Thursday, July 27, 2006

Good News!


What is the Gospel? It literally means "good news." What is the good news brought to us by Jesus. Jeremiah Burroughs summarizes it here:

"The gospel of Christ in general is this: It is the good tidings that God has revealed concerning Christ. More largely it is this: As all mankind was lost in Adam and became the children of wrath, put under the sentence of death, God, though He left His fallen angels and has reserved them in the chains of eternal darkness, yet He has thought upon the children of men and has provided a way of atonement to reconcile them to Himself again... Namely, the second person of the Trinity takes man's nature upon Himself, and becomes the Head of a second covenant, standing charged with sin. He answers for it by suffering what the law and divine justice required, and by making satisfaction by keeping the law perfectly, which satisfaction and righteousness He tenders up to the Father as a sweet savor of rest for the souls that are given to Him...And now this mediation of Christ is, by the appointment of the Father, preached to the children of men, of whatever nation or rank, freely offering this atonement unto sinners for atonement, requiring them to believe in Him and, upon believing, promising not only a discharge of all their former sins, but that they shall not enter into condemnation, that none of their sins or unworthiness shall ever hinder the peace of God with them, but that they shall through Him be received into the number of those who shall have the image of God again to be renewed unto them, and they they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation." - Jeremiah Burroughs

Now that is good news! None of our past sins will condemn us in God's sight. The fact that none of our present sins or future unworthiness will ever prevent our peace with God. All God requires is that we feel our need of Him - knowing who Jesus is, believing that he is the person described in the Bible and trusting his perfect life, sacrificial death and glorious resurrection to make us OK with God. That is good news. Praise God!


John

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Real Girl Power...


"The villagers ceased in Israel; they ceased to be until I arose; I, Deborah, arose as a mother in Israel.
When new gods were chosen, then war was in the gates. Was shield or spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel?
My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel who offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless the LORD" (Judges 5:7-9).

Saturday, July 22, 2006

He who is mightier than I...


"Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie" (Mark 1:6-7).

Robert Murray McCheyne's Bible reading plan has me reading the Gospel of Mark. It is my private evening reading. Ah, John the Baptizer...


"It was when all men mused in their hearts whether John was the Christ or no, that he announced the coming of a Stronger One. By thus promptly silencing a whisper, so honorable to himself, he showed how strong he really was, and how unselfish “a friend of the Bridegroom.” Nor was this the vague humility of phrase which is content to be lowly in general, so long as no specified individual stands higher. His word is definite, and accepts much for himself. “The Stronger One than I cometh,” and it is in presence of the might of Jesus (whom yet this fiery reformer called a Lamb), that he feels himself unworthy to bend to the dust and unbind the latchets or laces of His shoe" (Strong Meat for Hungry Souls: The Gospel According to St. Mark by the Rev. G. A. Chadwick).

Friday, July 21, 2006

Hell hath no fury like a woman...


"But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand. Then she went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple until it went down into the ground while he was lying fast asleep from weariness. So he died" (Judges 4:21).

My wife and I are reading through the book of Judges in the morning. We read chapter 4 this morning. Matthew Henry wisely comments, "Sisera’s chariots had been his pride and his confidence. Thus are those disappointed who rest on the creature; like a broken reed, it not only breaks under them, but pierces them with many sorrows. The idol may quickly become a burden, Isaiah 46:1; what we were sick for, God can make us sick of. It is probable that Jael really intended kindness to Sisera; but by a Divine impulse she was afterwards led to consider him as the determined enemy of the Lord and of his people, and to destroy him. All our connexions with God’s enemies must be broken off, if we would have the Lord for our God, and his people for our people. He that had thought to have destroyed Israel with his many iron chariots, is himself destroyed with one iron nail. Thus the weak things of the world confound the mighty. The Israelites would have prevented much mischief, if they had sooner destroyed the Canaanites, as God commanded and enabled them: but better be wise late, and buy wisdom by experience, than never be wise."

Thursday, July 20, 2006

The Weeping Prophet...


"Then the LORD said to me, 'Out of the north disaster shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the LORD, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah'" (Jeremiah 1:14-15).

Jeremiah was called "the weeping prophet" for good reasons. As an Israelite, could you imagine receiving God's Word of judgment on your people? As a preacher, could you imagine the heavy responsibility of pleading with the people to repent? As a prophet, could you imagine the unpopular task of declaring God's "woe" upon the people? If I would have been in Jeremiah's sandals, I would have cried like a baby.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

The Mission...


And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

The photo is Indian fortune teller by Per-Andre Hoffmann

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

The Christian Hope


"But the angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay'" (Matthew 28.5-6).

Woe to us if we preach Christ crucified and leave Him in the grave! - John

Reading Recommendation


Gospel Fear


"True fear and trembling at the Word is that which will settle the heart and strengthen the heart against all other fears." Jeremiah Burroughs


This is an excellent collection of sermons preached by Jeremiah Burroughs (1599-1646). He was an English Congregationalist and a well-known Puritan preacher. He was a member of the Westminster Assembly and one of the few who opposed the Presbyterian majority.

While one of the most distinguished of the English Independents, he was one of the most moderate. He was know for his irenic spirit. Richard Baxter is quoted as saying if all Presbyterians had been like Stephen Marshall and all Independants like Jeremiah Burroughs, their differences might have been easily composed. Such a reputation is consistent with the motto on his study door (in Latin and Greek): "Opinionum varietas et opinantium unitas non sunt ασυστατα" ("Difference of belief and unity of believers are not inconsistent").

I would encourage you to buy this wonderful work. The church will be revived and strengthened by hearing these God-centered and heart searching sermons. You can buy it individually, or you can buy the entire Gospel Life Series, which would be my recommendation.

Grace to you,

John

Monday, July 17, 2006

Mindless Entertainment


This poor dog needs to protect its chew toy from the phantom foot reaching for the toy. Hilarious!

Friday, July 14, 2006

Picture of the Day


Picture of the aurora borealis


Psalm 8


TO THE CHOIRMASTER: ACCORDING TO THE GITTITH. A PSALM OF DAVID.
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babes and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings* and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

The photo is Reflections in lake by Per-Andre Hoffmann

Thursday, July 13, 2006

A Postmodern Creed


The Creed of the Atheists by Steve Turner (English Journalist)

A Postmodern Creed

We believe in Marxfreudanddarwin.
We believe everything is OK
as long as you don’t hurt anyone,
to the best of your definition of hurt,
and to the best of your knowledge.

We believe in sex before during
and after marriage.
We believe in the therapy of sin.
We believe that adultery is fun.
We believe that sodomy’s OK
We believe that taboos are taboo.

We believe that everything’s getting better
despite evidence to the contrary.
The evidence must be investigated.
You can prove anything with evidence.

We believe there’s something in
horoscopes, UFO’s and bent spoons;
Jesus was a good man just like
Buddha, Mohammed and ourselves.
He was a good moral teacher although
we think his good morals were bad.

We believe that all religions are basically the same,
at least the one that we read was.
They all believe in love and goodness.
They only differ on matters of
creation sin heaven hell God and salvation.

We believe that after death comes The Nothing
because when you ask the dead what happens
they say Nothing.
If death is not the end, if the dead have lied,
then it’s compulsory heaven for all
except perhaps Hitler, Stalin and Genghis Khan.

We believe in Masters and Johnson.
What’s selected is average.
What’s average is normal.
What’s normal is good.

We believe that man is essentially good.
It’s only his behavior that lets him down.
This is the fault of society.
Society is the fault of conditions.
Conditions are the fault of society.

We believe that each man must find
the truth that is right for him.
Reality will adapt accordingly.
The universe will readjust. History will alter.
We believe that there is no truth
except the truth that there is no absolute truth.

We believe in the rejection of creeds and the flowering of individual thought.

Postscript

If chance be the father of all flesh,
disaster is as rainbow in the sky.
And when you hear:
state of emergency ,
sniper kills ten,
troops on rampage,
whites go looting,
bomb blasts school.
It is but the sound of man
worshiping his maker.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

"Why is faith not enough?"


Are There Reconcilable Differences? A discussion continued from the previous blog post...


A real email exchange between two Protestants discussing the difference between the Roman Catholic and the Reformational view of salvation.


This discussion is also pertinent to some discussions among protestants thinking about reformulating justification.


Mr. Faith Plus Works
-------
Thank-you for your response. I have not read Dr. Sproul's book, Faith Alone-Doctrine of Justification but I have heard his argument and read his short explanation in Now, That's a Good Question. The question that comes to mind each time is what precisely does it mean to have the existence of each element?

Mr. Faith Alone
-------
It means that -

  1. you know certain facts (ie. I know that a chair is a piece of furniture that holds you up);

  2. you believe the facts that you know (ie. I have the conviction that if I sit on the chair that it would hold me up);

  3. you place personal trust in the facts you believe (ie. I sit in the chair and allow it to hold me up).


Mr. Faith Plus Works
-------
What if one has intellectual awareness, intellectual assent, and personal trust in Jesus and yet leads a life filled with sin? Are
we to suggest they are actually missing one of the elements or is there something more fundamental at work? Is the root cause simply that they are sinners and always will be and therefore never reach the plateau of perfect faith or belief?

Mr. Faith Alone
-------
If the person in question does lack any one of the mentioned components of saving faith then what he has is not saving faith. So it should not surprise us that he "leads a life filled with sin," because he is an unregenerated person. If the person in question does have all the components of saving faith then he is regenerate. The fact that he is not sinless should not surprise us. The Apostle Paul was a man with saving faith, but he was not sinless (see Romans 7:14-25). So the "root cause" is that we are simultaniouly saints & sinners and will not be free from sin until our glorification at Christ's second coming.

Mr. Faith Plus Works
-------
One other question why does it require all three elements to have saving faith?

Mr. Faith Alone
-------
Let us look at my chair example. I can neither believe that a chair will hold me up nor can I trust it to do so if I don't know things about it. I can have knowledge about a chair & how it functions but not trust it to do so if I don't believe in the facts. I can have knowledge about a chair & how it functions as well as believe the facts but not trust the chair to hold me up. Now take those examples and apply them to Jesus Christ and the gospel. If any of the three are lacking then you either -

  1. don't know Jesus;

  2. don't believe in Jesus;

  3. are not trusting in Jesus as Lord and Savior to uphold you. Demons know the facts about Jesus and believe the facts about Jesus, but I do not think anyone would say that demons have saving faith. Demons do not trust in Him as Lord and Savior (a couple of simple examples are Luke 4:33-35 and James 2:19).


Mr. Faith Plus Works
-------
Why is faith not enough?

Mr. Faith Alone
-------
It is enough. That is the point. Faith is the instrument that we use to take hold of the righteousness and atonement of Jesus Christ. Our works lend absolutely nothing to our justification. Beware, however, some people tend to think of faith as a work that justifies you although they would not state it like that. Jesus Christ's life and death justifies us before God. When people say that we are saved by faith alone, they say that it is the means to take hold of Jesus Christ's works.

Mr. Faith Plus Works
-------
And, what good is faith if I need to prove it to myself? If I have to know what is behind the door then I would be a liar to say I know what is behind the door by faith.

Mr. Faith Alone
-------
The issue is not proving your faith to yourself. "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). The issue was sparked by an inquiry about "what does one mean when one says faith?" What is saving faith? This implies that Christians needed to use precise language to articulate a sufficient answer to minimize the vagueness of the term. The reformers articulated this formulation because they had the same question asked of them long ago. I feel that it is an accurate summary of biblical teaching.

Mr. Faith Plus Works
-------
I don't raise these questions to be argumentative, although I do enjoy that on occasion, but I raise them because I do wonder.

Mr. Faith Alone
-------
I hope this was helpful. I would really recommend the books I mentioned earlier, "Faith Alone-Doctrine of Justification by R.C. Sproul and especially Redemption:Accomplished and Applied by John Murray. They would be clearer and articulate the issue better than I could.

May the grace of Jesus Christ be with you,

Mr. Faith Alone

The photo is Borgund stavechurch by Per-Andre Hoffmann

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Was Martin Luther Wrong?


Are There Reconcilable Differences?


A real email exchange between two fellows discussing the difference between the Roman Catholic and the Reformational view of salvation.


This discussion is also pertinent to some discussions among protestants thinking about reformulating justification.


Mr. Faith Plus Works
-------
I enjoy reading and listening to Dr. Sproul, but I always have one question when he raises this concern; what does one mean when one says faith? Does having faith mean uttering the words or does it mean something more? And, if it means something more then what does it mean?

Mr. Faith Alone
-------
Good question! If you want to know what Mr. Sproul means by 'faith', then I would recommend reading his book titled, "Faith Alone-The Evangelical Doctrine of Justification". He offers a clear and concise explanation of what he means by faith. He focuses on this question specifically on pages 75-88. He defends the threefold definition of saving faith that was agreed upon by orthodox, confessing Christians during the Reformation. "The constituent elements of saving faith are 1) notitia, 2) assensus, 3) fiducia. Each element was regarded as necessary for saving faith. None of these elements, even fiducia, taken alone or separately, is a sufficient condition for saving faith. All three are essential to it" (page 75).

Mr. Faith Plus Works
-------
When you answer the question do you reach the conclusion the difference between the two is not as great as thought?

Mr. Faith Alone
-------
The answer that we are led to by Scripture is that justification is by faith alone. This is the heart of the gospel that the Holy Spirit proclaimed through the Apostle Paul (Rom. 1:17; 3:21-5:21; Gal. 2:15-5:1). The necessary means, or instrumental cause, of justification is personal faith in Jesus Christ as crucified Savior and risen Lord (Rom. 4:23-25; 10:8-13). The meritorious grounds of our justification is entirely in Christ Jesus and His righteousness. "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The Catholic Church sees justification as a process. They affirm that faith contributes to our acceptance with God, but it is not sufficient to save. Our works of satisfaction and merit supply what is lacking to declare us right before God. Rome sees baptism as the primary instrumental cause of justification, and the sacrament of penance, whereby congruous merit is achieved through works of satisfaction, as the supplementary cause of restoring God's grace when one commits mortal sin. So believers save themselves with the help of the grace that comes from Christ by the churches sacraments. This is another gospel. Not that there is another, but it is a perversion of the one, true gospel of Jesus Christ. The Council of Trent of the Roman Catholic Church officially condemned the doctrine of justification by faith alone and its related teachings. Here are some of the most famous lines:

  • Canon 9: If anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone..., let him be anathema.

  • Canon 11: If anyone says that men are justified either by the sole imputation of the justice of Christ or by the sole remission of sins,... let him be anathema.

  • Canon 12: If anyone says that justifying faith is nothing else than confidence in divine mercy, which remits sins for Christ's sake, or that it is this confidence alone that justifies us, let him be anathema.

  • Canon 24: If anyone says that the justice received is not preserved and also not increased before God through good works but that those works are merely the fruits and signs of justification obtained, but not the cause of the increase, let him be anathema.

  • Canon 30: If anyone says that after the reception of the grace of justification the guilt is so remitted and the debt of eternal punishment so blotted out to every repentant sinner, that no debt of temporal punishment remains to be discharged either in this world or in purgatory before the gates of heaven can be opened, let him be anathema.

  • Canon 32: If anyone says that the good works of the one justified are in such manner the gifts of God that they are not also the good merits of him justified; or that the one justified by the good works that he performs by the grace of God and the merit of Jesus Christ...does not truly merit an increase of grace and eternal life... let him be anathema.


The above continues to be the official doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church to this very day. Thus, the difference between the two is much greater than many people realize. The differences are fundamental. Paul's reaction to such a distortion of the gospel (so as to remove all glory and sufficiency for salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus alone) should be our reaction, and we should heed his apostolic woe. "Even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!" (Galatians 1:8-9)

I hope this was helpful.

May the grace of Jesus Christ be with you,
Mr. Faith Alone

The photo is Stuttgart, Schillerplatz by Per-Andre Hoffmann

Living By Faith


Living by faith


29 June 2006 An Article from Couldn't Help Noticing



Joseph was the epitome of success. From being imprisoned and with no apparent prospects at all, he rose to become the 2IC in all of Egypt, with all the trimmings and trappings of such a prestigious and powerful position.

Yet, as Hebrews 11:22 points out, he did not take his eyes off the promises of God—that his people would inherit a land that would be their own, and where God would be their God.

The writer is making the point that people like Joseph “desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one”. They are “aliens and strangers” where they live, because they long for heaven.

And as a result “God is not ashamed to be called their God”.

It is so easy to be caught up in the things of this world. I should think God would very often have cause to be ashamed of some of us who take the name of “Christian” upon ourselves, when we get so passionate about such temporal matters.

But here is the solution: remember the “great crowd of witnesses” who have given us such a great example of faith—”the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”. And “lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb 12:1-2)”.

Noticed by Ian at 08:44 AM

Photo titled "Sahara, sunset at the oasis" by Per-Andre Hoffman

Friday, July 07, 2006

THE PRAYER OF ST. FRANCIS


Lord, make me a channel of thy peace,
that where there is hatred , I may bring love ;
that where there is wrong , I may bring the spirit of forgiveness;
that where there is discord , I may bring harmony ;
that where there is error , I may bring truth ;
that where there is doubt , I may bring faith ;
that where there is despair , I may bring hope ;
that where there are shadows , I may bring light ;
that where there is sadness , I may bring joy .
Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted;
to understand, than to be understood;
to love, than to be loved.
For it is by self-forgetting that one finds.
It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.
It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life.

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Monday, July 03, 2006

Together for the Gospel...


How do we "practice Christian unity as much as possible on the local level" according to Keller?


  • In Christendom, when 'everyone was a Christian' it was necessary (perhaps) for a church to define itself over against other churches. That is, to get an identity you had to say, "we are not like that church over there, or those Christians over here."

  • Today, however, it is much more illuminating and helpful for a church to define itself over against 'the world'--the values of the non-Christian culture. It is very important that we not spend our time bashing and criticizing other kinds of churches. That simply plays in to the common 'defeater' that Christians are all intolerant.

  • While we have to align ourselves in denominations that share many of our distinctives, at the local level we should cooperate and reach out to and support the other congregations and churches in our local area. This will raise many thorny issues, of course, but our bias should be in the direction of cooperation.

Sunday, July 02, 2006

We are radically different...


How do you "create Christian community which is counter-cultural and counter-intuitive" according to Tim Keller?

  • In Christendom, 'fellowship' is basically just a set of nurturing relationships, support and accountability. That is necessary, of course.

  • In a missional church, however, Christian community must go beyond that to embody a 'counter-culture,' showing the world how radically different a Christian society is with regard to sex, money, and power.

  • In sex. We avoid both the secular society's idolization of sex and traditional society's fear of sex. We also exhibit love rather than hostility or fear toward those whose sexual lifepatterns are different.

  • In money. We promote a radically generous commitment of time, money, relationships, and living space to social justice and the needs of the poor, the immigrant, the economically and physically weak.

  • In power. We are committed to power-sharing and relationship-building between races and classes that are alienated outside of the Body of Christ.

  • In general, a church must be more deeply and practically committed to deeds of compassion and social justice than traditional liberal churches and more deeply and practically committed to evangelism and conversion than traditional fundamentalist churches. This kind of church is profoundly 'counter-intuitive' to American observers. It breaks their ability to categorize (and dismiss) it as liberal or conservative. Only this kind of church has any chance in the nonChristian west.