Tried With Fire

And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Luke 1:35 Many people are quite satisfied with a religion of external rules and ceremonies because they have a superficial view of sin. Perhaps they have fairly loose rules, such as a minim requirement to attend public worship now and then. Or maybe they have stiff and complex rules consisting of behaviors almost as intricate as a Japanese tea ceremony. Either way, changes in behavior cannot purify the heart for it is the seat of our corruption. Christ said, "Either make the tree good and his fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt, for the tree is known by his fruit" (Matt. 12:33). Jesus came to become the root of a whole new tree. He is also the vine and we are the branches (John 15:5). He is the head, and we are the members ...

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. Isaiah 61:1-3 Every child of God has felt his soul cleave to the dust and melt for heaviness (Ps. 119:25, 28). Circumstances overwhelm us with hopelessness. Life in a sinful world weighs heavily on our hearts. On top of this sorrow is the pain that comes from persecution from the ungodly. The psalmist testifies of this, "My tears have been my meat day and night, while ...

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 God's love for the world seems incongruous, far-fetched, and even impossible. To believe in this love, we need irrefutable evidence. Jesus' coming to the world is the irrefutable evidence of the Father's love for it. People can talk about their love for others, but the proof of love is action, not words (1 John 3:18). The apostle Paul speaks of Christ's death for us as proof of God's love, asserting, "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom, 5:8)… God's love for His people can only be understood in relation to His love for His Son. The only begotten Son of God is the eternal object of the Father's affection… [T]he love between God the Father and God the Son is perfect, personal, intimate, deep, and committed. It is love without limits...

Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. John 18:37 Pilate questioned the existence of truth, and his life bore the fruit of his doubts. He lived in fear of losing his position. Against his conscience, he gave deference to the mad request of the people. He disregarded the advice of his wife, who urged him to have nothing to do with Jesus' death. Pilate was in bondage because he didn't know the truth. Even though he spent many years bound in prison, the apostle Paul declares "Stand fast… in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free" (Gal. 5:1). So you can be a prisoner and yet be truly free, or you can be a king and live in bondage. As Paul testified in chains before kings, it was clear that he, not they, knew true freedom (Acts 24:16, 25).  You...

"In Christ's first coming, He implemented a rescue plan conceived in the mind of God before the foundation of the world. He did not come to promote holiday cheer, boost end-of-year sales, or serve as the central figure in a nativity scene. He came to save sinners…" Read more of this quote from Why Christ Came at Out of the Ordinary.

Not one of the Father's expectations were unfulfilled in Christ. When Christ said, "It is finished," He meant it (John 19:30). By His obedience to God's will, even in the things that He suffered, He secured salvation for us. As our high priest, Christ teaches us that we have no other way of dealing with our moral failure and its penalty than to come to God and say, "Nothing in my hand I bring, / Simply to thy cross I cling." As we study the early chapters of the Gospels, it is difficult to feel the full weight of Jesus' statement: "I come… to do thy will, O God." But later, especially as we read about Christ in the garden of Gethsemane, we begin to sense the depth of that commitment. In the garden, Jesus wrestles with the reality of Isaiah 53:10: "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him." In the garden, Christ was "exceeding sorrowful, even unto death," and "sore amazed" (Matt. 26:38, Mark 14:33). Paintings of Ch...

Why Christ Came: 31 Meditations on the Incarnation , Joel R. Beeke & William Boekestein, Reformation Heritage Books, 2013, 108 pages. Why Christ Came: 31 Meditations on the Incarnation is great little devotional that looks at Jesus' mission and ministry beyond what we typically associate with Christmas.  Drawn from both the Old and New Testaments, the authors highlight different reasons why Christ came such as: - to die - to give us the spirit of adoption - to bring a sword - to bring peace - to fulfill the law and the prophets - to bind up broken hearts - to be the second and greater Adam - to reveal God's love for sinners You may think some of these reasons would be better suited for Easter, but our salvation hinges on God becoming man. Thus, the authors do an excellent job expounding these far-reaching implications of Christ's birth. The readings are scripturally based and rich in theology and heart-felt devotion. This would be a wonderful resourc...

Sometimes it's easy to be overwhelmed with sin and guilt. We get a glimpse of how rotten we are even as believers and despair that God could ever forgive and restore. On the one hand, we can treat sin too lightly and demean the incalculable cost of Christ's death. But conversely, sin can loom so large that what Christ has done doesn't seem to be enough. Either way we get it wrong because we're looking at ourselves and not at Him. All the more reason to believe what God has said about Himself and what He has promised to His children. Here are a few quotes from Williams Spurstowe regarding God's promises in times of sin and temptation What, then, is true humiliation? What is godly sorrow that leads to repentance (2 Cor. 7:10)? True sorrow for sin drives a sinner utterly out of himself. It stirs up a vehement thirst for Christ and a settled resolution to cleave wholly to Him as Lord, Savior, King, and Priest. Can you attest to such sorrow? Then believe it to be tru...

Praying the promises is the most important element in the right use of the promises. This is because, despite all our striving to believe and apply the promises of God, we sometimes still find ourselves "Troubled on every side; without [are] fightings, within [are] fears" (2 Cor. 7:5) and "pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we [despair] even of life," feeling that "we [have] the sentence of death in ourselves" (2 Cor. 1:8-9). Are we without hope? When we find ourselves in such straits, are we destined to be tossed on the waves of life's storms without the anchor of divine promises? Not at all. As distant and out of reach as the promises of God may seem to us in such straits, a mighty means of comfort is still available to us. That means is prayer. Even when everything seems to have failed and the very bottom of life seems to have fallen out, if we but cry out to God in prayer, even if we merely utter groans before the throne of G...

In this we obtain a most useful consolation, for we tend to want a multitude of believers and to estimate by it the prosperity of the church. On the contrary, we should rather desire to be few in number in which the glory of God shines brightly. But because our own glory leads us in another direction, the consequence is that we more greatly regard a great number of men than the excellence of a few. For meditation (from Dr. Beeke): What is the use of a great number of nominal Christians if few behave like Christians in any sense of the word? The greater concern is building a holy church, not building a mega-church. How can you help your church become more holy? 365 Days with Calvin , Joel Beeke, editor, Day One Publications 2008, reading for April 4.

We can serve God freely and boldly, even though our consciences accuse us and we know we are full of sin. How is this possible? Well, we are not grounded upon our own merits but purely upon the mercy of God. Because of this, we know that God accepts our works, even though much is wrong with them. God thus says by the mouth of the prophet that he will receive the service we render as a father accepts the works of his child (Mal. 1:6)... In speaking of the days of gospel grace, our Lord says that he will accept our service just as a father accepts the obedience of his child, even if what is done is of no value. He shows himself bountiful and kind to us by accepting what we do as if it were fully pleasing to him, even though there is no inherent merit or worth in our works. Thus, we can have the freedom and the courage to serve God, knowing that God will bless all that we do for him because whatever is wrong with our offerings is washed away in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. From 365...

My favorite chapter so far in Living for God's Glory  is Chapter 15 -  Sanctification in Puritan Practice .  Dr. Beeke has distilled wisdom from the Puritans to help us in the sanctification process.  When we consider how to live as Christians, holiness may not be the first word that comes to mind, but it should be.  Rather than meaning "holier-than-thou", holiness should be the desire and fruit of a believer.  "A holy life should emanate from joy in the Lord, not negative drudgery.   The idea that holiness requires a gloomy disposition is a tragic distortion of Scripture, for Scripture asserts that those who cultivate holiness experience true joy." (pg. 214) Dr. Beeke offers some good questions to ask ourselves in regard to holy living: When hesitating over a course of action, ask yourself the following questions based on 1 Corinthians: 1. Does this glorify God? ( 1 Cor. 10:31 ) 2. Is this consistent with the lordship of Christ? ( 1 Cor. 7:23 ) 3. ...

My daughter and I had an interesting discussion on unconditional election after church.  She has been hearing arguments against this doctrine from other sources, namely the Arminian view of conditional election that although people are sinful, they are able to believe on Jesus Christ by exercising their free wills. My daughter is a firm 5-pointer, but she's probably not going to start any theological fights in the near future.  However, we looked at some responses to conditional election.   Here is good one from Joel Beeke: [C]onditional election really saves no one.  In the end, it destroys men, because it bases salvation, at least in part, upon depraved human beings.  Unconditional election, on the other hand, does not destroy men but saves them; it is our friend, not our enemy. It does not keep out of heaven people who otherwise would be there, but it brings to heaven people who otherwise never would be welcome there.  The wonder is not that God justly ...

Congratulations, Gregg!  You're the providential winner of Living for God's Glory by Joel Beeke. Thanks to everyone who entered.  There will be more giveaways, Lord willing, so stay tuned.

[W]e should pray and work (ora et labora). Prayer and work belong together. They are like two oars that, when used together, keep the rowboat moving forward. If you use only one oar - praying without working or working without praying - you will row in circles. Holiness takes well-planned, hard, and sweating prayer and work, the Puritans said. Careful planning as to how you are going to live for the Lord is necessary if you want to achieve much of abiding value for Him. Yet the Puritans were not self-reliant. They understood that daily living for a Christian must go something like this: 1.  Look ahead and see what you have to do. 2. Go to the Lord in prayer and say, "Lord, I do not have what it takes to do this; I need divine help." 3. Rely on the Lord to answer the prayer you have offered, then proceed expectantly to the task that lies before you. 4. After completing the task, return to the Lord to thank Him for the help He gave. 5. Ask His forgiveness for all your failures ...

In preparation for the Lord's day, here is some advice from Thomas Watson on how to listen to a sermon: 1. Prepare to hear the Word by bathing your soul in prayer. 2. Come to the Word with a holy appetite and a tender, teachable heart. 3. Be attentive to the preached Word. 4. Receive with meekness the engrafted Word (James 1:21) 5. Mingle the preached Word with faith. 6. Strive to retain what has been preached and pray about the Word proclaimed. 7. Put the Word into practice; be doers of it. 8. Beg the Spirit to accompany the Word with effectual blessing. 9. Familiarize yourself with the Word by sharing it with others. From Living for God's Glory , Joel R. Beeke, Reformation Trust, pages 208-209.

I will be giving away a copy of Living for God's Glory - An Introduction to Calvinism by Dr. Joel R. Beeke.  This was written for "lay-people and ministers who are interested in learning the basics of Calvinism."   The book includes a brief history of Calvinism and detailed chapters on the doctrines including TULIP and the solas.  There are also sections covering the relationship of reformed theology to the the heart, the church,  our practice, and the ultimate goal - doxology. I am about two-thirds through the book and have been greatly helped.  Dr. Beeke's explanation of TULIP is excellent, and he responds to commonly raised objections.  I also appreciate the grounding of this book in the marrow of Calvinism - to define all doctrine and life in a God-centered, God-glorifying way. To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post stating why you would like this book.  I will pick the providential winner on March 30.  (US addresse...

Here's a convicting question from Dr. Joel Beeke: Is Scripture the mirror by which we dress ourselves (James 1:22-27)? Worth considering, no? from Living for God's Glory - An Introduction to Calvinism , Joel R. Beeke, Reformation Trust, page 134.