Entries from February 2006 ↓
February 20th, 2006 — Quotations, Theology
Many years ago, my small group leader gave us a puritan prayer to read over. I pulled it out the other day and was blessed by it again. I hope that you are encouraged by it as well.
Morning Dedication
Almighty God,
As I cross the threshold of this day I commit myself, soul, body, affairs, friends, to Thy care. Watch over, keep, guide, direct, sanctify, bless me. Incline my heart to thy ways. Mould me wholly into the image of Jesus, as a potter forms clay.
May my lips be a well-tuned harp to sound Thy praise.
Let those around see me living by Thy Spirit,
trampling the world underfoot,
unconformed to lying vanities,
transformed by a renewed mind,
clad in the entire armour of God,
shining as a never-dimmed light,
showing holiness in all my doings.
Let no evil this day soil my thoughts, words, hands. May I travel miry paths with a life pure from spot or stain.
In needful transactions
let my affection be in heaven,
and my love soar upwards in flames of fire,
my gaze fixed on unseen things,
my eyes open to the emptiness, fragility, mockery of earth and its vanities.
May I view all things in the mirror of eternity, waiting for the coming of my Lord, listening for the last trumpet call, hastening unto the new heaven and earth. Order this day all my communications according to Thy wisdom, and to the gain of mutual good. Forbid that I should not be profited or made profitable. May I speak each word as if my last word, and walk each step as my final one.
If my life should end today, let this be my best day.
February 13th, 2006 — Quotations, Theology
No, I’m not talking about Derek Webb, although my friend The Lover wouldn’t mind me mentioning DWebb every once in a while. Rick Holland filled in for Dr. John MacArthur on Sunday morning at Grace Community Church and in his sermon, he mentioned a quote by Mark Webb that he heard from C.J. Mahaney at the Resolved Conference. It may be a repeat for some of you, but I thought that it capsulated the doctrine of election in the best human terms possible.
“After giving a brief survey of these doctrines of sovereign grace, I asked for questions from the class. One lady, in particular, was quite troubled. She said, ‘This is the most awful thing I’ve ever heard! You make it sound as if God is intentionally turning away men and women who would be saved, receiving only the elect.’ I answered her in this vein:
‘You misunderstand the situation. You’re visualizing that God is standing at the door of heaven, and men are thronging to get in the door, and God is saying to various ones, ‘Yes, you may come, but not you, and you, but not you, etc.’ The situation is hardly this. Rather, God stands at the door of heaven with His arms outstretched, inviting all to come. Yet all men without exception are running in the opposite direction towards hell as hard as they can go. So God, in election, graciously reaches out and stops this one, and that one, and this one over here, and that one over there, and effectually draws them to Himself by changing their hearts, making them willing to come. Election keeps no one out of heaven who would otherwise have been there, but it keeps a whole multitude of sinners out of hell who otherwise would have been there. Were it not for election, heaven would be an empty place, and hell would be bursting at the seams. That kind of response, grounded as I believe that it is in Scriptural truth, does put a different complexion on things, doesn’t it? If you perish in hell, blame yourself, as it is entirely your fault. But if you should make it to heaven, credit God, for that is entirely His work! To Him alone belong all praise and glory, for salvation is all of grace, from start to finish.”
- Mark Webb
I found it here:
http://www.reformationtheology.com/2006/02/election.php
February 13th, 2006 — Scripture, Theology
The word of God is by far more unique than any other book ever written; this is shown through its prophecies, unity, survival, and influence. The prophecy of Scripture is so remarkably accurate that no other writing is equal. The Bible doesn’t just have a few extremely accurate prophecies, but the pages are filled with hundreds of prophecies that describe future events in explicit detail. The main theme of all of these prophecies is the nation of Israel. The story of God’s chosen people is told all throughout the Old Testament and the prophets that God sent to His people told of future events that would come to the people of Israel. The Bible is unique because no other text predicts future events with the accuracy and quantity that the Scriptures do. Of all of the Old Testament prophecies, 332 of them specifically refer to the Messiah. The detail in which the prophets predict the specifics of Christ’s life is amazing and a testimony to the uniqueness of Christ.
The Bible also proves to be extremely unified despite the fact that it was written by so many different authors spanning over thousands of years. Men of all occupations and levels of education and society have contributed to the canon of Scripture. The different books were written all over the known world, not just in a single place. In spite of all of the differences between the authors and locations, the words found within the pages of Scripture are unified and reflect the hand of God upon His word. It is unlike any other book that has so many contributors speaking on so many different subjects and yet the theme and over-arching theme is fused through all. “Christ and His work form the cord that ties all of Scripture together.”
The Bible is book that has survived longer than any other book. Not only has it stood the test of time, but it has remained popular and well read. Even though some books are still around from that time period, nothing is as well read as the Bible. God’s word has not returned void and has changed the hearts of people all throughout time. The purpose for writing the Bible and the purpose for the events that happened within its pages has remained the purpose of why the Bible has lasted so long and why it has affected man in such a way. It is amazing to see the way God has used great men of the past to pass on the truth and actual text of Scripture. Wycliffe and Tyndale are two examples of English men who sacrificed their lives for the translation of God’s words into the vernacular. Tyndale was burned at the stake because he believed that God’s glory was worthy to be declared among the people and of greater worth than his own life. The Bible itself promises that its words will remain forever ().
The Bible is unparalleled in its influence. It has influenced man in the deepest way possible for centuries and it continues to do so. There are no bounds that tie down the word of Lord; it radically changes hearts to turn from their love of the world to a passionate love for God. The truth of Scripture sets people free from bondage and gives them life. History proves that human learning and knowledge does not change the heart when it enlarges the mind, and yet the knowledge gained from Scripture when taken in with discretion causes the heart to grow and abound more and more with love for God. The Bible single-handedly has changed the course of history unlike any other book (i.e. the Reformation).
The Bible is unique above other books of past, present, and future because of its ability to pierce “to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” ().
