“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people;
that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” — 1 Peter 2:9
The apostle in the preceding verses speaks of the great difference between Christians and unbelievers, on account of their diverse and opposite relations to Jesus Christ. The former have Christ for their foundation, they come to him as a living stone, a stone chosen of God, and precious; and they also as living stones are built up a spiritual house. The Christian church is the temple of God, and particular believers are the stones of which that temple is built. The stones of Solomon’s temple, which were so curiously polished and well fitted for their places in that building, were a type of believers. And Christ is the foundation of this building, or the chief corner stone. On the contrary, to the latter, to unbelievers, Christ, instead of being a foundation on which they rest and depend, is a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense. Instead of being a foundation to support them and keep them from falling, he is an occasion of their stumbling and falling.And again, to believers Christ is a precious stone: “Unto you therefore which believe, he is precious.” But to unbelievers he is a stone that is disallowed, and rejected, and set at nought. They set light by him, as by the stones of the street. They make no account of him, and they disallow him. When they come to build, they cast this stone away as being of no use, not fit for a foundation, and not fit for a place in their building. In the eighth verse the apostle tells the Christians to whom he writes, that those unbelievers who thus reject Christ, and to whom he is a stone of stumbling, and rock of offense, were appointed to this. “And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed.” It was appointed that they should stumble at the word that Christ should be an occasion not of their salvation, but of their deeper damnation. And then in our text, he puts the Christians in mind how far otherwise God had dealt with them, than with those reprobates. They were a chosen generation. God had rejected the others in his eternal counsels, but themselves he had chosen from eternity. They were a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people.
God does not utterly cast off the world of mankind. Though they are fallen and corrupted, and there is a curse brought upon the world, yet God entertained a design of appropriating a certain number to himself. Indeed all men and all creatures are his, as well since as before the fall. Whether they are elected or not, they are his. God does not lose his right to them by the fall, neither does he lose his power to dispose of them: they are still in his hands. Neither does he lose his end in creating them. God has made all things for himself, even the wicked for the day of evil. It possibly was Satan’s design, in endeavoring the fall of man, to cause that God should lose the creature that he had made, by getting him away from God into his own possession, and to frustrate God of his end in creating man. But this Satan has not obtained.
The above was excerpted from a longer sermon by Jonathan Edwards, available for reading online here.
"This is eternal life. . ."
Through the years I’ve seen, and engaged in. both extremes of evangelistic endeavor. One extreme is beating people over the head with the judgment and wrath of God. The other extreme is focusing mainly on God’s love, improperly defining sin and never getting to judgment and wrath. Both are WRONG! They both assume that the primary goal of the salvation of men is making it to heaven, and both of them, to a degree, are man-centered. One has the ‘candidate for salvation’ escaping certain Hell and making it, while the other has him/her enthusiastically jumping to the lap of a cuddly grandfather. The former fails to express God’s great love in salvation and the latter overemphasizes it and offers a mere caricature of God.
The fact of the matter is that the salvation of anyone is first to demonstrate the riches of God’s grace, according to His pleasure, and for His glory!
Therefore, the best starting point for anyone who desires to share the true gospel of Christ is a proper knowledge of His Father. Listen to the beginning of the high priestly prayer Christ offered to His Father just before he went obediently to His death:
“Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”- John 17:1-3
It is only when we know the Father, both His goodness and severity (Romans 11:22) that we can truly behold the Son.
Have a blessed day. – B4B
Doctrine: The Essential Foundation
A few excerpts from an article by John MacArthur found here.
True biblical doctrine is practical. In fact, nothing is more practical than sound doctrine. Those who listen to right doctrine and put it into practice are transformed by it.
It’s become increasingly apparent that the contemporary mind is suspicious of propositional truth. The culture has imbibed the postmodernism construct: propositions lead to doctrines, which lead to theologies, which form the meta-narratives that the elite and powerful use to dominate, manipulate, and take advantage of the masses. “No more propositions, doctrines, and imperialistic meta-narratives,” they say. “Just show us Jesus by what you do.”
That may sound good, but it’s fundamentally flawed. . . .
Doctrine gives rise to dedication to Christ, the greatest practical act.
.. .the scriptural concept of doctrine includes the entire message of the gospel-its teaching about God, salvation, sin, and righteousness. Those concepts are so tightly bound to daily living that the first-century mind saw them as inseparably linked to practical truth.
This intent of this blogger is to set forth the truth of scripture, and focuses at times on biblical doctrine that seems to be ignored or simply has been forgotten in our postmodern world where God seems to be just a cuddly’ grandfather figure’ and His Son our ‘dance partner’. Don’t take that personally. The editorial comments of this blog’s author are not intended to be personal, but reflective of ‘trends’ in the beloved Bride of Christ that are sweeping the land. Mine is but a small voice among a growing chorus of believers who are giving voice to their discontent at seeing the God of the universe and the Lord of all creation ‘dumbed down’ and redefined by secular humanism and popular man-centered theologies.
I love you all!
Why Is Theology Important?
When I did an Internet search on this question, one of the things that turned up is the following article from the Murfreesboro Post, a newspaper published in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Theology, ‘words about God,’ matters greatly
By: Jim McClarty, Pastor Grace Christian Assembly
I get a lot of email. Due to the popularity of our website, I receive comments and observations from a wide range of denominations and countries. One of the most consistent themes emerging from my in-box is the general lack of doctrine and theology being taught in most churches. In its place, churches offer showmanship – clowns, puppets, lightshows, theatrical productions, surround-sound, smoke machines, rock bands, etc.
An elemental shift has occurred in the contemporary church. According to the Bible, although the followers of Christ are IN the world, we are not to be OF the world (John 17:14-16). We are called to reflect the principles and teaching of Christ, as salt and light in an otherwise decaying and dark environment. But, as church buildings and budgets have grown, churches have begun competing with the world over the disposable income people spend on entertainment. And in the process, doctrine and theology have suffered.
So, does that really matter? I mean, what’s the point of theology anyway? Is doctrine really that important?
The word “theology” is a contraction of two Greek words, meaning “words about God.” The Bible is full of such words. As you learn the Bible, you learn what God is like, how He thinks, how He acts, and what it takes to approach Him. It’s not enough to simply think ABOUT God. It matters WHAT you think about God. Proper theology teaches you how to think about God properly.
In his epistles, the apostle Paul urged the church repeatedly to concentrate on “sound doctrine.” That means: solid teaching. They were not to merely imagine what Christ was like or what He taught. They were to devote themselves to the solid, provable teaching handed down to them by the apostles. Proper theology leads to proper Christianity.
Biblical theology answers the most pressing, important question any of us will ever face: “How can sinners stand forgiven and un-condemned before a righteous, holy God?” Given that we are all mortal and the ratio of death so far is a perfect 1:1, what you think about God’s salvation is a very important consideration. Proper theology leads to peace with God.
And finally, once we understand our relationship with God and His Son, that knowledge affects every aspect of our lives. How we treat people, how we raise our kids, how we live in society, and how we treat our marriage, are all directly impacted by a genuine understanding of our position before God. In other words, proper theology leads to a proper life.
So, does theology matter? Yes. In fact, there is no other subject in this lifetime that will have a greater impact on your eternal destiny than the words you say about God.
Theology matters.
The Grace Christian Assembly Web site is located here. The GCA Archives page contains some excellent studies based on the reformed doctrine of the Protestant Reformation.
Post Script:
“So necessary to the Church is a lofty concept of God that when that concept in any measure declines, the Church with her worship and her moral standards declines along with it. The first step down for any church is taken when it surrenders its high opinion of God….The masses of her adherents come to believe that God is different from what He actually is, and that is heresy of the most insiduous and deadly kind.
The heaviest obligation lying upon the Christian Church is to purify and elevate her concept of God until it is once more worthy of Him–and of her. In all her prayers and labors this should have first place.” – From A. W. Tozer’s “The Knowledge of the Holy”
From Truth to a New Spirituality – Berit Kjos
There is an absolutely outstanding chart of how core beliefs of our Christian faith transition from Biblical Christianity through a Transition stage to the New Spiritually, courtesy of Kjos Ministries, located here, that begins with this introduction:
“The hope of the New Age faith, or New Spirituality, is that when this One Humanity has achieved its ‘divine potential’ and all separation has been purged from the world, then world problems such as ‘tribalism’ and poverty and hatred and violence will be left behind. The world will then be transformed by this New Humanity into a divine new world of peace, love, good will, and sharing where everyone can be free to worship his own inner (immanent) ‘God’ of his own understanding in his own way.
“The call for this New Age ‘kingdom of God’ is now being so widely heeded, even in today’s Christianity, that the building of humanity’s Ark of Oneness is suddenly nearing completion.” Tamara Hartzell
“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception….” 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12
“The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart.” Jeremiah 14:14
The belief topics presented include Truth, Jesus, Incarnation, Salvation, Faith, Sin, Gospel, Fellowship, Service, Separation, Persecution, and the Kingdom of God. To pique your interest, here is the entry for the Gospel:
Biblical Christianity:
The “good news” about the suffering, redeeming death, and victorious resurrection of Jesus — that we might be saved from sin and joined to Christ. Those who deny His Gospel will face His judgment.
Transition:
The old Gospel is replaced by a more “positive” gospel: God loves you and has a wonderful plan for you. Just agree and accept in His love. Don’t dwell on sin.
New Spirituality:
“…this message is the only message that can save the world.… That message is The New Gospel: WE ARE ALL ONE.”
The links in this post will lead you to additional sites/articles well worth reading.
Summary of the Sovereignty of God in Salvation – John Piper
Somehow I fail miserably in my feeble attempts to encourage folks to see the majesty and sovereignty of God in the salvation of men. Part of that might be attributed to today’s generally ‘low view of God’. I won’t go into that, but if you are reading this, at least consider the view you have of God. Much has already been written, preached and/or taught concerning the modern/postmodern and abysmally deficient view of God held by the vast majority of American evangelicalism. Below is an excellent summary, by John Piper, of God’s sovereignty in man’s salvation, which includes truths that uplift, encourage and ‘feel good’, and others that might reflect doctrine that is much hated these days.
1. God elects, chooses, before the foundation of the world whom he will save and whom he will pass by and leave to unbelief and sin and rebellion. He does this unconditionally, not on the basis of foreseen faith that humans produce by a supposed power of ultimate self-determination (= “free will”).
Acts 13:48, “When the gentiles heard this they were glad and glorified the word of God. And as many as were for ordained to eternal life believed.”
Romans 11:7, “Israel failed to obtain what is sought. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened.”
John 6:37, “All that the Father gives to me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out.” John 17:6, “I have manifested my name to them whom thou gavest me out of the world; thine they were, and thou gavest them to me.” (John 6:44, 65).
2. The Atonement applies to the elect in a unique, particular way, although the death of Christ is sufficient to propitiate the sins of the whole world. The death of Christ effectually accomplished the salvation for all God’s people.
Eph. 5:25, “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”
Heb. 10:14, “By a single offering he perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”
John 10:15, “I lay down my life for the sheep.”
Rom. 8:32, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things?”
3. Because of the Fall, humans are incapable of any saving good apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. We are helpless and dead in sin. We have a mindset that “cannot submit to God without divine enabling.
Rom. 8:7-8, “The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, it does not submit to God’s law; indeed it cannot. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.”
Eph. 2:1,5, “You were dead through your trespasses and sins.”
4. God’s call to salvation is effectual, and, hence His grace cannot be ultimately thwarted by human resistance. God’s regenerating call can overcome all human resistance.
Acts 16:14, “The Lord opened her heart to give heed to what was said by Paul.”
John 6:65, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted to him by my Father.” (Matt. 16:17; Luke 10:21)
1 Cor. 1:23-24, “We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
5. Those whom God calls and regenerates He also keeps, so that they do not totally and finally fall away from faith and grace.
Rom. 8:30, “Those whom he predestined, he also called and those whom he called he also justified and those whom he justified he also glorified.”
John 10:27-29, “My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me; and I give them eternal life and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.”
Phil. 1:6, “I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus.” (1 Cor. 1:8).
1 Thess. 5:23, “May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly, and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful and he will do it.”
Conclusion
Romans 11:36, “From him, through him, and to him are all things, to him be glory forever amen!”
For SERIOUS Students of Scripture ONLY
This is a very short study of Acts 13:48 designed to encourage/elicit a serious look at a particular scripture that most probably will never be heard from the pulpits stages of a large number of churches across America in these times of ‘Christianity light’ – thus the title. If the short study below and the much longer study (referenced by a link after it) accurately reflect what inspired Scripture actually teaches, it could be a shock to the belief system of all those who hold the notion that Christ died to make salvation ‘possible’ and not actually ‘secure’ salvation for anyone. I call that the “God sent His own Son to die for what MIGHT be” theory of the atonement. I have included seven renderings of Acts 13:48, as well as citations from a few commentaries, that should pique the interest of even those who despise the doctrine of election.
So please read on, study further (or don’t), comment (or don’t), and be challenged. Above all, be blessed by God through His inspired written word.
“And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” – ESV
“When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.” NIV
“Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” NKJV
“When the Gentiles heard this, they began to rejoice and praise the word of the Lord, and all who had been appointed for eternal life believed.” NET Bible
“When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” NASB
“When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers. NLT
“When the non-Jewish outsiders heard this, they could hardly believe their good fortune. All who were marked out for real life put their trust in God—they honored God’s Word by receiving that life.” MSG
COMMENTARY ENTRIES:
Do not “tone down” the phrase in v. 48 that indicates that certain people were “ordained to eternal life.” The Gk. word actually means “enrolled,” and has the idea of names written in a book. While salvation is by grace, through faith, there is also that mysterious working of God whereby we are “chosen in Christ” (Eph. 1:4). We do not know who God’s elect are, so we offer the Gospel to all and have confidence that the Spirit will work. – Wiersbe, Warren W.: Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1997, c1992, S. 312
and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed—a very remarkable statement, which cannot, without force, be interpreted of anything lower than this, that a divine ordination to eternal life is the cause, not the effect, of any man’s believing. – Jamieson, Robert ; Fausset, A. R. ; Fausset, A. R. ; Brown, David ; Brown, David: A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments. Oak Harbor, WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, S. Ac 13:48
The Gentiles rejoiced in this turn of events and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. It is difficult to miss the doctrine of God’s election here; the words “were appointed” come from the verb tassō, a military word meaning “to arrange” or “to assign.” Luke used it here to show that God’s elective decree included Gentiles.- Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 2:390
EDITORIAL COMMENT TO THIS BLOG POST:
I was surprised that the Message had a decent rendering of the “appointed” concept, although “marked out for real life” somehow doesn’t carry the full impact of “appointed for eternal life”. “Real life” has too many temporal connotations and we are talking eternality, not our “best life NOW” in this passage.
There is a very extensive study of Acts 13:48 here. It is actually in two parts, with a link to Part 2 at the end of Part 1. I found it after I posted my own short study above. It includes 25 translations of this verse spanning 400 years, discusses in depth the single translation in which the word “appointed” is rendered “were disposed to” (New World Translation [Jehovah’s Witnesses and on my shelf]), a possible but highly suspect translation.
It has been commented of late that I have a “fixation” on the doctrine of predestination. That might be true, and a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your connotation of “fixation”. If my “fixation” is ultimately on the sovereignty and glory of God, it just might be a good thing. The idea that when I was completely unable to seek God (Romans 3), He drew me and enabled me (John 6:44 & 65) to come to Christ, expresses a love that TOTALLY eclipses the “God sent His own Son to die for what MIGHT be” doctrine of the atonement mentioned at the top of this post.
A word of caution/disclaimer – the terms “Calvinism” and “Arminianism”, appear in the study’s text, however I am not setting you up to be ambushed by what I believe and hold dear, nor am I pulling some sort of theological/spiritual “bait and switch”. I am actually interested in serious study and comment/discussion.
Wise Counsel from The Council of Orange
“If anyone affirms that we can form any right opinion or make any right choice which relates to the salvation of eternal life, as is expedient for us, or that we can be saved, that is, assent to the preaching of the gospel through our natural powers without the illumination and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who makes all men gladly assent to and believe in the truth, he is led astray by a heretical spirit, and does not understand the voice of God who says in the Gospel, “For apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5), and the word of the Apostle, “Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God” (2 Cor. 3:5).”
“If anyone denies that it is the whole man, that is, both body and soul, that was “changed for the worse” through the offense of Adam’s sin, but believes that the freedom of the soul remains unimpaired and that only the body is subject to corruption, he is deceived by the error of Pelagius and contradicts the scripture which says, “The soul that sins shall die” (Ezek. 18:20); and, “Do you not know that if you yield yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are the slaves of the one whom you obey?” (Rom. 6:16); and, “For whatever overcomes a man, to that he is enslaved” (2 Pet. 2:19).”
“If anyone asserts that Adam’s sin affected him alone and not his descendants also, or at least if he declares that it is only the death of the body which is the punishment for sin, and not also that sin, which is the death of the soul, passed through one man to the whole human race, he does injustice to God and contradicts the Apostle, who says, “Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned” (Rom. 5:12).”
“If anyone says that the grace of God can be conferred as a result of human prayer, but that it is not grace itself which makes us pray to God, he contradicts the prophet Isaiah, or the Apostle who says the same thing, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me” (Rom 10:20, quoting Isa. 65:1).”
“If anyone maintains that God awaits our will to be cleansed from sin, but does not confess that even our will to be cleansed comes to us through the infusion and working of the Holy Spirit, he resists the Holy Spirit himself who says through Solomon, “The will is prepared by the Lord” (Prov. 8:35, LXX), and the salutary word of the Apostle, “For God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).”
Luther on ‘Free-Will’
“It is not irreligious, wasteful, or superficial, but essentially healthy and necessary, for a Christian to know whether or not his will has anything to do in matters pertaining to salvation. Indeed, let me tell you, this is the hinge on which our discussion turns, the crucial issue between us; our aim is, simply, to investigate what ability “free will” has, in what respect it is the subject of divine action and how it stands related to the grace of God. If we know nothing of these things, we shall know nothing whatsoever of Christianity, and shall be in worse than the heathen! He who does not admit this should acknowledge that he is not a Christian; and he who ridicules or derides it should realize that he is the greatest enemy of Christianity. For if I am ignorant in the nature, extent and limits of what I can and must do in relationship to God, I shall be equally ignorant and uncertain of the nature, extent and limits of what God can and will do in me – though God, in fact, works everything in everyone. Now, if I am ignorant of the works and powers of God, I am ignorant of God himself; and if I do not know God, I cannot worship, praise, give thanks or serve Him, for I do not know how much I should attribute to myself and how much to Him. We need, therefore, to have in mind a clear-cut distinction between God’s power and ours, and God’s work and ours, if we would live a godly life.”
“This problem [the knowledge of what we contribute to our salvation] is one half of the whole sum of Christianity, since on it both knowledge of oneself and the knowledge and glory of God quite vitally depend. . . . The other half of the sum of Christianity is concerned with whether God’s foreknowledge is uncertain, and whether everything we do could be done any other way.”
“Now, since on God’s own testimony, men are ‘flesh’, they can savour of nothing but the flesh; therefore ‘free-will can avail only to sin. And if, while the Spirit of God is calling and teaching among them, they go from bad to worse, what could they do when left to themselves, without the Spirit of God? . . .The same is true of all men, for all are ‘flesh’; as Christ says, ‘That which is born of the flesh is flesh’ (John 3:6) How grave a defect this is, He Himself there teaches, when he says: ‘Except a man be born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of God (v. 5)…I call a man ungodly if he is without the Spirit of God; for Scripture says that the Spirit is given to justify the ungodly. As Christ distinguished the Spirit from the flesh, saying: “that which is born of the flesh is flesh’, and adds that which is born of the flesh cannot enter the kingdom of God’, it obviously follows that whatever is flesh is ungodly, under God’s wrath, and a stranger to His kingdom. And if it is a stranger to God’s kingdom and Spirit, it follows of necessity that it is under the kingdom and spirit of Satan. For there is no middle kingdom between the kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan, which are ever at war with each other.” – Martin Luther, The Bondage of the Will
Monergism vs Synergism
When is the human heart regernerated? What comes first, God’s decision (choice) or man’s decision? What ‘event’ initiates/initiated God’s plan of salvation?
“Monergism is the . . . doctrine that regeneration (the new birth) both precedes and elicits faith in Christ in those whom the Holy Spirit sovereignly determines to dispense His grace upon (John 1:13; 6:63-65; Acts 16:14b; 1 John 5:1). When preached in the power of the Holy Spirit, the gospel has the power to open blind eyes and unstop deaf ears. Those dead in sin, therefore, play no part in their own new birth and are just as passive as a new born physical baby in the regenerative act. Thus, man does not cooperate in his regeneration but rather, infallibly responds in faith as the Holy Spirit changes our hearts’ disposition. Faith is not something produced by our unregenerated human nature. The fallen sinner has no moral ability or inclination to believe prior to the new birth. Instead, the Holy Spirit must open one’s ears to the preaching of the gospel if one would hear. While there is no temporal sequence, regeneration gives rise to all other aspects of our salvation. They all happen simultaneously like the turning on of the light, which is the cause of faith, justification, sanctification, new affections, and the like.
Synergism (or synergistic regeneration) is the . . . doctrine which believes that faith precedes and gives rise to regeneration. Man cooperates with God in regeneration. Faith is produced by our unregenerated human nature. The fallen sinner has the ability and potential inclination to believe even prior to the new birth. While synergism believes grace plays a role in salvation yet he does not believe salvation is by grace alone – instead it is grace plus our response which makes us to be born again.”
Another way to ask the question might be “Whose faith is it, anyway?”
Any thoughts or opinions? Please provide supporting scripture.
The above definitions were extracted from an article by John Hendryx that can be read here.
The Battle Cry 