Tried With Fire

"Let go and let God" is one of those Christian phrases that is used frequently.  But is it scriptural? Here are John Frame's thoughts on this: [W]e should not wait passively for God to sanctify us.  Some have taught that the way to holiness is to "let go and let God."  But that is not biblical.  In the first place, we don't need to "let God," for God is sovereign and does not need to wait for us to let go before he can work.  And we should not let go, for God commands us to fight in the spiritual battle.  So, there's the paradox: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Phil 2: 12b-13).  God does it all, but he does it by the use of human effort (2 Peter 1:5-11). Salvation Belongs to the Lord , John M. Frame, P&R Publishing, pg 217.

I started the New Year by finishing John Frame's Salvation Belongs to the Lord .  After reading this book and listening to R. C. Sproul's talks on reformed theology last year,  I realize how little I know and how much I need to learn.  In one sense, I will never fully grasp all there is to know about God because He is so great.  But in another sense, He makes Himself known and desires that we know Him.   Lord willing, my goal is to read through the Bible this year using the Robert Murray M'Cheyne reading plan in conjunction with D. A. Carson's For the Love of God: A Daily Companion for Discovering the Riches of God's Word.   Dr. Carson has written daily reflections that aim to edify as well as build a whole biblical theology based on chapters from the M'Cheyne reading.   After too many years of reading my chapter a day for a quick edification fix, my prayer is to read and think .  At first I wasn't going to use a plan, but the plan will help...

Just imagine: Jesus grows up as a carpenter in Galilee.  Then, when he is thirty or so years old, he begins to teach as a Jewish rabbi.  His disciples are all Jews, and they have been taught from childhood that there is only one God, and they should worship God alone.  They should never worship idols, certainly never worship a mere man.  Somehow, during the next three years or so, all these Jewish disciples, and many more people besides, are convinced that Jesus is God and deserves to be worshipped as God.  They have known him intimately as a man, have walked and talked and eaten with him; yet, they have come to worship him.  That is quite an amazing thing. Salvation Belongs to the Lord - An Introduction to Systematic Theology by John M. Frame, P&R Publishing, page 131.