The Heidelberg and an Important Question

One of my favorite questions from the Heidelberg Catechism is Question 60. Here's how it goes...


Q60: How are you righteous before God?

A. Only by true faith in Jesus Christ. Although my conscience accuses me that I have grievously sinned against all God's commandments, have never kept any of them, and am still inclined to all evil, yet God, without any merit of my own, out of mere grace, imputes to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ. He grants these to me as if I had never had nor committed any sin, and as if I myself had accomplished all the obedience which Christ has rendered for me, if only I accept this gift with a believing heart.

I believe question 60 of the Heidelberg to be one of the most important questions we can ever ask. Let's make it more personal, "How can I be righteous before God?" In order to have a right relationship with a perfectly righteous God you HAVE to be perfectly righteous. Anything but perfect righteousness justly results in hell. Therefore, since "no one is righteous, not even one" (Rom 3:10-12), we are all doomed to eternal torment. Point being, the stakes are pretty high regarding this question of righteousness.

I ask the question again: "How can I be righteous before God?"

Have you ever thought about the fact that the forgiveness of sins on its own is incomplete? We must have our sins forgiven, and we also must be righteous before God. Praise God, our gracious God has made a way for us to have our sins forgiven and for us to be righteous... in Jesus Christ.

Read the answer to Question 60 (above) one more time. Very tenderly and Biblically the writers of the catechism explain how we can stand righteous before God. All of His righteousness can be ours in so far as we are united to Him by faith. We are justified because of a righteousness that is not our own.

I like the pastoral way Kevin DeYoung discusses the answer to this question in his book The Good News We Almost Forgot: Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th Century Catechism. He says, "There is nothing we contribute to our salvation except sin, no merit we bring but Christ's and nothing necessary for justification except for faith alone" (pg. 117). He is right on target, and he goes on to warn us a bit more. DeYoung says, "Finally, with all this talk about the necessity of faith, the Catechism explains that faith is only an instrumental cause of our salvation. In other words, faith is not what God finds acceptable in us. In fact, strictly speaking, faith itself does not justify... It is the object of our faith that matters... Believe in Christ with all your heart, but don't put your faith in faith. Your experience of trusting Christ will ebb and flow. So be sure to rest in Jesus Christ and not your faith in Him. He alone is the one who died for our sakes and was raised for our justification. Believe this, and you too will be saved." (pg. 117)

Amen and amen.

Together for the Gospel Finale

Two weeks ago today, I was at the second day of the Together for the Gospel conference in Louisville, KY. It was a fantastic two and a half days of discussing the gospel, listening to the gospel, preaching the gospel, singing the gospel, and meditating on the gospel. And I feel like we just scratched the surface... The Apostle John seems to have felt the same way, "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written" (John 21:25). Such is the good news about the Savior!

Last week, I posted some of my favorite quotes from the conference, if you missed that, you can find it here. Instead of talking about which session was my favorite, I just want to mention a few take-aways from the conference. I want to answer the question: "What themes/concepts most helped me?" Here are just a few:

1) Were it not for the imputed righteousness of Christ to my account, I'd have no hope. I'd be doomed to hell. This is my justification - as I am in Jesus, Jesus' righteousness by the grace of God is mine. I praise God for the glorious truth of 2 Corinthians 5:21 - “God made Christ to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” John Piper at T4G put it this way, "By trusting Christ alone, we are united to him. And because we are “in him,” what he is counts for us, his righteousness, his morality, his devoutness. (See Philippians 3:9; Romans 3:28; 4:4-6; 5:18-19; 10:3-4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Galatians 2:16)." Praise God for the imputed righteousness of Christ! T4G helped me to think upon this glorious truth, revel in it, and think about its hopeful implications for my life.
2) We ought to love our local churches. I left T4G thankful for T4G and thankful for conferences in general, but I left T4G excited to get back to my local church. I am so thankful for the body of believers that God has placed me in. We're imperfect (I'm a part of the church!), but God is being glorified in our imperfect church because His people are gathering to worship His name, to live their lives caring for and encouraging one another, and to share the good news of Christ with our friends and neighbors together. We are living lives "that don't make sense" in order to display the character of God.
3) Jesus is building His church around the world. I saw Matthew 16:18 ("I will build my church") in part at T4G. I saw a glimpse, in the brothers gathered, of the global church. A couple times during the singing portions of the conference, I would stop and just look around. I probably seemed weird to the brothers sitting around me, but, for me, it was a moment of praising the Savior by reflecting on heaven and the endless "worship service" that will go on there. 7,000 redeemed voices raised was a glorious thing, but I can't even begin to imagine the glory and honor that will be directed towards the Savior on that day. I can't wait! Until then, Jesus is building His church, drawing men and women unto Himself as a display of His glory in this sin-cursed world. It's a treat to, by God's grace, be a small part of this work.

Now, I would not be giving the whole T4G story if I failed to mention the books I was given. Praise God for these guys' desire to serve pastors (and seminarians like me!). I left with 33 free books between T4G and the Band of Bloggers pre-conference. On his blog, Justin Taylor lists out all the books given away at T4G. You can find that here.

Here's a pic of all the books given away at T4G...


And the books given away at Band of Bloggers (they are listed here)...


I'm looking forward to working my way through these books in the coming months.

All in all, I praise God for T4G. It was a tremendously encouraging and profitable 2.5 days!

God in the Wasteland

A few weeks back I started reading through David Wells' God in the Wasteland. God in the Wasteland is the 2nd book in a series of 4 books that thoughtfully and carefully think through the relationship between the church and the larger culture. Back around Christmastime I finished the masterful first book in the series - No Place for Truth: Or Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology? If I get a chance, I'll go back and summarize some of Wells' arguments from the first book. But over the next few weeks I'll be passing along helpful snippets from God in the Wasteland.


Wells speaks much about the detrimental shift in the wider Evangelical church in the last few decades away from theology - he argues as the church has gotten way too comfortable with modernistic philosophy both in theory and in practice. Some of these ideas will be clarified as we work through some helpful quotes in the next few weeks, but for now think through the quote below with me...

"One of many fresh studies [referring to a study conducted a few years back in the one of the larger Presbyterian denominations], it suggests that the best predictor of whether baby boomers will stay in the church or leave is the relative presence of orthodox belief. Among the subjects of the study, those who believed in the uniqueness of Christ's salvation were almost invariably in the church, and those who did not had dropped out. Furthermore, the study found that the presence of Christian orthodoxy alone was sufficient 'to impell people to commit their time and other resources to a distinctively Christian regime of witness and obedience in the company of other believers'" (pg. 22-23).

Think about this for a minute with me. One of the best predictors of whether someone will stay in church or not is whether that church collectively knows, teaches, and lives in light of historic, Biblical beliefs. Let's phrase this another way, churches that make the gospel clear and call their people to live lives obedient to God's Word don't have to stress about church growth. Wells goes on to point out that where the gospel (by which I mean the entirety of the historic Christian faith) is clear, people are willing to radically commit their time and resources to sharing the gospel and seeking to become more like Christ. Now, you may be saying, what in the world does this have to do with me? I'm glad you asked. Here are some practical tips:

1) Make sure you are reading God's Word daily. You need to discipline yourself (even when you don't feel like it) to grow in your knowledge of God and His gospel by reading His Word. God is building His church in and through your life as you participate actively in your local church. Spending regular time in God's Word is a must.
2) You need to talk about the gospel and its implications with others in your church family. When you are at church do you talk about theology and how it should impact how you live? Do you have people in your church who ask you tough questions about your growth in holiness? Do you ask others about their growth in holiness? Do you encourage the practice of corrective church discipline in your church? We must be intentional about Gospel-centered relationships in our churches. It is loving to tenderly confront sin in one anothers' lives. We can be so blind to our sin. We need help from one another as we seek to grow in godliness.
3) Do you spend time in your homes talking with your spouse, your children, your roommates, etc. talking about the gospel? If you don't know where to start, pick up a copy of Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology, and let it guide your discussion. Or go to the Two Ways to Live website, and let each section guide your discussion. Talk about these truths, sing about these truths, and then pray together about these truths... together.

You could add a hundred more things to this list...

The point is that at the center of the historic Christian faith are beliefs about who God is, who we are, and what God has done and will do. We need to think/discuss these things, and then offer our lives up to our gracious God as living sacrifices (Rom 12:1). We don't need to fret over church growth strategies. We need to keep Biblical doctrine and Biblical living at the center.

Monday Morning Video

This is a movie chase scene at its very best. Jason Bourne has nothing on this guy. Watch and be... mesmerized. It's almost too unbelievable to be true.

I couldn't help myself

Kevin DeYoung postd this to his blog a few weeks back, and I couldn't help but post it here as well. Just for the record: I love Apple. In fact, I'm writing this post from a Mac (just in case you might question my loyalties).

7 miles

I've been away from the blog for a few days, as I have been taking care of matters a bit more important than a blog. I plan to ramp it back up soon, but in the meantime, here is a sermon jam by Matt Chandler.



HT: Tim Challies

My, how times have changed...

Here's your Monday morning video for this week:



Apparently, doctors used to be pretty particular about their cigarettes!

HT: Ray Ortlund

Spurs beat Chelsea

Let's just say, it is a great WEEK to be a Spurs supporter. This is only the third time Spurs beat Chelsea in 40 or so previous games. Incredible. Come on you Spurs!


Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea
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T4G wrap up

It was a real privilege to attend Together for the Gospel the last 3 days. There is much I could say about the conference - it was a tremendous encouragement to hear great teaching, sing our Savior's praise with 7,000 other brothers, spend extended time with a group of guys from our church, and get 32 free books (between the conference and Band of Bloggers pre-conference). Praise the Lord for the opportunity and a wife gracious enough to carry the load at home and send me to Louisville.

I'll probably be offering a few more thoughts on the conference in the coming days, but for now, here are a few quotes that stood out from the various teaching segments. Enjoy!

Mark Dever
"The Christian life is personal but it is certainly not private!"
"The church is a group of people who leverage our lives to 'not make sense.' In order to display the character of God... the church is called to display evangelism."

R.C. Sproul
"We go to great lengths to improve the gospel... to say, 'God can give you purpose for you life' is not the gospel!"
"The Gospel has definite content: Who Jesus is and what He has done."
"Don't improve the Gospel, it's not your Gospel, it's God's! A synthetic gospel is no Gospel."

Al Mohler
"We believe that God spoke words through rotten-toothed desert tribesman... and we're going to preach it! Hear now the Word of the Lord!"
"Eventually our postmodern critics will run out of doctrines to deny."

Thabiti Anyabwile
"There's not one square inch of all of creation where Christ doesn't say, 'Mine!'"
"There's an antithesis between the Gospel and the world. We try to manipulate/change the world, but it manipulates back. Secular does not equal safe."
"The church is multi-ethnic but not multi-cultural. We have one culture, and it is none of our native cultures."

John MacArthur
"We often think we have to overcome the sinner's resistance, but the wonder of the Gospel is that you sow the seed, you go to bed, and it grows!"
"When I preach, I never preach to the will or the emotions. I preach to the mind - I want them to understand the truth."

John Piper
"No matter how righteous you are, or how moral you are, or how religious you are, or whether God has produced all that in you or you have produced that in yourself, do not trust in anything that is in you, or that you do, as the basis of your justification before God... Trust in Christ—his blood and righteousness—as the sole basis of your justification."
"Never forget that all your good attitudes, all your good intentions, and all your good works will serve at the judgment not as the ground of your acceptance, but only as the public fruit and evidence and confirmation that you were indeed born again, and that you did have faith, and that you were united to Christ, who is your sole justifying righteousness."
"Give Christ all his glory in the work of salvation, not just half of it. Half is the work of pardoning sin by becoming our wrath-absorbing punishment. But the other half is the work of providing our perfection by fulfilling everything that God required of us, and then imputing it to us. Don’t rob the Lord of half his glory in bringing you to God. Christ is our pardon. Christ is our perfection."

Ligon Duncan
"The fathers help us to understand how to read the Bible... they help us to read the Bible better. But they aren't our infallible guides - scripture is."
"Heresies caused the fathers to get it right. When they have to fight, they get it right."

C.J. Mahaney
"Never assume those in your church has exhausted their need for the gospel, their obedience to the gospel, and their growth in understanding the story."
"The pastor doesn't get his message from his people, but he does get his message with his people."
"When faith for your people is replaced with frustration with your people, you are in trouble."
"When one godly older pastor was asked what his goals were for the next year, he replied by saying, 'I'm going to keep on doing the same thing I've been doing for the last 15 years.'"

North London Derby

The implications of last night's North London Derby are fantastic...
Arsenal is out of contention for the Premier League title.

AND

Spurs are still in the hunt for the 4th Champions League spot.

Have I mentioned that it's a great day to be a Spurs supporter?

Spurs beat Arsenal

If Sunday was a tough day to be a Spurs supporter, today couldn't get any better! It'd be hard to find a better or more meaningful goal than Danny Rose's goal in the 10th minute. Enjoy!


Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal
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Spurs defeated arch-rival Arsenal for the first time in the Premier League since 1999. It's a good day to be a Spurs supporter.

Together for the Gospel

If all has gone as planned, I am attending the last day of the Together for the Gospel conference today. Here's a great video slideshow from T4G back in 2008.



And here's the promo video for this year's T4G. Enjoy!



I hope to give updates on this year's T4G ASAP.

DeYoung (& the Heidelberg) on Particular Redemption

A few weeks back, Kevin DeYoung had this great post on a portion of the Heidelberg Catechism. It's actually a snippet from his newly released book - The Good News We Almost Forgot: Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th Century Catechism. This post fits nicely in our on-going discussion of the Heidelberg Catechism.


The topic of particular redemption can be a sticky (and divisive!) one for many. DeYoung's thoughts are balanced and helpful. I, for one, agree with him. The post is below.

-------------------------------------

The doctrine of particular redemption is worth talking about because it gets to the heart of the gospel. Should we say “Christ died so that sinners might come to him”? Or, “Christ died for sinners”? There’s a big difference. Did Christ’s work on the cross make it possible for sinners to come to God? Or did Christ’s work on the cross actually reconcile sinners to God? In other words, does the death of Jesus Christ make us save-able or does it make us saved? If the atonement is not particularly and only for the sheep, then either we have universalism–Christ died in everyone’s place and therefore everyone is saved–or we have something less than full substitution. If Jesus died for every person on the planet then we no longer mean that he died in place of sinners, taking upon himself our shame, our sins, and our rebellion so that we have the death of death in the death of Christ. Rather, we mean that when Jesus died he made it possible to come to him if we will do our part and come to him. But this is only half a gospel. Certainly, we need to come to Christ in faith. But faith is not the last work that finally makes us saved. Faith is trusting that Jesus has in fact died in our place and bore the curse for us—effectually, particularly, and perfectly.

Reformed people talk of “limited” atonement not because they have an interest in limiting power of the cross, but in order to safeguard the central affirmation of the gospel that Christ is a Redeemer who really redeems. “We are often told that we limit the atonement of Christ,” Spurgeon observed, “because we say that Christ has not made a satisfaction for all men, or all men would be saved.” But, Spurgeon argues, it is the view of the atonement which says no one in particular was saved at the cross that actually limits Christ’s death. “We say Christ so died that he infallibly secured the salvation of a multitude that no man can number, who through Christ’s death not only may be saved, but are saved, must be saved and cannot by any possibility run the hazard of being anything but saved.”

I belabor this point not to belittle Arminian brothers and sisters, but to give Jesus Christ his full glory. Christ does not come to us merely saying, “I’ve done my part. I laid down my life for everyone because I have saving love for everyone in the whole world. Now, if you would only believe and come to me I can save you.” Instead he says to us, “I was pierced for your transgressions. I was crushed for your iniquities (Isa. 53:5). I have purchased with my blood men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation (Rev. 5:9). I myself bore your sins in my body on the tree, so that you might infallibly die to sins and assuredly live for righteousness. For my wounds did not merely make healing available. They healed you (1 Peter 2:24).”

“Amazing love!” a great Arminian once wrote. “How can it be that you, my Lord, should die for me?!” Praise be to our Good Shepherd who didn’t just make our salvation possible, but sustained the anger of God in body and soul, shouldered the curse, and laid down his life for the sheep.

[By the way, if all has gone according to plan, I'm at T4G right now, and I got DeYoung's book for free at Band of Bloggers. Status report to follow.]

Owen on the Holy Spirit

I just finished reading John Owen's Communion with God. For a couple my previous posts on Communion with God, click here, here, here, and here. Oh yeah, here and here too! For a whole host of reasons it was a tremendously helpful book, but one reason sticks out particularly. In this work, Owen walks through what it looks like to commune with each of the three persons of the Godhead. What does it look like to have fellowship with the Father, fellowship with the Son, and fellowship with the Holy Spirit? Owen has a great discussion on this very topic, and I profited from it greatly.


Here's a snippet of his discussion on the Saints' fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

"'Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send him to you' (John 16:7). So the Lord Christ would have us know this great truth, that the presence of the Holy Spirit with believers as Comforter and helper, sent by him as promised, is better and more profitable to believers than his bodily presence can ever be, now that he has made the one sacrifice for sin which he came into the world to offer." (pg. 168-169).

Have you ever thought about this? At the present moment, having the Holy Spirit dwell in believers is better and more profitable for believers than having the resurrected Lord Jesus here in person. Meditate on that for a minute. Sometimes we struggle to believe this, and we think (wrongly), if Jesus were just here in person, "things" would be better. Certainly, "things" would be better if Jesus were here in person! (And I eagerly anticipate His bodily return in glory!) BUT at the present time, having the indwelling Holy Spirit to bring to mind the words and promises of Christ (John 14:26), to glorify Christ (John 16:4), to pour the love of God in our hearts (Rom 5:5), to bear witness with our spirits that we are children of God (Rom 8:16), and to seal us (Eph 1:13, 4:30) is exactly what we need. Amen.

[By the way, right now I'm on my way to T4G.]

Practice Take 2

Monday mornings are always a good time for a funny video. A couple of Mondays ago, I posted Allen Iverson's infamous "practice" press conference. If you've not seen that one yet, you need to click here. After you've done that, you are ready to enjoy the video below!

Name that Church Building

I forgot to mention, whoever can name that church building below *may* win a prize. I'll narrow it down for you... it's somewhere in the British Isles, and the name of it rhymes with "Myles." Happy Googling!

Divine Mercies

If you've never read, Valley of Vision: a Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions, you may want to give it a look. I know I've recommended it on here before.


Here's a sampling of one of my favorite portions called "Divine Mercies." Do your soul a favor and read it slowly...

"I thank thee for personal mercies,
measure of health, preservation of body,
comforts of house and home, sufficiency of food and clothing,
continuance of mental powers,
my family, their mutual help and support,
the delights of domestic harmony and peace,
the seats now filled that might have been vacant,
my country, church, Bible, faith.
But, O, how I mourn my sin, ingratitude, vileness,
the days that add to my guilt,
the scenes that witness my offending tongue;
All things in heaven, earth, around, within, without, condemn me -
the sun which sees my misdeeds,
the darkness which is light to thee,
the cruel accuser who justly charges me,
the good angels who have been provoked to leave me,
the countenance which scans my secret sins,
thy righteous law, thy holy Word,
my sin-soiled conscience, my private and public life, my neighbors, myself-
all write dark things against me.

I deny them not, frame no excuses, but confess, 'Father, I have sinned.'
Yet still I live, and fly repenting to thy outstretched arms;
thou wilt not cast me off, for Jesus brings me near,
thou wilt not condemn me, for he died in my stead,
thou wilt not mark my mountains of sin, for he levelled all,
and his beauty covers my deformities.
O my God, I bid farewell to sin by clinging to his cross,
hiding in his wounds, and sheltering in his side."

Yes, it is ALL just that good! I find these prayers help me to pray better. I trust they will be a help to you as well.

It is not Death to Die

This may sound like a strange question, but do you think regularly about your death? I'd argue it's a good thing to regularly think about your death, and as you do so it's helpful to think about why Christ died. Christ's death puts the death of a Christian into right perspective. Let's think, together with John Owen, about why Christ died...


"Why did Christ die? He died because the law demanded the death of a sinner, and Christ was the surety for sinners. How, then, are we delivered from death? We are delivered from death as punishment. We must still die, but now death is the last battle with the effects of sin, and it is the way to the Father's personal presence." Communion with God, pg. 122

Death for a Christian isn't punishment. Christ already took about that punishment on the cross - he died the death of a sinner that the law demanded. Death for a Christian is life (Phil 1:21-22). We still must die, but our death is nothing more than an ushering into the presence of Almighty God. It is not death to die. It's life.

Together for Worship

One week from today I'll be at the Together for the Gospel conference in Louisville, KY. I echo the thoughts of other bloggers looking ahead to the conference. I'm looking forward to the fellowship, the preaching, the books, and the fun. BUT more than anything, I'm looking forward the sweet times of corporately worshipping of our savior with 7,000 other brothers.

Heidelberg Catechism Part 3

This is our third look at the the Heidelberg Catechism as we work our way through the great creeds and catechisms of the faith. To read posts 1 and 2 click here and here.


Questions 26 and 27 of the Heidelberg Catechism are splendid meditations on the sovereignty of God. I'll post them in full, then we'll think about them briefly.

Q 26 What do you believe when you say: I believe in God the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth?

A. That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of nothing created heaven and earth and all that is in them, and who still upholds and governs them by His eternal counsel and providence, is, for the sake of Christ His Son, my God and my Father. In Him I trust so completely as to have no doubt that He will provide me with all things necessary for body and soul, and will also turn to my good whatever adversity He sends me in this life of sorrow. He is able to do so as almighty God,and willing also as a faithful Father.

Q 27 What do you understand by the providence of God?

A. God's providence is His almighty and ever present power, whereby, as with His hand, He still upholds heaven and earth and all creatures, and so governs them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, food and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, indeed, all things, come not by chance but by His fatherly hand.

The first portion of the Heidelberg Catechism is essentially a discussion of the Apostle's Creed, but it's not just a theological discussion for the sake of theological discussion. It's goal is right theological thinking for the purpose of comfort for the reader. What comforting thoughts question 26 articulates! The creator God of the universe not only made all things but holds all things together. Everything is governed by His good hand. The assumption is that God will send adversity our way, and He is able and willing to turn all adversity to our good. He will faithfully provide for all of our needs. We can trust Him.

Question 27 clarifies question 26. When we speak of providence, what do we mean? When we speak of God's providence we speak of the fact that nothing happens by chance. Everything comes from the loving hand of our heavenly father.

Do you ever struggle to believe this? I do. We must train our thinking - As D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones used to say, "We must talk to ourselves and not listen to ourselves." We can rely on the fact that God is good, and everything he brings our way will work together for our good - even the "bad." Psalm 46 has helped me to train my thinking in the last week amidst the craziness of finishing seminary and preparing to take our next ministry steps.

Solving the World's Problems...

... one hand at a time.



For more information on how to purchase a pair of handerpants, click here.

HT: Mike McKinley

Hell's Gloomiest Day

"Imagine, for a moment, the reaction of Hell to the death of Christ. Jesus was bound with the bands of death. What celebration and joy! God was defeated! Vengeance was the Devil’s. But they reckoned without the wisdom of God. For Christ could not be held down by the bands of death. In fact through death He was paralyzing the one who had the power of death, and He was setting His people free (Heb. 2:14-15). What seemed to be defeat was actually victory. The Resurrection morning was Hell’s gloomiest day. Satan saw the wisdom of God and tasted defeat."

- Sinclair Ferguson, Heart for God, pg. 75

Christ's Portfolio is Sufficiently Complete

"Christ is our attorney and His portfolio is His propitiation. He stands before His Father in heaven, and every time we sin, He doesn't make a new propitiation. He doesn't die again and again. Instead He opens his portfolio and lays the exhibits of Good Friday on the bench before the Judge. Photographs of the crown of thorns, the lashing, the mocking soldiers, the agonies of the cross, and the final cry of victory: It is finished."

- John Piper

Love Lustres at Calvary

Jesus expired that we might live for ever...

"Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy, cast off that I might be brought in, trodden down as an enemy that I might be welcomed as a friend, surrendered to hell's worst that I might attain heaven's best, stripped that I might be clothed, wounded that I might be healed, athirst that I might drink, tormented that I might be comforted, made a shame that I might inherit glory, entered darkness that I might have eternal light. My Savior wept that all tears might be wiped from my eyes, groaned that I might have endless song, endured all pain that I might have unfading health, bore a thorned crown that I might have a glory-diadem, bowed his head that I might uplift mine, experienced reproach that I might receive welcome, closed his eyes in death that I might gaze on unclouded brightness, expired that I might for ever live."

The Valley of Vision, "Love Lustres at Calvary," pg. 42

The Curse

HT: Z

Jesus Our Substitute

Good Friday is a day where God's infinite wrath and God's infinite mercy are on full dispay. Praise God we have a sufficient substitute!

"In Gods case, if He had said in the infinite sovereignty of His absolute will, 'I will have no substitute, but each man shall suffer for himself, he who sinneth shall die,' none could have murmured. It was grace, and only grace which led the divine mind to say, 'I will accept of a substitute. There shall be a vicarious suffering; and My vengeance shall be content, and My mercy shall be gratified.'” - C.H. Spurgeon

Public Confession of Sin

I recently finished the Westminster Directory of Public Worship. Essentially, it's "how to" book for worship services in the Puritan era. It was a tremendously helpful little book for a pastor-in-training. As you can probably guess from this blog, I think history (although not the final authority) should have an impact on how we, as a church, do what we do. The Bible is the final rule of faith and practice, and history can help us understand "historically" where there have been weaknesses and strengths. In short, we can learn from the past.


A part of the directory that really stood out in my mind was the Westminster divines' admonition to put great attention to the specifics of our corporate prayers in the worship service. Particularly, they advocate for a robust public confession of sin in the weekly corporate worship service. Here's how they say it,

"After reading of the word, (and singing of the psalm,) the minister who is to preach, is to endeavour to get his own and his hearers hearts to be rightly affected with their sins, that they may all mourn in sense thereof before the Lord, and hunger and thirst after the grace of God in Jesus Christ, by proceeding to a more full confession of sin, with shame and holy confusion of face, and to call upon the Lord to this effect..."

They then offer a pattern public confession that is both deep and wide. This portion of the directory really got me thinking. Do I daily confess sin as I should? Not to mention, do I lead the people I shepherd into corporate confession of sin? Especially today, on Good Friday, we would be served well to think long and hard about the sin in our own hearts that drove Christ to the cross.

Puritan William Bridge describes our sin this way, "For if the guilt of sin be so great that nothing can satisfy it but the blood of Jesus; and the filth of sin be so great that nothing can fetch out the stain thereof but the blood of Jesus, how great, how heinous, how sinful must the evil of sin be!"

Band of Bloggers

I'm excited to be attending the Band of Bloggers pre-conference at Together for the Gospel. Read more about Band of Bloggers here.

Suffering Well...

I really appreciated this MSNBC article from a few weeks ago on Pastor Matt Chandler.

Do yourself a favor and take a few minutes to read it.

I pray that I suffer well in this life, and train others in my life (my family and our church) to do the same. Matt Chandler appears to be suffering well.

Here's a snippet of the article below...

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Chandler never thought such a trial would shake his faith. But until now, that was just hope in the abstract.

"This has not surprised God," Chandler says on the drive home. "He is not in a panic right now trying to figure out what to do with me or this disease. Those things have been warm blankets, man."

Chandler has, however, wrestled with the tension between belief in an all-powerful God and what he, as a mere mortal, can do about his situation. He believes he has responsibilities: to use his brain, to take advantage of technology, to walk in faith and hope, to pray for healing and then "see what God wants to do."

"Knowing that if God is outside time and I am inside time, that puts some severe limitations on my ability to crack all the codes," he says. "The more I've studied, the more I go, 'Yes, God is sovereign, and he does ask us to pray ... and he does change his mind.' How all that will work is in some aspects a mystery."

When I am Afraid

"When I am afraid of evils to come, comfort me by showing me that in myself I am a dying, condemned wretch, but in Christ I am reconciled and live; that in myself I find insufficiency and no rest, but in Christ there is satisfaction and peace; that in myself I am feeble and unable to do good, but in Christ I have ability to do all things."

Valley of Vision, "Contentment," pg. 163