So often I have heard or read these words. They are usually connected to a question like "then why am I sick and in pain," or "then why did He not hear my prayers and let my mother die?" "If God is good He wouldn't let there be evil in this world," is another version of the same thing.
After reading Hebrews 5:7-10 it became even more clear to me the answer to these questions. Even Jesus cried loudly to the Father with tears to save Him from the terrible death He knew was coming. The Father heard the cries of His Son because He loved Him and Jesus had such reverence for His Father; but the Father did not answer Jesus' prayer by saving Him from death. God answered His prayer by raising Him from the grave! Jesus'death, though He prayed to be delivered from it, was for the good of His people and the glory of His Father. And verse 8 says "He learned obedience through what He suffered." We too learn obedience to God our Father through that which we suffer, whether we are delivered from that suffering or not.
Does God hear all prayers of His people? Yes! Does He always answer like we think He should? No! But He always answers Yes or better. Was God good to not answer yes to Christ's supplication? Yes! Was God good to allow His Son such a painful death? Yes! Is He good when He allows death and suffering now? Yes! From it He is glorified and His people learn obedience.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
New Light on Old Thoughts
As I have had the opportunity this year to study and absorb the Reformed Faith I realize more and more its richness and the glory it gives to the King of Glory, who is forever blessed. Amen.
One specific point was brought to my mind as I studied the Order of Salvation:
General Call - presentation of the Gospel of Christ
Effectual Call - God's Holy Spirit calling unto salvation the elect of God
Regeneration - The work of the Holy Spirit bringing life to a dead heart to enable the elect to answer the Effectual Call and come to Christ in repentance and faith.
Conversion - The work of the Holy Spirit in the mind of the regenerated to understand the Gospel and accept the work of Christ on Calvary as payment for his sins. To trust Christ alone for his salvation.
Justification - God's declaration of holiness for his elect who have responded in faith to Christ.
Adoption - Once His elect have responded to the Gospel in repentance and faith in Christ alone, God adopts His people and makes them His children with all legal rights as natural children.
Sanctification - The work of the Holy Spirit, and the work of the elect in making his life more and more in the image of Christ's example.
Glorification - When we step into glory we will immediately be free of all earthly incumbrances of sin.
The point that was made clear to me is that of all these points of salvation there is only one that happens outside of person of the elect. And that one point of salvation is JUSTIFICATION! Justification is a legal term that occurs in the heart of God alone. He declares that we are justified by the work of Christ on Calvary. He declares that we are no longer in debt to Him. He looks at us through the blood of Christ and sees us holy. We are still sinners, but granted regenerated sinners, that now have the ability to choose good over evil, but we do still choose evil many times. So, we are NOT MADE HOLY, we are DECLARED HOLY! And that is in the mind of God and God alone.
One specific point was brought to my mind as I studied the Order of Salvation:
General Call - presentation of the Gospel of Christ
Effectual Call - God's Holy Spirit calling unto salvation the elect of God
Regeneration - The work of the Holy Spirit bringing life to a dead heart to enable the elect to answer the Effectual Call and come to Christ in repentance and faith.
Conversion - The work of the Holy Spirit in the mind of the regenerated to understand the Gospel and accept the work of Christ on Calvary as payment for his sins. To trust Christ alone for his salvation.
Justification - God's declaration of holiness for his elect who have responded in faith to Christ.
Adoption - Once His elect have responded to the Gospel in repentance and faith in Christ alone, God adopts His people and makes them His children with all legal rights as natural children.
Sanctification - The work of the Holy Spirit, and the work of the elect in making his life more and more in the image of Christ's example.
Glorification - When we step into glory we will immediately be free of all earthly incumbrances of sin.
The point that was made clear to me is that of all these points of salvation there is only one that happens outside of person of the elect. And that one point of salvation is JUSTIFICATION! Justification is a legal term that occurs in the heart of God alone. He declares that we are justified by the work of Christ on Calvary. He declares that we are no longer in debt to Him. He looks at us through the blood of Christ and sees us holy. We are still sinners, but granted regenerated sinners, that now have the ability to choose good over evil, but we do still choose evil many times. So, we are NOT MADE HOLY, we are DECLARED HOLY! And that is in the mind of God and God alone.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
"But God is one...."
I have had many questions as I study through Galatians that I have had to stop and answer before going on to the next verses, and Galatians 3:19-20 is my stopping place today. Verse 20 made no sense to me until I stopped, prayed about it and meditated over it. The verse says, "Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is on." Finally the Lord brought me clarity as I read the commentary in my Reformation Study Bible. The conmentary said, "The promise given to Abraham, however, required no mediator and therefore takes precedence over the covenant at Sinai."
The covenant with Abraham required NO mediator. God Himself spoke directly to Abraham. God was the only one involved in the covenant with Abraham. It was the Covenant of Grace that He Himself initiated and kept perfectly.
The Covenant of Works with the Children of Israel required a Mediator, Moses, because God spoke to the Children of Israel through a Mediator and established the Law which they had the responsibility to keep, which they failed miserably to do.
Why then the Covenant of Works? Why then the Law? According to Calvin the Law does three things for God's people: It mirrors God's righteousness and our sin, it restrains evil in the land, and it guides believers into good works. And, of course, as it mirrors our sin it shows our great need of the Savior Jesus Christ who was the only one who kept the Law perfectly, and which also shows us the Covenant is one and God is one in His perfect plan of salvation.
The covenant with Abraham required NO mediator. God Himself spoke directly to Abraham. God was the only one involved in the covenant with Abraham. It was the Covenant of Grace that He Himself initiated and kept perfectly.
The Covenant of Works with the Children of Israel required a Mediator, Moses, because God spoke to the Children of Israel through a Mediator and established the Law which they had the responsibility to keep, which they failed miserably to do.
Why then the Covenant of Works? Why then the Law? According to Calvin the Law does three things for God's people: It mirrors God's righteousness and our sin, it restrains evil in the land, and it guides believers into good works. And, of course, as it mirrors our sin it shows our great need of the Savior Jesus Christ who was the only one who kept the Law perfectly, and which also shows us the Covenant is one and God is one in His perfect plan of salvation.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Tearing Down and Not Rebuilding
Studying through Galations I came this morning to Chapter 2, where Paul says, "For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor." (ESV) I had to stop and think about what Paul was saying in this verse.
Knowing that Scripture interprets Scripture I used the study notes in my Study Bible to look through several New Testament verses where the phrase "tore down" is mentioned In the New Testament it is the Greek word for tearing down edifices. Some of these scriptures are Matt. 24:2, Mark 13:2, Luke 21:6, and Rom. 14:20. In the three Gospels Jesus prophysied the destruction of Jerusalem, which took place in A.D. 70 under the Roman General, Titus. In the Romans passage Paul talks about not tearing down another person by doing something against that persons conscience and causing him to sin.
But, according to the Commentator, the most likely verses that interprets this particular verse in Galations is found in Ephesians 2:13-15. "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances..."
The 'dividing wall of hostility', which Paul had torn down in his preaching of the Gospel, is what the Galatians were trying to rebuild! They were trying to rebuild the 'wall of hostility' caused by the curse of the Law by saying that the Gentiles had to be circumcised to be saved. Yet the Ephesians passage clearly shows that Jew and Gentile meet at the foot of the Cross on level ground with no walls between them because of the blood of peace Jesus shed for both, not by the Law that brought the wall of separation. And that wall the Gospel had torn down Paul was certainly not going to rebuild.
In our daily lives we too must remember that we must not 'rebuild the wall' by trying to 'work for our salvation' that was won for us by Christ on Calvary. Let us 'die to works' and live in, through and to Christ who deserves all our praise and glory.
Knowing that Scripture interprets Scripture I used the study notes in my Study Bible to look through several New Testament verses where the phrase "tore down" is mentioned In the New Testament it is the Greek word for tearing down edifices. Some of these scriptures are Matt. 24:2, Mark 13:2, Luke 21:6, and Rom. 14:20. In the three Gospels Jesus prophysied the destruction of Jerusalem, which took place in A.D. 70 under the Roman General, Titus. In the Romans passage Paul talks about not tearing down another person by doing something against that persons conscience and causing him to sin.
But, according to the Commentator, the most likely verses that interprets this particular verse in Galations is found in Ephesians 2:13-15. "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances..."
The 'dividing wall of hostility', which Paul had torn down in his preaching of the Gospel, is what the Galatians were trying to rebuild! They were trying to rebuild the 'wall of hostility' caused by the curse of the Law by saying that the Gentiles had to be circumcised to be saved. Yet the Ephesians passage clearly shows that Jew and Gentile meet at the foot of the Cross on level ground with no walls between them because of the blood of peace Jesus shed for both, not by the Law that brought the wall of separation. And that wall the Gospel had torn down Paul was certainly not going to rebuild.
In our daily lives we too must remember that we must not 'rebuild the wall' by trying to 'work for our salvation' that was won for us by Christ on Calvary. Let us 'die to works' and live in, through and to Christ who deserves all our praise and glory.
Friday, May 7, 2010
"But now...."
According to R. C. Sproul these are two of the most important words in Scripture. This I found out as I listened to his study of Romans on tape as I was walking on my treadmill. For 3-1/2 Chapters Paul comes down on all the unrighteousness of men--Jew and Gentile. Paul speaks about the wrath of God revealed from heaven against all that unrighteousness displayed by men. Paul shows how clearly God has revealed Himself to man and man became futile in their thinking and their foolish hearts were darkened. So God gave them up to their impurities, lusts, lies, and worship of created things and not the Creator. God gave them up to a debased mind to be filled with all manner of unrighteousness.
Paul goes on to show that the Jews will not be saved by the Law because they are not able to keep the Law perfectly which is God's requirement of justification. Their circumcision becomes uncircumcision. The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of them.
Paul finishes his condemnation in Chapter 3:9-20 with the fact that all have sinned, both Jew and Gentile. No one does good, not even one. The whole world is held accountable to God. Then in verse 21 Paul makes his 180 degree turn.
"But now..." Now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the Law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it--the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe! For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. Now that is GOOD NEWS! And I agree with Sproul, "But now..." are two of the most important words in Scripture.
Paul goes on to show that the Jews will not be saved by the Law because they are not able to keep the Law perfectly which is God's requirement of justification. Their circumcision becomes uncircumcision. The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of them.
Paul finishes his condemnation in Chapter 3:9-20 with the fact that all have sinned, both Jew and Gentile. No one does good, not even one. The whole world is held accountable to God. Then in verse 21 Paul makes his 180 degree turn.
"But now..." Now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the Law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it--the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe! For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. Now that is GOOD NEWS! And I agree with Sproul, "But now..." are two of the most important words in Scripture.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Treasures of Darkness
At the Perimeter Church, Women on Wednesdays group, yesterday we had a speaker named Ginger Garrett. Ginger is an author of historical fiction books dating back to Medieval times. She spoke on
Treasures of Darkness, based on Isaiah 45:3. Although we often think of darkness as relating to evil, she brought up the fact that God does do some of His greatest works in the darkness. When we go through some dark night of the soul it is then that God is working His greatest work to sanctify us. We can have riches in emotional darkness as we cry out to God for His mercy and grace. In any darkness God hears our cry and our darkness can become light as we focus on Him and not the anxiety or trial. No matter what darkness we go through we must not waste it, in it we must let God work His treasures of grace.
New Light on Old Words
I just finished a class called Theological Foundations for Leaders. It was extremely hard but very rewarding. No one can lead a Perimeter sponsored Bible Study or Discipleship Group without taking and passing this class. I have taken the final exam but don't know as yet if I passed. But, pass or not pass, I learned a tremendous amount and have been applying it to my study of the Word on a daily basis.
The curriculum we studied was R. C. Sproul's commentary on the Westminster Confession of Faith, Larger and Shorter Catechism. I had never read through any of those, but in three months time we had to read through, and study through, all of them, plus study 4 CD's on Infant Baptism,Pastor Bob Cargo, Doctrines of Grace, Randy Pope,Covenant Christian Schools,Randy Pope and For Whom Did Christ Taste Death, by John Piper In addition we had several articles from the websites like Dispensationalism by Dr. Ligon Duncan. I studied at least 3 hours a day. Needless to say, it was a lot for this 69 year old to grasp! In fact, it was too much, and for that reason and because it was so encouraging to me spiritually, I am going to audit the next class during the summer. I am hoping to get the points that I missed the first time, and solidify what I got without all the pressure of a Final Exam.
I would highly recommend a read through of Sproul's Westminster Confession of Faith study for anyone who would like to know more about the Reformed Faith or for those already in the Reformed Faith to grow in their faith.
The curriculum we studied was R. C. Sproul's commentary on the Westminster Confession of Faith, Larger and Shorter Catechism. I had never read through any of those, but in three months time we had to read through, and study through, all of them, plus study 4 CD's on Infant Baptism,Pastor Bob Cargo, Doctrines of Grace, Randy Pope,Covenant Christian Schools,Randy Pope and For Whom Did Christ Taste Death, by John Piper In addition we had several articles from the websites like Dispensationalism by Dr. Ligon Duncan. I studied at least 3 hours a day. Needless to say, it was a lot for this 69 year old to grasp! In fact, it was too much, and for that reason and because it was so encouraging to me spiritually, I am going to audit the next class during the summer. I am hoping to get the points that I missed the first time, and solidify what I got without all the pressure of a Final Exam.
I would highly recommend a read through of Sproul's Westminster Confession of Faith study for anyone who would like to know more about the Reformed Faith or for those already in the Reformed Faith to grow in their faith.
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