Coram Deo (July 2014)

You can know about Jesus and not have a personal relationship with Jesus. —R.C. Sproul

Coram Deo: As if our justification were not enough, Paul also points to the objective reality of Christ’s intercession for us. In conjunction with the Holy Spirit, Jesus intercedes with us, and He has a “preoccupation with the security of his people” (Murray). He asks His Father to give us all that we need to persevere in our faith, and the perfect love between the three persons of the Trinity means this prayer is always according to God’s will and always accomplishes that for which our Lord prays.

The world is filled with God's glory. You can't turn without bumping into it. —R.C. Sproul

"We do not promote liberty because everyone will exercise it well or wisely, nor as an end in itself. In Christian theology, liberty is promoted as a means to an end: works of obedience offered to God sincerely."

When the gospel is at stake, everything is at stake. —R.C. Sproul

Nobody has ever been a victim of injustice at the hands of God. —R.C. Sproul

"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." —Jerry Bridges

The only works of righteousness that will ever justify me are the works of Christ. —R.C. Sproul

When the light comes the darkness cannot stand in its presence. —R.C. Sproul

At the heart of Reformed theology this axiom resounds: regeneration precedes faith. —R.C. Sproul

"If we are to occupy the attitude towards Scripture which Christ occupied, the simple 'It is written!' must have the same authority to us in matters of doctrinal truth, of practical duty, of historical fact and of verbal form that it had to Him: and to us as truly to Him, the Scriptures must be incapable of being broken." —B.B. Warfield

"The salvation of our children is priceless; their spiritual needs far outweigh their physical needs. They need our prayers—our earnest prayers with hearts aflame, both for their initial repentance and coming to Christ by faith, and for their life of on-going growth in faith." —Joel Beeke from "Praying for Our Children's Salvation" in this month's issue of Tabletalk Magazine

Coram Deo: God’s covenant with Noah provides an arena for His special grace to operate for the sake of our salvation, but this covenant is also the fruit of His common grace for all people. Everyone benefits from the regularity of nature, for it allows human society to flourish. We do not deserve this, and in preaching the gospel to others we should call their attention to the grace God has shown even while calling them not to presume upon His grace, but to repent that they would be saved.

Coram Deo: Faith demonstrates that justification is the work of God to which we contribute nothing. Justifying faith receives and rests in the Lord’s promises through Jesus Christ and nothing else. Abraham was declared righteous because He recognized that the Lord justifies us apart from our efforts. We are justified when we recognize this, that only He can ensure the success of His covenant promises, which He has kept in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Coram Deo: God gave Abraham a tangible sign of His faithfulness through the covenant- making ceremony recorded in Genesis 15. He gives His church tangible signs of faithfulness as well. Baptism tells us that our sins are washed away when we believe on Christ, and the Lord’s Supper reminds us of His death while nurturing our union with Him as we feed on Him—not carnally and corporally but by faith. Let us not neglect these means of grace for strengthening our faith.