Coram Deo (September 2014)

We don't look to our works to get us into heaven. —R.C. Sproul

Coram Deo: We are not our own, but we are bought with the price of Christ’s own precious blood. Thus, we must dedicate all that we are and have in service to Him, including our time, talents, treasures, families, affections, and aspirations. There is not one area of our lives that does not fall under the lordship of Christ. John Calvin comments that “we are redeemed by the Lord for this end—that we may consecrate to him ourselves and all our members.”

Faith is the fruit of regeneration, not the cause of it. —R.C. Sproul

"We are warned frequently in Scripture about the subtlety of Satan. He disguises himself as an angel of light. He quotes Scripture. He makes arguments that sound reasonable. But his specialty is twisting the truth, mixing it with lies, giving evil the appearance of good, but corrupting everything that is truly good. Turn away completely. Cling to the good instead." —John MacArthur from the weekend devotional "Shun Evil Teaching" in this month's Tabletalk Magazine

Coram Deo: Zeal for the Lord does not mean uncontrolled exuberance or a passion that is not in submission to what God has told us. We see this in Paul’s admonition that our zeal must “serve the Lord” (Rom. 12:11). We cannot serve the Lord if we do not know what the Lord demands, so we must continually return to His Word. God’s Holy Spirit does not work apart from the Word He inspired, and zeal that transgresses His revelation is not godly zeal.

"Unless we are convinced biblically and theologically about the centrality of the church in God’s purposes, we won’t be committed to living out that identity together for the fame and glory of Jesus." —Steve Timmis from "The Pillar of the Truth" in this month's Tabletalk Magazine

Without the gospel, a gathering of people, though they claim otherwise, cannot be an authentic church. —R.C. Sproul

God has entrusted the ministry of the Word to us, not its results. —R.C. Sproul

Coram Deo: Dr. Sproul has noted that although we may easily grasp the principle that we must obey the state unless it commands us to do something God forbids or forbids us from doing something God commands, applying it correctly is not always so easy. However, we can say that our general approach should be to go out of our way to obey the law of the state. At times, we may have to disobey the state in order to obey the Lord, but those occasions should be relatively rare.

Q: What does the gospel have to say to someone who blames his circumstances—poverty or otherwise—for the problems he experiences?
Mez McConnell: The gospel challenges all of our self-righteousness and self-pity. We may not control where we were brought up or what life has thrown at us, but we are all still wilful rebels against a Holy God. There are no innocent victims when it comes to sin. All have sinned and fall short of His glory.

Coram Deo: Not until eternity will perfect justice be dispensed on earth. According to His own wise counsel, the Lord has determined that all of the unrighteous will receive their just deserts at the resurrection of the dead. Until then, however, He works through the imperfect means of secular authorities to keep society safe and to protect His people from harm. May we be encouraged not to show antagonism toward the state but rather humble submission when it does things right.

Coram Deo: There is a division of labor between the state and the church. The state punishes evildoers with the sword, and the church preaches the gospel. The state may not do the church’s job, and the church may not do the state’s job. However, that does not mean the church may not speak to the state. In fact, the church is to be the conscience of the state, calling it to do its job of protecting human life and punishing criminals.

"What ought to deeply pierce our hearts is that in order for God’s just judgment to pass by sinners like you and me, it has to find Jesus. That is what it means for us to be “hidden with Christ.” At the cross, the full, unbridled wrath of God came down upon Jesus, and, in that moment of judgment, there was nowhere for Jesus to hide. No fig leaves or shade trees. No mercy, no grace, no compassion. Jesus, for us, is exposed to the all-consuming expression of sin’s cruelty and the wrath of God. No friends come to defend Him; no lamb is offered in His place; no one negotiates His release." —Eric Watkins from the weekend devotional "Hidden with Christ" in this month's issue of Tabletalk Magazine

Coram Deo: Doing good for any reason is better than doing evil, but the Lord does not find our doing good pleasing unless we are doing it for the right reasons. Only those who have been transformed by the grace of God can do what is right for the right reasons. As Christians, we are called to have consciences trained by the Word of God, so that we might more and more seek to serve the Lord because it is right for us to do so and not only because we fear His discipline.

"For those suffering from the debilitating effects of physical Alzheimer’s, know this: when you can remember Him no more, God will remember you. 'Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands' (Isa. 49:15–16)." —John Sartelle from "Spiritual Alzheimer's" in the July 2005 issue of Tabletalk Magazine

Coram Deo: God calls us to pay taxes, not to approve of everything our tax money pays for. In Paul’s day, tax money was used to pay the salaries of soldiers and other officials who persecuted Christians and committed other evils. Nevertheless, Paul told the church at Rome to pay its taxes anyway. Paying our taxes is not a sign that we endorse everything the government does with our money; rather, it is one way we fulfil God’s command to submit to the state.