"Evangelicals, for God's Sake, Please Wake Up"

There is therefore now no condemnation

"...He who believes is not condemned and cannot be punished. And more, all of those privileges that you might have enjoyed, if you had never sinned, are now yours, because you are justified. All the blessings which you would have had if you had kept the law are yours, because Christ has kept it for you. All the love and acceptance that perfect obedience could have obtained from God belong to you, because Christ was perfectly obedient in your behalf has imputed all His merits to your account, that you might be exceedingly rich through him who for your sake became exceedingly poor."

From the new ESV version of Spurgeon's Evening by Evening

"I have my own private opinion, that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and him crucified, unless you preach what now-a-days is called Calvinism. I have my own ideas, and those I always state boldly. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism. Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else. I do not believe we can preach the gospel, if we do not preach justification by faith without works; not unless we preach the sovereignty of God in his dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor, I think, can we preach the gospel, unless we base it upon the peculiar redemption which Christ made for his elect and chosen people; nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called, and suffers the children of God to be burned in the fires of damnation, after having believed. Such a gospel I abhor. The gospel of the Bible is not such a gospel as that. We preach Christ and him crucified in a different fashion, and to all gainsayers we reply, "We have not so learned Christ."
-Charles Spurgeon

HT: Church Matters

Westminster Shorter Catechism Question 3

Click here for the introductory post to this series.

Q. What do the Scriptures principally teach?

A. The Scriptures principally teach, what man is to believe concerning God,^e and what duty God requires of man.^f

Things to consider:

Since the Bible principally teaches us what to believe about God and what we are to do in light of this information, it is appropriate when we are reading a passage of Scripture to modify the answer and turn it into a question: What does this passage teach me about God, and What does God require of me?

This is an extremely valuable thing to do because it gets us our creed; what we believe God is like and our conduct; how we should live. Oftentimes we emphasize one aspect over the other, keeping these questions in mind will help us avoid that.

 

p.s. foot update:

Well, it's been a week and I am still on crutches and unable to keep my foot down in a normal position for very long. I'm starting to think it may be a while before I recover! On the bright side, Erika will be back from visiting her parents soon, so I will be able to spend some of my recovery time with her!

Westminster Shorter Catechism Question 2

Click here for the introductory post to this series.

Q. What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him?

A. The Word of God, which is contained in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments,^c is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.^d

Things to consider:

The question is what rule has God given us to direct our worship. The word rule means regulation or procedure, it implies that God has something to say in the matter and that he is not vague!

And as the answer, what could be better a better rule than the very Word of God? His direct revelation to us in a medium we can comprehend. God condescended to reveal Himself to His creatures in such a simple way, what a God! Furthermore the catechism points out that this is the only rule. The postmodern relativist that lurks just below the surface in me recoils at such a thought. What about my feeling? What about my ideas? They must be subjugated to the Word.   

 

p.s. I would appreciate prayer for a quick recovery, I tore some ligaments in my ankle playing basketball. It's swelled up like a grapefruit right now, and I'm stuck in Mississauga at my parents house - which is a great place to be in this state actually.

Westminster Shorter Catechism - Question 1

Q. What is the chief end of man?

A. Man's chief end is to glorify God,^a and to enjoy him forever.^b

Things to consider:

Inherent in the question, What is the chief end of man? Is that man has a chief end. We have a purpose, we have a charge, we have a reason to live. And furthermore, our purpose for living is not self-determined. The chief end of all mankind is the same, my chief end is not to love my wife most fully and yours is not to try your hardest at school or at work. Our chief end, our main goal toward which we must strive is the same; To glorify God and enjoy him forever.

The instruction to glorify God is fascinating; God is infinitely glorious regardless of what we do! Yet time after time in Scripture we are commanded to glorify God, to glorify his name. I can think of no better reason why we would do so than He deserves it, it is right to make a big deal of God, the biggest “deal” in the whole universe. Secondly, glorifying God is good for us. John Piper points out in his essay on Christian Hedonism that we should pursue joy wholeheartedly, for it is only in the worship and exultation of Christ that we will find it.

Tune in tomorrow (or perhaps the next day) for question 2!

The Westminster Shorter Catechism

Greetings to my loyal readers, I hope that there are still some of you out there! As you may have noticed, I have not blogged in quite a while. So, what would be the best way to get back on the horse? Perhaps some light fare, a personal update or some links maybe. Hogwash! Instead, I've decided to start a series of posts on the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Today, by way of introduction I will provide some background information.

What is a catechism? 

Simply put, a catechism is a series of questions and answers designed to be memorized in order to internalize particular truths.

What is the Westminster Catechism?

The WC was written by the assembly of divines (men schooled in Divinity) at Westminster, UK which met regularly between 1643 and 1649. There was a Larger and a Shorter catechism written, the Shorter seems to be the one which is read and memorized most widely today. Each answer is accompanied by proofs from Scripture, which I will include in my posts.

Why is the WSC important?

Erika and I have decided to try memorize the 107 questions and answers for our own edification and also to be able to catechize (yes, it can be used as a verb!) our children (should the Lord bless us in that way). Quite simply, the WSC is an unsurpassed collection of Biblical doctrine that has been taught, memorized and loved by Christians for more than three centuries.

My plan is to blog one Catechism question every day (or every other day maybe) and attempt to add some thoughts as well. Tune in tomorrow for question one!

The Westminster Standards... are the richest and most precise and best guarded statement ever penned of all that enters into evangelical religion, and of all that must be safeguarded if evangelical religion is to persist in the world.

B B Warfield

Link

Here is a great little post by Josh Harris.

Where the Battle Rages, There the Loyalty of the Soldier is Proved

"If I profess with the loudest voice and the clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at the moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I maybe professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battle field besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point."

Martin Luther, quoted in The Truth War by John MacArthur, pg. 26

Virginia

Were you surprised when you heard about the shooting at Virginia Tech University yesterday? I was - catastrophic events like that always seem to come out of nowhere. However, considering that

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick" Jeremiah 17:9a

and

“All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.”       Romans 3: 12-18

The fact that should surprise us is there are approximately 4,500 colleges and universities in the US and Canada that didn't experience a shooting yesterday.

The incredible goodness of God in restraining sin in his creatures is the only thing that keeps things like this and much worse from happening every day.

While we pray on behalf of the families affected by this shooting, let's also praise God for His sovereign control of the universe, and the fact that though we deserve death for our sin, we live.

Worth Considering...

Certain avant-garde evangelicals sometimes act as if the demise of certainty is a dramatic new intellectual development, rather than seeing it for what it actually is: an echo of the old unbelief. It is unbelief cloaked in a religious disguise and seeking legitimacy as if it were merely a humbler kind of faith. But it’s not faith at all. In reality, the contemporary refusal to regard any truth as sure and certain is the worst kind of infidelity.

The church’s duty has always been to confront such skepticism and answer it by clearly proclaiming the truth God has revealed in His Word. We have been given a clear message for the purpose of confronting the world’s unbelief. That is what we are called, commanded, and commissioned to do (1 Corinthians 1:17–31). Faithfulness to Christ demands it. The honor of God requires it. We cannot sit by and do nothing while worldly, revisionist, and skeptical attitudes about truth are infiltrating the church. We must not embrace such confusion in the name of charity, collegiality, or unity. We have to stand and fight for the truth—and be prepared to die for it—as faithful Christians always have.

John MacArthur The Truth War pg. xvi,xvii

Link to Read

If there is anyone who visits this blog that does not read Tim Challies, here is a perfect place to start: Sweet Drudgery

Thinkerup: TONY CAMPOLO QUOTES

Thinkerup: TONY CAMPOLO QUOTES
Someday soon I shall post some thoughts of my own. For now, give this post a read. I find these quotes truly disturbing.

Piper on the Voice of God

Hello folks, anyone checking out this blog who has not yet read John Piper's latest Taste and See article really should. Make sure to read all the way to the end.

Free Ligonier Conference Webcast

The 2007 Ligonier National Conference is this Thursday-Saturday, and the main sessions can be viewed live and for free online. The speakers for this year are John MacArthur, Albert Mohler, John Piper, Ravi Zacharias and of course, R.C. Sproul.

Head over to Ligonier.org and look for the "Free National Conference Webcast" tab under the "New and Noteworthy" section of the main page. Take advantage friends!

Thoughts Concerning the Death of a non-Christian Family Member

I got word today that my Nana (my mother's mother) died last night. She was a special woman whom I enjoyed the company of and I will miss in the years to come. Here are some of my thoughts:

I hope that in her last minutes she earnestly cried out to Jesus for mercy. Apart from trusting in the saving work of the Lord Jesus on the cross and thereby being born again, no one will enter heaven.

How much more this causes me to rejoice in my own salvation, that the sovereign God of the universe called me to Himself and brought me from death to life.

My very first thought after hearing of Nana's death: "Will not the judge of the earth always do what is right?"

This event should embolden me to warn my remaining family members that it is appointed for men once to die and then comes the judgement. Lord, may it be so.

It is difficult to know what to say to my family who do not know God because they are convinced that Nana is "in a better place".

It occurs to me that mourning the loss of one life and celebrating the creation of a new one - as Erika and I are doing while anticipating the birth of a son or daughter in late fall of this year -is a profoundly human experience.

Pornography and Marriage

The following is an exerpt from an address given by Dr. Albert Mohler. Brothers, take the time to read this.

Consider these two pictures. The first picture is of a man who has set himself toward a commitment to sexual purity, and is living in sexual integrity with his wife. In order to fulfill his wife’s rightful expectations and to maximize their mutual pleasure in the marriage bed, he is careful to live, to talk, to lead, and to love in such a way that his wife finds her fulfillment in giving herself to him in love. The sex act then becomes a fulfillment of their entire relationship, not an isolated physical act that is merely incidental to their love for each other. Neither uses sex as means of manipulation, neither is inordinately focused merely on self-centered personal pleasure, and both give themselves to each other in unapologetic and unhindered sexual passion. In this picture, there is no shame. Before God, this man can be confident that he is fulfilling his responsibilities both as a male and as a man. He is directing his sexuality, his sex drive, and his physical embodiment toward the one-flesh relationship that is the perfect paradigm of God’s intention in creation. By contrast, consider another man. This man lives alone, or at least in a context other than holy marriage. Directed inwardly rather than outwardly, his sex drive has become an engine for lust and self-gratification. Pornography is the essence of his sexual interest and arousal. Rather than taking satisfaction in his wife, he looks at dirty pictures in order to be rewarded with sexual arousal that comes without responsibility, expectation, or demand. Arrayed before him are a seemingly endless variety of naked women, sexual images of explicit carnality, and a cornucopia of perversions intended to seduce the imagination and corrupt the soul. This man need not be concerned with his physical appearance, his personal hygiene, or his moral character in the eyes of a wife. Without this structure and accountability, he is free to take his sexual pleasure without regard for his unshaved face, his slothfulness, his halitosis, his body odor, and his physical appearance. He faces no requirement of personal respect, and no eyes gaze upon him in order to evaluate the seriousness and worthiness of his sexual desire. Instead, his eyes roam across the images of unblinking faces, leering at women who make no demands upon him, who never speak back, and who can never say no. There is no exchange of respect, no exchange of love, and nothing more than the using of women as sex objects for his individual and inverted sexual pleasure. By logical consequence, he achieves sexual gratification at the expense of women who have been used and abused as commodified sex objects. He may imagine a sex act as he fulfills his physical pleasure, but he almost certainly does not imagine what it would mean to be responsible for this woman as husband and accountable to her as mate. He can sit in his soiled underwear, belching the remnants of last night’s pizza, and engage in a pattern of one-handed sexual satisfaction while he “surfs the net” and forfeits his soul. These two pictures of male sexuality are deliberately intended to drive home the point that every man must decide who he will be, whom he will serve, and how he will love. In the end, a man’s decision about pornography is a decision about his soul, a decision about his marriage, a decision about his wife, and a decision about God. Pornography is a slander against the goodness of God’s creation and a corruption of this good gift God has given his creatures out of his own self-giving love. To abuse this gift is to weaken, not only the institution of marriage, but the fabric of civilization itself. To choose lust over love is to debase humanity and to worship the false god Priapus in the most brazen form of modern idolatry.

Link: Between Two Worlds: The Seduction of Pornography and the Integrity of Christian Marriage

Hope for the Evangelist from Romans

Hello dear reader(s).

I have been reading through the book of Romans with an unsaved fella the past few months in order that he might be saved. I believe in the absolute sovereignty of God in salvation, and yet I know that this young man is commanded by God in the scriptures to repent and believe the gospel, and so I do try to impress that upon him, to call on the name of the Lord and be saved (Rom 10:13). The great thing about evangelizing through the whole book of Romans is that all of the necessary information to receive the gospel as good news is present: the law, our transgression of the law, the penalty for breaking the law, etc. Also the gospel itself is in Romans: the perfect life, penal substitutionary death, and triumphant resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

To you dear reader, who does not have the opportunity to read through the whole book of Romans with someone whom you wish to be saved, there is still great encouragement to be had here.

1) Romans 1:19-20 ESV:

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

God has revealed Himself in His creation, it is evident by the stars and planets and trees and bugs that there is a powerful Creator God. Therefore the evangelist can appeal to creation as witness to the existence of God.

2) Romans 2:14-15 ESV:

For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them

God has written His law on the heart of every man and every woman who has ever lived, this is where the conscience comes from. What a great hope! This means that when you are showing the sinner his true self in the mirror that is the law, he will not like what he sees but he will know deep down that it is true! I think this is where a lot of the vehement reactions come from, there is a chord struck within the sinner when he hears the law, if the conscience is fertile enough, this can cause great reverberations throughout his heart.

The ultimate encouragement is of course that the Holy Spirit is the one who does the work of convicting, regenerating and giving the gift of faith - the evangelist is to be merely a herald. Endeavor today to be a herald, friend.

"How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"

Encouragement from Whitefield

Well, to anyone who still checks this poor excuse for a blog: kudos on your faithfulness! Your reward shall be a gem gleaned from the journals of George Whitefield, which I am reading for a paper on the Great Awakening.

I now began, like them [the early Methodists], to live by rule, and to pick up the very fragments of my time, that not a moment of it might be lost. Whether I ate or drank, or whatsoever I did, I endeavored to do all to the glory of God. Like them, having no weekly sacrament, although the Rubric required it, at our own college, I received every Sunday at Christ Church. I joined with them in keeping the stations by fasting Wednesdays and Fridays and left no means unused, which I thought would lead me nearer to Jesus Christ.

Left no means unused, which I thought would led me nearer to Jesus Christ. What a glorious thing to be able to say about one's own life! Friend do what you can today to draw nearer to the Lord Jesus Christ, redeem the time.

Bible Readers

Well it seems like all I have been posting for a while is just material from other websites, and today is another such day. I will endeavor to write some of my own material in the near future, but for now read this excerpt of a sermon delivered by Charles Spurgeon that I found over at the Pyromaniacs.

If this be the Word of God, what will become of some of you who have not read it for the last month? "Month, sir! I have not read it for this year." Ay, there are some of you who have not read it at all. Most people treat the Bible very politely. They have a small pocket volume, neatly bound; they put a white pocket-handkerchief round it and carry it to their places of worship; when they get home, they lay it up in a drawer till next Sunday morning; then it comes out again for a little bit of a treat, and goes to chapel; that is all the poor Bible gets in the way of an airing. That is your style of entertaining this heavenly messenger. There is dust enough on some of your Bibles to write "damnation" with your fingers. There are some of you who have not turned over your Bibles for a long, long while, and what think you? I tell you blunt words, but true words. What will God say at last? When you shall come before him, he shall say, "Did you read my Bible?" "No." "I wrote you a letter of mercy; did you read it?" "No." "Rebel! I have sent thee a letter inviting thee to me; didst thou ever read it?" "Lord, I never broke the seal; I kept it shut up." "Wretch!" says God, "then, thou deservest hell, I sent thee a loving epistle, and thou wouldst not even break the seal; what shall I do unto thee?"

Oh, let it not be so with you. Be Bible-readers; be Bible-searchers.