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Word of Encouragement
Volume II, Issue 1
Three Umpires and Three Views of Truth in the
Modern World
"There's balls and there's strikes," says the
first, "and I call them they way they are."
"No!" exclaims the second umpire. "That's
arrogant. There's balls and there's strikes and I call them the way I see
it."
"That's no better," says the third. "Why
beat around the bush? Why not be realistic about what we do? There's balls
and there's strikes and they ain't nothing till I call them."
The first umpire represents the tradition [biblical]
view of truth- - objective, independent of the mind of the knower, and
there to be discovered.
The second umpire speaks for moderate relativism- -truth
'as each person sees it' according to his or her perspective and
interpretation.
And the third umpire bluntly expresses the radically
relativist, or postmodern, position- -'truth' is not there to be
discovered; it is for each of us to create for ourselves."
From the book 'Time for Truth: Living Free in a World of
Lies, Hype, and Spin', Os Guiness, Grand
Rapids: Baker, 2000.
Reminder: You do not have to forward these quotations to
your friends, simply give me their e-mail address and I will be happy to
place them on the 'Word of Encouragement' list.
Thanks
Vol. II, ii
Calvin on To Whom we Belong
"We are not our own: let not our reason nor our
will, therefore, sway our plans and deeds. We are not our own: let us
therefore not set it as our goal to seek what is expedient for us according
to the flesh. We are not our own: in so far as we can, let us therefore
forget ourselves and all that is ours. Conversely, we are God's: let us
therefore live for him and die for him. We are God's: let his wisdom and
will therefore rule all our actions. We are God's: let all the parts of our
life accordingly strive toward him as our only lawful goal [Rom. 14:8; cf.
1 Cor. 6:19]....
Let this therefore be the first step, that a man depart
from himself in order that he may apply the whole force of his ability in
the service of the Lord. I call 'service' not only what lies in obedience
to God's Word but what turns the mind of man, empty of its own carnal
sense, wholly to the bidding of God's Spirit." - John Calvin,
'Institutes', III.vii.1
Vol. II:iii
Calvin on the Necessity of Prayer, Pt. 1
"...We clearly see how destitute and devoid of all
good things man is, and how he lacks all aids to salvation. Therefore, if
he seeks resources to succor him in his need, he must go outside himself
and get them elsewhere....But after we have been instructed by faith to
recognize that whatever we need and whatever we lack is in God, and in our
Lord Jesus Christ, in whom the Father willed all the fullness of his bounty
to abide [cf. Col. 1:19; John 1:16] so that we may all draw from it as from
an overflowing spring, it remains for us to seek in him, and in prayers to
ask of him, what we have learned to be in him." Calvin, 'Institutes of
the Christian Religion', III.xx.1
Vol. II, iv
Calvin on the Necessity of Prayer, Pt. 2
"It is therefore, by the benefit of prayer that we
reach those riches which are laid up for us with the Heavenly Father. For
there is a communion of men with God by which, having entered the heavenly
sanctuary, they appeal to him in person concerning his promises in order to
experience, where necessity so demands, that what they believed was not
vain, although he had promised it in word alone. Therefore we see that to
us nothing is promised to be expected from the Lord, which we are not also
bidden to ask of him in prayers. So true is it that we dig up by prayer the
treasures that were pointed out by the Lord's gospel, and which our faith
has gazed upon.
Word fail to explain how necessary prayer is, and in how
many ways the exercise of prayer is profitable. Surely, with good reason
the Heavenly Father affirms that the only stronghold of safety is in
calling upon his name [cf. Joel 2:32]. By
so doing we invoke the presence of his providence, through which he watches
over and guards our affairs, and of his power, through which he sustains
us, weak as we are and well-nigh overcome, and of his goodness, through
which he receives us, miserably burdened with sins, unto grace; and, in
short, it is by prayer that we call him to reveal himself as wholly present
to us." -Calvin, 'Institutes of the Christian Religion', III.xx.2
Vol. II, v
Calvin on Christ and Prayer
"Since no man is worthy to present himself to God
and come into his sight, the Heavenly Father himself, to free us at once
from shame and fear, which might well have thrown our hearts into despair,
has given us his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, to be our advocate [1 John
2:1] and mediator with him [1 Tim. 2:5; cf. Heb. 8:6; 9:15], by whose
guidance we may confidently come to him, and with such and intercessor,
trusting nothing we ask in his name will be denied us...
Now, since he is the only way, and the one access, by
which it is granted us to come to God [cf. John 14:6], to those who turn
aside from this way and forsake this access, no way and no access to God
remain; nothing is left in his throne but wrath, judgment and terror."
- John Calvin, 'Institutes', III.xx.17, 19.
Vol. II, vi
In Memory of Rev. Ed Kellogg, who faithfully
served his Lord and went home to be with him on August 23.
Calvin on Pressing on To Finish the Race of the
Christian Life
"I do not insist that the moral life of a Christian
man breathe nothing but the very gospel, yet this ought to be desired, and
we must strive toward it. But I do not so strictly demand evangelical
perfection that I would not acknowledge as a Christian one who has not yet
attained it. For thus all would be excluded from the church, since no one
is found who is not far removed from it, while many have advanced a little
toward it whom it would nevertheless be unjust to cast away. What then? Let
that target be set before our eyes at which we are earnestly to aim. Let
that goal be appointed toward which we should strive and struggle...
...But no one in this earthly prison of the body [not
Plato's philosophy]has sufficient strength to press on with due eagerness,
and weakness so weighs down the greater number that, with wavering and
limping and even creeping along the ground, they move at a feeble rate. Let
each one of us, then, proceed according to the measure of his puny capacity
and set out upon the journey we have begun. No one shall set out so
inauspiciously as not daily to make some headway, though it be slight...Let
us look toward our mark with sincere simplicity and aspire to our goal; not
fondly flattering ourselves, nor excusing our own evil deeds, but with
continuous effort striving toward this end: that we may surpass ourselves
in goodness until we attain to goodness itself. It is this, indeed, which
through the whole course of life we seek and follow. But we shall attain it
only when we have cast off the weakness of the body, and are received into
full fellowship with him." -John Calvin, 'Institutes of the Christian
Religion', III.vi.5.
Philippians 3:13: Brethren, I count not myself to have
apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which
are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before...
Vol. II, vii
Justin Martyr on the Kingdom of Christ that
Threatened Caesar and the Great Cost of Following Christ in the early
Church
A letter addressed to Emperor Titus Aelius
Hadrianus Antoninus Pius Augustus Caesar (whew!):
"When you hear that we look for a kingdom, you
rashly suppose that we mean something merely human. But we speak of a
Kingdom with God, as is clear from our confessing Christ when you bring us
to trial, though we know that death is the penalty for this confession. For
if we looked for a human kingdom we would deny it in order to save our
lives, and would try to remain in hiding in order to obtain the things we
look for. But since we do not place our hopes on the present order, we are
not troubled by being put to death, since we will have to die somehow in
any case." -Justin Martyr, 'The First Apology of Justin, the Martyr',
Library of Christian Classics: Early Christian Fathers, Westminster Press,
1953.
Note: I will be out of town from August 28th to
September 1. Vol. II, issue viii will follow, but you will not receive Vol.
II, issue ix until September 4th. Have a great week!
Vol. II, viii
Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Costly Grace (rather than
'CHEAP' Grace)
"Costly grace is the gospel which must be 'sought'
again and again, the gift which must be 'asked' for, the door at which a
man must 'knock'.
Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and
it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because
it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only
true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it
justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life
of his Son: 'ye were bought at a price,' and what has cost God much cannot
be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son
too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly
grace is the Incarnation of God." -Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 'The Cost of
Discipleship', SCM Press, 1959.
Remember: Vol. II, issue ix will be sent to you after I
return on September 1. Please pray for my trip with my new students at
Chapelgate Christian Academy.
Vol. II, ix
Aurelius Augustine's Testimony of His Conversion
to Christianity (from his 'Confessions')
Augustine died in AD 430. He is one of the most
influential (if not 'the' most influential) Christian teachers in the
church of the post-apostolic age. It was the teaching of Augustine that
instructed John Calvin and the Reformers to return to true and biblical
Christianity in the 16th century. Dr. R. C. Sproul once said that if you
are a Christian, and yet have never read Augustine's 'Confessions' you
ought to be ashamed of yourself. Well, I can't argue with Dr. Sproul, but I
would add that if you have never read Augustine's 'Confessions' at least
once (even twice), you may indeed be ashamed, but you are missing the great
blessing of reading and being influenced by a great man of God who pours
out his heart in praise to his Great God and Savior. With all respect to
Bruce Wilkinson, skip the 'Prayer of Jabez', and read the prayer of
Augustine found in his 'Confessions' (that is, skip the book 'Prayer of
Jabez', not the passage in the Book of the Chronicles found in Scripture).
"I was saying these things [asking God to cleanse
him from sin that he realized was in his heart] and weeping in the most
bitter contrition in my heart, when suddenly I heard the voice of a boy or
a girl- - I know not which -- coming from the neighboring house, chanting
over and over again, 'Pick it up, read it; pick it up, read it.' [In Latin
this is 'Tolle, lege; tolle, lege", a phrase made famous by the
'Confessions'].
Immediately I ceased weeping and began most earnestly to
think whether it was usual for children in some kind of game to sing such a
song, but I could not remember ever having heard the like. So, damming the
torrent of my tears, I got to my feet, for I could not but think that this
was a divine command to open the Bible and read the first passage I should
light upon....
So I quickly returned to the bench where Alypius [his
friend] was sitting, for there I had put down the apostle's book when I had
left there. I snatched it up, opened it, and in silence I read the
paragraph on which my eyes first fell: 'Not in rioting and drunkenness, not
in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying, but put on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts
thereof' (Rom. 13:13). I wanted to read no further, nor did I need to. For
instantly, as the sentence ended, there was infused in my heart something
like the light of full certainty and all the gloom of doubt vanished
away." -Augustine, 'Confessions', VIII.12.29.
"Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of
God." -Apostle Paul, Epistle to the Romans, 10.17.
Vol. II, x
Charles Grandison Finney on Conversion to Christ
Pay close attention to the following quotation from
Charles Finney and ask yourself: 'Is this still the predominant mindset in
evangelical circles concerning conversion today?' Charles G. Finney has
influenced a great deal of evangelicals, and it is important to know just
what he believed! He has particularly influenced the methodology of
evangelicals, or the way they call people to faith in Jesus Christ. He was
born at the turn of the 19th century and testifies to a conversion to
Christ in 1821. A few years later, he left the Presbyterian Church of his
youth to be an evangelist as a non-denominational Christian. Read carefully
his theology below. Undoubtably, many were saved at his revivals, but
perhaps they were saved by God's grace 'in spite of' his theology. As my
friend Rev. Robert Lucas says: "Oftentimes, God chooses by his grace
to strike even with a crooked stick!"
Charles G. Finney
"Religion is the work of man. It is something for
man to do. It consists in obeying God. It is man's duty. It is true, God
induces him to do it. He influences him by his Spirit, because of his great
wickedness and reluctance to obey....
A revival of religion is not a miracle...or dependent on
a miracle, in any sense. It is a purely philosophical result of the right
use of the constituted means- - as much so as any other effect produced by
the application of means....But means will not produce a revival, we all
know, without the blessing of God. Now more will grain, when it is sowed,
produce a crop without the blessing of God. It is impossible for us to say
that there is not as direct an influence or agency from God, to produce a
crop of grain, as there is to produce a revival....
If there is a sinner in this house, let me say to him,
Abandon all your excuses. You have been tonight that they are all in vain.
Tonight it will be told in hell, and told in heaven, and echoed from the
ends of the universe, what you decide to do. This very hour may seal your
eternal destiny. Will you submit to God tonight -- NOW?" -Charles
Finney, 'Lectures on Revivals of Religion', 1835, 1991 Reprint by Liberty
University Press.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and that not of yourselves; it is the
gift of God..."- Ephesians 2, the Apostle Paul.
Vol. II, xi
J. I. Packer on Adoption in Christ
"You sum up the whole of NT teaching in a single
phrase, if you speak of it as a revelation of the Fatherhood of the Holy
Creator. In the same way, you sum up the whole of NT religion if you
describe it as the knowledge of God as one’s Holy Father. If you want
to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he
makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his
Father.
If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his
worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does
not understand Christianity very well at all. For everything that Christ
taught, everything that makes the NT new,
and better than the old, everything that is distinctively Christian as
opposed to merely Jewish is summed up in the knowledge of the Fatherhood of
God. "Father" is the Christian name for God…Our understanding of
Christianity cannot be better than our grasp of adoption." - J. I.
Packer, 'Knowing God', IVP, 1994.
NOTE: Thanks for all of your prayers on my behalf as I
am teaching at Chapelgate Christian Academy. I had a great first day and
truly thank God for this opportunity to teach Bible, Christianity and
Culture, Greek, and Psychology. Please pray that my ministry will continue
to be most effective with the students. I am thankful that as Christians we
have a great opportunity through prayer to serve together in our service to
Christ and His Kingdom. The above quotation reminds us of our unity as the
family of Christ.
Vol. II, xii
On Fortitude in the Christian Life by John Newton
Psalm 119 says in verse 67: "Before I was afflicted
I went astray, but now I obey your word." What is fortitude? It has
been defined as 'courage with endurance'. When God sends and allows
afflictions in our lives, we need fortitude to persevere by his grace- - we
need courage with endurance. The below poem written by John Newton captures
this biblical truth extremely well. John Newton lived in the 16th century
and has been remembered for writing the hymn 'Amazing Grace'. The poem
below displays another aspect of God's amazing grace. Allow me to encourage
you to print this one out and keep it as a constant reminder of God's
grace, goodness, and enduring mercy to us!
John Newton
"I asked the Lord that I might grow
In faith, and love, and every grace,
Might more of his salvation know
And seek more earnestly his face.
'Twas he who taught me thus to pray,
And he, I trust, has answered prayer;
But it has been in such a way
As almost drove me to despair.
I hoped that in some favoured hour
At once he'd answer my request,
And by his love's constraining power
Subdue my sins, and give me rest.
Instead of this, he made me feel
The hidden evil of my heart,
And let the angry powers of hell
Assault my soul in every part.
Yea, more, with his own hand he seemed
Intent to aggravate the woe,
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.
'Lord, why is this?' I trembling cried,
'Wilt thou pursue thy worm to death?'
'Tis in this way,' the Lord replied,
'I answer prayer by grace and faith.
'These inward trials I employ
From self and pride to set thee free,
And break thy schemes of earthly joy,
That thou mayest seek thy all in me.'"
- John Newton, 'Collected Writings of John Newton', Vol.
II, Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust.
Vol. II, xiii
'God Moves in a Mysterious Way'. A Hymn by
William Cowper
William Cowper was born in 1731. He was a contemporary
of George Whitfield and John Wesley (in England), and Jonathan Edwards (in
America). He suffered from depression and despair during his life, but by
the Lord's grace (and George Herbert's poems), he wrote poetry to describe
the Lord's faithfulness during the difficult trials of his life. He used
his suffering to pen poignant pieces of poetry to provide peace for the
pained. Christians sometimes suffer from depression and despair just as
Cowper. This does not mean you are "less spiritual" because you
confess Christ and love him, but at the same time feel pain in this life.
Because of the fall, their is pain in this world, but our Lord promises
that he is the God of all comfort and when we are depressed or distressed his
grace is sufficient for our weakness (2 Cor. 1; 12). Read on!
William Cowper
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill,
He treasures up his bright designs
And works his sovereign will.
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.
Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain:
God is his own interpreter,
And He will make it plain."
-William Cowper, "The Pulley", in 'Eerdmans
Book of Christian Poetry', Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1981.
Vol. II, xiv
Another Blessed Hymn/Poem from William Cowper
"Let us love, and sing, and wonder,
Let us praise the Savior's Name!
He has hushed the Law's loud thunder.
He has quenched Mount Sinai's flame:
He has washed us in his blood.
He has brought us nigh to God.
Let us love the Lord who bought us.
Pitied us when enemies,
Called us by His grace, and taught us,
Gave us ears and gave us eyes:
He has washed us with His blood,
He presents our souls to God.
Let us wonder; grace and justice
join, and point to mercy's store;
When through grace in Christ our trust is,
justice smiles and asks no more.
He who washed us with His blood
has secured our way to God."
The Lord has redeemed us by his precious blood and his
grace is made perfect in our weaknesses!
Vol. II, xv
David Brainerd on the Battle with External
Hardships in Life
David Brainerd was born in April of 1718 in Haddam,
Connecticut. He was a friend of American theologian Jonathan Edwards, and
died at his house of tuberculosis in 1747 at the age of 29 after struggling
constantly with sickness throughout his entire short life. Brainerd is
remembered by his service as missionary to the Housatonic Indians at
Kaunaumeek (approximately 20 miles northwest of Stockbridge, Mass). He
started a school for Indian children there and later Jonathan Edwards would
could continue this missionary outreach to the Housatonic people. Jonathan
Edwards later published Brainerd's 'Diary' and John Wesley once commented
that "every preacher should read carefully the 'Life of David
Brainerd'. This 'Diary' and 'Life of Brainerd' became so famous that it influenced
many other men to serve as missionaries. Including: William Carey, Robert
Morrison, Robert Murray McCheyne, John Mills, David Livingstone, Andrew
Murray, and Jim Elliot.
David Brainerd
"Such fatigues and hardship as these [external
hardships of life] serve to wean me more from the earth; and, I trust, will
make heaven the sweeter. Formerly, when I was exposed to cold, rain, etc.,
I was ready to please myself with the thoughts of enjoying a comfortable
house, a warm fire, and other outward comforts; but now these have less
place in my heart (through the grace of God) and my eye is more to God for
comfort.
In this world I expect tribulation; and it does not now,
as formerly, appear strange to me; I don't in such seasons of difficulty
flatter myself that it will be better hereafter; but rather think how much
worse it might be; how much greater trials others of God's children have
endured; and how much greater are yet perhaps reserved for me. Blessed be
God that he makes [is] the comfort to me, under my sharpest trials; and
scarce ever lets these thoughts be attended with terror or melacholy; but
they are attended frequently with great joy." - David Brainerd, 'The
Life of David Brainerd', by Jonathan Edwards, 'The Works of Jonathan
Edwards', vol. 7, New Haven, CT: Yale Univ. Press, 1985, p.33.
Philippians 4:12b-13: "...In any and every
circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry,
both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through
Him who strengthens me."
Vol.II, xvi
Dr. Sinclair Ferguson on Union with Christ from
Romans 6
"Union with Christ in his death and resurrection is
the element of union which Paul most extensively expounds...if we are
united to Christ, then we are united to him at all points of his activity
on our behalf. We share in his death (we were baptized into his death), in
his resurrection (we are resurrected with Christ), in his ascension (we
have been raised with him), in his heavenly session (we sit with him in
heavenly places, so that our life is hidden with Christ in God), and we
will share in his promised return (when Christ, who is our life, appears,
we also will appear with him in glory) (Rom. 6:14; Col. 2:11-12; 3:1-3).
This, then, is the foundation of sanctification in
Reformed theology. It is rooted, not in humanity and their achievement of
holiness or sanctification, but in what God has done in Christ, and for us
in union with him. Rather than view Christians first and foremost in the
microcosmic context of their own progress, the Reformed doctrine first of
all sets them in the macrocosm of God's activity in redemptive history. It
is seeing oneself in this context that enables the individual Christian to
grow in true holiness."
- Dr. Sinclair Ferguson, 'Christian Spirituality: Five Views
of Sanctification', Ed. Donald Alexander, Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 1988.
Vol. II, xvii
J. C. Ryle on Growth in Grace
"When I speak of growth in grace, I do not for a
moment mean that a believer's interest in Christ can grow. I do not mean
that he can grow in safety, acceptance with God or security. I do not mean
that he can ever be more justified, more pardoned, more forgiven, more at
peace with God, than he is the first moment he believes. I hold firmly that
the justification of a believer is a finished, perfect and complete work;
and that the weakest saint, though he may not know and feel it, is as
completely justified as the strongest. I hold firmly that our election,
calling, and standing in Christ admit of no degrees, increase or
diminution....I would go to the stake, God helping me, for the glorious
truth, that in the matter of justification before God every believer is
complete in Christ (Col. 2:10)....
....When I speak of a man growing in grace, I mean
simply this -- that his sense of sin is becoming deeper, his faith
stronger, his hope brighter, his love more extensive, his
spiritual-mindedness more marked. He feels more of the power of godliness
in his own heart. He manifests more of it in his life. He is going on from
strength to strength, from faith to faith, and from grace to
grace...."
- J. C. Ryle, 'Holiness', Reprint, Sovereign Grace
Publishing. Note: If you have never read this classic on holiness in the
Christian life, you ought to make an effort to get a copy and read it
sometime! It will be a great blessing to you!.
Vol. II, xvii
Gene Edward Veith on Absolute Truth
"It is hard to witness to truth to people who
believe that truth is relative ('Jesus works for you; crystals work for
her'). It is hard to proclaim the forgiveness of sins to people who believe
that, since morality is relative, they have no sins to forgive.
According to a recent poll, 66 percent of Americans
believe that 'there is no such think as absolute truth'. Among young
adults, the percentage is even higher: 72 percent of those between eighteen
and twenty-five do not believe that absolutes exist.
To disbelieve in truth is, of course,
self-contradictory. To believe means to think something is true; to say,
'It's true that nothing is true' is intrinsically meaningless nonsense. The
very statement- - 'there is no absolute truth'- - is an absolute truth.
People have bandied about such concepts for centuries as a sort of
philosophical parlor game, but have seldom taken these seriously. Today it
is not just some esoteric and eccentric philosophers who hold this deeply
problematic view of truth, but the average man on the street. It is not the
lunatic fringe rejecting the very concept of truth, but two-thirds of the
American people."
-Gene Edward Veith, 'Postmodern Times', pg. 16.
Vol. II, xviii
Poetry from George Herbert
George Herbert was a 17th century English pastor that
has been recognized as one of the greatest lyric poets of the English
language. His poems are saturated with Scripture, such as the following
from 'The Agony'.
"Philosophers have measured mountains,
Fathomed the depths of seas, of states, and kings,
Walked with a staff to heaven, and traced fountains:
But there are two vast, spacious things,
The which to measure it doth more behove:
Yet few there be that sound them; Sin and Love."
-George Herbert, 'The Agony' II.1-6
Vol. II, xix
More Poetry by George Herbert
"Who would know Sin, let him repair
Unto Mount Olivet; there shall he see
A man so wrung with pains, that all his hair,
His skin, his garments bloody be.
Sin is that press and vice, which forceth pain
To hunt his cruel food through every vein.
Who knows not Love, let him assay
And taste that juice, which on the cross a pike [trans.
'a spear']
Did set again abroach; then let him say
If ever he did taste the like.
Love is that liquor sweet and most divine,
Which my God feels as blood, but I, as wine."
- George Herbert
2 Corinthians 5:21: "For He made Him who knew no
sin to be sin for us, that we
might become the righteousness of God in Him."
Vol. II, xx
Even More Poetry by George Herbert: The Church of
Jesus Christ
"Love bade me welcome: yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,
If I lacked anything.
A guest, I answered, worthy to be here:
Love said, You shall be he.
I, the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear,
I cannot look on thee.
Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,
Who made the eyes but I?
Truth, Lord, but I have marred them: let me shame
Go where it doth deserve.
And know you not, says Love, who bore the blame?
My dear, then I will serve.
You must sit down, says Love, and taste my meat:
So I did sit and eat."
-George Herbert, "Love", III.
Vol. II, xxi
An Excellent Quotation on the LAW of GOD from
Graeme Goldsworthy
The following is a quotation from Graeme Goldsworthy's
book called 'Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture'. It is an
excellent resource for both preaching and teaching, primarily for understanding
Biblical Theology and how to preach or teach the Scriptures with Christ as
the center! Here is a quotation on the Law of God and the fulfillment of
the Law in Redemptive History by our Lord Jesus Christ. It is truly
encouraging and I would encourage you to particularly pay attention to the
second paragraph of the quotation.
Graeme Goldsworthy
"Our overview of law in biblical theology, then,
takes us from the details of the Sinai Covenant, through the giving of the
law as recorded in Deuteronomy, to the life of Israel in the land. The
inescapable truth is that the grace of God continues to shine upon a people
whose major claim to fame is the suicidal ability to break the covenant.
While it is appealing to concentrate on the heroes of faith and the shining
achievements of Israel, the sad fact is that it is a nation heading for
disaster. The prophets stand as beacons to the law, but they must also
preside over the demise of the nation. Only the eschatological promises
concerning a people made new [i.e. Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:25ff; Joel
2:14ff, et al] with the law of God on their hearts relieves the gloom of
their message.
The "law" given to the first Adam, the first
son of God, was broken, and mankind was thrown out of the garden into the
wilderness. The law given to Israel, the son of God, was broken, and the
nation was thrown out of its promised land into the wilderness of exile. A
last Adam came as the truly obedient covenant partner of God, signifying
his identification with a people that desperately needed his help. We can
almost hear heaven's sigh of relief, 'At last! A true Son of God.' 'You are
my beloved son in whom I am well pleased' is God's word of approval. Then
this true Adam, this true Israel, goes out into our wilderness to be tempted
and to be victorious, so that he might make for us a way back into the
garden of God."
-G. Goldsworthy, p.158-59.
Good stuff! And more good quotations will come from
Prof. Goldsworthy tomorrow, Lord willing! Tomorrow: Christ as the 'telos'
or 'end' of the Law for everyone who believes
Vol. II, xxii
Graeme Goldsworthy on Jesus as the 'Telos' or
'End' of the Law
Salvation is by works. What???! It's true! Our salvation
is by the works of Christ! Salvation is truly by the works of Christ on our
behalf in his life, death, resurrection and ascension. Our Lord Jesus
Christ fulfilled the Law on our behalf and merited eternal life by
fulfilling the Law. Those who believe in him shall never perish, but have
everlasting life!! Romans 10:4 says "For Christ is the end of the law
so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes." The
Greek word 'telos' suggests the goal or purpose of the Law.
Graeme Goldsworthy
"Jesus did not come to destroy or abolish the law
but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17). He is the end, the 'telos', of the law. He
is its ultimate reference point, revealing with unprecendented clarity what
Sinai was all about. He applies it with uncompromising rigidity: 'unless
your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will
never enter the kingdom of heaven' (Matt. 5:20).
In the Sermon on the Mount, in his parable of the
Pharisee and the tax collector, and in his dealing with the lawyer's
question about eternal life (Luke 10:25-29), he takes the ground of
self-justification out from under those who think they can somehow climb up
the ladder of the law to acceptance with God. He has come to fulfill all
righteousness for us.
He not only fulfills all the law in his own sinless
life, but he is content to have our law breaking imputed to him so that he
bears the curse of the law for us (2 Cor. 5:21). By faith we receive the
gift of Jesus' law keeping, which was perfectly achieved on our behalf, and
in him we become the righteousness of God. By faith we do not overthrow the
law: 'on the contrary, we uphold the law' (Rom. 3:31). We uphold the law by
turning our backs on our own warped efforts to keep the law and by putting
all our confidence and trust in the one who satisfied all the law's demands
on our behalf."
- Graeme Goldsworthy, p. 159
Vol. II, xxiii
Graeme Goldsworthy on the Distinctive Work of the
Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit in our Salvation
"The point of this distinction is certainly not to
deny that all three persons of the Trinity are involved in the gospel, but
only to indicate that their manner of involvement is distinct for each. The
Father sends the Son, not the other way around. The Holy Spirit brings
about the conception in the womb of Mary. Only the Son is born of Mary,
lives, dies, and rises again.
Most people understand that, but confusion often arises
when distinctive ministries of the Father or the Spirit are seen to be the
gospel or are allowed to take the place of the gospel. Preaching
predestination, or creation, or the new birth, or the baptism of the Spirit
is not preaching the gospel. All these things are related to the gospel
and necessary for the working of the gospel, but they are not the essential
message to be believed for salvation. Furthermore, unlike the gospel
message, they do not directly address the matter of our justification and
assurance of salvation.
Only the message that another true and obedient human
being has come on our behalf, that he has lived for us the kind of life we
should live but can't, that he has paid fully the penalty we deserve for
the life we do live but shouldn't- -only this message can give assurance
that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
-
Graeme Goldsworthy, 'Preaching the Whole Bible as
Christian Scripture', pg. 83-84
Romans 5:1-8: "Therefore,
since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which
we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3 More
than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces
endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into
our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. 6 While we
were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Why, one
will hardly die for a righteous man -- though perhaps for a good man one
will dare even to die. 8 But God shows his love for us in that while we
were yet sinners Christ died for us."
(Note: If I have not suggested it yet, buy this book if
you want help reading and preaching the Scriptures; it is an excellent,
well written book on understanding the Bible and its message to sinful
man.)
Vol. II, xxiv
R. S. Wallace on John Calvin's Doctrine of the
Christian Life
"Calvin further teaches that our lives become
conformed to the pattern of Christ's life not only as a result of the
inward working of Christ in the heart, but also as a result of the
providential ordering by God of the outward circumstances of our lives- -
especially of the afflictions and sufferings which are our lot.
The members of the body of Christ in union with Christ
are subjected to a special providence which shapes their historical career
and their ultimate destiny into a pattern similar to the pattern of death
and resurrection worked out in the life of Christ. In this way, as well as
through the influence of Christ in the heart, their lives become conformed
to the likeness of Christ.
Calvin can speak of a 'twofold likeness to the death of
Christ' as recommended in Scripture. We are to be conformed to Christ 'in
reproaches and troubles' as well as through inward renewal. To this end God
'trains his people in a peculiar manner that they may be conformed to the
image of His Son.' In every age the Church of Christ enjoying its close and
mystical union with Christ has had its history shaped into a pattern of
death and resurrection. 'The Church of Christ has been from the beginning
so constituted that the Cross has been the way to victory and death, a
passage to life'."
- R. S. Wallace, 'Calvin's Doctrine of the Christian
Life'.
Vol. II, xxv
Heidelberg Catechism on the Christian's Only
Comfort in Life and Death
"What is thy only comfort in life and death?"
"That I, with body and soul, both in life and
death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who,
with his precious blood, hath fully satisfied for all my sins, and
delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me, that
without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head;
yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation; and therefore, by
his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely
willing and ready henceforth to live unto him."
Vol. II, xxvi
Cultural Critic Neil Postman on the Medium [such
as computers and televisions] being the Message
"What we need to consider about the computer has
nothing to do with its efficiency as a teaching tool. We need to know in
what ways it is altering our conception of learning, and how, in
conjunction with television, it undermines the old idea of school. Who
cares how many boxes of cereal can be sold via television? We need to know
if television changes our conception of reality, the relationship of the
rich to the poor, the idea of happiness itself.
A preacher who confines himself to considering how a
medium can increase his audience will miss the significant question: In
what sense do new media alter what is meant by religion, by church, even by
God?"
-Neil Postman, 'Technopoly', p.19
Vol. II, xxvii
John Calvin's Teaching on Man Made in God's Image
In Calvin's commentary on Matthew 5:43, Calvin asserts
that there is a 'sacred fellowship' (societas sancta) between all men,
including the whole human race in a 'common nature' in which every man is
our neighbor. This is part of the order of nature which not even man's
depravity has violated. Even though, through the Fall, the image of God has
become horribly distorted as to sometimes be unrecognizable, nevertheless a
Christian must regard all men as created in and indeed as possessing the
image of God. Here are some of Calvin's words concerning this:
"Whenever I see a man I must of necessity behold
myself as in a mirror...We are not to look at what men deserve in
themselves, but to attend to the image of God which exists in all, and to
which we owe honor and love....We cannot but behold, as in a mirror, our
own face in those who are poor and despised, who have come to an end of
their own power to help themselves, and who groan under their burden, even
though they are utter strangers to us. Even in dealing with a Moor or a
Barbarian, from the very fact of his being a man, he carries about with him
a looking-glass in which we can see that he is our brother and our
neighbor....
....The image of God shines more brightly in those that
have been regenerated than in others around us, and therefore the bonds
that bind the disciples of Christ one to another should be regarded as closer
and more sacred within the Church than outside. If to injure our fellow man
is to pervert the order of nature, to injure our fellow Christian (made in
God's image) is to tear Jesus Christ in pieces."
- John Calvin, Excerpts from Sermons on Deuteronomy and
Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew.
Word of Encouragement
Vol. II, xxviii
John Calvin on Wisdom from God
Psalm 111:10 says: "The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of wisdom."
Calvin says: "To this we must carefully attend; for
although mankind generally wish to be accounted wise, almost all of the
world lightly esteem God, and take pleasure in their own craftiness. And as
the very worst of men are reputed to be superior to all others in point of
wisdom; and, puffed up with such confidence, harden themselves against God,
the prophet [the psalmist] declares all the wisdom of the world, without
the fear of God, to be vanity or an empty shadow.
And, indeed, all who are ignorant of the purpose for
which they live are fools and madmen. But to serve God is the purpose for
which we have been born, and for which we are preserved in life. There is,
therefore, no worse blindness, no insensibility so groveling, as when we
contemn God, and place our affections elsewhere. For whatever ingenuity the
wicked may possess, they are destitute of the main thing, genuine
piety."
Word of Encouragement
Vol. II, xxix
J. I. Packer on God's Ultimate Goal in Creating
Man
"What is his goal? What does he aim at? When he
made us, his purpose was that we should love and honor him, praising him
for the wonderfully ordered complexity and variety of his world, using it
according to his will, and so enjoying both it and him. And though we have
fallen, God has not abandoned his first purpose.
Still he plans that a great host of humankind should
come to love and honor him. His ultimate objective is to bring them to a
state in which he is all in all to them, and he and they rejoice
continually in the knowledge of each other's love- - people rejoicing in
the saving love of God, set upon them from all eternity, and God rejoicing
in the responsive love of people, drawn out of them by grace through the
gospel."
-J. I. Packer, 'Knowing God', p. 92.
Word of Encouragement
Vol. II, xxx
Dr. Sinclair Ferguson on the Sacraments and the
Sanctification of the Christian
"The sacraments are communicative signs. They point
us away from ourselves to Christ; but they also are a visible, tangible
means by which he communicates with us and we with him. They display his
grace and our union and communion with him in it...
The sacraments can never be separated from the Word of
God. Nor do the sacraments provide sanctifying grace from Christ which is
not available to us in the message of the Scriptures. It is the same grace
we receive, because it is the same Christ who is held out to us. Both
Scripture and sacraments point to the same Lord. But, as Robert Bruce so
well expressed it, while we do not get a better Christ in the sacraments
than we do in the Word, there are times when we get Christ better. In the
words of Horatio Bonar's communion hymn which so well represents the
Reformed approach to the Lord's Table,
'Here O my Lord, I see Thee face to face;
Here would I touch and handle things unseen,
Here grasp with firmer hand the eternal grace,
And all my weariness upon Thee lean.'
The sacraments are helps to sanctification precisely
because they are means to a fresh realization of our union and communion
with Christ. They point us back to its foundation and forward to its
consummation in glory (as we have been buried with Christ in baptism, we
will be raised with him in resurrection; as we commune with the crucified
and risen Christ, we also proclaim him until he comes again). Here we are
brought back to the foundation on which the Reformed understanding of
sanctification rests: UNION WITH CHRIST.
Word of Encouragement
Vol. II, xxxi
Prayers and Meditations concerning God's Glory in
our Weakness, Pt. 1
"Lord, High and Holy, Meek and Lowly,
Thou has brought me to the Valley of Vision
where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights;
hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory.
Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up,
that to be low is to be high,
that the broken heart is the healed heart,
that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
that to have nothing is to possess all,
that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
that to give is to receive,
that the valley is the place of vision.
Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest
wells,
and the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine.
Let me find Thy light in my darkness,
Thy life in my death,
Thy joy in my sorrow,
Thy grace in my sin,
Thy riches in my poverty,
Thy glory in my valley."
-Prayer of an anonymous Puritan
I hope that I can write and send these WOEs now a few
times each week!
Love and Peace in Christ!
Word of Encouragement
Vol. II, xxxii
Prayers and Meditations concerning God's Glory in
our Weakness, Pt. 2
"The more confidence we have in our own strength
and abilities, the less we are likely to have in Christ. Our human weakness
is no hindrance to God. In fact, as long as we do not use it as an excuse
for sin, it is good to be weak. But this acceptance of weakness is more
than acknowledging our limitations. It means experiencing a power much
greater than our own and surrendering to it. Eberhard Annold...said: 'This
is the root of grace: the dismantling of our power. Whenever even a little
power rises up in us, the Spirit and the authority of God will retreat to
the corresponding degree. In my estimation this is the single most
important insight with regard to the kingdom of God'."
- Johann Christoph Arnold, from 'Seeking Peace: Notes
and Conversations Along the Way'
Word of Encouragement
Vol. II, xxxiii
Prayers and Meditations concerning God's Glory in
our Weakness, Pt. 3
"Because of our technological wonders [in the
Church], are we failing to live out of the weakness that displays God's
power? Do we rely on 'exciting' video clips and power point presentations
or on the truthful power of God's Word? Please know that I don't deny the
usefulness of video or computer technology, but we must ask if we depend on
TECHNIQUE to convince people of the truth of the gospel rather than on the
One who is Truth. How do we best bring spiritual judgments to bear on
people's lives? How do our churches best speak the prophetic Word?
Why is it that so many people can talk freely about how
great their church is, but find it more difficult to converse with others
about the greatness of their Lord? 'Charismatic' pastors, 'thrilling'
worship leaders, 'dynamic' musicians, or 'exciting' worship services
frequently become what is worshiped instead. Then we, the spiritual
leaders, get so easily addicted to praise and flattery- -which makes us
desperate for a regular 'fix' of flattery. In the classical world, the
opposite of 'friend' was 'flatterer'.
It takes great courage to resist these idolatrous
powers, to not require adulation, bu rather to be accountable to friends
who love us enough to rebuke us, to be faithful to the Word and to a
theology of weakness and the cross."
- Marva Dawn, 'Powers, Weakness, and the Tabernacling of
God' [Excellent Read!!]
Word of Encouragement
Vol. II, xxxiv
Prayers and Meditations concerning God's Glory in
our Weakness, Pt. 4
"Neither the accumulated wisdom of all the earth
and the skies, nor languages, the Church Fathers, and daily reading of the
Holy Scripture, nor immense learning and eloquence make a good theologian
or pastor if the cross is not added. Through the cross God purifies,
cleanses, strengthens, and perfects the light of His true knowledge, of
true faith in Christ, of true understanding of the divine promises, proper
prayer, hope, humility, and all the virtues which He has first planted in
the heart through the Word.
Those are secure spirits rather than real Christians who
live each day happily and joyfully, thinking that when they read the lament
of an Ezekiel, the prayer of a Jonah, and other Psalms, they are hearing
only empty words and vain dreams; therefore they can neither understand
these descriptions of a faith struggling under the heaviest of trials nor
can they speak of them to others. Accordingly we should equip ourselves for
the Cross, which is just as necessary for those who wish to serve the
Church as air and food and for the maintenance of the body....How can a
person be able to understand the Gospel or teach it to others if he himself
has not experienced the power of the Gospel in the midst of sorrows and
trials?"
-David Chytraeus (1531-1600) 'A Meditation on the Cross'
Word of Encouragement
Vol. II, xxxv
Prayers and Meditations concerning God's Glory in
our Weakness, Pt. 5
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