Thursday, October 30, 2008
Paul Washer - Ten Indictments Against The Modern "Church"
If you have not heard this sermon yet, please take the time to do so! You do not want to miss this powerful message!
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Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Walk The Aisle
Popularized by frontier camp meetings and Charles Finney's "anxious bench," the altar call became an evangelistic staple of American churches.
Douglas A. Sweeney and Mark C. Rogers
The pastor closes his sermon: "The Holy Spirit bids you come. The congregation, praying, hoping, expectant, bids you come. On the first note of the first stanza, come down one of these stairways, down one of these aisles. May angels attend you. May the Holy Spirit of God encourage you. May the presence of Jesus walk by your side as you come, while we stand and while we sing." And come they do. Week after week, in churches all across the America—and other parts of the world—scenes like this play out at the end of thousands of sermons. The congregation stands and sings "Just As I Am" or "Come Just as You Are." Sinners walk the aisle and pray for salvation.
This common evangelistic method, known as the altar call or the public invitation, has not always been around. Successful evangelists such as George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, and John Wesley never gave an altar call. In fact, they did not even know what it was. They invited their hearers passionately to come to Christ by faith and regularly counseled anxious sinners after their services. But they did not call sinners to make a public, physical response after evangelistic appeals. So where did the altar call come from? When did it begin?
At first, the altar call was used as an efficient way to gather spiritually interested people together for counseling after a sermon. Rather than searching out penitent seekers one by one, a preacher would call them up to the front, or into another room, for conversation and prayer. Some Anglo-American ministers used such altar calls at the end of the 1700s, but only during the camp meetings of the Second Great Awakening in America did they flourish.
Camp meetings were common in frontier states like Kentucky and Tennessee beginning around 1800. These multi-day gatherings were a way for ministers (mostly Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, and Disciples) to introduce the gospel to rural settlers. Early camp meetings were filled with passionate preaching and extreme responses. Hundreds of listeners would cry out, shriek, groan, faint, swoon, twitch, and weep. Ministers usually viewed these responses as evidence of the Holy Spirit's work.
By 1805, these spontaneous, bodily movements were less common. Ministers used an "invitation to the altar" as a visible way to measure people's response to their message. "Altars" were fenced areas near the main preaching spot of the camp where preachers urged sinners to seek salvation. Methodist preacher Peter Cartwright described a camp meeting in 1806: "The altar was crowded to overflowing with mourners." Another circuit-riding preacher recounted a time when "the enclosure was so much crowded that its inmates had not the liberty of lateral motion, but were literally hobbling en masse." Methodists experienced exponential growth during the first 20 years of the 1800s partly because of their evangelistic methods, including camp meetings and altar calls.
Many people consider Charles Grandison Finney (1792-1875) to be the "father" of the altar call. Ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1823, Finney did not begin giving public invitations until long after Methodists had made the altar call a regular part of their camp meetings. Finney, however, did more than anyone to establish altar calls as an accepted and popular practice in American evangelicalism. Finney regularly called anxious sinners to the front of the congregation to sit on an "anxious bench." There, they would receive prayer and often be preached to directly. The altar call was also one of Finney's famous "new measures." He was convinced that ministers could produce revival by using the right methods, and that the altar call "was necessary to bring [sinners] out from among the mass of the ungodly to a public renunciation of their sinful ways."
While many embraced Finney's "new measures," others were wary of the theology behind them. Finney believed that Christ's death had made salvation possible for all. Human depravity was "a voluntary attitude of the mind," not a nature one was born with. Conversion, therefore, depended on the human will being persuaded to repent and trust Christ. According to Finney, the altar call was a very persuasive tool to move the human will. Calvinist ministers such as Asahel Nettleton rejected Finney's confidence in human ability and his reliance on the altar call. They believed human beings were born with a sinful nature. Sinners were unable to trust in Christ until God changed their hearts. Historian Iain Murray describes many opponents of the altar call who "alleged that the call for a public 'response' confused an external act with an inward spiritual change." Moreover, Murray says, the altar call effectively "institute[d] a condition of salvation which Christ never appointed." Critics argued that altar-call evangelism resulted in false assurance, as a high percentage of those who went forward to "receive Christ" soon fell away.
Despite criticism, the altar call continues. It has become a permanent fixture in American evangelicalism. One need only watch a few minutes of a Billy Graham crusade on TV to recognize that what was once a "new measure" has become mainstream. Graham's distinctive voice calls out, "Up there—down there—I want you to come. If you are with friends and relatives, they will wait for you. The buses will wait for you. Christ went all the way to the Cross because He loved you. Certainly you can come these few steps and give your life to Him." While the venue has changed from the backwoods of Kentucky to modern football stadiums, and the mode of transportation has evolved from covered wagons to charter buses, the altar call has endured. It is featured even today in the stories of countless Christians who met Christ when they stood up, stepped out, and walked the aisle.
Douglas A. Sweeney is professor of church history and the history of Christian thought at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Mark C. Rogers is a Ph.D. student inhistorical theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
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Monday, October 27, 2008
Politics, Activism, and the Gospel
With the nation focused on the November elections, we thought a post on politics might be appropriate. The point of this article is not that we should abstain from any participation in the political process, but rather that we must keep our priorities straight as Christians. After all, the gospel, not politics, is the only true solution to our nation’s moral crisis.
We can’t protect or expand the cause of Christ by human political and social activism, no matter how great or sincere the efforts. Ours is a spiritual battle waged against worldly ideologies and dogmas arrayed against God, and we achieve victory over them only with the weapon of Scripture. The apostle Paul writes: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:3-5).
We must reject all that is ungodly and false and never compromise God’s standards of righteousness. We can do that in part by desiring the improvement of society’s moral standards and by approving of measures that would conform government more toward righteousness. We do grieve over the rampant indecency, vulgarity, lack of courtesy and respect for others, deceitfulness, self-indulgent materialism, and violence that is corroding society. But in our efforts to support what is good and wholesome, reject what is evil and corrupt, and make a profoundly positive impact on our culture, we must use God’s methods and maintain scriptural priorities.
God is not calling us to wage a culture war that would seek to transform our countries into “Christian nations.” To devote all, or even most, of our time, energy, money, and strategy to putting a facade of morality on the world or over our governmental and political institutions is to badly misunderstand our roles as Christians in a spiritually lost world.
God has above all else called the church to bring sinful people to salvation through Jesus Christ. Even as the apostle Paul described his mission to unbelievers, so it is the primary task of all Christians to reach out to the lost “to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me [Christ]” (Acts 26:18; cf. Ex. 19:6; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9).
If we do not evangelize the lost and make disciples of new converts, nothing else we do for people--no matter how beneficial it seems--is of any eternal consequence. Whether a person is an atheist or a theist, a criminal or a model citizen, sexually promiscuous and perverse or strictly moral and virtuous, a greedy materialist or a gracious philanthropist--if he does not have a saving relationship to Christ, he is going to hell. It makes no difference if an unsaved person is for or against abortion, a political liberal or a conservative, a prostitute or a police officer, he will spend eternity apart from God unless he repents and believes the gospel.
When the church takes a stance that emphasizes political activism and social moralizing, it always diverts energy and resources away from evangelization. Such an antagonistic position toward the established secular culture invariably leads believers to feel hostile not only to unsaved government leaders with whom they disagree, but also antagonistic toward the unsaved residents of that culture--neighbors and fellow citizens they ought to love, pray for, and share the gospel with. To me it is unthinkable that we become enemies of the very people we seek to win to Christ, our potential brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Author John Seel pens words that apply in principle to Christians everywhere and summarize well the believer’s perspective on political involvement:
A politicized faith not only blurs our priorities, but weakens our loyalties. Our primary citizenship is not on earth but in heaven. … Though few evangelicals would deny this truth in theory, the language of our spiritual citizenship frequently gets wrapped in the red, white and blue. Rather than acting as resident aliens of a heavenly kingdom, too often we sound [and act] like resident apologists for a Christian America. … Unless we reject the false reliance on the illusion of Christian America, evangelicalism will continue to distort the gospel and thwart a genuine biblical identity…..
American evangelicalism is now covered by layers and layers of historically shaped attitudes that obscure our original biblical core. (The Evangelical Pulpit [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993], 106-7)
By means of faithful preaching and godly living, believers are to be the conscience of whatever nation they reside in. You can confront the culture not with the political and social activism of man’s wisdom, but with the spiritual power of God’s Word. Using temporal methods to promote legislative and judicial change, and resorting to external efforts of lobbying and intimidation to achieve some sort of “Christian morality” in society is not our calling--and has no eternal value. Only the gospel rescues sinners from sin, death, and hell.
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Sunday, October 26, 2008
Is Baptism An Ordinance Or A Sacrament?
Is baptism an ordinance or a sacrament? Please read the article below and then leave a comment letting us know what you believe.
"In many conservative Reformed and Presbyterian circles, it is as if the prescribed forms for Baptism and the Supper were too high in their sacramental theology, so the minister feels compelled to counter its strong "means of grace" emphasis. In this way, the Sacraments die the death of a thousand qualifications. The same is true when we read the biblical passages referring to Baptism as "the washing of regeneration" or to the Supper as "the communion of the body and blood of Christ." Why must we apologize for these passages and attempt to explain them away? Our confessions do not do this. Our liturgical forms (if we still use them) do not do this, but we feel compelled to diminish them these days.
We hear quasi-gnostic sentiments even in Reformed circles these days, such as the "real baptism" that is spiritual, as opposed to "merely being sprinkled with water," or the "real communion" with Christ in moments of private devotion. How can we truly affirm the union of earthly and heavenly realities in the Incarnation? Or how can we regard the Word of God as a means of salvation if it is but ink and paper or human speech? A subtle Docetism (the ancient gnostic heresy that denied Christ's true humanity) lurks behind our reticence to see these common earthly elements as signs that are linked to the things they signify. Surely the Sacraments can remind us of grace, help us to appreciate grace, and exhort us to walk in grace, but do they actually give us the grace promised in the Gospel? The Reformed and Presbyterian confessions answer "yes" without hesitation: A Sacrament not only consists of the signs (water, bread and wine), but of the things signified (new birth, forgiveness, life everlasting). And yet, the experience of Reformed and Presbyterian churches in the odd world of American revivalism has challenged the confessional perspective. In The Presbyterian Doctrine of Children in the Covenant (Yale, 1940), L. B. Schenck noted, "The disproportionate reliance upon revivals as the only hope of the church...amounted to a practical subversion of Presbyterian doctrine, an overshadowing of God's covenantal promise." As Richard Muller has carefully shown in his Calvin Theological Journal article, "How Many Points?", our system has been reduced to a pale reflection of its former self..."
...But does Scripture teach this? The best way to answer that is to simply read the passages, where Baptism is called "remission of sins" (Acts 2:38), and those who believe and are baptized will be saved (Mk. 16:16). Paul announced, "Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord" (Acts 22:16). The Sacrament and faith were not separated in Paul's mind, for apart from the latter the benefits of the former were not received although the Sacrament was performed. In Baptism we were buried and raised with Christ (Rom. 6:3-5). Far from viewing Baptism as a human work, Paul said "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by his grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Tit. 3:5-7).
A. A. Hodge writes, "Men were exhorted to be baptized in order to wash away their sins. It is declared that men must be born of water and of the Spirit, and that baptism as well as faith is an essential condition of salvation. The effect of Baptism is declared to be purification (2 Kings 5:13, 14; Judith 12:7; Lk. 11:37-39)." As Hodge observes, in infant Baptism, there are four parties: God, the Church, the parents, and the child, and the only party wholly passive in the affair is the very person being baptized!
We simply cannot say that we take a literal approach to the text while interpreting these clear passages as allegorical of a spiritual reality detached from the obvious reference to physical sacraments."
You can read the entire article by clicking HERE.
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Book Review - The Shack
- By Douglas Wilson
I had been asked by several different people what I thought of The Shack, a hot selling book by William Young. It is a book that is currently selling like crazy (I saw a great, big stack of them in an airport bookstore last week), and while it appears to be a big event centered in the broad evangelical world, there have been significant repercussions in our circles as well. So I (dutifully) got the book and read it. It is not the kind of book you can review chapter by chapter, and so this one review will have to suffice.
If you want to read the book like a novel, which it really isn't, I suppose there will be some spoilers here. So, fair warning given. The protagonist of the book is named Mack, and a few years before the book opened, his youngest daughter named Missy had been kidnapped and presumably murdered. He himself had had a terrible childhood, and had finally run away from home as a teenager after poisoning his father. One day Mack receives a mysterious note from "Papa," his wife's favorite name for God, inviting him to come meet at the shack where his daughter had likely been killed. He decides to go, and after he gets there, the shack is transformed, and he finds himself on a weekend retreat with all three persons of the Trinity. Over the course of that weekend, he learns all kinds of things about himself and about the world that he had never suspected. That, in sum, is the basic set up.
I am going to say some hard things about the book in a moment, so I want to begin with this. The book is filled with numerous insights into what makes people tick, and those insights are wise, shrewd, pastoral, tender, and they deal with sins at the root. But the strength here is largely diagnostic, and unfortunately gets confused when it comes to the remedy, as will become apparent in a moment. William Young, the author, knows with profound clarity that fatherlessness is the rot that is eating away at the modern soul. The clear appeal of the book is because of the ache created by fatherlessness which, when coupled with the metaphoric solutions offered, provides us with a full explanation for the popularity of the book.
But I must make a distinction here -- frequently (not always), the solutions as they are spoken are right on. They deal with honesty, confession, forgiveness, and they do so in a way that any orthodox Christian could embrace. But the problem lies with with the setting. Disembodied truth doesn't help anyone really, and so the embodiment really matters.
Before getting to that, I should note in passing what I might call the theological problem. Since the discussions revolve around the murder of a little girl, the book is clearly about the problem of evil. And the answers that are offered are a standard sort of evangelical non-Calvinism, with the result that the texts that plainly state the nature of God's involvement in such things are simply ignored. In other words, the theoretical answers in this book that grapple with this problem are about as detached from the Scriptures as they could be. This is a big problem, but any of you who have been in more than two discussions between Calvinists and Arminians have probably seen it. That is not the thing that sets this book apart.
And this brings me to the way in which this book was simply terrible, blasphemous. But before going on, I have to hasten to add that it is a peculiar form of evangelical blasphemy, one that is well-intentioned and naive. I remember one time I was at a conference where the group I was with was sharing the venue with another group. So one time I sat in on the chapel services of that other group, and they began singing "Spring Up, O Well," which was fine with me. But since the song involved water, somebody had developed hand motions, and jumpy-up-and-down-motions. So there was this room full of adult Christians jumping up and down while they were singing, splish splashing along. But then they got to a verse where it was all about the blood of Christ instead of water, and they continued right on with the hand motions and the jumping, and the only thing missing was the rubber ducky, and nobody blasphemes like an evangelical can.
In a book clearly written to deal with the pain of fatherlessness, how does Young go about it? He makes God the Father, "Papa," a large beaming African American woman (p. 82). The Holy Spirit is a shimmery Asian woman named Sarayu, mysterious and "way out there." Jesus is simply Jesus, and is masculine after a kind, but in that unique way possessed by camp counselors and youth ministers with muscular forearms.
Here is a taste of the down home weekend retreat-like relationship that is going to fix Mack.
"Mack followed her soft humming down a short hallway and into an open kitchen-dining area, complete with a small four-seat table and wicker-backed chairs. The inside of the cabin was roomier than he had expected. Papa was working on something with her back to him, flour flying as she swayed to the music of whatever she was listening to. The song obviously came to an end, marked by a couple of last shoulder and hip shakes. Turning to face him, she took off the earphones" (p. 90).
Meet God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. Now Young is by no means of dunce -- he is very clear that this is just an appearance, an accommodation. But the image, the metaphor, the feel of this whole book is warm and maternal, cozy and nonthreatening. The center of the discussions is the kitchen. The need is a deep father hunger, but this is not met by a father, but by the enveloping warmth of a comfort mama who makes a lot of comfort food. This symbolism is not incidental to the message of the book. It is the central message of the book.
And this reveals the bedrock problem with the whole thing. There is no way we can hide from ourselves that we have a need for a father, but we cannot bring ourselves to repent, and have our hearts turned back to actual fathers. We cannot bring ourselves to honor our (admittedly sinful) fathers, so that our lives might go well for us in the land that God gave to us. This means that we are stuck. We know that the problem is fatherlessness, but we have no intention of honoring real fathers, the way they should be honored. This is because the sin of fatherlessness is one that is shared by both fathers and children. And repentance, when it is given, is bestowed on both sides of the generational divide.
"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse" (Mal. 4:5-6).
This generation of evangelicals really is fatherless and adrift. They know that, they ache over it, they cannot pretend not to know it, but they have no intention of turning back to their fathers. And that means repentance has not yet been given.
The impotence of this approach comes out in this book in a couple of striking ways. Young cannot bring himself to give two characters in this book a face. One is Mack's father. In the course of the story, they do have a heavenly reconciliation, but Mack's father remains a faceless place-holder throughout. The other character is the murderer. The book ends with Mack resolved to meet him in order to forgive him, but the story/theology set forth in this book is not up to the task of actually showing it.
The good news for evangelicals is that they are coming to recognize their fatherlessness. The good news that they are not yet ready for is that this cannot be addressed without returning to fathers.
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Saturday, October 25, 2008
The Nature of the Atonement - Why And For Whom Did Christ Die?
Here’s an even more important question. Will all of God’s purposes for sending Christ to die ultimately be accomplished? Did God intend something by the atonement that will not come to pass? Is there any purpose in Christ’s dying that will ultimately be frustrated? And if you ask those questions it puts the importance of the whole issue in a totally different, clearer light. And I believe that Christ’s atoning work on the cross ultimately accomplishes precisely what God designed it to accomplish, no more no less. If you believe God is truly sovereign you must ultimately come to that position. The fruits of the atonement are no less than what God sovereignly intended. God is not going to be frustrated throughout all eternity because He was desperately trying to save some people who just could not be persuaded. If that’s your view of God than your God isn’t really sovereign. Pharaoh fulfilled exactly the purpose God raised him up to fulfill. God is not wringing His hands in despair over Pharaoh’s rebellion and unbelief.
Now one of the points I made in my seminar last year was this: You cannot ultimately escape the limited and particular aspects of the atonement if you believe Christ’s death on the cross was substitutionary. Let me illustrate. Did Christ suffer for Pharaoh’s sins, in Pharaoh’s place, and in his stead? Certainly not. Because when Christ died on the cross Pharaoh was already in hell suffering for his own sin. Those who suffer in hell all suffer for their own sin. Christ does not suffer on their behalf and in their stead in the same way He did for people who are ultimately redeemed and escape hell. That’s a rather obvious point if you think about it. Substitutionary atonement and the substitutionary aspects of the atonement are ultimately something that belong to the elect alone. There’s no escaping it. He bore their punishment so that they will not have to. If He had suffered vicariously for the sins of Judas in the same way He suffered in Peter’s place then Judas wouldn’t be suffering right now for his own sins. That’s the inevitable ramification of vicarious atonement.
But at the same time, there are universal aspects of the atoning work of Christ and historic Calvinism has always recognized this. There is a legitimate sense in which Christ is set forth as the Savior of the whole world. The Savior of all men, Lord of all. And the only one all men everywhere are commanded to believe in. And there’s another sense in which He is especially the Savior of those who believe. That’s exactly the meaning of 1st Timothy 4:10, which is the verse that I think, better than any in Scripture, settles this whole question. First Timothy 4:10, “We trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially those who believe.” I think it was R.B. Kuiper, a classic Five Point Calvinist, who said he preferred to speak of Christ’s dying “specially for the elect rather than only for them.” And that seems to be a good Biblical perspective. To those who believe Christ is Savior in a special and particular sense. His death had a particular reference to them in the ultimate design of God. And that is what Calvinists mean when they speak of particular redemption.
Click HERE to read the entire sermon.
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Friday, October 24, 2008
Jim McClarty - Three Awesome Sermons
The Best News You Ever Heard!
What Did Jesus Accomplish on the Cross?
He is Sovereign!
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Thursday, October 23, 2008
Milton Vincent Quote
“The deeper I go into the gospel, the more I comprehend and confess aloud the depth of my sinfulness. A gruesome death like the one that Christ endured for me would only be required for one who is exceedingly sinful and unable to appease a holy God. Consequently, whenever I consider the necessity and manner of His death, along with the love and selflessness behind it, I am laid bare and utterly exposed for the sinner I am.
Such an awareness of my sinfulness does not drag me down, but actually serves to lift me up by magnifying my appreciation of God’s forgiving grace in my life. And the more I appreciate the magnitude of God’s forgiveness of my sins, the more I love Him and delight to show Him love through heart-felt expressions of worship.”
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Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Ware Quote
"In a culture saturated with the esteem of the 'self' and marred by the decline of Deity, we stand in need of beholding God for who He is. We need desperately to be humbled and amazed at the infinite splendor of His unrivaled greatness and the unspeakable wealth of His lavish goodness. We must marvel at His blinding glory and fall astonished at His benevolent grace. If we are to escape the cult of 'self' and find, instead, the true meaning of life and the path of true satisfaction, if we are to give God the glory rightly and exclusively owed to Him - that is, if we are to know what truly promotes both our good and His glory - we must behold God for who He is." - Bruce Ware
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Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Amazing Grace or Random Grace?
- By Tim Challies
It was quite a while ago that I received an email from a father, concerned about the task of sharing the gospel with his children. While I answered the email then, I also filed it away for further thought. Today I want to answer it in a little bit more detail. Here is what this reader wrote to me:
I have such a hard time grasping this notion of election as a father. God made the very emotions in me (love, care, would lie down in front of an 18-wheeler for my children....he gave me that). But nothing can assure me that i can have an influence in whether their "number was called"? I would appreciate any thoughts you have on this as I'm really struggling with it. Also struggle with why so much of Bible addresses us as decision making/choice making creature, appealing to us to recognize something and depart from sin and accept Christ. If God is simply "zapping" us with irresistible Grace, then it seems rigged and the begging / pleading to turn away sin and accept Christ is really not genuine? I just haven't been able to reconcile these two paradoxes of Truth that seem to exist between Calvinisms viewpoint and choice.
I certainly understand the heart behind this question. I, too, am a father and one who is deeply concerned about the eternal welfare of my children. I love them so deeply and desire nothing greater than that they would turn to Christ in repentance and faith. Like this reader, I am sometimes tempted to express frustration with the way God has chosen to save a people for himself. But through it all I know that his ways are good; his ways are the best.
I will break my answer into three parts.
First, I think we need to have much greater confidence in God's sovereignty than in the ability of our children to choose God without his foreordaining grace. This is why Calvinistic theology begins with "T" for Total Depravity. This doctrine tells us that without God's grace, none of us could ever turn to him. We are so radically depraved that we are unable, totally unable, to follow God or to even want to follow God. Thus if we properly understand human nature, we will thank God that he has not left us ultimately responsible to choose whether or not we would want to be saved. The Bible tells us clearly that we would never make such a choice; we could never make such a choice. So we need to take refuge in God's sovereignty and not make it an occasion of fear or dread. Our hearts are so wholly polluted by sin that God's election is the only way that anyone could be saved, ever.
Second, I think it is helpful to see predestination as something that is of far greater concern to God than to us. While we see from Scripture that God has predestined his elect to eternal life, I'm not sure that it is helpful for us to think too much about who is among the elect and who is not. God has not seen fit to reveal that information to us. Charles Spurgeon once said something along these lines: "if a stripe were painted down the backs of the elect, then I'd go around lifting up coat-tails." But there is no such mark; we cannot know infallibly who is among the elect. Human experience tells us that some people who seem to have everything going for them--great natural ability, an early interest in the Christian faith, a childhood spent in a Christian home--turn away from Christ while others come from the most unusual and rebellious circumstances and are drawn to him. Some people we could have sworn were Christians have fallen away while some who were utter rebels have had their hearts turned to God. We just cannot know who is counted among the elect.
When it comes to the task of preaching the gospel, we sometimes make a false distinction between the means and the end, assuming that since God has ordained the end we ought to take little interest in the means. When we hear of hypercalvinists, we hear of people who do just this. These people insist that, since God has already ordained who will be saved, we need to have little involvement with calling people to turn to him in repentance and faith. They say that we have no business extending the free call of the gospel to those who are unregenerate. But nothing could be further from the truth. While God has, indeed, ordained who will be saved, he has not told us who he will save. And so we are called us to take the gospel message far and wide, preaching it to all men and allowing God to work the gift of faith into those whom he has chosen for life. Our task in evangelism is not ultimately to win people to Christ but to faithfully preach the gospel message. If we have preached that message, we have done what God calls us to. We then leave the results to him.
Third, we need to be careful in how we understand God's work of election. The Bible does not describe this work as "zapping" or "random" or anything of the sort. We know that God has chosen a people for Himself but he has not told us why or how. Scripture does not say that certain people "had their number called" and others did not. Instead, we read that God chose some because he had special love for them. There is nothing random about it. It is difficult to illustrate this, but I think we could turn to adoption as an example, albeit an imperfect one. When a couple sets out to adopt a child, they have a large number of potential children available to them. But somewhere in the process of adoption they set their heart on a particular child. It is not that they have chosen this child randomly and (hopefully!) they have not chosen this child for what he or she can do for them. Instead they have chosen to love this child, setting their affections upon him. I do not think many adoptive parents look at their selection of a child as random or arbitrary. Furthermore, their selection of a particular child is not unfair to the other children. One child was graciously selected for the special blessing of adoption while many others were not. Giving a gift to one person does not make it unfair to withhold a gift from another.
Too often, I think, we approach this subject from the point-of-view that every person deserves a chance to go to heaven. We see our sweet children and are unable to believe that they justly deserve an eternity of separation from God. And so we deem it unfair that they may not be among the elect and hence can never turn to Christ. But Scripture tells us that all men, even children, have turned away from Christ. All men have committed an act of cosmic treason and deserve to be punished for it. God chooses to extend grace to some, but not all. But the very fact that it is grace tells us that it is not deserved; it is a free gift.
I conclude by pointing again to the goodness (Psalm 107:1, James 1:17, Psalm 84:11) and sovereignty (1 Samuel 2:6-7, Psalm 135:5-6, Proverbs 16:9) of God. God is good and does only what is good. This is as true in election as in any other area. When the Lord calls us home and when we stand before him, we know that none of us will question God's wisdom; none of us will deem him unfair or unkind. We will rejoice in his goodness and will rejoice in his sovereign choice.
End of post.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
In Memory of Elder D.J. Ward by Jim McClarty
I've always liked this picture of Megan and Elder. Not only can you see their genuine kindness and affection toward each other, but Spurgeon's looking over their shoulder. This picture was taken in Elder Ward's study during the 2006 Sovereign Grace Conference. This is how I will remember him -- full of life and warmth.
My dear friend, beloved brother, trusted confidant -- the man who most taught me what it means to be a pastor -- went to his reward on Friday, April 25, 2008. He succumbed to lung cancer after fighting valiantly and went out doing what he loved to do -- preaching.
As many of you know, Elder Ward and David Morris officiated my ordination in May of 2000. Elder was a pastor's pastor, which is why so many of us called by the affectionate and respectful name "Elder." Those who were closest to him just called him "Pop."
Elder Ward was a bold preacher who was committed to extolling the virtues of grace. He had a profound influence on everyone who knew him. He was loved dearly because he loved fiercely. This picture was taken at the Chattanooga conference in March, where Elder preached for three days, teaching a room full of pastors and elders. On Friday we all gathered, prayed over him, laid hands on him, and wept collectively. Afterward, I said to Marlon, "I hope someday to be loved that way." Without missing a beat, Marlon replied, "He has always loved that way." Lesson learned.
His influence was far-reaching and he will be sorely missed. This August will be the 25th anniversary of the Sovereign Grace Bible Conference. This will be the first conference without him. But, every man who stands in that pulpit knows that he is standing in the shadow of a giant.
I look forward to the next time I can look into his eyes, hug his neck, kiss his cheek, and thank him for his many years of leadership and friendship. In the meantime, I will continue doing the one thing he always adjured me to do -- "Preach the word."
I have just returned from Elder D. J. Ward's Memorial and Home-Going Services. The world seems a little emptier now.
Anyone who knows me knows that I counted Elder Ward as my friend, confidante, and pastor. I'll miss being able to pick up the phone and add new "Wardianisms" to my lexicon. He was a rare gift.
It was almost-exactly 8 years ago that Elder Ward and David Morris placed their hands on my head and officiated my ordination (May 5, 2000). I feel honored and grateful to have had a man like Elder in my life. His influence is far-reaching and undeniable. He is the man who, more than any other, taught me how to be a pastor.
Still, God is on His throne, doing whatever seems good to Him. Christ is still building His church and the gates of Hell have yet to prevail against it.
We probably will not see the likes of Elder Ward again on this planet, but "on that great gettin' up morning" we'll gather with him and all the saints around God's throne, praising our Lord for the wisdom and grace that led us, protected us, and blessed us with men like our dear Elder.
The services were beautiful, respectful, dignified, humorous, glorious, and heart-breaking. In other words, they were a perfect reflection of the man we had gathered to honor and remember. And his wife, Sister Brenda Ward, displayed remarkable grace, dignity, and kindness to us all. She is a shining example of what it is to be a God-fearing, Christian woman and servant of the gospel of God's grace.
But, now Elder's gone ... at least for a while. As Elder Spotts said, "We lost our safety net." I guess we will have to learn to rely on one another. But, I sure did love that man.
Good-bye, my beloved friend. I'll see you soon.
To God be the glory.
- Jim McClarty
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Why Men Don't Preach Sovereign Grace
What makes mistaken men afraid
Of sovereign grace to preach!
The reason is, if truth be said,
Because they are so rich.
Why so offensive in their eyes
Does God's election seem?
Because they think themselves so wise
That they have chosen him.
Of perseverance why so loath
Are some to speak or hear?
Because, as masters over sloth,
They vow to persevere.
Whence is imputed righteousness
A point so little known?
Because men think they all possess
Some righteousness their own.
Not so the needy, helpless soul,
Prefers his humble prayer;
He looks to him that works the whole,
And seeks his treasure there.
His language is, Let me, my God,
On sovereign grace rely;
And own 'tis free, because bestowed
On one so vile as I.
Election! tis a word divine;
For, Lord, I plainly see,
Had not thy choice preceded mine,
I ne'er had chosen thee.
For perseverance strength I've none,
But would on this depend...
That Jesus, having loved his own,
Will love them to the end.
Empty and bare, I come to thee
For righteousness divine :
0 may thy matchless merits be,
By imputation, mine.
Thus differ these; yet hoping each
To make salvation Sure.
Now most men will approve the rich,
But Christ has blessed the poor:
Joseph Hart 1712-1768
"Because thou sayest, I am rich." Rev 3:17
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Baptism Of Andrew Doss
Baptism of Andrew Doss by Pastor Jim McClarty at Sovereign Grace Baptist Church in Nashville.
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Saturday, October 18, 2008
Paul Washer - The True Gospel
This is a sermon every professing believer must hear. I encourage you to take the time and listen to it today.
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Friday, October 17, 2008
C. H. Spurgeon Quote
"I feel persuaded that false doctrine, inasmuch as it touches God's sovereignty, is always an object of divine jealousy. Let me indicate especially the doctrines of free-will. I know there are some good men who hold and preach them, but I am persuaded that the Lord must be grieved with their doctrine though he forgives them their sin of ignorance. Free-will doctrine—what does it? It magnifies man into God; it declares God's purposes a nullity, since they cannot be carried out unless men are willing. It makes God's will a waiting servant to the will of man, and the whole covenant of grace dependent upon human action. Denying election on the ground of injustice it holds God to be a debtor to sinners, so that if he gives grace to one he is bound to do so to all. It teaches that the blood of Christ was shed equally for all men and since some are lost, this doctrine ascribes the difference to man's own will, thus making the atonement itself a powerless thing until the will of man gives it efficacy. Those sentiments dilute the scriptural description of man's depravity, and by imputing strength to fallen humanity, rob the Spirit of the glory of his effectual grace: this theory says in effect that it is of him that willeth, and of him that runneth, and not of God that showeth mercy. Any doctrine, my brethren, which stands in opposition to this truth—"I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy," provokes God's jealousy. I often tremble in this pulpit lest I should utter anything which should oppose the sovereignty of my God; and though you know I am not ashamed to preach the responsibility of man to God—if God be a sovereign, man must be bound to obey him—on the other hand, I am equally bold to preach that God has a right to do what he wills with his own, that he giveth no account of his matters and none may stay his hand, or say unto him, "What doest thou?" I believe that the free-will heresy assails the sovereignty of God, and mars the glory of his dominion. In all faithfulness, mingled with sorrow, I persuade you who have been deluded by it, to see well to your ways and receive the truth which sets God on high, and lays the creature in the dust." — C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)
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John MacArthur - Horrifying Error
"A great sickness has developed in contemporary evangelical Christianity that is built around self. The emphasis on self image, self esteem, and self worth is nothing more than humanistic worldliness. Selfism has twisted evangelicalism from a God-centered to a man-centered perspective. Salvation is now seen from the viewpoint of what can it do for us? That is a horrifying error." — John MacArthur
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John Owen
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The Apostles Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy *catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
Amen.
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Thursday, October 16, 2008
Spurgeon Quote
"Jesus is the Truth. We believe in Him, — not merely in His words. He Himself is Doctor and Doctrine, Revealer and Revelation, the Illuminator and the Light of Men. He is exalted in every word of truth, because He is its sum and substance. He sits above the gospel, like a prince on His own throne. Doctrine is most precious when we see it distilling from His lips and embodied in His person. Sermons [and songs] are valuable in proportion as they speak of Him and point to Him. A Christ-less gospel is no gospel and a Christ-less discourse is the cause of merriment to devils."
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Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
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Monday, October 13, 2008
Truly Reformed
I believe in the sovereignty of God, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Solas of the Reformation, I believe that grace precedes faith in regeneration. Theologically, I am Reformed. Sociologically, I am simply a Christian – or at least I want to be. The tricky thing about our hearts is that they can turn even a good thing into an engine of oppression. It happens when our theological distinctives make us aloof from other Christians. That’s when, functionally, we relocate ourselves outside the gospel and inside Galatianism.
The Judaizers in Galatia did not see their distinctive – the rite of circumcision – as problematic. They could claim biblical authority for it in Genesis 17 and the Abrahamic covenant. But their distinctive functioned as an addition to the all-sufficiency of Jesus himself. Today the flash point is not circumcision. It can be Reformed theology. But no matter how well argued our position is biblically, if it functions in our hearts as an addition to Jesus, it ends up as a form of legalistic divisiveness.
Paul answered the theological aspects of the Galatian error with solid theology. But the “whiff test” that something was wrong in those Galatian churches was more subtle than theology alone. The problem was also sociological. “They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them” (Galatians 4:17). In other words, “The legalists want to ‘disciple’ you. But really, they’re manipulating you. By emphasizing their distinctive, they want you to feel excluded so that you will conform to them.” It’s like chapter two of Tom Sawyer. Remember how Tom got the other boys to whitewash the fence for him? Mark Twain explained: “In order to make a man or boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain.” Paul saw it happening in Galatia. But the gospel makes full inclusion in the church easy to attain. It re-sets everyone’s status in terms of God’s grace alone. God’s grace in Christ crucified, and nothing more. He alone makes us kosher. He himself.
The Judaizers would probably have answered at this point, “We love Jesus too. But how can you be a first-rate believer, really set apart to God, without circumcision, so plainly commanded right here in the Bible? This isn’t an add-on. It’s the full-meal deal. God says so.”
Their misuse of the Bible showed up in social dysfunction. “It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised. . . . They desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh” (Galatians 6:12-13). In other words, “When Christians, whatever the label or badge or shibboleth, start pressuring you to come into line with their distinctive, you know something’s wrong. They want to enhance their own significance by your conformity to them: ‘See? We’re better. We’re superior. People are moving our way. They are becoming like us. We’re the buzz.’” What is this, but deep emotional emptiness medicating itself by relational manipulation? This is not about Christ. This is about Self. Even Peter fell into this hypocrisy (Galatians 2:11-14). But no matter who is involved, this is not the ministry of the gospel. Even if a biblical argument can be made for a certain position, and we all want to be biblical, the proof of what’s really happening is not in the theological argumentation but in the sociological integration.
Paul had thought it through. He made a decision that the bedrock of his emotional okayness would forever lie here: “Far be it from me to boast [establish my personal significance] except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation” (Galatians 6:14-15). In other words, “Here is all I need for my deepest sense of myself: Jesus Christ crucified. His cross has deconstructed me and remade me, and I am happy. Everything else is at best secondary, possibly irrelevant, even counterproductive. Let Jesus alone stand forth in my theology, in my emotional well-being and in my relationships with other Christians!” This settledness in Paul’s heart made him a life-giving man for other people. He was a free man, setting others free (Galatians 5:1). This is the acid test of a truly Reformed ministry – that other believers need not be Reformed in order to be respected and included in our hearts.
Whatever divides us emotionally from other Bible-believing, Christ-honoring Christians is a “plus” we’re adding to the gospel. It is the Galatian impulse of self-exaltation. It can even become a club with which we bash other Christians, at least in our thoughts, to punish, to exclude and to force into line with us.
What unifies the church is the gospel. What defines the gospel is the Bible. What interprets the Bible correctly is a hermeneutic centered on Jesus Christ crucified, the all-sufficient Savior of sinners, who gives himself away on terms of radical grace to all alike. What proves that that gospel hermeneutic has captured our hearts is that we are not looking down on other believers but lifting them up, not seeing ourselves as better but grateful for their contribution to the cause, not standing aloof but embracing them freely, not wishing they would become like us but serving them in love (Galatians 5:13).
My Reformed friend, can you move among other Christian groups and really enjoy them? Do you admire them? Even if you disagree with them in some ways, do you learn from them? What is the emotional tilt of your heart – toward them or away from them? If your Reformed theology has morphed functionally into Galatian sociology, the remedy is not to abandon your Reformed theology. The remedy is to take your Reformed theology to a deeper level. Let it reduce you to Jesus only. Let it humble you. Let this gracious doctrine make you a fun person to be around. The proof that we are Reformed will be all the wonderful Christians we discover around us who are not Reformed. Amazing people. Heroic people. Blood-bought people. People with whom we are eternally one – in Christ alone.
- Ray Ortlund
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Repentance
In our culture today, repenting is something that is shrugged off, and even put away. In other years it was a principle used to batter people. And there shall always be extremes to the truth of God's Word; the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, and His Apostles.
Here's a short & sweet teaching from Charles Haddon Spurgeon, which hits the nail on the head, and drives it down deep into the soul, (if you will grasp it), so that it is anchored firmly in your heart of hearts:
"We are ...to preach the motives of repentance--that men may not repent from mere fear of hell, but they must repent of sin itself. Every thief is sorry when he has to go to prison; every murderer is sorry when the noose is about his neck; the sinner must repent, not because of punishment of sin, but because his sin is sin against a pardoning God, sin against a bleeding Savior, sin against a holy law, sin against a tender gospel. The true penitent repents of sin against God, and he would do so even if there were no punishment.
We are to tell of the source of repentance, namely, that the Lord Jesus Christ is exalted on high to give repentance and remission of sins. Repentance is a plant that never grows on nature's dunghill: the nature must be changed, and repentance must be implanted by the Holy Spirit, or it will never flourish in our hearts. We preach repentance as a fruit of the Spirit, or else we greatly err."
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Saturday, October 11, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Paul Washer - Most People On Sundays Worship A God They Made In Their Own Image
Pragmatism Over Biblical Truth
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Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Voddie Baucham - Is Christianity A Religion?
There is a common mantra that has been around for a while, but which seems to be picking up steam. It goes like this: “Christianity is not a religion; it’s a relationship.” We’ve all heard it before. However, how many of us have bothered to evaluate this ubiquitous saying? I believe we must do just that. We must evaluate this mantra, and the syllogism by which it is frequently accompanied:
Religion is man’s attempt to reach God
Christianity is God’s attempt to reach man
Therefore, Christianity is not a religion.
I believe this syllogism is not only invalid, but patently false. If for no other reason, this syllogism must be rejected on the grounds that it contains at least one false premise. Religion is much more than man’s attempt to reach God. And Christianity is indeed a religion. Moreover, I believe it is dangerous –even foolish— to argue otherwise. The argument that Christianity is not a religion has many inherent problems. Most importantly, this line of reasoning is at odds with the English language, the history of the church, and good old common sense.
At Odds With the English Language
The first problem with the argument that Christianity is not a religion is the fact that it is a linguistic/grammatical fallacy. This in turn exposes an unavoidable logical fallacy in what is ultimately a question-begging argument. In order for the statement –Christianity is not a religion— to be true, one has to assume a certain definition of the word religion that does not exist (i.e., “religion is man’s attempt to reach God”). The Encarta World English Dictionary defines religion as:
1. People’s beliefs and opinions concerning the existence, nature, and worship of a deity or deities, and divine involvement in the universe and human life
2. A particular institutionalized or personal system of beliefs and practices relating to the divine
3. A set of strongly-held beliefs, values, and attitudes that somebody lives by
4. An object, practice, cause, or activity that somebody is completely devoted to or obsessed by
How do we get from here to “Man’s attempt to reach God” as a definition of religion? Even Encarta knows better. In fact, the distance between the true definition and this contemporary mantra is even more evident when one examines earlier sources. For instance, the definition of religion in Webster’s 1828 Dictionary of the English Language is far more disparate with the contemporary assertion. Webster offers a definition we would be hard-pressed to improve upon.
1. Religion, in its most comprehensive sense, includes a belief in the being and perfections of God, in the revelation of his will to man, in man's obligation to obey his commands, in a state of reward and punishment, and in man's accountableness to God; and also true godliness or piety of life, with the practice of all moral duties. It therefore comprehends theology, as a system of doctrines or principles, as well as practical piety; for the practice of moral duties without a belief in a divine lawgiver, and without reference to his will or commands, is not religion.
2. Religion, as distinct from theology, is godliness or real piety in practice, consisting in the performance of all known duties to God and our fellow men, in obedience to divine command, or from love to God and his law. James 1.
3. Religion, as distinct from virtue, or morality, consists in the performance of the duties we owe directly to God, from a principle of obedience to his will. Hence we often speak of religion and virtue, as different branches of one system, or the duties of the first and second tables of the law.
Note that Webster’s second definition has a reference attached. That reference (James chapter 1) says as much about the nature of early America as it does about early American English. Far from being presented as something at odds with biblical Christianity, the James 1 reference alludes to the fact that religion is the means by which true followers of Christ accomplish things like bridling the tongue, ministering to orphans, and escaping defilement by the world. James writes:
“If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, and the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (James 1:26-27 ESV)
In case you were wondering whether or not the word ‘religion’ is an appropriate rendering of the Greek text, the ESV is not alone in translating qrhskei√a as ‘religion’ in James 1 (see also Acts 26:5; Col 2:18). NASB, KJV, HCSV, NJB, ASV, NLT, NET, NIV, Darby, Young, the Geneva Bible, etc., all translate the word the same. Thus, while the Bible does make a distinction between true and false religion, it does not teach that religion is something antithetical to biblical Christianity. Nor does the word mean, ‘Man’s attempt to reach God.’
At Odds With the History of the Church
Not only is the contemporary attitude toward religion at odds with the English language, it also stands at odds with the history of Christianity. Throughout the history of the church, Christianity has not only been viewed as a religion; it has been considered the only true religion. One cannot read Christian literature from any period prior to our own without encountering the routine use of the word religion in reference to the Christian faith. Whether it is Jonathan Edward’s Religious Affections, or Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion, or Whitefield’s sermon, The Great Duty of Family Religion, the consensus in historic Christian literature is evident.
The Augsburg Confession (1530) lists as one of its main purposes, “that… one pure and true religion may be embraced and maintained by us.” Article 30 of the Belgic Confession (1561) stresses the importance of deacons and elders in order “that by these means true religion may be preserved.” The Westminster Confession (1646) in its statement on the New Testament states that, “in all controversies of religion, the Church is finally to appeal unto [the Scriptures].” The framers of the London Baptist Confession (1689) echoed this sentiment when they identified one of their goals in writing their confession of faith as, “to manifest our consent… in all the fundamental articles of the Christian Religion.” Surely those who argue that Christianity is not a religion are not willing to follow their line of reasoning through to its logical conclusion and condemn the aforementioned brothers.
Not only has the church always understood Christianity to be a religion, the culture at large has agreed. Albert Einstein said, “Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind.” The First Amendment of the United States Constitution assures us the freedom of religion. Article XXXVIII of the Constitution of South Carolina (1778) boldly and clearly stated, “The Christian Protestant religion shall be deemed, and is hereby constituted and declared to be, the established religion of this State.” History is definitely not on the side of those wishing to shed ‘religion’ in favor of relationship.
At Odds With Common Sense
In addition to being at odds with the English language, and the history of the Church, those who argue against referring to Christianity as a religion are at odds with common sense. For instance, what would these Christians say if modern academia took their mantra to heart and removed Christianity from World Religion texts? What if departments of religion around the country suddenly got rid of all their Christian professors in an acknowledgement of the fact that Christianity was no longer a religion? What if the United States Armed Forces removed all Christian chaplains, and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution was no longer applied to Christianity? Would those who refer to Christianity as a relationship and not a religion be pleased with any or all of these developments? I should think not.
Christianity is definitely a religion. Furthermore, it is the one true religion. It is the religion of religions. I have absolutely no apprehension about the term. I do however, have tremendous apprehension about the tendency to adopt unbiblical language in an effort to ‘relate’ to the culture. I challenge anyone to find the idea of a “personal relationship with Christ” in the New Testament. Certainly we are related to Christ by way of our new birth and adoption (Rom 8:15, 23; 9:4; Gal 4:5; Eph 1:5). However, this is a far cry from the often egocentric, narcissistic use of the phrase, ‘personal relationship’ with Christ.
Of course, there is also the danger of becoming irreligious. I have always found it ironic that people recoil from the idea of religion, but continue to tell new believers to be baptized, go to church, take the Lord’s Supper, read their Bibles regularly, witness, and do a whole host of other “religious” activities. However, lately there has been a movement away from such religious activities. If Christianity is all about my ‘personal relationship’ with Jesus, then why do I need to go to church? Why do I need to read my Bible? I can just wait ‘till my buddy, Jesus “tells me” what to do next. Who needs all that ‘religious’ stuff?
I understand what people are trying to say when they eschew the term religion. The goal is to assure skeptics that we are not offering dead ritual and empty tradition. The goal is to paint a picture of a vibrant life with our Lord, Jesus Christ. I get that. However, I do not believe that it is wise, or necessary to commit logical fallacies, and make trite, nonsensical arguments in order to do so. Arguing that Christianity is not a religion is like arguing that America is not a country. I believe honest, thinking people laugh when they hear some Christian trying to be hip and relevant by saying something as asinine and illogical as, “I’m not talking about religion... I’m talking about a relationship.” Enough already with the play on words. It’s not our job to make Christianity cool. We just need to make it clear. Unfortunately, since this “Christianity is not a religion” business is out of step with the English language, the history of the Church, and common sense, it compromises the clarity and the integrity of our message. I praise God for the fact that we have a religion and a relationship.
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Monday, October 06, 2008
While Christians Are Being Tortured And Killed For Jesus Christ...
I watched two videos today. First, I watched Mark's video posted below...
...then a friend of mine sent me THIS VIDEO from my former church.
Question:
What Is Wrong With Today's Evangelical "Church" In America?
Post your comments.
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Sunday, October 05, 2008
The Art of Dying Well
I believe in the dignity of humanity—even in death. Made from the dust of the earth in the image and likeness of God, humans were the crowning work of their Creator. Yet we are a fallen creation. The image has been profoundly disfigured. This means that along with our dignity there is depravity. Dignity and depravity: it shouldn’t be too hard to make this dual confession. Side by side in human history, we find great acts of kindness and heroism and horrific acts of hatred, violence and destruction. Clearly, we have fallen from our dignity by rejecting the rule of our Creator.
Our dignity has been deeply marred. Because of this simple yet tragic fact, “From dust we have come and to dust we shall return” (Genesis 3:19). Yes, “Death is the destiny of every person and the living should take this to heart” (Ecclesiastes 7:2). It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, influential or unknown, educated or uneducated, religious or heathen—each one of us will draw our last breath and die.
Over the past thirty years, Western culture has become more significantly insulated from death. We’ve moved aging and dying out of our homes into hospitals and convalescent homes. Suffering and death is something we visit rather than an ongoing part of our lives. In previous generation, aging parents were brought to the homes of their adult children to finish their days on earth. This came with hardships, discomforts and sacrifices but it also offered an important education in what earlier generations called, “The art of dying well.”
Before going on about dying well, let me acknowledge several truths about death and life.
1. Death is an enemy and a thief –not a welcomed friend.
2. Death reminds us of our sin and the curse
3. Death separates us from our loved ones
4. Death is an occasion for grief and sorrow.
5. Life is precious as made in the image and likeness of God.
6. Life must be valued and promoted.
7. Life must be protected when possible.
Life in our temporal physical bodies is not ultimate and should not be elevated above matters of eternal consequence. Jesus said, “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him” (Luke 12:4-5).
“Believers are not to cling to the trappings of this life till the very end. Rather we should slowly lose our grip on this world as our affections are gradually transferred to the next. This must start early in our Christian lives. It is imperative that, as maturing Christians, we begin early the process of dying. We must no longer fear death; we must see it as a defeated enemy. We must begin to relinquish the material values of this life and to focus increasingly on the life of eternity that God has prepared for us. It is with these perspectives that we will be prepared to face the latter days of our lives.”
“He who fears death or is not willing to die,” wrote Luther, “is not sufficiently Christian. As yet such people lack faith in the resurrection, and love this life more than the life to come” (quoted in A Commentary to the Epistle to the Hebrews by P. E. Hughes, [Grand Rapids, 1977: Eerdmans] 114).
Think of how Jesus faced death with majestic calmness and selfless focus. He hung on that brutal instrument of torture while his followers ran for fear of their lives. The soldiers mocked him and divided his garments. The religious leaders could only express their outrage over the sign on Jesus’ cross. The crowd ridiculed Jesus and shook their heads in disgust. While this was happening, what did Jesus do? He committed no sin and never uttered a deceitful word. Though repeatedly insulted, he did not retaliate. Though he suffered so greatly, he uttered no threats. Instead, He “kept entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (I Peter 2:23). In the garden of Gethsemane, after loud crying and tears to the one who was able to save him from death (Hebrews 5:7), he embraced that Father’s will to be our sin offering. As he hung on the cross dying, Jesus was prayed for his abusers (Father Forgive them), tended to his mother, ministered to a criminal and accomplished our salvation.
When the appointed time had come for him to die, no man took his life from him he laid it down by himself (John 10:18). Jesus called out with a loud voice: “Father into your hands I commit my spirit”. Then he breathed his last breath and died. What dignity!
But the story didn’t end with death because, “God raised him up putting an end to the agony of death since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power” (Acts 2:24). Because Jesus broke the power of death, those who trust him as their Savior should have a radically different view of death. This is where the Scripture offers unparalleled perspective, comfort and hope. If you have come to Jesus and trusted him as Savior, he wants you to be clear that “whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37).
Those who come to Christ have been given to him by God the Father and Jesus said, “I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:39-40). Jesus was unequivocally clear when he said, “…because I live, you will live also” (John 14:19).
Those who belong to Jesus should adopt the perspective described in Romans 14:8, “If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” The reason we have this understanding of living and dying is that, “He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep (i.e. alive or dead), we may live together with him” (I Thessalonians 5:10). Yes, “…the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). If you trust in Jesus as your personal Savior, remember his words, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades (Revelation 1:17-18).
Jesus gave his followers encouraging orders: “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3). Consider some of the features of the place awaiting us: “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).
These words of hope should cause us to join the apostle, confessing that, “…we prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord (II Corinthians 5:8). Even while we desire to serve Christ in this life, we live with tension because at a deeper level, we “desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better (Philippians 1:23). Although death itself is not desired, the destiny awaiting those who belong to Jesus should be strongly desired. This is why the apostle can write, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). We cannot live or die well unless we take ownership of these words. This must become our life purpose statement: “to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
Steve Cornell
End of post.
True Worship: How Does God Want Me To Worship Him?
The narrative of John 4:3-26:
Jesus “… left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?”13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” 16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” 17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” 19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” 25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” 26 Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.”
The account of Jesus and the Samaritan woman offers some of the most specific information about Worship in all of scripture. Here we have direct statements from the Lord Jesus Christ concerning true worship of God.
Setting the stage for vv. 21-24:
Jesus is traveling from Judea in the south to Galilee in the north. The most direct route is through Samaria. But the most popular one for the Jews is to cross over the Jordan River, avoiding Samaria, by traveling east of the Jordan. The reason for taking the longer route is stated in verse 9: “Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.” The tensions between Jews and Samaritans extend back to Old Testament times when a group of Jewish people intermarried with foreigners and later became known as Samaritans.
History of Samaritans
The name given to the new and mixed inhabitants whom Esarhaddon (B.C. 677), the king of Assyria, brought from Babylon and other places and settled in the cities of Samaria, instead of the original inhabitants whom Sargon (B.C. 721) had removed into captivity (2 Kings 17:24; comp. Ezra 4:2, 9, 10). These strangers (comp. Luke 17:18) amalgamated with the Jews still remaining in the land, and gradually abandoned their old idolatry and adopted partly the Jewish religion. After the return from the Captivity, the Jews in Jerusalem refused to allow them to take part with them in rebuilding the temple, and hence sprang up an open enmity between them. They erected a rival temple on Mount Gerizim, which was, however, destroyed by a Jewish king (B.C. 130). They then built another at Shechem. The bitter enmity between the Jews and Samaritans continued in the time of our Lord: the Jews had “no dealings with the Samaritans” (John 4:9; comp. Luke 9:52, 53). In contempt, our Lord was called “a Samaritan” (John 8:48). Many of the Samaritans early embraced the gospel (John 4:5-42; Acts 8:25; 9:31; 15:3). Of these Samaritans, there still remains a small population of about one hundred and sixty, who all reside in Shechem, where they carefully observe the religious customs of their fathers. They are the smallest and oldest sect in the World.” (Easton’s Bible Dictionary)
This brief history helps explain why the woman at the well was surprised that Jesus, being a Jew, would even talk with her. The Jews looked on the Samaritans as being unclean. Yet we should remember that there is no partiality with God. Jesus’ decision to go through Samaria was not one of geographical convenience. It was a matter of Divine Appointment for a woman whose heart had been prepared by God for salvation.
The narrative is direct. It is the noon hour (v. 6) and Jesus is tired and weary from his long journey. He stopped at a well and a woman came to draw water from it. Jesus said, “Give me a drink.”
She expresses shock that He would even talk with her. Jesus then redirects the conversation. He said, “If you knew who I am, you would ask for living water. In v. 11, she responds pragmatically asking, “Just how do you expect to get this living water since you have nothing to draw with?”
In vv. 13-14, Jesus in essence says: “You don’t get the point!” “Drink this water and you thirst again. Drink the water I give you and you’ll never thirst again.” At this point (v.15) she seems to almost humor Jesus. But he knows she is not ready so he turns the conversation again (see: vv. 16-18). In these verses, Jesus exposes the obstacle to being a true worshipper of God. What is it? Sin. This woman must face the reality of the sin in her life. But instead (vv. 19-20) she decides to change the subject and this is typical. She starts with a compliment and then moves to a controversial religious issue. People consistently use these distractions to avoid dealing directly with their sin. Her religious diversion was over the right place to worship God. Was it Mount Gerizim, the central place of Samaritan worship or Jerusalem, the central place of Jewish worship? Her point was similar to those who say, “There are so many different religions, how can I know what is right?” But Jesus offers a very direct answer (v. 21). And Jesus’ answer introduces the subject of worship.
Jesus addresses three truths related to worship:
1. The WHERE of worship (v. 21).
2. The WHAT of worship (v. 22).
3. The HOW of worship (vv. 23-24).
1. The where of worship:
Worship among the Jews and the Samaritans focused on right places, times and seasons. The right rituals, sacrifices, temples, Sabbaths, feast days, altars, and priesthood were paramount. Of course, these things had a proper role related to worship, but an improper emphasis was placed on externals over internal reality. It is the dangerous belief that if you’re in the right place, at the right time, performing the right rituals, repeating the right words, then all is well with your soul before God!
When God hates our worship:
There were many times in Israel’s history when God rejected their worship because they were going through the motions without the reality.
Consider God’s Word to Israel:
“I hate, I reject your festivals, nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; and I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:21-23).
Another Word from God:
“’What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?’ says the Lord. ‘I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed cattle. And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats. When you come to appear before Me, who requires of you this trampling of My courts? Bring your worthless offerings no longer, incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and Sabbath, the calling of assemblies- I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, they have become a burden to Me. I am weary to bearing them. So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you, yes, even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen.”” )Isaiah 1:11-15).
God hates ritual without reality. “God delights in loyalty more than sacrifices and the acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:4-6). “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit a broken and contrite heart O God, You will not despise” (Ps. 51:17).
Think about it:
“Worship is not energized by artificial methods. If you feel you must have formalized ritual, or certain kind of mood music to worship, what you do isn’t worship. Music and liturgy can assist or express a worshipping heart, but they cannot make a non-worshipping heart into a worshipping one. The danger is that they can give a non-worshipping heart the sense of having worshipped.”
“So the crucial factor in worship in the church is not the form of worship, but the state of the hearts of the saints. If our corporate worship isn’t the expression of our individual worshipping lives, it is unacceptable. If you think you can live anyway you want and then go to church on Sunday morning and turn on worship with the saints, you’re wrong” (John MacArthur Jr., The Ultimate Priority, pp. 103-104).
With the coming of Jesus, we enter God’s presence in a new and living way (Heb. 10:19-25). Our bodies are the very Temple of the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 6:19). The Church is not a building; it is a community of redeemed believers (I Cor. 3:16-17).
Think about it:
“The source of most of the problems people have in their Christian lives relates to two things: either they are not worshipping six days a week with their life, or they are not worshipping one day a week with the assembly of the saints. We need both! If you go to church only when it is convenient, you will never be victorious and productive as a Christian. You can’t succeed on your own; you need to have the spiritual stimulation of fellow believers. We live in such an easy-come, easy-go, casual, flippant society that people don’t make consistent, faithful commitments, and then they wonder why they fail. The answer is clear. Spiritual success requires commitment to others.” (Ibid, p. 105)
In corporate worship, emphasis must not be on the building, the rituals and the ceremonies, but on God’s glory and the importance of being among his redeemed people.
2. The what of worship:
Jesus briefly addressed the “what” of worship. (“You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.” v.22) The Scripture used by the Samaritans only contained the first five books of the Old Testament. They rejected the rest. As a result, their worship was based in ignorant. It was not worship “in truth.” Imagine the Old Testament without the Psalms and Proverbs, the prophets and their prophecies of the Christ to come. Their understanding of God and his plan was profoundly inadequate.
Think about it:
Because they rejected so much of God’s revelation, they worshipped in ignorance. Is there a similarity with the believer today picking and choosing only parts of the Bible? Could this lead to inadequate worship based in ignorance? Are the liberal scholars and their pastor students guilty of this when they reject certain words of Jesus or certain doctrines about God? Perhaps they worship but their worship is in ignorance and therefore dangerous.
Jesus concluded, “We worship that which we know, for salvation is from the Jews.” The Jewish people had the right knowledge. Yet, as far as their worship was concerned, many of the Jewish people had the truth of worship without the proper spirit of worship (especially the leaders). The Samaritans had a spirit of worship without the truth of worship. Both are deadly to true worship. This is important to recognize as Jesus moves the discussion to the “How” of worship.
3. The how of worship
In verse 24, Jesus addresses the how of worship (“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth”). Notice that Jesus did not say, “It would be a good idea for you to worship this way.” Nor did he say, “It would be better if you worshipped this way.” Jesus said, “you must…” If you desire to be a true worshipper, the kind that the Father seeks, you must worship him in spirit and truth!
True worshippers worship the Father in spirit and truth.
“In our free and easy democratic ways we often feel that worship in an individual matter. Each of us may worship when and how he or she chooses. It is all up to the individual. But Jesus is denying this. He is saying that our worship must accord with the kind of being God is” (Leon Morris, Reflections on the Gospel of John, Vol. I, p. 145).
What does verse 24 say about God? “God is spirit,” therefore, you must worship him in spirit.
Scripture teaches that we come: -to God the Father –through God the son –by God the Holy Spirit. God being spirit cannot be reduced to an image, an abstract truth or confined to a mountain or a building.
God is a living, personal, perfect, invisible spirit. But the central thing Jesus wanted to emphasize is that place is not the issue. Rather “those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth.”
Questions to ponder:
Do you worship God in Spirit and in truth? What does it mean to worship this way?
Worship in spirit:
Is this a reference to the Holy Spirit or the devotion of the human spirit in worship? If the human spirit, it would seem to emphasize the internal aspect of worship. This is what the apostle Paul referred to when he wrote, “God whom I serve with my spirit” (Rom. 1:9). Other scriptures address the role of the Holy Spirit in worship (see: Rom. 8:26;Phil. 3:3). Since Jesus emphasized a contrast between place of worship and the heart of worship which is spirit and truth worship.
The words for worship in the Bible are defined in terms related to attitudes and actions:
Attitude worship includes: awe, reverence, and fear
Action worship includes: bowing down, serving, giving glory and praising God.
Worship is responding to God in a giving way (Matt.5:2-23). One writer defined worship as:
“The total adoring response of man to the one eternal God self-revealed in time.” (Evelyn Underhill).
When Jesus spoke of worship in spirit and truth, was he emphasizing worship with our total being? The Psalmist wrote, “Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name” (Ps. 103:1). Inner worship is expressed in the words: “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God…” (Ps. 42:2).
Worship in spirit is not some activity that we plan as part of our day or week. It is the proper internal response to all that we know God to be, to do, or to say. It involves the right spirit or attitude toward God.
Thoughts from others:
“Worship is personal and passionate, not formal and cold.” (Warren Wiersbe, Real Worship).
“When thou prayest, rather let thy heart be without words, than thy words without heart” (John Bunyan).
“Christ can never be known without a sense of fear and awe companying the knowledge. He is the fairest among ten thousand, but He is also the Lord high and mighty. He is the friend of sinners, but He is also the terror of devils. He is meek and lowly in heart, but He is also Lord and Christ who will surely come to be the judge of all men. No one who knows Him intimately can ever be flippant in His presence” (Moody Magazine).
The Father seeks worshippers:
God is seeking worshipers who will have the proper internal response to Him. Worshipers must approach Him with the right attitude. God reveals this very pointedly in Is. 66:1-2:
“Thus says the Lord, ‘Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? For My hand made all these things, Thus all these things came into being, declares the Lord. ‘But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.’”
Worship in truth:
Truth must include honesty and sincerity:
We cannot approach God with a deceptive and dishonest heart. We must worship God with honesty and sincerity.
“Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has not sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation” (Psalm 24:3-5).
“We may truly said to worship God, though we lack perfection; but we cannot be said to worship Him if we lack sincerity” (Stephen Charnock, The existence and attributes of God, p. 225-226).
“To pretend a homage to God, and intend only the advantage of self is rather to mock Him than worship Him” (Ibid., p. 241).
Truth could also refer to Revelation from God:
This is worship consistent with what God has revealed in scripture about Himself. It is simply not possible to correctly worship God separate from biblical truth. Such effort would lead to erroneous worship.
Think about it:
“Word and worship belong indissolubly to each other. All worship is an intelligent and loving response to the revelation of God, because it is the adoration of his Name. Therefore acceptable worship is impossible without preaching. For preaching is making known the Name of the Lord, and worship is praising the Name of the Lord made known. Far from being alien intrusion into worship, the reading and preaching of the word are actually indispensable to it. The two cannot be divorced. Indeed, it is their unnatural divorce which accounts for the low level of so much contemporary worship. Our worship is poor because our knowledge of God is poor, and our knowledge of God is poor because our preaching is poor. But when the Word of God is expounded in its fullness, and the congregation begins to glimpse the glory of the living God, they bow down in solemn awe and joyful wonder before this throne. It is preaching which accomplishes this, the proclamation of the Word of God in the power of the Spirit of God. That is why preaching is unique and irreplaceable” (John Stott, Between Two Worlds).
What is taught from the pulpit should enhance your knowledge of who God is, what he has done, what he requires, and how He works. In this way, it will strengthen your worship of God. The worship of the Church depends on the centrality of ministry in the Word of God. Without the objective truth about God in Scripture, worship is inadequate at best.
Questions for application:
Is your worship personal and passionate or formal and cold?
Have you been going through the motions of worship without the internal reality?
Do you worship God with your innermost being?
Do you have the right attitude toward God? A humble and contrite heart that trembles at God’s Word?
Are you honest with God or is there an area you have closed out to Him?
Are you in God’s Word, learning, growing and being transformed?
Read it again:
Jesus said, “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.” (John 4:23)
Two things to help you worship in spirit and truth:
1. Never lose the wonder of it all
“The wonder of it all - to think that God loves me.”
“Beneath the Cross—“…from my smitten heart with tears two wonders I confess- the wonders of redeeming love and my unworthiness.”
“What is man that you are mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:4; cf. also, I Chron. 17:16-18, Psalm 139:1-18;I John 3:1).
“When wonder is dead, the soul becomes a dry bone” (Bishop William Quayle). (see: II Peter 1).
A prayer for worshippers:
“Remove the scales form his eyes, the callousness from his heart, the stubbornness from his will to enable him to enjoy the wonder of it all.” (Warren Wiersbe, Real Worship, p. 47)
2. Appreciate and reflect on the mystery of it all (Rom. 11:33, Eph. 3:19, Phil. 4:7).
Think about it:
“This is the paradox of Christian worship: we seek to see the invisible, know the unknowable, comprehend the incomprehensible, and experience the eternal. Like David, we thirst after God and we are both satisfied and dissatisfied. Like Moses, we cry out for His glory, all the while knowing that our mortal eyes could never behold God’s glory in its fullness. Like Peter, we wrestle with a tension within: we want to follow Him, and yet we cry out, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man!’” (Warren Wiersbe, Real Worship p. 45).
Steve Cornell
Delivered in 1990 at Millersville Bible Church
End of post.
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Friday, October 03, 2008
Catholicism vs. The Bible
The Catholic Catechism Says:
#824 “It is in the Church that ‘the fullness of the means of salvation’ has been deposited. It is in her that ‘by the grace of God we acquire holiness.’”
#982 “There is no offense, however serious, that the Church cannot forgive. ‘There is no one, however wicked and guilty, who may not confidently hope for forgiveness, provided his repentance is honest.’”
The Bible Says:
I John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Mark 2:7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
The Catholic Catechism Says:
#181 “Believing’ is an ecclesial act. The Church’s faith precedes, engenders, supports and nourishes our faith. The Church is the mother of all believers. ‘No one can have God as Father who does not have the Church as Mother.’”
The Bible Says:
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;…
Ephesians 1:6-7 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.
Romans 3:24 “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
The Catholic Catechism Says:
#169 “Salvation comes from God alone; but because we receive the life of faith through the Church, she is our mother:...”
The Bible Says:
I John 5:11-12 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
The Catholic Catechism Says:
#494 “...As St. Irenaeus says, ‘Being obedient she became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race.’”
#511 “The Virgin Mary ‘cooperated through free faith and obedience in human salvation’…”
The Bible Says:
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name [Jesus Christ] under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.
John 3:16 God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
The Catholic Catechism Says:
#968 “…‘In a wholly singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope, and burning charity in the Savior’s work of restoring supernatural life to souls. For this reason she is a mother to us in the order of grace.’”
#969 “…Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation...Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix.”
The Bible Says:
Colossians 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
Philippians 2:8-10 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
The Catholic Catechism Says:
#964 “…This union of the mother with the Son in the work of salvation is made manifest from the time of Christ’s virginal conception up to his death…Thus the Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross. There she stood, in keeping with the divine plan, enduring with her only begotten Son the intensity of his suffering, joining herself with his sacrifice in her mother’s heart…”
The Bible Says:
Hebrews 1:3 …when he [Jesus] had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Acts 16:31 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved...
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
To read the Catholic Catechism vs. The Bible in its entirety please visit What Every Catholic Should Know.
End of post.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Recommended Reading
Below is a short list of books(in no particular order) that we recommend here at Truth Matters. Please add your favorite books to this list by leaving us a comment. You can find most of these books at Monergism Books.
Transforming Grace - Jerry Bridges
Knowing God - J.I. Packer
Justification And Regeneration - Charles Leiter
The Pleasures Of God - John Piper
Desiring God - John Piper
The Race Set Before Us - Thomas Schreiner
Why A Suffering World Makes Sense - Chris Tiegreen
The Gospel According To Jesus - John MacArthur
The Cost Of Discipleship - Dietrich Bonheoffer
The Weight Of Glory - C.S. Lewis
Pilgrims Progress - John Bunyan
Valley Of Vision - Arthur Bennett
Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis
God Is The Gospel - John Piper
Putting Amazing Back Into Grace - Michael Horton
Given For You - Keith Mathison
When Grace Comes Home - Terry L. Johnson
End of post.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
How Can You Know If You Are One Of God's Elect?
If you are one 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 Lambs 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 question 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 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 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.
—R. C. Sproul, The Truth of the Cross (Reformation Trust, 2007), 151–153
End of post.
