Not What My Hands Have Done

I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say

I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto Me and rest;
Lay down, thou weary one, lay down Thy head upon My breast.”
I came to Jesus as I was, weary and worn and sad;
I found in Him a resting place, and He has made me glad.


I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Behold, I freely give
The living water; thirsty one, stoop down, and drink, and live.”
I came to Jesus, and I drank of that life giving stream;
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived, and now I live in Him.


I heard the voice of Jesus say, “I am this dark world’s Light;
Look unto Me, thy morn shall rise, and all thy day be bright.”
I looked to Jesus, and I found in Him my Star, my Sun;
And in that light of life I’ll walk, till traveling days are done.

--Horatius Bonar

God Our Savior

"God has become our Saviour. Our trust is not in His mercy but in Himself. Not in divine attributes, but in the living God. "God is for us;" the Father is for us; the Son is for us; the Holy Ghost is for us. It is God who justifies; it is Christ that died; and the Holy Ghost has come down to be a witness to us of the work of Christ, and of the place that work has given us as sons in the Father's house."

--Sir Robert Anderson, The Gospel and its Ministry

Macarthur hits the bullseye

When Phil Johnson talks...

...we can listen and learn. Phil gave several talks recently. His presentation on Spurgeon the Controversialist is a real gem.

Southern Baptists: Calvinism and Arminianism in Dialogue

Discussions continue within the SBC concerning the impact, influence, and theology of Calvinism. You can read more about recent publications here.

We Give Immortal Praise by Isaac Watts

We give immortal praise
For God the Father’s love,
For all our comforts here,
And better hopes above:
He sent his own Eternal Son
To die for sins that we had done.


To God the Son belongs
Immortal glory too,
Who bought us with his blood
From everlasting woe:
And now he lives, and now he reigns,
And sees the fruit of all his pains.


To God the Spirit’s name
Immortal worship give,
Whose new-creating power
Makes the dead sinner live:
His work completes the great design,
And fills the soul with joy divine.


Almighty God, to thee
Be endless honors done,
The undivided Three,
And the mysterious One:
Where Reason fails, with all her powers,
There Faith prevails, and Love adores.


Excerpt from The Baptist Psalmody

On Worship

"Now, I say we must put heart in our worship. Do not venture to come to this beautiful place of worship, or whatever place of worship you attend, and just sit languidly down to see if the choir can stir you or to see if the preacher can stir you. Oh! stir up your own souls. It is your solemn duty when you go to engage with others in the worship of God-- it is your duty to yourself, it is your duty to others, it is your duty to the pastor who wishes to lead your worship, it is your duty to God, who wants the hearts of men, and who will have nothing but their hearts. I know how we feel. Worn by a week's toil, languid on the Lord's day through lack of our customary excitement, we go and take our places, jaded and dull, and we are tempted to think, "Now I will see whether the services can make any impression on me; whether the preacher can get hold of me-- I hope they may," and we sit passive to wait and see. Oh, let us not dare thus to deal with the solemnity of the worship of God."

-- John A. Broadus, excerpt from Sermons and Addresses

Words of Wisdom

"To be a Christian is the great thing, not to seem one." --Jerome

Critical Thinking Course with Rob Bowman: Sept 28th

Food for thought... Rob Bowman (co-author of Putting Jesus In His Place and Faith Has Its Reasons) will start teaching a live course online starting Tuesday evening, September 28th. Rob is a great author, apologist, and teacher. He has served the church at large for many, many years and displays unearthly patience with cultists of every stripe.

Details here.

The Invitation of the King

I had the blessed opportunity to preach at my home church a couple of weeks ago. I invite you to take 20 minutes to hear the most gracious invitation you will ever be offered. Click here to listen to the sermon.

Biblical Theology Fuels Full Gospel Preaching

Tom Ascol explains what 'biblical theology' is and how it must impact our preaching and teaching in the church. There are some terribly lame preachers who limit "Christian preaching" to the text of the New Testament. When no thought is given to an over-arching theme of the message of the Bible, you leave large portions of God's inspired spiritual feast to spoil.

October Conference w/James White in Minnesota

For the midwesterners out there, here is an opportunity to see and hear great teaching. James White will be in Eagan, MN on October 16-17, 2010. I hope to make it to this so I can finally meet James in person. I've known him online for a long, long time. I've learned a lot from his debates, lectures, and books.


http://www.signetringministries.org/chosen/

Two Prayers to Jesus: Jehovah's Witnesses Take Note

At the end of I Corinthians, Paul is closing his letter with final encouragements, writing by his own hand. His heartfelt desire for the return of Christ springs forth in a brief prayer to Christ:

... O our Lord, come! (1 Corinthians 16:22, New World Translation)

In the NWT Reference Bible, there is a cross-reference at this point to Revelation 22:20, which reads as follows:

"He that bears witness of these things says, ‘Yes; I am coming quickly.’" "Amen! Come, Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22:20, New World Translation)

Jesus is coming! These precious prayers spring instantly from the saints, offered without hesitation in full faith in the one they call on. Both Paul and the author of Revelation pray to Jesus, asking him to come. They pray to Jesus. This is spontaneous prayer to Jesus, reflected in the Jehovah's Witness translation of the Bible. These biblical passages contradict what the Watchtower teaches JWs worldwide. The organization tells them it is unacceptable to pray to Jesus because he is not God. And yet... their own Bible tells them otherwise. Paul and John prayed to Jesus.



Who is the Watchtower to restrict what these apostles demonstrate by their own prayers to the Coming One? Is this how the "biblical religion" of the Watchtower works? The words and rules of men overrule the Word of God? It is deadly dangerous to trust the words of men over the Word of God. You are in danger if you eat their so-called 'food in due season'. The so-called spiritual feast of the Watchtower religion is, in reality, corruption and death, killing the soul with rules that directly contradict the Word of God.



Jehovah's Witnesses, time and time again you go house to house and try to convince people that the Watchtower religion is the only true and biblical faith. How can a religion be called 'true and biblical' when it restricts people from following clear teachings of the Bible? The Watchtower places its own words as more important than the inspired text of Scripture. The Scriptures teach, proclaim, and demonstrate the faithful practices of the apostles and early church.



You are safe in following these fine examples of faith found in the Bible. Call on Jesus today! He can hear your prayer and will be faithful to answer it.



Come, Lord Jesus.

Fear and Self-Loathing in Lausanne - Reformation21 Blog

Carl Trueman shares some thoughts on how to be true men of the faith. Fear and Self-Loathing in Lausanne - Reformation21 Blog

The Cambridge Declaration

THE CAMBRIDGE DECLARATION
of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals
April 20, 1996

Evangelical churches today are increasingly dominated by the spirit of this age rather than by the Spirit of Christ. As evangelicals, we call ourselves to repent of this sin and to recover the historic Christian faith.

In the course of history words change. In our day this has happened to the word "evangelical." In the past it served as a bond of unity between Christians from a wide diversity of church traditions. Historic evangelicalism was confessional. It embraced the essential truths of Christianity as those were defined by the great ecumenical councils of the church. In addition, evangelicals also shared a common heritage in the "solas" of the sixteenth century Protestant Reformation.

Today the light of the Reformation has been significantly dimmed. The consequence is that the word "evangelical" has become so inclusive as to have lost its meaning. We face the peril of losing the unity it has taken centuries to achieve. Because of this crisis and because of our love of Christ, his gospel and his church, we endeavor to assert anew our commitment to the central truths of the Reformation and of historic evangelicalism. These truths we affirm not because of their role in our traditions, but because we believe that they are central to the Bible.

Sola Scriptura: The Erosion Of Authority
Scripture alone is the inerrant rule of the church's life, but the evangelical church today has separated Scripture from its authoritative function. In practice, the church is guided, far too often, by the culture. Therapeutic technique, marketing strategies, and the beat of the entertainment world often have far more to say about what the church wants, how it functions and what it offers, than does the Word of God. Pastors have neglected their rightful oversight of worship, including the doctrinal content of the music. As biblical authority has been abandoned in practice, as its truths have faded from Christian consciousness, and as its doctrines have lost their saliency, the church has been increasingly emptied of its integrity, moral authority and direction.

Rather than adapting Christian faith to satisfy the felt needs of consumers, we must proclaim the law as the only measure of true righteousness and the gospel as the only announcement of saving truth. Biblical truth is indispensable to the church's understanding, nurture and discipline.

Scripture must take us beyond our perceived needs to our real needs and liberate us from seeing ourselves through the seductive images, cliche's, promises. and priorities of mass culture. It is only in the light of God's truth that we understand ourselves aright and see God's provision for our need. The Bible, therefore, must be taught and preached in the church. Sermons must be expositions of the Bible and its teachings, not expressions of the preachers opinions or the ideas of the age. We must settle for nothing less than what God has given.

The work of the Holy Spirit in personal experience cannot be disengaged from Scripture. The Spirit does not speak in ways that are independent of Scripture. Apart from Scripture we would never have known of God's grace in Christ. The biblical Word, rather than spiritual experience, is the test of truth.

Thesis One: Sola Scriptura
We reaffirm the inerrant Scripture to be the sole source of written divine revelation, which alone can bind the conscience. The Bible alone teaches all that is necessary for our salvation from sin and is the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured. We deny that any creed, council or individual may bind a Christian's conscience, that the Holy Spirit speaks independently of or contrary to what is set forth in the Bible, or that personal spiritual experience can ever be a vehicle of revelation.

Solus Christus: The Erosion Of Christ-Centered Faith
As evangelical faith becomes secularized, its interests have been blurred with those of the culture. The result is a loss of absolute values, permissive individualism, and a substitution of wholeness for holiness, recovery for repentance, intuition for truth, feeling for belief, chance for providence, and immediate gratification for enduring hope. Christ and his cross have moved from the center of our vision.

Thesis Two: Solus Christus
We reaffirm that our salvation is accomplished by the mediatorial work of the historical Christ alone. His sinless life and substitutionary atonement alone are sufficient for our justification and reconciliation to the Father.

We deny that the gospel is preached if Christ's substitutionary work is not declared and faith in Christ and his work is not solicited.

Sola Gratia: The Erosion Of The Gospel
Unwarranted confidence in human ability is a product of fallen human nature. This false confidence now fills the evangelical world; from the self-esteem gospel, to the health and wealth gospel, from those who have transformed the gospel into a product to be sold and sinners into consumers who want to buy, to others who treat Christian faith as being true simply because it works. This silences the doctrine of justification regardless of the official commitments of our churches.

God's grace in Christ is not merely necessary but is the sole efficient cause of salvation. We confess that human beings are born spiritually dead and are incapable even of cooperating with regenerating grace.

Thesis Three: Sola Gratia
We reaffirm that in salvation we are rescued from God's wrath by his grace alone. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that brings us to Christ by releasing us from our bondage to sin and raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life.

We deny that salvation is in any sense a human work. Human methods, techniques or strategies by themselves cannot accomplish this transformation. Faith is not produced by our unregenerated human nature.

Sola Fide: The Erosion Of The Chief Article
Justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. This is the article by which the church stands or falls. Today this article is often ignored, distorted or sometimes even denied by leaders, scholars and pastors who claim to be evangelical. Although fallen human nature has always recoiled from recognizing its need for Christ's imputed righteousness, modernity greatly fuels the fires of this discontent with the biblical Gospel. We have allowed this discontent to dictate the nature of our ministry and what it is we are preaching.

Many in the church growth movement believe that sociological understanding of those in the pew is as important to the success of the gospel as is the biblical truth which is proclaimed. As a result, theological convictions are frequently divorced from the work of the ministry. The marketing orientation in many churches takes this even further, erasing the distinction between the biblical Word and the world, robbing Christ's cross of its offense, and reducing Christian faith to the principles and methods which bring success to secular corporations.

While the theology of the cross may be believed, these movements are actually emptying it of its meaning. There is no gospel except that of Christ's substitution in our place whereby God imputed to him our sin and imputed to us his righteousness. Because he bore our judgment, we now walk in his grace as those who are forever pardoned, accepted and adopted as God's children. There is no basis for our acceptance before God except in Christ's saving work, not in our patriotism, churchly devotion or moral decency. The gospel declares what God has done for us in Christ. It is not about what we can do to reach him.

Thesis Four: Sola Fide
We reaffirm that justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. In justification Christ's righteousness is imputed to us as the only possible satisfaction of God's perfect justice.

We deny that justification rests on any merit to be found in us, or upon the grounds of an infusion of Christ's righteousness in us, or that an institution claiming to be a church that denies or condemns sola fide can be recognized as a legitimate church.

Soli Deo Gloria: The Erosion Of God-Centered Worship
Wherever in the church biblical authority has been lost, Christ has been displaced, the gospel has been distorted, or faith has been perverted, it has always been for one reason: our interests have displaced God's and we are doing his work in our way. The loss of God's centrality in the life of today's church is common and lamentable. It is this loss that allows us to transform worship into entertainment, gospel preaching into marketing, believing into technique, being good into feeling good about ourselves, and faithfulness into being successful. As a result, God, Christ and the Bible have come to mean too little to us and rest too inconsequentially upon us.

God does not exist to satisfy human ambitions, cravings, the appetite for consumption, or our own private spiritual interests. We must focus on God in our worship, rather than the satisfaction of our personal needs. God is sovereign in worship; we are not. Our concern must be for God's kingdom, not our own empires, popularity or success.

Thesis Five: Soli Deo Gloria
We reaffirm that because salvation is of God and has been accomplished by God, it is for God's glory and that we must glorify him always. We must live our entire lives before the face of God, under the authority of God and for his glory alone. We deny that we can properly glorify God if our worship is confused with entertainment, if we neglect either Law or Gospel in our preaching, or if self-improvement, self-esteem or self- fulfillment are allowed to become alternatives to the gospel.

Call To Repentance And Reformation
The faithfulness of the evangelical church in the past contrasts sharply with its unfaithfulness in the present. Earlier in this century, evangelical churches sustained a remarkable missionary endeavor, and built many religious institutions to serve the cause of biblical truth and Christ's kingdom. That was a time when Christian behavior and expectations were markedly different from those in the culture. Today they often are not. The evangelical world today is losing its biblical fidelity, moral compass and missionary zeal.

We repent of our worldliness. We have been influenced by the "gospels" of our secular culture, which are no gospels. We have weakened the church by our own lack of serious repentance, our blindness to the sins in ourselves which we see so clearly in others, and our inexcusable failure adequately to tell others about God's saving work in Jesus Christ.

We also earnestly call back erring professing evangelicals who have deviated from God's Word in the matters discussed in this Declaration. This includes those who declare that there is hope of eternal life apart from explicit faith in Jesus Christ, who claim that those who reject Christ in this life will be annihilated rather than endure the just judgment of God through eternal suffering, or who claim that evangelicals and Roman Catholics are one in Jesus Christ even where the biblical doctrine of justification is not believed.

The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals asks all Christians to give consideration to implementing this Declaration in the church's worship, ministry, policies, life and evangelism. For Christ's sake. Amen.


____________________________________________________________

ACE Council Members:
Dr. John Armstrong
Rev. Alistair Begg
Dr. James M. Boice
Dr. W. Robert Godfrey
Dr. John D. Hannah
Dr. Michael S. Horton
Mrs. Rosemary Jensen
Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr.
Dr. Robert M. Norris
Dr. R. C. Sproul
Dr. G. Edward Veith
Dr. David Wells
Dr. Luder Whitlock
Dr. J. A. O. Preus, III

Common Mistakes Every Student of the Bible Must Avoid

William D. Barrick, professor of Old Testament at The Master's Seminary, delivers a sound exhortation to all Bible students, originally presented at the 2006 Shepherd's Conference. For those of you familiar with D. A. Carson's Exegetical Fallacies, Barrick's paper is offered as a sort of supplement to Carson. Barrick distills lessons learned from several decades of preaching and teaching experience.

Young brothers and sisters, Barrick's insights will prove helpful as you grow toward maturity in the faith. Many times we evangelicals are tempted to be shallow and slapdash when dealing with the holy text. This is a deadly, dangerous temptation. We cannot build a theological house of cards on a foundation of sand and expect faith to weather the hurricanes of physical, mental, and moral disaster which abound on every hand.

Reflections on Election in Romans 9

Is Romans 9 telling us about salvation? Is it telling us about nations or individuals? Theologian Tom Schreiner published his thoughts on election in Romans 9 in the March 1993 edition of the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society.

Read it here.

The Future of the Evangelical Reformed Movement

Collin Hansen, Justin Taylor, and Kevin DeYoung share their thoughts on three specific challenges that will be faced by the Evangelical Reformed movement.

I Lay My Sins On Jesus

I lay my sins on Jesus,
The spotless Lamb of God;
He bears tbem all and frees us
From the accursed load.
I bring my guilt to Jesus,
To wash my crimson stains,
White in His blood most precious,
Till not a spot remains.


I lay my wants on Jesus;
All fulness dwells in Him:
He heals all my diseases,
He doth my soul redeem.
I lay my griefs on Jesus,
My burdens and my cares;
He from them all releases,
He all my sorrow shares.


I rest my soul on Jesus,
This weary soul of mine;
His right hand me embraces,
I on His breast recline.
I love the name of Jesus,
Immanuel, Christ, the Lord;
Like fragrance on the breezes
His name abroad is poured.


I long to be like Jesus,
Meek, loving, lowly, mild.
I long to be like Jesus,
The Father's holy child.
I long to be with Jesus
Amid the heavenly throng,
To sing with saints His praises,
To learn the angels' song.

--Horatius Bonar

excerted from Ryle's Hymns for the Church on Earth.

The Achilles Heel of Theistic Evolution

Brief audioblog from John MacArthur on the insurmountable hurdles standing before so-called theistic evolution.


Click here to listen.

"There's nothing to do..."

Don't waste your life. Check out the Faith by Hearing website. They have collected hundreds of great audio resources for you to feed on. They do this to allow you to "seize your commute". For those of us with extended drives each day it provides a good opportunity to redeem the time by feeding your mind and heart on godly preaching and teaching.

Whiloe this is no replacement for attendance at your local church, it does give you the opportunity to set your mind on many wonderful things rather than drag your mind through the muck offered by our culture at large.

The Cross of Christ

Al Mohler explains the importance and centrality of the work of Christ on the cross contrasted with the "ideas" of open theists, lesbian feminists, and other assorted speculators. This is a speech given in 2006 at a Ligonier conference. Mohler is a rare intellect and this is one of his best.

Click here to listen to the MP3.

Pastor Mark Dever's Decalogue On Calvinism

There is an unmistakeable embracing of Calvinism across the Christian landscape. Why? Pastor Mark Dever offers his top 10 list.


1. Spurgeon

2. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

3. Banner of Truth publishing house

4. D. James Kennedy

5. The Battle for the Bible

6. Founding of the Presbyterian Church in America

7. J. I. Packer

8. John MacArthur and R. C. Sproul

9. John Piper

10. The Rise of Secularism and Decline of Christian Nominalism

Why Does The Universe Look So Old - Al Mohler

Al Mohler speaks helpfully on the apparent age of the universe. The talk is a little more than an hour but gives a lot of good meat to chew on. Mohler offers insights that knock the legs out from under any appeal the science-cult known as bio-logos might have to evangelicals at large.

PSA: Drowning does not look like drowning

Dear Friends,
In this summer season as we all go about outdoor activities, watch your friends and family when in the water! Read the following to recognize the real signs of drowning.

Drowning does not look like drowning.

Forever and a day...

Hi gang. It has been quite awhile since I last posted. I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. It has been a season of busyness but right now I'm enjoying a couple of days off from work. And I do mean enjoying. Great family time yesterday at King's Pointe waterpark. It was one of those perfect days. Weather was beautiful, not too many at the park, water was cool, sunshine was abundant without giving you that bacon-sizzling feeling, everything went wonderfully for all of us. Enjoying, definitely.

I've been pretty busy. That seems to be consistent with almost everyone I know. Life continues moving at an increasingly hectic pace. I read a wise reflection by Don Whitney this morning about the sacrifices we make in private and how horribly misdirected this approach to the Christian life is. Can you slow down enough to read it?

Stop.

Pray.

Read.

HT:(TGC)

When Along Life's Thorny Road

When along life's thorny road
Faints the soul beneath the load,
By its cares and sins oppressed
Finds on earth no peace or rest,-
When the wily Tempter's near
Filling us with doubts and fear,
Jesus, to Thy feet we flee,
Jesus, we will look to Thee.


Thou our Saviour, from the throne
List'nest to Thy people's moan;
Thou the living Head, dost share
Ev'ry pang Thy members bear.
Full of tenderness Thou art;
Thou wilt heal the broken heart:
Full of power; Thine arm shall quell
All the rage and might of hell.


By Thy tears o'er Lazarus shed,
By Thy power to raise the dead,
By Thy meekness under scorn,
By Thy stripes and crown of thorn,
By that rich and precious blood
That hath made our peace wrth God,
Jesus, to Thy feet we flee,
Jesus, we will cling to Thee.


Mighty to redeem and save,
Thou hast overcome the grave;
Thou the bars of death hast riven,
Opened wide the gates of heaven.
Soon in glory Thou shalt come,
Taking Thy poor pilgrims home:
Jesus, then we all shall be,
Ever--ever-- Lord with Thee.

Excerpted from J. C. Ryle's Hymns for the Church on Earth

Words of Wisdom

"The Word of God, Jesus Christ, out of His boundless love, became what we are, that He might make us what He is."

--Irenaeus

excerpted from Bonar's Words Old and New

Report On Short Term Mission to the Czech Republic

I interviewed Tom Hinders about his recent mission trip to the Czech Republic. The audio is a little over 10 minutes long. You can listen by clicking here.



Tom is from my home church. I'm very proud of Tom for going on the mission and pray the Lord leads him into fruitful fields as he continues his theological education.

The Great Trinity Debate: Bowman & Burke

Evangelical Rob Bowman and Christadelphian Dave Burke have completed their debate of the nature of God on the Parchment and Pen blog. Below are their posts collected in summary form to help you follow the discussion from beginning to end.

Preliminaries

• Resource List: Bowman & Burke
• Introduction: Bowman

Part 1 - On God and Scripture

• Bowman
• Burke

Part 2 - On Jesus Christ

• Bowman
• Burke

Part 3 - On Jesus Christ, continued

• Bowman
• Burke

Part 4 - On The Holy Spirit

• Bowman
• Burke

Part 5 - On The Trinity

• Bowman
• Burke
  
  
  
  

Part 6 - Closing Statements

• Bowman
• Burke

Many Convincing Proofs or How Jesus Patiently Loves

I had the blessed opportunity to preach at my home church today. The message was on Jesus' numerous resurrection appearances and how he repeatedly showed himself to his disciples to destroy their unbelief. The sermon is a little longer than 30 minutes. You can listen to it by clicking here.

"God is still God. God is still good." - Zac Smith

Brothers and Sisters,
Is Jesus good enough to carry us through trouble? Is he truly good?

Yes. Yes. Yes.

The Story of Zac Smith from NewSpring Media on Vimeo.

HT:JT

Words of Wisdom

"Fear not! The reward is glorious; the honor is beyond all earthly honors. The contempt and enmity are but for a day; the dignity and the blessedness are forever and ever."

--Horatius Bonar

Pierced for Our Transgressions

I finally finished my first reading of Pierced for Our Transgressions by Jeffery, Ovey, and Sach. It is an excellent work and well worth the time. I hope to post a full review in a few days. The authors take the time to deal with many current objections to penal substitutionary atonement, explaining and exploring models of justice displayed in various positions, identifying and critiquing underlying presuppositions, and offering helpful advice on less-than-helpful illustrations which enjoy broad use within evangelical preaching.

This was a great volume to follow Morris' The Cross in the New Testament. Morris explored the rich pallete of the atonement and responded more than adequately to positions which still hold sway in several branches of the church. Jeffery, Ovey, and Sach continue his analysis into current trends and echo the faithful work of Morris to our current generation of evangelical theologians.

The Passion & The Empty Tomb

John Ankerberg is offering a free pdf of the book he co-authored with John Weldon, The Passion and the Empty Tomb.

Warnock interviews Grudem

Here is an interesting video, where Adrian Warnock interviews Wayne Grudem. While it is relatively brief and they do not explore any single question in depth, there is a lesson to be had. We are able here to peek through a small window into a mature theological world-view. Grudem does not display foolish middle-of-the-road muddle-ism as he considers and answers Adrian's questions. Instead, he externalizes his internal dialog so we might see the path he walks from the question to living out the answer.

Young brothers and sisters, take note. Life is richly textured. Your walk in this life need not be reduced to a pallete of black and white. There is room for nuance and vibrance in your daily walk.

Words of Wisdom

They think they make a very wise bargain when they sell their conscience, God, and heaven for a little of that which some call riches.

-- James Janeway

The One True God by Paul Washer

You can download a pdf edition of The One True God by Paul Washer. It is structured very differently than most other theological books. It is more like a workbook for a Bible study than an academic textbook. The author intends to get you into the biblical text and to utilize your mind and your heart in the pursuit of God through the Bible. Paul has served as a missionary and is the director of the HeartCry Missionary Society, which he founded during the time of his mission in Peru.

Read Tim Challies' review here.

How God Tests His People

"God tests his people by actual experience. He did not test Abraham by words only; he did not say to him, "Will you do this? Are you willing to do that?" It is always easy to say that we will do a thing if we do not expect to be compelled to do it. We can make large promises when we think we shall never be called upon to fulfill them; we can even think large things today about what we intend to do tomorrow. It is always easy to rise up early overnight. But God does not prove his people in word only, but in deed and in truth."

--Spurgeon, excerpted from Abraham's Trial: A Lesson For Believers

Apologetics in the Local Church

Anthony Horvath lays an interesting proposition on the table. There are multiple ways to apply his thoughts, not limited solely or even primarily to vocational ministry. Food for thought.

Sproul On The Death of God

R. C. Sproul's comments here reinforce a healthy habit of careful speaking about the cross.

Risking the Truth: Scott Clark interviews Martin Downes

Very interesting interview of Martin Downes by Scott Clark of Westminster Seminary/CA. Listen to it here. I continue to learn much from Martin. He's a clear thinker and has a cool British accent, so everything he says sounds very smart. ;-)

Seriously, this guy knows his stuff, and understands how heresy takes root. It is worth the listen if you need historical background coupled with pastoral concern.

Heresy Never Dies

Martin Downes spoke recently on the topic why heresy never dies. His home blog is Against Heresies. In his speech, he explains the danger and damage of heresies from a pastoral vantage point. He then explores a case study of the historical error of the Socinians and the resurgence of their thought through the open theism movement.

You can watch the video here or listen to the audio here.

Helping Students Keep The Faith

Here is a sampling of questions to discuss with the young adults in your church as they transition from high school to college. We simply must, must, must care pastorally for our young people when they disappear from weekly involvement in church and go off to college. Their absence from home does not break the commitment each church member makes to help care for one another. This is not the sole arena of the youth pastor. As strange as youth culture may seem, students do respond many times to even the smallest interaction. They have not moved to another planet, only to a new phase in their lives.

Given that they are away at school, you must seize opportunities to talk with them. Don't delay. Share your Christian love today.

Our Present State and Only Hope

Dr. Ed Komoszewski delivers a sermon that is chock-full of wisdom. This is a great example of preaching God's Word, speaking the truth in love.

Culture and Cultus

Carl Trueman is a good author and a helpful theologian. He shares his thoughts on a tangent to the present Waltke brouhaha.

Jesus' Sacrifice Demonstrates God's Love

I spend a fair amount of time dialoguing with Jehovah's Witnesses on the discussion board at CARM. I am going to post direct links to some of the threads. I think they might be helpful to many of the readers here.

The Watchtower god cannot demonstrate the greatest love.

Tell Me the Old, Old Story

Tell me the old, old story,
Of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His Glory,
of Jesus and His love.


Tell me the story simply,
As to a little child,
For I am weak and weary,
And helpless and defiled.
Tell me the old, old story,
of Jesus and His love.


Tell me the story slowly,
That I may take it in,--
That wonderful redemption,
God's remedy for sin.
Tell me the story often,
For I forget so soon;
The "early dew" of morning
Has passed away at noon.
Tell me the old, old story, etc.


Tell me the story softly,
With earnest tones and grave;
Remember, I'm the sinner
Whom Jesus came to save!
Tell me the story always,
If you would really be,
In any time of trouble,
A comforter to me.
Tell me the old, old story, etc.


Tell me the same old story,
When you have cause to fear
That this world's empty glory
Is costing me too dear.
Yes, and when that world's glory
Shall dawn upon my soul,
Tell me the old, old story:
"Christ Jesus makes thee whole."
Tell me the old, old story, etc.

Brothers, go forth and blog

Dan Phillips shares his insights on blogging. It is filled with both wisdom and encouragement. Let's not be silent, brothers. Lift your voices for His glory!

Although Dan paints himself as one of the lesser lights of the evangelical blogosphere, I continue to be impressed with both the quality and volume of his writing. It takes me hours of struggle to put together a measly five paragraph post. Near as I can figure, Dan is a robot who doesn't sleep. I can't imagine any other way he can work full-time, care for his family, eat, sleep, and serve in the local church while pumping out multi-page, quality posts every single week.

Obviously, I'm not Dan. I may never be able to write like that. Even so, I will bring my widow's mite posts and place them in the Lord's treasury.

Does God Cut?

Kevin DeYoung gives good food for thought on the emotional life of God. He offers a corrective to the modern tendency to see suffering as real authenticity which then drives to the view that God must, in a sense, cut himself to be truly authentic.

Words of Wisdom

How often do Christians meet and not a word of heaven! O heavy, carnal hearts! Our home and eternal blessedness appear to be forgotten among us.

-- Howe

Words of Wisdom

No one can be robbed of his delights whose joy is Christ.
Eternal is his gladness who rejoices in an eternal good.

--Augustine, quoted in Words Old & New by Horatius Bonar

A little somethin' somethin'

Here's a brief update on where I'm at and what direction I hope to take in the next few months.




I've been reading, studying, and praying a lot about the atonement. It has occupied the majority of my studies for the last few months and likely will for a few more. I've read Leon Morris' popular work The Atonement and his much longer The Cross in the New Testament, finishing a few weeks ago (I still need to compile my notes/quotes from that one - there are plenty). I'm currently reading Jeffery, Ovey, and Sach's Pierced for Our Transgressions; which is proving to be quite dense and taking much longer to read than I had anticipated. Once I'm done with that, I found an old work by Charnock on Google Books that I've printed off, Discourses on Christ Crucified. It's on the top of my 'next to read' pile. It's relatively short and I've liked the snippets I've caught of it. I'm looking forward to spending some time getting to know Charnock the preacher. In the wings I have Carson's new book Scandalous, and Edwards and Shaw's Divine Substitute. Once I have digested those, I hope to tackle Owen's Death of Death in the Death of Christ.




On the blog and website front, I want to go back to my static (only because of my inattention) website and put together an introductory overview and response to the Jehovah's Witnesses. I've got a lot of notes and ideas and need to get back to publishing them through the site & blog. I will continue the series through Philippians on the blog. It is becoming one of my favorite books of the Bible.




All of this sounds quite daunting for me personally. I ask the good Lord of mercy and strength to magnify Him in everything.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalms 73:26)

Words of Wisdom

The first Christians with the purest charity to the persons of heretics gave their errors no quarter.

--JosephMilner

Preach the Word, Brothers - Alistair Begg

Pastor Begg emphasizes a right focus on the Bible in preaching. About 15 minutes total to listen.

Hark the Voice of Jesus Crying

HARK, the voice of Jesus crying-,
"Who will go and work today?
Fields are white and harvest waiting;
Who will bear the sheaves away?"
Loud and strong the Master calleth,
Rich reward He offers thee;
Who will answer, gladly saying,
"Here am I: send me, send me!"


If you cannot cross the ocean,
And the heathen lands explore,
You can find the heathen nearer,
You can help them at your door.
If you cannot give your thousands,
You can give the widow's mite;
And the least you do for Jesus
Will be precious in His sight.


If you cannot speak like angels,
If you cannot preach like Paul,
You can tell the love of Jesus,
You can say, "He died for all."
If you cannot rouse the wicked
With the judgment's dread alarms,
You can lead the little children
To the Saviour's waiting arms.


If you cannot be the watchman
Standing high on Zion's wall,
Pointing out the path to heaven,
Offering life and peace to all,
With your prayers and with your bounties
You can do what heaven demands;-
You can be like faithful Aaron

Holding up the prophet's hands.

Let none hear you idly saying
"There is nothing I can do,"
While the souls of men are dying,
And the Master calls for you.
Take the task He gives you, gladly,
Let His work your pleasure be;
Answer quickly when He calleth,
"Here am I: send me, send me!"

Taken from J. C. Ryle's Hymns for the Church on Earth.

Christ Crucified and Our Holiness - Charnock

This (knowledge of Christ crucified) will be a means to further us in a progress in holiness. An affection to sin, which cost the Redeemer of the world so dear, would be inconsistent with a sound knowledge and serious study of a crucified Saviour. We should see no charms in sin, which may not be overcome by that ravishing love, which bubbles up in every drop of the Redeemer's blood. Can we with lively thoughts of this, sin against so much tenderness, compassion, grace, and the other perfections of God, which sound so loud in our ears from the cross of Jesus? Shall we consider him hanging there to deliver us from hell, and yet retain any spirit to walk in the way which leads thereto ? Shall we consider him upon the cross, unlocking the gates of heaven, and yet turn our backs upon that place he was so desirous to purchase for us, and give us the possession of? Shall we see him groaning in our place and stead, and dare to tell him, by our unworthy carriage, that we regard him not, and that he might have spared his pains?

It must be a miserable soul, worse than brutish, that can walk on in ways of enmity, with a sense of a crucified Christ in his mind. Could we then affect that sin which appears so horrible in the doctrine of the cross? Can we take any pleasure in that which procured so much pain to our best Friend? Can we love that which hath brought a curse, better than him who bore the curse for us? For want of this study of Christ crucified we walk on in sin, as if he suffered to purchase a license for it, rather than the destruction of it. The due consideration of this death would incline our wills to new desires and resolutions. It would stifle that luxury, ambition, worldliness, which harass our souls.

We should not dare to rush into any iniquity through the wounds of Christ. We should not, under a sense of his dying groans, cherish that for which he suffered. We should not do the works of darkness under the effusions of his blood, if we did, in a serious posture, set ourselves at the feet of his cross.

--Discourses on Christ Crucified, Stephen Charnock

A Walk Through Philippians - #7

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. (Philippians 1:12-13, ESV)

This text yanks us out of comfortable, pain-free, easy American evangelicalism and hurls us into prison. Prison. Discomfort. Futility.

God's prison.

God's prison? Yes, that's exactly the way Paul sees his current circumstances. He is not enslaved to meaningless fate nor finding himself forsaken by God. Rather, he knows his trouble is precisely where God would have him be. This is faith clothed in courage, lived out in Paul's everyday situation among the people God has placed him with. God is big enough to guide Paul in trouble and trial for eternal benefit, including the here-and-now. Including the here-and-now of prison. What an irony, that the glory and blessing of the gospel would be worked in the midst of imprisonment. This is from the Lord, and confounds all so-called 'wisdom' of the flesh. It is not the plan we would conceive for furthering the gospel. It is much better than any plan we could imagine, just as the cross is much better than any salvation we could dream up.


How do you draw from a deep well? This text is a deep well of truth. It merits your effort to understand it. Meditate on it. Mull it over. Chew on it. Draw every last fragment of faith-building from it. Why? Why spend your time and your mind considering this little passage? Aren't there better, more successful things you could be doing? This is no theoretical, abstract truth. It is not merely a text. It will be reflected in your life. Are you prepared to clothe faith with courage when trouble comes? Is God big enough to guide you in trouble and trial for eternal benefit, including the here-and-now? Will you see your trials as Paul did, purposed by the loving hand of God? Or will you be crushed by the weight, convinced that God's blessing is demonstrated through riches, beauty, and 'success'? It is my prayer and hope that Paul's imprisonment will be a fountain of faith and courage for you, pointing as it does to our hope: fashioned by the hand of God in Christ, purchased by Christ on the cross, and lead on our path by the Good Shepherd. Trials are not the end of the story, brothers and sisters.


Oh to be used of God to advance the gospel! Can you imagine a higher aspiration for your life than this? Osteen, Copeland, Hinn, and many other preachers spew lies by denying the reality of God's purpose in tribulation. Do not fall for their poison. Ironic again, that slick messengers packaged in expensive suits and toothy veneers obscure the gospel proclaimed clearly by the prisoner Paul. Rather than chase their private jets in the hope that today will be trial-free, pursue the God of Philippians 1:12-13 to bring you to and through trial and trouble to advance the gospel.

Words of Wisdom

Our fair morning is at hand;
the day star is near the rising;
and we are not many miles from home.
--Samuel Rutherford

Keep your calendars open...

Rob Bowman and Dave Burke will be debating the Trinity on the Parchment and Pen blog starting in April.

Parchment and Pen » The Great Trinity Debate – Coming April 2010

James White: The Battle for Grace

I have a great deal of respect for James White and have studied and used his books and recordings for many years. This video is one hour and 12 minutes long. It is an address to a conference about the grace of God.

Thoughts on Jesus' Demand to Repent :: Desiring God Christian Resource Library

Here's a shout-out to a few of the young men in my home church. John Piper shares some helpful thoughts on repentance.

Words of Wisdom

Honor God and shame the roaring lion.

--Samuel Rutherford

Comfort and Courage In Christ

I had an opportunity to preach today at my home church. Click here for the mp3. It is a little over 25 minutes long.

Psalm 100

I've been spending time memorizing and savoring Psalm 100. It fills my soul to overflowing. Click the link to listen.

Psalm 100 read aloud.

When This Passing World Is Done

When this passing world is done,
When has sunk yon glaring sun,
When we stand with Christ in glory,
Looking o'er life's finished story,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know, --
Not till then, --how much I owe.


When I hear the wicked call
On the rocks and hills to fall,
When I see them start and shrink,
On the fiery deluge brink,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know, --
Not till then, --how much I owe.


When I stand before the throne,
Dress'd in beauty not my own,
When I see Thee as Thou art,
Love Thee with unsinning heart,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know,--
Not till then, --how much I owe.


When the praise of heav'n I hear,
Loud as thunders to the ear,
Loud as many waters' noise,
Sweet as harp's melodious voice,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know,--
Not till then, --how much I owe.


Chosen not for good in me,
Waken'd up from wrath to flee,
Hidden in the Saviour's side,
By the Spirit sanctified,
Teach me, Lord, on earth to show,
By my love how much I owe.


Oft I walk beneath the cloud,
Dark as midnight's gloomy shroud;
But when fear is at the height,
Jesus comes, and all is light.
Blessed Jesus, bid me show
Doubting saints how much I owe.

--Robert Murray M'Cheyne

Morris on Justification

"Many theologians have maintained that justification means 'to make righteous'. They assert that the term points to a change in men, so that, by the grace of God, they become the kind of people they ought to be. This is to confuse justification and sanctification. The very way we use the term ought to put us on our guard against this error. When we speak of justifying an opinion or action we do not mean that we change or improve it. Rather we mean that we secure a verdict for it, we vindicate it. And just as the English verb has nothing to do with changing for the better so is it with Greek verb. It signifies 'to declare righteous', 'to acquit', and not 'to make righteous'. While it is true that the justified man will be deeply concerned with holy living, it is also true that justification is not simply another name for his holy life. It refers to his standing before God, to God's acceptance of him."

--Leon Morris, The Cross In the New Testament, p.241-242

The Origin, Agent, and Goal of All Creation

"The permanence of the universe rests, then, on Christ far more than on gravity. It is a Christo-centric universe."

--A. T. Robertson commenting on Colossians 1:16

I Saw the Cross of Jesus

1—I saw the cross of Jesus
When burden'd with my sin ;
I sought the cross of Jesus
To give me peace within :
I brought my sin to Jesus ;
He cleans'd it in His blood ;
And in the cross of Jesus
I found my peace with God.



2—I love the cross of Jesus.
It tells me what I am ;
A vile and guilty creature,
Saved only through the Lamb :
No righteousness, no merit,
No beauty can I plead ;
Yet in the cross I glory,
My title there I read.



3—I clasp the cross of Jesus,
In ev'ry trying hour,
My sure and certain refuge,
My never failing tower.
In every fear and conflict,
I more than conqueror am ;
Living I'm safe, or dying,
Through Christ the risen Lamb.



4—Sweet is the cross of Jesus !
There let my weary heart
Still rest in perfect peace
'Till life itself depart.
And then in strains of glory
I'll sing Thy wond'rous power,
Where sin can never enter,
And death is known no more.

--F. WHITFIELD

Hymns for the Church on Earth, compiled by J. C. Ryle.

Human Dignity and the Watchtower

Does the Watchtower's doctrine of human existence uphold the dignity of man or destroy it?



The Watchtower says Jehovah fashions a body and infuses it with the breath of life. You become "you" over time as you develop your character, thought life, emotional and mental life. In other words, you start as a blank slate of a body and impersonal energy that combine to become the person who is you, made up of your life experiences, memories, tastes, passions, ideas, character, emotional makeup, etc. This doctrine of human existence is intensely mechanical and physical. "You" consist of the firing of synapses in the brain controlling the physical body fashioned by Jehovah, energized by impersonal energy originally infused by Jehovah but now maintained through the natural living processes of the physical body.



What happens when you die? The Watchtower says that the impersonal energy dissipates or returns to God and your physical body rots away. You cease to exist entirely. There is no more "you" to be found anywhere. This is a fairly consistent application of their theory of being that an individual consists of a body, the breath of life, and their collected memories and character. Since the body and impersonal energy are split asunder, there is nothing left of the individual as their character, thought life, emotional and mental life cannot continue in the absence of a container and energy.



What happens when you are "resurrected", according to the Watchtower? Remember, you do not exist at all in any manner after your death. There is nothing to raise again. It is not a resurrection in the sense of raising "you" up. There can only be a new creature who is somehow made to believe it is you. To accomplish this, the Watchtower teaches that Jehovah God fashions a new blank-slate body and infuses it with the impersonal breath of life. But at this point, the story of this new human diverges from your original creation. Rather than allowing this physical body/impersonal energy human to develop as you were allowed to, Jehovah steps in and implants the memories of your life, fooling this new human into thinking that it is somehow "you". This is not and can never be "you". It is a new human who has been robbed of its own existence and self worth. It has been tricked through implanted memories to believe it is truly "you" through memories that are not its own, character that is not its own, emotional and mental life that is not its own.



Does the Watchtower's doctrine of human existence uphold the dignity of man or destroy it?