"Spiritual Birthday"

-
The Son of God Loved Me and Gave Himself For Me

THIRTY-NINE YEARS AGO

The first Friday in June, 1974 at 9:00 p.m.

And there they preached the Gospel. (Acts 14:7)

_That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us. And truly, our fellowship is with with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

_This is the message that we have heard of Him, and declare to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

_If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."

_I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.


I Love Him. 
I love Him because He first Loved me, 
And purchased my salvation on Calvary.

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us 
that we should be called the sons of God: 
therefore the world knows us not, because it knew him not.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, 
and it does not yet appear what we shall be: 
but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; 
for we shall see him as he is.  I John 3:1,2

Above are some significant scriptures, and a praise chorus, that are meaningful to me,  that relate to that time, 39 years ago.

The Believer's Union With Christ

.
As this is Friday, the eve of the weekend that begins Holy Week, I thought it appropriate to post C.H. Spurgeon's morning devotional for today, the 30th of March, from the devotional, "Morning and Evening."

_____________________________

"He was numbered with the transgressors."-Isaiah 53:12
    
    Why did Jesus suffer Himself to be enrolled amongst sinners? This wonderful condescension was justified by many powerful reasons. In such a character He could the better become their advocate. In some trials there is an identification of the counsellor with the client, nor can they be looked upon in the eye of the law as apart from one another. Now, when the sinner is brought to the bar, Jesus appears there Himself. He stands to answer the accusation. He points to His side, His hands, His feet, and challenges Justice to bring anything against the sinners whom He represents; He pleads His blood, and pleads so triumphantly, being numbered with them and having a part with them, that the Judge proclaims, "Let them go their way; deliver them from going down into the pit, for He hath found a ransom."

Our Lord Jesus was numbered with the transgressors in order that they might feel their hearts drawn towards Him. Who can be afraid of one who is written in the same list with us? Surely we may come boldly to Him, and confess our guilt. He who is numbered with us cannot condemn us. Was He not put down in the transgressor's list that we might be written in the red roll of the saints? He was holy, and written among the holy; we were guilty, and numbered among the guilty; He transfers His name from yonder list to this black indictment, and our names are taken from the indictment and written in the roll of acceptance, for there is a complete transfer made between Jesus and His people. All our estate of misery and sin Jesus has taken; and all that Jesus has comes to us. His righteousness, His blood, and everything that He hath He gives us as our dowry.

Rejoice, believer, in your union to Him who was numbered among the transgressors; and prove that you are truly saved by being manifestly numbered with those who are new creatures in Him.

THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB

From a sermon by J.C. Ryle


"These are those who came out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, they serve him day and night in his temple. He who sits on the throne will spread his tabernacle over them. They will never be hungry, neither thirsty any more; neither will the sun beat on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shepherds them, and leads them to springs of waters of life. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Revelation 7:14-17

...Around that throne you would find many who used to be the vilest of the vile.  Go up, and ask them, everyone, "How did you come here?  Where did you get that white robe?"  They will answer you, "We were once without God in the world—without light and without hope.  We cared for nothing but fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the mind, we were known as drunkards and revelers and fornicators.  Many a time we hardened our hearts against advice.  Many a careless neighbor did we follow to the grave, and tempted God to cut us off by continued impenitence!  But at last our conscience spoke so loudly that we dared no longer delay.  We tried to keep God's law—but we could not answer it one in a thousand, it brought us to flat despair.  We made a great profession, and men said we were converted—but it would not do—sin lay upon us like a mountain, all unatoned for, and we were miserable.  But we heard a voice, saying, 'If any man thirsts, let him come unto Me and drink!'  'He who believes on Me, though he were dead yet shall he live!'  'Come unto Me and I will give you rest!'  And when we heard it, we went at once to the Lord Jesus Christ, we waited for nothing, we laid all our sorrows and all our wickedness before Him, and, behold, that very day we were healed and made whole, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing!"  Such is the answer you would get from many in that company which the apostle saw.

This is the way you must walk in, if you would ever stand with them in glory.  You must lay aside all pride and self-dependence, you must use the tax collector's prayer, you must believe yourself a miserable undeserving sinner, you must lay hold on the cross of Christ with a simple childlike faith, and pray that you may be washed in His blood and pardoned for His name's sake.  Show me another way of salvation which will bring you peace at the last; I cannot find one in the Bible.  I hear of men who live on many a long year without a thought about this precious washing in Christ's blood, this precious garment of Christ's righteousness, and yet can tell us they trust it will be all right with them at last.  But if the Bible is true—this is impossible.  I see many who profess a belief in their need of this fountain for sin and uncleanness—but I fear they do no more than talk about it, they do not count all things loss until they are forgiven.  But whether men will receive the doctrine or not, the foundation of God stands sure, and though the saints of God form a multitude which none can number—I cannot read of one who had not washed his robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
...

See here for the entire sermon.

FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT

ALMIGHTY  God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.  (The collect from the Book of Common Prayer)

The Epistle

Rom 13:8-14

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
9For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
10Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
11And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
12The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
13Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
14But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. (KJV)

The Gospel

Matt 21:1-13

And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,
2Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.
3And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.
4All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
6And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,
7And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.
8And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.
9And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
10And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
11And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.
12And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
13And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. (KJV)

What Drives the Sinner to Christ Alone for Salvation?

When the eyes of men are opened to see their sin, their danger by it, and the insufficiency of their own works to justify and save them, no object is so desirable to them as the Lord Jesus Christ. _____John Fawcett

INTERCESSORS: PRAYING FOR A PERSON'S SALVATION

I don't advertise it, but it is true that I love to pray for people. The kind of prayer request that particularly captures my attention and compels me to approach my Father's throne is when I am asked to pray for some one's salvation. If I am standing on a street corner, and Providence brings a friend up to me asking to pray for so-and-so's salvation, we go to prayer NOW, Matthew 6:5-6 notwithstanding. There is no experience quite like that of asking God to convict a certain one of their sins, and to grant them repentance unto life and faith in the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

That brings me to something that happened on face book last night. First, there was a notification that someone  (whom I did not know) "liked" a comment I had made in reference to a quote from Tabletalk Magazine. (The subject was: not compromising the presentation of the Gospel in order to make it more acceptable to sinners.) But there was also a friend request from this same person. As a rule, I quietly ignore friend requests from people whom I do not know. I didn't know why I did it, maybe it was the fact that she was also a fan of Tabletalk Magazine, or perhaps it was the picture of a cute cat that she used as her fb profile picture (I am a sucker for cat photos), but I clicked "accept" without investigating any info about this person.

Within seconds, she responded with a message thanking me for accepting her friend request. We chatted for a few minutes; it was a pleasant conversation about church, being "strong in the Lord" etc. Then signed off.

About an hour later, I decided to look at the posts on my new friend's wall from earlier in the day, and there it was. A request to her "face book buddies" to pray for the salvation of her husband. I immediately did just that, and will continue to do so. So, there was my answer. It wasn't the Tabletalk connection; I've ignored plenty of those. Nor was it the cat photo. Many "face book" users have pics of cats. God was presenting me with an opportunity to pray for the salvation of a precious soul. I am humbled and overwhelmed by the way He plans out these things in our daily lives.

Praise the Lord.

Spurgeon on How To Win Souls For Christ

_____________________________________________

I command men in the name of Jesus to repent and believe the gospel, though I know they can do nothing of the kind apart from the grace of God.

We are sent to say to blind eyes, "See," to deaf ears, "Hear," to dead hearts, "Live," and even to Lazarus rotting in that grave, wherein, by this time, he stinketh, - "Lazarus, come forth."
_________________________________

I AM BORN - AGAIN

_______________________________
Thirty-seven years ago "today," at 9:00 p.m., I was born again and began to trust Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. The calendar date was actually June 7th, but I have always thought of the first Friday of June as the day.

A co-worker, who was a Christian, and I had had a few conversations about Jesus. She brought a couple of books for me to read (The Late-Great Planet Earth, and In His Steps), and even loaned me her New American Standard Bible, with the provision that I return it to her on Friday so that she would have it for church that Sunday.

I thank the Lord for Dave and Margie Dalmas, and for the members of the womens' prayer group at a Presbyterian church in the city of Orange, California.

I don't know where Dave and Margie are now. Apparently, they have moved since I last contacted them. At that time, they lived in Anaheim. I never met anyone from the womens' prayer group, but unbeknown to me, they had been praying for me for some time, Margie giving them weekly reports on how things were going.

God bless every one who prays for the salvation of people and who share the Gospel.

  

Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him.
_____________________________________________

Arminian Objection / Calvinist Response # 2

A. The will of God to save those who would believe and persevere in faith and in the obedience of faith is the whole and entire decree of election, and nothing else concerning this decree has been revealed in God's Word.

C. This plainly contradicts the Scriptures, which declare that God will not only save those who will believe, but that He has also from eternity chosen certain particular persons to whom, above others, He will grant in time, both faith in Christ and perseverance; as it is written "I have revealed Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world" (John 17:6), and "as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed" (Acts 13:48). And "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him" (Eph. 1:4).



Canons of Dordt. First Head of Doctrine: Divine Election and Reprobation. Rejection of Errors. Paragraph 1 

Arminian Objection / Calvinist Response

A. Christ neither could die, nor needed to die, and also did not die, for those whom God loved in the highest degree and elected to eternal life, since these do not need the death of Christ.

C. This contradicts the apostle, who declares, Christ "loved me and gave Himself for me." (Gal. 2:20). Likewise: "Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died. (Rom. 8:33-34), namely for them; and the Savior who says: "I lay down my life for the sheep" (John 10:15). And: "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends). (John 15:12-13).



Canons of Dordt. Second Head of Doctrine: The Death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men Thereby. Rejection of Errors, Paragraph 7

James versus Paul: Competing Theologies?

St. Paul and St. James Battle it out.

The question is: Does the Bible teach that we are saved by Faith Alone, or a combination of Faith and Works? It gets complicated when it appears that two authors of New Testament epistles have different views on the matter.

A friend (blogger name "Captain Howdy") tells me that his take is that this is an example of a contradiction in the Bible. Here is an excerpt of the exchange of comments on Ray Comfort's blog:


Captain Howdy:
Ray tells us--"Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, without any works."

Everyone turn in your Bibles to James chapter 2--

17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

So Ray just told us that salvation is by faith alone, but James tells us that salvation is by both faith AND works!

Hmmm..who to believe...who to believe...?

_______________________________

 
Craig:
There are two keys to understanding what some claim is a "contradiction" between Paul's and James' teaching on "justification," and they are easily discerned by reading their respective arguments.
 
1. The first key is is the different senses in which each is using the word JUSTIFICATION (and it's variants: "justify" and "justified") Paul is talking about being declared legally righteous in God's sight, while James is talking about a person's actions backing up, or justifying, his verbal profession of faith.
 
2. The second key is this: What errors are each refuting? Paul is arguing (Romans 1:16-5:2) against the notion that there is something we can do that contributes meritoriously to our being declared legally righteous before God. James is arguing (James 1:22-2:26) against antinomianism. That is the notion that the life of someone who prosesses true faith in Christ will not necessarily exhibit works as evidence of (justification of) that faith. "Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works."
 
Notice also how Paul (in Romans 4) and James (in James 2:21-24) each use different incidents in Abraham's life to illustrate their respective points. See how these two narratives from Genesis 15 & 22, as cited by Paul and James, complement and support each other.
 
The law of (non-)contradiction is:
 
"A" can not be "non-A" at the same time and in the same sense.
 
I have shown that Paul and James were each using the word "justification" in a different sense. Therefore, there is no contradiction.
 
The debate is still a live issue today however. The slogan of the Reformers, "Salvation by Grace Alone, through Faith Alone, because of Christ Alone, for the Glory of God Alone" is challenged  not only by Roman Catholics, but various sects such as Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons and even segments of Evangelicalism. Skeptics see the issue as a contradiction in the Bible, nullifying it's authority.
 
Reformed churches have consistently believed and taught that God graciously saves us solely through faith in Christ and His perfect life and His death on the cross on behalf of sinners. We believe that this faith is a gift from God and is a faith that produces works necessarily.
 
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. __Ephesians 2:8-10 NKJV
 
 
Cartoon by Richard Gunther

Ray Comfort's Gospel

 In answering an inquirer's "simple question," Ray explains the essence of the Gospel message that he preaches.


A Simple Answer to a Simple Question

"I would like a simple answer to a simple question. Do you believe that people who die without believing in Jesus Christ as their savior will be saved and go to Heaven?"

"God promised that He would liberate the human race from death, and that He would do this through the suffering death of the Jewish Messiah (see Isaiah 53). The result would be peace with God for all who would humble themselves, repent and trust the God-given Savior (see Isaiah 55:1-3). Peace with God would mean everlasting life for humanity.

The Old Testament said that the result of conversion would be a new heart with new desires--desires that wanted to please the God, with Whom we were once at enmity (a "heart of stone" towards Him):

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them" (Ezekiel 36:25-27).

The salvation of God (eternal life) would be offered to all men: to the Jew first, then to the Greek, the Indian, as well as Chinese, Russian, Moslem, Hindu, Buddhist, Kiwis, Aussies and even to atheists--those who are red and yellow, black and white, all are precious in His sight. Anyone can be saved from death and Hell (see Romans 10:13).

There is only one stipulation. They must come to the God-provided Savior, not through a man-made religion which cannot wash away sin. Jesus Christ is the only One who can forgive sin and give peace with God because He was God manifest in human form. There is a big reason for this exclusivity.

Fortunately, we are told that God is "rich" in mercy. In His kindness He provided a Savior--someone to pay our fine in His life’s blood. That happened at the cross.

All man-made religions are "works righteousness" religions. They think that they can get to Heaven by being good, praying, fasting, doing good works, through repentance, etc. (see Romans 10:2-3). This is because they don’t understand one very important truth. God is utterly perfect. His Law therefore demands moral perfection. It says that lust is adultery in His eyes and hatred is murder. His moral Law (the Ten Commandments) shows us that He is a Judge and we are desperate criminals in His sight. That changes everything. Now, anything we offer the Judge isn’t “good works,” but a despicable attempt to bribe Him, and that is an abomination in His sight (see Proverbs 21:27). The only thing that can save us is the mercy of the Judge.

Fortunately, we are told that God is "rich" in mercy. In His kindness He provided a Savior--someone to pay our fine in His life’s blood. That happened at the cross.

This is what that Savior said about Himself: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the father but through me" (John 14:6). Old and New Testament Scripture is consistent: "They shall be My people, and I will be their God; then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them" (Jeremiah 32:38), "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

Tragically, whoever dies in their sins will get fearful justice. Whoever dies in Christ will have mercy and thus have everlasting life. It’s very simple. See Romans 2:6-9.

So let's not complain about God being unfair because people perish if they die in their sins. Instead, we should become missionaries and spend our lives telling this God-hating world the good news of eternal salvation for all humanity. I did."

(The transcript is from a post that appeared on Ray Comfort's blog. I don't know the date of the post. It has been re-formatted here. CB)

What Jonathan Edwards Believed About Coming to Christ for Salvation

Jonathan Edwards believed and taught that men will be saved the moment that they believe. He exhorted his hearers to "believe and be saved."

He that covereth his sins will not prosper;
But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
(Proverbs 28:13)

"God stands ready to forgive every sinner upon his hearty confessing and forsaking his sin."

I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and my iniquity have not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. (Psalm 32:5)

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts:
And let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him;
And to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isa. 55:7)

"If we truly come to God for mercy, the greatness of our sin will be no impediment to pardon."

For thy name's sake, O LORD, pardon my iniquity; for it is great. (Psalm 25:11)

In Edwards' sermon on Psa. 25:11, he shows the necessity of [sinners'] coming from a sense of their misery and as beggars; and they must come through Christ alone, acting upon his universal offer of the Gospel.

"If your souls be burdened and you are distressed for fear of hell, you need not bear that burden and distress any longer. If you are but willing you may freely come and unload yourselves and cast all your burdens on Christ and rest in Him ... If you can find it in your hearts to come to Christ, and close with Him, you will be accepted."

From Jonathan Edwards, Evangelist by John Gerstner. Soli Deo Gloria / Ligonier

John Calvin: On Evangelism

"Now we know that God prizes nothing above his honor, which lies mainly in men's knowing him and poor souls' being brought to salvation. So let us not be surprised if our Lord wants his gospel to be proclaimed with such diligence that nothing can hinder its course. For the only way men can come to salvation is through instruction in what the Bible teaches. Now since this is God's will, let us follow it."

"God invites all indiscriminately to salvation through the Gospel, but the ingratitude of the world is the reason why this grace, which is equally offered to all, is enjoyed by few." (Synoptic Gospels 1:116)

"We ought to pray that this and that and every man may be saved and so embrace the whole human race, because we cannot yet distinguish the elect from the reprobate. We pray for the salvation of all, whom we know to have been created in God's image and who have the same nature as ourselves; and we leave to God's judgment those whom He knows to be reprobate."

"[T]he godly will be filled with such an ardent desire to spread the doctrines of religion that [he] will desire to draw others along with him. And indeed nothing could be more inconsistent with the nature of faith than…to keep the light of knowledge choked up within [one’s] own breast." (Comment on Isaiah 2:3)

"It is true that the principle thing we have to look to is to show [men] the way of salvation.”

“We must have zeal and burning desire that everyone be brought to the knowledge of God for his forgiveness and for salvation."  …"We must do everything we possibly can to draw people to God."

“The salvation of souls…is more precious than the whole world.”

________________________________

Quotes excerpted from: Commentaries on Acts 1-7;  on the Synoptic Gospels;  on the Gospel of John; on Isaiah; Sermons on Ephesians; and Treatise: "On Scandals" Source: Words of Calvin, the Soul Winner  ("Evangelism"  page on http://www.corkfpc.com/)

The Eye ("I") Of The Tulip #1

HOW TO BE "BORN AGAIN"

 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath  to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling,  and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.  (Ezekiel 37:1-10)

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26)

“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8)

John Owen exposits John 3:16

“For “God,” the glorious, all-sufficient God, that could have manifested His justice to eternity in the condemnation of all sinners, and no way wanted them to be partakers of His blessedness:

“so,” that is, in such a degree, to such a remarkable, astonishable height:

"loved,” with such an earnest, intense affection, consisting in an eternal, unchangeable act and purpose of His will, for the bestowing of the chiefest good (the choicest effectual love):

“the world,” men in the world, of the world, subject to the iniquities and miseries of the world, lying in their blood, having nothing to render them commendable in His eyes, or before Him:

“that He gave,” did not, as He made all the world at first, speak the word and it was done, but proceeded higher, to the performance of a great deal more and longer work, wherein He was to do more than exercise an act of His almighty power, as before; and therefore gave

“His Son,” not any favourite or other well-pleasing creature; not sun, moon, or stars; not the rich treasure of His creation (all too mean, and coming short of expressing this love); but His Son:

“begotten Son,” and that not so called by reason of some near approaches to Him, and filial, obediential reverence of him, as the angels are called the sons of God; for it was not an angel that He gave, which had yet been an expression of most intense love; not yet a son by adoption, as believers are the sons of God; but His begotten Son, begotten of His own person from eternity; and that His

"only-begotten Son,” not any one of His sons, but whereas He had or hath but one only-begotten Son, always in His bosom, His Isaac, He gave him: - than which how could the infinite wisdom of God make or give any higher testimony of His love? especially if ye will add what is here evidently included, though the time was not as yet come that it should be openly expressed, namely whereunto He gave His Son, His only one; not to be a king, worshipped in the first place, -but He “spared Him not, but delivered Him up” to death “for us all,” Rom. 8:32. Whereunto, for a close of all, cast your eyes upon His design and purpose in this whole business, and ye shall find that it was

"that believers", those whom He thus loved,

"might not perish,” –that is, undergo the utmost misery and wrath to eternity, which they had deserved, -

"but have everlasting life,” eternal glory with Himself, which of themselves they could no way attain; and ye will easily grant that “greater love hath no man than this.””

-from the Death of Death in the Death of Christ

TWO ROADS

"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it"    (Matt. 7:13-14).

     Dante's Inferno tells of Virgil leading Dante to the entrance to Inferno. There is a sign saying, "Abandon all hope, all ye who enter here." There is a sign over the entrance to the Kingdom of God also and it reads: "Abandon all pride, all ye who enter here."

All who would enter this narrow road must abandon all pride. They must recognize that they do not deserve to enter this way. They must know that they have forfeited all right to escape the just damnation of their former evil ways. God is under no obligation whatever to rescue them from their Hellbound way. He has every right to permit them to go on to their destruction.

The narrow road is a road of free grace, of condescending mercy. No one ever deserves to find or enter this way. Only God's grace can show and open it. They must enter it in abject penitence, with nothing in their hands, with only a plea of mercy on their lips and in their hearts. "If any man ," said Christ, "will come after me, let him deny himself." Let him pull himself up by the roots. Let him turn away from himself and rely entirely on Christ. This road is for sinners only. If a man has any righteousness of his own, an iota of merit or goodness to which he can lay claim, the other road is for him. That is where the supposedly virtuous make their self righteous way to perdition.

The road of Life is for sinners only - sinners whose hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness.

___ John Gerstner

TRUE BLESSINGS

True blessings in this life are found in salvation, which Christ won for you through His perfect righteousness and approval by the Father.

4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.  6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.  (Galatians 4:4-7)

Listen to True Blessings, a sermon preached on the morning of June 13, 2010 at High Desert United Reformed Church by Rev. Tom Morrison. (28 minutes)
The message is from Job 1:1-5

All the Difference in the World

Most people in our culture believe that, if there is a God, we can relate to him and go to heaven by leading a good life. ... Christianity teaches the very opposite. In the Christian understanding, Jesus does not tell us how to live so we can merit salvation. Rather, he comes to forgive and save us through his life and death in our place. God's grace does not come to people who morally outperform others, but to those who admit their failure to perform and who acknowledge their need for a Savior.
__Timothy Keller in The Reason for God

Ascribe Not to Thyself

Re-posted from Facets of Grace

Thanks to Eddie Eddings and Martin Luther