Wednesday, January 31, 2018

The Question of Warfare


"For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer" (Romans 13:4).

Paul here states that God has given to the civil magistrate a weapon to enforce the laws. This we call the power of the sword. It means that rulers have the power under God to back up their decrees with the use of force. They may use that power rightly or wrongly, but the power itself is not something they usurped. It is given to them by God. This power entails the power of capital punishment and the power to make war. Both of these powers have proven controversial in church history.

Today let us consider war. All Christians are called to be “pacifists” in the sense that we are to love peace and pursue it. The use of the sword as a restraining device, though legitimate, is a means of last resort.

In Christian history, three theories of war have been advocated. The first we can mention is the position of pure pacifism, which states that no Christian may ever take up arms. The second is the position summed up in the phrase, “My country, right or wrong.” This position says that the Christian citizen has a duty to fight in whatever kind of war the government decides to prosecute.

Between these two extremes lies what I believe to be the correct position, which has been advocated by the vast majority of Christian ethicists in all branches of the church: the “just war” position. Based on the Bible, the just war position states that some wars are justified, and Christians may and often should bear arms in such circumstances; but that other wars are unjustified, and Christians must oppose such wars. What determines the difference?

Basically it is this: A just war is a defensive war. It is right and proper for the magistrate to call Christians to help defend the borders of a nation against aggressors. On the other hand, Christians should oppose wars of aggression, because they are simply murder on a grand scale.

A common objection to the just war position is that any involvement in a war is a violation of the commandment “Thou shalt not kill.” Using other Scriptures, answer this objection.

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Civil Government


"For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you" (Romans 13:3).

Augustine of Hippo viewed the institution of civil government as a result of the fall of man. Because of man’s sinfulness, God instituted the use of the sword as a restraint. Augustine pointed to the flaming sword of the cherubim in Genesis 3:24 as the origin of the use of the sword as a scourge upon the sinfulness of man. Certainly, there is much truth to this view, in that Paul himself says that the civil magistrate is to be a terror to evildoers.

But is there more to it than that? Would there still have been some kind of civil government even if man had not fallen? Thomas Aquinas believed so. He argued that God makes each person different, with different callings. Abel manages flocks, while Cain manages fields. Because of this division of labor, there must be trade. Man, created in God’s image, is a creature of dominion and stewardship, and thus the economic activity is essential to human affairs. Aquinas argued that even apart from sin there would be occasions where legal arrangements would be necessary to protect property and facilitate trade.

In understanding verse 3, there are two perspectives to bear in mind. First, Paul can be seen as speaking in terms of the ideal purpose of civil government. The magistrate is to be a terror to the wicked and a rewarder of the good.

But second, Paul also has to be taken realistically. The fact is that bad government is better than no government at all. This is clear in verse 4, “For he is God’s servant to do you good.” God ordained government for our good, thus government is necessary for us. Anarchy is always worse. Even the worst governments punish some evil and reward some good. Stalin’s U.S.S.R. and Hitler’s Germany punished murderers and rapists and left alone many law-abiding citizens—unless they were Jews or devout Christians. I am of course in no way suggesting these government's ultimate actions were excusable, but they serve to make the point.

When we see innocent people suffer horribly, it is hard sometimes to realize that even bad governments are ordained by God. Millions of Christians today live under the oppression of governments which restrict their freedom. Daily decisions about the practice of their faith jeopardize their lives. Pray for these brothers and sisters in Christ today.

Strengthened by Grace (Episode 3 - The Titles of Jesus)

Monday, January 29, 2018

The Powers That Be


"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God" (Romans 13:1).

What does it mean when Paul writes that the powers that be are ordained by God? Were Hitler’s and Stalin’s governments ordained by God? Remember that Paul was writing this to the Romans. It was the Roman government that ultimately beheaded Paul himself and tortured and slew thousands of early Christians. Was this government ordained of God? 

To understand this we have to remember Paul’s teaching concerning the sovereignty of God. He is the Lord of history. God raises up people and God brings them down. We have to distinguish, however, between a government ordained by God and a government approved by God. God did not approve of Nero and Stalin, but it was His design that they come to power. God gives us wicked rulers as part of His judgment on our sins.

Even under a wicked regime, however, Christians still have an obligation to render civil obedience. Peter writes, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right” (1 Peter 2:13–14).

There are limits to this submission, however. This same Peter, when ordered by the authorities not to preach, said, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Jesus said to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s (Matthew 22:21). So the first principle is that we should bend over backwards to obey the civil magistrate and bear witness as peaceful Christians. But the second principle is that if there is a true conflict in authority, we have to obey God and then suffer for the faith if the magistrate punishes us for it.

Take a moment to think through this matter practically. Are there areas of life in your country where you as a Christian might have to obey God rather than men? Are your prepared to do so? Second, are there areas where the government is exercising legitimate authority, such as speed limits, but you routinely disobey? Take strides to make any needed changes.

Bible Teaching (Christ the Mediator - Part 2)

Sunday, January 28, 2018

The State in Romans


Romans 13:1–7 provides the single most important New Testament teaching regarding the purpose and function of human government. The Christian’s civil responsibilities as set forth by the apostle Paul have been declared by some historians the most important document in the political history of Western civilization.

ALL MEN ARE CALLED TO OBEY MAGISTERIAL AUTHORITY

The principle of obedience to earthly authorities is set forth as an integral element of our obedience to God. God alone has supreme authority over us. He can bind the conscience absolutely. As our supreme ruler, God has delegated authority to lesser powers and agencies. Our obedience to God must be reflected consistently by our obedience to His delegated authorities.

GOVERNING AUTHORITIES ARE ORDAINED, INSTITUTED, AND REGULATED BY GOD

No man has rightful authority over other men which is not derived from God. All delegated and ministerial authority is derived from God. This includes the authority of parents, bosses, policemen, dogcatchers, teachers, or any other authority.

We must discern the difference in the English language between the concepts of power and authority, a distinction not immediately evident from the biblical text. The Bible speaks of authority by using the Greek word exousia. It is sometimes translated by the word 'power.' Power naturally goes with authority, but authority does not always accompany power. In Romans 13 the call to obedience is to those who have actual authority, not to those who merely possess de facto (actual) power. There is a crucial difference between de facto power and de facto authority. It is authority that is in view here.

RESISTANCE TO DIVINELY APPOINTED AUTHORITY RESULTS IN DIVINE JUDGMENT

The most frequently raised question at this point concerns the issue of the extent of our obedience to earthly authorities. Must we always obey the civil magistrate? Must students always obey their teachers? Employees their employers? Children their parents? The clear biblical answer to this is an emphatic “No.” Whenever the earthly authority commands us to do something that God forbids or forbids us from doing something God commands, it is our duty to disobey the earthly authorities. God’s authority is always higher than His delegated officers. We may not disobey authorities because we disagree with them or because their mandates inconvenience or even oppress us. The biblical principle is to render obedience wherever we can unless it involves conflict with obedience to God.

GOVERNMENT IS INSTITUTED TO PROMOTE JUSTICE

Paul calls the government a minister to us for good. It is not to be a terror to the good but to the evil. This refers to the legitimate design of government and not to its abuses. We know that governments can be institutions of tyranny and oppression. When governments become unjust in their policies and practices it is particularly heinous because their primary purpose for existence is to promote justice and to protect the innocent from the wicked. St. Augustine said, “Without justice, what are kingdoms but great gangs of robbers?”

THE STATE IS ENDOWED BY GOD WITH THE POWER OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

Government is force. The most basic ingredient that serves as the foundation for any state is the legal right of coercion. Without the right of law enforcement, the state can only make suggestions. Force is the legal means by which the state assures compliance with its laws. That force is symbolized by what Paul refers to as the “sword.” God gives the power of the sword to the state. It is to be used to ensure justice. In antiquity, the sword was more than a symbol of authority; it was a symbol of the right to life and death. The common method of capital punishment was decapitation by the sword. Paul indicates here the state’s right to inflict punishment even unto death.

OBEDIENCE TO CIVIL AUTHORITIES IS A RELIGIOUS OBLIGATION

Paul calls us to subjection for “conscience’s sake.” That is to say that we are to render obedience to those in authority over us out of a regard and respect for God. It is His authority that stands behind and above the lesser authorities of this world. Our consciences are ultimately bound to Him. By obeying the lesser authorities we pay homage to Him.

Saturday, January 27, 2018

Never Lonely?


An estimated 40% of the US population are often or always feeling lonely. There is a similar problem in the UK, such that last week the UK government appointed a minister to tackle the silent epidemic. The Prime Minister said, “For far too many people, loneliness is the sad reality of modern life”. It’s a public health problem, a better predictor of early death than obesity and smoking. Why is it increasing? Family breakdown, living further away from friends and family, living alone, passive recreation, lack of meaningful interaction at work – these are just some of the causes. What help can we draw from God’s Word about loneliness? 

The Bible speaks about this problem from the very beginning (Genesis 2:18). Even though Adam had an all-sufficient Creator to delight in, God recognized this need. As soon as sin entered it brought a form of separation into the bond God had formed between Adam and Eve as well as their relationship with God Himself. Sin creates this distance, sanctification ought to include overcoming it by loving our neighbor as ourselves and stirring up others to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24). The Christian life is a shared life (Romans 14:7).

Christ Himself speaks of loneliness. He was the only sinless person in a world of sin, would that not be lonely? His family did not believe in Him, His disciples struggled to understand who He was. His message was mostly rejected. In the time of His greatest trial, He was abandoned by His friends, they would not even pray for and with Him. “A man of sorrows”, He had to cry out from unimaginable depths of soul suffering that God had forsaken Him.

There is a difference of course between being alone and being lonely. Christ was able to embrace and use the blessing of solitude for spiritual purposes (Luke 5:16). He could also say that though He was left alone by everyone in this world yet He was not alone. He had the constant presence of the Father (John 16:32). We ought to be able to say that too, resting on God’s unfailing promise (Hebrew 13:5). In one sense we need never be lonely and we are never alone.

George Hutcheson brings out the significance of Christ’s words in John 16:31-32. The disciples were professing their faith loudly but an hour of trial and suffering was coming which would try their faith. The disciples would be scattered and be isolated from each other, Christ Himself would be left alone too but not truly alone for the Father would be with Him.

The disciples abandoned Christ because of their sinful confidence in the flesh. They asserted the strength of their faith but did not consider how it might be tried. They were going to be scattered. Scattering and the disintegration of companies of God’s people is one of the sad fruits of persecution. There is much we can learn from the Saviour’s words.

1. Selfish Isolation in the Time of Trial is Sinful

This “scattering” is our sin and weakness as well as our affliction. Trouble and danger make us selfish and seek to look after ourselves, little considering the danger of Christ’s cause. This is the effect of their presumptuous  self-confidence. They would be “scattered” each “to his own”. This does not just mean that they would go to their own home as they did afterwards. It also means them looking out for themselves while they “leave” their Master “alone”.

2. Those Who Suffer May Need to Do So Alone

Part of the trial of true sufferers may be that they are deserted in their sharpest conflicts. They may be deserted not just by those who make professions, but have real honesty. They may be left in the gap there alone. Christ has paved the way in this, He was left alone. Although no-one could join with Him in enduring the sufferings by which He redeemed His people (indeed He was careful to exempt them John 18:8) yet it was a trial to Him to be left alone in this way.

3. Christ Will Stand for the Truth No Matter Who Deserts it

Never mind how many desert Christ and His truth, He will still own and stand for it. He is left alone and yet stands alone in that conflict.

4. Those Who Suffer May Not be as Lonely as We Would Assume

The condition of sufferers is not so desolate and solitary as spectators or feelings would judge at first glance. Though they leave Him alone, “yet I am not alone,” He says.

5. God May be Graciously Present While He Chastises Us

God may be pursuing his own dear children in great displeasure yet also graciously present with them. He may be upholding them with the one hand as he smites with the other. For “the Father is with me,” Christ says when yet the Father is pursuing him hotly for the sins of the elect and deserting Him (Matthew 27:46).

6. God’s Presence is Sufficient to Sustain a Lonely Soul

The presence of God alone is sufficient to sustain a soul, when deserted by all, under the saddest difficulties. Christ said to the disciples that though they would leave Him alone “yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.”

7. If We Want God’s Presence At All Times, We Must Seek to Please Him in All Things

Whoever wants the comfort of God’s presence and company in all conditions, ought to set themselves to please God and observe His will in all things. This is what Christ did “he that sent me is with me” the Father had not left Him alone “for I do always those things that please him” (John 8:29).
Conclusion

Faith should draw strength in considering the aloneness of the Saviour. Having experienced such trials He is able to strengthen us also. He gives an example for us in His rejoicing in God’s presence even when abandoned by others. Isn’t it an inestimable privilege that the Most High values our company, who is infinitely happy in Himself and does not need us? We should not be afraid of solitude if it provides an opportunity to draw nearer to God. Yet we ought also to greatly value the blessing of useful friends that can strengthen our hands in serving God. Speak about the most important things, avoid always interacting at the surface level. Bear one another’s burdens in prayer.

Let us avoid the selfish spirit of the world and have rather the spirit of Christ who denied Himself for the sake of His people (Philippians 2:4-5). Even in the face of His own suffering and when He knew the disciples would forsake Him within hours, He comforted and counseled them and prayed for them.

Friday, January 26, 2018

The Exercise of Force


"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God" (Romans 13:1).

Romans 13 is a pivotal chapter both in Romans and in the history of theology because in Romans 13 we find the clearest statement in all of Scripture concerning the role, function, and origin of civil government. Particularly in our age, when the question of the relationship between church and state is a burning issue, we need to be aware of the content of Romans 13.

The word for authority here is the Greek term exousia, which is also translated “power.” It connotes a powerful authority, or an authoritative power. There are other Greek words that mean simply “judicial authority” and “powerful force.” Here the two are joined together. The bottom line, elementary understanding of government is this: Government is force. Christians must understand this. We don’t always think of government as force because we see it functioning in various ways. When we look at Congress discussing various issues, we don’t see tanks and guns. Government is not just laws, it is also law-enforcement.

We often hear of the “tyranny of the majority.” In our society, the majority groups control the authority and the power. They have the force to make everyone else get into line. Christians need to be aware of that for two reasons. First, Christians are a minority in our societies, and thus we need to bear in mind that the majority may choose to exercise force against us.

Second, though, in a democracy, Christians have the right to vote. We need to take this right seriously, and never misuse it, lest we vote with an evil majority and become guilty of imposing wrongful force upon some helpless minority. There are legitimate kinds of force that we can vote for, but there are also wrong kinds of force, and it is God’s Word that teaches us what these are.

The proper exercise of authority is a balance between the use of power and judicial restraint. Where in our society today has this balance been lost? Should the war on drugs be restricted to the courtroom? To what extent should the government protect the rights of homosexuals? How long will abortion on demand be available? Recognize your role as a citizen in deciding these and other issues.

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Bible Teaching (John 1:1-18)

Transformed to Glory


"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me" (1 Corinthians 13:11).

There is growth in the Christian life. The final end of that growth comes when we are face to face with God and are transformed fully into glory. As Paul writes, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12).

One of the problems we run into all the time in the evangelical Christian world is the attitude that says, “I don’t want to learn theology. I don’t need to study. I just want to preserve my childlike faith. I want to keep it simple.” This is not an expression of Christian maturity.

Childish behavior is totally appropriate for children. If, for instance, a small child has an imaginary friend, that does not concern us. If an adult has an imaginary friend, however, we should be very much concerned. Now, the Bible does indeed call us to be like children in one sense. We are to have a childlike spirit of trust and confidence in our heavenly Father. But there is a great difference between being childlike and being childish. Our Father desires for us to grow in our knowledge and obedience to Him. He wants us to mature.

It takes time for fruit to come to fullness. This is true in the realm of persons and of spiritual growth as well. Today it seems as if everyone wants to short-cut this process. We want “five easy lessons to be an effective Christian.” This is simply not possible.

For fruit to mature, it has to be nurtured. There is no substitute for the classical biblical way of Christian maturity. It is through gradual growth, nurtured in the context of active participation in the sacraments and community of the church, through study of the Word, and by means of prayer, obedience, and service.

Each aspect of the fruit of the Spirit is nurtured through personal relationships. If you are to be transformed by this fruit, it is vital for you to have small group interaction and accountability with fellow believers. Because Christian character does not develop in a void, take the initiative to become involved in a regular small group fellowship.

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Meekness and Self-Control


"Now Moses was a very humble [meek] man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth"
(Numbers 12:3).

When we think of Moses we don’t think of a person who was meek, at least not in the modern sense of meekness. There was nothing weak about Moses. He exhibited extraordinary leadership and strength. There was one man, though, who was even meeker than Moses, and that was Jesus Himself. Remember that He said, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble [meek and lowly] in heart” (Matthew 11:29). Yet consider how Jesus dealt with the Pharisees. There was certainly nothing weak about it! On another occasion, Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Here we see an association of meekness with leadership. What is this meekness, that it is so powerful? One alternative translation for meekness is “gentleness.” It requires great strength to be gentle.

Gentleness is the opposite of abrasiveness, and it flows from that kind of confident strength that is the opposite of arrogance. The man who is secure in his love for God does not need to intimidate but can be kind and meek in his leadership roles.

The man who is meek before God and has that inner strength that enables him to be gentle before men will not be a violent man. This quietness of spirit will enable him to be temperate. A self-controlled or temperate person is not given to binges of excess but lives within restraints.

Thus, the long-term benefit of the fruit of the Spirit is stability. Honoring God through love for Him causes us to rejoice in Christ’s victory, and that provides us with inner peace. Such peace enables us to endure hard times with patience, and this works a spirit of kindness into our personalities. As this happens, our lives become more beautiful in the sense that goodness is beautiful, and we become more faithful and trustworthy. All this inner strength provides stability for our lives.

Who do you know who best evidences the characteristics described today? If possible contact that person this week. Thank them for being a model of meekness and/or self-control to you.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Goodness and Faith


"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness knowledge" (2 Peter 1:5).

It is sometimes baffling to us that fallen man does nothing that is truly good. In our eyes it actually seems that many unbelievers often do good, even surpassing Christians in their good works.

To evaluate goodness, however, we have to apply God’s standard: Good works are not simply outward conformity to His law, but also an inward disposition of faithfulness to Him. A good work, in biblical terms, must be motivated by a desire to please God. The Christian is indeed capable of goodness because he has been given a new possibility of desiring to please God.

One aspect of goodness that is often overlooked is seen in Genesis 1, where we repeatedly read that God saw what He had made, and it was good. Goodness is closely associated with order and beauty. As we grow in grace, we should grow in our appreciation of beauty and in our ability to do and make beautiful things, to God’s glory.

What is faith? Biblically speaking, faith is not just believing that God exists. Faith is trusting God. If we really trust God, we will take Him at His Word. We will believe Him when He tells us not to do certain things because those things will harm us.

When grace takes root in our souls and we grow in the fruit of the Spirit, we have an increased capacity to believe God. And that belief has a direct impact on our ability to struggle with sin. In particular, our faithfulness to God makes us more faithful in our relationships with other people. As patience produces kindness, so kindness produces orderly goodness in our lives. And that orderliness makes us more stable and trustworthy.

Meditate again on the order and progression of the fruit of the Spirit. Can you explain how love leads to joy, loving joy to peace, loving joyous peace to patience, etc? Jot down the order on a slip of paper and look at it during the day. Remind yourself of this progression of growth and ask God each time to bring it to pass in your life.

Strengthened by Grace (Ep. 3) - Who is Jesus?



There are vast numbers of portraits of Jesus in the art galleries of this world. These images are often so conflicting that they offer little help in achieving an accurate picture of what Christ looked like during the period of His incarnation. So, who is Jesus?

Well, no person in history has provoked as much study, criticism, prejudice, or devotion as Jesus of Nazareth. The titanic influence of this man makes Him a chief target of the arrows of criticism and a prime object of revision. For that reason, the portrait of the historical Jesus has been altered to suit the fancies of those seeking to line Him up on their side, to make of Him an ally in a host of militant causes, many of which are mutually exclusive. In the theologian’s laboratory, Jesus is treated like a chameleon; He is forced to adapt to the backdrop painted by the theologian. We'll discuss this problem and more on the latest episode of Strengthened by Grace.

Monday, January 22, 2018

Bible Teaching (Christ the Mediator - Part 1)

Patience and Kindness


"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22–23).

There is one fruit of the Spirit, with many sides or dimensions. The first facet of this fruit that Paul mentions is love, and if we meditate on the list that follows, we can see that in one sense each virtue produces the next. Loving loyalty to God produces joy at God’s victory. This enables us to live at peace with other people, because we know how things will turn out in the end. Such peacefulness enables us to be patient.

Patience is also translated “long-suffering.” It has to do with our ability as Christians to endure with other people for the long haul. Our love for others is not just for a season, but carries through “for better and for worse, in sickness and in health.” It is this kind of patient long-suffering that works in us the virtue of true kindness.

The opposite of patient love is a spirit of resentment or revenge. Long-suffering bears the evils inflicted on us by others. It overcomes the natural inclination to retaliate. Vengeance in the sense of justice and vindication is not evil, because after all: “It is Mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. The same verse, however, tells us that we are not to take our own revenge (Romans 12:19). We are to be patient and wait upon the Lord.

A kind person does not have a short fuse. He does not have a chip on his shoulder. He does not get mad at little things. First Peter 4:8 says that love covers a multitude of sins, which means that the opposite of kindness is pettiness. Gross sins must be dealt with, but kindness overlooks little faults. Obviously such kindness comes from patience, not from wearing rose-colored glasses. We become kind when we realize that we are the objects of God’s kindness. God has been long-suffering and kind to us, and for that reason we are to be patient and forebearing with others.

We sometimes joke that someone is on a person’s blacklist. Perhaps you know someone whose lack of patience and kindness leads them to “keep score” in their relationships. Love keeps no record of wrongs. Evaluate your relationships. Discard any records you may be keeping on friends and family.

Saturday, January 20, 2018

13 Things that Keep us from Prayer

More than a quarter of Christians never pray according to a poll this week. Of those who do pray: only 19% pray daily, 10% hardly ever and 13% only in times of crisis. The poll was commissioned by Tear Fund. Perhaps the figures are not so surprising given that almost half of those identifying themselves as Christian also say they never attend Church. It seems likely, however, that prayer is in danger of being squeezed to the edges of our lives. What is it that makes us liable to downgrade the importance of prayer in everyday life?

John Brown of Wamphray wrote a very full book on prayer. It is published as Godly Prayer and its Answers. He deals in a practical way with the nature of prayer, its difficulties and how we are to seek for answers to prayer. In stressing that it is a sin to neglect prayer he gives a full forty biblical reasons as to which this is the case. He even demonstrates that those who are unregenerate are obliged to pray. He makes it unavoidably clear that someone cannot claim to be a Christian if they never pray.

1. If We Are God’s Children We Will Pray. Their adoption and being brought into God’s family as His near children lay this obligation on them to cry to God and to pray to Him as their Father.

2. If We Have a New Nature We Will Pray. Their new nature inclines their hearts Godward. When Saul is made a convert, he is brought to his knees and found a praying man (Acts 9:11). The new converts continued steadfastly in prayers (Acts 2:42).

3. If We Are a Holy Priesthood We Will Pray.  The saints are a holy priesthood and must by office offer up a spiritual sacrifice (1 Peter 2:5). Prayer is a chief part of their spiritual sacrifice, together with praises (v. 7).  We read of the sacrifice of thanksgiving (Psalm  116:17) and of the sacrifice of praise (Jer. 33:11).

4. If We Are Not of the Wicked We Will Pray. It is the description of the wicked that they do not call on God (Psalm 5:2, 4; 14:24, 10; 79:6; Jeremiah 10:25; Romans 3:9). And on the other hand, it is the description of God’s children that they call on God (1 Corinthians 1:2). David says, “I am in prayer” (Psalm 109:4), as if he had been wholly devoted to and taken up with that work and duty, and nothing else.

5. If We Are God’s Servants We Will Pray. Their relation to God as His servants carries this with it (see Psalm 116:16, 17).

But if all of this is the case, why do Christians need so many prompts and reasons to urge them to pray? We want to think of the hindrances to prayer as outside of us but the truth is they are mostly within us.

1. Cherished Sin

When any sin is yielded to and not resisted, the heart is made more unfit for any Christian work. We are not in the right frame for approaching God in a holy and humble way. He is a holy God and will be sanctified by all that draw near Him. We may keep up the form of the duty, but it is superficially performed without the delight the soul had previously. It becomes a cumbersome burden readily laid aside [see Psalm 66:18 and Psalm 32:3].

2. Paralyzing Guilt

When the conscience is awakened after committing some sin and its dreadful guilt is presented to us the soul afraid to draw near to God. Guilt stares it in the face, and it is driven back and dare not approach the holy and righteous God. Satan can say it is in vain to seek the Lord, for He has no respect for the sacrifice of fools. He will not hear a sinner.

Thus there can be no hearty and cheerful drawing near to God, as long as guilt is thus charged and the blood of Christ not applied by faith to wash away that iniquity. The soul trembles to think of approaching God, lest it be consumed. The Lord must open the door of grace and show the freedom of the covenant and lead the soul to the fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.

3. Sense of Unworthiness

There may be a deep sense of unworthiness and inward abominableness of heart by nature. This may cause some (when not mindful of the richness of free grace in the new covenant through Jesus Christ) to be afraid. They think to themselves, “Shall or dare such a vile wretch as I am presume to open my mouth to God?” Dare such a one draw near to Him who is of purer eyes than that He can behold evil (Habakkuk 1:13)?  Thus, as Peter in the like case said, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8), so they say, “We must not draw nigh to God, for we are sinful men.” Though the reasoning is bad, yet it may too much prevail with weak souls to keep them from this duty.

4. Sense of Distance From God

A deep sense of the greatness, holiness, purity, justice, and glory of God may have the same effect.

5. Indulging Neglect

When they on one occasion or other give way to the neglect of this duty, their praying spirit wears off. Their neglect continues. More difficulties stand up in the way. Ultimately their neglect turns to a listlessness and lack of delight in the duty. They have an unwillingness to set about it until the Lord sends some alarm to awaken them. When Peter and the other disciples with Christ in the garden neglected the duty at the first call of Christ when He bid them watch and pray, they became even more unfit after further calls.

6. Superficial Formality

When Christians do not take care to watch over their heart in prayer and to guard against formality, all seriousness wears away.  If it is only done superficially, it soon becomes an unnecessary task. Satan can quickly make it become a heavy burden if it is already an unnecessary task. When the soul judges the duty of prayer a burden, it can very easily be induced to neglect it for some time unless conscience convicts. The longer the duty is neglected, the heart is more and more unwilling and unfit for it.

7. Worldly Mindedness

Worldly-mindedness is a great enemy to prayer and a praying spirit. The cares of the world choke the word so that it cannot grow up in the soul (Matthew 13). Worldly-mindedness takes away watchfulness—and a praying and a watching spirit go together (Luke 21:36). When the heart is taken up with the things of this life (Luke 21:54), the soul cannot watch and pray.

8. Excessive Sorrow

Excessive grief and sorrow for any outward reason may prevent the soul from praying or at least with heartiness and cheerfulness. This is one reason why the disciples could not pray in the garden, despite the great urgency of the situation (Matthew 26:43; Luke 22:45). Their eyes were heavy, and they were sleeping for sorrow.

9. Neglecting Prompts

The Spirit is provoked to withdraw when we do not respond to His promptings to pray. When He withdraws, deadness follows. Either the duty is laid aside or it becomes an unbearable burden. The apostle joins these two together: “Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks…. Quench not the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:17–19). If we want to be kept in a praying spirit, we must be careful not to quench the Spirit.

10. Dissatisfaction

When someone has been praying some considerable time for some special mercy or other and finds no answer (or answer that satisfies them) corruption may boil up in the heart. Satan may suggest that it is useless to be praying in this way.  The soul may listen to this and out of a discontented, displeased attitude, resolve to abandon prayer (Isaiah 43:12).

11. False Notions

Errors concerning prayer may have been imbibed e.g. that we are not obliged to pray except when we are conscious of the Spirit’s moving us and setting us going. We may think we are therefore excused from this duty. The Lord may be provoked to let such live many months if not years without the free graces they desire for such a duty. There may then be a long neglect of this duty followed by an inward aversion. If at any time they are moved to the duty, He may allow their own spirit instead of His to set them going. This will never beget a spiritual delight in the duty.

12. Spiritual Laziness

A spirit of laziness may seize a person and they may give way to it and not stir themselves up to call on the Lord and take hold of Him (Isaiah 64:7). They become daily more and more unfit for the duty and more unwilling to do it. Those on whom this spiritual sloth seizes find it a grief and a weariness to do that which otherwise was a most easy thing (Proverbs 26:15).

13. Self-sufficiency

People may depend more on their gift in prayer than Jesus for fresh influences and supply of grace. The Lord in His righteousness may withdraw the ordinary influences of His Spirit and leave them to wrestle with the duty alone. Not finding the help they once experienced, they see that they cannot pray as formerly. This may cause inward grief (not due to the original cause of the withdrawing) and create dislike for the duty of prayer. Thus, corruption working in the soul and Satan using the situation to his advantage it may bit by bit be laid aside. Inward discontentment and pride may make them reluctant to pray because they see they cannot engage in it as before. They are now ashamed to pray, especially before others.
Conclusion

While this may seem all rather negative, we must recognize that prayer can be a struggle at times. We need to identify the things that make it difficult in order to deal with them. Prayerlessness can seriously damage your spiritual health. Brown’s book is overwhelmingly positive in bringing out many encouragements to pray. He shows what an encouraging thing it is to pray in Christ’s name and how God is glorified in Christ in answering our prayers. We “ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1).

Friday, January 19, 2018

True Joy and Peace


I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

As we continue with our study in the fruit of the Spirit, we move from love to the next two aspects of His fruit: joy and peace. What is Christian joy? John Calvin, who is so often thought of as stern and harsh, said that this joy is a “disposition toward cheerfulness.” Calvin preferred the term hilarity. Joy of the Spirit is a hilarious frame of mind, according to Calvin.

This joyfulness is based on the Christian’s awareness of victory. It is because Jesus has overcome the world that we can rejoice. This is a deep-rooted sense of joy and peace, not a superficial “happy face.” Sometimes Christians put on an artificial front of happiness that is really very offensive and results in our being thought of as “plastic Christians.” True cheerfulness goes deep. It is the celebration of the Bride before her Bridegroom.

As we read that the Spirit gives us peace, we probably quickly think of some kind of inner tranquility or peace of mind. The biblical concept is much broader. The Old Testament Hebrew word is shalom, which first of all means an interlude of safety from the ravages of warfare. The insecurity that comes from war made its mark on these people, and they looked for the day when the swords would be beaten into plowshares.

The Old Testament concept of peace does not stop here, but ascends into a theological vision. It is a vision of a new relationship between God and man, and between man and man: a relationship of friendship. Because of sin, we are estranged from God, but in Christ we have peace with God. And this leads us to what Paul means here: The fruit of peace with God is peace with others. The Christian lives at peace as much as possible with all mankind.

Too often we desire to be the recipients of joy and peace. We wait for it to come to us through other people and circumstances. However, Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” suggesting we should initiate peace. Today and through this weekend anticipate how you can actively bring peace and joy to a situation, relationship or task.

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Bible teaching (John 1:6-9)

Evidences of Loving God


"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth" (1 John 3:18).

The first fruit of the Spirit is love, and it is love that is the focus of Paul’s remarks in 1 Corinthians 13. What does Christian love mean? What are the signs of love?

First of all, love disposes us to honor God. It quickens a desire in our hearts for adoration. Do you enjoy the adoration of God in prayer, or is your prayer life merely endless petitions and requests? One of the signs of growing sanctification is an increasing accent on adoration in our prayers. We want more and more to honor God, to be enthralled with His majesty, and this is not natural to us in our sinful state. In short, love inclines us to worship.

Second, love gives credit to God’s Word. Love does not operate in a spirit of suspicion. When we love someone we are more prone to trust what they tell us. Also, today there is a mentality in some parts of the church that enjoys finding problems in Scripture, and this is not a manifestation of love.
Third, love in the heart acknowledges the right of God to govern, and not simply to govern the universe, but to govern me. Love melts the arrogance that is part of our fallen nature, and delights in the authority of God.

Fourth, love inclines us to desire justice for our neighbors. It moves us away from condemning and cheating and otherwise wronging our neighbor, toward giving him what is his due. It moves us away from slander and gossip, toward mercy and charitableness. Fifth, love disposes us toward contentment in whatever situation we find ourselves. This does not mean some kind of apathy, but it does mean that we are content with our lot even as we try to improve it. We are able to rejoice in the government of God, as He superintends our lives for our good.

If an evidence of loving God is adoration in prayer, spend five minutes today exalting God for who He is. Focus strictly on adoration, resisting the temptation to lapse into petitions, supplication or thanksgiving. Use the Psalms as models of adoration of God in prayer.

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

The Indwelling Power


"And now these three remain; faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. Follow the way of love" (1 Corinthians 13:13; 14:1).

The Spirit of God gives both gifts and fruit to the people of God. Every Christian has a gift from the Spirit, and all Christians are to bear the fruit of the Spirit. It is important that we keep both of these things in mind. Today there is more emphasis on the gifts of the Spirit, perhaps because these have been neglected by earlier generations, and perhaps also because the gifts of the Spirit have to do with talents and power and tend to be more glamorous.

We don’t want any kind of imbalance, but we have to say that if there is an accent in the Bible, it is on the fruit. This is because it is possible for the gifts of the Spirit to be given to unbelievers. Judas apparently could do the same works as the other apostles. In the Old Testament, the prophet Balaam, though an evil man, gave true prophecy (Numbers 22–24). Normally, of course, the gifts of the Spirit are given to believers, but as Paul says, “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1). Thus, we need to be concerned with the ethical fruit of the Spirit more than with His gifts.

Paul continues, “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor [the gift of giving] and surrender my body to the flames [the gift of martyrdom], but have not love, I gain nothing.” This is a very strong statement.

Remember that Paul writes this as part of a larger discussion of the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12–14). He says that the manifestation of the gifts, apart from the fruit, adds up to nothing. Thus, the most foundational part of the Christian life is the presence of love in the heart, the fruit of the Spirit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23). Read this list and examine yourself. Choose one fruit and focus your attention and prayer upon it through the rest of the week. Ask God to cultivate an abundant harvest of it in your life.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

False Assurance


"Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21).

Yesterday we saw that some people think they are Christians and are certain that they will go to heaven, when in fact they are deluded. What kind of people are these? They are those who think that God will let them into heaven based on their own performance.

We can divide these people into two groups. Some have no idea of what God’s law demands. They simply think that they are Christians because they are nice, normal people as measured by modern society. Others do have some idea of what God requires, but they think that they measure up. For instance, I once met a man who knew the Bible fairly well (he thought), and he told me that he simply did not sin. In his own eyes, he was perfect.

In fact, however, this man was sadly deluded. Anyone who really understands what the Bible says about God’s requirements knows that he falls far, far, far short of them. Nobody who really understands God’s law can ever believe in salvation by his own good works. Remember the story of the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16–22)? The man came to Jesus and asked how to be saved. Jesus replied that to be saved a man must keep God’s law.

The young man professed he had kept the law. Was there anything else he should do? Jesus then told him to sell all his possessions. Was this some new, extra requirement that Jesus was giving this man? Was this to become a normative standard for all who would seek salvation? No indeed. The man had professed to keep all the law, so Jesus tested him in terms of the very first commandment: “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.” Far from keeping all the law, as he had proudly announced, the rich young man failed at this first point of testing.

Christ’s perfect fulfillment of the law allows us to trust His righteousness, not our own. Put yourself in the role of the rich young ruler. Which one of the Ten Commandments might Jesus use to test you? Your failure even in the slightest degree indicates your need for a Savior.

Strengthened by Grace (Ep. 2) - Bartimaeus

The latest episode of Strengthened by Grace is live. Christians should all strive to live contagious Christian lives, notable for their godliness. But how do you live such a life? In this episode of Strengthened by Grace, I discuss the life of Bartimaeus in Mark 10 - a poor, blind beggar rescued by Jesus Christ. How did Bartimaeus react to receiving God's grace? He became contagious!

 

Monday, January 15, 2018

The Assurance of Salvation


Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:18).

There are people in this world who are not saved, but who are convinced that they are. The presence of such people causes genuine Christians to doubt their salvation. After all, we wonder, suppose I am in this category? Suppose I am mistaken about my salvation and am really going to hell? How can I know that I am a real Christian?

A while back I had one of those moments of acute self-awareness that we have from time to time, and suddenly the question hit me: “What if you are not one of the redeemed? What if your destiny is not heaven after all, but hell?” Let me tell you that I was flooded in my body with a chill that went from my head to the bottom of my spine. I was terrified.

I tried to grab hold of myself. I thought, “Well, it’s a good sign that I’m worried about this. Only true Christians really care about salvation.” But then I began to take stock of my life, and I looked at my performance. My sins came pouring into my mind, and the more I looked at myself, the worse I felt. I thought, “Maybe it’s really true. Maybe I’m not saved after all.”

I went to my room and began to read the Bible. On my knees, I said, “Well, here I am. I can’t point to my obedience. There’s nothing I can offer. I can only rely on Your atonement for my sins. I can only throw myself on Your mercy.” Even then I knew that some people only flee to the Cross to escape hell, not out of a real turning to God. I could not be sure about my own heart and motivation. Then I remembered John 6:68. Jesus had been giving out hard teaching, and many of His former followers had left Him. When He asked Peter if he was also going to leave, Peter said, “Where else can we go? Only You have the words of eternal life.” In other words, Peter was also uncomfortable, but he realized that being uncomfortable with Jesus was better than any other option!

Assurance grows from faith, and faith means clinging to Jesus Christ. Christians don’t always have full assurance, but Christians always hold fast to Christ when the “chips are down.” Have you ever had a crisis like the one I just described? How did you work it through with God?

Saturday, January 13, 2018

How Do I Know if I'm a Christian?

Could there be any question more important? But you don’t hear a lot of people asking it these days. Some people think it’s unhelpful, unsettling and unnecessary to ask such a question. But if we are wrong on the matter of greatest personal concern to us – wouldn’t we want to know? Sometimes people think it’s just a case of believing the gospel and seek to convince struggling souls to do this. But you can believe these things to be true and still not be assured they apply to you. Perhaps we are also functioning at a low level of assurance. The truth is that we cannot expect to have high levels of assurance while we have low levels of obedience. The more we find the evidence of faith working by love in our lives and hearts, the more assurance we can enjoy.

One book, in particular, has been of supreme help in this area: William Guthrie’s The Christian’s Great Interest. The subject of the book is assurance of salvation and it seeks to give various tests by which someone may know that he is a Christian and in doing so also sets out very clearly the way of salvation.

“Great Interest” doesn’t just mean that the book deals with the matter of greatest importance to a Christian and his chief concern. It is a legal term and means to have a valid stake or share in something to our benefit. Guthrie’s book deals with how the Christian may know whether he has a valid legal claim. The claim that matters is one within the Will and Testament or Covenant that the Lord Jesus Christ graciously makes with His people. Guthrie helps us to put ourselves in a courtroom trial where we are under Scripture as a judge to determine if our claim is true.

Guthrie opens the book with a concern that there are many “pretending, without ground, to a special interest in Christ”. On the other hand, many others “who have good ground of a claim to Christ are not established in the confidence of His favor, but remain in the dark without comfort, hesitating concerning the reality of godliness in themselves”. This state of affairs prompts two questions – 1. How can someone know if they are in Christ and whether or not he may lay genuine claim to God’s favor and salvation? 2. What should we do if we cannot find in ourselves the marks of a saving interest?

Guthrie’s book was highly commended by John Owen. He said that it contained more theology than everything he himself had written. Thomas Chalmers said it was the best book he had ever read.


Assurance is Possible


It is important to be clear that assurance is possible, and more easily attained than many realize. It is of the utmost importance to be “savingly in covenant with God”. Scripture must be the rule by which we are able to judge whether or not this is so.

Only a few, however, seem to reach this assurance. There are many different reasons for this:
  • Far too many are ignorant of the different ways in which God works.
  • Others deal deceitfully with God and their own conscience in holding on to sin.
  • There is also a lazy apathy that resists the effort of examining ourselves, but it is “a work and business which cannot be done sleeping”. Assurance must be labored after, it is not something that falls effortlessly into our laps.
  • Many are ignorant concerning what evidence will satisfy the quest for assurance, despite the fact that it is clear in Scripture.
  • Some are looking for entirely the wrong evidences, such as attaining sinlessness or continuous rapturous prayer.
  • Many that are struggling to attain assurance can make the following mistakes: (a) they think that all who are in Christ know that they are; (b) they think that all who have assurance have the same degree of certainty; (c) they think that this persuasion should be continuous; (d) they think that a person must be able to answer every objection against their assurance.
  • Others believe that they have sinned against the Holy Ghost and put themselves beyond pardon. Guthrie defines what this is (and what it is not) very carefully and helpfully from the Scriptures.

Guthrie speaks of the different ways in which people are drawn to Christ. Some indeed may be drawn lovingly or called suddenly in a very direct way. The “ordinary” way involves being humbled by conviction during which the conscience is awakened till the soul is full of concern about salvation and driven from resting in anything of themselves to casting their all on Christ for salvation. This is carefully distinguished from the temporary convictions of those that fall away.


Faith and the New Birth as Evidence


The first evidence that Guthrie calls for in this trial is faith. Faith is vital in the matter of assurance – indeed all other marks are worthless without it. Yet it can be mistaken. It is not as difficult or mysterious as men sometimes think; the Scriptures speak of it as a simple trusting, resting, and looking. It can be found in various marks of submissive obedience and devotion to Christ. “If men but have an appetite, they have it; for they are blessed that hunger after righteousness”. Thus Guthrie identifies the marks of true faith but also distinguishes it from false faith.

The second set of evidence called upon relates to the new birth. There is a total renewal when a man comes to saving faith in Christ. In mind, heart and will he is changed from being self-oriented and self-serving to serving and glorifying God. Attitudes to all aspects of life are renewed whether it is work or worship, relationships, recreation or eating and drinking. There is a respect to all of God’s commandments, submission to and valuing of Christ alone that hypocrites never have despite the outward similarities with believers that they may seem to possess.


Getting Assurance


The great question in the minds of many, however, is why some believers doubt. Guthrie opens this up in considerable depth dealing with God’s sovereignty and our own responsibility in these matters. He speaks of twelve areas where different levels of experience may be enjoyed but where assurance may be obtained.

Part Two of the book also proceeds to deal with the second question raised: What should we do if we cannot find in ourselves the marks of a saving interest? Many may believe that they have closed in with Christ in the gospel very few, however, really have. Yet there is a duty that lies on all under the terms of the Covenant of Grace as it is preached to all. There must be a “coming” on our part. “God excludes none if they do not exclude themselves”. “It is a coming on our part, and yet a drawing on His part”. What is it to close with God’s offer of salvation in the preached covenant? It means to recognize the full guilt of sin, our need for salvation and the impossibility of any salvation without God’s appointment in Christ. We must “quit and renounce all thoughts of help or salvation by our own righteousness”. Faith is humble though resolute, hearty rather than mere mental assent though it must depend upon knowledge.
Personal Covenanting

The Covenanters and Puritans found great benefit in personal covenanting with God. Usually, this involved explicitly accepting of Christ and confessing sin and expressing satisfaction with the gospel way of salvation. The covenant was often renewed at Communion seasons and times of difficulty or desertion. Guthrie counsels those who lack assurance to make a covenant explicitly with God, writing down and speaking their acceptance in order that they may return to it in times of doubting. The author patiently removes any obstacles or objections that readers may have about covenanting, showing that it has a clear scriptural warrant. The covenant was to be no mere decision card that was signed off unthinkingly. It was a solemn holy vow before God dealing with our never-dying souls to be taken with due meditation and consideration. Guthrie compares the covenant to marriage vows between the soul and Christ, as a way of formally confessing with the mouth the same covenant that the believer makes in the heart.


A Summary of the Book


The following is a helpful summary of The Christian’s Great Interest prepared by William Guthrie himself. The language has been slightly updated for the benefit of understanding.

Q. 1. What is the great business a person has to do in this world?
A. To make sure of a saving interest in Christ Jesus and to live in a way that is consistent with it.

Q. 2. Do all the members of the visible church not have a saving interest in Christ?
A. No, in truth only a very few of them have it.

Q. 3. How will I know if I have a saving interest in Him?
A. Ordinarily, the Lord prepares His own way in the soul by a work of humbling and shows you your sin and misery. He makes you so concerned about it that you long for Christ Jesus, the physician.

Q. 4. How will I know if I have got a true sight of my sin and misery?
A. A true sight of sin makes a person take salvation to heart above anything in this world. It makes them reject all relief in themselves, seen in their best things. It makes Christ who is the Redeemer, very precious to the soul. It makes a person afraid to sin afterward and makes them content to be saved on any terms that God pleases.

Q. 5. By what other ways may I discern a saving interest in Him?
A. By the heart going out seriously and affectionately towards Him as He is held out in the gospel. This is faith or believing.

Q. 6. How will I know if my heart goes out after Him aright, and that my faith is true saving faith?
A. Where the heart goes out aright after Him in true and saving faith, the soul is pleased with Christ alone above all things, and is satisfied with Him in all Him three offices, to rule and instruct as well as to save; and is content to cleave to Him, whatever difficulties may follow.

Q. 7. What other marks of a saving interest in Christ can you give me?
A. Those who are in Christ savingly are new creatures. They are graciously changed and renewed in some measure in the whole man, and in all their ways are pointing towards all the known commands of God.

Q. 8. What if I find sin now and then prevailing over me?
A. Although every sin deserves everlasting vengeance, yet, if you are afflicted for your failings and confess them with shame of face to God, honestly resolving to strive against them from now on, and seek pardon from Christ, you will obtain mercy and your interest stands sure.

Q. 9. What will the person do who cannot lay claim to Christ Jesus or any of those marks spoken of?
A. Let them not rest until they make sure of a saving interest in Christ.

Q. 10. How can someone make sure of an interest in Christ if they never had a saving interest in Him before?
A. He must take his sins to heart and the great danger into which they have brought him. He must take to heart God’s offer of pardon and peace through Christ Jesus and heartily accept God’s offer by retaking himself to Christ, the blessed refuge.

Q. 11. What if my sins are especially heinous and worse than the ordinary?
A. Whatever your sins may be, if you will close with Christ Jesus by faith, you will never enter into condemnation.

Q. 12. Is faith in Christ only required of men?
A. Faith is the only condition on which God offers peace and pardon to men, but be assured, faith, if it is true and saving, will not be alone in the soul but will be attended with true repentance, and a thankful pursuit of conformity to God’s image.

Q. 13 How will I be sure that my heart does accept God’s offer and Christ Jesus?
A. Go and make a covenant explicitly and speak it all by word to God.

Q. 14 How will I do that?
A. Set apart some portion of time, and, having considered your own lost condition, and the remedy offered by Christ Jesus, work up your heart to be pleased and close with that offer and say to God expressly that you accept that offer and for Him to be your God in Christ. Give yourself up to Him to be saved in His way, without reservation or exception in any way and that from now on you will wait for salvation in the way that He has appointed.

Q. 15 What if I break with God afterward?
A. You must resolve in His strength not to break, and watch over your own ways, and put your heart in His hand to keep it and if you break, you must confess it to God, and judge yourself for it, and flee to the Advocate for pardon, and resolve to do so no more. You must do this as often as you fail.

Q. 16 How will I come to full assurance of my interest in Christ, so that it may be beyond question?
A. Learn to lay your weight on the blood of Christ, and study purity and holiness in all kinds of conduct. Pray for the witness of God’s Spirit to join with the blood and the water. His testimony added to these will establish you in the faith of an interest in Christ.

Q. 17. What is the consequence of such closing with God in Christ by heart and mouth?
A. Union and communion with God, every good here and His blessed fellowship in heaven forever afterward.

Q. 18. What if I slight all these things and do not lay them to heart to put them in practice?
A. The Lord comes with His angels, in flaming fire, to render vengeance to them who do not obey His gospel. Your judgment will be greater than that of Sodom and Gomorrah and so much the greater that you have read this book, for it will be a witness against you in that day.


Conclusion


Thomas Chalmers gave a good summary of the book in his commendation. He spoke of Guthrie’s “intimate acquaintance…with the spiritual life, and his clear, affectionate, and earnest expositions of the peculiar doctrines of the gospel”. It is also full of “powerful and urgent appeals to the conscience” that awaken concern about this matter of “infinite importance”. It seeks to avoid the possibility of the reader continuing to deceive themselves while constraining them to seek after full assurance. Guthrie himself closes this plain yet deep and short but full little book with a sublime crescendo.
O blessed bargain of the new covenant, and thrice blessed Mediator of the same! Let him ride prosperously and subdue nations and languages, and gather in all His jewels, that honourable company of the firstborn, that stately troop of kings and priests, whose glory it shall be to have washed their garments in the blood of that spotless Lamb, and whose happiness shall continually flourish in following Him whithersoever He goes, and in being in the immediate company of the Ancient of days, one sight of whose face shall make them in a manner forget that ever they were on the earth. Oh, if I could persuade men to believe that these things are not yea and nay, and to make haste towards Him, who hasteth to judge the world, and to call men to an account, especially concerning their improvement of this gospel. ‘Even so, come Lord Jesus.’

Friday, January 12, 2018

Showing God's Glory


Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6).

Martin Luther used to say that every Christian is called to be Christ to his neighbor. Luther did not mean that Christians are to try to save one another as Christ has saved us. Rather he meant that our lives are to be so conformed to the will of God that people can actually look at us and see the reflected holiness of Christ in our lives, just as the ancient Israelites saw the reflected glory of God in the face of Moses. How often we misrepresent the character of Christ! We are called to show people what justice is to look like, but we commit injustice. We are called to show mercy, but we are unmerciful. We are called to show what fairness, consideration, and sensitivity look like, and yet we gossip and slander other people.

The term glory, when it is used for God, has to do with God’s inner being, His essential weightiness, and presence. The glory of God refers to who God is, not what He does. The same is true of God’s holiness: It refers to God’s being, not primarily to His actions. When the Bible refers to God’s actions, which show forth His essential holiness, the term usually used is righteousness.

Thus, since we Christians are called to reflect or show forth God’s glory and holiness, the only way we can do that is by our actions. God’s holiness is shown in His practice of righteousness, and similarly, it is only in righteous behavior that we can show forth God’s glory and holiness. For some reason, the word righteous is avoided and evaded by Christians today. We speak of piety and spirituality, but not of being righteous. We hear almost nothing about righteousness. Yet, the Bible devotes a great deal more attention to the subject of righteousness than it does to spirituality. If we want to grow in the Spirit, we shall have to concern ourselves with righteousness.

How do you distinguish between ungodly self-righteousness and godly righteousness? In your zeal to act righteously, how do you safeguard yourself against self-righteousness and hypocrisy? There must be a coupling of attitude with action. As you prepare for worship at church this Sunday, confess any self-righteousness with an honesty you have avoided in the past, and ask for the Spirit’s conviction in that area of need.