's a messenger of Satan. Whatever it is, God gave it to him. We know God gave it to him because of the reason that it was given to him. Do you see, it is mentioned twice in the verse. He says there, "It was given to me so that I would not exalt myself."
Now, Satan wouldn't ever give us anything to produce humility in our lives. Do you understand? Satan would do something in our lives to puff us up with pride. He would never try to do anything in our lives to produce humility. Since the goal of this thorn in the flesh is to produce humility, we know then that it comes from God, that God had tailor made this suffering for the apostle, Paul, that he might be humbled.
It is interesting that God says in his word that God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. The Bible has so much to say about the necessity of humility. In fact, Jesus himself said, "Unless you are humble, like a little child that believes in me, you will in no wise enter into my kingdom." Humility is a key virtue, a key grace that God's people must maintain. We can only maintain it by the grace of God and God will move in our lives and give us our own thorns in the flesh to produce humility in our lives, to move us downward. The downward disposition of the soul is where God wants each and every one of his children to be.
We live in a world, do we not, in which prize pride. We do so much in our generation to puff ourselves up, to give ourselves platforms to make much of ourselves. That kind of thinking, has it not, even has entered into the church of the Lord, Jesus Christ. That everybody has a means of champion their own voice. One of the grievous things to my own souls about social media is that everybody thinks that they have something that somebody else needs to hear. Some of what we say needs to be heard by no one. It doesn't breed humility out of any of us, does it? I don't see people that post things online and on Facebook talking about how humble they are. It's always about the puffing up of themselves, pictures of themselves, talks of themselves and all how as Christians we need to understand that God loves us so much that he will bring trials and hardships into our lives to produce humility and to keep us from pride.
Paul prayed that whatever, this thorn was, that God would take it away, did he not? He gives us liberty, doesn't He, to pray that sometimes the hardships that God brings into our lives are unwelcome the hardships. Paul prayed and he prayed and he prayed. I don't think there's any magical number three. He just prayed. He labored before the Lord that God would take it away from him, but God didn't, because God knew that Paul needed, because of the way that God was using Paul and the blessings and the privileges that God had given Paul, that he would be tempted to be proud of those things. God did not take those things away. God knew that Paul needed the help of this thorn in the flesh.
God will tell us that we need to be lowly of spirit and humble of heart. Is that not like our Lord, who's lowly of spirit and humble of heart to walk in a Christ-like way, in a cruciform way, to walk in the footsteps of our Lord, as brother Paul taught us, that Jesus Christ is our exemplary. He showed us what perfect humanity is like, to walk lowly and humbly before his God, who is our God. Do we not want that disposition, that lowly posture of the soul, one that is rightly related to the glory of God? If we do then, then should we not then welcome the suffering that God might bring into our lives that he knows that we need to keep us lowly of spirit and humble of mind before him.
Listen, pride is a cardinal vice and humility is a cardinal virtue. Pride's destination it hell itself. Hell is filled with and will be filled with people, who are proud, but heaven will be filled with people who are humble and lowly. God knows that. God then works in our lives to produce the loneliness of heart that we each need. He will bring pain into our lives to guard us from being puffed up with pride. The downward disposition of the soul that is in right relationship with the glory of God is God's aim and design in much of our suffering and in much of our pain.
Embracing the humbling providence of God then, brothers and sisters. We should welcome it into our lives. I was just recently doing some reading on Spurgeon. Some of you love Spurgeon. Spurgeon's life was hard. Spurgeon's life was filled with sufferings of many sorts. I came across a quote from him, just the slander of his name and he suffered in physical ways. He wrote this, having had his name slandered. I quote you, this is what he said. He said, "Down on my knees have I often fallen with hot sweat rising from my brow under some fresh slander poured upon me in an agony of grief of heart that God has given to me [inaudible 00:19:44]. He has broken me. This thing I hope I can say from my heart if to be made as the mire of the streets again, if to be laughed at as a laughing stock and a fool, if it would bring me down to my knees and keep me lowly and humbly, then will I bless the Lord, my God."
Is that your perspective? Desiring to walk in humility before our God so much that you will embrace whatever God designs for your life to keep you on your knees, spiritually, if not physically, before him? The humility that we desire God produces and brings about in us, through our suffering. Secondly, not only has God oftentimes worked towards humility through our suffering, secondly the word is dependency. Not only humility, but dependency. Let's stay here, right in the text. Paul continues to write. He says, "Concerning this, I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me, but God said no." Notice how God said no and why God said no to that. Notice verse nine. He said to me, "My grace is sufficient. My grace is enough. My grace is adequate. My grace, Paul, is all that you need for ... My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness."
Notice what Paul says as a response to that, Paul says, "Most gladly, therefore. I would rather boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may dwell in me, therefore, I am well content." In other words, I take pleasure then with my weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. What a perspective. Do you see it there? What a perspective. Paul as he prayed that God would take away this thorn in the flesh and God said no and the reason that God gave to him is because his grace would be sufficient.
In other words, Paul, I want for you to feel your weakness. I brought this into your life to strip away your own self-confidence, the own confidence that you put in your abilities, the own confidence that you might put in your training, the own confidence that you'll put in the revelations that I've given to you. I don't want you to have your confidence in any of those things. Paul, I want your confidence to be in me and in my grace.
We're all tempted, are we not, to have confidence in ourselves. The things that sometimes we put our confidence in isn't necessarily always sin. The fact that that young men go to seminary to get trained to [inaudible 00:22:46] the word of God and to shepherd the flock of God, that's a good thing. We should try to get as useful as we can and all of the gifts and the talents that God has given to us, we should try to strengthen those things, but God would never have us ultimately to put our confidence in those things. God wants us to feel our weaknesses so that, as Paul says there, that we might be strong, not in our own strength, but in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then that when God uses us, who gets the glory, not us, but God gets the glory.
For we, all of us together. Are nothing but broken cisterns that cannot hold water. God chooses to pour into us then the treasure of the gospel. When something happens, as a result of that, it is all to the praise and the glory of God, I've oftentimes admittedly just said, "Lord, God, just help me." I look at myself in the mirror and it's laughable. My wife would say yes and amen to that.
I thought, "Lord, how come I can't be smarter? Lord, how come I'm not a better preacher? Lord, I want to be stronger this. I want to be more excellent in these ways. Lord, I want to be like this brother. Lord, I want to be like this sister. Lord, if I could just have more gifts and more talents, I could be more useful, because then I'll be confident in those gifts." God says to us, "No. I've made you just like I want you. In fact, I will bring suffering into your experience so that you will have no confidence in yourself, but that all of your confidence would be in Christ. The weaker you are, the stronger, then, that Christ is in you. When he is stronger in you, his power will flow more freely through you. Paul understood that.
Turn to the first chapter here still in first Corinthians. Look at chapter one. We'll come here again in a moment where Paul says this in verse eight, "For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia that we were burdened excessively," notice this, "beyond our strength so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, we have the sentence of death within ourselves," notice this, this is the purpose clause, "so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead." That God through affliction almost brought them to the point of death so that they wouldn't have any confidence in themselves, but that trust would be in God who raises the dead. That's where God wants each and every one of us. He will at times, will he not, bring us almost to the point of death where we sense that we're close to it so that we might be helped of the Lord.
There is a example of this in the Old Testament, if you guys want to meet me there and turn with me to Second Chronicles. Many of you know who Uzziah was and the greatness of who he was as a king in two Chronicles chapter 26. God just gifted him in tremendous ways. He was an extraordinary administrator, an extraordinary tactician when it came to war. He was gifted and God blessed him. God used him mightily in the kingdom. In verse 15 it says this, at the end of it says, "Hence his, that is Uzziah's, fame spread afar," notice this, "For he was marvelously helped until he was strong." He was marvelously helped by God until he was strong. Verse 16. But when he became strong, his heart was so proud.
Do you guys get it? God used him, God helped him. God blessed them as long as he was dependent upon God's power, but then he became strong, in and of himself. When he became strong, in and of himself, he became proud. God judged him as a result of his pride. His life ended so tragically in an isolated house and written over the doorpost of the house is that he is a leper. Oh, that not be our case, that as we are being helped by the Lord that we would never become proud, because our dependency is totally on our God and his strength. That's exactly where God wants us to be.
Listen, we cannot be independent and God dependent, at the same time. If we are independent, God loves us so much that he'll bring hardship into our lives to strip us from our dependency or our independency to cast ourselves upon his mercy. The platform and this is the only platform that should matter to any of us. The platform for God's power is our personal weakness. Suffering is the pathway to that. Humility, dependency, thirdly is what I'm calling sympathy. Sympathy.
Let's turn back to Second Corinthians chapter one, sympathy. Paul and his companions have suffered greatly. Paul gives us these words that are tremendously helpful for us. He says there in second Corinthians chapter one verse three, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of mercies and the God of all comfort," notice this, "Who comforts us in all of our affliction." God brings affliction and he brings comfort at the same time, but notice what Paul says, again, a purpose clause, "So that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which, we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ, but if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and your salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort which is effective in the pace and enduring of the same suffering, which we've also suffered."
That's a long sentence with a lot of 'so thats'. In essence Paul is just simply saying this; that your affliction sometimes is not just about you, that your affliction is so that God might bring you comfort because he wants to use your experience of his comfort in your affliction to then, in turn, pour that same knowledge of comfort out into somebody else who's going through a similar affliction as you are.
What I mean by sympathy is just simply this, I define it this way, that sympathy is the ability to emphatically show transformative compassion to others because of the shared experience. It is grace-filled counsel and comfort toward others, because you have something in common, not just the affliction, but having experienced the comfort of God himself. We are united that way with one another that God means for us as brothers and sisters, to not just keep the comfort that we receive from him to ourselves when we are afflicted, but to come alongside of other brothers and sisters who are similarly going through something that we have gone through and to be able to pour out onto them that comfort that we have received from God, himself. God does that in our lives.
It is interesting that as we think about the word of God that someone should come to our minds and it is none other than the Lord, Jesus Christ. The Bible says this, if you want to turn there in your Bibles, in Hebrews, we know it well. In Hebrews chapter two, "Of Jesus Christ is the prime and chief, an ultimate example of this. That he is that sympathetic high priest." Verse 14 of Hebrews four, "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the son of God, let us hold fast our confession," notice this, "For we do not have a high priest who cannot," do what with us, "Sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things, as we are yet without sin. Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace so that we might receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."
Jesus is our sympathetic great high priest. He received the comfort from his own father and all of his sufferings and all of his pain and all of his affliction. Therefore, we can run to him when we are afflicted and receive that same grace that he receives. He is delighted to pour that out upon us. God means to not make us one another's high priest, certainly not. That's exclusively the role and the right and the privilege of Jesus Christ, but we can, in fact, come alongside of one another to comfort each other in our time of pain.
My wife and I had to make a huge medical decision. I think this was maybe the first one for our daughter, that I shared with you guys before. We were begging God for an answer. We were laboring in prayer. Even times of fasting, not knowing what to do. We went to a conference, I think it was a T4G conference. We went, both of us, and we were praying, "Lord, we need to hear a word from you." We heard great preaching, we heard wonderful preaching, but none of the preaching answered our question that we came with. I remember sitting there, and if you've ever been to a T4G it's in this huge auditorium and thousands of people. They had all left and there was just a few brothers and sisters sitting around. We were sitting there and a brother and sister that I haven't seen since my seminary days, maybe it was about seven or eight years, happened to be, providentially they were sitting behind us.
We began to talk and they were asking us how we were doing. We shared with them that we needed to make a decision for our daughter and we got our word. They just happened to have had a son who had special needs, who had the exact surgery that we contemplated, that our daughter needed. They shared with us the comfort that they had received from the Lord and we got our word. Praise God. They suffered for a whole host of reasons, but one of the reasons, I dare say, if this text means anything to us, one of the reasons that they suffered was to receive the comfort of God, because God ordained that they would be sitting two rows behind us at a T4G conference so that we would receive the comfort that they had received from the Lord. God means to use each and every one of you in all of your hardships.
That's why, brothers and sisters, if you have been comforted by the Lord, do not keep that to yourselves. There is somebody in your life that needs to know how God came alongside of you. Share your pain, share your struggles with your brothers and sisters because God had so tailor made your suffering. And his grace in the midst of it. That you have a word for another brother or sister who is going through what you have gone through. God wants to use all of us that way.
Humility, dependency, sympathy. Fourthly, authenticity. Authenticity. Turn with me in your Bibles to first Peter chapter one. Peter, who was so just almost allergic to any sense of suffering while he was walking with the Lord Jesus, he wanted no part of suffering nor did he want his Lord to suffer. Is it not just ironic that in the providence of God he writes this marvelous letter about suffering, because he learned the lesson that he needed to learn from his Lord. He writes here about the suffering of God's people, that one of the reasons that we go through suffering is so that God might authenticate our faith, not for his sake, but for ours.
Look at verse six of chapter one and Peter writes this, "In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, various temptations so that the proof, or the genuineness, or the authenticity of your faith, being more precious than gold, which is perishable, even though tested by fire may be found to result in the praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Do you see it? It's plain on the text, that God brings suffering and pain into our lives to burn off the dross of the old man to show the shining brightness of genuine, authentic faith in Christ.
The picture that he paints there is that of what was used to purify precious metal. Some of you know this, that in the refiner's fire, they would put the metal there and burn it so hot that the dross and the impurities would come up to the surface. The individual would skive that off and take that off. How would he know when in fact the metal was pure? The metal was pure when he could see his own reflection in it. It's a wonderful example of what God does in our lives and with our faith. He puts us in fire, does he not, burning off the dross, burning off the old ways, burning off the old habits, removing it off the surface. How does he know when his job is finished? He knows when his job is finished, when he'll be able to look at us and see the reflection of himself in our lives, when we will be fully like Christ, when our faith will be like Christ's faith.
God, he does that in our lives to prove that we are really his people, to prove in our own souls that we really are his people. How many of you guys have ever found yourself there as God has just stripped one thing away from you and the next thing away from you and the next thing away from you, clinging to Jesus, because that's all you have. The whole letter of Job, although it's complex wisdom is really about God's vindication. The question that Satan asked Job is just simply this, does Job worship you for nothing? That's really what the book of Job is about. Satan is saying to God, "Does job worship you, is he a follower of Yahweh just because of all of the things that you have given him? Wonderful things, wonderful blessings, but is that why Job worships you?" God says, "No. That's not why Job worships me. Job worships me for me."
He permitted Satan then to strip all of those blessings away from Job to prove to Satan that my people worship me. My true people, my authentic people, my genuine people worship me for me. That's what genuine faith is, not for the gifts that God gives us. Praise the Lord for the gifts that God gives us, but God never gives us gifts so that we might worship the gifts. God gives us gifts so that we might worship the gift giver. God will take things away from us and strip us of things to show that our faith clings to him, and to him alone.
What happens to you, dear brother and sister, when you find yourself having things stripped away when you may lose a job or when your health is taken away, when you suffer loss? Do you trust him? Do you say, as Job says, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust him." That's what God is doing in your life to bring you to that place where you know that you love God for who God is alone.
Humility, dependency, sympathy, authenticity. Fifthly, piety. Piety. What is another lesson that we can learn in the midst of our afflictions? His piety. Our dear brother, Dr. Biggie, took us to this text earlier today. Invite you to turn back to Hebrews chapter 12. We have been called to fix our eyes on Jesus in verse three, consider him in all of his manifold glorious ways. I'll back up to verse four and the author writes; "You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood and you're striving against sin and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to as sons. My son do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by him, for those whom the Lord loves, he disciplines, he spanks. He scourges every son whom he receives. It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with sons, for what son is there whom his father does not discipline, but you are without discipline of which all have become partakers and you are an illegitimate child and not a son."
"Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them, shall we not much rather be subject to the father of spirits and live?" Notice this verse 10, "For they discipline us for a short time, as seen best to them, but he, that is God our heavenly Father, disciplines us for our good so that," notice this, "We may share his holiness." God means not only to give us imputed righteousness, the imputed righteousness of Christ, but he wants to impart the righteousness of Christ in us. Yes, we are justified by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. We are positionally perfect and holy and righteous in God sight because of our faith in the risen Christ, but God is meaning to make us what we are, positionally. He means to make us that in practice as well, to share in the very holiness of Christ, to share in the very righteousness of Jesus practically in thought, word and in deed and the way that he does that is to discipline us to bring hardship into our lives. You see it in verse 11.
Now, all discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful but sorrowful. No child likes to be spanked by their father. If they do, we need to have a talk. No one likes that. It doesn't feel joyful for the moment. It's sorrowful, but as we yield to it, as we understand what our father is doing, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness. The pain from our father leads to the sharing of the holiness of our Father. Suffering, often, is the ground from which God brings forth the fruit of repentance and righteousness in his people.
We ought to do that, should we not? We want to underscore that not all of our suffering is caused by individual sin, but when we do suffer, we would be wise to ask the Lord, is there sin in my life? Are you bringing me low, because there's some area that I have not yielded to the authority of your word and your spirit? God wants to have us to look at him and to trust him and to be like him, to shed the old ways of the old man. He does that through our suffering and through our pain.
Love what the psalm has said. In Psalm 119 in verse 67 he said this, "before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep your word." Then in verse 71, he said this, "it is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn your statutes." In verse 75, he says this, "I know oh Lord, that your judgments are righteous and that, in faithfulness, you have afflicted me. I'm glad, oh Lord, that I was afflicted because I oftentimes wandered away as a straying sheep, but I've been brought back into the fold because you love me enough to afflict me. Now I have learned your statutes and your ordinances and your principles and your ways, and I delight to do your will, oh Lord." God is working that piety in our lives.
In Hebrews, this is just an amazing verse that I'm sure you've pondered a number of times. In Hebrews chapter five, verse seven, it says this of our Lord, "In the days of his flesh he, that is Jesus, offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the one able to save him from death. And he was heard because of his piety." Now, listen to this. Because of his reverence, because of his holiness, because of his devotion to God in verse eight, although he was a son, although he was the son, listen to this, brothers and sisters, he that is Jesus Christ learned obedience from the things which he suffered.
That's the kind of verse that you read and you set the Bible down and you sit back in your chair and you grab a cup of coffee and you just ponder for hours, that the perfect son of God learned obedience by the things that he suffered. His obedience was tested, it was manifested, it was magnified, as he suffered more and more and he submitted himself more and more and more to the will of his father that he became obedient. Philippians two says he became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
If our glorious Lord had to learn obedience through the things that he suffered, how much more then we have to learn obedience and piety by suffering. If in fact indeed we are to become like our Lord Jesus Christ, God would bring suffering into our lives as he brought suffering into the life of the only-begotten son. God would do that for us.
Sixthly; capacity. Capacity. Back to second Corinthians. We're leaning heavily on the Apostle Paul second Corinthians chapter four. This verse is becoming sweeter and sweeter to me as the days go by, as the years go by. The suffering and the affliction and the pain and the hardships experienced in Paul's life shaped him so much that listen to the words that he wrote here in second Corinthians four, verse 16. "Therefore," Paul writes, "We do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day." Listen to this, brothers and sisters and friends, "For a momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparisons while we look not at the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
I want you just to focus in on what he says there. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us something. It's working, it's doing something in our lives. It's producing in the Apostle Paul, and this is not just for the apostles, that momentary, light affliction is producing in all of us, [inaudible 00:49:42] what Paul says, an eternal weight of glory.
Now there's debates about what exactly that means. I think it just simply means this; that there will be some senses of a correspondence of the degree to which we suffer here and the degree in which we enjoy the glory of God when we get to heaven, that God is deepening our cup for the capacity of the enjoyment and the joy of glory when we get to heaven. Our eyes have not seen, nor his [inaudible 00:50:17] through the heart of man, all that God has in store for us when we get to heaven. Part of what God is doing to develop that sense and to expand our capacity for the enjoyment of it is to strip us away from our love of the sinful delicacies of this world.
We can't always feel it, we don't always know it, but God says it here in this word. Notice something else, as we think about our capacities expanding, and you've got to line the verse up if your eyes are still looking at verse 17. Paul says it's momentary. Our suffering doesn't always seem momentary, does it? Maybe yours does, mine doesn't. It seems like a long time, but you've got to view it in light of eternity. You see it there. It's momentary in light of eternal and it's light in light of the weight. It's an affliction in comparison to the glory. It's a momentary, light affliction that is not worthy to be compared to the eternal weight of glory. God is working in your life, developing you, producing in you the ability, the capacity to enjoy him when we get to glory. There is an enjoyment that we can have right now that we don't have to wait for.
That leads me seventhly and finally to our last lesson and it is calvary. It is calvary. I want you just to turn, as we close our time together, to Philippians chapter three. Paul is speaking very personally and very practically and very experientially here in chapter three. Now, what we learn about the apostle, Paul, is that his greatest desire is to know Christ, to know deeply and intimately Christ in all of his manifold glories.
Paul writes, and I'll pick up the reading in verse eight, "More than that. I count all things to be lost in view," listen, "To the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord." Did Paul already know Jesus? Of course, he had already met Jesus Christ, but he wants to go deeper in his knowledge and fellowship and communion with the risen Christ. For whom I have suffered the loss of all things and caught them, but rubbish so that I might gain Christ and may be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith. Notice this verse 10, "That I might know him."
What exactly, Paul, is it that you want to know? I want to know the power of his resurrection, but it doesn't end there. I also want to know the fellowship of his sufferings. Do you see it there? He wants to know the fellowship, the koinonia, the partnership of the sufferings of Jesus Christ. How are we to understand that? I think we're to understand it this way that Paul knows into walking in the joyful union and communion experientially and practically with Jesus Christ, it would mean that he would suffer like Jesus Christ.
How many of you know that to be the case, that it is in those dark nights of the soul that you fear the nearness of Jesus Christ mostly? When you pillow your head at night, when nobody knows the depth of the pain and the heartache and the suffering that you're going through, it is at those times that we are acutely aware of the presence of our Lord communing with us, being there, standing with us. Even though everyone else may have forsaken us Jesus stands with his people.
I read it in the book of Daniel. I was in the lion's den that Christ showed up with Daniel. I was in the fiery furnace that with brothers Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego that Jesus showed up to commune with them. It will be in your lion's den and it will be in your fiery furnaces that Jesus Christ shows up. Is he with us at all times? Of course, he is. But there is a special presence of the Lord when we, in fact, suffer because of our union with him.
Jesus could say to Saul, when Saul was persecuting the church, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting," you say it, "Me?" Well, how can that be? He's persecuting the church because the church is his body and for the body to be afflicted is for Christ to be afflicted. When Christ is afflicted, he communes and comes to his people, as Isaiah 63:9 says, "In all of their affliction, he was afflicted and he comes to us. He communes with us and he blesses us."
Brothers and sisters, he knows what it is to be thirsty. He knows what it is to be hungry. He knows what it is to be despised. He knows what it is to be forsaken. He knows what it is to be scorned. He knows what it is to be shamed. He knows what it is to be isolated. He knows what it is to be falsely accused. He knows what it is to be misunderstood. He knows what it is to be beaten. He knows what it is to feel totally isolated, even from God. It is at those moments, when you are in the same situation, that he will come to you in all of his compassion, in all of his patience, in all of his kindness and all of his mercy and all of his grace and commune with you to the praise and the glory of his father's name.
Brothers and sisters, through it all, God somberly ordains our suffering to make us more like his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that we would receive our sufferings, as hard as it may be, but receive them as good gifts from a loving father who would move heaven and earth to bring his children to final glory. That we might be like his eternal son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and magnify him forever and ever and ever. Let the church say amen. Let's pray together.
Father, we bless you and we praise you, for you are kind. We pray, our Father, that we would learn of these lessons, know that you are at work in our lives, marvelously and gloriously for our good and for your glory. Pray once again for those who are suffering right now under the sound of my voice, that you would draw near to them through your word and your spirit, and remind them of your love for them and your sufficient grace for them. Hear their cries and let their prayers come unto you, oh God, and bless them, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
]]>Joshua fought the battle of Jericho,
Jericho, Jericho.
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho,
And the walls came tumbling down!
The song is a lot of fun for our kids, as it gives them an excuse to march around the living room and simulate the fall of Jericho’s walls with hand motions. It is also a good way to impress on their young minds the basic truths of one of the most famous stories in the Old Testament. In fact, I would venture to say that most children who spend any length of time in a church’s educational programs will hear the story of Joshua and Jericho several times over.
As I think back on my time as a child in Sunday school, I know that we learned the basics of the fall of Jericho. Who could forget Joshua and the Israelites’ marching around the city once a day for six days, seven times on day seven, and the blowing of the horn and the shout that resulted in the walls’ miraculously falling to the ground? Yet, one thing I do not remember very clearly from my childhood is what happened immediately after the walls fell: “Then [the Israelites] devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword” (Josh. 6:21).
Honestly, it is possible that my teachers talked about how the Israelites put to death everyone in the city (except Rahab and her family) after the walls fell and that I have forgotten it. I am fairly certain that if they did tell me about the destruction of the people and the animals of Jericho, they did not put any primary focus on that part of the event. I do not blame them for that, as they would have been following a curriculum of some kind, and thus they were probably just teaching what the lesson plans told them to teach.
In any case, it is understandable why teachers and curriculum might not put much emphasis on the destruction of Jericho’s citizens or the other instances in the book of Joshua that describe the Israelites’ killing the residents and animals of entire towns. These stories can make us feel uncomfortable, after all. They can be hard enough to explain to adults, let alone children. Why would God order His people to do such a thing? How could it be right for Him to do so when we quickly condemn the mass slaughters that occurred in Soviet Russia, the Holocaust, and other events that are within living memory of many of us? Do this invasion and the destruction of the Canaanites somehow contradict Jesus’ command to love our enemies?
Do a little reading or talk to an unbeliever who is familiar with the account of the invasion of Canaan and you will soon see that this account is a problem for many people. Some individuals, such as the prominent atheist Richard Dawkins, have condemned these stories and any God who would order them, accusing such a deity of commanding the morally reprehensible act of genocide. You can even find a number of Christians who occupy the liberal end of the theological spectrum agreeing in some way with these prominent atheists. I have read statements from people who claim to be followers of Christ who label the command to exterminate the Canaanites as genocide. I have also known people who profess to be Christians who reject such stories as true accounts. Some people even believe that the command to drive out the Canaanites reveals a God different from the one revealed by Jesus Christ, and thus we should view the Israelites’ actions as a primitive and incorrect view of the nature of God.
I know that my experience is not unique, that you likely have encountered such arguments as well. In wrestling with this issue and in teaching courses on Joshua, I have found that there is much misunderstanding about the invasion of Canaan not only outside the church but also within the covenant community. Moreover, there are a number of issues that the invasion of Canaan raises that we must think about deeply if we are to better understand our Bibles and be able to give an answer for the hope that is within us (1 Peter 3:15–16). So, in this series of articles, my goal will be to consider the invasion of Canaan from an ethical and theological perspective so that we might better respond to questions about this important period in Israel’s history.
I want to conclude this first installment with a basic starting point for our discussion: whatever concerns and questions we might have about the conquest of Canaan, it is clear that the New Testament accepts the events of the book of Joshua as true history and does not have any ethical reservations about the Israelites’ invasion of the promised land. Just consider the following evidence:
We could pursue other lines of evidence from the New Testament, but the basic point should be clear: neither Jesus nor the Apostles believed that the destruction of the Canaanites was wrong. That must be our starting point as those who profess to follow Christ. There are still issues that we can and should address, but we must take our direction from our Lord. If He is not embarrassed about something and if He and His Apostles see no ethical problems with a particular event or issue, then neither should we. To contradict Him on this point would be an act of hubris that would be almost impossible to surpass.
Editor’s Note:This post is part of a series on the conquest of Canaan and was first published on September 25, 2017. Next post.
A quick foray into social media reveals that #thankful continues to be the subject of many pretty memes. A discerning shopper can fill her home with daily reminders of the need for gratitude, from the ‘Give Thanks’ exhortation on her coffee mug to the ‘Grateful’ artwork on the living room wall.
Thankfulness has been the subject of many best-selling self-help books in the last couple of decades. There has also been a profusion of scientific research into the psychology of gratitude. Numerous experts have touted the importance of thankfulness for leading a happy and healthy life.
For instance, studies have demonstrated that people who regularly express thankfulness enjoy its results through an alleviation of stress: “When you are grateful, all the signposts of stress, like anger, anxiety and worry, diminish.”i Similarly, making a commitment to gratitude is said to enrich interpersonal love, encourage mental and physical well-being, improve patterns of sleep, and even increase your life expectancy.
In order to promote thankfulness, psychologists recommend mindfulness practices like the Daily Gratitude Inventory. Individuals may cultivate a more grateful spirit by pausing in the midst of the daily busyness, reviewing their various gifts, relishing the value and worth of these gifts, and then responding with appreciation. The popularity of “gratitude journals”—in which you’re meant to record a few of the good things that you received and appreciated every day—reflects the same impulse: I want to be a thankful person.
In some respects, the broad recognition of the importance of gratitude is remarkable. When we see in Scripture how fundamental thankfulness should be in the life of a believer who fears God, it is striking to find the same emphasis among those who don’t know God through Christ.
Although reflection and mindfulness exercises may help us to gain useful insights, Godless gratitude is (ultimately) empty gratitude. Vague notions of ‘feeling good for the good things you have’ is not at all like the gratitude a Christian learns to practice. In an approach that often has little place for God, secular gratitude becomes a means to enhance our own life, not a response to the Giver. Unbelievers trumpet the numerous personal benefits of thankfulness so that gratitude becomes a path to personal happiness. By being a more grateful person, I will be able to improve my own life and outlook. By my thankfulness for various good gifts, I will be able to attract more good gifts.
Ironically, this self-focused gratitude is an inversion of what true gratitude is meant to be: a worshipful response to the One who has shown us His free and endless generosity. In answer to the question, “What does it mean to repay in life?” Os Guinness observes, “By its very character, the modern world answers: You owe nothing. By its very character, the Christian gospel answers: You owe everything.”ii
Whatever psychologists have advocated, or etiquette experts advised, thanksgiving has always been the holy response of God’s people. Not just for one day per year, but our whole lives long, God desires that His children be filled with gratitude: “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col 3:17).
]]>What brings on amazement is surprising. Sun on water. Green leaves waving to an impossible sky. A trained voice sustaining a note so pure that you can almost see it in the air. A person doing some unexpected act so generous that you immediately recognize it as a glimpse of an ancient thing called love.
Because amazement is such a wonderful experience, we seek situations that provoke it in us. This pursuit keeps the National Park Service full of annual visitors. It drives the travel industry. It keeps us going to the silver screen to be immersed in worlds unlike our own. We want to be amazed, but we don’t know how to amaze ourselves.
God designed us with the capacity for amazement.
This post is part of a series that attempts to show how Scripture gives a framework for addressing different ways our hearts respond to the world. The introductory post laid out our guiding principle: God designed people to respond from the heart to the unique situations in which He has placed them. So, the question this post addresses is, how should we understand amazement as an expression of the heart?
Amazement is the emotional response of surprise to a situation out of the norm. Amazement, then, is an emotional indicator of a person’s expectations of what is normal; it is triggered when something out-of-place occurs. Amazement can be positive or negative, depending on a person’s evaluation of the situation. Positively, amazement is joy in the sudden discovery of beauty; negatively, it’s being appalled by the discovery of something offensive.
The Gospel writers mention people’s being amazed quite a bit. Most of the time, they report on people who were amazed at Jesus. Jesus broke expectations regarding what a human being is capable of. The disciples were amazed that a man could command wind and sea (Matt. 8:27; Luke 8:25). The crowds were amazed that He could cast out demons and heal any disease (Matt. 9:33; 15:31). They were astonished at the “gracious words that were coming from his mouth” (Luke 4:22). But most of all, the disciples were in awe that a dead man had risen (Luke 24:12, 41). No one had seen anyone like Jesus before.
God gave us amazement as an instrument for discovery. As holding a metal detector in our hands increases our awareness of potential treasures to discover, our capacity for wonder is both the motivation and the sensor for finding beauty in the great wide world. We seek beauty.
This instrument, sadly, is broken. It gets calibrated incorrectly. If amazement means having our expectations broken, then our amazement reveals what we think of as normal. And what we think of as normal can be incorrect.
People were positively amazed by the miracles of Jesus, but they were also amazed—negatively—when He broke their social conventions. The Pharisees were appalled that He didn’t wash before eating (Luke 11:38), the disciples were shocked to find Him talking to a woman (John 4:27), and Pilate marveled that He gave no answer under trial (Mark 15:5). This shows that people’s idea of normal involves both accuracies (a normal person can’t raise dead children to life) and inaccuracies (a normal person must conform to our customs).
Our capacity for wonder gets calibrated wrong in a few different ways. For one, it is often short-lived. We acclimate to what is beautiful so that it becomes part of our expectations. We are no longer provoked to wonder by the burning red of geraniums or inspired to marvel by watching the subtle eye movement of an infant making meaning of her world.
Another way our amazement goes wrong is in how shallow it is. Our minds don’t connect the beauty that amazes us with the cleverness of God. The red in that geranium is the expression of a cosmic genius. The eye movement of a baby is a neurological masterpiece on display. Even in those moments of wonder, we are often satisfied with the pleasantness of these experiences in themselves and do not connect them to God’s wisdom and goodness.
When a Christian, by faith, increasingly sees the world as God does, his capacity to sense beauty is sharpened. His instrument for amazement is calibrated to what ought to thrill him and, on the other hand, shock him.
Our pursuit of amazement is sanctified by higher purposes. Instead of seeking merely the pleasurable feeling that accompanies a discovery, we pursue wonder to increase thankfulness. Our hearts sing not with discovery itself but with discovery of the ultimate source of all beauty.
Even Jesus marveled. He marveled when He found faith in an unexpected place (Matt. 8:10). A man who had not been raised to know God believed in the One He had sent. The desperate father’s faith was beautiful to Jesus. He was in awe of what God found beautiful, even when no one else was that impressed. God found it beautiful because He had placed it there. Jesus’ emotional response was His recognition of this fact.
As Christians grow in faith, they will likewise find wonder where no one else does. It is the increased capacity to use wonder for what God designed it for: as a sensor of what is beautiful and out-of-the-norm for a broken world, ultimately preparing us for a world where beauty is the norm.
Editor’s Note: This post was first published on March 12, 2018 and is part of a series on Bible study. Previous post. Next post.
In this recent Update from the Field, HeartCry missionary Paul Kuyumbo gives a tour of the Jonathan Edwards Library at the African Christian University in Zambia. Recently HeartCry sent a shipment of theological books and bibles to supply the library, and also to distribute to churches in Zambia.
]]>As we know, those 15 days quickly expanded into months, and then years of governmental officials restricting the activities of citizens, businesses, and institutions—including churches. Very soon, governors began issuing executive orders telling churches that they could not meet, or that they could only meet according to governmental guidelines—which often included restrictions on singing or having no more than 10 people present (as in the case of Virginia).
Virginia Governor, Ralph Northam held a press conference December 10, 2020 and said,
“Christmas is two weeks away. The holidays are typically times of joy and community. We gather together, we celebrate our faith, and we celebrate with family.”
“But this year we need to think about what is truly the most important thing. Is it the worship or the building? For me, God is wherever you are. You don’t have to sit in the church pew for God to hear your prayers,” Northam said. “Worship with a mask on is still worship. Worship outside or worship online is still worship.”
He called on faith leaders to “lead the way and set an example.”
Similarly, Governor Gavin Newsom in California issued an executive order forbidding churches from meeting. Later he said that churches could meet but under very severe restrictions. His restrictions continued until Grace Church and Pastor John MacArthur successfully won a judgment against him in the Supreme Court.
These, and similar actions by civil authorities, forced churches and church leaders to reconsider what Scripture teaches about how the church relates to the state. Specifically, who has the right to tell churches what they can and cannot do, when they can gather, and how they can gather?
Jesus Christ is Lord of the Church. He and He alone is Head of the Church as well as the Head of every local true church.
Though that was a painful process for many churches, and some negotiated those challenges better than others, I think it is safe to say that for many it helped clarify what has always been true but can no longer be taken for granted, and that is that Jesus Christ is Lord of the Church. He and He alone is Head of the Church as well as the Head of every local true church.
I am confident that no church would deny that as an article of faith, but learning afresh to consider what it means practically—and what it may cost to honor His lordship in the face of opposition or persecution—has been a blessing to many churches.
Jesus Christ is Head of the church. When Peter confessed that Jesus is the Messiah, the “Son of the living God,” Jesus responded by saying, “On this rock I will build MY church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
Paul introduces the idea of Jesus being the “head of the church” in six passages in his letters to the Ephesians and the Colossians. In Ephesians 4:16 he says that as we mature in sound doctrine and learning to speak the truth in love, we are able to “grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” In Ephesians 5:23 Paul writes, “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.”
In Colossians 2:19 Christ is called “the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.”
Christ is Head of the church in the sense that He is the One “who stands over it” in the sense of being the basis of its existence, the source of its life, and the authoritative Ruler over it.[1]
What this means is that every church—regardless of its polity—is ultimately a Christocracy. Jesus is Lord of the church. He is the Head of every true church. This truth, rightly understood, rightly guides church leaders in both addressing a church’s internal affairs and determining its mission.
When questions, challenges, or controversies confront a congregation the primary goal in responding to them should be to determine the mind of Christ. What does the Lord Jesus have to say on this? What is the way of Christ (1 Corinthians 4:17) to resolve this? Christ’s mind and ways are revealed to us in Scripture. There the job of church leaders and church members is to discern what the Bible says a church should do in any situation.
Granted, some situations are clearer than others, but no decision of any significance should be taken without first grappling with biblical teaching and principles. We do this because Christ is Head of the church.
Christ is Head of the church in the sense that He is the One “who stands over it” in the sense of being the basis of its existence, the source of its life, and the authoritative Ruler over it.
One clear example of how this works out practically is in the area of corrective church discipline. Matthew 18:15-20 unambiguously outlines normal steps for dealing with sin in the church. Since Christ is Lord of the church, true churches understand that they do not have the option to ignore these instructions. That is likewise true of the more urgent and immediate command to “purge the evil person from among you” (1 Corinthians 5:13; read the whole chapter) when a public, scandalous sin is being committed by a church member.
If a church sees itself as a Christocracy, it will obey the Lord Jesus in this area, even when it is painful and unpopular to do so.
How the church goes about making disciples is also governed by the Headship of Christ. Our starting point is with the exalted position of our crucified, risen Savior. Jesus Himself prefaces His great commission with this reminder: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Only after asserting His universal lordship does He issue the command to His followers, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 18:18-20).
Churches own the mission to evangelize the nations. We preach Christ both personally and publicly, formally and informally; in pulpits as well as coffee shops; on the job site as well as the playground. There is no place nor any person who is outside the scope of our concern. Why? Because as Head of the church our Lord has “all authority.” His authority extends everywhere.
As Paul puts it in Ephesians 1:22, God“put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church.” Jesus is not only Head over the church but also, over “all things.” All principalities, powers, governments, institutions, and individuals are subservient to our sovereign, risen Lord. God made certain of that by raising Jesus from the dead and giving Him, in the capacity of our risen Mediator, to the church.
So our evangelism, while full of compassionate pleading with people to be reconciled to God through faith in Jesus, is never to be carried out as if our Lord is dependent on human power for disciples to be added to His family. He is Lord of lords and King of kings and we, His ambassadors, go out in His Name, calling all people to come to Jesus Christ and be saved (2 Corinthians 5:20-21).
Our evangelism is never to be carried out as if our Lord is dependent on human power for disciples to be added to His family.
The early church had this understand of Jesus as King and the church as a Christocracy as they carried out their mission. We know this by the response of their opponents to their efforts. In Thessalonica, the response to the preaching of Paul and Silas was so profound that hostile Jews dragged some of the new converts before city officials. There they charged them not with becoming Christians, but with proclaiming the kingship of Jesus. “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,…and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus” (Acts 17:6-7).
Could it be that one reason so many churches seem to be making so little difference in the world today is because we have lost sight of the kingship of Christ? He is Lord. He is Head of the church. God has raised Him from the dead and made Him head over all things for the church. We carry out our marching orders to make disciples because all authority belongs to Him and we are His ambassadors.
Pastors and elders must teach their congregations to recognize every true church is a Christocracy. We do what we do in obedience to our Lord. We conduct our affairs and carry out His mission in the Name of our King Jesus. Perhaps, as the Lord grants us grace and courage to live this way, we will, like the early church before us, have reason to be charged with turning our world upside down.
[1] Heinrich Schlier, “Κεφαλή, Ἀνακεφαλαιόομαι,” ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 679.
The post Every Church is a Christocracy appeared first on Founders Ministries.
]]>In Thomas Boston's work "The Necessity of Repentance", he clearly articulates that faith precedes repentance in the order of nature. Although the grace of faith and repentance are bestowed simultaneously in time, faith is described as the "spring and source of repentance." This implies that in the spiritual regeneration of an individual, the act of believing in Christ inherently comes before the act of repentance.
Does the corporate worship we engage in on a weekly basis impress on us our status as servants of the living God? Or do we implicitly think that we are in control, that we can call the shots in this meeting with God? I think there are at least three things that we should ask to evaluate if our worship meets the biblical criteria of asserting the supremacy of our covenant King.
The first question is simply this: Who talks first? Is it us or God? It ought to be God—it must be God. Why? Because it’s God’s Word, not man’s, that has the power to constitute a relationship with Him. If we are to come and engage with Him—which is what is happening in worship—then He needs to call us. The Westminster divines explain, “The distance between God and the creature is so great, that although reasonable creatures do owe obedience unto Him as their Creator, yet they could never have any fruition of Him as their blessedness and reward, but by some voluntary condescension on God’s part” (WCF 7.1). He is too great for us to grasp, unless He makes Himself available to us. This is why Reformed and Presbyterian churches have historically begun their worship services with a “call to worship.” The call to worship sets the stage and structures our services in such a way as to remind the worshipers that God is supreme, and we are His servants.
The second question to ask is this: Who talks most? Is the service predominantly God speaking to us in the reading, singing, and preaching of the Scriptures, or is it us talking to Him? Both are important, but what are we implicitly saying if 75 percent—or even 50 percent—of a worship service is taken up with our words to God? Do we think what we have to say is more important than what God has to say?
Some U.K. readers will be familiar with the voice of Oswald Lawrence, though they likely do not know the name. Lawrence was a largely unsuccessful actor, albeit for one role: since the 1970s he was the voice of the London Underground, reminding commuters on the Northern Line to “mind the gap!” as they stepped off the tube. He served in that role until 2012, when the Underground phased out his voice in favor of an automated voice that would be used uniformly across the entire subway system. No one probably noticed, except for Lawrence’s dear widow, Margaret. After her husband died in 2007, Margaret found great comfort in hearing his voice every time she got off at her Embankment station. Distraught over the decision to remove his voice, Margaret made an appeal to the powers that be. Moved by her story, the London Underground reintroduced Lawrence’s voice at one station only: Embankment. His widow has shared how often she goes down to the platform just to sit, sometimes nearly for an hour, to hear the voice of her beloved.
Do we ever think of worship like that? Do we ever think of going to church as an opportunity for us to simply sit and hear the voice of our Beloved? And His Words are so much stronger and sweeter than a simple recording of three syllables—but often we are too busy speaking to listen. The default for a servant should be silence, not speaking. Remember the words of Samuel: “Speak, for your servant is listening” (1 Sam. 3:9).
One final question we should ask to evaluate our worship services is this: Who sets the talking points? Or put another way, who determines what our worship looks like—us or God? Contrary to popular opinion, we are not permitted do whatever we want in worship. We must do what God wants, and He cares very much about how He is worshiped. He has high standards. Since religion and worship are very personal, people balk at this notion. But Scripture presents the activity of worship as something much more serious and far less flippant or subjective. In fact, worship is a matter of life or death, as several examples in Scripture indicate (see below). This is why the Preacher says that we are to “walk prudently” or “guard [our] steps” as we come into the presence of God (Eccl. 5:1). He is warning the people of God, “Be careful how you worship.” Worship is a serious business—God cares how we worship, and if we do not worship Him appropriately, we place ourselves in danger.
Now, maybe that doesn’t sound quite right or sit well with you. You may be thinking, “Surely God doesn’t care how we worship; He simply cares that we worship.” For many of us, our default setting is to think that as long as our heart is in it, God is happy with our worship. But there is arrogance in that way of thinking. It places us above God. It suggests something like this: “I am so great and important that God should be thrilled at the prospect of getting any of my attention. What a privilege for Him that I would worship Him. Surely He’s so attention starved that He’ll take whatever I give Him.”
Stories like that of Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10:1–3) should dissuade us of the notion that God doesn’t care how we worship, or that He leaves the decisions up to us. In The Necessity of Reforming the Church, John Calvin wrote:
There is a two-fold reason why the Lord, in condemning and prohibiting all fictitious worship, requires us to give obedience only to his own voice. First, it tends greatly to establish his authority that we do not follow our own pleasure, but depend entirely on his sovereignty; and secondly, such is our folly, that when we are left at liberty, all we are able to do is go astray. And then once we have turned aside from the right path, there is no end to our wanderings, until we get buried under a multitude of superstitions. Justly, therefore, does the Lord, in order to assert his full right of dominion, strictly enjoin what he wishes us to do, and at once reject all human devices which are at variance with his command. Justly, too, does he, in express terms, define our limits, that we may not, by fabricating perverse modes of worship, provoke his anger against us.1
What can we do to move our worship services in a God-centered direction—a worship that exalts Him and humbles us? Terry Johnson says: “The single most important step is to fill them with biblical content. Bible-filled services, services in which the songs, prayers, readings, and sermons are full of Scripture, will inevitably be filled with God as well.”2 This is to simply affirm that God calls the shots in worship. He sets the talking points. He is the Lord; we are the servants.
This Sunday, will you worship? The psalmist has taught us that to worship is simultaneously to “bow down” and “kneel before the Lord” (Ps. 95:6). It’s to take a humbling posture before the high and holy God. But the God we lay low before is the God of whom we say, “You save a humble people” (Ps. 18:27).
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on September 28, 2022.
First, because:
Robert Paul Martin wrote, “An unwillingness to define with precision the faith that it professes to believe is a symptom that something is desperately wrong with a church and its leadership.”
Local churches are not Milton Bradly. We are not inventing, producing, or playing games. We have a conviction regarding the truth of God. Here we stand; We can do no other!
We aren’t looking down at the ground kicking our foot saying “Ah shucks, I guess we sort of believe this or that…” No! It is the duty of every local church to boldly proclaim, this is what the Bible says!
Churches that embrace historic confessions of faith, like the 1689 2nd London Baptist Confession, declare, “While everyone is progressing and minimalizing and moving to the shallow end of the pool, we are going to regress. We are going to go backward to our roots. We are going to maximize. We are going to go deeper and fuller and more thorough.”
No matter your church’s confession, you must, in a world that is trying to customize and personalize truth, stand on God’s truth unapologetically.
No doubt confessions like the 1689 are thorough. But consider what Baptist B.H. Carroll wrote,
“A church with a little creed is a church with a little life. The more divine doctrines a church can agree on, the greater its power, and the wider its usefulness. The fewer its articles of faith, the fewer its bonds of union and compactness. The modern cry, ‘Less creed and more liberty,’ is a degeneration from the vertebrate to the jellyfish, and means less unity and less morality, and it means more heresy. Definitive truth does not create heresy—it only exposes and corrects. Shut off the creed and the Christian work would fill up with heresy unsuspected and uncorrected, but none the less deadly.”
Local churches should love thorough, biblical, Baptist confessions of faith because we love the truth. Because we have real conviction.
I love the first line of the 1689 because it sets the tone for everything else:
The Holy Scriptures are the only sufficient, certain, and infallible standard of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience.
This confession of faith serves the Bible. It is not equal to it. It is not above it. It’s an arrow that points to the Scriptures. If ever we find a conflict between the Bible and the Confession, we go with the Bible, since it is supreme.
Confessions of faith are important because we have a conviction. 2ndly, because
Here is the gospel: The Son of God took on human flesh, conceived by the Holy Spirit., and was born of the Virgin Mary. He grew up in obedience to His earthly parents and His heavenly Father. He began His ministry around age 30. In everything He did He fulfilled all righteousness.
He proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God. He called sinners to repentance. He showed us the truth. He Himself is the truth.
He then died for the lawless sinners. Covenant breakers. He bore God’s wrath justly due our sins. He was buried and rose again on the 3rd day in victory. All who embrace this truth by faith and turn from their sins in repentance will be saved.
Upon His resurrection and before His ascension, Christ gave His church a commission (cf. Matt. 28:18-20). That commission is one of making disciples. We cannot make disciples apart from teaching.
Thus, a confession of faith helps the church fulfill this commission. It sets forth what we believe Jesus taught us to teach the nations. About the Bible. About God. Aboud sin. About redemption. About the church.
Because we take the Great Commission seriously, we have put down in writing what we believe so that we can teach it. A good confession of faith helps us do this rightly. It helps us form good ways to talk about the Trinity, the gospel, God’s governance of the universe, Christ, covenant theology, and the list goes on and on. All these precious truths we believe and hold so dear, we are to teach to others.
A confession of faith is useful because we have a Conviction, a Commission, 3rdly, because
The church today is the church militant. We are at war. We are contending for the faith (cf. Jude 1:3). We are contending for the truth. The world, flesh, and devil are constantly striving to minimize, change, or eradicate the truth.
New warped aphorisms are invented all the time that say things like: “Love over verses.”
You understand what that’s trying to do? Chip away at our foundation. It’s saying look past what God says in His Word and just “love” people. Ignore the Bible’s definitions and embrace a 21st century standard.
But this is where a good confession of faith comes in and helps us protect the truth. It helps us say, “Nope!” It helps us say, “Here is the faith once delivered that we are contending for.”
Individual Christians and churches are called to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. What is that faith? Someone may say, “Well, it’s what the Bible teaches!” Yes, this is true. But a lot of people say a lot of weird things about what the Bible teaches.
So, a confession of faith essentially says, here is what the Bible teaches. Here is the faith once delivered and passed down from generation to generation. Here is the truth that we are contending for.
5thly, a confession of faith is useful because
1 Samuel 7:12says,: “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, ‘Till now the LORD has helped us.’”
A healthy confession of faith is an Ebenezer. It is a rock of remembrance. It is a commemoration. It is a reminder that we have only arrived where we are today by God’s help, that He has helped generations past, and that by His sovereign grace He will help generations future.
Holding to a historical confession of faith says, we stand in a long line of godly men and women who have been anchored in the same truth. Furthermore, by God’s grace, our children and grandchildren and their grandchildren will continue to hold the line and continue to gird themselves up in truth.
We have a confession of faith because we have a conviction, a commission, a contention, a commemoration, and finally, because
Every local church is to be a pillar and buttress of the truth (cf. 1 Tim. 3:15). We are not just a bunch of individuals, but a body and we are called to a corporate faith.
This is certainly not dismissing the necessity of an individual and personal faith in Christ. You cannot be saved by someone else’s faith. You must personally put your faith in the person and work of Christ. In His life, death, burial, and resurrection. There is no salvation without personal faith in Jesus.
But this personal faith is not a privatized faith. You confess what the church confesses because the church confesses the truth.
Ditches to Avoid
We have a conviction, commission, contention, commemoration, and congregation. This is why every local church should use a healthy and historical confession of faith. Practically, when it comes to a church using a confession of faith there are two ditches to avoid:
This is when a church treats a confession of faith in word or deed as on par with the Bible. Remember, a confession of faith is under the Bible’s authority and is to serve the Bible. A local church reserves the right to amend, reword, or add to a confession of faith as necessary, though it should do so with the utmost care. Yet, we can never amend, reword, or add to the Bible!
We must avoid hyper-confessionalism. But 2ndly, we must avoid:
This is when a church has a confession, like, say, the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, but no one actually knows what it says. It is literally or metaphorically stuffed back in some ancient file in a closet somewhere in the church building that no one every uses anymore.
Thus, it has become a confession of faith in name but not practice. This is why confessional churches should be committed to reading, studying, teaching their confessions. In this age of religious pluralism, of the wild west where everyone can just believe whatever they want for whatever reason they want to, in this wicked age, every faithful church should have a confession of faith. And every member of the church should strive to know what that confession teaches and why. Truth matters.
Now, this doesn’t mean there won’t be disagreements at times with members over portions of a confession of faith, and that’s okay.
At our local church, no one is required to be a 1689 scholar or in strict agreement with every single sentence to be a member of the church. Within the life of the church there is liberty of conscience on certain issues. Some people are going to look at things differently. Some are going to need to be taught better. And everyone must be seeking to mature in the faith.
However, the 1689 helps us because upfront it says, “This is what we believe.” This is how our elders are going to teach. If you desire to be divisive over issues or cannot accept the teaching, then this would not be the best place for you.
It’s one thing to disagree and be willing to learn or to disagree and be willing to strive for unity, it’s one thing to be like that and it’s a different thing to just seek to sow division among the Body.
Conclusion
The strategy of churches over the last few decades has been to be as “big tent” as possible so as to include the largest number of people possible in the church. What our world needs, though, is churches willing to be dogmatic over the truth.
We need to obey verses like Eph. 6:14. Stand firm. Gird yourselves in truth. These are not the days for minimizing truths. These are not the days for nuance and ambiguity.
It’s like those who profess to be in Christ’s army are trying to hide which side they are on. They are covering up their uniforms so as not to stick out.
But I’m saying, wear the armor of Christ boldly. Let’s take out the biggest, most visible, flag for Christ that we can and let’s plant that thing firmly and unapologetically in the ground.
This is not because we want division or brashness. It is because we know that Christ is worthy of a church that loves His truth. It is because we know the only antidote, the only hope, the only thing that will turn our communities, our homes, our nation around, is truth.
Gird up church. Let us protect. Let us proclaim. Let us perpetuate God’s truth.
The post A Compelling Case for a Confession of Faith – Part 2 appeared first on Founders Ministries.
]]>Perhaps the biggest weapon the Arminian attempt to use in their arsenal against Calvinists is John 3:16, especially the word "whosoever" when matched up with the word "world". But when we take a little closer look at the passage we discover they must read into it some assumptions that simply are not there. Let's take a look.
The word "whosoever" in John 3:16 translates from the Greek phrase "πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων" (pas ho pisteuōn). Let's break this down:
The dreams of the butler and baker were simple enough. The butler dreamed that he was serving Pharaoh wine, and the baker dreamed that birds ate the bread and delicacies he had prepared for the king. God again gave Joseph the interpretation. Both dreams were about being “lifted up,” a repeated phrase in the account in Genesis 40. For the butler, it was good news: he would be lifted up and restored to service. For the baker, it would be a “lifting up” as well, but unfortunately of his head from his body, as Pharaoh would order his execution. Joseph told the men each verdict would be delivered on the third day, and so it happened.
Surely, this was an encouragement to Joseph to persevere in hope. These two dreams came true, and reassurance that his own two dreams of being lifted up to glory as his family bowed down would also come true. Remember, Joseph was seventeen when he was sold into slavery and thirty when Pharaoh eventually called him to service. That’s thirteen years waiting, with nothing to cling to but God’s promise. The fates of the butler and baker showed Joseph that God never goes back on His word.
But reading the account as Christians who know where the whole story of Scripture leads, we might detect a deeper pattern. Two elements are particularly emphasized in the dreams of the palace servants: that they would both be lifted up (Gen. 40:13, 19, 20) and that it would happen on the third day (“three” and “third” are repeated nine times in Gen. 40:9–20). The third day is the day of being raised up, which brings triumph or tragedy. In his great chapter on the resurrection, Paul tells the Corinthians that Christ was “raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:4). We think of Jonah as a prediction that Christ’s resurrection would be on the third day, and maybe Hosea 6:2. But perhaps even in Genesis 40 we are taught that the third day is the day of being lifted up. Certainly, Christ’s resurrection brings both triumph for Him and those who are united to Him and tragedy for all who stand against Him, including death itself (1 Cor. 15:54–55).
Be that as it may, Joseph had the prophecies of his own lifting up strengthened by seeing God’s words confirmed in the lifting up of the butler and baker. As Christians, we have promises that one day we will be raised to glory and given resurrection bodies. And alongside the promise of God’s words we have seen in history the resurrection of Christ: He has already been lifted up on the third day as the firstfruits of the harvest to come (1 Cor. 15:20). It’s not just that He has been raised so we know God is capable of doing it again with believers. Rather, our resurrections are intimately connected to Christ’s: He is the firstfruits of the one harvest. If Christ has been raised, so will His people be, united as they are to their King. We have the prophetic word made more sure.
Two long years passed, but eventually Joseph’s own “lifting up” arrived. In the third pair of dreams of the Joseph story, Pharaoh was given visions of thin cows that ate fat cows without gaining weight and seven thin ears of corn that swallowed seven fat ears without growing larger. When the court magicians were left baffled, Joseph was summoned to interpret. Pharaoh was so impressed that he raised Joseph to the second-highest position in Egypt, below only Pharaoh himself. And what was the sign of this newfound status? Joseph was clothed again in finery, robed in glory just as he had been when his story began (Gen. 41:42). Eventually, of course, his dreams were fulfilled, and his family joined him in Egypt. Joseph was the one to whom all the world had to go in order to find food (Gen. 41:55). Only he could provide feasting in the famine. In this he foreshadowed the true bread of life, Jesus Christ, who gives life to the world (John 6:33).
Our life is often one of famine and hardship, but God has raised up a Ruler to feed the nations. He gives us not bread that will perish but food that will grant us eternal life. Where else can we go? Only by believing in Christ, feeding on Him, do we receive eternal life and escape the death we deserve. Days of feasting will come, but until then we live by faith in the Son of God who gave His life for us. He alone can sustain us; He alone can feed us.
As Joseph’s days drew to a close, he revealed to his brothers that “you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Gen. 50:20). Notice the two intentions behind the one wicked act. The brothers intended evil as they stripped and beat Joseph, selling him into slavery. But mysteriously, at the same time God used their evil act to save tens of thousands who would otherwise have perished in the famine. If Joseph hadn’t been in that prison cell with the disgraced butler, he would never have been introduced to Pharaoh and called to a position where he could save both Israelites and Egyptians, Jews and gentiles. Among those saved from starvation was his brother Judah, from whose line, ultimately, would come the Lord Jesus Christ. In that sense, the undeniably wicked action of the brothers resulted in the salvation not just of starving citizens in the ancient Near East but of the countless multitude rescued by Christ through His death on the cross.
Likewise, Jesus’ death was a deplorably wicked act. But it, too, was also planned and purposed by God. The guilt and evil of crucifying Christ lay with men, but God had purposed it for good in the mystery of His sovereign will. As Peter says in his Pentecost sermon, “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men” (Acts 2:23).
In his suffering and in his being raised up to glory, Joseph foreshadows Jesus Christ. Christ has died to make atonement for us and is now raised up to guarantee our own resurrection and to feed us from the right hand of God the Father on our journey home. For now, the Christian life is one of faith rather than sight, but we have His Word, His Son, and His gospel to give us a sure and certain hope that one day we will be gathered to His presence. There we will meet not an angry ruler, out for revenge on His people who spurned and rejected Him. Rather, we will at last be reunited with our compassionate older brother who willingly gave Himself that we might live. When Joseph finally revealed his identity to his brothers, “he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked with him” (Gen. 45:15). So it will be when we see Jesus face-to-face. Who can imagine what the great heavenly family reunion will be like? Who can imagine what it will be like to be embraced and kissed by the One we betrayed but who loves us to death? Who can imagine the glories of talking with Him?
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on December 9, 2020.
Our Present Sufferings. Paul speaks of “the sufferings of this present time,” not “the suffering.” He’s speaking of “the time” between Jesus’ resurrection and return. In the “present time” we experience “the sufferings” of persecution at the hands of the world and the devil. “Rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:13). Ministers experience “the sufferings” of being “jars of clay . . . afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; stuck down, but not destroyed” (2 Cor. 4:7–9). Added to these are all “the sufferings” we experience because Adam’s sin caused the world to be a fallen place: women’s suffering in childbirth and men’s suffering agony in the course of their work (Gen. 3:16–19). “The suffering” of a fallen world include hunger and loneliness, illness and disease, and the sorrow of death.
Our Future Glory. In contrast, Paul speaks of “the glory that is to be revealed to us.” He’s just said in Romans 8:17 that we’re united to Christ in His suffering and glory. What Jesus experienced as Son we, too, will experience as sons. Think of kids playing with modeling clay or Play-Doh. How do they know how to transform it into a whale, a tiger, or a person? They either have a picture in their minds or in front of them. Jesus is that picture, we’re the clay, and God is the molder. One day, the ultimate experience of fellowship with God will be “revealed” when He glorifies and “transform[s] our lowly bod[ies] to be like his glorious body” (Phil. 3:21). When Paul “consider[s] the[se] sufferings” in light of “glory,” he says they “are not worth comparing.” Our sufferings are earthly; God’s glory is eternal. Our sufferings are temporal; God’s glory is eternal. “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Cor. 4:17). Our sufferings are as light on a scale as a feather compared to an elephant, are as insignificant as a dot compared to extending lines with arrows on a number line.
Creation’s Groan (Rom. 8:19–22). Paul illustrates that this age’s sufferings aren’t worth comparing with glory “because the creation waits with eager longing” (Rom. 8:19). The image is of someone lifting up their head, longing to see something on the horizon, as one might climb a hill in the morning to see the sunrise. What does creation long to see? “The revealing of the sons of God.” All creation waits for us to enter glorious, face-to-face fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Why is creation groaning? “For” or “because the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it” (Rom. 8:20). Something happened to change creation: it became “subjected to futility,” reflecting Genesis 3, where God cursed the ground to produce “thorns and thistles.” Creation no longer lives up to its promise. It’s become “vanity, vanity” (Eccl. 1:2). Everything seems pointless, meaningless, and futile. We know the frustration of not living up to our potential, but this is frustration on a cosmic scale. The creation was “subjected . . . not willingly” but passively; the active cause was “him who subjected it”: God.
He isn’t the author of futility, but He executed His curse because of Adam’s sin. Creation’s subjection is not God’s fault. Like a parent who makes terrible choices stunting the emotional, social, and spiritual growth of their children, so with Adam and all human beings who descend from him by ordinary generation. God, though, didn’t place a curse on creation for cursing’s sake; He did so “in hope” (Rom. 8:20). God placed in the DNA of creation itself this hope: “that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Rom. 8:21). Bondage now, freedom then; corruption now, renewal then; futility now, glory then. Paul summarizes in verse 22: “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” Paul switches the image and says creation is like an expectant mother in labor pains (Gen. 3:16). The pain is serious, but it will soon pass.
Paul isn’t adopting pagan mythology of “mother earth.” He’s personifying creation with human characteristics. Why? To encourage we who eagerly longing for sufferings to end so that we can enter glory face-to-face. Be encouraged; we’re not alone in longing for the renewal of creation. Everything around you is too. Every couple of months I go out into the front yard to trim my Phoenix robelinii. I find them an astounding example of hope and patience. I’m constantly cutting off branches, cleaning up dead ones, and removing messy flowers. But I hardly water or fertilize them. Yet, they’re taller and more lush than before, as if they are patiently enduring my neglect. What’s amazing is how the trees hidden under the shade of my neighbor’s roof and nestled in the back of my planter have grown toward the sun. Entire trunks contorting. Branches from one tree stretching out over those closer to the sunlight. All in the hope of light. In a similar way, creation is waiting for its renewal, patiently yet earnestly groaning for restoration.
The Christian’s Groan (Rom. 8:23–25). Like the creation, the believer also groans: “and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly” (Rom. 8:23). “Firstfruits” were what God’s people offered to Him from their families, their fields, and their flocks as a symbolic way of saying everything belonged to Him. Amazingly God has given us the Spirit as firstfruits. He’s to us what the clusters of grapes from the promised land were to Israel: a down payment of something greater. The Spirit is a down payment of glory. When we believed, we “were sealed”—stamped with God’s authentic mark—“with the promised Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it” (Eph. 1:13–14).
Yet, we groan “we . . . groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons” because there’s something we don’t have: “the redemption of our bodies.” Our “inheritance” is something we still have to “acquire possession” of (Eph. 1:14). Have you ever had a sample of something that tasted so amazing that you just had to have more of it? There’s a certain cut of beef in Brazil called picanha that I long to taste again. The look, the smell, and the taste are part of me; I just can’t get it out of my mind. Similarly, we’ve tasted eternity in the Spirit, but we long for His fullness. This leads to tension. Like a big rubber band that’s pulled two ways, becoming tighter, we’re pulled toward this age with sufferings but to the age to come with the Holy Spirit. Paul characterizes this tension in terms of hope: “for in this hope we were saved” (Rom. 8:24). What’s “this”? “The redemption of our bodies.” Look at how Paul explains hope: “Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?” (Rom. 8:24). Earthly hope is for things you can see, touch, smell, taste, and hear. There’s another kind of hope: the things of the world to come that are fixed and satisfying. Why is the Christian hope better than any other? Why would I give up what I can experience now for what I have to wait for? Because our future hope is based in past reality. The hope we have of putting off mortality and entering glory in new bodies is based on the resurrection of Jesus’ body. Hope leads to patience, “but if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Rom. 8:25). Jesus is the best example of this: “For the joy that was set before him [He] endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:1–2).
The Spirit’s Groan (Rom. 8:26–27). The Spirit is also groaning: “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness” (Rom. 8:26). Why? “For” or “because we do not know what to pray for as we ought” (Rom. 8:26). As those made alive by Him to be God’s children, we “ought” to know how, when, and why to pray. Because of our ongoing struggle with sin, Paul particularly singles out “our weakness of not know[ing] what to pray for as we ought.”
Isn’t it usually the case that every large problem starts small? Like an avalanche starting as a small falling rock—the avalanche didn’t just happen. It’s the same with us in prayer. Some selfish decision or sinful attitude of ours gets in the way and clouds our minds to think clearly about our spiritual needs. Then, all the cares of the world get in the way causing us to be too busy even to utter word in prayer. Feelings of guilt creep in, making us sink further into depression. What’s so encouraging is the Spirit’s assistance: “but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us.” Listen to the affection of His groan. “The Spirit helps.” He’s no impersonal voice on your GPS or iPhone—“helps” speaks of His being sympathetic with our weakness, taking our burdens on Himself. How does He do this? He “intercedes for us with groanings” or sighs “too deep for words.” They’re beyond words or even without words. God’s people have been groaning for millennia; yet while we groan, not even knowing the right words to pray for the actual needs of our soul, God the Holy Spirit groans “for us.” We have not only Jesus Christ as our Advocate, Intercessor, and Mediator (Rom. 8:34) but the Holy Spirit. John Murray said: “The children of God have two divine intercessors. Christ is their intercessor in the court of heaven. . . . The Holy Spirit is their intercessor in the theatre of their own hearts.”
Note the acceptance of the Spirit’s groan in verse 27. “He who searches hearts” (God the Father) “knows what is the mind of the Spirit” because although the Father and Spirit are distinct in terms of person, They’re one God. “But my prayers are so futile; my mind is so clouded with sin; my heart is so faithless.” Yes, they are. But God knows what’s in your mind and especially what’s in the “mind of the Spirit.” He “intercedes according to the will of God” (Rom. 8:27). You may not know what to pray for as you ought, but the Spirit does.
Turning to verses 28–30 and “the golden chain of salvation,” we must see clearly here the promise that “all things work together for good.” This means that the glory of eternity that comes after this life of sufferings is rooted in the proof that God ultimately works all suffering to our good, which is the unbreakable golden chain: “those whom [God] foreknew, he also predestined . . . he also called . . . he also justified . . . he also glorified.” We’re confident in this life because of what God has already shown He’s done. Paul was so confident of what God had already done that he spoke in the past tense: “foreknew,” “predestined,” “called,” “justified,” “glorified.” Even glorification—which we have yet to experience—is secure. Why does Paul say this? He is so certain that all our sufferings are part of God’s good plan to renew us that it’s as if we’ve already been glorified finally and fully.
This future-looking reality of assurance all comes to a glorious climax in what I like to call the greatest catechism ever written.
Q 1: “What then shall we say to these things”—being foreknown, predestined, called, justified, and glorified?
Q&A 2: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” The obvious answer is “no one.” The ancient Greeks were always outnumbered by their enemies, especially the Persians. Line upon line of enemy forces would attack the Greeks, but the Greeks always had the confidence to know that they had Alexander on their side. He devised new ways of fighting against all odds time and time again. We’re outnumbered on all sides by the world, the devil, and our own sinful nature. But “God is for us.” So “who can be against us?” We worry about everything under the sun, but “God is for us.” What problem do we have that’s too big?
Q&A 3: “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32). God “did not spare his own Son but gave him up.” How far would God the Father go in reconciling the world that fell into sin? Note for whom the Son was not spared and given: “for us all.” It wasn’t because you were loveable that God “did not spare his own Son,” but because He loved you. “How will he not also with Him graciously give us all things?” The same God who “gave” His Son in the past is the same God who will “give” us “all things” in the future. Eternal life? Yes! Complete liberation from all the sins of our thoughts, words, and deeds? Yes! New bodies freed from the fall and curse? Yes! Glorified bodies made like the glorified body of Jesus? Yes! The experience of seeing Jesus face-to-face and no longer just through faith? Yes! Eternal dwelling with Him in the new heavens and a new earth? Yes! How? “With him,” the Son, our Lord.
Q&A 4: “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?” Like the woman caught in adultery in John 8, the world surrounds us with stones in their hands to condemn us. Our sinful nature is our enemy. It’s like a body of death (Rom. 7:24). In one sense, even the law of God is our enemy: “the power of sin is the law” (1 Cor. 15:56). It powerfully declares to us what’s right and wrong, that we’ve not measured up, and that we deserve condemnation. Our conscience is our enemy. It bears witness and either accuses or excuses us (Rom. 2:15). The devil is our enemy. He’s “the accuser of our brothers . . . accus[ing] them day and night before our God” (Rev. 12:10). These all “bring . . . charge[s] against God’s elect.” The world, our sinful nature, the law, our conscience, and the devil rush forward to the Judge’s bench, crowding each other out, fighting over one another, yelling out the charges against us.
Their first charge leads us to say, “I have grievously sinned against all the commandments of God.” Since God is righteous and must punish sin, this is a particularly pointed accusation in condemning us. We know it’s true. Yet, our conscience plays the trick on us of trying to appease ourselves, saying, “But God is love; but God is merciful.” Yes, He is, but since He is God, He is also supremely just. In fact, even our idle words—you know, all those things we say when we’re just hangin’ with the boys—those will be judged (Matt. 12:36).
The second charge leads us to say, “I have kept none of the commandments of God.” The law says to us, “It’s not good enough for you to say that you have already been declared righteous, because I demand perfect obedience.” The law is relentless. It law follows us, yelling at us, condemning us, reminding us of how big a failure we truly are.
The third charge leads us to say, “I am still inclined to all evil.” “You say you’re forgiven, but you don’t act perfect,” the world says. The devil says: “You? A child of God? Have you see yourself lately?” As forgiven sinners there’s still the knowledge that God’s eyes are so holy that He can’t even look on sin.
Listen to the answer: “It is God who justifies.” The first charge against us that God will punish us in His perfect righteousness because we’ve sinned against His law is answered by Jesus’ perfect satisfaction for those violations. The second charge against us that God demands our perfect obedience where we have none is answered by Jesus’ perfect righteousness in our place. The third charge against us that God will expel us from His holy presence because of our clinging residue of sin is answered by Jesus Christ’s perfect holiness—His being conceived by the Holy Spirit in holiness, without sin; His living a life of holiness in thought, word, and deed; His shunning all sin; and His doing all righteousness. Caspar Olevianus said we have “much more righteousness in Christ than sin in [ourselves]. Indeed, a Christian has more righteousness than do all the angels in heaven.”
Q&A 5: “Who is to condemn?” (Rom. 8:34). The world condemns us, saying to the government that we’ve “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6) because we proclaim another King, Jesus; because we proclaim salvation outside ourselves; because we proclaim a new life that requires renouncing the world. The world will persecute us as it did our Lord, saying that we’re insignificant, behind the times, and dangerous. “Who is to condemn?” (Rom. 8:34). Our own consciences, seared by sin, condemn us, telling us we’re too sinful to be loved by God. They will tell us that we’re not good enough to be loved by God. They will tell us that we’re too inconsistent to ever believe that we were born again in the first place. It will tell us that we’ve not done enough good. They will tell us that we’ve not cleaned up our thoughts, our words, or our deeds enough. “Who is to condemn?” (Rom. 8:34). The devil will try to condemn us. That ancient serpent who so craftily tempted our sinless first parents now comes against us. That accuser who entered the presence of God to get his hands on Job so that Job would renounce his faith in the Lord now wants the same with us. That powerful opposer even of our Lord Himself in the wilderness now uses Scripture to oppose us. That enemy who sought to sift Peter like wheat through a sieve, in the hopes that Peter’s faith would go right through, seeks us. That deceptive enemy who disguises himself as an angel of light wants to get us to put our guard down (2 Cor. 11:14).
Yet, we’re not afraid because of Jesus’ crucifixion. “Christ Jesus is the one who died” (Rom. 8:34). His crucifixion is our redemption, the price that needed to be paid to free us from condemnation in hell. He gave “his life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28). His crucifixion is our satisfaction, the punishment that was needed to remove God’s condemnation from us. As He said on the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30). His crucifixion is our propitiation, the sacrifice that turns away the condemning wrath of God from me. “If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 2:1–2). His crucifixion is our expiation, the sending away of our sins forever from the presence of God so that we are not condemned. “He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Heb. 9:26). His crucifixion is our reconciliation, bringing me from a status of condemnation into a status of peace with God. “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” (Rom. 5:10–11).
“More than that, who was raised” (Rom. 8:34). Bring all the condemnation you want, O world, flesh, and devil, because Jesus’ resurrection is the proof of His being my perfect Savior. “If Christ has not been raised . . . you are still in your sins” (1 Cor. 15:17). But He has been raised! This is the proof of His sacrifice’s being accepted by God. This is the proof of His victory over sin: “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:55–57). “Who is at the right hand of God” (Rom. 8:34). Not only was Jesus raised, but He was then crowned at the right hand of God, the place of highest authority, dignity, honor, and power. His exaltation is the validation of everything He did. When Jesus entered heaven at His ascension, He entered as my representative. This means that when Jesus was raised, I was raised; when Jesus’ humanity was accepted into heaven, mine was also. “Who indeed is interceding for us” (Rom. 8:34). My once dead, now alive, now exalted Savior is now interceding for me with His person. He literally is before the face of our heavenly Father, between us and any accusation or condemnation.
Q&A 6: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (Rom. 8:35). Paul then lists the litany of enemies and strategies that are arrayed against us on the battlefield of our souls. It’s as if Paul is motivating us, his troops, like a Roman general. He’s telling us that our enemies are going to bring everything they’ve got against us. Be prepared. This litany is impressive. There are spiritual struggles: “tribulation.” There are psychological and emotional struggles: “distress.” There are the worldly struggles of “persecution.” There are tangible struggles of
“famine,” “nakedness,” “danger,” and “sword.” To these Paul adds a citation from Psalm 44:2, where Israel cried out in the midst of its sin: “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered” (Rom. 8:36). Paul then sums this all up with a series of contrasts, saying that neither “death nor life, angels nor rulers, things present nor things to come,” “nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation” (Rom. 8:38–39) can separate us from God’s love. Make no mistake about it: separation from God is what all these things seek to accomplish. All the opposition is seeking to sever the tie that binds you to Jesus.
But they cannot succeed.“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37). We are “more than conquerors”—“super-victors.” If you remember your Greek mythology, the Greek goddess of victory was Nike. That’s where Nike shoes gets their name. When the Romans conquered the Greeks, they just took all the Greek gods and renamed them, so Nike’s name became Victoria, victory. Paul writes to suffering Christians in Rome, “being killed all the day long and who are like sheep to be slaughtered,” yet he mocks the false gods of Rome saying that we—we—are “more than conquerors,” more than Victoria. We’re super-victors!
How? “Through him who loved us.” At the end of verse 39, he calls this “the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Isn’t that a striking contrast? All the attacks of the enemy are conquered by the love of Christ. They hate; He loves. They attack; He rescues. They curse; He comforts. It’s so easy for us to engage the power politics of our nation and seek to change laws, policies, and regulations, and we should do so. But what truly transforms a society is the love of Christ entering the heart of one sinner at a time. Jesus has loved us; now we must love the world. Jesus was patient with us; now we must be patient with your enemies. Jesus forgave us; now we must forgive one another. We will fall short. We could all live out Jesus’ love better. But this is just another evidence that we are all sinners and that we need a perfect Savior! Of all this “I am sure” (Rom. 8:38). Paul speaks in the perfect tense, which speaks here of something already done in the past and that has ongoing significance. He speaks in a passive voice, which signifies something that has been done to him. He’s saying, “I have been convinced, and I remain convinced” that nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:39). Charles Wesley sang,
No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Christian, you are loved by God the Father. You’ve been redeemed by God the Son. You have God the Holy Spirit residing within. What assurance! I pray you’ve been encouraged in this short series to know your God, to know what He thinks of you, and that you can live confidently now as well as into eternity face-to-face with Him as with a friend.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on October 25, 2021.
In Ephesians 6:14, Paul instructs the church at Ephesus to gird themselves with truth. Similarly, 1 Timothy 3:15 calls the church the pillar and buttress of the truth.
It is the church’s job to:
1. Protect the truth – the truth has enemies. Chief of which is Satan and his lies.
2. Promote the truth – the church is not just on the defensive. We are storming the gates of hell and proclaiming the truth of God in Christ.
3. Perpetuate the truth – the church in each generation is responsible pass on the truth to the next generation.
In order to accomplish these sacred duties, our triune God has given the church a Book. A Book that we affirm is the inerrant, infallible, necessary, clear, authoritative, and sufficient Word of the living God. This Book has been attacked. It has been confiscated. It has been burned. It has been torn to pieces. And yet, here it remains today.
With that being said, let me share a little quote here and see if you agree with it: “Our appeal is to the Bible for Truth.”
I agree wholeheartedly with this quote at face value, but there is a grave problem. This quote actually comes from a book written in 1946 seeking to defend the false religion of the Jehovah Witnesses. Thus, the problem. Both the Baptist and the Jehovah Witness appeal to the Scriptures as their final authority.
Now, this does not give us a problem for the Bible. Men’s misuse of the Bible is not a problem of the Bible, but a problem of fallen man. This, then, is where I will make the case for a confession of faith.
A confession of faith is meant to be a servant of the Bible. It is subservient to the Bible and seeks to point us to the Bible and say, essentially, “We are not only saying the Bible is the highest authority here but also that we are not ashamed to actually say in writing what we believe this Book teaches.”
So, a confession of faith is simply man’s attempt to say, “Here is what we confess the Bible teaches.” The Bible ultimately needs no defender. It is, as they say, the anvil that has broken many hammers. But a confession of faith is saying to the world, “When we gird ourselves with truth, this is what we mean by truth. This is what we believe the Bible says.”
Spurgeon once preached, “Whatever we find in this Book, that we are to state.” And so, this is what a confessional church seeks to do. We lay out our doctrine. We confess these truths. And we don’t just give vague or nuanced positions, but rather stand for what it is we believe the Scriptures teach.
Truthfully, a confession of faith is not a necessity so much as it is just a reality. That is, everyone believes something about the Bible. You can write down what you believe, or you can choose not to write it down, but it doesn’t change the fact that you confess something about the Bible.
So, to reject a confession of faith denies reality. Thus, a confessional church acknowledges this reality and says, “we are going to actually own this and articulate what we believe instead of pretending that we don’t have beliefs about the Bible.”
With that said, let me give you 4 problems with rejecting a confession of faith:
1. It denies reality – as mentioned, everyone believes something about the Bible. To say something like “No Creed but the Bible!” is actually, a creedal statement. To say you don’t like confessions of faith is to pretend as though you don’t have already have a confession of faith. But you do. Everyone has a set of beliefs.
So, to reject a confession of faith denies reality. Thus, a confessional church acknowledges this reality and says, “we are going to actually own this and articulate what we believe instead of pretending that we don’t have beliefs about the Bible.”
2. It is Historical Snobbery – that is, it says in the 21st century we are smarter than everyone else in history and we don’t need them.
3. It is an adoption of hyper-individuality. In essence, it says well, all that matters is what I personally believe, and I don’t need to confess truth along with the church.
4. It ignores our present condition –
We live in a world today, an American culture I should say, that is apostatizing before our eyes. We are watching the SBC, the largest once staunchly conservative evangelical denomination, drift before our eyes.
We are watching the phenomenon of what people call “deconstructing” from the faith, people who claim they grew up evangelical, but now are walking away from the faith or embracing all sorts of unbiblical things to add to Christianity.
Who could look at this current state and say, “What we need today is less truth. Less clarity. Less precision.”? It is foolish to look at our present condition and to say we just need to keep making the tent bigger to let more people in. No! All this has done is play right into the Evil One’s hands.
Thus, it is every local church’s responsibility before God to gird ourselves with truth. We must protect the truth, promote the truth, and perpetuate the truth until Jesus returns for His Bride.
A good confession of faith is merely a servant to the Scriptures. A biblical confession of faith does not shape the Bible, but serves it. Don’t press these analogies too far, but let me give a couple of illustrations:
1. If the Bible is a delicious steak, a good confession of faith is a plate, knife, and fork. It helps serve the steak. It helps digest the steak. It does not add to or stand in authority over the steak.
2. If the Bible is gold, a good confession of faith is a chest to carry it in. It helps pass the gold on from one generation to the next. It helps keep nefarious characters from trying to scuff up or steal or harm the gold in some way. The chest serves the gold. It does not add value to it.
Ultimately, what a good confession of faith does is help us use the truth rightly in order stand against the Evil One’s lies.
So far, we’ve covered introductory issues on why ever local church should have a confession of faith. In the next post, I’ll give you 5 positive reasons for a local church to have a good confession.
The post A Compelling Case for a Confession of Faith – Part 1 appeared first on Founders Ministries.
]]>Growing up in the church, I heard these words hundreds of times. I knew in my head that there was life in God’s Word. But I always struggled to believe it from my heart.
Despite all of my knowledge, I never felt any personal connection with the Word of God.
How could I be aligned with God in my mind, my heart, and my body?
I found my answer in the Bible Journal.
The concept is simple yet profound: Write the Scriptures on your heart by writing them in your own hand.
I used to struggle to spend even 5 minutes alone with God. Now, I find myself losing track of time as I dwell in His word.
Isn’t this what we all desire? To dive wholeheartedly into our relationship with God?
So, what are you waiting for? Take up the Bible Journal and find life.
In His promises. In His Law. In His Gospel.
In His Word.
]]>Recently Ben Lane (HC Coordinator for North America) traveled to Canada to visit Grace Church Lethbridge, where HeartCry missionary Cliff Kriz serves as an elder. Here, Ben taught the fundamentals of preaching and how to rightly understand the Scriptures. These lessons were attended by men from Grace Church and surrounding congregations.
Many of these men are answering a call to preach. Though they are not vocational pastors, they clearly see the need to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ where there are so few laborers in a vast harvest. Some of these men will preach in pulpits, others wish to better minister to their wives and children through family devotionals. Whether in churches or at home, they each aspire to the “noble task” of teaching the Scriptures (I Tim. 3:1).
These lessons taught by Ben Lane offered them the essential, biblical principles of “accurately handling the word of truth” (II Tim. 2:15).
]]>Whether Baptists are called “Reformed” or not isn’t something self-professing Reformed Baptists ought to be willing to die over.
The term is inconsequential to the substance of our theology as long as “Reformed Baptist” means a confessing Baptist subscribing to the Second London Confession (1677). This is, after all, everything that is usually meant by the term “Reformed Baptist.” Some utilize the term more broadly, describing Baptists who believe in the more basic doctrines of grace or the five points of Calvinism. The point here is that the term “Reformed” has come to signify Baptists who, like the designers of the Confession, find “hearty agreement” with their Westminster Reformed brethren “in that wholesome Protestant doctrine which, with so clear evidence of Scriptures, they have asserted.”
Still, some holdouts believe the term “Reformed” is improperly applied to Baptists altogether, identifying the term “Reformed” with belief in infant baptism. No matter how much agreement Baptists have with the Westminster Confession of Faith, rejection of infant baptism along with distinct covenant theology and ecclesiology is enough to disqualify them from properly applying the term “Reformed” to themselves. Take, for example, R. Scott Clark’s blog post from 2022, “There Is No Credo Baptist Heidelberg Catechism or Why Hercules Collins Was Not Reformed.” In this article, he writes:
For some years I have complained about Baptist squatters in the Reformed house. These are those Baptists who insist on re-defining the adjective Reformed. As it turns out, however, this habit of squatting is not new at all. Indeed, one of the earliest examples occurred in 1680.[1]
In the above-quoted article, Clark attempts to make the point that the term “Reformed” is functionally reducible to the practice of infant baptism, a la. the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF). But I want to argue that this wrangling over words isn’t helpful for the advancement of confessional and even pastoral theology. (1 Tim. 6:4) And this, for a few reasons…
Surely, a Roman Catholic could accuse Clark—and with him the entirety of the Westminsterian tradition—of committing the same error in his use of the term “paedobaptist.” The Westminster Confession and Savoy Declaration are nearly alone in their affirmations of a paedobaptism that does not result in regeneration. Even other Protestant traditions, such as Lutheranism, affirm a kind of baptismal regeneration. Neither the WCF nor the Savoy Declaration do this. The Westminster paedobaptists are, therefore, unique in their handling of the “first sacrament.”
The argument, then, from the perspective of Rome—along with the Lutherans (and perhaps some Anglicans)—might go something like this: Since your baptism neither formally nor necessarily entails the regeneration of its subjects, it is not the same baptism as ours in substance. Therefore, you espouse a different baptism than that which is stated in Ephesians 4:5, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism…”
In principle, they would be using Clark’s own argument against him. He, and the entirety of the Westminster/Savoy tradition, are “squatters” when it comes to their appropriation of “paedobaptism.” A possible retort might be that those paedobaptists were in error, and the Westminster tradition thus represented a biblically-based reform. But then, why couldn’t Baptists say the same thing? It could simply be the case that the Baptist position, as represented in the 2LCF 1677, presents a further reform, and thus constitutes a reformed position.
If Clark is comfortable with changing the meaning of “paedobaptism,” he should have no issue with Baptists seeking to revise the meaning of the term “Reformed.” I have no issue with the Westminster reform of the doctrine of baptism away from the Romish notion of baptismal regeneration. This was, in my estimation, a step in the right direction. But it also means that we need to recognize the reality of diachronic change in terms. Definitional diachrony examines how terms have evolved in their usage through (dia-) time. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is one of the most famous examples of a diachronic dictionary.[2] In a 1977 edition of the OED, one reads the entry on the term “Reformed” as follows:
Of religion, churches, etc.; Brought to a better or purer state by the removal of errors or abuses, esp. those imputed to the Church of Rome…. The name of Reformed Church(es) sometimes includes all the Protestant churches, and sometimes is specifically restricted to the Calvinistic bodies as contrasted with the Lutherans.[3]
Dates where the term is variably used are 1563, 1588, 1646, and 1772. In the 1646 usage, “The French Protestants would make no scruple to submit to it…, had they a King of the Reform’d Religion.” The idea of a monarch supporting a particular denomination of Christians runs against the grain of Westminster Confession, ch. 23, “…it is the duty of civil magistrates to protect the church of our common Lord, without giving the preference to any denomination of Christians above the rest…” In 1741, the “Reformed Church is again divided into the Lutheran Church, the Calvinist Church, the Church of England, etc…” Yet, on Clark’s website, the Heidelblog.net, he omits the Lutheran Augsburg Confession and the Anglican 39 Articles under his page linking to various Reformed confessions.
Who, then, is misappropriating the term? R. Scott Clark or history itself?
This isn’t a problem for those of us who are willing to recognize the fungibility of linguistic definitions, i.e. diachrony. This is what the OED seeks to catalog. In light of the evolution of terms, it seems fallacious to reduce the term “Reformed” to the Westminster practice of infant baptism. Especially when the Westminster tradition does the same thing with terms recovered from Rome, like “baptism,” “synod,” “catholicity,” etc. History demonstrates that the term “Reformed” has been used more or less broadly than a mere denomination of Westminster Christianity.
If contemporary Baptists find the term “Reformed” useful for distinguishing confessional and Calvinistic Baptist churches from non-confessional and non-Calvinistic Baptist churches, why hinder this utility, especially if this practice goes back as far as the 17th century? On a pastoral note, when it comes to novices in the faith, we need to be especially careful about our particularities so that we do not violate Paul’s rule in Romans 14:1, “Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.”
This isn’t to say it doesn’t matter. It does. But in terms of a word integral to one’s doctrinal commitments, it’s not that significant. This is because the term existed as a general adjective before its appropriation in the 16th and 17th centuries by Protestant Calvinists, perhaps dating to the 1340s. The term “reformed” could apply to anything. Lexically, it simply means, “to form again,” or “the amendment or altering for the better.”[4] A rod of iron is “reformable” if it is bent out of shape. Therefore, if Baptists perceive themselves to be a more perfectly amended theological tradition, then the term properly applies according to its lexicography.
According to a recent post by “Jules Diner” on X, which Clark re-posted, “Baptists insisting that they’re Reformed (they’re not) is not altogether unlike men insisting that they’re women… Their argument boils down to, ‘It’s how we identify and we don’t care what you think the word means!” Well, we do care what Jules and Clark think about what the term “Reformed” means. But we respectfully disagree with their a-historical restriction of the term to Westminster paedobaptism.
Furthermore, if Baptists co-opting the term “Reformed” is akin to the identity politics of the transgender movement (a ridiculous suggestion), then so is Clark’s appropriation of the term “paedobaptism.” What is more, Clark approvingly uses terms like “catholicity” on his website (see here). If Clark identifies as a “catholic” is he not squatting on Rome’s territory like trans persons squat on the territory of the opposite sex? If a Romanist followed Clark’s line of thought, it seems like they could make this argument with about as much validity.
Before we kick up a bunch of dust over a simple word, a simple caution, if I may: Baptists shouldn’t trouble themselves over the term “Reformed.” It’s not a big enough deal. Though it comes with some utility for our current moment in theological history, our Baptist tradition does not live or die by a single adjective. We may as well call ourselves “Particular Baptists,” or “Confessional Baptists,” or even “Sovereign Grace Baptists.” Each of these terms may be helpful in various ways. And truly, wrangling over such a word only does tender consciences harm upon final analysis. To make the historical and theological argument is one thing, but to defame each other over adjectives seems… harsh.
[1] R. Scott Clark, “There Is No Credo Baptist Heidelberg Catechism or Why Hercules Collins Was Not Reformed,” 2022, https://heidelblog.net/2022/07/there-is-no-credo-baptist-heidelberg-catechism-or-why-hercules-collins-was-not-reformed/.
[2] Judy Pearsall, “Diachronic and Synchronic English Dictionaries,” in The Cambridge Companion to English Dictionaries, 2020, https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/cambridge-companion-to-english-dictionaries/diachronic-and-synchronic-english-dictionaries/BD8E174AFD4AF4C45C59C15B67AA1060.
[3] The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, 1977, 2466.
[4] The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, 1977, 2465.
The post The Term “Reformed”: A Hill to Die On? appeared first on The Baptist Broadcast.
]]>Most of us have multiple Bibles positioned strategically (or not) throughout our homes. When we need a new one, we drive down the street to Mardel or click “Buy Now” on Amazon. Or, if you’re fancy, you might shell out the cash for a Schuyler on evangelicalBible.com. We make the purchase, and a copy of God’s Word becomes our possession.
This is one of the privileges of living on the other side of the 15th century, when the printing press was invented; and on this side of the Industrial Revolution, when mass production of just about any product became normal. Christians living before Gutenberg weren’t so fortunate. For them, just about everything they knew about the Bible came through someone they trusted, a priest or bishop, or perhaps an educated seminary professor. The communal aspect of reading and following God’s Word was integral to their identity as Christians. They could not know the Word apart from their relationship with other people.
This is not the case for us. We can pick up one of our many copies of God’s Word and read it by ourselves anytime we’d like. We can listen to the Bible while driving to work. And we can scroll through the Bible on our iPhones. While all of this convenience comes with numerous advantages we rightly relish, there is a drawback. This drawback can be overcome, even while maintaining the unique privileges we have in this age. But if it is to be overcome, we need to be aware of it.
First, I want you to try and put yourself in the shoes of a pre-modern Christian.
You live from Lord’s Day to Lord’s Day. You are devoutly committed to your local church. And you commune with the saints regularly. You do not own a single Bible. The available codices are reserved for monks and missionaries, but not a commoner such as yourself. Everything you know about the Bible has been read to you by someone else. And you’ve been able to memorize a great deal. The words that you do know from Scripture are more precious to you than gold and rarer to you than jewels. You credit the possession of such treasure to the community you gather with week in and week out. Your church explains your survival. As a result, you see your church as a real lifeline. It’s vital. The only Bible you’ve ever seen is at your church. The pastor reads from it every Lord’s Day, and it was produced over the course of a year by a band of monks in a scriptorium a week’s ride from where you live.
It’s the church’s Bible.
On the Lord’s Day, when you attend church, that same Bible is visible at the front of the sanctuary. It never leaves the building. It is the people’s Bible. It might even be said that no one in your village would even know a single verse from Scripture if it weren’t for that one hand-copied Bible at your church. It is read in community, formative of the community, and understood by the community.
Okay, we can stop imagining. By now, I’m sure you get the picture.
It would be very difficult to individualize God’s Word in a society like the one described above. For the pre-modern saint, God’s Word was “our Bible,” not “my Bible.” Not only is this the case historically, but it’s also the case biblically. All of the epistles in the New Testament, even those originally addressed to individuals, e.g. Titus, Timothy, and Philemon (cf. Phil. 2), were intended for the church. The church is tasked with stewarding the Word of God and administering the Word of God through preaching and teaching. On several occasions, apostles Paul and John address “the church” in their epistles.
In 1 Corinthians 1:2, we read, “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours…” This epistle is given to the church of Corinth, narrowly. But it is given to the whole church more broadly. In 2 Corinthians 1:1 we see similar language, “To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in Achaia…” In 1 Thessalonians 1:1, we read again, “To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ…” And once more in 2 Thessalonians 1:1, “To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ…”
The apostle John, in 2 John 9, writes, “I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us.” In 2 John 1, John addresses “the elect lady and her children,” which is likely a metonymy for the church.
The Bible is given to the church. While this was more culturally obvious before the printing press and the mass production of Bibles, it is a conviction we can and should retrieve even while enjoying our technological advantages. Just because we have “our” Bibles (a blessing to be sure), doesn’t mean we should think of the Bible as belonging preeminently to “me.” It is God’s revelation given to “us,” God’s people, God’s church.
The Lord’s Prayer situates the subject within a communal context. In other words, the person who prays prays with his fellow saints. Look at the first line: “Our Father in heaven…” It begins with the first person, plural, personal pronoun, “Our…” Our Lord assumed His church would pray prayers like this one together. Similarly, the Scriptures themselves were to be read to churches. In 1 Thessalonians 5:27, Paul writes, “I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren.”
The Nicene Creed follows this communal aspect of the Holy Scripture. It begins as such…
We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
The Athanasian Creed begins in a similar fashion…
That we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity,
neither blending their persons
nor dividing their essence.
The Chalcedonian Definition likewise includes corporate language. It begins as such, “Therefore, following the holy fathers, we all unite in teaching that we should confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Both Scripture and the ancient church following the 1st generation of Christians emphasized the communal structure of the Christian faith. The faith, along with the Scriptures from which it derives, belongs to the church and not to any individual or rogue Bible-interpreter.
I do not have the right to do whatever I want with the Bible.
One of the major issues with the Romish papacy is that it individualizes God’s Word at the highest political level. The pope, along with the college of bishops, have supreme authority to interpret the Bible. Historical interpretation aside, the small, elite class at the top gets to set the interpretive standard. Unfortunately, in our day, the “prerogative” of the pope has been assumed by pastors and lay people alike. “Me and my Bible” has become the arbiter of biblical meaning for many. Which is to say, it is now in vogue for many to think of themselves as self-made popes!
Though I may have the civil right to do anything I want with the leather and paper that make up my copy of the Bible, the substance of God’s Word is curated and interpreted by a Spirit-filled community, not by any single individual or elite class at the top. And while we must all come to our own conclusions as to what we believe the Bible means, this should not be done apart from the fellowship we have with other Christians, both dead and living. If the Holy Spirit works in me and you, He has worked in other Christians as well.
Since Scripture was and is given to the church and not to any one person, Christians must labor to understand and interpret Scripture within the context of that churchly community — a community of Spirit-enlivened saints.
Once we understand this, we are dutifully bound to humbly submit ourselves to the accountability provided by the “chorus of saints.” (Prov. 11:14; Rom. 12:16) Furthermore, once we grasp the Bible as the church’s book, we are liberated from the modernist burden of feeling as though we need to chart our own orthodoxy or re-invent the theological wheel. God’s people have been plundering the Scriptures for 2,000 years, and we are privileged to ride their coattails. This doesn’t imply a blind reception of any and every theological opinion. But it does mean that the theology and practice of the many, as represented in documents such as creeds and confessions, should hold more sway in our hearts and minds than any novel opinion offered within the last couple centuries.
Is it your Bible? Or is it our Bible?
While in a sense it is your Bible (you own a copy, and all the promises therein apply to you through Jesus Christ), it nevertheless belongs to the one body of Jesus Christ. This realization does two basic things. First, it keeps us accountable to the Holy Spirit as the Holy Spirit works in others beside ourselves. Second, it frees us from the burden of thinking of ourselves as “developers” of new, shiny theological constructs. When accountability is shrugged off for the “new,” and when theological innovation becomes the norm souls are hurt and Scripture is abused.
Scripture is “our” Bible. The saints are united in the interpretational task, and Christ is glorified where His saints dwell with one mind concerning the meaning of the text.
The post My Bible vs. Our Bible appeared first on The Baptist Broadcast.
]]>"Whoever claims to live in Him—must walk as Jesus did." 1 John 2:6
"Leaving you an example—so that you should follow in His steps." 1 Peter 2:21
Do you believe the Bible is sufficient, authoritative, supernatural, and profitable? Read these 30 quotes from the Puritans on their view of Scripture to strengthen your trust in the Word of God!
This incomprehensible God, who is of Himself and for Himself, cannot be made known to His creatures but by Himself. Men and angels cannot know Him any further than He is pleased to reveal Himself unto them. The word of God is pure and perfect. It does fully discover God’s mind and our duty.
—Francis Cheynell, Divine Trinunity, 11
Christian, prize thou the word, feed on the word, whether it be dished up in a sermon at the public or in a conference with some Christian friend in private, or in a more secret duty of reading and meditation by thy solitary self.
—William Gurnall, Christian in Complete Armour, 464
The word of God stands between the saints and all danger.
—William Gurnall, Christian in Complete Armour, 577
Those that care not for the word are strangers to the Spirit, and they that care not for the Spirit never make a right use of the word. The word is nothing without the Spirit, and only animated and quickened by Him. The Spirit and the word are like the veins and arteries in the body that give life to the whole. And therefore, where the word is most revealed, there is most of the Spirit.
—Richard Sibbes, Divine Meditations and Holy Contemplations, 48
He who has knowledge of God’s will, but does not do it, where does he excel the devil “who transforms himself into an angel of light”?
—Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity, 483
God speaks by the Church (the true Church we mean); but He speaks nothing by her but what He speaks in the Scriptures, which she does only ministerially declare to us; and therefore the authority of God and His law is above hers, who, though she publish, yet did not make it, but is herself subject to it.
—John Owen, The Works of John Owen, Volume 8, 528
I had then, and at other times, the greatest delight in the Holy Scriptures, of any book whatsoever. Oftentimes in reading it, every word seemed to touch my heart. I felt a harmony between something in my heart, and those sweet and powerful words. I seemed often to see so much light exhibited by every sentence, and such a refreshing food communicated, that I could not get along in reading; often dwelling long on one sentence, to see the wonders contained in it; and yet almost every sentence seemed to be full of wonders.
—Jonathan Edwards, Diary, Works, Vol. 16, p. 797.
The Spirit never loosens where the Word binds; the Spirit never justifies where the Word condemns; the Spirit never approves where the Word disapproves; the Spirit never blesses where the Word curses.
—Thomas Brooks, Heaven on Earth, Chapter 5
Before and after you read the Scripture, pray earnestly that the Spirit who wrote it may interpret it for you, keep you from unbelief and error, and lead you into the truth.
—Richard Baxter, A Christian Directory, 264
The Bible, which was before to [the unconverted person] but almost as a common book is now as the law of God, as a letter written to him from heaven and subscribed with the name of the Eternal Majesty; it is the rule of his thoughts and words and deeds. The commands are binding, the threats are dreadful, and the promises of it speak life to his soul.
—Richard Baxter, Call to the Unconverted, 33
While God’s Word is read in either of the chapters, whether of the Old or New Testament, receive it not as the word of men, but (as it is in truth) the word of God, which effectually worketh in you that believe (1 Thess. 2:13). And therefore hearken to it with the same attention, reverence, and faith as you would have done if you had stood by Mount Sinai when God proclaimed the law and by our Savior’s side when He published the gospel.
—William Beveridge, Great Advantage, 81
When a man’s mind is empty, as in temptation and want of comfort, it is empty of Christ and full of fear. Then it grinds itself, as in a quern or mill when empty of corn, one stone grinds another. The more full a man’s mind is, the more free from temptations and fears. Now Scripture matter is the most filling matter.
—William Bridge, Lifting Up for the Downcast, 43
Where reading ends, see that practicing begins. As soon as the Bible is laid out of your hand, if alone, then think; if in company, speak; if called to any business, act according to what you have been reading. Let God above, conscience within, and men all round you see that it is your governing rule. The more you practice what you read, the more you will read effectually unto practice and unto comfort.
—Daniel Burgess, Rules and Directions, 30–31
Men that dig in mines for any treasure, even for the hope of gain, labor [much] before they find any vein and many times miss, but when they find the silver vein, with what cheerfulness do they labor; it makes them forget their pain and otherwise tedious [labor]. Now we who study the Scriptures are even in the vein of heavenly treasure, how much [more] then should we be encouraged?
—Ezekiel Culverwell, Time Well Spent, 295–96
The reading of the Scriptures with general instructions, admonitions, reprehensions, exhortations, and consolations I grant are most necessary, being the groundwork and matter of the cure. But what sound conversion is wrought thereby in any man, without discreet application, let every man that hath profited anything in the school of Christ be judge.
—Thomas Granger, Application of Scripture, 5
Can we go against sin and Satan with a better weapon than Christ used to vanquish the tempter with? And certainly, Christ did it to set us an example how we should come armed into the field against them, for Christ could with one beam shot from His deity (if He had pleased to exert it) have as easily laid the bold fiend prostrate at his foot as afterward He did them that came to attack Him. But He chose rather to conceal the majesty of His divinity and let Satan come up closer to Him, that so He might confound him with the word and thereby give a proof of that sword of His saints which He was to leave them for their defense against the same enemy.
—William Gurnall, Christian in Complete Armour, 582–83
Make not thy own reason the rule by which thou measure Scripture truths. Is that fit to try the revelation of the word by which is puzzled with so many secrets in nature? . . . A humble believer passes through the deep mysteries of the word safely, without plunging into any dangerous mistakes, whereas those sons of pride who leave faith and take reason for their guide are drowned in many damnable errors—Arianism, Pelagianism, Socinianism, etc.
—William Gurnall, Christian in Complete Armour, 599
[The Scriptures] are the golden mines in which alone the abiding treasures of eternity are to be found, and therefore worthy all the digging and pains we can bestow on them.
—Robert Leighton, A Commentary upon the First Epistle of Peter, in Whole Works, 1:96
Satan may allege and corrupt Scripture, but he cannot answer Scripture. It is Christ’s word of mighty authority. Christ foiled Satan with it.
—Thomas Wilcox, Choice Drop of Honey, 14
The Psalms are, as it were, the anatomy of a holy man; they lay the inside of a true, devout man outward, even to the view of others. If the Scriptures be compared to a body, the Psalms may well be the heart; they are so full of sweet and holy affections and passions. In other portions of Scripture, God speaks to us; in the Psalms, holy men (especially David, who was the penman of most of them) speak to God, wherein we have the passages of a broken, humble soul to God.
—Richard Sibbes, “The Sword of the Wicked,” in Complete Works, 1:105
The word of God we are to meditate on, to meditate on God and the things of God upon this account. Now here are four things that will lead you out to meditation: the exactness of the commandment; the faithfulness of the promise; the terror of the threatening; and the weightiness of the examples, all which meet in the Scriptures and in the word of God. And accordingly we are to meditate on the word of God upon this account.
—William Bridge, Christ and the Covenant, in Works, 3:146
Directions for meditation: Read before you meditate. “Give attendance to reading” (1 Tim. 4:13). Then it follows, “meditate upon these things” (v. 15). Reading doth furnish with matter; it is the oil that feeds the lamp of meditation. Be sure your meditations are founded upon Scripture. Reading without meditation is unfruitful; meditation without reading is dangerous.
—Thomas Watson, The Christian on the Mount, 69
Resolution for obedience is then sincere where (1) it flows from an inward and rooted inclination; (2) it is founded on a firm belief of Scripture revelation; (3) it is built on the highest and weightiest reasons; (4) it is the result of the most mature and deep deliberation.
—Richard Alleine, Heaven Opened, 205
Their [i.e., pastors’] chief study should be that of their commission, the Holy Scriptures. The way to speak skillfully from God is often to hear Him speak.
—Robert Leighton, “A Sermon to the Clergy,” in Sermons, 338
The word of God is dearer to a gracious heart than all the riches in the world.
—Thomas Manton, An Exposition of Psalm 119, Sermon LXXX
Q: How is the word to be read and heard, that it may become effectual to salvation?
A: That the word may become effectual to salvation, we must attend thereunto with diligence, preparation, and prayer, receive it with faith and love, lay it up in your hearts, and practice it in your lives.
Q: If the matter we read or hear be good, is not that enough for our salvation?
A: No, God requires that the word be read and heard in a due manner, and the manner of hearing is of special regard with God; Luke 8:18. Take heed therefore how ye hear.
—John Flavel, The Whole Works of the Reverend John Flavel, 6:227
They should give them learning according to their ability, and see that at least they be taught to read the Bible, 2 Tim. 3:15. What is it that makes so many ignorant old people, but that their parents have neglected this? But where parents have neglected this, grace and good nature would make a shift to supply this defect.
—Thomas Boston, The Doctrines of the Christian Religion, 2:224.
The Holy Scripture is an inexhaustible treasury or repository of spiritual mysteries and sacred truths.
—John Owen, An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews, 5:306.
The perfection and sufficiency of [Scripture] must needs be granted by all that understand it, and that will believe the testimony which it gives concerning itself. It is “profitable for doctrine and reproof.” (2 Tim. 3:16.) It serves to inform and open the eyes of the ignorant; it serves to stop the mouths of gainsayers. Hence we may be furnished with both offensive and defensive weapons: and the armor which is fetched from it is styled “the armor” or “the weapons,” “of light.” (Rom. 13:12.) And truly, sin and error being but discovered, that very discovery will have a great influence unto the mortification of the one, and our preservation from the contagion of the other.
—Nathaniel Vincent, Puritan Sermons (Richard Owen Roberts), 6:298
Oh! but when a man can reflect upon the promises, as having an interest in them, that delight which flows from faith, and is accompanied with such a certainty, surely that is a more pure delight than the other, and doth more ravish the heart; they have more intimate and spiritual joy than others have.
—Thomas Manton, The Complete Works of Thomas Manton, 6:225.
]]>One scene that left an indelible impression upon my mind was in the movie adaption of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic, "The Lord of the Rings," the Battle of Helm's Deep, also known as the Battle of the Hornburg, where it vividly portrays a scene of desperate defense against overwhelming odds. It's a pivotal moment in "The Two Towers," the second volume of the trilogy.
From Shadow to Substance by Dr. Sam Renihan: https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Substance-Theology-Particular-1642-1704/dp/1907600310/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1PQIV6CAZ84I7&keywords=from+shadow+to+substance&qid=1706046775&sprefix=from+sha%2Caps%2C1452&sr=8-1
Unity and Continuity... by Andrew Woolsey: https://www.amazon.com/Unity-Continuity-Covenantal-Thought-Westminster/dp/1601782160/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2JF7Y5R2QHFKR&keywords=unity+and+continuity&qid=1706046831&sprefix=un%2Caps%2C950&sr=8-1
]]>Visitor:
Have you read the bible? Even wearing mixed fabrics is a sin in your little book. If hell was real, everyone would be going there. That's not love.
Response:
Last week, we announced that we would freely donate a copy of "The Gospel of Jesus Christ” by Paul Washer to a needy mission, church, missionary organization, or individual for every booklet you ordered to give to your friends and family— up to 25,000 copies!
By the Lord's grace, you helped us reach that goal in less than five days. Thank you for your evangelistic zeal and desire to see the gospel go forth.
"The Gospel of Jesus Christ" by Paul Washer is more than just a booklet; it's a message that the world desperately needs. If you, your church, or your organization would like to partner with us in spreading the good news, fill out the form below to request free copies of this powerful resource.
We hope this is just the beginning of our efforts to send the urgent message of the gospel across the globe. Our desire would be to see “The Gospel of Jesus Christ” freely given to millions in their own language so that they may hear the good news and believe it.
Thank you again for your continued support and labors for the kingdom.
]]>When you read about the early church in Scripture, you find a church full of evangelistic fervor and growth, you see a people truly regenerated by the Spirit of God and moved to rejoice even in tribulation, to preach the gospel even amidst persecution. Here in Zimbabwe, we cannot say that the persecution we face is on an equal scale, and perhaps this explains the lethargic attitude we may often have when it comes to evangelism. One of the ways we ensure that there is ‘all-member-evangelism’ at our church is that we go out together every fortnight as a congregation to evangelize.
After the morning service on the Lord’s Day, we visit an area where a member lives to share lunch together. Afterward, we divide ourselves by groups of three and head out. We have found the Roman’s Road of evangelism useful and quite easy for the hearer to understand. We do get the contacts of the people we evangelize and have our members reach out to them and invite them for midweek prayers. There is need to add an extra component to these invites, which is to be intentionally hospitable to the people we meet. The general culture is to keep the doors closed to strangers and I observe this to be a major hindrance to gospel fruitfulness.
Please pray for these evangelism efforts, that God would save souls and gather many from this vast harvest.
]]>by Martin Luther
At Reformation Heritage Books, we are on a mission to spread the message of hope, love, and salvation. That's why we are thrilled to continue to offer the booklet "The Gospel of Jesus Christ" written by Paul Washer, a resource that God, in His providence, is already using across multiple languages all around the globe.
OUR COMMITMENT: You Give One, We Give One
We are committed to giving back - for every booklet we ship out to you during this highly discounted promotion, we will freely donate one to a needy mission, church, missionary organization, or individual domestically and across the world. We plan to give away 25,000 copies initially and have made the eBook available for free.
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"The Gospel of Jesus Christ" by Paul Washer is more than just a booklet; it's a message that the world desperately needs. Partner with us in spreading this message of good news.
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“Last weekend we had the joy of having two baptisms: a couple from India, the wife from a Hindu background and the man from a cultural Christian background. Coming to Gothenburg had a huge impact on them. The wife became convicted of her sin, and God used the sermons of RC Sproul and Paul Washer to draw the husband close to Himself. Give thanks with us for the work in this couple’s life. Last weekend we received this couple and an American lady as new members in our church.
This year we have seen growth like never before in our small little church, increasing our membership more than 50% in one year—and more are on their way.
Please pray for faithfulness for me and my fellow elder as we shepherd with increased responsibility. Also please pray for more elders.”
]]>Deep the waves may be and cold,
But Jehovah is our refuge,
And His promise is our hold;
For the Lord Himself hath said it,
He, the faithful God and true:
“When thou comest to the waters
Thou shalt not go down, but through.”
Seas of sorrow, seas of trial,
Bitterest anguish, fiercest pain,
Rolling surges of temptation
Sweeping over heart and brain—
They shall never overflow us,
For we know His Word is true;
All His waves and all His billows,
He will lead us safely through.
Threatening breakers of destruction,
Doubt’s insidious undertow,
Shall not sink us, shall not drag us
Out to ocean depths of woe;
For His promise shall sustain us,
Praise the Lord, whose Word is true!
We shall not go down, or under,
For He saith, “Thou passest through.”
– Annie Johnson Flint
The post Thou Passest Through appeared first on Founders Ministries.
]]>The “extra calvinisticum” is a fancy name for a proper understanding of the incarnation of the Son. If kenotic Christology suggests a conversion of deity into humanity (in some sense or other), the extra calvinisticum pronounces the full integrity of both divine and human natures united in the one Person of the Son, “without conversion, composition, or confusion…” (2LCF 8.2) The extra calvinisticum enjoys a rich reception by Baptists, both general and particular.
We could name several of our forerunners who affirmed this doctrine, from Benjamin Keach to John Gill and others. Indeed, it would be safe to say that the Christology of the Baptist movement falls right in line with that of Augustine, Aquinas, the Reformers, and the post-Reformation Puritans. The extra calvinisticum is simply a designation for a biblically orthodox and creedal article of faith that has existed throughout the ages. Baptists find themselves within this wider Christological tradition.
One such Baptist was the 18th century English pastor-theologian, Abraham Booth (c. 1734-1806). But before we get to Booth, we need to understand why his theology is important in the present moment.
In Sunday School, many of us learned simply that “Jesus is God and He became a man for our salvation” (or something like that). It’s a wonderful truth to be sure. But we live in a theologically imprecise season, and statements like the above have been taken in different directions that regularly depart from the orthodox formulation of the doctrine of Christ. To be sure, that simple Sunday School saying is completely orthodox, and while we could qualify some of the terms, there is nothing wrong with the words as they sit. It’s true as far as it goes — Jesus is God and became a man for our salvation. Yet, because of theological imprecision and malnourished theological training and teaching — within seminaries and churches — the word “become” has taken on some other-than-desirable connotations.
It’s now almost commonplace to assume the Son of God left some of His God-ness behind when He “became” man. Kenotic Christology has apparently become a normal assumption among the laity of Christ’s church. Sometimes the incarnation is described in terms of Jesus “leaving behind” some of His divine attributes. Sometimes it’s described as a period wherein the Son ceases to operate according to certain “divine prerogatives.” On a more extreme end of the spectrum, the Son may even be said to transform from deity into humanity. All of this is kenotic language, to one extent or another. But kenotic Christology is not what Scripture teaches, nor is it what our Protestant, baptistic forerunners have believed.
This is why Abraham Booth becomes relevant for us today. He was a clear Baptist proponent of the orthodox doctrine of the extra calvinisticum.
In the recent reprint of The Works of Abraham Booth (vol. 1), we find rich Christological discourse, predominantly in chapter eleven, titled, ‘Concerning the Person of Christ by Whom Grace Reigns.’ In that chapter, Booth unequivocally affirms the hypostatic union. He writes:
It was absolutely necessary also, that our Mediator and Surety should be God as well as man. For as he could neither have obeyed, nor suffered, if he had not possessed a created nature; so, had he been a mere man, however immaculate, he could not have redeemed one soul. Nay, though he had possessed the highest possible created excellencies, they would not have been sufficient; because he would still have been a dependent being. For as it is essential to Deity, to be underived and self-existent, so it is essential to a creature to be derived and dependent. The loftiest seraph that sings in glory is as really dependent on God, every moment of his existence, as the meanest worm that crawls. In this respect, an angel and an insect are on a level.[1]
What a wonderful statement!
The one Person of the Son is both very God and very man. In the Person of Christ, two natures are perfectly united without “conversion, composition, or confusion…” (2LCF 8.2) By affirming this orthodox article of the hypostatic union, Booth lays the foundation for avoiding just about every variety of kenotic Christology, especially those which remain on today’s smorgasbord of confusion. But he further strengthens his position when discussing the distinction among the Persons in the Godhead. He writes:
Agreeably to this distinction, we behold the rights of Deity asserted and vindicated, with infinite majesty and authority, in the Person of the Father; while we view every divine perfection displayed and honoured, in the most illustrious manner, by the amazing condescension of the Eternal Son—By the humiliation of him who, in his lowest state of subjection could claim equality with God.—Such being the dignity of our wonderful Sponsor, it was by his own voluntary condescension that he became incarnate, and took upon him the form of a servant.[2]
Here lies a strong affirmation of the extra calvinisticum, that Christ while “in his lowest state of subjection could claim equality with God…” Booth also seems to cut against the grain of contemporary subordinationist theories as well. For “every divine perfection” was “displayed and honoured” in the “condescension of the Eternal Son…” And, this “Eternal Son” was “no way obliged” to perform “obedience in our stead…” If the Father’s authority was in the Father alone (at least to a greater degree than is in the Son), the Son would have been obliged to obey. Booth, however, avoids this notion. He goes on to discuss reasons the hypostatic union was necessary:
That it was necessary our Surety should be God and man, in unity of person. This necessity arises from the nature of his work; which is that of a mediator between God, the offended sovereign, and man, the offending subject. If he has not been a partaker of the divine nature, he could not have been qualified to treat with God; if not of the human, he would not have been fitted to treat with man. Deity alone was too high to treat with man; humanity alone was too low to treat with God. The eternal Son therefore assumed our nature, that he might become a middle person; and so be rendered capable of laying his hands upon both, and of bringing them into a state of perfect friendship.[3]
For Christ to be qualified to “treat with God” He must Himself be God. For Christ to be qualified to stand before God on behalf of man, He must Himself be man. Booth grounds the necessity of complete divine and human natures united in the one Person of Christ based on what the work of redemption requires. We might say that if Christ is not all God, even in His state of humiliation, His humiliation wouldn’t mean anything. Likewise, if Christ is not all man, there is no sense in which He could be humiliated (since God never changes).
Abraham Booth, along with many other Baptists from yesteryear, provide us with rich historical precedence for classical doctrines such as the extra calvinisticum. A reading of Booth and other 17th and 18th century Baptists, e.g. Benjamin Keach and John Gill, would reveal that the majority report in today’s (even Reformed) Baptist circles concerning the doctrine of God and the incarnation of the Son is not the historical norm. But more constructively, Baptists such as Booth provide plenty of Scriptural and historical food for pastors attempting to lead their flocks to the cool, clear waters of Christian orthodoxy.
Tolle lege.
[1] Abraham Booth, The Works of Abraham Booth, vol. 1, (Knightstown, IN: Particular Baptist Heritage Books, 2022), 334-35.
[2] Booth, Works, vol. 1, 336.
[3] Booth, Works, vol. 1, 337-38.
The post Abraham Booth on the Incarnation of the Son appeared first on The Baptist Broadcast.
]]>A Summary of Chalcedon
Leo’s Tome led to Chalcedon’s clarity. This creed of 451 A. D. toes the line on the difficult idea of two natures maintaining absolute integrity with full manifestation of the distinct and incommunicable properties of each in one person. Also, for the first time in a creedal affirmation, we find the term theotokos—God-bearer, or mother of God. Often the term provokes an immediate negative reaction because of the self-evident truth that God is self-existent, without beginning, infinite in glory, power, and wisdom, dependent on nothing outside of himself for his purpose, his decrees, or his ability to perform all that he so desires. The implications of Scripture are clear when he declares, “Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counselor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?” (Isaiah 40:13, 14 KJV). Also one would pause before accepting such a doctrinally loaded word because of specific affirmations of Scripture concerning the Son: “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist” (Colossians 1:16, 17 KJV).
So how can such a being ever be thought of as having a mother? This is precisely why Paul wrote, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (1 Timothy 3:16 KJV). I accept the propriety of the word “God” because of the grammatical context. Paul wrote above about “the household of God . . . the church of the living God,” and begins the confession with the pronoun “hos,” translated “who” with “God” being the only antecedent.
This strange, but clearly revealed, truth of the birth of Christ, shows that the conception by the Holy Spirit of the child in Mary was the moment of the union of God the Son with true humanity in one person, that would be born, crucified, buried, risen, ascended, and would so come again in like manner. As discussed in a previous post on “Remember,” the mystery as announced to Mary (Luke 1:31-33) said that she would “bring forth a son” who would be given the “throne of his father David,” and that he should reign forever and “of his kingdom there shall be no end.” Though she knew not a man, this would happen because “the Holy Spirit shall come upon thee,” creating fertility in her egg without the corruption of a human father. At the same moment of such a conception, “the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee.” That means that the Father in his mysterious eternal activity of generating the Son caused a personal assumption of the human embryo by his Son with no lapse of time between the Spirit’s work of conception, the Father’s work of “overshadowing,” and the Son’s condescending to assume the human nature, taking the form of a servant, committed to conduct himself within the framework of humanity. That which was to be born of Mary would be called “the Son of God.” The singularity of this person so conceived, therefore, would be God in the flesh—“The word was made flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).
This truth of the birth of Christ, shows that the conception by the Holy Spirit of the child in Mary was the moment of the union of God the Son with true humanity in one person.
This reality was revealed to Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin, so that when Mary traveled to stay with her for some months, Elizabeth greeted her with these words: “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:42, 43). These words confirm the rather startling title given to Mary in this creed. They do point out that Mary, among all the women of the earth from the creation till the close of history was given this extraordinary blessing from God, (though she knew the truth of the words “a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also”), to be the one through whose seed the Messiah came. The real intent, however, of such a title, and such an observation from Elizabeth, was that this single child, this one person enfleshed the Creator and sustainer of all that has been made as the one who also would be mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.
Efforts to avoid the apparent clumsiness of the term, “God-bearer,” leads to erroneous assertions. To say “Mother of Christ” or “Christ-bearer” in order to avoid using the word “God” does not escape the problem unless one is willing to assert that the Christ she bore was not God. If one seeks to avoid the hypostatic union of the two natures by saying the unity was only of sympathetic will, as the human person borne by Mary had established in his soul a complete union of purpose with the Son of God, then one is back to the error of adoptionism. The best option, given all the biblical data and the soteriological purpose of the incarnation, is to affirm the term, theotokos, for it captures all the power implicit in the Johannine assertion, “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).
On the basis of Leo’s letter, therefore, the following paragraph was set forth by the council of Chalcedon as an explanation of the doctrine consistent with the Creed of Nicea.
We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a reasonable soul and body; consubstantial with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the Manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, according to the Manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning him, and the Lord Jesus Christ himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has handed down to us.[1]
When the council of Chalcedon met, a committee was appointed to finalize its statement of orthodoxy. The committee considered several documents that had been produced during the controversy between Cyril of Alexandria and Nestorius of Constantinople and the “Tome” of Leo concerning the position of Eutyches. This committee produced a document that succinctly and clearly stated the position of the council. Given the tensions present, and the fact that this is committee work, it is remarkable for its chaste conservatism, its doctrinal clarity, and its avoidance of metaphysical speculation. The pure “creedalism” of its assumptions, its anathemas, its pretensions to virtual canonical status would probably be resisted by the free-church, sola scriptura, orientation of Baptists and some others, but the careful expressions of the doctrine of Christ’s person should be joyfully embraced as a lucid, profound, and biblically accurate guide to both doctrine and interpretive principles.
Several items of theological and interpretive importance are distilled in this short statement. First, the creed seeks the consent of the reader that this formula is a true presentation of Old Testament prophecy, the teachings of Christ himself, the true doctrinal tradition of the church fathers, and the unalloyed meaning of the Nicene Creed.
Second, Jesus Christ really was God incarnate, the second person of the eternal Trinity. The eternal word that was with God (the Father) and was God (the Son) truly dwelt among men as a man. Jesus was not a mere phantom, nor a separately-personed man adopted or merely inhabited, but the one whose scars, whose hands and feet, were those of the one that was Lord and God (John 20:28).
Third, Jesus the Christ was truly and fully human. Not only was his body of the same stuff as our body, but he had all the soulish, rational, and spiritual aspects of humanity including human affections. His affections and perceptions constituted a soul that would be “exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death” (Matthew 26:38). He was of the same essence (“consubstantial”) as us but without the intrusive and corrupting factor of sin. Though people could clearly see that he was an extraordinary person (Matthew 16:13-16; Luke 7:14-17; John 3:2), none ever thought that he was less than a man.
The eternal word that was with God (the Father) and was God (the Son) truly dwelt among men as a man.
Fourth, without any mixture or confusion of the two natures that would compromise the integrity of either, Jesus was one person. All that he did as a person was an expression of the peculiar and distinguishing attributes of each nature. This perfect union in one person is emphasized by the vigorous expression of Mary as theotokos and the insistence that “the property of each nature” not only is preserved but concurs “in one Person.” All that he did as prophet, priest, and king was done in his capacity of Christ, so that each nature, concurring in the one person, contributed essentially to the proper fulfillment of each office. For example the First London Confession of the English Particular Baptists says, “That he might be such a Prophet as thereby to be every way complete, it was necessary that he should bee God, and withal also that he should be man; for unless he had been God, he could never have perfectly understood the will of God, neither had he been able to reveal it throughout all ages; and unless he had been man, he could not fitly have unfolded it in his own person to man.”[Lumpkin, 160]
Fifth, one must distinguish between nature and person. The personhood of Jesus was founded on the personhood of God the Son. The human nature was assumed by the Son of God but did not exist as a separate human person. That was the tendency of Nestorianism that fell short of the doctrine of the hypostatic union, that is, this one single person that was born of Mary from the moment of conception and every moment subsequent to his conception was both the eternal Son of God and the son of Mary, thus descended from David. This distinction between person and nature indicates that the properties of personhood are consistent, whether it be of God or man, while the natures are distinct. Though the personhood consisted of the personhood of God the Son, its properties were consistent with Jesus’ human nature expressing itself in a fully personal way, so that in his communications, friendship, and affections in his humanity, there was nothing that was impersonal.
Hallelujah, What a Savior!
Victories of the past do not suffice for the present. Champions of error will continually seek to reclaim ground that they lost. Those who cherish the advances of truth from the past must seek to establish a bond with the courage, strength, and clarity of yesterday’s captives of truth and uncorrupted worship. Each generation has an increasing burden as well as blessing of stewardship. Revelatory truths stated and defended through careful thinking, hard work, and wrenching conflict must not be lost. Contemporary challenges must be dismantled while the grounds of defense must be reclaimed. Implications for present issues and for further understanding of the richness of divine revelation becomes a part of the stewardship of those who desire to “continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel” that they have heard, embraced, and found to be their very life.
[1] Philip Schaff, Creeds of Christendom, 2:62, 63.
This article is part 14 in a series by Tom Nettles on Remembering Jesus Christ.
Join us at the 2024 National Founders Conference on January 18-20 as we consider what it means to “Remember Jesus Christ” under the teaching of Tom Ascol, Joel Beeke, Costi Hinn, Phil Johnson, Conrad Mbewe and Travis Allen.
The post Remembering Jesus Christ: The Whole Person appeared first on Founders Ministries.
]]>All perspectives, whether ancient Greek, Hebrew, or contemporary postmodern, are undergirded by certain metaphysical and religious presuppositions. These foundational beliefs shape how individuals and societies understand the nature of human identity, particularly in relation to the body and soul.
Online Comment:
"No matter what Christianity has taught me throughout my life about my heart being desperately wicked... I know this is not true. My heart is really big and full of love. The same love we think Jesus had for those who he is said to have died for, selfless devotion, this is something that I think we all carry for people we love. The hate for this world and hate of this life is against everything I knew intuitively as a child, though Christian theology tried to tell me otherwise."
-------
Known best for the invention of the Gregorian chant, 800+ letters and tracts, and prolific Bible commentary, Gregory the Great wrote a short volume titled The Book of Pastoral Rule. I would not commend everything in the book, nor would I necessarily recommend it as an ideal pastoral handbook (he is the 6th c. Bishop of Rome after all).
But Gregory manages to open a window into pre-modern psychology. When I say “psychology,” I do not mean the stuff of Freud, Jung, or your therapist. I mean a theological psychology that takes for granted God, the immaterial soul, moral law, sin, and the gospel.
In discussing pastoral qualifications, Gregory glosses the psychology of curiosity, earthly cares, and shame. Below, I will look at what he has to say concerning each of these.
[For this article, I’ll be using a recent edition of The Book of Pastoral Rule, translated by George Demacopoulos. (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2007)]
Gregory covers much more than what we will look at here. This is but a glimpse. But with limitations acknowledged, I’ll begin with the psychology of curiosity.
What Gregory describes might be called “distraction.” He doesn’t use the term curiosity. That designation is most popularly used in the work of Thomas Aquinas about 700 years later. And I think it’s helpful to use the word “curiosity” since it refers to such a culturally accepted vice. What makes Gregory’s words about curiosity psychological is that he not only describes it, but he offers a causal explanation for why it occurs. He says:
For when the mind involves itself more than is needful with external things, it is like [a man] who is so preoccupied on a long journey that he forgets where he is going. As a result, the mind is such a stranger to self-examination that it does not consider the damage that it suffers and is ignorant of the extent to which it errs.[2]
Gregory does much more here than simply define curiosity. He denominates and explains.
He denominates, because he mentions a particular species of distraction or curiosity, namely, a distraction from the reality of one’s own spiritual (and moral) state of being. Today, we’d call this “a lack of self-awareness.”
If you’ve ever interacted with or counseled a narcissist, you likely found that they are keenly aware of the failures of others, but entirely (and conveniently) aloof when it comes to their own failures—moral or otherwise. This is a fatal form of curiosity because it draws the subject away from an important God-given priority in life, i.e. spiritual discipline.
Gregory not only describes the nature of the distraction but seeks to explain it. It happens “when the mind involves itself more than is needful with external things…”
There are two things here: excess (intemperance) and subordinate matters. When a man over-indulges in less important matters (lower priorities) he is bound to be pulled away from that which matters most. In this case, he is drawn away from his own spiritual well-being to other things. This happens to such an extent that a person in such a state cannot perceive their own sin. And a person who does not see his or her own sin has virtually no need for the gospel.
The psychology of curiosity, for Gregory, seems to be an intemperance concerning what really matters—like a man who would trade the welfare of his children for promotion at work.
Gregory describes another kind of cognitive disorder—earthly care. A man lacks awareness of higher matters by virtue of being “weighed down” through habitual vice. Commenting tropologically on the Mosaic law and its prohibition of certain bodily maladies, Gregory puts it this way:
The “hunchback”,” then, is one who feels the burden of worldly cares to such an extent that he never looks up to what is lofty but instead focuses entirely upon what is tread upon at the most base level. For this one, whenever he hears something good about the kingdom of heaven, is so weighed down by the burden of perverse habit that he does not raise the face of his heart because he cannot raise the posture of his thought, which the habit of earthly care keeps face down.[3] (Emphasis added)
Man is a body-soul composite.
Within the soul, there is the intellect and will. The body then supplies animal or sensitive appetites, which may be employed for the good so long as those appetites are brought under the control of the intellect and will. However, more often than not, our intellect is led by the lower appetites rather than the other way around.
Sin makes us think like beasts rather than men.
The preoccupation with “earthly cares” is explained by “perverse habit,” which invariably entails a prioritization of lower passions. When a man fails to control his lower passions through virtue, he will be influenced by outward, earthly stimuli—e.g. riches, sex, food—more than anything else. He “loses his mind,” as it were.
The man consumed by earthly cares has an ensnared heart or soul. Originally created to contemplate and enjoy God, the sinful man’s soul is enslaved to bodily passions. He cannot “rise” above what most pleases his senses, i.e. earthly things.
Not leaving the previous context, per se, Gregory switches a small gear to those who delight in sinful thoughts. He describes this person as one who “is not carried away by sinful deeds, [but] his mind is entertained by lustful thoughts without any stings of repugnance.”[4] Gregory would likely grant that all sinners, including true Christians, struggle with taking pleasure in sinful thoughts. So he adds a qualifier. This is a person who doesn’t have a “struggle.” This is a person who goes without “any stings of repugnance.”
He elaborates:
A person, then, is ruptured when all of his thoughts sink to the level of lasciviousness, and he bears in his heart the weight of wickedness; and although he does not actively engage in shameful acts, nevertheless they are not purged from his mind. Moreover, he does not have the strength to raise himself to the discipline of good works because he is secretly weighed down by a shameful burden. (Emphasis added)
The psychological consequence of delighting in wicked thoughts is ethical impotence. The road to perdition is more like a downward spiral. As this man delights in wicked thoughts, he is less and less likely to turn the train around. The more he travels into the darkness, the dimmer the light gets.
When he thinks about turning his life around and tries to occupy himself with good works, the shame of his sin brings despair. His strategy becomes, “Well, I’m already here, I may as well remain.” Sin, in thought or deed, disposes a person away from God and toward more of their sin. This is why drug addictions rarely stop at marijuana, or why alcoholism is never limited to 4 beers a night. It’s why a porn addiction may turn into a real-life one-night-stand or long-term affair.
Sin has momentum. And part of this momentum is shame.
Shame is the burden one feels as a result of sins they’ve committed. And so long as that burden remains, there is very little incentive to turn things around. A homeless man learns to live without much food and no shelter. He becomes content with his station. Climbing out of the hole seems like nothing more than wishful thinking.
The effect the gospel has here cannot be underestimated. Shame is alleviated in the penal substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ—where our sin is transferred to Him and dealt with for good. With the cleansing of the conscience following faith in the gospel, a door to renewal is flung wide open.
In pre-modern figures like Gregory, we find a thorough analysis of the whole man. It’s diagnostic, yet it’s far from secular. It’s neither materialistic nor naturalistic. Scripture plays a central role in his approach. At the same time, he doesn’t merely regurgitate biblical data expecting the reader to crunch it like a calculator or a computer. He deals with various aspects of man’s soul. He deals with the whole man. And this is par the course for pre-modern figures.
Speaking in a broad sense, the work of theological retrieval has much to offer in the area of anthropology. More specifically, however, it may also have much to offer in the field of Christian counseling or even clinical psychology.
[1] Frederick Wilhelmsen, Man’s Knowledge of Reality, (Brooklyn, NY: Angelico Press, 2021), 3. He writes, “There is no distinct science of epistemology in the Thomistic sense of science.”
[2] Gregory the Great, The Book of Pastoral Rule, (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2007), 34.
[3] Gregory, The Book of Pastoral Rule, 46.
[4] Gregory, The Book of Pastoral Rule, 48.
The post The Theological Psychology of Gregory the Great appeared first on The Baptist Broadcast.
]]>But for the person properly prepared for death and judgment, the topic can actually be encouraging. The phrase “eternal life” occurs almost fifty times in the New Testament, happily inviting us to see this present life as preliminary. This is why the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks about the benefits believers receive from death and at the resurrection (Q/A 37, 38). The answers present seven reasons to anticipate eternity.
We pray for rescue from evil (Matt. 6:11). And God answers. Still, we repeat our folly (Prov. 26:11). How often have you genuinely resolved to do better only to fall short? Take heart, in eternity redeemed souls are made perfectly holy! Around God’s throne, right now, are “the spirits of just men made perfect” (Heb. 12:23). In eternity our familiarity with sin will end. We will no longer wilt at the shame of past sin, commit new sin, or even be tempted to sin. Heaven is a place of righteousness (2 Peter 3:13); its climate is totally inhospitable to evil.
At death the souls of believers—even those who had been nearly life-long lawbreakers—immediately pass into glory (Luke 23:43). A believer’s death is “only a dying to sins and entering into eternal life.” Truly, for the believer, it is far better to depart this life and be with Christ (Phil. 1:23), where dust and ashes have no dominion.
Believers’ bodies will rest in their graves united to Christ (Dan. 12:2; Acts 24:15). This may seem a strange comfort. But God promises that even the dead bodies of his children are in His care. Deceased believers are affectionately referred to as “the dead in Christ” (1 Thess. 4:16), or “those who sleep in Jesus” (4:14). God’s keeping of our bodies in the grave is an essential part of His commitment to swallow up mortality with life (2 Cor. 5:4; cf. Rom. 8:22–23). One day “all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth” (John 5:28–29).
God made humans to fellowship with Him in soul and body. So grace must save both. Salvation must make our corrupt, dishonorable, and weak bodies imperishable, glorious, and strong (1 Cor. 15:42–43). Following Christ’s return He will “transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body” (Phil. 3:21). Then we will be like God (1 John 3:2) perfectly suited for an endless friendship with Him.
How wonderful it will be, after a lifetime of imperfect but sincere, plodding faithfulness, to hear the Father say, “Well done, good and faithful servant … enter into the joy of your lord” (Matt. 25:23). Despite our failures in the Christian life Jesus promises that “Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32). On the authority of the Son of God the names of the faithful, registered in heaven, will be announced as His precious possession on the day of Christ.
The gospel declares God’s pledge of forgiveness. But we forget easily. We fear that we are too sinful to be forgiven. But on the last day, when all our thoughts, words, and deeds will be publicized—even our worst ones—the promise of the gospel will become a proclamation to the world: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). Jesus’ blood and righteousness will forever silence every accusation against His blood-bought saints.
We were made to glorify and enjoy God. And believers do. But we don’t fully enjoy God now. We barely understand Him. We don’t always agree with Him. Our basest desires resist His immaculate will. We can’t even fully want intimacy with God. But we are starting to. Here is the believer’s song: “After this life I will have perfect blessedness such as no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined: a blessedness in which to praise God eternally.”
“God has given us eternal life” (1 John 5:11). This promise is a tremendous comfort for God’s children. But eternity also invokes responsibilities. How should the doctrine of the resurrection steel us to “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58)? First, we must be sure that we actually in Jesus, since these benefits are only for true believers. The promise for the wicked is truly grim. At death unbelievers seal their fate as enemies of God and begin a sort of never-ending perishing (John 3:16; Mark 9:42–48; Luke 16:19–31). Eternity makes unbelief truly tragic.
But if we are believers we should anticipate eternity (Gal. 5:5), imagine the joy of seeing Jesus (Ps. 16:11; 17:15), persevere in godliness (16:8; 17:5), sow generously in order to reap bountifully (Gal. 6:8), wait patiently (Rom. 8:25), leave judgment to the only perfectly just judge, and have our hearts tuned for heaven by participating in corporate worship.
The Christian life is filled with trouble. But “This light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:17). So eternity is “very pleasant and a great comfort to the righteous and elect, since their total redemption will then be accomplished.” “Comfort one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:18).
by Bill Boekestein
Devotions in the WSC? Sign me up!
Glorifying and Enjoying God: 52 Devotions through the Westminster Shorter Catechism is now available from Reformation Heritage Books. Get your copy today and begin your devotions through the WSC in just a few days from now.
Get it Nowby Robert Bolton
As 2023 draws to a close, HeartCry celebrates all that God has helped us to accomplish. In the past year, we have added 54 missionary families, and our efforts now span 70 different countries. Please pray that God will continue to bless this ministry through the coming year, and all those who work diligently in His name.
]]>With that in mind, we’re excited to give you all a first look at some of the resources we are planning to release in the first few months of 2024!
Read the Word. Write the Word. Grow in the Word.
The In the Word Bible Journal provides an innovative way for you to grow your faith: writing down God’s Word in your own hand!
With space to write the Scriptures on the right, space for personal applications and notes on the left, and a devotional guide at the end of each chapter, the Bible Journal is the perfect tool to help you go deeper in your personal Bible study.
Each Journal comes with a book introduction and outline from the Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible. The application questions with each chapter are from the Family Worship Bible Guide.
Begin your journey to a deeper relationship with Christ by exploring the Gospels.
Do you want to start reading the Puritans?
The Puritan Treasures for Today offer the premier introduction to Puritan writings. With entries from well-known authors like John Owen to underappreciated titans like Anthony Burgess, this series presents timeless classics on the attributes of God, the work of Christ, Christian living, and more. Each book is lightly edited with section headings and updated language to help you understand the meaning of the original authors.
Pick up the Puritan Treasures for Today and start walking the old paths!
“Be ye holy; for I am holy.”—1 Peter 1:16
The modern church has replaced true discipleship with an effeminate, cowardly, perverted, and shallow iteration of Christianity. The radical departure of our generation from the truth in favor of an anemic Christianity must be answered with a radical return to orthodoxy and orthopraxy.
Pastor Hensworth Jonas’s new book, Radical Discipleship, challenges professing Christians to live out Christ’s call to stand out in a hostile, sinful world.
And More!
Besides these titles, we have new books and collections coming from Haykin, Spurgeon, Thomas, Ebenezer, Arrowsmith, Comrie, Carr, Vitringa, DiPrima, and more throughout the rest of the 2024.
The ultimate purpose of Reformation Heritage Books is to be a ministry that spreads the kingdom of God throughout the whole earth. We are pleased to announce two projects that will do exactly that this year!
At Reformation Heritage Books, we are on a mission to spread the message of hope, love, and salvation in our Lord and Savior. That's why we are thrilled to continue to offer the booklet The Gospel of Jesus Christ written by Paul Washer, a resource that God, in His providence, is already using across multiple languages all around the globe.
Starting this spring, we want to give the Gospel of Jesus Christ to 25,000 people, and we need your help! Stay tuned to learn more about this exciting project in the coming months.
Does upholding the law compromise the freeness and fullness of the gospel?
In one of the greatest Reformed studies on the topic, Scottish theologian John Colquhoun encourages believers to combat both legalism and antinomianism by joyfully embracing a correct view of the law centered on the Person of Christ.
For the building up of the Church around the globe, we are seeking to give away 50,000 copies of this classic work! Visit this link or visit our booth at a conference in your area to pick up your free copy.
We are eager to continue our journey with you this year. Stay tuned to the Heritage Blog for more updates!
]]>God and man are, well… different.
This fundamental assumption is called the Creator/creature distinction and is the bedrock of doctrines such as creation, man, man’s fall, and Christ the Redeemer. This all-important distinction is what sets Christian theology apart from false theological constructs like Pantheism, where it’s thought God and creation are essentially the same thing.
This Creator/creature distinction ought to be assumed in our interpretation of the biblical text. Not only does it become clear in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created…,” but it’s explicitly stated in places like Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man…”
Especially important is the consistent application of the Creator/creature distinction as we think about the incarnation of the Son of God. The doctrine of the incarnation is Scripturally expressed in places like Philippians 2:6-7, “being in the form of God… taking the form of a bondservant…” This scriptural truth is enshrined in orthodox creeds like the Nicene Creed, which reads, “For us and for our salvation [the Son] came down from heaven; he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary…” The Creator, God the Son, became a creature. The task of theologians, therefore, is to read and exegete Scripture in such a way that does justice to the meaning of the text — which principally teaches this Creator/creature distinction. We should avoid reading Christological texts as if this Creator/creature distinction isn’t taught elsewhere in the text. It must be allowed to guide our reading.
In light of the incarnation — where Creator and creature are united in a single Person — how do we read the text in such a way that we do justice to its other claims, i.e. that there most certainly is a Creator/creature distinction, that God is not man nor man God? We do not want to read Scripture in such a way that violates the very foundations upon which Christianity stands.
Thankfully, there is a 4th-century French theologian here to help — Hilary of Poitiers.
Partitive exegesis is the act of biblical interpretation that seeks to read Christological passages in light of the Creator/creature distinction.
Hilary begins with two fundamental assumptions:
He writes:
So the Dispensation of the great and godly mystery makes Him, Who was already Father of the divine Son, also His Lord in the created form which He assumed, for He, Who was in the form of God, was found also in the form of a servant. Yet He was not a servant, for according to the Spirit He was God the Son of God.[1]
He furthermore adds:
Being, then, in the form of a servant, Jesus Christ, Who before was in the form of God, said as a man, I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God. He was speaking as a servant to servants: how can we then dissociate the words from Christ the servant, and transfer them to that nature, which had nothing of the servant in it? For He Who abode in the form of God took upon Him the form of a servant, this form being the indispensable condition of His fellowship as a servant with servants. It is in this sense that God is His Father and the Father of men, His God and the God of servants. Jesus Christ was speaking as a man in the form of a servant to men and servants; what difficulty is there then in the idea, that in His human aspect the Father is His Father as ours, in His servant’s nature God is His God as all men’s?[2]
The “Dispensation” is a reference to the “fullness of times” (Eph. 1:10) in which the Son of God was made “a little lower than the angels.” (Ps. 8:5; Heb. 2:7, 9) It is this “Dispensation” wherein the Son assumes flesh that He is regarded as less than the Father. The Father is Lord of the Son only as the Son is considered according to His human nature. However, according to the divine nature, Father and Son — while distinct Persons in the Godhead — are but one Lord. (Cf. Athanaisan Creed)
This two-natured union in the Person of the Son occurs simultaneously (so to speak). Both divine and human natures are united in the Person of Christ without “conversion, composition, or confusion…” (2LCF 8.2) Hence, Hilary says, “For He, who was in the form of God, was found also in the form of a servant. Yet He was not a servant, for according to the Spirit He was God the Son of God.” Both deity and humanity are true of the Person of the Son, but according to two distinct senses or natures.
The influence of this doctrine cannot be missed in Hilary’s exegesis. In the second paragraph presented above, Hilary pulls from John 20:17 to show how it and similar passages must be understood in light of the hypostatic union. To set up his commentary, he says, “Being, then, in the form of a servant, Jesus Christ, Who before was in the form of God, said as a man…” In other words, John 20:17 are words spoken by Christ, not according to His divine nature but according to His human nature. Hilary approaches the text with this in mind.
Doctrines undergirding such an approach are those such as immutability and omnipresence. According to His divine nature, the Son cannot move from one place to another since He does not change (immutability), nor can He travel to a place in which He’s already present (omnipresence). John 20:17, therefore, must be spoken according to a nature other than the divine — a nature capable of ascending from earth to heaven.
Hilary further presses when he asks a rhetorical question, “How can we then dissociate the words from Christ the servant, and transfer them to that nature, which has nothing of the servant in it?” Not only would it be heterodox to transfer that which is proper only to the creature to the Creator, but it would also be utterly nonsensical. If there is “nothing of the servant” in God, how could texts like John 20:17 apply to the divine nature? If there were something of the servant in the divine nature, to what avail is the incarnation? Why would God assume humanity if humanity was already in God?
Concluding the matter, Hilary writes, “Jesus Christ was speaking as a man in the form of a servant to men and servants; what difficulty is there then in the idea, that in His human aspect the Father is His Father as ours, in His servant’s nature God is His God as all men’s?” Partitive exegesis allows Hilary (and us) to locate the proper place of subordination. Is the Son eternally subordinate? Or is He only subordinate according to His human nature? The latter must be the case upon a theological reading of the issue. Additionally, a partitive reading of Christological texts preserves both divine and human natures in their substantial integrity — avoiding the ever-present danger of blurring the Creator/creature distinction.
[1] Hilary of Poitiers. On the Trinity. Kindle Edition. Loc. 5582.
[2] Hilary. On the Trinity. Loc. 5589.
The post Hilary of Poitiers, Incarnation, & Partitive Exegesis appeared first on The Baptist Broadcast.
]]>Thankfully, little by little, I became exposed to the writings of other Christians who have come before me and struggled with the same sins, wrestled with the same Scriptural quandaries, and passed along their wisdom. Their voices have been a great help, received with discernment and comparison to Scripture (Acts 17:11).
One such great guide to help Christians understand from Scripture how to live a life pleasing to God is the Westminster Shorter Catechism. It helps us by bringing Scripture passages on a particular topic together into one place—this is what we call “systematic theology,” or, as I also like to think of it “biblical reasoning.” As Michael Horton writes, “by systematic theology we refer to that task of harvesting the results of exegesis in order to display the logical connections and canonical coherence of biblical teaching.” Catechisms should be based on Scripture, even a kind of paraphrase of Scripture’s content. They have been called maps that survey the ground of Scripture and help a person to navigate the Bible.
While all that sounds academic, the Shorter Catechism is meant to be practical, which is why it devotes substantial time and space to explaining the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer. “Consider that 42 of the 107 questions in the Westminster Shorter Catechism explain the Ten Commandments (that’s 39 percent!)...”
While many today reject the Ten Commandments as belonging only to God’s Old Testament way of dealing with his people, the writers of the Shorter Catechism rightly recognized that the Ten Commandments summarized God’s moral law, which reflects his unchanging character. In other words, while the Old Covenant administration may have been surpassed, the moral law continues to show us how to please God. Likewise, Jesus explicitly taught us how to pray in the Lord’s Prayer.
It is important to note that the Shorter Catechism puts the gospel first. While the Shorter Catechism may not express the pattern of guilt-grace-gratitude as clearly as the Heidelberg Catechism does, it nevertheless makes clear that the Christian life is lived in thankfulness for what God has done for us in Christ. The explanations of the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer come after the great sections on justification and adoption and sanctification. They are a reminder of James 2:17: “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” While many present that verse to guilt people into action, note the underlying good news: God gives his people a living faith, “a living hope” through the resurrection of Jesus (1 Peter 1:3).
In fact, the Shorter Catechism reminds us that our obedience to God’s law is how we show our love for God (see John 14:15): “The sum of the Ten Commandments is, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and our neighbor as ourselves” (Q&A 42). While the Catechism cannot answer every question a Christian might have about, for example, how the first commandment applies to their life, it gives a wonderful starting point for answering any question—there are four questions and answers on that one commandment!
The Catechism addresses not only outward actions, but the heart that brings them forth. It even brings Scripture to bear in profound and surprising ways, reminding us in its discussion of the eighth commandment that we can even steal from ourselves what God has provided for us. The Larger Catechism expounds what this means: by our slothfulness and “distracting cares” we defraud “ourselves of the due use and comfort of that estate which God hath given us” (WLC 142). This is a call for us to be good stewards of all that God has given.
God’s Word tends to repeat those things that are most important. Over and over again, in a kaleidoscope of expressions, we are told of the person and work of Christ. Repeatedly we are told to love, with the Ten Commandments brought up in various ways (e.g., Eph. 4:28). And so too, the Bible emphasizes prayer as a critical aspect of the Christian life. As Calvin rightly noticed, “prayer digs up those treasures which the Gospel of our Lord discovers to the eye of faith. The necessity and utility of this exercise of prayer no words can sufficiently express” (Institutes, 3.20.2). Or consider B.B. Warfield’s reminder,
…the very act of prayer…will tend to quiet the soul, break down its pride and resistance, and fit it for a humble walk in the world? In its very nature, prayer is a confession of weakness, a confession of need, of dependence, a cry for help, a reaching out for something stronger, better, more stable and trustworthy than ourselves, on which to rest and depend and draw.
Thus, the Shorter Catechism ends with its final nine questions and answers on prayer, using the Lord’s Prayer to bring together what the Bible teaches on this vital practice. It reminds us that when we pray we are relying on what Scripture has revealed about God and his promises. We pray his Word back to Him. We pray his promises back to him. We pray with the gospel in mind—for example, “In the fifth petition, which is, And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, we pray that God, for Christ’s sake, would freely pardon all our sins; which we are the rather encouraged to ask, because by his grace we are enabled from the heart to forgive others” (Q&A 105).
by Andrew J. Miller
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Get it Now“For since ‘God is love,’ he who loves love certainly loves God; but he must needs love love, who loves his brother.” ~ Augustine, On the Holy Trinity, Bk. 8, Ch. 8
Contrary perhaps to a first glance, Augustine isn’t waxing redundant. If God is love, it certainly follows that this love must be loved more than anything or anyone else. It is a love that must be adored, pursued, and even worshiped.
In 1 John 4:8, the apostle writes, “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” And again in v. 16, “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” These two substantive clauses identify the perfection of love with God Himself. To put it more technically, the divine essence just is love, according to the apostle. Hence, as Augustine observes, this love must be loved. This love must be loved and adored above all else — for God is love.
But this causes a dilemma for those who would deny the identity of divine love with the divine itself. If love in God is God, this love must be worshiped. If love in God is not God, it must not be worshiped.
Let me try to explain…
The doctrine of divine simplicity (DDS) states that God is not composed of parts. Any parts. No really… there are no parts in God. Zip. Zero.
To put the doctrine of divine simplicity in the words of Herman Bavinck, “But in God everything is one. God is everything He possesses. He is his own wisdom, his own life; being and living coincide in him.”[1] To use the title language of James Dolezal’s helpful book, All That is in God Is God. The Second London Confession (1677) expresses the doctrine as follows, “The Lord our God is but one only living and true God; whose subsistence is in and of himself, infinite in being and perfection; whose essence cannot be comprehended by any but himself; a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto…” (2LCF 2.1; emphasis added)
According to DDS, any kind of partition or parthood in the divine essence must be denied. If mereology is the “study of parthood,” God does not have a mereology. Dolezal defines a “part” as “anything that is less than the whole and without which the whole would be really different than it is.”[2] Stephen Charnock expresses the same point, “the compounding parts are in order of nature before that which is compounded by them… If God had parts and bodily members as we have, or any composition, the essence of God would result from those parts, and those parts be supposed to be before God.”[3] In other words, if God had parts those parts would make Him who He is. He would be, in a sense, caused. To put it another way, God would depend on that which is more basic than Himself to be Himself. In sum, God would not be God if He were not simple.
Love in God, therefore, must not be thought to be anything other than God Himself. Hence, 1 John 4:8, 16, “God is love.” Love is not something God “has.” Love isn’t something God participates in with other beings. It’s not something more basic than Himself making Him to be what He is and without which He would be different.
If God is love, we must love love, as Augustine observes above. But this means that the divine essence (God Himself) and love as it is in God must be the same. If this love were not God, it would be a gross error to love love as the highest good. It would be unthinkable to love, adore, and worship that which is not God Himself. To worship what is not God is to commit idolatry according to the first and second commandments. (Cf. Ex. 20) Thus, either love in God just is God, or it is not God. But if it is not God, it cannot be loved as the highest good, adored, and worshiped.
A denial of DDS (as stated above) would seem to imply a real distinction between God’s essence and the love that exists in God. But if this is the case, to worship and adore the love that is in God would be idolatry. Furthermore, the twin substantives in 1 John 4, i.e. “God is love,” would be nothing but poetic, if not hyperbolic, expressions. But this doesn’t seem likely given the identification of love with knowledge of God in v. 8. Nor would v. 16 easily permit flexibility in the language since it identifies the act of abiding in love with the act of abiding in God Himself, “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” Abiding in love just is to abide in God, but this would not necessarily be the case if love and God were really different “things.”
The denial of classical DDS seems to encounter a dilemma — worship love or not. If love is not God, it would be a sin to worship it. If love is God, it would be a sin not to.
[1] Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, vol. 2, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2004), 174.
[2] James Dolezal, “Still Impassible: Confessing God Without Passions,” in Journal of the Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies, 132.
[3] Stephen Charnock, The Existence and Attributes of God, vol. 1, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House Company, 1979), 186.
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]]>To say the church is in a crisis of meaning is an understatement. Some attend church because of a moralistic impulse. They have been conditioned to believe it’s the right thing to do, though they may not know why it’s the right thing to do. Others go to church because they feel like the church has something to offer, usually emotional support.
A troubled person can find uplifting sayings in the sermon, instructions for living a more fulfilling life, and comfort in a sea of smiling parishioners. Others attend church but have no idea why. They just haven’t faced the uncomfortable reality that they, perhaps, believe nothing the church says and that they’ve been driving to church from Sunday to Sunday out of sheer habit. Still, a small minority are secure in their church attendance. They want to be there and they know precisely why.
This crisis of meaning stems from a drought of theological understanding, a fault I might attribute to pulpits nationwide. But I’m not looking to blame anyone in this article. Far from it. I want to offer something more constructive. That is, I want to paint a portrait of the church that will help us understand why the church is cosmically and practically significant. But first, we need to begin with the identity of the church.
The church is an organism with a divinely bestowed identity and a heaven-entranced trajectory.
Let me explain…
In Colossians 1:17, Paul is reveling in the mystery of Christ as he writes, “He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” Christ is the Creator and sustainer of all things. But then in v. 18, he writes, “And He is the head of the body, the church…” When we attempt to understand what the church is, we must start here. The church is “the body,” of which Christ is the head. The “body language” refers to the church’s union with Christ, denoting the marital union of Genesis 2. Illustrating this point further, Paul writes, “For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” (Eph. 5:30-32)
The church, therefore, is in vital union with the Son of God through the gospel of the Son of God. It is an organism that has been brought into a life-giving relation to the triune God through the Mediatorial office of the incarnate Christ. All people who are united to Christ comprise His church. Hence, the historical designation of “universal church.” This church knows no geographical or architectural bounds. It consists of all who have been effectually called and united to the Savior. Apart from this union, a person cannot possess spiritual life, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (Jn. 15:5)
Those who are grafted into the true vine and thus members of the new covenant are termed “the church.” But since this macrocosmic church is made up of those who have been made alive in Christ through His Holy Spirit, (cf. Tit. 3:5) there is a real communal life that takes place among them. And since these members are scattered all over the globe at any given time, the ordinary way in which this communal life takes place is in localized, microcosmic versions of the universal church.
The local church is a sacred assembly of God’s people in a given area where there are some Christians banded together by a common confession of faith. The presupposition of their local assembly is their membership in the broader body and bride of Jesus Christ, from whom they derive their life. The local church, therefore, is but a visible manifestation of the universal church. (Cf. 2LCF 26.1, 5) People who have been endowed with the virtue of faith because of the gospel are those who receive the gospel. And those who receive the gospel do so precisely because they’ve been freely given a life that receives it. This life, expressive of one’s union with Christ, necessarily manifests in the vibrant religious life of local churches.
For those in Christ, going to church is but an inaugural manifestation of Christ’s own vibrant, resurrectional life in the lives of His people. This alone ought to cast due aspersions upon the crisis of meaning commonly experienced in many churches today.
The divine operation of the gospel is described in 2 Corinthians 5:19, where we learn that “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself…” This cosmic redemption occurs through means of and within the church. In Christ, the church constitutes an inaugurated new creation and new nation into which people from all tribes and tongues are gathered. Speaking to the Corinthian church, Paul writes, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17) And Peter describes the church as a holy nation, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light…” (1 Pet. 2:9)
This nation is, in essence, the new covenant kingdom and world established in the blood of the Lamb. For it is in the death of Christ that He secures the church and rescues her from the dominion of sin, death, and Satan — “Now is the judgment of this world,” He says, “now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” (Jn. 12:31-32) That the church is the initiatory new world into which the redeemed are transferred upon their Spirit-wrought renewal means that the church plays a transitional role between this world and the next. (Col. 1:13)
If the already/not yet distinction was an institution, it would be the church of the living God. This is why the structure of Colossians 1:15-23 is [creation → church → new creation]. I want to suggest that the church is the inter-creational vehicle in which the redeemed begin to exit one world and enter another. The church has one foot in the old world and one foot in the new. This transitional status of the militant church needs to inform how we understand the church’s place between two cosmic realities.
We might mistakenly conclude, therefore, that once a person is united to Christ and is made a part of His body, the old world no longer matters. This would be a gross error. The church may be between two worlds, but it’s not between two separate and unrelated locations. The new world could accurately be described as the old world remade, renewed, and redeemed. In Romans 8:21, Paul contemplates a renewal of the old world in connection to the resurrection, “the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” The church must continue to take the first creation seriously even as she enjoys and looks forward to the second.
The creation and sustainment of the old world is through Christ according to Colossians 1:15-17, “And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” And in v. 18, “He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.” Though Christ is the Creator and sustainer of the old world, only the church is said to be His own body. Upon His entering into new, resurrectional life and taking His seat at the right hand of God, Christ begins to bestow that same life upon elect sinners. The project of new creation starts with Christ, and the church is caught up with Christ to participate in His new resurrectional life. There is no place or institution other than the church in which this occurs. The bodily resurrection of the church means the old world will be consummately delivered from the Genesis 3 curse only to participate in the new creational reality commenced by King Jesus 2,000 years ago.
The preeminence of Christ over “all things” follows from His headship over the church which suggests that the church takes priority in the spiritual hierarchy over the first creation. It further indicates God’s purpose of creational renewal in and through an ever-expanding new and holy nation full of restored images of God. The renewal of the divine image of those within the church can be explained only by their union with the exact imprint of the Father’s nature, the Lord Jesus Christ. (Heb. 1:1-4; Rom. 8:29) Thus, the church at present is a seminal new world populated with renewed image bearers of God pilgrimaging toward the consummation of the new heavens and new earth. Hence, in Colossians 1:19-20, there is a reconciliation and renewal of all things through the blood of Jesus.
This [creation → church → new creation] order in Colossians 1 insinuates the present trans-creational position of Christ’s church. The church is the only entity that simultaneously straddles old and new creations. The church touches, sees, smells, hears, and tastes the old world daily. And as she does, she must shine brightly. (Matt. 5:14) But she also participates in new-world realities that are both already and not yet, e.g. justification, adoption, sanctification, and the several benefits that flow from them.
The church is that in which redeemed image bearers participate in new creational life. While this no doubt indirectly implies some practical solutions to present woes, the emphatic reason why Christians ought to find meaning in the church is that the church is united and is being united with God through Jesus Christ. It is the gathering of God’s people called by Christ and formed by His Spirit through means of churchly ordinances. As such, the ritual life of the church consisting of ordinances administered on the Lord’s Day ought to be seen as cosmically significant. If life in the church is participation in the new world, then the ordinances and practices occurring within the church are slivers of heaven intended by God to make us more heaven-like.
Therefore, the worship of the church — particularly on the Lord’s Day — takes on heavenly overtones. The crisis of meaning in contemporary Western church culture is a crisis of identity. What the church is and what the church does is disconnected from the God to whom the Savior reconciles us. And when this happens, “church life” becomes nothing more than an extracurricular activity among many other possible extracurricular activities. But when the church is seen as an organism peculiarly favored by God through Christ intended to result in our consummate delight in God Himself, the meaning of the church is at once understood to be essential to the lives of Christians.
For more relevant material & bibliography see my article, “A Most Meaningful Church,” https://www.academia.edu/111267547/A_Most_Meaningful_Church.
The post The Cosmic Meaning of the Church appeared first on The Baptist Broadcast.
]]>The doctrine of divine aseity (self-existence) teaches us that God does not depend upon that which is not God in order to be God. God’s “God-ness” isn’t something that He has, it is something that He is. As such, His divinity, perfections, attributes, etc. are not things that He shares with other beings — as one man may share strength in common with another man. A shared property is something that is possessed in part but not in whole. For example, strength can never entirely belong to a single man, since that would mean no other man could have strength.
This is not the case when it comes to God. What God “has” He has entirely. To put it another way: What God is only God is. This is why God, in Scripture, is said to be “jealous.” He doesn’t share what only He is — that which belongs to Him and Him alone.
Scripture fleshes this out brilliantly. One shining example comes within the context of the second commandment, “For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…” (Ex. 20:5) Consider that text along with the following, “For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it; For how should My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another.” (Is. 48:11)
The introduction of Isaiah 42:8 reads, “I am the LORD, that is My name…” This is an important point because it invokes the covenant name of God revealed to Moses in the burning bush, “The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.” (Ex. 3:15) This name derives from v. 14, the famous, “I AM WHO I AM” designation, which many scholars agree denotes self-existence, i.e. God just is.
The invocation of this covenant name revealing God’s self-existence naturally proceeds to a further implication, “And My glory I will not give to another…” The same point is made in Exodus 20:5, but in different terms, “I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…” God’s holy jealousy in Scripture is an expression of His self-existent, independent nature — which does not have glory but is glory exclusively. It is not shared with another. God wouldn’t have all the glory if it were shared with other beings. But if God does have all the glory, it follows that it will not be given to anyone or anything else.
Hence, we should not worship anything or anyone other than this God, because to do so is to ascribe divine glory to something or someone other than Him. So, all praise must be directed to Him, “And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.” This phrase echoes the second commandment, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image… you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.” (Ex. 20:4-5)
The ground of the second commandment is the aseity of God — He is His glory, and He is all the glory. To share it with another would be to subtract from who He is (an impossibility, to be sure). The sinfulness of idolatry, therefore, consists in the impossibility of God’s glory belonging to anything or anyone else. Thus, when we ascribe the glory of God to something other than God, we also violate the 9th commandment in bearing false witness about who God is, i.e. that He shares His glory when in fact He does not.
This divine glory, and therefore holy jealousy, is said to belong to Christ, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (Jn. 1:14) Does this mean that God has violated His rights to exclusive divine glory? Has He begun to share His glory with someone who is not God? Has God rescinded His rule, “My glory I will not give to another”? The short answer is a resounding, no! In light of Isaiah 42:8, the Son’s glory in John 1:14 is an attestation to His divine nature which He has in common with His Father. John does not want us to conclude that God shares His glory with another, but that the Son of God is God Himself.
An appeal to the begottenness of the Son in John 1:14b is an insurance policy to secure his readers from heresy. Far from God sharing His glory with another, the Son is none other than what the Nicene Creed calls “God from God, Light from Light.” The Father, through eternal generation, communicates the fullness of deity in eternally begetting the only begotten Son.
Isaiah 42:8 and the exclusive glory of God — God is glory, and only God is this glory — when paired with John 1:14 presses us to conclude that Christ is indeed YHWH, the same God who revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush, (Ex. 3:14-15) the same God who issued the second commandment, (Ex. 20:4-6), and the same God who became us to redeem us. (Jn. 1:1-14)
When we think of divine jealousy and the exclusivity of the divine glory, we should be drawn to consider the divine majesty of Christ, the wonder of His incarnation, and the great privilege we have in redemption
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]]>The macrocosmic portrait of redemption entails our Lord’s humiliation and exaltation. Touching His humiliation, He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin, and so was endowed with every essential property of humanity, along with the common infirmities or frailties of our nature — excepting only sin. (see 2LCF 8) Concomitant with His humiliation is His exaltation, because even in His humiliation our Lord was reconciling the world to God and defeating the throws of sin, death, and the devil. (2 Cor. 5:19; Col. 2:15) Jesus did this, perhaps paradoxically, in His cruciform sacrifice, when He offered Himself up once for all. It was there when He declared, “It is finished.” (Jn. 19:30)
Following His death on the cross, our Lord’s body was buried and in His human soul, He went to the place of the dead. Quoting John Lightfoot, Dr. James Renihan writes, “The Soul of our Saviour therefore… descended into Hell, i.e. he passed into the state of the dead, viz. Into that place in Hades, where the souls of good Men went.”[1] Acts 2:27, a quotation from Psalm 16, reads, “For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will you allow Your Holy One to see corruption.” Christ’s soul would not be left in Hades, or the place of the dead. Hence, between the day of our Lord’s death and His resurrection, His human body lay entombed and His human soul was in the place of the dead to proclaim the victory of the cross to all those “under the earth.” (Phil. 2:10; Rev. 5:13)
Not unironically, at the low point of the descent the ascent begins. Proclamation of victory under the earth, then proclamation of victory on the earth in the bodily resurrection. Finally, there is a proclamation of victory in glory as our Lord ascends and is seated at the right hand of power. This is the macrocosmic picture — the big narrative. The main event.
But I would like to submit to my readers that there are microcosmic pictures of redemption that occur throughout our Lord’s earthly ministry. It’s as if while He completes the big picture, He’s drawing the big picture on smaller canvases throughout His humble vocation. I’m almost certain that one of these smaller pictures occurs in Matthew 8. And it’s striking…
The ordering of details in Matthew 8 could not be more telling, but only if we view Matthew 8 as a literary-theological unit rather than a scattershot of disjointed stories. While there are changes in scenery and emphases in ch. 8, these changes occur in a logically progressive way. For example, Jesus descends the mountain in v. 1, in vv. 2-3 He begins healing people. This kingdom theme of healing those in need continues until v. 17. But from v. 17 to v. 18, there is no clear break. “And” is the transitional conjunction moving the reader straight into Jesus’ interaction with would-be disciples. In v. 23, Jesus and His true disciples board a boat, sail through a storm on the Sea of Galilee, and end up amid a bunch of tombs. Jesus scatters a horde of demons out of two possessed men into a multitude of swine only then to return to Capernaum.
The flow of events, therefore, seems to progress from somewhat normative circumstances in Judea, to a storm in the Sea of Galilee (which almost certainly typifies death), to the place of the dead, and then back to Judea.
At this juncture, I want to make a clarification. I am not claiming that the order of events as presented by Matthew is the same thing as the order of events as they historically played out. No doubt the authors of the gospels feel at liberty at times to rearrange the chronology of events for theological effect rather than chronological accounting. This is especially true of Matthew. (Cf. R. T. France, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew) My point here is that the order of events as Matthew presents them under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, whether they reflect the historical chronology or not, are significant and perhaps arranged to make a typological-theological point.
The geography of Matthew 8 is just as important as the ordering of events. Not only do Jesus and His disciples travel from north to south, which may hint at a descent-like movement, but they also travel from the Promised Land into heathen territory — a place often thought to be inhabited by unclean spirits. And this particular location was no exception — the Gergesene tombs.
Keep in mind that the Jordan runs from Mt. Hermon in Lebanon through the Sea of Galilee and picks up on the southernmost side, running on to the Dead Sea further south. To cross Galilee — as Jesus and His disciples did — is to cross the Jordan. Commonly associated with death and life, crossing the Jordan into Gentile territory is a significant detail with a rich Old Testament background. For this reason, it serves a very important typological purpose throughout the Hebrew Bible right up to our Lord’s baptism in Matthew 3. Perhaps it also says something about our Lord’s intent to conquer the whole world, not just Canaan.
Further, one should not miss the watery environment. Water is typically associated with death (cf. Genesis 6-9; Jonah 2). A stormy deluge where the “boat was concealed by the waves” easily hearkens to a similar image. (Matt. 8:24) This is especially the case if we consider the Galilean excursion as a functional crossing of the Jordan into pagan territory.
While Jews may very well have inhabited what’s now the Kursi region, the presence of countless swine suggests a majority-Gentile population.
The most staggering geographical detail in Matthew 8 is the location to which Jesus very-intentionally brings His disciples — the Gergesene tombs. It’s quite literally a place of the dead. One can’t help but consider whether this dark scene anticipates the crucifixion of our Lord wherein He defeats death and the Satanic counsel at “the place of the skull,” or perhaps even His descent to Hades following His cruciform victory. I want to suggest the possibility of both.
These geographical details may seem interesting. But why should we think these specifics have any narratival significance at all? There are basically two reasons for why I think these details are meaningful. The text gives very specific geographical and circumstantial details, and this isn’t an accident. Matthew 8 begins by including Jesus’ descent from the mountain whereupon He preached the Sermon on the Mount. Not only is “the sea” mentioned, but specifics occur on the sea that shouldn’t be passed over. In v. 28, we are told that Jesus and His disciples arrived precisely at “the country of the Gergesenes.” We are told there were tombs there, a site that exists to this day. At the close of the narrative, we find Jesus returning to “His own city,” which was likely Capernaum proper up north. Matthew 8 is an event-filled, geographic-specific text.
Whereas our Lord’s mission was redemptive in nature, it is reasonable to suggest these people, places, and events in Matthew 8 serve a broader redemptive purpose rather than simply being happenstance resulting in interesting Bible stories. Matthew 8 is redemptively and theologically rich.
In Matthew Henry’s commentary on Matthew 8:23-27, speaking of the storm on Galilee, he says the following:
One would have expected, that having Christ with them, they should have had a very favourable gale, but it is quite otherwise; for Christ would show that they who are passing with him over the ocean of this world to the other side, must expect storms by the way. The church is tossed with tempests (Isa. 54:11); it is only the upper region that enjoys a perpetual calm, this lower one is ever and anon disturbed and disturbing.[2]
Henry clearly sees an allusion to “the upper region” and the “lower one.” Between the two, the upper region is altogether more desirable, being calm and peaceful in contrast to the place of the dead. Commenting on vv. 28-34, he writes:
The scope of this chapter is to show the divine power of Christ, by the instances of his dominion over bodily diseases, which to us are irresistible; over winds and waves, which to us are yet more uncontrollable; and lastly, over devils, which to us are most formidable of all. Christ has not only all power in heaven and earth and all deep places, but has the keys of hell too.[3]
Henry draws a straight line from the tombs to the “deep places” and “hell.” John Chrysostom seems to consider the scene at the Gergesenes as a foretaste of a more weighty teaching on hell in contrast to the kingdom of God:
Consider then all these things (for the words concerning hell and the kingdom ye are not yet able to hear), and bearing in mind the losses which ye have often undergone from your love of money, in loans, and in purchases, and in marriages, and in offices of power, and in all the rest; withdraw yourselves from doating on money. For so shall ye be able to live the present life in security, and after a little advance to hear also the words that treat on self-government, and see through and look upon the very Sun of Righteousness, and to attain unto the good things promised by Him; unto which God grant we may all attain, by the grace and love towards man of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and might forever and ever. Amen. (Emphasis mine)[4]
Thomas Aquinas sees significance in the descent from the mountain at the outset of ch. 8. He writes:
It says then, and when he had come down from the mountain. That mountain is heaven; a mountain in which God is well pleased to dwell (Ps 67:17). Hence after he descended from heaven, great multitudes followed him; but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and in habit found as a man (Phil 2:7). Or, by the mountain is understood high teaching; your justice is as the mountains of God (Ps 35:7). Since he was on the mountain, i.e., since he led a high life, his disciples followed him. And when he had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And I, brethren, could not speak to you as unto spiritual (1 Cor 3:1).[5]
There is more work to be done in terms of retrieving the historical exegesis of Matthew 8 to see whether history bears witness to the same observations I’ve tried to make throughout this post. But I do think that there is enough historical precedent to responsibly chart a path forward in elaborating upon the imagery of Matthew 8.
To end, we saw the order of events in the text. I qualified that this order of events could either be chronological or theological (it’s probably theological more or less). Either way, the order is arranged — either by time or by Spirit-wrought theological inspiration — for a redemptive reason. Further, the geography and circumstances of Matthew 8 are enormously insightful in my opinion. Jesus goes from a mountaintop in Capernaum to a hellish landscape on the other side of Jordan, back to Capernaum. Lastly, there is at least some historical precedent for the direction I’m moving in my observations. I do think this is a text that could be further explored in both academic and churchly spheres, and I hope this brief post is but a finger pointing to the riches of this particular chapter.
[1] James M. Renihan, Baptist Symbolics, vol. II, (Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press, 2022), 231.
[2] Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 1651.
[3] Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1652.
[4] Chrysostom, St. John. The Homilies On The Gospel Of St. Matthew. Jazzybee Verlag. Kindle Edition. Loc. 7089.
[5] Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Matthew. Aquinas.cc. C8.L1.n681.
The post Descent & Ascent in Matthew 8 appeared first on The Baptist Broadcast.
]]>Question:
Say I become angry unadvisedly or desire to revenge wrongs done to me. How may I remedy this sin?
Answer:
Against unjust anger or a private desire for revenge, meditate on the following:
Consider that injuries happen to us by the Lord's appointment for our good (2 Samuel 16:10).
Reflect on God's great goodness in forgiving us far more sins than we could ever forgive in others.
Remember that Christian love dictates that we forgive others.
The following selection by John Calvin was taken from book 2, chapter 2 parts 18-21 of The Institutes of The Christian Religion, translated by by Henry Beveridge, Esq. A must read for all Christians who aspire to better understand the Bible's teaching on man's spiritual impotence prior to the regeneration of the Holy Spirit.
18. The limits of our understanding
Published long ago by an anonymous believer.
I. That you keep a close watch over your heart, words, and deeds continually. Psalm 93:1, Matthew 24:42, Luke 12:36, 1 Corinthians 10:13, 15:34, 16:13, Colossians 3:17.
II. That with all care the time be redeemed that has been idly, carelessly, and unprofitably spent. Ephesians 5:16, Colossians 4:5.
III. That at least once in the day, private prayer and meditation be made. Psalm 119:164, Daniel 6:10, Luke 18:1, Ephesians 6:18, Colossians 4:2.
IV. That care be had to do and receive good in company. 1 Thessalonians 5:11.
Introduction
The passage of Matthew 19:16-25, depicting the encounter between Jesus and the rich young ruler, serves as a profound illustration of the human inability to attain salvation through self-effort and the indispensable role of divine intervention in the process of repentance and salvation. This narrative not only exposes the limitations of human righteousness but also vividly demonstrates the law/gospel distinction—a central teaching of Scripture.
Human Inability and the Law
In the postmodern context, the emphasis on individualism and subjective experience can lead to a sense of fragmentation and isolation. As society places a higher value on personal autonomy and self-expression, communal bonds and shared values can become weakened. This fragmentation can manifest in various ways: in the disintegration of traditional community structures, in the rise of virtual relationships over physical ones, and in the feeling that one's personal experiences and struggles are unique and incomprehensible to others.
The Book of Revelation, with its rich symbolism and apocalyptic imagery, has been interpreted in various ways throughout Christian history. These interpretations can be broadly categorized into four main views. Each view approaches the text with different assumptions about how and when Revelation's prophecies are or will be fulfilled:
Preterist View:
The allure of boasting about the sheer number of books one has read is a common pitfall. However, this approach often leads to superficial engagement with the material. True wisdom is not in the quantity, but in the depth of understanding. Resist the temptation to read merely for the sake of competition or to inflate one's perceived intellect. The essence of reading lies in the assimilation and comprehension of ideas, not in accumulating titles under one's belt.
We are very happy to say that we now have Spanish copies of The Gospel of Jesus Christ by Paul Washer.
For many pastors in our country, it is difficult to acquire sound theological resources. Firstly, because we do not have many available to us. Secondly, because many pastors in our country only earn in a month what one book costs.
We greatly appreciate all the support. These books will be distributed in many places throughout our country. The church in Venezuela needs to continue studying and proclaiming the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The purpose of a creed or confession in Christian theology, particularly from a Reformed perspective, is multifaceted:
Doctrinal Summary: Creeds and confessions provide a concise summary of essential Christian doctrines. They distill the core teachings of the Bible, making it easier for believers to understand and articulate their faith.
Teaching Tool: These documents serve as teaching tools within the church. They help in educating members, especially new believers, about the fundamental beliefs and principles of Christianity.
By WILLIAM BRIDGE, Preacher of the Word of God at Yarmouth.
To the Honourable House of COMMONS
In PARLIAMENT Assembled at WESTMINSTER.
This October, HeartCry-supported pastors from all over Europe gathered at Providence Church in Brasov, Romania, for a conference. The teaching focused on “Biblical Foundations of Pastoral Ministry.” The men enjoyed rare fellowship and formed new friendships with their fellow laborers from foreign fields.
The main speaker was a missionary with a protected identity who agreed to fill the pulpit when the previous speaker was taken ill. He flew directly from HeartCry’s Asia Conference in Indonesia on short notice, and in Romania preached ten sessions. Because of his protected identity he was unknown to most of the men at the conference, yet they all reported the overwhelming inspiration they received from his example and teaching, the intensity of his exhortations to them, and their zeal to return to their own pulpits with renewed vigor.
HeartCry's Coordinator for Africa shares from a conference in Nampula, Mozambique. Please pray that the Word of God preached at this conference will not return void (Is. 55:11), and that the truth of His Son, Jesus Christ, will be made a praise throughout Mozambique (Isaiah 62:5).
]]>In Rustenberg, South Africa, HeartCry purchased a synagogue building to be used by Central Baptist Church for a place of worship. Over the past many months, the members of CBC have been renovating the synagogue.
On September 3rd, Central Baptist church held their inaugural service in dedication of their new church building.
HeartCry missionary Karabo Msiza says this:
“For more than half a century this building stood as a platform from which the Torah alone was proclaimed, where worldly wisdom found its voice. Now in a remarkable transformation, God has breathed new life into the old bones of this structure. Now it shall serve as a pulpit from which the true gospel of Jesus Christ will resound, piercing hearts and transforming souls. It is a powerful testimony of the faithfulness of God and to the power of His Word that never returns void.”
In this post, I’d like to discuss the main problem that arises in the project of theological retrieval.
While it’s easy to define theological retrieval, trying to understand its object is much more difficult.
Remember, retrieval finds a place within the sub-discipline of historical theology, but it’s not mere history. It’s also the appropriation of the past to within the present. There are many things we observe in history that we wouldn’t necessarily want to appropriate into the present. For example, Christian persecution at the hands of a Christian state, military conflicts fought over religious relics, the papacy, or transubstantiation are historical doctrines and practices most of us wouldn’t want to drag into the present.
More specifically, as a Particular Baptist, I wouldn’t want to appropriate infant baptism, Presbyterianism, or the bishopric of the Church of England. So, a more specific—if not more difficult—question arises: What keeps us theologically accountable as we engage in the task of theological retrieval?
Further, How do we prevent ourselves from using retrieval as a means of subjectively reacting against the culture? We might be tempted to retrieve only those beliefs and actions of the historical church that seem most opposite to our present culture. This would be wrong-headed and dangerous. It would be reflexive and ungrounded.
The problem of retrieval is as simple as it is difficult. Theological retrieval, by itself, doesn’t really have any guidelines or parameters. Without context, anyone can retrieve anything they’d like. The work of retrieval would become an arbitrary and consumeristic exercise in picking one’s favorite theological candy from the historical bucket.
A person engaged in theological retrieval may one day prefer Richard Hooker’s hypothetical universalism or John Gill’s eschatology. By next week, they’re trying to find a place for Aquinas before flirting with Duns Scotus after boredom with Thomism sets it. A month later, they’ve decided both those guys are wrong and now they’re looking to John Henry Newman or Gregory Palamas. This is not a fruitful way to engage in the work of theological retrieval. And it can even become spiritually destructive.
How, then, should we think of retrieval soberly and contextually?
In the next part, we’ll look at a proposed solution to the retrieval problem, i.e. the “confessional imperative.”
The post Understanding Confessional Retrieval (Part 2) appeared first on The Baptist Broadcast.
]]>Just a few years ago, I would’ve never imagined the evangelical landscape would include relatively deep conversations revolving around classical metaphysics, theology, and even politics. But thanks to a collective evangelical itch to retrieve the old ways, along with simultaneous disenchantment with the novus ordo of the evangelical industrial complex, Western Christianity is beginning to rediscover its roots. A contemporary reformation (of sorts) is afoot.
This is a good thing.
But as with any positive development, the danger of overreaction, over-realization, and a lack of wisdom looms. In particular, the question of retrieval always seems to be, What should we retrieve?
Monasticism? The episcopacy? Christian imperialism? The college of bishops? What do we retrieve? And do we ever stop retrieving? Does theological retrieval have a goal?
These are complicated questions. But they are questions I hope to address to some extent in the series that follows. This is the first of a few parts in that series. I hope it’s helpful.
In some ways, “retrieval” is a biblical principle. Throughout the Old Testament, deference is paid to the “old ways” and the “multitude of counselors.” It is a proverbial dictum that we ought not “remove the ancient landmark Which [our] fathers have set.” (Prov. 22:28) The “old paths” are “where the good way” is found. (Jer. 6:16) And we find safety in listening to the many voices that are wiser and older than ourselves. (Prov. 11:14; 15:22; 24:6)
When we speak of “retrieval” within a Christian context, we speak of what is a subset of historical theology. Historical theology is the science of exploring and appropriating the theology of the church’s past to the church’s present. What did our spiritual ancestors believe, and why? More strongly, is what they believed something we ought to be believing today? Have we stepped off the “old paths”?
Some have said, “The way back is the way forward.”[1] This sums up the project of retrieval quite nicely. The church is not a biological, chemical, or mechanical laboratory. We’re not looking for the latest developments in “Christian theology.” Our science is very old. Its purpose is not to locate the new or the most expedient. It’s not even oriented to what we take to be the most interesting or cutting-edge.
The science of Christian theology concerns itself with a God that calls Himself the “Ancient of Days,” “everlasting,” and, “without end.” We are, fundamentally, a people who derive their knowledge from an eternal God who has sustained an ancient institution for over two millennia through means of an imponderably old Book. Paradoxically, this moves us forward—not only through time but unto everlasting beatitude. This isn’t true with every science. But it is true with ours.
Retrieval is the task of locating the old ways for the nourishment of contemporary spiritual life which, in turn, helps us to persevere well in the faith.
In the next part, I will discuss the “retrieval problem.”
[1] I’ll credit this statement to Dr. Richard Barcellos who, if memory serves me rightly, heard it from the late Dr. Mike Renihan.
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]]>What is the analogy of Scripture?
We’ve all probably heard the phrase, “Scripture interprets Scripture.” When we say “Scripture interprets Scripture,” we are talking about the analogy of Scripture. Second Timothy 2:15 says, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
In order to “rightly divide the Word of truth” we need to have recourse to God. God must teach us how to rightly divide His Word. Apart from a divine standard of interpretation, we will always foist our culturally conditioned assumptions and prejudices into the text. We need an ultimate Interpreter, and this ultimate Interpreter is God Himself through His Word.
The Second London Confession 1.9 reads, “The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself; and therefore when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it must be searched by other places that speak more clearly. (2 Peter 1:20, 21; Acts 15:15, 16)”
Clearer texts further our understanding of more ambiguous or less clear texts. So, when it comes to less clear texts, e.g. Rev. 20:4-10 (millennium), and 1 Cor. 7:14 (holy children), we need the rest of the Bible—the clearer texts therein—to better understand them.
Richard Muller, in his Dictionary of Latin and Greek Theological Terms (one of the most important books of our century), defines the analogy of Scripture (analogia Scripturae) in this way, “[it is] the interpretation of unclear, difficult, or ambiguous passages of Scripture by comparison with a collation or gathering, of clear and unambiguous passages or “places” (loci) that refer to the same teaching or event.”[1]
[1] Richard Muller, Dictionary of Latin and Greek Theological Terms, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2017), 25.
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]]>Recently when we had finished our church gathering in the village of Zizin, I had an opportunity to share the gospel with a young man named Alex. His parents had attended our church service with their five boys and two girls, but Alex was not with them. But afterward, when we stopped outside the gate of their home, God did a great work of grace. This is what Alex told me afterward:
"I felt a strong hand push me out of the house without knowing why," Alex said. "I didn't know that you had come to our house. I was on the phone at the time and I usually never leave my phone like I did."
When he came out to us, I shared the gospel with him. Alex had never before wondered what God thought of him. He did not know he was under God's wrath and on the road to perdition; he had gone to church as a child but never understood his spiritual state.
He said that when I told him the gospel he understood for the first time that he was on the path to hell. As I preached the Word to him, his heart was more and more touched until tears came to his eyes. He said that he felt the burden of his sin and he wanted to call on the Lord to save him. As I prayed for him at the end, he confessed that he felt a release in his soul and was at peace. Moreover he started confessing past sins to his parents and to me. It was a great grace. I gave him a New Testament and he said he was would come to church.
]]>
NOTE: I do want to qualify that the word “gospel” is used in different ways in Scripture— First, “gospel” can be used in a general sense—describing all the doctrines of Christ and His apostles. And in this sense, it comprehends the law as well as the gospel. Second, “gospel” is used in the strict or proper sense, i.e. “good news, glad tidings, or a joyful message.” And it refers to the free grace of the gospel apart from our works. It’s this second sense with which I’m most concerned—the proper use of the term. |
The gospel, in the strict sense, is what our triune God does for us. Full stop.
We should be careful not to insert ourselves, or what we do into the gospel equation. If we do this, we essentially become co-mediators and co-redeemers with Christ. Let’s take our cue from Mark 1:15 and other illuminating texts—
In places like Mark 1:15, it becomes very clear that the “gospel” is something distinguishable from commandments requiring us to do something, e.g. “Repent, and believe…” And while the ability to repent and believe is given in the gospel, our actual repenting and believing are not the gospel but our obedience to God’s commands. Our text presupposes this. The gospel is that in which we believe. Our belief is not itself the gospel. Our repentance is not itself the gospel. So what is the gospel?
First, according to our text, the gospel is something we “believe in,” it is something to be believed. More technically, it is something to be apprehended by faith. We might even say that the gospel is something in which rest instead of something for which we work. And this is an incredibly helpful starting point for understanding what the gospel is fundamentally.
If the gospel is something we are to believe, something that is given by God and apprehended only by faith, then it is distinguished from the works of the law. In Romans 4:5, Paul makes this distinction, “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness…” The gospel is that in which we believe. It is not that for which we work. And so, the first observation in terms of what the gospel is is that it is to be distinguished from what we do. And this means it comes to us freely since it’s not conditioned upon anything in us or anything from us.
Second, the gospel is good news. What is the good news? Paul, in Romans 1:16, says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” The gospel is the “good news of Christ…” So, it comes through the Son of God incarnate, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. And in terms of what it is, it is the “power of God unto salvation…” It’s not the power of man. It’s not the works of man. It’s not man’s act or quality of repentance, his act or quality of faith—though both of these things result from the power of God unto salvation. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation “for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”
Third, this power of God unto salvation which comes through Jesus Christ (alone) refracts into specific aspects—the Person of Christ sent, the work of Christ accomplished, the work of Christ applied to the believer by the Holy Spirit, and the hope of glory at the end. All of these are expressions of God’s power worked out by God Himself in favor of our salvation. But then this power, accomplished in history, is applied to us in terms of justification, adoption, sanctification, and (eventual) glorification. These are things that happen to us, not things we cooperate with. Justification is freely given. Adoption is freely given. Sanctification is freely given. Glorification is freely given. You get the idea.
John Colquhoun (18th -19th c.) helpfully defines the gospel in the following way—
The gospel reveals to us what the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have done for us and are willing to impart to us, how fully and freely these are offered to us, and how they are to be received and enjoyed as gifts of infinitely free and sovereign grace.[1]
In summary, when we speak of the gospel in the most technical sense, it refers to what God has done for us through Christ. The good news is what God does for us, not what we do for God. Understanding this helps us to understand that our redemption, from beginning to end, is of God. The reason why we are made right before God—why God is pleased with us—is not to be found in ourselves but solely in what God has done for us through Christ. And when we understand this, then and only then will our assurance be properly grounded.
[1] John Colquhoun, A Treatise on the Law and the Gospel, (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2022), 102.
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]]>Over the last few weeks, I’ve been preaching through Matthew 8 at Victory Baptist Church. And let me just say, it’s a stunning chapter.
It has everything.
Life, death, resurrection. Fear, faith, and fruitfulness. It’s a microcosm of the overall redemptive arc of our Lord’s incarnate ministry. From Capernaum, through the trial of storm, landing in the nether regions on the other side of Galilee (and Jordan).
It’s a colorful chapter, no doubt.
But one theme I tried to maintain while preaching through Matthew 8 was discipleship.
Beginning in vv. 18-22, our Lord feeds a hard-to-swallow pill to two wannabe disciples. Then He actually takes His real disciples and draws a vivid and historically real picture of what discipleship looks like—trial, death, victory at the end of it all. From life in Capernaum, to trial at Sea, to death in the tombs, and at long last re-emergence unto life in Matthew 9:1—a return to Jesus’ “own city.”
Recently, as I was once more chewing the gum of Matthew 8 between the teeth of my mind, something emerged that I had not yet noticed:
Jesus’ real disciples follow Him onto the boat. In v. 23, there is a clear connection between an active, outward following of Christ with what it means, fundamentally, to be a disciple.
In vv. 18-22, the emphasis of the chapter turns to discipleship.
This become abundantly clear when we consider v. 19, “Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, ‘Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.’” The scribe introduces the enduring emphasis from this point on. Our Lord’s response aims at the utter and unapologetic realism of discipleship, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (v. 20) Discipleship is an “unforgiving” environment by worldly standards.
In v. 21 “another of His disciples” asks Him if he can “first go and bury [his] father.” To which Jesus responds, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” (v. 22)
Given that “disciple” (μαθητής) describes one who learns or follows, it is appropriate to connect that term here with Jesus’ imperative “follow” (ἀκολουθέω), which is to join or accompany someone. A disciple naturally follows his teacher.
Furthermore, the context clearly sisters these terms together.
The man desiring to bury his father is presumably a disciple. He is called such in v. 21. But he wants to put his goal—following his Master—on hold in order to do something else. This is unacceptable so long as someone considers himself a disciple. A disciple follows, most fundamentally. No matter what value another occupation may seem to have.
In v. 23, something subtle, but pivotal, happens.
Jesus climbs aboard the boat first. The same boat He had allegedly mentioned according to v. 18. The order is important. The Lord goes first. He goes before His disciples. Naturally, of course, His disciples follow Him into the boat, “Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.” (v, 23) This is the second time, along with vv. 22-23, where discipleship is expressly connected to an active life of following Jesus.
Having established the connection between discipleship and following Jesus, we can now move to the general maritime trajectory of Jesus and His disciples.
The disciples follow their Lord into a boat. The boat sailed directly into a Galilean squall, which Matthew compared to an earthquake (seismos is the Gk. word used to describe the effects of winds and waves). The waves cover the boat according to v. 24. And their destination is southeast from Capernaum, the “other side” of Galilee—and consequently—the other side of Jordan, i.e. the place of the dead.
The geographical significance cannot be missed. Jesus and His disciples “go down” into the place of the dead, i.e. the tombs of the Gergesenes. (cf. vv. 28-34)
And they do so through water. Water that covers their vessel! And water from which only the Lord Himself delivers them, i.e. “Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm.” (v. 27)
At this point, the reader is invited to consider the relevance of such a watery deluge on the Sea of Galilee to Jonah, the Flood of Noah and, finally, to baptism—all of which point to redemption from sin and death in Jesus Christ. Again, several layers are no doubt at play in this scene. But it certainly appears as though the Hebrew mind would want to connect the Galilee storm with, at least, Jonah. After all, both Jonah and Jesus are found sleeping on a boat in the midst of a storm. And while the responses of the main characters differ, their surrounding circumstances are nearly identical—down to not only the storm itself, but the responses of the men accompanying them.
But if the other narratives, such as Jonah and Noah, may be connected as parallels to the storm on the Sea of Galilee (and I think they easily can be), then it apparently follows that the storm on the Sea of Galilee is a functional metaphor for baptism. Consider the parallels:
If the storm on the Sea of Galilee is a metaphor for the waters of baptism, the natural question ends up being: What immediately preceded that storm? What was the disposition of the disciples before the storm on the Sea?
The answer is found in Matthew 8:23, “Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.” The disciples were determined to follow their Lord leading up to their “immersion” in the Sea of Galilee, which is, not insignificantly, an extension of Jordan, e.g. where our Lord was baptized.
The prerequisite to the “baptism” in the storm on the Sea of Galilee was that the disciples be actual disciples. That is, that they determine to follow Jesus by faith “onto the boat,” so to speak. Apart from this determination, they would have never entered into the storm.
Just as we determine to follow Jesus through a petition to enter the church leading to baptism, so too did these disciples determine to follow Jesus through stepping onto that boat leading, as it were, to baptism.
I understand that this isn’t a knock-down argument for credobaptism.
But the emphasis upon following Jesus as a disciple leading up to their mutual baptism in the Sea of Galilee seems like a noteworthy image related to how we think of the sacrament of baptism. If the image bears any significance upon how we think of baptism, it would seem like we would need to take into account the manner in which the disciples entered upon the Sea and sailed through the storm.
They did so through determining, by faith, to follow their Lord.
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]]>“… as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue…” ~ 2 Peter 1:3
According to Thomas Aquinas, the Augustinian definition “comprises perfectly the whole essential notion of virtue.”[1] The definition is as follows: “Virtue is a good quality of the mind, by which we live righteously, of which no one can make bad use, which God works in us, without us.” Jonathan Edwards says virtue “is that consent, propensity, and union of heart to being in general, which is immediately exercised in a general good will.”[2] Virtues direct man to his first and primary end—God. And they are said to perfect man’s moral life or his moral operations. Virtues are those through which man pursues his summum bonum, which is none but God.
[1] Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, I-II, (Notre Dame, IN: Christian Classics, 1981), 821.
[2] Jonathan Edwards, The Nature of True Virtue, (monergism.com), 6. monergism.com/nature-true-virtue-ebook.
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]]>Nehemiah Coxe was a 17th c. Particular Baptist and was almost certainly an editor of the Second London Confession, 1677. His notable works are Vindiciae Veritatis, contra Thomas Collier’s heresies, and A Discourse of the Covenants.
In A Discourse of the Covenants, Coxe raises several objections against the paedobaptist view of the Abrahamic covenant. Below I have transcribed one such objection. In the 17th c., some paedobaptists faced a dilemma. If the Abrahamic covenant is substantially the same as the new covenant, and if it included not only immediate but also remote posterity, then the new covenant should likewise include both.
But paedobaptists generally limited covenant interest only to immediate offspring. This reveals a possible inconsistency in the claim that the Abrahamic covenant was an administration of the covenant of grace and thus the same in substance as the new covenant—the recipients of the covenant promises are apparently not the same between the two administrations. And this would hint at a substantial, rather than a mere administrative, difference.
He who holds himself obliged by the command and interested in the promises of the covenant of circumcision is equally involved in all of them since together they are that covenant. Therefore, he who applies one promise or branch of this covenant to the carnal seed of a believing parent (esteeming every such parent to have an interest in the covenant coordinate with Abraham’s) ought seriously to consider the whole promissory part of the covenant in its true import and extent, and see whether he can make such an undivided application of it without manifest absurdity.
For example, if I may conclude my concern in this covenant is such that by one of its promises I am assured that God has taken my immediate seed into covenant with himself, I must on the same ground conclude also that my seed in remote generations will be no less in covenant with him, since the promise extends to the seed in their generations. I must also conclude that this seed will be separated from other nations as a peculiar people to God and will have the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession since all these things are included in the covenant of circumcision. But because these things cannot be allowed, nor are they pleaded for by anyone that I know of, we must conclude that Abraham was considered in this covenant, not in the capacity or respect of a private believing parent, but of one chosen of God to be the father of and a federal root to a nation that for special ends would be separated to God by a peculiar covenant. When those ends are accomplished, the covenant by which they obtained that right and relation must cease. And no one can plead anything similar without reviving the whole economy built on it. (Covenant Theology from Adam to Christ, 106)
Let’s try to outline Coxe’s argument:
This deserves some further elaboration.
Many 17th c. paedobaptists understood the new covenant to be substantially identical with, though administratively distinct from, the Abrahamic covenant. And this understanding provides a covenantal basis for paedobaptism.
But most everyone in Coxe’s day would restrict new covenant promises only to their immediate descendants. Virtually no one tried to argue for perpetual covenant blessing upon remote generations. So, Coxe later says, “[The paedobaptists] generally narrow the terms of covenant interest… by limiting it to the immediate offspring. Yet in [the Abrahamic covenant] it was not restrained like this but came just as fully on remote generations.”
In other words, Coxe is saying, “You can’t admit one promise of the Abrahamic covenant (participation of immediate offspring) without also admitting the other promises of the Abrahamic covenant (participation of remote offspring).” If the inheritance will be conferred to the immediate offspring, then so shall it be conferred to the remote offspring. But it’s evident, in both Scripture and experience, that new covenant promises are not conferred upon remote generations of believers.
He further observes, “[The paedobaptists] also exclude the servants and slaves of Christians, with the children born of them, from that privilege which they suppose they enjoyed under the Old Testament in being sealed with the sign or token of the covenant of grace.” While the Abrahamic covenant included servants, slaves, and their offspring in the covenant, and thus proper recipients of the sign of circumcision, the 17th c. paedobaptists did not generally include their servants, slaves, and their offspring in the new covenant administration of the covenant of grace.
He cites an additional inconsistency. He says, “[the paedobaptists] make a believers’ interest in this covenant of larger extent than Abraham’s ever truly was. They have all the immediate seed of believers included in it, while we see only Isaac, of all the sons of Abraham according to the flesh, admitted to the inheritance of the blessing and promises of this covenant.”
Since the paedobaptists believed the new covenant was substantially the same as the Abrahamic covenant, they also believed the recipients of the covenant had to be the same—parents and their children. But they would hold that all the children of believing parents ought to receive the covenant sign of baptism since they were, after all, covenant children. But this isn’t how the Abrahamic covenant worked. Only Isaac (and his line) received the inheritance of the Abrahamic covenant. None of Abraham’s other children, though children of a believing father, received the inheritance.
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]]>When we speak of theology as “theoretical” we are not speaking about something uncertain or non-factual.
The term “theory” comes from the Greek term theoria. It means “to contemplate.” Theoretical theology is what happens when we think, or contemplate, theologically. To put it more simply, theoretical theology is theology as it is known.
Theoretical theology is what we encounter while reading a system of theology, like Herman Bavincks Reformed Dogmatics or Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae.
Scripture itself witness to the place of theoretical theology. There is an emphasis through Scripture placed upon the knowledge of God.
In Psalm 100:3 we read, “Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” In Colossians 1:9, the apostle Paul writes, “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding…”
In Colossians 1:10, the prayer is that the Colossian church would increase “in the knowledge of God…” And in Colossians 2:2, they would attain “to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ…” The apostle Peter greets his audience, saying, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord…” (2 Pet. 1:2)
While all these uses of knowledge certainly move beyond a mere theoretical apprehension of doctrinal facts, a theoretical grasp of theology must be received by the intellect before the same can affect the will of man.
To use a popular illustration: theology is “head knowledge” before it becomes “heart knowledge.”
Theoretical theology is theology as it is known by the creature. There is another way of considering theology as practice, or practical theology. If theoretical theology is known, practical theology is that same theology lived.
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]]>It’s 7 pm. The sun quickly hastens, hiding behind the horizon. My family and I sit in a restaurant just a few miles from home. As I look around at other tables, I observe something ominous, something sobering: Very few people speak to one another. Knecks angled down, eyes overshadowed by hair or brow, most people stare at their phones.
Does this sound like a familiar situation?
Whether we’ve noticed it in ourselves or others, if you’re not living under a rock, chances are you’ve experienced something similar. Mindless scrolling. Cheap laughs. No interpersonal communication. It’s a sad state of affairs. And it would be even sadder if there weren’t an explanation. But there is an explanation. Ready for it?
Studiousness has been exchanged for curiosity.
This has always been a problem in society, even prior to the modern age. But our technological achievements have unfortunately favored curiosity rather than studiousness with endless videos, audible reading, podcasts, news feeds, and so on. These things aren’t bad in and of themselves. And I’ll say something more about their proper use in a moment. But the vicious habit of curiosity is virtually the default mode of education today. And this is a major problem.
So, what do we do about it?
Before we answer this question, we have to first understand what curiosity is and how it differs from studiousness. We also have to understand something of the extent to which curiosity fails to yield the same fruits as studiousness.
Curiosity is deadly. But why?
As Eve gazed upon the mysterious forbidden fruit, the Serpent worked his sales pitch. “Did God really tell you not to eat this?” he asked. (Gen. 3:1) He even went so far as to register a baldfaced lie in total contradiction to God’s own words. “You won’t die!” the Serpent added. Eve’s interest peaked. The Bible says the “woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise…” (v. 6)
Whatever was involved in Eve’s decision-making process, curiosity was certainly at the forefront. But how? Isn’t curiosity harmless? Not quite. Thomas Aquinas gives an expansive fourfold definition of curiosity which just adds some additional descriptive power to what essentially took place in the Garden and continues to characterize our now-fallen situation. Thomas says that curiosity consists of a wrongly ordered desire to know the truth. And there are four marks he offers by way of description.
First, when someone decides to study something less profitable than that which they are more obliged to study. For example, I’m a pastor. I have an obligation to study and to show myself approved, and this is for the edification of the sheep. However, if I’m consumed by scrolling social media rather than fulfilling the work of the ministry, I am engaging in curiosity. On this point, Jerome wrote, “We see priests forsaking the gospels and the prophets, reading stage-plays, and singing the love songs of pastoral idylls.” (ST.II-II.Q167.A1.C.3)
Second, when man studies something which he is not supposed to know. For example, when man tries to discern the future or speak with the dead through a medium. Thomas calls this “superstitious curiosity.”
Third, when someone desires to know the truth about the world or anything in the world without referring all his knowledge to its proper end which is, ultimately, the knowledge of God. If the knowledge of created things does not bring a person to reflect upon God and His glory, then man engages in curiosity. Knowing something without doing so to God’s glory is, perhaps, the clearest expression of curiosity.
Fourth, when man tries to study that which lies beyond his own intellect, and so then engages in fruitless speculation, he is engaging in the sin of curiosity. In this case, the distinction made in Deuteronomy 29:29 is blurred, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”
In Eve’s case, all four kinds of curiosity are present. First, she desired to know something that was less profitable to her than what she had been created to do. Second, she was forbidden from eating the fruit, and so this was knowledge off-limits to her. Third, she obviously did not want to glorify God in such knowledge, but only to glorify herself. Hence, the Serpent’s enticement, “You shall be like God.” And fourth, she pursued knowledge that was beyond her capacities, that is, she wanted to do the impossible—become her own God. And this led only to folly.
Curiosity killed the man and with him the whole human race!
Proverbs 19:8 reads, “He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; He who keeps understanding will find good.” Studiousness and curiosity can look the same. Both involve the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. However, what differentiates the two is the purpose for which knowledge and wisdom are sought.
On the one hand, curiosity induces one to vanity in (1) the study of something inferior to what one needs to study, (2) the study of something forbidden, (3) the study of the world for the world’s sake rather than God’s, or (4) the prideful study of that to which we cannot attain.
On the other hand, studiousness is a virtuous study of (1) the truth we need to know and are most obligated to know, (2) the truth commended for us to know by God, both through the natural world and Scripture, (3) study of truth unto a higher knowledge of God and divine wisdom, and (4) the humble study of that which we have the capacity to learn, i.e. not trying to study that which clearly lies beyond our grasp.
Curiosity leads to all sorts of dead ends. The truth may be apprehended, but it will never be known for the proper end nor appropriately applied by the understanding. Furthermore, curiosity often leads to a drought of knowledge altogether, since it sometimes attempts to know what is beyond the knower’s capacity. In this case, it’s vulnerable to imbibing falsehoods similar to those Eve entertained from the mouth of the Serpent.
Studiousness is the properly ordered pursuit of knowledge unto the glory of God. And it’s really studiousness that serves as the proper disposition according to which we might know and learn Christ. Curiosity lends itself to the apprehension of historical faith if that. But studiousness is the fruit of saving faith and is thus to be desired by all Christians.
Dropping all the above into our contemporary context…
As we look around at the zombified restaurantgoers obsessed with their phones, Would we say our society is mostly occupied with studiousness or with curiosity?
I’ll let you be the judge of that. But for my part, the speed of information, the perpetual immersion of society into its smart devices, along with a culture virtually identified with its social media status has me answering: Curiosity.
Don’t get me wrong, much of our technology has great potential to be used for the glory of God. Phones might be used to check up on loved ones. Social media can be used for the transmission of the gospel and for various forms of networking. There are countless ways in which we could transcend the many vulnerabilities of our technological age. But in order to do that, we have to be able to identify curiosity, avoid it, and instead employ our technology in a way that fruitfully serves a habit of studiousness.
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]]>Sola Scriptura or biblicism? Are they different? Are they the same thing? Given the recent uptick in biblicist lingo, these questions and many more may be living in your head. In this article, I will attempt to untangle some confusion. But I make no guarantees (emphasis on the word “attempt”). This conversation is at least half a decade old, and throughout its course has become extremely convoluted. On the one hand, some want to identify sola Scriptura with biblicism as if they are synonymous. On the other hand, some (like myself) resist the term biblicism because of the connotations it tends to carry. The normal definition of biblicism seems to denote association with heretics and their approach to the Bible. Arius, Audius, and Socinus are three such examples.
The purpose of this article is threefold. First, I contend that sola Scriptura and biblicism are entirely different from one another in form and matter. Sola Scriptura is a principle, biblicism is a mode or manner of biblical interaction. Second, I endeavor to show that the classical definition of sola Scriptura includes the use of subordinate authorities (norma normata or testes veritatis), the lot of which biblicists tend to resist in various ways and to different extents. Third, it is necessary to show how Scripture itself makes subordinate authorities ordinarily necessary in both the individual and ecclesial Christian life.
Richard Muller, in his Dictionary of Latin and Greek Theological Terms, defines sola Scriptura as “the principium cognoscendi, the principle of knowledge or cognitive foundation of theology, and described doctrinally in terms of its authority, clarity, and sufficiency in all matters of faith and morals.”[1] And the Second London Baptist Confession reads, “The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience, although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and his will which is necessary unto salvation.” (1.1)
These statements adequately portray the Reformational sentiment behind sola Scriptura.[2] Scripture is the highest authority and it is sufficient in all matters of faith and life. Dr. James Renihan summarizes the first portion of Confession 1.1 as follows, “The Holy Scripture is the only certain rule of all saving faith…”[3] Scripture is the principle of all saving knowledge. Apart from it, we could not know God as triune, Christ the Redeemer, justification by faith alone, or the institution of Christ’s church and churchly ordinances. We must understand the purpose of Scripture if we are to maintain its integrity. We do not want to under-realize Scripture, but we also do not want to over-realize Scripture. Both extremes represent Scriptural abuses. Scripture must be thought of and used according to Scripture’s own terms.
In neither statement above is Scripture described as the only authority. 2LBCF 1.1 mentions another cognitive authority in the very first sentence, “the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence…” The text the framers cite in support of this phrase is Romans 1:19-21, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse…” Scripture further sanctions subordinate authorities in other places, the least of which is not the Proverbs, “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” (Prov. 11:14)
The principle of sola Scriptura, therefore, presupposes secondary authorities. Even the anchor text typically employed in defense of sola Scriptura assumes the usage of secondary authorities. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, we read, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The “man of God” is a type of secondary authority, commissioned to teach others, being himself subject to the Word of God. Preaching, teaching, creeds, confessions, commentaries, and other theological helps are all instances of secondary authorities because neither are themselves Scripture, though they transmit Scriptural meaning for the influence and edification of the church.
In all this, we affirm with the Confession that the Scripture is the only infallible interpreter of Scripture, “The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself; and therefore when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it must be searched by other places that speak more clearly.” (1.9) But also, those areas which seem less clear are to be discovered through the use of “ordinary means,” i.e. subordinate authorities, “All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all; yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed and observed for salvation, are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of ordinary means, may attain to a sufficient understanding of them.” (1.7)
On the other hand, Biblicism is an ever-shifting target. In recent times, it has been co-opted by well-meaning Christians in an effort to stave off what they perceive to be unbiblical accretions. In this case, I would stand with them but would abstain from using the term biblicist for reasons that should become clear in a moment. But even within this group, there are subgroups that apply biblicism to themselves in different ways. The term is also applied to the modern fundamentalists who outrightly deny the use of extra-biblical means in the pursuit of biblical truth, i.e. subordinate authorities. A strand of this kind of biblicism runs through IFB and Pentecostal circles. But it has also appeared more recently in self-professed Reformed Baptist ranks, particularly among those that affirm some kind of subordinationism in the Godhead.
The term “biblicist” or “biblicism” evidently first appeared in the 19th century, notably used by Jon Jacob van Oosterzees and Thomas Carlyle. Both men apparently use the term derogatorily. Oosterzees defines it as “idolatry of the letter,” in his Dogmatics.[4] Carlyle uses the term in passing, either to characterize those opposed to England’s Lord Protector in the 1650s or the opposition to the crown during the 1640s.
Biblicism was considered “idolatry of the letter” because it would tend to treat Scripture as any other document to the practical exclusion of the Holy Spirit and other metaphysical considerations. Biblicism tends to subject Scripture to the tools of literary science that it be interpreted as one might interpret Homer’s Iliad. Meaning is flattened into the purely etymological sense of the terminology as apprehended through the uncertain intentions of biblical human authorship, the understanding of the human audience, their historical context, and what the latest archeology might be able to tell us about the land, language, and loves of the culture. Modern mantras such as “No creed but the Bible” are examples of biblicism. Ironically, modern archeological or textual research is welcomed into the picture of biblical knowledge if it befits a favored doctrinal position. But Christian history is taken much less seriously.
There is usually no consideration of the fuller sense of the text nor any felt need to hold the individual Bible reader accountable to orthodox interpretational norms. Indeed, in its harsher forms, biblicism seems not to observe a standard orthodoxy at all. Every confession is a wax nose, and truth as we know it is in a constant state of flux.
More contemporarily, Christian Smith outlines the core beliefs of biblicism. While I wouldn’t necessarily endorse Smith’s book, I do think the following list accurately describes some tendencies in contemporary biblical hermeneutics. Beliefs 4-6 are most relevant to the subject matter of this article. They are listed as follows:
4. Democratic Perspicuity: Any reasonably intelligent person can read the Bible in his or her own language and correctly understand the plain meaning of the text.
5. Commonsense Hermeneutics: The best way to understand biblical texts is by reading them in their explicit, plain, most obvious, literal sense, as the author intended them at face value, which may or may not involve taking into account their literary, cultural, and historical contexts.
6. Solo Scriptura: The significance of any given biblical text can be understood without reliance on creeds, confessions, historical church traditions, or other forms of larger theological hermeneutical frameworks, such that theological formulations can be built up directly out of the Bible from scratch.[5]
Note, (4) opens the understanding to anyone and everyone, not simply the regenerate. They need only be a “reasonably intelligent person.” Hence, the project of reading and contemplating Scripture is practically identical to reading and contemplating any book. It is spiritually indifferent. Its truth is apprehended by the mere application of the literary-scientific tools of textual interpretation. The presence of the Holy Spirit, Christian virtue, and other Christian voices seem entirely irrelevant to the task of understanding Scripture. According to (5) deriving the meaning of the text depends upon our access to the circumstantial data of the human author, their intentions, and the interpretive tendency of their historically conditioned human audience. It would be nigh impossible for a child to understand Scripture truly without all of this background information. And in (6) solo Scriptura rather than sola Scriptura is observed to be a biblicist distinctive, meaning the Bible reader is without the need for any kind of supplement. All they need is themselves and their Bible.
To summarize this section: classically conceived, sola Scriptura presupposes secondary authorities or helps by which we are led to better understand Scripture. Scripture itself represents subordinate authorities as being in some sense necessary for each believer. Ordinarily, no believer can go it alone. Biblicism, on the other hand, in its softer form, could take or leave secondary authorities. In its harsher expression, it attempts a removal of secondary authorities altogether, including the growth of the church’s collective theological knowledge derived from the Scriptures over the past two millennia.
Sola Scriptura is the affirmation of the principle of saving faith, or true knowledge of God unto salvation, i.e. principium cognoscendi. Biblicism is an interpretive approach to the text of Scripture that emphasizes the individual Bible reader, usually to the exclusion of any meaningful interaction with secondary authorities. Sola Scriptura is not a hermeneutic, but a principle preceding our hermeneutics. Biblicism is a hermeneutic without any meaningful principles preceding it. Though some biblicists may claim to have antecedent principles to biblical interpretation, they are unable to justify those principles from the text which, on biblicist grounds, creates a blatant logical inconsistency.
Included within the Protestant orthodox doctrine of sola Scriptura is the correct placement and use of tradition and with it all subordinate authoritative mediums. Far from denying or suppressing the reality of tradition or subordinate authoritative influence and teaching tools as biblicism tends to do, sola Scripture recognizes the need for secondary authorities as prescribed in the Scriptures themselves. At a minimum, man must assume the reliability of his own sense perception and the laws of logic. But he ordinarily assumes the credibility of his Bible translation, the existence of God, and so on. He assumes these things prior to ever approaching the text.
What is more, man is in need of other Christians, past and present, as interpretive helps. An individual man cannot hope to comprehend the “width and length and depth and height” of biblical truth apart from “all the saints.” (Eph. 3:18) The Holy Spirit works in individuals, but He also works in more than one individual. He has worked, does works, and will work through all His people. For this reason, God’s people are better together. That is, they are better when the faith of the many is allowed to strengthen the faith of the one. This happens most obviously and immediately in local churches but also at a grander level.
Each individual local church must be found in common with those local churches that have preceded it in the truth of the Christian faith. Though some things will differ as to practice, every true church worships the same God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; they confess the same Word of God; they believe in the same incarnation and virgin birth; they confess the same gospel, and so on. Each local church must labor to show itself within that stream of Christian orthodoxy. Furthermore, if a church claims to be Reformed Baptist or Particular Baptist, it must find itself within the definitive stream of that peculiar tradition. It is fine if a church, by conviction, chooses not to be Reformed Baptist, but it can by no means claim the term “Reformed Baptist” unless it finds itself in the stream of Reformed Baptist orthodoxy set forth in the Confession.
However useful these secondary authorities are, we must make an important twofold qualification. First, these secondary authorities are subject to the text of Holy Writ. They can never rise to equality with or superiority to the Word of God. Second, these subordinate authorities do not reveal or proclaim anything substantially new in relation to what has already been revealed in Scripture. Secondary authorities merely help us understand and speak concerning that which is already there, i.e. “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints,” through the Scriptures. (Jude 3) Secondary authorities are witnesses to the truth or testes veritatis.
Defining testes veritatis, Muller writes, “only the scriptural revelation can be the norm of doctrine, but the teachers and confessions of the church are aids in interpretation insofar as they are witnesses of the truth that manifests its presence and preservation in the life of the church.”[6] In his more expansive Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics, what Muller observes is worth quoting at some length:
Granting the origins of the Reformation understanding of the biblical norm in the late medieval debate over Scripture and tradition, specifically in the trajectory of understanding that Oberman identified as “Tradition I,” Reformation-era and Reformed orthodox exegetes came to the task of biblical interpretation not as isolated scholars confronting the text armed only with the tools given to them by Renaissance-era philology. They also assumed the importance of the voice of the church, particularly in interpretive conversation, both positive and negative, with the living exegetical tradition: exegetes were advised, in manuals of interpretation, to consult commentaries in the older tradition, not as authorities in the Romanist sense but as sound sources of advice and precedent.[7]
These secondary sources do not represent additions to special revelation. They are witnesses which help us to understand and explain special revelation. The Reformed hold that tradition is a witness-tradition. As Thomas Watson writes, concerning the difficulty of interpreting some parts of the Bible, “The church of God has appointed some to expound and interpret Scripture; therefore he has given gifts to men. The several pastors of churches, like bright constellations, give light to dark Scriptures. Mal ii 7. ‘The priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth.’”[8] Regarding tradition, this is different from Rome’s position which thinks of tradition not only as an interpretive authority but as an authority bearing additional revelatory content alongside Scripture, e.g. saints, feast days, Apocryphal literature, etc.
Tradition I, which is the Reformational view of the witness-tradition, follows a doctrine of sola Scriptura which entails the proper use of secondary authorities. Not a single Christian today reads the autographa, the original manuscripts of the Holy Bible. Every Bible reader today relies on apographa (manuscript copies of the original) and there is a measure of trust in the textual transmission of God’s Word through means of the literary tradition. Hence, secondary authority is inescapable at a very fundamental level.
Furthermore, tradition serves as an “ordinary means” to increase our understanding of Scriptural meaning. The Confession 1.7 reads:
All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all; yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed and observed for salvation, are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of ordinary means, may attain to a sufficient understanding of them.
Francis Turretin gives us some more insight into 17th century intent concerning “ordinary means” in this respect. In asking the question of the perspicuity of Scripture unto salvation, Turretin qualifies the question when he writes:
The question does not concern the perspicuity which does not exclude the means necessary for interpretation (i.e., the internal light of the Spirit, attention of mind, the voice and ministry of the church, sermons and commentaries, prayer and watchfulness). For we hold these means not only to be useful, but also necessary ordinarily. We only wish to proscribe the darkness which would prevent the people from reading the Scriptures as hurtful and perilous and compel them to have recourse to tradition when they might rest in the Scriptures alone.[9]
These various means are ordinarily necessary not as alternatives to Scripture but as faithful witnesses to the true sense of Scripture. They are ordinarily necessary because without them the believer could not progress in Scriptural knowledge in accord with his calling to do so, i.e. comprehension of biblical truth in concert with all the saints. (Eph. 3:14-19) Of course, there are extraneous circumstances in which a believer may be isolated from these means and yet given the grace to persevere, but this is not the ordinary circumstance.
All the above concerning secondary authorities arises from natural, historical, and biblical considerations. My concern here is the third—biblical considerations. Scripture obligates the individual believer to first find himself within a larger whole. (Prov. 11:14; Eph. 3:14-19) Second, Scripture asserts the Christian’s remaining sin nature in the strongest of terms, which should leave the Christian humble and needing help. (Rom. 3:23) Third, there is an emphasis placed upon doctrinal confession throughout the New Testament. (1 Tim. 6:12; Heb. 4:14; 10:23; 1 Jn. 4:15; 2 Jn. 7)
First, there is no such thing as an isolated Christian in ordinary circumstances. Those who are isolated typically fall. Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” In His high priestly prayer, our Lord prays for the unity of His body, “that they may be one as We are.” (Jn. 17:11) The apostle Paul makes it very clear that we are to admonish one another. In Romans 15:14, he writes, “Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.” And in Colossians 3:16 he issues a similar statement, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” God’s people are not isolated individuals, but individuals in union with one another.
Second, every Christian has a remaining sin nature as is apparent from Paul’s words, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Rom. 3:23) This is a text written to believers. The phrase “have sinned” is in the aorist tense, but the phrase “fall short” is in the present tense. On account of their sin, believers currently fall short of God’s glory. Furthermore, in 1 John 1:8, the apostle John declares the continuation of sin in the believer, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
Since this is the case, we are obligated to submit ourselves to an accountability structure, the use of which prevents our sin from determining our theology and practice. This accountability structure entails the adherence to the wisdom of those who preceded us, “Do not remove the ancient landmark Which your fathers have set.” (Prov. 22:28) The “old paths,” after all, are “where the good way is.” (Jer. 6:16) It entails the brothers and sisters at our local churches. (Col. 3:16; Heb. 10:24-25) And it entails the pastor-teachers which our Lord has instituted for our good. (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Heb. 13:17) It furthermore includes some creedal expression, a summary of the faith, or confession. (Heb. 10:23)
Third, In Hebrews 4:14 we read, “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” How do we “hold fast our confession”? What is the medium by which we do this? We do so through confessions of faith. Confessions of faith are necessary since many who claim the “Bible as their only creed” do so while preaching and teaching heretical beliefs. They are not held accountable to an accepted expression of what their church believes the Bible actually teaches. A confession is an articulation of what churches believe the Bible teaches. They are churchly documents used as a means to guard doctrine and distinguish the faith of the church from errors and aberrations.
Men and churches who claim the Bible as their only creed leave themselves and others open to error—not because of the Bible, but because of their own sinfulness. As a result, the Bible becomes whatever they deem it to be. The meaning of Scripture is but a wax nose, subject to the molding of the preacher who himself may do whatever he wants with the text. The apostle Peter spoke of this problem:
…and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. (2 Pet. 3:15-16)
“Untaught and unstable” men are those who, through ignorance and weakness either unintentionally or intentionally twist the text of Scripture. Each Bible reader should humbly admit his weakness, and with a humble posture seek out ordinary means by which he might further his understanding of God’s Word. Confessionalism, therefore, works to guard the meaning of the text. This guardianship of biblical meaning is commanded by the apostle, “O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge…” (1 Tim. 6:20) Like Timothy, we ought to guard what has been committed to us in the Scriptures.
To conclude, the distinction between sola Scriptura and biblicism is this: sola Scriptura is the affirmation of the principle of saving faith, or true knowledge of God unto salvation, i.e. principium cognoscendi. Biblicism is an interpretive approach to the text of Scripture that emphasizes the individual Bible reader, usually to the exclusion of any meaningful interaction with secondary authorities. Sola Scriptura is not a hermeneutic, but a principle preceding our hermeneutics. Biblicism is a hermeneutic without any meaningful principles preceding it. Though some biblicists may claim to have antecedent principles to biblical interpretation, they are unable to justify those principles from the text which, on biblicist grounds, creates a blatant logical inconsistency.
Furthermore, the classical doctrine of sola Scriptura, especially as it’s informed by the text of Scripture itself, entails the use of secondary or subordinate authorities which witness to the truth or meaning of the text of Scripture, the testes veritatis. (See above) These secondary authorities are derivative, and they only expound and explain Scripture. They do not bear additional revelation as Roman Catholicism would have it. They are influences upon Christians from generation to generation in their pursuit of biblical truth. Furthermore, secondary authorities, while helpful in the task of interpretation, are not themselves the only infallible interpreters of Holy Scripture. Only Scripture may hold that position.
Biblicism, on the other hand, could either take or leave altogether these secondary authorities depending upon who one might ask. But this seems to ignore several natural, historical, and biblical considerations. Natural, because man is cognitively and ethically limited. Historical, because Christ’s bride has always stated her orthodoxy in terms of creeds and confessions, authored commentaries, and has transmitted the very Word of God itself through translation and preservation. Biblical, because Scripture itself authorizes secondary authorities like a multitude of counselors, pastor-teachers, fellow believers, the voices from the past, creeds, and confessions.
Biblicism misses out on the fullness of God’s Word and the fullness of the practical life instituted by God’s Word for the good of God’s people.
[1] Richard Muller, Latin and Greek Dictionary of Theological Terms, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2017), 338.
[2] The term sola Scriptura did not originate in the Reformation era, but appeared long before. (Cf. Renihan, To the Judicious and Impartial Reader, 59; Oberman, The Harvest of Medieval Theology, 365ff)
[3] James M. Renihan, To the Judicious and Impartial Reader, (Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press, 2022), 32.
[4] The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, vol. I, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971), 846.
[5] Smith, Christian. The Bible Made Impossible (pp. 4-5). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
[6] Muller, Latin and Greek Dictionary of Theological Terms, 356.
[7] Richard Muller, Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics, vol. II, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003), 483.
[8] Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity, (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2015), 31.
[9] Francis Turretin, Institutes of Elenctic Theology, vol. I, (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 1992), 144.
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]]>Since faith is infinitely beyond all the power of our unregenerated human nature, it is only God who can give the spiritual ears to hear and eyes to see the beauty of Christ in the gospel. God alone disarms the hostility of the sinner turning his heart of stone to a heart of flesh (2 Cor 4:4-6). It is God, the Holy Spirit, alone who gives illumination and understanding of His word that we might believe; It is God who raises us from the death of sin, who circumcises the heart; unplugs our ears; It is God alone who can give us a new sense, a spiritual capacity to behold the beauty and unsurpassed excellency of Jesus Christ. The apostle John recorded Jesus saying to Nicodemus that we naturally love darkness, hate the light and WILL NOT come into the light (John 3:19, 20). And since our hardened resistance to God is thus seated in our affections, only God, by His grace, can lovingly change, overcome and pacify our rebellious disposition. The natural man, apart from the quickening work of the Holy Spirit, will not come to Christ on his own since he is at enmity with God and cannot understand spiritual things (1 Cor 2:14). Shining a light into a blind man's eyes will not enable him to see, because eyesight first requires a set of healthy eyes.
Proverbs 4:23 says to keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Our hearts are like fortresses under attack, and we must guard them accordingly. Most people will diligently guard their fortunes and homes, which are of temporal value, but they are very careless about guarding that which is of eternal value their very souls! In this work, originally titled A Saint Indeed, John Flavel (1627 1691) looks at what it means to keep the heart, how to keep the heart, and why keeping the heart is the greatest business of every person.
The heart of man is his worst part before it is regenerated—and the best afterward. It is the seat of principles, and the fountain of actions. The eye of God is fixed upon it—and the eye of the Christian ought to be principally fixed upon it.
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]]>You may also download the separate Introductory Volume to Systematic Theology here.
Professor Berkhof, who was the President of Calvin Seminary and professor of Systematic Theology at the same in the first half of the twentieth century, has given us an excellent compendium of Reformed theological thought in this hefty volume. The subject is treated in the classical style, moving through the Doctrines of God, Man in Relation to God, the Person and Work of Christ, the Application of the Work of Redemption, the Church and the Means of Grace, and the Last Things. For decades, Louis Berkhof’s Systematic Theology has remained one of the most important and widely-used systematic theologies. It provides the clearest and most succinct articulation of Reformed theology. From its first publication in 1932, Berkhof’s work was revised, reprinted, and translated into Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Portuguese, and it had become a standard theological text by 1950. It has gained near-universal use in seminaries and Bible colleges across the world, and is widely cited and used by pastors, theologians, and students of nearly all denominational affiliations.
SUCH is the divine matter and admirable order of the Lord’s Prayer, as became the eternal wisdom of God, that composed and dictated it to his disciples. In it are opened the fountains of all our regular petitions, and the arguments contained to encourage our hopes for obtaining them. In our addresses to men, our study is to conciliate their favourable audience; but God is most graciously inclined and ready to grant our requests, therefore we are directed to call upon him by the title of ‘Our Father in heaven,’ to assure us of his love and power, and thereby to excite our reverent attention, to raise our affections, to confirm our confidence in prayer. The supreme end of our desires is the glory of God, in conjunction with our own happiness: this is expressed in the two first petitions, that ‘his name may be hallowed,’ and ‘his kingdom come,’ that we may partake of its felicity. In order to this, our desires are directed for the means that are proper and effectual to accomplish it. And those are of two kinds — the good things that conduct us, and the removal of those evils that obstruct our happiness.
This volume is a prolegomena for Berkhof's SystematicTheology. In it he defines the concept of dogmatic theology, theology, apologetics, ethics, and science. He also explains the Reformed doctrine of revelation and inspiration. It exxplains what is a theology and how should it be defined? Is theology necessary? What is the task of theology and what are the methods which it should use? What is religion? Is it possible for God to reveal himself to human beings, and how? How can we know if the Bible is the Word of God? For those who are considering going to Seminary, to be pastors or simply Christians with ample knowledge of their faith, this is a good book to begin with. This is a very helpful volume in understanding the foundational matters of theology, ranging from the nature of Dogmatics, to the grounds of our knowledge of God, to the doctrines concerning scripture. Berkhof spends a fair amount of time discussing the differing theologies of Rome, Schleiermacher, Barth, etc. but he does it to show how they contrast with the true and full Christian Theology, namely the Reformed tradition.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
The Idea and History of Dogmatic Theology
I. Names Applied to the Systematic Presentation of Theology
KEY QUOTES
“The love of the bible will show itself in a believer's readiness to bear evil as well as to do good. It will make him patient under provocation, forgiving when injured, meek when unjustly attacked, quiet when slandered. It will make him hear much, put up with much and look over much, submit often and deny himself often, all for the sake of peace.”
“The early Christians made it a part of their religion to look for his return. They looked backward to the cross and the atonement for sin, and rejoiced in Christ crucified. They looked upward to Christ at the right hand of God, and rejoiced in Christ interceding. They looked forward to the promised return of their Master, and rejoiced in the thought that they would see him again. And we ought to do the same”
“The incorruptible things are all within the narrow gate. The peace of God which passed all understanding - the bright hope of good things to come - the sense of the Spirit dwelling in us - the consciousness that we are forgiven, safe, insured, provided for in time and eternity, whatever may happen - these are true gold, and lasting riches.”
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand." (John 10:27-29)
About the first part of this text, beloved, I spoke to you this morning. I told you then that this passage contains two things—first the character of true Christians, and secondly their privileges—first what they are to their Savior, and secondly what their Savior is to them.
Let me, then, remind you what the text says of their character. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." (John 10:27)
1. God's children, His real believing people, are compared to sheep, because they are gentle, quiet, harmless and inoffensive; because they are useful and do good to all around them; because they love to be together, and dislike separation; and lastly because they are very helpless and wandering and liable to stray.
2. Jesus calls them "My sheep," as if they were His peculiar property. "Mine," He would have us know, by election, "Mine" by purchase, and "Mine" by adoption.
3. Christ's sheep hear His voice, they listen humbly to His teaching, they take His word for their rule and guide.
4. Christ's sheep follow Him, they walk in the narrow path He has marked out, they do not refuse because it is sometimes steep and narrow--but wherever the line of duty lies they go forward without doubting.
On the basis of fifty years as a pastor, preacher and professor at Princeton Theological Seminary, Archibald Alexander (1772-1851) deals with the subjective work of the Holy Spirit in the heart in all its phases, from the new birth until final preparation for heaven.
There are two kinds of religious knowledge which, though intimately connected as cause and effect, may nevertheless be distinguished. These are the knowledge of the truth as it is revealed in the Holy Scriptures; and the impression which that truth makes on the human mind when rightly apprehended. The first may be compared to the inscription or image on a seal, the other to the impression made by the seal on the wax. When that impression is clearly and distinctly made, we can understand, by contemplating it, the true inscription on the seal more satisfactorily, than by a direct view of the seal itself. Thus it is found that nothing tends more to confirm and elucidate the truths contained in the Word, than an inward experience of their efficacy on the heart. It cannot, therefore, be uninteresting to the Christian to have these effects, as they consist in the various views and affections of the mind, traced out and exhibited in their connection with the truth, and in their relation to each other.
Formatted, lightly modernized and spelling corrections by Denise Kristiansson
To design of the ensuing Discourse is to declare some part of that glory of our Lord Jesus Christ which is revealed in the Scripture, and proposed as the principal object of our faith, love, delight, and admiration. But, alas! after our utmost and most diligent inquiries, we must say, How little a portion is it of him that we can understand! His glory is incomprehensible, and his praises are unutterable. Some things an illuminated mind may conceive of it; but what we can express in comparison of what it is in itself, is even less than nothing. But as for those who have forsaken the only true guide herein, endeavouring to be wise above what is written, and to raise their contemplations by fancy and imagination above Scripture revelation (as many have done), they have darkened counsel without knowledge, uttering things which they understand not, which have no substance or spiritual food of faith in them.
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]]>"Although They Knew God ... They Suppressed the Truth..."
The opportunities are wide open for Christians to speak with secular people these days, especially if you live in a metropolitan area. The average hipster you may meet in the medium to big sized city is a secularist who may listen to NPR, has a liberal, ecological, and/or anti-capitalist political ideology ... wears vintage clothing from a thrift store and consumes ethically. He or she often either rides a bike, uses public transportation or even may be driving a hybrid or bio-diesel vehicle. This person is deeply concerned with the ethical treatment of animals, is strongly against slavery, torture, racism and political oppression against women. In other words, he takes morality very seriously. Another characteristic of this individual is that he/she thinks Christianity is irrelevant at best.
Since we deeply care about the eternal destinies of such individuals how should we go about reaching such a person with the gospel? Where would you start?
Once of the more effective ways, I have found, is to remember that that your secular friend already knows God exists. He/she knows God exists and lives as if He does. In Romans chapter 1 Paul clearly teaches this about all people when he says, "For although they knew God" (verse 21) "...by their unrighteousness suppress the truth" (verse 18).
But how can we demonstrate to your friends that they already believe in God, when intellectually they deny His existence?
While there are many ways this could be done, I would like to suggest one way that I have found to be quite persuasive: The knowledge of God through their own morality.
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]]>“THE PLAN”
MEN and women today feel lost and astray in this world. A glance at our modern art, poetry or novels, or five minutes’ conversation with a sensitive unbeliever, will assure us of that. In an age that has won a higher degree of control over the forces of nature than any before, this may seem odd; but it is not really odd. It is God’s judgment, which we have brought down on ourselves by trying to feel too much at home in this world.
For that is what we have done. We have set our faces against the idea that one should live on the basis that there is something more than this world to live for. Even if we privately thought that the materialists were wrong in denying God and another world exist, we have not allowed our belief to stop us living on materialistic principles: treating this world as if it were the only home we should ever have, and concentrating exclusively on arranging it to our comfort. We thought we could build heaven on earth, and tried. And now God has judged us for our impiety. In less than half a century, we have had two “hot” world wars and one “cold” one, and now we find ourselves in the age of such horrors as nuclear warfare and brainwashing. In such a world, it is not possible to feel at home. It is a world which has disappointed us. We expected life to be friendly (why? — but we did); instead, however, it has mocked our hopes and left us disillusioned and baffled. We thought we knew what to make of life, but now we do not know whether anything can be made of it. We thought of ourselves as wise men, but now we find ourselves like benighted children, lost in the dark.
The short classic The Life of God in the Soul of Man originated as a private letter of spiritual counsel to a friend, but Scougal allowed it to be published in 1677, a year before his death. Sixty-eight years later, in the spring of 1735, Charles Wesley (1707-1788), whose mother Susanna had commended it to her sons, gave a copy of this little book to his friend George Whitefield (1714-1770). Upon reading it, Whitefield was convinced: “I must be born again, or be damned.” Whitefield testified that he “never knew what true religion was” until he read this book.
Who Was Henry Scougal?
Henry Scougal (1650-1678) was a Scottish minister, theologian, and author. Upon his graduation in 1665 from King’s College, University of Aberdeen, the 19-year-old was appointed professor of philosophy at the school. In 1673, after a one-year pastoral stint, he became professor of divinity at King’s, where he served until he died of tuberculosis five years later, just shy of his 28th birthday.
What Scougal Means by “True Religion”
By “true religion” Scougal means something like authentic spirituality or genuine Christianity. He is at pains to defend the term from common misconceptions among Christians. “I cannot speak of religion,” he writes, “but I must lament that, among so many pretenders to it, so few understand what it means.”
3 Places Where Religion Does Not Reside
Scougal identifies three places where religion is incorrectly located.
(1) Theological correctness. Some place religion “in the understanding, in orthodox notions and opinions; and all the account they can give of their religion is, that they are of this or the other persuasion, and have joined themselves to one of those many sects whereinto Christendom is most unhappily divided.”
The Cross does not merely tell us that God forgives, it tells us that that is God’s way of making forgiveness possible. It is the way in which we understand how God forgives. I will go further: how can God forgive and still remain God? — that is the question. The Cross is the vindication of God. The Cross is the vindication of the character of God. The Cross not only shows the love of God more gloriously than anything else, it shows his righteousness, his justice, his holiness, and all the glory of his eternal attributes. They are all to be seen shining together there. If you do not see them all you have not seen the Cross. That is why we must totally reject the so-called ‘moral influence theory’ of the Atonement — the theory which says that all the Cross has to do is to break our hearts and to bring us to see the love of God.
“I know that the Lord is great — that our Lord is greater than all gods. The Lord does whatever pleases Him — in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths!” Psalm 135:5-6
God rules all! And though He is concealed by a veil of second causes from common eyes, so that they can perceive only the means, instruments, and contingencies by which He works, and therefore think He does nothing; yet, in reality, He does all according to His own counsel and pleasure, in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth.
Who can enumerate all the beings and events which are… incessantly before His eye, adjusted by His wisdom, dependent on His will, and regulated by His power!
If we consider the heavens, the work of His fingers, the moon and the stars which He has ordained; if we call in the assistance of astronomers to help us in forming a conception of the number, distances, magnitudes, and motions of the heavenly bodies — the more we search, the more we shall be confirmed that these are but a small portion of His ways! Without His continual energy upholding them — they would rush into confusion, or sink into nothing! They are all dependent upon His power, and obedient to His command.
“It shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them” (Deuteronomy 17:19)
Many modern Christians view the Christian life as one of ease and worldly blessings. Building on Jesus's words that "the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force" (Matt. 11:12), the Puritans saw it, rather, as warfare, as wrestling, as "holy violence" against one's own self, against Satan, the world, and even heaven. We are called to take up the full armor of God in our daily battles.
As Watson puts it, "Our life is military. Christ is our Captain, the gospel is the banner, the graces are our spiritual artillery, and heaven is only taken in a forcible way." In his typically heart-searching style, replete with practical illustrations and gripping remarks, Watson describes how the Christian is to take the kingdom of heaven by holy violence through the reading and exposition of Scripture, prayer, meditation, self-examination, conversation, and the sanctification of the Lord's Day. Soldiers of Christ will find this a practical handbook on Christian living.
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Table of Contents
Introduction: Taking Heaven by Violence
Offering Violence to Ourselves
The Christian Must offer Violence to Satan
The Christian Must Offer Violence to Heaven
Arrows of Reproof and Apostasy
That which a man would make his portion, it must be sufficient to supply all his wants, that he may have enough to live upon. Now, saith the Lord, 'I am God all-sufficient,' Gen. 17:1; sufficient for the necessities of this life, and that which is to come. He is the fountain of all blessings, spiritual, temporal, eternal; not only their power for ever, but their portion for ever, satisfied with him now and in the life to come: Ps. 142:5, 'Thou art my portion, O Lord, in the land of the living.' They expect all from him; not only peace and righteousness, grace and glory, but food, maintenance, defence, to bear them out in his work. The creature is but God's instrument, or as an empty pipe, unless God flow in by it. If God help them not, the creature cannot help them. These are streams that have water only so long as the spring fills them. Well, then, here is a portion that is every way sufficient. All other portions are accompanied with a want, but this alone sufficeth all. Some things give health, wealth, but not peace; some things give peace, but not honour. But God is all to us—health, wealth, peace, honour, grace, and glory: 'All things are yours, because you are Christ's, and Christ is God's,' so runs the Christian charter; there is omne bonum in summo bono—all things in the chiefest good. So Rev. 21:7, 'He that overcometh shall inherit all things.' How so? 'For I will be his God.' He that hath God hath him that hath power and command of all things, and therefore shall inherit all things, 'For I will be his God.' And that is the reason of the apostle's riddle, 2 Cor. 6:10, 'As having nothing, yet possessing all things;' that is, all things in God, when they have nothing in the creature.
"God's works of providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful, preserving and governing all his creatures and all their actions" (Westminster Larger Catechism 18). Preservation and government are the two functions in the eternal providence of God. They presuppose creation. Preservation is described in Heb. 1:3 as an "upholding." The Son of God "upholds all things by the word of his power." Nothing that is created ex nihilo is self-sustaining. Consequently, it must be sustained in being. It would not require a positive act of omnipotence, antithetic to that exerted in creation from nothing, in order to annihilate created existences. Simple cessation to uphold would result in annihilation. For to suppose that matter, for example, could persist in being after the withdrawal of God's preserving power, with such an intensity as to necessitate a direct act of omnipotence to annihilate it, would imply that matter has self-existence and self-continuance. But this is an attribute that is incommunicable to the creature. This is true of finite mind, as well as of matter. Created spiritual substance is not immortal because it has self-subsistence imparted to it by the Creator, but because he intends to uphold and sustain it in being forever:
When we speak of the soul as created naturally immortal, we mean that it is by divine pleasure created such a substance as not having in itself any composition or other particles of corruption will naturally or of itself continue forever, that is, will not by any natural decay or by any power of nature be dissolved or destroyed; but yet nevertheless depends continually upon God, who has power to destroy or annihilate it if he should think fit (Clarke, Letter to Dodwell).
In our cultural moment, emotions and sincerity have displaced logic and truth. The consequence of abandoning objective morality is that when faced with real problems in the world we will never arrive at actual solutions. The predicaments we now face have become so enormous that it is like standing on the beach before a 90 foot tidal wave. There is nothing you can do to stop it. But, thanks be to God, you can stay in the "ark" (Christ) and let Him buoy you up in the midst of the flood. And then, armed with the gospel, we can all help pull to safety the many whose lives have been wrecked by the falsehoods.
"My son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him." - HEBREWS 12:5
Secondly. I SHALL proceed to prove, it is the best wisdom not to despise God's chastenings, nor faint under them. I will not insist upon the consideration that it is the counsel of the supreme wisdom to us, nor that it is the avoiding the vicious extremes, which is the chiefest point of moral prudence: but it is the only way to prevent the greatest mischiefs that will otherwise befal us. It is said, he that is wise is profitable to himself, that is either in obtaining good, or preventing evils. Now it will appear how pernicious those extremes are, by considering; Job. 22:21.
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