Tried With Fire

"The superiority of a grown-up in Christ to his younger counterparts lies chiefly in the fact that the Lord has blessed his going to church, praying, listening to biblical preaching and receiving the Lord's Supper and has given him a clearer view of the greatness and majesty of Christ… He grasps the great mysteries of redeeming love and cherishes the One who took on human weakness in order to atone for his sin. He marvels at the stability, unity, beauty, and certainty of the Scriptures and frequently meditates on the height, breadth, depth, and length of the love of God in Christ for him. In fact, his greatest joy is to behold the glory of God in Christ, and as he gazes at the Savior, he is gradually changed into the likeness of the one he adores." Sounds a bit contrary to the Christianoid culture that seeks one emotional experience after another to compensate for the current one that has fizzled out. Who would have thought that grasping the gospel and "ordinary...

First the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. Mark 4:28 In Extravagant Grace , Barbara Duguid distills several of John Newton's letters on the progression of Christian growth. For new believers, there is great enthusiasm and zeal. They have new revelation and gain victory over certain sins, but often there is less compassion and understanding. They view other Christians through the lens of their own experience which may result in a legalistic and judgmental attitude. I would also add cage-stage believers in this category too. As one blogger wrote , "No Calvinist is so brutal in his assessment of Arminianism as the recent Calvinist." Sound familiar?   I love how Newton describes the process in which God humbles us through our own struggles with sin.  We realize where we've been too big for our britches. We appreciate His forbearance which results in greater compassion for those who are struggling. This is what I want to be by His grace. ...

As parents, we are sometimes more interested in protecting our children from the sinful influences of the world than we are preparing them for the deep sinfulness of their own hearts. We think that if we can just keep them from sinning too much while they are young and vulnerable, then they won't struggle with sin so much as adults. Of course, good parents don't allow their kids to sin much. They discipline, teach, restrain, and intervene. Yet these actions alone don't prepare young people well for the reality of the powerful temptations they will face when Mom and Dad aren't around. Simply building a fence between a child and temptation is not the same thing as preparing him to face life. Extravagant Grace , Barbara Duguid, P&R Publishing, pp. 78-79.