Conversion, Part 53: The Conversion of Lydia, Part 1

February 14, 2010

The conversion of Cornelius is a fascinating historical story of how God drew a Gentile man to Himself. We saw the sovereignty of God in teaching Peter, in sending men from Cornelius to Peter, and then in the Gospel that Peter taught. The glory of God shone forth and shines as the Spirit fell upon Cornelius and those with him as he listened to the Gospel as preached by a Jewish man (Peter) to Gentiles. The wall of separation had been torn down and now all were hearing the glory of Christ Jesus who died to save both Jew and Gentile. This week we move to consider the glory of God in the conversion of Lydia. While the concern of the book of Acts is to give an account in terms of history, there is certainly enough theology to look at as well. But we should always remember that the primary author of Scripture is the Holy Spirit and the primary focus should be on the living God as He shines in the text.

“And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled. 14 A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, some into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us (Acts 16:13-15).

This is the first actual conversion that is given to us after the text tells us that Paul was forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia (Acts 16:6). It was also after the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them to go into Bithynia (Acts 16:7). It was only when Paul had a vision that he concluded that he should go into Macedonia to preach the Gospel (Acts 16:9-10) that Paul set out to sea and went to a leading city of Macedonia which was Philippi (Acts 16:11-12). After arriving there Paul and those with him went out to the riverside on the Sabbath because they assumed that they would find a place of prayer. The found a group of women who had assembled there.

This passage of Scripture is rich with meaning. Lydia was a Gentile woman who had evidently learned about the true God somewhere, possibly in her hometown of Thyatira. Paul’s practice was to find a synagogue when he went to a new place and on the Sabbath day he would go there to preach the Gospel. But evidently there was no synagogue in Philippi and those who were seeking the true God sought Him by prayer by the river. Paul, the former Pharisee who persecuted believers, was now sent by a sovereign God to this place. It is true that the Church was commanded to preach the Gospel to all people groups, but the Spirit had forbidden Paul to preach in at least two places and then sent him to this gathering where this Gentile woman was. Once again, as we saw with Cornelius, God sent men to those who feared Him and who were given to prayer.

This is something that is largely ignored in the modern day. We try to get people to make a commitment or to say a prayer, but with both Cornelius and now Lydia God sent men with the Gospel to people who prayed. Cornelius was given to prayer and God taught Peter and sent him to Cornelius with the Gospel. Lydia was a woman of prayer and God forbade Paul to go to Asia and then to go into Bithynia, but instead Paul was sent to Philippi in Macedonia where he finds Lydia. This is the sovereignty of God on display. Indeed the Great Commission stands, but we also have to deal with the Scriptures as we have them. God specifically directed Peter to Cornelius and God specifically directed Paul away from certain areas and then to Lydia. We must take into account the fact that both of these people prayed to God. It is not that their prayers made them worthy or that they had any merit in them at all, but the Scriptures are very clear in these instances that these Gentiles prayed and in some manner sought God. Cornelius gave alms to the Jews and Lydia went to pray on the Sabbath.

One thing we need to learn is to leave people instructions to seek the Lord if they don’t believe. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17). When we are evangelizing we must make it clear to people that they need to put themselves under the biblical teaching of Scripture. A person that does not have faith cannot expect to have faith apart from the means that God uses to bring faith. While Cornelius and Lydia were apparently brought to faith the first time they heard the Gospel, not all have the background of teaching that it appears that they had. People need to know the Scripture, they need to know the character of God, and they need to know the Person and offices of Christ and of His Spirit who gives life and faith. God sent Peter and then Paul to preach the word and the Gospel to these people. People must come to know the word in order to hear the Gospel.

Another thing that this text teaches us (along with the conversion of Cornelius) is that God must open a person’s heart in order for that person to come to faith. Here we see rather plainly that it was the Lord who opened the heart of Lydia in order that she could respond to the teachings of Paul. Lydia responded and those looking on possibly saw an outer response, but Scripture tells us what happened to her before she responded. This is utterly vital to understand. The modern “Church” is in spiritual darkness due to some degree top the fact that it does not recognize that God must open the hearts of people before they can respond. Listen to a quote from Arthur Pink on this.

“The superficial work of many of the professional evangelists of the last fifty years is largely responsible for the erroneous views now current upon the bondage of the nature man, encouraged by the laziness of those in the pew in their failure to “prove all things” (I Thess. 5:21). The average evangelical pulpit conveys the impression that it lies wholly in the power of the sinner whether or not he shall be saved. It is said that “God has done His part, now man must do his.” Alas, what can lifeless man do, man by nature is “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1)! If this were really believed, there would be more dependence upon the Holy Spirit to come in with his miracle-working power, and less confidence in our attempts to “win men for Christ” (Sovereignty of God).

In a more modern book, Decisional Regeneration vs. Divine Regeneration (2010), James E. Adams writes of the same danger. He regards the abandonment of the teaching of Scripture (and the practice of centuries past) on Divine regeneration as very dangerous.

“The huge theological difference between modern evangelism and biblical evangelism hinges on this basic issue of whether true religion is the work of God or of man. At best, the doctrine of Decisional Regeneration attributes the new birth partly to man and partly to God…Noted Swiss Reformation historian J.H. Merle d’Aubigne (1794-1872), who preached the gospel in Calvin’s cathedral in Geneva, declared that “to believe in the power of man in the work of regeneration is the great heresy of Rome, and from that error has come the ruin of the Church. Conversion proceeds from the grace of God alone, and the system which ascribes it partly to man and partly to God is worse than Pelagianism.”

James Adams goes on to quote Charles Hodge on this issue:

“No more soul-destroying doctrine could well be devised than the doctrine that sinners can regenerate themselves, and repent and believe just when the please… As it is a truth both of Scripture and of experience that the unrenewed man can do nothing of himself to secure his salvation, it is essential that he should be brought to a practical conviction of that truth. When thus convicted, and not before, he seeks help from the only source where it can be obtained.”

The Scripture is quite clear that regeneration is by the will of God and not the will of man (John 1:12-13). God must will to give human beings the ability to respond or there will be no positive response at all. If the human heart follows its own natural bent in its deadness in sin, it will be hardened to the truth. But God can change the heart so that it sees light instead of darkness and love the truth rather than hate it. There is a massive theology behind the simple words of Acts 16, but the theology is still there. God make Lydia alive by His grace and He saved her according to His good pleasure to the praise of the glory of His grace (Eph 1:3-14). It was God who looked upon Lydia as dead in her trespasses and sins and nothing more than a child of wrath by nature. It was only by His mercy and grace alone He made her alive with Christ (Eph 2:4-6). Lydia was now and still is a trophy of Divine grace so that the glory of His grace would then and for eternity shine forth in her by grace (Eph 2:6-7).

The short and simple account of Lydia’s conversion by God’s grace and glory is hidden to those who focus on her response and not the Lord opening her heart first. But if we are going to take Scripture seriously and follow it rather than human wishes and traditions, we must take Scripture more seriously. We must learn to preach the Gospel as to dead sinners because they are dead. We must learn to preach the Gospel so that sinners would see their own utter helplessness and look to Divine grace to give them life rather than look to themselves to respond. Sinners that look to themselves to respond do not see their own deadness and are not looking to Christ alone to be saved by grace alone. The Reformers broke with Rome for a reason and it had to do with the Gospel by grace alone. We should bow to the God of grace so that the heart of that same false gospel does not overtake us while using different words in a different denomination. We must preach the Gospel looking to the Spirit to change hearts or we are not trusting the Spirit to change hearts but are trusting in our own wisdom to do it or perhaps the to the sinner himself to do so.

The profession of being Reformed does not make a person Reformed and the profession to be biblical does not make a person biblical. What matters is to be biblical from the heart. Scripture tells us that God opened Lydia’s heart to respond to the words of Paul. His work of opening her heart was before her response. His work in opening her heart enabled her to respond. We must direct sinners away from thinking it is up to them to change their own hearts and that if they could change it that would be a sinful change of heart. Instead they are to be taught to look to the grace of God to change their hearts. Hearts are changed and saved by grace alone, not by grace plus a human response. We believe that someone must change the heart, yet our methods of evangelism scream louder about out theology of the heart than our creed does. The Gospel is of God changing a heart and giving it the Spirit because of who He is and who He is alone, not because of a response. After all, that is grace alone.

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Humility, Part 60

February 8, 2010

In the last BLOG we looked at many ways that people can have high religious feelings and yet be lost. This is not just an isolated sort of thing, but in our nation which is so focused on self the religion in America has taken on that basic thrust and is now the religion of self. This can be true in any denomination and any theology. The fallen heart and nature of the human soul has fallen from God-centeredness to self-centeredness. The heart is naturally inclined toward self and so it will be very religious for self without even thinking about it. This is how mega-churches come into being. They intentionally set out to give people what they want. They do what makes people comfortable at church and play the music that people like or are comfortable with. They don’t want to preach on sin because people will become uncomfortable. When this happens it is self-centered people planning services for self-centered people. The only One who is not comfortable at meetings like that is God. So the music and the preaching that are focused on the people to make them comfortable is actually idolatrous because it is not focused on God in truth.

The following quote is taken from The Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards. The total quote being used can be seen in the BLOG Humility 36.

“But the essence of evangelical humiliation consists in such humility as becomes a creature in itself exceeding sinful, under a dispensation of grace; consisting in a mean esteem of himself, as in himself nothing, and altogether contemptible and odious; attended with a mortification of a disposition to exalt himself, and a free renunciation of his own glory…This is a great and most essential thing in true religion. The whole frame of the gospel, every thing appertaining in the new covenant, and all God’s dispensations towards fallen man, are calculated to bring to pass this effect. They that are destitute of this, have no true religion, whatever profession they may make, and high soever their religious affections may be.”

The writings of Edwards as he follows the depths of Scripture are devastating to the modern versions of Christianity. While modern versions pursue self with a version of a god that is focused on our self, Edwards teaches that God is God-centered and can desire nothing but His own glory. So the real God’s desire for His people would be to take away their wicked self-centeredness and give them love for Himself which is the greatest good. For God to give an unregenerate person all that the person’s heart desired would be to give them an awful judgment on them. An unregenerate heart will only desire sinful things for self and if they are religious it would still be self-centered. This is why the modern version of Christianity can be the judgment of God upon us.

If true religion only comes when the heart is truly humbled, then clearly a massive amount of false religion is sweeping the United States and the world. If in fact this is true: “This is a great and most essential thing in true religion. The whole frame of the gospel, every thing appertaining in the new covenant, and all God’s dispensations towards fallen man, are calculated to bring to pass this effect,” then the vast percentage of what we see going on in religion is false because it is based on self which is opposite of true Christianity. If all of what God does toward fallen man is calculated to bring man to an end of his self-love and self-focus, then the orthodoxy and good works of people that are moved by and focused on self simply are wrong from top to bottom. It is like a beautiful tree or house on the outside that has nothing but rotten wood on the inside. What does God require of human souls? “He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8). What is it that is at the essence of Christianity?

Isaiah 57:15 – For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.

Colossians 1:27 – to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Hab 2:4 – Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith.

The essence of Christianity has to do with Christ living in souls, but God is opposed to the proud and gives grace to the humble. He will only dwell with and in the contrite and lowly of spirit. Those who are proud and focused on self, despite elevated feelings and devotedness to religion, are opposed to God and the essence of Christianity.

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Humility, Part 59

February 6, 2010

In the last BLOG we looked at the fact that it is not necessarily a sign of true religion to have high religious affections. This is true because of the fact that a person without evangelical humility is a person that loves self and all that is thought to bring good to self. Forms of religion, apart from evangelical humility, can be nothing more than acts of self-love. Music and preaching can be aimed at the feelings and as long as God is mentioned people may think that their feelings that are raised by those things are religious affections, though they might not use that language. Preaching that declare that Christ died for you may do nothing but move self-love in a person. Singing and music can produce high and elevated feelings, yet add a few words about God and people will think that their elevated feelings are toward God and they will be certain that they love God because of those feelings.

The following quote is taken from The Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards. The total quote being used can be seen in the BLOG Humility 36.

“But the essence of evangelical humiliation consists in such humility as becomes a creature in itself exceeding sinful, under a dispensation of grace; consisting in a mean esteem of himself, as in himself nothing, and altogether contemptible and odious; attended with a mortification of a disposition to exalt himself, and a free renunciation of his own glory…This is a great and most essential thing in true religion. The whole frame of the gospel, every thing appertaining in the new covenant, and all God’s dispensations towards fallen man, are calculated to bring to pass this effect. They that are destitute of this, have no true religion, whatever profession they may make, and high soever their religious affections may be.”

If Edwards was and is correct, and I am not sure how his position could be argued against from Scripture, there could be large numbers of people donate money and do good works, but they do so because it makes them feel good which is from self-love rather than love for God. People can donate money to a “good” cause because it makes them feel good or because it gives them relief from their guilty feelings. But as should be obvious, that is not the same thing as giving or doing out of love for God. So not matter how high and elevated the feelings are while doing these things, apart from evangelical humiliation it is all done for self rather than love for God.

Large numbers of people go to church because it is a time of quiet and they can hear a moral lecture, but that is again obviously and simply self-love seeking things for self and not out of love for God. There seems to be something so right about going to church in America for many people, but still that is far from going out of love for God. We live in a nation that exalts self and thinks that things are to be done for self, so it is so easy to slip into a way of doing that in things of religion. The modern version of Christianity seems to be nothing more than another way to seek self, yet the biblical truth teaches over and over that self must be denied in order to follow Christ. Apart from evangelical humiliation, people are full of self and seek God for self.

There are popular preachers that are quite orthodox that focus on preaching about wealth and about joy and things like that. While it may sound God-centered, in reality it is not or at least it is not heard that way by many. God is not to be sought for anything but is to be sought for Himself. Yet apart from evangelical humiliation, the soul is bound to itself in pride and self-love and will not and cannot seek anything but itself. This shows how dangerous it is to have preachers that tickle ears. Many people will say amen to that and yet love ear ticklers themselves. The love of ear tickling sermons can come in many forms. Some love to hear those who are quite entertaining on stage. Some love to hear those who tell them good things about themselves. Some love to hear those who speak to them and claim to seek their happiness and joy. Some love to hear folksy stories during so-called sermons. Some just love an intellectual approach to the Bible. Some love to hear good old time fire and brimstone. Some love to hear orthodox doctrine from the pulpit. Some love to hear practical things from the pulpit. Some love to be made to feel great joy in the sermon. Some love to hear what they are to do from the pulpit. Some even love to hear hard things from the pulpit and can have pride that they go to hard preaching. But none of those things are inconsistent with hearing from self-love and pride. The unhumbled heart loves to base what it does on the feelings it gets from being apart from the crowd, though some like to be part of the crowd. The heart that has been truly humbled, however, no longer lives for self but out of love for God and does all for the glory of God. The truly humbled heart has pain when it hears sermons that are aimed at self rather than the destruction of self. They that are destitute of this, [evangelical humiliation] have no true religion, whatever profession they may make, and high soever their religious affections may be.” Religious affections can be raised very high without the least bit of Christ in them.

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Provocation to Prayer, Part 26

February 5, 2010

The following quote is an excerpt taken from FIRE FROM HEAVEN by Paul Cook:

“In 1807 the early beginnings of Primitive Methodism had taken place at Mow Cop in Staffordshire… There were some mighty men of prayer amongst them. One of these was a quaint character… the name of John Oxtby. Born in 1767 near Pocklington, he had lived for thirty-seven years haring religion and indulging himself in every form of wickedness. But in 1804 he was awakened and came under a terrible conviction of sin. After suffering great agonies of soul he was wonderfully converted. In 1824 he entered the word of God full times, and we are told he did so ‘like a boxer wanting to give a knock-out blow to Satan’…who became known as ‘Praying Johnny’ because…’his power lay in the spiritual realm and there he was indeed a prince of God. Six hours each day he usually spent on his knees and in this way he girded himself for his amazing conquests.'”

“Filey, a fishing village in the East Riding was noted for its wickedness and pagan practices. Attempts had been made to establish a work there…but the work had proved fruitless and a proposal was made to abandon it. John Oxtby objected…’let me go.’ When he reached Muston Hill and viewed Filey in the distance, he fell upon his knees in a dry ditch and began to agonize with God. A miller passing that way thought he heard two men arguing. But it was only one man praying. He was engaging in ‘the argument of faith’ with his God. Evantually God gave Oxtby the assurance that his prayers were answered. He ‘rose in faith’ and exclaimed. ‘It is done, Lord! It is done! Filey is taken! Filey is taken! So he descended into the town; and it was taken!…He preached through the village…fifty of the eighty were saved. A great revival swept the town which completely transformed its moral and spiritual tone and laid the foundations of a powerful church which continued in strength into the twentieth century… The outlook…before Charles Finney’s ideas began to influence evangelical life in this country, was that when the work of God languished they needed to seek by earnest prayer a sovereign intervention of God.”

There are several things to notice that should burn the necessity of prayer into our souls. First, the great need to have mighty men of prayer among the people of God. David had his mighty men around him who could handle swords, but we need to have mighty men who can truly seek the Lord in prayer. The souls of mighty men in prayer need to train a lot in prayer and faith. God raises up men who are mighty in prayer when He is about to pour out His Spirit. This is not to say that mighty women in prayer are not needed, but we need mighty men of prayer who fill the pulpits in the land. Second, though not all will be able to spend six hours a day in prayer, it points to how utterly bankrupt we are in America when we have books that encourage us to spend five minutes a day. We need men and women who will seek the Lord for strength and power to spend a few to several hours a day in prayer. We need Anna’s in the land: “And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel… She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers” (Luke 2:36-37). We need people who will give themselves to prayer and a kind of prayer that is truly seeking the Lord.

Third, no place is truly hopeless if the Lord gives people hearts to pray for it. No place is beyond the power of God if He chooses to act. If we truly believe in the sovereignty of God, then we must live in the assurance that God can act where and when He is pleased to act. Fourth, let us learn that when we begin to pray for a place, a few short utterances is not going to cut it. What is needed is a heart that is willing to spend the time in agonized prayer arguing with God (giving reasons for His name) to revive that place. A comfortable word a few minutes here and there is useless for revival. This is not a heart that is prepared to seek the Lord. Fifth, from the statement on Finney above, let us turn from his ways (or influenced by him) to ways taught of the Lord. We need hearts given over to earnest prayer for a sovereign intervention. Any revival is sovereign by nature and must be prayed for in that way. Until we are finished with the wisdom of men’s plans and see revival as God’s sovereign work we will not pray with fervency. As long as we just pray for God’s help, nothing will happen. But when our hearts are broken and we look to Him alone, revival may be at the door. Sixth, God saves great sinners by a great grace for a great work.

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Conversion, Part 52: The Conversion of Cornelius, Part 4

February 5, 2010

In the last article we looked at aspects of the message of Peter to Cornelius. He preached what was commanded by God and his message was fixed on God. This message to Cornelius was a God-centered message. All messages that are commanded by God are God-centered since God is God-centered. In this article we will look at some more particulars of the message of Peter that was used in the conversion of Cornelius and his friends. This Gospel message is one that we can learn from, though indeed it is not in line with some of the modern traditions.

“So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.” 34 Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, 35 but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him. 36 “The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)– 37 you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. 38 “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 39 “We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. 40 “God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42 “And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. 43 “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. 45 All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, 47 “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” 48 And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days (Acts 10:33-48).

In this message commanded by God Peter did not proclaim how moral we should be and how opposed to the government or politically active we should be. He did not even talk about holiness directly. He did not specifically talk about the love of God as such or the love of God for sinners. What he proclaimed here is a God-centered message of salvation in Christ. If we start with the end of the sermon, we can see the result of the sermon was that the Gentiles there received the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is the promise of Acts 2 which Peter had preached also. 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself” (Acts 2:38-39). It is highly likely that Peter did not understand what was meant by “for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself” when he preached it in Acts 2. But now the reality of that sermon came home. God calls Gentiles to Himself and God gives the gift of the Holy Spirit as He pleases, even to those who are far off.

Peter did not give an altar call and did not ask people to pray a prayer with him. He preached the Gospel and the Holy Spirit applied it. The goal of preaching is not simply to get people to do something for themselves, but for them to see what Christ has done and the need to have the Spirit apply what Christ has done. It was while Peter was preaching the very words of the works of God in Christ that the Holy Spirit fell on those who were listening to the sermon by Peter. This is a great encouragement and very instructive to preaching. The preacher is to be concerned with the message of the Gospel and his own heart knowing that God is the One who applies the message to the hearts of listeners. The Gospel is the power of God to save sinners (Rom 1:16) and not the methods and manipulations of men. It is not a simple message to get people to do a simple action that saves sinners, but it is the Gospel itself as applied by God. Preachers are to preach the life, the works, the cross, and the resurrection of Christ. Preachers are to preach how Christ was spoken of in the Old Testament and yet how the Holy Spirit comes through the message of the glory of God in Christ. These are the things that God has commanded to be preached.

We have looked at one of the goals of preaching which is that the Holy Spirit would come upon sinners. This is a massive difference between preaching for sinners to make decisions and things like that. This is a God-centered message applied by the living God. Peter shows us how to preach for a God-centered goal like that. One of the first things that Peter spoke about was how Christ was Lord of all and that peace with God is through Him (v. 36). The peace that is proclaimed is only as great as the One we are to have peace with and through. He then moved to how Jesus Himself was anointed by God with the Spirit and with power. So Peter began with how Christ was anointed with the Spirit and ends with the Spirit falling on those listening. This is part of what it means to preach a Christ-centered message. It is to preach the Spirit and Father of Christ.

This is not a message about an angry God who is ready to throttle all, but then Jesus comes up and tries to mollify Him. This is not a message of how Mary steps up and talks to God through Jesus. This is about God sending the Son and God making peace through the Son. It is true, however, that the message of peace does include the wrath of God, but still this is a God who saves sinners from His own wrath through the Son. The difference in that the wrathful God saves from Himself rather than having to be talked into it by someone else. The Father planned salvation from all eternity and sent the Son to save sinners from His own wrath. This is a Trinitarian Gospel that points to how the Father is behind the Gospel from beginning to end and carried out this plan by the Son. This is a Trinitarian Gospel that points to how the Spirit was sent by the Father and was the power of the Son and who then applied the Gospel to sinners. There is no true God-centeredness apart from the teaching about Christ and of the Holy Spirit. There is no true Christ-centeredness apart from teaching how what He did was from the Father, empowered by the Spirit, and then applied to sinners by the Spirit. This is not being charismatic, this is simply being Trinitarian. After all, the one God subsists as three. The only true God is Trinity.

Peter preached the Christ who was Lord of all and anointed by the Father as being put to death by being hung on a cross. But this Christ was raised from the dead by God as well and appeared to witnesses chosen beforehand by God. It is this Christ that Peter and others were commanded to preach about that this Christ was the One appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. This is an explosive message if we will hear it. The same Lord of all died on the cross and was raised from the dead by God. This same Lord who was crucified and then resurrected is the Judge of both the living and the dead. But there is even more, this same Lord is the One that all the prophets spoke about as the One that “through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins” (v. 43). This is what it means to preach Christ in truth. It is not just to mention Him and to tell all that He wants to be their friends. But this Jesus is Lord of all and He was raised from the dead and is now the Judge of both the living and the dead. It is by the Messiah alone that sins can be forgiven. There is a living Gospel for He is a living Savior.

The Gospel by which Cornelius and his friends were converted was the biblical Gospel. It is not just a few moralizing statements about Jesus, but it is about the Jesus the Lord. It is not just a few nice stories of Jesus helping people; it is about Jesus the sovereign Lord of the universe. It is not just about a human Jesus, but it is about how God in Jesus Christ lived, died, and was resurrected. It is not just a nice story about the cross of Jesus, it is about a resurrected Savior who is now Judge of both the living and the dead since He Himself was alive, then crucified, and has now defeated death by His death and the resurrection. It is not just about any little god, it is about the living and true God who is triune. The Christ who is alive and seated at the right hand of the living God has purchased the Holy Spirit and He is poured out on sinners as they listen to the message of the glory of God in the face of Christ. This is a Gospel of power and not one that depends on puny human beings. It is all about God.

In past months we have looked at some of the issues regarding conversion. We have looked at how it is not just a decision to be saved, but that a person is saved when God regenerates and actually converts the soul from death to live and from the power of the devil to the life and power of God. The conversion of the soul is the greatest work done in the entire universe, even greater than creation of the universe itself. There is more wisdom in the conversion of the soul than there is in the greatest splendor of the stars. The Gospel we preach, therefore, must not be watered down in order to make it palatable to sinful hearts. The Gospel that must be preached is the glorious Gospel of God who does a mighty work in the souls of human beings in order to manifest His triune nature and glory. The real story of any conversion is the glory of God. The real story of the conversion of Cornelius is that the glory of God planned it and then carried it out in all of its details. If we wish for true conversions and true revival, then we must study, pray, and then preach a Gospel of glory worthy of the God who is sovereign over it all.

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Humility, Part 58

February 4, 2010

In the previous BLOG we looked a little deeper at what evangelical humiliation really is in light of the vital importance of it. In the modern day we simply have a person say that s/he is a sinner and then repeat a prayer, walk an aisle, or sign a card. We think of this as being a sign of faith because we think of faith as an intellectual act rather than what the whole soul does. The whole soul must receive Christ by grace in all of His offices or He is not received at all. If the whole soul does not receive Christ, then the soul does not truly believe. If the soul does not receive a whole Christ, then the soul is picking and choosing which part of Christ it desires and so does not receive a sovereign Lord. Indeed, in light of those things, it is patently obvious that a soul must have a faith that is attended with a mortification to exalt self. This teaching is so rampant in modern America that it may almost sound new to many that the whole Christ must be bowed to and received by a whole soul. One does not make Christ Lord because He is Lord already. One simply bows to Him as the utter sovereign of this universe. But when one bows to Him as He really is that means that a person must not seek to exalt self rather than Christ and must not seek the honor of self rather than Christ. Instead, true believers must seek to love God and do all to His glory.

The following quote is taken from The Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards. The total quote being used can be seen in the BLOG Humility 36.

“But the essence of evangelical humiliation consists in such humility as becomes a creature in itself exceeding sinful, under a dispensation of grace; consisting in a mean esteem of himself, as in himself nothing, and altogether contemptible and odious; attended with a mortification of a disposition to exalt himself, and a free renunciation of his own glory…This is a great and most essential thing in true religion. The whole frame of the gospel, every thing appertaining in the new covenant, and all God’s dispensations towards fallen man, are calculated to bring to pass this effect. They that are destitute of this, have no true religion, whatever profession they may make, and high soever their religious affections may be.”

Without going off the point but taking in a bit more of what Edwards is saying here, he remarks that those without evangelical humiliation are destitute of true religion regardless of their profession and regardless of how high their religious affections may be. Vast numbers in our day listen to forms of music that is termed “Christian” and their feelings are lifted high. Because of the exalted feelings and of the fact that God is mentioned in the songs, people think that they are in worship of the true and living God. But that does not follow, and in fact it may be a sign that they are greatly deceived. The Scriptures tell us that God can only be worshipped in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Feelings may or may not be indicative of the worship of the true God as one can be spiritually dead and still have a high level of feelings that are worked up by forms of music. One can also have a high level of feelings based on self-love as well. A person can even be seeking the high level of feelings much as people seek adrenaline rushes by doing various dangerous sports and activities. Without evangelical humility a person can do many religious things and do them for the high level of feeling which is to do them out of self-love rather than love for God.

There is also a form of preaching that has an intensity to it that can raise a high level of feeling, but that does not make it a way of preaching the truth. We must understand that the heart is so deceitful and try to get at the depths of the intents and motives of it. Preaching that is very personal or with a lot of stories can reach our natural feelings while we are spiritually dead. Preaching that is a form of drama or is performed by or carried out by the “preacher” It can lead us to feelings about God that is based on our self-love. A lot of talking about what God has done for us can lead to a high level of feelings. We have seen how secular speakers and talk shows can lead people to tears and high feelings, so clearly something that is called “preaching” can do the same thing that has nothing to do with the truth of God and of the Gospel. However, it is even more dangerous due to the deception that can occur as a result. It leads to people thinking they love preaching and therefore love God when in fact they only love themselves and the high level of feelings that they have while hearing a type of preaching that produces the feelings of self.

The teaching of Edwards on this should be read by preachers and all professors of Christ today and taken to heart. Satan is out to deceive and it is a very deceptive work he has done and is doing when his deception is through the preaching and singing at “church.” With such a premium placed on feelings or “emotions” today, anything that produces a feeling in religious services is thought to be true. However, as Edwards observes, without evangelical humility those feelings are not true no matter how high they are raised. Those feelings can be nothing but the workings of the natural man to things thought to do good things for self. It can be the deception of the devil.

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Humility, Part 57

February 2, 2010

In the last BLOG we primarily looked at why evangelical humiliation is so necessary for true religion (Christianity). We did this, at least in part, with the help of a quote from Lou Holtz the famous football coach. His quote, though perhaps not intended to be taken spiritually, is rather helpful. Apart from evangelical humiliation, the soul does all it does out of the strength of self and the love for self though it may think it is doing what it does out of love for God. It is hard to imagine the numbers of people that may be deceived in the modern world because they are deceived in this area. Jesus said “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS'” (Mat 7:22-23). Apart from what Edwards called evangelical humiliation, this is what religious people are doing. They are preaching and doing all kinds of religious things, but they are practicing lawlessness. May God awaken us so that we can see His judgment on us and then pronounce judgment on our own souls that we may be turned to Him.

The following quote is taken from The Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards. The total quote being used can be seen in the BLOG Humility 36.

“But the essence of evangelical humiliation consists in such humility as becomes a creature in itself exceeding sinful, under a dispensation of grace; consisting in a mean esteem of himself, as in himself nothing, and altogether contemptible and odious; attended with a mortification of a disposition to exalt himself, and a free renunciation of his own glory…This is a great and most essential thing in true religion. The whole frame of the gospel, every thing appertaining in the new covenant, and all God’s dispensations towards fallen man, are calculated to bring to pass this effect. They that are destitute of this, have no true religion, whatever profession they may make, and high soever their religious affections may be.”

The quote that we used in the last BLOG from a famous football coach is this: “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it” (Lou Holtz). This insightful quote, when looked at closely, shows something of how the soul actually works. The soul has ability and it has motivation. Jesus taught that we have no spiritual ability and our motivation must be out of love for God and be for the glory of God. Until a soul arrives at some understanding of the fallen nature of human beings and of his or her own spiritual deadness, that soul will do all it does out of love for self and the strength of self. It can be very religious and very active in that religion, but it is nothing but the activity of self.

It is easy to see what is going on with people are quite taken with themselves. They boast about themselves, their looks, their abilities, and their intellects. It is obvious that all they do is for self and out of love for self. But for others it is a lot harder, and especially for the fallen heart, to see that it is wrong to love and serve self. It is so “natural” for the fallen heart to serve and love self. It is so “natural” for the fallen heart to love God if it thinks that God loves it. It is so “natural” for the fallen heart to do many things out of that deceived love for God while all the time it is doing nothing but loving self. The proud heart has built so much of its righteousness upon self while perhaps deceived about it but still thinking it is the righteousness that comes from God. The proud heart will even think that it has evangelical humiliation because of its false view of what it means to love God. How desperately we need to understand that self-denial is not what self does in order for self to follow Christ, but instead self-denial is the denial of the very self and its abilities and motivations to do so.

Apart from a true evangelical humiliation, which is essentially to turn from doing all for self to despising the self enough to die or to mortify the disposition to exalt self and renounce seeking ones own glory, then all that is done in the realm of nature or of religion is done for self. This is why Edwards is so clear that this is at the very heart of Christianity. Human souls that are bound to self-love will from self-deception be very religious for self. This can be true of those who are very moral and for those who are very theological. This can be true of those who are very smart and those who are not as smart. This can be true of those who are Reformed and those who are not Reformed. A person can be a Pelagian out of self-love and Reformed in theology out of self-love as well. Apart from the true mortification of a disposition to exalt self all that a person does will be to exalt self even if s/he thinks it is out of love for God. This is not a minor issue at all; it is at the very heart of what it means to be saved. After all, salvation is from the guilt and power of sin. If we are not saved from self, we are not saved from sin.

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Humility, Part 56

January 31, 2010

We have spent that last few BLOGS looking at evangelical hypocrisy along with evangelical humiliation. It should chill us to the depths of our souls. If what Edwards says about what true religion is, then there is a lot of evangelical hypocrisy in our nation. A person can be very evangelical in terms of doctrine, but that does not mean that the person is a true believer. While a person must have certain expressed beliefs to be a Christian, the very nature and depth of those beliefs are important as well. A person’s true belief is from the depths of the heart and is sometimes hidden to the person. The deepest beliefs of the heart can be hidden from us by our deceptive hearts and actually hide behind evangelical beliefs. Apart from recognizing the stunning superficiality of this age, we will continue on in our deception and evangelical hypocrisy will flourish.

The following quote is taken from The Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards. The total quote being used can be seen in the BLOG Humility 36.

“But the essence of evangelical humiliation consists in such humility as becomes a creature in itself exceeding sinful, under a dispensation of grace; consisting in a mean esteem of himself, as in himself nothing, and altogether contemptible and odious; attended with a mortification of a disposition to exalt himself, and a free renunciation of his own glory…This is a great and most essential thing in true religion. The whole frame of the gospel, every thing appertaining in the new covenant, and all God’s dispensations towards fallen man, are calculated to bring to pass this effect. They that are destitute of this, have no true religion, whatever profession they may make, and high soever their religious affections may be.”

Edwards says that this is “a great and most essential thing in true religion.” But why is it that a mean esteem of self that is attended with a mortification of a disposition to exalt self and a free renunciation of a person’s own glory is so essential to true religion? It may not seem all that obvious to people in a day where self-esteem is exalted. This may sound virtually alien to those who think that to encourage another is simply to say good things about them. Religion is thought of in our day as that which is centered upon people and is for people. That is exactly backwards. True religion (Christianity) is to be centered upon God and is for God. Some of this can be seen in a quote from a famous football coach. “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it” (Lou Holtz).

A man-centered approach tells us to look at what ability we have. Another man-centered approach that is hidden under the use of God in the language tells us to look at what we can do if God helps us. But the biblical approach is to look at John 15:4-5 and know that apart from Christ we have no ability to do anything spiritually. As long as a person pursues self-esteem and high thoughts of self, that person will never reach the end of his or her strength in self and so live by grace. The fallen human soul has no ability in the spiritual realm and all and in that fallen state it does not recognize its own utter helplessness. The fallen human soul must come to a point of being broken and humbled or it will attempt to do all it does in its own ability. But the biblical teaching is that human beings have no ability in themselves and must look to Christ for all of its strength and ability.

“Motivation determines what you do.” In some ways this is a true statement, but motivation also determines why a person does something. In the unhumbled soul, though it may be very religious, the person’s motivation will always be self. Indeed the very religious person may be moral and do outwardly good things in the name of God, but the heart is still in bondage to self. The religious person can have an outward motive of doing things for God and yet the deepest motive of the heart is love for self. One can love God only out of love for self as indeed sinners love those who love themselves (Luke 6:32). If we love God, that is, only do things for God out of love for self, then we do not love Him but self. This is a terribly deceptive situation for the heart. It thinks it loves God because it thinks that God has done something for it, yet its only love for God is really motivated and moved by love for self. Now if the motivation determines what the soul does, then the soul that is deceived about its love for God does all out of love for self while thinking that it loves God. The unhumbled soul is a terribly deceived soul. It thinks it is doing for God when in fact all it does is done in the strength of self and all of its motivation at the deepest level is love for self. The Greatest Command is to love God with all of the being. Apart from evangelical humility, the soul loves itself with all of its being. It is utterly necessary for true Christianity.

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Provocation to Prayer, Part 25

January 29, 2010

The quotes below come from Boston Revival 1842 published in 1980 by Richard Owen Roberts.

“Mr. Whitefield’s preaching was blessed to multitudes in Boston, as well as in other parts of the land. After Mr. Whitefield’s departure, Mr. Gilbert Tennent came and watered what he had planted. Dr. Prince has given us a particular account of this revival: “And now,” says he, “there was such a time as we never knew. The Rev. Mr. Cooper was wont to say, that more came to him in one week, in deep concern about their souls, than in the whole twenty-four years of his preceding ministry. I can also say the same as to the numbers that repaired to me. By Mr. Cooper’s letters to Scotland, it appears he has had about 600 different persons in three months’ time; and Mr. Webb informs me that he has had in the same space, above 1,000… those who had been in full communion, and going on in a course of religion many years. And their cases represented, were a blind mind, a vile, and a hard heart; and some under a deep sense thereof; some under great temptations; some in great concern for their souls; some in great distress of mind for fear of being unconverted; others for fear they had been all along building on a righteousness of their own, and were still in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity. Some under flighty, and others under strong convictions of their sins and sinfulness, guilt and condemnation, the wrath and curse of God upon them, their impotence and misery; some for a long time, even several months, under those convictions; some fearing lest the Holy Spirit should withdraw’ others having quenched his operations, were in great distress, lest he should leave them forever; persons far advanced in years, afraid of being left behind, whole others were hastening to their great Redeemer. Nor were the same persons satisfied with coming once or twice as formerly, but again and again, I know not how often, complaining of their evil and cursed hearts.”

The above words show the Spirit’s work during true revival. Jesus said when the Spirit comes (He has) He will convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (Jn 16:8). This work of the Spirit is part of true revival. The men who heard Peter preach on the day of Pentecost when the Spirit was sent were pierced with conviction of their sin. When the Holy Spirit begins to work in the souls of men and women He works a deep conviction of sin in their souls. As Thomas Watson said many years ago, “Until sin becomes bitter, Christ will not be sweet.”

During the time of true revival entertainment in churches is like biting into gravel. When there is conviction of the Spirit and concern for everlasting souls, all of that is nonsense. Some thought to be converted who practiced religion for years became acutely aware of their sin and lost condition. The Spirit opened their blind eyes to their wicked and vile hearts and convicted of them of their lack of true righteousness. The Spirit opened their eyes to judgment and they felt the wrath and curse of God upon them. The writer tells us that people were in these states of conviction for a long time, and even for several months. How different this account is than the modern religious practices when we simply ask people if they are sinners and if they believe certain thing about Christ. When the Spirit is working in revival awakened people are not satisfied with anything but the work of God in their souls.

This should teach us to pray and what to pray. We should pray that the Lord would convict us, the world, churches that are full of the world, and other souls of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. Our own souls are too full of misery and our own hearts are too hard because of hidden sin. Perhaps many ministers and church members have never had the work of the Spirit in their souls opening them up to a sight of their own heart and bringing the sword of deep conviction. But in true revival this happens. Let us pray for the Spirit’s work of conviction and plead with God to send His Spirit and start this work of deep conviction. Before and during revival there must be a time of deep and painful conviction. If we truly desire true revival then we will not stop at the inner agony as the Lord opens our hearts to the depths of its sin. We do want revival, right? Are we ready to undergo the searching work of the Spirit? We do want true revival, right? Are we ready to repent of all our beloved sins? We do want revival, right? Will we pray with desire for the Spirit to do these things in us? Are we ready to go for months in deep conviction? Do we really want the revival sent by God with His methods? Many of Christ’s followers fell away at hard words. We must know that praying for true revival will cost us our whole hearts. Do we really desire revival?

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Humility, Part 55

January 29, 2010

As we have stepped aside from a direct look at some of the writings of Jonathan Edwards on evangelical humility and looked at some of the meaning of that in light of Thomas Shepard’s thoughts on evangelical hypocrites, the focus has been sharpened since we can see it from two angles now. Shepard brings us to see the great danger of being an evangelical hypocrite while Edwards helps us to see the necessity of having evangelical humility and yet by implication how few seem to have it. When a person has evangelical theology (or strong Reformed theology) and perhaps strong morality, and yet does not have evangelical humility; that person is an evangelical hypocrite. This is not to call names, but instead it is an effort to get people to see the need to examine their own hearts and not be contributing to the deception that others have. The ramifications of these two quotes when put together help us to see with chilling clarity some of the dangers we face in our day.

The first quote is from Thomas Shepard and then a few comments on it by Alexander Whyte in a book he wrote on Shepard originally published in 1909. The second is from Jonathan Edwards.

‘Of all hypocrites,’ says Thomas Shepard, that pungentest of preachers, ‘take care that you be not an evangelical hypocrite.’ A hundred times and in a hundred ways Shepard says that. But what does the dreadful man mean? He means this: An evangelical hypocrite is a man who sins the more safely because grace abounds; who says to his lusts, both of mind and body, that the blood of Christ cleanseth from all such sin, and who reasons with himself thus: God cannot, by any possibility, cast any man into hell who loves evangelical preaching as I love it, and who would not sit a day but in an evangelical church. My evangelical brethren, let us take good care! For if evangelical hypocrites are to found anywhere in our day it is in a church like ours and under a doctrine like ours.

…without the least mortification of the pride of their hearts. But the essence of evangelical humiliation consists in such humility as becomes a creature in itself exceeding sinful, under a dispensation of grace; consisting in a mean esteem of himself, as in himself nothing, and altogether contemptible and odious; attended with a mortification of a disposition to exalt himself, and a free renunciation of his own glory… (Jonathan Edwards)

The book of I John was written for a few different reasons. Yet one of the reasons that he wrote the letter was so that people could know if they had eternal life or not (I John 5:13). All through the book he set out ways for people to know if they had eternal life or if they were lost. The issues that he set out as signs of life in the soul were not what people look for today. What people look for today is if a person has a particular set of beliefs, has prayed a prayer asking Jesus into his or her heart, and then perhaps if one has a certain kind of morality or is faithful in church or a para-church ministry of some sort. But none of these things (depending on how one view morality) are mentioned in I John. In our pragmatic time we have watered down our theology and our practices so much that we have given way to the conditions that make it easy for people to be evangelical hypocrites. When we simply require that people make an assertion that they believe some intellectual facts about the Gospel, we have made it easy for people to be evangelical hypocrites. When we don’t have any real discipleship, though we may have some classes with the name tacked on it, we have made it easy for people to be evangelical hypocrites. When we want more people in the building giving more money, we water the truth down in ways so as not to run them off and so we have made it easy for people to be evangelical hypocrites. When we don’t preach in a way that reaches the depths of evil, sin, and pride of the heart we make it easy for others and ourselves to be evangelical hypocrites.

The only real solution is for churches to begin to cry out to God to grant them repentance from the fear and love of man rather than the fear and love of God. We must begin to search our own hearts and the hearts of others with utter ruthlessness in regard of sin. This will be the kindest thing we can do. We must pray and labor to see our own hearts and help others to see their own hearts in the pursuit of a true mortification of our own pride. We must cry out to God against that enemy that is within us and cut off that right arm and gouge out that right eye when we must to get rid of something in our own heart. We must become burdened over the sin of pride when we see the risings of self in our hearts wanting and desiring the praise of men. We must become stricken at the thoughts we have in wanting to lift ourselves up or admiring thoughts of ourselves. The world sees this as harmless, but it has no idea of the wickedness of pride and the deceitfulness of the human heart. We must know that the pride of our hearts must be mortified at all costs. We must not just hear about evangelical humility, we must have it in truth.

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