http://www.newreformationministries.org/ en Copyright 2013 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:55:18 -0600 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Never argue with the man with the microphone. On several occasions, I've been invited to appear on radio or television programs for interviews by controversial hosts. For the most part, I have declined these interviews because of the format in which they are structured. Though they promise the opportunity for open debate, such debate is rarely forthcoming. There are certain hosts who are ruthless in their treatment of their guests and get away with it because of the power of the microphone. Whoever controls the microphone controls the game. If the host makes a particular statement, the guest must rely on the mercy of the person with the microphone in order to offer a rebuttal to the host. At any time in the course of such discussions, the comments of the guest can be silenced. I use this illustration frequently in talking with students who encounter hostile professors in college or in seminary. In their efforts to defend the truth claims of Christianity, students often valiantly charge in where angels fear to tread and are attacked viciously by the professor. I try to communicate to them that, as valiant as their attempts may be, they are in most cases exercises in futility because the professor controls the discussion. The classroom is not a place where open debate is usually encouraged. To the contrary, on the campuses of many universities and even seminaries, open season has been declared on Christian students. For some reason, it seems that professors in such settings take delight in trying to undermine the faith of their students. This is one reason why the New Testament warns us that not many should become teachers, for with teaching comes a greater judgment. At the same time, our Lord Himself warned against those who bring harm to one of His little ones. In most cases, it is easy for a man or woman with a doctorate and years of experience in higher education to humiliate a student, no matter how strong the student's faith is or how articulate the student may be. It's a mismatch, and it's a mismatch that unscrupulous teachers greedily seize upon. These teachers explain their tactics by saying they're simply trying to open the closed minds of the students or to bring them to deliverance from their slavery to outmoded ideas. The excuses are as endless as they are mindless. In the fi rst week of my fi rst year attending seminary, a professor was sharply critical of a student for coming to the seminary with too many preconceived ideas. The idea the seminary student brought with him that the professor described as an unwarranted preconception was his belief in the deity of Christ. I was shocked when I saw a student being humiliated for having the audacity to come to seminary with the idea already formed in his mind that Christ is the incarnate Son of God. The real question, however, was this one: Why was the professor, who was supposedly committed to the creedal statements of the seminary, denying the deity of Christ in such a situation? But this type of thing happens far more regularly than many people realize. When I was on the faculty of a Christian college many years ago, I had a constant stream of students come to me with questions about the relationship between the truths affirmed in the New Testament about Christ and similar mythological affirmations found in the famous work Metamorphosis by the poet Ovid. It became clear that it was the delight of the english professor in his humanities class, which included a study of Ovid, to draw parallels between the New Testament teachings about Jesus and the myths presented in Metamorphosis. I had the opportunity to meet in a friendly atmosphere with this professor over coffee in the student union, and I began asking him questions about his knowledge of the biblical worldview compared to the worldview of Ovid. I pointed out the remarkable number of differences between Ovid's worldview and that of the New Testament, which the professor acknowledged existed, and I said: "It's just simply not good teaching to point out similarities between different positions without at the same time acknowledging the signifi cant differences between them. In your critique of Christianity, you have failed to mention these differences, which is not a sound approach to the matter." He was contrite and committed not to do that anymore. But again, that was one incident out of literally tens of thousands that take place every year on campuses, not only at secular universities, but at church-related colleges and even in theological seminaries, as I've already mentioned. One of the problems we have here is the criteria we use when choosing colleges or universities to attend in the first place. So often parents are impressed by the beauty of the campus of the particular institution or by their own remembrance of the commitment of the institution a generation ago, overlooking the reality that the approach to Christianity changes in various institutions as the faculty changes. The most significant barometer for choosing any kind of institution of higher learning is not the beauty of its campus but its faculty. If you're looking to send your children to an institution that has a Christian history or a Christian relationship, do not assume that the current faculty is fully persuaded of the truth claims of Christianity. You may indeed be throwing your children into the fi re of a crucible they are not expecting and are not really prepared to withstand. I am not for educating people in a sheltered environment where there is no interaction with the secular mindset and with pagan worldviews, but we need to be fully prepared to understand when and where those worldviews come into collision with Christianity and how to avoid collisions that may be disastrous. By R. C. Sproul http://www.newreformationministries.org/2010/02/growth-in-grace.php http://www.newreformationministries.org/2010/02/growth-in-grace.php News & Updates Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:55:18 -0600 By C. H. Spurgeon Excerpted from The Saint and His Savior, p.272-275 Love to Christ will impel us to defend him against his foes.-- "If any touch my friend, or his good name it is my honor and my love to free his blasted fame From the least spot or thought of blame." Good men are more tender over the reputation of Christ than over their own good name; for they are willing to lose the world's favorable opinion rather than that Christ should he dishonored. This is no more than Jesus has a right to expect. Would not he be a sorry brother who should hear me insulted and slandered, and yet be dumb? Would not he be destitute of affection who would allow the character of his nearest relative to he trampled in the dust without a struggle on his behalf? And is not he a poor style of Christian who would calmly submit to hear his Lord abused? We could bear to be trampled in the very mire that He might be exalted; but to see our glorious Head dishonored, is a sight we cannot tamely behold. We would not, like Peter, smite his enemies with the sword of man; but we would use the sword of the Spirit as well as we are enabled. Oh! how has our blood boiled when the name of Jesus has been the theme of scornful jest! how have we been ready to invoke the fire of Elias upon the guilty blasphemers I or when our more carnal heat has subsided, how have we wept, even to the sobbing of a child, at the reproach cast upon his most hallowed name! Many a time we have been ready to burst with anguish when we have been speechless before the scoffer, because the Lord had shut us up, that we could not come forth; but at other seasons, with courage more than we had considered to be within the range of our capability, we have boldly reproved the wicked, and sent them back abashed. It is a lovely spectacle to behold the timid and feeble defending the citadel of truth: not with hard blows of logic, or sounding cannonade of rhetoric--but with that tearful earnestness, and implicit confidence, against which the attacks of revilers are utterly powerless. Over-thrown in argument, they overcome by faith; covered with contempt, they think it all joy if they may but avert a solitary stain from the escutcheon of their Lord. "Call me what thou wilt," says the believer, "but speak not ill of my Beloved. Here, plough these shoulders with your lashes, but spare yourselves the sin of cursing him! Ay, let me die: I am all too happy to be slain, if my Lord's most glorious cause shall live !" Ask every regenerate child of God whether he does not count it his privilege to maintain the honor of his Master's name; and though his answer may be worded with holy caution, you will not fail to discover in it enough of that determined resolution which, by the blessing of the Holy Spirit, will enable him to stand fast in the evil day. He may be careful to reply to such a question, lest he should be presumptuous; but should he stand like the three holy children before an enraged tyrant, in the very mouth of a burning fiery furnace, his answer, like theirs, would he, "We are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us out of the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thy hand, O king! But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." In some circles it is believed that in the event of another reign of persecution, there are very few in our churches who would endure the fiery trial: nothing, we think, is more unfounded. It is our firm opinion that the feeblest saint in our midst would receive grace for the struggle, and come off more than a conqueror. God's children are the same now as ever. Real piety will as well endure the fire in one century as another. There is the same love to impel the martyrdom, the same grace to sustain the sufferer, the same promises to cheer his heart, and the same crown to adorn his head. We believe that those followers of Jesus who may perhaps one day be called to the stake, will die as readily as any who have gone before. Love is still as strong as death, and grace is still made perfect in weakness. Sweet is the cross, above all sweets, To souls enamoured with His smiles, The keenest woe life ever meets, Love strips of all its terrors, sad beguiles. This is as true today, as it was a thousand years ago. We may be weak in grace, but grace is not weak: it is still omnipotent, and able to endure the trying day. There is one form of this jealousy for the honor of the cross, which will ever distinguish the devout Christian:--he will tremble lest he himself, by word or deed, by omis-sion of duty or commission of sin, should dishonor the holy religion which he has professed. He will hold perpetual controversy with "sinful self" on this account, and will loathe himself when he has inadvertently given occasion to the enemy to blaspheme. The King's favorite will be sad if, by mistake or carelessness, he has been the abettor of traitors: he desires to be beyond reproach, that his Monarch may suffer no disgrace from his courtier. Nothing has injured the cause of Christ more than the inconsistencies of his avowed friends. Jealousy for the honor of Christ is an admirable mark of grace. http://www.newreformationministries.org/2010/01/mr-john-philpot-this-martyr.php http://www.newreformationministries.org/2010/01/mr-john-philpot-this-martyr.php News & Updates Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:12:23 -0600 "John Rogers was educated at Cambridge, and was afterward many years chaplain to the merchant adventurers at Antwerp in Brabant. Here he met with the celebrated martyr William Tyndale, and Miles Coverdale, both voluntary exiles from their country for their aversion to popish superstition and idolatry. They were the instruments of his conversion; and he united with them in that translation of the Bible into English, entitled "The Translation of Thomas Matthew." From the Scriptures he knew that unlawful vows may be lawfully broken; hence he married, and removed to Wittenberg in Saxony, for the improvement of learning; and he there learned the Dutch language, and received the charge of a congregation, which he faithfully executed for many years. On King Edward's accession, he left Saxony to promote the work of reformation in England; and, after some time, Nicholas Ridley, then bishop of London, gave him a prebend in St. Paul's Cathedral, and the dean and chapter appointed him reader of the divinity lesson there. Here he continued until Queen Mary's succession to the throne, when the Gospel and true religion were banished, and the Antichrist of Rome, with his superstition and idolatry, introduced. The circumstance of Mr. Rogers having preached at Paul's cross, after Queen Mary arrived at the Tower, has been already stated. He confirmed in his sermon the true doctrine taught in King Edward's time, and exhorted the people to beware of the pestilence of popery, idolatry, and superstition. For this he was called to account, but so ably defended himself that, for that time, he was dismissed. The proclamation of the queen, however, to prohibit true preaching, gave his enemies a new handle against him. Hence he was again summoned before the council, and commanded to keep his house. He did so, though he might have escaped; and though he perceived the state of the true religion to be desperate. Heknew he could not want a living in Germany; and he could not forget a wife and ten children, and to seek means to succor them. But all these things were insufficient to induce him to depart, and, when once called to answer in Christ's cause, he stoutly defended it, and hazarded his life for that purpose. After long imprisonment in his own house, the restless Bonner, bishop of London, caused him to be committed to Newgate, there to be lodged among thieves and murderers. After Mr. Rogers had been long and straitly imprisoned, and lodged in Newgate among thieves, often examined, and very uncharitably entreated, and at length unjustly and most cruelly condemned by Stephen Gardiner, bishop of Winchester, the fourth day of February, in the year of our Lord 1555, being Monday in the morning, he was suddenly warned by the keeper of Newgate's wife, to prepare himself for the fire; who, being then sound asleep, could scarce be awaked. At length being raised and awaked, and bid to make haste, then said he, "IKf it be so, I need not tie my points." And so was had down, first to bishop Bonner to be degraded: which being done, he craved of Bonner but one petition; and Bonner asked what that should be. Mr. Rogers replied that he might speak a few words with his wife before his burning, but that could not be obtained of him. When the time came that he should be brought out of Newgate to Smithfield, the place of his execution, Mr. Woodroofe, one of the sheriffs, first came to Mr. Rogers, and asked him if he would revoke his abominable doctrine, and the evil opinion of the Sacrament of the altar. Mr. Rogers answered, "That which I have preached I will seal with my blood." Then Mr. Woodroofe said, "Thou art an heretic." "That shall be known," quoth Mr. Rogers, "at the Day of Judgment." "Well," said Mr. Woodroofe, "I will never pray for thee." "But I will pray for you," said Mr. Rogers; and so was brought the same day, the fourth of February, by the sheriffs, towards Smithfield, saying the Psalm Miserere by the way, all the people wonderfully rejoicing at his constancy; with great praises and thanks to God for the same. And there in the presence of Mr. Rochester, comptroller of the queen's household, Sir Richard Southwell, both the sheriffs, and a great number of people, he was burnt to ashes, washing his hands in the flame as he was burning. A little before his burning, his pardon was brought, if he would have recanted; but he utterly refused it. He was the first martyr of all the blessed company that suffered in Queen Mary's time that gave the first adventure upon the fire. His wife and children, being eleven in number, ten able to go, and one sucking at her breast, met him by the way, as he went towards Smithfield. TGhis sorrowful sight of his own flesh and blood could nothing move him, but that he constantly and cheerfully took his death with wonderful patience, in the defence and quarrel of the Gospel of Christ." Excerpt from Fox's Book of Martyrs ]]> http://www.newreformationministries.org/2010/01/john-rogers-the-first-marian-martyr.php http://www.newreformationministries.org/2010/01/john-rogers-the-first-marian-martyr.php News & Updates Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:37:13 -0600 John Calvin A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine and Doxology - Chapter Excerpt.pdf]]> http://www.newreformationministries.org/2010/01/john-calvin-a-heart-for-devotion-doctrin.php http://www.newreformationministries.org/2010/01/john-calvin-a-heart-for-devotion-doctrin.php Biography Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:03:14 -0600 The Expository Genius of John Calvin - Chapter Excerpt.pdf]]> http://www.newreformationministries.org/2010/01/the-expository-genius-of-john-calvin-cha.php http://www.newreformationministries.org/2010/01/the-expository-genius-of-john-calvin-cha.php Biography Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:02:22 -0600 The Expository Genius of John Calvin - Chapter Excerpt.pdf]]> http://www.newreformationministries.org/2010/01/the-unwavering-resolve-of-jonathan-edwar.php http://www.newreformationministries.org/2010/01/the-unwavering-resolve-of-jonathan-edwar.php Articles Biography Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:47:04 -0600 Foundations of Grace - Chapter Excerpt.pdf ]]> http://www.newreformationministries.org/2010/01/foundations-of-grace-chapter-excerpt.php http://www.newreformationministries.org/2010/01/foundations-of-grace-chapter-excerpt.php Christian Living Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:43:49 -0600 Every season of reformation and every hour of spiritual awakening has been ushered in by a recovery of biblical preaching. This cause and effect is timeless and inseparable. J.H. Merle D'Aubigné, noted Reformation historian, writes, "The only true reformation is that which emanates from the Word of God." That is to say, as the pulpit goes, so goes the church. Such was the case in the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century. Martin Luther, John Calvin, and other reformers were raised up by God to lead this era. At the forefront, it was their recovery of expository preaching that helped launch this religious movement that turned Europe and, eventually, Western civilization upside down. With sola Scriptura as their battle cry, a new generation of biblical preachers restored the pulpit to its former glory and revived apostolic Christianity. The same was true in the golden era of the puritans in the seventeenth century. A recovery of biblical preaching spread like wildfire through the dry religion of Scotland and England. A resurgence of authentic Christianity came as an army of biblical expositors -- John Owen, Jeremiah Burroughs, Samuel Rutherford, and others -- marched upon the British Empire with an open Bible and uplifted voice. In its wake, the monarchy was shaken and history was altered. The eighteenth century witnessed exactly the same. The Bible-saturated preaching of Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, and the Tennents thundered through the early colonies. The Atlantic seaboard was electrified with the proclamation of the gospel, and New England was taken by storm. The Word was preached, souls were saved, and the kingdom expanded. The fact is, the restoration of biblical preaching has always been the leading factor in any revival of genuine Christianity. Philip Schaff writes, "Every true progress in church history is conditioned by a new and deeper study of the Scriptures." That is to say, every great revival in the church has been ushered in by a return to expository preaching. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, preacher of Westminster Chapel London, stated, "The most urgent need in the Christian Church today is true preaching; and as it is the greatest and the most urgent need in the Church, it is the greatest need of the world also." If the doctor's diagnosis is correct, and this writer believes it is, then a return to true preaching -- biblical preaching, expository preaching -- is the greatest need in this critical hour. If a reformation is to come to the church, it must begin in the pulpit. In his day, the prophet Amos warned of an approaching famine, a deadly drought that would cover the land. But not an absence of mere food or water, for this scarcity would be far more fatal. It would be a famine for hearing God's Word (Amos 8:11). Surely, the church today finds itself in such similar days of shortage. Tragically, exposition is being replaced with entertainment, doctrine with drama, theology with theatrics, and preaching with performances. What is so desperately needed today is for pastors to return to their highest calling -- the divine summons to "preach the word" (2 Tim. 4:1-2). What is expository preaching? The Genevan reformer John Calvin explained, "Preaching is the public exposition of Scripture by the man sent from God, in which God Himself is present in judgment and in grace." In other words, God is unusually present, by His Spirit, in the preaching of His Word. Such preaching starts in a biblical text, stays in it, and shows its God-intended meaning in a life-changing fashion. This was the final charge of Paul to young Timothy: "Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching" (2 Tim. 4:2). Such preaching necessitates declaring the full counsel of God in Scripture. The entire written Word must be expounded. No truth should be left untaught, no sin unexposed, no grace unoffered, no promise undelivered. A heaven-sent revival will only come when Scripture is enthroned once again in the pulpit. There must be the clarion declaration of the Bible, the kind of preaching that gives a clear explanation of a biblical text with compelling application, exhortation, and appeal. Every preacher must confine himself to the truths of Scripture. When the Bible speaks, God speaks. The man of God has nothing to say apart from the Bible. He must not parade his personal opinions in the pulpit. Nor may he expound worldly philosophies. The preacher is limited to one task -- preach the Word. Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, "I would rather speak five words out of this book than 50,000 words of the philosophers. If we want revivals, we must revive our reverence for the Word of God. If we want conversions, we must put more of God's Word into our sermons." This remains the crying need of the hour. May a new generation of strong men step forward and speak up, and may they do so loud and clear. As the pulpit goes, so goes the church. By Steve Lawson © Tabletalk magazine http://www.newreformationministries.org/2010/01/preach-the-word.php http://www.newreformationministries.org/2010/01/preach-the-word.php Articles Church & Ministry News & Updates Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:10:48 -0600 Appalachia Conference on Theology and the Church ~ The Supremacy of Christ ~ Dr. Steven Lawson - Guest Speaker January 22-23, 2010 Charleston Baptist Temple 209 Morris Street Charleston, WV 25301 Cost: FREE! More details and registration at http://randolphonline.org/ministries/conference/ or (304)342-3257. "The Supremacy of Christ" is the theme for this inaugural conference. Our guest speaker is Dr. Steve Lawson of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, AL. The goal of this conference is to exalt the truth of Christ's supremacy over all things. Our desire, along with many others, is to immerse this region with the glory of our Savior and the beauty of the gospel. For this reason, the Appalachia Conference on Theology and the Church exists. There is no charge for the conference, but please visit our website and pre-register. A light lunch will be provided on January 23rd to all attendees. The Cumberland Valley Bible Book Service will be providing a large selection of Christian books and Bibles available at discount prices. The resources they offer are radically God-centered and helpful to the soul. As a special gift for early conference registration (by January 9th), you will receive a $5 coupon for the bookstore. So, not only can you come to the conference free of charge, but you can also receive a discount at the bookstore! We look forward to seeing you January 22nd and 23rd. http://www.newreformationministries.org/2010/01/appalachia-conference-on-theology-and-th.php http://www.newreformationministries.org/2010/01/appalachia-conference-on-theology-and-th.php News & Updates Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:01:18 -0600 Amid the swirling controversies of the ninth century, there was raised a strong voice for sovereign grace belonging to an unknown German monk named Gottschalk of Orbais (ca. 804-869). Like Augustine before him and Luther and Calvin after him, Gottschalk possessed an overriding sense of the sovereignty of God in salvation, and he brought it to bear upon his turbulent generation. It was in this dark hour of history that this medieval theologian stood in the gap to uphold the banner of the doctrines of grace. Born at Mentz in modern Germany, Gottschalk was the son of a respected nobleman, Count Berno of Saxony. At the insistence of his father, he conceded to take a lifelong monastic vow while still a young boy. But upon reaching the age of maturity, Gottschalk sought to be released from this commitment and leave the monastery. The church, however, would not release him, beginning a long-standing rivalry between the two. As a concession, Gottschalk was allowed to move to the monastery at Orbais, in northeast France, where something unexpected occurred. Gottschalk became an avid reader of Augustine (354-430), the most dominant teacher of the early Western church. With the bishop of Hippo as his theological mentor, Gottschalk clearly saw the biblical truths of inseparable relationships between human depravity, unconditional election, and monergistic regeneration. Immediately, these grand truths struck his soul like a lightning bolt, igniting his heart with a burning passion for God. Far from being a mere intellectual pursuit, these God-exalting doctrines transformed his life, infusing him with holy zeal. Gottschalk began to travel extensively, preaching these truths wherever he went. Soon other monks were convinced to embrace them. The doctrines of sovereign grace now had a new champion. He undertook a pilgrimage to Rome and spread Augustinian teaching throughout Italy, the Balkans, and Bulgaria -- but not without conflict. Summoned to appear before the Synod of Mainz (848), Gottschalk was to give an account of his bold teaching on the doctrines of grace. Before the king and church officials, he confessed his unwavering belief in the sovereignty of God in salvation. He stated his doctrine was true to the Scriptures and consistent with Augustine. But the synod decided against Gottschalk and delivered him into the custody of the most powerful bishop in France, the archbishop of Reims, a man named Hincmar (ca. 806-882). Hincmar ordered Gottschalk to appear before the Synod of Chiersy (849) where he was charged with heresy. Specifically, he was accused of gemina pradestinatio -- double predestination -- a step in which he went even further than his teacher Augustine. Not only did God eternally predestine His elect to eternal life, Gottschalk maintained that He also foreordained all reprobates to eternal death. When Gottschalk refused to recant, the synod charged him a heretic and flogged him within an inch of his life. His books were publicly burned and he was imprisoned at Hautvilliers. Prominent church leaders were outraged at this unjust treatment. Had not Gottschalk merely taught the same essential theology as Augustine? Several men stepped forward to lend their support, including such notables as Remigius, the archbishop of Lyon (d. 875), Florus of Lyon (d. 860), Prudentius of Troyes (d. 861), and Ratramnus of Corbie. These men asserted that Gottschalk was not alone in believing the God-exalting truths of sovereign grace. They stood with him, though Florus counseled him to preach the gospel to the lost, not election. With such respected churchmen taking this strong stand, the controversy boiled to a fever pitch. At the insistence of the king of Francia, the Synod of Chiersy (849) was convened to sort out this theological dilemma. Tragically, this ill-led session adopted a semi-Pelagian position, and Gottschalk remained imprisoned for the next two decades. Even in a time when it was unpopular to do so, Gottschalk held fast to the doctrines of grace. The center of gravity of his thinking was his fundamental belief in the supreme authority of God to govern every area of creation and life, including salvation. From this high ground he would not be budged. The following represents his teaching: Total depravity Like Augustine before him, Gottschalk was persuaded that all humanity was in Adam, and when the first man sinned, mankind fell with him into death. In his sinful state, man, he believed, inherits a "total depravity of will and mind... [and is] incapable of willing good unless efficaciously enabled by divine grace. He is able only to sin, not to do good." Gottschalk added: "After the first man fell by free will, none of us is able to use free will to do good, but only to do evil." That is, man's will is free, but it has no desire to do good because it is corrupted by sin. Sovereign election Gottschalk further affirmed the doctrine of unconditional election. Gottschalk believed that God has "elected a world from out of the world." He wrote: "Before all worlds and before whatever God did from the beginning, He foreordained to the Kingdom whom He willed." God cannot and will not alter His saving decree: "God the immutable, immutably predestined before the foundation of the world all His elect by His free grace to eternal life." Definite atonement But, unlike Augustine, Gottschalk taught a specific death by Christ for the elect: "Our God and master Jesus Christ [was] crucified only for the elect." It has been said that Gottschalk provided the first clear articulation and defense of a particular redemption in church history. Although men previous to him had made strong statements about the basic aspects of this doctrine, Gottschalk first demonstrated the strong relationship between predestination and the extent of the atonement. Gottschalk wrote, "Christ died only for the elect," asserting that Christ died exclusively and triumphantly for the sins of His people. Irresistible calling Gottschalk was convinced that the new birth is all of God. The Holy Spirit must draw the sinner to faith in Christ. He wrote: "We run in a way that befits our salvation when we are drawn by God." He believed that the Holy Spirit brings life to spiritually dead sinners, grants saving faith to the elect, and that He recreates elect souls. In a hymn, Gottschalk wrote, "O Holy Spirit, You bring instant life to those You breathe into.... Together with the Father and the Son, You recreate Your elect souls, And when they are recreated, You also glorify them." Preserving grace Gottschalk held that all those whom God elects are eternally secure, never losing their salvation: "Those who have been foreordained to the Kingdom cannot perish." In this teaching, Gottschalk was consistent with Augustine. But where Gottschalk most notably went beyond his mentor Augustine was in the doctrine of reprobation. While Augustine held to single predestination, that God chooses His elect and merely passes over the non-elect, Gottschalk explicitly taught that "predestination is double, whether of the elect to peace, or the reprobate to death." That is, God foreordains the non-elect to reprobation, not as a just condemnation but because God willed to do so. He believed that the damning decree lies in God: "The precise number of the non-elect is specified by an eternal decree of God, a predestination to death, which runs parallel to the decree of election to life." Gottschalk advanced an infralapsarian position, arguing that God's decree to elect came after His decree to permit the fall, rather than before (supralapsarianism). That is, mankind's evil at the fall was the reason for reprobation: "God Himself by His righteous judgment immutably predestined to everlasting death all the reprobate, who on the day of judgment will be condemned on account of their own evil deserts." In other words, God predestined some to reprobation because He knew them to be sinners. But it should be clarified that Gottschalk did not believe that God predestined anyone to sin. All transgression is the sole responsibility of man, not God. According to Gottschalk, reprobation was not a specific decree, as in supralapsarianism, but a subject of foreknowledge. In his own words, Gottschalk asserted: "I believe and confess that God foreknew and foreordained the holy angels and elect men to unmerited eternal life, but that He equally foreordained the devil with his host and with all reprobate men, on account of their foreseen future evil deeds, by a just judgment, to merited eternal death." Gottschalk died on October 30, 869, having spent the last twenty years of his life in prison, suffering "murderous scourgings." Sadly, he is said to have gone mad shortly before his death. Viewed with contempt by the religious establishment, Gottschalk was denied a Christian burial and was laid to rest in unconsecrated soil. To the end, Gottschalk maintained a deep conviction as to God's sovereignty. The truths of sovereign grace were both the cause of his suffering and his comfort in suffering. Many joined with Gottschalk in testifying to those truths, but he alone was persecuted as a heretical teacher, as the opposition felt he alone was dangerous to their church system. But though his enemies assailed him, Gottschalk has been vindicated by champions of the faith as a martyr to the truth. Let us pray that God will bring about a resurgence of such God-centered doctrine in His church again. This remains the need of the hour. By Steve Lawson © Tabletalk magazine http://www.newreformationministries.org/2009/12/gottschalk.php http://www.newreformationministries.org/2009/12/gottschalk.php Articles Biography Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:59:57 -0600 All things are for the glory of God! This driving passion was the very heartbeat of the Lord Jesus Christ, the highest aim He sought, the loftiest goal He pursued. All things in life and ministry, He taught, are to be solely for the glory of God. Nowhere is this God-centered focus more clearly evidenced than in what Christ taught regarding prayer. To this end, all intercession before the throne of God must begin and end with resounding praise to Him. The Alpha and Omega of prayer must be for the glory of God. Unfortunately, prayer today has often devolved into a self-centered pursuit that is fueled by the fulfilling of one's indulgences. This "prosperity gospel" has denigrated prayer into nothing more than a "name it and claim it" shopping excursion. In this abuse of privileged access, God's glory is all too forgotten. But as Jesus Christ taught His disciples, the primary focus of prayer is for one to be riveted upon the supreme glory of God. As our Lord gave instruction regarding how to pray, He was unequivocal in teaching us to ascribe all glory to God. Everything must yield to the glory of God! In Matthew 6:13, Jesus stated our prayers should conclude: "For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen" (nkjv). The above is quoted in the New King James Version, a translation based upon the Textus Receptus. In this passage, we encounter a textual problem, one that has been debated throughout the centuries. As such, many translations handle this portion of Scripture in varying ways. For example, the New American Standard Bible places these words in brackets. The English Standard Version and New International Version omit this part of the verse altogether. For our purposes, however, we will consider these concluding words to the Lord's Prayer as a part of the biblical text. This climactic doxology begins with a passionate declaration of God's sovereignty. When a believer prays, Jesus said, he should conclude by affirming, "For Yours is the kingdom." This robust pronouncement asserts that God both possesses and presides over His vast kingdom. He is the sovereign king, who exercises supreme authority and unrestricted dominion over an immense empire. Certainly, this reign includes both the realm of providence and the sphere of salvation. He commands all the affairs of mankind, even the intricate inner workings of the entire universe. From His throne above, God "works all things according to the counsel of his will" (Eph. 1:11). Further, Jesus taught His disciples that when they pray, they should declare that "the power" belongs to God. The definite article defines the infinite scope of His sovereignty. He possesses not a mere portion of some power, but the power. That is to say, He has all power in heaven and earth. All that God's supreme will chooses to do, He has the omnipotence to execute it fully. Nothing can hinder the free exercise of His sovereign pleasure. What is more, every prayer should climax with a vibrant declaration of God's glory. Jesus said that our prayers should crescendo with this announcement that all glory belongs to God. Because the kingdom and the power belong to God, all glory rightfully belongs to Him. The Bible speaks of God's glory in two ways. His intrinsic glory is the revelation of all that God is. It is the sum total of all His divine perfections and holy attributes. There is nothing that man can do to add to the intrinsic glory of God. He is who He is. Additionally, there is God's ascribed glory, which is the glory that is given to Him. This is the praise and honor due His name. Such glory is to be ascribed to Him alone. Here, at the end of the Lord's Prayer, we find Christ referencing ascribed glory. In direct response to His vast sovereignty and unlimited power, all glory must be rendered to Him. In essence, such a high theology produces a high doxology. It is only fitting that this God, who is so awesome, be adorned in prayer. Fervent praise, Jesus said, should come to God "forever." Because His kingdom and power is without end, so must our praise be without ceasing. Every moment of life must be filled with praise, both now and throughout all eternity. Finally, Jesus taught His disciples to conclude their prayers with the sure attestation, "Amen." This familiar word comes from a Hebrew root meaning to be firm and secure. "Amen" eventually came to mean: "It is immovably true." Likewise, this should be our concluding response to God in prayer. Amen to all that we know to be true about God. Amen to His eternal kingdom. Amen to His sovereign will. Amen to His daily bread. Amen to His pardoning grace. Amen to His delivering power. All prayer should build and rise to this lofty summit. We should conclude by fervently affirming that the kingdom, the power, and the glory belong exclusively to Him forever. Our only response must resoundingly be -- amen! By Steve Lawson © Tabletalk magazine http://www.newreformationministries.org/2009/12/for-thine-is-the-kingdom.php http://www.newreformationministries.org/2009/12/for-thine-is-the-kingdom.php Articles Christian Living Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:54:12 -0600 Lecture 1, Introduction : This Lecture is from the Teaching Series What Is Reformed Theology?. About the Teaching Series, What Is Reformed Theology? There is something healthy about returning to one's roots. When it comes to evangelical Christianity, its roots are found in the soil of the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation. Just as the Reformers protested the corrupt teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, so today evangelicalism itself is in need of a modern reformation. In What Is Reformed Theology?, Dr. R.C. Sproul offers a comprehensive introduction to Reformed theology. Simply put, it is the theology of the Protestant Reformers and the heart of historical evangelicalism. As C.H. Spurgeon once said, Reformed theology is nothing other than biblical Christianity. www.ligonier.org/learn/series/what_is_reformed_theology/introduction/ http://www.newreformationministries.org/2009/12/what-is-reformed-theology.php http://www.newreformationministries.org/2009/12/what-is-reformed-theology.php News & Updates Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:47:25 -0600 The 2010 Expositors' Conference will take place on September 27th-28th at Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, AL. Featured speakers will be R. C. Sproul and Steve Lawson. Register at: www.christfellowship.cc http://www.newreformationministries.org/2009/11/2010-expositors-conference-the-glory-of.php http://www.newreformationministries.org/2009/11/2010-expositors-conference-the-glory-of.php News & Updates Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:55:17 -0600 No doctrine is more despised by the natural mind than the truth that God is absolutely sovereign. Human pride loathes the suggestion that God orders everything, controls everything, rules over everything. T he carnal mind, burning with enmity against God, abhors the biblical teaching that nothing comes to pass except according to His eternal decrees. Most of all, the flesh hates the notion that salvation is entirely God's work. If God chose who would be saved, and if His choice was settled before the foundation of the world, then believers deserve no credit for their salvation. But that is, after all, precisely what Scripture teaches. Even faith is God's gracious gift to His elect. Jesus said, "No one can come to Me, unless it has been granted him from the Father" (John 6:65). "Nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him" (Matt. 11:27). Therefore no one who is saved has anything to boast about (cf Eph. 2:8, 9). "Salvation is from the Lord" (Jonah 2:9). The doctrine of divine election is explicitly taught throughout Scripture. For example, in the New Testament epistles alone, we learn that all believers are "chosen of God" (Titus 1:1). We were "predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will" (Eph. 1:11, emphasis added). "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world . . . He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will" (vv. 4, 5). We "are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son . . . and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified" (Rom. 8:28-30). When Peter wrote that we are "chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father" (1 Peter 1:1, 2), he was not using the word "foreknowledge" to mean that God was aware beforehand who would believe and therefore chose them because of their foreseen faith. Rather, Peter meant that God determined before time began to know and love and save them; and He chose them without regard to anything good or bad they might do. We'll return to this point again, but for now, note that those verses explicitly state that God's sovereign choice is made "according to the kind intention of His will" and "according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will"--that is, not for any reason external to Himself. Certainly He did not choose certain sinners to be saved because of something praiseworthy in them, or because He foresaw that they would choose Him. He chose them solely because it pleased Him to do so. God declares "the end from the beginning . . . saying, 'My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure'" (Isa. 46:10). He is not subject to others' decisions. His purposes for choosing some and rejecting others are hidden in the secret counsels of His own will. Moreover, everything that exists in the universe exists because God allowed it, decreed it, and called it into existence. "Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases" (Ps. 115:3). "Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps" (Ps. 135:6). He "works all things after the counsel of His will" (Eph. 1:11). "From Him and through Him and to Him are all things" (Rom. 11:36). "For us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him" (1 Cor. 8:6). What about sin? God is not the author of sin, but He certainly allowed it; it is integral to His eternal decree. God has a purpose for allowing it. He cannot be blamed for evil or tainted by its existence (1 Sam. 2:2: "There is no one holy like the Lord"). But He certainly wasn't caught off-guard or standing helpless to stop it when sin entered the universe. We do not know His purposes for allowing sin. If nothing else, He permitted it in order to destroy evil forever. And God sometimes uses evil to accomplish good (Gen. 45:7, 8; 50:20; Rom. 8:28). How can these things be? Scripture does not answer all the questions for us. But we know from His Word that God is utterly sovereign, He is perfectly holy, and He is absolutely just. Admittedly, those truths are hard for the human mind to embrace, but Scripture is unequivocal. God controls all things, right down to choosing who will be saved. Paul states the doctrine in inescapable terms in the ninth chapter of Romans, by showing that God chose Jacob and rejected his twin brother Esau "though the twins were not yet born, and had not done anything good or bad, in order that God's purpose according to His choice might stand, not because of works, but because of Him who calls" (v. 11). A few verses later, Paul adds this: "He says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.' So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy" (vv. 15, 16). Paul anticipated the argument against divine sovereignty: "You will say to me then, 'Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?'" (v. 19). In other words, doesn't God's sovereignty cancel out human responsibility? But rather than offering a philosophical answer or a deep metaphysical argument, Paul simply reprimanded the skeptic: "On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, 'Why did you make me like this,' will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use, and another for common use?" (vv. 20, 21). Scripture affirms both divine sovereignty and human responsibility. We must accept both sides of the truth, though we may not understand how they correspond to one another. People are responsible for what they do with the gospel--or with whatever light they have (Rom. 2:19, 20), so that punishment is just if they reject the light. And those who reject do so voluntarily. Jesus lamented, "You are unwilling to come to Me, that you may have life" (John 5:40). He told unbelievers, "Unless you believe that I am [God], you shall die in your sins" (John 8:24). In John chapter 6, our Lord combined both divine sovereignty and human responsibility when He said, "All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out" (v. 37); "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him, may have eternal life" (v. 40); "No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him" (v. 44); "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life" (v. 47); and, "No one can come to Me, unless it has been granted him from the Father" (v. 65). How both of those two realities can be true simultaneously cannot be understood by the human mind--only by God. Above all, we must not conclude that God is unjust because He chooses to bestow grace on some but not to everyone. God is never to be measured by what seems fair to human judgment. Are we so foolish as to assume that we who are fallen, sinful creatures have a higher standard of what is right than an unfallen and infinitely, eternally holy God? What kind of pride is that? In Psalm 50:21 God says, "You thought that I was just like you." But God is not like us, nor can He be held to human standards. "'My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,' declares the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts'" (Isa. 55:8, 9). We step out of bounds when we conclude that anything God does isn't fair. In Romans 11:33 the apostle writes, "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?" (Rom. 11:33, 34). By John MacArthur. Resource can be found at www.gty.org http://www.newreformationministries.org/2009/10/gods-absolute-sovereignty.php http://www.newreformationministries.org/2009/10/gods-absolute-sovereignty.php News & Updates Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:01:00 -0600 Nehemiah is often regarded as an ideal role model for spiritual leadership--and he certainly is that. He had all the strengths of good leadership: he was decisive, well-organized, a wise overseer of other people, a good administrator, and a skilled project manager who knew how to get things done. He likewise had all the biblical qualifications for spiritual leadership: godly character, a consistent testimony, a burning zeal for the Lord, a desire to serve, and a commitment to honor God in all that he did. Above all, his prayer life was exemplary. (Perhaps more than any other single character in the OT, Nehemiah teaches us what a vibrant prayer life ought to be like.) Nehemiah also had all the masculine traits Scripture associates with men who are called to be shepherds and overseers among the people of God. He was passionate but not driven by his emotions; he was a hard-working man himself, but he also understood the importance of delegating tasks; and he loved people, but never compromised on matters of principle. What's often missed about Nehemiah is that he is primarily a model for lay leadership. Some of the key lessons of his life and work are as immediately applicable to laymen as they are to pastors and teachers in the church. Nehemiah himself was not a priest, a scribe, an expert in the law, a theologian, or a teacher. As far as we can tell from Scripture, when Nehemiah began his ministry in Jerusalem, he had never been a leader of any kind. He apparently had no special training to do what he ultimately did. He was simply a model of hard work, practical ministry, and principled living. He is the epitome of what every lay person in the church should aspire to be. And his leadership shows us what all spiritual leadership should be like. When we meet Nehemiah on the pages of Scripture, he was a servant in the king's palace in Shushan, in Persia--far from his homeland, which he had never even seen. As servants go, he was an important one. But this special status among servants certainly gave him no particular renown in Jerusalem. He was still a servant, not anyone's boss. In fact, as far as the people of God in Jerusalem were concerned, Nehemiah was an outsider and a latecomer with direct ties to the ruling echelon of their former captors. That probably even made him somewhat suspect at first. So he labored among them as a layman and a fellow-worker. And he earned their respect as a leader solely by serving them, and by being a flesh-and-blood example of what all the people of Israel ought to be. So, as it turned out, his work as a servant was his training for his life's work. After all, servitude is the best kind of training for spiritual leadership, because a servant is exactly what Jesus said every true leader ought to be (Mark 10:44). Nehemiah is thus a reminder to us of how God uses the weak things of the world to accomplish His work (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). Next time you read Nehemiah, bear that in mind: this book is full of rich lessons for lay people who want their lives to count for the Lord. As someone who has technically been a layman for most of my ministry, I love this aspect of Nehemiah's life-message. He teaches us that whoever we are, whatever our background or training, and whatever our position in life--God has gifted us and called us to use our gifts as servants. If we're willing to serve, He can use us in a mighty way. © 2008 by Phil Johnson Executive Director Grace to You Resource can be found at www.gty.org http://www.newreformationministries.org/2009/10/a-biblical-model-of-lay-ministry.php http://www.newreformationministries.org/2009/10/a-biblical-model-of-lay-ministry.php News & Updates Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:51:01 -0600