Stand Up And Be Counted!

I have just recived an email alerting me to a petition on the government website. The petition is to urge the government to support the rights of CU's to have only Christians on their leadership.

Please sign the petition and urge the government to continue to allow Christians to have freedom of speech.The link to the petition is:

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/CULeaders

Thanks!!!

Ames: "Ordinary Ministers and Their Office in Preaching"

Highlights from William Ames' work on preaching:

"Since ... the will of God is to be set forth out of the word, no one is fit for the ministry who is not greatly concerned with the Holy Scripture."

"In order that the will of God may be set forth fruitfully for edification two things are necessary: first, the things contained in the text must be stated; second, they must be applied to the consciences of the hearers as their condition seems to require."

"They sin who do care little about what they say provided it may appear that they may have thought and spoken many things. they do this frequently, forcing many things out of the text which are not in it and often borrowing for it from other places, bringing anything out of everything."

"Men are to be pricked to the quick so that they feel individually what the Apostle said, namely, that the word of the Lord is a two-edged sword, piercing to the inward thoughts and affections and going through to the joining of bones and marrow. Preaching, therefore, ought not to be dead, but alive and effective."

Manton Sermon Highlights

We have had to read a sermon by Thomas Manton on Hebrews 11:1 ("Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen"); here are my favourite moments (number 4 is my favourite, although 7 is a close second - which is yours?):

1. "There are ... things which are only promised by God, and not yet enjoyed, that are simple matters of hope - as the general resurrection, the happiness of the glorified estate. Now faith doth as it were give a real being to them as if they were present. But then there are other things that may be enjoyed in this world, though not for the present, yet in some season; as the gracious presence of God, and his favourable returns after absence, and some estrangement, and deep affliction; these things may also be comprised in this expression, being things we hope for according to promise, and though they be absent, faith gives them a being and presence."

2. "To faith, when God is absent, yet then he is present; when he hides his face, faith can look behind the veil, and there see fatherly love, and a God of mercy."

3. "[Hope] is more than supposition and conceit. Heaven in the thoughts differs very much from heaven in our hope, as much as taste doth from sight, or longing from looking. Hope causeth rejoicing - an affection proper to present possession. Where it is anything strong, it diverts the mind from present wants and miseries and comforts us, and doth us good with the evidence of a future blessed eternal estate reserved for us in the heavens."

4. "Hope is not a presumptuous conceit, like the supposition of a beggar imagining himself to be a king, and how much power and glory it will bring to him when he is arrived to it; but like the expectation of a prince who is the undoubted heir of a crown, and knows that one day he shall possess it."

5. "Faith saith to the soul, Sit still, until thou know how the matter will be ; for God will not be at rest till he hath accomplished all that he hath spoken to thee."

6. "Faith considers whose the promises are; they are God's who is faithful and able. The faithful and almighty God, he cannot say and unsay. We have it under assurance enough if we have it under his word."

7. "As we say of an old decreipt man, such as one hath one foot in the grave, a believer hath more than one foot in heaven; his head is there; we have taken possession of it in Christ, or rather, he hath taken possession of it in our name; and as soon as we are united to Christ we are interested in this comfort, even whilst we lie groaning under pressures and miseries. Nothing but faith can unriddle this mystery, that a believer should be on earth, and yet in heaven; converse with sinners, and yet be in the company of glorified saints; or humbled with the pressures and inconveniences of the present state, yet be ascended and sit down with Christ in heavenly places."

8. "Grace is but young glory, and differs from glory as an infant doth from a man."

The Gospel According to Phelps

Fred Phelps preaches that God hates homosexuals, this seems to be all he preaches publically, he even goes to funerals of homosexual individuals to preach the same message. I was shown some of this material the other day and asked to responed. Here is my response:

The gospel according to Fred Phelps is a twisted proclamation of the word of God. Whatever someone believes about the word of God, that is what they will tell to others. So, if I believe the word of God is nonsense that is what i will spend my time telling others (in this example of course i could just not tell anyone anything about it - this could also work). If i believe the word of God is the proclamation of the damnation of homosexuals that is what i will spend my time telling others. If i believe the word of God is anti-women, that is what i will spend my time telling others. And so on.

Phelps, as he and his bill boards show, spends his time constantly proclaiming to others that homosexuals are damned (if ive understood the material rightly, and if the material is an accurate depiction of all of his ministry.) This is not what the word of God is about, even though its mesage includes homosexuality being offensive to God (Rom. 1:26-27; Lev. 18:22; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Its message also includes the fact that idolatry, dishonouring of parents, envy, pride, greed, sexual immorality, and might i suggest after watching the material of Phelps, hatred of fellow humans (Matt. 22:39) are also wrong.

But we have still not reached what the word of God is about, the word which Frank Phelps (and sadly so many others) have twisted. The scriptures are about God's free decision to rescue miserable sinners like me, and anyone else who has repented and believed, from destruction - "She will bear a Son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21 see John 3:16-17; the passion narratives; Acts 4:12; Romans 1:16-17; 5:8; 8:1; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 2 corinthian 5:18; Galatians 1:3-5; 3:13; Ephesians 2:4-6; Philippians 2:5-10; Colossians 1:21-22; 1 Thess. 1:10; 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Timothy 1:15; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:4-6; Philemon :25; Hebrews 10:19-22; James 2:5; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 2 Peter 1:3-4; 1 john 4:9-10; 2 john :3; 3 john :11; Jude :24; Revelation 5:9-10). I did not hear this at one moment in the Phelps material and I did not see it in his actions either - so i believe he is twisting the word of God ("fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them." - Acts 20:29-30) and needs to repent. This is sad, but it proves not only the apostle Paul true in the quotation just cited, but also the Lord Jesus himself - "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheeps clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." - Phelps' sheeps clothing is off - the game is up.

Glorious Mystery - Chapter 4

Everything which God was going to do "concerning his own eternal glory, in the sanctification and salvation of the church here below" was "all to be effected in Christ." (p.54) And we may observe 2 things here:

1. "The Son was 'set up' or exalted herein." (p.55) The principle design of the Gospel: "Is the declaration of the grace of God the Father, so of the love, grace, goodness, and compassion of the Son, in undertaking from everlasting the accomplishment of God's councels, in the salvation of the church." (p. 56)

2. "there was an ineffable delight between the Father and the Son in this his setting up or exaltation." (p.56) "He was the delight of God, as he in whom all his councels for his own glory, in the redemption and salvation of the church were laid and founded." (p .57).

All of creation is good says God but it is chiefly not for itself but is created for the accomplichment of God's divine councels which he established in Christ before the foundation of the world.

God delights in his councels of wisdom "and because they are laid in [Christ] and with him, therefore he is said to be his 'delight continually before the world was'" (p. 58). All God does is goodness, "and the greatest exercise and emanation of divine goodness, was in these holy councels of God for the salvation of the church by Jesus Christ" (p. 59). "Love and grace have the same influence into the councels of God, as wisdom and goodness have." (p. 60).

How were these councels laid in the person of Christ? 1. We were made for God's glory and ordered and harmonized for God's glory. 2. "God was pleased to permit the entrance of sin...the entrance of sin cast all this order into confusion, and brought the curse on all things here below" (p. 61) 3. God was in no way surprised by this and had from eternity established councels for the "revivification" (p. 61) of all things. N.B see here on order of decrees (infra/supra). 4. We split the eternal councels of God into a) their original - the reason for them was the will of God alone: "the incarnation of Christ, and his mediation thereon, were not the procuring cause of these eternal councels of God, but the effects of them." (p. 62). b) The design of their accomplishment - which was in the Son, Jesus, alone. He was "the onlyfoundation of the execution of all the councels of God concerning our sanctification and salvation." (p. 63)

Jesus then is creator AND redeemer - we are his "twice over" - G. Beynon.

Jesus as image of the invisible God - all things were made by Christ such that: "it is the highest rebellion against the light and teachings of God, to disbelieve his divine existence and power."

Jesus as the firstborn of every creature - "As God the Father did nothing in the first creation but by him...so he designed nothing in the new creation, or restoration of all things unto his glory, but in him."

Glorious Mystery - Chapter 3

Jesus Christ is to be the centre of our religion and worship. It is God who holds this title rightly - "For religion, and the worship performed in it, is nothing but the due respect of rational creatures unto the divine nature, and its infinite excellencies." (p. 45) And it turns on Jesus being the centre of such worship because: "of all the effects of the divine excellencies, the constitution of the person of Christ... was the most ineffable and glorious." (p. 45) (Owen talks not of the secnd person of the Trinity being created when he says "constituted" but of his incarnation).

Christ the eternal word became flesh, in a mystery we cannot comprehend: "the Eternal was made in time, the Infinite became finite, the Immortal mortal, yet continuing eternal, infinite, immortal" (p. 46) Such that we are, everyone of us, left with a choice: "either...reject the divine person of Christ - as many do unto their own destruction - or humbly to adore the mystery of infinite wisdom and grace therein." (p. 47).

The incarntion is vital to the Christian religion. Man could not fulfill the role of glorifying God: "unless our nature was assumed into personal union and subsistence with himself." (p. 48). All religion before Christ which was true: was concerning Jesus - "the promise was concerning him, and the institutions of worship did only represent him."

Faith in these divine mysteries makes a human, no matter how weak or poor, into the image of God. So want all things to be believed to be rational and comprehensible: "an apprehension which, as it ariseth from the pride which naturally ensues the ignorance of God and ourselves, so it is not only an invention suited to debase religion, but an engine to avert the faith of the church" (p. 50).

We will be fully transformed when we see God face to face, but for now we see him by faith which is the beginning of the transformation.

What must I do to be saved (p. 53):

1. Your conscience will "be awakened unto a sense of sin, and of apostasy from God thereby...it will cause men to look out for relief."

2. "This relief is proposed in the Gospel. And it is the death and mediation of Christ alone. By them peace with God must be obtained, or it will cease forever."

3. there will be to this truth: "endless objections through the power of unbelief" from "any person"

4. So what will give the forgiven man rest from these endless objections? "the due consideration of, and the acting of faith upon, this infinite effect of divine wisdom and goodness, in the constitution of the person of Christ."

The glorious mystery of the person of Christ - God and Man

Here will folow my notes on John Owens work by the above title... enjoy!

Preface

Jesus Christ – precious to some, a rock of stumbling to others. Those who delight in him must work for his glory, holding the truth concerning him: “This, and no other, is the design of the ensuing treatise.” (p. 5)

Chap. 1: wanted to work through early church material but did not have resources/ time to do so. So surveyed that which was at hand and written on Matthew 16:18.

Chap. 2: opposition to the person of Christ and the faith of the church, which started small has torn from all Christ all that is his – “his natures, divine or human…their properties… [And] actings… his person [or] the union of his natures therein.” (p. 8) Owen then gives an overview of faithfulness to doctrine and of heresy concerning Christ. The latter which was a) predicted y the scripture and b) testimony to Christ’s power and faithfulness as these gates of hell did not prevail.

The obligation of defending doctrine of Christ belongs to church rulers and all believers: “according unto their call and abilities” (p. 9) but since Nicea: “Christians began greatly to be resolved into the authority of men, and as much, if not more weight to be laid on what was decreed by the fathers there assembled, than on what was clearly taught in the Scriptures.” (p. 10)

Chap. 3: The eternal generation of the Son was to be believed but not inquired into said the church fathers: “But I speak of the person of Christ…[not] whereof his person is composed, but as unto its substance therein by virtue of a substantial union” (p. 15).

Chap 4: Jesus is the foundation of the vocation, sanctification, justification and eternal salvation of the church: 1. coz he always was such in respect of his relationship to the Father. 2. coz he is the only way to each of these things. 3. coz he was incarnate for this very means. (p. 18)

Chap 5: Jesus is “the image and great representative of God.” (p. 18) Wherein God teaches us and represents himself to us.

Chap. 7: It was the Word which became flesh for “no other could declare unto us the things of God, but his own proper Word.” (p. 20)

Chap 9: 1. The divine nature is in each member of the Trinity and is to be worshipped. Worship one, worship all. 2. We can petition the persons by name but not make one request to the Father then the same to the Son etc. 3. Christ, as God-man is the proper object of all divine worship and honour.

On 1. “The same glory, in every individual act of its assignation or ascription, is directed unto each person jointly and distinctly, on the account of the same divine nature in each of them.”

On 2. If we repeated the petition to another person in the Godhead “it would thence follow, that the person unto whom we make that request in the second place, was not invocated, not called on” in the first place. (p. 22)

On 3. “It is that which they principally contended for , and argued from, in all their writings against the Arians.” (p. 23)

Chapter 1

Peter’s confession – twisted by Rome. But in its proper meaning “compriseth eminently the whole truth concerning the person and office of Christ” (p. 30) Christ is the rock on which the church is built – proved.

Chapter 2

The attacks of hell on the church built on the faith concerning Jesus’ “person, office, and grace.” (p. 35) The devil uses agents of heathens firstly and then apostates (the first like a lion, the second like a serpent – through heresy). Such heresy includes:
Gnosticism, losing sight of “sin, or danger of punishment” (p. 38)
A denial of Jesus’ divine nature 1. He was not pre-existent to the virgin birth – “it is not want of understanding to comprehend doctrines, but hatred unto the things themselves, whereby such persons are seduced.” (p. 39). 2. Arians, distorted the proclamation of Christ’s divine nature. 3. his human nature was opposed.
Vehement opposition against the hypostatical union – Nestorian heresy.
Other ways the gates of hell are opposed to the church:
Socinian heresy.
When “a natural religion, or none at all, pleaseth them better than faith in God by Jesus Christ.” (p. 41)
When outward profession is excluded by some.
Many who are keen for doctrine, who declare no erroneous concepts, “who yet manifest themselves not to have that regard unto him which the Gospel prescribes and requires.” (p. 42)
“Dangerous and noxious insinuations concerning what our thoughts ought to be of him, are made and tendered.” (p.42)
Preaching Christ is a term of reproach.
“Horrible profanes of life-that neglect of all gospel duties…I know not whether it were not more for the honour of Christ, that such persons would publicly renounce the profession of his name, rather than practically manifest their inward disregard unto him.” (p. 43)

The Glory of God in Isaiah 6:1-7

Here is a recent charcter study of those preent in Isaiah 6:1-7

The Seraphim

They stood above the Lord. – 6:2
They had six wings. – 6:2
With two wings they covered their face. – 6:2
With two wings they covered their feet. – 6:2
With two wings they flew. – 6:2
One called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” – 6:3
At the voice of him who called the foundations of the threshold shook. – 6:4
AND the house was filled with smoke. – 6:4
One of the Seraphim flew to Isaiah. – 6:6
He had a burning coal which he had taken with tongs from the altar. – 6:6
He touched Isaiah’s mouth with it and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” – 6:7

The LORD

In the year that King Uzziah died the Lord was sitting on a throne. – 6:1
He was high and lifted up. – 6:1
The train of his robe filled the temple. – 6:1
Above him stood the seraphim. – 6:2
He was “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.” – 6:3
“The whole earth is full of his glory.” – 6:3
He is the King, the LORD of hosts. – 6:5

Isaiah

He saw the Lord sitting upon a throne. 6:1
He heard that the Lord of hosts is “Holy, holy, holy.”
He said “Woe is me!” – 6:5
He was lost. 6:5
He was a man of unclean lips. 6:5
He dwells in the midst of a people of unclean lips. 6:5
His eyes have seen the King the LORD of hosts! 6:5
One of the seraphim flew to him, with a burning coal in his hand that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 6:6
He had his mouth touched with it. 6:7
His guilt was taken away. 6:7
His sin was atoned for. 6:7

King Uzziah

He died. - 6:1

The people Isaiah lived amongst

Were a people of unclean lips. - 6:5


This forces us to see the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man. Will we have our guilt taken away, our sin atoned for?

Insisting on the gospel

Here is Titus 3:3-8 shaping in us an attitude towards the gospel which Christians REALLY need...

"For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, who he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that being justified by his grace we might becomes heirs according to the hope of eternal life. the saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works."

Insist on the gospel of God's grace, the gospel of him saving us, the gospel of his goodness and loving kindness, of his mercy, the gospel of washing by the Holy Spirit, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel of sinners becoming heirs of eternal life ... insist on it for the sake of the life of the believer!

Wesley vs. Postmodernism?

He thinks he is successfully attacking the bondage of the will, but read these words as if John Wesley were attacking Postmodernism - pucka arguement!!!

"What possible proof can we have, if we cannot trust our own eyes, or ears, or any, or all of our senses ... Do not tell me that there are sun, moon, and stars, or that there are men, beasts, or birds, in the world. I cannot believe one tittle of it."

Limited Atonement

I asked a certain renowned evangelical theologian whether I could tell anyone in the world with confidence that God loves them. I did not get a direct answer to that question, although I'm sure he'd say yes, rather he tried to convince us that the doctrine of limited atonement (that Christ died purely for those who will be in heaven at the end) is a heresy.

I was not convinced - and John Owen was ar more effective on my mind:

"What motive would it be hereunto to tell believers that God would have those saved who neither do nor ever will or shall believe? ... I say nothing how strange it seems that Christ should be the Saviour of them who are never saved, to whom he never gives grace to believe, for whom be denies to intercede, (John 17:9) which yet is no small part of his mediation whereby he saves sinners."

John Owen in The Death of Death in the Death of Christ

Infra/Supra

We had a lecture this morning by Garry Williams (much of this material here is his but the reflections on the material may not be held by him) on Infralapsarianism vs. Suprlapsarianism which are different postions held by Calvinists. Don't worry about the names, just follow the arguements...

Infralapsarianism argues that God decrees the events of history (according to purpose - do not think God is bound by time) in this order:

1. The decree to create the world and all men.
2. The decree that all men would fall.
3. The election of some fallen men to salvation in Christ (and reprobation).
4. The decree to redeem the elect sinners by the work of Christ.
5. The decree to apply Christ's redemptive benefits to those elect sinners.

Supralapsarianism argues that God decrees the events of history (according to purpose - do not think God is bound by time) in this order:

1. The decree to elect and to reprobate.
2. The decree to create.
3. The decree to permit the fall.
4. The decree to redeem the elect by the work of Christ.
5. The decree to apply Christ's redemptive benefit's to those elect sinners.

Notice, key here is the position of God's decree to elect and to reprobate (either after or before the decree to create the world and permit the fall ... the difference is pretty big ... And boils down to whether God made me without having my end in mind (infra) or with my salvation/ reprobation decreed (supra).

Readers of Grudem and Frame beware, the searching out of the result is important.

For my money I'm with the supras, not least because it makes me sound like i should be a star in the Pixar animation The Incredibles, but also because...

The end and substance of my life has to be the same as that which God intends first and formost. The end of my life, and substance of my eternity, is to be in either heaven or hell, so must be God's primary intention in creating me.

To Adam, with love.