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you are accepted

"Only a fraction of the present body of professing Christians are solidly appropriating the justifying work of Christ in their lives. Many… have a theoretical commitment to this doctrine, but in their day-to-day existence they rely on their sanctification for justification… drawing their assurance of acceptance with God from their sincerity, their past experience of conversion, their recent religious performance or the relative infrequency of their conscious, willful disobedience.  "Few know enough to start each day with a thoroughgoing stand upon Luther’s platform: you are accepted , looking outward in faith and claiming the wholly alien righteousness of Christ as the only ground for acceptance, relaxing in that quality of trust which will produce increasing sanctification as faith is active in love and gratitude…  "Much that we have interpreted as a defect of sanctification in church people is really an outgrowth of their loss of bearing with respect to justificati

on the incarnation

Below is a lightly edited excerpt from the second section of Athanasius' writing, On the Incarnation , written about AD 320.   "The Divine Dilemma and Its Solution in the Incarnation" Now He [ the Word ] entered the world in a new way, stooping to our level in His love and Self-revealing to us.  He saw the reasonable race of men that, like Himself, expressed the Father's Mind, wasting out of existence, and death  reigning over all in their corruption. He saw that corruption held us, because it was the penalty for the transgression.  He saw how unthinkable it would be for the law to be repealed before it was fulfilled.  He saw how unfitting it would be for the very things which He Himself made should disappear. He saw how the surpassing wickedness of men was mounting up against them.  He saw their universal bondage to death.  All this He saw. And He pitied our race.  He was moved with compassion for our limitation, and was unwilling that death sh

the cradle, cross, and crown

At the center of the history of redemption is a cradle, a cross, and a crown.   All of the Old Testament, from creation to the fall of the first Adam, from the calling of Abraham and God's purposes for Israel, and including all the prophets, spoke in preparation and in foreshadowing of the Coming One, the last Adam, the God-man who would make all things right.   "When we could not come to him, he came to us."  The truth of the incarnation is vital to the gospel: unless the Messiah would be both man and God he could not accomplish what he needed to accomplish.  He must be infinitely strong to save (God) and he must be a perfect Substitute for us (fully human).  Then his death could be a full atonement, a completely gracious redemption.  We could not come to him unless he came to us. This is the center of history: the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. An accomplished salvation at his initiative.  A Savior in every sense of the word.   Now in the New T

the first rejection

"And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no  place for them in the inn." (Luke 2:7) In my reading recently I pondered this passage in 1 Peter... "As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious , you yourselves like living  stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God  through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: 'Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious , and  whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.' So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, ' The  stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone ,' and 'A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.'  (1 Peter 2:4 -8a ESV) Being born in a stable was just the first of many rejections.  Jesus was born in a b

what brings the glory down

Finished reading James MacDonald's Vertical Church .  The church is first and foremost about God's glory and manifested  presence.  People should sense this, and even the outsider  "...falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you." (1 Corinthians 14:25) The Pillars of a vertical church (what brings the glory down): Unapologetic Preaching Unashamed Adoration Unceasing Prayer from God's people Unafraid Witness by God's people A couple of final quotes... On relational evangelism : “The power of the gospel is not in the relational capacity of the witness but in the message itself.  Friendship evangelism, lifestyle evangelism, relational evangelism—all of it flows from our desire to avoid what cannot be avoided.  I will say it again, if you are not willing to be the aroma of death to those who are perishing, you can’t be the aroma of life to those who are being saved.  The idea of having conversations with a pe

theology as worship

We should only speak about God when we speak from and through him.  Theology should be formed as a fire within us... "Religion, the fear of God, must therefore be the element which inspires and animates all theological investigation. That must be  the pulse-beat of the science. A theologian is a  person who makes bold to speak about God because he speaks out of God and through  God. To profess theology is to do holy work. It is a priestly ministration in the house of  the Lord. It is itself a service of worship, a consecration of mind and heart to the honor  of His name." (--Herman Bavinck, Inaugural Address at the Free University of Amsterdam, 1902.)

the folly of the Lord

O Simplicitas  An angel came to me And I was unprepared  To be what God was using. Mother I was to be. A moment I despaired, Thought briefly of refusing. The angel knew I heard. According to God's Word I bowed to this strange choosing. A palace should have been The birthplace of a king (I had no way of knowing). We went to Bethlehem; It was so strange a thing. The wind was cold, and blowing, My cloak was old, and thin. They turned us from the inn; The town was overflowing. God's Word, a child so small, Who still must learn to speak, Lay in humiliation. Joseph stood, strong and tall. The beasts were warm and meek  And moved with hesitation. The Child born in a stall? I understood it: all. Kings came in adoration. Perhaps it was absurd: The stable set apart, The sleepy cattle lowing; And the incarnate Word Resting against my heart. My joy was overflowing. The shepherds came, adored The folly of the Lord, Wiser than all men's knowing.

simple church

Doing a quick Kindle read of a recommended book, Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger.  Getting some good thoughts from this, and of course, Kindle allows me to underline, and then cut and paste from my clippings text file.   About halfway through here are some key highlights: Study findings: "There is a highly significant relationship between a simple church design and the growth and vitality of a local church." Sadly, most churches miss this truth. They are not simple. They have not designed a simple process for discipleship. They have not structured their church around the process of spiritual transformation. And they are making little impact.  To have a simple church, you must design a simple discipleship process. This process must be clear. It must move people toward maturity. It must be integrated fully into your church, and you must get rid of the clutter around it. A simple church is designed around a straightforward and strategic process that m

living with the end in mind

Here are some notes and quotes from Don Emerson's message on Sunday... “A wise person always lives with the end in mind” “'If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you will be right.' When I was 17, I read this quote and for the past  33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself; ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to  do what I am about to do today?’ Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I have ever encountered to help  me make the big choices of life.” (--Steve Jobs, Stanford University, 2005) We leave lasting footprints after we’re gone by... --Demonstrating how to handle failure. --Investing in the lives of others around us. --By modeling the good life of loving and obeying God. --By showing how to die with confidence and hope. We leave lasting footprints after we’re gone by... 1) Demonstrating how to handle failure. “ … I have now allowed you to see it with your own eyes

dignity, humility continued

Blaise Pascal, in his Pensees , on human weakness and dignity... #347. Man is but a reed, the most feeble thing in nature; but he is a thinking reed. The entire universe need not arm itself to crush him. A vapor, a drop of water suffices to kill him. But, if the universe were to crush him, man would still be more noble than that which killed him, because he knows that he dies and the advantage which the universe has over him; the universe knows nothing of this.  All our dignity consists, then, in thought. By it we must elevate ourselves, and not by space and time which we cannot fill. Let us endeavor, then, to think well; this is the principle of morality. #793. All bodies, the firmament, the stars, the earth and its kingdoms, are not equal to the lowest mind; for mind knows all these and itself; and these bodies nothing.  This last statement has sometimes been paraphrased, "We are greater than the stars, for we know them and they know nothing." Previous post: Scha

human dignity and humility

Francis Schaeffer, in The God Who Is There, shared a helpful diagram which illustrates the dignity and humility of humanity.   God is our Creator, infinite and self-existent.  We share with all other creatures our creatureliness and finite-ness.  There is a great chasm between us and God in this regards.  We will never be God, who alone is necessary and self-sufficient.  This is our humility. Yet on the side of personhood, we are very much like God.  We are made in his image (Gen. 1:26, 27).  We can think, reason abstractly, feel with complexity, plan and dream, and choose right or wrong. We can exercise dominion in the world and -- by God's grace -- create a human culture of truth, goodness and beauty.  The chasm then exists between the rest of the creatures and man.   It is important to remember both aspects of our make-up.

inexpensive starter FP

what is the church's mission?

During drive time I'm listening to  What is the Mission of the Church? Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom and the Great Commission , by  Kevin DeYoung & Greg Gilbert.  Very thankful to ChristianAudio.com for their offer of a free download on this! Here are some popular highlights, which will give a sense of the direction of this work: We believe the church is sent into the world to witness to Jesus by proclaiming the gospel and making disciples of all  nations.  This is our task. This is our unique and central calling. God does not send out his church to conquer. He sends us out in the name of the One who has already conquered. We go only  because he reigns. We are concerned that in all our passion for renewing the city or tackling social problems, we run the risk of marginalizing  the one thing that makes Christian mission Christian: namely, making disciples of Jesus Christ. If there are missiological implications from Genesis, their emphasis is not “go and bl

entitlement

the morning after

On the morning after our national elections, this is what I’m thinking: the work of the church is far more important than the work of the government. Why is this? Jesus said his church would prevail against the gates of hell (Matt 16:18).  His kingdom is an eternal kingdom that outlasts and supersedes all governments (Dan 7:14).  The church is God’s own possession, purchased by the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28).  It is the church that can care for souls as well as bodies (Acts 2:42-47).  Wherever the church has gone, orphanages and hospitals have been established, and the outcast, the lonely and the dispossessed find a home.   It is the church that has gifted teachers who proclaim eternal truth (1 Cor 12:28ff).   The church is the pillar and buttress of truth (1 Tim 3:15).   God has given many special gifts to the church whereby people can be restored and built up.  It is through the church that God’s manifold wisdom is made known to heaven and earth (Eph 3:10).  Angels long

happiness (joy) the goal

Edwards writes in his first notebook of Miscellanies that it is not simply the glory of God that is the end, or goal, of creation.  Rather, it is  the enjoyment of the glory of God .  God eternally enjoys his glory within the Trinity.  Creation becomes an arena of God's revealed glory, specifically revealed to sentient creatures.  And it is not the knowledge of this glory only, nor the communication of it, that is the goal, but the enjoyment of it...   #3. HAPPINESS IS THE END OF THE CREATION, as appears by this, because the creation had as good not be, as not rejoice in its being. For certainly it was the goodness of the Creator that moved him to create; and how can we conceive of another end proposed by goodness, than that he might delight in seeing the creatures he made rejoice in that being that he has given them? It appears also by this, because the end of the creation is that the creation might glorify him. Now what is glorifying God, but a rejoicing at that glory he h

what God says to the snow and rain, and why

God thunders wondrously with his voice;  he does great things that we cannot comprehend.   For to the snow he says, 'Fall on the earth,'  likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour.   He seals up the hand of every man,  that all men whom he made may know it.   Then the beasts go into their lairs,  and remain in their dens.   From its chamber comes the whirlwind,  and cold from the scattering winds.   By the breath of God ice is given,  and the broad waters are frozen fast.   He loads the thick cloud with moisture;  the clouds scatter his lightning.   They turn around and around by his guidance,  to accomplish all that he commands them  on the face of the habitable world.   Whether for correction or for his land or for love,  he causes it to happen.   (Job 37:5-13 ESV)

what union with Christ means

We await salvation from Christ  because he makes us, ingrafted into his body,  participants not only in all his benefits  but also in himself. If you contemplate yourself,  that is sure damnation.  But since Christ has been so imparted to you  with all his benefits  that all that is his is made yours –  that you are made a member of him,  indeed one with him –  his righteousness overwhelms your sins;  his salvation wipes out your condemnation;  with his worthiness he intercedes  that your unworthiness may not come before God’s sight. Surely this is so:  We ought not to separate Christ from ourselves  or ourselves from him.  Rather we ought to hold fast bravely with both hands  to that fellowship by which he has bound himself to us. Christ is not outside us  but dwells within us.  Not only does he cleave to us  by an indivisible bond of fellowship,  but with a wonderful communion, day by day,  he grows more and more into one body with us,  until he becomes

shelter-seeking trust

Herman Bavinck on the relationship between faith and assurance (or certainty, as truth relates to us)... "Faith is certainty and as such excludes all doubt. Whoever is stricken by guilt and crushed and honestly seeks refuge in Christ is already a believer. To the degree that he exercises a shelter-seeking trust he also possesses an assured trust.  How else would a sinner convicted of his own guilt ever dare to approach God and evoke His grace unless in the depth of his heart, without being consciously aware of it himself, he shared in the certainty of faith and the hope that the Father of Jesus Christ is merciful and great in loving kindness? ... "The assured trust is thereby included in this shelter-seeking trust. And both develop together. The stronger the shelter- seeking trust becomes, the stronger becomes the assured trust.  And if the latter is small and weak, we may confidently conclude that the first too is needy and incomplete. Faith, therefore, does not attain

no other stream -- do not dare not to dare

"If you're thirsty, you may drink.” They were the first words [Jill Pole] had heard since Scrubb had spoken to her on the edge of the cliff. For a second she stared here and there, wondering who had spoken.  Then the voice said again, “If you are thirsty, come and drink,” and of course she remembered what Scrubb had said about animals talking in that other world, and realized that it was the lion speaking. Anyway, she had seen its lips move this time, and the voice was not like a man's. It was deeper, wilder, and stronger; a sort of heavy, golden voice. It did not make her any less frightened than she had been before, but it made her frightened in rather a different way. “Are you not thirsty?” said the Lion. “I'm dying of thirst,” said Jill. “Then drink,” said the Lion. “May I - could I - would you mind going away while I do?” said Jill. The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl. And as Jill gazed at its motionless bulk, she realized

the ten commandments

...from a Christian, Spirit-filled perspective (from Dan Mock's sermon today): With that in mind, that the 10 commandments are a result of intimacy with God, I want to refocus them for you from a Christian, Spirit-filled perspective: When you love me with your whole heart: 1. You will delight in me alone because I AM your All in All. 2. You won’t need pictures or statutes or anything else as a surrogate for me in your worship because I fill your mind, your heart and your imagination with my steadfast love. 3. You will treat my name as sacred because my name is the most special word that crosses your lips. 4. You will spend a whole day with me each week because you trust me enough to know that I’ll provide you with everything you need through the other 6 days. 5. You will honor your father and mother because you know that that relationship is a tangible representation of our relationship. 6. You won’t murder because you see my handiwork and the vestiges of my

today's quotes

“For when death had entered into the human race through man’s disobedience , it was fitting that life should be restored through the obedience of man . When the sin which was the cause of our condemnation had its beginning from a woman , it was fitting for the author of our justice and salvation to be born of a woman . Since the devil, when he tempted man, conquered him by the tasting of a tree , it was fitting for him to be conquered by man’s bearing of suffering on a tree . And a good many other things, when we consider them carefully, show the inexpressible beauty of our redemption , thus accomplished.”  (Anselm of Canterbury, Cur Deus Homo )  “No matter how many strong enemies plot to overthrow the church, they do not have sufficient strength to prevail over God’s immutable decree by which he appointed his Son eternal King.”   (John Calvin, quoted by Eric Alexander in The Supremacy of Jesus Christ in John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine & Doxology )

why the universe is comprehensible

Newton’s law of gravity says that the force of attraction between two objects is proportional to the product of their masses divided by the square of the distance between them.   But these words do nothing more than describe the equation:  F = G{m1m2}/d2  That is, the law itself is a mathematical expression. The whole of nature appears to be built out of mathematical Legos! You may ask why my verbal statement of the law isn’t just as good as the mathematical equation. Couldn’t the maths be nothing more than shorthand — just a convenient way to write down the law?  Actually, no. To be meaningful, the verbal statement has to include words such as ‘is’ (implying an equality), ‘proportional’, ‘product’ and ‘squared’ — mathematical language which demonstrates that the law is essentially mathematical, not verbal.  The fact that the structure of the physical cosmos is fundamentally mathematical is really strange — because mathematics is entirely a construct of the human mind!  Wh