The Deity of Christ

Christian orthodoxy states that Christ is the Redeemer of men. So do many unorthodox groups who call themselves Christians, such as Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses. Yet many erroneously claim that He is not God incarnate. The Muslims state he is simply a prophet, like Mohammad. The Mormons believe he is the created brother of Lucifer. The Jehovah Witnesses believe he is the created archangel Michael. Muslims don't call themselves Christians, so I am not going to deal with them here specifically. And while Mormons and JW's claim to be Christians, we will see that they cannot make that claim since they don't know who the real Christ is.

Both the Mormons and the JW's claim that Christ is the redeemer of mankind, although their works also add to the equation. But can a creature redeem humanity? Is it possible for a created being to perfectly adhere to the moral law of God? Was Christ a mere man? Was he an angel? Without addressing the error of works salvation in this post, (which may be done in a future post since all religions apart from biblical Christianity believe this in one form or another), I would like to address the aspects of the nature of Jesus Christ and present some clear bible passages which affirm the deity of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 1:23 "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,and they shall call his name Immanuel"(which means, God with us).

Matthew not only points to the fulfilled prophecy spoken of in Isaiah 7:14, but he also makes a vividly explicit statement to the meaning of this birth. The one who is conceived is "God with us".

John 1:1-5; 14
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
...
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Here, John also makes an explicit claim to the deity of Christ. Not only does he state it clearly in verse 1 by stating "the Word was God", but he also attributes this abstract concept of the term "word" to a person. This "word" became flesh and tabernacled among us, according to verse 14. That person is Christ, the focus of John's gospel.

The reason John uses the phrase "and tabernacled (or dwelt) among us" is because that is how the Jews related to God. God dwelt among His people in the old testament. He would dwell among His people in the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-35) and lead them by resting upon the tabernacle. The people would have seen the direct correlation being made by using that wording. Not only did this Word who is God become flesh, but He also dwelt among the people.

John also puts to rest the idea that the Son of God was a created being when he states in verse 3 that "all things were made through him and without him was not anything made that was made." That statement is pretty clear in affirming that NOTHING has been made apart from the Son. According to Mormons and JW's, the Son was a created being, but how can this be so? He cannot have created himself! That verse would have to read "except for him, not anything was made that was made."

If he was a created being, then he had to have played a role in his own creation, since nothing was made without him. This simply cannot be so.

Colossians 1:¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. ¹⁷And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. ¹⁹For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Again, verse 16 explicitly states that all things were created through him and for him. It does not say nearly all things, or all things besides himself. It shows that everything in heaven (that would include angels), and everything on earth was created through him. How? He is the Word of God. God spoke. Christ is the expression of the Father. This is a complex mystery of the relationship within the Godhead that I confess I do not fully comprehend. But I do see clearly that all created things were created through him and for him.

"But look, verse 15 says that he is 'firstborn' of all creation! See? He is created. It says it right there!" That is the canned answer to all who use this verse to attack the deity of Christ, but this doesn't take into account the cultural aspect of the term 'firstborn'. What did that mean to Paul? What did it mean to the Colossians to whom he was writing? We must take all of Scripture into account, so if one part says nothing was made without him, then this verse can't mean that something was made without him (namely himself). It means quite simply that Christ is the preeminent one. When the Jews would speak of being the firstborn, that term didn't mean merely that the child was the oldest in the family. When spoken of the male, it meant that he is the heir of the family possessions. They are entitled to all their father owns when he either dies, or gives it freely (as seen in the parable of the prodigal son).

Furthermore, we see in Psalm 89 the following:

Psalm 89:2-28
²⁶He shall cry to me, 'You are my Father,
my God, and the Rock of my salvation.'
²⁷And I will make him the firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth.
²⁸My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,
and my covenant will stand firm for him.

David, speaking of Christ in a prophetic sense, states that the Father will make (establish, appoint) the Son the firstborn, and then in classic hebrew style, interprets himself in the next verse via parallelism by saying that firstborn means to be "highest of the kings of the earth." He will be established in his rightful place in inheriting all the Father owns. So using the proper technique of letting Scripture interpret Scripture, it can be plainly stated that when the term "firstborn" is used in Colossians 1:15, it is NOT speaking of his "spiritual birth" or any other such means of creation. It is speaking plainly about his position of authority OVER creation.

Now for the passage that prompted this blog entry.

Psalm 49:7-9
7 Truly no man can ransom another,
or give to God the price of his life,
8 for the ransom of their life is costly
and can never suffice,
9 that he should live on forever
and never see the pit.

These verses display the problem with simply acknowledging the humanity of Christ without taking into account his other nature, namely his deity. The psalm writer shows by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit his understanding of the price of sin. He acknowledges not only the heavy price for it, but the inability for a mere man to pay it. An infinitely holy God is infinitely offended by sin, therefore the finite man must pay an infinite price which he is unable to do for himself, let alone any others. If this is so (and it cannot be denied for any who believe Scripture is the inspired word of God), then if Jesus Christ were merely a mortal man, he would be unqualified to atone for the sins of anyone, let alone the myriad of people mentioned to be atoned by his blood in Scripture (Heb 9:14; 1Pet 1:2, 19; Rev 1:5). There has to be more to this Jesus than mortality and manhood.

So would being an angel make his atonement able to cover the sins of a multitude? Let us examine this point.

First of all, the word angel is the hebrew word mal'ak and the greek word aggelos. Both words simply mean "messenger". So the word angel is simply one who brings a message from someone. In the case of the Scriptures, that someone is God. Now Christ was much more than a mere messenger.

• He was heralded in as the Redeemer and the Lamb of God by John the Baptist (John 1:29)
  
• He was called the King of the Jews (Matt 2:2, 27:11)
  
• He was known as the Messiah, which means 'Anointed One'. (John 1:41; 4:25)
  
• He was the Son of God (Matt 8:29; 14:33)
  
• He was the Son of Man (Jesus used this title for himself countless times)
  
• He was the Son of David (Matt 9:27; 15:22)

Each one of these titles signifies a distinct purpose of Jesus. I will leave it up to the reader to look into each of these titles, since that is not the purpose of this article.

Was Christ nothing but an angel? Let us look at the letter to the Hebrews. In fact, the first two chapters deal specifically with this topic and I encourage you to read them right now. I shall take a few verses and expound on them here.

Heb 1:3-5
³ He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴ having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

⁵ For to which of the angels did God ever say,

"You are my Son,
today I have begotten you"?

Or again,

"I will be to him a father,
and he shall be to me a son"?

Why does the writer state that he "became" more superior to angels? Was he simply an exalted angel? No. He was made lower than the angels first (Heb 2:7). And after his work was accomplished, he was raised up to the right hand of God, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Heb 1:6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,

"Let all God’s angels worship him."

The angels are not worshiped in Scripture (Rev 19:10; 22:9). The only one worthy of worship is God Almighty. You might say "what about the angel of the LORD in the old testament?" But what or who is angel of the LORD? It was a theophany. A manifestation of the presence of God. The angel of the LORD is referred to AS God in Genesis 16:7-13, Genesis 22:11-17, Exodus 3:2-4, Judges 2:1-3, Judges 13:18-22, Psalms 34:7 and Zechariah 12:8. So this title "angel of the LORD" is not speaking merely of a created angel, but is more specifically speaking of a manifestation of God Himself.

So we have dealt with some of the explicit claims of his deity and some of the most common objections to it. Much more could be said, but this is, after all, a blog post and not a book!

I would gladly address any specific objections or points in the comments.

May God be glorified in this post. Amen

AN ADDRESS TO THE YOUNG READERS OF THIS CATECHISM

Taken from:
An Essay Towards an Easy, Plain, Practical, and Extensive Explication
of the Assembly's Shorter Catechism

By John Brown

My dear young Ones, for whom my heart's desire and prayer to God is, that ye may be saved; Let me beseech you, while you read this, and especially while you read your Bible, or hear the precious truths contained in it preached to you, to 'hearken and hear for the time, for the eternity to come.' Now, now, in the most proper season of it, 'get wisdom as the principal thing;' and 'with all your getting, get understanding' of the important, the infinitely important, concerns of your salvation.

What! 'know ye not your own selves?'—For the Lord's sake, seriously think what souls ye have; immortal souls;—souls, one of which is inconceivably more worth than ten thousand worlds;—souls which are capable of enjoying an infinite God as their everlasting ALL IN ALL ;—souls which shall, which must, ere long, enter into an eternal state of inconceivable misery or happiness.—Alas! my young Friends, must souls formed by God himself—souls endowed with an understanding and will—souls formed to live for ever—souls formed for the everlasting and immediate service and enjoyment of God ; must souls which, by the mercy of God have been solemnly devoted to him in baptismal and other covenant engagements—souls, upon which parents, masters, and ministers, have bestowed so many prayers, instructions, and exhortations—souls, upon which God himself hath bestowed such instruction, warning, terrible alarms, and engaging allurements, and such striving of his Spirit,—be lost, for ever lost,—for ever damned, by you who possess them, in order to obtain some trifling, some carnal, some filthy, some pernicious gratification, that perhaps a beast would contemn?

O think, as before God, what state you are in, while ye remain careless and unconverted.—Being 'without Christ,' and 'strangers to the covenant of promise,' ye are altogether 'guilty before God, alienated from the life of God,' and enemies to him; cursed and condemned by God, because ye have not believed in his only begotten Son,—having no holiness 'no hope,' and 'without God, in the world.'—Being 'children of the devil,' your heart is 'filled with all unrighteousness, pride, debate, deceit, malignity,' hatred of God—is full of all ignorance, unbelief, 'subtlety and mischief.' It is 'deceitful, above all things, and desperately wicked.' Its 'carnal mind is enmity against God,' and 'is not subject to his law, neither indeed can be.' It is infected with every defiling, every ruinous, every damning plague; replenished with every sinful lust, in the reigning power of it, and inhabited by legions of devils, ready to tempt you to every thing wicked.—Out of it, as permitted by God, have, in all the past hours of your life, 'proceeded evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, idolatries, blasphemies.' Ye have lived 'after the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, who worketh in' you as 'children of disobedience.' Ye have hitherto been foolish and disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures; living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another;’—speaking and doing 'evil things as ye could.'— And, ah! what innumerable, what dreadful curses of Almighty God are inseparably annexed to all your sinful dispositions, thoughts, words, and actions! Alas! how those render all things, Christ and his Gospel not excepted, the 'savour of death unto death' unto you!—Dreadful thought! Eternal destruction is ready at your side. ‘God is angry with you every day;' his 'wrath abideth' on you; his 'sword is drawn’ and his 'bow bent,' and his 'arrows set’ to destroy you.—A sound of your approaching damnation roars aloud, had you ears to hear it, in every threatening of his word. Even while you hear this sentence, hell stands open to receive you, and devils stand ready to drag you into everlasting fire. Why then are you not afraid to think another careless thought? Why not afraid to shut your eyes, even in necessary sleep, lest you should open them in hell?

My dear children, O think, with grief, with shame, with trembling, think, with perseverance and deep concern, think how criminal and heinous before the Lord, are the sins of your youth, which ye look upon as mere trifles, as mere gaiety and sport. They are the accursed product of your inward, your original, and increased ignorance, pride, deceit, folly, filthiness, and enmity against God.—They are a most treacherous rebellion against his law, which is 'holy, just, and good.'—They are committed against his authority over you, and against all his warnings, counsels, promises, threatenings, mercies, and judgments.—They are ungratefully committed against all his peculiar favours in preserving and providing for you, while you could not help yourselves.—They are committed against all his peculiar calls, invitations, promises, and encouragements, to young ones.—They are a most base prostitution of the excellent talents, amiableness, and vigour, with which he hath endowed you in your youth.—They are a most perverse abuse of that peculiarly precious season of life, in which you ought to prepare for future usefulness and happiness.—They mightily increase and strengthen the original habits of corruption in you, and form in you many base acquired habits of vanity and lust.—They fearfully pervert the use of your tender affections, in opposition to God and his ways. —They are committed upon small and trifling temptations.—They strongly entice others around you to sin, or harden them in it.—They fling reproach upon God, your Maker, Preserver, and Saviour, as if he, his promises, laws, mercies, and judgments, were unworthy of your early regard, and did encourage you in sin.—They defame your parents, masters, and ministers, as if they had agreed to train you up for the devil.—They draw down reproach on yourselves, which ye must bear, either in deep convictions, or in everlasting punishment.—They deprive you of the most pleasant and profitable fellowship with God.—They forfeit for you the precious promises of long life and prosperity.—They expose you to fearful judgments in this life, and to the 'damnation of hell' in the next.—Are these light matters? will you reckon them such in the agonies of death, at the tribunal of Christ, or amidst the flames of hell?

Alas! why do ye, by your unconcern, your folly, your wickedness, take such pains, such early pains, to fit yourselves to be fuel for that 'everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels!' If God grant you repentance, how it will sting you to recollect what earnest offers, what eminent opportunities of receiving his grace, ye have contemned, neglected and abused; what infinite kindness, condescension, and love, ye have trampled under your feet; what fellowship with Christ, and his Father, and blessed Spirit, ye have despised and refused; what ravishing views of his glory, and of all the perfections of God in him, as manifested, and to be for ever manifested in your eternal salvation; what delightful tasting of his goodness, and what enriching reception of his fulness, you have rejected, for the sake of the meanest or the filthiest pleasure or profit on earth, which will entail grief and shame on you while you live, and draw multitudes, all around you, to hell before and after your death! If, provoked with your perseverance in folly and guilt, God give you up to your own heart's lusts, alas! how your wickedness will rob him and his Christ of his property in our land and nation, and consign yourselves, your companions, and posterity, nay, even the church and nation, the whole management of which will quickly be in the hands of the rising generation,—for who knows how long,—into the power of the devil, and the hand of an angry God!

My dear young ones, 'know ye the God of your fathers,'—the God who preserved, who guided, who blessed, who saved many of your fathers,—the God to whom your fathers dedicated you, and whom they have recommended to you,—the God who, in your fathers, took you into covenant with himself,—the God, 'whom to know is life eternal, and this life is in his Son.'—We tell you, our posterity, that ' this God is our God for ever,' and he 'will be our guide even unto death.'—We never found him a barren wilderness, nor a land of drought.—We have found infinitely more satisfaction in this God, as our God, given by himself to us, in his word, than could balance all the pleasures, all the wealth, all the honour of ten thousand worlds.—These words, THY GOD, and MY GOD, have been 'found' by us, and we have ' eaten them,' and they have been to us the 'joy and rejoicing of our heart.' There is none like the God of Jeshurun, who pardoneth iniquity, transgression, and sin, and who 'delighteth in mercy.' O how our hearts are ravished, when we think how 'this God,' this ' fountain of living' waters, 'shall be our eternal ALL IN ALL, the strength of our heart and portion for ever. If even on this sinful, this wretched earth, wisdom's ways be such ways of pleasantness, what must it be for ever to enter to the joy of our Lord ! 'We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. O 'come, taste and see that our God is good,' and that they who trust in him are blessed. O 'consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.' Come, behold our Surety, our Saviour, our Husband, whom our soul loveth, our King, 'meet and lowly,' bringing salvation. Behold our God-man, 'white and ruddy, the chief among ten thousand; fair, yea pleasant, most sweet,' and 'altogether lovely.' This is our Beloved, our Friend, our Mediator, our God, O ye 'sons and daughters of Jerusalem.'—Looking off all the vanities of creation, consider him in his unparalleled person, the only begotten Son of God in our nature; in his saving offices, his endearing relations, his incomparable excellences, services, sufferings, and glories; his unbounded fulness of grace and truth, and every good thing proper to be bestowed on us in time and eternity, and then tell us what ye think of our Christ.

Alas ! my dear boys and girls, Do you believe that there is a God, who made you, who gave you a law for your heart and life, and who will quickly call you to an account of every thought, word, and deed,—and never think of, never tremble at the view of your appearance before his tribunal, or of your lying for ever under his infinite wrath? Have ye not seen, tasted, and felt, 'that God is good?' Have ye not heard, have ye not known, what he hath done for the eternal salvation of sinful men? and will ye render him contempt and hatred for all his bounty and love ?—Have you a natural principle of regard to your own preservation and welfare,—and yet will ye counteract it, by a malicious and obstinate refusal of our infinitely lovely Lord Jesus, and all his everlasting righteousness, mercy and grace ? —Hath God implanted in your breast a tender compassion towards the very beasts that perish,—and yet will ye be so inhumanly cruel as to break the hearts of your godly parents, masters, ministers, or neighbours, — and, if possible, break the heart of our infinitely gracious Redeemer, and his Father and blessed Spirit, by your crucifying him afresh, trampling his covenant and blood under your feet, and murdering your own soul ?—Alas! will you employ your vigorous minds in thinking on, and learning every thing but Jesus Christ, and what relates to him ?—Will you readily believe every thing; but the excellent, the gracious words of a 'God who cannot lie,'—his 'faithful saying, worthy of all acceptation,' that 'Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners,' even 'the chief,'—'his record,' that in his Son, there is eternal life prepared for, and given to you?—Will you earnestly desire every thing but Jesus, the 'pearl of great price,' the 'unspeakable gift,' of God, and his great and everlasting salvation?—Will you comply with every thing but the offers of the glorious Gospel, and covenant of grace, 'well ordered in all things and sure?'—Will you thankfully receive every thing but God himself,—but the true bread of life, which the Lord your God giveth you from heaven ?—Why fond of every form of comeliness, but that of gracious conformity to God ?—Why fond of every pleasure, every joy, but that rejoicing in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, which is 'joy unspeakable and full of glory?

Suffer me to expostulate a little with you on God's behalf,—and on your own soul's behalf. Why, in your peculiar day of grace, do you indulge such ignorance of Jehovah and his law,—of Jesus and his salvation,—and of their necessity and usefulness for you?—Why indulge such contempt and unbelief of the gospel of the grace of God?—-Why encourage and promote such filthiness, and desperate hardness of heart?—Why cherish such superlative attachment to 'loss and dung,' —-to the perishing pleasures and profits of sin and sense?—Why cultivate such malice and enmity against Jesus Christ, and his Father, and blessed Spirit, as to 'make light of,' and 'neglect' his infinitely precious, necessary, and 'great salvation.'—Oh ! that you but felt 'the word of God quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of your soul and spirit,' joints and marrow, as 'a discerner of the thoughts and intents of your heart!'—Oh I that ye but knew the infinite sinfulness which is in, and on you, and the infinite and everlasting misery which awaits you!—Oh! that you would believe God's peremptory and infallible declarations of the absolute necessity of his supernatural change of your state and nature, that, 'Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven:—Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God:—Except a man be born of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God:—If any man be in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature: all old things are passed away, and all things are become new.—In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision availeth any thing, but a new creature.' Without holiness, 'no man shall see the Lord.'—We must be 'begotten again' by God, 'to lively hope, by the resurrection of Christ from the dead;—born again of incorruptible seed, by the word of God.'—And putting off the 'old man,' with his deceitful lusts, and putting on the 'new man,' which, after God, is created in 'knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness,' ye must as 'new-born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:'—For, 'if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.'—O that ye knew in this your days of youth, while your faculties are fresh and vigorous,—while your affections are tender and lively,—while your lusts are less powerful, your hearts less hardened, and your worldly cares less embarrassing, that fellowship with the Father, in his redeeming love, which ye so unthinkingly neglect;—with the Son in his blood and grace, which ye so wickedly despise; and with the Holy Ghost, in his influences, which ye so madly resist !—O that ye but knew the 'riches of the glory of the gospel, which is Christ in you the hope of glory!'—that ye but apprehended, with all saints, 'what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height,' and knew the power and the 'love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.' O think I with astonishment think, what kind of preparations God hath made for your everlasting salvation ;—how he 'so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him shall not perish, but have everlasting life!—how he set him 'up from everlasting,' as our Surety, who engaged his heart to approach to the Lord, and delight to do his will in ransoming and saving us,— how, in his incarnation, he brought him into this world 'in the likeness of sinful flesh,' the 'man' his 'fellow,'—and our 'near kinsman and brother, born for adversity!'—how he 'made him under the law,' and exacted from him all the infinite debt of obedience and suffering due from us!—'that he might redeem us that were under the law!'—how 'he made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we, 'who knew nothing but sin,' might be made the righteousness of God in him!'—how he made him 'a curse for us,' that we men, we Gentiles, might be 'blessed in him with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places!'—how he put him to grief—to death —for us, that we might live through him, in the joy of the Lord!—how he 'delivered' him 'for our offences,' and 'raised' him 'again for our justification;'—'Gave him glory' for himself and unbounded fulness of gifts,' for men, yea, for the rebellious, that our faith and hope might be in God!'—and how he hath made, and in his gospel, and its influence, maketh him to us, 'wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption!'—And, O think with application think—with what infinite candour, and compassionate earnestness, Jehovah, Son, and Holy Ghost, by all his words, declarations, invitations, commands, promises, and threatenings;—by all his works, as therewith connected ;—by all his mercies and judgments;—by all his ordinances and ministers ;—by all your needs in time and eternity;—by all your desires—and by all your vows and engagements ;—calls, beseecheth, intreats, obtests, and expostulates with you, to receive himself, and all his full and everlasting salvation, offered to you in the gospel, 'freely, without money and without price!'

Alas! my dear young men and women, why are you so prone to hunt after, listen to, and comply with every temptation of Satan, your destroyer;—every enticement of your vain companions :—every suggestion of your foolish and wicked heart,—to your temporal and eternal ruin :—and yet so deaf, so averse to, and obstinate against the most earnest entreaties of the great God, your Saviour?—Do they love you more; or have they, or will they, or can they do more, for your everlasting welfare, than he?—Why, by your ready compliance with every thing ruinous—and by your obstinate resistance of all attempts to promote your true holiness and happiness,—do you labour to pull down everlasting destruction upon your own heads?—Why thus labour to extract your most dreadful ruin from all the perfections of a gracious God;—from all the persons of the Godhead;—from all his purposes, covenants, words, and works;—and from all persons, and their actions, with whom you are connected, or do converse?

Nay, my beloved children, whom I wish for my 'joy and crown in the day of the Lord.'—When so much of the best of your time is already spent in vanity and wrath;—when death, judgment, and eternity hasten to meet you;—when your judgment now of a long time 'lingereth not,' your ' damnation slumbereth not;'— why should you delay your deepest concern, about your eternal salvation, one moment more?—Why defer coming to an infinitely gracious Redeemer,—to the 'Lord God merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, and forgiving iniquity transgression, and sin?'—Why delay, when called 'from darkness' to God's 'marvellous light;' called to receive 'redemption through Jesus' blood;—to receive out of his fulness and grace for grace- called to the fellowship of God's Son;'—called to be 'heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ?'—Why lose another year, another month, another hour, another moment, without the enjoyment, the infinitely sweet enjoyment, of God in Christ, at your Father, Husband, Friend, and Portion? Why hide yourselves 'among the stuff' of vain or earthly cares, when a 'kingdom which cannot be moved,' is offered unto you?—Why, to render your eternal damnation more certain, and more dreadful, every moment, and your way of escape more difficult,— should you remain among devils, and carnal companions, and filthy lusts, when Jesus is lifting up his voice and crying, ' Whosoever will let him come unto me.— Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.—Arise my love, my polluted one, and come away. Come with me from Lebanon, with me from Lebanon.—Come ye to the waters; yea, come, buy wine and milk, without money and without price. Incline your ear, and come unto me ; hear, and your soul shall live: and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.' Eat ye 'that which is good,' and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 'Behold I stand at the door' of thine heart, 'and knock: Open to me, my sister, my love, my' defiled; 'for my head is filled with the dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.' When you hasten from storms, from trouble, from outward danger, why not make haste to Jesus, the refuge, the hope, set before you ?—When he saith, 'To-day if ye will hear my voice,' harden not 'your hearts; now is the accepted time; now is the day of salvation;' why should you say, To-morrow? When he waits to be gracious, and exalteth himself to ' shew mercy,'—why tire out his patience till he 'shut up all his tender mercies in his wrath?' Is 'it a small thing for you to weary men,'—weary parents, and ministers? 'But will ye weary my God also?'

Lord Jesus, make haste to convince, to convert, to save, the rising generation in Britain. They perish—they perish! O Redeemer, make no tarrying. Now be an accepted time; now be a day of salvation. Save now, O Lord, we beseech thee; tend now prosperity.

Entire book here --> http://is.gd/1v3Ub

What is TULIP? The who, why and how of salvation.

Arminianism and Calvinism

This quote was taken from J.I. Packer's introduction to the Death of Death in the Death of Christ by John Owen, and it sums up both Arminianism and Calvinism quite succinctly.

First, it should be observed that the “five points of Calvinism,” so-called, are simply the Calvinistic answer to a five-point manifesto (the Remonstrance) put out by certain “Belgic semi-Pelagians” in the early seventeenth century. The theology which it contained (known to history as Arminianism) stemmed from two philosophical principles: first, that divine sovereignty is not compatible with human freedom, nor therefore with human responsibility; second, that ability limits obligation. (The charge of semi-Pelagianism was thus fully justified.) From these principles, the Arminians drew two deductions: first that since the Bible regards faith as a free and responsible human act, it cannot be caused by God, but is exercised independently of Him; second, that since the Bible regards faith as obligatory on the part of all who hear the gospel, ability to believe must be universal. Hence, they maintained, Scripture must be interpreted as teaching the following positions: (1.) Man is never so completely corrupted by sin that he cannot savingly believe the gospel when it is put before him, nor (2.) is he ever so completely controlled by God that he cannot reject it. (3.) God’s election of those who shall be saved is prompted by His foreseeing that they will of their own accord believe. (4.) Christ’s death did not ensure the salvation of anyone, for it did not secure the gift of faith to anyone (there is no such gift); what it did was rather to create a possibility of salvation for everyone if they believe. (5.) It rests with believers to keep themselves in a state of grace by keeping up their faith; those who fail here fall away and are lost. Thus, Arminianism made man’s salvation depend ultimately on man himself, saving faith being viewed throughout as man’s own work and, because his own, not God’s in him.

The Synod of Dort was convened in 1618 to pronounce on this theology, and the “five points of Calvinism” represent its counter-affirmations. They stem from a very different principle—the biblical principle that “salvation is of the Lord”; and they may be summarized thus: (1.) Fallen man in his natural state lacks all power to believe the gospel, just as he lacks all power to believe the law, despite all external inducements that may be extended to him. (2.) God’s election is a free, sovereign, unconditional choice of sinners, as sinners, to be redeemed by Christ, given faith and brought to glory. (3.) The redeeming work of Christ had as its end and goal the salvation of the elect. (4.) The work of the Holy Spirit in bringing men to faith never fails to achieve its object. (5.) Believers are kept in faith and grace by the unconquerable power of God till they come to glory. These five points are conveniently denoted by the mnemonic TULIP: Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, Preservation of the saints.

Now, here are two coherent interpretations of the biblical gospel, which stand in evident opposition to each other. The difference between them is not primarily one of emphasis, but of content. One proclaims a God who saves; the other speaks of a God Who enables man to save himself. One view presents the three great acts of the Holy Trinity for the recovering of lost mankind—election by the Father, redemption by the Son, calling by the Spirit—as directed towards the same persons, and as securing their salvation infallibly. The other view gives each act a different reference (the objects of redemption being all mankind, of calling, those who hear the gospel, and of election, those hearers who respond), and denies that any man’s salvation is secured by any of them. The two theologies thus conceive the plan of salvation in quite different terms. One makes salvation depend on the work of God, the other on a work of man; one regards faith as part of God’s gift of salvation, the other as man’s own contribution to salvation; one gives all the glory of saving believers to God, the other divides the praise between God, Who, so to speak, built the machinery of salvation, and man, who by believing operated it. Plainly, these differences are important, and the permanent value of the “five points,” as a summary of Calvinism, is that they make clear the points at which, and the extent to which, these two conceptions are at variance.

However. it would not be correct simply to equate Calvinism with the “five points.” Five points of our own will make this clear.

To learn of a broader, more well defined definition of Calvinism (and much more), read the entire article here.

Pre-mil? Post mil? Amil? Rapture?

Let me start right off with this disclaimer: I am not a Left Behind dispensationalist. I find that view to be far outside Scripture with very little basis in proper exegesis and hermeneutics. It makes for great Hollywood, but poor eschatology. For one thing, it dismisses the idea that God is no respecter of persons, because it separates national Israel as a uniquely favored group of people based on their nationality alone, and that view is strongly condemned in the NT epistles. I view the nation of Israel as a foreshadowing of things to come (as much of the OT is), specifically in Christ, and a microcosm of how men generally appear before God (stubborn and rebellious against God).

Having said that, I haven't landed firmly in any millennial camp yet, but I am hovering closely over amillennialism.

First, I think it's wise to give a brief description of the differing types of millennial views regarding Israel and the church.

• Amillennialism: The church is the eschatological fulfillment of Israel.
• Dispensational Premillennialism: Views church and Israel as two distinct peoples of God with two individual redemptive plans.
• Historic Premillenialism: The church is the fulfillment of Israel.
• Postmillennialism: The church is the fulfillment of Israel.

Handy Dandy chart: http://www.theologue.org/MillennialChart.html

I think that to distinguish Israel as a distinct nation is to miss the point Paul makes in Romans 9:6-7. Israel, in my estimation, is a TYPE while Christ (not the church) is the fulfillment of that type. In that regard, I disagree with each of these camps. See Matt 2:15 for one Scripture proof.

Now to argue the larger eschatological issue:

A while back, my pastor said in one of his sermons that amillennialists don't believe in a millennium. This is not exactly true. This camp does believe in a millennium, just not a literal 1,000 year period. We (they) believe it is a figurative number that describes a PERIOD of time, or an age. The reason I'm closing in on amillennialism is mainly because I believe we are now in this period of time, and the following is my reasoning from Scripture and history.

First of all, history. Regarding the tribulation of Christians: I recently listened to the Foxe's Book of Martyrs audio book, and if you would have told any Christian up until perhaps the founding of the United States that there would be a FUTURE tribulation of Christians, they would have called you naively uninformed at best and outright crazy at worst. The Christians of the first 17-1800 years underwent some of the most gruesome and inhumane tortures that man could devise. These faithful Christians endured through a VERY GREAT tribulation, and it is only now in this western comfort that we can complacently claim that there is a "still-to-come" tribulation. Even today, in many parts of the world, Christians are going through tribulations of terrible kinds! http://www.persecution.com/

Now from Scripture: This is by no means exhaustive, just preliminary. First of all, the tribulation has been going on since Stephen was stoned as recorded in Acts 7. John also said that he was in the tribulation at the time of his writing the letter at the end of the FIRST century. Rev 1:9a - "I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom..."

Next, I believe the first resurrection spoken of in Rev 20:5 is speaking of regeneration, or spiritual birth.

"Scripture teaches us of two principle resurrections of the dead. It speaks of the resurrection in Christ (John 11:25, Ephesians 2:5) which is the called the first. But it also speaks of another resurrection at the last day (John 11:24, 1st Corinthians 15:52). Only one can be the first resurrection of the saints. And I want to say that again for emphasis. ONLY ONE can be the first Resurrection. And that is what many theologians cannot seem to comprehend. You cannot have two separate events, both called the first resurrection in scripture. That is confusion and God is not the author of confusion. In Revelation 20:5, the First Resurrection refers to what has occurred that made those souls who have died able to live and reign with Christ, while the souls of those who were unsaved (the rest of the dead) could not go to live and reign with Christ. The rest of the dead (unsaved who died) "they lived not again" until the second resurrection when they must be raised from death to stand for judgment before the throne of God. What the chapter is doing is contrasting the souls of the saved, which though they are dead, yet they still live and reign with Christ in heaven, with the souls of the "rest of the dead" (the unsaved) who didn't have life again until the second Resurrection. The ones who reign with Christ after death are those who have had part in the first resurrection. The expression, the First Resurrection clearly refers to the souls of the saints that are raised first, in distinction from the raising of these wicked (rest of the dead) that occurs after the millennium. This is at the the second resurrection."

Source: http://is.gd/GPF3

Thirdly, I believe Christ's kingdom is not a literal physical kingdom as taught by premil dispensationalists: Christ Himself said so in John 18:36 - "Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.""

And to repeat, John believed he was in the kingdom as well in Rev 1:9a - "I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom..."

What kingdom do you suppose John was speaking of?

I also believe the rapture, a phrase coined by John Nelson Darby near the end of the American Civl War, is unbiblical. The text most commonly referred to in defense of this theory is 1 Thess 4:15-17. If I may, another quote regarding this text:

"the New Bible Commentary: Revised:
"'To meet the Lord' (Gk. 'eis apantesin tou
kyriou'): When a dignitary paid an official visit ...
to a city in Hellenistic times, the action of the
leading citizens in going out to meet him and
escorting him on the final stage of his journey was
called the 'apantesis'; it is similarly used in
[Matthew] 25:6; Acts 28:15. So the Lord is pictured
as escorted to the earth by His people--those newly
raised from death and those who have remained
alive.""

I believe this historical context helps paint a better picture of what Paul is referring to. He is saying that this second coming is the FINAL and ONLY second coming. What is commonly explained as "the rapture of the church" in 1 Thess 4:15-17 is imagery of the servants of the Lord meeting and joining with their King as he comes to reign and conquer His enemies. It is not a secret rapture which ushers in a tribulation, or predates the final second coming (how many second comings are there?) The coming of Christ in 1 Thess 4:15-17 IS THE second coming of Christ in judgment. That day is THE Day of the Lord.

This, of course, is just a primer on my view of end times. If it sparks discussion, then perhaps we can fill in some of the details (if anyone reads this blog, that is).

I'm also researching Covenant Theology, which I hope to do a blog entry on in the near future.

Soli Deo Gloria

Anxiety in my eyes ... a blessing in disguise?

This economy is affecting everything. I've been worried sick for the last few weeks wondering if I'm going to have a job in the near future. I know for a fact that it's going to come down to one of two people .. one of them is me, and one is a veteran.

I don't know how this company is in regards to loyalty, and if that's their only stipulation, then I'm the next one to go. But if they take bang for the buck, then the wise choice would be to keep me. They know this, too, so it will be clear which way they lean when the decision's made. And if they keep Jack, I would respect that. Loyalty to a company's employees is a virtuous thing.

The blessing in disguise from all this is that the Lord has revealed to me where my own loyalties lie. I've been so anxious over this because I don't truly believe that the LORD is my provision. I believe it is my job -- and more specifically, my own labor. I've prayed for forgiveness from this sin, and know that He is faithful and just to forgive me of this sin and cleanse me from it (1 John 1.9). So in a sense, I'm grateful for this. I don't know if this lesson is going to be enough, or if God has more to reveal to me through a layoff, but I'm willing to suffer through it, if it will yield the fruit of righteousness.

This morning, I read a Grace Gem that was perfectly timed (I act surprised ...), and I'm going to share it here. While I believe this letter from John Newton to be speaking more of physical affliction, mental afflictions are just as precarious. And God can sympathize with the weaknesses of our flesh (Hebrews 4.15), for He Himself became flesh and made His dwelling with men (John 1.14). Praise God for His faithfulness!

Then they hiss and spit their venom!

(Letters of John Newton)

"I know, O Lord, that Your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness You have afflicted me!" Psalm 119:75

"God disciplines us for our good--that we may share in His holiness." Hebrews 12:10

In Scripture, we read much concerning the emptiness, vanity and uncertainty of the present world.

When our minds are enlightened by the Holy Spirit--then we receive and acknowledge what His Word declares to be truth. Yet if we remain long without changes and trials, and when our path is very smooth--we are for the most part but faintly affected with what we profess to believe. But when some of our dearest friends die, or we ourselves are brought low with pain and sickness--then we not only say, but feel that this world must not, cannot be our rest!

We know by experience, that though afflictions in themselves are not joyous--but grievous--yet in due season they yield the peaceful fruits of righteousness. Various are the blessed fruits which afflictions produce:

By affliction, prayer is quickened--for our prayers are very apt to grow languid and formal in a time of ease.

Affliction greatly helps us to understand the Scriptures, especially the promises; most of which are made to times of trouble. We cannot so well know their fullness, sweetness and certainty--as when we have been in the situation to which they are suited, have been enabled to trust and plead them, and found them fulfilled in our own case.

We are usually indebted to affliction--as the means or occasion of the most signal discoveries we are favored with--of the wisdom, power, and faithfulness of the Lord. These are best observed by the evident proofs we have--that He is near to support us under trouble, and that He can and does deliver us out of it.

Likewise, many of our graces cannot thrive or manifest themselves, without trials--such as resignation, patience, meekness and long-suffering. Strength of grace is not ordinarily acquired by those who sit still and live at ease.

Afflictions do us good likewise, as they make us more acquainted with what is in our own hearts, and thereby promote humiliation and self-abasement. There are abominations which, like nests of vipers, lie so quietly within our hearts, that we hardly suspect they are there--until the rod of affliction rouses them! Then they hiss and spit their venom! This discovery is indeed very distressing--yet, until it is made, we are prone to think ourselves much less vile than we really are, and cannot so heartily abhor ourselves and repent in dust and ashes.

I must write a sermon rather than a letter--if I would enumerate all the good fruits which, by the power of sanctifying grace, are produced from this bitter tree of affliction!

While we have such a depraved nature, and live in such a polluted world; while the roots of pride, vanity, self-dependence and self-seeking, are so strong within us--we need a variety of sharp afflictions to keep us from cleaving to the dust!

"Before I was afflicted I went astray--but now I obey Your Word." Psalm 119:67

Defeating Calvinism For Dummies

Don't Waste Your Life

God of gods

The Nature of Apostasy

This book by John Owen has an interesting subtitle. Read for yourself:

THE NATURE OF APOSTASY FROM THE
PROFESSION OF THE GOSPEL AND THE
PUNISHMENT OF APOSTATES DECLARED,

IN

AN EXPOSITION OF HEBREWS 6:4-6;

WITH

An Inquiry Into The Causes And Reasons Of The Decay Of The
Power Of Religion In The World, Or The Present General
Defection From The Truth, Holiness, And Worship Of The Gospel;
Also, Of The Proneness Of Churches And Persons Of All Sorts
Unto Apostasy.

WITH REMEDIES AND MEANS OF PREVENTION.

SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES — JOHN 5:39.

To say nothing of the hilarious fact that the title is nearly a half page in itself (in typical Puritan fashion), I find the lowercase paragraph to be of utmost interest. It was written in 1676. I wonder what he'd say if he were alive today. He would probably say the second coming was imminent. And I would probably agree with him.

But that's just idle speculation ...

PS: A link to this book is in my Top Reads list to the right.

If you ever question the validity of a God who would suffer, ponder this;

I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross. The only God I believe in is the One Nietzsche ridiculed as “God on the cross.” In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? ... [The God I worship is] that lonely, twisted, tortured figure on the cross, nails through hands and feet, back lacerated, limbs wrenched, brow bleeding from thorn-pricks, mouth dry and intolerably thirsty, plunged in God-forsaken darkness. That is the God for me! He laid aside his immunity to pain. He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death. He suffered for us. … There is still a question mark against human suffering, but over it we … stamp another mark, the cross, which symbolizes divine suffering.

--John R.W. Stott, in his book The Cross of Christ

Tim Keller quote

"A looming crisis for all American evangelical churches is that they cannot thrive outside of the shrinking enclaves of conservative and traditional people and culture. We have not created the new ministry and communication... models that will flourish and grow in the coming post-Christian very secular Western world. Our vision should be to develop campus ministries, new churches, Christian education/discipleship systems that are effective in those fields in North America." - Tim Keller

A conversation about the article "The Coming Evangelical Collapse"

I recently read this article, which has made it's rounds not only in the Christian world, but also in several political areas including the Hugh Hewitt show and the Drudge Report. I shared it with my pastor and asked him for his take on it. Here's the email conversation we had:

Hey Jim,

I read this article earlier this week and immediately thought of your own predictions of our Christian future. I'd like to hear your take on what this article says. It seems pretty relevant and "prophetic" in a sense. It's been making its rounds pretty rapidly. I'm hearing it referenced on secular talk radio (Hugh Hewitt) and seeing it on political websites (Drudge).

...

Hi John,

Thanks for passing along to me this excellent article. I had not seen it yet, but Olsie came across it yesterday and read it to Juli. The guy sounds like an echo. Although I have my doubts about some of his predictions (he agrees some will prove wrong), I think he is spot-on about evangelicalism coming unglued and agree in the main with his analysis of the reasons. One of the biggest causes, however, he slides by. It is not only that so-called evangelicals today are abysmally ignorant of their faith, but a huge part of the problem (related to the former) is that only a minority are radically living it. The difference between those 'out there' and those 'in here' is not obvious. Morally and ethically, the lines are too blurred.

Anyway, I personally think the 'collapse' is already in motion.

Thanks again, John . Will reprint this article for staff et al.
Jim

...

Thanks Jim. I think you're right about the not living it aspect, but why do you suppose so many aren't? I think it's because of the lack of sound doctrinal preaching and the seeker sensitivity of the more prominent churches (Rick Warren, Joel Osteen etc).

I actually think that the church universal won't collapse (the gates of hell will not prevail, right?) but the pretenders will be sifted out as things get tougher. To me, this article points to a purifying of the church, something that is long overdue from my human perspective. It encourages me to some degree, tho I have to admit I worry for my children what kind of world they'll grow up in. I worry about a return of Nero ... tho the persecution will be more legal than physical, I imagine (especially with the new administration). I have to remind myself to lean on the sovereignty of God.

Thanks again for looking that article over and getting back with me.

...

Right on all counts, I think, John. The answer to the underlying rot is complex.
First, the pervasiveness of 'easy believism'. It is and has been rampant in evangelical churches. Otherwise known as 'cheap grace' wherein people believe that because we are not saved by works, but by grace, they are free to live as they please. They do not understand that genuine faith is an obedient faith...it is not faith plus works, but a grateful faith that works (out of love).

Along with that goes pastors and church leaders who are more interested in building empires than making disciples, growing churches than growing people into conformity to Christ. They are totally Americanized in the sense that it is all about the marks of 'success' (usually gauged in statistical terms). So we spent all our leadership energies building and massaging the numbers rather than building up the saints.
The outcome of that is we have become so successful as religious entrepreneurs that we are skillful at getting the world into the church, but powerless in getting the world out of the church.
Then, too, our people are ignorant because our pastors and leaders not only are driven by a sorry value system, but, as fish rot from the top, pastors as a whole are not a whole lot ahead of their flocks in their own grasp of theology and biblical understand. They may use the Bible but they are generally speaking utterly inept at teaching it in meaningful way.
Underlying that liability is the fact that (I would guess) not even half (being generous) of the men who occupy our pulpits have ever known the call of God. I base that assessment on long experience and knowing the evidences of God's call. Besides, except for a precious few, the seminaries (and Bible colleges) are unfit for their task. Their mission is spelled S-U-R-V-I-V-A-L and finances trump convictions as they try to spread their tent pegs as wide and possible. On top of that, way too many of their teachers are a waste and do their students far more damage than good. I see it all as a sign of the judgment of God on the American church. Thank God for the few still drawing their lines in the right places.

Another big subverter (as I ramble on) is our cultural prosperity and influence. Prosperity (and political power) historically have always deadened and corrupted the saints and their institutions more than persecution. See Deuteronomy 8 where Moses expressed his fear of their prosperity in the land---one well based as it turned out.

Well, I could go on and on but these are some of the factors in play in our corruption and beginnings of implosion. We are being marginalized fast. Our enemies are coming out of the closet and getting bolder and bolder in their hostility. I am not looking forward to the hard times, but I fear we need it and it will help to some extent to clear the decks and separate hard core believers from all these make believers and militant churches from merely social or clubby churches that can't draw blood, only a largely carnal crowd.

Jim

...

Looks like we're cut from the same bolt, Jim. This last reply is a home run. Do you mind if I "publish" this conversation in my blog? It's pretty insightful.

...

That's OK, John. However, not very well written. Just shot it off 'stream of consciousness', you know. Jim

For a guy who just throws this off his 'stream of consciousness', you've got to admit the wisdom shows. He certainly has a grasp on the times we live in (much like Mike Spencer who wrote the article that spawned this conversation). I think the best line in here is this one:

"The outcome of that is we have become so successful as religious entrepreneurs that we are skillful at getting the world into the church, but powerless in getting the world out of the church."

He's right on the money. To be clear (for my Arminian brethren :P) the first "world" is unbelievers, while the second "world" is the world system.

Anyway, I thought someone might enjoy another supporting view

My friend, Tara's story

I just learned how to create my own video player of all my videos!

Here they are!



For all two of you who ever visit my site, this is a bit of my life.

God bless!

Are You Safe From God?

Got kids?

This is a kid-safe search engine. I threw in a few "adult" topics to see what would happen and got an "oops! try again" error message. Then I tried some real grown up topics (like science and monergism and John Calvin) and got good results. Looks promising!

http://www.kidrex.org/

Good for anyone with kids that use the net to do homework or anything else. Or if you just don't wanna run across smut in your own searches on the net. Bookmark it!

Matt Chandler

I've found my new favorite speaker. Matt Chandler of The Village church. This guy is spot on and knows how to put it in such a way .. well, listen for yourself. These messages are a must listen for any man/husband/father.

The Role Of Men

Pt1-Defining Masculinity

Pt2-Men As Husbands

Pt3-Men As Fathers

Click here to go to the original download page.

Incidentally, I heard him first at the 2009 Desiring God conference (which you can listen to by clicking here). Piper spoke on the life of George Whitefield. An excellent lesson.

God bless!

Some Thoughts from Luther on Galatians 1:4

Who gave himself for our sins.

Note especially the pronoun "our" and its significance. You will readily grant that Christ gave Himself for the sins of Peter, Paul, and others who were worthy of such grace. But feeling low, you find it hard to believe that Christ gave Himself for your sins. Our feelings shy at a personal application of the pronoun "our," and we refuse to have anything to do with God until we have made ourselves worthy by good deeds.

This attitude springs from a false conception of sin, the conception that sin is a small matter, easily taken care of by good works; that we must present ourselves unto God with a good conscience; that we must feel no sin before we may feel that Christ was given for our sins.

This attitude is universal and particularly developed in those who consider themselves better than others. Such readily confess that they are frequent sinners, but they regard their sins as of no such importance that they cannot easily be dissolved by some good action, or that they may not appear before the tribunal of Christ and demand the reward of eternal life for their righteousness. Meantime they pretend great humility and acknowledge a certain degree of sinfulness for which they soulfully join in the publican's prayer, "God be merciful to me a sinner." But the real significance and comfort of the words "for our sins" is lost upon them.

The genius of Christianity takes the words of Paul "who gave himself for our sins" as true and efficacious. We are not to look upon our sins as insignificant trifles. On the other hand, we are not to regard them as so terrible that we must despair. Learn to believe that Christ was given, not for picayune and imaginary transgressions, but for mountainous sins; not for one or two, but for all; not for sins that can be discarded, but for sins that are stubbornly ingrained.

Practice this knowledge and fortify yourself against despair, particularly in the last hour, when the memory of past sins assails the conscience. Say with confidence: "Christ, the Son of God, was given not for the righteous, but for sinners. If I had no sin I should not need Christ. No, Satan, you cannot delude me into thinking I am holy. The truth is, I am all sin. My sins are not imaginary transgressions, but sins against the first table, unbelief, doubt, despair, contempt, hatred, ignorance of God, ingratitude towards Him, misuse of His name, neglect of His Word, etc.; and sins against the second table, dishonor of parents, disobedience of government, coveting of another's possessions, etc. Granted that I have not committed murder, adultery, theft, and similar sins in deed, nevertheless I have committed them in the heart, and therefore I am a transgressor of all the commandments of God.

"Because my transgressions are multiplied and my own efforts at self-justification rather a hindrance than a furtherance, therefore Christ the Son of God gave Himself into death for my sins." To believe this is to have eternal life.

Let us equip ourselves against the accusations of Satan with this and similar passages of Holy Scripture. If he says, "Thou shalt be damned," you tell him: "No, for I fly to Christ who gave Himself for my sins. In accusing me of being a damnable sinner, you are cutting your own throat, Satan. You are reminding me of God's fatherly goodness toward me, that He so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. In calling me a sinner, Satan, you really comfort me above measure." With such heavenly cunning we are to meet the devil's craft and put from us the memory of sin.

St. Paul also presents a true picture of Christ as the virgin-born Son of God, delivered into death for our sins. To entertain a true conception of Christ is important, for the devil describes Christ as an exacting and cruel judge who condemns and punishes men. Tell him that his definition of Christ is wrong, that Christ has given Himself for our sins, that by His sacrifice He has taken away the sins of the whole world.

Make ample use of this pronoun "our." Be assured that Christ has canceled the sins, not of certain persons only, but your sins. Do not permit yourself to be robbed of this lovely conception of Christ. Christ is no Moses, no law-giver, no tyrant, but the Mediator for sins, the Giver of grace and life.

Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (1535)
by Martin Luther

CrossTV videos

This is a youtube playlist of 98 CrossTV videos. These videos by Mark Keilar hammer the theological head of the nail.

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=348B16F84EA1D84F

http://www.crosstv.com/ <-- home page for the series if you would like to purchase them at full length. Added bonus: Here's a link to the full length video on decisional regeneration.

A partial exegesis of Romans 12

A while ago, on the way home from work, I was praying and found myself getting very distracted and unable to focus on anything to pray about. Then I remembered that praying Scripture back to God is a wonderful tool. Well, driving isn't the best time to be reading Scripture, so I decided to play the mp3's I have during the drive and pray them back to God. The one that stuck out to me was Romans 12. I thought "I'll pray Romans 12:1-2 back to God!" and as I was listening, I realized that there are more than TWO requests in that chapter .. there are over thirty! It is my intention to break that chapter down here. It is only a partial exegesis because my intention is to simply extract the imperatives from this chapter and reword them into prayers.

Romans 12.1-21

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

• Lord, by Your mercy I will present my body as a living sacrifice
• Lord make me holy and acceptable to you
• Lord, teach me to worship You in Spirit and in Truth (cf. John 4:24)
  

2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

• Lord, help me not to conform to this world
• It is my desire to be transformed FROM the ways of this world.
• Lord, bring me opportunity and open my eyes to sound biblical teaching in order that I can renew my mind.
• Lord, open my eyes and ears to discern Your will.
• Show me what is good, acceptable and perfect in Your sight.
  

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

• Give me a spirit of humility in order that I will not think more highly of myself than I ought to think.
• Lord, grant me sober judgment.
• God, I thank You for the measure of faith which You have given me. I pray that You would increase my faith in the fullest.
  

4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

• Father, thank You for Your Son, Jesus.
• Father, thank You for the Church Universal and my home church specifically.
• Father, grant me grace to see those in the Body as they are -- in Christ -- and not as they merely appear to my own eyes -- imperfect and sinful -- that I may honor You and build up the Body of Christ in His Church.
  

6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

• O Lord, thank You for the gifts You have given to Your children. I ask that in whatever way You desire I would be used to edify the Church to make the best use of the gifts given to me.
• Father, be glorified in my acts of exhortation; in my efforts to encourage and strengthen those around me, may Your Spirit work through them to Your ultimate purpose.
  
• I pray that I would see the fullness of the gifts You have given me, and that I would come to use them frequently by the power of the Spirit.
  

9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

• Father, take away any pretense in my love. Help me to be genuine and sincere with others.
• I pray that ALL evil would be completely forsaken in my life and in my heart.
• Remind me to hold fast to what is good.
• Father, teach me to love others with brotherly affection.
• And in honor of the brethren, help me to excel.

11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

• Lord, keep me full of life and passion.
• Embolden my spirit to serve You, Lord.
  

12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

• May I rejoice in the hope I have in You, Lord Jesus.
• Grant me both the patience to endure tribulation and the tribulation itself, according to Your divine purpose, for the testing of my faith produces steadfastness, which Your Word promises will make me perfect(mature) and complete (James 1:2-4).
  

13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

• Lord, make me generous and willing to open my house and life up to those who are in need.
  

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

• Father, I am grateful that by Your Spirit I am able to do this. Let my light shine before men as a testimony to Your grace.
  

15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

• Lord, may my compassion be strong and help me to live out Your word in 2 Cor 1.3-7
  

16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

• Father in Heaven, may peace pervade my spirit. Please help me to abide in Christ in order that I may bear the fruit of the Spirit.
• Lord, remind me of the quote from CS Lewis; "Christian humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less," and help me to live it with those around me.
  
• Lord, always keep me humble. Remind me that everything I've received, be it knowledge or strength or wisdom, are all gifts from You, the Giver of all good things (James 1.17)
  

17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." 20 To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head."

• Father, I trust that You, O Lord, are the Just One and that any injustice I receive will be dealt with by You.
  
• I pray for a forgiving heart that overlooks the faults of others.
• Thank You that you have saved me by Your grace, for in thinking on that, I realize that I am no better than another, for their evil done to me I have also done to You (in spades), and You forgave that debt of me. I also forgive the debts of others against me.
• Lord, I pray for eyes to see the opportunities You present to me where I can help others. I likewise pray for the willingness and selflessness to act when I see these opportunities.
• In all things, may You receive full credit and all glory for any of these offerings of service by me.
  

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

• Lord, I ask that Your Spirit would empower me to overlook all offenses and respond to them with the kindness, humility and love that Christ showed to His persecutors.

As I said, this is a partial exegesis (clearly!). I hope and pray that this will perhaps show someone how to pray Scripture back -- at least one way. I sure hope this gives you some good ideas to roll with! If you've got any feedback or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment.

Blessings in Christ,
John

Puritan Devotional

A short five minute mp3 that could dramatically change your perspective on work.

Nothing which is done for Christ is lost!

10 Quotes Worth Mentioning

Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you.
-- John Owen

God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners. Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world ... Do you think such an exalted Lamb paid merely a small price with a meager sacrifice for our sins? Pray hard for you are quite a sinner.
-- Martin Luther

Ye have enemies? Good, good- that means ye've stood up for something, sometime in thy life....
-- Elminster of Shadowdale

Christian humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.
--C.S. Lewis

Those who hear not the music, think the dancers mad.
--Author Unknown

Those who understand the gospel cannot possibly look down on anyone, since they were saved by sheer grace, not by their perfect doctrine or strong moral character.
--Tim Keller

The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.
--Thomas Paine

Sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
--Paul, Romans 6.14

The devil is a better theologian than any of us and is a devil still.
--A.W. Tozer

No verse of Scripture yields its meaning to lazy people.
--Arthur Pink

Overview sermons of the bible

I've been listening to this guy, Mark Dever, who put together an overview of the entire bible, the OT, the NT and each book in the bible.

And as he puts it, there are some things you can get from a greater height that you don't necessarily see up close. Well worth the investment of time, if you ask me.

Click me for the OT sermons

Click me for the NT sermons

May the LORD bless you as you study.