Sanctification by JI Packer
b/c we are (subtly) focusing on sanctification during our worship services in October
Threefold Use of The Law of God by RC Sproul
b/c Jesus used one of them on the Rich Young Ruler
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Sunday, October 05, 2008
( by Preaching he means on sunday by a preacher to a crowd or tuesday
by a normal Christian to a friend... and--i think--the way we talk to
our children about being right with God! )
The true preaching of the gospel of salvation by grace alone always
leads to the possibility of this charge being brought against it.
There is no better test as to whether a man is really preaching the
New Testament gospel of salvation than this, that some people might
misunderstand it and misinterpret it to mean that it really amounts to
this, that because you are saved by grace alone it does not matter at
all what you do; you can go on sinning as much as you like because it
will redound all the more to the glory of grace. If my preaching and
presentation of the gospel of salvation does not expose it to that
misunderstanding, then it is not the gospel. Let me show you what I
mean.
If a man preaches justification by works, no one would ever raise this
question. If a man's preaching is, 'If you want to be Christians, and
if you want to go to heaven, you must stop committing sins, you must
take up good works, and if you do so regularly and constantly, and do
not fail to keep on at it, you will make yourselves Christians, you
will reconcile yourselves to God and you will go to heaven'. Obviously
a man who preaches in that strain would never be liable to this
misunderstanding. Nobody would say to such a man, 'Shall we continue
in sin, that grace may abound?', because the man's whole emphasis is
just this, that if you go on sinning you are certain to be damned, and
only if you stop sinning can you save yourselves. So that
misunderstanding could never arise . . . . . .
Nobody has ever brought this charge against the Church of Rome, but it
was brought frequently against Martin Luther; indeed that was
precisely what the Church of Rome said about the preaching of Martin
Luther. They said, 'This man who was a priest has changed the doctrine
in order to justify his own marriage and his own lust', and so on.
'This man', they said, 'is an antinomian; and that is heresy.' That is
the very charge they brought against him. It was also brought George
Whitfield two hundred years ago. It is the charge that formal dead
Christianity – if there is such a thing – has always brought against
this startling, staggering message, that God 'justifies the ungodly' .
. .
That is my comment and it is a very important comment for preachers. I
would say to all preachers: If your preaching of salvation has not
been misunderstood in that way, then you had better examine your
sermons again, and you had better make sure that you are really
preaching the salvation that is offered in the New Testament to the
ungodly, the sinner, to those who are dead in trespasses and sins, to
those who are enemies of God. There is this kind of dangerous element
about the true presentation of the doctrine of salvation.
This is from Lloyd-Jones commentary on Romans 6, pp 8-9, and was
quoted by Chuck Swindoll in his book The Grace Awakening, pp. 39-40.
"When all Thy mercies O my God,
My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view I'm lost
In wonder, love & praise.
Unnumbered comforts on my soul
They tender care bestowed,
Before my infant heart conceived
From whom these comforts flowed.
When in the slippery paths of youth
With heedless steps I ran,
Thine arm unseen conveyed me safe,
And brought me up to man.
When worn with sickness oft hast Thou
With health renewed my face;
And when in sins and sorrows sunk,
Revived my soul with grace.
by a normal Christian to a friend... and--i think--the way we talk to
our children about being right with God! )
The true preaching of the gospel of salvation by grace alone always
leads to the possibility of this charge being brought against it.
There is no better test as to whether a man is really preaching the
New Testament gospel of salvation than this, that some people might
misunderstand it and misinterpret it to mean that it really amounts to
this, that because you are saved by grace alone it does not matter at
all what you do; you can go on sinning as much as you like because it
will redound all the more to the glory of grace. If my preaching and
presentation of the gospel of salvation does not expose it to that
misunderstanding, then it is not the gospel. Let me show you what I
mean.
If a man preaches justification by works, no one would ever raise this
question. If a man's preaching is, 'If you want to be Christians, and
if you want to go to heaven, you must stop committing sins, you must
take up good works, and if you do so regularly and constantly, and do
not fail to keep on at it, you will make yourselves Christians, you
will reconcile yourselves to God and you will go to heaven'. Obviously
a man who preaches in that strain would never be liable to this
misunderstanding. Nobody would say to such a man, 'Shall we continue
in sin, that grace may abound?', because the man's whole emphasis is
just this, that if you go on sinning you are certain to be damned, and
only if you stop sinning can you save yourselves. So that
misunderstanding could never arise . . . . . .
Nobody has ever brought this charge against the Church of Rome, but it
was brought frequently against Martin Luther; indeed that was
precisely what the Church of Rome said about the preaching of Martin
Luther. They said, 'This man who was a priest has changed the doctrine
in order to justify his own marriage and his own lust', and so on.
'This man', they said, 'is an antinomian; and that is heresy.' That is
the very charge they brought against him. It was also brought George
Whitfield two hundred years ago. It is the charge that formal dead
Christianity – if there is such a thing – has always brought against
this startling, staggering message, that God 'justifies the ungodly' .
. .
That is my comment and it is a very important comment for preachers. I
would say to all preachers: If your preaching of salvation has not
been misunderstood in that way, then you had better examine your
sermons again, and you had better make sure that you are really
preaching the salvation that is offered in the New Testament to the
ungodly, the sinner, to those who are dead in trespasses and sins, to
those who are enemies of God. There is this kind of dangerous element
about the true presentation of the doctrine of salvation.
This is from Lloyd-Jones commentary on Romans 6, pp 8-9, and was
quoted by Chuck Swindoll in his book The Grace Awakening, pp. 39-40.
"When all Thy mercies O my God,
My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view I'm lost
In wonder, love & praise.
Unnumbered comforts on my soul
They tender care bestowed,
Before my infant heart conceived
From whom these comforts flowed.
When in the slippery paths of youth
With heedless steps I ran,
Thine arm unseen conveyed me safe,
And brought me up to man.
When worn with sickness oft hast Thou
With health renewed my face;
And when in sins and sorrows sunk,
Revived my soul with grace.
Saturday, October 04, 2008
"In all the Scripture there is not one hard word against a poor sinner stripped of self-righteousness.". --puritan writer
Friday, October 03, 2008
What do we mean when we say that we're "saved"? In Scripture, salvation concerns three realities: First, we have been saved. By his atoning death Christ secured our acceptance before God and when we placed our trust in Christ we were immediately justified and adopted. "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." But (second*) we are also being saved. At the same moment that the Holy Spirit creates faith by the preaching of the Gospel the believer is truly changed and his sanctification has already begun. Justification is a once-and-for-all declaration of right-standing because of an imputed righteousness; sanctification is a progressive growth in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ through an imparted righteousness. As living branches of the Savior's Vine, we immediately begin to bear the fruit of the Spirit, although others may be more aware of it than are we. Justification is instantaneous, objective and complete. Sanctification is progressive, subjective and partial. As the Heidelberg Catechism puts it, "For even the holiest of Christians make only a small beginning in obedience in this life. Nevertheless, they begin with serious purpose to conform not only to some, but to all the commandments of God." The Westminster Confessions adds, "Even our best works, as they are wrought by us, are defiled and mixed with so much weakness and imperfection that they cannot endure the severity of God's judgment." The question arises, then, why pursue good works at all? Why should we even be interested in sanctification? --Mike Horton, whole thing here
*The 3rd reality of salvation is that we SHALL be saved, on the Day of Judgment
*The 3rd reality of salvation is that we SHALL be saved, on the Day of Judgment
Amazingly Intimate Care from Our Majestic Father
You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?
--from Psalm 56
Tonight's Spurgeon
"He himself hath suffered being tempted." - Hebrews 2:18
It is a common-place thought, and yet it tastes like nectar to the weary heart-Jesus was tempted as I am. You have heard that truth many times: have you grasped it? He was tempted to the very same sins into which we fall. Do not dissociate Jesus from our common manhood. It is a dark room
which you are going through, but Jesus went through it before. It is a sharp fight which you are waging, but Jesus has stood foot to foot with the same enemy. Let us be of good cheer, Christ has borne the load before us, and the blood-stained footsteps of the King of glory may be seen along
the road which we traverse at this hour.
It is a common-place thought, and yet it tastes like nectar to the weary heart-Jesus was tempted as I am. You have heard that truth many times: have you grasped it? He was tempted to the very same sins into which we fall. Do not dissociate Jesus from our common manhood. It is a dark room
which you are going through, but Jesus went through it before. It is a sharp fight which you are waging, but Jesus has stood foot to foot with the same enemy. Let us be of good cheer, Christ has borne the load before us, and the blood-stained footsteps of the King of glory may be seen along
the road which we traverse at this hour.
Who are the parents in Mark 10?
Sinclair Ferguson:
Jesus is speaking about children whose parents are already disciples (and will in turn 'disciple' them). Such parents know they need to teach their children the responsibilities of kingdom life, as well as the privileges of kingdom possession. If the blessings of God are rejected in disobedience, they are forfeited. Nothing that is said here implies ... that irrespective of their response to Jesus these children were automatically guaranteed salvation.... or any other position on the part of Jesus.
--Sinclair Ferguson, Let's Study Mark, p.162
Jesus is speaking about children whose parents are already disciples (and will in turn 'disciple' them). Such parents know they need to teach their children the responsibilities of kingdom life, as well as the privileges of kingdom possession. If the blessings of God are rejected in disobedience, they are forfeited. Nothing that is said here implies ... that irrespective of their response to Jesus these children were automatically guaranteed salvation.... or any other position on the part of Jesus.
--Sinclair Ferguson, Let's Study Mark, p.162
Life-Changing Truth... I still remember first time I heard it
We all automatically gravitate toward the assumption that we are justified by our level of sanctification, and when this posture is adopted it inevitably focuses our attention not on Christ but on the adequacy of our own obedience.
We (wrongly tend to) start each day with our personal security resting not on the accepting love of God and the sacrifice of Christ but on our present feelings or recent achievements in the Christian life. Since these arguments will not quiet the human conscience, we are inevitably moved either to discouragement and apathy or to a self-righteousness which falsifies the record (lowers the standard) to achieve a sense of peace.
--richard lovelace
We (wrongly tend to) start each day with our personal security resting not on the accepting love of God and the sacrifice of Christ but on our present feelings or recent achievements in the Christian life. Since these arguments will not quiet the human conscience, we are inevitably moved either to discouragement and apathy or to a self-righteousness which falsifies the record (lowers the standard) to achieve a sense of peace.
--richard lovelace
What is your view of sanctification? How does one avoid antinomianism and legalism as we grow in grace?
What is your view of sanctification? How does one avoid antinomianism and legalism as we grow in grace?
I believe the classical Reformed view—that on the one hand, sanctification is not by ‘works’ but by a continuous re-orienting ourselves to our justification. So sanctification is not moralistic. Yet it takes enormous effort (so it is not quietistic.)
When we feed on,
remember,
and live in accordance with our justification,
it mortifies our idols
and fills us with an inner joy and desire to please and resemble our Lord through obedience.
But the feeding on, remembering, and living in accordance—takes all our effort. --timothy j. keller
The Differences between Justification & Sanctification
Justification describes the position of acceptance with God which he gives us when we trust in Christ as our Saviour. It is a legal term, borrowed from the lawcourts, and its opposite is condemnation. To justify is to acquit, to declare an accused person to be just, not guilty. So the divine judge, because his Son has borne our condemnation, justifies us, pronouncing us righteous in his sight. 'Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus' (Rom. 8:1).
Sanctification, on the other hand, describes the process by which justified Christians are changed into the likeness of Christ. When God justifies us, he declares us righteous through Christ's death for us; when he sanctifies us, he makes us righteous through the power of his Holy Spirit within us.
Justification concerns our outward status of acceptance with God; sanctification concerns our inward growth in holiness of character.
Further, whereas our justification is sudden and complete, so that we shall never be more justified than we were on the day of our conversion, our sanctification is gradual and incomplete. It takes a few moments only in court for a judge to pronounce his verdict and for the accused to be acquitted; it takes a lifetime even to approach Christlikeness.
--John Stott
Sanctification, on the other hand, describes the process by which justified Christians are changed into the likeness of Christ. When God justifies us, he declares us righteous through Christ's death for us; when he sanctifies us, he makes us righteous through the power of his Holy Spirit within us.
Justification concerns our outward status of acceptance with God; sanctification concerns our inward growth in holiness of character.
Further, whereas our justification is sudden and complete, so that we shall never be more justified than we were on the day of our conversion, our sanctification is gradual and incomplete. It takes a few moments only in court for a judge to pronounce his verdict and for the accused to be acquitted; it takes a lifetime even to approach Christlikeness.
--John Stott
Might Show at Next Step Tonite
THREE ways, not TWO:
Missional versus Evangelistic
Gospel Imperatives & Indicatives, by Sinclair Ferguson
Missional versus Evangelistic
Gospel Imperatives & Indicatives, by Sinclair Ferguson
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Clearly, Jesus loved the children,
he blessed them as members of his covenant, and he was very upset with the disciples when they tried to prevent
parents from bringing their children to him. Children are the perfect example of the kingdom of God,
because they don’t see the need to try and earn entrance, they just receive it. In fact, says Jesus, children
(even very little ones–infants and toddlers) are members of his kingdom. This is why we not only apply
to them the sign and seal of the covenant (baptism), but why we involve our children in our worship just
as soon as they are physically ready. Jesus’ attitude toward children should be our own. It was Jesus
who said, “let the little children come to me.” We must never hinder them from coming to their Savior! --kim riddlebarger
he blessed them as members of his covenant, and he was very upset with the disciples when they tried to prevent
parents from bringing their children to him. Children are the perfect example of the kingdom of God,
because they don’t see the need to try and earn entrance, they just receive it. In fact, says Jesus, children
(even very little ones–infants and toddlers) are members of his kingdom. This is why we not only apply
to them the sign and seal of the covenant (baptism), but why we involve our children in our worship just
as soon as they are physically ready. Jesus’ attitude toward children should be our own. It was Jesus
who said, “let the little children come to me.” We must never hinder them from coming to their Savior! --kim riddlebarger
Yet I Sin
Eternal Father,
Thou are good beyond all thought,
But I am vile, wretched, miserable, blind;
My lips are ready to confess, but my heart is slow to feel, and my ways reluctant to amend.
I bring my soul to thee; break it, wound it, bend it, mold it.
Unmask to me sin's deformity... My faculties have been a weapon of revolt against thee; as a rebel I have misused my strength, and served the foul adversary of they kingdom.
Give me grace to bewail my insensate folly...
Work in me more profound and abiding repentance;
Give me the fullness of a godly grief that trembles and fears, yet ever trusts and loves, which is ever powerful, and ever confident;
Grant that through the tears of repentance I may see more clearly the brightness and glories of the saving cross.
--from Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan prayers... see the whole prayer here
Thou are good beyond all thought,
But I am vile, wretched, miserable, blind;
My lips are ready to confess, but my heart is slow to feel, and my ways reluctant to amend.
I bring my soul to thee; break it, wound it, bend it, mold it.
Unmask to me sin's deformity... My faculties have been a weapon of revolt against thee; as a rebel I have misused my strength, and served the foul adversary of they kingdom.
Give me grace to bewail my insensate folly...
Work in me more profound and abiding repentance;
Give me the fullness of a godly grief that trembles and fears, yet ever trusts and loves, which is ever powerful, and ever confident;
Grant that through the tears of repentance I may see more clearly the brightness and glories of the saving cross.
--from Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan prayers... see the whole prayer here
Our attitude is to be just like that of those children who Jesus picked up and
blessed. If we are Christ’s disciples, we will not claim the kingdom, we will not try and force our way
into it, we will simply receive it with the empty hands of faith. And never forget that in this kingdom
there is forgiveness of all of our sins–there is forgiveness for divorce, there is forgiveness for adultery,
and there is forgiveness for the sin of pride on the part of any who say to themselves, “I never committed
the sin of adultery and I never got a divorce,” therefore I am superior to those who have. In this
kingdom, God freely receives repentant sinners. But he turns away all those who think they’ve earned
their place with in the kingdom. Entrance into the kingdom of God is bestowed and received. Entrance
can never be earned. We must simply receive the blessings which Jesus gives us, as those children who
were brought to Jesus reveled in his blessing. 00 Kim Riddlebarger
blessed. If we are Christ’s disciples, we will not claim the kingdom, we will not try and force our way
into it, we will simply receive it with the empty hands of faith. And never forget that in this kingdom
there is forgiveness of all of our sins–there is forgiveness for divorce, there is forgiveness for adultery,
and there is forgiveness for the sin of pride on the part of any who say to themselves, “I never committed
the sin of adultery and I never got a divorce,” therefore I am superior to those who have. In this
kingdom, God freely receives repentant sinners. But he turns away all those who think they’ve earned
their place with in the kingdom. Entrance into the kingdom of God is bestowed and received. Entrance
can never be earned. We must simply receive the blessings which Jesus gives us, as those children who
were brought to Jesus reveled in his blessing. 00 Kim Riddlebarger
O Friends, instead of thinking
yourselves more fit for Christ by growing bigger, grow smaller! Instead of getting greater, get less! Instead of being more
wise, be more completely bereft of all wisdom and come to Jesus for wisdom, righteousness and all things!
Sometimes when we are very feeble and our language is very simple, God may bless it all the more and I do pray He
may, this morning, set His seal upon this poor talk of His sick servant! Every particle of my flesh and every atom of my
bones is praying God to bless this sermon! Grim pain has been racking me while I have been speaking. May this discourse
be more honorable than its brethren because I bore it with sorrow! I long, I pine, I cry before God that He may bless this
feeble word of mine to your conversion and to the conversion of many dear children. Those of you who have never looked
to Christ and lived, do unto Christ, I pray you, just what these dear children did—He called them and they came and
were folded in His arms. Come along with you!
Do you half wish you could be a child, again? You can be! He can give
you a child’s heart and you can be in His Kingdom newly-born. May it be so, for His name’s sake! Amen. --SPURGEON
yourselves more fit for Christ by growing bigger, grow smaller! Instead of getting greater, get less! Instead of being more
wise, be more completely bereft of all wisdom and come to Jesus for wisdom, righteousness and all things!
Sometimes when we are very feeble and our language is very simple, God may bless it all the more and I do pray He
may, this morning, set His seal upon this poor talk of His sick servant! Every particle of my flesh and every atom of my
bones is praying God to bless this sermon! Grim pain has been racking me while I have been speaking. May this discourse
be more honorable than its brethren because I bore it with sorrow! I long, I pine, I cry before God that He may bless this
feeble word of mine to your conversion and to the conversion of many dear children. Those of you who have never looked
to Christ and lived, do unto Christ, I pray you, just what these dear children did—He called them and they came and
were folded in His arms. Come along with you!
Do you half wish you could be a child, again? You can be! He can give
you a child’s heart and you can be in His Kingdom newly-born. May it be so, for His name’s sake! Amen. --SPURGEON
I love a good phrase....
.... Even if i disagree with the premise!
One of my heroes, Charles Spurgeon, was NOT a minister who baptized the children of believers. I am, with great joy. I have always thought his sermon on my text for Sunday had a catchy title...
One of my heroes, Charles Spurgeon, was NOT a minister who baptized the children of believers. I am, with great joy. I have always thought his sermon on my text for Sunday had a catchy title...
- Mark 10:13-16 - Children Brought to Christ, and Not to the Font
C.H. Spurgeon (pdf)
- Here is another sermon of his on this text...
- Mark 10:13-16 - Jesus and the Children
C.H. Spurgeon (pdf)
Back into Mark 10
Jesus directs these words to the disciples who
continue to miss Jesus’ point. Little children are the model of how people enter the kingdom. God
bestows his kingdom upon the low, the helpless, those who can do nothing to gain entrance.
Entrance into the kingdom of God is not something which can be earned, or gained on the basis of human merit. As one commentator so aptly puts it, to receive the Kingdom is to allow oneself to be given it. ==Kim Riddlebarger
continue to miss Jesus’ point. Little children are the model of how people enter the kingdom. God
bestows his kingdom upon the low, the helpless, those who can do nothing to gain entrance.
Entrance into the kingdom of God is not something which can be earned, or gained on the basis of human merit. As one commentator so aptly puts it, to receive the Kingdom is to allow oneself to be given it. ==Kim Riddlebarger
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sam Storms has a tremendous study of Romans 14 online here. Here are couple o' quotes:
Christian liberty may legitimately manifest itself in abstinence or asceticism. Christian liberty includes the right to abstain from otherwise legitimate pursuits if one is convinced in his/her own mind that such is the will of God for them personally. In other words, you may fully believe in the truth of Rom. 14:14a, yet choose to abstain anyway. Christian liberty does not include the right to insist that others likewise abstain simply because you do. Far less does it include the right to judge them as sub-spiritual for choosing a different course of action from you.
If someone says to me: "Your drinking of wine is sin," should I cease? To answer the question we must first determine if the one who protests is a weaker brother. As we have seen, by weaker brother Paul is thinking of someone who not only has a misconception of what is inherently right and wrong, clean and unclean, but is actually himself induced or led to perform the action in question because of your participation. Paul is thinking of someone who is led to violate his own conscience because he is either untaught or excessively timid and fearful. His concern over your reaction to his abstinence leads him to do what his conscience forbids. This must be emphasized, because the person who protests your expression of liberty may be a legalist. Legalists are in no danger of violating their conscience! They are not in the least tempted to engage in the activity in question. Their aim is not simply to refrain from a specified activity, but to persuade you to refrain as well, often through intimidation, shame, guilt, etc. --Sam Storms
Christian liberty may legitimately manifest itself in abstinence or asceticism. Christian liberty includes the right to abstain from otherwise legitimate pursuits if one is convinced in his/her own mind that such is the will of God for them personally. In other words, you may fully believe in the truth of Rom. 14:14a, yet choose to abstain anyway. Christian liberty does not include the right to insist that others likewise abstain simply because you do. Far less does it include the right to judge them as sub-spiritual for choosing a different course of action from you.
If someone says to me: "Your drinking of wine is sin," should I cease? To answer the question we must first determine if the one who protests is a weaker brother. As we have seen, by weaker brother Paul is thinking of someone who not only has a misconception of what is inherently right and wrong, clean and unclean, but is actually himself induced or led to perform the action in question because of your participation. Paul is thinking of someone who is led to violate his own conscience because he is either untaught or excessively timid and fearful. His concern over your reaction to his abstinence leads him to do what his conscience forbids. This must be emphasized, because the person who protests your expression of liberty may be a legalist. Legalists are in no danger of violating their conscience! They are not in the least tempted to engage in the activity in question. Their aim is not simply to refrain from a specified activity, but to persuade you to refrain as well, often through intimidation, shame, guilt, etc. --Sam Storms
We Have a Great Physician!
Sin is the sickness of the soul, in itself mortal and incurable, as to any power in heaven or earth but that of the Lord Jesus only. But he is the great, the infallible Physician.
Have we the privilege to know his name?
Have we been enabled to put ourselves into his hand?
We have then no more to do but to attend his prescriptions, to be satisfied with his methods, and to wait his time. It is lawful to wish we were well; it is natural to groan, being burdened: but still he must and will take his own course with us; and, however dissatisfied with ourselves, we ought still to be thankful that he has begun his work in us, and to believe that he will also make an end. Therefore while we mourn, we should likewise rejoice; we should encourage ourselves to expect all that he has promised; and we should limit our expectations by his promises. --John Newton
..
Have we the privilege to know his name?
Have we been enabled to put ourselves into his hand?
We have then no more to do but to attend his prescriptions, to be satisfied with his methods, and to wait his time. It is lawful to wish we were well; it is natural to groan, being burdened: but still he must and will take his own course with us; and, however dissatisfied with ourselves, we ought still to be thankful that he has begun his work in us, and to believe that he will also make an end. Therefore while we mourn, we should likewise rejoice; we should encourage ourselves to expect all that he has promised; and we should limit our expectations by his promises. --John Newton
..
"Believers find within themselves contrary urgings."
Boy, that is the understatement of the year!
J.I. Packer's helpful overview of Sanctification is, as usual, helpful. Here are a few excerpts:
"The concept is not of sin being totally eradicated (that is to claim too much) or merely counteracted (that is to say too little), but of a divinely wrought character change freeing us from sinful habits and forming in us Christlike affections, dispositions, and virtues."
"God's method of sanctification is neither activism (self-reliant activity) nor apathy (God-reliant passivity), but God-dependent effort (2 Cor. 7:1; Phil. 3:10-14; Heb. 12:14)."
"Believers find within themselves contrary urgings."
Read the whole thing
J.I. Packer's helpful overview of Sanctification is, as usual, helpful. Here are a few excerpts:
"The concept is not of sin being totally eradicated (that is to claim too much) or merely counteracted (that is to say too little), but of a divinely wrought character change freeing us from sinful habits and forming in us Christlike affections, dispositions, and virtues."
"God's method of sanctification is neither activism (self-reliant activity) nor apathy (God-reliant passivity), but God-dependent effort (2 Cor. 7:1; Phil. 3:10-14; Heb. 12:14)."
"Believers find within themselves contrary urgings."
Read the whole thing
I am pardoned by the blood of Jesus---
give me a new sense of it, continue to pardon me by it,
may i come every day
to the fountain,
and every day
be washed anew... --from "Worship" in Valley of Vision
give me a new sense of it, continue to pardon me by it,
may i come every day
to the fountain,
and every day
be washed anew... --from "Worship" in Valley of Vision
Secure in Christ
Justified believers enjoy a blessing far greater than a periodic approach to God or an occasional audience with the king. We are privileged to live in the temple and in the palace ... Our relationship with God, into which justification has brought us, is not sporadic but continuous, not precarious but secure. We do not fall in and out of grace like courtiers who may find themselves in and out of favour with their sovereign, or politicians with the public. No, we *stand* in it, for that is the nature of grace. Nothing can separate us from God's love (Rom. 8:38f.).
--John stott
--John stott
Monday, September 29, 2008
Obsessive Compulsive ORDER
People get better by obsessing on Jesus and his love…not by obsessing on their own sin and disobedience. That's what the cross is about, to wit, a covering for sin. So that's not the issue anymore. Not only that, the imputation of Christ's righteousness to our account is a gift beyond measure assuring that God's anger will never be directed at us again. --Steve Brown
That is neither the ultimate nor the whole truth about us
“The knowledge of our union with Christ provides us with great dignity. As I look at myself I see failure, sin, sometimes shame and disgrace. But that is neither the ultimate nor the whole truth about me as a Christian. No! I am united to Christ, a joint heir of his riches, a child of God. Knowing this to be the real truth about me lends grace and power to my life.”
Sinclair Ferguson
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