Progressive Sin

Simple statements often lead me to deeper thoughts than those that require deep thought to begin with.

Sin is always progressive in nature. If you give it an inch, it soon seeks to take a mile. Sin is never content, but always seeks and desires more.

-Tim Challies

Why I Love Study Bibles - Tiny Nuggets of Gold

In reading Jeremiah the following quote is from the study note for verse 2:34:

"Covenant infidelity always leads to ethical infidelity."

We're Back

So lets try and pick this blog back up....

Its been an eventful chapter in this book of life that we are living and writing: Multiple weddings, house buying, Job searching, pain & happiness, and so on. But God has been there through it all. At times it was hard to see Him, and there have been times when we may not have wanted to see Him. But He is gracious and full of mercy, to love us no matter what and to have His un-wavering arms open and ready for us to step into that embrace. The taste of a working relationship with God, one that involves pray, reading the Bible, community with believers, tastes sweet. Its is undeniable that we are most satisfied when we are in that working relationship with Him. So as Paul writes:

"Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 15:56-58

Venture into Fiction..... so far I'm pleased

"When people are kids their parents teach them all sorts of stuff, some of it true and useful, some of it absurd hogwash (example of the former: don't crap your pants; example of the latter: Columbus discovered America) This is why puberty happens. The purpose of puberty is to shoot an innocent and gullible child full of nasty glandular secretions that manifest in the mind as confusion, in the innards as horniness, upon the skin as pimples, and on the tongue as cocksure venomous disbelief in every piece of information, true or false, gleaned from one's parents since infancy. The net result is in a few years of familial hell culminating in the child's exodus from the parental nest, sooner or later followed by a peace treaty and the emergence of the post pubescent as an autonomous, free-thinking human being who knows that Columbus only trespassed on an island inhabited by our lost and distant Indian relatives, but who also knows not to crap his pants."

- Excerpt from "The River Why" by David James Duncan

To You Be the Glory

Listening to the new Glory Revealed 2 cd. I have to say that the album ends with an beautifully simple song by Matt Maher and Kari Jobe singing the truth of Romans 11:33-36. The Glory Revealed project is absolutely God glorifying worship... sweet fragrances to the Lord. They simply sing scripture. I apprecatice this being the book-end to the album rejoicing in the fact that all things are from Him, through Him, and to Him be glory forever. I Amen that.

Romans 11:33-36 (English Standard Version)

³³Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! ³⁴"For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?"³⁵"Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?" ³⁶For from him and through him and to him are all things To him be glory forever. Amen.

Check it out ---> http://www.gloryrevealed.com/

Think about it

I want to be one free of expectations. I don't know if it is a safety mechanism I have installed but I try my best to not set expectations. They seem to only create pain when they are not meet. Instead I live in the present, accepting what comes and being grateful for what I have. Maybe it's one of the walls that I have built to protect me, but generally I think it works. When we live a life that is absent of these expectations it frees us to simply enjoy life as it comes. Just ask yourself how many times you have been let down b/c you set some expectation (whether it was just or not) and it didn't come through? Think of it this way too….. when is a gift more appreciated…. When it's expected or when it is given just b/c someone thought of you? Maybe this lifestyle isn't for everyone, but it's what I do.

Marriage Mania

Marriage Mania

So with all the weddings coming up (including my own) Calvin & Blogging have been put on hold.

Blogging the Institutes Day 57 : 2.7.2 - 2.7.7

We have heard in Galatians "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law".

Oh the glory of that line. There is however a cyclical view of this. That leads us to the topic of today's reading: How the law leads us to understand the curse, which leads us to Christ.

"Hence he properly calls Christ the end or fulfilling of the Law, because it would avail us nothing to know what God demands did not Christ come to the succor [aid] of those who are laboring, and oppressed under an intolerable yoke and burden."

"Is the Lord, then, you will ask, only sporting with us? Is it not the next thing to mockery, to hold out the hope of happiness, to invite and exhort us to it, to declare that it is set before us, while all the while the entrance to it is precluded and quite shut up? I answer, Although the promises, insofar as they are conditional, depend on a perfect obedience of the Law, which is nowhere to be found, they have not, however, been given in vain. For when we have learned, that the promises would be fruitless and unavailing, did not God accept us of his free goodness, without any view of our works, and when, having so learned, we, by faith, embrace the goodness thus offered in the gospel, the promises, with all their annexed conditions, are fully accomplished. For God. while bestowing all thing upon us freely, crowns his goodness by not disdaining our imperfect obedience; forgiving its deficiencies, accepting it as if it were complete, and so bestowing upon us the full amount of what the Law has promised."... !!!!

Blogging the Institutes Day 57 : 2.6.3 - 2.7.1

The theme of redemption flood Scriptures. From the fall of man to coming of the Kingdom. Christ as Mediator is a constant pursuit. The purpose of the laws, ceremonies, and rites in the Old Testament were to point the Jews to an "end". God is only interested in spiritual worship, for why would God be interested in the shouts of mere human mouths? He wouldn't. He wants man's soul to rejoice, he wants man's soul to sing to Him! These ceremonies were to draw the spiritual out of the dead human flesh. They were to draw the mind up so they could see that something greater would be needed to fully restore them with God. In short, the laws, ceremonies, and rites point to an ultimate sacrifice, of the most pure blood, that can reach deep enough to cleanse a soul! And that sacrifice was satisfied in Jesus Christ.

Blogging the Institutes Day 56 : 2.5.18 - 2.6.2

If you haven't picked up on it yet, Calvin is really trying to get across the depth of what it means to be a fallen human, and that due to our nature we must solely rely on God and His Grace to be near to Him and do good by Him.

"Only agree with me in this, that it is by his (man's) own fault he is stripped of the ornaments in which the Lord at first attired him, and then let us unite in acknowledging that what he now wants is a physician, and not a defender."

"Let it stand, therefore, as an indubitable truth, which no engines can shake, that the mind of man is so entirely alienated from the righteousness of God that he cannot conceive, desire, or design any thing uy what is wicked, distorted, foul, impure, and iniquitous; that his heart is so thoroughly envenomed by sin that it can breathe out nothing but corruption and rottenness; that if some men occasionally make a show of goodness, their mind is ever interwoven with hypocrisy and deceit, their sould inwardly bound with the fetters of wickedness."

Blogging the Institutes Day 55 2.5.13 - 2.5.17

We continue on the topic of man's ability to chose good, and further support the stance that man can do no good without the aid of God & Grace. Calvin makes two statements that I feel should be documented in order to build this further support.

This one is pretty funny, I can see Calvin saying this to his opposition.

"To the natural powers of man we ascribe approving and rejecting, willing and not willing, striving and resisting, i.e., approving vanity, rejecting solid good, willing evil and not willing good, striving for wickedness, and resisting righteousness."

And in response to those who say, "Then why do any thing at all".

Grace led "good acts" are our own! How great is that! We get a level of credit in God's eyes for those works which we could not do without His Help.

"But though every thing good in the will is entirely derived from the influence of the Spirit, yet, because we have naturally an innate power of willing, we are not improperly said to do the things of which God claims for himself all the praise; first, because every thing which his kindness produces in us is our own (only we must understand that it is not of ourselves); and, secondly, because it is our mind, our will, our sturdy which are guided by him to what is good."

Blogging the Institutes Day 54 2.5.9 - 2.5.12

Why do I think it is of such massive importance that we squash the idea of the human will's ability to chose good?

Answer: So that we can not boast. Because we would. If the human will was able to chose good without the aid of grace and faith, we would give ourselves the glory and rob God of His deserved glory.

"We must, therefore, attend to the admonition of Paul, when he thus addresses believers, 'Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.' (Phil 2:12-13). He ascribes to them (man) a part in acting that they may not indulge in carnal sloth, but by enjoining fear and trembling, he humbles them so as to keep them in remembrance, that the very thing which they are ordered to do is the proper work of God -- distinctly intimating, that believers act passively inasmuch as the power is given them from heaven, and cannot in any way be arrogated to themselves."

Blogging the Institutes Day 53 2.5.4 - 2.5.8

What purpose do teachers, preachers, exhortations, or reprimands have once one becomes a "believer" in Christ? If one is born again shouldn't that be enough? What is the purpose to bible study, of listening to sermons, of talking out issues with friends? Why does it seem like there are so many that think little of these things?

Well, there are MANY purposes for those things, but "had exhortations and reprimands no other profit with the godly than to convince them of sin, they could not be deemed altogether useless. Now, when, by the Spirit of God acting within, they have the effect of inflaming their desire of good, of arousing them from lethargy, of destroying the pleasure and honeyed sweetness of sin, making it hateful and loathsome, who will presume to cavil at them as superfluous?"

The danger of this attitude can be seen across the scope of the Church today. People forget about sin. They accept the grace of God, they accept Jesus. But the only change that is seen in their lives is that they feel eternally forgiven. Their actions don't change, "because they feel forgiven", their views don't change, "they don't have to" they feel forgiven.

Preaching, Teaching, Talking, Reading -- all, if only, bring light to sin. And when sin is brought to your face, the only place you can go is to the Cross. And when you encounter the cross, you will "feel" what forgiven is really like.

And your actions and your view will change.

Blogging the Institutes Day 52: 2.4.7 -2.5.3

The idea of unabated human free will is not biblical; Free will to chose God, free will to do good, free will to make any choice based solely on your own. It's just not. Any semi-serious study of Romans, the Words of Jesus, and the entire Old Testament's pointing to God's redemptive history will prove this. Scriptures continually state that God wills some hearts of flesh and other hearts of stone and that grace is through faith, a gift from God and not of works.

If you believe that free will indeed exist, and that you are the final decision maker in your faith, or that you have the ability to chose good over evil, I honestly pray for you. For if that is the case then you are leaving your faith, and your eternal future in your own hands, your own sinful hands. And where there is sin there is punishment, all the works in the world will not cover up that stain.

"The abettors of this error would see a still better refutation of it, if they would attend to the source from which the apostle derives the glory of the saints -- 'Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and who he justified, them he also glorified' (Rom 8:30). On what ground, then the apostle being judge, are believers crowned? Because by the mercy of God, not their own exertions, they are predestinated, called, and justified. Away, then, with the vain fear, that unless free wills stands, there will no longer be any merit! It is foolish to take alarm, and recoil from that which Scripture
inculcates. 'If thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it?' (1 Cor 4:7). You see how everything is denied to free will, for the very purpose of leaving no room for merit. And yet, as the beneficence and liberality of God are manifold and inexhaustible, the grace which he bestows upon us, inasmuch as he makes it our own, he recompenses as if the virtuous acts were our own."

Augustine puts it like this, " If you are to receive your due, you must be punished. What then is done? God has not rendered you due punishment, but bestows upon you unmerited grace. If you wish to be an alien from grace, boast your merits."

I wish to be no alien from grace, but a current and forever resident of grace!

Blogging the Institutes Day 51: 2.4.1 - 2.4.6

I enter this subject humbly, as I do not have all the answers, and can not even begin to do a detailed Q&A, but it is a subject that settles well in my soul, one I feel is closest to God in description, and most glorifies Him as Sovereign.

John Piper made a statement during his TULIP seminar, which I feel may have come from the reading of this section. Piper said that God wills means, and God wills ends. At time you may be a functioning part of the means, and at time you may be experiencing the ends.

Calvin puts it this way, "And the interference of divine providence goes to the extent not only of making events turn out as was foreseen to be expedient, but of giving the wills of men the same direction."

The best picture of this is in the story of Job, and how all at once God, Satan, and man can be involved in one singular "evil", yet God is not unjust for allowing that "evil" to occur. Where God uses Satan and man as the means to the ultimate end of humbling Job to produce worship and saying, "What the Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away."

God will get His Glory. If He were to ever act in a way were the end was not His receiving of Glory, that would be an injustice to Himself, and a very weak picture of a Holy Awesome God.

Blogging the Institutes Day 50: 2.3.10 - 2.3.14

Thank God we are not left to ourselves to preserver to the end. It is only God's Grace that allows us to continually fight off sin and the devil. Without this continual and effectual grace we would not stand a change.

Bernard of Clairvaux, a Cistercian monk, one in which Calvin has quoted quite a bit lately, made a very poignant prayer in regard to perseverance,

"Draw me, who am in some measure unwilling, and make me willing; draw me, who am sluggisly lagging, and make me run."

That's my prayer, and maybe one in which you would consider as well!

Finally Alive - Read It!

"The Son of Man came “to give his life a ransom for many.” This
had to happen as the basis of the free and gracious gift of the new
birth for undeserving sinners like us. And since the new birth is
the gift of eternal life, not just new life, the ransom price had to be
imperishable—not like silver or gold. The blood of Christ is infi nitely
valuable and, therefore, can never lose its ransoming power. The life
it obtains lasts forever. So the way God brings about the new birth
is by paying a ransom for the eternal life it imparts."

-Excerpt from Finally Alive by John Piper.

Read it online for free

"There is nothing new under the sun"

In Ecclesiastes King Solomon sets out on the ultimate experiment..... to find ultimate pleasure. He tries all kinds of avenues; parties, women, kingdoms, work and find one truth, that there is nothing new under the sun. I encourage all who see this to begin to listen to Matt Chandler, lead pastor at the Village Church, clearly and wonderfully teach this amazing book. It has rocked my world.

http://hv.thevillagechurch.net/sermons?kw=ecc&type=sermons&match=any

Blogging the Institutes Day 49 2.3.5 -2.3.9

Argument: Everything Proceeding from Man is Corrupt (Continued), Anything Good Proceeding from Man, is actually Proceeding from Christ.

1. "Thus the soul (in its natural state), in some strange and evil way, is held under this kind of voluntary, yet sadly free necessity, not bond and free; Bond in respect of necessity, free in respect of will: and what is still more strange, and still more miserable, it is guilty because free, and enslaved because guilty, and therefore enslaved because free."
2. "Since the Lord, in bringing assistance, supplies us with what is lacking, the nature of that assistance will immediately make manifest its converse, ie., our penury. When the apostle says to the Philippians, "being confident of this very thing, that he which has begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ", there cannot be a doubt, that by the good work thus begun, he means the very commencement of conversion in the will. God, therefore, begins the good work in us be exciting in our hearts a desire, a love, and a study of righteousness, or (to speak more correctly) by turning, training, and guiding our hearts unto righteousness; and he competes this good work by confirming us unto perseverance."
   
3. But if the Holy Spirit meant to show that no good can ever be extracted from our heat until it is made altogether new, let us not attempt to share with him what he claims for himself alone.
4. "For in saying (Augustine that is), as he often does, that the Lord prevents the unwilling in order to make him willing, and follows after the willing that he may not will in vain, he make him the sole author of good works.
5. If, when engrafted into Christ, we bear fruit like the vine, which draws its vegetative power from the moisture of the ground and the dew of heaven, and fostering warmth of the sun, I see nothing in a good work, which we can call our own, without trenching upon what is due to God.
6. In this way, the Lord both begins and prefects the good work in us, so that it is due him, first, that the will conceives a love of rectitude, is inclined to desire, is moved and stimulated to purse it; secondly, that this choice, desire, and endeavor fail not, but are carried forward to effect; and lastly, that we go on without interruption, and persevere even to the end."
   

Blogging the Institutes Day 48 2.3.1 -2.3.4

Argument: Everything Proceeding from Man is Corrupt

Points of Support:

1. Christ says that we must be born again, because we are flesh. He requires us not to be born again of the body, but of the mind. The mind must be totally renewed
2. Everything in man, which in not spiritual, falls under the denomination of carnal. But we have nothing of the Spirit except through regeneration (being born again). Everything, therefore, which we have from nature is flesh.
3. Ps 62:9 "Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath." The human mind receives a humbling blow when all the thoughts which proceed form it are derived as foolish, frivolous, perverse, and insane.
4. Rom 3:10-18 "as it is written: None is righteous, no not one, no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood, in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes." The object is not merely to upbraid men in order that they may repent, but to teach that all are overwhelmed with inevitable calamity, and can be delivered from it only by the mercy of God.
5. "For as a body, while it contains and fosters the cause and matter of disease, cannot be called healthy, although pain is not actually felt; so a soul, while teeming with such seeds of vice, cannot be called sound."
6. But we ought to consider, that, notwithstanding the corruption of our nature, there is some room for divine grace, such grace as, without purifying it, may lay it under internal restraint...If every soul is capable of such abominations (and the apostle declares this boldly), it is surely easy to see what the result would be, if the Lord were to permit human passion to follow its bent...In the elect, God cures these diseases in the mode which we shortly be explained; in others, he only lays them under such restraint as may prevent them from breaking forth to a degree incompatible with the preservation of the established order of things."
7. The virtues which deceive us by an empty show may have their praise in civil society and the common intercourse of life, but before the judgment sear of God they will be of no value to establish a claim of righteousness."

This can be a very scary thought for those who think being good, and doing good, is all that really matters.

Blogging the Institutes Day 47 2.2.14 - 2.2.27

This is profound once understood, knowing that grace must be given before you can understand, so in understanding, you know you have grace.

"We are all sinners by nature, therefore we are held under the yoke of sin. But if the whole man is subject to the dominion of sin, surely the will, which is its principal seat, must be bound with the closest chains. And, indeed, if divine grace were preceded by any will of ours, Paul could not have said that, 'it is God which worketh in us both to will and to do' (Phil 2:13). Away, then, with all the absurd trifling which many have indulged in with regard to preparation. Although believers sometimes ask to have their heart trained to the obedience of the divine law, as David does in several passages, it is to be observed, that even this longing in prayer is from God.

Augustine said it this way is speaking about the inability of human reason to understand the things of God,

"The grace of illumination is not less necessary to the mind than the light of the sun to the eye.

Blogging the Institutes Day 46 2.2.18 - 2.2.23

What power does human reason hold, in regard to the kingdom of God and spiritual discernment? Calvin breaks down the kingdom of God and spiritual discernment into three things: knowledge of God, knowledge of His paternal favor toward us, and the method of regulating our conduct in accordance with the divine law, and examines human reason in light of them:

Knowledge of God & God's Paternal Favor Towards Us

The short and sweet of it is this, that human reason simply can not begin to reach the level of understanding God and His Paternal Love for us alone. John 1:4-5 says, "In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." The human soul is indeed "irradiated with a beam of divine light, so that it is never left utterly devoid of some small flame, or rather spark, though not such as to enable it to comprehend God. And why so? Because its acuteness is, in reference to the knowledge of God, mere blindness." We must have help through the Holy Spirit to be able to grasp the knowledge and love of God. As we see from Moses that even the most visual proof is not enough to overcome our fallen "human reason", "while upbraiding the people for their forgetfulness, at the same time observes, that they could not become wise in the mysteries of God without his assistance. 'Ye have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land; the great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and these great miracles: yet the Lord has not given you a heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day'."

"No, is not He Himself the living image of His Father, in which the full brightness of His glory is manifested to us? Therefore, how far our faculty of knowing God extends could not be better shown than when it is declared, that though his image is so plainly exhibited, we have not eyes to perceive it. What? Did not Christ descend into the world that he might make the will of His Father manifest to men, and did he not faithfully perform the office? True! He did; but nothing is accomplished by his preaching unless the inner teacher, the Spirit, open the way into our minds. Only those, therefore, come to him who have heard and learned of the Father. And in what is the method of this hearing and learning? It is when the Spirit, with a wondrous and special energy, forms the ear to hear and the mind to understand."

Method of Regulating Our Conduct

Man has to some extent the ability to regulate our conduct based on the engraving of divine law on the heart. This is ability can be seen when looking at the abstract level, homicide is an evil, "no man will deny," yet it has its flaws in that at the say time "one who is conspiring the death of his enemy deliberates on it as if the thing was good."

"This is correctly termed the knowledge of the works of righteousness, a branch in which the human mind seems to have somewhat more discernment than in the former two, since an apostle declares, 'When the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meantime accusing or else excusing one another.' If the gentiles have the righteousness of the law naturally engraved on their minds, we certainly cannot say that they are altogether blind as to the rule of life. Nothing, indeed, is more common, than for man to be sufficiently instructed in a right course of conduct by natural law, of which the apostle here speaks."

It comes down to us ultimately needing God for everything.

The Invisible Hand by R.C. Sproul

I just finished the final page of The Invisible Hand by R.C. Sproul and in reflection I must say that this will go down as "one of those books" that absolutely changed me. If you haven't noticed the sub title of this blog it references the Providence of God, which this book inspired. This book was so influential because reading a book on the Providence of God forces you to constantly reflect on your every moment and how God is there and working in that exact moment, its a reflection that springs so much joy, and makes me feel so small.

Reading this book while reading Calvin was like riding a full speed train into the wall of humility.

Blogging the Institutes Day 45 2.2.12 - 2.2.17

In yesterday's post we ended with stating that the pursuit of humility does not mean that we should slothfully ignore the powers and skills God has bestowed to us, but inversely we should give God the deserved glory and use them for the spreading of His Fame. So in the next few sections Calvin analyzes our natural and supernatural gifts and how the natural have been corrupted by sin and the supernatural (the pursuit of faith and righteousness for attainment of heavenly life) have been completely withdrawn. It is funny that I encounter this subject as just yesterday I was listening to a seminar by John Piper on TULIP, and he was covering the same topic. That unbelievers do not have the ability to do good, and by good we mean that every act should be done to the Glory of God and if it is not, it can not be "good". But this is not to say that we should not Glorify God for the work He does through unbelievers. If an unbeliever builds a hospital and that hospital saves thousands and thousands of lives, but never acknowledges God's role in that hospital, the building of that hospital was not "good", but we as believers can give all the Glory to God for using those people to carry out His healing.

Calvin says it like this, "But if the Lord has been pleased to assist us by the work and ministry of the ungodly in physics, dialectics, mathematics, and other similar sciences, let us avail ourselves of it, lest, by neglecting the gifts of God spontaneously offered to us we be justly punished for our sloth."

How wonderful it is that God fulfills His promise, that he works everything for the good of those who love Him, even in the use of the ungodly.

Blogging the Institutes Day 44 2.2.8 - 2.2.11

There is no such thing as free will, there is only will freed by God.

"Without the Spirit the will of man is not free, inasmuch as it is subject to lusts which chain and master it. And again, that nature began to want liberty the moment the will was vanquished by the revolt into which it fell. Again, that man, by making a bad use of free will, lost both himself and his will [Adam]. Again, that free will having been made a captive, can do nothing in way of righteousness. Again, that no will is free which has not been made so by divine grace. Again, that the righteousness of God is not fulfilled when the law orders, and man acts, as it were, by his own strength, but when the Spirit assists, and the will (not the free will of man, but the will freed by God) obeys.

Calvin goes so far as to warn the use of the term "free will" because of its immediate implied meaning. "Declaring that the freedom of man is nothing else than the emancipation or manumission from righteousness, he seems to jest at the emptiness of the name [will]. If any one, then, chooses to make use of this term, without attaching any bad meaning to it, he shall not be troubled by me on that account; but as it can not be retained without very great danger, I think the abolition of it would be of great advantage of the church. I am unwilling to use it myself; and others, if they will take my advice, will do well to abstain from it.

This entire discussion of free will was for the end purpose of creating a foundation on which true understanding of humility can be built. Once we understand that "free will" is nothing more than our freeing from compulsion, and is not our ability to equally choose good over evil, we will see that without divine grace we can do no good. No good, that is the foundation of humility. Calvin puts it this way, "Here however, I must again repeat what I premised at the outset of this chapter, that he who is most deeply abased and alarmed, by the consciousness of his disgrace, nakedness, want, and misery, has made the greatest progress in the knowledge of himself. Man is in no danger of taking too much from himself, provided he learns that whatever he wants is to be recovered in God." As Augustine once said, "As the orator, when asked, 'what is the first precept in eloquence? answered, Delivery: What is second? Delivery: What the third? Delivery: so, if you asked me in regard to the precepts of the Christian religion, I will answer, first, second, and third, Humility."

We see that our ultimate goal is humility, but this is not the humility that leaves us secluded in a room all ours of the day, with no interaction. As Calvin says, "I do not ask, however, that man should voluntarily yield without being convinced, or that, if he has any powers, he should shut his eyes to them, that he may thus be subdued to true humility; but that getting quit of the disease of self-love and ambition, under the blinding influences of which he thinks of himself more highly than he ought to think, he may see himself as he really is, by looking into the faithful mirror of Scripture."

Blogging the Institutes Day 43 2.2.4 - 2.2.7

In discussion of "free will" it is important to come to a consensus on the meaning of the word. The common opinion of those who Calvin referenced was free will is the "power of reason to discern between good and evil; of will, to choose the one or other." Calvin's ultimate purpose is not to refute each of the stances he observed, but to simply list them as to provide context for his argument leading up to the idea that free will is not the ability to choose equally between good and evil, but to the extent of which it frees us from compulsion. "In this way, then, man is said to have free will, not because he has a free choice of good and evil, but because he acts voluntarily, and not by compulsion. This is perfectly true; but why should so small a matter have been dignified with so proud a title?"

Calvin's problem was not solely with the idea of free will, but the definition and the words themselves. He felt that ascribing this idea of "the extent to which we are free from making decisions based on compulsion" was not worthy of the the title of "will". And this is why, "How few are there who, when they hear free will attributed to man, do not immediately imagine that he is the master of his mind and will in such a sense, that he can of himself incline himself either to good or evil? It may be said that such dangers are removed by carefully expounding the meaning to the people."

Calvin's wanted to break down this idea of free will so that when people heard the term, they did not assume it was referencing the total free ability to choose good over evil, but simply the extent to which we do not respond immediately to compulsions.

Blogging the Institutes Day 42 2.1.9 - 2.2.3

As we continue to barely scratch the surface of the second book we see Calvin laying a foundation for the redemptive power of Christ. He begins, as discussed in the previous post, with the fall of man and "original sin", and has now moved to the deprivation of free will due to that fall. In today's section we do not get very deep into how man is now deprived of freedom of will, that should be coming very shortly... stay tuned.

Blogging The Institutes Day 41 2.1.5 - 2.1.8

In continuation of the analysis of Adam's Fall we take a step deeper to look at "original sin" and its effects on those following Adam. There have been arguments made that man should not have to suffer for and are not responsible for the fall of one man. I'm sorry but that is just not the case. For Adam held the responsibility of being the perfect human. It was his job to glorify God through righteousness. He failed to do that. And in that failure tainted his original state. "It should be enough for us to know that Adam was made the depository of the endowments which God was pleased to bestow on human nature, and that, therefore, when he lost what he had received, he lost not only for himself but for us all." An example would be "from a corrupt root corrupt branches proceeding, transmit their corruption to the saplings which spring from them."

"Surely there is no ambiguity in David's confession, 'I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me'. His object in the passage is not to throw blame on his parents; but the better to commend the goodness of God toward him, he properly reiterates the confession of impurity from his very birth. Ad it is clear, that there was no peculiarity in David's case, it follows that it is only an instance of the common lot of the whole human race. All of us, therefore descending from an impure seed, come into the world tainted with the contagion of sin. No, before we behold the light of the sun we are in God's sight defiled and polluted. 'Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one,' says the book of Job."

But this knowledge is not meant for defeat, but for growing an attitude of humility toward Jesus. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned; even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5:19-21)

It is this depth of knowledge that helps foster humility and an understand of true Grace. The Grace that Jesus showed on the Cross. The deeper the understanding of Grace the closer we come to our Father, and the closer we come to our Father, the more we are satisfied and He is ultimately most Glorified.

Amen

Blogging The Institutes: Day 40 2.1.1 - 2.1.4

Understanding Adam's fall and the impact it has on the rest of mankind following him is an absolute necessity in understanding ourselves and what we can do to re-attain our original state. We first must look for the cause of Adam's sin, "infidelity opened the door to ambition, and ambition was the parent of rebellion, man casting off the fear of God, and giving free vent to his lust." In short, Adam's ambition to attain more, his pride, resulted in his casting off the fear of God, and once the consequence was blinded, the action prevailed. So "the strongest curb to keep all his affections under due restraint, would have been the belief that nothing was better than to cultivate righteousness by obeying the commands of God, and that the highest possible felicity was to be loved by him." Easy enough right? Just realize that when all the options are on the table, the best one is to realize that by cultivating righteousness we experience the highest emotion, the love of God.

Wouldn't it be great if that were it. Seems simple. Do Good, Experience Love. But that scenario only factors in our actions, and since the moment of Adam's fall, we became incapable of cultivating righteousness on our own.

Enter Jesus. Enter the Cross. Enter Grace. For God knows we are not able to cultivate righteousness so He made a way for us to still experience His love by sending His Son to die, to cover our inabilities with Grace.

So without understanding our inability to cultivate righteousness, without understanding the root cause of Adam's fall, we subject ourselves to the exact same trap, the trap of pride. And where pride lives, Grace can not.

So how do we re-attain our original state? We can't. Only by humbling ourselves and allowing the blood of Christ to cover our sin do we experience "the highest possible felicity" to be loved by Him.

Blogging the Institutes - Day 40

Philosophers come in all shapes and sizes these days but their message hasn't changed.

"For they, when exhorting man to know himself, state the motive to be, that he may not be ignorant of his own excellence and dignity. They wish him to see nothing in himself but what will fill him with vain confidence, and inflate him with pride."

Even men behind the pulpit exhibit this charge to their people. Blindly they lead the blind. I look forward to reading Calvin's rebuttal to the most man-centered, absolutely common, attribute of sinful men; Namely, the desire to make much of themselves.

I have been a believer for going on 8 years. By God's grace, through great influences, I was made aware of the condition of man after the fall. That we are totally depraved and void of any good. That being said, it has only been in the last two years that this truth has rightly humbled me, giving me a more correct knowledge of Grace. We have to know ourselves as utterly hopeless. Then, and only then, is grace truly grace! An undeserved favor, for if you think there is an ounce of good in you, your mind, being so wicked, will attribute God's favor on you, to your goodness. Paul warns us in his letter to Timothy that men will be lovers of themselves!

In addition Calvin says it so beautifully concerning the result of a right knowledge of self…

"It is impossible for us to think of our first original, or the end for which we were created, without being urged to meditate on immortality, and to seek the kingdom of God."

I love how Calvin teaches! He divides the knowledge man ought to have for himself into two questions.

1) What end was man created, what qualities were given to reach that divine worship and future life?

2) How is man to accomplish this?

The first question teaches what our duty is; the second makes us aware of how unable we are to perform it.

To begin to answer we must look at what exactly happened with Adam that caused such a "fearful vengeance on the whole human race". It wasn't the desire for pleasure from fruit. There were endless quantities and varieties to eat. It was Adam's pride that lead him to go beyond what God had permitted and eat of the forbidden tree. God gave this command to exercise and prove Adam's faith, and he did whatever he wanted…. Pride. But there is more to this because it was the woman who by the subtlety of the devil abandoned the command of God. So clearly her fall had it's origin in disobedience. At the same time Adam no only was ensnared by the devil, but despised the word of God and turned to the lies of satan.

"Assuredly, when the word of God is despised, all reverence for him is gone. His majesty cannot be duly honored among us, nor his worship maintained in its integrity, unless we hang as it were upon his lips."

So Infidelity, or the breaking of the rules of a relationship, is the source of the fall.

"From Infidelity sprang ambition and pride, together with ingratitude; because Adam, by longing for more than was allotted him, manifested contempt for the great liberality which God had given him."

"The strongest curb to keep all his (Adam's/Man's) affections under due restraint, would have been to belief that nothing was better than to cultivate righteousness by obeying the commands of God, and that the highest possible happiness was to be loved by Him."

So there is the clear explanation of what happened to plague the whole human race with vengeance. In response the honest man will admit it was a heinous crime for man to think he needed more that all God had given him. And now, in 2009, our revolt is no different. We see this curse clearly that every person born does this exact thing by nature. We reject the perfect truth of God for our own conjured truth. Thereby stealing His Glory and rejecting his truth, we tell Him, "You are no God, I am".

Johnny Cash

Check out this post by Justin Taylor:

http://theologica.blogspot.com/2009/02/johnny-cash.html

Blogging the Institutes - Day 39

As we close Book 1, what Calvin says in Ch 18. pt 3 is very appropriate...

Paraphrase ... " I have taught what is plain and clear in scripture. Those who want to disagree ought to beware of what they say. For if under ignorance the seek the praise of modesty, they could have no greater arrogance when they say "I think otherwise".

This is so encouraging because we as believers are beaten up and condemned as ignorant and loony to believe the doctrines Book 1 has covered. They are the foundation; the nature of God, God as Creator, The Fall, Sovereign Providence, and it is all true!

“Man sometimes with a good will wishes something which God does not will, as when a good son wishes his father to live, while God wills him to die. Again, it may happen that man with a bad will wishes what God wills righteously, as when a bad son wishes his father to die, and God also wills it. The former wishes what God wills not, the latter wishes what God also wills. And yet the filial affection of the former is more consonant to the good will of God, though willing differently, than the unnatural affection of the latter, though willing the same thing; so much does approbation or condemnation depend on what it is befitting in man, and what in God to will, and to what end the will of each has respect. For the things which God rightly wills, he accomplishes by the evil wills of bad men,” - Augustine

"If I mistake not, I have already shown clearly how the same act at once betrays the guilt of man, and manifests the righteousness of God. Modest minds will always be satisfied with Augustine’s answer, “Since the Father delivered up the Son, Christ his own body, and Judas his Master, how in such a case is God just, and man guilty, but just because in the one act which they did, the reasons for which they did it are different?” (August. Ep. 48, ad Vincentium). If any are not perfectly satisfied with this explanation—viz. that there is no concurrence between God and man, when by His righteous impulse man does what he ought not to do, let them give heed to what Augustine elsewhere observes: “Who can refrain from trembling at those Judgments when God does according to his pleasure even in the hearts of the wicked, at the same time rendering to them according to their deeds?” (De Grat. et lib. Arbit. ad Valent. c. 20). And certainly, in regard to the treachery of Judas, there is just as little ground to throw the blame of the crime upon God, because He was both pleased that his Son should be delivered up to death, and did deliver him, as to ascribe to Judas the praise of our redemption. Hence Augustine, in another place, truly observes, that when God makes his scrutiny, he looks not to what men could do, or to what they did, but to what they wished to do, thus taking account of their will and purpose. Those to whom this seems harsh had better consider how far their captiousness is entitled to any toleration, while, on the ground of its exceeding their capacity, they reject a matter which is clearly taught by Scripture, and complain of the enunciation of truths, which, if they were not useful to be known, God never would have ordered his prophets and apostles to teach. Our true wisdom is to embrace with meek docility, and without reservation, whatever the Holy Scriptures, have delivered. Those who indulge their petulance, a petulance manifestly directed against God, are undeserving of a longer refutation."

Blogging the Institutes Day 39 1.18.3 - 1.18.4

Calvin puts an appropriating ending to the first of three books with this statement,

"Those to whom this seems harsh [Providence of God, Will of God in good & evil) had better consider how far their captiousness (petty objections) is entitled to any toleration, while, on the ground of its exceeding their capacity, they reject a matter which is clearly taught by Scripture, and complain of the enunciation of truths, which, if they were not useful to be known, God never would have ordered his prophets and apostles to teach. Our true wisdom is to embrace with meek docility (obedience), and without reservation, whatever the holy Scriptures have delivered. Those who indulge their petulance (childish sulking), a petulance manifestly directed against God, are undeserving of a longer refutation."

And in everyday terms he is basically saying,

"I just laid it out for you. I backed it up with Scripture, I called names of those who object and addressed their objections. Now if you still can't understand, this may just be over your head. And if it is over your head, you might want to be careful about throwing objections at it. Because its all written in the holy Scriptures. So now, if you still object, well I really don't think anything I say will ever convince you."

Blogging the Institutes Day 38 1.17.13 - 1.18.2

Isaiah 14:27

For the Lord of hosts has purposed,

and who will annul it?

His hand is stretched out,

and who will turn it back?

The Providence of God will be executed to the exact point at which He wills it to. There is no man or creature that can change this. As a child of God I have no fear in that statement. For those who are not, there is much sorrow.

Blogging the Institutes - Day 38

Job 1 shows that satan gets his form orders from God just as the angels, yet they have different ends. "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; as it pleased the Lord, so it has been done."

From this we see God was the author of that trial of which satan was a mere instrument. Acts 4:28 shows Pilate and his soldiers indulged in fury against Jesus; yet the disciples confess in prayer that all the wicked did nothing by what the hand and counsel of God had decreed.

"The sum of all this -- since the will of God is said to be the cause of all things, all the counsels and actions of men must be held to be governed by His Providence so that He not only exerts His power in the elect, who are guided by the Holy Spirit, but also forces the reprobate to do him service."

Pslam 40:16-17

"But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who
love your salvation say continually, "Great is the LORD!" As for me, I
am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help
and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!"

What great peace we have in Jesus, peace that penetrates past the mind
and to the heart. For the Lord takes thought FOR me. For he knows I
can't do it for myself.

Humbly,

Amen.

Blogging the Institutes Day 37 1.17.8 - 1.17.12

Ok, so I know I put a lot of quotes in these blogs, and trust me, even that is a restraint from what I would like to include. But today I could not help myself, I think summarizing this passage would not do it justice. Shall we begin:

Here we are forcibly reminded of the inestimable felicity (intense happiness) of a pious (God Centered) mind. Innumerable are the ills which beset human life, and present death in as many different forms. Not to go beyond ourselves, since the body is a receptacle, no, the nurse, of a thousand diseases, a man cannot move without carrying along with him many forms of destruction. His life is in a manner interwoven with death. For what else can be said where heat and cold bring equal danger? Then, in what direction soever you turn, all surrounding objects not only may do harm, but almost openly threaten and seem to present immediate death. Go on board a ship, you are but a plank's breadth from death. Mount a horse, the stumbling of a foot endangers your life. Walk along the streets, every tile upon the roofs is a source of danger. If a sharp instrument is in your hand, or that of a friend, the possible harm is manifest. All the savage beast you see are so many beings armed for your destruction. Even within a high-walled garden, where everything ministers to delight, a serpent will sometimes lurk. Your house, constantly exposed to fire, threatens you with poverty by day, with destruction by night. Your fields, subject to hail, mildew, drought, and other injuries, denounce barrenness, and thereby famine. I say nothing of poison, treachery, robbery, some of which beset us at home, others follow us abroad. Amid there perils, must not man be very miserable, as one who, more dead than alive, with difficulty draws an anxious and feeble breath, just as if a drawn sword were constantly suspended over his neck? It may be said that these things happen seldom, at least not always, or to all, certainly never all at once. I admit it; but since we are reminded by the example of others, that they may also happen to us, and that our life is not an exception any more than theirs, it is impossible not to fear and dread as if they were to befall us. What can you imagine more grievous than such trepidation? Add that there is something like an insult to God when it is said, that man, the noblest of the creatures, stands exposed to every blind and random stroke of fortune. Here, however, we were only referring to the misery which man should feel, were he placed under the dominion of chance.

But when once the light of divine providence has illumined the believer's soul, he is relieved and set free, not only from the extreme fear and anxiety which formerly oppressed him, but from all care. For as he justly shudders at the idea of chance, so he can confidently commit himself to God. This I say, is his comfort, that his heavenly Father so embraces all things under his power--so governs them at will by his nod--so regulates them by his wisdom, that nothing takes place save according to his appointment; that received into his favor, and entrusted to the care of his angels, neither fire, nor water, nor sword, can do him harm, except insofar as God their master is pleased to permit.

Blogging the Institutes - Day 37

The one who loves providence will be like this ......

"If anything adverse befalls him, he will raise his mind to God, whose hand is most effectual in impressing us with patience and placid moderation of mind."

"To calm all the impulses of passion, the most useful consideration is , that God arms the devil, as well as all the wicked, for conflict. Then sits as umpire, that he may exercise our patience."

"We would be miserable, if left under the dominion of chance."

"But when once the light of Divine Providence has illumined the believer’s soul, he is relieved and set free, not only from the extreme fear and anxiety which formerly oppressed him, but from all care. For as he justly shudders at the idea of chance, so he can confidently commit himself to God. This, I say, is his comfort, that his heavenly Father so embraces all things under his power—so governs them at will by his nod—so regulates them by his wisdom, that nothing takes place save according to his appointment; that received into his favour, and entrusted to the care of his angels neither fire, nor water, nor sword, can do him harm, except in so far as God their master is pleased to permit. For thus sings the Psalm, “Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust; his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday” &c. (Ps. 91:2-6). Hence the exulting confidence of the saints, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? The Lord taketh my part with them that help me.” “Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear.” “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” (Ps. 118:6; 27:3; 23:4)."

A Boomer in the Pew Contest

A Boomer in the Pew is hold a contest in honor of its 1st birthday. It will be giving away a calfskin ESV study bible. You can learn more here http://www.boomerinthepew.com/2009/02/win-a-calfskin-version-of-the-esv-study-bible.html

Doxology Ringing in My Head

The doxology is such a great hymn to get stuck in your head!

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Amen.

Blogging The Institutes: Day 36 1.17.3 - 1.17.7

With the doctrine of Providence comes many questions and many objections from the unbeliever. Who will say that if God is Provident over all actions, then why should we punish those that do wrong. "Was it not God's Providence that lead to that action?" They will say if God's Providence is true then what should be my reason for taking medicine or even take the safe walk home?

Calvin provides great answers to these questions, answers we should take to heart if we ever plan of discussing the doctrine of Providence with others (which we should!)

In regard to the role of Providence in evil acts:

" God requires of us nothing but what he enjoys. If we design anything contrary to his precept, it is not obedience, but contumacy and transgression. But if he did not will it, we could not do it. I admit this. But do we act wickedly for the purpose of yielding obedience to him? This, assuredly, he does not command. No, rather, we rush on, not thinking of what he wishes, but so inflamed by our own passionate lust, that, with destined purpose, we strive against him. And in this way while acting wickedly, we serve his righteous ordination, since in his boundless wisdom he well knows how to use bad instruments for good purposes."

In regard to taking care of ourselves and watching out for our safety:

"For he who has fixed the boundaries of our life, has at the same time entrusted us with the care of it, provided us with the means of preserving it, forewarned us of the dangers to which we are exposed, and supplied cautions and remedies, that we may not be overwhelmed unawares.

Blogging the Institutes - Day 36

There are many vain uses of the doctrine of providence. It is not a cover or shield to hide your own sin behind saying, "God willed it". It is not a license to sit and wait for God to move your hands and feet before you would go. Rather we should look to scripture for instruction on what is pleasing to God.

See there is not a more freeing doctrine for the laborer than to know God has providence over all. So we should strive to run the race will all diligence, knowing our fate is secure.

Prov 16:9 is clear - "A man's heart devises his ways; but the Lord directs his steps."

And you know what? That's great news! If it were left to me I would step my way right into eternal damnation.

Blogging The Institutes: Day 35 1.16.9 - 1.17.2

It can be a difficult pill to swallow for some, this 'pill of providence', but like so many medicines, the taste may at first seem awful, but the effects are great, and therefore the medicines start to be our first defense, instead of a feared last resort.

"For while our adversities ought always to remind us of our sins, that the punishment may incline us to repentance, we see, moreover, how Christ declares there is something more in the secret counsel of his Father than to chastise everyone as he deserves. For he says of the man who was born blind, 'Neither has this man sinned, nor his parents; but that the works of God should be made manifest in him'." Here, where calamity takes precedence even of birth, our carnal sense murmurs as if God were unmerciful in thus afflicting those who have not offended. But Christ declares that, provided we had eyes clear enough, we should perceive that in this spectacle the glory of his Father is brightly displayed."

Blogging The Institutes: Day 34 1.16.4 - 1.16.8

My brother and I like to say, "There are no such things as coincidences." We state this because by insinuating coincidence you are saying that an event, or series of events, happened randomly. And if there existed "random" events, God would not have full control of His creation, and if that were the case that would make him less than God. I believe that is the reason Providence is such a huge part of my faith. That our God must have full control and knowledge of everything that has happened and that will happen is crucial, if He doesn't have that power, then who is to say that He has the power to SAVE but not the power to control all the workings of His creation.

The ultimate reason that Providence has such an impact is that it IS the source of my strength. To know that I have a Creator God who has my back in all situations, and is continually working on my behalf for the good of me, that He may ultimately be glorified. Through the toughest of times I know He is working and in the best of times I know He is working. "When Abraham said to his son, God will provide, he meant not merely to assert that the future event was foreknown to God, but to resign the management of an unknown business to the will of him whose province it is to bring perplexed and dubious matters to a happy result."

"Hence we maintain, that by His providence, not heaven and earth and inanimate creatures only, but also he counsels and wills of men are so governed as to move exactly in the course which he has destined. What, then, you will say, does nothing happen fortuitously, nothing contingently? I answer, it was a true saying of Basil the Great, that fortune and chance are heathen terms; the meaning of which ought not to occupy pious minds. For if all success is blessing from God, and calamity and adversity are His curse, there is no place left in human affairs for fortune and chance."

Blogging The Institutes: Day 33 1.15.8 - 1.16.3

"Let him, therefore, who would beware of such unbelief, always bear in mind, that there is no random power, or agency, or motion in the creatures, who are so governed by the secret counsel of God, that nothing happens but what he has knowingly and willingly decreed."

As you can tell from the title of this blog one of the attributes I find myself most attracted to is the Providence of God, so you can imagine my joy as Calvin approaches this attribute at the start of the 16th chapter. He opens with this, "It were cold and lifeless to represent God as a momentary Creator, who completed his work once for all, and then left it." At first reading, this line made my heart sink. For the thought of that being true, that God would create this glorious work, and then leave it to run alone, is absolutely frightening and soul stealing. Lucky for us that is not the case, our Provident God continues to govern and direct His creation, leave us stress free and full of joy, for "without preceding to His Providence, we cannot understand the full force of what is meant by God being the Creator, how much soever we may seem to comprehend it with our mind, and confess it with our tongue."

Here are a few select quotes from these sections on Providence, please take a few minutes to soak these in, they have the power of changing your life:

"If one falls among robbers, or ravenous beast; if a sudden gust of wind at sea causes shipwreck; if one is struck down by the fall of a house or a tress; if another, when wandering through desert paths, meets with deliverance; or, after being tossed by the waves, arrives in port, and makes some wondrous hair-breadth escape from death--all these occurrences, prosperous as well as adverse, carnal sense will attribute to fortune. But whoso has learned from the mouth of Christ that all the hairs of his head are numbered, will look farther for the cause, and hold that all events whatsoever are governed by the secret counsel of God."

"No created object makes a more wonderful or glorious display than the sun. For, besides illuminating the whole world with it s brightness, how admirable does it foster and invigorate all animals by its heat, and fertilize the earth by its rays, warming the seeds of grain in its lap, and thereby calling forth the verdant blade! This it supports, increases, and strengthens with additional nurture, till it rises into the stalk; and sill feed it with perpetual moisture, till it comes into flower; and from flower to fruit, which it continues to ripen till it attains maturity. In like manner, by its warmth trees and vines bud, and put forth first their leaves, then their blossom, then their fruit. And the Lord, that he might claim the entire glory of these things as his own, was pleased that light should exist, and that the earth should be replenished with all kinds of herbs and fruits before he made the sun. No pious man, therefore, will make the sun either the necessary or principal cause of those things which existed before the creation of the sun, but only the instrument which God employs, because he so pleases; but these miracles God declared that the sun does not daily rise and set by a blind instinct of nature, but is governed by him in its course, that he may renew the remembrance of his paternal favor toward us."

"God is deemed omnipotent, not because he can act though he may cease or be idle, or because by a general instinct he continues the order of nature previously appointed; but because, governing heaven and earth by his providence, he so overrules all things that nothing happens without his counsel."

"Those who attribute due praise to the omnipotence of God thereby derive a double benefit. He to whom heaven and earth belong, and whose nod all creatures must obey, is fully able to reward the homage which they pay to him, and they can rest secure in the protection of him to whose control everything that could do them harm is subject, but whose authority, Satan, with all his furies and engines, is curbed as with a bridle, and on whose will everything adverse to our safety depends."

"I say superstitious fears. For such they are, as often as the dangers threatened by any created objects inspire us with such terror, that we tremble as if they had in themselves a power to hurt us, or could hurt at random or by chance; or as if we had not in God, a sufficient protection against them."

Blogging the Institutes - Day 35

" (on providence)..... it works at one time with means, at another time without means, and at another against means."

May it be crystal clear that the message of providence is God's active sovereignty and governance of all things, in the face of all doubts, moving as He wills, with no obstacles.

So how are we to apply this truth? There are many ways... here are 3

1)He has a purpose for all events good and "bad" - John 9:3, Ps 40:5

2) This truth calms fear -

"When the sky is overcast with dense clouds, and a violent tempest arises, the darkness which is presented to our eye, and the thunder which strikes our ears, and stupefies all our senses with terror, make us imagine that every thing is thrown into confusion, though in the firmament itself all continues quiet and serene. In the same way, when the tumultuous aspect of human affairs unfits us for judging, we should still hold, that God, in the pure light of his justice and wisdom, keeps all these commotions in due subordination, and conducts them to their proper end."

3) It steals our control - Romans 11:33-34

We All Must Pray

I came across a John Piper sermon at the end of 2008 firing us all up to make 2009 the greatest year of prayer in our personal and church lives. Justin Taylor posted this blog with a great summary of what Piper said.

My prayer for myself and all of you is that 2009 is truly a benchmark year for prayer. That we may all look back in 10 years and say 2009 was the year that our prayer lives really just took off!


http://theologica.blogspot.com/2009/02/disciplined-duty-vs-lie-of-legalism.html

Young, Restless, and Reformed

So there are a handful of people that know me well enough to know that I have a war of a time completing books. There are just so many out there that are great and I just love to filled with different points and ideas that I will continually pick up new books. Well I am working on winning this war and it started with the book Young, Restless, and Reformed. I was expecting to even read it, the title obviously caught my attention so I picked it up. After three days I had gone cover to cover.

It was an extremely well written tour of the Reformation Uprising among teens and 20-somethings. The book covers different on-campus ministries, interviews with John Piper, Marc Driscoll, and more. If your looking for a great casual read, that will encourage you and your reformed theology I would encourage you to read this book.

The author's name is Collin Hansen. Below is an article that he just posted discussing the book and what he may have done differently.


http://www.reformation21.org/articles/reflections-on-young-restless-and-reformed.php

Humbly Loving & Acknowleding Others

Tim Challies has a great post relating to a quote from John Piper's new book Finally Alive. The post talks about how we should not be envious of other Christian's spiritual gifts or successes, but be joyful in them, for through their gifts the world will glorify God!

Here is the link:

http://www.challies.com/archives/articles/quotes/humbly-rejoicing-in-the-goodness-of-others.php

Blogging the Institutes - Day 33 & 34

"At present it is necessary only to remember, that man, at his first creation, was very different from all his posterity; who, deriving their origin from him after he was corrupted, received a hereditary taint. At first every part of the soul was formed to rectitude. There was soundness of mind and freedom of will to choose the good. If any one objects that it was placed, as it were, in a slippery position, because its power was weak, I answer, that the degree conferred was sufficient to take away every excuse. For surely the Deity could not be tied down to this condition,—to make man such, that he either could not or would not sin. Such a nature might have been more excellent; but to expostulate with God as if he had been bound to confer this nature on man, is more than unjust, seeing he had full right to determine how much or how little He would give. Why He did not sustain him by the virtue of perseverance is hidden in his counsel; it is ours to keep within the bounds of soberness. Man had received the power, if he had the will, but he had not the will which would have given the power; for this will would have been followed by perseverance. Still, after he had received so much, there is no excuse for his having spontaneously brought death upon himself. No necessity was laid upon God to give him more than that intermediate and even transient will, that out of man’s fall he might extract materials for his own glory."

In coordination with my last post, i wait patiently, but anticipate with great joy, the returning of my Savior and the total restoration of my soul to it's original state. For this is the only true fix of my inconsistency. But I labor with God in the sanctification of my should here on earth, knowing the promise "I am being transformed from one degree of glory to another..... and He who began a good work in me, is sure to complete it."

Part 2 - Separate thoughts beginning in Ch. 16

The Providence of God

"Whoso has learned from the mouth of Christ that all the hairs of his head are numbered. will look farther for the cause (of any event), and hold that all events whatsoever are governed by the secret counsel of God."

"But as unbelievers transfer the government of the world from God to the stars, imagining that happiness or misery depends on their decrees or presages, and not on the Divine will, the consequence is, that their fear, which ought to have reference to him only, is diverted to stars and comets. Let him, therefore, who would beware of such unbelief, always bear in mind, that there is no random power, or agency, or motion in the creatures, who are so governed by the secret counsel of God, that nothing happens but what he has knowingly and willingly decreed."

Coincidence is a utterly sinful word to me. Faith will produce an understanding that all things work in accordance with God's plan. Nothing can thwart it. Therefore, no act on this earth happens merely because the right mix of two variables exist. Some may say, "your taking God's providence to far", my response ..... I would rather err on the side of attributing every atom, every circumstance, ever event to God, than create a list of things He does not tend to.

Let it be clear that providence is an active involvement in all events of this world. Honestly, I gladly submit to God's providence over chance, for "He works out all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose." Even if the "thing" is death.

Blogging the Institutes - Day 28

I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about angels and the role they play. Mainly because the idea never seemed really clear to me in scripture. Calvin clarifies this topic for me and gives a good perspective.

"Angels are ministering spirits whose service God employs for the protection of his people, and by whose means he distributes his favors among men, and also executes other works."

How loving a God to reassure our doubting, terrified spirits with the constant protection from multitudes of angels. Not that He needs help, but simply that he knows we are weak and need reassuring.

Blogging the Institutes - Day 32

"There is nothing more inconstant than man.. contrary movements agitating and distracting his soul."

This is the result of the Fall.

This quote defines me. It's devastating some days and painful everyday. My inconsistency is a constant source of repentance for me. I battle with myself minute by minute to resist the temptations my flesh would so enjoy, that my selfishness would love to consume, that my idolatry would love to worship. All I can do is pray and preach to myself the truth...."Your grace is sufficient.....I am more than a conqueror....... what can separate me from the love of Christ.....thought I sit is darkness the Lord will be my light, I will bear the indignation of the Lord until He pleads my case..... renew a right spirit within me, Oh God."

Thank you Father for never leaving me and giving me the Holy Spirit that moves in my heart to restore the joy of your salvation. You never fail.

Truth always remains, even when my feeling would have me believe something else........ Which do you trust?

Blogging The Institutes: Day 32 1.15.4 - 1.15.7

In further discussion of the soul Calvin writes that the soul contains the true "image" of God in which we are created, for as Paul tells Aratus (Acts 17:28) that we are God's offspring not in substance, but in quality, in asmuch as he has adorned us with divine endowments, and it is the soul that regulates the conduct of our bodies, "this it (the soul) does not merely in regard to the offices of a terrestrial life, but also in regard to the service of God. This, though not clearly seen in our corrupt state, yet the impress of it remains is seen in our very vices. For whence have men such a thirst for glory but from a sense of shame? And whence this sense of shame but from a respect for what is honorable? Of this, the first principle and source is a consciousness akin to religion. But as man was undoubtedly created to meditate on the heavenly life, so it is certain that the knowledge of it was engraved on the soul. And, indeed, man would want the principal use of his understanding if he were unable to discern his felicity, the perfection of which consist in being united to God. Hence, the principal action of the soul is to aspire thither, and accordingly, the more a man studies to approach to God, the more he proves himself to be endued with reason."

For those who say that Christianity is a blind faith, or a small man's wonder, the are wrong. For as Calvin points out that the more a man studies the approach to God, the more he is lead by reason, to that knowledge of God. It is our soul's (remember the soul is truly our likeness of God) way of showing we are on the right path or mission. That the fuzziness of God becomes clearer.

Calvin further breaks down our soul into consisting of two faculties: intellect and will

The "office of the intellect being to distinguish between objects, according as they seem deserving of being approved or disapproved; and the office of the will, to choose and follow what the intellect declares to be good, to reject and shun what it declares to be bad...let it be enough to know that the intellect is to us, as it were, the guide and ruler of the soul; that the will always follows its beck, and waits for its decision, in matters of desire."

So i can kinda sense were this is going.... and its blowing my mind!!

Blogging The Institutes: Day 31 1.15.1 - 1.15.3

Only humans were created in such a manner as to be part body and part soul, and as Calvin points out, the soul is really the defining difference between man and other created beings. But this division of man into soul and body is not widely accepted to be true. We know, as having this idea imprinted on our hearts, as the image bearers of God, that we are indeed both body and spirit. And of utmost importance, the spirit is an immortal spirit for as Solomon speaks of death saying that the spirit returns to God who gave it, and Jesus speaks of his commending his spirit to the Father, and Stephen speaks of his spirit ascending to Christ, "that when the soul is freed from the prison-house of the body, God becomes its perpetual keeper."

In defense of the immortality of the spirit Calvin lays out very helpful arguments:

"Conscience, which, distinguishing between good and evil, responds to the judgment of God, is an undoubted sign of an immortal spirit. How could motion devoid of essence penetrate to the judgment of God, and under a sense of guilt strike itself with terror? The body cannot be affected by any fear of spiritual punishment. This is competent only to the soul, which must therefore be endued with essence. Then the mere knowledge of a God sufficiently proves that souls which rise higher that then world must be immortal, it being impossible that any evanescent vigor could reach the very fountain of life."

"But the swiftness with which the human mind glances from heaven to earth, scans the secrets of nature, and after it has embraced all ages, with intellect and memory digest each in its proper order, and reads the future in the past, clearly demonstrates that there lurks in man a something separated from the body. We have intellect by which we are able to conceive of the invisible God and angels -- a thing of which body is altogether incapable. We have ideas of rectitude, justice, and honesty, ideas which the bodily senses cannot reach. The seat of these ideas must therefore be a spirit. "

"No, sleep itself, which stupefying to man, seems even to deprive him of life, is no obscure evidence of immortality; not only suggesting thoughts of things which never existed, but foreboding future events."

How true.

Blogging the Institutes - Day 31

There is a before and after effect of sin on humankind. We were different before the fall and we need to understand what changed upon at this act. See, we might be tempted to attribute out current state as humans, to God, due to the fact that we personally know nothing different than our depraved state. We ought to know our origin is of clay and dust. This dust was breathed on by God and given an immortal soul. Little do we focus on this miracle, taking for granted out own design. This soul being immortal means it will have a home outside of it's fleshly body. For the believer, God becomes the soul's homes, for the unregenerate, the darkness of Hell.

Blogging the Institutes - Day 30

Ending Ch. 14 with straight up Calvin.

"How ungrateful, then, were it to doubt whether we are cared for by this most excellent parent, who we see cared for us even before we were born! How impious were it to tremble in distrust, lest we should one day be abandoned in out necessity by that kindness which, antecedent to our existence, displayed itself in a complete supply of all good things."

" As often as we call God the Creator of heaven and earth, let us remember that the distribution of all the things which he created are in his hand and power, but that we are his sons, whom he has undertaken to nourish and bring up in allegiance to him, that we may expect the substance of all good from him alone, and have full hope that he will never suffer us to be in want of things necessary to salvation, so as to leave us dependent on some other source; that in everything we desire we may address our prayers to Him, and, in every benefit we receive, acknowledge his hand, and give him thanks; that thus allured by his great goodness and beneficence, we may study with our whole heart to love and serve Him."

Blogging The Institutes: Day 30 1.14.19 - 1.14.22

As chapter 14 comes to a close so does Calvin's exhortation of the Creation and how we are to experience and learn about God in it. And as Calvin states, it was not be means of completion that he has decided to put a cap on this subject but only that if, "we were to attempt to go over the whole subject we should never come to a conclusion, there being as many miracles of divine power, as many striking evidences of wisdom and goodness, as there are classes of objects, no, as there are individual objects, great or small, throughout the universe!"

How loving is our God that, "he was pleased to display his providence and paternal care toward us in this, that before he formed man, he provided whatever he foresaw would be useful and salutary to him."

"To conclude, in one word (yea right!); as often as we call God the Creator of heaven and earth, let us remember that the distribution of all the things which he created are in his hand and power, but that we are his sons, whom he has undertaken to nourish and bring up in allegiance to him , that we may expect the substance of all good from him alone, and have full hope that he will never suffer us to being want of things necessary to salvation, as to leave us dependent on some other source; that in everything we desire we may address our prayers to him, and, in every benefit we receive, acknowledge his hand, and give him thanks; that thus allured by his great goodness and beneficence, we may study with our whole heart to love and serve him."

Blogging The Institutes: Day 29 1.14.12 - 1.14.18

We are at war. Not against a nation, but against an evil legion, a union of dispicable hosts.

"One thing which ought to animate us to perpetual contest with the devil is, that he is everywhere called both our adversary and the adversary of God. For, if the glory of God is clear to us, as it ought to be, we ought to struggle with all our might against him who aims at the extinction of that glory.

We are at war. We are in a fight. We must constantly be on our toes, sharpening our tools, Reading Scripture and Praying for strength so that we may retain God's rightful Glory for himself!

Blogging The Institutes: Day 28 1.14.6 -1.14.11

I can't honestly say that I have spent the time or effort to better understand the role of angels in our everyday life. So I felt very intrigued, encouraged, and strengthened while reading through Calvin's exhortation of angles and their purpose.

"If we consider why it is that God, instead of acting directly without their agency, is wont to employ it in manifesting his power, providing for the safety of his people, and imparting the gifts of his beneficence. This he certainly does not from necessity, as if he were unable to dispense with them. Whenever he pleases, he passes them by, and performs his own work by a single nod; so far are they from relieving him of any difficulty. Therefore, when he employs them it is as a help to our weakness, that nothing may be wanting to elevate our hopes or strengthen our confidence. It ought, indeed, to be sufficient for us that the Lord declares himself to be our protector. But when we see ourselves beset by so many perils, so many injuries, so many kinds of enemies, such is our frailty and effeminacy, that we might at times be filled with alarm, or driven to despair, did not the Lord proclaim his gracious presence by some means in accordance with our feeble capacities. For this reason, he not only promises to take care of us, but assures us that he has numberless attendants, to whom he has committed the charge of our safety, that whatever dangers may impend, so long as we are encircled by their protection and guardianship, we are placed beyond all hazard of evil."

How great is our God. How loving is our Father. For He foresees all in our paths and sets us up for success. He provides all the strength and support we could ever need to accomplish His mission.

At this point I am simply overwhelmed by His Love.