Weekly Dose Of Lloyd-Jones

 And so anybody who reads the New Testament, even superficially, unless he is a victim of serious prejudice, is bound to gather the impression that, according to the writers of this book at any rate, the death of the Lord Jesus Christ is of paramount importance. That is why we are bound to consider this, and the real question that confronts us is: What exactly happened there? What was really taking place when our Lord died upon the cross? What is the meaning, the explanation, of that death?

Now I know that many people are not really concerned to know that. They say, ‘No, I am not theological or doctrinal; all I know is that the cross is marvellous and wonderful and that the Lord died there.’ And there are many who seem to think that that is the right attitude. They think that this is too sacred for anybody to examine, that you must never come to the cross with your mind but only with your heart, that the doctrine of the cross is something to be felt, not understood. But nothing is more terribly dangerous than that. If I understand the New Testament aright, there is no place where we should be more careful to go with our minds fully operating as to the cross on Calvary’s hill. And I will tell you why: it is because this is the central thing; there is no truth concerning which the adversary and the enemy of our souls is so anxious to muddle and confuse us as this particular truth.

The history of the Church, as I shall show you briefly, is something that bears endless record to that fact. Let us put it like this: those people who are not interested in doctrine say that all they need is to fall on their knees before the cross; they say that they are not interested in the meaning. But my reply is that that is impossible. Everybody has some view of the cross; and when you say you believe in Christ and look at the cross, you must ask yourself what you believe about it. You have your own interpretation and because of the terrible danger of having the wrong interpretation, we must examine the truth and be certain that we are biblical in our understanding of what happened upon the cross.

I emphasise this because I find that so many people—forgive me for saying it once more, but this is one thing about the evangelical position today that really does alarm me—so many people have this tendency to say that it does not matter very much what people believe, that the doctrinal definitions do not count as long as people talk about the cross. I remember a few years ago a man said to me: ‘I hear that so and so—naming a well-known preacher—has changed recently.’

‘Oh,’ I replied, ‘on what grounds?’

‘Well,’ said the man, ‘he has just produced a book of sermons on the cross.’ And because this preacher had done that, my friend had assumed that he had become evangelical. But when he read the book, he discovered that the man’s view had not changed; it was a view that made the cross of Christ of none effect. He had imposed upon the records his own philosophical ideas and fancies. It is very dangerous to assume that because a man is always talking about the cross—he may even have a cross suspended above the pulpit or somewhere else in his church—that he has the true doctrine of the cross.*

"For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Co 1:18).

Soli Deo Gloria!

For His Glory,
Fernando


*Lloyd-Jones, D. M. (1996). God the Father, God the Son (308–309). Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books.

Creeds and Confessions and Catechisms

There are those today who, confessing the Creeds and Confessions and Catechisms which came out of the Reformation, believe themselves saved by the same.

To confess the great doctrines of the Reformation should be the most humbling of things, not because these have any merit or inspiration in and of themselves, but because they are brief commentaries upon that which has all merit and the inspiration of God: His Scriptures.

If one confesses these great documents of the Reformation, yet lives like the world; if one states that they are saved by such confession, yet act and speak like those who could call themselves just as “moral” in our post modern society of relativistic humanism, they do not understand what they confess, for they think themselves to be something when they are nothing, and holding to various forms of that which has infected both the various cultures, sub cultures, and the church (I do not speak of the Bride of Christ here, made up of His elect, but those who think they are such, yet do not live according to the Scriptures), they, instead of fearing a misrepresentation of the thrice Holy God, fearlessly proclaim that they are His without understanding a shred of that upon which their confession is based upon.

They have not even begun to understand what it means to be totally depraved, yet chosen by God because of His good pleasure; they cannot act as children of light, for the light in them is a great darkness, precisely because they have not been converted by the magnificent grace given in Christ Jesus our Lord, which, rather than being apart from God’s holiness, is given to undeserving sinners as part of His holiness.

There is no humility with such persons, and the mores of this world run rampant through their ranks: feminism, personal entitlement, counting their station in life as proof of God’s blessings, rather than remembering “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich (that is, as the infinite, eternally good and holy God the Son), yet for your sake he became poor (read Philippians 2:1-11), so that you by his poverty might become rich (this would be the humbling truth of salvation by grace – 2 Corinthians 8:9).

Counting one’s self as better than those who suffer privation and physical maladies in this world, they slander and defame the name of the very God they say they hold to, and do despite to the Spirit of Grace.

They do not realize having all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus our Lord, for such a thought as going to the cross is foreign to them – they would have their candy from the world and think themselves inheritors of that which is by grace alone, yet do not even know the meaning of wrongfully handling the word of truth.

Peter describes such, as does Paul, and John, in many ways, but the one thing all these descriptions have in common is the world means more to these people than the cross; human dignity means more to them than the humility shown by our Lord in His first advent.

For such as these, they should remember well the words of Matthew 7:21-23 and Luke 6:46:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'

"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?

We could go further in describing them as Scripture – “wells without water” comes to mind – but the fact is, the point of the above passages quoted is that proclaiming one’s self-sufficiency before our Lord and God, our Savior Jesus Christ, on the day of judgment, whether it be of false miracles, or false morality of the flesh observing things without understanding and thinking they are well, when “the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and raw wounds; they are not pressed out or bound up or softened with oil,” will result in those terrifying words of that quoted above: "I NEVER knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!"

Before reciting one’s formal confessions, creeds and catechisms, one would do well to understand the Scripture – without the healing of our Great Physician, we can spend every day in the pew and hear every sermon ever preached on the Scriptures, yet not understand, for the poison of pride blinds the eyes of those who live against that which God has made plain in His Son to His saints, but to those who live like the world, they are yet enemies of God.

Consider well that which you recite: Look to the testimony of the Scripture which is the foundation of it!

Learn from our great High Priest, Shepherd and Prophet, our Savior and Sacrifice, our Passover and our King, for He shows us what it is like to be lowly and meek of heart, after giving us to see the Father by the regeneration of His Holy Spirit.

To God’s glory alone – Bill Hier

Trying To Divorce A Married Couple

That is certainly what many wish to do when they attempt to pit the cross of Christ against His resurrection. Or those that emphasize the resurrection without speaking of the death of Christ. It goes something like this, "The gospel is the good news that God hasn’t given up on the world, that the tomb is empty and that a giant resurrection rescue is underway and that you and I can be a part of it." My fellow blogger awretchsaved does a good job of pointing out the social gospel in that presentation from Rob Bell.

That sounds pretty spiritual from Bell doesn't it? The Holy Writ does say, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 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. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies "(Ro 8:18–23).


If you notice in that passage the text says that the creation itself waits for the "revealing of the sons of God." It also says that creation was subjected to its present state by God Himself to be set free from its bondage and to obtain the freedom of the children of God. The point being that creation, without the salvation of God's people, itself will not experience its restoration. It is dependent upon the salvation of redeemed sinners- the bride of Christ.

For the moment we will not talk about the cataclysmic judgement ( a point that many want to deny or dodge) that God will bring upon it to bring about this "new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells" (2 Pe. 3:10-18), but will focus on the deliverance of God's people before the restoration of creation. This is the part which Bell and many of his kind completely miss. The idea that Christ came to save sinners by virtue of penal substitutionary death is abhorred by Bell. God, according to Bell and the Emergent crowd, is not angry with sinners and needs not to have His divine justice satisfied. According to Bell sinners are like confused, lost, hurt people in need of a little tender loving care and some guidance. We are more of victims instead of rebels. We are victims and not sinners shaking our fists at God in defiance.

Sure he and the Emergent crowd will talk of "sin." The appropriate question to ask is what do they mean by "sin"? According to one of their like minded people, "sin" is "to lack trust in God to do things His way." Once a person fails to "trust" God then life becomes miserable, "hell on earth." Here we go again with sinners being more victims than offenders of a holy God. This is what is missing (among many other things) in the Emergent  Gospel. God, to them, is more of a helper than God the Savior. God is simply saddened rather than offended and angry.

This is why they love to speak of a "resurrection rescue" or something similar. For them that is the view of salvation. There is no eternal judgement awaiting the unrepentant sinner. The cross of Christ is, not to save, but to make things better according to them. Which is why they rely so much on the felt needs and social justice. The cross of Christ is the greatest example of self-sacrifice for the greater good of creation. If one desires to not join in God's "resurrection rescue" then they will be experiencing "hell on earth" being separated from Him and being depressed, sad or bummed out. To them that is the worst thing. The consequences of sin itself is God's judgment because it keeps one away from this "resurrection rescue."


Bell's answer to such problem is to simply follow Jesus's example of self-sacrifice and love for others and you will be a part of this "resurrection rescue." Think like Jesus, feel like Jesus, believe like Jesus, act like Jesus, love like Jesus and you're in this "resurrection rescue."


My question to them is does the resurrection have any relation to justification? Or is it simply a matter of the way we live? You cannot divorce the the cross of Christ from the resurrection of Christ. Each component is intertwined. Permit me to quote Robert A. Peterson:

Justification. When Paul gives the basis for God’s declaring sinners righteous in Romans, he points primarily to the cross of Christ. In Romans 3:25–26 the basis of justification is “Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood.” In Romans 5:18–19 the basis of justification is Christ’s “obedience” unto death, his “one act of righteousness.” Paul focuses on the cross, but does not omit Jesus’s resurrection.

 In one passage in Romans the apostle brings together the cross and empty tomb. Righteousness “will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our LORD, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Rom. 4:23–25). Here dealing with “our trespasses” and “our justification” are not two separate blessings, but one way of talking about the same blessing—free justification. Justification can be expressed as the positive imputation of righteousness to the believing sinner (Rom. 4:3–5; 5:18–19; 2 Cor. 5:21). It can also be expressed as the nonimputation of sin to the same (Rom. 4:6–7). So when Paul says Jesus “was delivered up for our trespasses,” he means that his atoning death was necessary for our justification. When he says that Jesus was “raised for our justification,” he means that Jesus’s triumphant resurrection was necessary for our justification. Both Jesus’s death and his resurrection are necessary for sinners to be justified before a holy God.

 Jesus’s death is the basis of our justification in that he, our substitute, died in our place, paying the penalty that we could never pay. He also saves us as our resurrected LORD and representative—as the one who lives on our behalf. This is true in at least two senses. First, Christ’s resurrection testifies to the efficacy of his death, as C. E. B. Cranfield explains: “For what was necessitated by our sin was, in the first place, Christ’s atoning death, and yet, had His death not been followed by His resurrection, it would not have been God’s mighty deed for our justification.” Second, Jesus’s resurrection saves us as he who died for us is freed from death by God. His saving death and saving resurrection are the reasons that God will free us from death too. James Dunn clarifies: “The link between justification and Jesus’ resurrection . . . underscores its point—that the justifying grace of God is all of a piece with his creative, life-giving power.” As we will see, his resurrection is the basis and guarantee of our resurrection to eternal life on the last day.

 Forgiveness of sins. Because Jesus’s death and resurrection combine to constitute the basis of our justification, Paul announces to his hearers in Pisidian Antioch: “God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. . . . but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you” (Acts 13:23, 37–38). With these words Paul is not detracting from the saving value of Jesus’s atonement. Rather, he is teaching an additional truth—the saving value of Jesus’s resurrection. Specifically, Jesus’s (death and) resurrection is the basis for the apostolic message of the “forgiveness of sins” (v. 38).

 Similarly, when Paul contemplates what would be true if Christ had not risen from the grave, he emphasizes, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Cor. 15:17). Why would that be the case? Anthony Thiselton answers: “Without the resurrection of Christ, Christ’s death alone has no atoning, redemptive, or liberating effect in relation to human sin.” It is because Jesus our divine-human representative not only died in our place but also lives as Victor over sin and the grave that he saves to the end all who come to God through him.*

Of course they will object that doctrine is impractical but, at a later time, I hope to show that justification and the resurrection should lead to what is called "social justice" of course with some clarifications.The danger with false teaching is sometimes there is a measure of truth in the errors.Theology is indeed practical.

Soli Deo Gloria!

For His Glory,
Fernando


*Robert A. Peterson. Salvation Accomplished by the Son: The Work of Christ (Kindle Locations 3044-3073). Crossway.

The Gospel According To Rob Bell

Caution: Watching this video may cause you to pull your hair out.

"The gospel is the good news that God hasn’t given up on the world, that the tomb is empty and that a giant resurrection rescue is underway and that you and I can be a part of it. And so yes, this has a deeply personal dimension to it. Jesus is saving me. He’s saving me from my sins, from my mistakes, from my pride, from my indifference to the suffering of the world around me, from my cynicism and despair. The brokenness I see in the world around me is true of my own soul, and so he’s rescuing me, moment by moment, day by day, because God wants to put it all back together—you, me, the whole world. And so he starts deep inside each of us with our awareness that we need help, that we need saving, that we need rescuing. And then he begins to show us step by step what it looks like to put flesh and blood on this gospel. Because we all fall short, and that’s the beautiful part. Broken, flawed, vulnerable people like you and me are invited to be the hands and feet of a Jesus who loves us exactly as we are and yet loves us way too much to let us stay that way."


Rob Bell says that the gospel is that "God hasn't given up on the world". For Mr. Bell, God is this sort of social activist, one who has a wonderful plan for this world, and he's attempting to make this world better, if he could just get some support in the grassroots (from you and me)- then maybe we can get this resurrection thing on the way. What the resurrection means for Rob Bell, is not Christ's victory over death, not at all, it's about the "giant resurrection rescue underway" where God will (insert kind earthly gesture here), through you and me. What Rob Bell is espousing, is nothing different than what we've heard before. It is the social gospel. The idea that the gospel is lived out, when you and I- by our efforts- usher in the kingdom of God. In this concept, salvation is not a matter of Christ dying as substitute under the wrath of God for our sins, no, it's about Christ being sent to be an example of social love. Personal salvation isn't important. What is important is the well being of all mankind, through our social efforts of helping the poor, giving to charity, etc.

As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!- Galatians 1:9

-awretchsaved

DEBATE

Debate is the stuff of the faith of Christianity; it is carried on by those who are His with those who suppose themselves to be His; by those who seek, by outward manifestation of religious observance, who yet deny the efficacy and the Person of Jesus Christ, the sacrifice for His people He made upon the cross, the fact of His deity, the triune nature of the three Persons who share equally the full essence of the One God.

Our Lord Himself debated with those who thought otherwise – the religious leaders of His day; the apostle Paul and the other apostles likewise debated with these leaders of a false religion, and even with the philosophers of the day.

In saying debate is the stuff of Christianity, we assume there are those who hold to other positions than theistic Trinitarianism, and that we argue from the very words of Scripture to substantiate the truth of our claims.

There are those who have made a religion out of disbelief, who model themselves as no followers of any god, let alone the one true God, and to these we may address the defense for the faith in other terms, yet notwithstanding, based upon and sanctified by the truth inherent in Scripture and by the Holy Spirit; it is not these that we speak of here, however.

We speak of those who think they serve the One True God, yet deny His plan of salvation for lost sinners whom He calls to Himself.

To these, we make our defense – our reasoned response – for the hope that is in us, the very One who gave Himself that we might live, and though they may have similar theologies which are, in truth, when exposed to the light of the Scripture under the scrutiny of the Spirit of God, seen to be none other than the same philosophies of men against which we are warned not to submit, not for a moment, to their plausible arguments based on the elemental things of this world, we see this common thread among them all: God must act according to these humanistic philosophies, or they will not consider Him to be worthy of themselves.

It is against just such arrogance of men, who would sit in judgment of the very God who created and gives them to have each fragment of each moment of their lives, that we assert His truth, not for purposes of “winning the argument,” but that He may have mercy upon them, and that they may come to the knowledge of His truth and so be saved.

We find also this common thread among these false representations of Christianity: unity at the cost of truth; a multiplicity of man’s philosophies which all can come under the umbrella of – at the best, if they so wish; at the worst, with all being saved, so that the wrath of God poured out on our blessed Lord Jesus Christ for the sins of those He saves is reduced to nothing at all.

We therefore debate, not to win the debate, but to proclaim the glory of God in His grace in Jesus Christ, and this can only be done at the cost of self and the humility which is of His Spirit, worshipfully, thankfully, to our God, and seeking to not misrepresent those we oppose, as they often do us.

Debate for the sake of debate is no more an apologetic for the faith than winning an argument over whether and apple is an onion, and makes as little sense.

We debate for the sake of those souls our Lord died to make His own, and to His glory alone – any other reason is pride.

To God's glory alone - Bill Hier

Calling Clowns- "Clowns"- When They Act Like It

Spurgeon once said, "A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats." How very accurate. Two modern examples of that are Perry Noble and his protege Steven Furtick. Two men that have the title "pastor" yet are biblically unqualified (watch the two short video clips at the bottom of this article).

Of course to them I'm just a "mean spirited" "hater" and according to them "You look like a toddler, drawing lines in the sand, talking about how you are defending the truth, taking a stand." I'm just another "internet blogger in my pajamas blogging from my mother's basement." 

Actually, I'm a pastor blogging from my own house and this blog is not a "discernment ministry." However, as a pastor part of my calling is to be discerning and to be faithful to what the Apostle Paul says in Romans 16:17-18: "I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive."


I would not extend either of these men the right hand of fellowship. In fact both are wolves. I know, I know, how mean of me. And this article will only anger them and people of their ilk. But hey what should they expect of me after all I'm only a "hater."

I recommend this article which is in response to Furtick's clownish rant.

Soli Deo Gloria!

For His Glory,
Fernando

The Comfort Of Christ In His Imputed Righteousness

There is nothing so encouraging to a believer as the imputation of Christ's righteousness. It is one thing to know that we are forgiven. That our sins were placed to Christ's account and He bore the full wrath of the Father in the sinners stead. There is such consolation and comfort knowing that all in Christ are forgiven by the thrice holy God. But the work of Christ does is not limited to just forgiveness. All, through repentance and faith in Him, are not only forgiven but credited with His righteousness. That is all Christians are clothed with His perfection. Our standing before God is that of forgiven and righteous. Oh what satisfaction and joy to be "blessed in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6)!

There is no need to fret when overtaken by sin that we must make up for such sinfulness with more law keeping. No, we rest in the our union with Christ. Always remembering that we are forgiven and declared righteous on the basis of the life death and resurrection of Christ our Savior.

It is rather tragic that some today our attempting to deny the sheep of Christ of the comfort in His imputed righteousness. Richard Phillips writes:

Scholars should always be able to explain theological controversies in terms that regular Christians can understand. With this in mind, a pastor friend of mine was explaining to his mother the recent controversies regarding the doctrine of justification. He explained how some are denying the bicovenantal  system of the covenant of works and the covenant of grace, redefining faith as faithfulness, and casting other important matters into dispute. His mother followed this all perfectly well. But she reacted particularly  strongly, as all Christians should, when my friend explained how purportedly REformed theologians are denying the doctrine of Christ's imputed righteousness. To this, the godly matriarch reacted with a shocked and pained expression. "You know, son," she said, "I have rather been counting on that being true."

My friend's mother was not the only one Christian who has been counting on the imputation of Christ's righteousness. J. Gresham Machen expressed his reliance upon it when he sent a cable to his friend John Murray, on January 1, 1937, the day of Machen's death: "I'm so thankful for the active obedience of Christ. No hope with out it."  Machen  was referring to Jeus' perfect, lived obedience to God's law throughout His earthly life. Jesus lived the life that we should have lived, and He did so on behalf of His people. As Machen sent those final words before he passed into the presence of God, he was relying on Christ not only to pay the penalty for his sins but also to provide a perfect righteousness on his behalf.*

Lest there be any confusion as to what is meant by double imputation- the imputation of our sins to Christ and the imputation of His righteousness to His people- I will defer to Martyn Lloyd-Jones:

Now to "impute" is to put something in a book, in a ldger, and God, you see, has got your name in His ledger. Oh, yes, it is there. I do not care what your nae is; He has na index; your name is there; He opens it at your name and there is the record of everything you have ever committed, is imputed, put to your account in the ledger. It is under your name and you have got to answer for it. But God has taken your account and has put it to His account. That is what imputation means. God has made Jesus Christ "to be sin for us." He dies to bear my punishment. That is what killed Him. So my guilt has been imputed to Him and it has been taken from me and therefore I am freely forgiven.

But then there is another problem, this power of sin, this evil nature. I want to get rid of the thought of sin and the life and desire of sin. Before I can spend eternity with God, I must have a clean and pure heart and a righteous nature. I cannot produce it. What nonsense it is to attempt it! The moment you try you will see your own blackness and darkness; you cannot. You cannot change yourself but. thank God, God can-"...that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."

For when He imputes our sins to Him, He imputes His righteousness to us. This is marvellous! Out of my ledger goes my sin, put to His account; then His goodness, His righteousness, His purity are put into my account under my name! To put it another way, here I am with the black cloak of my sinfulness and I cannot stand, in such a cloak, before God who is light. What God does is to put over my cloak the cloak of the righteousness of Jesus Christ, His perfect spotless life of obedience, His holy nature. I am in Christ, I belong to Him. He is the new man and I am in Him and God sees me in Him clothed with His righteousness...This is Christianity : not your little goodness and mine; not what I am doing and what I am not doing. Not how much better I am than somebody else; not not how much better I am than I once was. No, you forget it all and look to Him. You see His perfect spotless righteousness and you know that if you believe in Him it is given to you and you are clothed with it.* 

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Co 5:21).


"Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God,and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mk 1:14–15).

Soli Deo Gloria!

For His Glory,
Fernando

* Joel Beeke, The Beauty and Glory of Christ (Grand Rapids, MI.: Reformation Heritage Books, 2011), 121-122
*Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Kingdom of God (Wheaton, Ill.: Corssway, 1992), 80-81