"There is a two fold union between Christ and us;- the one, by his taking upon him our nature; the other, by bestowing on us his Spirit: for as in his incarnation he took upon him our flesh and blood by the work of the Spirit, so in our regeneration he bestoweth on us his flesh and blood by the operation of the same Spirit".
John Owen, Works Vol 13 p. 22
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Speak the truth in love
a hint for members of the congregation from none other than Mr R.B
"Set yourselves in the most diligent and faithful improvement of all your parts and interests to help on the work of God on men's souls. Though you preach not, you have work enough in your own places to do, to further the preacher's work. Speak to poor people prudently, seasonably, and seriously about the state of their souls, and everlasting life."
- Richard Baxter (Book of Confirmation)
"Set yourselves in the most diligent and faithful improvement of all your parts and interests to help on the work of God on men's souls. Though you preach not, you have work enough in your own places to do, to further the preacher's work. Speak to poor people prudently, seasonably, and seriously about the state of their souls, and everlasting life."
- Richard Baxter (Book of Confirmation)
The Gospel according to the genealogy
I knew the genealogy in Matthew had to be there for some divine purpose, it just took until reading Edwards to see it:
"All the mothers are not noted, but only those which were either harlots or Gentiles, except the wife of Urias the Hittite, who was a wife of a Gentile. These are taken notice of because Christ's descending from several harlots and Gentiles intimates unto us that all that were saved by Christ were sinners, that the church of Christ is made up wholly of such as were once sinners, that is, spiritual harlots, or adulterers, and idolaters, thereby also typifying the calling of the Gentiles"
from "Notes on Scrpture" p. 51.
"All the mothers are not noted, but only those which were either harlots or Gentiles, except the wife of Urias the Hittite, who was a wife of a Gentile. These are taken notice of because Christ's descending from several harlots and Gentiles intimates unto us that all that were saved by Christ were sinners, that the church of Christ is made up wholly of such as were once sinners, that is, spiritual harlots, or adulterers, and idolaters, thereby also typifying the calling of the Gentiles"
from "Notes on Scrpture" p. 51.
The Word of God in John
It's great to go through John and note particular themes (life, belief, light, word etc.) recently I've done the latter and seen something i would love your comments on:
John presents Jesus' words as God's Words...
Throughout the gospel we hear that Scripture is being fulfilled (12:38, 13:18, 15:25, 17:12, 19:24b, 28, 36).
And then John uses the same construction for Scripture being fulfilled (especially 19:24b, 28) as he does for Jesus' words being fulfilled.
18:9 "This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: "Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one."" cf. 17:12
18:32 "This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die" cf. 12:32
Jesus' words belong in the Bible
John presents Jesus' words as God's Words...
Throughout the gospel we hear that Scripture is being fulfilled (12:38, 13:18, 15:25, 17:12, 19:24b, 28, 36).
And then John uses the same construction for Scripture being fulfilled (especially 19:24b, 28) as he does for Jesus' words being fulfilled.
18:9 "This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: "Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one."" cf. 17:12
18:32 "This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die" cf. 12:32
Jesus' words belong in the Bible
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Shine like stars...
Here is Baxter on the role of a member of a church... (in Confirmation p. 337-338
Be not men of comon spirits, or common speech, or a common conversation; but as we must make a difference between you and others in our communion and church administrations, so let the rest see that it is not without cause. For if you be but like other men, we shall seem to be partial in making a difference between you and other men. Let your light therefore shine before men to the glory of your heavenly Father. Let them see that you despise the world, and live above it, and can easily part with it; that you can forgive and bear a wrong; that your heart is in heaven heaven, and your treasure there; and that you are the heirs of another world; let all men hear and see by you, that you have a higher design in your eye than the ungodly, and that you are driving on another trade than the men that have their portion in this life. Heaven is your real glory; and to be heavenly is your true reputative glory, not only in the eyes of the wise, but of the common earthworms of the world.
Let's give it our best shot...
Be not men of comon spirits, or common speech, or a common conversation; but as we must make a difference between you and others in our communion and church administrations, so let the rest see that it is not without cause. For if you be but like other men, we shall seem to be partial in making a difference between you and other men. Let your light therefore shine before men to the glory of your heavenly Father. Let them see that you despise the world, and live above it, and can easily part with it; that you can forgive and bear a wrong; that your heart is in heaven heaven, and your treasure there; and that you are the heirs of another world; let all men hear and see by you, that you have a higher design in your eye than the ungodly, and that you are driving on another trade than the men that have their portion in this life. Heaven is your real glory; and to be heavenly is your true reputative glory, not only in the eyes of the wise, but of the common earthworms of the world.
Let's give it our best shot...
Found it!
I've been looking for some time now for work by Jonathan Edwards which really helped me know better what God has done in Christ. It is recorded by Conrad Cherry in his book "the theology of Jonathan Edwards". The work in quotes is Edwards... everything else is Cherry:
God is indebted to man and man may demand his salvation from God as a debt. It is clear that on this level, however, Edwards intends in no way to surrendour his position on the debt idea considered on the first level. In the sermon on the soverignty of God in salvation, immediately prior to his point that the believer may demand his salvation from God "as a debt," Edwards avers that "those who are in a state of salvation are to attribute it to sovereign grace alone, and to give all praise to him who maketh them to differ from others. Godliness is no cause for glorying, except it be in God." The possibilty of the believer's demanding salvation on the basis of his own godliness is precluded. But Edwards proceeds in the same sermon to suggest the manner in which salvation may be demanded as a debt by the believer:
"We learn what cause we have to admire the grace of God, that he should condescend to become bound to us by covenant; that he, who is naturally supreme in his dominion over us, who is our absolute proprietor, and may do with us as he pleases, and is under no obligation to us; that he should, as it were, relenquish his sovereign freedom, and should cease to be merely arbitrary in his dispensations towards believers, when once they have believed in Christ, and should, for their more abundant consolation, become bound. So that they can challenge salvation of this Sovereign; they can demand it through Christ, as a debt."
Man does not "tie up" God, but God ties himself to man in the covenant. This is Edwards' interpretation of the Incarnation: God binds himself in covenant with the sinner, and in so doing God freely limits his freedom for man. The sinner-believer demands salvation through Christ, on the ground of Gid's binding himself in Christ, and never through or on the basis of his own goodness or obedience. The demand is solely possible through the union a man has with Christ, who is God's covenant-event in history. The other sermon we cited which openly embraces the debt idea stresses the same fundamental points; the initiative of God in establishing the covenant; and the right of man's claim on salvation through Christ only:
"Salvation is an absolute debt to the believer from God, so that he may, in justice, demand it, on account of what his surety has done. For Christ has satisfied justice fully for his sin; so that it is but a thing that may be challenged, that God should now release the believer from punishment."
...for the elect believer God is no longer the distant, arbitrary ruler; he is the God who has "indebted" himself to man through the Christ, and man may now demand his salvation as God's part of the covenant.
We are needed in glory!
God is indebted to man and man may demand his salvation from God as a debt. It is clear that on this level, however, Edwards intends in no way to surrendour his position on the debt idea considered on the first level. In the sermon on the soverignty of God in salvation, immediately prior to his point that the believer may demand his salvation from God "as a debt," Edwards avers that "those who are in a state of salvation are to attribute it to sovereign grace alone, and to give all praise to him who maketh them to differ from others. Godliness is no cause for glorying, except it be in God." The possibilty of the believer's demanding salvation on the basis of his own godliness is precluded. But Edwards proceeds in the same sermon to suggest the manner in which salvation may be demanded as a debt by the believer:
"We learn what cause we have to admire the grace of God, that he should condescend to become bound to us by covenant; that he, who is naturally supreme in his dominion over us, who is our absolute proprietor, and may do with us as he pleases, and is under no obligation to us; that he should, as it were, relenquish his sovereign freedom, and should cease to be merely arbitrary in his dispensations towards believers, when once they have believed in Christ, and should, for their more abundant consolation, become bound. So that they can challenge salvation of this Sovereign; they can demand it through Christ, as a debt."
Man does not "tie up" God, but God ties himself to man in the covenant. This is Edwards' interpretation of the Incarnation: God binds himself in covenant with the sinner, and in so doing God freely limits his freedom for man. The sinner-believer demands salvation through Christ, on the ground of Gid's binding himself in Christ, and never through or on the basis of his own goodness or obedience. The demand is solely possible through the union a man has with Christ, who is God's covenant-event in history. The other sermon we cited which openly embraces the debt idea stresses the same fundamental points; the initiative of God in establishing the covenant; and the right of man's claim on salvation through Christ only:
"Salvation is an absolute debt to the believer from God, so that he may, in justice, demand it, on account of what his surety has done. For Christ has satisfied justice fully for his sin; so that it is but a thing that may be challenged, that God should now release the believer from punishment."
...for the elect believer God is no longer the distant, arbitrary ruler; he is the God who has "indebted" himself to man through the Christ, and man may now demand his salvation as God's part of the covenant.
We are needed in glory!
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