The Doctrine of Imputed Righteousness Without Works Proved and Asserted by John Gill

The Works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein

.—PSALM 111:2

Even as David also describeth the Blessedness of the Man unto whom God imputeth Righteousness without Works

.—ROMANS 4:6

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This Epistle is written on purpose to state, explain, and vindicate, the doctrine of a sinner's justification before God, by the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. In order to which, the Apostle takes up his two first chapters, and part of the third, in proving, that both Jews and Gentiles are under sin, that they have by sinning broke the law of God, and so are become liable to its curses and condemnation, and therefore cannot be justified in the sight of God, by their obedience to it; and then strongly and justly concludes, that a man is justified by faith, in the imputed righteousness of Christ, without the deeds of the law. This doctrine he confirms in the beginning of this chapter, by instances of two of the greatest men, for religion and godliness, that ever were in the Jewish nation. The one is Abraham, who was the friend of God, and the father of the faithful, and yet he was not justified before God by his works; for what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness, in verse 3. The other is David, a man after God's own heart, raised up by the Lord to fulfill all his will. Who yet was so far from trusting to, or depending upon his own righteousness, for justification, that he wholly places the happiness of men, and so unquestionably his own, in a righteousness imputed to him by God, without works, as in the words I have read unto you. In speaking to which, I shall,

I. Inquire what that righteousness is, which God imputes to his people for justification.

II. What is meant by an imputation of it.

III. The manner in which it is imputed to them without works.

IV. The blessedness of those persons, who have it thus imputed to them.

 

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"The Kingly Office of Christ as Providentially Executed for the Redeemed" by John Flavel

The following quotes are from pages 3-5 of a booklet of one chapter (of forty-two) excerpted from The Fountain of Life Opened, entitled...

"The Kingly Office of Christ as Providentially Executed for the Redeemed" *

"And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church." - Ephesians 1:22

The foregoing verses are thankful and humble adoration of the grace of God in bringing the Ephesians to believe in Christ. This effect of His power is compared with that other glorious effect, the raising of Christ Himself from the dead; both are from the same efficient cause. It raised Christ from a low estate, even from the dead, to a high, a very high and glorious state, to be the head of both of the world and of the church: the head of the world by way of dominion, the head of the church by way of union and special influence, ruling the world for the good of his people in it. "He gave him to be head over all things to the church." And here let these four things be seriously regarded:

1. The dignity and authority committed to Christ: "He hath put all things under His feet;" which implies full, ample and absolute dominion in Him, and subjection in them over whom He reigns. This power is delegated to Him by the Father; for besides the essential, native power and dominion over all, which He hath as God (Psa 22:28), there is a dispensed authority which is proper in Him as Mediator, which He received as the reward or fruit of His suffering (Phi 2:8-11).

2. The recipient of this authority is Christ, and Christ primarily and only: He is the first receptacle of all authority and power. Whatever authority any creature is clothed with is but ministerial and derivative. Christ is the only Lord (Jude 4), the fountain of all power.

3. The object of this authority is the whole creation; "all things" are put under His feet: He rules from sea to sea, even to the utmost bounds of God's creation. "Thou hast given Him power over all flesh" (Joh 17:2): all creatures, rational and irrational, animate and inanimate, angels, devils, men, winds, seas, all obey Him.

4. And especially notice the end for which He governs and rules in the universal empire; it is for "the church," that is, for the advantage, comfort and salvation of those for whom He died. He purchased the church; and that He might have the highest security that His blood should not be lost, God the Father has put all things into His hands, to order and dispose all as He pleaseth. Hence, all the affairs of the kingdom of providence are ordered and determined by Jesus Christ, for the special advantage and everlasting good of His redeemed people. "As Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him" (Joh 17:2). Hence it comes to pass that "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose" (Rom 8:28).

* By John Flavel (c 1630-1691). This chapter published in booklet form by the Chapel Library of Mt. Zion Bible Church of Pensacola, Florida. Emphases mine (GentleDove's).

The Madness of Free Will in Soteriology

"A man's free will cannot cure him even of a toothache, or of a sore finger and yet he madly thinks it is in its power to cure his soul! The greatest judgment which God Himself can, in the present life, inflict upon a man is to leave him in the hands of his own boasted free will."

--Augustus Montague Toplady (1740-1778)

Theonomy: A Summary of Vital Teachings

by Greg Bahnsen, from "Preface to the Second Edition," Theonomy in Christian Ethics (Covenant Media Foundation, 2002, Third Edition, pp. xxv-xxviii, words in brackets added by GentleDove, parentheses in original)

1. Since the Fall it has always been unlawful to use the law of God in hopes of establishing one's own personal merit and justification, [either] in contrast or complement to salvation by way of promise and faith; commitment to obedience is but the lifestyle of faith, a token of gratitude for God's redeeming grace.

2. The word of the Lord is the sole, supreme, and unchallengeable standard for the actions and attitudes of all men in all areas of life; this word naturally includes God's moral directives (law).

3. Our obligation to keep the law of God cannot be judged by any extrascriptural standard, such as whether its specific requirements (when properly interpreted) are congenial to past traditions or modern feelings and practices.

4. We should presume that Old Testament standing laws* continue to be morally binding in the New Testament, unless they are rescinded or modified by further revelation.

5. In regard to the Old Testament law, the New Covenant surpasses the Old Covenant in glory, power, and finality (thus reinforcing former duties). The New Covenant also supercedes the Old Covenant shadows, thereby changing the application of sacrificial, purity, and "separation" principles, redefining the people of God, and altering the significance of the promised land.

6. God's revealed standing laws are a reflection of His immutable moral character and, as such, are absolute in the sense of being non-arbitrary, objective, universal, and established in advance of particular circumstances (thus applicable to general types of moral situations).

7. Christian involvement in politics calls for recognition of God's transcendent, absolute, revealed law as a standard by which to judge all social codes.

8. Civil magistrates in all ages and places are obligated to conduct their offices as ministers of God, avenging divine wrath against criminals and giving an account on the Final Day of their service before the King of kings, their Creator and Judge.

9. The general continuity which we presume with respect to the moral standards of the Old Testament applies just as legitimately to matters of socio-political ethics as it does to personal, family, or ecclesiastical ethics.

10. The civil precepts of the Old Testament (standing "judicial" laws) are a model of perfect social justice for all cultures, even in the punishment of criminals.

This summary highlights the fact that theonomic ethics, proceeding in terms of salvation by grace alone, (1) is committed to developing an overall Christian world-and-life view (2) according to the regulating principle of sola Scriptura (3) and to the hermeneutic of covenant theology (4) instead of dispensationalism (where Old Covenant commandments are deemed abrogated unless repeated in the New Testament). Changes in covenantal administration that are warranted by Scripture (cf. 4) are recognized with the coming of the new and better covenant in Christ (5). Relativism (situationism) is repudiated, and the divinely revealed ethic is not reduced to a parochial or tribal perspective in the evolutionary history of ethics; (6) God's word advances universal justice, not a double-standard of morality.

Rejecting legal positivism, theonomic ethics favors the idea of a "law above the (civil) law" as a protection against the tyranny of rulers and anarchy of reformers (7). Because Christ is Lord over all (cf. 2), it follows that even civil magistrates are His servants and owe obedience to His revealed standards for them (8). There is no justification (cf. 4) for exempting civil authorities from responsibility to the universal standards of justice (cf. 6) found in God's Old Testament revelation (9). Therefore, in the absence of biblically grounded argumentation that releases the civil magistrate from Old Testament social norms (cf. 4, 5), it follows from our previous premises that in the exercise of their offices rulers are morally responsible to obey the revealed standards of social justice in the Old Testament law (10). The New Testament explicitly confirms this inference by making magistrates avengers of wrath on evil-doers (Rom. 13:4), making it a lawful use of God's law to restrain the publicly unruly (1 Tim. 1:8-10), and saying that in this law, "every transgression and disobedience received its just recompense of reward" (Heb. 2:2)...

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* "Standing law" is used here for policy directives applicable over time to classes of individuals (e.g., do not kill; children, obey your parents; merchants, have equal measures; magistrates, execute rapists), in contrast to particular directions for an individual (e.g., the order for Samuel to annoint David at a particular time and place) or positive commands for distinct incidents (e.g., God's order for Israel to exterminate certain Canaanite tribes at a certain point in history).

Conquest through Service

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. (Ps. 33:12; Gal. 3:8)

"An empire is necessarily threatened by the gospel. The gospel challenges the theology of man as divine, a theology that always undergirds every empire. But to stamp out their Christian enemies, the bureaucrats must take great risks. The bureaucrats who run the ecnomony always want to meet their production quotas and earn their bonuses. If they persecute Christians, they threaten their organizations' output. Time and again, the most productive citizens of any empire are the hated Christians. They are the ones who are not addicted to alcohol, or absenteeism, or other forms of passive resistance. The biblical idea of service serves Christianity well. The failing productivity of the empire makes the bureaucratic functionaries increasingly dependent on Christians in order to meet the assigned production quotas. Like Jacob in Laban's household, like Joseph in Potiphar's household and in the Egyptian prison, competent service to others creates dependency on the servant. Dominion is by service. 'But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant' (Matt. 23:11).

Satan believes that dominion is by power. He seeks to control others. Their resistance slows his ability to bring others under his power. There is built-in resistance to expansion in every empire. Territory and people once captured cannot be held captive indefinitely. They find ways of thwarting the bureaucratic system.

Empires do not survive for long. Their masters must work very fast and take high risks in order to extend the power of their empires. In contrast, Christians have plenty of time. Slow growth multiplies over many generations. This is God's promise: 'For I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, and showing mercy unto thousands [of generations], of them that love me, and keep my commandments' (Ex. 20:5-6). 'Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack to him who hateth him, he will repay him to his face.' (Deut. 7:9-10).

Pagan empires are invariably cut off in the midst of history. They try to achieve world dominion, but there are always new empires rising up to challenge them (Dan. 8). God will not permit any nation to achieve total world dominion in history. The one-State world is a denial of God's universal sovereignty over man, and also a denial of Christ's progressive kingdom in history. The pagan empire cannot tolerate rivals. It cannot be content with federation. It cannot share the glory of power. It therefore cannot succeed in history.

The kingdom of Christ imposes the requirement of modesty on the nations that compose it. No Christian nation can hope to impose its will by force on the whole world. Such pride is recognized as being evil, as well as self-destructive. Dominion is by service. Thus, the decentralized earthly kingdom of Christ can grow over time to fill the earth [Dan. 2:34-35], but without becoming an empire. No one nation can hope to achieve dominance, though one or two may achieve primary influence temporarily, through adherence to the principle of service. Long-term cooperation among nations is possible only if all of them realize the inherent, God-imposed limitations on the power wielded by any one nation. The Christian nation faces the same warning that Christian individuals face: 'Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall' (Prov. 16:18).

The residents of each nation must regard their own nation as mortal, just as men regard themselves. The more closely a nation conforms to biblical ethical standards, the longer it will survive as a separate entity. This the biblical principle of inheritance. The heirs of any national group will retain their separate character only so long as God continues to grant the nation His grace. Rebellion against Him brings destruction and national obliteration. As always, dominion is by covenant.

'LORD, You will establish peace for us, for You have also done all our works in us. O LORD our God, masters besides You have had dominion over us; but by You only we make mention of Your name. They are dead, they will not live; they are deceased, they will not rise. Therefore You have punished and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish. You have increased the nation, O LORD, You have increased the nation; You are glorified; You have expanded all the borders of the land.' (Isa. 26:12-15, New King James Version)

Christians have good reasons to be confident about the earthly future of Christ's kingdom. Pagans do not have much of anything to be confident about. Time is against them. So is God."

--Gary North, from Millennialism and Social Theory (Institute for Christian Economics, 1990, pp.333-335)

broken pottery from an archaeological dig

Had It Not Pleased Him to Manifest Himself

"In this world of sin and darkness and death, we would never behold the beauty and wisdom and power of that name, and surely could never know it as a name of salvation, had it not pleased Him to manifest Himself to us in still another, a higher, a more glorious name, a name of highest wisdom and power, of holiness and righteousness and truth, of abundant mercy and boundless grace and fathomless love. That name of God is revealed in Jesus, Jehovah-salvation, the Son of God come in the flesh, Immanuel, God with us, Who fully revealed the Father, Who bore our sins and bore them away forever on the accursed tree, Who was raised from the dead on the third day and is seated at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven, in Whom we have righteousness and life eternal, and Who will come again...That is the central and the highest revelation of Jehovah! In the light of that name we see the true meaning of the name of God in all the works of His hands."

--Herman Hoeksema, from In the Sanctuary: Expository Sermons on the Lord's Prayer (Reformed Free Publishing Association, 1981, pp. 38-39)

Dead in the Pit - Arminianism Refuted

"A man that is fallen into a pit cannot be supposed to help himself out of it, but by one of two ways; either by doing all himself alone, or taking hold of, and improving, the help offered him by others. Likewise an unconverted man cannot be supposed to help himself out of his natural state, but either in the way of the law, or covenant of works, by doing all himself without Christ; or else in the way of the Gospel, or covenant of grace, by exerting his own strength to lay hold upon, and to make use of the help offered him by a Saviour.

But, alas! the unconverted man is dead in the pit, and cannot help himself either of these ways; not the first way, for the first text (Rom 5:6) tells us, that when our Lord came to help us, 'we were without strength,' unable to recover ourselves. We were ungodly, therefore under a burden of guilt and wrath, yet 'without strength,' unable to stand under it; and unable to throw it off, or get from under it: so that all mankind would have undoubtedly perished, had not 'Christ died for the ungodly,' and brought help to those who could never have recovered themselves. But when Christ comes and offers help to sinners, cannot they take it? Cannot they improve help when it comes to their hands?

No, the second text (John 6:44) tells us, they cannot; 'No man can come unto me,' that is, believe in me, 'except the Father draw him.' This is a drawing which enables them to come, who till then could not come; and therefore could not help themselves by improving the help offered.

It is a drawing which is always effectual; for it can be no less than 'hearing and learning of the Father,' which, whoever partakes of, come to Christ (verse 45). Therefore it is not drawing in the way of mere moral suasion, which may be, yea, and always is ineffectual. But it is drawing by mighty power (Eph 1:9), absolutely necessary for those who have no power in themselves to come and take hold of the offered help." --Thomas Boston, from Human Nature in its Fourfold State (Banner of Truth, 1964, pp. 183-184)

Have We Bartered the Gospel for a Substitute Product?

"There is no doubt that Evangelicalism today is in a state of perplexity and unsettlement. In such matters as the practice of evangelism, the teaching of holiness, the building up of local church life, the pastor's dealing with souls and the exercise of discipline, there is evidence of widespread dissatisfaction with things as they are and of equally widespread uncertainty as to the road ahead. This is a complex phenomenon, to which many factors have contributed; but, if we go to the root of the matter, we shall find that these perplexities are all ultimately due to our having lost our grip on the biblical gospel. Without realizing it, we have during the past century bartered that gospel for a substitute product which, though it looks similar enough in points of detail, is as a whole a decidedly different thing. Hence our troubles; for the substitute product does not answer the ends for which the authentic gospel has in past days proved itself so mighty.

The new gospel conspicuously fails to produce deep reverence, deep humility, a spirit of worship, a concern for the church, Why? We would suggest that the reason lies in its own character and content. It fails to make men God-centered in their thoughts and God-fearing in their hearts because this is not primarily what it is trying to do. One way of stating the difference between it and the old gospel is to say that it is too exclusively concerned to be "helpful" to man--to bring peace, comfort, happiness, satisfaction--and too little concerned to glorify God.

The old gospel was "helpful" too--more so, indeed, than is the new--but (so to speak) incidentally, for its first concern was always to give glory to God. It was always and essentially a proclamation of Divine sovereignty in mercy and judgment, a summons to bow down and worship the mighty Lord on whom man depends for all good. Its center of reference was unambiguouly God. But in the new gospel the center of reference is man. This is just to say that the old gospel was religious in a way that the new gospel is not. Whereas the chief aim of the old was to teach men to worship God, the concern of the new seems limited to making them feel better. The subject of the old gospel was God and His ways with men; the subject of the new is man and the help God gives him. There is a world of difference."

--J.I Packer, from The Death of Death in the Death of Christ (Banner of Truth, 1967, pp. 1-2)

The Perfect Law of God, Our Failure and Sin, and the Good News of the Mercy of God in Christ Jesus

To love God is to obey Him, to keep His commandments. Love is fulfilled in the law obeyed from the heart in love. Psalm 119 extols the psalmist's love for God's holy commandments.

Friends, if we find we have antinomian (anti = against; nomos = law) tendencies, if we hate certain commandments of God, if we are rebellious and hostile at the thought of obeying God out of love for Him, then the problem is NOT with the law. Rather, WE are the problem.

Our sin is the problem.

The ONLY solution is to run to Jesus the Christ in repentence and ask for His forgiveness for our sin, in faith in Him, His perfect righteousness and mercy. Mercy and truth have kissed in Christ Jesus. That means that He is the righteousness of His people, and He--though sinless--endured upon the cross the eternal God-forsaken suffering, death, and shed blood that His people deserved to receive in God's righteous wrath. He took their punishment upon Himself as their propitiation, their substitute before a righteously wrathful God, in order that God can righteously extend mercy, the deliverance from the curse of our sin, to His people in Christ Jesus, that is, through faith in Christ Jesus.

God's promise of salvation and eternal life for whosoever believes in Jesus is for all people from every tribe, tongue, and nation in all the earth, and for all times, eras, and future generations.

And once a Christian is saved, what to do? Study and meditate in the word of God (the Holy Bible); pray the words of Scripture to God; obey the commandments of God, walking in the Spirit of God; and thus love God and your neighbor (your fellow man). To love God is to obey Him.

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Lyrics: Matthias Loy, 1863

Music: ERHALT UNS, HERR L.M.
           Geistliche Lieder, Wittenberg, 1543


--from Trinity Hymnal, Baptist Edition


The law of God is good and wise
And sets his will before our eyes,
Shows us the way of righteousness,
And dooms to death when we transgress.

Its light of holiness imparts
The knowlege of our sinful hearts
That we may see our lost estate
And seek deliv'rance ere too late.

To those who help in Christ have found
And would in works of love abound
It shows what deeds are his delight
And should be done as good and right.

When men the offered help disdain
And willfully in sin remain,
Its terror in their ear resounds
And keeps their wickedness in bounds.

The law is good; but since the fall
Its holiness condemns us all;
It dooms us for our sin to die
And has no pow'r to justify.

To Jesus we for refuge flee,
Who from the curse has set us free,
And humbly worship at his throne,
Saved by his grace through faith alone.

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All Things Are Become New - Happy New Year!

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Cor. 517

I like the verse that BibleGateway has posted for today, the 1st of January 2011.

Thank God for the new beginning and new life He offers us in Christ Jesus, and which He has given those of us to whom He has given faith in Jesus for our justification before Him. Now we are free to live for Him!

Christians Are Lights of God's Righteousness to the Nations

Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. (Phil. 2:14-16)

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.


Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 5:13-20)

Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him. For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.


Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people. My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.


Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.


Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.


Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over? Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. (Is. 51:1-11)

Duties Are Ours: Part 4

In the spiritual and economic prosperity of a family, not only are gender roles important, but also other economic lessons from Scripture. Not only is it important to work hard whether you are paid or not and to never accept money for work not done (for example, State redistributed wealth in the form of unemployment checks or other welfare, if it can at all possibly be avoided), but also to practice frugality.

Living as far below your means as you can, will mean that you will have money or other wealth for tithing, savings, charity, and investment (in real estate, etc.). The money a family actually lives on should be far below what the family earns.

So many people are not FUTURE-oriented--even many professing Christians--as those with a Christian worldview (built on the Bible, the very word of God) are. Humanists think in terms of hedonism, living for the "now," grabbing all the gusto they can get,” and living for pleasure and to consume. Humanists crave instant gratification, praise losing one's inhibitions, and don't want children. (They think of children as a burden, and they fear the future.)

Christians, by God's grace, think the opposite: in terms of self-sacrifice, living for future reward, living for duty and obedience to God (which bring much joy), want to work and produce and be fruitful, learn to wait for gratification, esteem self-restraint and self-control, and desire children, plan for inheritance, and rejoice in the future. (Children tend to figure in many Christian parents' "retirement" plans.)

(In Austrian economics, these two perspectives are opposite ends of the spectrum called "time-preference.")

Christians should ask themselves: "Am I trusting in God, or am I trusting in the humanist gods of Money and/or State?"

"Am I trusting in God and His viewpoint revealed in Scripture, or am I trusting in my own views about money and family economics, including gender roles, etc., even though they are contrary to what God says?"

Now, we live in a fallen world, and we sin, and we get ourselves into financial trouble and many other troubles. But to pretend the State will bail us out, or to decide in our hearts that going against God’s plan will work, or to tell ourselves that we're victims is not going to help us.

God has given us directions, (including division of labor, gender roles, family roles, economic instruction, etc.), and we are to obey. Duties are ours. As one dear Christian man said tenderly with a smile, “Duty, sweet duty!” For we are blessed by obeying God--He knows what's going on!! His paths are the safe, good paths.

God is merciful, gives instruction, blesses obedience, but He will not "magically" bless us when we balk at his ways and refuse to obey Him. The longer we take to obey, the more pain we put ourselves through. Once we realize that we are the wrong ones, and admit that God is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life," we have to dig ourselves out of our messes (yet all by the grace of God).

But the WAY to dig ourselves out is by learning what God says to do, and then doing it, swiftly!! This He will bless. He will take care of the rest. God's sovereignty and blessings and mercy do not erase human responsibility and action. It's not one or the other; it's "both-and." We love Him because He first loved us; and now we (as Christians) live for Him.

No matter how big of a mess we’ve gotten ourselves into by rebelling against God and His ways, it is not too late. If we are still alive, then it is not too late. We may turn back to our Maker in repentance, and God will never, never turn us away. God never turns away anyone who truly repents of their sin and throws themselves on His mercy. And when we do, He will not only be our Maker, but our Savior and Lord, as well.

The LORD God is abundantly merciful; Jesus Christ says in His word, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matt. 11:28-30).”

And in John 3:16-17, we learn that “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

There is no sin (or putrid mountain of sins) so terrible that God cannot forgive the one who returns to Him (Luke 15:11-32). That is the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have all gone astray, but Jesus paid the price at the cross for all who would believe on Him:

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Is. 53:6)

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. (John 10:10-15)

Right now, in this mess of a world, our lives may be turned around by trusting in Him. Christ Jesus says in John 12:46, “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.”

The Success of the Gospel

found on Sermon Audio this morning:

"The success of the Gospel exasperates its enemies." -- Matthew Henry

The Bible

I love this description. I've seen it in a pocket Gideon Bible and on a bookmark. It's how I think of and feel about the Bible.

The Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.

It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's charter. Here Paradise is restored, Heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed.

Christ is its grand subject, our good the design, and the glory of God its end.

It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.

How Can We Evangelize the Muslims?

In an earlier post, I suggested that the Christian response to Muslim threats and extortion should be to love them by 1) giving them the gospel and discipling them in Christ, and 2) by restraining their civil evil in the civil sphere by God's law exercised by the State (civil magistrate).

It's important to emphasize that the Christians' weapons of warfare, in terms of changing hearts, are not physical or material, but spiritual in nature (2 Cor. 10:3-5). Our way as Christians is not the Muslim way of "conversion by the sword"--threats, violence, oppression, and extortion. Christians understand that a heart change, repentence and regeneration, cannot be worked or performed by outward acts of the law, by "penitentiaries," or by force, or by violence. While civil laws and the State, if they are covenantally obedient to God's law, will restrain outward evil in society, they are powerless to effect a change of heart.

One primary way to love the Muslim people, as with all other unbelievers, is to evangelize and disciple them (Psalm 40:10; Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 16:25-27. We cannot allow this evil to continue; we must evangelize every Muslim in the world, that God will call His own out of that religion of darkness into His light, and take their stony hearts from them and give them hearts of flesh, by His Spirit, through the Word (Ezek. 11:19; Ezek. 36:26; 2 Cor. 3:3; Rom. 10:17).

It's important to understand their religion/ideology, how that works out into their culture, and therefore, how to best reach them with the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. I list a few resources below that I hope will be of assistance to you.

In all the stories of Muslim conversions to Christianity that I have heard, it is done by 1) witness of the gospel in worked out in Christians' lives--the love, the high standard of Biblical morality, the warm hospitality shown to Muslims when they are invited to visit a meeting of a Biblical church or to visit the home of a godly Christian family; and 2) the word of God graciously shared.

Muslims believe that Islam is an extension of the (corrupted, they believe) revelations of the Pentateuch, the Psalms, and the gospels of Jesus. Many are very curious about Jesus and His teachings; however, never contrast Jesus favorably with Mohammad. It may be best to never mention Mohammad in your own conversation, though the Muslim may talk about Mohammad. Don't worry, the Holy Spirit will bless the Word of God, even apart from and void of our clever arguments about how true Christianity is and how false Islam is. (We Christians must be clear in our own minds, however, that Christianity is true and Islam is false.) If God works, then the Muslim's heart will be regenerated by His Word and Spirit.

"Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. [GD: The Lord has delegated His earthly vengeance in some evils to the civil authority as His representative and minister, see the very next passage, Romans 13:1-5; therefore, this instruction is to Christians who are not acting in the capacity of civil magistrate.] Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. (Rom. 12:17-21,see also Prov. 25:21-22)"

More Resources:
* A Christian's Evangelistic Pocket Guide to Islam by Malcolm Steer
* Books and videos from Daniel Shayesteh, http://www.escapefromdarkness.org/
* Goëkson Cik, in Europe where the darkness is spreading, is courageously working to bring the gospel to the European Muslims. Here is an interview (for iTunes) by Gary DeMar with Cik (number 34, "Evangelism or Cannibalism").
* Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) is a Christian organization that seeks to bring relief and the gospel to persecuted Christians around the world, including Muslim persecution. They give updates on Muslim attacks on Christians throughout the world. You can help by giving to this organization.
* The Persecution Project specifically aids Christians persecuted by Muslims in the Sudan.
* As I've mentioned before, Jihad Watch gives news and updates on Muslim attacks and threats around the world. (As we know, Muslims don't only attack Christians; they also attack Hindus, Jews, humanists, and other Muslims.)
* a YouTube video of a UK documentary about the persecution of ex-Muslim Christians in the UK.
* YouTube's Muslims4Jesus Channel

If you have other resources that have assisted you in your witness and evangelization of Muslims, or that you have heard as being a blessing to other brethren as they labor in this mission field, please name the resources in a comment.

Where Sin Abounded, Grace Did Much More Abound

The salvation won by Christ for His people is a salvation of all in His creation that was destroyed and corrupted by sin (the turning away from obedience to God's righteous ways). In this interadvental period, we Christians have been saved (justified), are being saved (sanctified), and await God's final redemption (glorification) in His second coming on the Judgment Day, the final day of history (Matt. 13:24-53; Rom. 5:10-21; Rom. 8).

The gospel is indeed offered to all for their salvation, but the power of it appears not everywhere: and that it is the savor of death to the ungodly, does not proceed from what it is, but from their own wickedness. By setting forth but one Salvation he cuts off every other trust. When men withdraw themselves from this one salvation, they find in the gospel a sure proof of their own ruin. Since then the gospel invites all to partake of salvation without any difference, it is rightly called the doctrine of salvation: for Christ is there offered, whose peculiar office is to save that which was lost; and those who refuse to be saved by him, shall find him a Judge. But everywhere in Scripture the word salvation is simply set in opposition to the word destruction: and hence we must observe, when it is mentioned, what the subject of the discourse is. Since then the gospel delivers from ruin and the curse of endless death, its salvation is eternal life.

John Calvin, Commentary on Romans, 1:16

Excerpt from "The Crown Rights of Jesus Christ" by Andrew Sandlin

"This is what salvation is all about: restoring former rebels to their rightful place as obedient servants of God (Rom. 6:16-17).

Man's sin, like Lucifer's, constituted cosmic rebellion. The penalty was death (Gen. 2:17). God's program of redemption is calculated not chiefly to dismiss that penalty (though this it certainly does), but rather to restore man to his rightful place as an obedient son called to exercise dominion in the earth (Ps. 8:4-8; Eph. 1:3, 10, 18-23). Keeping sinners out of hell is merely the by-product of God's plan to reinstall covenant-keeping man in his original task as His vicegerent in the earth (Gen. 1:27-28). This is why the godly are placed in the earth: to extend His kingdom and His righteous reign throughout the whole earth (Rev. 2:26-27)...

...A salvation that merely keeps souls out of hell is, as Rushdoony notes, fire insurance; it is not biblical salvation."

from Andrew Sandlin's essay, "The Crown Rights of Jesus Christ" in Explicitly Christian Politics: The Vision of the National Reform Association, edited by William O. Einwechter, published by The Christian Statesman Press, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1997.

Theonomy: The Way of Life for a People Redeemed

In the 70's, Francis Schaeffer asked the question, "How Then Shall We Live?" After I became a Christian, this was the question on my heart.

Now that Christ has redeemed me and owns me, how shall I then live to glorify my God?

The ethical standard for living--in all of life--for the Christian is the moral law of God as given to Moses, and all the prophets of God, in the Scriptures. In fact, this is the standard for the non-Christian as well; however, in rebelling against God and following their own ways, rather than the Way (of Christ), they find only death.

But the Christian has been definitively redeemed and is progressively sanctified (redeemed) by Christ, to walk in His holy way (Ex. 18:20; Deut. 5:33; Deut. 6; Deut. 8:6; Deut 10:12; Deut. 11:22-23; Deut. 28:9; Deut. 30:16; 1 Kings 2:3; Psalm 86:11; Psalm 101:5-7; Psalm 119; Prov. 3:20-24; Prov. 6:23; Prov. 12:28; Prov. 16:17; Is. 2:3; Jer. 6:16; Jer. 7:23; Jer. 42:2-4; Neh. 10:28-30; Micah 4:2; Matt. 7:14; John 14:6; Acts 2:28; Ps. 16:8-11; Rom. 8:4; 1 Pet. 1:17-19).

The Christian will not reach perfection or be completely transformed to the image of Christ in history before the general Resurrection/Judgment Day of Christ, but we are exhorted in Scripture to run the race (1 Cor. 9:24-25; Heb. 12:1-2) and to cooperate with God in His progressive sanctification of us.

What I Require in a Gospel Tract in Order to Buy and Distribute It

1. It must be attractive, good design, visually pleasing

"Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;" (Phillipians 1:27)

2. It must give a clear exposition of the gospel, including a discussion of SIN.

All who would be Christians need to hear the bad news before we can be grateful for the good news.

"Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." (Romans 3:19)

"The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them."(Matthew 11:5)

"And [Jesus was] saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel." (Mark 1:15)

3. It must quote directly from the Bible. No paraphrase "bibles" (The Message, New Living Translation).

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17).

"What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it." (Deuteronomy 12:32)

4. It must be God-honoring, portraying God as His word does: as sovereign, good, holy, mighty, faithful, merciful, just and as Creator, Savior, Lord and Judge of all men.

In the modern "church," there is an almost blasphemous portrayal of God as a buddy, someone we are equal terms with. He is portrayed as being made in our image. This is evil, and I would never buy or give out a "gospel tract" that portrayed God that way.

We must be reverent, worshipful, humble and grateful before God, and we must never lie about Who He Is! It is only because of the gracious condescension, mercy and love of God that He allows us to have a relationship with Him in Christ.

God does not fit our (sinful) idea of love and friendship, rather He teaches us what true love and friendship is. He is the Judge of us; we are not the judges of Him!

"I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.

Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?

Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him." (Proverbs 30:3-5)

"Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said, Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it.

Then Job answered the LORD, and said, Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further." (Job 40:1-5)

"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. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

These things I command you, that ye love one another." (John 15:12-17)

5. It must not say "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life," tell the reader to insert their name into John 3:16, or some similar gimmick.

How do you know? How do you know that if they hear the true gospel, they will believe? It's presumptuous at best and a falsehood at worst.

"For many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14).

6. It must not tell the person how special they are, and that's why God loves them and offers them salvation, or a similar false "self-esteem gospel."

While it's true that every person is made in the image of God and is therefore valuable beyond measure, it's also true that each person is also a depraved, despicable sinner (since the fall, except for Jesus Christ), who is in desperate need of the way the truth and the life, Jesus Christ.

"They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one." (Psalm 14:3)

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinithians 5:21)

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)

7. It must not emphasize the person "choosing" or "deciding" to believe in Jesus or "commit his life" to Jesus. Or "choosing" to go to heaven instead of hell.

Faith is neither an intellectual decision nor existential (of an act of the will in the flesh to “create” a reality).

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

8. It must not lead the reader in a "sinner's prayer."

We have enough lost people who think they are Christians because they were: led in a prayer, prayed for, walked down an aisle, baptized, raised in a church, raised in a Christian family, raised in the "Bible Belt," sent to Vacation Bible School (VBS), and all the other ways people are not saved.

"Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." (2 Timothy 2:10)

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

What a Gospel Tract Can (and Can't) Do

Tracts do not disciple or build a relationship with another person. They simply get the gospel and the word of God out. I personally believe tracts are vital to evangelism. But they are not the whole picture or even the major picture.

People need to be properly taught and discipled in a local Bible-believing church to grow in the faith, receive proper training in the doctrine of the Word, and grow a strong-rooted faith. If you are discipling someone in the faith, teaching the Bible, answering their questions, building trust and relationship with them, and they ask to pray with you for their salvation, by all means, pray!

But tracts don't do all that. Tracts are just a small beginning. They call the lost, proclaim the gospel, and may even convict of sin, but they can't disciple a soul.