Choice quotes from J. Sidlow Baxter

On Wednesday nights, we are doing a Survey of the Bible. The plan is to briefly take a high altitude lay of the Biblical landscape, but not take more than a month on each book. The first month, we are focusing on the Bible as a whole and in my preparatory reading, I found a few choice quotes from J. Sidlow Baxter’s excellent work “Explore the Book” I would like to share.

“We shall let each book tell us its secret and open its heart to us. We shall resolutely guard against forcing any artificial outline on any book of Scripture. To sacrifice exactness for the sake of smart alliteration is an impertinence when dealing with Divinely inspired writings. There are Bible teachers today of a certain type, who excel in ingenious “skeleton.” But an erroneous analysis, however adroitly drawn up, obscures the real and vital message of a book. As we proceed without studies we shall see how often a book or a passage lights up with new force or beauty when a true analysis is made of it.”

“We do well to realize that those sermons or books which most stir us at the time of hearing or reading often leave us little that is of permanent value, while, on the other hand, those that teach us most may not be so immediately stirring.”

“Dr. Jowett tells of a tourist who was traveling through some of Scotland’s loveliest scenery, but who was so absorbed in his guide book that he never saw the loveliness through which he was passing. There can be Bible study of that sort, too. Our great object is to know the true God, to become more like Christ, and to be more fully possessed by the Holy Spirit. True bible study will encompass that object, for the inspired pages of Holy writ live an thrill and glow with the presence of God!

DPN

Book Review: Spiritual Warfare: A Biblical and Balanced Perspective

Spiritual Warfare: A Biblical and Balanced Perspective is an excellent overview of spiritual warfare. Using Ephesians 6:10-20 as the structure and the outline of the book, authors Brian Borgman and Rob Ventura expound what Paul tells us both about the spiritual war Christians engage in, and the weapons of that war.

The “Biblical Perspective” in the subtitle comes from the exposition of the text. The authors do a good job of giving the historical background of the book of Ephesians, and then chapter by chapter lays out what the text says before applying the text to the Christian life. However, the book doesn’t read like a commentary or someone’s sermon outlines, it is both instructive and readable.

The “Balanced Perspective” in the subtitle alludes to the interpretation and view of the spiritual warfare. In the introduction, C.S. Lewis is quoted from The Screwtape Letters “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.”  This book affirms the reality of our enemy and the spiritual struggles from both without and within on our Christian pilgrimage; however, the focus is not on the forces of evil, but on Christ which is the key to this book.

Spiritual Warfare is well written and engaging. The chapters are short and quick to the point, but also full of spiritual instruction. Each chapter concludes with questions for reflection and discussion, which makes this book valuable for study groups, family worship, or other small groups. The latter portion of the book is especially beneficial to preachers and pastors on the chapters on prayer, the Sword of the Spirit, and the proclamation of the Word of God.  I would recommend this book as a good place to start on spiritual warfare, or for a pastor studying Ephesians. My thanks to Cross Focused Media for providing me the review copy.

J.C. Ryle on the Prophetic Passages

J.C. Ryle

“All these [prophetic] Texts are to my mind plain prophecies of Christ’s second coming and kingdom. All are yet without their accomplishment, and all shall yet be literally and exactly fulfilled. I say “literally and exactly fulfilled," and I say so advisedly. From the first day that I began to read the Bible with my heart, I have never been able to see

these texts, and hundreds like them, in any other light. It always seemed to me that as we take literally the texts foretelling that the walls of Babylon shall be cast down, so we ought to take literally the texts foretelling that the wall so Zion shall be built up—that as according to prophecy the Jews were literally scattered, so according to prophecy the Jews will be literally gathered – and that as the least and minutest predictions were made good on the subject of our Lord’s coming to suffer, so the minutest predictions shall be made good which describe our Lord’s coming to reign.”

Amen. 

Incontinent

I'm going through II Timothy in my morning reading and did a word study on incontinent found in chapter 3 verse 3. No comment, just the notes I took studying the word. Very appropriate word for our times, I think.

Webster's definition is as follows:

INCONTINENT, a. [L. incontinens.] Not restraining the passions or appetites, particularly the sexual appetite; indulging lust without restraint or in violation of law; unchaste; lewd.

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (2Ti 3:1-5)"

Vine's Expository Dictionary says of the Greek work from which it is translated, that it "denotes "powerless, impotent;" in a moral sense, unrestrained, "without self-control." 

This is the only time this word is used in the New Testament. It is used in the Septuagint once in Proverbs 27:20.


Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted. (Psalm 12:7-8)

DPN 

Book Review: Life in Christ by Jeremy Walker

What does it mean to be a Christian? In his new book Life in Christ, Jeremy Walker walks us through what

the Bibles tells us about the most important of all subjects; salvation and union with Christ. Jeremy puts on display many areas of Christian life and experience, drawing out the realities of the new birth, implications of saving faith, blessings of union with Christ, and changes God works in the believer as a new creature in Christ.

Starting with the gospel and saving faith, we are guided through what it means to have been saved, to be saved, and to look ahead to the glories that await those who are in Christ. He begins by explaining the gospel- that Jesus is the object of our faith, to whom we look. Then, as a born again child of God, the life we have, our identity, our hope, our righteousness is in Christ. Jeremy points out that when we begin to think of what it entails to be “in Christ” we see that this is not a superficial decision one makes, but Christ is the unsearchable, fathomless, and glorious treasure whose depths we will spend an eternity exploring. Salvation is bringing a dead sinner to life, implanting a heart of flesh, and giving the person a new nature to love what he once hated, and hate what he once loved. In Christ, we are not merely pardoned slaves, but made to be sons of God. Our identity in Christ has changed both our position and our nature and because the perfect work of Christ, we can be assurance that He will accomplish what He set out to do, and we can know that we know Him. Since life in Christ is real, then life in Christ has a real effect as we continue to be conformed to His image, until we have run the race and finished the course and He brings us home.

This book is theologically sound, and wonderfully written. It is a rare occurrence to have both a theologically sound work that is also just a pleasure to read. Life in Christ is steeped in Biblical passages and Biblical language and gets straight to the point, which I appreciated.

No book, no volume of books could ever begin to plumb the depth of what union with Christ fully means, however this book is a wonderful way for a new believer to learn more of what he has in Christ, and for the mature Christian to adore and worship the Beloved. I could see this book being a wonderful guide for the babe in Christ, a devotional book, or a great book for a Bible saw group. I highly recommend picking up a copy.

You may also enjoy listening to the THIS interview Jeremy gave on the Janet Mefferd Show talking about the book. Jeremy also blogs at Reformation21.org

P.S.

Also, to whoever is ultimately responsible for the footnotes instead of the endnotes; I give you a hearty well done, well done. There is nothing that quite dampens the Newell spirit as to see a book with endnotes, but alas, dear reader; rejoice. You will not be burdened by flipping back and forth in the needless scavenger hunt. “Will this be a reference to another book? Is this more vital information that I need to know? Will this the endnote merely be yet another ibid?” There will be no interrupting of the reading by flipping back and forth, for you will conveniently find that information at the bottom of the very page to which it is referenced. My heart, upon seeing the footnotes, as it were, slowly stood from its reading chair with an approving ‘slow clap’ and a nod of the head.

A Realistic Self-Assessment of Scriptural Knowledge

There is a danger in assuming we have a vast knowledge of Scripture rather than ensuring we have it. On an unfounded assumption, you can frame your opinions and beliefs on what you think the Bible says rather than what it actually does. Christians assuming they know more than they do, or thinking they know all the important stuff construct their lives and thoughts and actions what they think is right, then say we are following the Bible. If a Christian believes they have a vast knowledge of scripture, they assume their actions and opinions are Bible based. If they don't like something, it must not be true and it must not be Bible. Instead of finding out what the Bible teaches, and then forming our opinions based upon the Word. 

Sadly, many Christians look for:

More Sentimentality than scripture.

Hold to the verses of Hank Williams over verses of Hebrews.

Prefer the prophets of Hollywood over the Prophets of the Holy Lord.

Listen more to the sweet psalmists of Nashville than the Sweet psalmist of Israel

More Papaw than the apostle Paul.

Lean more on emotion than on inspiration.

Take the TV over the Testaments;

feelings more than foundational truth.

We need a realistic self-assessment of our scriptural knowledge in which we can honestly say we do not know or do not understand something in scripture. Only then can we grow in knowledge.

Ddpn

Gra

God's chisel and hammer!

J.R. Miller, "Evening Thoughts" via Gracegems.org

Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Malachi 3:16-17

In the prophet Malachi's time, when nearly all the people had forsaken God, there were a few who were faithful. These met together and spoke one to another. They became very dear to God, and a book of remembrance was kept in which their names and their faithfulness were recorded.

"These shall be Mine in that day when I make up My jewels!"

Jewels are valuable. God gave His beloved Son for the redemption of His chosen people.

Jewels are prepared by cutting, grinding, and polishing, until they shine in brilliant beauty. God's people are subjected to many painful trials and experiences in preparing them for their heavenly home.

Jewels are used for adornment and for honor. They shine in the king's crown. The saints in Heaven shall shine as jewels in Jesus' crown!

If only we knew how precious we are to God, and what hidden glory shall be ours, waiting to shine out at last--we would rejoice with unspeakable joy!

What do a few troubles and pains matter now, if it is only the work of God's chisel and hammer cutting away the hindering crust, to reveal the precious diamond!

Mortification of Sin

"Mortification from a self-strength, carried on by ways of self invention, to the end of a self righteousness is the soul and substance of all false religion in the world."
John Owen

Reggie Moore

Today was the funeral for Elder Reggie Moore. David Collier, Paul Jackson, and John Pruitt gave brief messages and Sam Wilson preached the concluding message of the service. 

I did the the following graveside service.

As it has pleased our Sovereign God,

who hath determined the times before appointed,

and the bounds of our brothers habitation;

We commit Elder Reggie Moore’s earthly tabernacle to the earth.

Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: 

but the soul has returned to the God who gave it –

our brother, now absent from this body,

is now present with the Lord Christ who redeemed Him with His blood.

Here we immerse the body,

which will wait for the glorious appearing of the great God and Saviour Jesus Christ;

Who died for sins, was also buried

But the grave could not hold Him.

Conquering death, rising from the dead for our justification,

   

He gives us a living hope in a living Saviour.

Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Amen.

Every Chapter Better

CS Lewis - The Last Battle

“And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and title page: now at last they were beginning chapter one of the great story which no one on earth has ever read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before”

To Live is Christ

Another beautiful song by Nathan Clark George.

An Extraordinary Saviour

An excerpt from the sermon at a baptismal service 12/15/13.

We get bogged down in the daily workings of life that we miss the wonderfully obvious, that this world, even in its broken state, is a pretty wild place. We are on a rock that is spinning 1,000 miles an hour hurling around the sun at 67,000 miles an hour. That sun that we journey around every year, gives us heat and gives us light, in which trees turn into oxygen, in which we breathe out laughter at a nine month old learning experimentally about gravity. We see these things, but don’t see them.

This world and this life is wonderfully extraordinary and is all around us and we miss it staring at our phones, or becoming so preoccupied with things that don’t matter. Our problem is much deeper than not paying attention, though that is a big problem. Our problem goes all the way down into the core. Some of you listened to me preach this morning and heard a message of the gospel, and it was established in your heart. Some of you were daydreaming and haven’t the foggiest idea what I was preaching. Some of you listened and heard me, but did not hear what I was saying, you did not perceive the Words, you heard the concept, but did not perceive. Hearts have grown dull, and you have ears they can barely hear, and have closed your eyes; lest you should see with your eyes and hear with your ears and understand with your heart and turn from your sin unto the Saviour and be healed.

We are about to witness a baptism, and I wonder what you will see? When John Baptized, some saw a religious symbol, and nothing more. Some saw a wild man dunking people under the water, and nothing more. Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive. But those who were truly saved and truly waiting for the coming of Messiah saw something more.

Baptism tells the story of such a miracle that goes unnoticed and forgotten, even by those people who have experienced it. Baptism paints a picture for those with eyes to see the most beautiful tale of love, heroism, and devotion the world will ever know. Baptism tells the story of death and sacrifice. Justice and mercy. Burial and repentance. Resurrection and newness of life. Baptism does not save, baptism speaks.

The miracle of regeneration, where a human spirit, that cannot live, is given life to really live for the first time is put on full display. The miracle of dead bodies coming out of their tombs and walking about. The miracle of new creations, new creatures having been born again and seen the kingdom of God. The story of a Man, who called a dead man from his grave, and that man answered and obeyed and hopped out of the tomb. The story of this Man who entered into the world, but was bigger than the world itself, and died at the hands of wicked men (though they did not take His life from Him) and He laid down His life voluntarily as a sacrifice to present sinners blameless before God. Whose dead body was made alive again and walked out of the tomb securing the death of death by the death of Christ.

You have heard this story, but have you really heard it? Have you really believed it? Has it been confirmed in your soul that Jesus died and rose again? Will you see a woman getting wet in the front of a church, or will you see a picture of Jesus dying and rising out of the tomb? Will you see a women getting wet, or will you see a woman who was made alive by grace? Who God has quickened from the dead, from death to life to the spiritually dead. A picture of the new birth, and walking in newness of life.

What will you see?

Will you see the gospel?

Will you see the working of Grace?

Will you believe what we will show you?

This is the gospel of grace. All have sinned and come short of the perfect standard that God has demanded from His creation. From birth, our hearts are bent and broken towards sinfulness. Even our best efforts are tainted by sin. We have fallen from God and are guilty having broken His commandments. We are a sinful people estranged from a Holy God and we have no way to fix what is broken. We can’t do better, we can’t repair the past. We are guilty before God and deserving to be punished and to go where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

But listen to me, really listen because I want to tell you how awesome God is. Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, came into this Earth that He might seek and save those lost souls to whom the Father had given Him. He didn’t look for good people because there were not any good people. All were ruined and thrust into sin. But Jesus, born of a virgin, the Word made flesh, lived a life of perfection, obedient to every law of God. Jesus did what Adam could not do, He was born perfect and stayed that way. Never the slightest hint of sin from the Lord, a perfect man who lived for the purpose that when the fullness of time had arrived, He would offer Himself to God, a sacrifice for sins.

When the hour had come, Jesus was taken to Golgotha and nailed to a cross. The father had taken the sins of the elect and laid them on the sinless Saviour. The Son bore the wrath and the punishment and paid the penalty completely for the sins that we committed. When God’s wrath was satisfied, Jesus gave up the ghost.

After three days and three nights, Jesus rose from the dead, alive. Not a spirit, not a ghost, but bodily arose and walked about walking in newness of life. This is the good news, for if you repent of your sins, if you trust in what Jesus did, and trust that this testimony is true and cry out to God to save you knowing He is the only true and sufficient perfect Saviour, then you will have life and life eternal. By God’s grace, die to self, and are born again, raised to walk in newness of life, to follow your Lord and your Saviour, all the days of your life.

This is an extraordinary world. Only because we have an extraordinarily awesome Saviour.

The Calvinist by John Piper

I tweeted out a link to this poem a few days back, and the folks at Desiring God have updated their video with subtitles.

Both a beautiful poem and video.

With a special "two for the price of one" deal here at the blog, I'm going through in, absolutely free, this quote from Spurgeon. Also, if you object to the term Calvinism, then coin a single word to describe the doctrines of Grace and God's sovereignty and get the rest of the world to catch on and replace it. Let me know when you do (or would you have to let me know?) but until then, we live in a world with words and words have meanings. Right now, the term Calvinist has a meaning and I don't have to define it because you know what it means too.

 "I have my own private opinion that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else. I do not believe we can preach the gospel, if we do not preach justification by faith, without works; nor unless we preach the sovereignty of God in His dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor do I think we can preach the gospel, unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people which Christ wrought out upon the cross; nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called, and suffers the children of God to be burned in the fires of damnation after having once believed in Jesus. Such a gospel I abhor."

DP Newell

Dying of Dignity

"It is easy enough among Dissenters to find regulations as rigid as could be invented by any bench of bishops; you may not vary the length of the hymn or the order of the service by a hair’s breadth, or you will sin against your own reputation and the feelings of the conservative portion of the congregation. There are few of such places now, but quite enough. and, where the evil rules, the good folks are as tenacious of their established nonsense as ever the Church of England can be of her printed prayers and rubrics; and the preacher must submit to all the regular fudge as if it were Scripture itself, or be pronounced eccentric and wanting in decorum. A man that is a man will yield for peace sake as far as his soul is unhampered, but beyond that he will ask, “Who makes these regulations, and to what end are they made?” Finding them. to be worthless and injurious, he will put his foot through them, and there will be an end of the rubbish. Some congregations are dying of dignity, and must be aroused by real life. People said that Mr. Hill rode on the back of order and decorum, and therefore he called his two horses by those names, so that if he could not ride on the back of them he might make the saying nearly true by being dragged behind them. Order and decorum, in some of our churches, have manifested themselves to be deadly sins; dead and burying the dead. Some congregations are so very orderly that they are like a vault in which the corpses lie, each one in due place, and none dares to move or lift a voice loud enough to be called a chirp. This will not do. Bring the trumpet! Sound a blast and wake the sleepers! Eccentric! Yes, eccentricity, if you like to call life by that name. Heaven knows it is sadly wanted."

C.H. Spurgeon from Eccentric Preachers




DPN

Baptism

Excerpt from the sermon I preached at Elijah's baptism. 

We have come today to replay an ancient picture. For going on 2,000 years, believers have gathered about a body of water to witness this very same baptism. You have an ancient heritage, church. You don’t have to go search out your genealogy to find a connection to your past. Here is your connection.

Upon baptism you will join the ranks of Peter, James, John, Andrew, Stephen, Philip, Apollos, Timothy, Paul, and those men and women who followed their doctrine. Every church planted that sent out its own men to preach the word, make disciples and baptize them as the Lord's churches spread like wildfire. Down through the ages and through the dark valley of persecution. Across the continents, men have confessed their sins, trusted in the Christ, and followed Him in baptism.  Starting in a muddy river in Israel by a man sent from God, to Jerusalem, through Samaria and Asia. Down southward to Africa and westward across the mountains plains into the land of the Barbarians believers were immersed upon profession in Christ and united with the church. On to Europe, then to the Americas this same ordinance was give for the same purpose. Age after age, church after church acting out this drama, making this confession, Jesus Saves.

Silently, yet publicly proclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father. Confessing that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, the Word made flesh, came, born of a virgin and entered into His own creation to save His people from their sins. We declare in baptism that the Godman was nailed to the cross and was the Lamb of God, the substitutionary sacrifice and completely saved every single person for whom the sacrifice was intended. On that terrible afternoon, Jesus cried it is finished and gave up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent.

Jesus, the Lord, the Saviour, the King, the Christ was dead. They took his lifeless body from that wretched tree and laid His lifeless body in a rich man’s tomb. Sad, dejected, and faithless, the disciples had given up in despair.

But lo, at the dawning of the first day of the week, the two Mary’s came to the tomb but the stone was rolled away. They were terrified, but the angle said “Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” The reports were flying about, the tomb is empty! Jesus had risen! He met with them, spoke with them, ate with them, and preached to them. He was alive! He had the power to lay his life down and he took it right back up. This same Jesus, in His same body spoke to these same disciples, bodily risen and forever defeating death for those He had died and risen for.

The same Jesus who had the power to raise himself from the dead has the power to give life. To give life to the dead to raise them from spiritual death unto spiritual life and to one day raise their bodies from the dirt.

As a church, we are to go with this message of the gospel and preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins in Christ. We have been charged to make disciples and baptize them.  We baptize them symbolizing how we are made disciples. As Jesus died, was buried, and was resurrected – we symbolize that in the water. We are buried in baptism. As Jesus rose from the dead for our justification, we come up out of the water raised to walk in newness of life.

Baptism symbolizes what Christ has already done. We baptize the believers, the disciples of Jesus to show the world that we have died to the old life (repentance) and have been born again and are new creatures in Jesus.

Holiness of God

God has revealed Himself to us and I believe that He has revealed that He is a Holy God. All of his other attributes flow from His holiness. If you have not read Stephen Charnock’s The Existence and Attributes of God, I highly recommend the book, especially his chapter the Holiness of God. 

God’s has shown us that “He is holy” and His name is holy (Psalm 99:3). See how often God reveals to us that he is the “Holy One” or “Holy One of Israel”. 

He is the Holy Spirit. 

He is a holy High Priest (Hebrews 9:8.) 

He is the Holy Father. 

God swears by His holiness (Ps 89:35; Amos 4:2) because He can swear by no greater. 

His angles are holy angels (Matthew 25:31). 

His word is a holy Word. 

In His presences is holy ground. 

When He was in His temple, it was a holy temple. 

His men are holy prophets. (2 Peter 3:2) 

His love is holy love. 

His hate is holy hatred. 

His Strength is his holy arm– (Isa 52:10) 

All his works and ways are holy ways (Psalm 145:17) 

His promises are holy promises (Psalm 105:42) 

His law and commandments are holy (Rom 7:12) 

His calling is a holy calling (II Tim. 1:9) 

He could have had the angels fly about Him declaring “Love, Love, Love” or “omnipotent, omnipotent, omnipotent” but He desires to have His holy angles cry “Holy, Holy, Holy”. 

It is this otherness, this mystery, this fearfulness of God’s holiness that drives us from God in fear while it pulls us to God in beauty, because God’s holiness is beautiful (2 Chronicles 20:21; Psalm 29:2; Psalm 96:9). Holiness is beautiful because it is pure, it is perfection, it is separate from all this is impure. God’s holiness is the beauty of all His other attributes. His goodness is holy goodness. His love is holy love. His power is holy omnipotence and his knowledge is holy wisdom.

Quote:

“Holiness is the sum of all excellence and the combination of all the attributes which constitute perfection of character”. Boyce

The Loss of an Idol

"Love not anything in this world so much that the loss of it would throw you quite off your guard, and make you abandon yourself to wild and extravagant methods of relief. Let your affections be so subdued and kept in good order that the common calamities of life may not utterly confound, though they may surprise you. If you place your whole happiness in any of the attainments of this world, you expose yourself to this bloody temptation when you suffer the loss of those idols." Isaac Watts

HT: Paul Levy

Holy Scriptures

"The supreme judge, by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and by which must be examined all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, and doctrines of men and private spirits can be no other than the Holy Scripture, delivered by the Spirit. And in the sentence of Scripture we are to rest, for it is in Scripture, delivered by the Spirit, that our faith is finally resolved."

1689 London Baptist Confession

"We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired, and is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction; that it has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its matter; that it reveals the principles by which God will judge us; and therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried."

The New Hampshire Baptist Confession, 1833


Doug

Bold Sinner, Fearful Saint

“O how uncomely a sight is it to see, a bold sinner and a fearful saint, one resolved to be wicked, and a Christian wavering in his holy course; to see guilt put innocence to flight, and hell keep the field, impudently braving it with displayed banners of open profaneness; [to see] saints hide their colors for shame, or run from them for fear, who should rather wrap themselves in them, and die upon the place, than thus betray the glorious name of God, which is called upon by them to scorn of the uncircumcised. Take heart therefore, O ye saints, and be strong, your cause is good, God himself espouseth your quarrel, who hath appointed you his own Son, General of the field called “the Captain of our salvation’ . He shall lead you on with courage, and bring you off with honor.”

The Christian in Complete Armour - William Gurnall

William Tyndale and Congregation: More than Defensible

William Tyndale in his translation of Matthew 16:18 rendered it this way,  “And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter: and upon this rock I will build my congregation.  And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”  David Daniell, author of the introduction to the 1989 Yale University Press edition of the Tyndale Bible said 

“The Bishop of London hunted down and burned many thousands of Tyndale’s successive New Testaments and Pentateuch’s with fanatical thoroughness, a ruthlessness that seems close to hysteria – only a dozen in all survive.  King Hevry VIII’s chancellor, Sir Thomas More, showed himself less than gentile, reasoned, saintly and urbane in his long, and indeed violent polemics against Tyndale.  He calls him in his Confutation, ‘a beast’, as one of the ‘hell-hounds that the devil hath in his kennel’, discharging a ‘filthy foam of blasphemies out of his brutish beastly mouth’.  Elsewhere, More calls him a deceiver, a hypocrite; puffed up with the poison of pride, malice and envy’.  Yet the best that More, in all the great length of his tirades, can summon against Tyndale, when all is boiled down, is the he translated the Greed word for ‘elder’ as elder, not priest and the Greek word for ‘repentance’ as repentance, not do penance, the Greek word for ‘congregation’ as congregation not church…Even Erasmus, More’s friend, had translated the Greek  ekklēsia, as congregation, not church. Every change that Tyndale makes is more than defensible: it is correct.”  

You Can't Please Everyone

Charles Spurgeon from his excellent book The Eccentric Preacher.

"He who hopes to preach so as to please everybody must be newly come into the ministry; and he who aims at such an object would do well speedily to leave its ranks. Men must and will cavil and object: it is their nature to do so. John came neither eating nor drinking; he was at once a Baptist and an abstainer, and nothing could be alleged against his habits, which were far removed from the indulgences of luxury: but this excellence was made his fault, and they said, "He hath a devil." Jesus Christ came eating and drinking, living as a man among men; and this which they pretended to desire in John became an offense in Jesus, and they libeled him as "a drunken man and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners." Neither the herald nor his Master suited the wayward tastes of their contemporaries. Like children playing in the market-place, who would not agree about what the game should be, so were the sons of men in that generation. They rejected the messengers because they loved not the God who sent them, and they only pretended to object to the men because they dared not avow their enmity to their Master. Hence the objections were often inconsistent and contradictory, and always frivolous and vexatious."

This Time

Make sure you check out the end of the video.

It's Right There in the Text

I read one man’s commentary on Revelation who mocked men who take a literal interpretation of Revelation, describing the absurdity of believing in monstrous locusts and the like. Then, with presumably a straight face, in the next paragraph informs us that the locusts were symbols of “neo-orthodox seminary professors, the so-called higher critics of our day.”

 Of course. I should have known, it's right there in the text.

Take it to the Lord in Prayer

A couple years ago a started keeping a journal. Actually, I have several notebooks that I write in, and they are in no particular order and there isn't much rhyme or reason to the system. It probably would have been better to have one and start at the beginning and go to the end, but where is the fun in that? Anytime I am reading, I have the notebook beside me to catch my thoughts, jot memorable quotes, argue at length with the author, or apply what I have learned. This has been a tremendous help in my devotional life by going slowly through a book and writing down what I have learned or needed to apply to my heart. You really should not read a book without a pen in hand. 

The nice thing about doing this is going back through your notes. You can see how the Lord is bringing you along and remember things you forgot. I was reading through one of my journals and found this entry from a couple years ago when I was working my way through a puritan work.

Don’t hide your failures, faults, and sorrow from God. There is a temptation to deeply bury our sin and our pain and to straighten up before we go to God.

1. You are not able to “hide” anything from God
2. A Christian does not need to hide from God
3. We do not need to fix ourselves before coming to Christ.

This is my temptation. That I’m too sad or to broken to pray. But that is exactly when I need prayer most of all. I’m forgiven, loved, and cared for by my Priest-King- Saviour. I shouldn’t try to atone for my own sins with my tears and break the reed that Christ would not break. Yes, confess. Mortify. Repent. But keep going till you reach the healing cross. 

Prayer and Care

"Carefulness and prayer cannot stand together. In every thing - great and small - let your requests be made known. They who by a preposterous shame or distrustful modesty, cover, stifle, or keep in their desires, as if they were either too small or too great, must be racked with care; from which they are entirely delivered, who pour them out with a free and filial confidence."

John Wesley on Philippians 4:6

In Christ

“How do we receive those benefits which the Father bestowed on his only-begotten Son – not for Christ’s own private use, but that he might enrich poor and needy men? First, we must understand that as long as Christ remains outside of us, and we are separated from him, all that he has suffered and done for the salvation of the human race remains useless and of no value for us. Therefore, to share with us what he has received from the Father, he had to become ours and to dwell within us”

Book 3 of The Institutes of Christian religion
Picture courtesy of BGM.


 John Piper well said:

"Do you want to be free from the blinding effects of spiritual ignorance? Do you want to have the righteousness of Christ credited to your account and be accepted and acquitted and justified by God? Do you want to have the sanctifying power of Christ in your life helping you overcome canceled sin? Do you want to be delivered in the end from misery and death? If so – and I pray that you do – then cherish your union with Christ. Love being united to him. Grow in your grasp of these things. Live in them. Savor them. Carry them with you through the day. Make them your meditation day and night. Think often on what it means to be united to Christ. What it means that "by God's doing you are in Christ Jesus"

I Rejoice; Rejoice Ye!

Alexander MacLaren  on Philippians 4:4 from Expositions of Holy Scripture:

"It has been well said that this whole epistle may be summed up in two short sentences: ‘I rejoice’; ‘Rejoice ye!’ The word and the thing crop up in every chapter, like some hidden brook, ever and anon sparkling out into the sunshine from beneath the shadows. This continual refrain of gladness is all the more remarkable if we remember the Apostle’s circumstances. The letter shows him to us as a prisoner, dependent on Christian charity for a living, having no man like-minded to cheer his solitude; uncertain as to ‘how it shall be with me,’ and obliged to contemplate the possibility of being ‘offered,’ or poured out as a libation, ‘on the sacrifice and service of your faith.’ Yet out of all the darkness his clear notes ring jubilant; and this sunny epistle comes from the pen of a prisoner who did not know but that to-morrow he might be a martyr."

An Odd Couple

The thought occurred to me, as it sometimes does, that there is a similarity between the Lutheran position on infant baptism and the Arminian position in decisional regeneration. If you have been reading the comments of prior posts, you may have a headache. Buy you also may have noticed many of the arguments of the pro-Luther party were lobbed in the general direction of the pro-Arminius constituency. I did observe something peculiar as I looked at the scorched remains of the Arminian straw man. He looked vaguely familiar.

Like I’ve noted before, there is a strange kinship between errors that, on the surface, seem to oppose one another. The antinomian is just as focused on the law as the legalist. One runs from the law, the other to the law, but for the sake of the law, they both do run.

The Lutheran and the Arminian have a strange kinship in regards to the sovereignty of God in salvation while they firmly deny the resemblance. Neither truly believes that God has the absolute freedom to choose who will be saved. Both believe it to be unjust and unfair for God to chose to show mercy on some and not others, to one degree or another. Whereas the Arminian applies this to all mankind, the Lutheran applies this to children. Both think they can do something to make God save someone. One calls sinners to the “altar” in the front of the church to make a decision while the other sprinkles water on a babies head. Both positions think that their actions will move God to save and both will call it grace. Both sides will get upset when you point out that this is a work, and both positions will say these things are done in faith. But when you boil it all down, making a decision is a work, and so is baptizing babies. What precedes faith will determine if you truly believe in grace. An odd couple.

The wreckage of decisional regeneration is no different than that of infant baptismal regeneration. In both instances a well meaning adult convinces a child that they are saved. The child takes their word for it and moves on, walking (or crawling) in darkness. A church full of false converts, nominal Christians who have taken the word of someone that they were baptized and believed the report that they repented of their sins and trusted in Christ. Do many later come to saving faith? Sure. Do many die in their sins trusting in the words of men assuring them that their decision saved them, or their baptism saved them? Sadly, yes.

Faith is substantive. True, living, God given faith awakens the dead spirit to life, opens the blind eyes to sight, and causes the dead sinner to see the kingdom of God and come to Jesus Christ. The Lutheran can parse words all day long, but an unconscious infant does not have faith, as faith is defined by the Bible (Hebrews 11:1). How many legs does a dog have if you call his tail a leg? He has four - calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it so. Redefining faith may help a well meaning parent or pastor to sleep at night, but it does not change God’s Word, nor does it regenerate the soul of the deceived.

This is an emotional issue, especially for parents of young children, like myself. If there were something I could do to save my children, I would do it - but it would do them no good to impose upon them a religious ritual that has no power to save and lie to them in order that I might feel better. The well meaning Arminian will do the same. They will ask the child if they love God and want to go to Heaven and then ask if they love Jesus and then tell them they are saved. This makes the parents rejoice, for  a season, until they wonder why their teenager is cooking meth in the back yard instead of at Bible study.

My children are in God’s hands. Salvation is of the Lord. I tell my kids of the gospel daily. We have daily family worship and daily Bible reading. I pray for the salvation of my children. I do all that the Lord has required of me,all that I can do and their souls are in His hands - and there is no other place that I would rather they be. I desire nothing more than to see my children walk in the truth, but I cannot change the leopard's spots in family worship and only God’s grace can give a heart of flesh, faith, and true repentance. I preach the gospel, I call them to repentance - but their souls are not in my not in my hands, not in the hands of the church, but in the Hands of God.

Does Titus 3:5 Teach Baptismal Regeneration and Support Infant Baptism?

In case you have missed the fun.
Part 1
Part 2

 The book of Titus is a pastoral epistle, penned by Paul to instruct the Gentile minister on the work of pastoring a church. Chapter three, to which we have our present controversy, begins with the charge to Titus to preach that Christians are not to be subversive rebels, but live gently and meekly in this present evil world. We didn't always live a holy life, because we used to be foolish and disobedient, serving our lusts and pleasures. We used to be the hateful ones, living in hate, speaking hate, and hating one another (3:3). Christians are to live a life to the glory of God – a way that is contrary to the world, and a way that is contrary to our old lives. We also see a radical shift in worldviews. We used to believe one way and we used to do things a certain way, a wicked way, an evil way. Now, we don’t. How did that happen? How did we get from hateful and hating to gentle and meek?

Titus 4-7 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 

 Not by our works, but by God’s work. We did not change ourselves but God changed us. Not because we are good, but because He is merciful. Not because of our work, because of His work. Not by decisions, water, church membership or any other thing we did, but he saved us by a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ. We are not justified by baptism, but by Grace. Verses 8-12, show us that because of the work of God in salvation, we are urged to maintain good works. We do not do good works in order to be saved, but because we are saved, we do good works. One problem those that baptize infants have is applying faith and repentance to the unconscious infant. Our text illustrates repentance – turning from sin unto Christ. The thrust of the passage is we are saved from our evil ways unto good works. Something that actually happens on account of the new birth. This does not happen with the infant. Indeed, we are born into sin, but does the infant repent of the depraved nature and confess that he is born in guilty in Adam, before he is able to know his own name?

Baptism is something God commands that we do. Our text, very clearly is telling us this washing has nothing to do with our works. Baptism is a work that we do in obedience to the Lord's command to be baptized. It is an act of obedience of the church to baptize believers. It is a good work, a righteous work to follow the Lord in baptism. But...

 (5) Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; (6) Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour 

Verse 5 makes it clear that it has nothing to do with our works that we are saved, but we do good works because of the good work of God in us. Titus 3:8 tells us that those who have believed are to do good works, not those who have been baptized. The washing and renewing are Divine acts of the Holy Spirit of God. The same is found in 1 Cor 6:9-11 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?..... And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. We were sinners, God cleaned us by His blood, now we are different. This verse has nothing to do with baptism. We are born again by the power of God. God using the instrument of His Word in regeneration.

The only other time the word "washing" appears in the New Testament is in Ephesians 5:26, in which, speaking of the church, says God will "sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of the water by the Word.” It is the Word of God used to “wash” the sinner from the filth and defilement of sin. In fact, the Word of God is the instrument of God the Holy Spirit in salvation (James 1:18; Gal 3:1-2). 

1Pe 1:23-25  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.   For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:   But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

The same eternal Word that is preached is the gospel that is preached and believed. We evangelize by preaching God's Word. If God is pleased to use His Word to quicken a dead sinner to life, He will do so. Salvation comes by faith in Christ, through the preaching of the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation. We are not born again by the power of baptism, but of the incorruptible seed, by the Word of God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17), not by the water. I believe it is incumbent upon those who believe this verse refers to Baptism to prove it. It is assumed this washing refers to baptism; however, since the whole of scripture teaches we are saved by Grace through faith, not by baptism, and that regeneration is a work of the Holy Spirit by His Sovereign will, not by the will of priest and parent. The sad thing is that those that baptize their babies lie to their children and tell them that they are saved because of what they did for them by having them baptized. 

 There is a twofold operation of the Holy Spirit in salvation, namely cleansing and renewal. Cleansing from the defilement of sin and the new birth. What does wash away our sins? The precious blood of Christ; Hebrews 9:22; Hebrews 12:24; Heb 9:13-14 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 

Faith, which is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen, comes by hearing the Word of God. You cannot have faith without an object of hope and a conviction of the reality of the unseen. None of which applies to the infant. Repentance means to turn. No infant has ever repented of their sins upon their baptism. Infant baptizers get around this by redefining the words hearing, faith, repentance, and the Word. The Bible can mean anything if you get to define what the words mean.

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Please keep the comments on topic. If you want to discuss THIS post and THIS passage, well by all means, comment away. 


Thanks.

Does Colossians 2:11-13 Teach Baptisimal Regeneration?

There were heretics in the church at Colosse and through vain deceit and the traditions of men, they were leading men away from Christ in religion rather toward and after Christ in truth. The issue in Colosse was the beginnings of what is known as Gnosticism. The heresy was a mixture of a type of Judaism, mysticism, and philosophy that corrupted the truth about Jesus Christ. Much like many of the cults today, the wolves at Colosse were using the words of Christianity, but applying different doctrines and philosophies and meanings to the words. They used familiar Christian terms but applied their own definition.

There was the pre-Gnostic idea of “the fullness”(Pleroma) which was "...the mediating eons or angel-powers or spiritual manifestations supposed to be intermediate between God and the world... the entire series of angels or eons, which filled the space or interval between a holy God and a world of matter, which was conceived of as essentially and necessarily evil." (ISBE).  Paul declares that this is not fullness and true fullness is not found in mysticism, or works, or ritual but Christ is the fullness: Christ is all and we are complete and full in Him.  Christ is sufficient. Christ is fully God, Christ is the fullness of God in creation, Christ is the fullness of God in redemption, Christ is the fullness of God in the church, and Christ is the power and the purpose of living our lives. By positively asserting Christ, Paul as inoculated the church from the heresies that were (are are still) being taught. For the most part in this book, Paul battles the heresy by showing the truth.

When we get to second chapter, Paul is dealing specifically with Christ and our salvation (Col. 2:9-10).  How are we full and complete? Paul gives two examples – not two options in verses 11-13. These examples are to illustrate what the symbols were/are given to illustrate - that we are complete & made full in Christ. The first example is showing the true meaning of circumcision and what it actually represented.

Col 2:11  In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

Circumcision was never given to impart faith. There was a twofold purpose for circumcision – one a sign of the physical part of the covenant with Abraham (a land and a nation) and the second part was a token of God’s work in redemption.  When a person is born again, God takes away the flesh, i.e. sin, the "old man". God preforms a circumcision of the heart. The Gentiles believers were not encouraged to be circumcised but he is explaining from the physical token what had happened to them spiritually by using the token that God had used with Israel to demonstrate that very point. The covenant given to Abraham was based upon the promise God gave to Abraham, not upon the works of the flesh (Gal. 3:17-19). Circumcision never conferred grace (Romans 4:8-10), it was a sign (Romans 4:11-12). This had always been the spiritual aspect of circumcision (cf. Lev 26:41-42; Deut 30:5-6; Deut 10:12-17). In order to be a citizen of the nation of Israel and to partake of the inheritance of the land, one had to be circumcised, but this did not preform any spiritual work. The Old Testament taught the same principle as the new, a heart circumcision (Ezk 11:10 and Col 2:11). However, circumcision never saved.

Moving on to Col. 2:12, we see the second part of the same sentence giving the same thought.

Col 2:12  Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

As circumcision is being used to illustrate a point, so is Baptism. It has never been something that confers grace, but it is a picture of the work of God in regeneration. We are buried under the water (immersed, not sprinkled) and raised to walk in newness of life. The act of going under the water pictures death, our death to sin and Christ’s death FOR our sins - does not bring faith. Our coming up out of the water pictures our walking in newness of life on account of Christ’s rising from the grave for our justification. Like circumcision in verse 11, baptism shows the operation of God who raises men from the dead. We were dead in our sins and God gave us life in regeneration, forgiving us our sins. This does not teach us that we are born again through the waters of baptism or through the ritual of circumcision. Not only does this passage not teach that circumcision replaces baptism, it illustrates that neither had the power to save. Nothing can be as clear in the New Testament as the fact that Paul did not believe that circumcision had any efficacious saving power. Paul using both examples here in a positive light, Paul is showing that neither baptism or circumcision has efficacious saving power, but was given as a picture and a sign of God's redemptive work in regeneration. 

It was the Gnostics and the mystic Judiazers who were trying to pull the Christians into sacramentalsim and offering works and rituals to be forgiven. When you read the rest of the chapter, Paul continues on by condemning rituals, ordinances, and other aesthetics to gain salvation.

The analogia scriptura (analogy of scripture) is that we are saved by Grace, through faith. Not by right, not by ceremony, not by works, not by knife, and not by water. We are saved by faith, cleansed, not by the water, but by the blood of Christ.

Series introduction found here.
The next post in the series is found here.

Grace & Peace, 

Dunkin' Babies

On November 22, 2010 I wrote a blog post on infant baptism and happily last week, Gary the Lutheran Blogger commented and thoroughly disagreed (this is the internet after all). After some back and forth, I decided to bring the old post back to the front. No since in letting good discussion get lost in a 3 year old meta. Gary has suggested that I do not read the Bible literally, and if I did, I couldn’t help but dunk babies under the water in the baptismal pool. Because, if we read what the Greek work for baptism LITERALLY means, we surely wouldn't sprinkle, but let's let those napping canines rest.  In the comment sections of that post, Gary offered the following proof texts to prove baptismal regeneration:
Titus 3:5 
Colossians 2:11-13 
I Peter 3:20-21 

Then he offered this challenge.

"Read this verse literally and what does it say: Baptism saves us. Period. Sit down. Read the entire New Testament. Read it literally unless God is VERY clear that he is not speaking literally. What will you end up with: God forgives sins in baptism. God saves in baptism. They only way to believe it doesn't is to establish your doctrine FIRST...and then try to interpret God's words to fit your doctrine. God doesn't need you help to explain what he was trying to say. He is very clear...if you read the Bible literally."

Let’s do, shall we? Let’s read the Bible literally and let us read it in context and let us exegete the text. I plan on in the next three posts to exegete the passages that Gary provided. After that, I hope to examine the paradigm of infant baptism. It is not a matter of texts. Saying “Titus 3:5 – BOOM!” dropping the mic and walking off stage with an assured nod of the head, is not how one proves a theological matter.

Here we go...

Part 1 Colossians 2:11-13 click HERE.

The Limits of Atonement

"Let there be no misunderstanding at this point. The Arminian limits the atonement as certainly as does the Calvinist. The Calvinist limits the extent of it in that he says it does not apply to all persons...while the Arminian limits the power of it, for he says that in itself it does not actually save anybody. The Calvinist limits it quantitatively, but not qualitatively; the Arminian limits it qualitatively, but not quantitatively. For the Calvinist it is like a narrow bridge that goes all the way across the stream; for the Arminian it is like a great wide bridge that goes only half-way across. As a matter of fact, the Arminian places more severe limitations on the work of Christ than does the Calvinist."  

Lorraine Boettner, The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination

Justified

The Canons of Dort- First Head, Article 7

Election is the unchangeable purpose of God, whereby, before the foundation of the world, He has out of mere grace, according to the sovereign good pleasure of His own will, chosen from the whole human race, which had fallen through their own fault from the primitive state of rectitude into sin and destruction, a certain number of persons to redemption in Christ, whom He from eternity appointed the Mediator and Head of the elect and the foundation of salvation. This elect number, though by nature neither better nor more deserving than others, but with them involved in one common misery, God has decreed to give to Christ to be saved by Him, and effectually to call an draw them to His communion by His Word and Spirit; to bestow upon them true faith, justification, and sanctification; and having powerfully preserved them in the fellowship of His son, finally to glorify them for the demonstration of His mercy, and for the praise of the riches of His glorious grace; as it is written "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves." (Eph 1:4-6). And elsewhere: "And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified." (Rom 8:30).

Read it all here.

Try a Lazy Boy

C.H. Spurgeon -

"I recollect an Arminian brother telling me that he had read the Scriptures through a score or more times, and could never find the doctrine of election in them. He added that he was sure he would have done so if it had been there, for he read the Word on his knees. I said to him, "I think you read the Bible in a very uncomfortable posture, and if you had read it in your easy chair, you would have been more likely to understand it. Pray, by all means, and the more, the better, but it is a piece of superstition to think there is anything in the posture in which a man puts himself for reading: and as to reading through the Bible twenty times without having found anything about the doctrine of election, the wonder is that you found anything at all: you must have galloped through it at such a rate that you were not likely to have any intelligible idea of the meaning of the Scriptures."

HT: Phil Johnson

Careless with Fire

God forgive me.

(HT Justin Taylor) - Doug

I Go to Prepare a Place for You

A.W. Pink
"God never has, and never will, take His people into a place un-prepared for them. In Eden God first "planted a garden," and then placed Adam in it. It was the same with Israel when they entered Canaan: "Deuteronomy 6:10-11  And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,  And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full." And what can we say of the grace manifested by the Lord of glory going to prepared a place for us? He will not entrust such a task to  the angels. Proof, indeed, is this that He loves us "unto the end."

A Pedigree Without a Horse

 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. - 1Timothy 1:4

BH Carroll from An Interpretation of The English Bible:

"Later, these fables grew into the Talmud, which may be likened to a "continent of mud," or, on

account of the dryness of the matter, to the "Sahara Desert minus its oasis. It is as unpalatable as sawdust bread. Its diet is as void of nutritive properties as the sick soldiers's soup, according to his own hyperbolic description "A piece of blue beef held up between the sun and a pot of boiling water, so as to boil its shadow.

Old Testament genealogies had an intelligent purpose till Christ came, for they located Him. After that they were of no value, and when they were arbitrarily spiritulized they became vicious.

In a political race in McLennan County one of the candidates devoted an hour to the tracing his honorable descent from illustrious families. The other won the race by a reply in one sentence "I would rather be a horse without a pedigree than a pedigree without a horse."

Book Review: The Full Armor of God

The Full Armor of God:

Defending your life from Satan’s Schemes

Larry Richards

Bethany House Publishers, Chosen Books

Christians are in a spiritual war. The Full Armor of God, by Larry Richards is an attempt to help Christians understand the battle and use the resources God has provided to endure to the end. Richards uses the book of Ephesians as the outline to instruct the believer in “spiritual warfare”.  Unfortunately, I believe that the book fall short in what it sets out to accomplish.

There are some helpful aspects to the book, but I would not recommend this book. The book is a combination of the Biblical text with affirmations of self worth. Not in every case, but I did notice a theme that the “demons” were bad feelings over a bad childhood. The Christian does have the answer to emotional issues, pain, and struggle -- satisfaction in Jesus Christ. He is where you find peace, love, and forgiveness.  Richards seeks to apply worldly salve to a spiritual problem. For example, in the chapter on “Putting on the Helmet of salvation” one part of the application is to “Tape a picture of yourself as a child on the bathroom mirror. Each time you see the picture, bless the child that you were, and remind her or him of how deeply she or he is loved by Jesus.”  This kind of worldly wisdom cannot free a person from the true pain that they receive. The Bible is sufficient to teach and guide, these exercises are not.

There is a chapter on casting out demons. It is three pages long. Half of the three pages are dedicated on how to cast demons out. Five paragraphs. First, let me say that I do believe in demon possession. Secondly, I do believe that Apostles and the early churches had the power to cast out demons. Thirdly, I believe these gifts ceased.  The Bible does not teach us to go about and cast demons out of things, and the Bible does not teach us how to recognize demon possession, so in a chapter to instruct, there should be a theological foundation, and Biblical instruction. There wasn't, and there is a reason for the absence.  The rest of the chapter was another plug for the “Freedom Workshop”.

From the start, I felt like the book was a advertisement for his Freedom Workshops that he teaches all over the country.  Through the book, we are reminded of the Workshop and given an appendix of exercises to be done in group settings, in “Live Free” sessions -  not what one would expect when purchasing a book on spiritual warfare.

I’m very grateful Bethany House Publishers and Chosen Books for sending me this review copy. Though I did gain some from the book, I would not recommend this book.

Tender Majesty

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. John 14:1

The twelve were sitting in the upper chamber, stupefied with the dreary, half-understood prospect of Christ’s departure. He, forgetting His own burden, turns to comfort and encourage them. These sweet and great words most singularly blend gentleness and dignity. Who can reproduce the cadence of soothing tenderness, soft as a mother’s hand, in that ‘Let not your heart be troubled’? And who can fail to feel the tone of majesty in that ‘Believe in God, believe also in Me’?

Alexander MacLaren

But what are you REALLY trying to say?

“The Greek word baptize, which we borrow, was of very common use, as is seen in every period of Greek literature and was applied to a great variety of matters, including the most familiar acts of everyday life.  It was thus a word which every Greek speaking hearer and reader in apostolic times would at once and clearly understand.  It meant what we express by ‘immerse’ and kindred terms, and no one could then have thought of attributing to it a wholly different sense, such as ‘sprinkle’ or ‘pour’ without distinct explanation to that effect…..[speaking of protestants who sprinkle]. Such are the unavoidable defects of language, that strongly biased and ingenious minds can always cast some apparent doubt over the mean of the plainest words.”  John Broadus

Locust and Honey - there is no app for that

Matthew 3:4  And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.

It would have been difficult to follow the Old Testament dietary laws. John didn’t have a Bible app or the ability to google “can Jews eat locusts?” How did John know it was OK to eat locusts? John had to know the law. He had to have it hidden in his heart. First, he had to go where the Word was to hear and read it, memorize it so he could go and keep it and apply it. After all, it would be hard for the Jewish people carry all those scrolls when they were walking by the way, lying down and waking up. The Word of God had to be foundational - an entire worldview, which is the way it should be for us. It can become easy to use the Bible as a reference book, to go to for recommendations on how you should live rather than the authoritative Word of God that informs how we live and think. The Bible should shape and form our thoughts, transforming our minds and the way we think. That was why it was difficult for Peter to eat unclean things. Think how deeply ingrained these food regulations had to be to live in those times, knowing what you could and couldn’t eat. If you were at sea, on the sea shore, in the wilderness, in the market place, what can you eat and how would you know? The Word of God had to be the lens in which you looked at the world. Sources close to me tell me that the nutritional labels we have on our food came much later in history, besides, how would you put the calorie intake on the back of a locust?

 1 Timothy 4:4-5  For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.