Results 421 - 440 of 6029
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Results from: Notes On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: DocTrinsograce Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
421 | The Tried and Proved Faith of God's Own | 1 Cor 15:54 | DocTrinsograce | 242922 | ||
"Men must interpret to the best of their ability each particular part of Scripture separately, and then combine all that the Scriptures teach upon every subject into a consistent whole, and then adjust their teachings upon different subjects in mutual consistency as parts of a harmonious system. Every student of the Bible must do this, and all make it obvious that they do it by the terms they use in their prayers and religious discourse, whether they admit or deny the propriety of human creeds and confessions. If they refuse the assistance afforded by the statements of doctrine slowly elaborated and defined by the Church, they must make out their own creed by their own unaided wisdom. The real question is not, as often pretended, between the word of God and the creed of man, but between the tried and proved faith of the collective body of God’s people, and the private judgment and the unassisted wisdom of the repudiator of creeds." --Archibald Alexander Hodge (1823-1886) |
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422 | What is a Creed? | Phil 2:15 | DocTrinsograce | 242921 | ||
"There never was a man in the world without a creed. What is a creed? A creed is what you believe. What is a confession? It is a declaration of what you believe. That declaration may be oral or it may be committed to writing, but the creed is there either expressed or implied." --B. H. Carroll (1843-1914) |
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423 | The Christian Worldview | Rom 12:2 | DocTrinsograce | 242920 | ||
"People have presuppositions, and they will live more consistently on the basis of these presuppositions than even they themselves may realize. By presuppositions we mean the basic way an individual looks at life, his basic world-view, the grid through which he sees the world. Presuppositions rest upon that which a person considers to be the truth of what exists. People's presuppositions lay a grid for all they bring forth into the external world. Their presuppositions also provide the basis for their values and therefore the basis for their decisions." --Francis A. Schaeffer, from "How Should We Then Live?" |
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424 | Law and Gospel | Jer 44:10 | DocTrinsograce | 242919 | ||
Dear Ed, A friend of mine made a meme of me after in a sermon I said, "The balm of the gospel can only be applied to someone wounded by the Law." Sound bites are always need qualification. The worst thing you can do is call a Jew lawless. The Rabbis teach that the goyim (nations; i.e., the gentiles) are without Law. Hence, calling a Jew lawless is tantamount to calling him the worst kind of Gentile. Of course, our Lord sunk that whole boat on the Sermon on the Mount! Anyway, your post made me mindful how over the years we've had people come to the forum and ask (if not in these words) "What is the least I must do?" When people are saved, they see the majesty of our God, I've always thought they should be, like the women in Luke 7, ought to be asking, "Lord, how much can I do for you?" I have to admit that in my heart, I have sooner asked the former question rather than the latter. Have you ever read the little novel "In His Steps" by Charles M. Sheldon? It is, of course, fictional, but it speaks to what you've mentioned here about Christ-like living. I also found a great deal of value in "The Practice of the Presence" by a monk known as Brother Lawrence. Neither of these authors would be people with whom I would identify theologically. Nonetheless, their simple words on rightly loving our Saviour have touched me deeply. Thank you for your comments, Ed. In Him, Doc |
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425 | Law and Gospel | Jer 44:10 | DocTrinsograce | 242917 | ||
"The Law is for the proud and the Gospel for the brokenhearted." --Martin Luther (1483-1546) |
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426 | The New Creature's Worship and Knowledge | 1 John 5:2 | DocTrinsograce | 242916 | ||
"To know this God, who both condescends to share all that we are and makes us share in all that He is in Jesus Christ, is to be lifted up in His Spirit to share in God's own self-knowing and self-loving until we are enabled to apprehend Him in some real measure in Himself beyond anything that we are capable of in ourselves. It is to be lifted out of ourselves, as it were, into God, until we know Him and love Him and enjoy Him in His eternal Reality as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in such a way that the Trinity enters into the fundamental fabric of our thinking of Him and constitutes the basic grammar of our worship and knowledge of the One God." --Thomas F. Torrance from his book "The Ground and Grammar of Theology" |
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427 | Grace to Follow the Lord in Missions | Gal 1:16 | DocTrinsograce | 242914 | ||
"If nothing in providence appears to prevent, I must spend my days in a heathen land. I am a creature of God, and He has an undoubted right to do with me, as seems good in His sight... He has my heart in His hands, and when I am called to face danger, to pass through scenes of terror and distress, He can inspire me with fortitude, and enable me to trust in Him. Jesus is faithful; His promises are precious. Were it not for these considerations, I should sink down with despair." --Ann Hasseltine (Fiancée to a Missionary) |
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428 | Continuing in the Word | John 8:31 | DocTrinsograce | 242913 | ||
"But when a Man is renewed by Divine Grace, tho there is no force put upon the Will, yet it is made willing, and acts freely, in the day of God's Power: tho the Work is not perfect in any Faculty in the Regenerate, nor will be in this Life." (sic) --Benjamin Keach (1640-1704) |
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429 | What We Mean by Choice | Col 1:21 | DocTrinsograce | 242912 | ||
Dear Ed, Jonathan Edwards treats of this, as to what feeds the mind, resulting in a choice, of a thing that "seems right." You describe it correctly: that our knowledge (correct or otherwise), our affections (fixed on God or something else), our reason (sound or otherwise), contribute to the choices we make; i.e., the mind in action (the will). Plus there is the world, the flesh, and the devil. There's a synergistic aspect of our faith: We pursue Him (1 Corinthians 9:24-27; 2 Timothy 2:5; Colossians 1:29), because He is the author and finisher of our faith (Psalm 138:8; 1 Corinthians 1:7-8; Philippians 1:6; Hebrews 12:2a). To that end we petition Him daily (Mark 9:24; Luke 17:5) that He would grant grace (power) to persevere. This is also why we examine ourselves (1 Corinthians 11:28; Galatians 6:4) to insure that we are in the faith. The book of Hebrews treats of this thing that could happen, turning away from Christ, back to the old, comfortable, idols.; a loosening of our grip, like the church in Ephesus. Thank you for the anecdotes. I've seen the same sort of things (in churches, in prisons, and in friendships). I still pray for many of these who have slipped away into apostasy. Perhaps they will return to our Lord. In Him, Doc |
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430 | The Good News | Acts 13:32 | DocTrinsograce | 242910 | ||
"There is no greater message to be heard than that which we call the Gospel. But as important as that is, it is often given to massive distortions or over simplifications. People think they're preaching the Gospel to you when they tell you, 'you can have a purpose to your life', or that 'you can have meaning to your life', or that 'you can have a personal relationship with Jesus.' All of those things are true, and they're all important, but they don't get to the heart of the Gospel. "The Gospel is called the 'good news' because it addresses the most serious problem that you and I have as human beings, and that problem is simply this: God is holy and He is just, and I'm not. And at the end of my life, I'm going to stand before a just and holy God, and I'll be judged. And I'll be judged either on the basis of my own righteousness – or lack of it – or the righteousness of another. The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus lived a life of perfect righteousness, of perfect obedience to God, not for His own well being but for His people. He has done for me what I couldn't possibly do for myself. But not only has He lived that life of perfect obedience, He offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice to satisfy the justice and the righteousness of God. "The great misconception in our day is this: that God isn't concerned to protect His own integrity. He's a kind of wishy-washy deity, who just waves a wand of forgiveness over everybody. No. For God to forgive you is a very costly matter. It cost the sacrifice of His own Son. So valuable was that sacrifice that God pronounced it valuable by raising Him from the dead – so that Christ died for us, He was raised for our justification. So the Gospel is something objective. It is the message of who Jesus is and what He did. And it also has a subjective dimension. How are the benefits of Jesus subjectively appropriated to us? How do I get it? The Bible makes it clear that we are justified not by our works, not by our efforts, not by our deeds, but by faith – and by faith alone. The only way you can receive the benefit of Christ's life and death is by putting your trust in Him – and in Him alone. You do that, you're declared just by God, you're adopted into His family, you're forgiven of all of your sins, and you have begun your pilgrimage for eternity." --RC Sproul |
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431 | Praying Rather than Cursing | Ex 22:28 | DocTrinsograce | 242907 | ||
I am grateful to our Lord for the answer to prayer. | ||||||
432 | What We Mean by Choice | Col 1:21 | DocTrinsograce | 242906 | ||
"Your choices as a rational person are always based on various considerations or motives that are before you at the time. Those motives have a certain weight with you, and the motives for and against reading a book, for example, are weighed in the balance of your mind; the motives that outweigh all others are what you, indeed, choose to follow. You, being a rational person, will always choose what seems to you to be the right thing, the wise thing, the most advisable thing to do. If you choose not to do the right thing, the advisable thing, the thing that you are inclined to do, you would, of course, be insane. You would be choosing something that you did not choose. You would find something preferable that you did not prefer. But you, being a rational and sane person choose something because it seems to you the right, proper, good, advantageous thing to do." --John Gerstner (1914-1996) speaking on Jonathan Edward's seminal work, "The Freedom of the Will" |
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433 | Praying Rather than Cursing | Ex 22:28 | DocTrinsograce | 242901 | ||
Hi, Ed... Actually repair means to put it back in functioning order. You see, our first parents, "...being the root, and by God's appointment, standing in the room and stead of all mankind, the guilt of the sin was imputed, and corrupted nature conveyed, to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation, being now conceived in sin, and by nature children of wrath, the servants of sin, the subjects of death, and all other miseries, spiritual, temporal, and eternal, unless the Lord Jesus set them free. (Romans 5:12-19; 1 Corinthians 15:21, 22, 45, 49; Psalms 51:5; Job 14:4; Ephesians 2:3; Romans 6:20 Romans 5:12; Hebrews 2:14, 15; 1 Thessalonians 1:10) Thus, "...from this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, do proceed all actual transgressions. (Romans 8:7; Colossians 1:21; James 1:14, 15; Matthew 15:19)" 1689 LBCF 6.3-4 Consequently, it is quite the contrary of your assertion. The repair -- something only God can do -- is a work by which the will becomes free indeed! As Paul puts it, concerning the New Covenant, "Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." (2 Corinthians 3:5-6) Our God makes us adequate... not our choosing. You won't agree, but we should be cautious not to burn straw men, contrary to the very nature of Him with Whom we have to do. In Him, Doc PS We'll be praying for your teaching tonight. 2 Samuel 9 is a wonderful picture of covenants. Even ones made before the beneficiary is born! |
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434 | Praying Rather than Cursing | Ex 22:28 | DocTrinsograce | 242899 | ||
Dear Ed, Yes, the 5 percent is significant. However, Reformed folks do not deny the freedom of the will. Did you see the phrase "nor is violence offered to the [free] will of the creature" in my citation of the 1689 LBCF? We do not believe in fatalism or determinism. We believe that God Himself repairs the believer's will such that he is enabled to choose God. That distinction makes a whole world of difference. Regardless of our 5 percent... I am sincerely glad that you are here in the forum. I am always grateful when you answer the 95 percent so succinctly. Being very frank, here, over the last year or so I have learned to embrace you as brother, thank the Lord for your ministry, and become gladdened by your participation in the forum. I am now of the opinion that our distinctives provide a more balanced response to forum questions... and that without qualification. God bless you, Ed! In Him, Doc |
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435 | Praying Rather than Cursing | Ex 22:28 | DocTrinsograce | 242898 | ||
Thank you, brother Ed! That is much appreciated. | ||||||
436 | Praying Rather than Cursing | Ex 22:28 | DocTrinsograce | 242895 | ||
Hi, Ed... You wrote, "God created it all and to think something in that creation could impede God's plan, to me, fails to understand God's full might and power." That would be a pretty good definition of what we call theology proper the sovereignty of God. The old Baptist divines stated it thus: "God hath decreed in Himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby is God neither the author of sin nor hath fellowship with any therein; nor is violence offered to the [free] will of the creature, nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established; in which appears His wisdom in disposing all things, and power and faithfulness in accomplishing his decree. (Isaiah 46:10; Ephesians 1:11; Hebrews 6:17; Romans 9:15, 18; James 1:13; 1 John 1:5; Acts 4:27, 28; John 19:11; Numbers 23:19; Ephesians 1:3-5)" 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith 3.1 There are so many things on which Christendom agrees. I have heard that the variance is less than 5 percent. Our Lord is gracious toward His church, insuring that the truth of His word is spread throughout the world. I am so glad that I now see you and me as far less in disagreement, and far more in brotherhood (Ephesians 2:19-22). That realization has helped me to pray for you and your denominational fellows more than ever before. For those in the forum who do not know about it, Ed has graciously spent significant time explaining the nuances of Pentecostal belief. Through that, I was able to see that, although there may be differences in doctrine and practice, there are far more points on which we agree. I hope that our interaction, brother Ed, has also allowed you to pray for me and my denominational brethren. We all assuredly need this if we are to serve our righteous Lord in a world hostile to God (Psalm 2). Thank you for your comment! In Him, Doc PS Just think of it: how often we are praying for our leaders before the throne of God. No doubt we even do it simultaneously. |
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437 | Praying Rather than Cursing | Ex 22:28 | DocTrinsograce | 242893 | ||
This passage has been much on my mind for some time: "You shall not curse God, nor curse a ruler of your people" (Exodus 22:28). This interesting that the cursing of God and the cursing of the magistrate are connected in this couplet. As Reformed folks, we understand that God is in control of every single molecule in the universe. If He were not, then that one uncontrolled molecule might impede His fulfilling a promise. Saint Peter instructs us to "Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king" (1 Peter 2:17). It is astonishing that Peter gives this instruction while Nero occupied the Roman Emperor's throne! Paul instructs us roughly in the same time period, "Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor (Romans 13:7)." While we have a government which more and more praises the wicked, rather than the righteous (contra Romans 13:4), we must be careful not to violate these clear commands of Scripture. This is a real challenge in a society like our American one. We ought to be praying for those in authority (1 Timothy 2:2), even when they are clearly manifesting the spirit of antichrist. Understanding the sovereignty of God, enables us to do just that! |
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438 | why are the Jews God's chosen people? | Genesis | DocTrinsograce | 242892 | ||
A Jewish Response: "Although we are God's chosen people, we do not believe that God chose the Jews because of any inherent superiority. According to a story in the Talmud, God offered the Torah to all the nations of the earth, and the Jews were the only ones who accepted it. According to another story, the Jews were offered the Torah last, and accepted it only because God held a mountain over their heads! Another traditional story suggests that God chose the Jews because they were the lowliest of nations, and their success would be attributed to God's might rather than their own ability." --Rabbi Mechon Mamre A Learned Response: "This calling of Abram is a signal instance of the gratuitous mercy of God. Had Abram been beforehand with God by any merit of works? Had Abram come to him, or conciliated his favor? Nay, we must ever recall to mind, (which I have before adduced from the passage in Joshua,) that he was plunged into the filth of idolatry; and now God freely stretches forth his hand to bring back the wanderer. He deigns to open his sacred mouth, that he may show to one, deceived by Satan’s wiles, the way of salvation." --John Calvin A Biblical Response: "What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness." (Romans 4:1-5) "For consider your calling [being chosen by God], brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God." (1 Corinthians 1:26-29) |
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439 | Hear what the Spirit said to the Church | Rev 3:13 | DocTrinsograce | 242878 | ||
"Processing the content of Scripture dogmatically, however, is not just the work of one individual theologian, or of a particular church or school, but of the entire church throughout the ages, of the whole new humanity regenerated by Christ. The history of dogma and dogmatics is therefore to be regarded as a mighty attempt to appropriate the truth of God revealed in Christ and to fully understand the essence of Christianity. In evaluating that agelong dogmatic labor, people have erred both to the left and to the right and in turn been guilty both of overestimation and underestimation. The history of church and dogma has been disdained by all schools of thought that in the name of Scripture opposed all creeds, by Socinians and Remonstrants, by rationalistic and supernaturalistic, mystical and 'biblical' theologians." --Herman Bavinck (1854-1921) |
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440 | How Sweet and Awesome is the Place | Ezek 37:27 | DocTrinsograce | 242874 | ||
How sweet and awesome is the place with Christ within the doors, while everlasting love displays the choicest of her stores. While all our hearts and all our songs join to admire the feast, each of us cries, with thankful tongue, "Lord, why was I a guest? "Why was I made to hear your voice, and enter while there's room, when thousands make a wretched choice, and rather starve than come?" 'Twas the same love that spread the feast that sweetly drew us in; else we had still refused to taste, and perished in our sin. Pity the nations, O our God, constrain the earth to come; send your victorious Word abroad, and bring the strangers home. We long to see your churches full, that all the chosen race may, with one voice and heart and soul, sing your redeeming grace. --Isaac Watts (1684-1748) |
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