Take heed lest you fall

One more example in the news as to why we should constantly cling to Christ and mortify the flesh.

Sad as this is for the family and the local church, it is sadder yet that the world will use this as one more excuse to slander the name of God. What you do is never private, there are always others who experience the consequences of your sin.

Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. (1 Corinthians 10:12, ESV)

Come and Welcome - Conversion vs. Profession

'And him that cometh.' He says not, and him that talks, that professes, that makes a show, a noise, or the like; but, him that comes. Christ will take leave to judge, who, among the many that make a noise, are those indeed that are coming to him. It is not him that says he comes, nor him of whom others affirm that he comes; but him that Christ himself shall say does come, that is concerned in this text. (pg. 103)

We might talk a good talk, making a great show, and a grand noise, and yet be far from the Kingdom. When you look at the last century of evangelicalism you see a leaning towards "easy believism" and "repeat this prayer after me" decision making. Describe the state of the lost under the wrath of God? We wouldn't want to scare them off. Preach about hell? More of the same.

Heaven forbid that we would call men and women to turn from their sins and forsake the world. That wouldn't be "seeker sensitive".

And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. (Luke 9:23-26)

Profession without repentance is false conversion. Christ might find you where you are at, but He won't leave you there. To think otherwise is a dangerous folly.

Come and Welcome - "and him"

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37, KJV)

There is many a sad wretch given by the Father to Jesus Christ; but not one of them all is despised or slighted by him. It is said of those that the Father has given to Christ that they have done worse than the heathen; that they were murderers, thieves, drunkards, unclean persons, and what not; but he has received them, washed them, and saved them. A fit emblem of this sort is that wretched example mentioned in the Ezekiel 16, that was cast out in a stinking condition, to the loathing of its person, in the day that it was born; a creature in such a wretched condition, that no eye pitied, to do any of the things there mentioned to it, or to have compassion upon it; no eye but his that speaks in the text.

'And him'. Let him be as red as blood, let him be as red as crimson. Some men are blood-red sinners, crimson-sinners, sinners of a double dye; dipped and dipped again, before they come to Jesus Christ. Are you who are reading these lines such a one? Speak out, man! Are you such a one? And are you now coming to Jesus Christ for the mercy of justification, that you might be made white in his blood, and be covered with his righteousness? Fear not; forasmuch as this your coming demonstrates that you are of the number of them that the Father has given to Christ; for he will in no wise cast you out. "Come now," says Christ, "and let us reason together; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isa 1:18). (pg. 82-83)

As you are therefore coming, oh coming sinner, judge whether Christ can save you by the true sense of his words. Judge, coming sinner, of the efficacy of his blood, of the perfection of his righteousness, and of the prevalency of his intercession, by his Word. "And him," says he, "that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." "In no wise," that is, for no sin. Judge therefore by his word, how able he is to save you. (pg. 85)

A Public Apology...

...to every living thing that has ever died.

I just returned from the veterinarian's office, where I had our beloved family dog, Cora, put to sleep. She was just nine years old, and had been in good health up until this past week when she began showing symptoms of kidney failure. She spent 48 hours in the animal hospital, but even after extensive treatment she was still showing blood tests levels that were off the charts, even with some improvement. We thought that maybe she wasn't eating due to the hospital setting, and brought her home last night to see if that would help. Everything that she ate or drank was vomited up within a minute, and she began to show signs of shutdown, to the point that she was unable to walk before noon today. She had a very peaceful passing, but one of the last things I told her was "I'm sorry". Now, I might not be thinking too clearly at present, but I really should be sorry.

I should be sorry that death is the result of man's sin. In Romans 5 we read:

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin (Romans 5:12a, ESV)

When you stop and think about it, puppy dogs, and gold fish, and every other living thing dies because man sinned. Death is the result of sin.

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. (Romans 8:19-22, ESV)

All of that groaning, all of that pain, all of that suffering, all of that misery is the result of OUR sin. Yes, God will make all things right, and break the curse of sin and death, but death and suffering in creation are the result of sin. Not sin in puppy dogs, but sin in men.

Yes, Cora, I truly am sorry.

Cora
1998-2008
A very good dog

Come and Welcome - Substance

I have been somewhat remiss the last few days. I have been reading (and thoroughly enjoying) Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ, but I have not posted much here about what I have read. For several days now I have wanted to make a comment on the substance of this book, but have not found the right opportunity.

Regarding substance, I find it remarkable that this entire book, 225 pages coupled with a four page outline, is devoted to the exposition of a single verse of Scripture:

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. (John 6:37, ESV)

Twenty words in the ESV, 23 in the KJV, 20 in the NIV, 23 in the NASB, 20 in the Geneva, 22 in the NET, and 18 in the Greek (TR and NA27). Just a few short words, but positively packed with meaning. (In fact, a friend of mine once told me that John 6:37 was the most Calvinistic verse in the entire Bible, but I will leave that discussion for another time. I will simply comment here that Bunyan holds a thoroughly Calvinistic soteriology, making a universal call to all to embrace Christ: "Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ". He thus refutes those who accuse Calvinists of having no evangelistic zeal .)

In this day and time, with our gravitation towards "sound bites", would we tolerate a series of sermons that would focus week after week on one short verse? Yet, as we read Bunyan we recognize that this book started out as a series of sermons, just like manyof the other books chosen this year for the Puritan Reading Challenge. There is a substance to this book that is woefully lacking in our day. Just the four page outline contains more substance than most contemporary sermons.

Don't get me wrong, there are some who handle God's Word in this way in our age, but they are the exception. In Bunyan's day I am sure that there were also many pulpits filled with unworthy, and often unregenerate, men, but 17th century Puritan England uniquely produced many, many mighty men of God.

What is most impressive is the fact that Bunyan had no formal theological education. In the words of King Charles II, Bunyan was an "uneducated tinker". Reading this book, or any of his other works demonstrates a love of God, a devotion to His Word, and a desire to feed God's children. In short, Bunyan was a man of substance. May God give us a multitude of "uneducated tinkers" of substance with the power to "touch men's hearts" in our day.