We Fail - Our Faith Does Not!

Christ said to Peter that He had prayed for him that his faith would not fail.  We know that Peter failed when he denied knowing the Saviour, resorting to cursing and swearing in a vain attempt to distance himself for the accusations being made against him.

This is very encouraging and Christians can take great comfort from the fact that even though we fail the Lord in numerous ways and on many occasions, our faith will not fail. This is because the prayers of Christ undergird and uphold our faith.  How do we know it won’t and doesn’t fail?  Well, we find ourselves coming back to the Lord even after failure.  And Christ welcomes His children back when they come.  He delights to see them returning ‘home.’  And when we return ‘home,’ we find ourselves in His presence.

I need Thy presence every passing hour.
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

In times like these, the tempter is not far away.  We have had a few brushes with him over recent days, but thankfully we were able to identify his activity and command him in the strong Name of Jesus Christ to leave us.  He has triggered old hurtful emotions and has injected deep disappointment into our lives.  Thankfully, we were able to ‘look out’ for each other in such times.  And what did we find?  That when we drove the devil away, the awareness of Christ’s presence was so real.

That’s why our prayer always is, “Lord, abide with me.”

You may have noticed that I used the term, ‘sweetness,’ in recent updates.  That term comes from both Jonathan Edwards and from Samuel Rutherford. They wrote about the sweetness of Christ to the believer’s soul and that God sometimes sweetens trials and tribulations. I found this a useful term so I used it in these updates. 

Election of the US President - Dr Donald G Barnhouse

Articles By Dr. Barnhouse and the Bible

For Whom Will You Vote?

Roy Blackwood

For whom will you vote when you enter the ballot booth this year?

God is concerned about your choice. He provided a precedent when He said to Israel:
"I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land..." (1)

And the last recorded message King David gave his son Solomon was a warning:
"He that ruleth over men must be just (righteous), ruling in the fear of God." (2)

The checkered history of good and bad Jewish kings teaches us to be discerning of the character (the just-ness or "righteousness") of those who rule over us. The trend in the Bible seems to be toward putting more of the responsibility for the choice of civil rulers into the hands of ordinary citizens; from an emphasis on using a prophet or a priest to make the divine appointment, toward more emphasis on the responsibility of the individual citizens in the choice of their own rulers.

God said "The government shall be upon his (i.e. the Messiah's) shoulders." (3)

But more voice in the choice does not mean we are more independent of God. As "voters" we are actually more dependent and more responsible to God; to discern and to choose that particular man whom God has already equipped for a particular office. So the election process does not make us more independent of God's appointments. It simply means God is now using us to make His appointments. This is why Peter described civil government as: "an ordinance of man," (4) while Paul said: "The powers that be are ordained of God" and the man in office is to be "a minister of God to thee for good...a terror to evil." (5)

Civil government cannot be "an ordinance of man" in any sense in which it is independent of God's purposes and standards. And so we become even more responsible as the "voters" whom God will use in making His choice and appointment. Now we become the priests or the prophets responsible for finding and making God's appointment for each office. So be careful. Be discerning. Evaluate men for office on the basis of their character. Let the Messiah Christ be the perfect standard in your evaluation of the character of those who are asking you to vote for them.

The following outline is designed to help you in making your choices.

A Person Who Is Respectable
God taught the Jews to beware of rulers who are "children" who "eat in the morning" (6) and the angel promised Mary that Jesus Christ would be "great — the son of the highest." (7) And He was. Four Biographies, called the Gospels, describe His personal dignity. Whether it was a storm at sea, the handling of the friendly and unfriendly crowds, the confrontation with a demoniac, the selection and appointment of His disciple cabinet, or His arrest and trial before Pilate, He was in calm, dignified control of every situation. Time did not threaten Him, He controlled it.

We need people with that kind of dignity and respectability to be our representatives, senators, judges and administrators today, in order that we might not be ashamed or embarrassed by their immature antics and lack of self-control, that we might be justly proud of them, and that they would help to bring respect and bearing to the government of which they are a part.

But such a person of dignity can seem to be aloof and unapproachable.

A Person of Near Relationship
God taught the Jews to elect "one from among thy brethren" (8) and born citizenship is a Constitutional requirement for eligibility for office in the U.S. today. Christians believe this was why God ordained Christ to be fully man as well as God. He was able to represent man to God, as well as God to man. An angel couldn't have this near relationship. The records show Jesus was one who could be "touched with the feelings of our infirmities.'' (9) He was always available, always interruptible, always interested in people. People responded to Him and respected Him because of His "open door" policy.

We need people with that kind of near relationship (empathy) in office today. Judges who can be broken-hearted over the contents of-their dockets, and lawmakers who make time to listen to "us" during non-election years; administrators who can live in the White House or the governor's mansion, surrounded by the media, and federal budget figures, and still identify with "me." People who understand the very faith that is in my heart.

But such a person of dignity and near relationship may or may not be a very wise person.

A Person Who Is Wise and Understanding
God commanded Jewish rulers to "be wise." (10) Christians believe Jesus Christ is "the wisdom of God" personified. His biographies tell us that people called Him "Rabbi" and from the time He was twelve, they were amazed by the wisdom and power of His words. (11)

We need people with this kind of mind in public office today. Not just clever and quick witted or with a good memory for names and faces, but men who are wise. We need people who know:
- The people they serve and govern
- The laws and system of government in which they must function
- The God ordained purpose for civil government.

And people who understand what they know. They will see themselves as "a minister of God to us for good" and "a terror to evil."

But a person of dignity, near relationship and a good mind may or may not be able to get things done.

A Person Who Has Power
God commended this feature of character to Daniel and the Jews, "for wisdom and power are his." (12) Christians believe that "all power" has been given unto Christ and the Gospel records show He did control in such a way as to get the job done: (13)

Angels (both good and bad)
Creation (both inanimate and animate)
Men (both those who believed in Him and those who did not)
We need people with that kind of energy of mind and strength of character. People who can operate with a minimum of organization and a maximum of efficiency. People who can get things done!

But dignity can be a ticket to sin; near relationship and knowledge can provide more opportunity for evil; wisdom can make a man "a more clever devil" and power can be a means of seducing people. There is a need for moral quality.

A Person of High Moral Excellence
God commanded that those who ruled his people the Jews must "love righteousness and hate wickedness," being just, ruling in the fear of the Lord. (14) Christians believe Jesus Christ was the perfect example of that. "Just and true are the ways of the King of saints." (15)

We need people like this in public office today. People who have:

1. Right intentions or motives. Not only doing right things but doing them for right reasons, not for personal gain, or even the gain of his own constituency at the expense of others, but for the glory of God and the good of all.

2. Right administration of means. The effects of his work show he is impartial. No one is wronged that another may be benefited. Rights, liberty, and property of all are equally protected.

3. Right personal conduct. Wise laws, good intentions, and fair dealing can never make up for bad personal conduct. No government can be successful when it is conducted by known profligates. People won't continue to respect laws written by lawbreakers. They will not continue to accept decisions from corrupt judges. And they will not keep on responding to administration by selfish administrators.

A Person Who Loves People
God taught the Jews that "mercy and truth preserve the king, and his throne is upholden by mercy. (16) Christians believe Jesus Christ demonstrated this point perfectly, in His care for the sick, the bereaved, the lonely, hungry, tired and thirsty people with whom He lived. He provided the most practical answer to their every need, especially for the little children and for His mother. "When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion." (17)

And we need that kind of person in office today. People who don't become hardened or bored after one or two terms of office, people who just keep on loving people and that becomes a reason for their continuing in office.

A Person Who Can Handle Authority
In the record of the tragedies and successes of the succession of Jewish kings, we are warned that not everyone can handle authority. (18) Lord Acton (1834-1902) said, "Power [tends to] corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Christians see in Jesus Christ the perfect example of how to handle, and to delegate power. He said: "All power is given unto me. " "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God." (19)

We need people in public office today who know that the right to use the powers of their office does not come solely from the fact that they have been chosen by the votes of those who have elected them to office; nor does their authority come only from a healthy sense of responsibility for their constituency, e.g. "I have chosen you and I will represent you well." We need people with a sense of both those things, but beyond this, who know they have been chosen and called by God, through the vote of the people, to serve God first and their constituency second, through public office. Their right to use the powers of their office does come ultimately from God. In that office they are His agents, the instruments of His power and authority, "a minister of God to us for good, arid a terror to evil."

Footnotes
      1     Ezekiel 22:30 NJV
      2     2 Samuel 23:3 KJV
      3.    Isaiah 9:6
      4.    1 Peter 2:13 KJV
      5.    Romans 13:1,3-4 KJV
      6.    Ecclesiastes 10:16-17 KJV
      7.    Luke 1:32 KJV
      8.    Deuteronomy 17:15 KJV
      9.    Hebrews 4-15 KIV
    10.    Psalm 2:10 KJV
    11.    Luke 2:41-47; John 3:2; 1 Timothy 1:7 KJV
    12.    Daniel 2:20 NIV
    13.    Matthew 8 KJV
    14.    2 Samuel 23:3; Psalm 45:7-8 KJV
    15.    Revelation 15:3 KJV
    16.    Proverbs 20:28 KJV
    17.    Matthew 9:36,14:14 KJV
    18.    2 Kings 8-25
    19.    John 1:12; Matthew 28:18 KJV

Copyright 1996, Roy Blackwood.

Revised 2011, Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, Philadelphia, PA. All rights reserved.
This article may be duplicated in its entirety and without edit, including this full disclaimer for personal, small group, non-commercial use. No more than 200 copies may be made. No electronic use beyond email is permitted. Any use other than those listed herein is forbidden without prior written permission. All rights reserved. ARJMB060

The Blessings of Bad News

When news of any serious illness arrives in a home, it leaves an unforgettable impact.  One of these impacts is that it makes you sort out your life’s priorities. You see with a very clear eye what’s important in life and what’s not.  The things we once thought were important pale into insignificance, while the things we did not give proper priority to take top spot. 

Sometimes the Lord in his grace has to teach us this lesson in this way because He knows that we would not learn it in any other way.  We all get so caught up in our daily routines that the important things in life are put on the back burner.  We concern ourselves about education and career and a level of financial independence, our house and car and holidays, but we do not always think seriously that one day we will die and leave it all behind.  Living for this world and for the things of this world will prove to be utterly disappointing when we stand before God.  Somebody once asked what a very wealthy man left when he died.  “Everything,” was the answer.  We will leave everything behind when we close our eyes for the last time and stand before the righteous God, the Judge of all the earth. 

So in the sure providence of God, we are given time to pause and reconsider our lives and our latter end.  That can only be good.  To sit back and realise that we are mortal human beings who are only here for a while, then we are gone, is good for us – if we take it seriously. 

That’s where we are right now, in the good providence of God.  And because He is in it with us, we are content.  “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold,” Job 23:10.  We have surrendered ourselves into the good hand of God our Saviour, and He will do what is best.  And in this confidence we rest.

THE WORD IS NOT ENOUGH!

THE WORD IS NOT ENOUGH!

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, "What is an Evangelical?" Banner of Truth Trust: Edinburgh, 1992.

While we thank God for the great work of Christ in the past, e.g, the Reformation and other minor reformations, not even this work was complete because the reformation of the church according to the Word of God is or ought to be an ongoing task semper reformanda.  This is why we must not be "slaves to them", he says.  "This is the way to develop a kind of scholasticism and an arid intellectualism," (p.36).  These twin evils grow out of exaggerated adoration for past achievements, and not least in confession writing.  "It is as important to define the evangelical as being against a form of Protestantism or even reformed scholasticism, as it is that we should define the evangelical by contrast with those who are heterodox in their practice and their belief, " (p.34).  So DML-J was not impressed with scholasticism because he could see clearly the results of such an approach to theology. 

He preaches: "The devil has wrought havoc in the Church in general, as well as in individual lives, many times throughout the centuries by producing a kind of scholasticism," (p. 156).  The evangelical, he argues, is not interested in Protestant scholasticism (56).  The danger of this is clear to be seen, he contends, and results in the eventual denial of the Gospel.  Owen has clearly imbibed Aristotelian philosophy and presented this content and methodology in his theological formulations regarding the death of Christ.  His undoubted influence on the composition of the Westminster formularies is acknowledged, and was a prominent participant as deliberations proceeded.

The trouble with Roman Catholicism and with those who follow a similar methodology is that they say they believe the Bible when in fact a different authority carries more weight and influence.  The trouble with the schoolmen, both ancient and modern, is that they tend to add Aristotelian philosophy to their belief in the Bible.  Or, they arrive at their interpretation of the Bible via Aristotelian philosophy.  The result is that they interpret the message of the Bible in Aristotelian philosophical terms.  Further, the Gospel message is hidden under this sophistry. This is seen when the atonement is 'interpreted' and preached by those influenced by the schoolmen.  It was this battle that Luther fought, and won. 

"...the [Roman Catholic] church was not so much tied to the teaching of the Scripture as to the teaching of Aristotle and other Greek philosophers," therefore she got herself into difficulties that led to her denying what is truth and fact. (77).  The effect of this is to force the interpretation of Scripture through the Aristotelian sieve.  The teaching magisterium becomes the final authority of the church and every other moral or dogmatic viewpoint must find its support in that official didactic.

This is also an issue for reformed Christians to consider, whatever their denominational affiliation.  It is especially true in Presbyterian and Congregational churches but Baptist churches are not immune from this malady, according to Dr Geoffrey Thomas in a conversation with the author in February 2012.  This problem is especially pertinent where men take their theology and ecclesiology seriously.  Their concern is for “the Ark of God,” the Church, and the purity of her doctrine, a commendable policy to take. 

However, in their (proper) desire for purity of doctrine, two things tend to occur; first, the confessional standard tends to replace, in practice, the Scriptures as the church’s supreme and sole authority in all matters of faith and practice; and second, the situation tends to degenerate into religious formalism, as happens in some Presbyterian churches. 

If a church believes that by tying its officers (teaching and ruling elders) to a confessional form they are thereby protecting the purity of the church, they are badly mistaken.  Having a doctrinal standard by which to identify what a church believes is right and proper; but when this man-made document replaces the Scriptures as “the only infallible rule of faith and practice,” and is used to bind men’s consciences to every “jot and tittle” of its content, Scripture is de facto demoted to the category of a subordinate standard within that church. 

Churches must take care not to adopt confessional standards that are not demonstrably biblical in content, emphasis and balance.  Sub-biblical confessions must never be made to bind men’s consciences, therefore the whole issue of subscription must be re-opened and subjected to thoroughgoing discussion and debate with a view to demonstrating that the Scriptures are the only, full and final authority of any given church or denomination.  To bind men’s consciences to anything other than the Word of God is open to serious opposition. 

Calvin and Funerals

John Calvin (1509-1564) preached,

"What good is it to be a dead person that he is washed or anointed or a great parade is made in honour of him."

In fact, before he died, Calvin desired that he be given the plainest funeral service and be buried in a plain wooden box without ornament, and that no monument be erected over his grave.  Clearly, Calvin did not wish to draw any attention to himself, but desired rather that Christ be glorified in his death as well as in his life.

When we see the pomp that many go in for when their relative dies, one wonders what their beliefs are concerning death. For many, it is an opportunity to parade the deceased and to exhibit the coffin and flowers, and to give them "a good send off."  They buy the most expensive coffin they can get and have as many ministers/clergy officiating as possible.  And, of course, they want him to say all the nicest things about the deceased.

John Calvin could not have been more different.  All such pomp was rejected entirely.  While our Lord was buried with all the elaborate trimmings of Jewish custom of the time, Calvin puts this down to an uncultured people who knew no better.  I suppose where great elaborations accompany funerals, it is also down to a great element of superstition. In this as in every other pompous event, "they have their reward."

Worldly honours are sought and provided for the world's 'worthies.' Sadly for many of them this could be all the honours they get - and they don't even know about it.

Christians ought not to follow the world's example.  They should practice simplicity and plainness in every aspect of their lives, including their funerals.

When Calvin died in 1564, his wishes were observed and he lies in an unmarked grave.

The Blessings of Illness

There is nothing like serious illness entering a family and home to concentrate the mind on our mortality.  Death is waiting for us, if Christ does not first return to take us home and to wind up history and usher in the Final Judgement. When we think of death, we cannot get away from our own sin. Then we are cast unreservedly upon Jesus’ sin-bearing love for forgiveness and acceptance with the holy God.  With Horatius Bonar, we can sing,

Mine is the sin, but Thine the righteousness;
Mine is the guilt but Thine the cleansing blood;
Here is my robe, my refuge and my peace,
Thy blood, Thy righteousness, O Lord my God!

Where would any of us be but for Christ’s cleansing blood?  Lost and undone for eternity. Yes, we are and always will remain sinners; but we are redeemed sinners who are now clothed and robed in Christ’s perfect righteousness.  All that is wrong with us belongs to us; but everything that makes us acceptable with God is His.  The only righteousness we have is in Him alone. And that is ours only because of the cleansing blood of our precious Saviour.  We are safe in Him for time and for eternity.  

That’s why for the Christian, death holds no real fear because Christ has removed the sting of death which is sin.   However, illness reminds us of our sinfulness and mortality. And we are human and have all the human emotions that go along with serious illness. And because this life and our life in Christ is all we know, the unknown future is and can be somewhat frightening, of we’re honest.  We are fearful because we are human; but we can sing with Henry Francis Lyte, 

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Having and knowing the abiding Christ with us and in us is the greatest possible assurance any believer can have.  Indeed, if our faith in the risen Christ cannot help us to face the last enemy – death, then of what use is it?  It might just be a faith of words alone, like so much of our prayers.  Serious illness brings us right back to ‘the solid Rock,’ Christ Jesus, for only He can support and comfort us in trying times.

That does not mean that we do not feel the seriousness of Margaret’s situation, for we do.  We have our thoughts which sometimes we share with each other and sometimes we keep to ourselves.  If the worst comes to the worst, we do not want to leave this life and part; yet we know that “to depart” and “to be with Christ” is “far better.” Being where He is is heaven.