REFLECTIONS

Sin, Ruin And Indebtedness To God

“Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness

 in the fear of God”-2Corinthians 7:1.

Sanctification belongs to the mysteries of the faith; hence it cannot be confessed except as a dogma.

By this statement we intend to cut off at once every representation which makes “sanctification” to consist of the human effort to make oneself holy or holier.

To become more holy is undoubtedly the duty which rests upon every man. God has condemned all unholiness as an accursed thing. Inferior holiness cannot exist before Him. Every man more or less holy is bound to forsake all unholiness, to resign all lesser holiness, and let perfect holiness dwell and be made manifest in them instantly. The commandment, “Be holy as I am holy,” may not be weakened. The laxity of the current morale requires that God’s absolute right to demand absolute holiness of every man be incessantly presented to the conscience, bound as a memorial upon the heart, and proclaimed to all with no uncertain sound.

In the innumerable territories of heaven where God gathers His redeemed, all unholiness is excluded and absolute holiness is the never-failing characteristic. And is it is heaven, so ought it to be on earth. God, the sovereign Ruler of all the kingdoms of this world, has strictly forbidden the least unholiness in heart or home or any other place on earth under penalty of death. In fact, there is on earth no unholiness, of whatever name or form, that does not exist in defiance of His express will.

It must be conceded, therefore, that it is His revealed will and commandment that all this unholiness must cease immediately, and be replaced directly by what is holy and good. He is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity.

It must be equally conceded that it is every man’s duty to remove unholiness, and to advance the things that are holy. He that caused the hurt must also heal it. He that destroyed must also restore the things destroyed. He that desecrated must also reconsecrate it. Men still alive to a sense of justice will not contradict us.

The obligation to resanctify this world’s life rests in its deepest sense upon Satan. He instilled into our veins the poison that generates the diseases of our souls. The spark that caused the fire of sinful passions to break out in human nature was kindled by him. That Satan is hopelessly lost and condemned does not annul God’s eternal right. Even Satan himself, according to this right, ought to repent and stand before God holy as in the beginning. And this world of men, which he corrupted, was not his, but belonged to God. He should never have touched it. Hence the obligation continues to rest upon him not only to stop his unholy working in it, but also to reconsecrate perfectly what he has so bitterly and maliciously profaned.

That Satan neither will nor can do this justifies his fearful judgment, but it does not annul God’s right and never will. If in Paradise man had unwillingly fallen a victim to Satan, the obligation to resanctify the life of this world would have rested upon Satan, but not upon him. But man fell willingly; sin owes its existence not only to the fatherhood of Satan, but also to the motherhood of man’s soul; hence man himself is involved in the guilt and included under the judgment of death, and therefore obliged to restore what he has ruined.

God created man holy, with the power to continue holy; holy also by virtue of the increasing development of the implanted germ. But man ruined God’s work in his heart. He soiled the undefiled raiment of holiness. And doing this he violated the right. If he had belonged to himself, if God had allowed him to do with himself as he pleased, the right would not have been violated. But He did not give man to himself; He retained him for Himself as His own property. The hand that ruined and desecrated man destroyed God’s property, encroached upon the divine right of sovereignty-yea, upon His very right of ownership, and thus became liable (1) to the penalty for this encroachment, and (2) to the obligation of restoring the ruined property to its original state.

Hence the undeniable and positive obligation of man’s self-sanctification. This obligation rests, not upon God, nor upon the Mediator, but upon man and Satan. The prayer, “Lord, sanctify me,” upon the lips of the unconverted, not under the Covenant of Grace, is most unbecoming. First willfully to destroy God’s property, and then to take the ruined thing to Him demanding that he heal and restore it, antagonized the right and reverses the ordinance. Nay, outside of the mysteries of the Covenant of Grace, under the obligations of simple justice, we are not ask: “Lord, sanctify Thou us,” but God is to enforce His righteous claim: “Sanctify thyself.”

Sanctify thyself does not mean that man should fulfill the law. The keeping of the law and sanctification are two entirely different things. Let the sinner be sanctified, and then he shall also fulfill the law. First sanctification, then fulfillment of the law.”

-From Abraham Kuyper’s The Work of the Holy Spirit  First Published in 1900  Published by AMG Publishers  USA  1995  Pages 456-458.

REFLECTIONS

A Widow’s Comfort

“New York, May 28, 1816

“My Beloved Child,-

“I have received your letter to-day, for which I have been just thanking my God and your God, the Father to the fatherless and the widow’s God. I am thankful that He has supported you under the severest trial you have been called to meet with you since you entered the vale of tears-the loss of your dear, your precious father. Neither you nor I knew half his worth. The Lord gave us a treasure, but we knew not its value until too late. I hope this has been a sifting time with you, as it has been with your poor mother. How great a backslider have I been! How did I let my vile heart go out after covetousness, and wander from the path of duty, when I left my beloved husband! Oh, my dear child, this thought had well-nigh drove me to despair. But, blessed be the Rock of my salvation, that though in some measure He has suffered me to be sifted as wheat, and the enemy has come like a flood, the Spirit helped my infirmities, and I was through Him enabled to keep a fast hold on the covenant which is well ordered in all things and sure. My Father has chastened me, but His loving-kindness He has not taken from me, nor suffered His faithfulness to fail. It has been good for me that I have been afflicted. Oh, my child, self-righteousness, self-will, and a covetous spirit have led me far astray; but the Lord has overruled even these hated sins for my good, and the salvation of the soul of your dear, beloved father. All is well. Soon we shall meet again; and this is my great consolation. We are in a strange land; but the God of Jacob is my God, and the God of my fatherless ones.  England is highly privileged for the precious means of grace; but we have here (America) the simple truths of the gospel, and much sterling piety amongst professors…Lord, have mercy upon me, and let me see Thy hand in this! Lead my mind to contemplate him where he is now. For millions of worlds would he not return. But still my widowed heart aches, and will ache while I live; and yet I trust the Lord has reconciled, or will reconcile, me to His blessed will. But I have touched a chord after the counsel of His own will. My mind is often greatly exercised, but the Lord has said, Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive. To Him do I desire to look, and in Him I will trust. The promise is, Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all things else shall be added unto you. Did I not hope to see the salvation of the Lord in the land of the living I should, sink in despair. Oh, your dear father! I mourn. It is no sin to weep: Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus; Mary and Martha wept; and may not I also weep? I wish you would go to the vault where your dear father lies, and see if there is any room for your poor unworthy mother too-I wish to lay my bones by him; if you can do this without too much distressing your own feelings. I cannot account for it, but it has been the constant desire of my heart, (as I cannot see it myself,) that you should see the coffin that contains his beloved body. I shall see that body again, shining more gloriously than the brightest angel in heaven.”

-From Life In Jesus, A Memoir of Mrs. Mary Winslow By Her Son, Octavius Winslow, D.D.  Printed From The 1890 Edition by John Shaw  Pages 50-51  Printed by Sola Deo Gloria is loving-kindness He has not taken from me

REFLECTIONS

Christ Our All

“What the sun is to the day, what the moon is to the night, what the dew is to the flower, such is Jesus Christ to us. What bread is to the hungry, clothes to the naked, the shadow of a great rock to the traveler in a weary land, such is Jesus Christ to us. What the husband is to the head is to the body, such is Jesus  Christ to us.”

“As the river seeks the sea, so Jesus, I seek thee! O let me find thee and melt my life into thine forever!”

“Bleeding and dying that we might neither bleed or die, descending that we might ascend, and wrapped in swaddling bands that we might be unwrapped of the grave clothes of corruption.”

“God is more glorified in the person of His Son than He would have been by an unfallen world.”

“This is the very essence of true religion-personally living with a personal Savior, personally trusting a personal Redeemer, personally crying out to a personal Intercessor, and receiving personal answers from a Person who loves us, and who manifests Himself to us.”

-C.H. Spurgeon

REFLECTIONS

True Love, Truth And Good
 
“And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.

2 Samuel 9:7

When David wanted to show kindness to the house of Saul, he showed immense strength of character. For in showing kindness to his enemy, he overcame and put underfoot painful thoughts that could have caused him to take vengeance and act unkindly.

The devil presents us with objects of fear and doubt in such matters, saying, “If you do that, it may please God, but it will cause you trouble.” When, therefore, we think of such things, let us see that by following God’s commands we will be protected. We will be upheld when tortuous paths are ahead of us.

For example, magistrates, whose responsibility is to rebuke everything evil, often cover it up. Why? Because they do not want to be hated. That is not only the case in one place, but everywhere. Ministers of the Word of God should open their mouths to rebuke the faults that they see, but they cover things up and pretend not to see evil. They do that because they fear being disdained by some, and they do not want to lose their friendship.

More often, we refrain from doing good when we see that few are taking straight paths, and most only carry out their duty. We are cold when it comes to carrying out our duty because we are afraid of what it may cost us.

We must resist these fears by letting faith be our guard. We must believe that, when we follow the path that God proposes for us, he will make all our enterprise prosper and make things turn out well. He will certainly find the means to deliver us whenever we are oppressed or tossed about by many doubts.”

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“Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:3

Notice that, in all his epistles, Paul constantly reminds us of the grace of God and the love He bears toward all believers. He says, Grace be to you and peace. The word peace includes all worldly prosperity. By it Paul is asking God to provide those things that He considers for our good. He will shower His riches upon us and reveal His bounty so that we might praise Him for His goodness.

However, the wealth of this world will be harmful for us unless we have found favor with the Lord. Hence, Paul speaks here in an orderly way, always placing God’s grace and free pardon before an increase in worldly prosperity. Though we may ask God to bless us with those things He thinks we need, we must not forget the most important blessing is to be members of His church and assured of God’s love in our hearts.

The light of God’s countenance should suffice us. Although God permits us to ask for good things from His hand, we must keep a tight rein on our desires. God may afflict us with many sorrows, and at such times we need to value His grace above anything else. We should then be content, even if everything else is taken away. If we live in comfort, surrounded by all kinds of pleasures and delights, we will still be miserable if we do not have the peace of conscience that comes from knowing that God loves and accepts us.

We should not desire earthly goods more than the love of God. For what if God, who loves us, wishes to test our patience by making us suffer in this world and subjects us to many trials? Even then, we must prize His love above all else and patiently bear all trials, though it seems as if everything is against us.”

-From John Calvin’s Works

REFLECTIONS

“TREATMENT DUE TO YOUNG CONVERTS

vi. Impress the young convert with the danger of the least departure from duty, of taking the first step in the way of spiritual decline.

It rarely happens that an individual becomes a great backslider at once. On the contrary, it is usually the work of time, and generally has a small and almost imperceptible beginning. When the first step is taken, there is probably, in most cases, an intention not to take another, certainly not to go far; but it is a law of our moral constitution that one step renders the next easier; and hence the facility with which we form habits, especially evil habits. The young convert, upon the mount of Christian enjoyment, is able to from but an inadequate idea of the conflicts of the religious life, he realizes then, much less than in subsequent parts of his course, the need of constant watchfulness against temptations; and this lack of vigilance throws open the doors of the heart, and not infrequently the tempter has planted himself there, and begun his work, before any danger has been apprehended. And the soul which was just now burning with ecstasy wakes to the fact, not only that its joys are rapidly upon the wane, but that its desires are becoming earthly, and its impressions of invisible things feeble and inconstant.

Caution the young Christian then, against the least allowed violation of duty. Admonish him that, if he enter such a course, he can never know where it will end. Point him to the examples of those who have taken the first step with a firm purpose never to take another, who have nevertheless continued to backslide, until there was scarcely the semblance of Christian character remaining. Let him understand that no degree of joy, or even of spirituality, which he can possess on earth, can be any security against his losing his evidences and his comforts and sinking into a state of the most chilling spiritual indifference. And if, at any time, he find that he has actually begun to wander, let him know that he has the best reason to be alarmed, and that every hour that he continues his wanderings he is making work for bitter repentance and bringing a dark cloud over his religious prospects.

                                                                                                                         

vii. Put the young convert on his guard against neglecting the duties of the closet.

It is in the closet especially that every Christian must labor to keep alive the flame of devotion in his own soul. Here, more than anywhere else, is carried forward the silent communings of the soul with its God in acts of confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. Here the believer becomes acquainted with his sins and his wants, and while he unburdens his soul before the throne of mercy, gathers strength and grace by which he is sustained and carried forward amidst the various duties and trials which meet him in the world. Hence it always happens that, in proportion as the duties of the closet are neglected, religion languishes in the hart and the exhibition of it in the life becomes faint and equivocal. It is manifest to those who see him and converse with him that there is a canker corroding the principle of his spiritual life. And he himself knows that his joys have fled, his conscience has become his accuser, and he has no evidence which ought to satisfy him that he is walking in the path to heaven.

But this evil of neglecting the closet is one to which the young convert is exceedingly liable. He may not be liable to it in the very earliest stage of his Christian experience; for then the duties of the closet are usually a delight to him; but when his first joys have partially subsided and he has begun to be conversant with the more sober realities of the religious life, there is great danger that he will find some apology for a partial and irregular attendance on these duties. One source of danger is found in the fact that he may neglect them, and still be unobserved by the world; that he may neglect them without forfeiting, even in the view of his fellow Christians, who of course are ignorant of it, his claim to Christian character. And then these duties, being of a peculiarly spiritual kind, are the very first to lose their attractions to a Christian who is losing his spirituality. Other duties bring him before the world. These bring him only before his own conscience and the searcher of his heart. And besides, where circumstances may seem to render it inconvenient to engage in closet devotion, it is too easy a matter to satisfy the conscience with an indefinite resolution that it shall be attended to at a consequent period; and no resolution is more easily broken than this; and let it be broken in a few instances, and a habit of comparative indifference to the closet is the consequence.

I doubt not that I might appeal to the experience of a large part of those who have professedly entered on the Christian life for evidence of the facts that no habit is formed with more ease than that of neglecting, in a greater or less degree, this class of duties.

If then the faithful discharge of private religious duties be so essential to a vigorous and healthful tone of religious feeling and action, and if there be peculiar temptations to neglect them, then every person at the commencement of the Christian life ought be admonished of his danger on the one hand, and exhorted to fidelity on the other. Counsel him to take heed that he does not substitute the form for the spirit of prayer; that he do not satisfy his conscience by appearing before God with the bended knee, without the broken heart. Counsel him to mingle with is private prayers self-examination and the reading of God’s Word, that thus his communion with God may be more intelligent on the one hand, and more spiritual on the other. Counsel him never to turn his back upon his closet because he may find his affections low and languid, and may imagine that he should have little enjoyment in attempting to pray. Let this rather be urged as an argument for hastening to his closet and confessing and lamenting his indifference and endeavoring to get the flame of devotion rekindled in his bosom. In short, urge the importance of private meditation and devotion in all circumstances; urge him to redeem time for that purpose under the greatest pressure of worldly care; and keep him mindful of the connection which this duty has with everything that belongs to Christian character and Christian enjoyment.”

-From Lectures On Revivals Of Religion by William B. Sprague  First Published 1832  Published by The Banner of Truth Trust  Carlisle, PA  2007 Pages 156-159

A Prayer To The God Of My Life

“I will be to them a God; they shall be to me a people.” Jeremiah 30:22 NKJV.

Father, You are the true God and the God of Your people! By Your awesome grace we have become the people of God, the true and living God. There is no other god-the Lord is God, He is God! The Lord is God! We had no truth or God before Your sweet grace came to us. We served false gods, the evil one had deceived us and we served sin and demons and idols-and we felt in ourselves the misery of darkness and the self-destructiveness of those who do not know God and who do not worship the Blessed and only God. Father, I remember feeling that I could no longer endure my life and wickedness-my burden was too heavy. My sin crushed me and wore me down. I was not of Your people then. But You saw me in my distress, yes, in my blood and uncleanness-You saw my corruptions and evil heart of sin and unbelief. You saw my complete inability and my desperate need and You came to me. From heaven Your Spirit descended and came and indwelt me and You made me Yours. O how sweet to trust in Jesus, O how sweet to take Him at His word! I have been enlivened and led by Your Spirit since then, O Lord, and I thank you. Just as You led Israel, Your people, by fire and cloud, You have led me through this wasteland world and You have tended to me. You comfort and nourish me-You encourage and strengthen me-You prevail over all powers and people, things and beings, circumstances and events and You lead me in holy worship of Your name. O God, I cannot forget the great thing that you have done for me. You have drawn near me Father! You are God, my God and Father, and to be near You is my happiness. I am Yours and am one of Your people-I am one of the people of God! Father, give us more love for Your people, spiritual Israel. Consume us in Your holy fire and together we shall sing Your praises in unity as one people of God. The most wonderful thing that any man can experience, salvation and adoption by God, has become my blessing by Your grace! I am blessed in Your love. O give me grace and I will draw closer to You and remain in Your blessed Presence for I am Yours Lord. For Christ’s glory, Amen.

REFLECTIONS

Peace and Spiritual Depression

“[Psalm 42:11] is an extraordinarily accurate picture of spiritual depression…you can almost see the man…the man who is dejected and disquieted and miserable, who is unhappy and depressed always shows it in his face. He looks troubled and he looks worried. You take one glance at him and you see his condition. Yes, says the Psalmist in effect, but when I really look at God, as I get better, my face gets better also.-‘He is the health of my countenance’. I lose that drawn, haggard, vexed, troubled, perplexed, introspective appearance and I begin to look composed and calm, balanced and bright. This is not the putting on of a mask, but something that is inevitable. If we are depressed or unhappy, whether we like it or not, we will show it in our face. On the other hand, if we are in the right relationship to God and in a true spiritual condition that again quite inevitably must express itself in our countenance, though I am not suggesting that we should perpetually have that inane grin upon our faces that some people think is essential to the manifestation of true Christian joy. You need not put anything on, it will be there; it cannot help expressing itself-‘He is the health of my countenance’.”

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“Beloved Christian, whatever it is that is tending to get you down, tending to make you a victim of this anxiety, this morbid care, harassing and spoiling your Christian life and witness, whatever it is, let it be known unto God…and if you do so it is absolutely guaranteed that the peace of God…shall guard, keep, garrison your heart and mind…Like the Psalmist you will lay yourself down and you will sleep, you will know this perfect peace. Do you this, have you got this peace? Is this another bit of theory or does it actually happen? I assert that this is a fact. Read the stories of the saints and the martyrs and the Confessors…John George Carpenter, until a few years ago the General of the Salvation Army, tells how he and his wife had to part with their daughter, a lovely girl, of who they were so fond and proud and who had dedicated her young life to foreign mission work in the East. Suddenly she was taken ill with typhoid fever. Of course, they began to pray, but John Carpenter and Mrs. Carpenter somehow felt, although they could not explain it, that they could not pray for that child’s recovery. They went on praying but their prayer was-‘Thou canst heal her if Thou wilt’-they could not positively ask God to heal her…They went on like that for six weeks and then this beautiful girl died. The very morning she died John Carpenter said to Mrs. Carpenter, ‘You know, I am aware of a strange and curious calm within’, and she replied and said, ‘I feel exactly the same’. And she said to him, ‘This must be the peace of God’, And it was the peace of God…There they were, they had made their request known in the right way, and…this amazing calm and peace had come to them…’it must be the peace of God’. It was. Thank God for it.

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“Never does the Apostle say that if we pray our prayer in and of itself will make us feel better. It is a disgraceful thing that people should pray for that reason. That is the psychologists’ use of prayer. They tell us that if we are in trouble it will do us good to pray…Prayer is not auto-suggestion.

Neither does he say, ‘Pray, because while you are praying you will not be thinking about that problem, and therefore you will have temporary relief’…Neither does he say, ‘If you fill your mind with thoughts of God and Christ these thought will push out the other things’…Neither does he say…’Pray, because prayer changes things’. No, it does not. Prayer does not ‘change things’…It is not your prayer that is going to do it, it is not you who are going to do it, but God. ‘The peace of God that passeth all understanding’-He, through it all, ‘will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.’

I must say a word about the expression ‘keeping’ your hearts and minds. It means garrisoning, guarding-a number of words can be used. It conjures up a picture. What will happen is that this peace of God will walk around the ramparts and towers of our life. We are inside, and the activities of the heart and mind are producing those stress and anxieties and strains from the outside. But the peace of God will keep them out and we ourselves inside will be at perfect peace. It is God that does it. It is not ourselves, it is not prayer, it is not some psychological mechanism. We make our requests known unto God, and God does that for us and keeps us in perfect peace.”

-From Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ Writings