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Selfish “Christianity” 52

May 14, 2017

John 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.

Philippians 2:19 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. 20 For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. 21 For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.

John 7:7 “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.

John 15:24 “If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.

Romans 5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

And when, in addition to these measures, the general strain of what is said to sinners is adapted to work upon their selfish feelings and animal passions, as most of what I have heard has been, and some of it extremely well adapted to work up those feelings to a high pitch, it would be strange if some affections were not excited which they might readily mistake for true religion. When God is represented as desiring their salvation, without the least qualification, and that his desire for it is infinitely strong, what impenitent sinner, that has the least seriousness of mind, is not prepared to be pleased? If “sinners love those that love them,” as our Lord assures us, they can love such a being as God is represented to be, without any change of heart. A God of all mercy, is just such a God as sinners desire. Will it be said that his justice is also brought into view, and that the terrors of hell are exhibited? True; but in what light are they exhibited? Is it not commonly in a light to which the selfish heart will as readily accord?

WILLIAM R. WEEKS.

The word “God” means something and is not just some word we use to refer to some nebulous higher power. The word “God” as used historically by Christians has some very specific meanings though we must know that we can never know Him in His full infinity. All of the attributes of God that have been revealed give us an idea of what is meant when we use the term “God.” The quote from Weeks just above and the verses of Scripture above show us that there is something that unbelievers hate and something that people want to believe about God. It is not just some higher power that people believe in, but they believe specific things about that Higher Power and think of that as God.

There are specific things (attributes) that people hate when the Bible says that people hate God and are at enmity with Him. There are also specific things that people love when they truly love God. They do not just hate or love a name, they hate or love specific things about the Being that they refer or think of as God. The selfish (self-centered and self-focused) heart is seen in how it responds to specific things about God. For example, the regenerate heart loves a sovereign God who shows mercy to who He will show mercy. The selfish heart hates that revelation of God and instead loves a god that allows it (the selfish heart) to dispense grace as it pleases. In other words, the selfish heart longs to be as God and tries to replace Him with a false god of the understanding. Both the regenerate heart and the selfish heart will say that s/he loves God, but one loves the true God and the other hates the true God while loving a false god.

Scripture is quite clear as to many things about God and in fact it is clear on all we need to know about God. The selfish heart, however, is at enmity with God and hates the true God. This enmity and hatred are seen in that the selfish heart refuses to bow to the real God and instead will follow the dictates of its own fallen reason and desires. “Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest” (Eph 2:3). The Scriptures set this out as precisely what the fallen and selfish heart does. It follows self and the lusts of self and the desires and mind of the self rather than the desires and mind of God. This is not only a refusal to bow to the living and true God, it is a choosing self over God and as such it is loving self and trusting self rather than God. That is idolatry and that is precisely the nature of a selfish heart and what it does.

While the fallen mind and heart (selfish heart) may not be able to articulate the aspects of God that it is at enmity with and it may be blind to its selfish nature as being an idolatrous nature, yet the selfish heart is engaged in idolatry and is at enmity with God despite its failure to have the ability to articulate the matter. A very drunken man may not be able to recognize how drunk he is, but despite his denial he is still very drunk. The officer who comes into contact with the drunken man will not be impressed with the verbal denials and it is no defense at all to say one is not aware of how drunk one is. In fact, the failure to realize the level of drunkenness is really part of being drunk. In much the same way those who are blind to their own selfish hearts are not excused because they are blind to it, but because their selfish hearts are why they are blind it only increases or magnifies their sin. Just because people deny that they are at enmity with God does not negate their enmity, but in fact their blindness only magnifies their enmity toward God.

A selfish heart is at enmity with God and the more selfish the heart is the blindness appears to be increased as well. This is one reason why people in basic “evangelical” professing churches in our day are in so much danger. Not only do they have selfish hearts that are enmity with God, and not only are they blind to their enmity toward God and their own selfish hearts, but they never hear about this from the pulpit and they never hear of how blind they are. These people will not hear that their hearts are at enmity with the true God and so they have manufactured idols, but instead they hear that same god preached and taught. A selfish heart cannot love the true God and will always make its doctrines and life choices based on self and a false god. This is truly dangerous, even an eternal danger.

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Selfish “Christianity” 51

May 12, 2017

John 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.

Philippians 2:19 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. 20 For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. 21 For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.

John 7:7 “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.

John 15:24 “If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.

Romans 5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

And when, in addition to these measures, the general strain of what is said to sinners is adapted to work upon their selfish feelings and animal passions, as most of what I have heard has been, and some of it extremely well adapted to work up those feelings to a high pitch, it would be strange if some affections were not excited which they might readily mistake for true religion. When God is represented as desiring their salvation, without the least qualification, and that his desire for it is infinitely strong, what impenitent sinner, that has the least seriousness of mind, is not prepared to be pleased? If “sinners love those that love them,” as our Lord assures us, they can love such a being as God is represented to be, without any change of heart. A God of all mercy, is just such a God as sinners desire. Will it be said that his justice is also brought into view, and that the terrors of hell are exhibited? True; but in what light are they exhibited? Is it not commonly in a light to which the selfish heart will as readily accord?

WILLIAM R. WEEKS.

People can go through their whole lives and never know that they are in darkness and sin. This is how a person can become quite self-righteous and proud. A person that is deceived about the true nature of holiness and sin will not see sin as it is and instead only be concerned about doing some external moral acts and not doing other external moral acts. People become quite religious and think that they are doing things for God in being moral and in doing religious things. This is in one sense quite tragic. Christianity has, at least the majority of those who take the name, become little more than moralism in our day. It has even become business and even big business for many. It has become a way for some to obtain a name and honor. It has become a way for some to seek glory for themselves.

People seek God only for the things they think He will give them. People seek Christ only for the things they think He will give them. “Christianity” has become an acceptable and religious way of seeking self. It has become an excuse for seeking self. It has become an approach to preaching that will manipulate people into giving money to preachers and organizations. RC Sproul once said that while Luther wrote The Babylonian Captivity of the Church in his day, if he were alive in our day he would write The Pelagian Captivity of the Church. That is absolutely correct, but he might also write another book in which he would entitle The Captivity of the Church to Selfishness. The point is that we are far from what Luther thought was basic Christianity. The doctrine of Pelagius is alive and healthy in our day and as such selfish hearts are thought of as okay and even good.

We are in a day when God is thought to be man-centered instead of man needing a work of free-grace in order to be turned from man-centeredness to God-centeredness. Men are approached with the things of “Christianity” as if they needed more and more selfish things to induce them to make a selfish decision for Christ instead of men needing to repent of their selfish things in order to seek God for grace to grant them a true faith. We must be granted grace in order to come to a real and true faith rather than coming up with faith and as such coming to God on that basis. True faith is to seek God based on who He is rather than seek Him for something for self. True faith is to seek God for Himself rather than seek Him in an effort to obtain something from Him for self.

How blind people are to the true nature of sin when they seek God out of selfish hearts and for selfish reasons. Even when they say that they are seeking God for religious reasons, they are seeking Him for selfish reasons. It is much the same as the crowd who sought Jesus only to get free food (John 6:26). In our day people think that as long as they seek Christ in any way and for any reason they are doing what is right and good. They think that going to church will please God and in that way they can get things from God. This is a horrible blindness. Why would it please God to go to church if one is going for all the wrong reasons? Why would it please God for people to go to church who hate Him and are blinded by that hatred? The very seeking of God in the things of religion is a horrible sin when He is sought out of love for self and desires for selfish things. People who are blind to spiritual things are in horrible sin when they use God and religious things to seek self. Their blindness, however, is no excuse but is a judicial judgment upon them. If that is true, then woe to us as we are in the midst of a terrible judgment.

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Not So Random Thoughts 3

May 10, 2017

Galatians 1:1 Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead), 2 and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen. 6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! 10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. 11 For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

What appears small to man is gigantic to God (adding one little work to the Gospel) and what is gigantic to man (life’s troubles and trials) is actually tiny to God. We must learn to accept the perspective of God in matters of life and of the Gospel. Man cannot imagine that it is such a major issue to God to add one little work to the Gospel, but it appears that the Gospel has virtually disappeared in our day. It is true that a statement like that sounds arrogant, but when one reads the Reformers it is not at all clear that many in our day hold to the same Gospel that they did.

Man thinks that it cannot be a major thing adding one work to the Gospel, but we must remember that when one work (regardless of how small it is) is added to grace alone it is no longer grace alone. When one adds one work (regardless of how small it is) to justification by grace apart from works, then justification is no longer apart from works. The Reformers thought that it was vital to the Gospel that it be by grace alone and by grace apart from works. In this way it could all be according to grace alone and to His glory alone. What harm can it do to add one little work to the Gospel of grace alone? Well, what harm can there be to adding just a little poison to a person’s drink? What harm can it do to add just a peanut to a cookie when a person is allergic to peanuts?

From the text above we can see that people are called by God who calls through the grace of Christ. Anything else is a different Gospel. It is so hard (even impossible) to get nice and accepting people to grab a hold of the fact that adding one little thing (in man’s view) makes the Gospel a non-Gospel or distorts the Gospel where it becomes something other than the true Gospel of grace alone. While it may appear to man that one little work is no big deal, in the eyes of God it changes the whole structure of the Gospel and gives man something to brag about. In the eyes of God that one little work means that man is trying to have something to add to the Gospel so that he can trust in himself just a little. This means that the Gospel of the glory of God is now shared with man. That is huge.

In this we can see with some degree of clarity of the need of the human heart to be broken and humbled. The proud heart of man will cling to some hope in self until God humbles the heart. In this we can also see how it must be God who breaks the proud heart of man because man can never cast the pride of his own proud heart. A proud heart can be ashamed of obvious pride, but in its self-love it will never be able to cast out its own pride. The proud heart will always operate according to pride and as such a proud heart cannot cast out pride since it would be pride doing the work.

Men can see that God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble, but they think that they can humble their own hearts. In this is a great error because that would make them assist God in coming up with grace. Men must seek the Lord for a true conviction of sin and a true humility. Men must seek the Lord to give them a true faith in Christ alone. If men must come up with faith, then they are trusting in themselves and Christ. The heart must be thoroughly broken from self and pride if it is going to truly rest in Christ alone for faith and all things and to rest in His grace for those things. For a human being to rest in Christ alone that human being must not trust in self at all.

The Gospel of grace alone is not simply a belief in the words or a belief that God saves by grace, but instead the Gospel of grace alone teaches us that God Himself saves sinners in reality and He does that by His own grace alone. He does not need to find anything in them to save them and He does not need them to add anything to what He has done or is doing. In order for this to happen, then, the hand of God must break the human heart in His kindness and make them humble and broken enough that they would not trust in anything or anyone but Christ and His grace. They must not rest in themselves for anything and that includes the breaking of the heart and of faith. It truly is all of grace and no one can add one thing to the true Gospel and so we must beware of those who try. We must also beware of those who seem to think that proud hearts can enter the kingdom of heaven. Oh no, as Jesus said, it is those who have been turned and become like little children who will enter.

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Not So Random Thoughts 2

May 9, 2017

Galatians 1:1 Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead), 2 and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen. 6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! 10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. 11 For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

In the New Testament times Paul was amazed that men were departing from the Gospel and in fact that was deserting Him who called them by the grace of Christ. It amazed him that these things could be true. However, if we see what happened in the New Testament times it becomes apparent that the Gospel was under attack from within and without before the apostles departed the scene. We can see how quickly works and forms of legalism crept in and seemingly took over. By the time of the Reformation a system of the professing Church and its legalism and opposition to sovereign grace took over. Luther was also amazed that people would prefer forms of legalism and opposition to sovereign grace over the Gospel of grace alone.

It is really no different in our day when one gets to the heart of the matter. A little bit of works goes a long way when it comes to distorting the Gospel of Christ. We must beware in these issues and we must take extraordinary care in the teaching we listen to. We must beware of the small things people say and the things that are slipped in. We must beware and listen with the greatest of care or we will be allowing a false gospel to influence our thinking and our way of life.

Notice from the text what a slight turn (in our view) means: 1. It is a deserting Him who called by the grace of Christ. 2. It is a deserting Him for a different gospel. 3. It is distorting the Gospel of Christ. 4. It is a gospel contrary to what the true Gospel is. 5. Preaching this gospel is a serious enough matter for men to be cursed. What was it that was so serious? From the context of the passage some men were trying to add circumcision to the Gospel. Notice, they were just adding one little thing that is in the power of men to do to the Gospel. What harm can there be in adding one little thing to the Gospel of grace alone? Well, it makes the Gospel as something other than grace alone and something other than to the glory of God alone. That is what adding one little thing to the Gospel does.

In our day we have people adding faith to the Gospel as if men could come up with that on our own. We have men adding church membership to the list, adding baptism to the list, and adding things like the Lord’s Supper to the list. We have people adding certain moral requirements to the list as well. The problem with adding moral requirements is not that people are changed by the Gospel, but that the moral requirements are not part of the Gospel. It is a very important issue. People are not saved by morality and they cannot tell for sure they are saved by morality. They can tell if they are not saved by immorality, but we must never place morality in the place of grace alone.

The Gospel of grace alone is not just a rejection of a doctrine; it is a rejection of God Himself. This is perhaps as serious an issue as one can find. The Gospel is not just a doctrine, it is the truth of God Himself and as such a rejection of the Gospel is a rejection of the living and true God. When one hears a preacher, regardless of how nice the man is, regardless of how good a speaker the man is, and regardless of how orthodox the man is; when a man adds to the Gospel of grace alone that man is a deceiver. The man who adds to the Gospel of grace alone is as dangerous a man as there is in the world. It is no small thing at all, but in reality it is an enormous thing. But despite all of that there are many, many men in the world who are adding things to the Gospel and are distorting the true Gospel to one that is contrary to the true Gospel. That false gospel also sets out a false god. The pulpits of our land are full of deceivers and yet as long as they are nice it seems as if no one cares.

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God’s God Centeredness 3

May 5, 2017

Another part of God’s fulness which he communicates, is his happiness. This happiness consists in enjoying and rejoicing in himself; and so does also the creature’s happiness. It is a participation of what is in God; and God and his glory are the objective ground of it. The happiness of the creature consists in rejoicing in God; by which also God is magnified and exalted. Joy, or the exulting of the heart in God’s glory, is one thing that belongs to praise. So that God is all in all, with respect to each part of that communication of the divine fulness which is made to the creature. What is communicated is divine, or something of God; and each communication is of that nature, that the creature to whom it is made, is thereby conformed to God, and united to him: and that in proportion as the communication is greater or less. And the communication itself is no other, in the very nature of it, than that wherein the very honour, exaltation, and praise of God consists.

And it is farther to be considered, that what God aimed at in the creation of the world, as the end which he had ultimately in view, was that communication of himself which he intended through all eternity. And if we attend to the nature and circumstances of this eternal emanation of divine good, it will more clearly show how, in making this his end, God testifies a supreme respect to himself, and makes himself his end. There are many reasons to think that what God has in view, in an increasing communication of himself through eternity, is an increasing knowledge of God, love to him, and joy in him.

And it is to be considered, that the more those divine communications increase in the creature, the more it becomes one with God: for so much the more is it united to God in love, the heart is drawn nearer and nearer to God, and the union with him becomes more firm and close: and, at the same time, the creature becomes more and more conformed to God. The image is more and more perfect, and so the good that is in the creature comes for ever nearer and nearer to an identity with that which is in God. In the view therefore of God, who has a comprehensive prospect of the increasing union and conformity through eternity, it must be an infinitely strict and perfect nearness, conformity, and oneness. For it will for ever come nearer and nearer to that strictness and perfection of union which there is between the Father and the Son. So that in the eyes of God, who perfectly sees the whole of it, in its infinite progress and increase, it must come to an eminent fulfilment of Christ’s request, in John xvii. 21, 23.That they all may be one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may beonein us; I in them and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one.

In this view, those elect creatures, which must be looked upon as the end of all the rest of the creation, considered with respect to the whole of their eternal duration, and as such made God’s end, must be viewed as being, as it were, one with God. They were respected as brought home to him, united with him, centering most perfectly, as it were swallowed up in him: so that his respect to them finally coincides, and becomes one and the same, with respect to himself. The interest of the creature is, as it were, God’s own interest, in proportion to the degree of their relation and union to God. Thus the interest of a man’s family is looked upon as the same with his own interest; because of the relation they stand in to him, his propriety in them, and their strict union with him. But God’s elect creatures, with respect to their eternal duration, are infinitely dearer to God, than a man’s family is to him. What has been said shows that as all things are from God, as their first cause and fountain; so all things tend to him, and in their progress come nearer and nearer to him through all eternity: which argues, that he who is their first cause is their last end.

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God’s God Centeredness 2

May 3, 2017

From Jonathan Edwards

This propensity in God to diffuse himself, may be considered as a propensity to himself diffused; or to his own glory existing in its emanation. A respect to himself, or an infinite propensity to and delight in his own glory is that which causes him to incline to its being abundantly diffused, and to delight in the emanation of it. Thus, thatnature in a tree, by which it puts forth buds, shoots out branches, and brings forth leaves and fruit, is a disposition that terminates in its own complete self. And so the disposition in the sun to shine, or abundantly to diffuse its fulness, warmth, and brightness, is only a tendency to its own most glorious and complete state. So God looks on the communication of himself, and the emanation of his infinite glory, to belong to the fulness and completeness of himself; as though he were not in his most glorious state without it.

Thus the church of Christ, (toward whom and in whom are the emanations of his glory, and the communication of his fulness,) is called the fulness of Christ; as though he were not in his complete state without her; like Adam without Eve. And the church is called the glory of Christ, as the woman is the glory of the man, 1 Cor. xi. 7. Isa. xlvi. 13. I will place salvation in Zion, for Israel my glory. —Indeed, after the creatures are intended to be created, God may be conceived of as being moved by benevolence to them, in the strictest sense, in his dealings with them. His exercising his goodness, and gratifying his benevolence to them in particular, may be the spring of all God’s proceedings through the universe; as being now the determined way of gratifying his general inclination to diffuse himself. Here God acting for himself; or making himself his last end, and his acting for their sake, are not to be set in opposition; they are rather to be considered as coinciding one with the other, and implied one in the other. But yet God is to be considered as first and original in his regard; and the creature is the object of God’s regard, consequently, and by implication, as being as it were comprehended in God; as it shall be more particularly observed presently.

But how God’s value for, and delight in, the emanations of his fulness in the work of creation, argues his delight in the infinite fulness of good in himself, and the supreme regard he has for himself; and that in making these emanations, he ultimately makes himself his end in creation; will more clearly appear by considering more particularly the nature and circumstances of these communications of God’s fulness. One part of that divine fulness which is communicated, is the divine knowledge. That communicated knowledge, which must be supposed to pertain to God’s last end in creating the world, is the creature’s knowledge of him. For this is the end of all other knowledge; and even the faculty of understanding would be vain without it. And this knowledge is most properly a communication of God’s infinite knowledge, which primarily consists in the knowledge of himself. God, in making this his end, makes himself his end. This knowledge in the creature, is but a conformity to God. It is the image of God’s own knowledge of himself. It is a participation of the same; though infinitely less in degree: as particular beams of the sun communicated are the light and glory of the sun itself, in part.

Besides, God’s glory is the object of this knowledge, or the thing known; so that God is glorified in it, as hereby his excellency is seen. As therefore God values himself, as he delights in his own knowledge, be must delight in every thing of that nature: as he delights in his own light, he must delight in every beam of that light; and as he highly values his own excellency, he must be well pleased in having it manifested, and so glorified.

Another emanation of divine fulness, is the communication of virtue and holiness to the creature: this is a communication of God’s holiness; so that hereby the creature partakes of God’s own moral excellency; which is properly the beauty of the divine nature. And as God delights in his own beauty, he must necessarily delight in the creature’s holiness; which is a conformity to and participation of it, as truly as a brightness of a jewel, held in the sun’s beams, is a participation or derivation of the sun’s brightness, though immensely less in degree. And then it must be considered wherein this holiness in the creature consists, viz. in love, which is the comprehension of all true virtue; and primarily in love to God, which is exercised in a high esteem of God, admiration of his perfections, complacency in them, and praise of them. All which things are nothing else but the heart exalting, magnifying, or glorifying God; which, as I showed before, God necessarily approves of, and is pleased with, as he loves himself, and values the glory of his own nature.

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God’s God-Centeredness 1

May 1, 2017

From Jonathan Edwards

In the last section I observed some things which are actually the consequence of the creation of tire world, which seem absolutely valuable in themselves, and so worthy to be made God’s last end in his work. I now proceed to inquire, how God’s making such things as these his last end, is consistent with his making himself his last end, or his manifesting an ultimate respect to himself in his acts and works. Because it is agreeable to the dictates of reason, that in all his proceedings he should set himself highest; therefore, I would endeavour to show, how his infinite love to and delight in himself, will naturally cause him to value and delight in these things: or rather, how a value to these things is implied in his value of that infinite fulness of good that is in himself.

Now, with regard to the first of the particulars mentioned above—God’s regard to the exercise of those attributes of his nature, in their proper operations and effects, which consist in a sufficiency for these operations—it is not hard to conceive that God’s regard to himself, and value for his own perfections, should cause him to value these exercises and expressions of’ his perfections; inasmuch as their excellency consists in their relation to use, exercise, and operation. God’s love to himself, and his own attributes, will therefore make him delight in that which is the use, end, and operation of these attributes. If one highly esteem and delight in the virtues of a friend, as wisdom, justice, &c. that have relation to action, this will make him delight in the exercise and genuine effects of these virtues. So if God both esteem and delight in his own perfections and virtues, he cannot but value and delight in the expressions and genuine effects of them. So that in delighting in the expressions of his perfections, he manifests a delight in himself; and in making these expressions of his own perfections his end, he makes himself his end.
And with respect to the second and third particulars, the matter is no less plain. For he that loves any being, and has a disposition highly to prize and greatly to delight in his virtues and perfections, must from the same disposition be well pleased to have his excellencies known, acknowledged, esteemed, and prized by others. He that loves any thing, naturally loves the approbation of that thing, and is opposite to the disapprobation of it. Thus it is when one loves the virtues of a friend. And thus it will necessarily be, if a being loves himself and highly prizes his own excellencies; and thus it is fit it should be, if it be fit he should thus love himself, and prize his own valuable qualities; that is, it is fit that he should take delight in his own excellencies being seen, acknowledged, esteemed, and delighted in. This is implied in a love to himself and his own perfections; and in making this his end, he makes himself his end.
And with respect to the fourth and last particular, viz. God’s being disposed to an abundant communication, and glorious emanation, of that infinite fulness of good which he possesses, as of his own knowledge, excellency and happiness, in the manner he does; if we thoroughly consider the matter, it will appear, that herein also God makes himself his end, in such a sense, as plainly to manifest and testify a supreme and ultimate regard to himself.
Merely in this disposition to cause an emanation of his glory and fulness—which is prior to the existence of any other being, and is to be considered as the inciting cause of giving existence to other beings—God cannot so properly be said to make the creature his end, as himself. For the creature is not as yet considered as existing. This disposition or desire in God, must be prior to the existence of the creature, even in foresight. For it is a disposition that is the original ground even of the future, intended, and foreseen existence of the creature. God’s benevolence, as it respects the creature, may be taken either in a larger or stricter sense. In a larger sense, it may signify nothing diverse from that good disposition in his nature to communicate of his own fulness in general; as his knowledge, his holiness, and happiness; and to give creatures existence in order to it. This may be called benevolence, or love, because it is the same good disposition that is exercised in love. It is the very fountain from whence love originally proceeds, when taken in the most proper sense; and it has the same general tendency and effect in the creature’s well-being. But yet this cannot have any particular present or future created existence for its object; because it is prior to any such object, and the very source of the futurition of its existence. Nor is it really diverse from God’s love to himself; as will more clearly appear afterwards.

But God’s love may be taken more strictly, for this general disposition to communicate good, as directed to particular objects. Love, in the most strict and proper sense, presupposes the existence of the object beloved, at least in idea and expectation, and represented to the mind as future. God did not love angels in the strictest sense, but in consequence of his intending to create them, and so having an idea of future existing angels. Therefore his love to them was not properly what excited him to intend to create them. Love or benevolence, strictly taken, presupposes an existing object, as much as pity a miserable suffering object.

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Selfish “Christianity” 50

April 30, 2017

John 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.

Philippians 2:19 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. 20 For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. 21 For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.

John 7:7 “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.

John 15:24 “If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.

Romans 5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

And when, in addition to these measures, the general strain of what is said to sinners is adapted to work upon their selfish feelings and animal passions, as most of what I have heard has been, and some of it extremely well adapted to work up those feelings to a high pitch, it would be strange if some affections were not excited which they might readily mistake for true religion. When God is represented as desiring their salvation, without the least qualification, and that his desire for it is infinitely strong, what impenitent sinner, that has the least seriousness of mind, is not prepared to be pleased? If “sinners love those that love them,” as our Lord assures us, they can love such a being as God is represented to be, without any change of heart. A God of all mercy, is just such a God as sinners desire. Will it be said that his justice is also brought into view, and that the terrors of hell are exhibited? True; but in what light are they exhibited? Is it not commonly in a light to which the selfish heart will as readily accord?

WILLIAM R. WEEKS.

While it can and perhaps does sound arrogant, the question must be asked. If what Luther said was true about the heart of the Gospel, and the modern version ignores what Luther said, then is one right and the other wrong or can both be right or both be wrong? The selfish heart that is full of self and pride fights the true idea of depravity though it can accept it in theory. The selfish heart hates the reality of being utterly dependent upon God for grace to save it and sanctify it. The selfish heart hates the reality of its own inability and as such will change certain truths about God in order to retain some ability. That is precisely what those who assert free-will do. That is precisely what those who will not teach the absolute inability of man in salvation and in doing spiritual good are doing. They are wavering on the truth of who man is and the selfish heart loves it so.

The selfish heart is at war with the true God and since it must always be in control it must change the truth of who God is in order to retain control. The selfish heart will gather all it can around it and take its aberration and make it the orthodox view. The selfish heart, whether religious or not, will always be at war with the truth of God. This is an absolute truth that each person must recognize about him or herself and about others. The truth of God is not just set out in Scripture and all we have to do is read it in order to discover that truth, but the truth of God is set out in a way that God alone can reveal it to men. Those who do not have it, regardless of how smart they are, cannot discover it apart from grace. Ministers and professors at colleges and seminaries cannot understand the truth of God apart from grace showing them. The selfish heart hates that and will fight that so self will have some control in its own eyes.

It is not always a crass and weak view of God that is preached in order to tickle the ear of men, but it can be a strong view of God but a god that allows men freedom and a god that allows men to have control. The selfish man hates the true concept of a sovereign God and will fight that truth of God tooth and nail. The selfish man can be a very religious man and be a stalwart of conservatism and yet hate the true concept of the sovereignty of God. The selfish man may be a very religious man and a stalwart of orthodox theology and be a professing Calvinist and yet at the same time that man can be at war with God over who is truly sovereign. Oh how easy it is for the logical mind to grasp some of the great truths of God and use that to climb denominational ladders or to go from small churches to bigger ones. However, that does not make the heart any less selfish. In fact, it can be exactly and precisely what a selfish heart will do.

This is what we must be brought to see. This is not just some theoretical truth that we can accept as true in theory. This is what is true of each of our own hearts unless God is pleased to give us new hearts. Each heart is born dead in sins and trespasses and by nature a child of wrath. Each heart is selfish, proud, and does all from self-love apart from the new birth. Each heart longs to be as God and lives as god to itself. Each heart is at war with God and is at enmity with Him over who will reign over “me.” The selfish heart will love false gods and false theology, but it will never love the true God unless it is born from above. The selfish heart is diametrically opposed to the sovereign God of reality and will gather all others that it can to be on its side.

Going back to the original question in the first paragraph regarding Luther, I would assert that we are far from following Luther on this gigantically important point. It may be that we are as far from Luther at this point as the Roman Catholics were in his day. Is it that big of a deal to be that far from Luther? Perhaps not, because the real issue is over the truth of whom the real God is. However, if Luther was right, then our day is dead wrong and we are for from the biblical truths that Luther set out. We must also remember that a true Reformation and true Revival happened when God opened the eyes of Luther to the great truths of man’s inability and His free and sovereign grace. We must seek the Lord to open our eyes as only He can do so and if He does not we are lost in our selfish hearts. We must have free and sovereign grace to open our eyes and our hearts.

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Selfish “Christianity” 48

April 23, 2017

John 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.

Philippians 2:19 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. 20 For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. 21 For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.

John 7:7 “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.

John 15:24 “If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.

Romans 5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

And when, in addition to these measures, the general strain of what is said to sinners is adapted to work upon their selfish feelings and animal passions, as most of what I have heard has been, and some of it extremely well adapted to work up those feelings to a high pitch, it would be strange if some affections were not excited which they might readily mistake for true religion. When God is represented as desiring their salvation, without the least qualification, and that his desire for it is infinitely strong, what impenitent sinner, that has the least seriousness of mind, is not prepared to be pleased? If “sinners love those that love them,” as our Lord assures us, they can love such a being as God is represented to be, without any change of heart. A God of all mercy, is just such a God as sinners desire. Will it be said that his justice is also brought into view, and that the terrors of hell are exhibited? True; but in what light are they exhibited? Is it not commonly in a light to which the selfish heart will as readily accord?

WILLIAM R. WEEKS.

The selfish heart has self as its own god and is in the service of self. The devil promised the original couple that they would be like God or as God and that is what enticed them. We can also see from Psalm 51 and II Samuel 12:9-10 that when David sinned in the matter with Bathsheba and Uriah her husband that this was his sin. David’s sin was not so much in what he did with Bathsheba and to Uriah, but in what he did to God. This is not always what man is conscious of, and in fact it is rare for something to know that sin is directly against God, but that is the very essence of sin. The essence of sin is that in some way it is against God, yet that is precisely what a selfish heart is and what comes from a selfish heart. A selfish heart desires to be as God and as such what it does it does against the living and true God whether it is conscious of that or not.

II Samuel 12:9 ‘Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. 10 ‘Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’

Psa 51:3 For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me. 4 Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.

The passage in II Samuel (just above) shows us God’s view of things as He spoke through Nathan the prophet. The words of God to David were that David had despised God in doing what he did. It was David who planned the execution of Uriah, though indeed he was miles and miles away and Uriah was killed in battle. Nevertheless, the Lord said it was David who killed Uriah with the sword of the sons of Ammon. It was David who committed adultery with Bathsheba. The words of God were brought to David and his sins of adultery and murder were declared to be specifically against God.

Psalm 51 shows us David’s confession. In confessing his sin he said that his sin was against God and God only. It is when we begin to understand the nature of sin that we start to understand the grievous nature of sin as being against God. This is precisely what a selfish heart is. The selfish heart is directly opposed to God in terms of who He is and in terms of His doing all for Himself. Bathsheba was God’s and not David’s. Uriah belonged to God and not to David, even though he was king. David belonged to God and not to David. King David sinned when he thought he could take the place of God and take Bathsheba to himself and take the life of Uriah. David played God in a very real sense in this whole sordid matter. David’s selfish heart desired Bathsheba over God and he took her. David’s selfish heart desired the life of Uriah for his own purposes and he took that. David’s selfish heart desired to have things for self rather than do all for the honor and glory of God. His selfish heart played God, his selfish heart ignored the Word of God, his selfish heart justified his sin, and in all that David opposed God and played God.

While it may be easy to see the sin of David, it may not be so easy to see our own. While we may not commit adultery and have the power to use the military to execute people in battle, we can see how David did so. It may also be that we have justified our sin as David did and that is why we cannot see it. When we justify our sin by coming up with reasons and excuses for it, that is simply our selfish hearts playing God. The living God never makes excuses for sin and we have no right to do so. We are never given the right to do anything but do all we do to the glory of God. We should see David’s confession as a pattern for us rather than shake our heads at him. All of our sin is a despising the Word of God. All of our sin is a despising of God Himself as well. A selfish heart is in direct opposition to God playing God and making decisions to do things that God has forbidden. A selfish heart loves self when we are told to love God with all of our being. A selfish heart seeks self when we are to seek his glory. How awful is the sin of a selfish heart! Have you really and truly been broken by God for your own selfish heart?

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Selfish “Christianity” 47

April 21, 2017

John 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.

Philippians 2:19 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. 20 For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. 21 For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.

John 7:7 “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.

John 15:24 “If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.

Romans 5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

And when, in addition to these measures, the general strain of what is said to sinners is adapted to work upon their selfish feelings and animal passions, as most of what I have heard has been, and some of it extremely well adapted to work up those feelings to a high pitch, it would be strange if some affections were not excited which they might readily mistake for true religion. When God is represented as desiring their salvation, without the least qualification, and that his desire for it is infinitely strong, what impenitent sinner, that has the least seriousness of mind, is not prepared to be pleased? If “sinners love those that love them,” as our Lord assures us, they can love such a being as God is represented to be, without any change of heart. A God of all mercy, is just such a God as sinners desire. Will it be said that his justice is also brought into view, and that the terrors of hell are exhibited? True; but in what light are they exhibited? Is it not commonly in a light to which the selfish heart will as readily accord?

WILLIAM R. WEEKS.

The statement of William Weeks just above is also quite demonstrative of the power of the selfish heart in its opposition to the true God. The selfish heart will twist the teachings of the Bible to fit it and its own desires. Some of the teachings it can twist quite easily, but others it must work harder to do so. Either way, the selfish heart will not have the true God in its mind and so it will invent one to fit its own selfish imaginations.

Following the order of the quote above, we can see that the selfish sinner changes God from being God-centered to being centered upon the sinner. In other words, the sinner is now sovereign over his own salvation rather than being in the hands of a sovereign God. The selfish heart represents God as desiring for the sinner to choose Him and be saved rather than that the sinner must be changed to desire the true God. The selfish heart must change the nature of the true God to love him or her first so that the sinner can then love God, but the reality of the matter is that the sinner must have a new heart in order to love God. The selfish heart will not change its essential selfishness though it will change morals or outward behavior, but instead it will change who God is so it will not have to change.

The selfish heart will see in the Bible that God is a God of great mercy, but what it does is change that mercy from a sovereign mercy in Christ to a mercy that will be shown to the sinner when the sinner desires and is always available to the sinner when s/he desires it. The selfish sinner will not have a God of perfect justice but will have a god who is just to some degree but not enough to send a selfish sinner to hell or that will bring judgment on the selfish sinners sin. The selfish sinner does not mind hearing certain things about hell as long as it is a watered down hell, or perhaps even taught in some orthodox way, but it will not have a hell for which it is liable.

The selfish heart opposes the truth of who God is but at times it does so in such a way that it is not obvious to people, and especially not obvious to selfish hearts which love a God that loves them and leaves their selfish hearts alone. As long as there is a version of Christianity which leaves the selfish heart untouched it can be popular. Versions of Christianity that focus on the selfish heart can be wildly popular, though it is nothing but the spawn of hell. The devil, as a selfish being, does not care if people are religious and even very religious as long as they are selfish. This is so hard for people to get into their thinking. The devil does not just go around and try to get people to be as outwardly wicked as he can, but instead he also gets people to be as religious as they can and in doing so he deceives them. It is the selfish heart that is opposed to God whether it is outwardly wicked or outwardly religious and very devout. The selfish heart is the child of the devil whether it is openly wicked or is a very devout appearing minister.

The devil is at home in selfish hearts and he reigns and rules there. He dwells in those selfish hearts through pride and self-seeking. He loves the morality of the moral and the religiosity of the religious. He loved to work with and in the Pharisees as much as those who lived flagrantly sinful lives. He loves to work in popular evangelists and the health and wealth ministers as much as in those who are openly sinful in Hollywood. He can deceive the selfish hearts in many ways and so he uses many ways. The evangelists of the devil can wear white suits and can be quite charming and nice. The evangelists of the devil can also be orthodox in many ways, but of course we are told not to judge. If the Lord will show us and drive it into our hearts that selfish hearts can be religious and very religious, we will never see things the same way. A selfish heart is incompatible with true Christianity regardless of how religious a person that has that selfish heart is. A selfish minister and selfish leaders can gain many, many followers, but so can many other forms of religious leaders. We must be wise and we must seek the Lord for wisdom in these things.

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