Lessons on Romans

This series, taught by Tom Browning - Arlington Presbyterian Church (PCA) - is a must have for any serious Christian.

One of the best teachings on the book I've heard. A series of 43 downloadable MP3's.

http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/mp3/romans_browning.html

Blessings

Free Christian Music

I'd like to share two absolutely wonderful CD's I've found online.

The Living Sacrifice CD from Christ Our Life Ministries. I've provided links to the mp3's below for your convenience. The original site (click here) contains the sheet music (tablature) and lyric sheets.

John
Living Sacrifice
Fire of God
Man of Sorrows
Prophets Call
Cry Aloud
I Come to the Light
Now is the Time
You Love Righteousness
Let Me See Thy Face and Die
Psalm 23
Love Never Fails
From Death to Life
Resurrection Song
Beatitudes
Psalm 103

And Calvary Chapel Saving Grace from Firefighters for Christ. *(the top CD at this link is my personal choice). The mp3's of my favorites are below. (BTW, that site also has great mp3 sermons).

Faithful and True
Psalm 8
You Still Call Me Away
Walk In It
LORD, I Come to You
One Thing
Fly
I Will Wait
Tear Down These Walls
I Abide

All of these songs are either explicitly Scriptural or laced heavily with Scriptural themes. It is so cool to hear my kids singing along with these lyrics (they're 4 and 2). It's a great way to memorize Scripture and the truths contained within.

May these songs bless you as they have me and my family and friends.

Grace to you

UPDATE: There is now a second CD from Living Sacrifice (the first group of songs). Here is the link to the page, rather than putting each song up individually.

http://christourlife.ca/free_worship.html
http://christourlife.ca/worship_songs.html

Some of the songs are better than others ... you can really see them evolving in their talent. But the second link has more of the new "winners" on it, in my opinion. Enjoy!

The Athiests Riddle

I ran across this article whilst stumbling: http://www.cosmicfingerprints.com/iidb.htm

The riddle is formed in a post on the IIDB discussion board;

Gentlemen:

The starting point of this discussion is my central thesis, which is:

1) DNA is not merely a molecule with a pattern; it is a code, a language, and an information storage mechanism.
2) All codes are created by a conscious mind; there is no natural process known to science that creates coded information.
3) Therefore DNA was designed by a mind.

If you can provide an empirical example of a code or language that occurs naturally, you've toppled my proof. All you need is one.

Perry Marshall

Here is the original article, with mp3 downloads (for people like me who like mp3 downloads): http://www.cosmicfingerprints.com/atheists_riddle.htm

Read the article and listen to the mp3's. It is provocative. And I challenge any athiests to consider it. And, if possible, come up with the empirical example requested. If you can, then you have silenced a strong argument for design. But if you cannot, then consider those implications. Because "If DNA is a code, then we have every reason to believe that it is designed."

Is accurate soteriology "too deep"?

Is this thought "too deep" as our football throwing friend would have us believe? Or is this a question us Christians should consider? See, I'm a Calvinist who believes in the freewill of men. The freewill of men PROPERLY DEFINED, that is.

As Jonathan Edwards states, "the Will (without any metaphysical refining) is, that by which the mind chooses any thing."[a] I can't say it any better. So, our will is free to choose things. We can choose whether we will brush our teeth or not. We can choose to politely let that person in front of us on the highway or crowd them off. These choices are ours to make. There is not someone else making these choices for us.

The question of "freewill" as spoken of in Christian circles, comes when we are faced with the choice to receive Christ as our Lord and Savior, as we are commanded and exhorted to do in Scripture.

For brevity's sake, let me say that men ARE free to choose to believe Christ as Lord and Savior. The problem, however, does not lie in our ABILITY as much as it does in our DESIRE. Jesus states that men love darkness and run from the light (John 3:19-20). We must be spiritually reborn (John 3:3) in order to even SEE the kingdom of God. We are spiritually dead, being alienated and separated from God because of our sin. This intrinsic separation, this death to spiritual matters is what prevents us from willingly choosing to follow Christ. It is not that we CAN NOT do it ... it is simply that the unregenerated sinner does not WANT to. Therefore, he does not.

The Westminster Confession says this:

Chapter IX
Of Free Will
III. Man, by his fall into a state of sin, has wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation: [4] so as, a natural man, being altogether averse from that good,[5] and dead in sin, [6] is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto. [7]
IV. When God converts a sinner, and translates him into the state of grace, He frees him from his natural bondage under sin;[8] and, by His grace alone, enables him freely to will and to do that which is spiritually good;[9] yet so, as that by reason of his remaining corruption, he does not perfectly, or only, will that which is good, but does also will that which is evil.[10]

Where the comic above comes into play is that, for many people, this poses a problem when presented with the concept of election/predestination. If God elects us (which Scripture repeats numerous times, and in the context of salvation), and if we freely choose Christ (which every Calvinist confirms) then how can we reconcile it? Should we just cry "too deep" as this comic strip does? I'm afraid that too many people will do just that.

But what I believe the bible to teach is that, while all men are naturally unwilling to come to Christ, including the elect, God has hand-picked some on whom He will show mercy (Rom 9:18) and will grant them (and them alone) the grace sufficient to change their unwilling, hardened heart of stone into a willing, soft heart of flesh. The rest, He leaves to die in their sins. Read these verses from Ezekiel:

36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

Do you see how God says that it is Him who will do all of these things? He is the one who will give us a new heart. He will put a new spirit within us. And verse 27 tells us exactly why. This process will move us to follow His decrees and keep His laws. In other words, this act of regeneration done to us by the giving us of a new spirit and heart will CAUSE us to obey God. And the foremost command in mind here is the command given to repent and believe the gospel. Once more, the Westminster Confession:

Chapter X
Of Effectual Calling
I. All those whom God hath predestinated unto life, and those only, He is pleased, in His appointed time, effectually to call,[1] by His Word and Spirit,[2] out of that state of sin and death, in which they are by nature to grace and salvation, by Jesus Christ;[3] enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God,[4] taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them an heart of flesh;[5] renewing their wills, and, by His almighty power, determining them to that which is good,[6] and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ:[7] yet so, as they come most freely, being made willing by His grace.[8]

My advice is this: Believe it. The bible tells us exactly why some are chosen and not others. "In Christ we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will." (Eph 1:11). Just because we are unable to "reason out" why God chooses some and not others according to our limited understanding does not make it untrue. God says it is according to HIS will. And this should be good enough reason for any humble Christian. Who are we to question God's purposes? Who are we to say that God doesn't have a right to be merciful to some and just to others? Do not rely on a human idea of "fairness", because if God were fair, NONE would be saved. We are saved by merciful grace, not merit. Praise God for His merciful grace!

[a] Jonathan Edwards; Freedom of the Will; Part I; Section I
For WCF Scripture proofs for Chapter IX
http://www.the-highway.com/WCFChIX.html
For WCF Scripture proofs for Chapter X
http://www.the-highway.com/WCFChX.html

Why do you believe Scripture?

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed

What caused you to believe (assuming you do) that the bible is the infallible Word of God? Did someone tell you that there is a prophecy in Isaiah that was fulfilled eight centuries later? Did someone disclose the coherency of the bible - how it is written by 40+ authors in three different languages over 1500 some-odd years, yet contains one main theme? Did your pastor tell you it is? Did you just grow up believing it? Are these the arguments which "convinced" you that the bible is indeed the Word of God and not just some work(s) of men?

This question is probably one of the most impactful questions one can consider. Because the answer which, if biblical, will not be any of these reasons. In Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, we see him quoting Isaiah and he tells us that the men who crucified our Lord, the religious scribes and pharisees, did not understand what was in Scripture, but Paul and his audience do. And how they understood what is written in Scripture is said to be because "God has revealed it to us by his Spirit" (1 Cor 2:10)

John Calvin puts it like this:

"Let it therefore be held as fixed, that those who are inwardly taught by the Holy Spirit acquiesce implicitly in Scripture; that Scripture, carrying its own evidence along with it, deigns not to submit to proofs and arguments, but owes the full conviction with which we ought to receive it to the testimony of the Spirit. Enlightened by him, we no longer believe, either on our own judgment or that of others, that the Scriptures are from God; but, in a way superior to human judgment, feel perfectly assured—as much so as if we beheld the divine image visibly impressed on it—that it came to us, by the instrumentality of men, from the very mouth of God." [1]

Furthermore, it is stated that our very belief in Christ comes from God as a gift. Many people disagree that Eph 2:8 (by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God) is speaking about faith being given to us. But that is precisely what is going on here. It is saying that the gift is two-fold. We are saved by the grace of God (that is the first gift) by being shown the truth of the gospel (that is the second gift). This fact is stated explicitly in Philippians 1:29 "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ .. to believe on him".

I know what you're thinking. "If it is God who causes someone believe, then what is the point of apologetics? Why not just sit around waiting for God to save whom He has chosen to save?" Paul was an example for us in Philippians where he said "for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me." (Phil 1:7b). Paul both defended and confirmed the gospel to his hearers.

God has also decreed means to accomplish His ends. Paul also says, in reference to salvation:

Romans 10:14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent?

You see, God has not only determined the result of an event, but He has also ordained the cause. Who is going to believe that the bible is the Word of God if nobody proclaims it? The answer is 'nobody'. So, why are we not to sit around waiting for God to save whom he will? Because He saves through the proclamation of His Word. It is the GOSPEL which is the power of God unto salvation (Rom 1:16). It is the GOSPEL that reveals a righteousness which is from God (Rom 1:17).

This is an incredible relief! Oh, the times I've heard people (including myself) trying to convince someone that the bible is true by using the best apologetics, archaeological evidence, textual criticism, and you name it. The responsibility for convincing someone of the truth of the bible is not in our hands. It is in His. To quote again from the Institutes:

"If at any time, then, we are troubled at the small number of those who
believe, let us, on the other hand, call to mind, that none comprehend the
mysteries of God save those to whom it is given."[2]

This notion is confirmed with Scripture.

Ephesians 1:9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

and again:

Colossians 1:25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Salvation is an act of God from beginning to end. Praise God!

[1] Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book I, Ch VII, Sec V (emphasis added)
[2] ibid.

My daughter's birthday

Today is my daughter's 10th birthday. There is a lot behind this testimony of mine. Perhaps someday I'll write it down. But for now, all I want to say is HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ASHLEY! I love you and think about you all the time.

Maybe one day you'll be able to read this.

For those of you who don't know, Ashley is my first daughter, born to my ex girlfriend, who's name is Miracle. She abducted my daughter 7 years ago, when she had just turned three, and disappeared. I found her two years ago, and when I tried to re-establish contact, she served me with adoption papers (she wanted her new husband to adopt her without my consent). I contested, but lost my case because of such a long absence.

As the LORD wills .. this trial is one which He used to bring me to my end and come to Christ. For that, I praise Him. I still miss her, tho. She's on my mind every single day. And I still depend on God to bring me through it. Every day.

I love you, little girl. Daddy misses you.

Mere Christianity

I don't really like to read much ... I've got a short attention span and don't really get much quiet time other than early mornings, which I dedicate to reading Scripture. I prefer to listen to mp3's while I'm driving to work or, since I sit behind a desk and click mindlessly half the day, I listen during my day.

Well, I found Mere Christianity by CS Lewis online as a free mp3 download. You can download it here (<--- click to listen or right-click and save-as). I've read this book before, and it is a wonderful read! I hope everyone who stumbles across this blog takes this opportunity to be edified by this work.

Blessings in Christ

Law and Gospel hermeneutics

Through my study of the Reformation (part of my study into Church history), I heard a profound message about how the Scriptures are to be delineated. You can download that message here (click to listen, or right-click to save to your hard drive)

Martin Luther puts it this way:

This difference between the Law and the Gospel is the height of knowledge in Christendom. Every person and all persons who assume or glory in the name of Christian should know and be able to state this difference. If this ability is lacking, one cannot tell a Christian from a heathen or a Jew; of such supreme importance is this differentiation. This is why St. Paul so strongly insists on a clean-cut and proper differentiating of these two doctrines.

Theodore Beza, Calvin's predecessor, likewise states:

We divide this Word into two principal parts or kinds: the one is called the "Law", the other the "Gospel". For, all the rest can be gathered under the one or the other of these two headings …

We must pay great attention to these things. For, with good reason, we can say that ignorance of this distinction between Law and Gospel is one of the principle sources of the abuses which corrupted and still corrupt Christianity.

Charles Spurgeon says:

There is no point upon which men make greater mistakes than upon the relation which exists between the law and the gospel. Some men put the law instead of the gospel: others put the gospel instead of the law; some modify the law and the gospel, and preach neither law nor gospel: and others entirely abrogate the law, by bringing in the gospel. Many there are who think that the law is the gospel, and who teach that men by good works of benevolence, honesty, righteousness, and sobriety, may be saved.

I had never really thought about this before. I knew that there were laws in the bible (the Ten Commandments, the ceremonial laws, even the "command" to repent and believe), but I had never considered that ALL imperatives could be considered to be just as much a Law as the obvious ones.

Let us consider a few:

Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her

1 Thess 5: 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus

Philippians 2:14 Do everything without complaining or arguing

Now consider this. Do these passages speak peace to you? Or do they condemn you? They condemn me! I, for one, know that I do not always love my wife as I want to, how much shorter do I fall away from loving her as Christ loves us? Yes, it reveals to me where I am lacking.

I certainly don't thank God for everything. I thank Him for the good things, to be sure. But when my boss annoys me and causes me frustration and difficulty at work, I don't find myself thanking God for her.

To ask me to do everything without complaining just seems unfair to me .. because I find myself complaining when my kids won't listen, when the dog poops on the carpet, and even when there are too many commercials during my favorite show.

Now because these three examples convict me and rub me the wrong way, does this mean they are bad things? God forbid! As Paul states in his letter to the Romans:

Romans 3:19-20 (19) Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; (20) because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

This is the exact purpose of these verses! They are MEANT to reveal to me my shortcomings. This comforts me in a sense. It tells me that my conscience has not been seared and hardened against God's commands. If they did not bother me, then according to Paul, the Law would not be revealing my sin to me. What, then, is the purpose of this? Am I to be condemned by these laws? Am I to be burdened because I am unable to live up to the expectations God has for me? No. This is where the Gospel comes into play.

One purpose of the law, as we have seen above, is to reveal our sin to us. Another purpose is to do something much better.

Galatians 3:24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.

The Law, according to Scripture, is not meant to bring life through obedience to it. It brings only death, otherwise righteousness would be through the law. It would be through our behavior and our actions. The Law drives us to Christ. It becomes our tutor. It causes us to rely upon the righteousness of Christ rather than our own. When we read an imperative in the bible (an imperative is simply a command), we should cry out “HOW!?” And the answer is always “Christ”. We receive the righteousness that is from God (Romans 1:17, 3:21) through faith in Jesus Christ. This is the Gospel

Romans 1:16-17 (16)I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. (17) For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."

Righteousness is FROM God. He is the only righteous One, so when we desire righteousness (Matthew 5:6), we must get it from God. Jesus tells us that we will be filled when we hunger and thirst for it, so the source is not ourselves. We are void of it and must be filled by an outward source … that source is God. The Gospel holds within it a righteousness that is from Him and for us. What good news!

When we are discouraged by our lack of performance, or our inability to live up to those high standards, don’t fear, dear Christian. Run to Christ! He is our righteousness, and takes away our condemnation (Romans 8:1). We are no longer under Law but under Grace (Romans 6:14). And because of this, we praise God and thank Him for sending His Son, Jesus Christ. Because of this, we love God.

And this love manifests itself not in our holding up of our hands, not in simply singing and not in producing “tears of joy”, but in obedience. Yes, we are still called to be obedient. But it is not out of fear or duty. It is out of thanks and love for the One who fulfilled the Law in our place. Jesus Christ the Righteous.

I challenge you, next time you read your bible, to try to determine which parts are Law, and which parts are the Gospel. I believe it will greatly strengthen your understanding and appreciation of what you read. When you read Law, let it drive you to Christ. When you read Gospel, let the praise for Christ rise up within you.

All praise and honor belong to Him.

Me and Kelly

This is me and my wife, Kelly. We've been married since July 2001 and she's my helper, my encourager and my best friend. She's the mother of my two children, Dustin (4) and Jayden (2). She also puts up with me while I spend all my free time working, studying and now publishing this blog.

She's so patient :)

Well, here we go ...

I've been thinking about this for a little while now ... starting to record my thoughts in a blog for all to enjoy :)

I think that initially this blog is going to focus on resources that I've acquired that I'd like to share with you. Who knows? If God wills, this site will become a good resource for those who desire to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18)

I also hope to have time to develop my own theology here. I want to see how my growth progresses over time, and this might be a good learning experience for me.

So let's get started ... I've been learning about the history of the church lately, and it has given me great insights into how God moves in and through His people. It has also given me insight into what happens when men put more emphasis on what they see and experience instead of what the word of God says.

Two resources:

Dr. David Calhoun of Covenant Theological Seminary

Ancient & Medieval Church History
Reformation & Modern Church History

Tom Browning of Arlington Presbyterian Church (PCA)

The History of the Reformation - How Christ Restored the Gospel to His Church

Blessings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ