paroikos kai parepidemos

"In Christ Alone"

2011-04-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

In Christ, we have “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph. 3:8), “the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” (Eph. 3:19), and “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Phil. 4:7). In short, the fountain of the glorious gospel is limitless and inexhaustible in its power and supply to quench the thirsty soul. O saints come to Him and drink from Him! For in Him alone, there is true satisfaction.

*** *** ***

Below is from John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion, II.16.19

19. CHRIST ALONE IN ALL THE CLAUSES OF THE CREED

We see that our whole salvation and all its parts are comprehended in Christ [Acts 4:12]. We should therefore take care not to derive the least portion of it from anywhere else.

If we seek salvation, we are taught by the very name of Jesus that it is “of Him” [1 Corinthians 1:30]. If we seek any other gifts of the Spirit, they will be found in His anointing. If we seek strength, it lies in His dominion; if purity, in His conception; if gentleness, it appears in His birth. For by His birth He was made like us in all respects [Hebrews 2:17] that He might learn to feel our pain [cf. Hebrews 5:2].

If we seek redemption, it lies in His passion; if acquittal, in His condemnation; if remission of the curse, in His cross [Galatians 3:13]; if satisfaction, in His sacrifice; if purification, in His blood; if reconciliation, in His descent into hell; if mortification of the flesh, in His tomb; if newness of life, in His resurrection; if immortality, in the same; if inheritance of the Heavenly Kingdom, in His entrance into heaven; if protection, if security, if abundant supply of all blessings, in His Kingdom; if untroubled expectation of judgment, in the power given to Him to judge.

In short, since rich store of every kind of good abounds in Him, let us drink our fill from this fountain, and from no other. Some men, not content with Him alone, are borne hither and thither from one hope to another; even if they concern themselves chiefly with Him, they nevertheless stray from the right way in turning some part of their thinking in another direction. Yet such distrust cannot creep in where men have once for all truly known the abundance of His blessings.

"Of the Incomparable Treasure of the Holy Scriptures, with a Prayer for the True Use of the Same"

2011-01-29T13:10:00.000-08:00

Here is the spring where waters flow, to quench our heat of sin:

(Isa. 12:3 and 49:10; Rom. 5:16 & 6:17)

Here is the tree where truth doth grow, to lead our lives therein:

(Jer. 33:15 and Ps. 119:160)

Here is the judge that stints the strife, when men's devices fail:

(Rev. 2:7 and 22:2; Ps. 119:142,144)

Here is the bread that feeds the life, that death cannot assail.

(John 6:35)

The tidings of salvation dear, comes to our ears from hence:

(Luke 2:10)

The fortress of our faith is here, and shield of our defense.

(Eph. 6:16)

Then be not like the hog that hath a pearl at his desire,

(Matt. 7:6)

And takes more pleasure in the trough and wallowing in the mire.

(2 Pet. 2:22)

Read not this book in any case, but with a single eye:

(Matt. 6:22)

Read not but first desire God's grace, to understand thereby.

(Ps. 119:27,73)

Pray still in faith with this respect, to fructify therein,

(Jude 20)

That knowledge may bring this effect, to mortify thy sin.

(Ps. 119:11)

Then happy thou in all thy life, what so to thee befalls.

(Josh. 1:8)

Yea, double happy shalt thou be, when God by death thee calls.

(Ps. 1:1,2; 94:12,13)

O Gracious God and most merciful Father, which hast vouchsafed us the rich and precious jewel of thy holy word, assist us with thy spirit, that it may be written in our hearts to our everlasting comfort, to reform us, to renew us according to thine own Image, to build us up, and edify us into the perfect building of thy Christ, sanctifying and increasing in us all heavenly virtues. Grant this, O heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

(From Geneva Bible 1599).

John Piper, "You can't scare people into heaven"

2010-03-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

Hunger for Holiness...

2010-03-11T10:33:00.000-08:00

I hunger and thirst for holiness... But I find it elusive and it is impossible without Christ. I want to behold the beauty of His holiness. There is a delight in holiness produced by the Gospel and the Spirit. There is a freedom in holiness that I can enjoy in fellowship with God.

So I pray as Paul prayed, "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1Thess. 5:23).

O Lord, burn me with Your love and consume all my evil so that I may stand holy before You! O Lord, I wait for the day when I will be perfectly free from the very residue and the presence of sin!

"Walk On" by 4Him

2010-02-19T22:41:00.000-08:00

"Walk On"

The wind blows hard
The climb is slow
Shadows are dark
I stumble on these stones
But my Lord, You are near
I will not fear

(CHORUS)
I chose to take this road called faith
I will walk on
I trust that You will lead me through
I will walk on

No end in view
At times I feel alone and the signs are few
But at least they all say home,
And You my Lord, You're the hope I hold
Strength of my soul

(REPEAT CHORUS)

Because of love
There was an awful hill You climbed
And because of love
I'll live my faith
One step at a time

The course is set
Life's hard but yet
We will walk on
Around each bend, until the end
We will walk on

We chose to take this road called faith
We will walk on
We trust that You will lead me through
We will walk on

We Will Walk On
We Will Walk On

A Limitless Perfection...

2010-02-15T21:59:00.000-08:00

"I have seen a limit to all perfection; Your commandment is exceedingly broad"
(Psalm 119:96 NASB).

The Word of God has no limit as to its perfection. All other worldly "perfections" pass with time. A "perfect" car at the purchase, will soon lose its original luster and power, but the word of God, remains perfect forever! It will never lose its power, glory or beauty! No wonder the Psalmist says in the next verse, "O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day" (Ps. 119:97).

Meditating on the perfect word of God, what a priceless privilege! It is more so wonderful, because this perfect word of God directs us to the Son of God whereby we receive eternal life by faith.

"What Faith Can Do" by Kutless

2010-02-14T22:16:00.000-08:00

Everybody falls sometimes
Gotta find the strength to rise
From the ashes and make a new beginning
Anyone can feel the ache
You think it’s more than you can take
But you are stronger, stronger than you know
Don’t you give up now
The sun will soon be shining
You gotta face the clouds
To find the silver lining

(Chorus)
I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do

It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard
Impossible is not a word
It’s just a reason for someone not to try
Everybody’s scared to death
When they decide to take that step
Out on the water
It’ll be alright
Life is so much more
Than what your eyes are seeing
You will find your way
If you keep believing

(Repeat Chorus)

Overcome the odds
You don't have a chance
(That’s what faith can do)
When the world says you can’t
It’ll tell you that you can!

(Repeat Chorus)

Even if you fall sometimes
You will have the strength to rise

"The Shepherd Smiles"

2010-01-05T09:04:00.000-08:00

"May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you"
(Numbers 6:25 NLT).

The Shepherd smiles down on you with blessing every day.
He loves to do good things for you and listens when you pray.

He wants the very best for you; He always knows what's right.
So loved, so cherished, and so blessed - you are His delight!

"Dear God, thank You for blessing my life with smiles and grace."

Above is from my children's book, Really Woolly Bedtime Prayers by Bonnie Rickner Jensen and Julie sawyer Phillips.

My daughter loves the book and I too am reminded that this humble truth that God in Christ indeed loves me and delights in me. But unlike my children, sometimes, it is so hard to believe that God does really love me. O I long for a childlike faith that welcomes God and His word without any shred of doubt! O Lord of mercy, grant me such heart of faith!

A Beautiful Place...

2009-11-13T18:34:00.000-08:00

This song, "A Beautiful Place" is sung by Wayne Watson from his album, A Beautiful Place (1993).

If I had my way, I must admit
If I called every play of the game
I'd pray for good times - blue sky and sunshine
And avoid with a passion the pain
But with every blow from an angry wind
And with every dark shadow that falls
There's a better view up around the bend
Where this puzzle makes some sense after all

CHORUS:

Mistakes and misfortunes will come and go
(but) to try and to fail is no disgrace
Sometimes a rough and rocky road
Can take you to a beautiful place

Is there anyone looking back in faith
That can deny that the Father knows best

But at the time and place for the life of you
You saw no reason, no good for the test
But now remembering as you’ve watched His hand
Put the color to your black and white dreams
Maybe one more time past what you can see
The trouble of the moment’s not as bad as it seems

CHORUS repeat:

And the unspoiled beauty of the wisdom of God
Lies in the wilderness
Up there beyond the easy reach
Where the journey takes a little more faith I guess

CHORUS repeat:

TJ Kim (Oct. 25, 1970 - Oct. 30, 2009)

2009-10-31T10:28:00.000-07:00

"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints"
(Psalm 116:15 NKJV)

My sister-in-law has battled with cancer for last three years, but our Father has called her Home to be with Him forever where she will enter rest and joy inexpressible.

A beautiful soul with compassion for others,
A devoted mother with love and joy for her children,

A godly wife with sacrifice and understanding for her husband,
A faithful daughter of God with perseverance and hope towards her Lord.

TJ... you will be missed greatly.

"The Gospel in Miniature"

2009-10-13T09:55:00.000-07:00

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16 NASB).

Luther called this verse, "the heart of the Bible - the Gospel in miniature." The most famous verse of all Scriptures is indeed most profound summary of the Gospel. It summarizes the Gospel in an amazing way!

1. God's extreme love is the basis of our redemption.
"For God so loved the world..." The object of His love is you and me - undeserving, stiff-necked sinners. God does not love us because we are lovable, but by loving us we become lovable through His Son. In the original, the emphasis is on the adverb, "so" describing the extreme degree of God's love for us - to the point of sending His only Son for us to save us. From here, we must not forget that God saves us because He loves us. The Geneva Bible (1599) adds the note, "Nothing else but the free love of the Father is the beginning of our salvation..."

2. God's extreme love is demonstrated in giving His Son for our redemption.
"God so loved... He gave His only begotten Son..." God's extreme love for sinful world was most costly in His eyes. He gave His only Son - the most precious in His sight (cf. 1Pet. 2:4,6). God's love is demonstrated by giving and sending His Son for us (Rom. 5:8). As a father, I realize this more and more. Before I became a father, I often wondered, "why did God (the Father) give His Son instead of Himself?" It seemed to me a self-preserving act. But I was wrong. As a father (albeit imperfect and sinful), I would NEVER give my son for anyone's life -- but I am willing to give my own life instead of my son's! My life is not as important or precious as my son's. Therefore to give my son's life is to give my utmost treasure - more than myself. This is why we should never doubt His love for us. If or when the doubt rises, we should only look to the cross (Rom. 5:8).

3. God's extreme love is demonstrated in crucifying His Son for our redemption.
"For God so loved..." John 3:16 begins with the conjunction "for (Gk. gar)" pointing to the connection between John 3:14-15 and 3:16. How does God's love of giving His Son save us? Jesus said in 3:14 & 15, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life." Here Jesus describes His crucifixion (cf. John 12:32-33). Jesus was lifted up on the cross and sinners can behold Him and find salvation. To behold Him is to believe in Him. God loved us so much that in order to save us, His Son must die on the cross, receiving His wrath that we deserve. So the cross means "the grace of God" for us, but for the Son, "the wrath of God." But Jesus endured cross willingly because of the joy that was set before Him (Heb. 12:2).

John 3:16 is indeed "the Gospel in miniature." Luther at his death bed, quoted John 3:16 along with Psalm 31:5. It tells us how much Luther treasured John 3:16 and carried it in his heart, encouraging himself all his life. Let us also treasure the Gospel of John 3:16

"The Whirlwind..."

2009-09-15T21:58:00.000-07:00

"For behold, the LORD will come in fire and His chariots like the whirlwind, to render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire" (Isaiah 66:15 NASB)

NOTE: above pictures are taken in Kansas by Jim Reed, a storm chaser.

Simple and pure devotion to Christ

2009-08-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

Paul said, "I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ" (2Cor. 11:3 NASB).

I like simplicity. I like solitude. And when it comes to my relationship with my beloved Savior, I hate anything that takes my simple devotion away from Christ. The problem is, I do not always know I am being led astray from that devotion because I am prone to "deception" despite my earnest guard against it.

This was Paul's concern. He was "afraid" that Corinthian believers would be led astray through the deception of false teachers. Paul is not doubting the sincerity of Corinthian believers' hearts. But he was concerned about their minds. When minds are led astray, the hearts follow. To disengage the Christian mind is to endanger the heart and soul.

Our mind is not the enemy of devotional life, but our ignorance is.

"Burn me with Your love" by Harvest

2009-07-31T14:44:00.001-07:00

This is another song by Harvest which I treasure. This song often stirs my heart to tears expressing my aching desire for Him and His presence of joy.
The song is from the album "Voices" (1984).

Burn me with Your love

In the presence of the Lord is an all consuming fire
That tests the plan and purpose of each man and of each heart
Many who are wise when they come before His eyes are cast upon the rocks of ruined men

(Chorus)
So burn me with Your love, burn me with Your love
Take away the wooden treasures I've gathered from the world
Burn me with Your love, Lord, burn me with Your love, that I might stand before You as Your son

Many holy men, they're lifting holy hands, their hearts together in the awesome presence of the Lamb
Their lives filled with power as that all consuming fire destroys the doubt and fear that dwells within

(Chorus)
So burn me with Your love, burn me with Your love
Take away the wooden treasures I've gathered from the world
Burn me with Your love, Lord, burn me with Your love, that I might stand before You as Your son

(Repeat chorus and fade)

"To be with God"

2009-07-27T09:18:00.000-07:00

Below reading is from Jeremiah Burroughs (1599-1647)

"Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence" (Psalm 140:13).

The glorious presence of God that the saints shall have of God in heaven is a great part of their happiness. Heaven would not be heaven without the presence of God. The presence of God in the most miserable place possible would be a greater happiness than the absence of God in the most glorious place possible. David would not be afraid though he walked in the valley of the shadow of death, because God was with him (Ps. 23:4).

Luther would rather be in hell with God's presence, than in heaven, God being absent. If the presence of God takes away the dread of the shadow of the valley of death and makes hell to be more desired than heaven, what will the presence of God make heaven to be? The three children in the fiery furnace with God's presence were happy; how happy then are the saints with God's presence in heaven?

The saints desire God's presence even when He is angry; they hate to be out of His presence. In Ps. 51:9 David cried to God to hide His face from his sins, for God's face was then an angry face against him. Yet in v.11 he cried out again, "Cast me not away from thy presence." He was not willing to be out of God's presence. Saint Augustine has this expression: "Whose face he fears, even his face he invocates." God made rich promises to Moses, yet Moses could not be satisfied without the presence of God. "If thy presence be not with us, bring us not hence" (Exod. 33:15).

The apostle, when describing the misery of those that are damned, in 2 Thess. 1:9 says, "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power." The presence of God needs to be the happiness of the saints.

(From Day By Day with the English Puritans, July 20 reading)

Has gluttony gone too far?

2009-07-16T10:59:00.000-07:00

"The Triple and Quadruple Bypass Burgers are advertised at Heart Attack Grill in Chandler, Arizona June 17, 2009. The restaurant is known for their hospital theme and enormous burgers." The Quadruple Bypass Burger reportedly contains 8000 calories!

While we may laugh at this picture, but when we step back and think, is this how gluttonous nation we have become?

The photo reminds me of this passage:

The people spent all day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers [~480 dry gallons]!) and they spread out for themselves all around the camp. While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck the people with very severe plague. So the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had been greedy" (Numbers 11:32-34 NASB, italics my emphasis).

While it is Christian duty to enjoy all that God has given us with thankfulness (1Tim. 4:4; 6:17), we must not pursue excess - for that is detrimental to our godliness (Lk. 12:15; 1Tim. 6:6-10).

We must open our eyes to the hungry. Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes--one child every five seconds. That is approximately 5.9 million children dying of starvation each year. Didn't Jesus say, "For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat" (Matt. 25:35)?

Let us take heed to Jesus' words, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed" (Lk. 12:15). But I am prone to greed. I catch myself with unnecessary covetousness. The idols rage within me, but Christ redirects me to Him so that I may be fully satisfied in Him by faith.

O Lord, You are my all. And be my all. Always.

"The sanctified anti-social"

2009-06-30T14:11:00.000-07:00

There is a certain sense of "loneliness" when you want to walk in godliness. Like Jeremiah, we must learn to sit alone when the wicked rises (Jer. 15:17). In Psalm 1:1 we learn the path of blessedness - "Blessed is the man that... sitteth (not) in the seat of the scornful."

Such isolation is a blessed thing. Sometimes it is good to be alone. I call it, "the sanctified anti-social."

"Here I am again"

2009-06-24T23:55:00.000-07:00

"Here I am again" is sung by Harvest, from their album, Only the Overcomers (1985). The song is old, but it expresses my heart so much... even now. I hope the song ministers to you as it did me.

(Note: there is no real video here, just a title page and the album cover)

Here I am again

Here I am again, can’t remember when I heard Your voice, and felt Your touch

But I know You’re here, You are always near when I call

Here I go again, asking You to send deliverance, for things I’ve done

O forgive me Lord, I need Your love again

Chorus:

I’ve proclaimed Your word in righteousness, shared the truth to men

So help me Lord not to lose the only race I‘ve got to win

Arise and set me free, break the power of my enemy

Lift me high on the mountain top

Where You alone are God

Round and round again, always seem when I think I’ve gone from weak to strong

I find a way to forget to praise Your name

So in my life again, purify and cleanse me from my sin, only then will I understand

I can never win without You

Chorus:

I’ve proclaimed Your word in righteousness, shared the truth to men

So help me Lord not to lose the only race I‘ve got to win

So arise and set me free, break the power of my enemy

Lift me high on the mountain top

Where You are God

So arise and set me free, break the power of my enemy

Lift me high on the mountain top

Where You alone are God

Love of God is demonstrated...

2009-06-22T18:50:00.000-07:00

... Not in things, but in giving His Son for us while we were helpless and ungodly (Rom. 5:6) and while we were yet sinners and His enemies (Rom. 5:8,10).

So when you want God to prove His love for you, look no further, but to Christ only. There, God has said, "Here, look at My only Son, I have crucified Him for you. This is the proof of My love for you. There is no greater Gift that I could give you than My Son even though you are My enemy, I have given you My Son."

So let us not cheapen His love by measuring it with the idols of our hearts. Let us not grieve His heart by doubting His love for us. But like Paul, let us be convinced of His inseparable love which is found in Jesus Christ alone (Rom. 8:38-39).

O my soul, magnify His grace always. Look upon the Savior and run to the Blood for cover, for God's love is poured out for thee without measure. Amen.

"Absolute Obedience"

2009-05-26T19:46:00.000-07:00

I love the teachings of the Puritans. They saw the reality of God more acutely than our day. Their keen insight to the relationship between obedience and faith is very helpful.

Below reading is from William Perkins (1558 - 1602).

***********

Our obedience must be absolute, for we must (as it were) shut up our own eyes, and simply, without any ado, trust God upon His bare and naked Word, and suffer ourselves to be led by it. In natural things experience is first, and then faith comes afterward.
And Thomas following nature desired first to feel, before he would believe. But God must be trusted, though that which He says seems to be against reason and experience. Thus Abraham believed God against all human hope (Rom. 4:18).

The second thing is, our obedience must be sincere. For we must trust God's Word for itself, because it is God's Word, all prejudices set apart. They which are as the stony ground receive God's Word and rejoice in it, and yet after a time of temptation go awry. The reason is because they receive the Word and rejoice in it not properly for itself, but in respect to honor, profit, or pleasure, which they look to reap thereby. John the Baptist was a burning candle, and the Jews rejoiced in his light, only in respect of the novelty of it, and therefore the Holy Ghost says, "They rejoiced in it but for a season" (John 5:35). We must trust God not in part, but in His whole Word; and therefore many fail in their faith, that are content to trust Him in His promises of mercy and salvation, but list not to believe Him in His commandments and threats. We must trust God in His Word with all our hearts, that it may take deep root and be an ingrafted Word. It is not sufficient for us to have a taste of the good Word of God and to receive it with joy, unless we thoroughly and soundly build and rely ourselves upon it.

This trusting of God must be with an honest heart, that is, with a heart in which there is a distinct and settled purpose not to sin, but in all things to do the will of God. The good hearers are they which received the Word with an honest and good heart. Without this none can possibly live by faith. Whoever puts away their good conscience makes shipwreck of their faith. It is godliness alone that has the promises of this life and the life to come. And none can live the life of faith but the just.

(From Day By Day with the English Puritans, May 21st reading)

Ancient Words

2009-05-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

Before the King James Version of 1611, there was The Geneva Bible of 1560 (see above for the facsimile). It is called, "The Bible of the Protestant Reformation."

"The Geneva Bible was a monumental achievement in the history of Protestant Bible translation. Born in a time of religious and political upheaval it helped foster scripture literacy among the common people of England.

"The first English Bible to be fully translated from the original languages, the Geneva Bible was the product of some of the finest biblical scholars of its day. It featured extensive marginal commentary and annotations and was published in a variety of sizes that made the Bible affordable for many people.

"English settlers that voyaged to the New World favored the Geneva Bible. It is probably that the Geneva Bible came to America in 1607 and was used in the Jamestown colony. Thirteen years later the Pilgrims brought it with them on the Mayflower's perilous voyage to religious freedom." (From the back cover of The Geneva Bible of 1560, Hendrickson Publisher)

There is a power in the Word of God. The Ancient Word that guides us through the storms of life and history is the word that will strengthen and change us. Through the tumults of man, the Word remains ever true, unchanging, and always giving hope in Christ. There were men and women who shed their tears as they read the pages of Scriptures in their own tongue for the first time. The Reformation produced such revival and transformation. The Geneva Bible is one example of this.

"Ancient Words" sung by Steve Green

The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.
They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
(Psalm 19:7-11 NASB).

"entrusted with the gospel" (part 2)

2009-05-12T18:18:00.001-07:00

Watch The Gospel Coalition Conference Live Webcast

The Gospel Coalition 2009 National Conference is entitled, "Entrusted with the Gospel: Living the Vision of 2 Timothy"

The speakers - Tim Keller and John Piper are worth listening to.

Tim Keller, "The Grand Demythologizer: The Gospel and Idolatry" (Acts 19:21-41)
John Piper, "Feed the Flame of God's Gift: Unashamed Courage in the Gospel" (2 Timothy 1:1-12)

"entrusted with the gospel"

2009-05-11T19:01:00.000-07:00

"πιστευθῆναι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον" was the motto engraved in the seminary emblem.
But now, the seminary has forgotten her original mission statement and has embraced "emergent movement" to my dismay.

I cannot endorse or recommend my seminary to those who seek to study His word anymore. I am grieved and concerned about Biblical Theological Seminary. It has lost its sure foundation in the Word it once embraced with love and passion. What is "Biblical" about BTS now?

Luther was right. He said, "Every institution that does not unceasingly pursue the study of God's word becomes corrupt... I greatly fear that the universities, unless they teach the Holy Scriptures diligently and impress them on the young students, are wide gates to hell." (Three Treatises, p. 100).

It is no wonder BTS alumni react with strong emotions and sorrow. We have become orphans and shadows of the past. But God is faithful. He will do what is right in His sight. But for us, we must remember that we have been entrusted with the gospel (1Thess. 2:4) and we must preach Him in all implications of the gospel.

Luther's Theology: "The Theology of the Cross"

2009-05-06T11:56:00.001-07:00

My friend gave me the book, The Theology of Martin Luther by Paul Althaus in 1995. It was a great gift, because I love Luther and his teachings. And recently I was able to re-read portions of the book and I came away more enlightened about Luther and his theology.

According to author Paul Althaus, Luther's theology is essentially the theology of the cross.

Luther describes the essence of true theology as theology of the cross [theologia crucis]. The opposite of this is the theology of glory [theologia gloriae].

Luther's basic statements on the theology of the cross also indicate the contrast between these two types of theology: "That person does not deserve to be called theologian who looks upon the invisible things of God as if it were clearly perceptible in those things which have actually happened. He deserves to be called a theologian, however, who comprehends the visible and manifest thibngs of God seen through suffering and the cross."

The theology of glory corresponds to Philip's request in John 14:8, "Show us the Father." Jesus' answer, however, calls this man who is looking for God elsewhere, back to Himself, "He who has seen me has seen the Father." For this reason true theology and knwoledge of God are to be found in the crucified Christ.

The theology of glory knows God from his works; the theology of the cross knows him from his sufferings... The theology of glory and the theology of the cross each have implications for both. Natural theology and speculative metaphysics which seek to learn to know God from the works of creation are in the same category as the works righteousness of the moralist. Both are ways in which man exalts himself to the level of God. Thus either lead men to pride or are already expressions of such pride. Both serve to "inflate" man's ego. Both use the same standard for God and man's relationship to God: glory and power. In this connection, Luther speaks not only of the glory of God but also man's love for the glory and glamor of his own works.

God, however, wishes to be known and honored according to a different standard. The cross is opposed to both elements of the theology of glory, and that in two senses, as the cross of Christ and as the cross of the Christian. The theology of the cross works with a standard exactly contrary to that of the theology of glory and applies it both to man's knowledge of God and to man's understanding of himself and of his relationship with God. This standard is the cross.

The theology of the cross permeates all of Luther's theological thinking. All true theology is "wisdom of the cross." This means that the cross of Christ is the standard by which all genuine theological knowledge is measured, whether of the reality of God, of his grace, of his salvation, of the Christian life, or of the church of Christ.

I must confess that I still do not know all the inworkings and outworkings of the cross of Christ. But Luther helps me to open my eyes to the reality and the power of the cross. Indeed, Luther's theology of the cross must be my theology. For Paul said, "For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (1Cor. 2:2 NASB).

e-Sword

2009-05-02T20:41:00.001-07:00

Although I have several expensive Bible programs, I often use e-Sword program. I consider it as the best FREE Bible software. Click the banner below.

"Topheth"

2009-04-26T23:36:00.000-07:00

"'Therefore, behold, days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when it will no longer be called Topheth, or the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of the Slaughter...'"(Jer. 7:32 NASB).

God's righteous anger towards His people, was mainly in part, idolatry that required child sacrifice. This is appalling. The Revell Bible Dictionary describes "Topheth" as, "A district or place set aside for child sacrifice. A Topheth excavated near ancient Carthage has revealed the remains of thousands of children, usually between birth and age four, who had been burned alive as sacrifices" (p. 985).

But the Bible tells us, "Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward" (Ps. 127:3 NASB). And sinners both past and present have regarded God's gift as nothing. Infanticide, abortion, and abuse are common in modern Topheth.

Our hope? The Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel takes away our sins of: infanticide, abortion, and abuse. And same time, Gospel gives us new love and values for our children as the gift of God so that we may raise them in the Lord.

O God, be merciful to us. When modern Topheth silences the screams of the children, may You hear their cries and act in righteousness.

A Hand of God?....

2009-04-14T10:51:00.000-07:00

From New York Daily News

It looks like a hand of God reaching out into the cosmos, but scientists say it's something just as incredible: electromagnetic energy pumped out by a neutron star.
Taken by NASA's Chandra X-ray observatory from it's orbiting 360 miles above the Earth, the recently released photo of Pulsar B1509 captures the X-Ray nebula in a state shaped like a human hand. NASA estimates the shape spans 150 light years, but is caused by a dense neutron star that's just 12 miles in diameter.
"The pulsar is a rapidly spinning neutron star which is spewing energy out into the space around it to create complex and intriguing structures, including one that resembles a large cosmic hand," NASA said in a release.
That energy makes B1509 "one of the most powerful electromagnetic generators in the Galaxy," said NASA, with a magnetic field at it's surface that's 15 trillion times stronger than that of Earth's.
Astronomers believe B1509 is roughly 1,700 years old and is located 17,000 light years from Earth.

The Bridge/ John Griffith Story

2009-04-12T16:53:00.000-07:00

This moving video (actually a trailer from the movie, "MOST [Czech for the bridge]") in itself is powerful and reminds us of God's unfathomable love. But the video is based on the true story of John Griffith. If we are moved by the story and the video, how can we not be moved by what God has done for us through Jesus Christ?

John Griffith Story

From, Hank Hanegraaff, Christianity In Crisis: 21^st Century, pp. 167-170

The time was the roaring twenties. The place was Oklahoma. John Griffith was in his early twenties - newly married, and full of optimism. Along with his lovely wife, he had been blessed with a beautiful blue eyed baby.

John wanted to be a traveller. He imagined what it would be like to visit faraway places with strange sounding names. He would read about them and research them. His hopes and dreams were so vivid that at times they seemed more real than reality itself. But then came 1929 and the great stock market crash. With the shattering of the economy came the devastation of John's dreams. Brokenhearted, he, like so many others, packed up his few possessions and with his wife and little son, Greg, headed east in an old Model-A Ford. They made their way toward Missouri, to the edge of the Mississippi River, and there John found a job tending one of the great railroad bridges that spanned the massive river.

Day after day John would sit in a control room and direct the enormous gears of that immense bridge over the river. He would look out wistfully as bulky barges and splendid ships glided gracefully under his elevated bridge. Then, mechanically, he would lower the massive structure and stare pensively into the distance as great trains roared by and became little more than specks on the horizon. Each day he looked on sadly as they carried with them his shattered dreams and his visions of far-off places and exotic destinations.

It wasn't until 1937 that a new dream began to be born in his heart. His young son was now eight years old, and John had begun to catch a vision for a new life - a life in which Greg would work shoulder-to-shoulder with him, a life of intimate fellowship and friendship. The first day of this new life dawned and brought with it new hope and a new fresh purpose. Excitedly father and son packed their lunches and, arm in arm, headed off toward the immense bridge.

Greg looked on with wide-eyed amazement as his dad pressed down the huge lever that raised and lowered the vast bridge. As he watched, he thought that his father must surely be the greatest man alive. He marvelled that his father could single-handedly control the movements of such a stupendous structure.

Before they knew it, noontime had arrived. John had just elevated the bridge and allowed some scheduled ships to pass through. Then, taking his son by the hand, they headed off for lunch. Hand in hand, they inched their way down a narrow catwalk and out onto an observation deck that projected some 50 feet over the majestic Mississippi. There they sat and watched spellbound as the ships passed by below. As they ate, John told his son, in vivid detail, stories about the marvelous destinations of the ships that glided below. Enveloped in a world of thought, he related story after story, his son hanging on every word.

Suddenly John and his son were startled back to reality by the shrieking whistle of a distant train. Looking at his watch in disbelief, John saw that the bridge was still raised and that the Memphis Express would be by in just minutes.

Not wanting to alarm his son, he suppressed his panic. In the calmest tone he could muster, he instructed his son to stay put. Leaping to his feet he jumped onto the catwalk and ran at full tilt to the steel ladder leading into the control house. Once in, he searched the river to make sure that no ships were in sight. And then, as he had been trained to do, he looked straight down beneath the bridge to make certain nothing was below. As his eyes moved downward, he saw something so horrifying that his heart froze in his chest. For there, below him in the massive gearbox that housed the colossal gears that moved the gigantic bridge, was his beloved son.

Apparently Greg had tried to follow his dad but had fallen off the catwalk. Even now he was wedged between the teeth of two main cogs in the gearbox. Although he appeared to be conscious, John could see that his son's leg had already begun to bleed profusely. Immediately, an even more horrifying thought flashed in his mind. For in that instant John knew that lowering the bridge meant killing the apple of his eye.

Panicked, his mind probed in every direction, frantically searching for solutions. Suddenly a plan emerged. In his mind's eye he saw himself grabbing a coiled rope, climbing down the ladder, running down the catwalk, securing the rope, sliding down toward his son and pulling him back up to safety. Then in an instant he would move back to the control room and grab the control lever and thrust it down just in time for the oncoming train.

As soon as these thoughts appeared, he realized the futility of his plan. There just wouldn't be enough time. Perspiration began to bead on John's brow., terror written over every inch of his face. His mind darted here and there, vainly searching for yet another solution. What would he do? What could he do?

His thoughts rushed in anguish to the oncoming train. In a state of panic, his agonized mind considered the 400 or so people moving inexorably closer toward the bridge. Soon the train would come roaring out of the trees with tremendous speed. But this - this was his son - his only child - his pride - his joy.

His mother - he could see her tear stained face now. This was their child, their beloved son.

He knew in a moment there was only one thing he could do. He knew he would have to do it. And so, burying his face under his left arm, he plunged down the lever. The cries of his son were quickly drowned out by the relentless sound of the bridge as it ground into position. With only seconds to spare, the Memphis Express - with its 400 passengers - roared out of the trees and across the mighty bridge.

John Griffith lifted his tear stained face and looked into the windows of the passing train. A businessman was reading the morning paper. A uniformed conductor was glancing nonchalantly at his large vest pocket watch. Ladies were already sipping their afternoon tea in the dining car. A small boy, looking strangely like his own son, pushed a long thin spoon into a dish of ice cream.
Many of the passengers seemed to be engaged in either idle conversation or careless laughter.

But no one looked his way. No one even cast a glance at the giant gearbox that housed the mangled remains of his hopes and dreams.

In anguish he pounded the glass in the control room and cried out, "What's the matter with you people? Don't you care? Don't you know I've sacrificed my son for you? What's wrong with you?"

No one answered; no one heard. No one even looked. Not one of them seemed to care. And then, as suddenly as it had happened, it was over. The train disappeared, moving rapidly across the bridge and out over the horizon.

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8 NASB).

Clothed with the Righteousness of Christ...

2009-04-08T16:33:00.000-07:00

The more I study and reflect upon the righteousness of Christ that has been imputed to me by faith, the more I am amazed at God's wondrous love. Isaiah 61:10 expresses this, "I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul exalts in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness..." (NASB). When we understand the Reformed doctrine of justification by faith alone, it will certainly lead to:

Rejoicing greatly in the LORD.
Exalting in my God.

This is the result of the Gospel. God becomes sheer delight for the believers who are clothed with the righteousness of Christ and His salvation. So Paul said, "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ... we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation" (Rom. 5:1,11 ESV). True understanding of this justification leads to one's joy in God. If we lack joy in the Lord, perhaps we have forgotten this great gift of God, and resorted to secondary gifts to fill our cup. Perhaps, we are still as God pointed out, spending our energy and money for things that will not satisfy us. He said, "Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?" (Isa. 55:2 NASB).

R.C. Sproul's explanation of "justification by faith alone" helps us here, in his book, Grace Unknown, pp. 66-67, he said:

In our justification, faith is the means by which we are linked to Christ and receive the benefits of his saving work. By faith we receive the transfer or imputation of the righteousness of Christ. Faith is not only a necessary condition, it is a sufficient condition for Christ's righteousness to be imputed to us. Faith, true faith, is all that is required to be justified by the righteousness of Christ. Faith trusts in and lays hold of a righteousness that is not our own.

"Justification by faith alone" is merely shorthand for "justification by the righteousness of Christ alone." His merit, and only his merit, is sufficient to satisfy the demands of God's justice. It is precisely this merit that is given to us by faith. Christ is our righteousness. God clothes his filthy creatures with the coat of Christ's righteousness. This is the very heart of the gospel, expressed not only in the New Testament but in the Old as well.

We must possess righteousness in order to be justified. The question is, Whose righteousness justifies us? Are we justified by a righteousness that is inherent in us, or by somebody else's righteousness that is imputed to us? Luther and the Reformers insisted that we are justified by a righteousness that is not in us but outside of us (extra nos)...

The "alien righteousness" of which Luther speaks is the righteousness of Christ. This righteousness does not adhere in us; it is earned for us.

Since I am justified, I am no more condemned by God (Rom. 8:1). Let us rejoice in our God and let us serve Him with gladness.

The Law mentality and the Gospel mentality

2009-03-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

When we sin against God, we feel guilty and ashamed (the law condemns us), but instead of running to the Cross, we run to the law for relief by saying, "I will never sin again, Lord, I will fast, read the Bible, and obey Your words." By nature we have what I call, "make-up" mentality. When I often offend my wife, I want to "make up" my offense by bring her flowers, doing the dishes, or giving her the massage.
But note: all my "make up" for my offense can be done without love for my wife. They are born out of guilt and not of love. This is what we often do with God.

When we break the law of God, we try to make it up to God by doing more laws. It is adding law upon law. But there is no relief for conscience through the law. But the Gospel way is this: Conviction/guilt of sin leads us to the Cross of Christ, where we acknowledge again by faith that our sins are forgiven, and that now God treats us as perfectly righteous on the basis of our faith in Christ. There, we find healing balm of grace over our wounded souls and we are stirred to adore Him with thanksgiving that leads to obedience of faith.

Therefore Luther distinguishing "the law-driven" and "the Gospel-driven" life said,

The truth of the gospel is that our righteousness comes by faith alone, without the works of the law… The true Gospel teaches that works are not the ornament or perfection of faith, but that faith of itself is God’s gift and God’s work in our hearts, which justifies us because it takes hold of Christ our Redeemer. Human reason has the law for its object, thinking, ‘I have done this; I have not done that.’ But faith in itself has no object but Jesus Christ, the Son of God, given up to death for the sins of the whole world. It doe not say, ‘What have I done? In what have I offended? What have I deserved?’ It says, ‘What has Christ done? What has he deserved?’ He has redeemed you from your sin, from the devil, and from eternal death…

Anyone turning his eyes away from this object (i.e., Christ) has no true faith, but only a fantasy and a vain opinion, and turns his eyes from the promise to the law, which terrifies us and drives us to desperation… Some people will say that the law is divine and holy. Let the law have its glory, but no law, however divine and holy, should teach me that I am justified and will live by it. I grant it may teach me that I should love God and my neighbor; also to live in chastity, sobriety, patience, and so on. But it ought not to show me how I can be delivered from sin, the devil, death, and hell. I must listen to the Gospel, which teaches me not what I ought to do (for that is the proper function of the law), but what Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has done for me – namely, he suffered and died to set me free from sin and death. The Gospel wants me to receive this and believe it. This is the truth of the Gospel. It is also the principal article of all Christian doctrine, in which consists the knowledge of all godliness. It is therefore most necessary that we should know this article well and teach it to others continually. This understanding is tender and easily damaged. Paul knew this, and all godly people have experienced it (Luther, Galatians, pp. 71-73).

The Law focuses on what I must do in order to be accepted by God. But the Gospel focuses on what Christ has done for my acceptance. Let us learn to listen to the gospel each day and not the law.

The Prosperity "Gospel"

2009-03-23T12:39:00.000-07:00

This is John Piper's short comment on the so-called, "Prosperity Gospel."

"[false prophets] in their greed they will exploit you with false words... [these] having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness" (2 Peter 2:3,14 NASB).

Rod Parsley said, "I just love to talk about money, I just love to talk about your money. Let me be very clear -- I want your money. I deserve it. This church deserves it." He owns $857,090.00 home and $500,000 jet, a seven passenger Hawker Siddeley 125.

Frederick Price said, "If the Mafia can ride around in Lincoln Continental town cars, why can't the king's kids?... That's the reason why I drive a Rolls Royce." He even boasts of his wealth, "I've got 25 million dollars in my financial statement, free and clear I have no debt, I live in a 25 room mansion, I have my own 6 million dollar yacht, I have my own private jet and I have my own helicopter and I have 7 luxury automobiles so I never get bored having to drive the same car more than one time in any given week."

Creflo Dollar (yes, that's his real last name) said, "Well, you need to hear about money, because you ain't gonna have no love and joy and peace until you get some money!" He owns $3million mansion in Atlanta, GA and $2.44 million condo in Manhattan overlooking Central Park.

Joyce Meyer had plastic surgeries (also Paula White) because she is on TV. She recently had $23,000 toilet installed.

"Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain..." (Isaiah 56:11 KJV).

O Lord, spare Thy people from this sin. Spare Thy Church from this false Gospel! O Lord, awaken us from our slumber and draw us to Thy Cross where our true riches are found in Thee alone. Amen.

The Servant Songs of Isaiah

2009-02-18T10:15:00.000-08:00

There are 4 Servant Songs in Isaiah (42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12). These passages are describing the life of the Messiah, "the Servant of the LORD." These are marvelous picture of Christ's life on earth. Brutally honest about His suffering and faith. For example:

"But I said, 'I have toiled in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity; Yet surely the justice due to Me is with the LORD, and My reward with My God.'" (Isa. 49:4 NASB).

Here we see honest portrait of Christ's frustration due to people's rejection of Him. Yet we also see His confidence and faith in His Father. So ESV Study Bible comments, "The servant confesses his sense of failure due to Israel's poor response... yet. The servant does not turn from God in cynical unbelief; he accepts emotional suffering and frustrating toil with confidence that God will reward him" (p. 1330).

I wonder how lonely He have felt... Yet He was entrusting Himself to God. How can I ever understand the depth of His suffering He went through for me?

Lord, Jesus I thank You. I can only humbly bow down before You. I love You my Savior. Reign over me, my Redeemer and Lord.

Linus explains the true meaning of Christmas

2008-12-23T09:44:00.000-08:00

In our busy and festival atmosphere of Christmas, we often overlook the true meaning of it. But here, Linus explains the true meaning of Christmas. Let us not forget it either.

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:8-14 KJV).

His birth was the "good news of great joy" because He came to "save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21 NASB).

NOTE: Above clip was taken from youtube.com

The glory of God in the heavens

2008-12-16T12:38:00.000-08:00

"The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands" (Psalm 19:1 NASB).

How true is this! The above pictures are taken by Hubble Telescope this year. What a marvelous sight of His wonderful works! Beautiful and breathtaking.

"By Faith Alone"

2008-12-10T09:12:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite moments in the Luther's movie (B & W, 1953). In this portion of the movie, Luther begins to question the validity (and the power) of relics to make us acceptable to God. He clearly understood the sufficiency of Christ and what He has done for us and therefore there is nothing which we could add (including the veneration of relics) to the work of Christ. We could only receive what Christ has accomplished for us by faith. It was riveting, when Luther said in the movie, "Man only needs Jesus Christ."

PLEASE NOTE: The volume might be low, so you might have to raise the volume level in your computer.

"For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17 KJV).

Gospel Living

2008-11-19T21:25:00.000-08:00

Horatius Bonar (1808-1889)'s book, God's Way of Holiness is a classic treatment of how a believer becomes holy progressively. He firmly holds that our practical holiness must be rooted in the Gospel. Without it, there will be no true holiness, but a manufactured self-righteousness. He said:

"The gospel does not command us to do anything in order to obtain life, but bids us live by that which Another has done; and the knowledge of its life-giving truth is not labour but rest -- rest of soul -- rest which is the root of all true labour; for receiving Christ we do not work in order to rest, but we rest in order to work. In believing, we cease to work for pardon, in order that we may work from it; and what incentive to work, as well as joy in working, can be greater than an ascertained and realized forgiveness?...

"Terror accomplishes no real obedience. Suspense brings no fruit unto holiness. No gloomy uncertainty as to God's favor can subdue one lust, or correct our crookedness of will. But the free pardon of the cross uproots sin, and withers all its branches. Only the certainty of love, forgiving love, can do this."

We need to remember these words. How true and timeless. Our life must be rooted in the Gospel promise and we must believe it to be true in our hearts by the operation of the Holy Spirit.

"Sweeter"

2008-10-08T10:32:00.000-07:00

Reading Puritans is cathartic to my soul in this uncertain and often theologically cluttered Christendom. Below reading is from Jeremiah Burroughs (1599-1647).

******

Sweeter

"For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness" (Ps. 84:10 KJV).

Though God's people are afflicted, and the wicked have pleasure, yet afflicted godliness is better than delightful wickedness. It is better to join with God's people in a way of godliness, in all afflictions, than to enjoy all the pleasure that any man in the world can possibly have in any way of sin. The tears of the godly are better than all the merriments of the wicked. It is an expression of an ancient that the very tears of those that seek God are sweeter than the joys that any have in the world. The worst part of godliness is better than the best part of any way of sin. Though Christ is a crucified Christ, and brings sore afflictions to His people, yet He is more delightful to them than all the pleasures that are in the earth. He is delightful in another way. It is a notable speech Luther has: "I had rather fall with Christ, than stand with Caesar; rather suffer anything in the world with Christ, than stand and enjoy all the pleasure of Caesar's court." Thus a godly man, a gracious heart which considers things, would rather have affliction with the people of God than enjoy all the pleasures of the world for a season.

(From Day By Day with the English Puritans, October 1st reading).

"Let Us Preach Christ!"

2008-10-01T09:38:00.000-07:00

As a minister of the Gospel of Christ - I am always in danger of preaching legalistic/moralistic sermons, unless I conscientiously bind myself to the Cross. Unless I am so flooded with the love of the cross, I won't be able preach the message of His redeeming love and grace to His beloved people who need "revival of the soul." Unless I am drowned in the wonder of the cross, I won't be able to boast in the Cross of Christ.

It is easy to preach messages that are convicting and confrontational -- just point out how bad and sinful the people are. Just preach the Law and the inestimable holiness of God, then many would praise and say, "wow... he is uncompromising in his messages while other preachers are preaching messages that are shallow and people pleasing." But without the Gospel preached, the Law and the holiness of God can only lead to: either pride (b/c thinking that you are an obedient person) or hopelessness (b/c thinking that you are not an obedient person). But Gospel prevents BOTH the pride and hopelessness.

I thought I was preaching well -- when I made people mad at my preaching (thus I could take pride in that I am not a man-pleaser) and made them feel hopeless (thus I could take pride in that I am faithful to the holiness of God) and challenged them constantly to surrender to Christ (thus I could take pride in that I am preaching the TRUE gospel, because I am one of those few who preach uncompromising "Lordship" message). YET... Tragically, my sermons lacked the Cross of Christ and its beauty and power. Try to preach the Gospel that is not pleasing to man, I made the cross, OUR work, instead of His in us. My preaching lacked Christ. It was filled with "how bad we are," "how unsurrendering we are to Christ," "how we love the broad road," "how faithless we are," and "how disobedient we are." But my answer to these? Surrender more, love God more, repent your sins more...

Then the question in my heart that was raised haunted me, "How much have you surrendered? How much have you loved? How much have you really repented?" I hit the dead end. Things that I preached, I wasn't really living up to it either (or I couldn't live up to it, since my best is not good enough to God in His just & holy standard), yet I was demanding that His people should. In actuality, I was a greater sinner because of my pride and self-righteous attitude. There I realized I need the Gospel everyday. I emphasized on the more of what we must do. BUT not more faith in Christ and what He has done for us. Because only the Gospel can transform a stubborn sinner (2Cor. 3:18; 4:4). Only Christ can pardon and change us. There is no greater message than Christ.

Preaching the Law and the holiness of God is necessary, but only it should drive us to Christ (Gal. 3:23,24) and not away from Christ. By through the law and the holiness of God, we sense our true sinfulness and therefore we see the NEED of the Gospel of Christ so we welcome it. And we draw near to Christ by faith after being bruised by the demands of the law and the holiness of God. There our Savior becomes sweet and pleasant. Whereby we rest in Him and changed by Him.

Below is a link to a post entitled, "Let Us Preach Christ" by Pulpit Magazine. It posted a portion of C.H. Spurgeon's sermon. Worth reading.

Let Us Preach Christ

Let us only exalt Christ in our preachings. Let us draw His people to the beauty and the glory of our Savior so that they will experience joy divine and heavenly transformation.

"Evangelical (Gospel) Sorrow"

2008-09-29T08:48:00.000-07:00

Below is my daily devotional reading from Day By Day With The English Puritans. Reflecting upon Psalm 51:17b KJV, "A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." Edmund Calamy (1600-1666) writes:

"If we sorrow for sin and rest not on Christ for the pardon of sins, our sorrow is legal and not evangelical, desperation and not contrition. Evangelical sorrow is mixed with hope. The evangelical mourners mourn not without hope. They have hope of obtaining mercy, even in the deepest of their sorrow, as appears by their carriage in mourning. They do not despair, but implore God for mercy. Their sorrow drives them to God, and not from Him, as is evident by the example of the prodigal, who in his deepest distress did not despair but went to his father for mercy. If he did not have hope of obtaining mercy he never would have gone to his father to seek it. Evangelical sorrow is mixed with joy, being mixed with faith and hope. The evangelical mourner looks upon his sorrow as a sacrifice, with which God is well-pleased, and therefore he joys that he can sorrow and offer this sacrifice to God. 'The sacrifice of God are a broken and contrite heart, and spirit,' says the Scripture (Ps. 51:17). This the contrite heart believes and therefore joys when it can sorrow." (bold my emphasis)

In Christ, let us have this gospel sorrow, so that even our brokenness over sin is a worship that is pleasing to God.

Simon the Pharisee and the Forgiven Woman

2008-09-03T22:10:00.000-07:00

"I tell you, her sins -and they are many- have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love" (Luke 7:47 NLT).

J.C. Ryle comments about Luke 7:35-50. His Expository Thoughts on the Gospels is superb book. I highly recommend it. Anyway, his comment is fitting and worthy of note:

We shall do well to remember the case of this Pharisee. It is quite possible to have a decent form of religion, and yet to know nothing of the Gospel of Christ, - to treat Christianity with respect, and yet to be utterly blind about its cardinal doctrines, - to behave with great correctness and propriety at Church, and yet to hate justification by faith, and salvation by grace, with a deadly hatred. Do we really feel affection toward the Lord Jesus? Can we say, "Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee?" Have we cordially embraced His whole Gospel? Are we willing to enter heaven side by side with the chief of sinners, and to owe all our hopes to free grace?

More "doing" for Christ is the universal demand of all the Churches. It is the one point on which all are agreed. All desire to see among Christians, more good works, more self-denial, more practical obedience to Christ's commands. But what will produce these things? Nothing, nothing but love. There never will be more done for Christ till there is more hearty love to Christ Himself. The fear of punishment, the desire of reward, the sense of duty, are all useful arguments, in their way, to persuade men to holiness. But they are all weak and powerless, until a man loves Christ. Once let that mighty principle get hold of a man, and you will see his whole life changed.

She had been much forgiven, and so she loved much. Her love was the effect of her forgiveness, - not the cause, - the consequence of her forgiveness, not the condition, - the result of her forgiveness, not the reason, - the fruit of her forgiveness, not the root...

Forever let the mighty principle laid down by our Lord in this passage, abide in our memories, and sink down into our hearts. It is one of the great corner-stones of the whole Gospel... The only way to make men holy, is to teach and preach free and full forgiveness through Jesus Christ. The secret of being holy ourselves, is to know and feel that Christ has pardoned all our sins. Peace with God is the only root that will bear the fruit of holiness. Forgiveness must go before sanctification... The heart which has experienced the pardoning love of Christ, is the heart which loves Christ, and strives to glorify Him... The man whose sins are really cleansed away will always show his ways that he loves the Saviour who cleansed them.

I say, "Amen and Amen."

An Angry God? Not according to Luther...

2008-06-16T23:40:00.000-07:00

Luther said,

“If you have a true faith that Christ is your Saviour, then at once you have a gracious God, for faith leads you in and opens up God’s heart and will, that you should see pure grace and overflowing love. This is to behold God in faith that you should look upon his fatherly, friendly heart, in which there is no anger nor ungraciousness. He who sees God as angry does not see him rightly but looks only on a curtain, as if a dark cloud had been drawn across his face.” (Roland H. Bainton, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther, 50).

Luther explains to us that when we have Christ by faith in our hearts, our God is no longer an angry Judge over sinners who deserve His wrath, but a loving Father who befriends with His children adopted by the blood of Christ. We often feel that God is impatient with us and that He is quick to anger and punish us when we err from His ways. But not so. He is "a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness" (Jonah 4:2 NASB). Is this our view of God? Or do we view Him as "a just and less-than-merciful God, quick to anger and lack in lovingkindness"? Luther would say, we are not seeing Him "rightly."

Luther could say this, because of Christ. In Christ, all the wrath of God against our sin has been appeased (Rom. 3:25). It was God Himself who appeased His own wrath against us as He poured out His just and holy anger against His only Son who stood on our place. (You could read more on my previous blog, In the Hands of God). So His judicial wrath has been removed in Christ. So now we have peace with God.

It is true that our Heavenly Father will certainly chastise us for our sins (Heb. 12:5-11), but He does so because He loves us (Heb. 12:6) and not because He hates us or angry with us. All our perception of God must be seen through the lens of the Gospel. Without the Gospel fully ingrained in our hearts, it will be easy for us to see God as always angry and hard to please.

Not so in Christ. In Christ we are His beloved children (Jude 1) and He treats us as sons and daughters of His kingdom and not as slaves of sin and the Law. When our conscience terrifies us with guilt and shame and the anger of God, remember who we are in Christ and what He has done for us on the cross and believe the blessings of the Gospel. So let us learn to embrace Christ by faith. Therefore we can confidently and boldly approach our Father through faith in Christ (Eph. 3:12; Heb. 10:19-22).

On the lighter side... part 2.

2008-05-26T17:27:00.001-07:00

My wife thought that this video was funny, and she thought it will be good thing for me to share it here. The video clip reminded me the days when I was using Windows Me... The worst OS ever created by man, it stirred up many sinful side in me that I did not know I had... The violent nature was just ready to erupt while I was using this evil OS.

NOTE: I downloaded the video from youtube. This is not my work. Just enjoy it. But do not imitate it.

Luther on Galatians 2:20

2008-05-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20 ESV).

In our Galatians Bible Study we are reading Luther's Commentary on Galatians. And it has been a blessing to my soul. Luther explains the Gospel in a way that is clear and powerful, ploughing through the dangers of trusting one's own work for God's acceptance instead of relying on Christ's redemptive work by faith alone. Luther insisted in the sufficiency of Christ's atonement for our acceptance before God.

Justification tells us that we cannot be more righteous than we already are and we cannot be more accepted than we already are in Christ by faith alone. Thus our work of obedience cannot and do not add to our righteous standing before God. Our works are display of "Christ living in us" as we continue to live by faith in the Son of God.

Luther was more than a theologian and a commentator. Here we see Luther's pastoral heart. Here is a sample, commenting on Galatians 2:20, especially the latter portion of the verse, "who loved me and gave Himself up for me."

"Think carefully about this price and see the captive given (the Son of God), says Paul, for me, and we shall see that he is incomparably better than all created things. What will you do when you hear the apostle say that such inestimable price was given for you? Will you bring your vows, your actions, your merits? What can all these do? What can even the law of Moses do? How can you be helped by all human actions, all the sufferings of martyrs? What is the obedience of all the angels in comparison with the Son of God given, most shamefully, to death on the cross, so that there was no drop of his most precious blood that was not shed for your sins? If you would think about this incomparable price properly, you would throw everything else down to hell...

"For me. Who is this me? Myself – a wretched and damnable sinner, yet so dearly loved by the Son of God that he gave himself up for me. If I could have loved the Son of God through my actions or merits and come to him in this way, why did he need to give himself for me? If we lose this one article of Christian righteousness, it is impossible for us to withstand any errors or sects that have fallen away from a belief in justification. What are all their new things (however holy they may seem) if you compare them with the death and blood of the Son of God who gave himself for me?

"These words, who loved me, are full of faith. If I can utter this word me and apply it to myself with a true and constant faith, as Paul did, I shall be good at arguing along with Paul against the law. And as the Son of God was thus given up death for me, I take comfort and apply this myself. This way of applying it is the true force and power of faith.

"Faith therefore, as I have said, embraces Christ Jesus, the Son of God, and wraps itself in him who has given up to death for us… Let us learn therefore to give a true definition of Christ, not as a new lawgiver, abolishing the old law and establishing a new one, but as the Son of God who offered himself as a sacrifice – not because we deserved it or because we were righteous, but of his own free mercy, so that he might sanctify us forever.

"If you let Christ be depicted in any other way, you will soon be overthrown when trouble and temptation come. Defining Christ like this is the greatest understanding that Christian can have, but it is also the hardest thing of all.

"Christ, when he comes, is nothing but joy and sweetness to a trembling and broken heart, as Paul shows here when he describes him most sweetly and says he loved me and gave himself for me. Christ, therefore, is indeed a lover of those who are in trouble and anguish, in sin and death…

"Read these words me and for me with great emphasis. With a firm faith you may engrave this on your heart and apply it to yourself, not doubting that you are among those to whom this me belongs. Christ not only loved Peter and Paul and gave himself for them, but the grace that is included in this me comes to us as well."

Christ is our sufficiency

2008-05-16T10:08:00.000-07:00

Every day, I realize how sufficient our Lord Jesus Christ is to us. He is indeed more than I could ask or I need. He is true source of my delight. My soul is warmed by His Calvary love and strengthened by His perfect grace. In Christ, I am full.

Paul said, "in Him you have been made complete" (Col. 2:10a NASB). I am lacking nothing in Christ. God sees me complete and perfect as Christ is. What a marvelous gift of the Gospel. How can I not love such Savior?

"Choose You This Day..."

2008-04-04T22:24:00.000-07:00

This is another song which expresses my prayer. The song is obviously based on Joshua 24:15b, "choose for yourselves today whom you will serve."

Joshua said, "but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15e, NASB).

Athanasius, Augustine, Luther, Calvin, and John Owen all chose to serve the Lord because they delighted in their Savior. O Lord, indeed, help me to choose You...

"These Things Are True Of You..."

2008-03-29T10:18:00.000-07:00

This is my heart's desire. The song reflects my prayer concerning Christlikeness. There is nothing more noble than to be like Him. O Lord, let it be. Let Thy Spirit transform me into Thy likeness as I behold Thy face (2Cor. 3:18).

Unshakable, immovable, faithful and true
Full of wisdom, strength and beauty
These things are true of You
Fearless, courageous, righteousness shines through in all You do
Yet, You're so humble You laid down Your life
These things are true of You

(Chorus)
And as I turn my face to You
O Lord, I ask and pray
By the power of Your love and grace
Make these things true of me too
Make these things true of me too

Patient, compassionate, love flows through You
You never give up on the hopeless ones
These things are true of You
Holy and blameless, You stand up for justice and truth
Yet You love mercy and forgiveness
These things are true of You

Repeat Chorus

Abba Father...

2008-03-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

Paul said, "But when the fullness of the time came, God sent for His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!' Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son..." (Galatians 4:4-7a NASB).

This is what is known as the doctrine of adoption. When we ponder the truth of this doctrine and believe in this truth, our hearts will melt in wonder and adoration. Now, many of us know or at least heard about the doctrine of justification (that God declares a sinner righteous on the basis of faith in the work and the Person of Christ). And indeed, this is the heart of the Gospel that cannot be neglected, on the contrary, it must be repeated at every corner of our lives. But what we do forget is the result (or subsequent purpose) of justification. Now, God could have saved us and made us as His slaves in the Kingdom of God, which I will be so grateful eternally. But God did not. God was not satisfied in merely justifying us, but also clothed us with the highest privilege of salvation -- adoption (see J.I. Packer, Knowing God, pp. 206-209).

1. Notice what Paul said in above passage, "He might redeem those who were under the law, that (Gk. hina, means "in order that") we might receive the adoption as sons..." The purpose of redemption is the adoption. We do not earn this adoption, we do not purchase this adoption. It was purchased by God in Christ. This is an act of God's sheer grace that glorifies Him.

2. God was so concerned about this adoption in our lives (because it is not easy thing for us to believe that we are really His children and therefore loved by the Father. Rather even after justification, we act as though we are one of His subjects or slaves when we approach God), He sent His Spirit to convince us of that truth in our hearts! (See Gal. 4:6; Rom. 8:15,16, "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirits that we are children of God [v. 16]"). There is (and always will be) a gentle and powerful voice of the Spirit in our hearts telling us and reminding us that we are God's precious and beloved children on account of our faith in Christ (Jn. 1:12,13) and not what we have done or promise to do. Our adoption is NOT conditioned upon our obedience to the Father, it is already purchased by the blood of Christ. Once you are adopted by the Father you will never be disowned by Him. And this adoption proves how much God loves us (1Jn. 3:1).

3. So when we obey, we obey as sons (Gospel) and not as slaves (Law). This is the thrust of Paul's explanation of the Gospel. Slaves are never certain whether their master approves their work. But sons are already approved because of the nature of their relationship with the Father. John Owen said in his book, Communion with God, "If the love of a father will not make a child delight in him, what will?" In other words, slaves obey the master out of fear of punishment (rejection) or out of earning master's approval (acceptance). But the son knows he is already accepted and loved by the Father, so the son obeys the Father out of love and willing heart. This is what in known as "Gospel holiness." J.I. Packer said, "(Gospel holiness) is no doubt an unfamiliar phrase to some. It was Puritan shorthand for authentic Christian living, springing from love and gratitude to God, in contrast with the spurious 'legal holiness' that consisted merely of forms, routines and outward appearances, maintained from self-regarding motives. (Knowing God, p. 221)."

4. J.I. Packer notes, "If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God's child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all (Knowing God, p. 201)." He is right. If we are not sons, we are still slaves. If we are sons but act like slaves before God, then we do not know the Gospel well. We have not applied or believed the Gospel message in its entirety.

Let us then, by faith hold on to this promise of the Gospel. In Christ, we have all our sufficiency that is needed to approach our God as Father who loves us very much. Let us not draw back to the Law but stand firm in the freedom of the Gospel (Gal. 5:1).

EDIT (3/31): The above quotes by John Owen and J.I. Packer are taken from Tim Keller's Study on Galatians. Only the page numbers are supplied by me for those who wish to look further.

Joseph's Song

2008-01-15T10:07:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite Christmas songs. It is written in the perspective of Joseph. Very worshipful. It is written and composed by Michael Card.

(Courtesy of youtube.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BARVAg0gl6w)

Chorus 1
How could it be this baby in my arms
Sleeping now, so peacefully
The Son of God, the angel said
How could it be

Lord I know He's not my own
Not of my flesh, not of my bone
Still Father let this baby be
The son of my love

Chorus 2
Father show me where I fit into this plan of yours
How can a man be father to the Son of God
Lord for all my life I've been a simple carpenter
How can I raise a king, How can I raise a king

He looks so small, His face and hands so fair
And when He cries the sun just seems to disappear
But when He laughs it shines again
How could it be

Chorus 2
Chorus 1

On the lighter side...

2007-12-26T11:17:00.000-08:00

Some of my readers (i.e., Jeremy in Poland) expressed that I should also include some lighter stuff on my blog.... So here it is.

My wife (upon my request) rented The Simpsons Movie and we watched it last night as our kids slept. Yes, we celebrated Christmas night by watching a secular movie while drinking hot cocoa! It was funny and enjoyable movie.

But as I was watching the movie, I couldn't stop asking the question, "Are we more like Ned Flanders or Homer Simpson in the eyes of God?"

Ned is by all account an "evangelical" believer, while Homer is... well a casual and self-centered believer (some of you might argue that Homer is not saved, but such point is beyond this blog's intent and purpose, so just humor me). Ned is spiritually disciplined and Homer is well-meaning but does everything wrong.

Is Ned so spiritual that he doesn't need God's grace and Homer so bad that he is beyond God's grace? I was thinking to myself that I am more closer to Homer Simpson than Ned Flanders. I mean well, but I mess up consistently. Perhaps, this is the reason why I can relate to Homer than Ned. I see my failures more than my spiritual disciplines of faith and love.

As I was watching and asking above questions, the words of Jerry Bridges came to my mind, he said, "Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace, and your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace." (From The Discipline of Grace, p. 18). In this case, both Ned and Homer need God's grace everyday. What I mean is that both Homer and Ned depend on Christ for their acceptance (or for fancy theological term, "justification") and not their spiritual work or devotion. Ned needs Christ as much as Homer does.

I need to remember that. As I see "Homer" (or "Ned") in me, I must also see and believe in God's grace that comes through Jesus Christ and that His grace is sufficient for me in everything. And that His grace is supplied abundantly to those who have trusted in their Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, whether they are like "Homer" or even "Ned."

Christ Is All

2007-12-25T10:24:00.000-08:00

O Lover to the uttermost,

May I read the meltings of thy heart to me
in the manger of thy birth
in the garden of thy agony,
in the cross of thy suffering,
in the tomb of thy resurrection,
in the heaven of thy intercession.

Behold in this thought I defy my adversary,
tread down his temptations,
resist his schemings,
renounce the world,
am valiant for truth.

Deepen in me a sense of my holy relationship to thee,
as spiritual Bridegroom,
as Jehovah's Fellow,
as sinners' Friend.

I think of thy glory and my vileness,
thy majesty and my meanness,
thy beauty and my deformity,
thy purity and my filth,
thy righteousness and my iniquity.

Thou hast loved me everlastingly, unchangeably,
may I love thee as I am loved;
Thou hast given thyself for me,
may I give myself to thee;
Thou hast died for me,
may I live to thee,
in every moment of my time,
in every movement of my mind,
in every pulse of my heart.

May I never dally with the world and its allurements,
but walk by thy side,
listen to thy voice,
be clothed with thy graces,
and adorned with thy righteousness.

From The Valley of Vision (leather edition), pp. 32-33.

Christ Himself is the Gospel...

2007-12-15T08:27:00.000-08:00

In the midst of busy holiday season, we often forget Christ -- the gift of God for a fallen world in sin. The angel announced a "good news" and this good news is essentially wrapped up in the Incarnate Word.

"Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy
which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David
there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."
(Luke 2:10-11 NASB)

The birth of Christ is a source of "great joy" for believers. When we lack joy, have we abandoned the wonder of His birth?

Jesus Is Praying For Me (and You)...

2007-11-07T11:22:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest comfort of my life is that Jesus the High Priest prays for me. It is not my prayers that are effective, but it is His prayers for me that are effective and potent. It is His prayers for me that sustain me through my darkest times. This truth is one of the rich blessings of the Gospel. The more I study Him, the more comfort and strength I receive from Him. The more I know Him in the gospel, the more He becomes real and worth living and dying for. It is the sweet surrender of the will and life to Him that I see. The attraction of the world fades and becomes dull compare to His glory and beauty. As Paul said, "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27 NASB).

Although I know the duty of prayer (Phil. 4:6; Col. 4:2; 1Thess. 5:17) and its effectiveness in my walk with the Lord (Jas. 5:16b), there are times, I simply cannot pray or motivated to pray, then what can I do? When I can't pray, how can I then pray? Unless something greater than my prayer stirs my heart, I am left in helplessness and spiritual depression. But thanks be to God for His Son, our ever faithful High Priest! When I can't pray He prays for me. Consider the following passages:

Romans 8:26, "the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God" (NASB). Our gracious God has not left us alone in this world. When we become weak and do not know how to pray, the Spirit Himself prays for us. We are not alone, we are never alone, even if we feel we are alone. The truth is: our Comforter comforts us through His intercessory prayer to God according to God's will. This is tremendous truth. And we need to believe this in order to encourage ourselves in our weaknesses. But there is more...

Romans 8:34, "Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised , who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us" (NASB). In heaven, our Lord also intercedes for us. He prays for me and you! On earth, the Spirit prays for us, and in Heaven, Jesus prays for us! What a joyful blessing! So then, how can we fail? Our prayers may fail, but His prayers for us will not. Therefore, we are sustained despite our failures through sins and even successes (since we are prone to pride and self-righteousness). So Hebrews 7:24,25, affirms Christ's eternal High Priesthood, "but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (NASB). Isn't this why we are forever sustained? Isn't this why we are not finally lost? We may stray from Him at times, we may sin gravely at times, we may fail to love Him at times, BUT we are not finally lost because of His prayer for us and not our faithfulness to Him. This boldly encourages me to pray when I am not able. My heart is stirred up in this blessed truth, and as I pray, I lean on His prayer for me.

We all know Peter's denial of Christ. It shows Peter's sincere but misguided confidence in himself to be faithful to Christ even till death (cf. Lk. 22:33). But we know what happened. He was discouraged in himself, filled with guilt and shame he wept bitterly (Lk. 22:62). Most of all, he was probably haunted by the gaze of Christ at the moment he denied Him the third time (Lk. 22:61). With such shameful act how could Peter sustain himself? With such agony of failure, could Peter pull enough strength to continue? No. It was His Master's prayer that sustained him. Jesus said, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like a wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once turned again, strengthen your brothers" (Luke 22:31,32 NASB). This is so powerful! It humbles my soul with trembling yet rejoicing in His goodness. There are several things to be noted in this passage: (1) Jesus is about to face excruciating death yet He prays for Peter even before he denied Him. Not regarding His own death, Jesus loves and concerns Himself with His own and prays for them. (2) Jesus prays for Peter BEFORE his denial and not after. We often pray AFTER our sinning, but Christ prays even before sin has been committed. (3) Jesus' prayer evokes certain efficacy. He said, "that your faith may not fail; and you when you turned again..." Peter's faith was shaken no doubt, but it didn't fail him completely and the certain promise of Peter's restoration, "when (Gk. pote) you turned again" and not "if." Such is the love and power of our Lord's intercessory prayer for us! It is not my repentance that is strong, but it is His prayer for my repentance that is strong and without fail, so that I may repent. O how can we not love and adore such Redeemer? Matthew Henry said, "It is owing to the mediation and intercession of Jesus Christ that the faith of his disciples, though sometimes sadly shaken, yet is not sunk. If they were left to themselves, they would fail; but they are kept by the power of God and the prayer of Christ."

Let us then, firmly believe in this blessed truth for our strength to pray. So when you are not able to pray, remember your Lord prays for you. So lean on His prayer for you, so that you may pray.

Centrality of Faith

2007-10-22T21:53:00.000-07:00

Paul said, "we walk by faith, and not by sight" (2Cor. 5:7 NASB). Our Christian life is a life of faith. We begin our Christian life by faith in Jesus Christ and what He has done for us. But we also continue in Christian life by faith as well. We continue to believe in Christ and His blessings of the gospel for our spiritual walk. In Galatians 2:20, Paul said, "I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." For Paul, his life of faith in the Son was a daily reality. Once we become a believer, we do not abandon faith (act of trusting in God and His Gospel promises). Often times, myself included, we assume we have faith and we turn our focus to "obedience" of Christian life. So unwittingly we set aside faith for obedience. Yet, faith is the key to proper obedience.

Consider:

"the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe" (1Thess. 2:13 NASB). When we believe in the word of God, it does its marvelous work in us. The word of God becomes powerful and effective in our life when we receive it by faith. Here then, the change is wrought by faith. True obedience is the product of faith. However, conversely-

"For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard" (Heb. 4:2 NASB). The word of God (the promise of rest) did not profit the Israelites in the wilderness because they failed to believe. Now, remember that they did all the work of religiosity (offering sacrifices, journeying through the wilderness, etc..), yet they failed to obey because they failed to believe in the promise of God (see Heb. 4:6).

John Calvin defined faith as "firm and sure knowledge of the divine favour toward us, founded on the truth of a free promise in Christ, and revealed in our minds, and sealed in our hearts, by the Holy Spirit" (Institutes, III.ii.7). Once we firmly believe that Gospel promises are certain and real, then we are able to live out accordingly and victoriously. Do we really believe Christ is indeed sufficient in our lives? Do we really believe that Gospel is the answer to our sanctification (both positionally and progressively)? Do we really believe that we are once and for all accepted to the Father through Jesus Christ and never to be rejected? Do we really believe that we have everything necessary for this life and the next through Jesus Christ?

I often say, our spiritual problems arise from lack of believing than lack of obeying. Believing is harder than obeying. Obedience without faith is sin. Paul said, "whatever is not from faith is sin" (Rom. 14:23 NASB). We need to learn to trust God as a Person and His promises unreservedly and with an uncalculating heart. This applies to everything. Faith is the key that unlocks all the blessings of the gospel to enjoy, enrich, and empower our relationship with God.

John said in sum, "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1Jn. 5:4,5 NASB). Therefore, let us strengthen our faith in the Son of God through His word and His Spirit who imparts such faith. Luther said if we need faith, pray for faith.

Wine and Its Imagery

2007-09-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

We often debate whether Christians should drink any alcoholic beverages. Whatever the personal conviction on the issue is, we must not forget that this is a minor issue in the body of Christ, and that we should not reject fellowship on the basis of "drinking."

I used to believe in total abstinence from wine (or any other alcoholic beverages). But this was unfortunate. I lacked Biblical information concerning this issue. As I restudied the topic, I was compelled to conclude that use of wine is not condemned by God at all. Moreover, I used to believe that when the Bible speaks of wine that we could drink, I thought they were unfermented wine as some postulated (see David Wilkerson's book, Sipping Saints. In earlier days of my Christian walk, I was heavily influenced by this book). But I also came to conclusion that this is not the case. The term"wine" (Heb. yayin) could be either fermented or unfermented in the Scripture depending on the context. The term, "strong drink" (Heb. sekar) was fermented. For more information see, The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol. 5, pp. 935-38; The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Vol.4, pp. 1068-72; The New Bible Dictionary 2nd Ed., pp. 1254-55.

Also historically, the church fathers encouraged drinking wine while condemning drunkenness as clear sin. For example, Clement of Alexandria (c. 195), said, "It is good, then, neither to eat flesh nor to drink wine... Yet, if one partakes of them, he does not sin. Only let him partake temperately, not being dependent on them." Another church father Origen (c. 248) said, "It is not from demons that men receive any of the things that meet the necessities of life... So those who partake of corn, wine, the fruits of trees, water, and air do not eat with demons. Rather, they feast with divine angels... We are not to refuse to enjoy those things that have been created for our use. Rather, we should receive them with thanksgiving to the Creator."

The Reformers and Puritans also did not condemn drinking wine. Luther was known for his delight in beer. His wife Katharina von Bora was a beer-maker in her convent before she married Luther. Luther often praised her ability to make a good beer! Calvin received the portion of his salary in barrels of wine (fermented no less!). More information is well documented in the book, Drinking with Calvin and Luther by Jim West. Highly recommended for those who wish to know historical Reformed view on drinking.

But to Scripture we must turn for final authority on the matter. In the Scripture, there are both negative and positive images of wine. Thus wine in itself is not evil or sinful. But the use of it can either make it sinful or enjoyable.

Positive Images of Wine:

Image of sustenance and life (Gen. 27:28; Song of Songs 1:1-2).
Image of covenant blessing for nation Israel (Deut. 28:39,51, in this passage, God promises that if they do not obey the covenant stipulations, they will be deprived of "wine" -- a sign of blessing and abundance. See also Hos. 2:8, 21-22; 9:2).
Image of future blessings of Messianic Kingdom (Joel 3:18; Amos 9:13; Isa. 25:6; Lk. 22:18).
Image of joy, celebration, and festivity (Ps. 4:7; 104:15; Eccl. 9:7; 10:19). Wine is a gift of God for man to enjoy, to celebrate life in the presence of God with thankfulness. In Deut. 14:26 we have incredible picture of enjoying wine in the presence of God (context of the passage is religious duty [tithe] to God). Moses commanded, "You may spend the money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household" (NASB). Amazing!

Negative Images of Wine:

Image of loss of self-control when abused (Prov. 20:1; Hos. 4:11,12; Eph. 5:18). The negative image of wine is due to abuse and excessive dependence on wine -- drunkenness. God desires us to enjoy what He has created with thankfulness, but He also desires us to guard against the sin of excess, because it is destructive and harmful to us and others.
Image of God's wrath and judgment toward sinners (Isa. 63:2-6; Jer. 25:15, "cup filled with the wine of My wrath.."). The picture of God's judgment is explicit. The cup of His wrath is pictured by wine -- because it is red, it describes blood shed.

BUT... there is one more positive image of wine... That is, it is the image of the forgiveness of sins. Jesus said, "And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins" (Matt. 26:27,28 NASB). Jesus drank the cup of Divine wrath for us (Matt. 26:39,42), so that we may drink the cup of blessing and forgiveness of our sins. Therefore when we celebrate the Lord's Supper, we must have both images of wine in our mind. While we drink the cup of forgiveness, Jesus drank the cup of wrath.

Beneath the Cross of Jesus

2007-08-21T22:30:00.000-07:00

When I am weary of my sin and the world, my longing for Christ becomes acute. It is the sense of weariness of my soul that leads me to sing this beautiful hymn. The hymn was written by Elizabeth C. Clephane, 1868. Originally, the hymn was written in five verses, but I quote three. You could listen to the music here.

Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand,
The shadow of a mighty Rock within a weary land;
A home within the wilderness, a rest upon the way,
From the burning of the noontide heat, and the burden of the day.

Upon the cross of Jesus mine eye at times can see
The very dying form of One Who suffered there for me;
And from my stricken heart with tears two wonders I confess,
The wonders of redeeming love and my unworthiness.

I take, O cross, thy shadow for my abiding place;
I ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of His face;
Content to let the world go by, to know no gain or loss;
My sinful self my only shame, my glory, all the cross.

As a Christian, I cannot deny the feeling of out-of-place here on earth. I'm a pilgrim, a joyful one, but I do not feel at home here. I wait for Another. O Lord, how long?

A Puritan Prayer

2007-08-06T19:49:00.000-07:00

Below prayer is from The Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan Prayers.

Lord Jesus,
Give me a deeper repentance,
a horror of sin,
a dread of its approach;

Help me chastely to flee it,
and jealously to resolve that my heart
shall be Thine alone.

Give me a deeper trust,
that I may lose myself to find myself in Thee,
the ground of my rest,
the spring of my being.

Give me a deeper knowledge of Thyself
as Saviour, Master, Lord, and King.

Give me deeper power in private prayer,
and more sweetness in Thy Word,
more steadfast grip on its truth.

Give me deeper holiness in speech, thought, action,
and let me not seek moral virtue apart from Thee.

Plough deep in me, great Lord,
heavenly Husbandman,
that my being may be a tilled field,
the roots of grace spreading far and wide,
until Thou alone art seen in me,
Thy beauty golden like summer harvest,
Thy fruitfulness as autumn plenty.

I have no Master but Thee,
no law but Thy will,
no delight but Thyself,
no wealth but that Thou givest,
no good but that Thou blessest,
no peace but that Thou bestowest.

I am nothing but that Thou makest me,
I have nothing but that I that receive from Thee,
I can be nothing but that grace adorns me.

Quarry me deep, dear Lord,
and then fill me to overflowing
with living water.

I say, Amen and Amen.

"Coronary Christians" vs. "Adrenal Christians"

2007-08-02T09:34:00.000-07:00

I thought this was worth quoting here. In the preface of John Piper's book, The Roots of Endurance, he pleads with us to be "coronary Christians" like the lives of John Newton, Charles Simeon, and William Wilberforce (the book is about these persevering men). Pastor John Piper wrote:

I pleaded with them [his congregation] to be "coronary Christians," not "adrenal Christians." Not that adrenalin is bad, I said; it gets me through lots of Sundays. But it lets you down on Mondays. The heart is another kind of friend. It just keeps on serving - very quietly, through good days and bad days, happy and sad, high and low, appreciated and unappreciated. It never says, "I don't like your attitude, Piper, I'm taking a day off." It just keeps humbly lub-dubbing along. It endures the way adrenaline doesn't.

Coronary Christians are like the heart in the causes they serve. Adrenal Christians are like adrenaline - a spurt of energy and then fatigue. What we need in the cause of social justice (for example, against racism and abortion), and the cause of world missions (to plant churches among the unreached peoples of the world), and the cause of personal holiness and evangelism (to lead people to Christ and love them no matter what) is not spurts of energy, but people who endure for the long haul. Marathoners, not sprinters. (The Roots of Endurance, pp.11,12)

This is the endurance of faith. Persevering 'till the end. It is the sustaining grace of God in our lives. Not moody, but bovine. In our Christian walk, we must not be dictated by how we feel, but what we believe. And we believe in perseverance, commitment, and faithfulness.

Yet, I admit that this is difficult. Sometimes, my perseverance is indistinguishable from passionless resignation; accepting status quo and just floating along on the waves of daily tasks. But this is not Biblical perseverance. The Biblical perseverance is coupled with the deep sustaining joy and the strength of hope in the gospel, knowing that justification by faith leads to peace with God, which results in tremendous joy of the heart (e.g., Rom. 5:1-6). When we are immersed with the blessings of the gospel and make them real in our life by faith each day, we are able to endure in our service to God without becoming fatigued.

May the Lord renew our hearts to persevere in all our duty of the gospel by the joy of the gospel.

After Darkness, Light

2007-07-12T15:22:00.000-07:00

Post Tenebras Lux (After Darkness, Light)

Like innumerable believers, I was deeply influenced by the Reformers. The writings of Luther and Calvin have shaped not just my mind but my spirituality in the Gospel. God has used their teachings to change me.

More than anything, they deepened my understanding of the gospel. Particularly in the blessing of justification by faith alone. This "doctrine" is sadly being forgotten (whether by neglect or by blindness) in the evangelical churches today (I must confess that I too tend to forget this great truth and neglect to preach it to His people repeatedly). But to a sin-stricken soul, there is no better balm than the doctrine of justification by faith alone. That God justifies the ungodly on the basis of faith (Rom. 4:5) is the crux of the matter. It is the heart of the gospel. It renews the vitality of a believer, it humbles the most proud soul, it stirs the heart to sing with joy, and it empowers the tongue to proclaim the death of death with most fervent zeal. And it sets the sinner free from their sins and makes them to live for God.

But "after darkness, light" is in danger to become, "after light, darkness" all over again even in the evangelical churches. It is sad to see post-modernism is shaping Christian theology, such as "Emergent Church" movement instead of Christian faith impacting post-modern philosophy. This controversy has been well-documented in D.A. Carson's book, Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church. Another good sermonic book on the topic is John MacArthur's The Truth War. In this movement the very heart of the gospel is challenged. Especially the propitiatory work of Christ is questioned with ridicule and slander. If this is not the case, then the gospel is toned down and watered down without revealing the gravity of our sin before the Thrice Holy God and the necessity of the cross of Christ for salvation. This tends to question the exclusivity of Christian faith -- that only by faith in Jesus Christ, a sinner is saved. This cannot be contested, however. Peter said, except by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, "there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12 NASB).

In every age (whether post-modern or not), the gospel is the same. Hence the angel called it, "an eternal gospel" (Rev. 14:6), and in every age, the gospel is the most important thing as Paul called it "the first importance" (1Cor. 15:3). The gospel which the Reformers preached is the gospel that must be preached again in our generation. I pray so.

Take me as I am

2007-07-09T10:15:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite hymns among many. Written by Eliza H. Hamilton (sometime in 19th century) captures the sufficiency of Christ's work of redemption. You could hear the music and background story from here: Take Me As I Am

Jesus, my Lord, to Thee I cry; unless Thou help me I must die:
Oh, bring Thy free salvation nigh, and take me as I am!

Refrain:
And take me as I am! And take me as I am!
My only plea - Christ died for me! Oh, take me as I am!

Helpless I am, and full of guilt; but yet for me Thy blood was split,
And Thou canst make me what Thou wilt, and take me as I am!
(Refrain)

No preparation can I make, my best resolve I only break,
Yet save me for Thine own name's sake, and take me as I am!
(Refrain)

Behold me, Savior, at Thy feet, deal with me as Thou seest meet;
Thy work begin, Thy work complete, and take me as I am!
(Refrain)

Indeed, O Lord, take me as I am!

Savoring God Above All

2007-07-05T09:16:00.000-07:00

"Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever... as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works"
(Psalm 73:25,26,28 NASB)

In our journey to Heaven while on earth, it is our consuming desire for God above all else that sustains us through the darkest times and brightest times of our life. Our God is indeed most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him as John Piper so passionately teaches. John Calvin commenting on the verse said:

(Asaph) declares that he desires nothing, either in heaven or in earth, except God alone, and that without God, all other objects which usually draw the hearts of men towards them were unattractive to him. And, undoubtedly, God then obtains from us the glory to which he is entitled, when, instead of being carried first to one object, and then to another, we hold exclusively by him, being satisfied with him alone. (Bold my emphasis)

There is an inseparable connection between God's glory and our satisfaction in Him. This cannot be denied. Soul that is on fire to love and to enjoy God is the soul that brings much glory to Him. Because the soul is free from love of self and everything else. In short, the soul is free from idolatry of the heart. John Piper asks this penetrating question in his book, God is the Gospel:

The critical question for our generation -- and for every generation -- is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, (even) if Christ was not there? (p. 15)… Christ did not die to forgive sinners who go on treasuring anything above seeing and savoring God. And people who would be happy in heaven if Christ were not there, will not be there. The Gospel is not a way to get people to heaven; it is a way to get people to God. It’s way of overcoming every obstacle to everlasting joy in God. If we don’t want God above all things, we have not been converted by the Gospel (p. 47).

His question must be asked, and his point must be addressed with force. And we find utmost satisfaction in God alone only when we truly understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because only the love begets love. The more we understand the love of God for us, the more we will love Him. For the Scripture says, "we love, because He first loved us" (1Jn. 4:19). Therefore, we must believe and understand the Gospel in a personal way and not in a mechanical and transactional way only. AW Tozer made a point by saying, "(our) popular fundamentalist theology has emphasized the utility of the cross rather the beauty of the One who died on it. The saved man's relation to Christ has been made contractual instead of personal. The 'work' of Christ has been stressed until it has eclipsed the person of Christ." And this should not be, because the work of Christ must lead to the person of Christ. May the Spirit of God rekindle our love for Christ so that He will be the sole desire of our hearts until we reach Home in Heaven where our Beloved Savior awaits us.

O Establish My Heart...

2007-06-29T23:08:00.000-07:00

"Establish my footsteps in Thy word, and do not let any iniquity have dominion over me."
(Ps. 119:133 NASB)

It is every believer's desire to be free from sin. While we wait to be clothed with sinless perfection, we nevertheless long to be free... even now. We find this freedom in the cross of Christ, where our Lord destroyed the very dominion of sin (Rom. 6:6,7,11,14). In the gospel, we do not only find the blessing of justification, but also key to sanctification. It is by faith we appropriate the power of the gospel for pursuit of holiness. Every battle takes place in the mind. When the battle is lost there, the battle for holiness is inevitably defeated. So Paul said, "we know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin" (Rom. 6:6 ESV) and "you must consider yourselves dead to sin" (Rom. 6:11 ESV). We must learn to believe, know and consider in our minds that we do not have to give into sin, because we are no longer slaves to sin and that sin has no power over us. For sin has been defeated by Christ on the cross.

True sanctification begins by faith in the power of the cross and recognizing and believing in our minds that sin has no power over us "because we are under grace" (Rom. 6:14). So each day, we must consciously teach ourselves of this blessed truth.

The Lord protects the simple...

2007-06-28T08:10:00.000-07:00

Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful.
The LORD preserves the simple; when I was brought low,
he saved me.
Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the LORD has dealt
bountifully with you.
(Psalm 116:5-7 ESV)

I thank You Lord for Your faithfulness. Indeed, when I was weak and feeble, You protected me, hedged about my soul. Truly Your grace is sufficient for me (2Cor. 12:9). How can I not praise a such God? O my soul, praise His name, for He has been good to you.

Eternal Food

2007-06-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

NOTE: Martin Luther had a way with words. He speaks plainly for us to hear and understand. Much can be gained from this Reformer's writings, especially that of faith and the gospel. Below is one example of Luther's teaching.

"Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God has set His seal." (John 6:27 NASB)

In this passage, Christ compares what perishes with what endures forever. If we were truly concerned about this difference, we would keep holding on to what is eternal and stop clinging to what is temporary. Christ is saying here, "If I were to give you right now the type of things you already have, such as the bread you get from the baker, and if I were to give you enough of it to satisfy the entire world, how much would it really help you? If I had more wheat, barley, oats, money, and property than the richest person in the world to give you, what would be gained? I would have food to give you, but it would be perishable food that wouldn't last forever."

There isn't a farmer who would be so foolish as to give one hundred bushels of grain for a crumpled piece of paper. There isn't a merchant who would exchange a hundred bottles of beer for a glass of water. Both would rather sell their possessions at a premium price.

Christ, however, is saying that everything we own is perishable and that we should willingly give it all away in order to get eternal food. But in this world, we tend to be more concerned about what will pass away than what will last forever. We grab for a handful of food and end up letting go of the gospel.

(From: Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional by Martin Luther, edited by James C. Galvin, June 14 reading)

The Glory of Christ

2007-06-18T13:34:00.000-07:00

"The greatest desire that Christ expressed in his prayer was that his people might be with him to behold his glory (John 17:24). It is clear that in this prayer the Lord Christ was referring to his own glory and actual sight of it (John 17:4-5)... the Lord Christ desired that his disciples should see his glory in order that they might be filled with joy and happiness for evermore.
Only a sight of his glory, and nothing else, will truly satisfy God's people. The hearts of believers are like a magnetized needle which cannot rest until it is pointing north. So also, a believer, magnetized by the love of Christ, will always be restless until he or she comes to Christ and beholds his glory." (John Owen, The Glory of Christ, pp.1-2, abridged version)

In the times of self-serving Christianity is rampant, it is so refreshing to hear the voice of the dead that calls us to the living Christ for our satisfaction. John Owen calls believers to ponder the glory of Christ for their happiness. Because that's what Christ desires it. Christ desires us to see His glory because He knows that only beholding Him will truly satisfy His Church. There is no greater joy in believer's life than beholding the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. John Owen continues:

"That beholding the glory of Christ is one of the greatest privileges that believers are capable of in this world, or even in that which is to come. Indeed, it is by beholding the glory of Christ that believers are first gradually transformed into his image, and then brought into the eternal enjoyment of it, because they shall 'for ever like him', for they 'shall see him as he is' (2Cor. 3:18, 1John 3:1-2). On this depend our present comforts and future blessedness. This is the life and reward of our souls (John 14:9, 2Cor. 4:6)."

John Owen instructs us how we are able to behold the glory of Christ, "Scripture shows us two ways by which we may behold the glory of Christ. We may behold it by faith in this world, faith being 'the evidence of things not seen', and we may behold it by sight in the next (2Cor. 5:7-8; 1Cor. 13:12)."

Owen emphasizes that, in this world, believers can indeed behold His glory by faith. This will in turn transform believer's life inside and out. It is by beholding Him by faith that we are changed from glory to glory (2Cor. 3:18). And this faith is not some abstract thought about Christ, but particularly in the the gospel of Jesus Christ (2Cor. 4:3-6). In order to behold the glory of Christ, the gospel is essential, the very lifeline. Owen again said, "no man-made image can truly represent the person of Christ and his glory. Only the gospel can do that." Hence, we need to reacquaint ourselves with the gospel of Jesus Christ more each day, for it is the source of His glory.

It will be fitting to close this blog with John Owen's own words:

"At present they do not know what they enjoy, so they do not know what to expect. This is why men who are complete strangers to seeing the person and glory of Christ by faith have turned to images, pictures and music to help them in their worship.
So it is only as we behold the glory of Christ by faith here in this world that our hearts will be drawn more and more to Christ and to the full enjoyment of the sight of this glory hereafter.
It is by beholding the glory of Christ by faith that we are spiritually edified and built up in this world, for as we behold his glory, the life and power of faith grow stronger and stronger. It is by faith that we grow to love Christ. So if we desire strong faith and powerful love, which give us rest, peace and satisfaction, we must seek them diligently beholding the glory of Christ by faith. In this duty I desire to live and to die. On Christ's glory I would fix all my thoughts and desires, and the more I see of the glory of Christ, the more the painted beauties of this world will wither in my eyes and I will be more and more crucified to this world. It will become to me like something dead and putrid, impossible for me to enjoy."

(All excerpts are taken from John Owen, The Glory of Christ, abridged by R.J.K. Law).

Sinfulness of Sin

2007-06-14T17:28:00.000-07:00

WHEN Esquire editor-at-large A.J. Jacobs set out to follow the Bible as literally as possible for one year and write a book about the experience, he failed on the first day. "Within a half an hour of waking, I check the Amazon.com sales ranking for my last book," Jacobs writes in "The Year of Living Biblically," out this October from Simon & Schuster. "How many sins does that comprise? Pride? Envy? Greed? I can't even count." (June 11, NY Post)

This is insightful. I do not know whether A.J. Jacobs knows the Lord, but he is honest about his sinfulness. He is more enlightened about his sinfulness than most believers today. He admitted that within half hour, he has committed innumerable sins of the heart: pride, envy, greed, etc...
He also indirectly implied that it is impossible to keep God's word perfectly.... even for 30 minutes.

So the Psalmist is right when he cried, "If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?" (Ps. 130:3 NASB). Answer: No one. We are all guilty of our sins. Sins not just externally and visibly committed, but sins of the heart as well. God sees all. This is our dilemma. We are not good enough (that is free from sin) for God at any stage of our spiritual growth. We are only credited with His righteousness (so that we are only good enough through Christ). That is the reason why we must firmly hold on to the promise of the gospel every day. Our acceptance to God is only through faith in Jesus Christ. The Psalmist also provides the ray of hope in next verse, "But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared" (Ps. 130:4).

God who could mark our iniquities, God who is offended by our sins is the same God who provides forgiveness. This is remarkable grace of God. This forgiveness is possible because God sent His only Son to die for ALL (not just 99%, but 100%) our sins. So that we may be forgiven from ALL our sins. Some believers have difficult time believing that ALL their sins are indeed forgiven. But Paul said clearly, "When you were dead in your transgressions... He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions... having nailed it to the cross" (Col. 2:13,14). When our guilty conscience afflicts us, we are only to firmly believe in the promise of forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

We sin each day without number. Most of them in our hearts. Vain glory, pride, anger, materialism, selfishness, lust, unbelief, self-righteousness and idolatry reign in human hearts. The antidote to such chronic sin sickness of the heart is: the Cross of Christ. At the cross, the sin was defeated in its penalty and power. This is the good news for anyone who is tormented by sin's guilt and shame. It is by faith in Jesus Christ that we experience freedom from guilt of sin (forgiveness).

And let us not forget, the purpose of forgiveness is not that we may sin more, but as the Psalmist said, "... that You may be feared." The reason for forgiveness is that God may be worshiped and honored in our lives. The lack of the certainty of forgiveness of our sins will lead us to despair and joyless relationship with God. Certainty of God's forgiveness of all our sins through Jesus Christ is essential motive for serving God with joy and gladness.

"In the Hands of God..."

2007-06-09T23:15:00.000-07:00

The Scripture plainly teaches that God is not neutral toward sinners. John the Baptist said, "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him" (Jn. 3:36 NASB). It is to be noted that this "wrath of God" is not removed. It still remains on those who do not flee to the Son of God by sincere faith. Moreover, Apostle Paul also affirmed that presently the world is experiencing the wrath of God. He said, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness" (Rom. 1:18). Sin brings God's intense and fierce reaction against it. A.W. Pink said, "The wrath of God is His eternal detestation of all unrighteousness. It is the displeasure and indignation of Divine equity against evil. It is the holiness of God stirred into activity against sin." I am the object of His anger. How can I then escape from His just anger? There is nothing I could do to ease His anger. But the good news is that it was God Himself who satisfied His own anger towards me by slaying His only Son.

The Scripture also plainly teaches that God's anger towards us has been met by Christ on the cross. It was God who appeased His own wrath against us. Since there is nothing we could do to appease His holy and righteous anger against the sinners, God Himself satisfied His righteous anger by slaying His own Son for us. Paul said, "being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith" (Rom. 3:24,25). Jerry Bridges said, "I believe a word that forcefully captures the essence of Jesus' work of propitiation is the word exhausted. Jesus exhausted the wrath of God. It was not merely deflected and prevented from reaching us; it was exhausted. Jesus bore the full, unmitigated brunt of it. God's wrath against sin was unleashed in all its fury on His beloved Son. He held nothing back" (Jerry Bridges, The Gospel For Real Life, p.54, italics his). Old Puritan said that for Jesus, the cross was the wrath of God, but for us, the cross is the grace of God. Oh the wonder of His love who can understand it? In humility and awe, we bow down and worship.

This is God's demonstration of His love and grace toward us (Rom. 5:8). We can flee to the cross of Christ and embrace the Son by faith so that we may escape the wrath of God and have eternal life. Therefore, we are now fully reconciled to God and have peace with Him. The cross became the gateway to His presence, where we can now enjoy Him without sense of terrifying fear. Steve Camp's song, "In the Hands of God" is an excellent rendition of Jonathan Edwards' sermon, "Sinners In the Hands of an Angry God" that was preached Enfield, Connecticut in July 8, 1741.

God looks at your heart, that dark and weary place
The times you've mocked His mercy and trampled on His grace
So should you be surprised or should you find it odd
To see yourselves as sinners in the hands of an angry God

You've built a rotten bridge of man-made righteousness
Suspended over Hell, and endless second death
You think that you are safe, the truth is you are not
You face your doom as sinners in the hands of an angry God

Chorus:
Now the hands of an angry God were pierced and bleeding
As He embraced all heaven's wrath upon the cross
And the hands of an angry God still reach out and pleading
For He came to seek and save that which was lost

Salvation is today, receive God's only Son
Turn from your sin, O let all the weary come
For nothing but His grace and nothing but His blood
Can justify a sinner in the hands of an angry God

Chorus:

For He came to seek and save that which was lost

The Cross of Christ is the only thing...

2007-06-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

"But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ..." (Gal. 6:14a NASB). This is a remarkable confession by an apostle who had everything to boast about. But Paul consciously chose to boast in the cross of Christ. The cross of Christ expresses the truth of the gospel, that Jesus Christ died for sinners for the forgiveness of sins. For Paul, an ex-Pharisee knows the immense implication of this truth. A man is not justified by works of the law or any good works performed by him. If the justification can be earned by works of the law then Paul has much to boast about. But he said, "Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law" (Rom. 3:27,28).

We are accepted to God because of our faith in Christ and not because of what we have done or what we will do. Because I can never be good enough before God (Rom. 3:12). But Christ was good enough for God and God has credited Christ's goodness and righteousness to me through faith. This is the heart of the Gospel. I stand perfect and blameless because I am clothed with His righteousness by faith. Paul said we are made "complete" in Christ (Col. 2:10). We are not lacking anything in Christ. He is sufficient. This is our boast.

So then let us boast in the Lord, since Christ is our "wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption" (1Cor. 1:30-31). The more we understand and believe the Gospel, the more we will glory in the cross of Christ. May the Lord open our eyes to the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ (2Cor. 4:4).