The Altar Call – Is It Biblical?

By Jeff Noblit,
From the Effectual Grace Website

We are so used to seeing the altar call in a Christian service that we are shocked to learn that it is a fairly recent invention in Church history. Modern church historians trace its origin to the ministry of Charles G. Finney. Though honored by many in our day as a champion of the faith, his beliefs and teachings could only place him in the “heretic” category. He vehemently denied the doctrines of original sin, justification by faith alone and the substitutionary atonement of Christ. If I found such a person, I would endeavor to share the gospel with him, in spite of his apparent love of high morals and for “Christianity.”

We would be shocked further to learn that Evangelists like George Whitefield and Charles Spurgeon, never used the modern day altar call, and yet were mightily used of God to see tens of thousands brought to Christ. The altar call, in historical terms, is a modern day fad.

In ministry overseas some years back, I was told by the pastor that my preaching was a complete failure because I did not end the sermon with an altar call. That experience weighed very heavily upon my soul for some time, as I am sure you can imagine.

Are Alter Calls Biblical?

Perhaps we have never stopped to ask the question, “are Altar Calls Biblical?” Such is the strong tradition this practice has in our religion. Yet if we do pause to consider this question, the answer emerges fairly quickly that there is nothing of the modern day altar call found in sacred Scripture. There is simply command to repent and believe in Christ and His gospel. In the New Testament era, this was followed by the summons to be baptized in water. Only those who did so were counted as being “added to the Church.”

In considering this question for quite some time, I am convinced that the practice of the altar call (especially the way it is often used as full assurance of salvation is given to all who walk to the front of a church and say a prayer) can actually be extremely dangerous. There is a big difference between a profession of faith and the possession of faith. The faith we have should be professed, but profession by itself is no indication that genuine faith resides in the heart. To be genuine, it has to be the outflow of a new heart, born of the Spirit of God – a miracle far more amazing than anything we could witness in merely physical terms. That which is born of the flesh is still flesh. Unless someone is genuinely born again, they cannot enter the kingdom of God, no matter what assurance is given by the preacher.

In saying this, I realize the harsh reality that in the past, I have been guilty of this exact charge. I did it, not really thinking it all through and following the lead of my teachers in the faith (who, no doubt, were doing the same). Oh how I wish I could go back and correct my error. I have told precious human souls that by walking the aisle of the church and saying the prayer I led them to pray, they are now assured of their place in heaven. Jesus of course said otherwise – that in fact many will say to Me “Lord, Lord” but that He will say “depart from Me you workers of iniquity for I never knew You.” Dear God forgive me, and may this great sin and folly be forgiven me when I stand to give an account before your judgment seat.

Early in the 1970′s Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones was the speaker at a ministers’ conference in the USA and at a question and answer session he was asked the following:

“During recent years, especially in England, among evangelicals of the Reformed faith, there has been a rising criticism of the invitation system as used by Billy Graham and others. Does Scripture justify the use of such public invitations or not?”

Answer: “Well, it is difficult to answer this in a brief compass without being misunderstood. Let me answer it like this: The history of this invitation system is one with which you people ought to be more familiar than anyone else, because it began in America. It began in the 1820s; the real originator of it was Charles G. Finney. It led to a great controversy. Asahel Nettleton, a great Calvinist and successful evangelist, never issued an “altar call” nor asked people to come to the “anxious seat.” These new methods in the 182Os were condemned for many reasons by all who took the Reformed position.

One reason is that there is no evidence that this was done in New Testament times, because then they trusted to the power of the Spirit. Peter preaching on the Day of Pentecost under the power of the Spirit, for instance, had no need to call people forward in decision because, as you remember, the people were so moved and affected by the power of the Word and Spirit that they actually interrupted the preacher, crying out, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” That has been the traditional Reformed attitude towards this particular matter. The moment you begin to introduce this other element, you are bringing a psychological element. The invitation should be in the message. We believe the Spirit applies the message, so we trust in the power of the Spirit. I personally agree with what has been said in the question. I have never called people forward at the end for this reason; there is a grave danger of people coming forward before they are ready to come forward. We do believe in the work of the Spirit, that He convicts and converts, and He will do His work. There is a danger in bringing people to a “birth,” as it were, before they are ready for it.

The Puritans in particular were afraid of what they would call “a temporary faith” or “a false profession.” There was a great Puritan, Thomas Shepard, who published a famous series of sermons on The Ten Virgins. The great point of that book was to deal with this problem of a false profession. The foolish virgins thought they were all right. This is a very great danger.

I can sum it up by putting it like this: I feel that this pressure which is put upon people to come forward in decision ultimately is due to a lack of faith in the work and operation of the Holy Spirit. We are to preach the Word, and if we do it properly, there will be a call to a decision that comes in the message, and then we leave it to the Spirit to act upon people. And of course He does. Some may come immediately at the close of the service to see the minister. I think there should always be an indication that the minister will be glad to see anybody who wants to put questions to him or wants further help. But that is a very different thing from putting pressure upon people to come forward. I feel it is wrong to put pressure directly on the will. The order in Scripture seems to be this – the truth is presented to the mind, which moves the heart, and that in turn moves the will.”

Here’s an interesting quote in this regard:

“When the presence and the power of Jesus leaves, we go to other stuff to get things to happen. You don’t need to alter the gospel, you don’t need to soften the demands of the gospel – which is to alter the gospel. Think about Jesus’ ‘closing statements’ if you want to call it the invitation. Jesus would just say ‘Repent.’ He’d say, ‘Take up your cross and follow me.’ He’d say ‘Deny yourself.’ He’d say ‘Hate your father and mother, brothers and sisters, in comparison to your love for me.’ How about that for an invitation?”

The narrative text of Jesus’ sermons shows that he did not sit around and beg folks to follow him. He gave the gospel, and the next thing they saw was his back as he was walking away.

I’ve heard people say, ‘Well, Jesus had people come publicly, so we ought to ask people to come publicly.’ I don’t want you to just come publicly, I want you to live the rest of your life for him. I want you to do more than just get to the front….I want you to get to Him, and love Him, and joy in Him, and treasure Him, so that the totality of your life begins to look like one who’s following Him.

We’ve got ten million southern Baptists who walked somebody’s aisle, and prayed somebody’s prayer and checked somebody’s card and raised their hand….we’ve got ten million of them that do not come to church. And when they face Jesus one day, at the Judgment Bar, they’re going to quote some preacher….. ‘Well, Pastor said if I’d come to the front…I did that. Pastor said if I prayed that prayer….I did that.’

Do you not realize that if you give the flesh a hoop to jump, the flesh will do it every time? But one thing the flesh cannot do is cause your spirit to be born again.”

The Kings English - 100 phrases in 3 Minutes

It is not at all my intent to trivialize or mock the grandeur of this great version, but rather to marvel at the ingenuity and creativity of the author of this clever piece of tribute and to hold up the wonder and durability of this great version…

It is simply amazing how much of our modern language is taken from the great and grand language contain in the 1611 KJV Bible!  Happy 400th birthday King James Bible!

Remember Those Imprisoned for Christ in Iran

By Kathy Norquist
From the Eternal Perspectives Ministries Website

Please pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Iran who are imprisoned for their faith. A few years ago a man named Farshid, featured along with many others in the two-and-a-half minute video below, visited our EPM office. It was a privilege to meet him and the director of Elam Ministries and hear stories of what God is doing in Iran. It’s now heartbreaking to think of Farshid presently in prison, enduring much hardship, and separated from his dear family.

Those imprisoned normally experience the following conditions: solitary confinement, sleep deprivation, many hours of interrogation by different teams, loud speakers outside their cells constantly broadcasting religious teaching, threats of execution, harm to family members, pressure to recant their Christian faith, verbal insults, other forms of psychological torture, sometimes prolonged beatings, and denial of medical attention.

 

Elam Ministries has put together helpful information on “Praying For Christian Prisoners in Iran” as you intercede for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

“Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.” Hebrews 13:3

1 John 5:1 compared with John 20:31

by John Sampson
Taken from the Effectual Grace Website

This is From a discussion by John Sampson and Dr. James White, a well-known scholar and Apologist for the Baptist and Reformed Cause.  Here, he makes a wonder defense and reconciliation of two verses that are often used against both that cause and even one another!

1 John 5:1 reads:

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God.”

I made mention of the fact that in the original Greek, the verb tenses in this verse are very revealing. A literal translation reads:

“All the ones going on believing (pisteuon, a present tense, continuous action) that Jesus is the Christ has been born (gennesanta, perfect tense – an action already complete with abiding effects) of God.”

The fact that someone is presently going on believing in Christ shows that they have first been born again. Faith is the evidence of regeneration, not the cause of it. Since both repentance and faith are possible only because of the work of God (regeneration), both are called the gift of God in scripture (Eph. 2:8, 9; Phil. 1:29; 2 Tim 2:24-26).

Now compare this with John 20: 30, 31 –

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Dr. James White is a friend of mine and is an outstanding New Testament scholar. He is a critical consultant for the New American Standard Bible and has taught Greek at the seminary level.

I called into James’ Dividing Line program recently and asked a question concerning these two verses. I was particularly interested in what he would derive from the biblical text as a Greek scholar. Please bear in mind that this was a live discussion and therefore James is not answering by reading a prepared response. It was all “on the fly” so to speak. If this was normally to be put into printed form there would be major editing and adjustments for the sake of clarity, yet I believe there is such very good insight here that the transcript of our conversation would still be useful. I have just slightly edited the conversation (but only very slightly). I trust it will be a blessing.

John S – “Regarding the ordo salutis (order of salvation) how would you compare 1 John 5:1, where clearly regeneration precedes faith, with John 20:31, where it reads, “…by believing, you may have life in his name.”

Dr. White – “I think its important to point out that my emphasis in 1 John 5:1 has always been not so much attempting to establish some type of temporal order but a logical order and that John’s point is that the exercise of saving faith – the person who has saving faith (that present tense ha pisteuon) is so important in the Johannine corpus – its there in John 5, its there in John 6 and that is his shorthand for “real believers.” The one believing in Me will have eternal life… The one believing in Me will not hunger and thirst, and so on and so forth.. and so, the point is that THAT kind of believing is dependant upon divine action, and that divine action is that bringing to spiritual life.

Here in John 20:31 these things have been written in order that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), the Son of God and (so this is continuing the reason it’s been written, in order that believing (present tense participle)…but since this is where it is here, I would take this as a participle being used as MEANS) – in order that by believing (Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God) you would have life in his name.

So its not even talking about ha pisteuon or anything like that – it’s a hina clause

Note – a hina clause is used to express purpose – “in order that” or “so that” as in John 3:16 where God’s love for the word is seen by the giving of His only Son – hina – “SO THAT”, or “IN ORDER THAT” .. all the ones who believe will not perish but have eternal life.

So its not even talking about ha pisteuon or anything like that – it’s a hina clause with the present active participle being utilized in EXPLAINING the transition here – and the transition is “and by means of believing you have life in his name.”

Now if someone were to say “having life in his name is the same thing as gegennetai (begotten, regeneration) but zoen ekete – that is normally used in the context of having eternal life – and that is a present possession of the one who is ha pisteuon (John 5, John 6, places like that) – so it would be significantly less possible to try to derive some kind of an order out of a hina clause that is basically saying –

“I’ve written these things that you might believe this FACT (that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God) and in order that when you believe that, by believing that, you would have life in his name.”

All of this is stating the purposes – you have two hina clauses there – in the first part of v. 31 tauta de gegraptai hina – in order that you might believe AND in order that believing you may have life in his name – so both are just explaining WHY it is that John has written these particular words – which interestingly enough goes on – well, a lot of people say this sounds like the end of the book – but then you have chapter 21 tacked on at the end – and so they go on from there.

So it would be very difficult to attempt to create some kind of ordo salutis out of hina clauses in order as to why a book was written. But if someone was to say “well having life in his name” – the problem is – the particular verb that is used here is in the subjunctive and once you leave the indicative, doing stuff with subjunctive with hina clauses and establishing time parameters and orders and things like that become even more problematic in the process.

But again, I really think that the 1 John 5:1 interpretation really goes back to an illustration of the baggage that we bring into this discussion and that is if we have a non biblical anthropology (the study of man) – if we have an anthropology that does not take seriously what is said concerning the inabilities of man – think of John – how many times does he emphasize the ability of God but then uses ou dunatai of man – not able – John chapter 6, John chapter 8, John chapter 10, over and over and over again..

John S – “unless a man is born again he cannot….”

Dr White – “he cannot, cannot, cannot – its all over the place.. but if your mind has been trained to read “cannot” as “can” – then you might baulk when looking at 1 John 5:1 and saying “oh yeah, clearly here the fact that I have any type of on-going faith is because of the preceding work of God” it all comes from whether you are going to allow all the text to speak or not – its not so much (and I think some people have picked on me, thinking this is what I’m doing – but its not, its not well I can a way of sneaking something into the text over here, or sneaking something into a text over there – I’m not trying to do that – I think if you simply sit back and ask the question “what is John’s doctrine of man’s capacity and ability outside of gegennetai (being regenerated) its pretty clear!

.. but people don’t do exegesis that way anymore evidently – at least in large portions of evangelicalism – they just let that stuff slide

And so, yeah – John 20:31 – great text, but if someone’s trying to create an ordo salutis out of it – the problem is you have a present participle then with a subjunctive and its expressing means, purpose, result, things like that – its not functioning in a syntactically parallel way to 1 John 5:1.

A Meditation on Christ's Passion

Martin Luther, "A Meditation on Christ's Passion"

     You cast your sins from yourself and onto Christ when you firmly believe that his wounds and sufferings are your sins, to be borne and paid for by him, as we read in Isaiah 53:6,

“The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

     Peter says,

“in his body has he borne our sins on the wood of the cross” [I Pet. 2:24].

     Paul says,

“God has made him a sinner for us, so that through him we would be made just” 2 Cor. 5:21.

     You must stake everything on these and similar verses. The more your conscience torments you, the more tenaciously must you cling to them. If you do not do that, but presume to still your conscience with your contrition and penance, you will never obtain peace of mind, but will have to despair in the end.

     If we allow sin to remain in our conscience and try to deal with it there, or if we look at sin in our heart, it will be much too strong for us and will live on forever. But if we behold it resting on Christ and [see it] overcome by his resurrection, and then boldly believe this, even it is dead and nullified. Sin cannot remain on Christ, since it is swallowed up by his resurrection.

God's Perfections And Glorious Attributes!

 

By James Smith,
"The Way to Be Happy" 1855

"The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress!" Psalm 46:7

"If God is for us--who can be against us?" Romans 8:31

Who can prevail against us? Who can really injure us? Let us daily think of God's glorious perfections--and view them as engaged for us at all times.

·         His power is engaged to support, defend, and strengthen us.

·         His omniscient eye is constantly upon us--watching over us for good.

·         His omnipresence is our safeguard from all our foes--for no one can come and find our God absent from us.

·         His justice and righteousness shine in all His dealings with us--and are like lofty mountains round about us.

·         His holiness shines in all His purposes and plans--and forbids the thought that He will act unsuitably towards us.

·         His mercy is ever great towards us--and by it He sympathizes with us in all our sorrows, griefs, and woes.

·         His goodness will constantly supply us--and is sufficient to fill us with admiration and astonishment.

·         His truth renders certain--every promise He has given and recorded in His Word.

·         His immutability bears us up and bears us on--confirming our faith and hope in His Word.

·         His wisdom frustrates the designs of our foes--and arranges and manages all for our welfare.

·         His eternity is the date of our happiness--and the duration of our unspeakable blessedness!

Here is enough to:

·         engage our thoughts,

·         overflow our minds, and

·         forever fill us with adoration and praise!

What a God is Jehovah! And Jehovah, in Jesus--is ours!

How cheering this fact, and what sweet support it yields to the mind--to meditate on God's perfections and glorious attributes--seeing them all in Jesus--and in Him, engaged for our present and everlasting welfare!

What could shake our minds--if we did but firmly believe that God's omnipotence is engaged to defend us to the uttermost?

What could tempt us to commit any known sin--if we were realizing that God's omniscient eye is ever upon us; yes, that God is present with us, and that He is our sin-hating Father?

What could lead us into murmuring and rebellion--if we were fully persuaded that God's holiness and justice are for us, and will shine resplendent in all His dealings with us?

What could lead us to think that our prayers would not be answered, nor our petitions be regarded--if our minds were influenced by the assurance, that God is truth?

How could we believe that He would ever turn against us--if we rightly viewed His immutability?

Or, how could we think that our affairs could be disordered--if we felt satisfied that His wisdom was working for us at all times!

"The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress!" Psalm 46:7

A Witch Judge Repents—Samuel Sewall, 1697

Pastor Samuel Willard strode up the center aisle of Boston’s Third Church as the congregation sang a psalm. It was an official day of fasting and prayer for Bostonians. But for Samuel Sewall, it would also be a day of personal repentance. As Willard passed, he paused just long enough to receive a note from Sewall. Later in the service he unfolded the note and looked at Sewall, who rose to his feet.

 

What happened next shocked the silent crowd: The minister read Sewall’s confession of guilt in the Salem witch trials five years earlier in 1692, at which he served as a judge. Twenty accused witches had been executed upon Sewall’s judgment, and all likely were innocent. None of the other eight judges admitted wrongdoing, but that did not stop Sewall from making the matter right with God. So Willard announced on his behalf,

“[H]e desires to take the blame and shame of it … desiring prayers that God … would pardon that sin” (see Eve LaPlante, Salem Witch Judge: The Life and Repentance of Samuel Sewall).

The witch craze began when the daughter and niece of a Salem, Massachusetts, minister started acting strangely. They disobeyed, had fits and spasms of pain, and even made noises like animals. Worse, the doctor found no medical explanation. So the minister suspected an evil spirit and asked the girls, “Who tortures you?” They named three local women, insisting that their ghosts urged the girls to make a pact with the devil. When they refused, the ghosts forced them to act like animals, they said. One of the accused was, in fact, a Carib Indian slave who entertained the girls with fortunetelling and incantations to the devil. Yet the accusation of their ghosts committing crimes was farfetched at best. Still, that accusation sparked a senseless frenzy. Over the next seven months, Salem residents accused scores of their innocent neighbors of witchcraft.

 

So numerous were the accusations that Governor William Phips created a special court to try witches, with Sewall as one of its judges. Throughout the summer of 1692 the court miscarried justice time and again. Contrary to English law, the judges admitted spectral evidence—testimony of a crime committed by the ghost of a person not physically present. And a person whose ghost committed crimes was believed to be a witch. Accused witches who confessed, many of whom were coerced by torture, remained alive. The 19 who refused to confess were hanged. One man, who would not enter a plea, had boulders piled atop a door placed on his chest. In attempts to coerce a plea, local officials continued to stack boulders until he died. The trials ended only when public opinion shifted and Governor Phips disbanded the court. In total, 185 people were accused of witchcraft.

 

During the years following the trials, guilt weighed on Sewall. Months and perhaps even years of Scripture reading and prayer convinced him that he had violated the laws of God and those of England. His conscience was particularly stung in 1696 when his son recited Matthew 12:7,

“If ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.”

He knew he had condemned the guiltless, and he recorded in his diary that the verse “did awfully bring to mind the Salem tragedy.”

 

When repentance finally came, it generated more than a single public confession. For the rest of his life, Sewall wore a hair shirt under his clothing as a sign of contrition (A hair shirt was a rough undergarment of goat hair worn for penance because of its discomfort against the skin. It is akin to the sackcloth worn in the Bible as a sign of repentance). He also became an early champion of the victimized, writing against slavery, the mistreatment of Native Americans, and the demeaning of women. Through this, he experienced spiritual relief and renewed intimacy with Christ.

 

Sewall’s repentance demonstrated that contrition and turning from sin are neither easy nor painless. He also illustrated the way prominent citizens must repent publicly for public sins. Yet most importantly, he proved that God grants grace to repentant sinners regardless of how horrible their offenses.

I AM DEBTOR

When this passing world is done,
When has sunk yon glaring sun,
When we stand with Christ in glory,
Looking over life's finished story,
Then Lord, shall I fully know--
Not till then, how much I owe.

Chosen not for good in me,
Wakened up from wrath to flee,
Hidden in the Savior's side,
By the Spirit sanctified,
Teach me Lord, on earth to show,
By my love, how much I owe.

Often I walk beneath the cloud,
Dark as midnight's gloomy shroud,
But when fear is at the height,
Jesus comes, and all is light.
Blessed Jesus, bid me show,
Doubting saints how much I owe.

Often the nights of sorrow reign-
Weeping, sickness, sighing, pain,
But a night Thine anger burns-
Morning comes, and joy returns.
God of comforts! bid me show,
To Thy poor, how much I owe.

Even on earth, as through a glass,
Darkly, let Thy glory pass,
Make forgiveness feel s sweet,
Make your Spirit's help so meet,
Even on earth Lord, make me know,
Something of how much I owe.

When I stand before the throne,
Dressed in beauty not my own,
When I see Thee as Thou art,
Love Thee with unsinning heart,
Then Lord, shall I fully know,
Not till then, how much I owe.

When the praise of heaven I hear,
Loud as thunder to my ear,
Loud as many waters' noise,
Sweet as harp's melodious voice,
Then Lord, shall I fully know,
Not till then, how much I owe.

When I hear the wicked call,
On the rocks and hills to fall,
When I see them start and shrink,
On the fiery deluge brink,
Then Lord, shall I fully know,
Not till then, how much I owe.

When this passing world is done,
When has sunk yon glaring sun,
When we stand with Christ in glory,
Looking over life's finished story,
Then Lord, shall I fully know--
Not till then, how much I owe.

-M'Cheyne

Ten Difficult, But Really Important Words

Originally Taken From MichaelHayatt.com

Many words in the English language are difficult. In fact, there’s even a Dictionary of Difficult Words. But none are more difficult than these: “I’m sorry. I was wrong. Will you please forgive me?”

 

Many otherwise articulate people seem to have great difficulty in spitting these words out. They hem and haw. They stutter. They may get something close out, but they have a hard time slowly and deliberately saying these ten simple words.  But each one of these ten words are important.

 

“I’m sorry.”

Empathy is the ability to put ourselves in another person’s shoes and feel what they feel. This is something we desperately need to develop. But it takes humility.

 

Too often, we are preoccupied with our own feelings. However, empathy is the recognition that it’s not all about us. Other people matter. They have feelings, too, and those feelings are important

 

By saying we are sorry—sincerely and with authentic humility—we validate them as human beings. We are essentially saying, “I know you are hurt, and I understand. Your feelings are valid, and I am sorry that I am the cause of them. I’m not sorry because I got caught or because you called me out. I’m sorry because of the hurt that I caused you.”

 

“I was wrong.”

This the most difficult sentence of all. Perhaps we live with the mistaken notion that we never do anything wrong. Or perhaps we just think the other person should “give us a pass” because somehow we deserve it. But the truth is, we all make mistakes. If we are not guilty of sins of commission (i.e., deliberately doing something that offends others), we are guilty of sins of omission (i.e., failing to live up to others expectations).

 

One of the great things about being a Christian is that I have been released from the need to pretend I am perfect. No, I am a sinner, and I need forgiveness—from God and from the people I offend.

 

“Will you please forgive me?”

This is one of the most powerful sentences we can ever utter. By asking this as a question, we acknowledge that forgiveness is not an entitlement. We don’t deserve forgiveness; we are asking for it as an act of mercy.

 

This also acknowledges that it is a choice on the part of the other person. They may withhold their forgiveness. Perhaps they are not ready to make up. They may need some space. But, in my experience, almost always the other person says, “I forgive you.” With this simple sentence, both of us are healed.

 

We may be tempted to take shortcuts. We could simply say, “I apologize” or “Sorry.” But nothing is quite as effective as saying all ten words. It may seem awkward or artificial at first, but with practice it gets easier. And if you are like me, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to practice.

Lopsided religion - The mercy of God

Taken From the Grace Gems Mailing
By Harvey Newcombe

 

"I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever!" Psalm 52:8

Meditate a little on the mercy of God.

It is tender mercy. With gentle, loving touch, He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds. He is as gracious in the manner of His mercy--as in the matter of it.

It is great mercy. There is nothing little in God; His mercy is like Himself--infinite. You cannot measure it. His mercy is so great--that it forgives great sins of great sinners, after great lengths of time; and then gives great favors and great privileges, and raises us up to great enjoyments in the great Heaven of the great God!

It is undeserved mercy, as indeed all true mercy must be, for deserved mercy is only a misnomer for justice. There was no right on the sinner's part, to the saving mercy of the Most High God. Had the rebel been doomed at once to eternal fire--he would have justly merited the doom; and if delivered from wrath, sovereign love alone has found a cause, for there was none in the sinner himself.

It is rich mercy. Some things are large--but have little efficacy in them--but this mercy is:

  a cordial to your drooping spirits;
a golden ointment to your bleeding wounds;
a heavenly bandage to your broken bones;
a royal chariot for your weary feet;
a bosom of love for your trembling heart!

It is manifold mercy. As Bunyan says, "All the flowers in God's garden are double." There is no single mercy. You may think you have but one mercy--but you shall find it to be a whole cluster of mercies.

It is abounding mercy. Millions have received it--yet far from its being exhausted, it is as fresh, as full, and as free as ever!

It is unfailing mercy. It will never leave you. If saved by sovereign mercy--mercy will be . . .

with you in temptation
--to keep you from yielding;
with you in trouble
--to prevent you from sinking;
with you in living
--to be the light and life
of your countenance; and
with you in dying
--to be the joy of your soul
when earthly comfort is ebbing fast!

"I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever!" Psalm 89:1

You Might take a look at James Smith's very encouraging short article, "The Savior's Will".

I Spank My Kids

by Denny Burk
From www.dennyburk.com

Spanking has become quite the controversial topic these days and has even become somewhat of a taboo in certain quarters. For this reason, Nancy French has a column in National Review Online in which she boldly declares “I Spank My Kids.” Her declaration is provoked by a report from Texas about a woman who was convicted of a felony for spanking her child. No belt was used, and no bruising occurred. Nevertheless, this woman lost custody of all three of her children and was sentenced to five years probation. After the trial, the judge scolded the mother saying:

“You don’t spank children today. In the old days, maybe we got spanked, but there was a different quarrel. You don’t spank children. You understand?”

This judge’s shaming of this mother indicates that the spirit of the age has gotten crosswise with the spirit of the Bible when it comes to spanking. Even though the Bible affirms corporal punishment (Proverbs 13:24), spanking has become a no-no, and parents who do spank are feeling the pressure to keep it secret lest they be accused of child abuse.

 

There is even a debate among some evangelicals about the ethics of spanking. This debate tends to focus on the proper application of the various “spanking” texts from the book of Proverbs.

Proverbs 13:24 He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.

Proverbs 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom, But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.

Proverbs 23:13-14 Do not hold back discipline from the child, Although you beat him with the rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with the rod, And deliver his soul from Sheol.

Proverbs 22:15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.

Scholars such as William Webb argue that Christians have to go beyond the Bible’s affirmations of corporal punishment to a better ethic that would forbid it. But I think that Webb and his ilk have misunderstood the Proverbs when it comes to physical discipline.

 

For a better account of the Bible’s teaching on corporal punishment, I would recommend a short article by Paul Wegner titled, “Discipline in the Book of Proverbs: ‘To Spank or Not To Spank?’.” In this article, Wegner shows from scripture several different levels of discipline, one of which is corporal punishment (#6).

 

Level 1. Encourage proper behavior: A wise parent encourages a child to behave properly (Prov. 1:8-9; 2:2-5; 3:13-15; 4:7-8).

 

Level 2. Inform of improper behavior: A wise parent is proactive and addresses certain issues before the child might be confronted by them (Prov. 1:10-15; 3:31-32).

 

Level 3. Explain the negative consequences of sin: A wise parent points out the negative consequences that lie along the path of life (Prov. 1:18-19; 5:3-6).

 

Level 4. Gently exhort: Wise parents will, on an ongoing basis, advise and exhort their children against sin that can easily become a pattern and encourage them to use wisdom (Prov. 4:1-2, 14-16).

 

Level 5. Gently rebuke or reprove: The wise parent knows when to use rebuke properly (Prov. 3:12; 24:24-25).

 

Level 6. Corporal punishment that does not cause physical harm: A wise parent knows when to use corporal, non-abusive punishment (Prov. 19:18; 13:24; 23:13-14; 29:15).

 

Level 7. Corporal punishment that causes physical harm: The book of Proverbs does not suggest that parents use this technique for discipline, but that serious sin can lead to serious punishment (Prov. 20:30; 10:31).

 

Level 8. Death: The book of Proverbs also does not include this in the realm of parental discipline, but in the realm of consequences meted out by government or society’s leaders (Gen. 9:6; Prov. 19:18).

 

We do not pretend to have said everything that needs to be said about physical discipline, but we have established a biblical basis for it. Despite the pronouncements of the judge in Texas, parents who love their children will make use of non-abusive physical discipline (Prov. 13:24). This is what the Bible teaches, and we should be vigilant not to let the spirit of the age make us think otherwise.

Not Everyone Who Says They Are A Believer Truly Is…

Leonard Ravenhill believed that we were headed into the darkest days that man had ever known, and that was at HIS time some decade or three ago!  Take a listen to this tremendous and challenging message from the I’ll Be Honest group…

Not Everyone Who Says They are A Christian Actually Is!

You can have it in MP3 format here:

Download MP3: http://illbehonest.com/The-Few-Piper-Washer-Ravenhill-Conway-Leiter

The message is by: John Piper, Paul Washer, Leonard Ravenhill, Tim Conway, Charles Leiter

The Most Unhappy People

From the Fundamental Baptist List
Pastor Peter Laitres

I read this today:

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” (1 John 5:3)

Dear Friends,

The most unhappy people in the world are not the unbelievers, many of whom are ignorantly and blissfully happy in their sin, albeit temporarily.

The most unhappy people in the world are Christians who resist the will of God for their lives! The Christian who refuses to do the will of God must be prepared to pay the price of disobedience. Whatever we sow, we reap, the Bible tells us.

This story was told by a man who resisted the call to ministry in Sweden. He stubbornly resisted God's will, even through the death of his wife and daughter. He went into business and prospered, only to be robbed by his own son. In his older years, he languished with cancer. He said, "I know that I am saved, but, oh, the loss, for I know that I soon will be ushered into His presence only to give an account of a whole life of disobedience.

Did this man really know Christ? I am sobered by the Bible's words,

“And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” (1 John 2:3–6).

Whether he was or not, it has long been my conviction that I have never met a happy disobedient Christian or an unhappy obedient one. It is so true.

R. A. Torrey, a famous educator and evangelist, tells the story of a woman who came to him and said she did not believe in the Bible any more. When he asked her why, she replied,

"Because I have tried its promises and found them untrue. The Bible says, 'Whatsoever ye ask believing, ye shall receive.' Well, I fully expected to get things from God in prayer, but I did not receive them, so the promise failed."

Dr. Torrey then turned her to 1 John 3:22:

"Whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight."

Then he said, "Were you keeping His commandments and doing those things pleasing in His sight?"

She confessed she was not.

Her trouble was not that the Bible's promises were not true; it was her own disobedience. Let that not ever be true of any of us.

Understanding Jeremiah 29:11

From the “Effectual Grace” Web Site
Pastor John Samson

Jeremiah 29:11 is a famous Bible verse. It has brought comfort to many. In the main though, I am not sure it has been rightly understood. Here the Lord says,

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

What is most often assumed is that this verse has universal application, the idea being that God has wonderful plans for every person on planet earth. His ultimate wish is that these desires are fulfilled, but of course, the outcome rests with the never to be infringed upon “free will” of man. Often these purposes are unfulfilled, but nevertheless, they can be tapped into at any time, should the sinner wish to participate. But is any of this true?

 

A Couple of Questions:

·        We need to ask who the words were written to.

·        Did these words have universal scope in Jeremiah’s day?

The obvious answer to this is “no.” These words were written to a nation under the severest judgment imaginable, being removed by force out of the land to become captive slaves in Babylon. Yet here, the tender mercy of God is seen in that the captivity would only last 70 years. Even in judgment, God will extend mercy to Israel, and after these dreadful decades, He will once again restore them to both Himself and the land of promise.

Could the Babylonian king claim this verse for himself? No, it was not written to him.

How about in our own day, can all claim this verse for themselves? I believe the elect of God can know an application of the text in that they understand that God indeed has good purposes for them, to conform them to the image of Christ. He has set His love upon them and has done so for eternity.

But Can Everyone?

Well does God have beautiful and wonderful purposes for each person on earth that will make them supremely happy once fulfilled? Can we read Romans 9 and think, for even a minute, that God’s plans for Pharaoh were simply to cause him to prosper on earth? Though prosperity was indeed one of God’s purposes, God raised him up so that His power might be shown to him in devastating judgment. That was God’s plan all along.

Romans 9, in speaking of God’s decision to elect some and not others says,

“14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.”

Jeremiah 29:11 was written long after Pharaoh’s life on earth, but would the principle of the verse be true for Pharaohs? In other words, could Pharaoh have claimed that God’s purposes for him were of peace and not disaster? No, I don’t believe so.

How about the future?

Are God’s plans for the coming lawless one those of peace and prosperity. Not if I can read 2 Thess 2:8,

“And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.”

2 Cor. 1:20 says,

“For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.”

In Christ, all the promises of God are yes and amen. I believe true Christians can indeed claim the Bible promise of Jeremiah 29:11, just as those to whom the original promise was made. Praise the Lord!

But can everybody on the planet claim Jeremiah 29:11 as their own? No, I don’t believe that is the case at all. Only those in Christ inherit this promise.

Here then the word of the Lord in context, Chapter 29, Verses 1-14:

1 These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem. 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. It said: 4 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. 8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, 9 for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord.

10 “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

[As You can see, it is a bit different when the verse is not lifted out of its context… We need also to remember that God is speaking to a nation that just some 4 and ½ centuries after they were indeed released from this Babylonian Captivity crucified the Lord of Glory and were 40 years after were crushed by the Romans, Jerusalem destroyed and scattered to the winds. 

These promises, made to National Israel, ultimately have not yet be finally realized and await the coming of the Lord at the time of the end.  He spoke of the “prospering of them as a nation and He will indeed prosper them, under their King - the Lord Jesus Christ in the Millennial Kingdom.]