Words of Wisdom

"Justification without sanctification would not be salvation at all. It would call the leper clean and leave him to die of his disease; it would forgive the rebellion and allow the rebel to remain an enemy to his king."

  --Charles Spurgeon, All of Grace

True Evangelical Fellowship of Calvinists and Arminians

What think you, readers? Is Machen's view correct for his time, timeless, or flat out wrong?

"Another difference of opinion is that between the Calvinistic or Reformed theology and the Arminianism which appears in the Methodist Church. It is difficult to see how any one who has really studied the question can regard that difference as an unimportant matter. On the contrary, it touches very closely some of the profoundest things of the Christian faith. A Calvinist is constrained to regard the Arminian theology as a serious impoverishment of the Scripture doctrine of divine grace, and equally serious is the view which the Arminian must hold as to the doctrine of the Reformed Churches. Yet here again, true evangelical fellowship is possible between those who hold, with regard to some exceedingly important matters, sharply opposing views."

  -- J. Gresham Machen,  Christianity and Liberalism (pp. 51-52).

 

Sola Scriptura: First London Baptist Confession (1644), Second Edition (1646)

VII.

And this is life eternal, that we might know Him the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He hath sent. And on the contrary, the Lord will render vengeance, in flaming fire, to them that know not God, and obey not the gospel of Jesus Christ.

John 17:3; Heb. 5:9, 2 Thess. 1:8; John 6:36.



VIII.

The rule of this knowledge, faith, and obedience, concerning the worship of God, in which is contained the whole duty of man, is (not men's laws, or unwritten traditions, but) only the word of God contained [viz., written] in the holy Scriptures; in which is plainly recorded whatsoever is needful for us to know, believe, and practice; which are the only rule of holiness and obedience for all saints, at all times, in all places to be observed.

Col. 2:23; Matt 15:6,9; John 5:39, 2 Tim. 3:15,16,17; Isa. 8:20; Gal. 1:8,9; Acts 3:22,23.

Twitter Tuesday

Select highlights from Twitter. This week: Kevin DeYoung, Jared Wilson, Colten Barnaby, and Tabletalk.

Kevin DeYoung(@RevKevDeYoung)If your favorite Christian blogger/writer/speaker never talks about the cursed Christ on a bloody cross, find a new favorite.

jaredcwilson(@jaredcwilson)Every day we are busy building our own Babel Towers, but in prayer we set the bricks and trowels down, trusting God to knock the towers over

Coltenbarnaby(@Coltenbarnaby)You don't have to be outraged all the time.

Tabletalk Magazine(@Tabletalk)I have often repented of speech but hardly ever of silence (C.S. Lewis).

Mitchell Chase(@mitchellchase)"You cannot serve God and money" - Jesus.

From the Archives: The Great Trinity Debate: Bowman & Burke

From the Archives: Occasionally I will repost something helpful from the archives.  Here is an online debate from 2010 that many have found to be very helpful.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 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

Words of Wisdom

"The gospel calls us to an active pursuit of holiness."

--Mitchell Chase. The Gospel is for Christians

Words of Wisdom

"Into this vast universe, into this human world of sin, there came from the outside, in God's good time, a divine Redeemer. No mere teacher is he to us, no mere example, no mere leader into a larger life, no mere symbol or embodiment of an all-pervading divinity. Oh no; we stand to him, if we are really his, in a relationship far dearer, far closer than all that. For us he gave his precious life upon the cross to make all well between us sinners and the righteous God, by whose love he came."

  --J. Gresham Machen. The Gospel And The Modern World: And Other Short Writings

Right Out of the Gate

"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." (Mark 1:1, ESV)

Mark starts his Gospel off, not merely with a bang, but with a theological BOOM. He designates Jesus as the Christ, but even more telling, as "the Son of God". Both of these terms are theological black powder, igniting worship in the hearts and minds and lives of believers throughout the world, in Mark's time as well as in our world today. Right out of the gate, boom! "Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is the Son of God."

Amen and Hallelujah.

Mark pushes the theological launch button at the very beginning of his writing by choosing to dive directly in the deep end of Christian theology... into pure Christology. It is an intriguing choice. Every author has decisions to make... questions to answer. Who is my audience? What is their vocabulary? What do I want to say? How do I start? At what background rhythm do I introduce new ideas and flesh them out? As an author, Mark had those and other questions in mind as he wrote, and he made choices for each of them. (sidebar: I fully acknowedge the role of the human author in writing inspired Scripture, as well as the superintending of the Holy Spirit to ensure a fully God-breathed, inspired Scripture as well.)

Mark's evident decision is to play his hand in the opening sentence, serving his readers with a foundation for everything Mark writes. In fact, he starts so big that I am struggling myself with an adequate description of what Mark has done. I hesitate to use the word-picture "foundation", since the concepts of Jesus as Messiah and as the Son of God are so large. They extend beyond a foundation, providing a towering superstructure to give shape and substance to the entire construction of Mark's gospel.

Mark's Gospel has been characterized as "the Gospel to the Romans". Why would people describe his work this way? Partially due to the repeated emphasis on Jesus as a man of action and authority, appealing to Roman cultural sensibilities built up from a long history of military domination and victory. Further, Mark translates Jewish ideas for his readers, assuming they are unfamilar territory to his audience, so they may grasp the deep realities he is communicating. Perhaps this is a new idea to you. Maybe you've never thought about Bible authors and how they wrote as authors;  considering their intended audience and writing from their own perspective while reaching through the cultural/religious window, influencing not only what they would write but also how they would write it. And yes, it is possible to hold to Biblical inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility while acknowledging the very real role of the individual human authors.

Then again, this might be nothing new to you at all. Perhaps you've wondered about whether and how much should we contextualize our message. Should we modulate our vocabulary and imagery to avoid stumbling people with deep theology until we walk quite a ways down the road with them?


What I gather from Mark's opening is, at a minimum, we do not always need to back off, dumb down, or gloss over rich theology early on. Why, Mark hasn't even taken a second breath and we've already seen Messiahship and "Son of God"-ness come into play. While both of these need to be fleshed out in the subsequent text, it doesn't force Mark to abandon using them in his opening.


Taking this principle in hand, we see now that we are not compelled to always test the waters with a tentative toe in the pool, pulverizing the good news into a digestible mush in order to reach the unchurched masses. No, instead of a fearful foray into the dark land, we can carry the bright torch of our Messiah, our Savior, the Son of God with us, to give light to lost souls living in darkness.

 

Words of Wisdom

"When we are bored, it can be only because we have stopped looking at Jesus. He can't be boring. If we find him boring, it's because we are boring. The deficiency is ours, not his."  -Jared Wilson, Gospel Deeps.

Good News! Good News!

Yesterday was 'Reformation Sunday'. I had the opportunity to serve my home church while our pastor was under the weather and unable to preach. The sermon starts in Jeremiah and ranges over quite a bit of Scripture. It is 24 minutes long. May God bless the preaching of His Word.

I know some of you have followed the blog for several years. I would love to hear from you, whether here in the blog comments, on Vimeo, Facebook, or Twitter.


Jeremiah 23:5-6 Good News! Good News! from First Evangelical Free Church on Vimeo.

A Plea To My Brothers In Danger

My dear brother,
I know. I know. You've thought it through. Your situation is unique and the only relief you have in your loneliness comes from the plans you are making. Plans... with someone else. Someone... who is not your wife. Maybe she has a name at this point, maybe still a faceless, anonymous fantasy. After all, you reason, intimacy at home is non-existent. The woman you share a roof with has become, perhaps not the enemy, but like a piece of furniture you pass by without care, or a stranger on television who could care less about you...  about "us".

BROTHER! STOP!

PASTOR! HOLD YOUR GROUND!

Sin is strangling you, choking out your sight until you tunnel vision in on what will ultimately burn down your entire life. Pause before your blind burning desire strikes the match and immolates your entire life and every treasured, hard-fought relationship you have: your wife, your children,  your loved ones, your friends, your church, your Lord and Savior.

Brother, can you not see that your heart is becoming hard as diamonds? Humble yourself before God, and repent before the insanity of sin drags you under the surface. Seek His face, which shines brighter than the sun, to dispel the darkness you've lost yourself in.

You retort, "Oh, but when her hand touched mine, such depth of feeling shook me, our connection was immediate and without words! The fog of my loneliness lifted and I feel hopeful that someone, anyone, would care again for me." Brother, it was simply a touch. The old nature, agitated by that spark, has clambered out of the grave and filled your mind with visions, visions of unreality, visions of fantasy, visions which the light of day will prove to be worthless, less than worthless, truly tragic in their destructive power; deadly and bringing death with them, riding on the night, where darkness conceals the danger and lying to yourself seems like hope.

The surge of excitement you feel in anticipation is actually your soul imploding upon itself before unleashing explosive fury in every direction. Nothing will remain, including your 'happiness'. Your flock which you have shepherded faithfully will be scattered, beaten down, some devoured in the aftermath of your sin. Your precious wife, who has loved and supported you for so many years will be left scarred of soul, burned to the bone, trying to reassamble her life with the children, no comfort or guidance from your 'loved-for-so-long' hand. Instead, the shadow of betrayal lurking in every corner.

Again, you push back. "When I look into her eyes, the tenderness and desire I see takes my breath away." A man drowning in the depths of the ocean has his breath taken away as well. It is a soul-drowning, conscience-killing undertow of rebellion that drags more and more the longer you toy with it.

BROTHER!  STOP!

 Before you scatter spiritual napalm everywhere and on everyone around you, before you strike the match of 'burning desire', before your life landscape becomes ground zero of your 'scorched earth' lusts, stop. Stop the fantasizing, planning, lusting, and hardening of your affections.

Do not take that step. Pull your foot back from the brink. Seek the Lord in humility and repentance, that you may not be lost in the furious tempest.

For the glory of our God, the good of your soul, the joy of you and your wife and family, and all the rest; seek the Lord and wise counsel to help you regain your footing and strengthen your commitment of love for your wife.

Brother, I plead with you. It is my prayer that God will help you embrace again the hope-filled reality of the gospel of Jesus Christ and turn from the minefield of death-dealing sin.

For specific suggestions on how to deal with these temptations, this article by Jason Helopoulos will prove very helpful.

Sola Scriptura: London Baptist Confession of 1644

London Baptist Confession of 1644



VI.


1 This therefore is life eternal, to know the only true God, and whom He has sent Jesus Christ. 2 And on the contrary, the Lord will render vengeance in flaming fire to them that know not God, and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1. John 17:3; Heb. 5:9; Jer. 23:5, 6
2. II Thess. 1:8; John 3:36

VII.


The rule of this knowledge, faith, and obedience, concerning the worship and service of God, and all other Christian duties, is not mans inventions, opinions, devices, laws, constitutions, or traditions unwritten whatsoever, but only the word of God contained in the Canonical Scriptures.


John 5:39; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Col. 21:18, 23; Mat. 15:9



VIII.


In this written Word God has plainly revealed whatsoever He has thought needful for us to know, believe, and acknowledge, touching the nature and office of Christ, in whom all the promises are Yea and Amen to the praise of God.


Acts 3:22, 23; Heb. 1:1, 2; 2 Tim 3:15-17; 2 Cor. 1:20

Kaiser On A Roll

I recently found a very helpful, inspiring book on deep discount at CBD.  Walter Kaiser's The Majesty of God in the Old Testament is available for a short time at $5.99 as 'slightly imperfect'. I have not figured out what flaws exist with the copy I received. Nothing on the cover, spine, or binding that I can discern.

Anyway, once I received the book I started to look through it. Kaiser grabbed my attention in the introduction with his infectious energy for exalting the greatness and majesty of God from numerous biblical passages. Those familiar with the YRR movement and its literature will find a familiar tune of intentional pursuit of the glory of God in Kaiser's reflections. Not only does he stir up high thoughts of our great God, but he also lays out a practical framework to pursue preaching and teaching from ten specific passages which could be applied to numerous others. In other words, Kaiser not only paints a magnificent biblical portrait of God's majesty, he provides you with brushes, tints, a pallet, and a theological artist's eye to help you teach your people about our glorious God.

Kaiser also gives a brief reflection on and response to the Christocentric preaching model emphasized most prominently by Bryan Chapell. If you have never read Kaiser, here's a solid and stirring work of deep theology that would benefit both you and those who hear you preach and teach concerning the majesty of our great God and Savior.

The Burning Man

"The Spirit moves when he will and how he will, and we cannot command his coming, but about one thing that will happen when the Spirit moves in, power in the church of Jesus Christ, I think we can be perfectly sure. When that happens, the miserable, feeble talk about the avoidance of controversy on the part of Christian men and preachers of Jesus Christ will all he swept away as with a mighty flood. A man on fire with a message never speaks in a way like that; never speaks with the indifferent manner of the world but proclaims his gospel in the presence of the world of enemies, briefly and nobly in the presence of everything that is lifted up against the gospel of Jesus Christ."


--J. Gresham Machen's The Gospel And The Modern World: And Other Short Writings

Christ and Suffering Temptation

"His sinlessness did not immunize Him against the effects of sin, either during His life or on the cross. In fact, He tasted our temptations with a sensitivity none of us has known precisely because He resisted them. Whatever your experience of temptation or suffering, Christ's was deeper because His humanity was sinless."

  -Sinclair Ferguson. In Christ Alone: Living the Gospel Centered Life 

Things Which Truly Matter

"Light may seem at times to be an impertinent intruder, but it is always beneficial in the end. The type of religion which rejoices in the pious sound of traditional phrases, regardless of their meanings, or shrinks from 'controversial' matters, will never stand amid the shocks of life. In the sphere of religion, as in other spheres, the things about which men are agreed are apt to be the things that are least worth holding; the really important things are the things about which men will fight."
                                                                 -- Machen, J. Gresham. Christianity and Liberalism

Prayer: Who Should We Pray To?

"God is the One to whom we pray. Not angels. Not some group of 'saints' up in heaven. Not the departed dead. But God alone. There is not a single verse either in the Old Testament or the New Testament where prayers are made to angels, to saints, or the departed dead. Such ideas are human inventions. Prayer is to be made only to God."  - Rhodes, Ron. Prayer to the Living God

Words of Wisdom

A prophet is a spokesman; one sent from God to man to make known the divine will. In this sense Moses and all inspired men were prophets. But Christ was the personal "Word of God" incarnate, he who had eternally been "in the bosom of the Father," and "known the Father"; and consequently as Mediatorial Prophet is that original fountain of revelation of which all other prophets are the streams. He is the Prophet of all prophets, the Teacher of all teachers.

Hodge, A.A. A Commentary on The Westminster Confession of Faith With Scripture Proofs (Kindle Locations 1840-1844)

Sola Scriptura: Keach's Catechism (1677)

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)

Sola Scriptura: Westminster Catechism

Westminster Larger Catechism

Question 3: What is the Word of God?

Answer: The holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, the only rule of faith and obedience.

Question 4: How does it appear that the Scriptures are the Word of God?

Answer: The Scriptures manifest themselves to be the Word of God, by their majesty and purity; by the consent of all the parts, and the scope of the whole, which is to give all glory to God; by their light and power to convince and convert sinners, to comfort and build up believers unto salvation: but the Spirit of God bearing witness by and with the Scriptures in the heart of man, is alone able fully to persuade it that they are the very Word of God.

Question 5: What do the Scriptures principally teach?

Answer: The Scriptures principally teach,: What man is to believe concerning God, and: What duty God requires of man.

Question 6: What do the Scriptures make known of God?

Answer: The Scriptures make known: What God is, the persons in the Godhead, his decrees, and the execution of his decrees.