What's Whiter than Snow?

From The Watchman's Message: 1877

"Do you know anything whiter than snow? I put that question to an old man, one who was tottering on the brink of the grave, and to whom I was endeavoring to speak of Jesus. Some remark having been made relative to the late fall of snow, I seized the opportunity, and asked him the question I ask you now. He seemed surprised, hesitated, and then declared that he did not. I said I did. 

He, looking very hard at me asked what it was. 

I replied " A sinner washed in the precious blood of Jesus." I then told him of the verse in Isaiah which says "though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool"; also the end of the seventh verse of the first epistle of John " the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." and of David's prayer "Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." 

Have you been washed whiter than snow in the precious blood of Jesus? You can never enter Heaven unless you are. 

Because the sinless Saviour died,
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on HIM and pardon me."

The Antinomian Legal Spirit

Originally posted in 2010, adapted and updated for today.

The Antinomian Legal Spirit by Thomas Boston from the notes on the book The Marrow of Modern Divinity by E. Fisher.

"The Antinomian principle, that is needless for a man, perfectly justified by faith, to endeavor to keep the law, and do good works is a glaring evidence that legality is so ingrained in man’s corrupt nature, that until a man truly come to Christ, by faith, the legal disposition will still be reigning in him’ let him turn himself into what shape, or be of what principles he will in religion; though he run into Antinomianism he will carry along with his legal spirit, which will always be a slavish and unholy spirit. He is constrained, as the author observes, to do all that he does for fear of punishment, and hope of reward; and if it is once fixed in his mind that these are ceased in his case, he stands still like a clock when the weights that moved her go are removed, or like a slaved when he is in ho hazard of the whip; than winch there cannot be a greater evidence of loathsome legality."

Boston points out a great irony in the life of the antinomian. The very spirit that happily declares there is no law is the spirit of legality, just the other side of the coin of depravity. The lawless do not rejoice in the rest of Christ, but the freedom from law; which display the legalistic heart of the antinomian. Both the legalist and the antinomian have the same problem. One thinks that the law can justify, the other rejoices that the law is gone and believes it to be altogether unprofitable. The Biblical teaching shows us that we are dead to the law unto justification. We cannot, could not and will not keep God’s law and Jesus Christ came and freed us from the curse of the law; it now has no condemning power over us any longer. We are not under the law for justification, but under grace. We are not free to live as we will because we will not live as we ought (Romans 7). We are to follow Christ, not for salvation, but follow Him since we have been saved. We do not obey God to be saved, but because we are. No longer is it ‘do this and live’, but ‘live and do this’. We cannot please God without faith and faith without works is dead. A Christian follows and obeys Christ, not out of hope of Heaven, but love for the Lord.

The legalist has a heart to keep the law to go to Heaven, the antinomian has a heart to break the law because he feels freed from its grievous hold on him. The leagalist tries to keep the law because he feels he has to, not out of love for God. The antinomian has no concern for the law, not because he wants to please the Lord, but because he no longer feels he has to.

So both people are running in opposite directions from the same heart, a heart of law. One loves the law and runs under it for justification. The other hates the law and runs from it for perceived freedom. But both are running BECAUSE OF THE LAW. The love of the law, or the hatred of law cause both camps to run. The Child of God runs to Christ, with Christ and for Christ. He is the freeman who runs not because of the law, but because of Christ.

The Lord’s commandments are a rule of life to us, not a means of justification. We must strive not to drive in the ditch of the legalist who uses the law to be saved in hope of reward; and not to swerve into the ditch of antinomian and rebel against following Christ in spiritual anarchy against the Lordship of Christ.

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Douglas Newell 

The Divine Attributes of Christ

Charles Hodge:

"All divine names and titles are applied to [Christ]. He is called God, the mighty God, the great God, God overall; Jehovah; Lord; The Lord of lords and the King of Kings. All divine attributes are ascribed to Him. He is declared to be omnipresent, omniscient, almighty and immutable, the same yesterday, today and forever. He is set forth as the creator and upholder and ruler of the universe. All things were created by Him and for Him; and by Him all things consist. He is the object of worship to all intelligent creatures, even the highest; all the angels (i.e., all creatures between man and God) are commanded to prostate themselves before Him. He is the object of all the religious sentiments; of reverence, love faith, and devotion. To Him  men and angels are responsible for their character and conduct. He required that man should honor Him as they honored the Father also. He calls all men unto Him. Promise to forgive their sins, to send them the Holy Spirit; to give them rest and peace; to raise them up at the last day and to give them eternal life. God is not more, and cannot promise more or do more that Christ is said to be, to promise and to do. He has therefore been the Christian’s God from the beginning, in all ages and in all places."

Evil and Error by J.C. Philpot

The following is and excerpt from J.C. Philpot's excellent book The Eternal Sonship of Christ.

"There are two things which every child of God has the greatest reason to dread; the one is evil, the other is error. Both are originally from Satan; both have a congenial home in the human mind; both are in their nature deadly and destructive; both have slain their thousands and tens of thousands; and under one or the other, or under both combined, all everlastingly perish but the redeemed family of God."