The Pleasantness Of A Religious Life, Matthew Henry
Mr Henry sets himself the task of persuading his readers of the pleasantness of sincere and serious godliness. Armed with a mammoth arsenal of scripture, and displaying his usual skill in deploying the weaponry of the Word, he triumphs in his task.

The Cross He Bore, Meditations On The Sufferings Of The Redeemer, Frederick S. Leahy.
Marvellous little book full of precious thoughts on this most hallowed of subjects.

How To Study The Bible For Greatest Profit, R.A. Torrey
Looking to study the Bible, but don’t know where to start? This book will help you. Various methods outlined and an abundance of sound advice. This slender volume more than repays its weight in gold.

John wrote “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, recieve him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.”

John Gill the famous Baptist theologian and commentator explains :

I was relieved to see McDonald withdraw from The Gospel Coalition. Whether he quit or was “fired” is unclear. Probably a bit of each. But “unclear” is the perfect word to describe the official TGC statements on the matter, crafted by D. A. Carson and Tim Keller. Both from a couple of months ago and this statement from last week work so hard at being gracious to ER participants that they leave readers like me wondering where TGC really stands. Did they draw a line in the sand? Did McDonald? What if he hadn’t resigned? Does TGC think his inclusion of Jakes was biblically wrong, or just a differing opinion? Was there any censure, or just an amicable exit? And what about the other TGC Council Members (Mark Driscoll and Crawford Loritts) who participated in ER2?  Back-room solutions to front-page problems are insufficient.

For more click this link.

I now pass to another and more dangerous form of this false peace. I may have missed some of you, probably; I shall come closer home to you now. Alas, alas, let us weep and weep again, for there is a plague among us. There are members of our churches who are saying, “Peace, peace, when there is no peace.” It is the part of candour to admit that with all the exercise of judgment, and the most rigorous discipline, we cannot keep our churches free from hypocrisy. I have had to hear, to the very breaking of my heart, stories of men and women who have believed the doctrines of election, and other truths of the gospel, and have made them a sort of cover for the most frightful iniquity. I could, without uncharitableness, point to churches that are hot-beds of hypocrisy, because men are taught  that it is the belief of a certain set of sentiments that will save them, and not warned that this is all in vain without a real living faith in Christ. The preacher does as good as say, if not in so many words: “If you are orthodox, if you believe what I tell you, you are saved; if you for a moment turn aside from that line which I have chalked out for you, I cannot be accountable for you; but if you will give me your whole heart, and believe precisely what I say, whether it is Scripture or not; then you are a saved man.” And we know persons of that cast, who can have their shop  open on a Sunday, and then go to enjoy what they call a savoury sermon in the evening; men who mix up with drunkards, and yet say they are God’s elect; men who live as others live, and yet they come before you, and with brazen impudence, tell you that they are redeemed by the blood of Christ. It is true they have had a deep experience, as they say. God save us from such a muddy experience as that! They have had, they say, a great manifestation of the depravity of their hearts, but still they are the precious children of God. Precious, indeed! Dear at any price that any man should give for them. If they be precious to anybody, I am sure I wish they were taken to their own place, for they are not precious to any one here below, and they are not of the slightest use to either religion or morality. Oh! I do not know of a more thoroughly damnable delusion than for a man to get a conceit into his head, that he is a child of God, and yet live in sin — to talk to you about grace, while he is living in sovereign lust — to stand up and make himself the arbiter of what is truth, while he himself contemns the precept of God, and tramples the commandment under foot. Hard as Paul was on such man in his time — when he said their damnation is just — he spoke a most righteous sentence. Surely, the devil gloats over men of this kind. A Calvinist I am, but John Calvin never taught immoral doctrine. A more consistent expositor of Scripture than that great reformer I believe never lived, but his doctrine is not the Hyper-calvinism of these modern times, but is as diametrically opposed to it as light to darkness. There is not a word in any one of his writings that would justify any man in going on in iniquity that grace might abound. If you do not hate sin, it is all the same what doctrine you may believe. You may go to perdition as rapidly with High-Calvinistic doctrine as with any other. You are just as surely destroyed in an orthodox as in a heterodox church unless your life manifests that you have been “begotten again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

 The Gospel Coalition’s response to MacDonald’s resignation is par for the course for an organization that, frankly, values unity above the means to achieve unity (which is: sharpening each other with the truth).  The dodge that they are a “center-bounded” organization also needs to be checked for its shelf-life date as this kerfuffle demonstrates exactly what it means to be “center-bounded” — you can hang out with us as long as you don’t embarrass us, and when you do embarrass us, you just have to excuse yourself and we’ll smile and wave.  If what happened yesterday was that Bishop Jakes exonerated himself from the charges of, as they say, bloggers, then credible people should embrace his clarifications (they certainly weren’t any kind of recanting), and we happen to know of a group who are qualified to do just that.  If Jakes’ chat with Mark Driscoll does not finally clear things up, then what’s the best way for the council of TGC to handle Mark Driscoll’s (non-resigned council member) endorsement of Jakes’ orthodoxy?

Click on this link for the whole article.

Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested

Francis Bacon, 1561-1626

Here are my brief thoughts on some books I read this week.

Soul Depths And Soul Heights, Sermons on Psalm 130, Octavius Winslow 
Spurgeon said of these ‘very sweet sermons upon the various verses of the psalm . . . will be read to edification by many believers’. Who am I to disagree, except to say, the sweetness is a little to often drawn from without the text than from within.

The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards, Steven J. Lawson 
An immensely readable account of Edwards’ heroic battle to become the most complete Christian of his generation. Inspiring.

The Supremacy of God in Preaching, John Piper 
Consists of two lengthy addresses Dr. Piper gave in the 1980′s. There are good things in both lectures but the second, ‘Sweet Sovereignty : The Supremacy of God in the Preaching of Jonathan Edwards’ is the standout.

The Expository Genius of John Calvin, Steven J. Lawson 
Joel R. Beeke said of this book ‘Through an introductory study of John Calvin’s preaching, Steven Lawson provides a practical Homiletics 1 refresher course that can be read in one evening but should be read annually for lifelong impact. Factual, yet stimulating, simple yet penetrating’. Agreed.

The event is enthusiastically celebrated by Aussies across the country with various events, festivals and ceremonies marking the occasion. For example, here in Port Lincoln, there is a morning breakfast put on at the town’s foreshore, with a plate of cooked sausages, bacon & eggs available for the cost of a gold coin donation ($1). Needless to say the organizers never have a problem attracting a crowd to this event. In addition to the official events, ordinary Australian families and their friends meet to celebrate the event usually with a barbeque, or by simply going to the beach for a fun day out (with January being the middle of summer here, the weather is normally fantastic). For an Irishman, who comes from a place where national loyalties are sharply divided, such an outbreak of shared national patriotism is very refreshing.

As well as the various social events, Australia day is also the date on which the various citizenship ceremonies take place. This year around 13,000 people from 144 countries will become Australian citizens. That this is counted as important, is illustrated by the fact that at the Canberra ceremony, no less a figure than the Prime Minister herself will be present to congratulate the new Australian citizens. I wish those folks well, and trust God will bless them with knowledge of Himself, as they make a  life for themselves in this great continent.

But having said that, as I listened to this news on the radio, it occurred to me there will be a number of Australians this year, who away from the glare of the television cameras, unnoticed by the media, and disregarded by the politicians, will take out heavenly citizenship. No ceremony on earth will mark that event, although in another place I believe it will be celebrated with  great rejoicing. Friends and family may not understand it and be less than inclined to account an occasion for joy, but another friend and elder brother will more than make up for that indifference. And while Sunday is just another day in the secular calendar, God’s people will celebrate Sabbath by Sabbath the expansion of this heavenly kingdom.

Perhaps Matthew Henry, the famed commentator, can help us. In the  excerpt below, taken from his work The Pleasantness Of A Religious Life, Henry invites his reader to “see the pleasure of religion in twelve instances of it”

First, To be religious, is to’ know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent,’ John xvii. 3. And is not that pleasant?

Secondly, To be religious, is to return to God, and repose in Him as the rest of our souls; and is not that pleasant?

Thirdly, To be religious, is to come to God as a Father, in and by Jesus Christ as our Mediator. And is not this pleasant?

Fourthly, To be religious, is to enjoy God in all our creature comforts; and is not that pleasant?

Fifthly, To be religious, is to cast all our cares upon God, and to commit all our ways and works to him, with an assurance that he will care for us. And is not this pleasant?

Sixthly, To be religious, is to ‘rejoice in the Lord always,’ Phil.iii.1. and iv.4. And is not that pleasant?

Seventhly, To be religious, is to make a business of praising God : and is not that pleasant?

Eighthly, To be religious, is to have all our inordinate appetites corrected and regulated; and is not that pleasant?

Ninthly, To be religious, is to have all our unruly passions likewise governed and subdued : and is not that pleasant?

Tenthly, To be religious, is to dwell in love to all our brethren, and to do all the good we can in this world : and is not that pleasant?

Eleventhly, To be religious, is to live a life of communion with God : and is not that pleasant?

Twelfthly, To be religious, is to keep up a constant believing prospect of the glory to be revealed : It is to set eternal life before us as the mark we aim at, and the prize we run for, and to seek the things that are above’ Col. iii. 1. And is not this pleasant?

Having said all that, and reflecting on central dogmas and leading theological thoughts in various schools of theology I was reminded of a chapter in Joel Beeke’s excellent book Living For God’s Glory : An Introduction to Calvinism. In chapter three, The Marrow of Calvinism, the question is asked, “What is Calvinism All About”. Here is the answer Beeke gives (emphasis mine) :

Thus, if we had to reduce Calvinism to one concept, we might be safest to echo Warfield, who said that to be Reformed means to be theocentric. The primary interest of Reformed theology is the triune God, for the transcendent-immanent, fatherly God in Jesus Christ is God himself. Calvinists are people whose theology is dominated by the idea of God. As Mason Pressly says : ” Just as the Methodist places in the foreground the idea of the salvation of sinners; the Baptist, the mystery of regeneration; the Lutheran, justification of faith; the Moravian, the wounds of Christ; the Greek Catholic, the mysticism of the Holy Spirit; and the Romanist, the catholicity of the church, so the Calvinist is alway placing in the foreground the thought of God.”

It seems to me that if we must have a central ruling dogma in our theological thinking (and I’m not at all persuaded of the benefits of such a thing) then theocentrism is one of the better candidates. Unless of course you actually are a Lutheran.

Useful Resources on Jesus + Nothing + Everything

Review By Jared Oliphant

First In A Three Part Review By Professor David Murray this review clearly shows the departure from confessional orthodoxy inherent in Tchividjian’s scheme.

Review by Dr Mark Jones – a devastating critique, setting the book’s errors in their proper historical context.

Audio Discussion of the Doctrine of Sanctification – confessional, biblical, highlighting the serious errors promoted in Jesus + Nothing = Everything.

Audio Discussion of the book with Camden Bucey, Jared Oliphant, & Dr. Mark Jones – very helpful.

Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested

   Francis Bacon, 1561-1626

Here are my brief thoughts on some books that I’ve read recently.

The Consolations of Philosophy, Boethius – Written from his prison cell, while awaiting execution, Boethius discovers that the lady philosophy consoles in so far as she leads him back to God. When he looks up to God, the prison cell is left behind. While I don’t approve of the Roman cult that has grown up around Boethius, I must confess affection for his most famous book.

Joshua, No Falling Words, Dale Ralph Davis – Exegetically sound, theologically correct, warmly and lucidly written. An excellent entry in the Focus on Bible series published by Christian Focus publishers.

The Providence of God, Paul Helm – Heavy introduction to the doctrine of God’s providence. More philosophical than systematically or biblically theological. But useful nonetheless.

Jesus + Nothing = Everything, Tullian Tchividjian – Claims to have found the silver bullet of sanctification. It hasn’t. Avoid and read the Puritans instead.

The Analects, Confucius – I have found that the only use I have for this book is as a book end.