Calvin on the effectiveness of God's grace opposed to our (in)ability to will good

These are selections from reading I did for our DTS meeting today.  They will come into fuller color if read in their original context (Calvin, Institutes. Book 2, Chap. 5), but I thought they were worth sharing as snippets.

"And yet, as the beneficence and liberality of God are manifold and inexhaustible, the grace which he bestows upon us, inasmuch as he makes it our own, he recompenses as if the virtuous acts were our own."  Wow!  God graces us to live for Him, and then rewards us for doing what He Himself enabled!

"...God does not measure the precepts of his law by human strength, but, after ordering what is right, freely bestows on his elect the power of fulfilling it."  What an amazing truth! God does not require what we can do, rather He gives us the power of doing what He requires!
 
"...God works in his elect in two ways: inwardly, by his Spirit; outwardly by his word.  By his Spirit illuminating their minds, and training their hearts to the practice of righteousness, he makes them new creatures, while, by his word, he stimulates them to long and seek for their renovation."

"In regard to the present question [what is the power of the Law in man?], while [the Law] explains what our duty is, it teaches that the power of obeying it is derived from the goodness of God, and it accordingly urges us to pray that this power be given us." (emphasis added)

"Being taught by precepts what the will of God is, we are reminded of our wretchedness in being so completely at variance with that will, and, at the same time, are stimulated to invoke the aid of the Spirit to guide us into the right path.  But as our indolence is not sufficiently aroused by precepts, promises are added, that they may attract us by their sweetness, and produce a feeling of love for the precept.  The greater our desire of righteousness, the greater will be our earnestness to obtain the grace of God.  And thus it is, that in the protestations 'if we be willing,' 'if thou shalt hearken,' the Lord neither attributes to us full power of willing and hearkening, nor yet mocks us for our impotence." (emphasis added) 

There is NO TIME!

There is NO TIME! is an excellent book by Paul Nyquist. I was given it for Christmas, and I finished it today. Outstanding!

I loved several principles that were laid out (I have rephrased some of them):
-- Divine Serendipity: All appointments are divine appointments.
-- The imminent return of Christ: This has to be a real motivation for us, not just a superficial one.
-- God's Arm is not shortened: God CAN and DESIRES to impact the world today as He did in the days of the apostles.
-- Stewardship: The investment of God's people deserves eternal reward.  Are they receiving eternal glory for the investment that they make today?
--Overt Witness: We share the Gospel of Christ early and often in all our relationships.

 I love the way I can find most of the principles laid out in  There is NO TIME! in the book of Acts. The author did a good job of acknowledging and dealing with differences between the apostolic and modern contexts generally.  With that being said, I would be interested in seeing further clarification on a few points.

- This is not an excuse to flee danger (The premise is that we may not have much time in a nation; but that doesn't mean that we can flee danger simply because we are threatened.  It means that we are very likely to get thrown out no matter our commitment.)
- NT churches were also planted/matured other ways (Many frontier churches in the NT were planted in other ways, e.g. Antioch or Rome.)
- There was a fairly stable NT political scene whereas the fable is based on instability (While Roman politics were turbulent, the empire seems to have been fairly stable in the areas where Paul worked; the situation we are looking at is often quite different... what does that mean?)
- This model lends itself to “single” ministry. (The book gave me new insight into why Paul would want teams that could travel light without the "burden/distraction" of families.)
- More definition of the difference between team and work group would be helpful.  (I just am not sure I have the difference clear in my mind.)
- If done carefully there does not seem to be a need for retraining as you add like-minded team members (e.g. Luke, Timothy).
- Paul ministered in basically one nation for his entire ministry; thus changing nations/people groups might not be the answer at the end of the process.  Applied to today that might look like moving within a nation to different areas or moving within a people group/related people groups.

6 months

Bethany and I have been married 6 months today!  A happy thought and reality...

Divine Blessing & Food, Physical and Spiritual

In Genesis, God blessed man and gave him the right to the plants and the animals for food (Gen 1:29; 9:3). Yet, should we not give thanks for the food and seek God’s blessing upon it as Jesus did (Matt 14:19; 15:36)? But what does it mean that He blessed the food? From a study I am doing on blessing, it seems that when Jesus blesses the food He is teaching us that we need to depend on God for our sustenance and strength. As John Calvin says in The Institutes, “But the Spirit declares not only that the produce of the earth is God’s special gift, but ‘that man does not live by bread only’ (Deut 8:3), because it is not mere fullness that nourishes him but the secret blessing of God” (1.16.7). Mere food molecules do not nourish man; God continually sustains man by His hand. The food is a tool which has no power unless God decrees it.

This leads to my second pondering. What does it mean when Christ showed us the example which Paul repeats of blessing the Lord’s Supper? As in the previous example, when Christ blesses, He does so directly (Mt. 26:26). As God, He can bless at will. Yet, when we come to the Table, the cup should also be blessed according to Paul (1 Cor 10:16). In our case, we bless indirectly.  We must come and ask God’s blessing on these simple physical elements, so that by His power they may give us the spiritual nourishment and strength which they are meant to. What a wonderful thing the blessing of God is, and how little sensitivity I find in myself to be grateful for His great goodness.

Other passages: Lk 24:30; 1 Cor 10:16; Mt. 26:26; Mk 14:22 [cf Lk 22:19; 1 Cor 11:24; 1 Tim 4:3; Rom 14:6; Acts 27:35]

An article on Confessionism which I found really helpful

  This article "Confessionism: The Misuse of 1 John 1:9" lays out much that I have wondered about, and it actually summarizes much that I've thought, and it helped me to complete my thoughts.  I had arrived at many of these conclusions regarding the passage under question, 1 John 1:6-2:1.  However, it wasn't till part way through this article that I really put together the fact that a normative Christian response to sin is to recognize its presence in the believer.  Our understanding of our need of a Redeemer is the basis of our confession of sin's indwelling presence with us on this earth.  Nothing good comes from us; everything good comes from God.  Thus, I freely confess that I am a sinner who sins daily.

 As the author of the article says, we do admit/confess our sins, but it is not to obtain forgiveness.  The admission of our sin is a step on the path of repentance and change.  We have forgiveness, full and free, from the moment of our initial justification.

Notes

I read in Habakkuk today, and I was struck by the thoughts at the end of chapter 2.  The heathen speak to their voiceless idols saying, "Awake, Awake."  But... the Lord is in His holy temple, let all the earth keep silent before Him.  While we have been granted access to the throne of grace freely, it is not just to speak.  Yet, I find that it is extremely difficult to see the Lord in His holy temple and also keep silent.  The cluttered mind and lack of natural stillness needs to be remedied, by grace.  May I learn to be still before the throne!

I posted a bit at the "family" blog today since it is the 121st year since my great-grandmother was born.

Finally, I have recently been finding a wealth of commentaries on Google Books that are on various lists of "best" commentaries.  Obviously the value of them varies, but I found books by Keil, Delitzsch, G. Campbell Morgan, F. B. Meyer, Westcott, A. J. Gordon, Andrew Bonar, A. T. Robertson, John Owen, Spurgeon, John Calvin, Martin Luther, John Broadus, A. C. Gaebelein, Charles Hodge, and A. W. Pink.  The significance is not so much in the details as in the vast array of resouces that are available.  Besides all that, there is much available in areas of church history and theology as well.

A Tribute to Our Grandparents - Thanksgiving 2009

In These Days
11/27/09 - MCC

Slowly they leave us these heroes of ours.
They go to their fathers, as someday we will join them.
They gave us our lives; they gave us our freedoms, oft showed us our life-work as well.

Yet now they are falling, these giants among men and women
They succumb not to the pressures and toils that buffeted their lives, but rather to the sin and death that works in all.
But they left something to us, a country, a faith, a business, a family.

They go unbowed, though nature has bent them.
They go in strength, though their bodies now fail them.
They go in wisdom, though their minds may wander.
In these days, may their final lessons be taught to our hearts.

In these days, may we learn their perseverance.
May we learn the love of God which carried the Gospel to those who had never heard.
May we learn the courageous integrity which fought on Iwo Jima or in Korea.
May we follow the example of those who labored to build and sustain their families and give them the best that they could.
May we know the same tender care for our families that has been given us. 
May we be strong and pass on the legacy which we received, not because it was perfect, but because it is God-honoring.
May we be able to tell our children and grandchildren of the works of God in the lives of our families... those whom God used in wondrous ways around the world, those who labored, quietly faithful in their churches, and those whom God brought near to Himself after many decades of resistance.

In these days, let us honor our heroes: common men and women of God, of faith, of courage, of endurance, of love. Flaws there are in each life, but each has much to teach those who would learn.

That By All Means I Might Win Some

This message by D. A. Carson is outstanding.  I have listened to it once and am almost through listening to it a second time.  It was recommended to me by Pastor Phillips and has been well worth the time and thought.  It deals with the context and application of what it means to be flexible in sharing the Gospel.  It is a very direct confrontation of some aspects of post-modernism but also helpful in thinking through the Gospel more generally. 
Highly recommend!

Acts: Transition or Model?

   As I think back to the class 'Acts and Pauline Epistles,' I have two distinct memories that relate to Acts.  The first is that Acts is a transitional book, not a normative one.  The second is that Acts ends in a somewhat abrupt fashion which emphasizes Paul's "unhindered ministry."  Yesterday, I looked at the textbook, Gromacki's New Testament Survey, and I found these statements regarding the distinctive features of Acts: first, "Acts must also be seen as a transitional book," then "Acts is basically a book of mission and witness" (pgs 154-155).  After reading the related sections, I think the author is quite concerned about the use of the transitional elements of Acts as a norm for the church today, particularly in Pentacostalism.

   But while everyone would acknowledge that portions of Acts are transitional (e.g. disciples of John no longer live without the Holy Spirit), I wonder if the emphasis on the transitional tends to obscure the pervasive norm which can be seen in Acts.  An emphasis on the transitional nature of Acts puts the focus on the historical nature of the book.  An emphasis on the normative nature of Acts puts the focus on the present Church's need to emulate the early church, particularly in witness. It gives a greater value to understanding how this book can teach doctrine, reprove, correct, and instruct in righteousness.  Thus, we need to consider which aspects of Acts are transitional and which are normative.

  The transitional portions of Acts are relatively few, being those which arise from the newness of God's establishment and confirmation of the church.  1) Thus, believers adjusted to the differences that the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ made - adjusting from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant.  2) The Spirit of God poured out His power in particular evidences confirming the new movement: Pentecost, multiple angelic visits and visions, and transporting Philip via the Spirit.  3) No longer were the majority of God's people descended from Abraham; now they came from all nations, and this caused significant upheaval and adjusting.

   Yet these transitional elements are a small portion of what God did in Acts; the primary emphasis seems to be on the witness of the believers to the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah.  Acts 1:8 seems to be an appropriate lens through which to see the book: Jesus' followers would declare what they knew concerning Him in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. 1) Acts is a grand demonstration of how to be witnesses, God's way.  2) It speaks of how one should sow the seeds for churches that God will grow.  Acts displays the Gospel making its way into foreign places and chronicles many of the difficulties that can be expected.  3) Acts shows us the Holy Spirit at work: empowering, filling, sending harvesters, guiding, encouraging, and doing what only God can do.

  Let's look to Acts as a model, not a model of the inner working of the church (which is found in the epistles), but as a model of how to be witnesses.  I believe Acts gives us a paradigm for sharing with all who are our neighbors, no matter what corner of the globe they live in.  However, these are recent thoughts, and I would really like to have them critiqued by others... so please, go ahead.

download Desiring God for free

Here's a link to a free download of Piper's Desiring God in audio format.  I was just thinking of this book earlier and now I'm glad to finally be able to get it.  I've started The Pleasures of God a couple of times, and it has been very good.