Friday, September 30, 2016

SATISFACTION

SATISFACTION
“I am not satisfied with my faith,” says one. NO, of course you aren’t, nor will you ever be, at least I hope not! The Bible does not say, “Therefore being satisfied with our faith we have peace with God,” it says, “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God.” “I am not satisfied with my repentance.” That is wonderful! What would you do with your repentance if you were satisfied with it? Would you bring it to God instead of the blood?

Oh, what pride and self-righteousness must be in any person who is satisfied with his repentance and faith! That person could never find true peace, for such a refuge of lies must fall.

“I am not satisfied with my love.” What? Did you expect, on this earth to be satisfied with any grace found in you? Was it your love for Christ or His love for you that gave you peace at first? Now then, there is but one thing with which Almighty God is satisfied – entirely satisfied – and that is THE PERSON AND WORK OF HIS SON! It is with Christ that we must be satisfied, not with ourselves, nor anything about us! When we cease from ALL our labors, and ALL our righteousness, and ENTER INTO HIS REST, pardon and peace will come without delay.

– Horatius Bonar (1809-1889)

SATISFACTION

SATISFACTION “I am not satisfied with my faith,” says one. NO, of course you aren’t, nor will you ever be, at least I hope not! The Bible does not say, “Therefore being satisfied with our faith we have peace with God,” it says, “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God.” “I am not satisfied with my repentance.” That is wonderful! What would you do with your repentance if you were satisfied with it? Would you bring it to God instead of the blood? Oh, what pride and self-righteousness must be in any person who is satisfied with his repentance and faith! That person could never find true peace, for such a refuge of lies must fall. “I am not satisfied with my love.” What? Did you expect, on this earth to be satisfied with any grace found in you? Was it your love for Christ or His love for you that gave you peace at first? Now then, there is but one thing with which Almighty God is satisfied – entirely satisfied – and that is THE PERSON AND WORK OF HIS SON! It is with Christ that we must be satisfied, not with ourselves, nor anything about us! When we cease from ALL our labors, and ALL our righteousness, and ENTER INTO HIS REST, pardon and peace will come without delay. – Horatius Bonar (1809-1889)

Saturday, September 24, 2016

THE OLD MAN IN A BELIEVER

The Old Man in a Believer


God has left in all His children the old man, to remind us of our base origin, to hide pride from our eyes, to exclude boasting form our lips, and to keep us from putting any confidence in the flesh. It is to exercise our grace, especially patience; to make us watchful, to make us sensible of the depth of man’s fall, and finally, to exalt the grace of God; to make us sick of self, and sick of the world, sick of sin, and to teach us to prize Christ the Great Physician, and to make us long for that perfect rest which remaineth to the people of God. – William Huntington 1745-1813

Sunday, September 18, 2016

He Found Nothing

God creates faith in the human heart, the same way He created the world. He found nothing and created something. -- Martin Luther

He Found Nothing

God creates faith in the human heart, the same way He created the world. He found nothing and created something. -- Martin Luther

Friday, September 9, 2016

PARTICULAR REDEMPTION

Tertullian (A.D. 200): “Christ died for the salvation of His people…for the church.” Cyprian (A.D. 250): “All the sheep which Christ hath sought up by His blood and sufferings are saved…Whosoever shall be found in the blood, and with the mark of Christ shall only escape…He redeemed the believers with the price of His own blood…Let him be afraid to die who is not reckoned to have any part in the cross and sufferings of Christ.” Lactantius (A.D. 320): “He was to suffer and be slain for the salvation of many people…who having suffered death for us, hath made us heirs of the everlasting kingdom, having abdicated and disinherited the people of the Jews…He stretched out His hands in the passion and measured the world, that He might at the very time show that a large people, gathered out of all languages and tribes, should come under His wings, and receive the most great and sublime sign.” Eusebius (A.D. 330): “To what ‘us’ does he refer, unless to them that believe in Him? For to them that do not believe in Him, He is the author of their fire and burning. The cause of Christ’s coming is the redemption of those that were to be saved by Him.” Julius (A.D. 350): “The Son of God, by the pouring out of His precious blood, redeemed His set apart ones; they are delivered by the blood of Christ.” Hilarion (A.D. 363): “He shall remain in the sight of God forever, having already taken all whom He hath redeemed to be kings of heaven, and co-heirs of eternity, delivering them as the kingdom of God to the Father.” Ambrose (A.D. 380): “Before the foundation of the world, it was God’s will that Christ should suffer for our salvation…Can He damn thee, whom He hath redeemed from death, for whom He offered Himself, whose life He knows is the reward of His own death?” Pacian (A.D. 380): “Much more, He will not allow him that is redeemed to be destroyed, nor will He cast away those whom He has redeemed with a great price.” Epiphanius (A.D. 390): “If you are redeemed…If therefore ye are bought with blood, thou are not the number of them who were bought with blood, O Manes, because thou deniest the blood…He gave His life for His own sheep.” Jerome (A.D. 390): “Christ is sacrificed for the salvation of believers…Not all are redeemed, for not all shall be saved, but the remnant…All those who are redeemed and delivered by Thy blood return to Zion, which Thou hast prepared for Thyself by Thine own blood…Christ came to redeem Zion [a metaphor for the church] with His blood. But lest we should think that all are Zion or every one in Zion is truly redeemed of the Lord, who are redeemed by the blood of Christ form the Church…He did not give His life for every man, but for many, that is, for those who would believe.” Anselm: “If you die in unbelief, Christ did not die for you.” Remigius (A.D. 850): “Since only the elect are saved, it may be accepted that Christ did not come to save all and did not die on the cross for all.” IRRESISTIBLE GRACE Ignatius: “Pray for them, if so be they may repent, which is very difficult; but Jesus Christ, our true life, has the power of this.” Justin Martyr (A.D. 150): “Having sometime before convinced us of the impossibility of our nature to obtain life, hath now shown us the Savior, who is able to save them which otherwise were impossible to be saved…Free will has destroyed us; we are sold into sin.” Barnabas (A.D. 70): “God gives repentance to us, introducing us into the incorruptible temple.” Irenaeus (A.D. 180): “Not of ourselves, but of God, is the blessing of our salvation…Man, who was before led captive, is taken out of the power of the possessor, according to the mercy of God the Father, and restoring it, gives salvation to it by the Word; that is, by Christ; that many may experimentally learn that not of himself, but by the gift of God, he receives immortality.” Tertullian (A.D. 200): “Do you think, O men, that we could ever have been able to have understood these things in the Scriptures unless by the will of Him that wills all things, we had received grace to understand them?…But by this it is plain, that it (faith) is not given to thee by God, because thou dost not ascribe it to Him alone.” Cyprian (A.D. 250): “Whatsoever is grateful is to be ascribed not to man’s power, but to God’s gift. It is God’s, I say, all is God’s that we can do. Yea, that in nothing must we glory, since nothing is ours.” Arnobius (A.D. 303): “You place the salvation of your souls in yourselves, and trust that you may be made gods by your inward endeavor, yet it is not our own power to reach things above.” Lactantius (A.D. 320): “The victory lies in the will of God, not in thine own. To overcome is not in our power.” Athanasius (A.D. 350): “To believe is not ours, or in our power, but the Spirit’s who is in us, and abides in us.”

Thursday, September 8, 2016

IF WE WOULD PERCEIVE

"If we would perceive the worthlessness of this fading life, we must be deeply affected by the view of the heaven life." (Syn. Gosp. II:305) "No man can meditate on the heavenly life, unless he be dead to the world, and to himself." (Is. IV:242) "If meditation on the heavenly life were the prevailing sentiment in our hearts, the world would have no influence in detaining us." (John II: 30) "We ought to apply our minds to meditation upon a future life, so that this world may become cheap to us." (Dan. I:226) "We look at nothing but the world, till the Lord has drawn us to Himself." (Past. Epp. 319) "The Lord, by calling us to heaven, withdraws us from the earth." (Past. Epp. 320) John Calvin

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

the sense of the excellency of Christ

"The notion that there is a Christ, and that Christ is holy and gracious, is conveyed to the mind by the Word of God, but the sense of the excellency of Christ by reason of that holiness and grace, is nevertheless immediately the work of the Holy Spirit." - Jonathan Edwards (Monergism Books)