Regeneration and righteousness

On page 66 of The Spiritual Man, Watchman Nee says this: "God does not change our flesh; rather, He gives His life to us. Regardless of whether or not a man has been regenerated, his flesh is corrupted just the same."

That reminds me of Philippians 3:8-9:

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

The phrase I want to draw attention to is in v. 9 where Paul says he wants to have "the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith." The righteousness of believers both comes from God and is by faith. This means that it exists by faith, which is confidence in the unseen (Hebrews 11:1; Romans 8:25). The holiness of Christ's bride is not yet fully realized (that is, we are not yet holy like God). But, in this life we are progressing toward holiness and glorification, like it says in 2 Corinthians 3:18:

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

And, it's clear we're not perfectly righteous in nature yet. This point should be evident without defense: can we really claim perfection for ourselves? Every time I'm impatient with a family member or coworker, I'm reminded and convicted that, like Romans 3 says, "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God."

Thanks be to God who gives his church the Holy Spirit, so that we can know Jesus and love Jesus and follow Jesus!

Reading Pilgrim's Progress backwards

This paragraph is from Kevin DeYoung's recent blog post, entitled On Mission, Changing the World, and Not Being Able to Do It All. It is a good description of how I often forget the gospel in seeking to advance the gospel. I've added the emphasis in the quote.

The danger–and it's a danger I've fallen foul of in my own preaching–is that in all our efforts to be prophetic, radical, and missional, we end up getting the story of Pilgrim's Progress exactly backwards. "Come to the cross, Pilgrim, see the sacrifice for your sins. Isn't that wonderful? Now bend over and let me load this burden on your back. There's a lot of work we have to do, me and you." A cross, yes. Jesus said we would have to carry one of those. But a cross that kills our sins, smashes our idols, and teaches us the folly of self-reliance. Not a burden to do the impossible. Not a burden to always do more for Jesus. Not a burden of bad news that never lets up and obedience that is always out reach.

Let us never forget the gospel! Resolve to build on no other foundation than the gospel! (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)

Praying for the holiness of others

In A Call to Spiritual Reformation (p. 94), D.A. Carson sums up chapter five ("A Passion for People") by concluding that 1 Thessalonians 3:13 is the most fundamental way to pray for people:

When we pray for people, we must do so knowing that these people, and we ourselves, are inevitably moving toward the last day. When we pray with eternity's values in view, we are driven to pray for people, because people like you and me are the ones who must give account to God on the last day.

From that perspective, there is no prayer we can pray for others more fundamental than this: that God might strengthen their hearts so that they will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father on the last day.

Conversion as discovering treasure

Hear what John Piper has to say in When I Don't Desire God (p. 25) about what conversion means:

In the New Testament, conversion meant discovering that Jesus was a treasure of such surpassing worth that joy would enable a new disciple to leave everything and follow him: "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field" (Matthew 13:44).

That is classic Piper, but worth remembering. It's what motivated me to describe my Religious Views on Facebook as "Jesus is my treasure."

How Charles Simeon was converted:

When [Charles] went up from Eton to King's College Cambridge in 1779, he was still a godless, worldly, and carefree youth. So he was shocked to be informed by the Provost within three days of his arrival that by an ancient college rule he was "absolutely required" to attend a terminal service of Holy Communion. "Conscience told me," he commented later, "that Satan was as fit to go there as I; and that if I must go, I must repent and turn to God, unless I chose to eat and drink to my own damnation." He had three weeks in which to prepare, and made himself "quite ill with reading, fasting and prayer." The Holy Spirit was also convicting him of sin. "So greatly was my mind oppressed with the weight of my former numberless iniquities," he said, "that I frequently looked on the dogs with envy" (Carus, p. 6).

From John Stott's introduction to Evangelical Preaching: An Anthology of Sermons by Charles Simeon, page xxviii.

Use your brain

Quote by C.H. Spurgeon:

As the apostle says to Timothy, so also he says to everyone, 'Give yourself to reading.' He who will not use the thoughts of other men's brains (inspired by the Holy Spirit) proves that he has no brains of his own. You need to read. Renounce as much as you will all light literature, but study as much as possible sound theological works, especially the Puritanic writers and expositions of the Bible. The best way for you to spend your leisure is to be either reading or praying.

Quote via NewDemonstration.com

My suggestions for profitable reading:

• In My Place Condemned He Stood by J.I. Packer
• The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
• Just Do Something: How to Make a Decision Without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces, Open Doors, Random Bible Verses, Casting Lots, Liver Shivers, Writing in the Sky, etc. by Kevin DeYoung
• The Truth of the Cross by R.C. Sproul
• The Roots of Endurance: Invincible Perseverance in the Lives of John Newton, Charles Simeon, and William Wilberforce by John Piper
• A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers by D.A. Carson

Alas, I haven't read Puritanical works yet. I'm going to read an anthology of sermons by Charles Simeon soon, and I really want to read The Death of Death in the Death of Christ: A Treatise in Which the Whole Controversy about Universal Redemption is Fully Discussed by John Owen.

Sanctification: The struggle against sin

Christian, are you discouraged by your endless struggle against sin? Does it make you feel that you are not being sanctified?

Listen to what J.C. Ryle has to say concerning sanctification:

Sanctification, again, is a thing which does not prevent a man having a great deal of inward spiritual conflict. By conflict I mean a struggle within the heart between the old nature and the new, the flesh and the spirit, which are to be found together in every believer (Gal 5:17). A deep sense of that struggle, and a vast amount of mental discomfort from it, are no proof that a man is not sanctified. Nay, rather, I believe they are healthy symptoms of our condition, and prove that we are not dead, but alive. A true Christian is one who has not only peace of conscience, but war within. He may be known by his warfare as well as by his peace.

Have you experienced Hebrews 4:12? A SWORD in the heart brings WAR within:

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

But, we do not lose hope! for painful though the war may be within us, the WORD within us brings eternal life to us:

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life (John 6:63).

"If God is awesome, sovereign and holy; if human beings are small, sinful, and lost; if Christ died and rose again by a most miraculous and costly act of grace, then this should impact the way things happen in church. This is not to argue for a one-size-fits-all-my-way-or-the-highway approach to church. Context and culture are important; but what is expressed through the idioms of particular cultural manifestations of the church should be awe, reverence, and, above all seriousness – not a colourless and cold miserable seriousness but a fitting amazement at the greatness of God and His grace.

"A church service involving clowns or fancy dress or skits or stand-up comedy does not reflect the seriousness of the gospel; and those who take the gospel seriously should know better. Frankly, it is more appropriate to liberal theology which does not take the gospel, or the God of the gospel, seriously. Serious things demand serious idioms.

– Carl Trueman, "Look, It's Rubbish!"

via Colossians 1:18 Jesus Preeminent blog