Head-dibs

What is “right”? What is “good”? How do you know if what you are doing is right? What is the measure of “good”? Age old problems, age old questions. Nearly four hundred years preceding the birth of Jesus, a Greek priest and a philosopher wrestled with these issues. Specifically, they discussed the matter of piety. What is piety? That’s the beauty of this conversation. Meeting at Magistrate court, the priest wondered what the philosopher was doing there. The philosopher explains he is being indicted for corrupting the younger generations by rejecting the state gods and replacing them with his own. [I can't resist posting a clip from one of most favorite movies of all time, ever, "Fun With Dick and Jane" . . . I could loop this movie and never tire of it.] Back to serious.  What was the priest doing in court? He is prosecuting his father for killing a man who killed another man. How does piety fit into all this? The priest feels he is able to press his case o...

What is a perfect life?  How woefully short I come because when I try to process living the perfect life, I find myself considering how I would live my life unlike the way you live yours. When we look to scripture, we find two aspects of the perfect life. The first is found in the life of the perfect God-man Jesus who lived in time and space, keeping every command of God. Boggles the mind, but He lived the perfect life. The second description of the perfect life begins with our Creator who is our Savior. “You said that already.” No, I said, “begins.” “ There is one God, the Father, of whom are all things and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live .” (1 Corinthians 8:6). “ He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of...

Psalm 24 is a beautiful hymn of praise that can help prepare our hearts for meaningful national day of Thanksgiving. This psalm of David falls neatly into two parts, both “bookended” with a direction to pause, think about what is being said. Verses 1-6 form the first section where we come spiraling in from the outer reaches of space, viewing the earth, the world, its seas and rivers. Then we zoom in on one hill among all hills, and one place out of all places. Interestingly, this place is unlike any other because it is called “His holy place.” Though we realize he is speaking of the “Holy of Holies” within The Temple, the most interesting feature is that God is not limited to this one place as it is located on the earth which just so happens to belong to the LORD. The world and all who dwell in it belong to Him as well. He created the earth it’s seas and hills, yet we ask, “ who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? ” We may as well ask, “What rig...

"Guide me, O Lord, in all the changes and varieties of the world; that in all things that shall happen I may have an evenness and tranquility of spirit; that my soul may be wholly resigned to Thy divine will and pleasure, never murmuring at Thy gentle chastisements and fatherly correction; never waxing proud and insolent, though I feel a torrent of comforts and prosperous successes." Jeremy Taylor (1613 - 1667), "Holy Living"

"Lord, I would ask for a holy year; Spent in Thy perfect will; Help me to walk in Thy very steps-- Help me to please Thee still. Lord, I would ask for a year of faith; Give me Thy faith divine. Taking my full inheritance, Making Thy fullness mine. Lord, I would ask for a year of love; Oh, let me love Thee best! Give me the love that faileth not Under the hardest test. Lord, I would ask for a busy year, Filled up with service true; Doing with all Thy Spirit's might All that I find to do. Lord, I would ask for a year of prayer-- Teach me to walk with Thee; Breathe in my heart They Spirit's breath; Pray Thou Thy prayer in me. Lord, I would ask for a year of joy, Thy peace, Thy joy divine, Springing undimmed through all the days, Whether of shade of shine. Lord, I would ask for a year of hope, Looking to Thee to come, And hastening on that year of years, That brings us Christ and Home."

This is what grabbed me today from Jerry Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness : " for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live ." (Romans 8:13) "God's provision for [holiness] consists in delivering us from the reign of sin, uniting us with Christ, and giving us the indwelling Holy Spirit to reveal sin, to create a desire for holiness, and to strengthen us in our pursuit of holiness . . . . He makes provision for our holiness, but He given us the responsibility of using those provisions." "The Christian should never complain of want of ability and power. If we sin, it is because we choose to sin, not because we lack the ability to say no to temptation. It is time for us Christians to face up to our responsibility for holiness. Too often we say we are 'defeated' bu this or that sin. No, we are not defeated; we are simply disobedient! It might be well i...

What do the following verses teach about our holy standing before God? Romans 5:19 : we are made righteous by the obedience of Christ. Hebrews 10:10 : we are made holy by the offering of the body of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 3:18 : our Lord Jesus Christ died for sins in order to bring us to God. What do the following verses teach about holy living? Ephesians 4:1 , 30 : walk in the manner consistent with our calling, holy; do not grieve the Holy Spirit through inconsistency, which is disobedience. 1 Thessalonians 4:7 : God did not call us to be impure, but holy. Titus 2:11-12 : salvation teaches us to deny ungodliness, worldly lusts and teaches us to live sensibly, righteously and godly. Why is holiness not optional for the Christian? Psalm 66:18 : Holding on to the sin from which He saved us shows how serious we are about our walk in holiness--God will not hear us when we pray! Romans 8:13-14 : Die if you want to live. Be led by the Spirit of God, as a child of God does. 2 Timothy...

More observations as I read my book : One cannot in himself merit salvation through personal holiness. Scripture repeatedly refers to the obedience and righteousness of Christ on our behalf ( Ro 5:19 ; 1 Peter 3:18 ) Two aspects of Christ's work on our behalf: 1. Active obedience--Christ's sinless life on earth, perfect obedience, absolute holiness; 2. Passive obedience--His death on the cross through which He fully paid the penalty for our sins and placated the wrath of God toward us. Conclusion: Our holiness before God depends entirely on the work of Jesus Christ for us, by God's will. Scripture speaks of both a holiness which we have in Christ before God, and a holiness which we are to strive after. The purpose of our salvation is that we be "holy and blameless in His sight" ( Eph 1:4 ). To continue to live in sin as a Christian is to go contrary to God's very own purpose for our salvation. [see "A Strange Kind of Salvation" post, 11/17/08] No one...

" . . . just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him in love . . . " (Ephesians 1:4) "What a strange kind of salvation do they desire that care not for holiness . . . . They would be saved by Christ and yet be out of Christ in a fleshly state . . . . They would have their sins forgiven, not that they may walk with God in love, in time to come, but that they may practice their enmity against Him without any fear of punishment." --Walter Marshall (1692), quoted by A.W. Pink, "The Doctrine of Sanctification"

1 Samuel 13:13-14, "Samuel said to Saul, 'You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man afer His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.'" God does not compromise and expects His commandments to be kept. He is light, and in HIm is no darkness at all ( 1 John 1:5 ). Keeping God's commands are closely knit with our love for Him ( John 14:15 ). Saul lost the kingdom because he did not seek after God's heart, which was evident by his failing to obey God's commands. There was no contrition on Saul's part after he lost the kingdom. Picture the child who when he cannot get his own way, storms off and says, "Fine! I didn't want to play anyway." I wonder...

Some thoughts concerning Holiness as I read and work through the study guide : Exodus 15:11, "Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?" God has just delivered Israel (from the beginning of the plagues to the destruction of Pharoah's army through the closing of the Red Sea waters) whereby they saw the great power which the LORD had used against the Egyptians, resulting in their fearing and believing in the Lord (Ex. 14:31). Their jubilant song celebrating God's deliverance contains this declaration concerning the incomparible nature of God: He is not on the same level (to be worshipped as) a mere god of water, frogs, insects, cattle, health, weather, light or darkness, life or death. This God has no comparison. Any other god is an idol, competing against another, lacking in majesty, without awe or praise and working no wonders. The true and living God is separated out, far above and beyond. Lev...

This is the book I am reading now. "We Christians greatly enjoy talking about the provision of God, how Christ defeated sin on the cross and gave us His Holy Spirit to empower us to victory over sin. But we do not as readily talk about our own responsibility to walk in holiness. Two primary reasons can be given for this. First, we are simply relunctant to face up to our responsibility. We prefer to leave that to God. We pray for victory when we know we should be acting in obedience. The second reason is that we do not understand the proper distinction between God's provision and our own responsibility for holiness." (From the Preface) If it's not been through your hands, it should be. If it's on your shelf, maybe it's time to get it down again . . .

July 2004 I went to Kenya, Africa to speak in two Pastor’s Conferences on the subject of Man, Sin and Salvation. At the end of each day I left just over an hour for questions (half the time were questions touching the subject of my lectures, and the other half for “open questions”; that is, people could ask anything). For the next few weeks, I will be sharing the questions that were asked of me, and my answers—and believe me when I say these people really know how to think! Question from Kenya #1: “Men and women who saw God in the Bible: Why did they not all die?” [“ But He said, ‘You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live! ’” (Exodus 33:20) was the basis of the student’s question]. Answer: First, consider those who did see God—how did they respond when they saw Him? They were instantly aware of their sinfulness, and God’s holiness and righteousness (to name a few. And notice also that each responded in an attitude of worship, bowing down): Abraham built altars, wors...

On April 10, I heard a message by Pastor and Faculty member Andre Rogers called, " Go The Extra Mile " during chapel on the campus of Columbia International Univeristy . I got to thinking . . . The law establishes a standard principle for retribution that is just, “an eye for an eye.” But the point of Jesus’ teaching is that the Christian has an option—he does not have to carry out the law but is in a perfect position to share the gospel. I present my thoughts in the semi-Socratic, or in catechistic form: Q: What is the point of Jesus’ teaching? A: Jesus teaches first that a Christian should not resist the evil-doer. Q: Who is the evil-doer? A: The one who would lay his hand (literally or figuratively) on another with the intent on doing harm. Q: Who is able to raise his hand against another? A: Anyone who seeks to commit an evil act against another. This is one way to tell a professing Christian from who is truly born again. Q: What should the warning be for the Christian? ...

Dedicated Christians who are not for sale; Who are honest, sound-true to the heart's core; Who condemn wrong in friend or foe, in themselves as will as others; Whose conscience are steady as the needle to the pole; Who will stand for the right if the heavens totter and the earth reels; Who can tell the truth and stand by it; Who neither brag nor run; Who neither flag nor flinch; Who can have courage without whistling for it, and joy without shouting to bring it; Who have the current of everlasting life running deep, still and strong - Who know their message and tell it, know their duty and do it, know their place and fill it - Who are not too lazy to work, nor too proud to be poor. Who are willing to eat what they have earned, and use what they have paid for.

As part of our daily family devotions, I’ve been reading Spurgeon’s “ Morning and Evening .” For me, each reading is like eating steak and though I read at the beginning of the meal, I sometimes feel so full spiritually I never have seconds (the Spurgeon Diet? No pun intended ). This one was from yesterday morning—don’t plan on reading it quickly (you must chew your food). It may help if you read the passage in context . ************ “ The iniquity of the holy things ." Exodus 28:38 "What a veil is lifted up by these words, and what a disclosure is made! It will be humbling and profitable for us to pause awhile and see this sad sight. The iniquities of our public worship, its hypocrisy, formality, lukewarmness, irreverence, wandering of heart and forgetfulness of God, what a full measure have we there! Our work for the Lord, its emulation, selfishness, carelessness, slackness, unbelief, what a mass of defilement is there! Our private devotions, their laxity, coldness, neglect...

Yesterday at church we were blessed to have Randy Stonehill with us. He played some classic tunes, including the song he co-wrote with Keith Green, “Your Love Broke Through” (which I cried through in it’s near entirety). We could not help but notice smiles creep across the faces of some Emo kids as Randy played his set. Here is a challenging thought on Holiness from Randy (not direct a direct quote, but my notes on what he said): “We have a tendency to go through life telling the Almighty, 'I love you and have a wonderful plan for your life.' God is not obligate or committed to our happiness and this is frustrating for us. He is actually passionate that we understand that HE is THE LIFE—God is more committed to our holiness than our happiness. Happiness is the dream of desperate men. Holiness is the journey of people who are desperate about what’s on God’s heart.” A flashback from Randy for you to enjoy: Sunday night we received some great apologetic training from Charl...

"Holiness is not an attainment at all, it is the gift of God, and the pietistic tendency is the introspection which makes me worship my own earnestness and not the Lord seriously at all. It is a pious fraud that suits the natural man immensely. He makes holy, He sanctifies, He does it all. All I have to do is come as a spiritual pauper, not ashamed to beg, to let go of my right to myself and act on Romans 12:1-2. It is never, 'Do, do and you'll be' with the Lord, but "Be, be, and I will do through you.' It is a case of 'hands up' and letting go, and then entire reliance on Him." --Oswald Chambers, in a letter to a friend, 1901. McCasland, David. Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God . Oswald Chambes Publications Associations: Thomas Nelson, 1993

Thinking about: Galatians 5:16, " Walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh ." Think for a moment of the vastness of space and all that exists in it. Consider for a moment that light travels 186,000 miles per second through the vastness. Our closest star is approximately 4 light-years away. If I've done my math right that means that light our sun is roughly 2,479,127,040,000,000 miles from our closest star. And there are objects far above and beyond that. God our great creator is outside of all that we call "Universe;" yet, when He indwells those in whom put their faith and trust in Him--where can He go? Can we contain God? He has no choice but to overflow. One is reminded us of the seed that has fallen between the slabs of paving and has grown and grown until the great concrete blocks are lifted, even broken by the power of the life contained within that seed. This is the triumph of God's Spirit over our flesh. When we overflow o...