1655 Midland Confession of Faith

3rd. We profess and believe the Holy Scriptures, the Old and New Testament, to be the word and revealed mind of God, which are able to make men wise unto Salvation, through faith and love which is in Christ Jesus; and that they are given by inspiration of God, serving to furnish the man of God for every good work; and by them we are (in the strength of Christ) to try all things whatsoever are brought to us, under the pretence of truth. II Timothy iii.15-17; Isaiah viii.20.

Knowing the Father and the Son - Gibberish To Jehovah's Witnesses

In my studies this morning I ran across this passage.

Mat 11:27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. (ESV)

This places the Son in such a glorious and unique position. It's hard to fathom what a Jehovah's Witness would get out of this, since they hold that Michael was the first creation of Jehovah. From their point of view, it seems to be saying something like this:

"Everything has been handed over by Jehovah to one of his created beings. No one knows this created being except Jehovah and no one knows Jehovah except this creature and anyone to whom this created being chooses to reveal him."

Are there any JWs who are willing to share their thoughts on the following questions?



When did the Father hand all things over to the Son?



How could infinite God hand over all things to a finite creature?



Why can't any other creatures know their fellow creature?



Why can only God know this creature?



Why is this the only creature that can know Jehovah without assistance?



How can this creature know God without assistance?



Why is this creature in control of choosing who to reveal God to?

Biblical Innerancy - Chicago-style

Thirty-one years ago, nearly 300 evangelical leaders affixed their names to the Chicago Statement on Biblical Innerancy. Included among them were R.C. Sproul, J.I. Packer, Roger Nicole, Norman L. Geisler, Robert Preus, James Montgomery Boice, John Gerstner, Carl F. H. Henry, Kenneth Kantzer, Harold Lindsell, John Warwick Montgomery, Earl Radmacher, Francis Schaeffer, and John Wenham.

I know several of our younger readers here are not aware of this brief yet important work. Some of the names above are possibly familiar but others are unknown. It may seem that 31 years ago is equivalent to eternity past from our historically-truncated viewpoint but it isn't. You will know this experientially when you turn 31. Rest assured that it is well-written and worth your investment in reading it. It is a document that I have re-read and thought about many times over the years.

Christ's Poverty Our Riches

As it is certain that nothing but grace can save the sinner, so it is as certain there is nothing more unpleasing to the sinner than grace; than that good, which when received he must always own the bounty of the giver, and never to eternity be able to say, "My own hand hath made me rich." Christ will bring none to heaven that are in that mind. He that will not be rich in Christ, must be poor and condemned still in the first Adam. Know ye not, saith the apostle, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who though he was rich, yet he became poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich, 2 Cor. 8:9. The riches of a believer stands in the poverty of Christ; and every true believer counts Christ's poverty his riches.

--Robert Traill

Free MP3 Sermons by Tim Keller

A sampling of sermons by well-known author and pastor Tim Keller is now available online. When I tried the site earlier tonight it was obviously drowning in traffic.

HT:JT

Amazing Grace: The History & Theology of Calvinism

For those of you who are not aware of theology on DVD, here is a great example for your consideration. I am currently watching the series and am enjoying it immensely. There is a lot of gold in this treasure chest.

Rich in graphics, dramatic vignettes, and biblical analogies, Amazing Grace: The History and Theology of Calvinism features many of the finest reformed thinkers and pastors of our time: Dr. R.C. Sproul, Dr. D. James Kennedy, Dr. George Grant, Dr. Stephen Mansfield, Dr. Thomas Ascol, Dr. Thomas Nettles, Dr. Roger Schultz, Pastor Walt Chantry, Dr. Joe Morecraft, Dr. Ken Talbot, Pastor Walter Bowie and Dr. R.C. Sproul, Jr..

You can purchase it at Monergismbooks.com for a very affordable price.

Hebrews 9-10: Christ our Atonement and High Priest

Today in our Sunday School class we explored the Day of Atonement in the New Testament. At the conclusion of the discussion period, we watched the following video since it covered the most focused section of Scripture on Christ as the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement in the Old Testament. This is Ryan Ferguson reciting Hebrews 9-10 from memory. It is about 11 minutes long and well worth the time to watch.

Keach's Catechism from 1677 on the Word of God

KEACH'S CATECHISM (1677)
Q. 4. What is the Word of God?

A. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, being given by divine inspiration, are the Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice.
(2 Peter 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:16,17; Isaiah 8:20)

Q. 5. How do we know that the Bible is the Word of God?

A. The Bible evidences itself to be God's Word by the heavenliness of its doctrine, the unity of its parts, its power to convert sinners and to edify saints; but the Spirit of God only, bearing witness by and with the Scriptures in our hearts, is able fully to persuade us that the Bible is the Word of God.
(1 Cor. 2:6,7,13; Ps. 119:18, 129; Acts 10:43, 26:22; Acts 18:28; Heb 4:12; Ps. 19:7-9; Rom. 15:4; John 16:13,14; 1 John 2:20-27; 2 Cor. 3:14-17)

Q. 6. May all men make use of the Scriptures?

A. All men are not only permitted, but commanded and exhorted, to read, hear, and understand the Scriptures.
(John 5:39; Luke 16:29; Acts 8:28-30; 17:11)

Q. 7. What do the Scriptures principally teach?

A. The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God and what duty God requires of man.
(2 Tim. 3:16,17; John 20:31; Acts 24:14; 1 Cor. 10:11; Eccles. 12:13)

A Little More Gospel Courage

Here is a 25 minute sermon on Gospel Courage that I preached in 2009 at my home church. Paul set such a wonderful and vivid example for us to follow. I'm not John Piper but we do have one thing in common - God's Word.

Gospel Courage

Here's a recent sermon by Piper on courage in and suffering for the gospel. I pray my young brothers in the faith take it to heart. Today is the day of fear and weakness. We need brave ministers of the gospel to preach true truth wholeheartedly.

The Doctrine of the Atonement by James Haldane

James Alexander Haldane (1768-1851) lived in a day not unlike our own when men misunderstood the Bible. Two prominent authors had written works seeking to establish the doctrine of universal atonement. This brought confusion concerning the work of Christ to the church in Haldane's time. Haldane set out to reply to their errors and to set forth a sound understanding of Christ's work of particular redemption. I had benefited from Haldane's insights in a shorter work, so I looked forward to reading one of his major books.

Haldane served as pastor to the same congregation for over 50 years. Throughout his life he wrote about the atonement. Obviously it was a subject near and dear to his heart. While he was not a controversialist by habit, nearly every book and tract he wrote on the atonement was in defense of truth and in response to specific errors put forth by his contemporaries.

The Doctrine of the Atonement was written to specifically reply to the errors of Drs Wardlaw, Jenkyn, and Payne. Haldane wrote The Doctrine of the Atonement well into his seventies yet displays a strong and active mind, both in general discourse and in seeing inconsistencies and weaknesses in the works he is contending with.

Generally speaking the book is helpful. Haldane looks at many aspects of the atonement, including its nature, extent, and effects. He explores the free offer of the gospel to all. He examines God's love for mankind. Several controversial questions are toppled by the weight of Scripture.

And yet... it's a struggle to read. Haldane writes with a very sharp razor. He doesn't provide any background on his opponent's arguments. He simply refers the reader to the page number in their works and launches into his reply. For the original audience this was likely not an issue since they had ready access to the opposing works. Not so in this day. Over the years I've wondered why this book of Haldane's hasn't been widely available. Now that I've read it, I understand why. There are other works on the atonement that are much more accessible.

I'm glad I read it, but can only offer a muted recommendation.

I shall return... soon.

I should be back in action on the blog in the next couple of weeks. I hope to see you here in the meta.

Hiatus

Dear Friends, I must take a hiatus from writing due to a family health situation. Lord willing, I will return but I do not know when.

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

(2 Corinthians 4:6-11)

Not What My Hands Have Done

Not what my hands have done can save my guilty soul;

Not what my toiling flesh has borne can make my spirit whole.

Not what I feel or do can give me peace with God;

Not all my prayers and sighs and tears can bear my awful load.

Your voice alone, O Lord, can speak to me of grace;

Your power alone, O Son of God, can all my sin erase.

No other work but Yours, no other blood will do;

No strength but that which is divine can bear me safely through.

I praise the Christ of God; I rest on love divine;

And with unfaltering lip and heart I call this Savior mine.

My Lord has saved my life and freely pardon gives;

I love because He first loved me, I live because He lives.

Horatius Bonar, 1861

Sola Scriptura: The Scottish Confession of Faith

The following section is excerpted from the confession drafted in 1560 by six Johns of Scotland, including Knox.

The Scots Confession

Chapter 19 - The Authority of the Scriptures

As we believe and confess the Scriptures of God sufficient to instruct and make perfect the man of God, so do we affirm and avow their authority to be from God, and not to depend on men or angels. We affirm, therefore, that those who say the Scriptures have no other authority save that which they have received from the Kirk are blasphemous against God and injurious to the true Kirk, which always hears and obeys the voice of her own Spouse and Pastor, but takes not upon her to be mistress over the same.

Chapter 20 - General Councils, Their Power, Authority, and the Cause of Their Summoning

As we do not rashly condemn what good men, assembled together in general councils lawfully gathered, have set before us; so we do not receive uncritically whatever has been declared to men under the name of the general councils, for it is plain that, being human, some of them have manifestly erred, and that in matters of great weight and importance. So far then as the council confirms its decrees by the plain Word of God, so far do we reverence and embrace them. But if men, under the name of a council, pretend to forge for us new articles of faith, or to make decisions contrary to the Word of God, then we must utterly deny them as the doctrine of devils, drawing our souls from the voice of the one God to follow the doctrines and teachings of men. The reason why the general councils met was not to make any permanent law which God had not made before, nor yet to form new articles for our belief, nor to give the Word of God authority; much less to make that to be his Word, or even the true interpretation of it, which was not expressed previously by his holy will in his Word; but the reason for councils, at least of those that deserve that name, was partly to refute heresies, and to give public confession of their faith to the generations following, which they did by the authority of God's written Word, and not by any opinion or prerogative that they could not err by reason of their numbers. This, we judge, was the primary reason for general councils. The second was that good policy and order should be constitutes and observed in the Kirk where, as in the house of God, it becomes all things to be done decently and in order. Not that we think any policy of order of ceremonies can be appointed for all ages, times, and places; for as ceremonies which men have devised are but temporal, so they may, and ought to be, changed, when they foster superstition rather than edify the Kirk.

Putting Jesus In His Place

Jeff Miller gives a helpful review of Bowman's and Komoszewski's book Putting Jesus In His Place. Obviously, I think this is a book worth reading. I've read it through entirely once and have returned to it multiple times on specific questions. The HANDS acronym has stuck with me and serves to turn my mind towards contemplation of Jesus in worship and wonder.

The Curse Motif of the Atonement - R.C. Sproul

Here is a highlight clip of R.C. preaching on the atonement. Well worth the 10 minutes to watch it. (HT:Reepicheep)

A Walk Through Philippians - #5

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11, ESV)

Paul loves the Philippians. He knows it. They know it. And we know it. We looked at that in the prior post of this series. Right on the heels of his profession of Christlike love for the Philippians - God as witness of Paul's heart - Paul explains the subject of his prayer for the Philippians. He prays for the Philippians frequently and with joy, but what does he pray for them? He approaches God out of the sincere desire of his heart for the benefit of his dear friends and the glory of his God. Paul wants the Philippians to grow and grow and grow and grow in their already abundant and overflowing love. It's something he requests of God on behalf of the Philippians, ultimately for the glory and praise of God.



Paul is looking to the Lord to show his might in the lives of the Philippians. It's not like they are starting at ground level and need to learn to love. They were no slouches in the love department, already displaying overflowing love repeatedly since their conversion to Christ. Here comes Paul, piling grace upon grace in his prayers for them. To paraphrase the missionary apostle, he is asking God to help them overflow deeper and deeper, again and again. Not simply to love. Not simply to reach a pinnacle of love and remain there. No, overflowing more and more. What a tremendous blessing he is seeking for the Philippians.



[Time for a praise break] If this is the case on this earthly plane, what does eternity with God hold in store for us who know Christ? Dare we hope for an eternity of abounding more and more in love, more in 10,000 years... more in 10,000,000 years... more in a trillion years! There is so much more to heaven than our puny, sin-soaked minds can even begin to grasp. Praise be to God who has shown us love in humility, in sin-bearing, in mercy and forgiveness.



In our current "it's all about me me me" culture, our first inclination on hearing what Paul was praying for is to turn it on its head and pray this blessing for ourselves and our own church. But that's not what's happening here. Paul is praying for others... one of the churches he helped establish and which has helped him in ministry and in trouble repeatedly.



Brother and Sister, this type of prayer can rightfully take its place in your worship vocabulary, following Paul's example in praying this blessing for others. How often we struggle with prayer, not knowing what to pray for on behalf of our missionaries and churches once we exhaust the short list of immediate concerns they give us. Here is biblical fuel for your prayer fire.

Just Read This

I just finished reading Kevin DeYoung's book on discerning God's will called Just Do Something. This is a delightful little book. Thank you Kevin for saying several things that needed to be said. Many people will be helped by your wise advice.


DeYoung takes on the over-spiritualized process of making decisions. In essence, God gave you a brain so use it. Don't be lazy and blame God for your inactivity as if it were deep spirituality.


The author insightfully diagnoses several contributing factors of our hesitancy to do things. He offers common-sense advice to move you to action. This is written so everyone can understand it. Once you read this, the excuses you're hiding behind will be vaporized.


It is primarily helpful for teens and young adults but also gave me some good insights into my mid-forties life that will impact what I do.


Just get it. Just read it. And for God's sake, just do something.

Trueman on Owen Redux

Here's a little more helpful info on Trueman's introduction to Owen. Trueman presses one specific work of Owen for your initial consideration. It is Communion with the Triune God. This is a light editing by Kelly Kapic and Justin Taylor of Owen's Of Communion with God.


In his video introduction, Trueman mentions the struggle many Christians have to understand the importance and impact of the doctrine of the Trinity on their everyday spiritual and devotional life. Owen's work explores the right relationship of the Christian to the one true God considered in the individual persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.


You can read Kevin Vanhoozer's Foreword, Justin Taylor's Note on This Edition, Preface, Chapter 1, and Glossary -PDF.


Reality Check... this is not Owen lite. Reading him is hard work. Why bother? You will be better equipped to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.