Tried With Fire

On Sunday, John Freeman from HarvestUSA spoke at the evening service. It was a very encouraging message on the call to holiness in every area of our lives and how the gospel makes this possible. HarvestUSA's ministry specifically addresses issues of sexual brokenness, so this brother has seen what the grace of God can do. When my daughter and I were discussing the service afterward, I mentioned that his talk reminded me of Thomas Chalmer's sermon, The Expulsive Power of a New Affection ,  in which love for God displaces the love for idols. But she surprised me by saying that we need to be careful because this could be misunderstood. I asked her to explain and she replied - Our love for God does not change us. It is the God whom we love who changes us. (Mic drop.) Make no mistake, Chalmers doesn't get this wrong at all, but I can see why she expressed this caution. As a child of Adam, I am hardwired by the covenant of works to "do this and live." But because ...

This statement by R.C. Sproul (1939-2017) changed my spiritual life because the role of imputation in the gospel finally clicked: "In the final analysis, the only way that any person is ever justified before God is by works. We are saved by works, and we are saved by works alone. Don't touch that dial..." "[W]hen I say that we are justified by works and by works alone, what do I mean by it? I mean that the grounds of my justification and the grounds of your justification are the perfect works of Jesus Christ. We're saved by works, but they are not our own. That's why we say we're saved by faith, and we're saved by grace, because the works that save us aren't our works, they're Somebody else's works." From "What is Reformed Theology?." You can watch the lecture here . Don't let the title put you off. Covenant theology is a wonderful doctrine.

We have been told from ancient times that the unexamined life is not worth living, and I agree with that. And yet I must find myself in a small minority because I find it difficult to find many people who put their own philosophies and their religious convictions under a microscope and ask themselves, "Why do I believe what I believe? Do I believe it simply because it has been passed on to me by my parents or the subcultural community that I have been in?"... Why do you believe what you believe? Because what you believe determines how you live. And so it is a very important question to ask yourself particularly as a Christian, because there is real sense in which we are called upon to justify to our believe systems, not just to our neighbor but to ourselves, because we are called to be mature in our faith. Paul tells us to be babes in evil but in our understanding to be adults, which means we have to use the minds that God has given us to see the basis for our truth. This ...

The issues of sin and justice have been on a back burner in my mind for several years. One particular aspect is the idea of moral equivalence - where all sins are considered equal. This older post by Kevin DeYoung is worth reading, the majority of which is also in Hole in our Holiness . In the book, he references The Holiness of God where R.C. Sproul states that all sins require atonement but all sins are not equal. [I]t seems humble to act as if no sin is worse than another, but we lose the impetus for striving and the ability to hold each other accountable when we tumble down the slip-n-slide of moral equivalence... When we can no longer see the different gradations among sins and sinners and sinful nations, we have not succeeded in respecting our own badness, we've cheapened God's goodness. 1 The idea of gradations of sin is important for us to keep in mind so we understand the difference between sin and gross sin . Again, all of our sins require forgiveness. All of...

For 11 weeks, the women in our church have been studying hermeneutics, guidelines for interpreting Scripture. This was almost a mini-seminary course as Pastor Ryan had taught the same material at Gaba Bible Institute in Uganda this summer. It was very challenging but also very helpful.  After we walked through the final exam, Pastor Ryan said he would consider the class a success if the women in the church are ever so slightly less intimidated by the Word and ever so slightly more faithful in our interpretation. I pray and hope in faith that this will be the case.  I came away with a greater conviction that the Word is the sole authoritative way God reveals Himself. If I profess to love and follow Him, how can I do that unless I know who He is? And how will I know who He is unless I learn through the means He has chosen to reveal Himself? I will still read plenty of books, but they can't be primary. There is no substitute for digging in the Bible. Much is way bey...

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." Thus saith the familiar proverb. Tonight the ladies in our church will begin a series of "fishing" lessons. Not casting or tying lures but lessons in biblical hermeneutics. The teaching pastor recently taught this course at a seminary in Uganda, and now it's our turn to be the students. We will still need to hear the preaching of the Word. We will still need the fellowship of the local church. We will still read books. But teach a woman how to properly interpret the Bible and you've opened the treasure house of the only authoritative means whereby God speaks to His people. Some might think this is an impractical academic exercise. I would respectively disagree. If we want to be godly women, we need to know who God is.  If we want to obey and please Him, we need to know His commands Where else will learn this but in the Word? Granted there are plenty...

 Here are links to the talks from the final day of the Ligonier conference: Session 11 : Ignorance is not bliss  Robert Godfrey Text: Psalm 49.  Dr. Godfrey gave an overview of the decline of Christian thought and the consequences of it not being taken seriously.  Christians throughout history have been maligned for their deeds, i..e the crusades. But the death toll from the ideologies that have rejected God is far worse. What vision of the life and the life to come should Christians hold up? How do we engage ourselves in this world for the cause of Christ? Dr. Godfrey then used Abraham Kuyper as an example of someone who was actively engaged in bringing Christ to bear in the time and place where he lived. We are responsible for the sphere in which we find ourselves, but we are responsible and accountable to Him.  If we love God and love our neighbor, we will offer an alternative to the shepherds of death - the Good Shepherd.  Ignorance is not bliss...

The winner of the Christian Worldview DVD by R. C. Sproul is: Congratulations, Elizabeth!!!! Thanks to all who entered. Stay tuned for more giveaways in the future, Lord willing.

(Here are some snippets from my notes from Day 1.  They don't do the talks justice, but it may whet your appetite to get them and listen for yourself.) Session 1 - Have you lost your mind?   R. C. Sproul We are living in an anti-intellectual time. Not necessarily anti-academic or anti-scientific but anti-mind. This not just in the world but in evangelicalism. Mind and the body - There is a biblical relationship between our minds and what we do with our physical bodies. We are responsible for our actions and how we think will attribute to this. If I want to know what you really believe, I will look at your life. Our lives tell as what we think. If a Christian is interested in how he lives, he needs to consider how he thinks and what he thinks. Mind and the will - The will is the mind choosing (Jonathan Edwards). A voluntary, conscious choice. I will choose what my mind deems best at that particular moment, doing what you are most inclined to do at that moment...

In honor of the 2012 Ligonier Conference on The Christian Mind , I will be giving away Christian Worldview by R. C. Sproul. This is a 2-disc DVD set containing 12 lectures on the most popular worldviews, their implications, and the contrasting Christian worldview.  I've begun to watch the series and have found it very enlightening. More info on the series here . To enter the giveaway, please fill out the form below with your contact information. (US addresses only please). The winner will be chosen on Tuesday, March 20, at noon EDT.   The winner will be contacted via email and have 24 hours to respond. (The giveaway is closed.)

[Warning: Mini-rant ahead] The mega-church down the road recently built a new sanctuary, which we experienced firsthand at Tim Hawkins' show.  It was certainly impressive to say the least, but I had to shut my mouth more than once to keep the snark inside.  The stage had light panels above, below, and surrounding the 3 ginormous TV screens at the back. The color of the lights were varied depending on Tim's musical numbers and even changed to red, white, and blue for his grand finale. Very cool for the new Chick-fil-A song, but can anyone tell me why a light show would be necessary for the preaching of the word? It was so sad when the pastor of this congregation invited people to their worship service, telling the audience he was called the "Jeff Foxworthy" of  preachers. At the end of the show, another man (maybe the assistant pastor) also gave an invitation stating that if you liked Tim Hawkins you'd love it there Sunday morning. Is that any recommendation?...

From R. C. Sproul in December's Tabletalk Magazine: "The New Testament puts a priority on the church's concern for widows and orphans. Widows and orphans are human beings who have suffered broken families not through divorce but through death. Obviously, the church's concern must extend beyond those whose brokenness has been caused by death. Anyone who is involved in a broken family relationship needs the ministry and care of the church... Divorce can no longer be seen simply as an extreme case of marital failure. Since it has reached not only epidemic but pandemic proportions, it cries out for the application of the means of grace to those who suffer as a result of it." Having been through this trial, I can attest to needing the care of the church. I have been blessed by brothers and sisters who did not see me as a charity case, but loved me and ministered the gospel to my family in word and deed. Here are some ways I have been helped, and I share these ho...

Congratulations to Christina! You've won the Justification by Faith Alone CD set. Thanks to everyone who entered. Lord willing, there will be more giveaways in 2012, so stay tuned!

For the last giveaway this year, I will be giving away a CD set of  Justification by Faith Alone by R. C. Sproul. These excellent talks by Dr. Sproul include historical background on the reformation as well as a very clear explanation of this crucial doctrine. To enter the giveaway, please fill out the form below. (U.S. addresses only please.) The providential winner will be picked on December 7.

Subjectivism not only produces error and distortion, but it breeds arrogance as well. To believe what I believe simply because I believe it or to argue that my opinion is true simply because it is my opinion is the epitome of arrogance. If my views cannot stand the test of objective analysis and verification, humility demands that I abandon them. But the subjectivist has the arrogance to maintain his position with no objective support or corroboration. To say to someone "If you like to believe what you want to believe, that's fine. I'll believe what I want to believe," only sounds humble on the surface. Private views must be evaluated in the light of outside evidence and opinion because we bring excess baggage to the Bible. No one on the face of this Earth has a perfectly pure understanding of Scripture. We all hold some views that  entertain some ideas that are not of God. Perhaps if we knew precisely which of our views were contrary to God, we would abandon them. Bu...

"That's your interpretation, and that's fine for you. I don't agree with it, but my interpretation is equally valid. Though our interpretations are contrary and contradictory, they can both be true. Whatever you like is true for you and whatever I like is true for me." This is subjectivism. Subjectivism takes place when the truth of a statement is not merely expanded or applied to the subject, but when it is absolutely determined by the subject. If we are to avoid distortion of Scripture, we must avoid subjectivism from the beginning. In seeking an objective understanding of Scripture, we do not thereby reduce Scripture to something cold, abstract, and lifeless. What we are doing is seeking to understand what the word says in its context before we go about the equally necessary task of applying it to ourselves. A particular statement may have numerous possible personal applications, but it can only have one correct meaning . Alternate interpretations which are c...

I was listening to R.C. Sproul yesterday when he made this startling statement: "In the final analysis, the only way that any person is ever justified before God is by works.  We are saved by works, and we are saved by works alone.  Don't touch that dial..." What did he say?!   Dr. Sproul goes on to explain: "[W]hen I say that we are justified by works and by works alone, what do I mean by it? I mean that the grounds of my justification and the grounds of your justification are the perfect works of Jesus Christ . We're saved by works but t hey are not our own.  That's why we say we're saved by faith, and we're saved by grace, because the works that save us aren't our works, they're Somebody else's works ." At this point, the light bulb went on in my head. In the garden, God entered a covenant with Adam, the representative of the human race, but that relationship was contingent on Adam's obedience which  must be perfect ....

In honor of Reformation Day, October 31st, I'll be giving away What is Reformation Theology? , a new 4-CD set by Dr. R.C. Sproul. I am halfway through the lectures myself and learning quite a bit.  Dr. Sproul gives historical background to reformed theology as well as discussing the vital doctrines of Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, and the 5 points of Calvinism. To enter the drawing, please leave a comment. The drawing will be open until midnight October 30th. We'll draw a name out of the hat before we go to church Reformation Day morning. Thanks for entering!

How can we love a holy God?  The simplest answer I can give to this vital question is that we can't.  Loving a holy God is beyond our moral power.  The only kind of God we can love by our sinful nature is an unholy god, an idol made by our own hands.  Unless we are born of the Spirit of God, unless God sheds His holy love in our hearts, unless He stoops in His grace to change our hearts, we will not love Him.  He is the One who takes the initiative to restore our souls. Without Him we can do nothing of righteousness.  Without Him we would be doomed to everlasting alienation from His holiness. We can love Him only because He first loved us.  To love a holy God requires grace, grace strong enough to pierce our hardened hearts and awaken our moribund souls. The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul, Ligonier, page 221-222.

From the Holiness of God by R. C. Sproul, Ligonier, page 206 The idea of gradations of sin is important for us to keep in mind so we understand the difference between sin and gross sin .  Again, all of our sins require forgiveness.  All of our sins are acts of treason against God. We need a Savior for our "little" sins as well as for the "major" ones.  But some sins are more significant than others, and we need to identify which these are, lest we fall into the pharisaical trap of majoring in the minors. This was a very interesting chapter, because I had assumed that "sin is sin, and no sin is greater than the other." However, the damage inflicted and the consequences from sins can be very different.  Dr. Sproul illustrates this point by comparing how we control our eating  versus how we control our speech.  Many have weight issues.  Great effort is spent to bring our appetites under control, but how much is spent on tongue control?  Perhaps it ...