Saturday, Jan. 12 In the morning. (From the Diary of Jonathan Edwards)

I wanted to share the thoughts of Jonathan Edwards on him being his own or better yet him not being his own. I thought his thoughts were spot on and are found to be very biblical concerning the matter of us christians not belonging to ourselves and giving up our own rights for the sake of God's kingdom. Enjoy! This is found in The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. 1 (Hendrickson Publishers)

Saturday, Jan. 12. In the morning. I have, this day, solemnly renewed my baptismal covenant and self-dedication, which I renewed when I was taken into the communion of the church. I have been before God, and have given myself, all that I am and have, to God; so that I am not, in any respect, my own. I can challenge no right in this understanding, this will, these affections, which are in me. Neither have I any right to this body, or any of its members—no right to this tongue, these hands, these feet; no right to these senses, these eyes, these ears, this smell, or this taste. I have given myself clear away, and have not retained any thing as my own. I gave myself to God in my baptism, and I have been this morning to him, and told him, that I gave myself wholly to him. I have given every power to him; so that, for the future, I’ll challenge no right in myself, in no respect whatever. I have expressly promised him, and I do now promise Almighty God, that by his grace I will not. I have this morning told him that I did take him for my whole portion and felicity, looking on nothing else as any part of my happiness, nor acting as if it were; and his law, for the constant rule of my obedience; and would fight with all my might against the world, the flesh, and the devil, to the end of my life; and that I did believe in Jesus Christ, and did receive him as a Prince and Saviour; and that I would adhere to the faith and obedience of the gospel, however hazardous and difficult the confession and practice of it may be; and that I did receive the blessed Spirit as my Teacher, Sanctifier, and only Comforter, and cherish all his motions to enlighten, purify, confirm, comfort, and assist me. This, I have done; and I pray God, for the sake of Christ, to look upon it as a self-dedication, and to receive me now as entirely his own, and to deal with me, in all respects, as such, whether he afflicts me or prospers me, or whatever he pleases to do with me, who am his. Now, henceforth, I am not to act, in any respect, as my own.—I shall act as my own, if I ever make use of any of my powers to any thing that is not to the glory of God, and do not make the glorifying of him my whole and entire business:—if I murmur in the least at affliction; if I grieve at the prosperity of others; if I am in any way uncharitable; if I am angry because of injuries; if I revenge them; if I do any thing purely to please myself, or if I avoid any thing for the sake of my own ease; if I omit any thing because it is great self-denial; if I trust to myself; if I take any of the praise of the good that I do, or that God doth by me; or if I am in any way proud. This day, made the 42nd and 43rd Resolutions.—Whether or no, any other end ought to have any influence at all on any of my actions; or whether any action ought to be any otherwise, in any respect, than it would be, if nothing else but religion had the least influence on my mind. Wherefore I make the 44th Resolution.

Query: Whether any delight or satisfaction ought to be allowed, because any other end is obtained beside a religious one.—In the afternoon. I answer, Yes, because, if we should never suffer ourselves to rejoice, but because we have obtained a religious end, we should never rejoice at the sight of friends, we should not allow ourselves any pleasure in our food, whereby the animal spirits would be withdrawn, and good digestion hindered. But the query is to be answered thus:—We never ought to allow any joy or sorrow, but what helps religion. Wherefore, I make the 45th Resolution.

The reason why I so soon grow lifeless, and unfit for the business I am about, I have found out, is only because I have been used to suffer myself to leave off, for the sake of ease, and so I have acquired a habit of expecting ease; and therefore, when I think I have exercised myself a great while, I cannot keep myself to it any longer, because I expect to be released, as my due and right. And then I am deceived, as if I were really tired and weary, whereas, if I did not expect ease, and was resolved to occupy myself by business as much as I could, I should continue with the same vigour at my business, without vacation time to rest. Thus I have found it in reading the Scriptures; and thus I have found it in prayer; and thus I believe it to be in getting sermons by heart, and in other things.

J.I. Packer's Introductory Essay... WOW!

Undoubtably, this will probably rub some people the wrong way, but that just proves that Packer's words are the truth. We were discussing John Owen's book, "Death of Death in the Death of Christ," with Jeremy last night, and we looked up the introduction written by J.I. Packer. I sat down and read it, and man did he hit the nail on the head. I really do believe that we are getting close to the return of our Lord Jesus, and I believe that God is reestablishing the true old Gospel in the hearts of his sheep. I pray that you will read this portion of Packer's essay and then go and really read the Word. The true old Gospel is there and it is undeniable.

The Death of Death in the Death of Christ is a polemical work, designed to show, among other things, that the doctrine of universal redemption is unscriptural and destructive of the gospel. There are many, therefore, to whom it is not likely to be of interest. Those who see no need for doctrinal exactness and have no time for theological debates which show up divisions between so-called Evangelicals may well regret its reappearance. Some may find the very sound of Owen’s thesis so shocking that they will refuse to read his book at all; so passionate a thing is prejudice, and so proud are we of our theological shibboleths. But it is hoped that this reprint will find itself readers of a different spirit. There are signs today of a new upsurge of interest in the theology of the Bible: a new readiness to test traditions, to search the Scriptures and to think through the faith. It is to those who share this readiness that Owen’s treatise is offered, in the belief that it will help us in one of the most urgent tasks facing Evangelical Christendom today—the recovery of the gospel.

This last remark may cause some raising of eyebrows, but it seems to be warranted by the facts.

There is no doubt that Evangelicalism today is in a state of perplexity and unsettlement. In such matters as the practice of evangelism, the teaching of holiness, the building up of local church life, the pastor’s dealing with souls and the exercise of discipline, there is evidence of widespread dissatisfaction with things as they are and of equally widespread uncertainty as to the road ahead. This is a complex phenomenon, to which many factors have contributed; but, if we go to the root of the matter, we shall find that these perplexities are all ultimately due to our having lost our grip on the biblical gospel. Without realising it, we have during the past century bartered that gospel for a substitute product which, though it looks similar enough in points of detail, is as a whole a decidedly different thing. Hence our troubles; for the substitute product does not answer the ends for which the authentic gospel has in past days proved itself so mighty. The new gospel conspicuously fails to produce deep reverence, deep repentance, deep humility, a spirit of worship, a concern for the church. Why? We would suggest that the reason lies in its own character and content. It fails to make men God-centred in their thoughts and God-fearing in their hearts because this is not primarily what it is trying to do. One way of stating the difference between it and the old gospel is to say that it is too exclusively concerned to be “helpful” to man—to bring peace, comfort, happiness, satisfaction—and too little concerned to glorify God. The old gospel was “helpful,” too—more so, indeed, than is the new—but (so to speak) incidentally, for its first concern was always to give glory to God. It was always and essentially a proclamation of Divine sovereignty in mercy and judgment, a summons to bow down and worship the mighty Lord on whom man depends for all good, both in nature and in grace. Its centre of reference was unambiguously God. But in the new gospel the centre of reference is man. This is just to say that the old gospel was religious in a way that the new gospel is not. Whereas the chief aim of the old was to teach men to worship God, the concern of the new seems limited to making them feel better. The subject of the old gospel was God and His ways with men; the subject of the new is man and the help God gives him. There is a world of difference. The whole perspective and emphasis of gospel preaching has changed.

From this change of interest has sprung a change of content, for the new gospel has in effect reformulated the biblical message in the supposed interests of “helpfulness.” Accordingly, the themes of man’s natural inability to believe, of God’s free election being the ultimate cause of salvation, and of Christ dying specifically for His sheep, are not preached. These doctrines, it would be said, are not “helpful”; they would drive sinners to despair, by suggesting to them that it is not in their own power to be saved through Christ. (The possibility that such despair might be salutary is not considered; it is taken for granted that it cannot be, because it is so shattering to our self-esteem.) However this may be (and we shall say more about it later), the result of these omissions is that part of the biblical gospel is now preached as if it were the whole of that gospel; and a half-truth masquerading as the whole truth becomes a complete untruth. Thus, we appeal to men as if they all had the ability to receive Christ at any time; we speak of His redeeming work as if He had done no more by dying than make it possible for us to save ourselves by believing; we speak of God’s love as if it were no more than a general willingness to receive any who will turn and trust; and we depict the Father and the Son, not as sovereignly active in drawing sinners to themselves, but as waiting in quiet impotence “at the door of our hearts” for us to let them in. It is undeniable that this is how we preach; perhaps this is what we really believe. But it needs to be said with emphasis that this set of twisted half-truths is something other than the biblical gospel. The Bible is against us when we preach in this way; and the fact that such preaching has become almost standard practice among us only shows how urgent it is that we should review this matter. To recover the old, authentic, biblical gospel, and to bring our preaching and practice back into line with it, is perhaps our most pressing present need. And it is at this point that Owen’s treatise on redemption can give us help. -J.I. Packer

Congratulations Brandon and Christy!

Saturday, one of our blog authors joined his lady in holy matrimony. Brandon and Christy said, "I do" at St. Mark Methodist, and I had the honor of photographing their beautiful wedding. Mr. and Mrs. Barnes, we are so proud of you and are thrilled that God has brought you guys together as husband and wife to serve Him together as one. May He bless you beyond your wildest dreams! Congratulations! We love you!

Spurgeon Quotes

Those of you who know me, know that I love Charles Spurgeon. He was the man! So, I thought I would share some Spurgeon quotes that I really like. Enjoy!

"I take it that the highest proof of Christ’s power is not that he offers salvation, not that he bids you take it if you will, but that when you reject it, when you hate it, when you despise it, he has a power whereby he can change your mind, make you think differently from your former thoughts, and turn you from the error of your ways."

“Free will carried many a soul to hell, but never a soul to heaven.”

“None are more unjust in their judgments of others than those who have a high opinion of themselves.”

“Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.”

“When you see a man with a great deal of religion displayed in his shop window, you may depend upon it, he keeps a very small stock of it within”

“A man who does nothing never has time to do anything”

“Nobody ever outgrows scripture; the Book widens and deepens with our years”

"Let this be to you the mark of true gospel preaching - where Christ is everything, and the creature is nothing; where it is salvation all of grace, through the work of the Holy Spirit applying to the soul the precious blood of Jesus."

“When I was coming to Christ, I thought I was doing it all myself, and though I sought the Lord earnestly, I had no idea the Lord was seeking me. I do not think the young convert is at first aware of this. I can recall the very day and hour when first I received those truths in my own soul - when they were as John Bunyan says, burnt into my heart as with a hot iron; and I can recollect how I felt that I had grown all of a sudden from a babe into a man - that I had made progress in scriptural knowledge, through having found, once for all, the clue to the truth of God ... I saw that God was at the bottom of it all, and that He was the Author of my faith, and so the whole doctrine of grace opened up to me, and from that doctrine I have not departed to this day, and I desire to make this my constant confession, I ascribe my change wholly to God.”

“If Christ on His cross intended to save every man, then He intended to save those who were lost before He died. If the doctrine be true, that He died for all men, then He died for some who were in Hell before He came into this world, for doubtless there were even then myriads there who had been cast away because of their sins. . . That seems to me a conception a thousand times more repulsive than any of those consequences which are said to be associated with the Calvinistic and Christian doctrine of special and particular redemption. To think that my Savior died for men who were or are in Hell, seems a supposition too horrible for me to entertain.”

“Learn to say 'No'; it will be of more use to you than to be able to read Latin.”

“Sometimes we think we are too busy to pray. That is a great mistake, for praying is a saving of time.”

“There are no crown-bearers in heaven who were not cross-bearers here below.”

"I would sooner bring one sinner to Jesus Christ than unravel all the mysteries of the divine Word, for salvation is the one thing we are to live for."

For he is a Prophet

Okay. So I have started back the infamous Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan that I started last year and never finished. I have high hopes this year since I will be going through most all of it with a wonderful bride by my side encouraging me and holding me accountable to reading.

When I started this plan this time around I asked and prayed that I would see Christ from beginning to end since after all scripture from beginning to end points to Christ. Well God delivered for me and I am thankful.

I'm in Genesis right now and have been reading about Abraham and his journeys. Have you ever thought about Abraham and his dealings with other people? I mean more specifically things that are happening not directly to Abraham, but to other people. Have you ever thought about how Abraham responds and acts towards the people he meets?

Think about how Abraham speaks to God on Lot's behalf and prays that God would not destroy the city of Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of Lot. God listens because of His relationship with Abraham and because Abraham has favor with God. Lot is a beneficiary of Abraham's favor with God.

Think about Abimelech and how he takes Abraham's wife Sarah innocently as his own. Abraham and Sara are the ones that deceive Abimelech and yet God still inflicts upon Abimelech punishment for the sin that he apparently doesn't know he is committing. God speaks with Abimelech and even affirms that Abimelech has acted innocently because God had kept him from sinning with Sarah. Instead of removing the punishment from Abimelech and Abimelech's wife right then, he tells him to go speak with Abraham, "for he is a prophet". Abraham then prays on behalf of Abimelech and because of Abraham's favor with God Abimelech is healed along with his wife.

What about Ishmael the illegitimate son of Abraham? Abraham is told by Sarah to send Hagar and Ishmael away because she will not see Ishmael become a heir along with Isaac. So Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael away which is basically into the dessert with nothing more than water and bread. The bible says Abraham was very displeased with this. God promises Abraham that he will take care of Ishmael and make him into a great nation. Why? Because of Ishmael's link to Abraham who has favor with God.

As I was reading the study notes in my bible the Lord showed me the greatness of the favor that Abraham had with God and the blessing that it was for others. The Holy Spirit then showed me that Christ is a prophet as well. Not only that but he is the greatest prophet and his relationship with the Father is unmatched. If God was pleased to listen to Abraham who was a mere sinful prophet, how much more will he listen to the perfect prophet Christ? This brought great joy and excitement because I was reminded that Christ is at the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf! May Christ be glorified!

Not only that, but God also showed me the power of prayer and the blessing with which we can pray for others because of our link with God through Christ. I tend to shrink back from praying for good things for others because I sometimes feel as though God is bothered by our prayers for good things that we ask. Even I myself am hesitant at times to be honest with God about my desires and needs. How foolish have I been? Praise be to God through Christ that he has shown me my folly. I pray that God would here my prayers for others so that people around would know and see that favor which we have with God through Christ and so Christ would be exalted, for He is a Prophet! The Great Prophet!

Lord may you continue to renew my mind and others through the Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ name. Amen

Frontline Missions - "Dispatches from the Front" Trailer

I could have sworn I already posted this but I searched the archives and couldn't find it. Well, let me remedy that problem.

Dispatches From the Front is a new video series put out by Frontline Missions (Facebook)that explores the Church on the 'frontlines' and documents ways that God is moving in countries most of us never stop to think about (much less pray for).

From the website:

Believers everywhere desperately need a renewed vision of Christ and the unstoppable advance of His saving work in all the earth. Often our view of God’s Kingdom is too small and limited to what we have experienced. Dispatches from the Front provides a rare glimpse into this work, highlighting the marvelous extent, diversity, and unity of Christ’s Kingdom in our world. The journal format of each episode underscores the daily unfolding of God’s activity on the “frontlines,” bringing viewers up-close with sights and sounds from distant corners of the Kingdom.

Check out the website here.

Buy Episode One: Islands on the Edge

"Collision" trailer

If you are at all tuned into the world you have most likely heard of the New Atheists. Not content to merely enjoy believing in no God (or god), a wave of "evangelistic atheism" has been sweeping the blogospheres and bookshelves of the world. There are several big names in the movement, including Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens.

In the new documentary, Collision, the filmmaker captures a series of debates between Christopher Hitchens and Doug Wilson. Everything I have read about it indicates the film itself doesn't lean one way or the other but rather allows two intellectual heavy weights from the opposing sides to slug it out - verbally, of course.

I love listening to a good, intellectual debate. I hate listening to people argue like idiots. Fortunately, this appears to be the former.

I am very much looking forward to watching this film and have already pre-ordered it from Amazon. Is anyone else looking forward to this film?





Extra: Here is a short link collection to useful resources.

HT: Desiring God National Conference, 2009

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