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From White Horse Inn...

"No Condemnation: Romans 8:1-17."

(12-17) "So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him."

In Romans, Paul not only imforms us that salvation by grace alone is not permission to sin. "Fire insurance" is not the road to heaven.

On the other hand, we cannot be perfect and those who claim to have no sin - lie. In this life we cannot attain perfection.

But God demands perfection of those who cannot be perfect. How can this be?

This is the beautiful part of salvation by grace - unmerited favor.

We are not perfect, but we have perfection. This perfection isn't something we earn or something we grow into. The perfect righteousness that we have, we are given through the blood of Christ.

(There is a "debate" and I have a post growing on it, about whether or not this is "Christ's righteousness" that is "imputed" to us, or whether or not this righteousness is our own faith that has been given to us by God - that is reckoned as righteousness. That is for another day...)

Our faith is reckoned as righteousness! This doesn't happen after a lifetime - God grants us saving faith, through that faith comes God's grace. Right at the beginning of our Christian walk!

Many religious people believe that the best motivation for holiness is fear of punishment and hope of reward. Sermons often become either pep talks that attempt to cajole the people into following God because of the practical benefits, or scolding in which they’re brow-beaten for not gaining victory in Jesus or surrendering every area of their life. Paul starts at neither of those points when he wants to lead believers into the new obedience that results from the life in the Spirit, choosing instead to announce all over again the heavenly verdict that calms our fears and allows us to love God instead of resent him for the very first time in our lives.

How true! I remember the "do's and don'ts" of growing up. I remember the pastor scolding a couple (dating, not married) from the pulpit for holding hands in church.

I also remember (as an adult) striving for "sanctification" - the one you have to work for!

Paul tells us that we are righteous! Not because we are so good, but because Christ is so good.

Our faith brings perfection - not our own, because we cannot be perfect; not in this life. Christ is the only perfect being that ever walked this earth and it is His perfect sacrifice that wiped out our debt, leaving us free.

THAT is the "good news!"

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This is another repeat...

By Grace AloneBy God’s grace alone are we saved. Without the grace of God, we are nothing, can do nothing, can be nothing - but lost. I’ll let God speak for Himself.

I’ll start with the greeting of Paul, to his spiritual siblings

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 1:3)

By grace, we are chosen in Christ (Romans 11:5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.)

By grace, and nothing of ourselves, we are saved. (Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—)

Even the works that we do are not our own, it is the grace of God (1 Corinthians 15:10 No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me)

We are dead, but for grace (Ephesians 2:5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.)

I’ll leave you with this, the closing of Paul to the Thessalonians:

1 Thessalonians 5:28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Amazing Grace

lyrics by John Newton, 1779

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come.
‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

And when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the vail
A life of joy and peace.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we first begun.

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This is a "repost" - as I'm learning what I do and don't like about this blog, I'm finding that some of the "pages" should be "posts". So, this is now a post - and I'm deleting the page.Scripture alone.

I’m going to start with what I believe to be true, starting with the “Five Solas”.

I am pretty new to Reformed Theology, but once I got my mind wrapped around the idea that what I grew up with had more problems than what I wanted to deal with, I embraced this. I also chose one of the more liberal Reformed demoninations (on purpose).

Anyway…my belief about Sola Scriptura is that the Holy Scriptures are our final authority. It is not that we don’t recognize any other authority - we recognize our spiritual mentors, pastors, etc. But all of the other authorities are measured against Scripture.

Paul praised the Bereans for examining what he said against Scripture; we do the same. We don’t have our Scripture interpreted for us through man - the man is judged against Scripture. If they don’t agree - Scripture wins.

If a person tells me that something is permissible, but the Bible says that it is not - the Bible wins (example: homosexuality).

If a person tells me that something is not permissible, it is up to him to show me in the Bible where the law comes from (example: having a drink with dinner).

If a person is teaching a doctrine that is not in the Bible, that doctrine is rejected (Tongues as the sign of the New Covenant).

I’m not such a big fan of Martin Luther, but this is what he said, “Unless I am overcome with testimonies from Scripture or with evident reasons — for I believe neither the Pope nor the Councils, since they have often erred and contradicted one another — I am overcome by the Scripture texts which I have adduced, and my conscience is bound by God’s Word.”

I also have problems with parts of the Reformed confessions (as does my church) and the confessions are not my authority, the Bible is. However, when they put things in a better way than I can come up with, I’ll quote them. The Belgic Confession says, “We believe that [the] holy Scriptures fully contain the will of God, and that whatsoever man ought to believe unto salvation is sufficiently taught therein…Neither may we consider any writings of men, however holy these men may have been, of equal value with those divine Scriptures nor ought we to consider custom or the great multitude, or antiquity, or succession of times and persons, or councils, decrees or statutes, as of equal value with the truth of God… Therefore, we reject with all our hearts whatsoever does not agree with this infallible rule”

In short, every authority, every standard and every message must be examined against the Scriptures. There is no man, no tradition that has more authority than the Word of God.

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Salt, when dissolved in water, may disappear, but it does not cease to exist.
We can be sure of its presence by tasting the water.

Likewise, the indwelling Christ, though unseen,
will be made evident to others from the love which He imparts to us."


~Sadhu Sundar Singh~

I'm thinking of the persecuted church and even (a little bit) of where most of us are. Salt is a good thing - it's good for flavor and it's good for preserving things. But (think of the water again) if there is too much salt, we don't like it very much.

A couple of years ago my class made ice cream and we needed rock salt. One of the students was determined that he wanted to taste the salt and finally the teacher let him taste it. He was also determined that he was not going to let on how bad it tasted and how badly he wanted to spit it out. So he just sat there with a very funny look on his face until it all dissolved; then (and only then) he went to get a drink of water.

2 Corinthians 12:10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

As Christians, we should not expect an easy life! We are the salt and if we get to "salty" the world will want to spit us out. We don't see much of that in most of the places that we live. We see some of it, and most of it on the part of peers, not the government.

As salt, Christians can function as both a preservative and a flavoring. And we can be "too strong" for the world's taste in both ways.

Unbelievers can feel "uncomfortable" when a Christian walks into a room - the Christian doesn't have to say anything, but the jokes or stories stop...this is preservative. If the Christian is "too salty", the group will just leave and the Christian may feel downright unwelcome.

As flavor, it's the same way - our saltiness can lose friends! A while ago I had a friend who was doing some things that were causing "issues". I spoke up and it was a long time before we spoke again.

But this is a good thing!   It is through these trials and tribulations - persecutions - that we are assured of our ability to stand.  God provides these opportunities for growth.

So I'll leave you with this "salty thought" - keep being the salt, we are the salt of the earth!

Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

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1 Chronicles 6:32
They ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting until Solomon built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they performed their service according to their order.

I am musically inclined and my selection of music is "interesting". One of my co-workers was in my car and looked in my CD holder and told me that it's "just not right" that I'd have John Cash, Flatfoot 56, and Klezmer Madness all in a row. Not to mention Patsy Cline and Mercy Me.

The reason that I have orchestral music, Jewish party music, bluegrass and celtic punk is that music has the ability to put you in a "mood". Music can bring you deeper into a mood that you're already in, or it can bring you out of one mood and put you in another.

Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.

Music in church is that way also - I've been in churches where all of the music feels like "party music" - it doesn't put me in the right "spirit" to come closer to God.

I've also visited a church where the congregation didn't sing - they just listened. That felt like I was being "entertained"; I wasn't worshipping.

Psalm 47:1 Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!

Music should make you want to participate! Clap - all peoples! Shout to God!

But there's another side - a side that I miss...the side that brings us to a greater intimacy with our Lord.

Stop and consider - the church is the bride and Christ is the bridegroom...

Stop and consider - the human experience that makes the Christ and His bride example work.

When a couple is dancing, what sort of music brings them closer?

Psalm 77:6 I said, "Let me remember my song in the night;let me meditate in my heart."

Music has the ability to bring us to a place of quiet worship, with hearts and hands uplifted. I can sing praises, "Clap, Clap Your Hands..." and I praise God.

But when I sing "A Mighty Fortress" or "How Great Thou Art" - I don't clap, I raise my hands in the sanctuary; those are the songs that open my heart to worship.

Those are the songs I can't listen to as I drive because when I think of all that God has done in my life, I find tears in my eyes - good tears.

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

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A portion of this essay by John H. Armstrong is available online here.

THE QUESTION IS NOT:

  • Is all that Christ taught written in Scripture? Nor is it
  • What is Scripture?

THE QUESTION IS:

  • Should oral traditions, creeds, church fathers, or writings of an extrabiblical sort ever be allowed to stand alongside the Holy Scripture as equal authority?

Herman Ridderbos (Studies in Scripture and its Authority; Eerdmans) says:

"The authority of the Scriptures is the great presupposition of the whole of the Biblical preaching and doctrine."

Again, I want to define what "Sola Scriptura" actually is (and is not)

  • Sola Scriptura is NOT the teaching that Scripture is the source of all truth. It is not a science text or a math text. There are sources of learning truth outside of Scripture.
  • Sola Scriptura is NOT the teaching that the Written Word is the only form of God’s Word that has ever been brought to His people
  • Sola Scriptura is NOT the teaching that the church (and her people) are not valuable in understanding the Word.

“The Protestant position, and my position, is that all things necessary for salvation and concerning faith and life are taught in the Bible clearly enough for the ordinary believer to find it there and understand.”

QUESTION: Does the Bible every claim authority?

The Bible writers claim, "The Lord says..." That claims authority.

Throughout the Bible the terms "the Scripture says" and "God says" mean the same thing. Scripture is written about as if it WERE God:

  • Romans 9:17 "For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."
  • Galatians 3:8 "And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed."

The New Testament writes don't give the impression that they're giving their opinion!

  • 2 Peter 3:2 "that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles..."

The apostles were given authority by Christ to preach the Gospel and from the earliest writings of the church fathers, the apostolic texts were placed on a par with the Old Testament writings - they were quoted as authoritative.

The authority of Scripture is not located in human witness. It is not found in the words of the apostles and prophets.

The authority of Scripture is found in God Himself!

...continue reading →

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At only 28 pages long, this very little book gives a lot of information on the basics of "infant baptism" and why most "Reformed" denominations baptize their babies.

Sartelle starts at the beginning - with the history of the "sign of the covenant" and explains how the sign of the covenant does NOT save; Romans 4 makes it clear that Abraham was saved by faith, not by circumcision..

After the crucifiction and resurrection of Christ, we have a new covenant sign: baptism.

Even if you don't believe that infant baptism is right and proper, I recommend reading this book - the overview that it gives is one that I never recognized until I "reformed".

Consider these questions from this book:

1) When a person believed the God of Abraham and trusted in Him in the Old Testament, what happened?

He was circumcised

2) What was the outward event that represented the clean heart in the Old Testament?

Circumcision

3) What was the outward sign that marked a person's entrance into the community of believers in the Old Testament?

Circumcision

Now, ask the same questions, replacing the words "Old Testament" with "New Testament".

1) When a person believed the God of Abraham and trusted in Him in the New Testament, what happened?

He was baptized

2) What was the outward event that represented the clean heart in the New Testament?

Baptism

3) What was the outward sign that marked a person's entrance into the community of believers in the New Testament?

Baptism

For centuries, covanent families understood - were commanded by God - to apply the sign of the covanent to their children - as well as adults to turned to the faith. What would Hebrew families who had followed Christ have felt at the sight of a new believer being baptized, when their own child was denied?

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I am in the process of listening to a sermon by Kim Riddlebarger. The text is Romans 7:14-25

"For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Paul writes of this struggle with sin as being very intense; speaking of evil almost as though it's a power or force that takes hold of him, making him prisoner - even though (in his heart) he loves the Law of God.

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

There are a couple of different ways that this short passage can be interpreted:

I can truly and genuinely relate to Paul as I read this passage. I can relate in my own struggles - that Paul, an apostle, struggled with sin can be a great relief! When I want to do right - the harder I try, the more I seem to fail. There are things that are so tempting!

Or I can see it as a warning; if I am experiencing this sort of struggle, I need to move on to the "victorious life" that Paul will describe in chapter 8. To read it this way is frustrating. If even Paul struggles - how much more so I? If Paul, an apostle, has these "issues" - how hard am I going to have to work at being "good"?

How I interpret this passage will affect how I live my life. It will affect how I view justification, sanctification, my expectations of the Christian life and how I choose to live it. It will affect the preaching and teaching that I hear in my church, how I deal with my own conscience, and even how I pray.

How I look at these few verses has a very real impact on My life as a Christian.

Questions

Is Paul writing about his present experience?

Or is he writing about that period in his life before he because a Christian?

Or is he even describing somebody else? ...continue reading →