What is the Glory of God?

Posted by Dan C. on

This is a continuation of the Thomas Watson sermon concerning the chief end of man started in this earlier blog, that end being to glorify God and enjoy him forever. The sermon continues. . .

“When we speak of God’s glory, the question will be moved, What are to understand by God’s glory?

Answer. There is a twofold glory:

1. The glory that God has in himself, his intrinsic glory. Glory is essential to the Godhead, as light is to the sun: he is called the “God of glory.” Acts 7:2. Glory is the sparkling of the Deity; it is so co-natural to the Godhead, that God cannot be God without it. The creature’s honour is not essential to his being. A king is a man without his regal ornaments, when his crown and royal robes are taken away; but God’s glory is such an essential part of his being, that he cannot be God without it. God’s very life lies in his glory. This glory can receive no addition, because it is infinite; it is that which God is most tender of, and which he will not part with. Isa. 48:11, “My glory I will not give to another.” God will give temporal blessings to his children, such as wisdom, riches, honour; he will give them spiritual blessings, he will give them grace, he will give them his love, he will give them heaven; but his essential glory he will not give to another. King Pharaoh parted with a ring off his finger to Joseph, and a gold chain, but he would not part with his throne. Gen. 41:40. “Only in the throne will I be greater than thou.” So God will do much for his people; he will give them the inheritance; he will put some of Christ’s glory, as mediator upon them; but his essential glory he will not part with; “in the throne he will be greater.”

2. The glory which is ascribed to God, or which his creatures labour to bring to him. 1 Chron. 16:29, “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name.” And, 1 Cor. 6:20, “Glorify God in your body, and in your spirit.” The glory we give God is nothing else but our lifting up his name in the world, and magnifying him in the eyes of others. Phil. 1:20, “Christ shall be magnified in my body.”

So What?

How do we define lifting up his name in the world, and magnifying him in the eyes of others? A comment to the earlier post described one way we give him glory: “I bring Him glory when I tell the truth about Him, or when my actions tell the truth about Him.”  We bring him glory when our words and actions tell the truth about him. Our actions ‘speaking louder than words’ is what it really means to me in Acts 1:8 – you will be my witnesses. Our words give voice to the reality of Christ in us, the hope of glory (Col 1:27).

To be continued. . .

Thanks, Michelle!

What is the chief end of man?

Posted by Dan C. on

That’s just another way of asking the question: “Why are we here?”, or “What’s our purpose?”  It’s a question that has probably been asked throughout time as we know it. It’s the topic of the biggest selling ‘Christian’ book in history. Phrased slightly differently, it’s the first question asked, and answered, in the Westminster Shorter Catechism that dates back to the 17th century. A notable Puritan preacher of the time, Thomas Watson, addressed the question in one of his sermons, the first part of which is below:

“Question. 1. What is the chief end of man?

Answer. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.

Here are two ends of life specified. 1. The glorifying of God. 2. The enjoying of God.

First. The glorifying of God, 1 Pet. 4:11. “That God in all things may be glorified.” The glory of God is a silver thread which must run through all our actions. l Cor. 10:31. “Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” Everything works to some end in things natural and artificial; now, man being a rational creature, must propose some end to himself, and that should be, that he may lift up God in the world. He had better lose his life than the end of his living. The great truth asserted is that the end of every man’s living should be to glorify God. Glorifying God has respect to all the persons in the Trinity; it respects God the Father who gave us life; God the Son, who lost his life for us; and God the Holy Ghost, who produces a new life in us; we must bring glory to the whole Trinity.”

So What?

With 1 Cor 10:31 in mind, I am forced to consider how my behavior might change if I asked myself the simple question: “How does this (whatever I am doing or thinking/about to do) bring glory to God?” I think it puts the popular W.W.J.D. (What Would Jesus Do) thing, with all ‘stuff’ that goes with it, on a totally different level. While I am not knocking W.W.J.D as an honorable thought (other than all the aforementioned ‘stuff”), it can turn the Lord of the universe into nothing more than a moral example with a cute slogan.

And by the way, it doesn’t take a 300 page book and a 40 day ‘journey’ to figure this out! After the first couple of pages of appearing to say it’s all about God, that one turned out to be all about ‘me’ anyway.

Life really is all about God and His Glory!

What is Evangelism?

Posted by Dan C. on

I suppose if you did one of those ‘man on the street’ type things and asked the question “What is evangelism?” you would get a wide variety of answers, even if you were outside Any Church, U.S.A.  If you were outside a church you could ask a follow-up question after receiving a definition of evangelism something like “How are you contributing to the evangelism effort?” Here is a good definition of evangelism published in the Banner of Truth magazine over 30 years ago that still holds true today.

“Evangelism is not a making of proselytes; it is not persuading people to make a decision; it is not proving that God exists, or making a good case for the truth of Christianity; it is not inviting someone to a meeting; it is not exposing the contemporary dilemma, or arousing interest in Christianity; it is not wearing a badge saying “Jesus Saves!”  Some of these things are right and good in their place, but none of them should be confused with evangelism. To evangelize is to declare on the authority of God what he has done to save sinners, to warn men of their lost condition, to direct them to repent, and to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” (John Cheesman, The Grace of God in the Gospel [Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1972], 119)

Using the ‘contextualization/need to adapt to the culture’ excuse for leaving 3/4 of the ‘good news’ is NO excuse! The ‘believe in Jesus’ is about all that’s left in the modern evangelical gospel. Man’s lost condition without Christ has not changed, the effect of sin has not changed, the need to repent has not changed.

We need only declare/proclaim, in fact that is all that we are asked to do – tell it. When we tell it and God has opened ears to hear, eyes to see and awakened a dead heart, true salvation follows – a work of God, not man. Even faith to believe is a precious gift. Ephesians 2:8-9.

Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats? – C.H. Spurgeon

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An evil is in the professed camp of the Lord, so gross in its impudence, that the most shortsighted can hardly fail to notice it during the past few years. It has developed at an abnormal rate, even for evil. It has worked like leaven until the whole lump ferments. The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them.

From speaking out as the Puritans did, the church has gradually toned down her testimony, then winked at and excused the frivolities of the day. Then she tolerated them in her borders. Now she has adopted them under the plea of reaching the masses.

My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the church. If it is a Christian work, why did not Christ speak of it? “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). That is clear enough. So it would have been if He had added, “and provide amusement for those who do not relish the gospel.” No such words, however, are to be found. It did not seem to occur to him.

Then again, “He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers .., for the work of the ministry” (Eph. 4:11-12). Where do entertainers come in? The Holy Spirit is silent concerning them. Were the prophets persecuted because they amused the people or because they refused? The concert has no martyr roll.

Again, providing amusement is in direct antagonism to the teaching and life of Christ and all his apostles. What was the attitude of the church to the world? Ye are the salt” (Matt. 5:13), not the sugar candy—something the world will spit out not swallow. Short and sharp was the utterance, “Let the dead bury their dead” (Matt. 8:22) He was in awful earnestness.

Had Christ introduced more of the bright and pleasant elements into his mission, he would have been more popular when they went back, because of the searching nature of His teaching. I do not hear him say, “Run after these people Peter and tell them we will have a different style of service tomorrow, something short and attractive with little preaching. We will have a pleasant evening for the people. Tell them they will be sure to enjoy it. Be quick Peter, we must get the people somehow.” Jesus pitied sinners, sighed and wept over them, but never sought to amuse them.

In vain will the Epistles be searched to find any trace of this gospel of amusement! Their message is, “Come out, keep out, keep clean out!” Anything approaching fooling is conspicuous by its absence. They had boundless confidence in the gospel and employed no other weapon.

After Peter and John were locked up for preaching, the church had a prayer meeting but they did not pray, “Lord grant unto thy servants that by a wise and discriminating use of innocent recreation we may show these people how happy we are.” If they ceased not from preaching Christ, they had not time for arranging entertainments. Scattered by persecution, they went everywhere preaching the gospel. They turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). That is the only difference! Lord, clear the church of all the rot and rubbish the devil has imposed on her, and bring us back to apostolic methods.

Lastly, the mission of amusement fails to effect the end desired. It works havoc among young converts. Let the careless and scoffers, who thank God because the church met them halfway, speak and testify. Let the heavy laden who found peace through the concert not keep silent! Let the drunkard to whom the dramatic entertainment has been God’s link in the chain of the conversion, stand up! There are none to answer. The mission of amusement produces no converts. The need of the hour for today’s ministry is believing scholarship joined with earnest spirituality, the one springing from the other as fruit from the root. The need is biblical doctrine, so understood and felt, that it sets men on fire.

CHARLES  HADDON  SPURGEON (1834-1892)

C. H. Spurgeon is a most unique minister of the Gospel in English history, often called the “Prince of Preachers.” Thousands attended his early ministry in London at the New Park Street Chapel and then later in the new building, Metropolitan Tabernacle (1854-1892). The term “Tabernacle” was selected because “We believe this building to be temporary, meant for the time in the wilderness without the visible King.” The commodious Tabernacle was attended constantly by capacity crowds of more than 5,000. Members were encouraged to alternate their visits to accommodate the crowds anxious to hear the lively sermons delivered at the rate of 140 words per minute (20 words more than the average rate for public speaking)! Thousands of hearers testified to having been converted under Spurgeon’s ministry, and thousands more told of being saved by reading the printed sermons. Without the benefit of amplifiers, musical attractions, methods of crowd manipulation or any sort of “gimmick,” depending solely upon the power of the Gospel of God’s grace in Jesus Christ, Spurgeon’s ministry was unusually effective.

The Tabernacle was one of the largest church buildings of its time. A few years after Spurgeon’s death, it was destroyed by a fire during the pastorate of one of Spurgeon’s twin sons, Thomas. It was rebuilt, but in World War II it was again ruined by bombs. It was rebuilt a third time and the ministry of the church continues to this day under the ministry of Dr. Peter Masters (since 1970).

He is Risen!

Posted by Dan C. on

On the morning after the Jewish Sabbath, a small group of women went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus, wondering who would roll away the stone. When they arrived, the stone had already been rolled away and they were met by an angel who said:

“But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.” Matthew 28:5-6

When it comes to classic Easter music, a favorite of mine is the refrain from the Robert Lowery hymn Up From The Grave He Arose:

“Up from the grave he arose;
with a mighty triumph o’er his foes;
he arose a victor from the dark domain,
and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!”

If we consider more contemporary music, my favorite has to be The Easter Song, written my Keith Green and performed by The 2nd Chapter of Acts. I actually found a short clip of an early performance by the 2nd Chapter of Acts with Keith Green on guitar here.

Favorite Easter music aside, there’s the significance of the resurrection, summarized by the Apostle Paul  in one of his letters to the Corinthian church:

“And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:14

If there were no resurrection, not only would preaching Christ be senseless and faith in Christ useless, all the witnesses and preachers of the resurrection would be liars, no one would be redeemed from sin, all former believers would have perished, and Christians would be the most pitiable people on the earth! (See 1 Cor 15:14-20).

To borrow from The Easter Song:

Here the bells ringing
They’re singing that you can be born again
Here the bells ringing
They’re singing Christ is risen from the dead

The angel up on the tombstone
Said he has risen, just as he said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the word, he has risen, hallelujah!

Evidence for the Resurrection

Posted by Dan C. on

Just a few quotes from scholars concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Those of us who believe already have no need for such things, but for those who think it a myth or fabrication, these might prove interesting and prompt further investigation. 

“After more than 700 hours of studying this subject, I have come to the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is either one of the most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever foisted on the minds of human beings–or it is the most remarkable fact of history.”

Josh McDowell

“I claim to be an historian. My approach to Classics is historical. And I tell you that the evidence for the life, the death, and the resurrection of Christ is better authenticated than most of the facts of ancient history . . . “

E. M. Blaiklock
Professor of Classics
Auckland University

“There exists no document from the ancient world, witnessed by so excellent a set of textual and historical testimonies . . . Skepticism regarding the historical credentials of Christianity is based upon an irrational bias.”

Clark Pinnock
Mcmaster University

“If the New Testament were a collection of secular writings, their authenticity would generally be regarded as beyond all doubt.”

F. F. Bruce
Manchester University

“For the New Testament of Acts, the confirmation of historicity is overwhelming. Any attempt to reject its basic historicity, even in matters of detail, must now appear absurd. Roman historians have long taken it for granted.”

A. N. Sherwin-White
Classical Roman Historian

“These three great facts–the resurrection appearances, the empty tomb, and the origin of the Christian faith–all point unavoidably to one conclusion: The resurrection of Jesus. Today the rational man can hardly be blamed if he believes that on that first Easter morning a divine miracle occurred.”

Prof. William L. CraigA. 
Talbot School of Theology, Biola University

There is also a record of an excellent debate between two distinguished scholars here.  I have no intent to persuade anyone of the fact of the resurrection, but it has long been a matter of some curiosity that although Christ’s resurrection is one of the most attested to events in history, so many do not believe. I can only surmise that this is due to the sad state of the ‘natural’ human condition of being in bondage to sin and in rebellion against the creator – until the ‘supernatural’ turning of the human heart toward God, and the wonderful miracle of new birth in Christ.

The Old Cross and the New – A. W. Tozer

Posted by Dan C. on

All unannounced and mostly undetected, there has come in modern times a new cross into popular evangelical circles. It is like the old cross, but different. The likenesses are superficial; the differences, fundamental.

From this new cross has sprung a new philosophy of the Christian life, and from that new philosophy has come a new evangelical technique–a new type of meeting and a new kind of preaching. This new evangelism employs the same language as the old, but its content is not the same and its emphasis not as before.

The old cross would have no truck with the world. For Adam’s proud flesh it meant the end of the journey. The new cross is not opposed to the human race. Rather, it is a friendly pal and, if understood aright, it is the source of oceans of good, clean fun and innocent enjoyment. It lets Adam live without interference. His life motivation is unchanged. He still lives for his own pleasure, only now he takes delight in singing choruses and watching religious movies instead of singing bawdy songs and drinking hard liquor. The accent is still on enjoyment, though the fun is now on a higher plane morally if not intellectually.

The new cross encourages a new and entirely different evangelistic approach. The evangelist does not demand abnegation of the old life before a new life can be received. He preaches not contrasts but similarities. He seeks to key into public interest by showing that Christianity makes no unpleasant demands. Rather, it offers the same thing the world does, only on a higher level. Whatever the sin-mad world happens to be clamoring after at the moment is cleverly shown to be the very thing the gospel offers, only the religious product is better.

The new cross does not slay the sinner, it redirects him. It gears him into a cleaner and jollier way of living and saves his self-respect. To the self-assertive it says, “Come and assert yourself for Christ.” To the egotist it says, “Come and do your boasting in the Lord.” To the thrill-seeker it says, “Come and enjoy the thrill of Christian fellowship.” The Christian message is slanted in the direction of the current vogue in order to make it acceptable to the public.

The philosophy back of this kind of thing may seem sincere, but its sincerity does not save it from being false. It is false because it is blind. It misses completely the whole meaning of the cross.

The old cross is a symbol of death. It stands for the abrupt, violent end of a human being. The man in Roman times who took up his cross and started down the road had already said good-by to his friends. He was not coming back. He was going out to have it ended. The cross made no compromise, modified nothing, spared nothing. It slew all of the man, completely and for good. It did not try to keep on good terms with its victim. It struck cruel and hard, and when it had finished its work, the man was no more.

The race of Adam is under a death sentence. There is no commutation and no escape. God cannot approve any of the fruits of sin, however innocent they may appear to the eyes of men. God salvages the individual by liquidating him and then raising him again to newness of life.

That evangelism which draws friendly parallels between the ways of God and the ways of men is false to the Bible and cruel to the souls of its hearers. The faith of Christ does not parallel the world, it intersects it. In coming to Christ we do not bring our old life up onto a higher plane–we leave it at the cross. The corn of wheat must fall into the ground and die.

We who preach the gospel must not think of ourselves as public relations agents sent to establish good will between Christ and the world. We must not imagine ourselves commissioned to make Christ acceptable to big business, the press, the world of sports, or modern education. We are not diplomats but prophets, and our message is not a compromise but an ultimatum.

God offers life, but not an improved old life. The life He offers is life out of death. It stands always on the far side of the cross. Whoever would possess it must pass under the rod. He must repudiate himself and concur in God’s just sentence against him. What does this mean to the individual, the condemned man who would find life in Christ Jesus? How can this theology be translated into life? Simply, he must repent and believe. He must forsake his sins and then go on to forsake himself. Let him cover nothing, defend nothing, excuse nothing. Let him not seek to make terms with God, but let him bow his head before the stroke of God’s stern displeasure and acknowledge himself worthy to die.

Having done this, let him gaze with simple trust upon the risen Saviour, and from Him will come life and rebirth and cleansing and power. The cross that ended the earthly life of Jesus now puts an end to the sinner, and the power that raised Christ from the dead now raises him to a new life along with Christ.

To any who may object to this or count it merely a narrow and private view of truth, let me say God has set His hallmark of approval upon this message from Paul’s day to the present. Whether stated in these exact words or not, this has been the content of all preaching that has brought life and power to the world through the centuries. The reformers, the revivalists have put their emphasis here, and signs and wonders and mighty operations of the Holy Ghost gave witness to God’s approval.

Dare we, the heirs of such a legacy of power, tamper with the truth? Dare we with our stubby pencils erase the lines of the blueprint or alter the pattern shown us? God forbid. Let us preach the old cross and we will know the old power.

NOTE: This article first appeared in The Alliance Witness in 1946 and in the book Man: The Dwelling Place of God – 1966.  It has been printed in virtually every English-speaking country in the world and has been put into tract form by various publishers, including Christian Publications, Inc.  It still appears now and then in the religious press.

Also from Man: Dwelling Place of God

“It is scarcely possible in most places to get anyone to attend a meeting where the only attraction is God.”

 

The First Word of the Gospel?

Posted by Dan C. on

There is a subject that isn’t broached much these days from the pulpits of many or our evangelical ‘seeker friendly’ churches. Whoops! Did I say ‘pulpit’? I meant ‘stage’. We got rid of pulpits along with the church steeple, crosses, all organs and most pianos. But I digress. Back to the subject at hand.

You know, I can’t remember the last time I heard a sermon message about repentance. I guess it’s too closely connected to that other uncomfortable topic, ‘sin’, which in turn could remind you of that dreaded “J” word (that would be ‘judgment’).

The question I have about all this is this – If the gospel message is about Christ dying for our sin and his subsequent resurrection, how can we call a message ‘the gospel’ if sin and repentance aren’t even touched upon? Granted, while Paul did not use the word ‘repent’ in his summary of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1-5, it is implicit in Christ’s death for sin. Sin MUST be dealt with and the only thing to do with sin is repent (turn from it and turn to God)! We also have some pretty good examples in the New Testament that demonstrate a fairly high priority on the subject of repentance to the gospel.

In those days John the Baptist came into the wilderness of Judea proclaiming, “Repent,  for the kingdom of heaven is near.”  Matthew 3:1-2 (The beginning of John the Baptist’s ministry)

From that time Jesus began to preach this message:  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Matthew 4:17 (The beginning of Jesus’ ministry)

So they went out and preached that all should repent. Mark 6:12 (The twelve disciples, sent out by Jesus)

Peter said to them, “Repent, and each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:28 (Peter preaching in Jerusalem after Pentecost)

“Therefore, King Agrippa,  I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but I declared to those in Damascus first, and then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God,  performing deeds consistent with repentance. Acts 26:19-20 (Paul before King Agrippa)

It appears that rather than omit the topics of sin and repentance from our gospel message that they should be of the highest priority!

I would submit to you that if we think we are sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and we omit the issue if sin and the need for repentance, we are deceiving our listeners. If our intention is to lead the listener to a decision for Christ without dealing with sin, but to bring it up at a later time, we might be con artists guilty of a spiritual ‘bait and switch’.

"When I Survey the Wondrous Cross"

Posted by Dan C. on

1

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

2

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

3

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

4

His dying crimson, like a robe,
Spreads o’er His body on the tree;
Then I am dead to all the globe,
And all the globe is dead to me.

5

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Written by Isaac Watts and first published in 1707. Charles Wesley is said to have commented that he would give up all his other hymns to have written it. Isaac Watts wrote close to 700 hymns and Charles Wesley over 5,000.

The inspiration for the hymns is a verse in Paul’s letter to the Galatian church:

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:14

A modern version of this hymn, omits verses two and four and has a new chorus with a completely different melody, and a new title, taken from the new chorus. While I can’t say for certain why it was rearranged, some would speculate that the omission has something to do with the graphic imagery of Christ’s blood poured out for us that long ago day on Calvary – that makes us uncomfortable. It’s too closely connected with the topics of sin and guilt.

However, of one thing I am certain. As we near the celebration of Christ’s glorious resurrection, and the victory over the penalty, power and one day the presence of sin that it represents, it would do well for us to remember what it cost the Father – the shed blood of His own Son.

How were Old Testament Saints Saved?

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Jesus expressed his exclusivity as the only way to God in John 14:6:

Jesus said to him (Thomas), “I am athe way, and bthe truth, and cthe life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.1 (Emphasis mine.)

a John 10:9; Rom 5:2; Eph 2:18; Heb 10:20

b John 1:14

c John 1:4; 11:25; 1 John 5:20

1New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995, S. Jn 14:6

Here is the entry that addresses the question at the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (www.carm.org).

The OT saints were saved the same way the New Testament saints were/are saved, by faith.

For what does the Scripture say? “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” 4Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as what is due. 5But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness, 6just as David also speaks of the blessing upon the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works: 7“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered. 8“Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account” (Rom. 4:3-8).

     As you can see, the Bible tells us that Abraham was justified by faith (see Rom. 5:1 and Eph. 2:8-9).  That is, his faith is reckoned as righteousness, v. 4 above.  They were saved by faith in the Messiah in whom they were trusting.  Only, for them it was a trust in the future Messiah.  They knew He was coming as had been prophesied .
     Also, the Holy Spirit was there in the OT times the same as the NT times.  Consider Psalm 51:11, “Do not cast me away from Thy presence, And do not take Thy Holy Spirit from me.”
     God did not change how He saved people in the New Testament.  It has always been by faith.  In the case of the OT people, they looked ahead in time to the Messiah.  We look back to Him and see the cross.