Grace

We must admit that the true Christian is a rather strange person in the eye of the unbeliever.

I use the adjective true in regard to the Christian not only to point out the necessity for the new birth but to indicate, also, the Christian who is living according to his new birth. I speak here of a transformed life pleasing to God, for if you want to be a Christian, you must agree to a very much different life. The life of obedience to Jesus Christ means living moment by moment in the Spirit of God and it will be so different from your former life that you will often be considered strange. In fact, the life in the Spirit is such a different life that some of your former associates will probably discuss the question of whether or not you are mentally disturbed. The true Christian may seem a strange person indeed to those who make their observations only from the point of view of this present world, which is alienated from God and His gracious plan of salvation.

Consider now these glorious contradictions and you will no longer wonder why the true believer in Jesus Christ is such an amazement to this world.

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There’s a good reason I posted the video sermon by Mark Kielar titled Do not Worry! previously. Following my post, a good brother Lee asked what the situation I alluded to was (thank you for your concern, brother), so I thought I’d answer publicly in this post while recounting the blessings I’ve been given just last week.

I’ve not been an active part of the workforce for a good time now, and with the economic situation getting worse globally it might take a real miracle and much blessings for me to land a job. Meanwhile, coping with monthly expenses hasn’t been easy — I’m very, very grateful to my wife for being the provider during this period, but I don’t feel at all good seeing that she has to go teach tuition classes while replies and phone calls never come along for me even after sending out numerous applications daily. I’ve applied to teach tuition as well, but ultimately I’ll still need a job that gives me a monthly paycheck to qualify for some loans like the one for the new house (we’re selling the current).

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“At the heart of Reformed Theology, at the heart of Luther and Calvin’s struggle, and in Knox and Jonathan Edwards, were men who were awakened to the greatness, to the majesty, to the holiness, and the sovereignty of God. By contemplating the holiness and sovereignty of God, they were driven to develop their doctrines of the grace of God. Because until you meet a God who is holy and is sovereign, you don’t know what grace means. I don’t think we are ever going to see a healthy evangelical church until the evangelical church is solidly Reformed, where it takes biblical Christianity seriously with a right concept of a sovereign God.

That’s because unreformed Christianity has failed in our culture. It has been pervasively antinomian (no law, no Lordship), and has been pervasively liberal in it’s trends and tendencies away from Scripture, because there’s been no real basis in the sovereignty of God.

Today’s evangelicals are never amazed by grace, because they don’t understand sovereignty. They don’t understand God. The evangelical church today is sick, more sick than it ever has been. We need a style and a variety of Christianity that is not a religion, but is a life and a worldview, where at the heart and foundational structure of it is a sound and deep biblical concept of the character of God.”

Dr. R.C. Sproul, A Blueprint for Thinking

HT: Reformed Pilgrim.

“The overwhelming majority of professing Christians grants that God is sovereign over nature and that He is sovereign over human behavior. The affirmation of divine sovereignty starts to disappear, however, when Christians begin to struggle over the third area in which the Scriptures affirm God’s sovereignty — His grace. Somehow the idea that God reserves to Himself eternally and absolutely the right to manifest His saving mercy on some individuals and to withhold it from others is an act we adjudge to be unfair. The apostle Paul anticipated this human reaction to divine sovereignty in salvation when he raised the rhetorical question, “Is there injustice on God’s part?” (Rom. 9:14b). Such a question has never been raised about Arminian or semi-Pelagian schemes of salvation. The suggestion of unrighteousness in God comes only in response to the affirmation of the absolute sovereignty of God in His saving choice to elect some and not others.”

Dr. R.C. Sproul, emphasis mine.

HT: The Bororean.

Soli deo Gloria.

Lord, remove the pride of the flesh in me.

The more you behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, the more you will see of your own vileness. The more you grow in holiness, the more aware you will be of your inward corruptions and the imperfection of your duties. More and more, you will feel your need of the gospel of grace and you will realize, even after many years of faithful Christian service, that you are a sinner who has no hope apart from Christ. Never forget that in yourself you are unworthy, and guilty and condemned; only in Jesus are you accepted.

Abraham Booth (1734-1806)

HT: The Bororean.

Go Directly To Jesus

“I feel, when I have sinned, an immediate reluctance to go to Christ. I am ashamed to go. I feel as if it would do no good to go, as if it were making Christ a minister of sin, to go straight from the swine-trough to the best robe, and a thousand other excuses; but I am persuaded they are all lies, direct from hell.

John argues the opposite way: ‘If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father.’ I am sure there is neither peace nor safety from deeper sin, but in going directly to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is God’s way of peace and holiness. It is folly to the world and the beclouded heart, but it is the way.”

Robert Murray M’Cheyne, quoted by Andrew Bonar
Robert Murray M’Cheyne (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1960), 176

HT: Of First Importance.

Godliness is our spiritual beauty

‘The beauties of holiness’ (Psalm 110:3). Godliness is to the soul what the light is to the world: to illustrate and adorn it. It is not greatness which sets us off in God’s eye but goodness. What is the beauty of the angels but their sanctity? Godliness is the intricate embroidery and workmanship of the Holy Ghost. A soul furnished with godliness is damasked with beauty, it is enamelled with purity. This is the clothing of wrought gold which makes the King of heaven fall in love with us. Were there no excellence in holiness, the hypocrite would never try to paint it. Godliness sheds a glory and lustre on the saints. What are the graces but the golden feathers in which Christ’s dove shines (Psalm 68:13)?

Godliness is our defence

Grace is called ‘the armour of light’ (Romans 13:12). It is light for beauty and armour for defence. A Christian has armour of God’s making which cannot be shot through. He has the shield of faith, the helmet of hope, the breastplate of righteousness. This is proof armour, which defends against the assaults of temptation and the terror of hell.

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For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

No amount of good works can save you — not sacraments nor baptism at birth nor feeding the poor. Salvation comes through repentance of your sins, i.e. turning away from those sins and sinning no more, and putting your faith and trust in Christ Jesus acknowledging Him as Lord and Savior.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23

Mike at Still A Night Owl tagged me with this meme to list at least two posts from blogs I read that have resonated with me.

Rules:

1. List at least two posts (with links) that have resonated with you. Do not include your own posts!
2. Give a brief explanation why you like the post.
3. Tag four other people.

Without further ado:

The Righteousness That Exceeds That of the Scribes and Pharisees

Mike Ratliff’s blog, Possessing The Treasure, is one that warrants a daily visit if you are into good, Biblical insights on the Christian life.

In The Righteousness That Exceeds That of the Scribes and Pharisees, Mike talks about how most Christians today have never experienced real Christianity because they are not regenerate and languish in the “Religion of Do“.

What is the Religion of Do? Mike sums it up succinctly to mean those who those who “… being full of unbelief, are in the process of developing their own righteousness and are working to be conformed to it.”

It’s a great reminder to us who seek to become matured, Spirit-filled believers that our lives must be “… saturated by the Word of God…” and our obedience to God includes our “… relationships with others.”

Christians Get Mercy And Grace

Ray Comfort’s Comfort Food is another must-visit-daily blog.

Though short, Christians Get Mercy And Grace is a lovely reminder.

Why We Shouldn’t Work for the World’s Applause

I kid not when I say that I do need to re-reference my dictionary on occasion when I read Daniel’s blog Reformata Et Semper Reformanda. That’s not to say that he doesn’t write well nor clearly, but that I like how sometimes I learn new terms whenever I visit his blog.

Why We Shouldn’t Work for the World’s Applause isn’t one of those posts that requires checking the dictionary, but a direct look at how as Christians we are susceptible to succumb to peer pressure and group-think in church.

We are to work for the applause of One — God — only.

Standing For Righteousness

I was particularly encouraged by how Justin at Awesome Purpose stood for righteousness at work in his account. Mostly, we just keep quiet and mind our own business when faced with ungodly speech or behavior because we don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb.

In the process, we become tolerant of ungodliness and that, if I might take the hypothesis a little further here, could translate into allowing the same forms of ungodliness creeping into our own lives. Just as how churches have invited heresy and worldliness in, bit by bit.

The Resurrection Was Not On Sunday

Finally, this topic of which day the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ fell on is amply and well-addressed by King’s Kid at her blog Just the WORD - Please!.

I have always maintained that the Lord’s Day is not Sunday, but that there’s Biblical evidence to indicate that the Resurrection was on the Sabbath instead of Easter Sunday. This post will help you with the math and see for yourself that there’s no new day or days that need be observed besides what God had ordained.

And now I tag:

1. Casey (You’re going to get tagged until you post something new, brother, ha ha!)
2. Shane
3. Shalene
4. Hannah (welcome back to blogging!)

Have a great week ahead!

Shalom Aleichem.

Has the pastor and his congregation lost their minds?

Listen up, Mr. Fred Phelps, our Lord Jesus Christ came to save the lost, not condemn them! And you are there with your daughters and the congregation that you lead doing exactly the opposite — condemning those who actually needs His forgiveness, comfort, and love most.

Did you think that by doing this that you are the light and salt of the earth?

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Have you ever faced or imagined this scenario where you stand before a judge in court, and they read out all the charges to you and you stand in trepidation wondering what sort of punishment will be meted out against you?

I have.

Now I have never been to court to answer a charge prior to a few months’ back, but I was served summons to appear in court for non-payment of some fees I owe to the Town Council during the time when I was desperately unemployed for more than 6 months.

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I just came across this story of A.J. Jacobs, an agnostic, who did the crazy thing of trying to follow all of the rules set out in the Bible in a single year.

Did you know that there are, apparently, more than 700 rules ranging from the familiar “Love thy neighbor as thyself” to the more obscure part about not trimming one’s beard?

Jacobs’ experience will be published in a book titled The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible, which will be in bookstores Oct 9, 2007.

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