Isn't it interesting that when people gossip, they assign motives for the deeds of those whom they are slandering. Now, how can they know what people were thinking when they did the things they did? Can these talebearers read minds? Of course not. So, how do they know what the motive was? They don't. Where then do they get the motives that they assign to these who are the subjects of their evil speaking? Why, they are the inventions of their own minds, out of the awful corruption of their own hearts! These backbiters assign motives to others that they themselves would have, or have had, in similar situations. So, when we backbite, gossip, speak evil, bear tales and slander, we are really revealing our own wicked hearts, laying them bare for all to see.
It is to our shame that when we see the vileness of another's heart as he defames a brother to us, we respond in kind and take the slanderer's sin as an excuse and justification to slander too. How contrary to our Saviour's commands we delight to be in this. "Charity . . . thinketh no evil."
"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Heaven
Heaven isn't going to be a place where we spend our time (eternity?) gorging ourselves with everything we gave up on earth in order to become Christians. Christ is the center of Heaven - yea, Heaven itself - and all eyes will be upon Him, beholding Him in His glory. We will feast upon Him. If your expectations of Heaven are anything but that rapturous state of being forever with the Lord, then it is not Heaven that you are looking for.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Grace and Duty
Grace doesn't replace duty; it simply enables us to do it.
These days are very dark in the church, for it seems that we care little that we are not much in prayer, reading of the Word, and meditation therein. If we have little desire toward holiness, fighting against sin, and shining as lights in this evil world, we are in a very sickly state indeed.
When our duties as Christians do not fill our days, our minds and our hearts, and do not make use of all of our strength; when our sin is a thing lightly esteemed and God's kingdom is little regarded, where indeed is the fear of God in us?
It is a great evil to see grace as license that gives approval to run after our lusts while excusing our laxity in Christian duty.
These days are very dark in the church, for it seems that we care little that we are not much in prayer, reading of the Word, and meditation therein. If we have little desire toward holiness, fighting against sin, and shining as lights in this evil world, we are in a very sickly state indeed.
When our duties as Christians do not fill our days, our minds and our hearts, and do not make use of all of our strength; when our sin is a thing lightly esteemed and God's kingdom is little regarded, where indeed is the fear of God in us?
It is a great evil to see grace as license that gives approval to run after our lusts while excusing our laxity in Christian duty.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Country Club Christianity
When our Christianity is no more than a club, and we measure ourselves by ourselves, we have little sense of God or His holiness; there is only an attempt to measure up to those in the particular club in which we participate. When, on the other hand, we as individuals seek to know God, to be horrified at our sinfulness in every part of ourselves in comparison to His absolute holiness - to seek Him truly to the point where we indeed do hate and reject all else but Christ that would have dominion over us, it is then, and then only that we can truly be said to be followers of Christ, disciples, Christians. Then, as God is working in us individually as the several parts of the body of Christ, when we come together with other believers we shall truly be a church, instead of just a religious organization.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
So, You Think You Are Pretty Good?
"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."
How can you hope to approach the throne of a holy God on the basis of your own merit? If, as the Scripture affirms, your BEST is filthy rags before God, how can you even enter a plea of self-righteousness? All the good you have done - and it IS good, in a human sense - is not acceptable to God. The same sentence is passed upon all of humanity: hear this verse - "There is none righteous, no not one." and this one: "There is none that doeth good, no not one," and one more: "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
The filthy rags are not simply dirt-stained rags. The word "filthy" carries the idea of that which is absolutely repulsive and disgusting; something that, were someone to hand it to you, would cause you to immediately cast it as far from you as possible. Since all of us can think of things like that on our own, it is not necessary to speak of that revolting thing that some have declared is the meaning of those words "filthy rags." The point is, this disgusting thing that could make you violently ill to touch or even to look upon is a picture of your righteousness which you are trying to offer God, desiring to be accepted upon your own merit. Now, if your good works are so disgusting to God, what about those things that you call sin?
Why are our good works so distasteful to God? "We are all as an unclean thing." Being sinners, everything we touch is stained by our sin. That stain doesn't seem to bother us, as a rule, because it is part of who we are, and we love it. To a holy God, however, our sin appears utterly vile. When we see that great distance between His holiness and ourselves, we can begin to understand how awful it is to try to present those "filthy rags" of our own supposed righteousness to God. So, do you see why God won't accept you on your own merit?
Where is acceptance with God then? Since all have sinned, none have, in themselves, that "holiness without which no man shall see the Lord." Acceptance with God is not in us, but the Scripture declares that those who are accepted are "accepted in the Beloved," that is, in Christ. We are only accepted through Christ's substitionary sacrifice for our sin on the cross of Calvary, and on the basis of His righteousness.
"He became sin for us, Who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."
"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us."
"CHRIST died for OUR sins, according to the Scriptures."
"HE was wounded for OUR transgressions."
"Who HIS OWN SELF bare OUR sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by Whose stripes ye were healed."
"Who was delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification."
So, Christ died for His people to make them righteous in Himself: "He shall save His people from their sins." and "Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it."
God's righteousness is satisfied by Christ's obedience in suffering God's wrath in the stead of all who will believe on Him:
"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."
Therefore, you are not good at all before God, unless you are in Christ. But, being in Christ, you stand in His righteousness, accepted with the Father.
If you have been looking to your filthy rags to make you acceptable, lay them aside. God commands you to "repent and believe the Gospel" which Gospel says that "Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again, according to the Scriptures."
God must punish sin. In His justice He has done so in Christ, for all who ever will believe:
"That He might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."
"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me."
How can you hope to approach the throne of a holy God on the basis of your own merit? If, as the Scripture affirms, your BEST is filthy rags before God, how can you even enter a plea of self-righteousness? All the good you have done - and it IS good, in a human sense - is not acceptable to God. The same sentence is passed upon all of humanity: hear this verse - "There is none righteous, no not one." and this one: "There is none that doeth good, no not one," and one more: "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
The filthy rags are not simply dirt-stained rags. The word "filthy" carries the idea of that which is absolutely repulsive and disgusting; something that, were someone to hand it to you, would cause you to immediately cast it as far from you as possible. Since all of us can think of things like that on our own, it is not necessary to speak of that revolting thing that some have declared is the meaning of those words "filthy rags." The point is, this disgusting thing that could make you violently ill to touch or even to look upon is a picture of your righteousness which you are trying to offer God, desiring to be accepted upon your own merit. Now, if your good works are so disgusting to God, what about those things that you call sin?
Why are our good works so distasteful to God? "We are all as an unclean thing." Being sinners, everything we touch is stained by our sin. That stain doesn't seem to bother us, as a rule, because it is part of who we are, and we love it. To a holy God, however, our sin appears utterly vile. When we see that great distance between His holiness and ourselves, we can begin to understand how awful it is to try to present those "filthy rags" of our own supposed righteousness to God. So, do you see why God won't accept you on your own merit?
Where is acceptance with God then? Since all have sinned, none have, in themselves, that "holiness without which no man shall see the Lord." Acceptance with God is not in us, but the Scripture declares that those who are accepted are "accepted in the Beloved," that is, in Christ. We are only accepted through Christ's substitionary sacrifice for our sin on the cross of Calvary, and on the basis of His righteousness.
"He became sin for us, Who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."
"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us."
"CHRIST died for OUR sins, according to the Scriptures."
"HE was wounded for OUR transgressions."
"Who HIS OWN SELF bare OUR sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by Whose stripes ye were healed."
"Who was delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification."
So, Christ died for His people to make them righteous in Himself: "He shall save His people from their sins." and "Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it."
God's righteousness is satisfied by Christ's obedience in suffering God's wrath in the stead of all who will believe on Him:
"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."
Therefore, you are not good at all before God, unless you are in Christ. But, being in Christ, you stand in His righteousness, accepted with the Father.
If you have been looking to your filthy rags to make you acceptable, lay them aside. God commands you to "repent and believe the Gospel" which Gospel says that "Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again, according to the Scriptures."
God must punish sin. In His justice He has done so in Christ, for all who ever will believe:
"That He might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."
"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me."
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Mortification, More Quotes From Owen
In my last post, I quoted from John Owen's work The Mortification of Sin in Believers. You can find this book at Banner of Truth, or on the Christian Classics Ethereal Library; and the book itself is right here. I also made a link to it which is on the left side of this page.
Here are some more quotes:
Urging us to the duty:
"but sin is still pressing forward, and that because it hath no bounds but utter relinquishment of God and opposition to him; that it proceeds towards its height by degrees, making good the ground it hath got by hardness, is not from its nature, but its deceitfulness. Now nothing can prevent this but mortification; that withers the root and strikes at the head of sin every hour, so that whatever it aims at it is crossed in. There is not the best saint in the world but, if he should give over this duty, would fall into as many cursed sins as ever any did of his kind."
How the duty is to be accomplished - by the power of the Spirit in the new man:
"This is one main reason why the Spirit and the new nature is given unto us, — that we may have a principle within whereby to oppose sin and lust. “The flesh lusteth against the Spirit.” Well! and what then? Why, “The Spirit also lusteth against the flesh,” Gal. v. 17. There is a propensity in the Spirit, or spiritual new nature, to be acting against the flesh, as well as in the flesh to be acting against the Spirit: so 2 Pet. i. 4, 5. It is our participation of the divine nature that gives us an escape from the pollutions that are in the world through lust;"
Owen laments that, in his day, a proper understanding of mortification of sin is rare. It sounds like today.
"The truth is, what between placing mortification in a rigid, stubborn frame of spirit . . . on the one hand, and pretences of liberty, grace, and I know not what, on the other, true evangelical mortification is almost lost amongst us;"
Let's not fool ourselves:
"Let not that man think he makes any progress in holiness who walks not over the bellies of his lusts. He who doth not kill sin in this way takes no steps towards his journey’s end. He who finds not opposition from it, and who sets not himself in every particular to its mortification, is at peace with it, not dying to it."
And a rather lengthy quote that is a poignant commentary upon the state of the church today:
Before I proceed to the consideration of the next principle, I cannot but by the way complain of many professors of these days, who, instead of bringing forth such great and evident fruits of mortification as are expected, scarce bear any leaves of it. There is, indeed, a broad light fallen upon the men of this generation, and together therewith many spiritual gifts communicated, which, with some other considerations, have wonderfully enlarged the bounds of professors and profession; both they and it are exceedingly multiplied and increased.
Hence there is a noise of religion and religious duties in every corner, preaching in abundance, — and that not in an empty, light, trivial, and vain manner, as formerly, but to a good proportion of a spiritual gift, — so that if you will measure the number of believers by light, gifts, and profession, the church may have cause to say, “Who hath born me all these?” But now if you will take the measure of them by this great discriminating grace of Christians, perhaps you will find their number not so multiplied.
Where almost is that professor who owes his conversion to these days of light, and so talks and professes at such a rate of spirituality as few in former days were, in any measure, acquainted with (I will not judge them, but perhaps boasting what the Lord hath done in them), that doth not give evidence of a miserably unmortified heart? If vain spending of time, idleness, unprofitableness in men’s places, envy, strife, variance, emulations, wrath, pride, worldliness, selfishness, 1 Cor. i., be badges of Christians, we have them on us and amongst us in abundance.
"And if it be so with them who have much light, and which, we hope, is saving, what shall we say of some who would be accounted religious and yet despise gospel light, and for the duty we have in hand, know no more of it but what consists in men’s denying themselves sometimes in outward enjoyments, which is one of the outmost branches of it, which yet they will seldom practise? The good Lord send out a spirit of mortification to cure our distempers, or we are in a sad condition!"
Here are some more quotes:
Urging us to the duty:
"but sin is still pressing forward, and that because it hath no bounds but utter relinquishment of God and opposition to him; that it proceeds towards its height by degrees, making good the ground it hath got by hardness, is not from its nature, but its deceitfulness. Now nothing can prevent this but mortification; that withers the root and strikes at the head of sin every hour, so that whatever it aims at it is crossed in. There is not the best saint in the world but, if he should give over this duty, would fall into as many cursed sins as ever any did of his kind."
How the duty is to be accomplished - by the power of the Spirit in the new man:
"This is one main reason why the Spirit and the new nature is given unto us, — that we may have a principle within whereby to oppose sin and lust. “The flesh lusteth against the Spirit.” Well! and what then? Why, “The Spirit also lusteth against the flesh,” Gal. v. 17. There is a propensity in the Spirit, or spiritual new nature, to be acting against the flesh, as well as in the flesh to be acting against the Spirit: so 2 Pet. i. 4, 5. It is our participation of the divine nature that gives us an escape from the pollutions that are in the world through lust;"
Owen laments that, in his day, a proper understanding of mortification of sin is rare. It sounds like today.
"The truth is, what between placing mortification in a rigid, stubborn frame of spirit . . . on the one hand, and pretences of liberty, grace, and I know not what, on the other, true evangelical mortification is almost lost amongst us;"
Let's not fool ourselves:
"Let not that man think he makes any progress in holiness who walks not over the bellies of his lusts. He who doth not kill sin in this way takes no steps towards his journey’s end. He who finds not opposition from it, and who sets not himself in every particular to its mortification, is at peace with it, not dying to it."
And a rather lengthy quote that is a poignant commentary upon the state of the church today:
Before I proceed to the consideration of the next principle, I cannot but by the way complain of many professors of these days, who, instead of bringing forth such great and evident fruits of mortification as are expected, scarce bear any leaves of it. There is, indeed, a broad light fallen upon the men of this generation, and together therewith many spiritual gifts communicated, which, with some other considerations, have wonderfully enlarged the bounds of professors and profession; both they and it are exceedingly multiplied and increased.
Hence there is a noise of religion and religious duties in every corner, preaching in abundance, — and that not in an empty, light, trivial, and vain manner, as formerly, but to a good proportion of a spiritual gift, — so that if you will measure the number of believers by light, gifts, and profession, the church may have cause to say, “Who hath born me all these?” But now if you will take the measure of them by this great discriminating grace of Christians, perhaps you will find their number not so multiplied.
Where almost is that professor who owes his conversion to these days of light, and so talks and professes at such a rate of spirituality as few in former days were, in any measure, acquainted with (I will not judge them, but perhaps boasting what the Lord hath done in them), that doth not give evidence of a miserably unmortified heart? If vain spending of time, idleness, unprofitableness in men’s places, envy, strife, variance, emulations, wrath, pride, worldliness, selfishness, 1 Cor. i., be badges of Christians, we have them on us and amongst us in abundance.
"And if it be so with them who have much light, and which, we hope, is saving, what shall we say of some who would be accounted religious and yet despise gospel light, and for the duty we have in hand, know no more of it but what consists in men’s denying themselves sometimes in outward enjoyments, which is one of the outmost branches of it, which yet they will seldom practise? The good Lord send out a spirit of mortification to cure our distempers, or we are in a sad condition!"
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
The Mortification of Sin
How to kill the sin in us, to put it to death, is a dilemma for every one who truly is born again. We know that Christ has done it in His death on the cross, but to see it carried out in our daily lives . . . well, there's the problem. I am currently reading a work on this very thing, by a man who lived a very long time ago: The Mortification of Sin in Believers, by John Owen. Owen lived in the 1600s, but, could have been writing today, with respect to the subject matter of his work. I guess that things spiritual are pertinent to the church in every age. I find within Owen's writings, not simply his scholarly approach (which is little in itself by way of recommendation), but a deep humility before the things of God, whereby he deals with the matters of the heart, and not simply the externals of religion. Here are some quotes from the above work, copied from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library.
The Scripture that Owen speaks on is this verse from Romans 8:13: “If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body ye shall live.” He then proceeds to explain what mortification is, and to show that it is a crucial duty in the life of every Christian.
"The intendment of the apostle in this prescription of the duty mentioned is, — that the mortification of indwelling sin remaining in our mortal bodies, that it may not have life and power to bring forth the works or deeds of the flesh is the constant duty of believers."
"The vigour, and power, and comfort of our spiritual life depends on the mortification of the deeds of the flesh."
Owen then talks about the idea of sinless perfection in this life.
"Indwelling sin always abides whilst we are in this world; therefore it is always to be mortified. The vain, foolish, and ignorant disputes of men about perfect keeping the commands of God, of perfection in this life, of being wholly and perfectly dead to sin, I meddle not now with. It is more than probable that the men of those abominations never knew what belonged to the keeping of any one of God’s commands, and are so much below perfection of degrees, that they never attained to a perfection of parts in obedience or universal obedience in sincerity."
And the great need for mortification is the fact that sin is always active within and against us.
"Sin doth not only still abide in us, but is still acting, still labouring to bring forth the deeds of the flesh. When sin lets us alone we may let sin alone; but as sin is never less quiet than when it seems to be most quiet, and its waters are for the most part deep when they are still, so ought our contrivances against it to be vigorous at all times and in all conditions, even where there is least suspicion."
"So that sin is always acting, always conceiving, always seducing and tempting. Who can say that he had ever any thing to do with God or for God, that indwelling sin had not a hand in the corrupting of what he did? And this trade will it drive more or less all our days. If, then, sin will be always acting, if we be not always mortifying, we are lost creatures. He that stands still and suffers his enemies to double blows upon him without resistance, will undoubtedly be conquered in the issue. If sin be subtle, watchful, strong, and always at work in the business of killing our souls, and we be slothful, negligent, foolish, in proceeding to the ruin thereof, can we expect a comfortable event? There is not a day but sin foils or is foiled, prevails or is prevailed on; and it will be so whilst we live in this world."
And about the goal of sin and its pervasiveness . . .
"Sin aims always at the utmost; every time it rises up to tempt or entice, might it have its own course, it would go out to the utmost sin in that kind. Every unclean thought or glance would be adultery if it could; every covetous desire would be oppression, every thought of unbelief would be atheism, might it grow to its head."
How serious is this idea of the mortification of sin in believers?
"The contest is for our lives and souls. Not to be daily employing the Spirit and new nature for the mortifying of sin, is to neglect that excellent succour which God hath given us against our greatest enemy. If we neglect to make use of what we have received, God may justly hold his hand from giving us more. His graces, as well as his gifts, are bestowed on us to use, exercise, and trade with. Not to be daily mortifying sin, is to sin against the goodness, kindness, wisdom, grace, and love of God, who hath furnished us with a principle of doing it."
The Lord has seen fit to point out sin in me as I have been reading this book and the many Scriptures Owen cites as references as he writes. It is my prayer that He will continue to do so, and to cleanse me from every iniquity.
I will post more of these quotes from the book later, but I urge you to read it yourself online, or purchase the volume from Banner of Truth.
The Scripture that Owen speaks on is this verse from Romans 8:13: “If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body ye shall live.” He then proceeds to explain what mortification is, and to show that it is a crucial duty in the life of every Christian.
"The intendment of the apostle in this prescription of the duty mentioned is, — that the mortification of indwelling sin remaining in our mortal bodies, that it may not have life and power to bring forth the works or deeds of the flesh is the constant duty of believers."
"The vigour, and power, and comfort of our spiritual life depends on the mortification of the deeds of the flesh."
Owen then talks about the idea of sinless perfection in this life.
"Indwelling sin always abides whilst we are in this world; therefore it is always to be mortified. The vain, foolish, and ignorant disputes of men about perfect keeping the commands of God, of perfection in this life, of being wholly and perfectly dead to sin, I meddle not now with. It is more than probable that the men of those abominations never knew what belonged to the keeping of any one of God’s commands, and are so much below perfection of degrees, that they never attained to a perfection of parts in obedience or universal obedience in sincerity."
And the great need for mortification is the fact that sin is always active within and against us.
"Sin doth not only still abide in us, but is still acting, still labouring to bring forth the deeds of the flesh. When sin lets us alone we may let sin alone; but as sin is never less quiet than when it seems to be most quiet, and its waters are for the most part deep when they are still, so ought our contrivances against it to be vigorous at all times and in all conditions, even where there is least suspicion."
"So that sin is always acting, always conceiving, always seducing and tempting. Who can say that he had ever any thing to do with God or for God, that indwelling sin had not a hand in the corrupting of what he did? And this trade will it drive more or less all our days. If, then, sin will be always acting, if we be not always mortifying, we are lost creatures. He that stands still and suffers his enemies to double blows upon him without resistance, will undoubtedly be conquered in the issue. If sin be subtle, watchful, strong, and always at work in the business of killing our souls, and we be slothful, negligent, foolish, in proceeding to the ruin thereof, can we expect a comfortable event? There is not a day but sin foils or is foiled, prevails or is prevailed on; and it will be so whilst we live in this world."
And about the goal of sin and its pervasiveness . . .
"Sin aims always at the utmost; every time it rises up to tempt or entice, might it have its own course, it would go out to the utmost sin in that kind. Every unclean thought or glance would be adultery if it could; every covetous desire would be oppression, every thought of unbelief would be atheism, might it grow to its head."
How serious is this idea of the mortification of sin in believers?
"The contest is for our lives and souls. Not to be daily employing the Spirit and new nature for the mortifying of sin, is to neglect that excellent succour which God hath given us against our greatest enemy. If we neglect to make use of what we have received, God may justly hold his hand from giving us more. His graces, as well as his gifts, are bestowed on us to use, exercise, and trade with. Not to be daily mortifying sin, is to sin against the goodness, kindness, wisdom, grace, and love of God, who hath furnished us with a principle of doing it."
The Lord has seen fit to point out sin in me as I have been reading this book and the many Scriptures Owen cites as references as he writes. It is my prayer that He will continue to do so, and to cleanse me from every iniquity.
I will post more of these quotes from the book later, but I urge you to read it yourself online, or purchase the volume from Banner of Truth.
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