The Altar Call – Is It Biblical?

Posted on June 25, 2011 by John Samson

We are so used to seeing the altar call in a Christian service that we are shocked to learn that it is a fairly recent invention in Church history. Modern church historians trace its origin to the ministry of Charles G. Finney. Though honored by many in our day as a champion of the faith, his beliefs and teachings could only place him in the “heretic” category. He vehemently denied the doctrines of original sin, justification by faith alone and the substitutionary atonement of Christ. If I found such a person, I would endeavor to share the gospel with him, in spite of his apparant love of high morals and for “Christianity.”

We would be shocked further to learn that Evangelists like George Whitefield and Charles Spurgeon, never used the modern day altar call, and yet were mightily used of God to see tens of thousands brought to Christ. The altar call, in historical terms, is a modern day fad.

In ministry overseas some years back, I was told by the pastor that my preaching was a complete failure because I did not end the sermon with an altar call. That experience weighed very heavily upon my soul for some time, as I am sure you can imagine. Continue reading →

An Evangelical Leader

Posted on June 24, 2011 by John Samson

Here’s an excerpt from Iain Murray’s recent biography of John MacArthur. In his Introduction Murray seeks to show what makes a man a leader among evangelicals. He offers a five-point answer:

In brief, an evangelical is a person who believes the ‘three rs’: ruin by the Fall, redemption through Jesus Christ, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit. It follows that an ‘evangelical leader’ is a person who stands out in the advancement and defence of those truths. The title does not necessarily imply success judged by numbers and immediate results. on that basis neither Paul nor Tyndale might qualify.

1. An evangelical leader is one who leads and guides the lives of others by the Scripture as the Word of God. he seeks to repudiate every other form of influence and pressure. His great concern is to teach Scripture accurately, and to see lives submitted to its authority.

2. An evangelical leader inspires the affection of followers because they learn Christ through him, and see something of Christ in him. They follow him because he follows Christ. And they love him because he loves them in Christ’s name. ‘The apostle Paul summarized the spirit of the true leader when he wrote, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”’ And what is to be imitated the Scriptures do not leave in doubt: ‘Almost every time Scripture holds up Christ as our example to follow, the stress is on his humility.’

3. An evangelical leader is a man prepared to be unpopular. From the days when Ahab said to Elijah, ‘Are you he that troubles Israel?’, faithfulness to Scripture will not bring the approval of the majority. Dr MacArthur says bluntly, ‘You cannot be faithful and popular, so take your pick.’ A quest for popularity is a very short-term thing. For an evangelical, ‘success isn’t measured in hours, or even centuries. Our focus is fixed on eternity.’ Success ‘is not prosperity, power, prominence, popularity, or any of the other worldly notions of success. Real success is doing the will of God regardless of the consequences.’

4. An evangelical leader is one who is awake to the dangers of the times. Not every Christian has the distinction that was once given to the tribe of Issachar, ‘The men of Issachar had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do’ (1 Chron. 12:32). There are periods in church history when the leaders have seriously mistaken the way in which the cause of Christ is to be carried forward. The signs of the times have been misread. A true evangelical leader is raised up to provide God-given direction.

5. An evangelical leader will not direct attention to himself. He personally owes everything to Jesus Christ. As a sinner he sees the need to live in a spirit of repentance all his days. He knows the contrast between what he is in himself and the message that he preaches: ‘We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us’ (2 Cor. 4:7). ‘God chooses whom he chooses in order that he might receive the glory. He chooses weak instruments so that no one will attribute the power to human instruments rather than to God, who wields those instruments.’

HT: TC

A Time to Laugh

Posted on June 24, 2011 by John Samson

Even in laughter the heart may ache…. Proverbs 14:13

The following was written by Diana Lovegrove at waitingforourblessedhope.blogspot.com – I am sure many can identify:

A friend recently shared on Facebook how Spurgeon thanked God for the gift of laughter:

“Rev. Theodore L. Cuyler, the celebrated Brooklyn divine, was visiting the famous London preacher, Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon. After a hard day of work and serious discussion, these two mighty men of God went out into the country together for a holiday. They roamed the fields in high spirits like boys let loose from school, chatting and laughing and free from care. Dr. Cuyler had just told a story at which Mr. Spurgeon laughed uproariously. Then suddenly he turned to Dr. Cuyler and exclaimed, ‘Theodore, let’s kneel down and thank God for laughter!’ And there, on the green carpet of grass, under the trees, two of the world’s greatest men knelt and thanked the dear Lord for the bright and joyous gift of laughter.”

I likewise thank my God for the bright and joyous gift of laughter. It has been my absolute joy to laugh along with my dear friends in recent days. It has been a pure tonic for my soul, and I trust it has for them too.

For we are living in strange times. I have come to the point where I hesitate before turning on the news, almost bracing myself as I wonder what I’m going to discover has happened in the world overnight. Uprisings in the Middle East, western nations on the verge of economic collapse, natural disasters affecting every part of the globe.

I live in a nation which has turned its back on the ways and statutes of the Lord God Almighty, where the idols of the land are sport and celebrity, and I have never felt more like an “alien and stranger in the world” (1 Pe 2:11).

I watch the church turning its back on the Holiness and Awesomeness of God Almighty in favour of embracing God All-matey and a burden grows in my heart that cannot be shifted. Finding like-minded pilgrims seems to be a much harder task these days, and a loneliness grows in my spirit.

I read of the increasing persecution of the church worldwide, I see pictures of the faces of families living in fear of their lives for claiming the Name of Christ in a land where Islam is the dominant religion, and I am haunted by those faces and I suffer with them.

Closer to home, I daily battle against indwelling sin, even whilst knowing that in Christ I have died to sin. I witness loved ones struggling to cope with the everyday routines of life, and I long for that day when there will be no more death, mourning, crying or pain.

I have often wondered whether our Lord, who was a “man of sorrows” (Isa 53:3), laughed with his friends. Matthew Henry notes that “We never read that He laughed, but often that He wept”. RC Sproul takes this view: “In the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament—for example, in Ecclesiastes—we’re told that certain things are appropriate at certain times. There’s a time to plant, a time to reap, a time to build, a time to tear down; there’s a time to dance, a time to sing, a time to laugh, a time to cry. Since God has, in his seasons, appointed appropriate times for laughter, and Jesus always did what was appropriate, it would seem to me that when it was time to laugh, he laughed.”

I thank my God that in His great mercy and love He has provided me with a group of friends whom I love dearly, for we share a tie that can never be broken – the precious blood of Christ; who share the same sorrows; and yet with whom I can share the occasional moment of laughter, sometimes even with tears rolling down my cheeks whilst I do so.

But as for the burden and the ache in my heart, that will remain until He returns or calls me home.

The Intercession and Sacrifice of Christ

Posted on June 24, 2011 by John Samson

What was God’s intention from all eternity in the atonement? What did He intend for Christ to accomplish by His death on the cross?

Orthodox Christians are not universalists (universalism is the ancient heresy that teaches that all people will eventually be redeemed). Instead, we are particularists, believing that only some (and not all) will be saved. The Bible makes it clear that some people will in fact be lost, ultimately lost, in a place of weeping, darkness and gnashing of teeth. Some people will in fact spend eternity in hell.

Knowing this, all of us as Christians limit the atonement in some sense because we agree that not everyone will be saved by the work of Christ. Amongst particularists then there are two main views; the first being what is called “universal redemption” (the view that Christ died to try to save everybody in human history, past, present and future, though His work by itself did not actually accomplish this unless man does something to cooperate).

JESUS THE PERFECT AND POWERFUL SAVIOR

The second and I believe biblical view is called “particular redemption” (Christ actually propitiated the Father’s wrath for a specific group of people – securing redemption for them and providing even the faith that will call upon Him to save them – Jesus being the author and perfector of our faith. The Good Shepherd laid down His life for the sheep, Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (Eph 5:25).

In Matthew 1:21 we have the record of Joseph being told, “you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” The question then is, well did Jesus in fact do this? Did He accomplish this? I believe He did. In His work of redemption, Jesus saved God’s people from their sins.

Rev 5:9 says of Christ, “for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation…”

Here’s a rather lengthy quote from C. H. Spurgeon on particular redemption:

“The doctrine of Redemption is one of the most important doctrines of the system of faith. A mistake on this point will inevitably lead to a mistake through the entire system of our belief.

Now, you are aware that there are different theories of Redemption. All Christians hold that Christ died to redeem, but all Christians do not teach the same redemption. We differ as to the nature of atonement, and as to the design of redemption. For instance, the Arminian holds that Christ, when he died, did not die with an intent to save any particular person; and they teach that Christ’s death does not in itself secure, beyond doubt, the salvation of any one man living. They believe that Christ died to make the salvation of all men possible, or that by the doing of something else, any man who pleases may attain unto eternal life; consequently, they are obliged to hold that if man’s will would not give way and voluntarily surrender to grace, then Christ’s atonement would be unavailing. They hold that there was no particularity and speciality in the death of Christ. Christ died, according to them, as much for Judas in hell as for Peter who mounted to heaven. They believe that for those who are consigned to eternal fire, there was as true and real a redemption made as for those who now stand before the throne of the Most High.

Now, we believe no such thing. We hold that Christ, when he died, had an object in view, and that object will most assuredly, and beyond a doubt, be accomplished. We measure the design of Christ’s death by the effect of it. If any one asks us, “What did Christ design to do by his death?” we answer that question by asking him another — “What has Christ done, or what will Christ do by his death?” For we declare that the measure of the effect of Christ’s love, is the measure of the design of it. We cannot so belie our reason as to think that the intention of Almighty God could be frustrated, or that the design of so great a thing as the atonement, can by any way whatever, be missed of. We hold — we are not afraid to say what we believe — that Christ came into this world with the intention of saving “a multitude which no man can number;” and we believe that as the result of this, every person for whom he died must, beyond the shadow of a doubt, be cleansed from sin, and stand, washed in blood, before the Father’s throne. We do not believe that Christ made any effectual atonement for those who are for ever damned, we dare not think that the blood of Christ was ever shed with the intention of saving those whom God foreknew never could be saved, and some of whom were even in hell when Christ, according to some men’s account, died to save them.” C. H. Spurgeon – Particular Redemption, 2/28/1858: Spurgeon’s Sermons: Volume 4

INTERCESSION AND SACRIFICE INTIMATELY RELATED

Just as the High Priest made sacrifice and interceded for Israel, Jesus as the Great High Priest provided a sacrifice that actually atoned for sin (rather than just makes people saveable) and His intercession takes place for the same exact group. Continue reading →

The Heart is an Idol Factory

Posted on June 23, 2011 by John Samson

?”If we are not content to wait on God for our desires, then our heart’s desire is not set on the glory of God. Instead, our desire has become an idol.” – Martha Peace, An Excellent Wife?

“From this we may gather that man’s nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols.” – John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion

“. . . every one of us is, even from his mother’s womb, expert in inventing idols.” – John Calvin, Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles

John 3:27

Posted on June 22, 2011 by John Samson

A scripture verse I am meditating on today:

John 3:27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.”

Understanding Jeremiah 29:11

Posted on June 21, 2011 by John Samson

Jeremiah 29:11 is a famous Bible verse. It has brought comfort to many. In the main though, I am not sure it has been rightly understood. Here the Lord says, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

What is most often assumed is that this verse has universal application, the idea being that God has wonderful plans for every person on planet earth. His ultimate wish is that these desires are fulfilled, but of course, the outcome rests with the never to be infringed upon “free will” of man. Often these purposes are unfulfilled, but nevertheless, they can be tapped into at any time, should the sinner wish to participate. But is any of this true?

We need to ask who the words were written to. Did these words have universal scope in Jeremiah’s day? The obvious answer to this is “no.” These words were written to a nation under the severest judgment imaginable, being removed by force out of the land to become captive slaves in Babylon. Yet here, the tender mercy of God is seen in that the captivity would only last 70 years. Even in judgment, God will extend mercy to Israel, and after these dreadful decades, He will once again restore them to both Himself and the land of promise.

Could the Babylonian king claim this verse for himself? No, it was not written to him.

How about in our own day, can all claim this verse for themselves? I believe the elect of God can know an application of the text in that they understand that God indeed has good purposes for them, to conform them to the image of Christ. He has set His love upon them and has done so for eternity.

But can everyone? Well does God have beautiful and wonderful purposes for each person on earth that will make them supremely happy once fulfilled? Can we read Romans 9 and think, for even a minute, that God’s plans for Pharoah were simply to cause him to prosper on earth? Though prosperity was indeed one of God’s purposes, God raised him up so that His power might be shown to him in devastating judgment. That was God’s plan all along. Continue reading →

Taking the “Cannots” Seriously

Posted on June 21, 2011 by John Samson

In the debate between monergists (those who believe only one power is operative in regeneration, namely God’s power alone) and synergists (those who believe more than one party is at work in regeneration, namely God and man) I believe it is fair to say that only the monergist takes the “cannots” of the Bible seriously. Though man can do a great many things, Scripture is clear as to his limitations. Just as it is impossible for man to jump to the moon or run a mile in less than a minute, so it is outside of man’s natural capabilities to do certain spiritual things.

In John chapter 3:3-5, Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

Jesus made it clear that unless someone is first born again, he CANNOT enter or even see the kingdom of God. The monergist affirms this. The synergist does not. Rather, the synergist embraces a scheme that has non born again people seeing and entering the kingdom in order to be born again.

In John 6:44, Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”

Jesus made it clear that no one (a universal nagative) has thew ability to come to Him unless drawn by the Father. He also affirmed that the one drawn in this way is raised up to eternal life, such is the power of this drawing. Monergists affirm this effectual drawing on the Father’s part. Synergists do not. Instead the synergist believes that someone drawn in this way can indeed be lost – that in the three stages of drawing, coming and being raised up to eternal life, many fall through the cracks. Continue reading →