This afternoon Becky and I drove to South Bend to do some shopping. On the toll road, I read the first few chapters of the Gospel of John as she drove. The following passage sparked a little discussion:
"The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, 'Follow Me.' Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, 'We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.'" (Jn 1:43-45 NASB)
We thought a few points were of interest. First was the word 'purposed'. This means that Jesus' going into Galilee was according to His plan, by His will. This was not a chance happening. In Galilee He 'found' Philip and calls him to follow. The first thing that Philip does is find his friend, Nathaniel. Notice his words: "We have found Him."
This passage shows us two points of view. In the salvation of sinners, God purposes to save, seeks and finds them, and then calls them to Himself. Though God has done all there is to do, the newly saved individual still cries out "I have found Him!"
Spurgeon preached a sermon on this text, which can be found in its entirety here. In it he imparts a word of personal testimony that parallels the experience of Philip:
"Dear friends, I recollect very well that, after I had found the Lord, I did not at first fully understand the doctrines of grace. I had heard them preached; but I had not comprehended them. I think at the time I should have been very much puzzled with the doctrine of election, if anybody had spoken to me about it; but I was sitting down, one day, gratefully reflecting on what God had done for me. I knew that my sins were pardoned, I knew that I was accepted in Christ Jesus, and I knew that I was renewed in heart, and in one moment the revelation came to me, "All this is the work of God." The instant I saw that truth, I said to myself, "Yes, that is the fact, and God be glorified for it! But why has this great work been wrought in me?" I knew that there was no merit in me before the Lord had dealt in mercy with my soul, so I said to myself, "This is the effect of sovereign distinguishing grace." Then I understood in a moment how it is that God begins with us, and that it is God's will and God's eternal purpose, which, after all, lie deeper down than our will or our purpose; and God's will and God's eternal purpose must have the glory. What a revelation it was to me! I saw the doctrines of grace immediately; and I think that anybody who has been brought to find the Saviour, and who prayerfully studies the reasons for his salvation, can see the same truth that the Lord revealed to me." - C. H. Spurgeon
So it is, I think, with all of us. As John tells later on: ""The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." (Jn 3:8 NASB) Though we see the effect of salvation, the full import thereof is often missed until later on.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Some Things that Help Me
The Lord has been so good to me. He has saved me, given me a great family, helped me find work, put me in a good church and has been teaching me many things. There are a great many things that He has given to help me live daily as a Christian. I will periodically discuss these things, and add links to their pertinent sites when appropriate.
1. One Year Bible OnLine - As I have mentioned before (see entry for January 10, 2008), I have difficulty reading my Bible daily. This site has helped me to focus on doing this. There are many versions available to study, and there is an option to have the Scriptures read aloud, which can be a real blessing.
2. The White Horse Inn - This site has some good articles and other resources, but what I go here for is the radio broadcasts. You can listen to the archives for the last six months or so here for free. Each year they theme their broadcasts around a specific topic and this year the series is on "Christless Christianity." This has been a compelling series, with some very salient points made concerning modern Christianity's priorities. As a bonus, first time listeners who sign their guestbook get free stuff, so be sure and check it out!
3. Monergism.com - This site is absolutely jam-packed with reformed theology resources. You can study up on whatever doctrine is stuck in your craw, or go to their bookstore and buy that hard to find addition to your library.
4. Christian Classics Ethereal Library - Administered by Calvin College in Grand Rapids, this site is loaded with writings of Church fathers, reformers, mystics and heretics. The main reason you'll find me here is for the searchable, downloadable, cut-and-pasteable, freely available complete Commentaries of John Calvin. This is good stuff my friends! As the prince of preachers said in his Commenting and Commentaries:
"It would not be possible for me too earnestly to press upon you the importance of reading the expositions of that prince among men, John Calvin! I am afraid that scant purses may debar you from their purchase, but if it be possible procure them, and meanwhile, since they are in the College library, use them diligently. I have often felt inclined to cry out with Father Simon, a Roman Catholic, "Calvin possessed a sublime genius", and with Scaliger, "Oh! how well has Calvin reached the meaning of the prophets--no one better." You will find forty two or more goodly volumes worth their weight in gold. Of all commentators I believe John Calvin to be the most candid. In his expositions he is not always what moderns would call Calvinistic; that is to say, where Scripture maintains the doctrine of predestination and grace he flinches in no degree, but inasmuch as some Scriptures bear the impress of human free action and responsibility, he does not shun to expound their meaning in all fairness and integrity. He was no trimmer and pruner of texts. He gave their meaning as far as he knew it. His honest intention was to translate the Hebrew and the Greek originals as accurately as he possibly could, and then to give the meaning which would naturally be conveyed by such Greek and Hebrew words: he laboured, in fact, to declare, not his own mind upon the Spirit's words, but the mind of the Spirit as couched in those words. Dr. King very truly says of him, "No writer ever dealt more fairly and honestly by the Word of God. He is scrupulously careful to let it speak for itself, and to guard against every tendency of his own mind to put upon it a questionable meaning for the sake of establishing some doctrine which he feels to be important, or some theory which he is anxious to uphold. This is one of his prime excellences. He will not maintain any doctrine, however orthodox and essential, by a text of Scripture which to him appears of doubtful application, or of inadequate force. For instance, firmly as he believed the doctrine of the Trinity, he refuses to derive an argument in its favour from the plural form of the name of God in the first chapter of Genesis. It were easy to multiply examples of this kind, which, whether we agree in his conclusion or not, cannot fail to produce the conviction that he is at least an honest commentator, and will not make any passage of Scripture speak more or less than, according to his view, its divine Author intended it to speak." - C. H. Spurgeon.
He has a great deal more to say on this subject, but I will leave you to check it out here.
Finally, I will leave you with a video that was of great encouragement to me this week:
1. One Year Bible OnLine - As I have mentioned before (see entry for January 10, 2008), I have difficulty reading my Bible daily. This site has helped me to focus on doing this. There are many versions available to study, and there is an option to have the Scriptures read aloud, which can be a real blessing.
2. The White Horse Inn - This site has some good articles and other resources, but what I go here for is the radio broadcasts. You can listen to the archives for the last six months or so here for free. Each year they theme their broadcasts around a specific topic and this year the series is on "Christless Christianity." This has been a compelling series, with some very salient points made concerning modern Christianity's priorities. As a bonus, first time listeners who sign their guestbook get free stuff, so be sure and check it out!
3. Monergism.com - This site is absolutely jam-packed with reformed theology resources. You can study up on whatever doctrine is stuck in your craw, or go to their bookstore and buy that hard to find addition to your library.
4. Christian Classics Ethereal Library - Administered by Calvin College in Grand Rapids, this site is loaded with writings of Church fathers, reformers, mystics and heretics. The main reason you'll find me here is for the searchable, downloadable, cut-and-pasteable, freely available complete Commentaries of John Calvin. This is good stuff my friends! As the prince of preachers said in his Commenting and Commentaries:
"It would not be possible for me too earnestly to press upon you the importance of reading the expositions of that prince among men, John Calvin! I am afraid that scant purses may debar you from their purchase, but if it be possible procure them, and meanwhile, since they are in the College library, use them diligently. I have often felt inclined to cry out with Father Simon, a Roman Catholic, "Calvin possessed a sublime genius", and with Scaliger, "Oh! how well has Calvin reached the meaning of the prophets--no one better." You will find forty two or more goodly volumes worth their weight in gold. Of all commentators I believe John Calvin to be the most candid. In his expositions he is not always what moderns would call Calvinistic; that is to say, where Scripture maintains the doctrine of predestination and grace he flinches in no degree, but inasmuch as some Scriptures bear the impress of human free action and responsibility, he does not shun to expound their meaning in all fairness and integrity. He was no trimmer and pruner of texts. He gave their meaning as far as he knew it. His honest intention was to translate the Hebrew and the Greek originals as accurately as he possibly could, and then to give the meaning which would naturally be conveyed by such Greek and Hebrew words: he laboured, in fact, to declare, not his own mind upon the Spirit's words, but the mind of the Spirit as couched in those words. Dr. King very truly says of him, "No writer ever dealt more fairly and honestly by the Word of God. He is scrupulously careful to let it speak for itself, and to guard against every tendency of his own mind to put upon it a questionable meaning for the sake of establishing some doctrine which he feels to be important, or some theory which he is anxious to uphold. This is one of his prime excellences. He will not maintain any doctrine, however orthodox and essential, by a text of Scripture which to him appears of doubtful application, or of inadequate force. For instance, firmly as he believed the doctrine of the Trinity, he refuses to derive an argument in its favour from the plural form of the name of God in the first chapter of Genesis. It were easy to multiply examples of this kind, which, whether we agree in his conclusion or not, cannot fail to produce the conviction that he is at least an honest commentator, and will not make any passage of Scripture speak more or less than, according to his view, its divine Author intended it to speak." - C. H. Spurgeon.
He has a great deal more to say on this subject, but I will leave you to check it out here.
Finally, I will leave you with a video that was of great encouragement to me this week:
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