"Our business is to present the Christian faith clothed in modern terms, not to propagate modern thought clothed in Christian terms. Confusion here is fatal." - J.I. Packer
Westminster Bookstore
The Absolute Best In Reformed Literature...Check 'em Out!!!
"Jesus came not to give bread, but to be bread." - John Piper
Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:28-33 ESV)
The work of first and most importance in the life of the Christian is that of faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Then, and only then, can any other good works pleasing to God be accomplished. This work, it should be noted, is not one that we accomplish in and of ourselves as we see later in the passage; it is accomplished completely apart from us as an act of mercy by a benevolent God (John 6:44). The work that is done by human means is important (2 Thess. 3:6-15), but the true work that ultimately gives life is not accomplished by us. Our work is just as terminal and finite as we are (Genesis 3:19). But, Christ is eternal, and therefore the work that he accomplishes is eternal as well.
Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
(Romans 4:4-8 ESV)
Believing in the One who God has sent is referred to as doing the work of God. As we learn in Romans 9:14-18, human will and exertion are not enough to save us from the wrath of God. The offense of sin is judged by the magnitude of the one for whom it has offended. God is eternal; so, in order to be redeemed from our fallen state, we must be saved by a state of the same measure (John 17:1-26; Galatians 6:7-10; Ephesians 2:1-10)
"Believing doesn't make you a part of His flock; being a part of His flock allows you to believe." - John Piper
So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” (John 10:7-18 ESV)
The definite redemption of the saints is in view here; it is not only definite, but also universal. Jesus came not to save some particular type of people, but a particular people made of every tribe, tongue, and nation (Revelation 5:9-10). Also to be noted, if you are in Christ, you cannot fall away, because as his sheep we only hear His voice and no other. By his atoning work on the cross, he seals them, thereby they are unable to fall away from their faith in an ultimate sense...
If these words of Christ don't bring confidence to the life of Christian faith and the assurance of salvation, I don't think that anything would (John 17:12; Jude 24).
The veneration given to Mary in the Roman Catholic church is beyond what is warranted by the New Testament. In fact, it is astonishing how little we see of Mary in the New Testament. Let us honor her unique motherhood. Let us count her blessed as the mother of our incarnate Lord. But let us not put her on a pedestal that neither she nor Jesus would have approved of.
After she turns up with the disciples praying in the upper room in Acts 1:14, she is never mentioned again in the New Testament. This is astonishing to anyone who thinks that the veneration of Mary was an essential part of early church life. It was not important enough to be mentioned in any of the New Testament books after Acts...
Justwantedto take some time out on this day to wish you all a happy Labor Day. And as we head back into the workforce tomorrow, remember that we work for the greatest Boss in the world...everything is sacred. Do it 'til we're done (Ecclesiastes 2:24-26, 9:10; Matthew 11:28-30; John 6:29; 1 Corinthians 10:31, 15:10; Philippians 1:6, 2:12-13; Colossians 3:17, 3:23-24, James 2:14-26).
And here's some Tuesday morning theme music...pick it uphere.
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
Growing up, I had this passage explained to me on several occasions, but I can say in all honesty, none of those explanations ever gave me any sort of feelings of eternal peace or rest in Jesus. The way that those in charge of my spiritual formation explained this passage to me sounded something like this:
"Now that we've accepted Jesus, we have to do everything in our power to follow his commandments, or else we won't receive our reward in heaven."
This is more or less a composite of several explanations, but the implication remains the same. Even recently, I heard a well-meaning minister urge his congregation to follow the Savior using this same sentiment. The problem with approaching this passage in this manner is that it:
(1) will only drive us to despair. and, (2) unless we look to Jesus himself as the key to interpreting this passage, we will miss the point altogether.
Jesus coming to fulfill the law is not meant to be seen merely as a parroting of what Moses brought to the people of Israel (Hebrews 3:1-6). The Pharisees accused Him of breaking the law because they (much like so many of us today) did not see Jesus as THE fulfillment of the OT law and prophecy(Matthew 17:1-5, Rom. 3:21). Therefore, they spent their time manufacturing righteousness. It is important to remember that the Pharisees were extremely lawful. Their righteousness was founded upon this very fact (they also believed that it was their lawful righteousness that would usher in the Messiah and his kingdom). However, their fanatical need to fulfill the law via their own abilities left them lopsided; for they neglected the greater issues and purpose of the law (Rom. 3:21, Gal. 3:24). This led them and the people that they were supposed to be serving into total despair. While they were so busy following the law, as well as making up new ones to keep, they ignored the law altogether (Matthew 23:1-39).
And so it is with us. When we look to ourselves or a jury of our peers as a parameter for our righteousness, it will lead us to nothing less than many sleepless nights (Matthew 10:28). By these standards, when are we ever good enough? Especially when we take into account the law of God, which we are all guilty of breaking. We are all aware of the fact the we just don't measure up. So we, like our first parents, spend our lives making suits of fig leaves; trying to hide the truth of how flawed we are (Gen. 3:1-7, 1 John 1:8,10; 2:4).
Enter the despair. We know that we're not right (Psalm 14: 3, Eccl. 7:20, Rom. 3:9-18). We just don't want anyone else to find out. But a leaf that isn't attached to vine begins to wither (John 15:1-5). If we keep cutting down the forest to make the suit, we run out of resources. No more leaves or even a tree to hide behind. What do we do then when left to face the judgement of the law, naked and ashamed (Jer. 2:35)?
But there is good news, even within this passage. It is Jesus that is the righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees through his life and death (Romans 10:4-13). The Apostle Paul appropriately points to Jesus as the answer to the treacherous natural state of our humanity. He shows us that if we attempt to live by the letter of the law, we are justly condemned for our inability to follow it . In pointing out his own inability to follow the law, he himself is driven to despair, but calls to remembrance the salvation that he has in Jesus and gives glory to God for giving us the Son (Romans 7:13-25).
No one is good enough to save themselves and we already stand condemned (John 3:18). The notion that we can somehow clean ourselves up enough to be acceptable before God is akin to taking a bath in dirty water (Job 14:4, Isaiah 64:6). It accomplishes nothing. But God, in his mercy, sent his Son to live under the law faithfully. In his justice, he sacrificed his Son as an unblemished offering for my sinful disregard for his law (2 Cor. 5:21). And for his glory, he raised his Son, so that those that he came to save may be raised with him, giving all glory to God for being just, and the justifier of their faith (Rom. 3:23-26, 1 Cor. 15:20-23). Furthermore, in his faithfulness, he gives us the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who bears witness to our surety in Christ (2 Cor. 1:22, Eph. 1:13-14), and gives us the ability to obey his commands (Ezek. 36:26-27, Matt. 22:34-40, Gal. 5:22-23, 1 John 4:19, 21).
Contrary to popular belief (and Poor Richard's Almanac), the Lord does not "help those who help themselves". For that, we should thankful.
For all who rely on works of the law areunder a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written,“Cursed is everyone who is hangedon a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spiritthrough faith. - Galatians 3:10-14
Sure you're angry about what has recently happened with AIG...
But can you really say that you are surprised?! After all that has been revealed about America's business corporations and their mismanagement of funds (most importantly, other people's funds), this should come as no big shocker. I will be as bold to say that the shock should have worn off after the Enron/Tyco scandals of yesteryear. The bottom line is this: Big business of these United States needs a major overhaul and is in desperate need of a review in the Puritan/Protestant Work Ethic. It may seem like a strange thing to say in our day, but much of this can be traced back to an abandonment of biblical principles in regards to work. However, God is still at work during this time of massive financial corruption. John Piper sheds some insight on this matter here:
So everything is being brought to the forefront. But, I think that it's safe to say that we can't completely lay all of the blame solely on the shoulders of "Wall Street". We have to take some of the blame ourselves, don't we? I know, I know -- but just put the pitchfork down and here me out for a second. I was thinking about this the other day; isn't a lot of what we see going on a direct result of the greed on "Main Street"? We have to have some culpability. We're angry because our trust has been betrayed. For that, we should be. But why did we trust them in the first place? I believe that in many cases it was because of the promise of prosperity. We buy into the idea of the promise of something for nothing. All we have to do is sit back and watch the grass grow, then, BAM!! Mo' Money, Mo' Money, Mo' Money! How do ponzi schemes happen? As P.T. Barnum so eloquently put it, "There's a sucker born every minute". How do people get put into homes with upside down mortgages? In most cases (not all), it involves a willing participant who allows themselves to suckered in by the allure of promises that cannot deliver.
Truth be told, the only place where the promise of something for nothing can be found is in the person and work of Jesus Christ. In these times of financial and social dereliction, there is no message that needs to be proclaimed more than this (Isaiah 31:1-6, 55:1).
I had never really given much thought to the words of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", until I saw this excerpt from John Piper. When held up to the person of Christ (Isaiah 9:2-7; John 3:16), one can't help but notice a stark contrast between the two:
-Santa Claus is coming to judge me for what I've done and will reward me accordingly.
-Jesus came in order to save me from what I've done because he is full of grace and mercy, AND, he is in fact coming again to redeem the world from what I've done. And since he has already accomplished everything that is required of me in himself (Matthew 5:17-20; John 19:28-30), all I have to do is believe in him...
So, which one should we be singing about?!
Bad News: Santa Claus is Comin' To Town - John Piper
Come Thou long-expected Jesus Born to set Thy people free; From our fears and sins release us, Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel's strength and consolation, Hope of all the saints Thou art; Dear desire of every nation, Joy of every longing heart.
Born Thy people to deliver, Born a child and yet a King, Born to reign in us forever, Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit Rule in all our hearts alone; By Thine all sufficient merit, Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
