Dear Daddy, My Father, My Precious Jesus,
As I sit back and reflect on 2009 one word echoes deep within my soul, faithful. I can’t begin to express my gratitude to you for the year that you have blessed me with, but thank you, thank you Jesus.
My heart aches as I realize more and more each day the depravity of my own soul, the wickedness of my own heart, and the evil thoughts of my mind; I am astonished by the reality of it all despite the understanding of your Word that you have imparted to me, despite the reality of the cross of Christ, and the hope that I cling so tightly to. It is so easy to compare myself to the Christians around me, or even the spiritual “giants” of the faith rather than to the only measure we are held to, that of Jesus Christ. I so often rely on my own strength and my own willpower to overcome the sin that so easily entangles me rather than on yours. I find myself in despair and shame as I ponder the sin that wraps my heart and the intentions that cultivate and breed actions that are far from pleasing to you, your grace at times seems far too much to comprehend. I read a quote recently by Jerry Bridges that said, “Remember that your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace, nor are your best days ever so good that you are beyond the need of it”, the reality of that hit me hard. I am fully dependent on you Father, FULLY DEPENDENT on you no matter what season, what circumstance, or what kind of day I find myself in. A wretched sinner I am, but a wretched sinner that has been mercifully bought at a price and who stands under the grace of a gracious Savior. Oh thank you Jesus!
This year has been one full of surprises, a season of growing in ways that were so needed in my pursuit of you, and trials that have brought me to my knees in surrender consistently. I am humbled by the work of you sovereign God, you God who made the stars and the trees are the same God that formed me while I was in my mother’s womb and who planned out each step I would take long before the world even existed; that blows my mind! To say I have been humbled this year is a truth that I am thankful for despite the pain that it brought. Why is it Jesus that in the times of our breaking we find your love to be so acute? Why is it Father that when the fire is all around us we find peace? It is your ever present Spirit and the hope that you have provided that has pulled me through the dark times this year, it is that hope that I cling so tightly to today and long for to unfold into sight.
On top of the trials have been a multitude of blessings that I can’t even begin to count, blessings that have enabled me to see God’s hand like never before. I am astounded by your working oh God, amazed. I am undeserving of any of the blessings you have given me both temporal and eternal and more importantly grateful for the opportunities to be used by YOU. What a deep-seated irreplaceable joy I find in working for You God, a joy that never fades. Thank you for that.
As 2010 is right around the corner and as I embark on yet another very new and surprising season of my life I am certain of one thing my God, and that is what you have taught me this year, I am certain that you are FAITHFUL. From generations past to the present day and into eternity future you are immutable, never fading, faithfully dependable, you ARE. The faithfulness I have seen displayed this year in my life and the lives around me brings me to my knees in humble adoration of a God who despite our inadequacies, despite our failings, despite our lack of trust, IS ALWAYS FAITHFUL.
Thank you daddy for 2009 and I trust you wholly for 2010, for as you say in Psalm 46:10 we can BE STILL AND KNOW THAT YOU ARE GOD!!
Love,
Your Daughter
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Chewing on the Truth Part 7
My own spiritual journey towards Truth brought me to my knees for years after salvation in a humbling realization that I had never fully grasped the meaty truth of the weight of what God had done for me. What I mean is that for four years I had believed that I had some part in my salvation and the repurcussions of that caused my behavior to be different in other areas. Although my salvation wasn't based off of the full understanding of unconditional election or how the culpability of my sin and the sovereignty of God reconcile, it is a part of our sanctification to grow in the knowledge of TRUTH, and the more we understand it the more we fall in love with our Savior. Piper said, "It is possible to believe all these things in your head and go to hell. So easily deceived and hypocritical are we by nature! Therefore our concern in writing these things is not merely to convince the mind but also to win the heart. We want for others the sweet experience of resting in the massive comfort of these truths. We want others to feel the tremendous incentive for righteousness and for missions flowing from these truths. We want for others the experience of knowing and trusting the sovereign grace of God in such a way that He and He alone gets the glory."
Chewing on the Truth Part 6
PART SIX: His electing grace gives us the strength to persevere to the end.
The following verses make it really clear that God WILL persevere to the end and not be lost. If they are predestined, he Will conform them to the likeness of His Son, and if He predestined them He claled them and He will justify the called and glorify ultimately the justified. Romans 8:28-30 says, " And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. "
Piper does what I think is an excellent job at explaining this so I am going to use His reasoning, but ultimately the Bible for that!
A) Our faith must endure to the end if we are to be saved
"But he who endures to the end will be saved"- Mark 13:13
"Now I would remind you brethren in what terms I preached to you the gospel which you received, in which you stand, by which you are saved, if you hold it fast--unless you believed in vain."- 1 Corinthians 15:1, 2
The Word of God is the instrument by which we will presevere. There is a fight of faith to be fought.
B) Obedience, evidence of inner renewal from God is necessary for final salvation
"Strive for peace with all men, and for the holiness whithout which no one will see the Lord."- Hebrews 12:14
"If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." -Romans 8:13
"And by this we may be sure that we know him, if we keep his commandments..." - 1 John 2:3
The New Testament demands an internal transformation.
C) God's elect cannot be lost
Romans 8:28-30 says, " And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. "
John 10:26-30 "But you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one.""
Those whom He has chosen for eternal salvation will be enablled by HIM to persevere in faith to the end and to by the Spirit's power fulfill the requirements for obedience.
D) There is a fallin gaway of some believers, but if it lasts or persists, it shows that their faith was not genuine and that they weren't truly born of God
1 John 2:19 "They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us."
The fact that this is possible gives the church reason to admonish the congregation against this.
E) God justifies us first at salvation, the moment we are saved bt in doing so he has in view to all subsequent acts of faith contained, as it were, like a seed in that first act
Our faith enables us to stand righteous/justified before God because of Christ's work, BUT we must also realize that our final salvation is made contingent upon the subsequent obedience which comes from faith. The way these two truths fit together is that we are justified through our first act of faith because GOd sees in it, the embryo of a life of faith.
F) God works to cause His elect to persevere
Jude 24-25 "To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy- to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen."
We are not left to ourselves and our assurance is very largely rooted in the sovereign love of God to perform that which he has called us to do.
G) We should be zealous to make our calling and election sure
2 Peter 1:10 "Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall"
It is He who will keep you through it all and unto the end, what a precious promise!!
The following verses make it really clear that God WILL persevere to the end and not be lost. If they are predestined, he Will conform them to the likeness of His Son, and if He predestined them He claled them and He will justify the called and glorify ultimately the justified. Romans 8:28-30 says, " And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. "
Piper does what I think is an excellent job at explaining this so I am going to use His reasoning, but ultimately the Bible for that!
A) Our faith must endure to the end if we are to be saved
"But he who endures to the end will be saved"- Mark 13:13
"Now I would remind you brethren in what terms I preached to you the gospel which you received, in which you stand, by which you are saved, if you hold it fast--unless you believed in vain."- 1 Corinthians 15:1, 2
The Word of God is the instrument by which we will presevere. There is a fight of faith to be fought.
B) Obedience, evidence of inner renewal from God is necessary for final salvation
"Strive for peace with all men, and for the holiness whithout which no one will see the Lord."- Hebrews 12:14
"If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." -Romans 8:13
"And by this we may be sure that we know him, if we keep his commandments..." - 1 John 2:3
The New Testament demands an internal transformation.
C) God's elect cannot be lost
Romans 8:28-30 says, " And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. "
John 10:26-30 "But you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one.""
Those whom He has chosen for eternal salvation will be enablled by HIM to persevere in faith to the end and to by the Spirit's power fulfill the requirements for obedience.
D) There is a fallin gaway of some believers, but if it lasts or persists, it shows that their faith was not genuine and that they weren't truly born of God
1 John 2:19 "They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us."
The fact that this is possible gives the church reason to admonish the congregation against this.
E) God justifies us first at salvation, the moment we are saved bt in doing so he has in view to all subsequent acts of faith contained, as it were, like a seed in that first act
Our faith enables us to stand righteous/justified before God because of Christ's work, BUT we must also realize that our final salvation is made contingent upon the subsequent obedience which comes from faith. The way these two truths fit together is that we are justified through our first act of faith because GOd sees in it, the embryo of a life of faith.
F) God works to cause His elect to persevere
Jude 24-25 "To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy- to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen."
We are not left to ourselves and our assurance is very largely rooted in the sovereign love of God to perform that which he has called us to do.
G) We should be zealous to make our calling and election sure
2 Peter 1:10 "Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall"
It is He who will keep you through it all and unto the end, what a precious promise!!
Chewing on the Truth Part 5
Part Four: The saved realizes that we are unconditionally elected by God
This whole idea of unconditonal, meaning that we didn't have a condition that had to be met to be saved is one with widespread controversy. As humans we can't seem to wrap our minds around the thoughts and ideas that the cross was only intended for the saved and even more that somehow we were chosen by God from before the foundation of time...I mean it must have been because He saw that we would choose Him right?? But think about it for a second, think about the pride in that statement...why were you good enough, or intelligent enough, or righteous enough to choose God on your own when the person next to you wasn't? If man is really dead in His sin and transgressions before a holy God then there is no life and therefore there cannot be any choosing to save oneself. Faith is not a condition for election rather election is a condition for faith. It is only by God's grace that you are awakened to new life and can exhibit faith; it is then that no man can boast and He alone receives all the glory.
I believe that the story of Esau and Jacob as repeated in Romans 9 is a great example of this unconditonal election; prior to their belief in anything, in fact prior to their birth God said, the elder will serve the younger and Jacob I have loved and Esau I have hated. In v 15-16 of Romans 9 we read that "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So it depends not upon man's will or exertion but upon God's mercy". Many say this is not the God they believe in? But this is the God of the Bible, this is the Truth! It is humbling to say the least, but when you start to think of it...is this fair? No! In fact, if God were fair we would all be going to hell, that would be fair. It wasn't fair that He would give up His precious, perfect, only Son for you or for me, that wasn't fair...I am glad that we don't serve a fair God.
John Piper says, "God does not foreknow the free decisions of people to believe in him because there aren't any such free decisions to know. IF anyone comes to faith in Jesus, it is because they were quickened from the dead by the creative Spirit of God. So the foreknowledge of Romans 8:29 is not the mere awareness of something that will happen in the future apart from HIS predetermination. Rather it is the kind of knoweldge referred to in OT texts like Genesis 18:19 and Jeremiah 1:5. God really accomplishes the complete redemption of His peopel from start to finish. He foreknows, elects a people for himself before the foundation of the world, he predestines this people to be conformed to the image of His Son, He calls them to himself in faith, he justified them through that faith, and he finally glorifies them--and nothing can ever separate them from His love (Romans 8:39). And then to HIM ALONE be all the glory and praise!"
This whole idea of unconditonal, meaning that we didn't have a condition that had to be met to be saved is one with widespread controversy. As humans we can't seem to wrap our minds around the thoughts and ideas that the cross was only intended for the saved and even more that somehow we were chosen by God from before the foundation of time...I mean it must have been because He saw that we would choose Him right?? But think about it for a second, think about the pride in that statement...why were you good enough, or intelligent enough, or righteous enough to choose God on your own when the person next to you wasn't? If man is really dead in His sin and transgressions before a holy God then there is no life and therefore there cannot be any choosing to save oneself. Faith is not a condition for election rather election is a condition for faith. It is only by God's grace that you are awakened to new life and can exhibit faith; it is then that no man can boast and He alone receives all the glory.
I believe that the story of Esau and Jacob as repeated in Romans 9 is a great example of this unconditonal election; prior to their belief in anything, in fact prior to their birth God said, the elder will serve the younger and Jacob I have loved and Esau I have hated. In v 15-16 of Romans 9 we read that "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So it depends not upon man's will or exertion but upon God's mercy". Many say this is not the God they believe in? But this is the God of the Bible, this is the Truth! It is humbling to say the least, but when you start to think of it...is this fair? No! In fact, if God were fair we would all be going to hell, that would be fair. It wasn't fair that He would give up His precious, perfect, only Son for you or for me, that wasn't fair...I am glad that we don't serve a fair God.
John Piper says, "God does not foreknow the free decisions of people to believe in him because there aren't any such free decisions to know. IF anyone comes to faith in Jesus, it is because they were quickened from the dead by the creative Spirit of God. So the foreknowledge of Romans 8:29 is not the mere awareness of something that will happen in the future apart from HIS predetermination. Rather it is the kind of knoweldge referred to in OT texts like Genesis 18:19 and Jeremiah 1:5. God really accomplishes the complete redemption of His peopel from start to finish. He foreknows, elects a people for himself before the foundation of the world, he predestines this people to be conformed to the image of His Son, He calls them to himself in faith, he justified them through that faith, and he finally glorifies them--and nothing can ever separate them from His love (Romans 8:39). And then to HIM ALONE be all the glory and praise!"
Chewing on the Truth Part 4
Why did Christ have to die? The death of Christ was a necessity because God is just and there had to be recompense for sin. Therfore the cross was the necessary vindication of the righteousness of God in justifying the ungodly by faith. So Jesus goes to calvary and bears the curse for sin which we were supposed to bear so that we can be justified before a holy God and vindicated, not held accountable.
All Christians can agree that Jesus paid it all as the song sings but who did He pay it all for? For everyone? I have to again steal what Piper says about this Truth of Scripture because it is put so clearly:
If you say that he died for every human being in the same way, then you have to define the nature of the atonement very differently than you would if you believe that Christ only died for those who actually believe. In the first case you would believe that the death of Christ did not actually save anyone, it only made men savable. It didn't actually remove God's punitive wrath from anyone, but instead created a place where people could come and find mercy--IF they could accomplish their own new birth and bring themselves to faith without the irresistible grace of God.
If Christ died for all men in the same way then he did not purchase regenerating grace for those who are saved. They must regenerate themselves and bring themselves to faith. Then and only then do they become partakers on the benefits of the cross. So if you believe that Christ died for all men in the same way then the benefits of the cross can't include the mercy b which we are brought to faith because then all men would be brought to faith, but they aren't. But if the mercy by which we are brough tot faith is not part of what Christ purchased on the cross, then we are left to save ourselves from the bondage of sin, the hardness of heart, the blindness of corruption and the wrath of a holy God.
In the cross God had in view the actual redemption of his children. And we affirm that when Christ died for these, He did not just create the opportunity for them to save themselves, but really purchased for them all that was necessary to get them saved, including the grace of regeneration and the gift of faith. We do not deny that all men are the intended benefciaries of the cross in some sense, but we do deny that all men are intended as the beneficiaries of the death of Christ in the same way. All of God's mercy toward unbeleivers from the rising of the sun to the worldwride preaching of the Gospel is becuase of the cross of Jesus Christ.
The answer is that Christ's death so clearly demonstrates God's just abhorrence of sin that he is free to treat the world with mercy without compromising his righteousness. In this sense He is the savior of all men. He did not die for all men in the same sense. The intention of the death of Christ for the children of God was that it purchase far more than the rising sun and the opportunity to be saved. The death of Christ actually saves from ALL evil those for whom Christ died...
"I lay down my life for the sheep...you do not believe because you do not belong to my sheep." -John 10:15
The "whole world" as talked about in many passages is referring to the children of God who are scattered throughout the world. John 11:51-52 says, "He prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad". If we really believed that in verses like 1 John 2:2 "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world" that the whole world was referring to EVERY INDIVIDUAL in the entire world, we would have to believe that John thinks/taught everyone would be saved, which obviously isn't what He teacehs at all. Sins that were propitiated can't be punished. IF He died and propiated all sins then we would say John taught universialism, which He didn't. We must realize that it was rather for some that He gave His life, as Mark 10:45 says, "For the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life for many". In fact JESUS Himself said, "This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28).
If that doesn't make it clear enough look at Ephesians 5:25-27 where Paul says that the intended beneficiary is the church! "Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her!" Think about this for a moment from Piper, "If God gave His own Son for unbelievers who in the end are lost then he cannot as Romans 8:32 says, say that the giving of the Son guarantees all things for those for whom he died. But this is what he does say. If God gave His son for YOU, then He most certainly will give you all things. The structure of Paul's thought here is simply destroyed by introducing the idea that Christ died for all men in the same way. If Christ died for the sin of all men then is unbelief not a sin that is covered by the blood of Jesus? Then people must be saved without having all their sins atoned for in Jesus. He died for the unbelief of th eelect so that God's punitive wrath is appeased toward them and HIs grace is free to draw them irresistibly out of darkness into His marvelous light."
All Christians can agree that Jesus paid it all as the song sings but who did He pay it all for? For everyone? I have to again steal what Piper says about this Truth of Scripture because it is put so clearly:
If you say that he died for every human being in the same way, then you have to define the nature of the atonement very differently than you would if you believe that Christ only died for those who actually believe. In the first case you would believe that the death of Christ did not actually save anyone, it only made men savable. It didn't actually remove God's punitive wrath from anyone, but instead created a place where people could come and find mercy--IF they could accomplish their own new birth and bring themselves to faith without the irresistible grace of God.
If Christ died for all men in the same way then he did not purchase regenerating grace for those who are saved. They must regenerate themselves and bring themselves to faith. Then and only then do they become partakers on the benefits of the cross. So if you believe that Christ died for all men in the same way then the benefits of the cross can't include the mercy b which we are brought to faith because then all men would be brought to faith, but they aren't. But if the mercy by which we are brough tot faith is not part of what Christ purchased on the cross, then we are left to save ourselves from the bondage of sin, the hardness of heart, the blindness of corruption and the wrath of a holy God.
In the cross God had in view the actual redemption of his children. And we affirm that when Christ died for these, He did not just create the opportunity for them to save themselves, but really purchased for them all that was necessary to get them saved, including the grace of regeneration and the gift of faith. We do not deny that all men are the intended benefciaries of the cross in some sense, but we do deny that all men are intended as the beneficiaries of the death of Christ in the same way. All of God's mercy toward unbeleivers from the rising of the sun to the worldwride preaching of the Gospel is becuase of the cross of Jesus Christ.
The answer is that Christ's death so clearly demonstrates God's just abhorrence of sin that he is free to treat the world with mercy without compromising his righteousness. In this sense He is the savior of all men. He did not die for all men in the same sense. The intention of the death of Christ for the children of God was that it purchase far more than the rising sun and the opportunity to be saved. The death of Christ actually saves from ALL evil those for whom Christ died...
"I lay down my life for the sheep...you do not believe because you do not belong to my sheep." -John 10:15
The "whole world" as talked about in many passages is referring to the children of God who are scattered throughout the world. John 11:51-52 says, "He prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad". If we really believed that in verses like 1 John 2:2 "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world" that the whole world was referring to EVERY INDIVIDUAL in the entire world, we would have to believe that John thinks/taught everyone would be saved, which obviously isn't what He teacehs at all. Sins that were propitiated can't be punished. IF He died and propiated all sins then we would say John taught universialism, which He didn't. We must realize that it was rather for some that He gave His life, as Mark 10:45 says, "For the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life for many". In fact JESUS Himself said, "This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28).
If that doesn't make it clear enough look at Ephesians 5:25-27 where Paul says that the intended beneficiary is the church! "Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her!" Think about this for a moment from Piper, "If God gave His own Son for unbelievers who in the end are lost then he cannot as Romans 8:32 says, say that the giving of the Son guarantees all things for those for whom he died. But this is what he does say. If God gave His son for YOU, then He most certainly will give you all things. The structure of Paul's thought here is simply destroyed by introducing the idea that Christ died for all men in the same way. If Christ died for the sin of all men then is unbelief not a sin that is covered by the blood of Jesus? Then people must be saved without having all their sins atoned for in Jesus. He died for the unbelief of th eelect so that God's punitive wrath is appeased toward them and HIs grace is free to draw them irresistibly out of darkness into His marvelous light."
Chewing on Truth Part 3
Step Two: After we realize our need for salvation we then experience His irresistable grace leading us toward faith
It is clear in Scripture that the Holy Spirit can be resisted in many ways. In Acts 7:51 Stephen calls the Jewish leaders stiff necked and resisting the Spirit as their fathers had done. Paul talks throughout the Epistles of the grieving of the Spirit and the quenching as well (Ephesians 4:30 and 1 Thessalonians 5:19). Think of the nation of Israel and the consistent resistance they displayed throughout the Old Testament.
The grace that is irresistable however is the reality that God is sovereign and can overcome all resistance when He so wills. Psalm 115:3 says, "When God undertakes to fulfill His sovereign purpose, no one can successfully resist Him." The summation of this Truth is simply that the sovereign God can overcome the rebellion of our sinful hearts and bring us to faith in Christ for salvation. Piper says that "If a person becomes humble enough to submit to God it is because God has given that person a new and humble nature. If a person remains too hard hearted and proud to submit to God it is because that person has not been given such a willing spirit." John 6:64-65 says that "But there are some of you that do not believe".
Repentance is refered to as a "gift" (John 6:65) "He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him": that seems pretty clear that even the prereqs of salvation are also a gift. God however never forces anyone to believe against their will, in fact the whole idea of irresistable grace is "compatible with preaching and witnessing that tries to persuade people to do what is reasonable and what will accord with their best interests" (Piper).
1 Corinthians 1:23-24 "But we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." Piper explains this passage well...the following is from a snipit of His writing:
Paul's call goes out to all, both Jews and Gentiles. This is a "general" Gospel call, offering salvation to all who will believe on the crucified Christ. It is mostly foolishness falling on unreceptive ears. Then Paul refers to a second call, the call that goes to the "called". This has to be the irresistable call of God out of darkness into light. If ALL who are called in this sense regard the cross as the power of God, the something in the call must effect the faith...irresistable grace. Since men are blinded to the worth of Christ, a miracle is needed in order for them to come to see and believe. The effectual call is the miracle of having our blindness removed, irresistable grace. Acts 16:14 says when referring to Lydia, "The Lord opened her heart to give heed to what was said by Paul". This new birth that one experiences as Nicodemus was bewildered by as being "born again", is the enablement of a formerly dead person to receive Christ and be saved. Faith is the evidence that God has begotten us a new. This birth isn't possible by the will of man, as all of Ephesians 2 talks about and what we explained in the previous blog is that man is dead. A dead person doesn't talk, breath, move, blink...nothing, they are dead. It was HE who woke us up.
It is clear in Scripture that the Holy Spirit can be resisted in many ways. In Acts 7:51 Stephen calls the Jewish leaders stiff necked and resisting the Spirit as their fathers had done. Paul talks throughout the Epistles of the grieving of the Spirit and the quenching as well (Ephesians 4:30 and 1 Thessalonians 5:19). Think of the nation of Israel and the consistent resistance they displayed throughout the Old Testament.
The grace that is irresistable however is the reality that God is sovereign and can overcome all resistance when He so wills. Psalm 115:3 says, "When God undertakes to fulfill His sovereign purpose, no one can successfully resist Him." The summation of this Truth is simply that the sovereign God can overcome the rebellion of our sinful hearts and bring us to faith in Christ for salvation. Piper says that "If a person becomes humble enough to submit to God it is because God has given that person a new and humble nature. If a person remains too hard hearted and proud to submit to God it is because that person has not been given such a willing spirit." John 6:64-65 says that "But there are some of you that do not believe".
Repentance is refered to as a "gift" (John 6:65) "He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him": that seems pretty clear that even the prereqs of salvation are also a gift. God however never forces anyone to believe against their will, in fact the whole idea of irresistable grace is "compatible with preaching and witnessing that tries to persuade people to do what is reasonable and what will accord with their best interests" (Piper).
1 Corinthians 1:23-24 "But we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." Piper explains this passage well...the following is from a snipit of His writing:
Paul's call goes out to all, both Jews and Gentiles. This is a "general" Gospel call, offering salvation to all who will believe on the crucified Christ. It is mostly foolishness falling on unreceptive ears. Then Paul refers to a second call, the call that goes to the "called". This has to be the irresistable call of God out of darkness into light. If ALL who are called in this sense regard the cross as the power of God, the something in the call must effect the faith...irresistable grace. Since men are blinded to the worth of Christ, a miracle is needed in order for them to come to see and believe. The effectual call is the miracle of having our blindness removed, irresistable grace. Acts 16:14 says when referring to Lydia, "The Lord opened her heart to give heed to what was said by Paul". This new birth that one experiences as Nicodemus was bewildered by as being "born again", is the enablement of a formerly dead person to receive Christ and be saved. Faith is the evidence that God has begotten us a new. This birth isn't possible by the will of man, as all of Ephesians 2 talks about and what we explained in the previous blog is that man is dead. A dead person doesn't talk, breath, move, blink...nothing, they are dead. It was HE who woke us up.
Chewing on Truth Part 2
Step One: Realizing our Depravity and Need for a Savior
The word depravity, the whole idea, refers to our condition apart from God's grace. Man being depraved could be more evil then he/she is, but our condition must be compared to God not to other men and women. Our rebellion against the creator God is total in that there is no desire for holiness or submission to a perfect GOd. Even though fallen man can be "religious", Jesus himself in Matthew 6:1-18 expressed the reality that religion, unless coming from a childlike heart of faith, is pride and self-reliance. We must realize, especially those of us who have been saved should be able to recognize and remember that prior to our coming to life in Him, we didn't seek after God. And for those of you who might say that you did, what were your motives? Self preservation? Romans 3 makes it clear that nobody does good, nobody seeks God.
Our depravity is the result of the fact that we sin because we are sinners not sinners because we sin. Romans 14:23 says that "Anything not from faith is sin". Paul himself said earlier in the book, Romans 7:18, that no good dwells within him. Our depravity causes us to be UNABLE to submit to God and do good. Romans 8:7-8 says "For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, it does not submit to God's law, indeed it cannot; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God".
Need some more verses on depravity?
- Ephesians 2:1 "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins."
-Ezekiel 36:36 " I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."
-2 Corinthians 4:4-6 "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,"made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."
And we must remember that as James 2:10 says, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." That means that well here think about this illustration for a moment; you have two PERFECT mirrors (just imagine). Then you take a pebble and throw it at the top right corner of one, and there is a tiny scratch, is the mirror perfect? No. And then you take a large rock and throw it at mirror number two and it shatters into hundreds of pieces. Is that mirror perfect? Obviously not. Both mirrors, although one way worse then the other, are imperfect. It is the same with fallen humanity. The standard is holiness aka perfection and nobody, not Mother Teresa, not the missionary who gave his life in China, not Paul, not Peter, not John the Baptist, not Mary the mother of Jesus, not Moses, Abraham or Job...NOBODY is perfect apart from Jesus Christ.
So what then? What does our depravity deserve? All of us would believe the following (just a few examples):
- 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 "God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power"
- Matthew 10:18 "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."
- Matthew 13:49 "This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous"
-Revelation 14:9-11 "A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name"
HELL! We deserve hell. Our depravity as Piper says, "means that our rebellion against God is total, everything we do is in rebellion is sin and our inability to submit to God or reform ourselves, save ourselves, is TOTAL, and we therefore totally deserve eternal punishment"...it just makes sense. There is no way that we can find even a single verse in Scripture that would teach the opposite, that would show that in someway, some of us or even all of us have even a pinch of "good" in us apart from the grace of God. I challenge you to seek to find even one verse. If we can humble ourselves to this Truth, when we can really understand the bad news, we will be able to see the awe and amazement of the Truth in a whole new light, the good news will be amazingly glorious.
The word depravity, the whole idea, refers to our condition apart from God's grace. Man being depraved could be more evil then he/she is, but our condition must be compared to God not to other men and women. Our rebellion against the creator God is total in that there is no desire for holiness or submission to a perfect GOd. Even though fallen man can be "religious", Jesus himself in Matthew 6:1-18 expressed the reality that religion, unless coming from a childlike heart of faith, is pride and self-reliance. We must realize, especially those of us who have been saved should be able to recognize and remember that prior to our coming to life in Him, we didn't seek after God. And for those of you who might say that you did, what were your motives? Self preservation? Romans 3 makes it clear that nobody does good, nobody seeks God.
Our depravity is the result of the fact that we sin because we are sinners not sinners because we sin. Romans 14:23 says that "Anything not from faith is sin". Paul himself said earlier in the book, Romans 7:18, that no good dwells within him. Our depravity causes us to be UNABLE to submit to God and do good. Romans 8:7-8 says "For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, it does not submit to God's law, indeed it cannot; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God".
Need some more verses on depravity?
- Ephesians 2:1 "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins."
-Ezekiel 36:36 " I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."
-2 Corinthians 4:4-6 "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,"made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."
And we must remember that as James 2:10 says, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." That means that well here think about this illustration for a moment; you have two PERFECT mirrors (just imagine). Then you take a pebble and throw it at the top right corner of one, and there is a tiny scratch, is the mirror perfect? No. And then you take a large rock and throw it at mirror number two and it shatters into hundreds of pieces. Is that mirror perfect? Obviously not. Both mirrors, although one way worse then the other, are imperfect. It is the same with fallen humanity. The standard is holiness aka perfection and nobody, not Mother Teresa, not the missionary who gave his life in China, not Paul, not Peter, not John the Baptist, not Mary the mother of Jesus, not Moses, Abraham or Job...NOBODY is perfect apart from Jesus Christ.
So what then? What does our depravity deserve? All of us would believe the following (just a few examples):
- 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 "God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power"
- Matthew 10:18 "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."
- Matthew 13:49 "This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous"
-Revelation 14:9-11 "A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name"
HELL! We deserve hell. Our depravity as Piper says, "means that our rebellion against God is total, everything we do is in rebellion is sin and our inability to submit to God or reform ourselves, save ourselves, is TOTAL, and we therefore totally deserve eternal punishment"...it just makes sense. There is no way that we can find even a single verse in Scripture that would teach the opposite, that would show that in someway, some of us or even all of us have even a pinch of "good" in us apart from the grace of God. I challenge you to seek to find even one verse. If we can humble ourselves to this Truth, when we can really understand the bad news, we will be able to see the awe and amazement of the Truth in a whole new light, the good news will be amazingly glorious.
Chewing on Truth Part 1
Over the past 8 years of my walk with my Jesus I have grown in the knowledge of Him by His grace (Colossians 1:10) and have wrestled with many precious Truths of Scripture trying to I suppose reconcile what in my head seemed to be logical conflicts. What of course I discovered time and time again was the reality of my finite human brain and the greatness of our God and the fact that the more I studied and sought the Truth the more He revealed it to me. James 1:5 stood true, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." My prayer is that through this blog you would be challenged and encouraged to seek the Truth for yourself through His Word.
I remember my moment of salvation quite clearly, in fact if any of you know me, or have read my past blogs you know that my point of conversion was some 10 years after I thought I had been saved. Much like Charles Spurgeon I had come to Christ originally thinking that I was doing it all myself, that I was seeking Him, but what He revealed to me 10 years later was it was HE who was seeking me. I remember the moment when I realized that there was a complete exchange of resumes, Jesus' for mine and that nothing I brought to the table was going to make my standing before a holy God "good enough". When I began to think about how I became a Christian, I began to realize that I shouldn't have sought after Him if He hadn't put an influence inside my heart and mind. The doctrines of what have come to be known as "Calvinism" are taboo in many Christian circles and rarely discussed in depth leaving many "Christians" trying to chew on meat that seems impossible to swallow. Trying to reconcile a tension on our brains between the culpability for our own sin and the reality of a sovereign God who chooses us from before the foundation of the earth causes many to wrestle with countless thoughts night and day. So what to do then? Do we leave it alone because the tension is unresolvable? Do we not seek the Truth and treat it as a "minor" issue rather than a "major" one necessary for salvation? I don't think Paul would encourage us any differently then He did the Bereans who were good students of the word...we too must be the same!
I have wanted to write series of blogs about this topic for quite sometime but I have been a bit hesitant because of the weight of the Truths it would contain and because even more so I am only 8 years old in my faith and I myself still am not even close to understanding it all, but as I journey in the quest for Truth through the pursuit of the word of God I pray that what I have found biblically to be true would encourage you as well as you seek to grow in your holiness.
"The more you feast on his fellowship, the hunbrier you are for deepr and richer communication. We do not begin as Calvinists and defend a system. We begin as Bible believing Christians who want to put the Bible above all systems of thought. But over the years--many years of struggle-- we have deepened in our conviction that Calvinistic teachings on the five points are Biblical and therefore true. Our own struggle makes us patient with others who are on the way. We believe that all wrestling to understand what the Bible teaches about God is worth it. God is a rock of strength in a world of quicksand. To know him in His sovereignty is to become like an oak tree in the wind of adversity and confusion. And along the strength is sweetness and tenderness beyond imagination. The sovereign Lion of Judah is the sweet Lamb of God." -John Piper
Let us throw the word "Calvinism" aside for the time being and rather call what we are trying to discover Christianity, what the Bible calls it. Our desire, as believers, is to make sure that we honor God by rightly handling the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15). As Jesus is our perfect example of humility and as we are striving to be like Him (aka God is making us more like Him), we need to humbly be willing and open to change any of our ideas which could be contradictory to the Word of God. In order however to more clearly understand the process of regeneration I am going to use some of the words used in the system of Calvinism. Again I pray you will be encouraged!
I remember my moment of salvation quite clearly, in fact if any of you know me, or have read my past blogs you know that my point of conversion was some 10 years after I thought I had been saved. Much like Charles Spurgeon I had come to Christ originally thinking that I was doing it all myself, that I was seeking Him, but what He revealed to me 10 years later was it was HE who was seeking me. I remember the moment when I realized that there was a complete exchange of resumes, Jesus' for mine and that nothing I brought to the table was going to make my standing before a holy God "good enough". When I began to think about how I became a Christian, I began to realize that I shouldn't have sought after Him if He hadn't put an influence inside my heart and mind. The doctrines of what have come to be known as "Calvinism" are taboo in many Christian circles and rarely discussed in depth leaving many "Christians" trying to chew on meat that seems impossible to swallow. Trying to reconcile a tension on our brains between the culpability for our own sin and the reality of a sovereign God who chooses us from before the foundation of the earth causes many to wrestle with countless thoughts night and day. So what to do then? Do we leave it alone because the tension is unresolvable? Do we not seek the Truth and treat it as a "minor" issue rather than a "major" one necessary for salvation? I don't think Paul would encourage us any differently then He did the Bereans who were good students of the word...we too must be the same!
I have wanted to write series of blogs about this topic for quite sometime but I have been a bit hesitant because of the weight of the Truths it would contain and because even more so I am only 8 years old in my faith and I myself still am not even close to understanding it all, but as I journey in the quest for Truth through the pursuit of the word of God I pray that what I have found biblically to be true would encourage you as well as you seek to grow in your holiness.
"The more you feast on his fellowship, the hunbrier you are for deepr and richer communication. We do not begin as Calvinists and defend a system. We begin as Bible believing Christians who want to put the Bible above all systems of thought. But over the years--many years of struggle-- we have deepened in our conviction that Calvinistic teachings on the five points are Biblical and therefore true. Our own struggle makes us patient with others who are on the way. We believe that all wrestling to understand what the Bible teaches about God is worth it. God is a rock of strength in a world of quicksand. To know him in His sovereignty is to become like an oak tree in the wind of adversity and confusion. And along the strength is sweetness and tenderness beyond imagination. The sovereign Lion of Judah is the sweet Lamb of God." -John Piper
Let us throw the word "Calvinism" aside for the time being and rather call what we are trying to discover Christianity, what the Bible calls it. Our desire, as believers, is to make sure that we honor God by rightly handling the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15). As Jesus is our perfect example of humility and as we are striving to be like Him (aka God is making us more like Him), we need to humbly be willing and open to change any of our ideas which could be contradictory to the Word of God. In order however to more clearly understand the process of regeneration I am going to use some of the words used in the system of Calvinism. Again I pray you will be encouraged!
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Truth Bearer?
"If you are of the truth, if you have learned the truth, if you see the sanctity of the truth, then speak truth. We are not called to be deceivers or liars. God is a God of truth, and His people are called to have an enormously high standard of truth." -R.C. Sproul
"Truth has no degrees or shades. A half truth is a whole lie, and a white lie is really black." -John MacArthur
I was recently thinking about the truth, the truth spoken from our mouths. I guess the reality is that most people have come to believe that lying, even small lies, are okay, not that big of a deal and can just be glazed over, but is that really what God's word says? James 3 is a powerful passage on the tongue and the truth behind the fire that it blazes. "And the tongue is a fire, a world of righteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell" (James 3:6). When did it become okay to tell half truths, when was it acceptable among Christians to lie to make someone feel better, or to omit truth in certain contexts? When did we decide to determine what was acceptable before a holy God and what was permissable in our own lives?
I guess I am foremost speaking to myself when I say all this, I have come to realize that although I would never have said I am a liar or that I struggle with lying, my speech and conduct don't always reveal that. Thinking back on the past week, how many times have I exaggerated, smoothed things over with a white lie, or not told the whole truth to make myself look better or to make a situation seem a certain way? I can't say it has never happend because the truth is it has, and often times it has happened as a practice, in other words I do it without even realizing I am doing it...that is scary! John MacArthur said it well, "Satan is the prince of this world, and since he not only is a liar himself but also "the father of lies" (John 8:44), it should not be surprising that the system he heads is characterized by lying... Our whole society is largely built on a network of fabrication, of manufactured "truth." We shade truth, we cheat, we exaggerate, we misrepresent income tax deductions, we make promises we have no intention of keeping, we make up excuses, and betray confidences - all as a matter of normal, everyday living."
As we read on James 3 it becomes obvious that with the same tongue that we sing praises to the Lord with, or tell of His wonderful deeds, is the same tongue that we curse with, make false promises to, and say things that are exaggerations or just plain lies...how can this be? Christians of all people need to be a people marked by Truth because we have the absolute TRUTH in the Word of God. If our lives are marked by half-truths, unkept promises, and white lies how can we be taken seriously when we share the real Truth of the Gospel? When I began to think of it that way, I began to realize the weight of the situation. I want to represent God in all areas of my life, especially in the area of my tongue, because it is there that I will represent the Truth of the Gospel as well in the most outright way.
May we as Christians strive to reign our tongues by the power of the Lord, may we listen to the conviction of the Spirit and respond, may we speak truth no matter what the cost, and may that give us the authority to preach the Gospel wherever we go!
"Think about how much falsehood and deceit there is in the world! How much exaggeration! How many untruths are added to a simple story! How many things are left out, if it does not serve the speaker's interest to tell them! How few there are around us of whom we can say, that we trust their word without question!" -J.C. Ryle
"Truth has no degrees or shades. A half truth is a whole lie, and a white lie is really black." -John MacArthur
I was recently thinking about the truth, the truth spoken from our mouths. I guess the reality is that most people have come to believe that lying, even small lies, are okay, not that big of a deal and can just be glazed over, but is that really what God's word says? James 3 is a powerful passage on the tongue and the truth behind the fire that it blazes. "And the tongue is a fire, a world of righteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell" (James 3:6). When did it become okay to tell half truths, when was it acceptable among Christians to lie to make someone feel better, or to omit truth in certain contexts? When did we decide to determine what was acceptable before a holy God and what was permissable in our own lives?
I guess I am foremost speaking to myself when I say all this, I have come to realize that although I would never have said I am a liar or that I struggle with lying, my speech and conduct don't always reveal that. Thinking back on the past week, how many times have I exaggerated, smoothed things over with a white lie, or not told the whole truth to make myself look better or to make a situation seem a certain way? I can't say it has never happend because the truth is it has, and often times it has happened as a practice, in other words I do it without even realizing I am doing it...that is scary! John MacArthur said it well, "Satan is the prince of this world, and since he not only is a liar himself but also "the father of lies" (John 8:44), it should not be surprising that the system he heads is characterized by lying... Our whole society is largely built on a network of fabrication, of manufactured "truth." We shade truth, we cheat, we exaggerate, we misrepresent income tax deductions, we make promises we have no intention of keeping, we make up excuses, and betray confidences - all as a matter of normal, everyday living."
As we read on James 3 it becomes obvious that with the same tongue that we sing praises to the Lord with, or tell of His wonderful deeds, is the same tongue that we curse with, make false promises to, and say things that are exaggerations or just plain lies...how can this be? Christians of all people need to be a people marked by Truth because we have the absolute TRUTH in the Word of God. If our lives are marked by half-truths, unkept promises, and white lies how can we be taken seriously when we share the real Truth of the Gospel? When I began to think of it that way, I began to realize the weight of the situation. I want to represent God in all areas of my life, especially in the area of my tongue, because it is there that I will represent the Truth of the Gospel as well in the most outright way.
May we as Christians strive to reign our tongues by the power of the Lord, may we listen to the conviction of the Spirit and respond, may we speak truth no matter what the cost, and may that give us the authority to preach the Gospel wherever we go!
"Think about how much falsehood and deceit there is in the world! How much exaggeration! How many untruths are added to a simple story! How many things are left out, if it does not serve the speaker's interest to tell them! How few there are around us of whom we can say, that we trust their word without question!" -J.C. Ryle
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