Tried With Fire

This past weekend, we were blessed to have Dr. William VanDoodewaard speak at our annual theology conference - The Marrow of Salvation. The title makes reference to "The Marrow of Modern Divinity," a 17th century English book that caused a controversy in Scotland 50 years later. Why does this old book written by a dead guy and argued over by more dead guys matter to us? I'm glad you asked, and I will answer the question by giving a snippet of each talk. Session 1 - This session was about the book itself. The Marrow was written to help the reader find the middle ground between the 2 ditches of legalism and antinomianism. It was written in the form of a dialogue between a legalist, an antinomian, a new believer, and a minister. This book was recommended by the official government censor and went through several reprintings. Then why the controversy? The Presbyterian church in Scotland in the early 1700's began to drift away from the gospel of free grace in Christ in...

Openness Unhindered , Rosaria Champagne Butterfield, Crown & Covenant Publications, July 2015, 206 pages. The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Butterfield is one of the most thought-provoking and challenging books I have read. I was convicted of my lack of love for the lost and lack of faith in the power of the gospel, but it also encouraged me to believe that God is able to save to the uttermost. If you haven't read it, read it! Because of Secret Thoughts , I was eager to read Butterfield's second book, Openness Unhindered . Identity and specifically sexual identity are hot topics and even more so following the Supreme Court's ruling on same-sex marriage. How should Christians address the issue of sexual orientation and identity? How do we come alongside our brothers and sisters who struggle with sexual sin and have made the choice to live "in chastity with unwanted homosexual desires?" (pg. 144) These are a few of the issues tackled ...

Scandals involving Christian organizations/celebrities broke shortly before I went on vacation. I told my daughter it was probably a good thing I was taking an Internet break. I tend not to be a big "issue" person, but I make a very strong exception when it comes to abuse and any alleged cover-up within the Christian community. I thought time and distance would cool-off my response. Evidently not. I am still grieved and heartbroken. I get a gnawing pit in my stomach every time a fresh account is made public of alleged abuse within Christian circles. This not only includes abuse in its criminal forms but spiritual abuse as well. This causes me to wonder -  does spiritual abuse provide the necessary cover under which other forms of abuse can hide in a Christian environment? Having witnessed several incidents over the past decades, there is nothing so disheartening as Christian leaders sweeping sin under the rug. When the scandal involves celebrities, the news spreads far...

I'm not a melancholy person by nature, but there are times when "sorrows like sea billows roll". But God is at work in the midst of the sorrow whether its bringing me to repentance for my sins or increasing my prayers for the salvation of others: For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 2 Cor. 7:10 My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.Psalm 119:136

Our small group has been reading Love or Di e by Alexander Strauch, which deals with the loss of first love. In Revelation 2: 5, Jesus gives a command to the church in Ephesus to repent, and Strauch breaks this down very specifically (pgs. 21-22): "Through repentance, the church in Ephesus, would demonstrate that it accepts Christ's evaluation of its fallen condition, that it has judged itself according to Christ's Word to be sinful and deserving of divine discipline (1 Cor. 11:31-32), that it grieves over its loss of love and displeasure to Christ (2 Cor. 7:8-10), that it is turning away from sin and returning to its past life of love, that it will, by God's grace, take appropriate action (2 Cor. 7:8-12)." Repentance is not a vague acknowledgment but ownership of sin and a change of heart and mind that manifests itself in changed behavior. It's an imperative, not a suggestion.

If someone tells you from the pulpit that God does not care about your personal repentance, run the other way as fast as you can.

The sooner you repent, the fewer sins you will have to answer for. From The Doctrine of Repentance , Thomas Watson, Banner of Truth, pg. 87.

My daughter and I get to spend an hour or so in the car when I drop her off for week-end visitation.  We often listen to music or sermons or just talk.  One thing we discussed was conviction and repentance.  A few years ago, she came under conviction and was in tears confessing and repenting for a past sin.  She never forgot that instance and never forgot to be encouraged when convicted because conviction leading to repentance is evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit. This was a good reminder for me today.  I have my moments like the Psalmist who looked at the wicked flourishing and wondered why they can breeze through life with nary a pang or at least easily suppress any pangs.  I confess I am still waiting for lightning to fall from heaven and nothing has happened.  But I am reminded of the sobering words of Thomas Brooks, " God is most angry when he shows no anger. God keep me from this mercy; this kind of mercy is worse than all other kind of...

"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered." Psalm 32:1 It is a miracle to believe, but for a sinner to believe is two miracles. ~ Samuel Rutherford, Letter to John Stuart 1637 It is a sign that the Sun of Righteousness has risen upon us, when our frozen hearts thaw and melt for sin. Weeping for sin is a sign of the new birth. As soon as the child is born—it weeps. Mourning shows a 'heart of flesh' (Ezekiel 36:26). A stone will not melt. When the heart is in a melting frame—it is a sign the heart of stone is taken away. ~ Thomas Watson, The Beatitudes 1660 Pardon of sin is a choice mercy. This jewel God hangs upon none but His elect. ~Thomas Watson, The Christian's Charter

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." And again, "The Lord will judge his people." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10: 26-31 This was the text from today's sermon . This afternoon, my daughter and I talked about the sermon for a long time. It was a very sobering message. We couldn't listen to it and not think of her dad. Although only God knows the true state of his heart...

We've been studying Philemon in our small group. We've discussed what would it mean for a person or a church to receive back someone who has sinned against you, run away, and now repented. What was it like that first Sunday morning after Onesimus came back? How did he feel? How did Philemon and his family feel? But more importantly, if the Gospel is true, what would those brothers and sisters have done in the light of that? Someone wondered what would be a comparable situation in our day. Well, I can easily think of one. What would I do if God grants my husband repentance? What should I do if he seeks reconciliation even if it is impossible for our marriage to be reconciled? (i.e. remarriage) There is part of me that would cry tears of joy at his repentance and restoration, but if I'm honest I will have to deal with overcoming the hurt and the pain as well. This is where the rubber of the Gospel meets the road. This post by Timmy Brister relates a real life incident of a b...