Poor Doggie!
Poor Kitty!
Poor Doggie! Poor Kitty!
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Yearly Archives: 2011
Friday Round Up
(1) Remember the infertile on Mother’s Day: Russell Moore writes, “Mother’s Day is a particularly sensitive time in many congregations, and often their husbands, are still often grieving in the shadows.” In his short article, he offers some very helpful suggestions for pastors as to how to care for these precious souls on a day that is for them, only a harsh reminder of what they do not have. Truly excellent!
(2) Though I do not know these men personally at all, this interview with C.J. Mahaney and James McDonald was a real blessing. The final seven minutes (where James MacDonald speaks and asks questions of C.J.) are outstanding! Very insightful.. and don’t miss the great line in the last few seconds!
Q&A with James MacDonald from Sovereign Grace Ministries on Vimeo.
(3) Ligonier has a few excellent deals in this week’s $5 Friday sale here. Remember, if you do decide to purchase material, you can claim a 10% discount on these and on ALL products as a reader of this blog by using the coupon code: EGRACE10
“All” means “all” right?
Well, no, not always.
I would kindly ask my Arminian friends to please take note concerning how I am using the word “all” here. As is always the case, the word “all” has a context. In using the word “all,” I am not referring to ALL products on planet earth; past, present and future. I guess you could try to use this special code at Kmart, at the Gas Station, or at the grocery store. Best of luck with that! I don’t think the code will be useful to you in those settings, but, of course, you are welcome to try. Instead, I am referring to ALL within a certain category or group; in this case, ALL products available through Ligonier Ministries. 🙂
(4) This short video by Dr. J. I. Packer on hell is alarming. That is because the biblical doctrine of hell IS alarming!
Before you do anything, hear this!
I am currently teaching through the book of Romans and one of the things that has struck me in going through the first eleven chapters is how little we are asked to do. Apart from one brief exhortation in Romans 6 which tells us to reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to God, there’s actually no positive command given to us. That is quite shocking! Every man made religion tells us to DO something to achieve spiritual awareness or to climb the mountain and meet “God” at the top. Yet Christianity is not the message of mankind climbing his way to some spiritual summit. The exact opposite is true – we cannot climb our way to God. All of us have sinned and fall short of God’s standard – every single one of us. Yet the good news is that God has not left us in this desperate plight but has actually climbed down the mountain to find us in the valley. That’s the message of the Incarnation – the second Person of the Godhead left His eternal throne in the heavens and became one of us; He lived a sinless life and died an atoning death for sinners and rose again from the dead.
Obviously we are called to believe what we read in the first eleven chapters of the book, and that means understanding the depravity of the human race, our deep and desperate need for a Savior and to place our trust in Him. Yet, I think it is very informative to read the Epistle through and realise that in this most comprehensive declaration of the Gospel anywhere in Scripture (which is what the book of Romans is), God is wanting us to know so many things before we ever start actually doing anything.
No one starts a conversation by using the word “therefore.” Something goes before it. There’s an old saying, “when you see a “therefore” find out what it is there for.” The word “therefore” is a linking word that stands between something preceding it and the logical consequences or ramifications that follow. That’s what we have in Romans 12. God is saying (through His apostle); in light of all that has been said, the logical response should be the following things.
It is only as we grasp the Gospel, understanding the nature of sin and the Divine remedy found in the Gospel; learning too that God is absolutely Sovereign in the matter of grace, and yet this does not eleviate our responsibility in any way at all or of our need to preach the Gospel, and that “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36) – only then are we told in Romans 12: 1 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…”
As Justin Taylor once remarked, “So because of the great doctrines of creation, righteousness, depravity, faith, propitiation, justification, union with Christ, sanctification, glorification, election, divine freedom, therefore, by God’s mercy and grace we can receive and respond to the following imperatives:
present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God
Do not be conformed to this world, but
be transformed by the renewal of your mind
he [ought] not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but
think with sober judgment,
let us use our gifts that differ according to the grace given to us
Let love be genuine.
Abhor what is evil;
hold fast to what is good.
Love one another with brotherly affection.
Outdo one another in showing honor.
Do not be slothful in zeal,
be fervent in spirit,
serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope,
be patient in tribulation,
be constant in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the saints and
seek to show hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you;
do not curse those who persecute you.
Rejoice with those who rejoice,
weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another.
Do not be haughty, but
associate with the lowly.
Never be wise in your own sight.
Repay no one evil for evil, but
give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
live peaceably with all (if possible, so far as it depends on you)
Never avenge yourselves, but
leave it to the wrath of God. . .
if your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink
Do not be overcome by evil, but
overcome evil with good.”
Until we KNOW what God has done for us in Christ, God wants us to do nothing whatsoever. Works (the things we do) play no part in our justification before God (Romans 4:4, 5; Eph 2:8-9). Holiness is a fruit not a root of our salvation, and this is clearly seen in the big picture of how the Gospel is presented to us in the book of Romans.
Romans 4:4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness
400 Years
This week marks the 400 year anniversary of the printing of the most widely read book in history, the King James Version of the Bible. The influence of this translation in the English speaking world is unsurpassed, not only in the sphere of religion, but also in literature and politics.
I am sure we are all aware of the King James Only crowd who constantly blight Churches and individuals with their wreckless and often viscious attacks on anyone who uses another translation. Their banner cry of “If it’s not King James, its not the Bible” is not borne out of sound scholarship, yet they make a loud noise. I for one am not going to allow that noise to dampen by enthusiasm and thankfulness to God for something He has used greatly through the centuries.
Thomas S. Kidd writes, “The KJV’s publication signaled the triumph of the Reformation in England, or at least the belief that the Bible should be available in the vernacular language. John Wycliffe and William Tyndale were the trailblazers in England. Tyndale’s 1526 translation was burnt as a “pestiferous and most pernicious poison,” and Tyndale himself was subsequently burnt as a heretic in Belgium. But by 1611, the moderate Anglican King James I had become convinced that there needed to be a standard English-language translation. King James’s translators depended heavily on earlier English translations; more than three-quarters of the 1611 KJV derives from Tyndale’s Bible. The KJV cemented the notion articulated in 1637 by theologian William Chillingworth that the Bible, and “the Bible only, is the religion of Protestants.””
I had an Uncle named Floyd (who is now with the Lord), who told me some fun stories of a young convert to Christ that he was seeking to nurture and disciple in the faith. Using the King James Version, my uncle sought to read and then explain Bible passages to him. While reading one such passage in James chapter 1, “count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations,” my Uncle notice a very puzzled look on the face of the young convert.
“What are you thinking?” my Uncle asked.
The young man replied “what are “divers temptations”, and why would divers have different temptations to the rest of us? I like to go diving from time to time. This is very troubling. Are Christians not supposed to dive? I just bought some new flippers three weeks ago!”
On another occasion, my Uncle was reading through 1 Timothy 3. In outlining the qualification for elders, the text said “not greedy of filthy lucre”. Once again seeing the puzzled brow of the young disciple, my Uncle asked, “what is filthy lucre?”
The young man paused for a moment before saying, “well, the Bible was written in the Middle East, where there’s lots of sand. I think filthy lucre is the stuff camels leave behind in the desert! I think Elders are being warned not to step in it or try to gather it up to sell it.”
Humor aside though, the world has a greater understanding of God and His gospel because of the King James Bible. Scholars today have far greater resources at their disposal to understand the original Hebrew and Greek than what was available 400 years ago. It would even be true to say that many modern translations (such as the NASB, ESV and NIV) are based on a more reliable Greek text than the KJV used, yet the King James Version of the Bible is still a wonderful translation in many ways and deserves a place in every Christian home.
In this video below, Justin Taylor conducts a very informative interview with Dr. Leland Ryken regarding the history of the King James Bible. Professor Ryken is the author of the recently released book “The Legacy of the King James Bible: Celebrating 400 Years of the Most Influential English Translation.”
Justin Taylor Interview: Leland Ryken, “The History of the King James Bible” from Crossway on Vimeo.
Abusing Matthew 18
Matthew 18: 15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
D. A. Carson is research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. Concerning this passage he writes:
Several years ago I wrote a fairly restrained critique of the emerging church movement as it then existed, before it morphed into its present diverse configurations.(1) That little book earned me some of the angriest, bitterness-laced emails I have ever received—to say nothing, of course, of the blog posts. There were other responses, of course—some approving and grateful, some thoughtful and wanting to dialogue. But the ones that displayed the greatest intensity were those whose indignation was white hot because I had not first approached privately those whose positions I had criticized in the book. What a hypocrite I was—criticizing my brothers on ostensible biblical grounds when I myself was not following the Bible’s mandate to observe a certain procedure nicely laid out in Matt 18:15–17.
Doubtless this sort of charge is becoming more common. It is regularly linked to the “Gotcha!” mentality that many bloggers and their respondents seem to foster. Person A writes a book criticizing some element or other of historic Christian confessionalism. A few bloggers respond with more heat than light. Person B writes a blog with some substance, responding to Person A. The blogosphere lights up with attacks on Person B, many of them asking Person B rather accusingly, “Did you communicate with Person A in private first? If not, aren’t you guilty of violating what Jesus taught us in Matthew 18?” This pattern of counter-attack, with minor variations, is flourishing.
To which at least three things must be said: Continue reading
Ten Objections to Divine Election
Perhaps you can relate to this – Divine election does indeed seem to be clearly taught in the Bible. Passages such as Romans 8 and 9, Ephesians 1 and 2, John 3, John 6, John 10, John 17, and many others, make a convincing case. However, certain verses, at least at first glance, seem to present a different picture.
Over time I have sought to deal with some of the most frequently cited verses that are raised as objections to Divine election (the “what about?” verses, as I call them) trusting that this can be a helpful resource.
“WHAT ABOUT?” VERSES:
“WHAT ABOUT” CONCEPTS:
How can divine election be true if God is not a respecter of persons?
Does God create people knowing they will end up in hell?
If Divine election is true, why should we even bother to evangelize?
The ten different uses of the word “world” in John’s Gospel
Another question that often arises is “how can God be just in requiring man to do what he is unable to do?” John Piper answers that question here in this short video:
But I have prayed for you…
Luke 22: 31 “Simon, Simon, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
Peter is about to face his greatest ever crisis. He would indeed be sifted, almost to utter breaking point, yet in the midst of his darkest despair and greatest moments of anguish, he would find great comfort knowing that His Master had prayed for him.
The result of Jesus’ prayer was certain, for it is not a question of “IF” Peter turns again but “WHEN.” Jesus will get His prayer answered; Peter will turn again and when that happens, he is told to strengthen his brothers around him. When at his weakest moment, feeling so cut off from God, feeling he had blown it so severely that there was no hope for him left at all; what a deep abiding comfort it would have been to know that Jesus’ prayers would avail. One day, very soon, he would be used by God again to help fortify the faith of others. It seemed impossible to believe, but Jesus never gave a false promise, and His words were to be trusted. What a vision to keep in view in the midst of his darkest hour. On Christ the solid Rock he could stand, believing the words spoken personally to him, for as he was about to find out, all other ground would indeed be sinking sand. There would be nothing else to hold on to – nothing sure, nothing stable, outside of the promises of God.
I find it very interesting that He told Peter this, informing him of His intercession for him. Yet in contrast, there’s no record that he had this kind of a conversation with Judas. There’s the concept of divine election right there.
And what happened? Well, we know what happened, don’t we? Peter denied Him, Judas betrayed Him.
Peter came back… Judas never did, for he was never one of His (Jesus called Judas a devil – John 6:70).
And more than this, such is God’s grace that it was not a 10 year probation period before Peter was ever used by God again, but instead, just a few weeks later, in the very same city where he had denied him, he was the FIRST preacher on the day of Penetecost, and 3,000 souls were added to the Church. Astounding!
In Hebrews 13:5, our English Bibles contains the simple statement, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Yet in the original Greek text, it says far more than this. There is a 4 time repetitive statement of denial.
The Amplified Bible gets closest to the original:
Heb 13: 5 for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]
There are times when it seems we are so battle weary that there is seemingly no strength left to pray. I have been there, and I know I am not alone in that. What a comfort it is to know that we have been given a supreme gift in our Great High Priest and His prayers of intercession for us.
“It is a consoling thought that Christ is praying for us, even when we are negligent in our prayer life; that He is presenting to the Father those spiritual needs which were not present to our minds and which we often neglect to include in our prayers; and that He prays for our protection against the dangers of which we are not even conscious, and against the enemies which threaten us, though we do not notice it. He is praying that our faith may not cease, and that we may come out victoriously in the end.” (Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology p. 403)
“If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.” – Robert Murray M’Cheyne
John 17: 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
Romans 8: 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Hebrews 7: 22 This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. 23 The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
Can you hear the words of the Master today? Whatever it is you face, hear Him say, “but I have prayed for you!”
This little blog of mine…
This week marks six months since this effectual grace blog started. What started as a little space in cyber space is now… still a little space in cyber space. However, its hard to believe that tens of thousands of different people have come this way over that time.
Back in December I wrote a yet as the six month mark is upon us, I would really like to hear from more of you. If you can take a moment or two to express your thoughts and feelings, I would really appreciate it. Of course the most important Person to please is God Himself. Josh Moody said it well, “When we are captivated with the religion of I, what matters is what other I’s think, not what the Great I Am thinks. We strive for heaven in order to impress earth, and heaven is not impressed.” That is so true. However, I want this blog to be a blessing to the people of God too, and there’s no harm in getting feedback from others; in fact, being open to listen to other people and their insights often allows us to become more pleasing to God also. The Holy Spirit, the great Sanctifier of the Church often uses the people around us to shape us into more Christlikeness.
So, please tell me what you think of this blog – your likes and dislikes. What would you like more of? What has been the most helpful thing? What has encouraged you? What have you found to be eye opening? What do you think can improve?
Fire away – but try to be kind. I bleed easily. 🙂
The Five Solas
A gentleman wrote to me suggesting I post the audio to the sermon “the Five Solas.”
I replied that the sermon is already available in the audio section on the blog.
His response, “But you need to remind them. Everyone should hear that sermon!!”
So, with that strong encouragement, here it is, again.
With Scripture alone as our sure foundation, we affirm that justification is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone.
Sing the 46th!
I am not alone in considering the Protestant Reformation the greatest move of God in Church history (outside of the New Testament), yet it came with a great price. It was not uncommon for precious saints to be rounded up and burnt at the stake, as Roman Catholic authorities sought to prevent the spread of the gospel.
On such occassions, as men and women were marched through the streets and facing certain death in the flames, sympathizers in the crowd would shout out words of courage. An oft repeated refrain was “Sing the 46th!” – a reference to Martin Luther’s hymn “A Mighty Fortress” which was based on Psalm 46. It became the battle cry of the Reformation. For many saints of God now in their heavenly rest, the words of this hymn were their last recorded words on earth.
Unlike the very superfical songs which fill the landscape of the visible Church in our day, this is a hymn with depth and passion, inspiring courage to stand for the truth of God in a day of much milktoast, politically correct, spineless Christianity. As many of our departed saints would no doubt testify, this, in contrast, is a hymn to die to.
A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD
1. A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he amid the flood
of mortal ills prevaling.
For still our ancient foe
doth seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.
2. Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right man on our side,
the man of God’s own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth, his name,
from age to age the same,
and he must win the battle.
3. And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God hath willed
his truth to triumph through us.
The Prince of Darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo, his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.
4. That word above all earthly powers,
no thanks to them, abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours,
thru him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also;
the body they may kill;
God’s truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever.