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

Victory in Christ!

So I gotta share something. Tonight my wife and I were fighting in the car. It was stupid, as most of them are, but my back really hurt tonight (a chronic problem for a while now), but it was on fire tonight ... like an ice pick in my back. Well, I was getting pretty frustrated because of this combination of things, and we were stuck in traffic, going somewhere I didn't really want to go. Well, I tried suppressing it. And it just got stronger. And the harder I resisted, the harder it became to control. I started snapping at my wife, then raising my voice in anger ... then we were both arguing pretty fiercely. Suffice it to say that I didn't act as a husband should.
Then I remembered some of the lyrics from the song "The Temptation" from Timothy Brindle's Killing Sin album (get it!). He was battling temptation and he used prayer and the Word. Well, duh.

But it motivated me to fight against this, even though my pride had arrived to the point of not caring anymore (anyone who's ever struggled with anger knows what this is). But I prayed and read the Word of God ... specifically Romans 6, which that song also referenced. And something changed .. I received the Word into my life this time. I read it as if GOD (not Paul) were speaking to ME (not "the church") and I believed it!

Romans 6.4-7
We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.

I focused on the newness of life we have received. The unity we have with Christ because of His death and resurrection. My SIN WAS CRUCIFIED which means it is ALREADY defeated! I believe I am not a slave to sin because since I died with Christ, I've been set free from that sin. What wonderful news! How liberating this was!

Then down further:

Romans 6.13-14
Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

We're told to DO something with this knowledge. Not only are we to NOT present our members to sin to be used for unrighteousness, but we are TO present them to God to be used for righteousness. I focused on the FACT that sin does not dominate me because of Christ and His death, so it did not dominate me! I presented myself to God for HIM to use me for righteousness. I went into the house and humbly apologized to her, prayed with her, and we went on to have a pretty good night with some friends and a couple people I'd never met before.

Praise God for our victory over sin in Christ! I learned something new tonight. I pray this may be an encouragement to someone else too. Read the word and personalize it. Let everything be about Christ. Listen to this song and then realize what God actually did to save us:



Amen

How do you talk about death to unbelievers?

I just read an article in Christian News Northwest this morning about Preston, and it rekindled the mourning I've felt for him. It's also sparked some new conversations. And I find myself leaning on the "it's sad" excuse everytime I speak to unbelievers about Preston's death. Is this wrong? Should I be a beacon of hope to them? What about this causes me to fall on their sympathies rather than my own faith? Is that a sin?

I'm gonna try to examine these questions here.

First of all, I don't think it's wrong. Not really. At least not in the sense of being unexpected. I think it's natural to sympathize with the loss. Secondly, I can use it as a springboard to witness the gospel to them. I did this with my brother, and sorta used the respect that many unbelievers have given to me (isn't that funny?) who would normally tune me out or outright tell me they're not interested in "my religion". This tragedy has amazingly softened people's hearts. I've seen many people who would normally avoid any talk about religion being more open to hearing about my faith. It reminds me of Paul when he says "For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. " (Romans 1.19-20)

And this ended up working out pretty well, actually. I spoke to my brother about death in general, and told him about the funeral, where there were so many people who were, while greiving, rejoicing at the same time because we KNOW that Preston is at home with our Lord. He asked me how I could know such a thing, and I was able to tell him about the resurrection of Christ. I spoke to him for quite a long time about 1Corinthians 15, and the actual witnesses (500 people saw Christ AFTER His crucifixion), and how that was a verifiable experience. Something more than just "blind faith" which he, and many others, think Christians have. It's not blind. It's based on facts and witnesses -- something I was able to share with him in depth. That's an amazing ice breaker!

As for whether or not it is sin to sympathize with the unbelievers who say "that's so tragic ... I'm sorry for your loss", and for me to reply with "ya it is .. he was a good guy, and we're gonna miss him" or some other trite reply like that. Yes. I believe it is. While I may not have directly denied my Lord, I said that the death of one of His saints was a bad thing. This denies the truths of Scripture when it speaks on this very topic:

Psalm 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

1 Corinthians 15:55 "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"

Isn't this good news! Isn't this encouraging news? You bet it is. So why did I miss an opportunity to tell people this? Because I believed the sad news of death being a conquering victor over humanity rather than the fact of Christ's victory over death for all who believe. Death is the ultimate gospel message primer. To deny that is to deny the gospel itself. That is why it is sin to get on the mourning bandwagon with unbelievers. It is to BE an unbeliever at that moment in time. Thank God it is by the faith of Christ that I am saved. For if it were my own faulty faith, I would lose it to be sure. This is a concept relatively new to me, so I'm not dogmatic about it (perhaps I'll do a post on it in the future), but the kjv, a translation I normally don't find useful, translates Galatians 2.16 in a very interesting way:

Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

So how are we saved? By our own faith? Or by the faith of the perfect One? I put my trust in HIS faith rather than my own, for my own is flawed and inconsistent. Does not God command us to believe, anyway? Does this not make it a Law? I believe it does. However, now we're getting off topic a bit and I think I've found my next topic to explore. I will say, however, that I cannot find another translation which translates it this way. Every other one translates it faith IN Christ. I'll leave you with this article to consider.

By the Faith of Christ, or our faith in Christ?
by Tony Warren

A good read, supported with an abundance of Scripture.

Having said all that, the death of Preston is glorifying God day by day. It is making an uncomfortable and un "PC" topic (religion) acceptable and is an excellent opportunity to share my faith. Now I need to act. For the glory of God.

The loss of a good friend

Yesterday I went to the funeral of my friend Preston Newby. He was the 24 year old youth pastor at my church. He died helping someone else. That doesn't surprise me one bit. That's the kind of man Preston was.

The thing that amazed me most was not that he died helping another (he truly lived his faith) or the amount of people who went to his funeral (there were hundreds) or the amount of news coverage (it's been the top story all week) or that the news hasn't edited the "Christianity" out of their news stories (they did when Damon Coates was shot). What amazed me the most was the impact that Preston had .. at only 24 years of age! It truly is a testimony to the way Christ can work through a single individual. Preston actually lived the life that many Christians merely say they live. His faith was a way of life for him, not just a talking point at dinner or a topic worthy of debate. That man is one of the most genuine, warm and Christ-honoring people I've ever had the priviledge of knowing. I do look forward to rejoicing with him together in front of the wonderful Savior we both have!

I'm so very proud of his wife, Tara. She's been showing such composure and grace through all this. It is truly a testimony to God's faithfulness. Our Lord promises that He will never leave us in His exhortation to be content with what we have (Hebrews 13.5). It is in those very times when we are at risk of NOT being content that the Lord fulfills His promise. Tara has lost half of herself and God has indeed kept His word! He has NOT left Tara! He has NOT forsaken her! He's given her a supernatural strength and an abundant outpouring of love from her family and church family.

Our church body has also done some amazing things over the last week. So many people have been so involved and supportive of everyone else. I've come closer to some people I've previously just waved at from across the room.

One thing I regret is not having known Preston as well as I would have liked. I call him a good friend, but only because he was a good friend to me. I wouldn't call myself a good friend of his, though he would wholly disagree. He was just that kind of guy. He put others first.

He and his wife have been over to our house, but it's been a while. We had dinner, talked theology, played guitar and sang a couple hymns, but ya know what .. I wish I would have spent more time with him. We always talked about it. We always said "ya, we should get together some time" ... and then just go on with our lives. How I hate those words now ... some time .. what does that mean? It means "not now because I'd rather do something else". That's not good enough any more. The one thing I'm going to take away from this is to turn "some time" into "this time". I'm going to set up a night -- once a month maybe -- where a bunch of guys I know will get together and go bowling or something (it's the first thought that came to my mind .. maybe we'll do different stuff). But I'm not going to just say "some day". I'm going to actually do this. Lord willing.

My God has glorified Himself in the death of Preston in such a way that I can't deny it. Oh wow. Such bonding. Such faithfulness. Such love. This is only the beginning. I love you, Preston. I'm gonna miss you. But we'll see each other soon enough. As soon as the Lord is done with me.

I was looking at his blog today and read this post he posted July 29th. It's so fitting that he would write something like this. And I am glad that he has finally received the reward he so longed for. He said:

I look forward to the day in eternity when I can actually do this perfectly... until then I trust in God's grace and mercy day by day to continue to help me grow and mature in Him until the day I see Him face to face!

My friend, you are there. As for the questions that some may ask. Questions like "where is God in all this?" Preston had also addressed that question. Read this post.

Preston, may your own words comfort those who are mourning.

Some thoughts on freewill

A conversation about freewill went on between myself and another on a message board. He raised up a list of verses which he believes prove that men have a freewill (to choose to do God's will).

This was my reply:

People tend to start off on the wrong premise. I see all the time how many people think the will is self determining, but we must understand that the will is driven by something. Namely, our nature. We will to make choices, yes. I don't think anyone who argues against the freedom of the human will would disagree with this. The question, however, is what does natural, fallen man WANT to do? The answer ... SIN. Fallen man wills to sin rather than willing to be holy. If you deny this biblical precept, you must also deny salvation by grace alone. You must ... MUST admit that if natural man can sometimes be holy enough to please God (and that is the whole point of saying the will is in bondage) then natural man can make it into heaven based on his own performance.

In a nutshell, the human will is in BONDAGE ... either to sin unto death, or righteousness unto life.

Romans 6:16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

A.W. Pink:

1. The Nature of the Human Will.
What is the Will? We answer, the will is the faculty of choice, the immediate cause of all action. Choice necessarily implies the refusal of one thing and the acceptance of another. The positive and the negative must both be present to the mind before there can be any choice. In every act of the will there is a preference—the desiring of one thing rather than another. Where there is no preference, but complete indifference, there is no volition. To will is to choose, and to choose is to decide between two or more alternatives. But there is something which influences the choice; something which determines the decision. Hence the will cannot be sovereign because it is the servant of that something. The will cannot be both sovereign and servant. It cannot be both cause and effect. The will is not causative, because, as we have said, something causes it to choose, therefore that something must be the causative agent. Choice itself is affected by certain considerations, is determined by various influences brought to bear upon the individual himself, hence, volition is the effect of these considerations and influences, and if the effect, it must be their servant; and if the will is their servant then it is not sovereign, and if the will is not sovereign, we certainly cannot predicate absolute "freedom" of it. Acts of the will cannot come to pass of themselves—to say they can, is to postulate an uncaused effect. Ex nihilo nihil fit—nothing cannot produce something

...

2. The Bondage of the Human Will.
...In what does the sinner’s freedom consist? This question is naturally suggested by what we have just said above. The sinner is ‘free’ in the sense of being unforced from without. God never forces the sinner to sin. But the sinner is not free to do either good or evil, because an evil heart within is ever inclining him toward sin. Let us illustrate what we have in mind. I hold in my hand a book. I release it; what happens? It falls. In which direction? Downwards; always downwards. Why? Because, answering the law of gravity, its own weight sinks it. Suppose I desire that book to occupy a position three feet higher; then what? I must lift it; a power outside of that book must raise it. Such is the relationship which fallen man sustains toward God. Whilst Divine power upholds him, he is preserved from plunging still deeper into sin; let that power be withdrawn, and he falls—his own weight (of sin) drags him down. God does not push him down, anymore than I did that book. Let all Divine restraint be removed, and every man is capable of becoming, would become, a Cain, a Pharaoh, a Judas. How then is the sinner to move heavenwards? By an act of his own will? Not so. A power outside of himself must grasp hold of him and lift him every inch of the way. The sinner is free, but free in one direction only—free to fall, free to sin. As the Word expresses it: "For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness" (Rom. 6:20). The sinner is free to do as he pleases, always as he pleases (except as he is restrained by God), but his pleasure is to sin.

http://www.pbministries.org/books/pi...nty/sov_07.htm

Having said all that, I will address a few of your verses (in green):

Genesis 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

Please tell me where the will is involved in these verses? I only see a command given, not a choice made. Tell me ... what choice was made? This choice indicates that the nature of the person making the choice determined the outcome of their choice. Their will was a servant to their nature, which shows that their nature desired to disobey God rather than obey Him. The choice is our answer right here.

Genesis 4:6 The LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it."

I refer you to the response above. IF you do well...is only a choice given, not a choice made. The command to rule over sin is given, but the will did only what the nature would allow. Did Cain rule over his sin? Obviously not. Why not? Because he willed not to. Why did he will not to? Because his nature was fallen into sin. His nature determined his willingness.

I hear it already ... why do some murder and not others? (or something like that) ... I answer: God uses sinners for His purposes. This is shown in Egypt in the story of Moses and Pharoah. God hardened Pharoah's heart. Why?

Romans 9:17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."

Now there are times where God does NOT use sinners to murder or imprison or whatever, but it is quite clear from Scripture that GOD moves the sinner just as He moves the Christian.

Exo 13:17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, "Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt."

Again ... a choice offered does not show a choice made.

As for your next set (Exodus 19:5-8), look at verse 4:

Exodus 19:4 You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel." 7 So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him. 8 All the people answered together and said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do." And Moses reported the words of the people to the LORD.

It seems to me that the offer they were given, was only accomplished because the LORD acted first.

Deuteronomy 1:43 So I spoke to you, and you would not listen; but you rebelled against the command of the LORD and presumptuously went up into the hill country.

So ... this goes with everything I have said all along. They only will to be in rebellion. If someone has a will that is free to choose either sin or righteousness APART from God's regenerating work in man's heart, what need is there for a Savior?

I'm going to skip down a few, so I can give you a flavor of everything you present. You present Psalm 32:8,9. I show you the entire chapter:

Psalm 32:1 A Maskil of David. Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah.
5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
6 Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.
7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah.
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.
11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

It clearly speaks of one who has already been saved. One with whom God has declared righteous. Your proof text here seems to only show that the one who is teaching is the LORD. David is speaking in this psalm to God. So unless you think David is teaching God something, this is God teaching David.

Ecclesiastes 7:29 See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.

God made man without sin, but quite obviously not without the ability to sin. The only man God made upright is Adam. Everyone else has this iniquity inherently in them ... original sin. (Psalm 51:5, Romans 5:12)

Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

What does Jesus say the will of His Father is?

John 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."

The will of His Father, according to Jesus, is that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life. That's all the will of the Father is where the unregenerate is concerned. Who WILL believe?

John 1:12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

They believed BECAUSE they were born of God (I believe that this happened at the same time - the moment you are born again, you will believe), NOT of their own will...but of God. If you attempt to say that they were born again because they believed, then you are misreading this statement. Do we believe and then become born again? Quite clearly not. We are born of the will of God. Just as we have nothing to do with our physical birth, we have nothing to do with our spiritual birth.

John 7:17 If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.

This confirms my previous conclusion. You will believe Jesus' words IF you are born again. If you are NOT born again, you will NOT believe. Who wills to do God's will?

Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

The natural man hates God and does not obey God. Those who do the will of God are those who have been born again.

1Corinthians 7:36 If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry--it is no sin. 37 But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. 38 So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better.

It is clear that Paul is speaking to Christians here. Where is the free will? It only shows that a man who has his desires under control should stay unmarried to better serve the Lord.

I would continue with this exercise, but to be honest, you would have to prove with Scripture that an unsaved heathen has chosen God APART from the working of the Spirit. Can you provide this evidence?

I end with this ... and please consider this. If man is free to choose, WHAT is he free to choose? Does man choose God? Or does God choose man?

Romans 11:5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.

2Thessalonians 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

The steps:

We are (1) chosen by God, then we are (2) sanctified by the Spirit - set apart, then we (3) believe the truth.

Some are chosen to believe, while others are not. Does God not have this right to distinguish?

I submit that man will only choose that which he desires. And man, apart from God, does not desire God. Once God acts upon a man, gives him a new heart, and changes his nature from one desiring sin to one desiring righteousness, THEN and ONLY THEN will man choose God.

1John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.

God bless

The purpose(s) of God's Word

Psalm 119.105
Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.

This verse means more than just that the word of God tells us where to go, it also teaches us that God's Word shows us where we are.

Let me explain. Imagine yourself walking in a dark forest with nothing but a lamp. Now, look at your feet, since, after all, you can see them because of the light. Does that tell you where to go? No. It shows you where you are at right at that very moment! The path shows you where you are going.

Here is another passage which supports this:

Romans 3.19-20
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; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

Through the Law, we see our sin. We see where we fall short of God's glory. I recently did a post about Law and Gospel hermeneutics, where we understand that there is law revealed even in the New Testament. We are taught by God's Word where we fall short in Paul's epistles as much as in the Ten Commandments. For instance, Philippians 2.14 commands us to do everything without complaining or arguing. But I doubt very highly that anybody can accomplish this.

Consider these two verses:

James 3.2
[W]e all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

How much clearer could it be?! So you see, God's Word is powerful. It reveals to us (those who have eyes to see and ears to hear) that we fall desperately short of God's moral standards. We must rely on the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, who fulfilled the Law (Matthew 5.17) and was the propitiation for our sins (1 John 2.2), thereby justifying all who believe (Romans 3.28, 5.1; Galatians 2.16, 3.24). That last verse (Galatians 3.24) shows us the very purpose of God's Law. That we will be driven to Christ to be cleansed by His shed blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin (Hebrews 9.22).

For all who may read this post who don't know what any of this means. Read the verses I've linked to and also read the beatitudes, found in Matthew 5.1-7.29. God has shown us how we miss His moral standards of PERFECTION by giving us the Law. In the sermon on the mount, Jesus accurately explains the Law of Moses (the Ten Commandments) and explains that God's moral standard is so high, NOBODY can reach it. That is what Romans 3.10-18 and Romans 3.23 mean.

THAT is why the Law is good. God has revealed to us our shortcomings, rather than simply judging us and rightfully condemning us. Do not be condemned by the Law, my friend. See it for what it is; a blessed gift of mercy to show us our shortcomings. For God could have simply written us off and punished each one of us for our sins. But He did not! He sent His one and only Son into the world to atone for our sins. To appease the wrath of God against a sinful, rebellious world. What a gracious act of divine mercy!

This, my friend, is the gospel:

1 Corinthians 15.1-4
Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

The proof?

1 Corinthians 15.5-8
and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

When Paul wrote this letter, it was less than 30 years after the crucifixion. The claim "most of whom remain until now" means that most of the witnesses to the resurrection were STILL ALIVE when Paul wrote the Corinthian church! The claim was verifiable!

So what must YOU do to be saved?

Acts 16.31
Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved

Praise God!

A living lesson

This morning I came dangerously close to reaping the consequences of my anger. I was crossing the street on this rainy Portland morning and saw a car out of the corner of my eye ... I thought "they'll slow down, I'm a pedestrian!" ... well, they didn't. The guy came within two feet of me and laid on his horn. Well, being a pedestrian, and having a right to cross the street at whatever pace I choose, I kicked the car. "Who does he think he is?! Doesn't he know I'm John?!"

Bad idea. He laid on his brakes and I could see right through the window ... two young men, mid twenties jumped out of the car and started yelling profanities and big threats. They both came charging at me and I thought "oh crap, that guy looks like he can punch real hard!" and started backing up. They both were aggressively charging at me and I was backing up ... terrified.

This yelling went on for a minute or two and I started realizing to myself "hey, if these guys were gonna do anything, they'd have done it by now". The smaller of the two guys (still bigger than me) came up to me while the driver examined his door, still yelling profanities at me. When the passenger approached, I looked at him and shoved him away from me. Then they both came charging again, so I dialed 911. It was more of a hopeful deterrent than anything ... by the time the cops got there to protect and serve, I would need an ambulance if anything was actually gonna happen. But it seemed to work. They gave me about ten feet of space, all the while yelling at me while I'm on the phone with the police.

Then my bus came and boy was I relieved to see it! I was so relieved that I got cocky. I looked at the two guys and smiled and said something to the effect of "have a nice day, guys. Don't be late to work!" How arrogant of me. Why did this happen? Is it because I kicked their car? Is it because they were "tough guys"? No. It happened because I believed I have the right to be wherever I am at whatever time I want to be there. "This is my road, don't they know that?"

I truly failed today. Not only did I act inappropriately, but I realized that not a single prayer went up. In that moment of decision, I chose to believe in what was happening ... not what my (my?) God can do to protect me. I'd like to examine myself this morning. My goal is to apply the knowledge I have of Scripture regarding anger and personal rights.

The book of Proverbs says this:

Proverbs 16.5 Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.

Proverbs 21.4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart,
The lamp of the wicked, is sin.

I like the CEV version of this verse:

21.4 Evil people are proud and arrogant,
but sin is the only crop they produce.

15.25 The LORD tears down the house of the proud but maintains the widow's boundaries.
16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

God, in response to Job's questioning, makes these statements:

Job 40.11-13
11 Show your furious anger!
Throw down and crush
12 all who are proud and evil.
13 Wrap them in grave clothes
and bury them together
in the dusty soil.

By implication, God is saying that this is what He does to those who are proud and evil. These warnings, just a few of many, cause me to shudder. In my pride, I was an abomination to the LORD. I was certainly punished. Immediately. And look at the second proverb there. A proud heart is the lamp of the wicked. It is what the unregenerate use to light their path. It is sinful and causes me to fall away from God in my walk.

But God never instructs us in His Word not to do something without offering a positive alternative. A beneficial solution:

Proverbs 14.3 In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his back,
But the lips of the wise will protect them.

Here, God says "don't speak foolishly, but instead speak wise ... because that will protect you". God never gives us a command for no good reason. Sin destroys not only our relationship with God, but causes problems in our temporal life. Well, the flip side is that obedience BUILDS our relationship with God and PREVENTS problems in our temporal life.

Psalm 101.5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy;
No one who has a haughty look and an arrogant heart will I endure.

God will not endure one who is proud and arrogant. But instead, God again gives us the blessed alternative.

Psalm 101.6 My eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me;
He who walks in a blameless way is the one who will minister to me.

So what do I do with this information? The first thing to do is to remind myself of my position in Christ.

Colossians 1.9-14
9 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
...
21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach-- 23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven

Paul prayed for the Colossian church to be filled with the knowledge of His will so they would walk in a manner worthy of the Lord (v10). Then he reminds them (us) to give thanks to the Father. To give thanks to Him for He has transferred us from darkness to Light, so we no longer are condemned. We are redeemed and forgiven! I am forgiven! This incident was a lesson. I know this now. Look at vs 21-23. They further encourage me that although I may have fallen here, I have been reconciled through death. I WILL BE presented before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach. And not if I continue in "good works" ... but what? If I continue IN FAITH (in what?) in the gospel that I heard. What is the gospel? Paul tells us that it is a righteousness that is given to us from God.

Romans 1.16-17
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."

Praise God for HIS righteousness!

Hebrews 12:6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.

I was disciplined, or taught about my pride through this. I was shown my erroneous attitude, as I myself show my son (though not perfectly, as my Father in heaven).

Proverbs 3:11-12
11 My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of his reproof,
12 for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.

The Lord DELIGHTS in me! He shows it with this very lesson in discipline! Praise God for His abundant mercy!

I know my heart is heading in the right direction as well because of God's Word:

Proverbs 12:1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

I indeed delight in this discipline. I desire to be rid of my pride once and for all. I truly believe I am one step closer because of this. However, I shall be cautious of becoming proud of my humility. Spiritual pride is deceptive.

Lord, forgive me for my pride. I acknowledge it is sin and know it is not pleasing to You. I know you have placed my sin on your Son at the cross. I have died with Him that day. I have been buried with Him and risen in baptism. Thank you that you have forgiven me. I thank you, LORD, that you have taken this opportunity to teach me about myself. You've shown me my pride (something I indeed did pray for just the other day), and you've shown me my faith in You is not as strong as I thought. Lord, please increase my faith and decrease my pride. I thank You for Your faithfulness and compassion.

Psalm 42:3

Ps 42.3
My tears have been my food day and night,
while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?"

These were his companions saying this, not his enemies. He was traveling with a band of soldiers. They would have been the ones who spoke with him.

Be encouraged when the people closest to you doubt your faith. It is nothing new (Ecc 1.9), and you're in good company.

Blessings

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

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.