"Your worse days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace."
(Jerry Bridges, The Disciplines of Grace, pg. 19)
This morning the above book came through my door, which was a pleasant surprise since I had completely forgotten about having ordered it! After finishing lectures for the day I went into town to do some reading, as is my usual habit, taking the book with me. I think I am not being too presumptuous if I say that beyond the Bible itself this is one of the most outstanding books I have ever read. It is so rare to find books nowadays that are overflowing with God's outrageous grace, yet rooted in the realities of the Christian walk. Certainly, apart from John Owen's book on sin and temptation, and J.C. Ryle's Holiness, I'm struggling to think of many more.
The quote above is from the first chapter, which I have to say has hit me like a rocket. Here Bridges attacks the sinful mindset that leads Christians to think that God's blessing is performance-orientated. Yes, we do have days when we feel like we can almost smell the frangrance of Christ radiating from us. And yes, we have days when we are so bunged up that we smell nothing except the stench of death and misery, where we feel so far from God that it is a struggle even to think of Him. Yet, God's grace is not dependant on how we feel, or even how we are doing. God loves us regardless. Yes, on our worse days we may be trapped in a mire of sin, but we are still saved, and righteous in the eyes of God through Christ, and nothing can change that truth.
If I really think about it, I am probably well aware of this; in fact, actually, I know I am. But assenting intellectually is very different to having a truth sealed in your heart by the Spirit, which is something I desperately need. Like all Christians, I have my good days and bad days. But for God's sovereign purposes I am also afflicted with a rather melancholic temperament, which means that frankly there are some days where I reckon that I have come pretty close to hell on earth, feeling so far away from God that He just doesn't seem to exist. I have had days where I have felt like this, and yet have been expected to teach the Scriptures, and lead other believers, when I have been so far from God that the prospect of bringing others nearer to Him seemed utterly impossible, even blasphemous. Yet praise God, He loves us and He uses us at even our lowest to share His grace, and His blessings are not dependant on our "performance". We operate solely out of what Christ has done for us on the Cross. At our worst we are never too far slipped to be unreached by this grace, and yet at our best, the times when we feel almost celestial, we are not beyond the need of grace. But Jesus paid for all sin once and for all on the Cross, and it is only through living in a constant state of reliance on Him that we secure His blessings.
"Therefore brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."
(Hebrews 10:19-22 ESV)
Grace to you all
Will
Tuesday, 15 January 2008
Friday, 11 January 2008
True Holiness
Having been both challenged and blessed by Larry's post (http://willingwriter.blogspot.com/2008/01/late-night-confessions.html) the other night, I found another excerpt from Ryle's Holiness that I reckon arguably sums up the heart of true holiness:
"Would you be holy? Would you become a new creature? Then you must begin with Christ. You will do just nothing at all, and make no progress till you feel your sin and weakness, and flee to Him. He is the root and beginning of all holiness, and the way to be holy is to come to Him by faith and be joined to Him. Christ is not wisdom and righteousness only to His people, but sanctification also. Men sometimes try to make themselves holy first of all, and sad work they make of it. They toil and labour, and turn over new leaves, and make many changes; and yet, like the woman with the issue of blood, before she came to Christ, they feel “nothing bettered, but rather worse” (Mark 5:26). They run in vain, and labour in vain; and little wonder, for they are beginning at the wrong end. They are building up a wall of sand; their work runs down as fast as they throw it up. They are baling water out of a leaky vessel; the leak gains on them, not they on the leak. Other foundation of “holiness” can no man lay than that which Paul laid, even Christ Jesus...
Holiness comes from Christ. It is the result of vital union with Him. It is the fruit of being a living branch of the True Vine. Go then to Christ and say, “Lord, not only save me from the guilt of sin, but send the Spirit, whom Thou didst promise, and save me from its power. Make me holy. Teach me to do Thy will.”
J. C. Ryle, Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots (1877)
Only in the work of Christ and a relationship with Him can we truly progress in holiness. It's all too easy to slip into a destructive and unscriptural mindset that drives us into desperate attempts to be better people, only to find that we are no better off. That's not to decry the efforts that we must make in means of grace, and it isn't promoting a Wesleyan idea of sinless perfection either. But it recognises that holiness starts and ultimately ends with the work of Christ on the Cross and in the sanctifying work of His Spirit.
Blessings
Will
"Would you be holy? Would you become a new creature? Then you must begin with Christ. You will do just nothing at all, and make no progress till you feel your sin and weakness, and flee to Him. He is the root and beginning of all holiness, and the way to be holy is to come to Him by faith and be joined to Him. Christ is not wisdom and righteousness only to His people, but sanctification also. Men sometimes try to make themselves holy first of all, and sad work they make of it. They toil and labour, and turn over new leaves, and make many changes; and yet, like the woman with the issue of blood, before she came to Christ, they feel “nothing bettered, but rather worse” (Mark 5:26). They run in vain, and labour in vain; and little wonder, for they are beginning at the wrong end. They are building up a wall of sand; their work runs down as fast as they throw it up. They are baling water out of a leaky vessel; the leak gains on them, not they on the leak. Other foundation of “holiness” can no man lay than that which Paul laid, even Christ Jesus...
Holiness comes from Christ. It is the result of vital union with Him. It is the fruit of being a living branch of the True Vine. Go then to Christ and say, “Lord, not only save me from the guilt of sin, but send the Spirit, whom Thou didst promise, and save me from its power. Make me holy. Teach me to do Thy will.”
J. C. Ryle, Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots (1877)
Only in the work of Christ and a relationship with Him can we truly progress in holiness. It's all too easy to slip into a destructive and unscriptural mindset that drives us into desperate attempts to be better people, only to find that we are no better off. That's not to decry the efforts that we must make in means of grace, and it isn't promoting a Wesleyan idea of sinless perfection either. But it recognises that holiness starts and ultimately ends with the work of Christ on the Cross and in the sanctifying work of His Spirit.
Blessings
Will
The Sufficency of Christ
Hello everyone,
Having had a bit of a "dry spell" for a few weeks, I've started reading Hebrews in my quiet time, starting today with chapter 1. I'm using quite an old commentary published by Banner of Truth called "Hebrews: A Digest of Reformed Comment" by Geoffrey Wilson. Despite the name, it was published in 1970, and is quite good if one can get past the slightly ornate language, which reads like a lightweight Puritan, and certainly not like anything recently published. Plus it uses the AV as a starting point, which isn't always that clear!! But it is quite punchy, and has enough meat without being too overwhelming. Also the convenient A5 format and 189pgs means it doesn't take up too much room in my briefcase!!
As stated, I read chapter one today. For those unaware, this is about the absolute supremacy of Christ. I was struck by v.3, which reads "He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power" (ESV). I particularly struck by the understanding of Jesus as the "exact imprint of (God's) nature". In Jesus we see an exact revelation of the Father, yet at the same time they are clearly distinct persons. "The image of the invisible God" (Col. 1:15), through whom we see the Father.
The passage goes on to affirm the sonship and divinity of Christ (v. 5, 8), and his "making purification for sins". That God Himself through His Son would come to earth to redeem fallen mankind is absolutely staggering in its grace and mercy, and I was simply humbled afresh by the grace of God, and His work in Christ on our behalf.
Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians scattered and under seige. They were doubtless strongly tempted to cast off the Christian faith, and turn back to their old legalism. But the writer asserts here the absolute supremacy of Christ in all things: "he (Christ) upholds the universe by the word of his power" (ESV). What a confidence we have; that in all things Christ is upholding them and directing them to their ultimate purpose. We are not without hope; we are destined for eternity with God if we believe in Christ's sacrifice for our sin. And we can be certain that if we are Christians, we will make it through to the end: "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:6).
"The Christian’s fight is a good fight because fought with the best of issues and results. No doubt it is a war in which there are tremendous struggles, agonizing conflicts, wounds, bruises, watchings, fastings and fatigue. But still every believer, without exception, is "more than conqueror through Him that loved [him] " (Rom. 8:37). No soldiers of Christ are ever lost, missing or left dead on the battlefield. No mourning will ever need to be put on, and no tears to be shed, for either private or officer in the army of Christ. The muster roll, when the last evening comes, will be found precisely the same that it was in the morning."
(John Charles Ryle, Holiness, Ch.4.3)
Blessings in Christ
Will
Having had a bit of a "dry spell" for a few weeks, I've started reading Hebrews in my quiet time, starting today with chapter 1. I'm using quite an old commentary published by Banner of Truth called "Hebrews: A Digest of Reformed Comment" by Geoffrey Wilson. Despite the name, it was published in 1970, and is quite good if one can get past the slightly ornate language, which reads like a lightweight Puritan, and certainly not like anything recently published. Plus it uses the AV as a starting point, which isn't always that clear!! But it is quite punchy, and has enough meat without being too overwhelming. Also the convenient A5 format and 189pgs means it doesn't take up too much room in my briefcase!!
As stated, I read chapter one today. For those unaware, this is about the absolute supremacy of Christ. I was struck by v.3, which reads "He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power" (ESV). I particularly struck by the understanding of Jesus as the "exact imprint of (God's) nature". In Jesus we see an exact revelation of the Father, yet at the same time they are clearly distinct persons. "The image of the invisible God" (Col. 1:15), through whom we see the Father.
The passage goes on to affirm the sonship and divinity of Christ (v. 5, 8), and his "making purification for sins". That God Himself through His Son would come to earth to redeem fallen mankind is absolutely staggering in its grace and mercy, and I was simply humbled afresh by the grace of God, and His work in Christ on our behalf.
Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians scattered and under seige. They were doubtless strongly tempted to cast off the Christian faith, and turn back to their old legalism. But the writer asserts here the absolute supremacy of Christ in all things: "he (Christ) upholds the universe by the word of his power" (ESV). What a confidence we have; that in all things Christ is upholding them and directing them to their ultimate purpose. We are not without hope; we are destined for eternity with God if we believe in Christ's sacrifice for our sin. And we can be certain that if we are Christians, we will make it through to the end: "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:6).
"The Christian’s fight is a good fight because fought with the best of issues and results. No doubt it is a war in which there are tremendous struggles, agonizing conflicts, wounds, bruises, watchings, fastings and fatigue. But still every believer, without exception, is "more than conqueror through Him that loved [him] " (Rom. 8:37). No soldiers of Christ are ever lost, missing or left dead on the battlefield. No mourning will ever need to be put on, and no tears to be shed, for either private or officer in the army of Christ. The muster roll, when the last evening comes, will be found precisely the same that it was in the morning."
(John Charles Ryle, Holiness, Ch.4.3)
Blessings in Christ
Will
Thursday, 10 January 2008
Welcome to new CrossThoughts
Hi all,
Welcome to the new CrossThoughts! Same ideas, but new host, which hopefully will be less troublesome. If I've got time I might post a bit up later tonight.
Blessings
Will
Welcome to the new CrossThoughts! Same ideas, but new host, which hopefully will be less troublesome. If I've got time I might post a bit up later tonight.
Blessings
Will
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