"Almighty God, we pray that you may so govern the course of this world that it may be peaceably ordered and that your church may joyfully serve you in all godly quietness, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
- An English Prayer Book
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
21 - Sermon's on Paul's Letter to the Romans (5:15-21)
(The twenty-first in a series of sermons on Paul's Letter to the Romans, preached July 5, 2009.)
Romans 5:15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 If, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.[1]
During the 1920s and 30s, J. Gresham Machen was one of the most famous defenders of biblical Christianity, and a founder of our sister denomination, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. An indefatigable preacher and teacher, he seized every opportunity to present the gospel with intellectual vigor and articulate passion. Just before he died of pneumonia during a preaching campaign in South Dakota, Machen dictated a telegram to a friend in Philadelphia. His final words read, "I'm so thankful for the active obedience of Christ. No hope without it."
The active obedience of Christ. No hope without it. What did Machen mean? To that doctrine and its deep comfort, formidable power, and sustaining hope, we now turn.
Two terms every Christian should know are the passive obedience and the active obedience of Christ.
When Bible students speak of the passive obedience of Christ, they mean his death on the cross. This obedience is called passive because Christ, for us, submits to the punishment the law pronounces upon lawbreakers. “Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). “Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). We are “justified by his blood” (Romans 5:9).” “We were reconciled to God by the death of his Son” (Romans 5:10). On the cross Jesus received the judicial sentence our sins deserve. His death means our life; his condemnation our justification; his blood our victory. The passive obedience of Christ. That’s the gospel – or half of it, at any rate.
The other half of the gospel – the half often forgotten – is Christ’s active obedience. Christ not only died for us; he lived for us. God’s law demands perfect obedience, an obedience none of us give God. Without that obedience, we have no hope of eternal life.
Just how important is Christ’s obedient life to us? Think about it. Yes, it is certainly true: on the cross, Christ died the death we deserved as disobedient people. But the demand for perfect obedience remains. How can we ever satisfy the law with all its demands for inward and outward holiness? Even if by force of will we were able to comply outwardly with the written commandments of God – and we can’t – we would still fail miserably to possess the heart purity God requires. Greed, lust, murderous thoughts, indifference to the things of God, and pride – these are some of the temptations we war against day in and day out, and so many times, we lose the battle. How, then, can we have hope?
The answer is found in the active obedience of Christ. By the active obedience of Christ we mean that Christ’s life perfectly conformed to the law of God.
At his incarnation, God’s eternal Son took to himself a human nature. Not surprisingly, therefore, Scripture records that “Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52). Just what we expect from this holy child as he progresses from infancy to maturity. We are also told “he learned obedience through what he suffered” (Hebrews 5:10). This is not to say that Jesus grew from disobedience to obedience - he was without sin. Rather, during his young life, he grew not only physically, but also spiritually as he obeyed God’s will without failure.
The way we think of Christ’s active obedience makes all the difference in the world as we read the gospels. When we read the gospels, we should never look at his good works, first of all, as something to imitate. Some of them, like his miracles, can’t even be repeated. They are peculiar to him as the Son of God. What we do see is one who perfectly obeyed God’s will, never deviating from it in thought, word, or deed. Can you imagine the ferocity of the temptations Jesus faced? The evil one has to do very little to entice us to sin. We trip, stumble, and fall easily and frequently. Jesus, however, resists – and as he resists, the malevolent power of the evil one’s temptations increases, attempting to make our Lord stumble. Yet, Jesus’ fervent obedience to his heavenly Father never diminishes, and culminates in his humbling “himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). The Lord’s persevering obedience wins for us a righteous record. That righteous record is counted as ours as we put our faith in Jesus. In him, “we become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). That’s the active obedience of Christ.
The doctrine of Christ’s active obedience is set forth so richly in Romans 5:12-21. When we enter the thoughts of these few short verses – studying, meditating, and exploring their truth – we come in contact with the very heart of the gospel.
But first, a quick review is in order. Last week we discovered that God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden, his holy sanctuary, his dwelling place. Adam was to cultivate the Garden, and defend it from every adversary. When the tempter came, Adam was to seek God’s glory; fight for his honor; protect the sanctity of his dwelling place. Instead, Adam sought his own glory. He refused to fight, capitulating to the initial enticement of the evil one. He allows an unholy intruder to enter God’s holy sanctuary, and the world is plunged into sin. Instead of ruling the world for God, sin and death enter the world through Adam’s sin, and they rule in all their malicious fury.[2]
But Adam did not act for himself alone. He represented the entire human race. We sinned in him, and fell with him in his first sin. His sin is imputed to us, or to put it another way, his sin is counted against us. Not one of us is born innocent. We are born sinners, guilty and corrupt in Adam.
Romans teaches us that Adam is a type or a pattern or a foreshadowing of the one who was to come, namely, Jesus. Just as Adam represented the human race, so Jesus, the second Adam, will represent all he came to save. Just as Paul describes how sin, death, and condemnation come to all whom Adam represented, so now he will set forth how life, righteousness, and justification will come to all whom Christ represents.
Adam “was a type of the one who was to come” (Romans 5:14).
Yet, those very words trouble Paul. It seems almost wrong to mention disobedient Adam and obedient Christ in the same breath.[3] So, before Paul tells us how Adam and Christ are alike in verses 18-21, he tells us how they are unalike in verses 15-17. The dissimilarities first, then the similarities.
Paul contrasts Adam and Christ in three ways.[4]
First, their deeds are different. “But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many” (Romans 5:15). The deed of one is self-aggrandizing; the deed of the other self-giving. The first one seeks his own interests; the second, the interests of others.
Key in on the word “trespass.” The Greek means “fall.” Adam arrogantly declares his independence of God’s word; he refuses to heed it, and falls. Death comes to all he represents.
How different is the free gift of Christ! He does not cling to his life selfishly, but freely offers himself to save sinners. The sentence of condemnation is lifted, and the grace of God abounds to all he represents.
How different are the deeds of Adam and Christ!
Next, the consequences of their deeds are different. “And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification” (Romans 5:16). Before God’s judgment seat are two possible verdicts: condemnation or justification. Adam’s one sin means condemnation for all he represents. Christ’s free gift secures justification for all he represents. God’s verdict of righteousness is pronounced on all who are in Christ.
Notice the arithmetic of grace. Condemnation follows Adam’s one sin. We should then expect greater condemnation to follow many sins. Instead, justification stands in the place of condemnation. When we trust in Christ’s righteousness, God’s verdict of justification follows many sins.[5]
How different are the consequences of Adam and Christ’s deeds!
Third, how different are the eternal outcomes of the deeds of Adam and Christ. “If, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17). Where Adam represents men and women, death reigns. Where Christ represents men and women, life reigns, and those who put their faith in Christ will receive grace and righteousness as they reign in life. We are delivered out of the kingdom of death, and delivered into the kingdom of life. Christ reigns in life, triumphing over death, and we reign, in life, with him.
Paul has told us how Adam and Christ are not alike. Now he shows how they are alike.
First, Adam and Christ are representative figures. “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men” (Romans 5:18). Adam is the covenant head of the human race. By Adam’s one act of disobedience, all humanity is declared guilty before God; every man and woman stands under his just condemnation. Christ, on the other hand, is the covenant head of redeemed humanity, his Church. By Christ’s one act of righteousness, all those he represents are declared righteous. I take the phrase “one act of righteousness” to mean Christ’s meritorious life, taken as a whole, from incarnation to crucifixion. Christ’s active obedience means life to those who belong to him.
Don’t let the words “all men” confuse. Christ does not save “all men.” The “all men” language refers to all those Adam and Christ represent. Adam represents every person born into the human race; Jesus represents every person who is born into the kingdom of God. The crucial question is: Does Christ represent you? Have you trusted in him? Does your faith rest in him alone for salvation? If so, justification and life are yours.
The representative work of Adam and Christ are stated a second time: “For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19). John Stott writes:“The expressions ‘made sinners’ and ‘made righteous’ cannot mean that these people actually became morally good or evil, but rather that they were ‘constituted’ legally righteous or unrighteous in God’s sight.”[6] Or as Martyn Lloyd-Jones writes: “Look at yourself in Adam; though you had done nothing you were declared a sinner. Look at yourself in Christ; and see that, though you have done nothing, you are declared to be righteous.”[7] Christ’s active obedience means your right standing before God. His obedience is your righteousness.
A thoughtful reader of Paul’s letter might ask, “What about the Law of Moses? Wasn’t it given to increase the righteousness of God’s people? Can’t it be a source of obtaining a righteous record before God for all who obey it?
No, Paul responds: “Now the law came in to increase the trespass” (Romans 5:20). Far from increasing righteousness, the law increases sin. How? Two ways.
The law increases the number of sins by specifying in detail those activities that displease God. The law also increases the severity of sin’s punishment because violations of the law are a direct disobedience of the Lord’s clearly stated instruction. As we carefully study God’s law, we do not become confident in our own ability to keep it; the opposite is true. We see all the more our need of a Savior to rescue us from the law’s condemnation. We need one who will represent us, and by his active obedience, keep the law’s precepts for us.
And it is precisely the deepening knowledge of our own sin that magnifies the grace of God. Our hope is not in us but in God’s grace to us in Jesus Christ. Even as sin increases, grace abounds even more: “but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:20-21). God’s grace in Christ vanquishes sin, overthrows evil, and establishes our Lord’s gracious reign of righteousness leading to eternal life.
Think about it. It an easy thing to mar what is beautiful; deface the sublime; and pollute the pure. Immeasurably more difficult is the work of taking a marred, defaced, and polluted world, and making it radiate once more with the beauty of God.[8] That’s what Jesus did for us. That beauty is the result of his obedient life. I'm so thankful for the active obedience of Christ. Beyond question, there is no hope without it.
_____________
[1] All Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2]Thomas R. Schreiner, Romans (Baker, 1998), p. 282.
[3] John Stott, Romans (InterVarsity, 1994), p. 154.
[4] I am dependent upon Stott (p. 154-155) for the outline of the material below.
[5] Charles E. B. Cranfield, in Stott, p. 155.
[6] Stott, p. 156.
[7] In Stott, pp. 156-157.
[8] Schreiner, p. 284.
Romans 5:15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 If, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.[1]
During the 1920s and 30s, J. Gresham Machen was one of the most famous defenders of biblical Christianity, and a founder of our sister denomination, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. An indefatigable preacher and teacher, he seized every opportunity to present the gospel with intellectual vigor and articulate passion. Just before he died of pneumonia during a preaching campaign in South Dakota, Machen dictated a telegram to a friend in Philadelphia. His final words read, "I'm so thankful for the active obedience of Christ. No hope without it."
The active obedience of Christ. No hope without it. What did Machen mean? To that doctrine and its deep comfort, formidable power, and sustaining hope, we now turn.
Two terms every Christian should know are the passive obedience and the active obedience of Christ.
When Bible students speak of the passive obedience of Christ, they mean his death on the cross. This obedience is called passive because Christ, for us, submits to the punishment the law pronounces upon lawbreakers. “Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). “Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). We are “justified by his blood” (Romans 5:9).” “We were reconciled to God by the death of his Son” (Romans 5:10). On the cross Jesus received the judicial sentence our sins deserve. His death means our life; his condemnation our justification; his blood our victory. The passive obedience of Christ. That’s the gospel – or half of it, at any rate.
The other half of the gospel – the half often forgotten – is Christ’s active obedience. Christ not only died for us; he lived for us. God’s law demands perfect obedience, an obedience none of us give God. Without that obedience, we have no hope of eternal life.
Just how important is Christ’s obedient life to us? Think about it. Yes, it is certainly true: on the cross, Christ died the death we deserved as disobedient people. But the demand for perfect obedience remains. How can we ever satisfy the law with all its demands for inward and outward holiness? Even if by force of will we were able to comply outwardly with the written commandments of God – and we can’t – we would still fail miserably to possess the heart purity God requires. Greed, lust, murderous thoughts, indifference to the things of God, and pride – these are some of the temptations we war against day in and day out, and so many times, we lose the battle. How, then, can we have hope?
The answer is found in the active obedience of Christ. By the active obedience of Christ we mean that Christ’s life perfectly conformed to the law of God.
At his incarnation, God’s eternal Son took to himself a human nature. Not surprisingly, therefore, Scripture records that “Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52). Just what we expect from this holy child as he progresses from infancy to maturity. We are also told “he learned obedience through what he suffered” (Hebrews 5:10). This is not to say that Jesus grew from disobedience to obedience - he was without sin. Rather, during his young life, he grew not only physically, but also spiritually as he obeyed God’s will without failure.
The way we think of Christ’s active obedience makes all the difference in the world as we read the gospels. When we read the gospels, we should never look at his good works, first of all, as something to imitate. Some of them, like his miracles, can’t even be repeated. They are peculiar to him as the Son of God. What we do see is one who perfectly obeyed God’s will, never deviating from it in thought, word, or deed. Can you imagine the ferocity of the temptations Jesus faced? The evil one has to do very little to entice us to sin. We trip, stumble, and fall easily and frequently. Jesus, however, resists – and as he resists, the malevolent power of the evil one’s temptations increases, attempting to make our Lord stumble. Yet, Jesus’ fervent obedience to his heavenly Father never diminishes, and culminates in his humbling “himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). The Lord’s persevering obedience wins for us a righteous record. That righteous record is counted as ours as we put our faith in Jesus. In him, “we become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). That’s the active obedience of Christ.
The doctrine of Christ’s active obedience is set forth so richly in Romans 5:12-21. When we enter the thoughts of these few short verses – studying, meditating, and exploring their truth – we come in contact with the very heart of the gospel.
But first, a quick review is in order. Last week we discovered that God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden, his holy sanctuary, his dwelling place. Adam was to cultivate the Garden, and defend it from every adversary. When the tempter came, Adam was to seek God’s glory; fight for his honor; protect the sanctity of his dwelling place. Instead, Adam sought his own glory. He refused to fight, capitulating to the initial enticement of the evil one. He allows an unholy intruder to enter God’s holy sanctuary, and the world is plunged into sin. Instead of ruling the world for God, sin and death enter the world through Adam’s sin, and they rule in all their malicious fury.[2]
But Adam did not act for himself alone. He represented the entire human race. We sinned in him, and fell with him in his first sin. His sin is imputed to us, or to put it another way, his sin is counted against us. Not one of us is born innocent. We are born sinners, guilty and corrupt in Adam.
Romans teaches us that Adam is a type or a pattern or a foreshadowing of the one who was to come, namely, Jesus. Just as Adam represented the human race, so Jesus, the second Adam, will represent all he came to save. Just as Paul describes how sin, death, and condemnation come to all whom Adam represented, so now he will set forth how life, righteousness, and justification will come to all whom Christ represents.
Adam “was a type of the one who was to come” (Romans 5:14).
Yet, those very words trouble Paul. It seems almost wrong to mention disobedient Adam and obedient Christ in the same breath.[3] So, before Paul tells us how Adam and Christ are alike in verses 18-21, he tells us how they are unalike in verses 15-17. The dissimilarities first, then the similarities.
Paul contrasts Adam and Christ in three ways.[4]
First, their deeds are different. “But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many” (Romans 5:15). The deed of one is self-aggrandizing; the deed of the other self-giving. The first one seeks his own interests; the second, the interests of others.
Key in on the word “trespass.” The Greek means “fall.” Adam arrogantly declares his independence of God’s word; he refuses to heed it, and falls. Death comes to all he represents.
How different is the free gift of Christ! He does not cling to his life selfishly, but freely offers himself to save sinners. The sentence of condemnation is lifted, and the grace of God abounds to all he represents.
How different are the deeds of Adam and Christ!
Next, the consequences of their deeds are different. “And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification” (Romans 5:16). Before God’s judgment seat are two possible verdicts: condemnation or justification. Adam’s one sin means condemnation for all he represents. Christ’s free gift secures justification for all he represents. God’s verdict of righteousness is pronounced on all who are in Christ.
Notice the arithmetic of grace. Condemnation follows Adam’s one sin. We should then expect greater condemnation to follow many sins. Instead, justification stands in the place of condemnation. When we trust in Christ’s righteousness, God’s verdict of justification follows many sins.[5]
How different are the consequences of Adam and Christ’s deeds!
Third, how different are the eternal outcomes of the deeds of Adam and Christ. “If, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17). Where Adam represents men and women, death reigns. Where Christ represents men and women, life reigns, and those who put their faith in Christ will receive grace and righteousness as they reign in life. We are delivered out of the kingdom of death, and delivered into the kingdom of life. Christ reigns in life, triumphing over death, and we reign, in life, with him.
Paul has told us how Adam and Christ are not alike. Now he shows how they are alike.
First, Adam and Christ are representative figures. “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men” (Romans 5:18). Adam is the covenant head of the human race. By Adam’s one act of disobedience, all humanity is declared guilty before God; every man and woman stands under his just condemnation. Christ, on the other hand, is the covenant head of redeemed humanity, his Church. By Christ’s one act of righteousness, all those he represents are declared righteous. I take the phrase “one act of righteousness” to mean Christ’s meritorious life, taken as a whole, from incarnation to crucifixion. Christ’s active obedience means life to those who belong to him.
Don’t let the words “all men” confuse. Christ does not save “all men.” The “all men” language refers to all those Adam and Christ represent. Adam represents every person born into the human race; Jesus represents every person who is born into the kingdom of God. The crucial question is: Does Christ represent you? Have you trusted in him? Does your faith rest in him alone for salvation? If so, justification and life are yours.
The representative work of Adam and Christ are stated a second time: “For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19). John Stott writes:“The expressions ‘made sinners’ and ‘made righteous’ cannot mean that these people actually became morally good or evil, but rather that they were ‘constituted’ legally righteous or unrighteous in God’s sight.”[6] Or as Martyn Lloyd-Jones writes: “Look at yourself in Adam; though you had done nothing you were declared a sinner. Look at yourself in Christ; and see that, though you have done nothing, you are declared to be righteous.”[7] Christ’s active obedience means your right standing before God. His obedience is your righteousness.
A thoughtful reader of Paul’s letter might ask, “What about the Law of Moses? Wasn’t it given to increase the righteousness of God’s people? Can’t it be a source of obtaining a righteous record before God for all who obey it?
No, Paul responds: “Now the law came in to increase the trespass” (Romans 5:20). Far from increasing righteousness, the law increases sin. How? Two ways.
The law increases the number of sins by specifying in detail those activities that displease God. The law also increases the severity of sin’s punishment because violations of the law are a direct disobedience of the Lord’s clearly stated instruction. As we carefully study God’s law, we do not become confident in our own ability to keep it; the opposite is true. We see all the more our need of a Savior to rescue us from the law’s condemnation. We need one who will represent us, and by his active obedience, keep the law’s precepts for us.
And it is precisely the deepening knowledge of our own sin that magnifies the grace of God. Our hope is not in us but in God’s grace to us in Jesus Christ. Even as sin increases, grace abounds even more: “but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:20-21). God’s grace in Christ vanquishes sin, overthrows evil, and establishes our Lord’s gracious reign of righteousness leading to eternal life.
Think about it. It an easy thing to mar what is beautiful; deface the sublime; and pollute the pure. Immeasurably more difficult is the work of taking a marred, defaced, and polluted world, and making it radiate once more with the beauty of God.[8] That’s what Jesus did for us. That beauty is the result of his obedient life. I'm so thankful for the active obedience of Christ. Beyond question, there is no hope without it.
_____________
[1] All Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2]Thomas R. Schreiner, Romans (Baker, 1998), p. 282.
[3] John Stott, Romans (InterVarsity, 1994), p. 154.
[4] I am dependent upon Stott (p. 154-155) for the outline of the material below.
[5] Charles E. B. Cranfield, in Stott, p. 155.
[6] Stott, p. 156.
[7] In Stott, pp. 156-157.
[8] Schreiner, p. 284.
Friday, July 10, 2009
John Calvin (1509-1564)
Today is the 500th anniversary of John Calvin's birth. Enjoy John Piper's excellent biographical sketch.
Calvin deeply loved the church. He ecouraged us to help and pray for one another:
Extend our hands to one another,
Help one another we must,
And especially we commend
Our brethren to the providential care
Of the best of Fathers.
For if He is kind and favorable,
Nothing else at all can be desired.
This very thing, indeed, we owe
To our Father.
Love the father of the family
And you will embrace
In your love and good will
His entire houseehold.
To His people, His family,
And His inheritance
We must needs then show
The same zeal and affection
We have toward this heavenly Father.
For them He has honored
By calling them
The fullness of His only begotten Son.
And so the prayer of the Christian man
Should embrace all
His brothers in Christ,
Both those he sees and owns as brothers
And all who dwell on earth.
What for them the Lord has determined
Is beyond our knowing;
Yet we ought to wish
And hope the best for them.
To those of the household of faith
We ought with special affection be drawn,
Commended as they are to us in everything
By the apostle.
The Piety of John Calvin: A Collection of His Spiritual Prose, Poems, and Hymns
Translated and edited by Ford Lewis Battles
p. 132
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Interview with Ken Meyers
I’ve been listening to Ken Meyers and Mars Hill Audio Journal since the mid-1990s. There’s nothing like it in the Christian world, and from it I’ve been introduced to more resources for understanding and evaluating our culture than any other source.
Enjoy this interview from the PCA magazine byFaith entitled “The Well-Informed Generalist.” As usual, in a brief interview, he traverses a lot of cultural terrain.
I'll post a few quotes from the interview in the coming week.
J.C. Ryle on Marriage
“The marriage relation lies at the very root of the social system of nations. The public morality of a people, and the private happiness of the families which compose a people, are deeply involved in the whole question of the law of marriage. . . .
“Happy are they, who in the matter of marriage observe three rules. The first is to marry only in the Lord, and after prayer for God’s approval and blessing. The second is not to expect too much from their partners, and to remember that marriage is, after all, the union of two sinners, and not of two angels. The third rule is to strive first and foremost for one another’s sanctification. The more holy married people are, the happier they are.”
J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Mark (Carlisle: Banner of Truth, 1857, rep. 2000), 199-200.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Influential and Effective Religion
"Lord, grant that my religion may not be occasional and partial, but universal, influential, effective, and may I always continue in thy words as well as thy works, so that I may reach my end in peace."
- The Valley of Vision, ed. by Arthur Bennett
- The Valley of Vision, ed. by Arthur Bennett
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
In Memoriam: Rachel Barkey
After a lengthy battle with cancer, Canadian businesswoman, entrepreneur, and political figure Rachel Barkey died last week at the age of 37. In March she spoke to a group of several hundred women at her home church. Listen to her remarkable and moving testimony to God's grace in Christ. It is not often when I hear public figures speak of the hope and consolation obtained from reading Charles Hodge, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and the Westminster Shorter Catechism, and who warmly commend the sermons of Charles Spurgeon.
The books she recommends are well worth reading.
Visit her website.
More Thoughts on Habits of Truth
Two quotations from Kent Hughes' Disciplines of Grace:
1. The temptation to lie is always present; the opportunities surface very early in the life of a child. Once a child begins to lie, habits of lying develop quickly. And not just telling outright lies, but also sinful words that distort the truth, such as exaggeration, flattery, and self-disparagement for personal advantage. Distorting the truth becomes second nature to the child. Therefore, it is imperative to teach young people to describe events clearly and accurately - always. Only then does telling the truth becomes a habit. Samuel Johnson, writes: “Accustom your children … constantly to this; if a thing happened at one window and they, when relating it, say that it happened at another, do not let it pass, but instantly check them; you do not know where deviation from the truth will end.”
2. When we are tempted to lie or manipulate the truth, we need to be constantly reminded how much is at stake. Robertson McQuilken puts it well: “Falsehood is the basic faultline in the foundation of the soul, putting all the superstructure in jeopardy. All the believability a person has, his very integrity, totters on the shifting sand of one lie. Deceit holds hostage all other virtues.”
God has redeemed us to be a truth telling people. "Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another" (Ephesians 4:25). We are saved to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).
1. The temptation to lie is always present; the opportunities surface very early in the life of a child. Once a child begins to lie, habits of lying develop quickly. And not just telling outright lies, but also sinful words that distort the truth, such as exaggeration, flattery, and self-disparagement for personal advantage. Distorting the truth becomes second nature to the child. Therefore, it is imperative to teach young people to describe events clearly and accurately - always. Only then does telling the truth becomes a habit. Samuel Johnson, writes: “Accustom your children … constantly to this; if a thing happened at one window and they, when relating it, say that it happened at another, do not let it pass, but instantly check them; you do not know where deviation from the truth will end.”
2. When we are tempted to lie or manipulate the truth, we need to be constantly reminded how much is at stake. Robertson McQuilken puts it well: “Falsehood is the basic faultline in the foundation of the soul, putting all the superstructure in jeopardy. All the believability a person has, his very integrity, totters on the shifting sand of one lie. Deceit holds hostage all other virtues.”
God has redeemed us to be a truth telling people. "Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another" (Ephesians 4:25). We are saved to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).
Monday, July 06, 2009
God-focused Worship
Tim Challies posted this quotation from Don Carson's Worship by the Book:
"In an age increasingly suspicious of (linear) thought, there is much more respect for the 'feelings' of things - whether a film or a church service. It is disturbingly easy to plot surveys of people, especially young people, drifting from a church of excellent preaching and teaching to one with excellent music because, it is alleged, there is 'better worship' there. But we need to think carefully about this matter. Let us restrict ourselves for the moment to corporate worship. Although there are things that can be done to enhance corporate worship, there is a profound sense in which excellent worship cannot be attained merely by pursuing excellent worship. In the same way that, according to Jesus, you cannot find yourself until you lose yourself, so also you cannot find excellent corporate worship until you stop trying to find excellent corporate worship and pursue God himself. Despite the protestations, one sometimes wonders if we are beginning to worship worship rather than worship God. As a brother put it to me, it’s a bit like those who begin by admiring the sunset and soon begin to admire themselves admiring the sunset.
"This point is acknowledged in a praise chorus like 'Let’s forget about ourselves, and magnify the Lord, and worship him.' The trouble is that after you have sung this repetitious chorus three of four times, you are no farther ahead. The way you forget about yourself is by focusing on God—not by singing about doing it, but by doing it. There are far too few choruses and services and sermons that expand our vision of God—his attributes, his works, his character, his words. Some think that corporate worship is good because it is lively where it had been dull. But it may also be shallow where it is lively, leaving people dissatisfied and restless in a few months’ time. Sheep lie down when they are well fed (cf. Psalm 23:2); they are more likely to be restless when they are hungry. 'Feed my sheep,' Jesus commanded Peter (John 21); and many sheep are unfed. If you wish to deepen the worship of the people of God, above all deepen their grasp of his ineffable majesty in his person and in all his works.
"We do not expect the garage mechanic to expatiate on the wonders of his tools; we expect him to fix the car. He must know how to use his tools, but he must not lose sight of the goal. So we dare not focus on the mechanics of corporate worship and lose sight of the goal. We focus on God himself, and thus we become more godly and learn to worship—and collaterally we learn to edify one another, forbear with one another, challenge one another."
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