Flamethrowers, Flawed Firemen, and Voting Righteously

 

According to recent research, 49 percent of faith-based people are not voting in the 2024 election. Connected to this, another study indicates that 32 million Christians are sitting out this election. Which is astonishing and sad.

 

Why is it that so many good people are refusing to vote?

 

In many cases, it’s because they feel the persons running for office are flawed. They say things like, “Did you know X cheated on his wife?” “So and so is not a good person.” “There just aren’t any candidates running that are good Christians.” “The lesser of two evils is still evil,” etc.

 

Inevitably, the reasons for abstaining boil down to one broad basis: The persons running for office do not measure up to the standard that Scripture gives for church officers and members. But is this a legitimate reason for abstaining? Does Scripture place the standard of Church officers on the State? To answer this, we must have a biblical understanding of Church vs. State.

 

How does the New Testament define the roles of Church and State?

 

A BRIEF THEOLOGY OF CHURCH AND STATE

 

The State is distinct from the Church, and Church from State, and both answer to God for their ordination. The Church is called to bear the Word, and the State is called to bear the sword. The Church is specifically told not to bear the sword – not to use political power and coercion. The State exists to bear the sword: To punish evil, protect citizens, and promote good.

 

A healthy functioning State provides social order for the Church to carry out its task of proclamation and instruction in Word; and the Church in turn provides the State with divine instruction, maintaining moral fabric – making good citizens of heavenly order. Church is spiritual foundation for State, and State is a physical protection of that foundation.

 

Christians are called to give honor to State and pray for its officers.

 

In a nation where Christians are free to choose State officers, they must do so according to God’s standards – God’s revealed will for State. Christians obey God by choosing leaders who best follow through on God’s will for State.

 

STATE AS SWORD AGAINST EVIL: SAFE SPACE FOR GOOD [Rom. 13:1-10]

 

The Westminster Confession of Faith sums the biblical stance like this:

 

God, the supreme Lord and King of all the world, has ordained civil magistrates, to be, under Him, over the people, for His own glory, and the public good: and, to this end, has armed them with the power of the sword, for the defense and encouragement of them that are good, and for the punishment of evil doers. Civil magistrates may not assume to themselves the administration of the Word and sacraments; or the power of the keys of the kingdom of heaven; or, in the least, interfere on matters of faith. [WCF 23:1, 3].

 

R.C. Sproul, in his article “Civil Government,” puts it this way:

 

It is the task of the church to preach the gospel, administer the sacraments, nurture the souls of its members, etc. These are not the tasks of the state. It is the state's responsibility to order society, raise taxes, govern business and society, maintain a standing army, protect life and property, etc. These are not the tasks of the church. The state is given the power of the sword, the church is not…

 

In our day, the concept of separation of church and state has been widely reinterpreted (and misinterpreted) to mean the separation of state and God. More and more, civil government seeks to be out from “under” God. It seeks autonomous power and authority. When the church cries “foul” the church is criticized for intruding into the domain of the state. The church, however, is not trying to be the state. The church, in offering prophetic criticism, is calling the state to be the state as God ordained it and rules over it.

 

There is one sense in which the gospel is unabashedly political. It declares that Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He sits in the seat of ultimate authority. All lesser magistrates are ultimately accountable to Him for how they exercise their rule.

 

The civil magistrate is given the power of the sword. The state is authorized to use force to insure justice and to defend its borders. Governments do not rule by request or suggestion. They rule by law, which is enforced by legal coercion. Although the government with the power of the sword is authorized to exert capital punishment and wage just war, its use of the sword is always accountable to God.

 

The Bible urges Christians to be models of civil obedience wherever possible. We honor Christ by praying for those in authority over us and for being submissive and obedient to their rule. We are to bend over backwards in our civil obedience. We must obey the magistrates unless they command us to do that which God forbids, or keep us from doing that which God commands. In both of these cases, we not only may, but we must disobey those in authority. [R.C. Sproul, “Civil Government,” LSB. (Article on Romans 13:1-7.)]

 

In this current age, the State is defined separately from the Church: It is the calling of physical sword vs. the calling of eternal Word. Both are ordained of God but answer for different things.

 

Biblically, Church and State are so different that it took the early Christians a long time to engage with State. They faced questions like these: Could Christians rightfully function as officers of State? What about participation as soldiers and warriors? Do non-Christian officers of State face the same personal qualifications as members and leaders of the Church?

 

Often with their own blood, early Christians began applying God’s Word to State participation. The Reformers hammered this out over many years of persecution and political struggle. The Church must spiritually inform and protect the State, in all things related to God’s Word and divine law; and the State must physically protect the social order, which provides structure for the evangelical function of the Church. In such, officers of the State are not subject to the same personal qualifications as officers of the Church, even as they must answer to God for the performance of State policies, in line with God’s will – God’s definition of good vs. evil.

 

STATE OFFICERS AS MINISTERS OF GOD AND GOOD – BUT NOT MINISTERS OF THE CHURCH

 

The Westminster Confession of Faith also gives a biblical theology of State officers (civil magistrates):

 

It is the duty of people to pray for magistrates, to honor their persons, to pay them tribute or other dues, to obey their lawful commands, and to be subject to their authority, for conscience' sake. Infidelity, or difference in religion, does not make void the magistrates' just and legal authority, nor free the people from their due obedience to them… [WCF 23:3].

 

In other words, moral or religious failure in the State officer is not good, but it cannot be used as a pretext for disallowing his or her authority of State. Nor should it be used as a pretext for refusing to choose the best possible option for office, the best officer who fulfills God’s priorities for State.

 

The real question that should be asked is this: What is God’s priority for State? And in this fallen world, which flawed human will best fulfill the office of State, in honor of God’s priorities?

 

Again, remember God’s ordination of State: To bear the sword against evil, to protect citizens and borders, and to provide for the common good, including free proclamation of the gospel.

 

Now, what happens when good people forget this directive, and use God’s qualifications for Church against the best-possible officers of State? Imagine State officers who are personally flawed, but have a vision for God’s will for State, and a desire to fulfill that calling. Officers willing to call good, “good,” and evil, “evil” – officers willing to protect the citizens and borders, officers willing to provide for free proclamation of the gospel – officers willing to protect divine roles of men and women and children – officers willing to provide for common good economically – officers willing to protect fathers and mothers in their family roles of prophet, priest, and king. Now, imagine such officers being opposed because of personal flaws! What might happen to such a nation?

 

If true theology of Church and State is forgotten or misunderstood, it can create a situation where good people wrongly apply Church standards against the best-possible State officers, and unwittingly undermine God’s will for State – potentially harming children, families, and citizens now, and destroying divine liberty for generations to come.

 

POLICIES AT STAKE AND DIVINE PRIORITIES OF STATE

 

America is rare are among all nations, historically. Rare and blessed. Imagine this: Christians have a voice in choosing their leaders of State! It is imperative then that believers choose leaders who will best fulfill God’s ordination for government. This is active love of the neighbor: Choosing leaders who will protect their persons, their livelihoods, their futures, and their liberty – leaders who will act for national good and international peace, protecting Christians around the world, if possible. Refusing to participate in elections because of flawed candidates is a functional refusal to act for the good of others: a form of false piety.

 

Think for a minute about what is at stake in this election:

 

• Foreign policy of endless war and international harm. Currently and in recent years, most conflicts around the world are openly or secretly (black budget) funded by the U.S. Government. And this with devastating effect on Christians. One foreign-policy whistleblower says this: “The end result of U.S. foreign policy is dead Christians.”
• Domestic policy of economic inflation and family redefinition.
• Destruction of borders and displacement of citizens: undermining social fabric of communities.
• Redefining men and women: Disenfranchising women in sports and protected places.
• Sexualization of children: Encouragement of gender-confusion and legalization of sterilizing, cross-gender chems and surgical mutilations for boys and girls, years before their cerebral cortex (the decision-making part of the brain) is fully formed.
• Defacto enslavement of citizens to national debt and international powers.
• Exponential trafficking of children: Legal protection for predator networks.
• Destruction of citizens’ and children’s health: Legalizing harmful chems and substances, outlawing healthy options for food and medical care.
• Enshrining full-term abortion as a national sacrament: continual human sacrifice to secular gods.

 

Pages could be written here, but this sample is indicative of the direction.

 

Now, imagine being a Christian, with a golden opportunity to stand against such things, and refusing to stand – because the civil officer pledging to stand is a flawed person!

 

FLAMETHROWERS AND FLAWED FIREMEN

 

Imagine a small town with a tight-knit community. Working class houses grace most of the streets, interspersed with well-kept lawns, flag-flying porches, humble yet attractive park, community-service bandstand, and of course, a little white church.

 

One day, the calm scenery is interrupted by the smell of smoke, and a raised alarm, “Fire!”

 

Sure enough, one of the houses seems to be on fire. The call is made and the local fire siren blares.

 

The fire truck comes blaring through, with the fire chief in control. In a few minutes, the small fire will be taken care of – and the house saved.

 

But suddenly, the door of the church flies opens, and out dashes the new pastor. The pastor runs up to the fire truck and shouts, “No! You cannot DARE put out that fire. You are not worthy.”

 

The pastor thrusts himself into the middle of the scene, physically combating the fire chief. “I’ve heard about you! You cheated on your wife. You got into a bar fight last week, and verbally berated a patron.” “You are not a nice man – and you definitely don’t qualify for church membership – so by conscience, I cannot permit you to function as an officer of this town.”

 

While the pseudo-moralizing pastor is speaking, a crowd gathers. “Look!” someone shouts. “There’s a gang breaking the back fence!” And, sure enough, through the back fence comes a dark-clad group of men, carrying flamethrowers. They start torching the back barn and children’s gym.

 

“Please, pastor!” they plead. “Please let the firemen do their work!” “It could cost the whole town!”

 

But the new pastor is firm in his convictions. He crosses his arms and says, self-righteously, “I know too much about this man. I could never live with myself if I supported him.” Thus, armed with false conviction, the pastor calls all members of the church to stand against the firemen. Meanwhile, the flames grow higher, and the flamethrowers do their deadly work.

 

Selah.

 

Now, the obvious point of the parable is this: The new pastor is using moral language, and a quasi-moral argument, yes. But is he truly acting morally? Or is he radically misusing the guidelines of the house of God in a way that destroys the town?

 

If this little town burns, who is most at fault? The rough-living fire chief or the spiritual leader of the town?

 

So it is with an American church that misunderstands a biblical theology of Church and State. And the saddest part of all is that this has already been hammered out, in blood, across church history. The heavenly gallery of faith is filled with men and women who would instruct us, if we would listen. God’s Word is sure: Today, the Church is not the State, and the State is not the Church. Both answer to God, but the standards of Church cannot be falsely placed on officers of the State without risking the fabric of the whole.

 

If the 49 percent of the people of faith who currently abstain would vote for the “fire chiefs” who best fulfill the divine priorities of State – putting out fires, punishing firebugs, protecting citizens – our national town would be much better off.

 

Calling out State officials for immoral action is a prophetic role of the Church. But refusing to support the State officers who might stand for protection of the town is the death knell of false pietism.

 

Amen.

 

P.S. LOVING OUR NON-VOTING OR OTHER-VOTING NEIGHBOR

 

As Christians, we are called to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength – that is, our entire being. And, empowered by this divine love, we are called to love our neighbors as our own self. This includes neighbors who vote differently or refuse to vote.

 

C.S. Lewis says something profound, related to this. He says, “To know all is to forgive all.”

 

In other words, if we knew everything that someone else has been through, if we knew all they were exposed to that caused them to make their choices – even the ones that hurt us – we would forgive, and continually refuse to carry offense.

 

This is the hallmark of Christ’s Church, friends.

 

We do our best, we speak our best, but in the case of in-house disagreement, we choose forgiveness, and we choose love.

 

Go vote in Spirit and Truth. And go do something good for those with whom you might disagree.

 

Alleluia! Amen.

 

Come, ye sinners, poor and wretched

 

Come, ye sinners, poor and wretched,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity joined with pow'r:
He is able,
He is able,
He is able,
He is willing; doubt no more.

Come, ye needy, come and welcome,
God's free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Ev'ry grace that brings you nigh,
Without money,
Without money,
Without money,
Come to Jesus Christ and buy.

Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Bruised and broken by the fall;
If you tarry till you're better,
You will never come at all:
Not the righteous,
Not the righteous,
Not the righteous,
Sinners Jesus came to call.

Let not conscience make you linger,
Nor of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness he requireth
Is to feel your need of him;
This he gives you,
This he gives you,
This he gives you;
'Tis the Spirit's rising beam.

Lo! th'incarnate God, ascended,
Pleads the merit of his blood;
Venture on him, venture wholly,
Let no other trust intrude:
None but Jesus,
None but Jesus,
None but Jesus
Can do helpless sinners good.

 

Link: Come, ye sinners, poor and wretched — Caersalem

The Covenant Sign of Circumcision Fulfilled in Christ

Rom. 3:1, 2 — What is the value of circumcision? Actually, there are many advantages.

Jer. 4:4 — “Just as ritual circumcision cuts away the foreskin as an external symbol of dedicated covenant commitment, you must genuinely dedicate yourselves to the Lord and get rid of everything that hinders your commitment to me.”

Lev. 26:41-42 — “Then their uncircumcised hearts become humbled and they make up for their iniquity, I will remember my covenant with Jacob and also my covenant with Isaac and also my covenant with Abraham.”

Rom. 15:8 — Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth to confirm the promises made to the fathers.

Col. 2:11, 13 — In him you also were circumcised – not, however, with a circumcision performed by human hands, but by the removal of the fleshly body, that is, through the circumcision done by Christ... You were dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he nevertheless made you alive with him, having forgiven all your transgressions.

Eph. 4:22-24 — You were taught with reference to your former way of life to lay aside the old man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and to put on the new man who has been created in God’s image – in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth.

– Verses from Daily Light on the Daily Path.

Selah.

Salvation is covenantal, no way around it. And either we are still trying to fulfill the covenant with our own works, frantically trying to complete what makes us right with God (saved today, lost tomorrow), or we are entrusting ourselves to the completed work of Christ on our behalf (resting in His assurance). Thankfully, Christ alone has done this work for us – fully, completely, utterly, by himself. As Messiah says, “My own arm achieved salvation for me, and my own wrath sustained me” (Isa. 63:5). “He did this once for all when he offered up himself,” and “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him” (Heb. 7:25, 27). Save to the uttermost = “Save in an absolute, perfect, and consummated manner” (Louis H. Evans, Jr., MNT: Hebrews).

The sign in the Old Covenant pointed to a supernatural work of the heart only possible in Christ – by grace, through faith – the New Covenant of His blood, the circumcision performed by Him on us, in Spirit, "not performed by human hands."

Just as the sign of the Old Covenant signified a reality beyond itself, entered by faith and applied by faith by fathers to children, so we must enter the sign of the New Covenant, entrusting fulfillment in Christ, and apply it in faith: the parental "lead of love," in divine authority. It's all by grace, through faith, and it is the greatest task of loving fathers and mothers to lead by grace and in faith, in Word and Spirit.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your work on my behalf, for the fulfilled sign of circumcision in Christ, and for the circumcision not performed by human hands, in Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for the grace that saves us, and for the gift of faith to receive this grace. Amen.

We should always pray and not lose heart

Then Jesus told them a parable to show them they should always pray and not lose heart. — Luke 18:1 NET

There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’

Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

— Jesus

Tammerlane used to relate to his friends an anecdote of his early life. “I once” he said, “was forced to take shelter from my enemies in a ruined building, where I sat alone many hours. Desiring to divert my mind from my hopeless condition, I fixed my eyes on an ant that was carrying a grain of corn larger than itself up a high wall. I numbered the efforts it made to accomplish this object. The grain fell sixty-nine times to the ground; but the insect persevered, and the seventieth time it reached the top. This sight gave me courage at the moment, and I never forgot the lesson.”

— The King’s Business

Prayer which takes the fact that past prayers have not been answered as a reason for languor, has already ceased to be the prayer of faith. To the prayer of faith the fact that prayers remain unanswered is only evidence that the moment of the answer is so much nearer. From first to last, the lessons and examples of our Lord all tell us that prayer which cannot persevere and urge its plea importunately, and renew, and renew itself again, and gather strength from every past petition, is not the prayer that will prevail.

— William Arthur

"Though He bears long with them... yet He will answer them speedily." Therein is the paradox of kingdom prayer, and herein is highest faith. As MacDonald puts it, the hardest, gladdest thing in the universe is when the child of God, heart full of ache and apparent silence, yet cries out, "Abba, Father!" Hell trembles before this faith. And the heart of the Father smiles: He takes pleasure in those who trust Him in waiting faith (Ps. 147:11).

Prayer: Thank you, Abba, that you bear long with me. And thank you, that when you have accomplished that for which you bear long, you will answer speedily — yea, and you are answering this very moment! You are Holy, you are Good, and you are Love. Thank you that you will remake me in this Holy Love, and make me good, even as I wait on you. Your Grace is Amazing. Alleluia!

We must pray to pray, and continue in prayer that our prayers may continue.

There was also a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, having been married to her husband for seven years until his death. She had lived as a widow since then for eighty-four years. She never left the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. — Luke 2:36-37

No doubt by praying we learn to pray, and the more we pray the oftener we can pray, and the better we can pray. He who prays in fits and starts is never likely to attain to that effectual, fervent prayer which availeth much.

Great power in prayer is within our reach, but we must go to work to obtain it. Let us never imagine that Abraham could have interceded so successfully for Sodom if he had not been all his lifetime in the practice of communion with God.

Jacob’s all-night at Peniel was not the first occasion upon which he had met his God. We may even look upon our Lord’s most choice and wonderful prayer with his disciples before His Passion as the flower and fruit of His many nights of devotion, and of His often rising up a great while before day to pray.

If a man dreams that he can become mighty in prayer just as he pleases, he labors under a great mistake. The prayer of Elias which shut up heaven and afterwards opened its floodgates, was one of long series of mighty prevailings with God. Oh, that Christian men would remember this! Perseverance in prayer is necessary to prevalence in prayer.

Those great intercessors, who are not so often mentioned as they ought to be in connection with confessors and martyrs, were nevertheless the grandest benefactors of the Church; but it was only by abiding at the mercy-seat that they attained to be such channels of mercy to men. We must pray to pray, and continue in prayer that our prayers may continue.

— C.H. Spurgeon

Without sound or sign, and without strain, God conquers for us.

And he said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Make many cisterns in this valley,’ for this is what the Lord says, ‘You will not feel any wind or see any rain, but this valley will be full of water and you and your cattle and animals will drink.’ This is an easy task for the Lord; he will also hand Moab over to you. — 2 Kgs 3:16-1

by A.B. Simpson

To human thinking it was simply impossible, but nothing is hard for God.

Without a sound or sign, from sources invisible and apparently impossible, the floods came stealing in all night long; and when the morning dawned, those ditches were flooded with the crystal waters, and reflecting the rays of the morning sun from the red hills of Edom.

Our unbelief is always wanting some outward sign. The religion of many is largely sensational, and they are not satisfied of its genuineness without manifestations, etc.; but the greatest triumph of faith is to be still and know that He is God.

The great victory of faith is to stand before some impassable Red Sea, and hear the Master say, “Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord,” and “Go forward!” As we step out without any sign or sound—not a wave-splash—and wetting our very feet as we take the first step into its waters, still marching on we shall see the sea divide and the pathway open through the very midst of the waters.

If we have seen the miraculous workings of God in some marvelous case of healing or some extraordinary providential deliverance, I am sure the thing that has impressed us most has been the quietness with which it was all done, the absence of everything spectacular and sensational, and the utter sense of nothingness which came to us as we stood in the presence of this mighty God and felt how easy, it was for Him to do it all without the faintest effort on His part or the slightest help on ours.

It is not the part of faith to question, but to obey. The ditches were made, and the water came pouring in from some supernatural source. What a lesson for our faith!

Are you craving a spiritual blessing? Open the trenches, and God will fill them. And this, too, in the most unexpected places and in the most unexpected ways.

Oh, for that faith that can act by faith and not by sight, and expect God to work although we see no wind or rain.

Selah.

Away with Carking Care! God is our portion.

But seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. — Matt. 6:33

by C.H. Spurgeon

See how the Bible opens: “In the beginning God.” Let your life open in the same way. Seek with your whole soul, first and foremost, the kingdom of God, as the place of your citizenship, and His righteousness as the character of your life. As for the rest, it will come from the Lord Himself without your being anxious concerning it. All that is needful for this life and godliness “shall be added unto you.”

What a promise this is! Food, raiment, home, and so forth, God undertakes to add to you while you seek Him. You mind His business, and He will mind yours. If you want paper and string, you get them given in when you buy more important goods; and just so all that we need of earthly things we shall have thrown in with the kingdom. He who is an heir of salvation shall not die of starvation; and he who clothes his soul with the righteousness of God cannot be left of the Lord with a naked body.

Away with carking care. Set all your mind upon seeking the Lord. Covetousness is poverty, and anxiety is misery: trust in God is an estate, and likeness of God is a heavenly inheritance.

Lord, I seek Thee; be found of me.
 

Covenant Grace = Cleansing

The Lord your God will also cleanse your heart and the hearts of your descendants so that you may love him with all your mind and being and so that you may live. — Deut 30:6 NET

 by C.H. Spurgeon

Here we read of the true circumcision. Note the author of it: “The Lord thy God.” He alone can deal effectually with our heart and take away its carnality and pollution. To make us love God with all our heart and soul is a miracle of grace which only the Holy Spirit can work. We must look to the Lord alone for this and never be satisfied with anything short of it.

Note where this circumcision is wrought. It is not of the flesh but of the Spirit. It is the essential mark of the covenant of grace. Love to God is the indelible token of the chosen seed; by this secret seal the election of grace is certified to the believer. We must see to it that we trust in no outward ritual but are sealed in heart by the operation of the Holy Spirit.

Note what the result is -- “that thou mayest live.” To be carnally minded is death. In the overcoming of the flesh, we find life and peace. If we mind the things of the Spirit, we shall live. Oh, that YHVH, our God, may complete His gracious work upon our inner natures, that in the fullest and highest sense we may live unto the Lord!

Selah.

Note: I'm so thankful that what God demands of us, He fulfills! As often as He says, "Be holy, for I am holy," He says, "I will purify you, I will cleanse you."

Alleluia!

1 Pet. 1:16 -- You shall be holy, for I AM holy. cf. Lev. 11:44, 45, et al.

Hebrews 12:14 -- Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

Mal. 3:3 -- He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. 

Ez. 36:25 -- I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.

Isa. 6:7 -- Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

The reason for singing

The Lord your God is in your midst; he is a warrior who can deliver. He takes great delight in you; he renews you by his love; he shouts for joy over you. — Zeph. 3:17

What a word is this! Jehovah God in the center of His people in all the majesty of His power! This presence alone suffices to inspire us with peace and hope. Treasures of boundless might are stored in our Jehovah, and He dwells in His church; therefore may His people shout for joy.

We not only have His presence, but He is engaged upon His choice work of salvation. “He will save.” He is always saving: He takes His name of Jesus from it. Let us not fear any danger, for He is mighty to save.

Nor is this all. He abides evermore the same, He saves, He finds rest in loving, He will not cease to love. His love gives Him joy. He even finds a theme for song in His beloved. This is exceedingly wonderful. When God wrought creation He did not sing but simply said, “It is very good”; but when He came to redemption, then the sacred Trinity felt a joy to be expressed in song, Think of it, and be astonished! Jehovah Jesus sings a marriage song over His chosen bride. She is to Him His love, His joy, His rest, His song. O Lord Jesus, by Thine immeasurable love to us teach us to love Thee, to rejoice in Thee, and to sing unto Thee our life-psalm.

Alleluia!

— C.H. Spurgeon

A Cornishman's prayer: Lord, send us out to sea!

Some traveled on the sea in ships, and carried cargo over the vast waters. They witnessed the acts of the Lord, his amazing feats on the deep water. — Psalm 107:23-24

He is but an apprentice and no master in the art, who has not learned that every wind that blows is fair for Heaven. The only thing that helps nobody, is a dead calm. North or south, east or west, it matters not, every wind may help towards that blessed port [if we but rightly set our sails]. Seek one thing only: keep well out to sea, and then have no fear of stormy winds.

Let our prayer be that of an old Cornishman:

“O Lord, send us out to sea—out in the deep water. Here we are so close to the rocks that the first bit of breeze with the devil, we are all knocked to pieces. Lord, send us out to sea—out in the deep water, where we shall have room enough to get a glorious victory.”

— Mark Guy Pearse.


Remember that we have no more faith at any time than we have in the hour of trial. All that will not bear to be tested is mere carnal confidence. Fair-weather faith is no faith.

— C.H. Spurgeon

How God works good out of sin in the believer's life

Nicholas Batzig writes some great thoughts related to God's redemption of ALL THINGS for believers -- even personal sin. This in no way excuses sin -- truly, sin is cosmic treason that costs God dearly to redeem -- but it does provide a surround-sound concert of hope: there is nothing outside God's sovereign order for His children. Take heart, dear readers! God is working good, even this very day. Alleluia!

Intro to article by Nick as follows:

The Apostle Paul’s statement in Romans 8:28 is one of the most cherished verses in all of Scripture. “All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” The context demands that we understand the words to be referring to the suffering of believers in the period of groaning and turmoil as we await the full realization of our adoption, the resurrection of our bodies (Rom. 8:18-27). But, it is important for us to come to terms with the fact that it is not simply the sufferings (i.e. persecutions, trials, tribulation, etc.) that are in view in the words “all things”–it is also the believer’s sin that works together for his or her good. This, of course, is not to say that there is good in sin, or that the believer is encouraged to go on sinning that grace may abound. Far from it, God commands believers to put sin to death in their lives. However, God’s wisdom in the work of redemption includes even working the sin and backsliding of believers together for their good. Consider several examples in Scripture:

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, in his comments on this passage, explained that the prodigal son wouldn’t have known the Father’s love and grace to returning backsliders if he had never left home for the far country. He wrote:

    For the believer the ‘all things’ in Romans 8:28′ “includes even our falling into sin, even our backsliding…God can turn it to the advantage of the Christian…when we truly repent He stands ready to forgive us…The prodigal son knew much more about his Father after he came back than he ever knew before he left home. He thought he knew before he left home but he didn’t. It was when he was received back, when he saw his father running to meet him–when he was yet a long way off–and embracing him. He never knew anything about this before. So you see, though he was quite wrong in leaving home and going to that foreign land–and all he did there in his riotous living–it was all wrong; but he was a very much better man at the end than at the beginning. He knew more about sonship; he knew more about his Father, he knew more about his Father’s love.

    Now that’s the kind of way in which this works out; and, in other words, it brings the Christian to see his constant need of grace, his constant need of watchfulness and of care. And all that, of course, is very good for us. It is part of our development, our growth in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord. So we are able to assert that even when he falls into sin or becomes a backslider, when he is restored, this has been for the Christian’s good. Now there you get a glimpse into this many sided grace of God. What a wonderful thing it is–that even our defeats can be turned for our good. God takes hold of this thing and He uses it in that way to bring us nearer to Himself and to give us a knowledge of Himself that we otherwise would have never have had. This term ‘all things’ really must be taken in all its fulness not even excepting sin or falling into a backslidden condition. 1

But, someone might say, “Isn’t the parable of the prodigal son speaking of God using the sin of unbelievers to bring them to Christ? What about the sin of believers?” While it might be too narrowing to limit the teaching of the parable of the prodigal son to the realm of regeneration, nevertheless, we have ample examples of how God works sin together for good in the lives of believers. For instance, consider what the Scripture says about Samson. Samson told his parents to go and get him a wife from the daughters of the Philistines. This was explicitly forbidden by God in Scripture. That an Israelite should marry the daughter of the most notable enemy of the church of God is supreme rebellion. And yet, we read in Judges 14:4, “His father and mother did not know that it was of the Lord—that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines. For at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.” God had purposed to use Samson’s sin to bring down the Philistine lords. In this way, we can see how even the sin of a believer (Heb. 11:32) was working together for his good and the good of God’s people. Perhaps the clearest example of this principles in the Old Testament is found in the Scripture’s account of how God brought large good out of David’s two great sinful falls. First, David premeditated the murder of one of Uriah–one of his mighty men–after committing adultery with his wife. Nevertheless, the two genealogies of Jesus (i.e. the royal line by which He was adopted through Joseph, found in Matthew 1, and his biological line through Mary recorded in Luke 3) run through two of the offspring of David and Bathsheba. Both Nathan (Luke 3:31) and Solomon (Matthew 1:6) were sons of David through Bathsheba (1 Chronicles 3:5). In this way, we can say that the Redeemer and the redemption of the world came through the instrumentality of the adulterous relationship of David and Bathsheba. God took David’s sin and turned it for his and our good. Secondly, God severely chastened David for numbering the people of Israel (2 Samuel 24:1-17). After God brought the plague to an end, David purchased the land around the threshing floor of Ornan (Araunah) the Jebusite in order to sacrifice to the Lord  (2 Samuel 24:18-25 and 1 Chronicles 21:18-30). In redemptive-history, this became the very spot on which the Temple would be built (2 Chronicles 3:1). In this way, we see that God took David’s sin and consequences, and in His redemptive grace, turned it to work for good for those who love him. Sinclair Ferguson gives us the most astonishing and convincing way in which God turns the sin of His people to their good. He explains:

    There is nothing that takes our God by surprise; there is nothing that takes place outside of His superintendence and watch-care; and there is nothing that can  ever happen that can distort or  destroy His eternal purposes for His people–nothing whatsoever! As the Apostle says in Ephesians 1, ‘This God is a God who works all things together according to the counsel of His own will.” Now the test case of that, of course, is the worst possible things that happen; and the proof for Paul that God works everything together for the good of those who love Him is found supremely where the proof of everything ultimately is found for the Apostle Paul in the test case of the Lord Jesus Christ. He brings everything back to the Lord Jesus Christ. And it was his companion, Luke (you remember, his traveling companion and personal physician) who had written in the Acts  of the Apostles of the great sermon of Simon Peter on the day of Pentecost–I mean, of all the apostles to say this on the Day of Pentecost –a matter of weeks after the Lord Jesus had been crucified–Simon Peter was the most unlikely, because Simon Peter was the Apostle who had most opposed Jesus going to the cross. And therefore, it was a wonder of God’s gracious working in his life that he stands up on the day of Pentecost and stares down those who had crucified the Lord Jesus and says, ” He was crucified by the hand of wicked and cruel men according to the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God.” And you see what this means. If the worse thing, the most evil thing that has ever happened in this world–for these early Christians who surrounded Jesus–the greatest tragedy of all, was still under the sovereign superintendence of God–100% the action of wicked men, and yet no less 100% the Divine strategy coming to pass, even amazingly through he activities of wicked men working together for the saving good of those who come to love God in Jesus Christ. 2

Robert Haldane, in his comments on Romans 8:28, noted:

    Even the sins of believers work for their good, not from the nature of sin, but by the goodness and power of Him who brings light out of darkness. Everywhere in Scripture we read of the great evil of sin. Everywhere we receive the most solemn warning against its commission ; and everywhere we hear also of the chastisements it brings, even upon those who are rescued from its finally condemning power. It is not sin, then, in itself that works the good, but God who overrules its effects to His children, shows them, by means of it, what is in their hearts, as well as their entire dependence on Himself, and the necessity of walking with Him more closely. Their falls lead them to humiliation, to the acknowledgment of their weakness and depravity, to prayer for the guidance and overpowering influence of the Holy Spirit, to vigilance and caution against all carnal security, and to reliance on that righteousness provided for their appearance before God. It is evident that the sin of Adam, which is the source of all their sins, has wrought for their good in raising them to a higher degree of glory. Believers fall into sin, and on account of this God hides His face from them, and they are troubled ; and, like Hezekiah, they go softly. God left Hezekiah to himself, but it was to do him good at his latter end. 3

Alleluia!

Selah.

Read the whole thing HERE.

Notes:

1. An excerpt from Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ sermon, "God in Control"

2. An excerpt from Sinclair Ferguson’s sermon, "All Things for Good"

3. Robert Haldane Romans p. 393

Believe in order to see. Obey in order to know!

They believed his promises; they sang praises to him. They quickly forgot what he had done; they did not wait for his instructions. In the wilderness they had an insatiable craving for meat; they challenged God in the desert... — Psalm 106:12-15 NET

We read of Moses, that “he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.” Exactly the opposite was true of the children of Israel in this record. They endured only when the circumstances were favorable; they were largely governed by the things that appealed to their senses, in place of resting in the invisible and eternal God.

In the present day there are those who live intermittent Christian lives because they have become occupied with the outward, and center in circumstances, in place of centering in God. God wants us more and more to see Him in everything, and to call nothing small if it bears us His message.

Here we read of the children of Israel, “Then they believed his words.” They did not believe till after they saw—when they saw Him work, then they believed. They really doubted God when they came to the Red Sea; but when God opened the way and led them across and they saw Pharaoh and his host drowned—“then they believed.”

They led an up and down life because of this kind of faith; it was a faith that depended upon circumstances. This is not the kind of faith God wants us to have.

The world says “seeing is believing,” but God wants us to believe in order to see. The Psalmist said, “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”

Do you believe God only when the circumstances are favorable, or do you believe no matter what the circumstances may be?

— C. H. P. [quoted in Streams in the Desert]

Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe.

— Augustine

Selah.

If any man is willing to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from Myself.

— JESUS, in John 7:17

Jesus said, ‘If any man is willing to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from Myself.’ There is a certain level of knowledge in the truth that we can only find if we are willing to obey it.

He does not say that we need the ABILITY to obey, but rather the WILL to obey. It is not in perfection of obedience, but in humility of will, that Jesus promises us this fulfillment. It is in simply willing and following that God provides the revelation, the unfolded way, the knowledge of the truth. This is itself a confession of truth enacted in the human life, which God honors with greater revelation. "The secret of the Lord is with those who fear [follow] Him, and He will show them His covenant."

— George MacDonald [paraphrase]

Alleluia!

Selah.

Looking up

The LORD said to Abram, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, north, south, east, and west. For all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever... Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” — Gen. 13:14-17

Let us now see the blessedness of faith. Our own littleness and nothingness sometimes becomes bondage. We are so small in our own eyes we dare not claim God's mighty promises. We say: If I could be sure I was in God's way I could trust. This is all wrong. Self–consciousness is a great barrier to faith. Get your eyes on Him and Him alone; not on your faith, but on the Author of your faith; not a half look, but a steadfast, prolonged look, with a true heart and fixedness of purpose, that knows no faltering, no parleying with the enemy without a shadow of fear. When you get afraid you are almost sure to fail.

We say: If I could be sure I was in God's way I could trust. This is all wrong. Self–consciousness is a great barrier to faith.

Travelers who have crossed the Alps know how dangerous those mountain passes are, how narrow the foothold, how deep the rocky ravines and how necessary to safety it is that you should look up continually; one downward glance into the dizzy depths would be fatal; and so if we would surmount the heights of faith we must look up. Look up. Get your eyes off yourself, off surrounding circumstances, off means, off gifts, to the Great Giver.

— A.B. Simpson

Selah.

Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.

— Psalm 34:5

Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
your justice like the great deep.

You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.
How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.

For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.

— Psalm 36:5-9


The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

— Psalm 19:8

God is not unobservant. His silence is not consent to current darkness. He waits to bless in perfect time.

For this is what the Lord has told me: “I will wait and watch from my place, like scorching heat produced by the sunlight, like a cloud of mist in the heat of harvest.” — Isa 18:4 NET

Assyria marched against Ethiopia. And as the armies advance, God makes no effort to arrest them; it seems as though they will be allowed to work their will. He is still watching them from His dwelling place, the sun still shines on them; but before the harvest, the whole of the proud army of Assyria is smitten as easily as when sprigs are cut off by the pruning hook of the husbandman.

Is not this a marvelous conception of God—being still and watching? His stillness is not acquiescence. His silence is not consent. He is only biding His time, and will arise, in the most opportune moment, and when the designs of the wicked seem on the point of success, to overwhelm them with disaster. As we look out on the evil of the world; as we think of the apparent success of wrong-doing; as we wince beneath the oppression of those that hate us, let us remember these marvelous words about God being still and beholding.

There is another side to this. Jesus beheld His disciples toiling at the oars through the stormy night; and watched though unseen, the successive steps of the anguish of Bethany, when Lazarus slowly passed through the stages of mortal sickness, until he succumbed and was borne to the rocky tomb. But He was only waiting the moment when He could interpose most effectually. Is He still to thee? He is not unobservant; He is beholding all things; He has His finger on thy pulse, keenly sensitive to all its fluctuations. He will come to save thee when the precise moment has arrived.
 
Alleluia!

Selah.

— Daily Devotional Commentary, quoted in Streams in the Desert

And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of justice: blessed are all they that wait for him. — Isa. 30:18

And it shall be said in that day, Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation. — Isa. 25:9

He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy. — Psalm 147:10-11

They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint. — Isa. 40:31

The victory that overcometh the world

To trust in spite of the look of being forsaken; to keep crying out into the vast, whence comes no returning voice, and where seems no hearing; to see the machinery of the world pauselessly grinding on as if self-moved, caring for no life, nor shifting a hair-breadth for all entreaty, and yet believe that God is awake and utterly loving; to desire nothing but what comes meant for us from His hand; to wait patiently, ready to die of hunger, fearing only lest faith should fail—such is the victory that overcometh the world, such is faith indeed.

— George MacDonald

The marriage of mourning and blessing

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. — Matt. 5:4

by C.H. Spurgeon

By the valley of weeping we come to Zion. One would have thought mourning and being blessed were in opposition, but the infinitely wise Savior puts them together in this Beatitude. What He has joined together let no man put asunder. Mourning for sin — our own sins, and the sins of others — is the Lord’s seal set upon His faithful ones. When the Spirit of grace is poured upon the house of David, or any other house, they shall mourn. By holy mourning we receive the best of our blessings, even as the rarest commodities come to us by water. Not only shall the mourner be blessed at some future day, but Christ pronounces him blessed even now.

The Holy Spirit will surely comfort those hearts which mourn for sin. They shall be comforted by the application of the blood of Jesus and by the cleansing power of the Holy Ghost. They shall be comforted as to the abounding sin of their city and of their age by the assurance that God will glorify Himself, however much men may rebel against Him. They shall be comforted with the expectation that they shall be wholly freed from sin before long and shall soon be taken up to dwell forever in the glorious presence of their Lord.

Alleluia!

Selah.

What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord,
who have set their hearts on a pilgrimage to Zion.
When they walk through the Valley of Weeping,
it will become a place of refreshing springs.
The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings.
They will continue to grow stronger,
and each of them will appear before God in Zion.
 
O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies, hear my prayer.
Listen, O God of Jacob. — Psalm 84:5-8

Those who sow in tears
Shall reap in joy.
He who continually goes forth weeping,
Bearing seed for sowing,
Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
Bringing his sheaves with him. — Psalm 126:5-6