Ligonier Academy (January 2014)

"Behold the Lamb of God, contemplate His Person, study His work, feast upon His word, revel in His fullness, bathe in the sea of His love, and let Him be all in all to your soul." - Octavius Winslow

"God is holy in Heaven, holy in earth, holy in hell itself, holy in glorifying angels, holy in justifying men, holy in punishing devils, holy in His nature, Word, Works, 'Glorious in holiness.'" - Edward Leigh, A Treatise of Divinity, II.xiii

"Our most darling theories, by which we may have sought to solace our souls in reference to our future destiny, if false, will be all ruthlessly torn away, and we must see what verily and eternally is. All mankind come upon one doctrinal platform when they enter eternity. They all have one creed there. There is not a skeptic even in hell. The devils believe and tremble. The demonstration that God is holy is so irrefragable, so complete and absolute, that doubt or denial is impossible in any spirit that has passed the line between time and eternity." - William G.T. Shedd

Coram Deo (January 2014)

Coram Deo: Take some time today to read through the book of Romans and get a grasp of the book’s overall flow and argument. Ask the Lord to help you see the truth of the gospel and how it applies to you both at conversion and throughout the rest of your Christian life. Think of how you might share the gospel with friends and family, and ask the Father to ground you more confidently in His truth as you study His Word that you might clearly preach His gospel.

"All Christians, both credobaptist and paedobaptist, affirm the authority of Scripture, yet we sometimes disagree in our interpretation of it on account of our hermeneutical differences. Therefore, we do well to study hermeneutics and the fallacies that can unfortunately affect our interpretation of Scripture." —Burk Parsons from "Interpreting Hermeneutics" in this month's Tabletalk Magazine

Coram Deo: Christ’s resurrection was the first phase of His exaltation, that point at which He was set over all creation to rule from His Father’s right hand and bring all of His and our enemies into subjection. Having fulfilled His work as the last Adam, the Lord possessed according to His humanity what He always had according to His divinity, namely, the right to bring all things under God’s dominion. In Christ, we are granted the honour of taking dominion in all spheres of life, to His everlasting glory.

"We confess that the bible is God’s Word, but unless we read and interpret it properly, our confession is a mere formality. Sound biblical exegesis is essential if we hope to know and act upon biblical truth." —Daniel Doriani from "The Importance of Sound Exegesis" in the January 2014 issue of Tabletalk Magazine

Coram Deo: Faith and repentance go hand-in-hand. To turn to the Lord in faith is to turn away from trust in oneself and in one’s own righteousness. Repentance is this turning, and it is a command of God in Scripture (Acts 17:30). As the flip side of repentance, faith is something that we are commanded to exercise as well. Faith itself is not meritorious, but it is something that we must do. In preaching the gospel, let us be clear that trusting in Christ is not optional. It is what He orders us to do.

"Taking our eyes off Jesus is the most dangerous thing we could ever do. Paradoxically, it is also the easiest. We can let past hurts, troubles, or even good things like ministry distract us from the ultimate prize, which is Christ alone." —Robert Rothwell from "Keeping Our Eyes On Christ" in the November 2004 issue of Tabletalk Magazine

"Sometimes pride looks an awful lot like humility. There are times that our pride convinces us to put on a great show of what looks to all the world like humility so that we will be seen and acknowledged by others. We swell with pride when we hear, 'He is humble.' It is a tricky thing, the human heart—prone to deceive both ourselves and others." —Tim Challies from his weekend devotional "Proudly Humble" in the January 2014 issue of Tabletalk Magazine

Coram Deo: Our ultimate goal is to be pleasing to God in all of life. Certainly for the believer, a critical part of life is our handling and understanding of the Bible. As you begin another year of reading and study, commit yourself to the long-term goal of being found faithful to the task of presenting yourself as a workman who correctly handles the word of truth. Though a lifetime goal, it is achieved through patient daily practice.

Coram Deo: One commentator notes how Paul does not view God’s sovereignty as something that he should take as permission not to pray or act. He knew that the Lord had thus far prevented him from coming to Rome, but he did not know if that was to be a permanent situation, so he kept on asking God to give him a path forward to the capital city. Praying according to God’s will does not mean that we stop praying if we do not get what we ask for right away.

"The root cause of burnout is the failure to draw on the power available from our union with Christ. If the human spirit does not draw on its union with Christ, it defaults to the flesh." —Archie Parrish

Coram Deo: All believers have been called by God to a specific task and given certain gifts for ministry. The question for us is whether we feel driven to fulfil this vocation and use the gifts that the Lord has given us. Though our physical limitations and our sin may lead us into periods of apathy, one sign of the Spirit’s work in our hearts is that we feel compelled to serve God where He has called us and that we are eager to find ways to fulfil our vocations.

"Logical fallacies, both formal and informal, are found in every field of study, and biblical exegesis is no exception." —Andreas Kustenberger from "Logical Fallacies: A Firm Foundation" in this month's Tabletalk Magazine

Coram Deo: The gospel is not a message to be ashamed of even if the world finds it foolish. It is God’s power unto salvation, and our attempts to make the gospel more palatable to fallen people prevent them from seeing it in all its power and glory. Though there might be foolish and irresponsible ways of presenting the gospel when we measure ourselves by Scripture, the message itself is God’s wisdom and power, and we must never change it to be accepted by sinners.

Q: How should the church respond to the growing number of people who claim no religious affiliation?
Ed Stetzer: As society moves away from Christian identification, let’s meet them on the road and say, “We did not believe in that expression of Christianity anyway. Let me tell you about Jesus and how He changes everything.”

Coram Deo: That the riches of Christ are unsearchable points us to the doctrine of God’s incomprehensibility. While we can know the Lord truly, we can never know Him fully, for our finite minds cannot grasp the totality of His infinite power, wisdom, justice, love, and holiness. Eons into eternity we will still be learning about our Creator — who He is and what He has done — and we will never grow tired of exploring the depths of His being.

Coram Deo: In lectures, Dr. R.C. Sproul has said “the just shall live by trust.” The mark of righteous people is that they believe the Lord, that they trust His promises and seek to grow in their understanding of these promises that they might trust Him more. This necessitates a deep and deliberate study of God’s Word. Are you studying Scripture rightly so that you might live by the promises of God more confidently?

"Our happiness is not a right, but a gift from one who was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. To the best of our knowledge, Jesus never asked the disciples: 'Are we having fun yet?'" —Ken Myers from "The Pursuit of Happiness" in the September 2008 issue of Tabletalk Magazine

"One striking characteristic of God vividly on display throughout creation is His love of beauty. Even our sin-cursed world is full of remarkable beauty. Wherever and however you look—whether through a telescope, a wide-angle lens, a magnifying glass, a microscope, or just with the naked eye—every element of creation is a magnificent spectacle." —John MacArthur from his weekend devotional "All Things Bright and Beautiful" in this month's issue of Tabletalk Magazine

Have you ever been through a time of suffering that left you a milder, more sober, more “centred” person than before? What “bad” aspects of your life were refined and what good aspects of your life were strengthened? As hard as it may be, strive to thank God for the trials He sovereignly brings into your life.

Coram Deo: To confuse the righteous person’s manner of life with his source of life, however, is to deny the gospel. Paul explains this clearly in Romans 1–5, teaching us that the obedience of sinners can never make us righteous in God’s sight. Only faith in Christ is able to justify sinners, to render us righteous before the Lord.

"Whenever you are reading your Bible, and you come across someone doing something really, really stupid, do not say to yourself, 'How can they be so stupid?' Instead say to yourself, 'How am I stupid just like them?'" —R.C. Sproul Jr. from "A Sound Principle" in this month's Tabletalk Magazine

Coram Deo: With the coming of Christ, the kingdom of God is now evident among His people even as we wait for its final consummation at His return. The gospel announces that Jesus has done the work necessary to overcome our natural resistance to God’s kingdom and to make us citizens of this kingdom through faith alone. As we preach the gospel, we are announcing the blessed reign of the Lord, and we must repeat His command that all people everywhere repent and bow to His rule.

"Revivals grow into reformation when the impact of the gospel begins to change the structure of the culture." —R.C. Sproul

"Grammar always functions within a larger context. As we come to particular grammatical constructions in our English Bibles, we will be better equipped to interpret them accurately the better we know Scripture in general." —Douglas Moo from "Grammatical Fallacies: Playing By the Rules" in this month's issue of Tabletalk Magazine

Coram Deo: Even many professing Christians believe that they become citizens of heaven because they have lived a “good life.” The gospel tells us that no one but Christ has lived a life that is truly good. He alone deserves the kingdom of God, but our Father graciously allows us to share in Christ’s citizenship if we come to Him only through Christ, which means not by other teachers or even by our good works. If we trust in anything in addition to Jesus, we cannot be citizens of His kingdom.

"Jesus is not bound to the inner courts of the Christian community, and if we think that He is, then we are being disobedient or, perhaps, have no faith at all. His gospel is for all nations, and all of us are responsible to help fulfil the Great Commission to make disciples of all peoples." —R.C. Sproul from "Into the World" in this month's issue of Tabletalk Magazine

Coram Deo: John Murray was one of the most influential Reformed theologians of the twentieth century. In his commentary on Romans, Murray says that “wrath is the holy revulsion of God’s being against that which is the contradiction of his holiness.” When sin comes near our holy God, the inevitable consequence is the outpouring of His holy and perfect wrath. Unless we know God’s holiness, we will not know the gravity of our sin or the majesty of His character.

"With the illumination of the Spirit, most Christians read and interpret the Bible reasonably well. However, Christians can commit word-study fallacies and other errors." —Robert Cara from "Word-Study Fallacies: Words of Caution" in this month's issue of Tabletalk Magazine

Coram Deo: Douglas J. Moo writes in his commentary on Romans, “At the very centre of every person, where the knowledge of God, if it is to have any positive effects, must be embraced, there has settled a darkness—a darkness that only the light of the gospel can penetrate.” The most compelling case for Christ cannot penetrate a darkened mind unless the Holy Spirit impresses the gospel on the heart. Let us ask Him to do that for all our unbelieving friends and family members.

"The kingdom of God is the omnipotent rule and sovereign reign of Almighty God over all things, the inauguration of which came with the birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ Jesus and the fullness of which is yet to come." —Burk Parsons from "Two Kingdoms" in the December 2007 issue of Tabletalk Magazine

"The two most important questions any human being can ever ask are: (1) What must I do to be saved? and (2) How can I know for certain that I am saved?" —Albert Martin from his weekend devotional "The Two Most Important Questions" in this month's issue of Tabletalk Magazine

Coram Deo: The way in which we value goods or services is seen in the amount we are willing to pay for them. We have no qualms about spending money in order to get the best medical care or receive the best food in a restaurant. Why, then, are we too often unwilling to make sure those who teach us the life-giving Word of God are able to make a decent living? The amount of time and money we give to the servants of the church reflects our valuing of their service.

Coram Deo: Rejecting God is so serious that if we will not have Him, He will not have us. One cannot persist in impenitent sin and in giving to other creatures the devotion God deserves. Those who do so become more ensnared in idolatry and grow more blind to the truth. May we seek the Lord above all that our eyes might see his truth more clearly.

"If all of the world were on your side, you might yet have cause to fear. But to have God on your side is infinitely more!" —Richard Baxter

"The corporate worship of the church is a foretaste of the future glory that awaits us in Christ. We hear God’s Word read, sing His praises, confess our sins, receive His grace, join our hearts in prayer, receive the Lord’s Supper, and place ourselves under the proclamation of His Word." —James Harvey from "The Lord's Day and Discipleship" in this month's issue of Tabletalk Magazine

Coram Deo: Witnessing to our culture about God’s standards for sexuality takes a good deal of wisdom. We must tell people that the Lord has a design for the sexual relationship, which is a privilege for husbands and wives in the context of a lawful marriage. We must also be clear that sexual sin is not unforgivable sin, and that God forgives all those who turn from sexual transgressions. Let us pray that the Lord would give us a bold, true, and compassionate gospel witness on these matters.

"If we reject the Bible's account of a historical point of entry for sin into human existence, then, as Richard Gaffin has rightly observed, sin is no longer a matter of 'human fallenness.' It is a matter of 'human givenness.' It is just the way that human beings are." —Guy Prentiss Waters from "The Historical Reality of Adam" in this month's issue of Tabletalk Magazine

Coram Deo: The Apostle Paul explains that God hands people over to a “debased mind to do what ought not to be done” as a consequence for failing to acknowledge Him. If we will not have the Lord at the centre of our hearts and minds, then God is content to give us over to our idols. To acknowledge God is to retain Him as our foremost concern and love, to respond to Him with thanksgiving and worship as He has revealed Himself in creation. If we do not do this, we will be unable to think correctly about God and make good decisions based on His will.

"Scripture forbids abortion on demand because it maintains that human beings are in the image of God at every stage of life. The Bible repeatedly refers to the unborn as persons (see Psalm 139:13-14), revealing that life begins at conception. Thus, wantonly ending the child’s life is murder." —From the Tabletalk Magazine devotional "The Sanctity of Life"

Coram Deo: Human beings continually think of themselves in a more favourable light than they should. However, even the most “minor” sin is evidence that at a fundamental level, we do not want the Lord in our thinking or affections. Unless and until we are convinced of that truth, we will not see our need for the gospel and the fact that it is only by grace alone that we can be saved. Have you been convicted of your sin and your need for Christ?

"Is there ever a more vulnerable orphan than a baby whose mother and father are alive and well, but seeking to commit murder? In short, your local abortion mill is not only among the most potent manifestations of the gates of hell in the world today, but it is also the very locus of where we can, and must, practice true religion. It is exactly where the church must be, if it would be the church." —R.C. Sproul Jr. from "The Gates of Hell" in the April 2013 issue of Tabletalk Magazine

Coram Deo: We see no better evidence of our deadness in sin than when we bless what the Lord condemns and condemn what the Lord blesses. Clearly, we cannot save ourselves. God must take the initiative and change our hearts, and once converted we must study His word deeply so that we learn to stop calling good evil and evil good.

Q: What does it mean for the church to be "missional"?
Ed Stetzer: Spurgeon once said, "Every Christian is either a missionary or an impostor." Though we might want to clarify the language, the impulse is what we need—every Christian is called to live on mission.

"It would almost seem cruel that God should allow His servants to experience public humiliation but this is not a malevolent act of cruelty. Rather, it is God’s way of demonstrating the resurrection power of the gospel in the lives of His people. For it is in the weakness of God’s servants that His strength is made evident." —Eric Watkins from his weekend devotional "The Church as World Theater" in this month's issue of Tabletalk Magazine

Coram Deo: Without even knowing it, our expectations can be part of the problem in the church’s lack of focus on teaching in our day. When we choose churches based simply on the extent of their youth activities or the style of music, we are implicitly saying that the quality of the teaching and the faithfulness of the pastor to biblical preaching are not all that important. Whatever we expect of our preacher, let us expect him first of all to feed us the Word of God.

"In His providence, God gives many wonderful gifts to humanity. We rejoice in the colours of autumn and the joy of music. These gifts are good in themselves, but they are universal and distinct from His particular gift of redemption in Christ Jesus. All humans know God as Creator and Judge (Rom. 1:18–21), but believers know Him as Redeemer." —R. Scott Clark from "For God So Loved the World" in the November 2004 issue of Tabletalk Magazine

Coram Deo: Martin Luther comments that “so great is the blindness of the sinner that he abuses to his own harm the things that have been given to him for his own benefit.” We are all, without a doubt, inclined to misinterpret divine patience as laxity in regard to sin. We must not think that God will give us forever to trust in His promises. There comes a day for us all when we will meet our Maker. Are you ready?

Coram Deo: Dr. R.C. Sproul’s hymn "Clothed in Righteousness" features these lines: “No work of ours is good enough for evil to atone. Your merit Lord is all we have; it saves and it alone.” Scripture is clear that obedience to God is important but that it is imperfect and cannot make us righteous in His sight. The Lord will weigh our works and reward those done in Christ’s name, but they will not be the basis for whether He gives us everlasting life. For that we rely on the righteousness of Jesus alone.

Coram Deo: Calvin writes in the "Institutes" that as soon as believers are “admitted to fellowship with Christ, by the knowledge of the gospel, and the illumination of the Holy Spirit, their eternal life is begun, and then He which has begun a good work in them ‘will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.'" God will never fail to sanctify a person whom He justifies, and so the justified person will always die in faith and enter heaven. Let us rejoice that He will not let us fall out of His hand.

"I don’t think many Christians actually intend to neglect Lord’s Day worship. It just happens as we let other things draw us away from God’s people and God’s worship on Sunday. Before we know it, we are missing half of the corporate services of worship, waning in our love for Christ, and feeling disconnected from the church." —James Harvey from "The Lord's Day and Discipleship" in this month's issue of Tabletalk Magazine

Coram Deo: Only those who patiently do good in hope of immortality will enter into eternal life (Rom. 2:6–7). Yet no one even wants to do this apart from divine grace. Only those who have been declared just before God can in any sense do the good Paul mentions in Romans 2:1–11, but even then we obey imperfectly and never fully meet His just demands. He graciously forgives us, however, as we repent and keeps us on the narrow way to heaven.

"Prayer is the most common Christian expression of authentic faith; but it may be among the least practiced Christian disciplines." —George Grant from "Normal Prayer" in the April 2003 issue of Tabletalk Magazine

Hymn Story: I Sing the Mighty Power of God

Jeremiah 10:12-13

He hath made the earth by his power,
he hath established the world by his wisdom,
and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.
When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens,
and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth;
he maketh lightnings with rain,
and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.

"I Sing the Mighty Power of God" was originally included in a hymnal written for children, where it was entitled "Praise for Creation and Providence". Isaac Watts loved children. In 1715 he published Divine and Moral Songs for Children, in the preface of which he wrote, "Children of high and low degree, of the Church of England or Dissenters, baptized in infancy or not, may all join together in these songs. And as I have endeavoured to sink the language to the level of a child’s understanding . . . to profit all, if possible, and offend none."
At the time of the Reformation, Martin Luther instructed his followers to sing hymns. However, the great reformer John Calvin only allowed the singing of versified, or paraphrased, Scripture. By Watt’s time, the psalm singing had become dull and lifeless. When 19 year old Isaac complained to his father about this, his father challenged him to write something better. Watts then proceeded to write hundreds of hymns.
In spite of being called "flights of fancy" in his time, and causing dissention in churches, Watts’ hymns are still sung and loved today. Instead of paraphrasing Scripture, "I Sing the Mighty Power of God" compiles imagery from multiple passages: the story of Creation, Genesis 1; Psalm 19:1-3; Psalm 95:3-6, the creation hymn, Psalm 104, and Jeremiah 10:12-13.

Listen to it here: I Sing the Mighty Power of God

Hyper-grace

What is hyper-grace and what does it teach:

• exaggerated grace
• goes beyond what the Word says
• polluted and distorted grace
• anti-holiness
• against hunger and thirst for God
• nothing left for me to do
• against repentance
• against conviction of sin
• no confession needed / no accountability
• get rid of God pleasing mentality
• All your future sins are forgiven in advance without need of any confession of sin.
• Even when I sin it's NOT me sinning.
• We are NOT are sin.
• Old Testament sin does not apply to New Testament believers.
• discounts the words of Jesus prior to the cross
• Sermon on the Mount only applies to the Jewish people of his time.
• Ultimately everyone will be saved.
• There is no hell.
• The devil can be saved.
• The Old Testament does not belong to the New Testament.
• The God of the Old Testament is different from the God of the New Testament.
• Everything Jesus said before the cross refers to people of the his time and not today.
• We do not need to take up our cross and follow Jesus.
• Parables teaching accountability are not valid for New Covenant believers.
• Spirituality is completely effortless.
• You have already been perfectly sanctified.
• Sanctification is not a process.

What is true grace:

• Grace sets you FREE from sin.
• A new nature wants to please God.
• God is for you, he is NOT against you.
• Through belief in Jesus we enter into rest and peace.
• Through Jesus we understand the depth of God's love.
• Romans 5,6
• For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; - Titus 2:11-12
• Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. - 2 Corinthians 7:1
• Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. - 1 Corinthians 9:24
• For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:  that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; - 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4
• And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. - Luke 9:23
• And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. - Mathew 28:18-30
• If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. - John 15:7
• But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. - John 14:26
• If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.- 1 John 1:9-10
•  Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.  - 1 John 3:13-15
• If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. - 1 John 4:20-21
• Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.  - 1 John 3:9-11
• He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. - 1 John 2:9-11
• Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.  - 1 John 3:16-18
• And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. - 1 John 2:3-5
• I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.  - 1 John 2:21-23
• He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. - 1 John 5:10-12
• And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. - 1 John 5:19 -21
• For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. - John 3:17-19
• that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. - John 5:23-25
• What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. - John 6:62-64
• If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; - John 14:14-16
• At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? - John 14:20-22
• Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. - John 13:33-35
• As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. - John 15:9-13
• And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. - Luke 11:2-4

Calvinists

This denomination of Christians, of the Congregational order, are chiefly descendants of the English Puritans, who founded most of the early settlements in New England. They derive their name from John Calvin, an eminent reformer.
The Calvinists are divided into three parties, - High, Strict, and Moderate. The High Calvinists favour the Hopkinsian system. The Moderate Calvinists embrace the leading features of Calvin's doctrine, but object to some parts, particularly to his views on predestination, and the extent of the design of Christ's death. While they hold to the election of grace, they do not believe that God had reprobated any of his creatures. They believe that the atonement is, in its nature, general, but in its application, particular; and that free salvation is to be preached to sinners indiscriminately. The doctrines of the Strict Calvinists are those of Calvin himself, as established at the synod of Dort, A.D. 1618, and are as follows, viz.:-

1. They maintain that God hath chosen a certain number of the fallen race of Adam in Christ, before the foundation of the world, unto eternal glory, according to his immutable purpose, and of his free grace and love, without the least foresight of faith, good works, or any conditions performed by the creature; and that the rest of mankind he was pleased to pass by, and ordain to dishonour and wrath, for their sins, to the praise of his vindictive justice. (Prov 16:4; Rom 9:11-33; 8:30; Eph 1:4; Acts 13:48)
2. They maintain that, though the death of Christ be a most perfect sacrifice, and satisfaction for sins, of infinite value, abundantly sufficient to expiate the sins of the whole world, - and though, on this ground, the gospel is to be preached to all mankind indiscriminately, yet it was the will of God that Christ, by the blood of the cross, should efficaciously redeem all those, and those only, who were from eternity elected to salvation, and given to him by the Father. (Ps 33:11; John 6:37; 10:11; 17:19)
3. They maintain that mankind are totally depraved, in consequence of the fall of the first man, who being their public head, his sin involved the corruption of all his posterity, and which corruption extends over the whole soul, and renders it unable to turn to God, or to do anything truly good, and exposed it to his righteous displeasure, both in this world and that which is to come. (Gen 8:21; Ps 14:2-3; Rom 3:10-12; 4:14; 5:19; Gal 3:10; 2 Cor 3:6-7)
4. They maintain that all whom God hath predestinated unto life, he is pleased, in his appointed time, effectually to call, by his word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death, in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ. (Eph 1:19; 2:1,5; Phil 2:13; Rom 3:27; 1 Cor 1:31; Titus 3:5)
5. Lastly, they maintain that those whom God has effectually called, and sanctified by his Spirit, shall never finally fall from a state of grace. They admit that true believers may fall partially, and would fall totally and finally, but for the mercy and faithfulness of God, who keepeth the feet of his saints, also, that he who bestoweth the grace of perseverance, bestoweth it by means of reading and hearing the word, meditation, exhortations, threatenings, and promises; but that none of these things imply the possibility of a believer's falling from a state of justification. (Isa 53:4-6; 54:10; Jer 32:38, 40; Rom 8:38-39; John 4:14; 6:39; 10:28; 11:26; James 1:17; 1 Pet 2:25)

John Hayward

The Spritual Barometer (from the Evangelical Magazine, 1800)

70	Glory: dismission from the body.
60	Desiring to depart to be with Christ; patience in tribulation; glorying in the cross.
50	Ardent love to the souls of men; followed hard after God; Deadness to the world by the cross of Christ.
40	Love of God, shed abroad in the heart; frequent approach to the Lord’s Table; meeting for prayer and experience.
30	Delight in the people of God; looking to Jesus.
20	Love of God’s house and word; daily perusal of the Bible with prayer; vain company wholly dropped.
10	Evangelical light; retirement for prayer and meditation; concern for the soul; alarm.
0	Indifference; family worship only on Sunday evenings; private prayer frequently omitted; family religion wholly declined.
10	Levity in conversations; fashions, however expensive or indecent, adopted.
20	Luxurious entertainment; free association with carnal company.
30	The theatre; Vauxhall; Ranelagh, etc.; frequent parties of pleasure; home of God forsaken; much wine, spirits, etc.
40	Love of novels, etc.; scepticism; private prayer totally neglected; deistical company prized.
50	Parties of pleasure on the Lord’s day; masquerades; drunkenness; adultery; profaneness; lewd songs.
60	Infidelity; jesting at religion; sitting down in the chair of the scoffer.
70	Death; perdition.

 

God's Plan to Save His People

God Is Great and Good

There is only one living and true God, perfect, sovereign, holy, wise, eternal, invisible, almighty, unchangeable, just, merciful, everywhere present, and knowing all things. God exists in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Angels and men, and every other creature, owe God whatever service, worship, and obedience he requires of them.

“Behold the nations are as a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the small dust on the balance.... All nations before him are as nothing. And they are counted by him less than nothing and worthless.... It is he who sits above the circle of the Earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He brings the princes to nothing; he makes the judges of the Earth useless.... He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might he increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and their young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40

“All the inhabitants of the Earth are reputed as nothing; he does according to his will in the army of Heaven and among the inhabitants of the Earth. No one can restrain his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” Daniel 4

Man Is a Creature of God

Human beings did not evolve from animals or slime; they are the special creation of God.

Man is the image of God: “God created man in his own image.... And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” From the first man Adam God made the first woman Eve. Genesis 1-2

God put Adam and Eve in a perfect environment and gave Adam one commandment that he quickly disobeyed: “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 3

The Death of Sinful Man

By disobeying God, Adam became a sinner and all ordinary men who came after him, including Eve, were punished with death, both physical and spiritual: “Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned....” Romans 5

The sinning of men is continual, if not in action, then in thought: “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the Earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Genesis 6

All men are wicked: “There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all gone out of the way; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one. Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.... All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3

“Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for in your [God’s] sight no one living is righteous.” Psalm 143 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him [Jesus] the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53

The source of man’s wickedness is his own heart: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” Jeremiah 17 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” Mark 7

Fallen man can do no good at all: “The carnal mind is enmity against God. It is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2 “And you he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked, according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” Ephesians 2

Man can do nothing to save himself from sin or death: “No one can come to me [Jesus] unless the Father who sent me draws him....” John 6

The Love of God the Father

Before the creation of the world, even before man had sinned, God made a plan of salvation: God the Father chose those persons who would be saved; Jesus Christ, who was God the Son as well as man, died in their place and for their sins; God the Holy Spirit applies the redemption that Christ earned to those whom God the Father chose and for whom Christ died. God the Father chose those who would be saved completely out of his mercy and grace. He did not choose to save everyone.

God’s choosing was done from all eternity: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he has made us accepted in the beloved.” Ephesians 1

“Who [God] has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.” 2 Timothy 1

God chooses individuals: “Blessed is the man whom you [God] choose and cause to approach you.” Psalm 65

God chooses men according to his own will, not for anything they do: “For the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of him who calls.... As it is written, “Jacob I [God] have loved but Esau I have hated.... I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.... Therefore he has mercy on whom he wills, and whom he wills he hardens.... Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? What if God, wanting to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had prepared beforehand for glory?” Romans 9

God does not choose men because they are powerful, or good, or rich, or wise: “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence.” 1 Corinthians 1

When God chooses people to save, he actually saves them: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he predestined, these he also called; whom he called, these he also justified; and whom he justified, these he also glorified.” Romans 8

Men contribute nothing to their salvation: “But to as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1 “For by grace you have been saved though faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2

The Death of Jesus Christ the God-Man

God the Son came to Earth to carry out the plan of God the Father to save his people from their sins and from the punishment they deserve. Jesus actually saves those, and only those, whom God the Father has chosen to be saved.

Jesus Christ, who is both God and man, will save his people, the people whom God the Father has chosen for salvation: “And she [Mary] will bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1

Jesus prayed only for his people: “Jesus spoke these words, lifted up his eyes to Heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify your son, that your son also may glorify you, as you have given him authority over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

“I have glorified you on Earth. I have finished the work which you have given me to do.... I have manifested your name to the men whom you have given me out of the world. They were yours, you gave them to me, and they have kept your Word.

Now they have known that all things which you have given me are from you. For I have given to them the words which you have given me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from you; and they have believed that you sent me.

“I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. And all mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.

“Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to you. Holy Father, keep through your name those whom you have given me, that they may be one as we are.... I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word....” John 17

Jesus will actually save all his people: “And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from Heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of the Father who sent me, that of all he has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.” John 6

“But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” Romans 5

Jesus died in the place of his sheep, taking their punishment: “I [Jesus] am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.... I am the good shepherd; and I know my sheep, and am known by my own. As the Father knows me, even do I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10

“Moreover, brethren, I [Paul] declare to you the Gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved...: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures....” 1 Corinthians 15

Believers are “justified freely by his [God’s] grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus...to demonstrate at the present time his [God’s] righteousness, that he [God] might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” Romans 3

Christ did not die for all men, but only for his people: “Then the Jews surrounded him and said to him, “How long do you keep us in doubt? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

“Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Fatherís name, they bear witness of me. But you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand.” John 10

“And he [Jesus] said [to his disciples], “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.” Luke 8

The Grace of God the Holy Spirit

The people that God has chosen cannot resist God's saving grace, for God is all-powerful.

God’s Word is all-powerful: “My Word shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55

God raises the dead, both physically and spiritually: “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom he will.” John 5

God's saving mercy cannot be resisted: “I [God] will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion. So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.... Therefore he has mercy on whom he wills, and whom he wills he hardens.... Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? What if God, wanting to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had prepared beforehand for glory?” Romans 9

Those whom God has chosen will believe: “And as many as had been appointed unto eternal life believed.” Acts 13 “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” Acts 16

The Assurance of Salvation

God, who is omnipotent, will not permit anyone for whom Christ died to be lost.

Whoever understands and believes the Gospel has eternal life already: “Most assuredly, I [Jesus] say to you, he who hears my Word and believes in him who sent me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” John 5

Therefore, no believer can perish: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3

“My sheep hear my voice, and I [Jesus] know them, and they follow me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand.” John 10 “It is not the will of your Father who is in Heaven that one of these little ones should perish.” Matthew 18

Nothing can separate believers from God: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, “For you sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death not life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8

Salvation is certain for those who believe: “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in Heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1

John W. Robbins