Results 481 - 500 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# | |||
481 | did god change with time | Gen 1:1 | DocTrinsograce | 242631 | ||
Dear Ed, You said that well. Our association recently reaffirmed the doctrine of the impassibility of God; and not without cost, as we lost some churches over it. Although it was all thought through and carried out graciously and lovingly. http://arbca.com/divine-impassibility-section-1 If interested, you can read the public affirmation of the doctrine above. In Him, Doc |
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482 | Theology | Acts 20:21 | DocTrinsograce | 242627 | ||
Goal of theology to glorify God and enjoy Him forever ... this is what we call doxology. The objective of theology is repentance! |
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483 | Not Just Saying NO | Col 3:5 | DocTrinsograce | 242619 | ||
"What then is this killing of sin [Colossians 3:5]? It is the constant battle against sin which we fight daily -- the refusal to allow the eye to wander, the mind to contemplate, the affections to run after anything which will draw us from Christ. It is the deliberate rejections of any sinful thought, suggestion, desire, aspiration, deed, circumstance or provocation at the moment we become conscious of its existence. It is the consistent endeavor to do all in our powers to weaken the grip which sin in general, and its manifestations in our lives in particular, has. It is not accomplished only by saying 'no' to what is wrong, but by a determined acceptance of all good and spiritually-nourishing disciplines of the gospel. It is by resolutely weeding the garden of the heart, and also by planting, watering and nurturing Christian graces there, that putting sin to death will take place. Not only must we slay the noxious weeds of sin, but we must see that the flowers of grace are sucking up the nourishment of the Spirit’s presence in our hearts. Only when those hearts are so full of grace will less room exist for sin to breathe and flourish." --Sinclair B. Ferguson (2012) https://onshouldersofgiants.wordpress.com/category/church-history/reformation/page/3/ |
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484 | It's a Commentary! | Deuteronomy | DocTrinsograce | 242618 | ||
Tonight I was thinking: I remember quite clearly, in 2005, when it dawned on me that Deuteronomy was a commentary. What a marvelous thing that is! How gracious is our Lord. |
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485 | Our Call to Worship | 2 Cor 1:2 | DocTrinsograce | 242617 | ||
I greet Thee, who my sure Redeemer art, My only trust and Savior of my heart, Who pain didst undergo for my poor sake; I pray Thee from our hearts all cares to take. Thou art the King of mercy and of grace, Reigning omnipotent in every place; So come, O King, and our whole being sway; Shine on us with the light of Thy pure day. Thou art the life, by which alone we live, And all our substance and our strength receive; Sustain us by Thy faith and by Thy power, And give us strength in every trying hour. Thou hast the true and perfect gentleness, No harshness hast Thou and no bitterness; O grant to us the grace we find in Thee, That we may dwell in perfect unity. Our hope is in no other save in Thee; Our faith is built upon Thy promise free; Lord, give us peace, and make us calm and sure, That in Thy strength we evermore endure. --John Calvin (1545) |
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486 | While the Preacher Preaches | Luke 1:77 | DocTrinsograce | 242616 | ||
Dear Ed, Thank you for your comments. Here are a few of my own: Piety tends to have a negative connotation in my mind from the historic context. Pietism arose among German Lutherans in the late 17th century and on into the 18th century. I suppose that it might have even had its roots amongst Roman Catholics. The Lutherans were making an effort to return Protestantism to a kind of practical piety rather than doctrine. Hence the concern: When piety is not rooted in doctrine, it becomes experientialism. On the other hand, if our doctrine fails to lead to a doxological life, then we have something that has only affected our heads and not our hearts. That, too, ends up leaving us in quagmire. I think that when our consideration of living a pious life begins in earnest, it is good to think about our approach to the sacraments -- for it is in the broader context of our lives in the church from which our piety arises. The idea of strict memorialism can, I think, leave us with the idea that communion is unimportant. At the church that I am now attending, communion is practiced on a monthly basis. The week before communion Sunday, the pastor calls us all to prepare ourselves in the coming week for communion. I thought a lot about how one ought to prepare. How is this done? What does it look like? Here is what I concluded: 1. Approach communion with holy fear, when we partake we are actually approaching God. 2. Recognize that in communion we are in God's holy presence. 3. Search the heart to be certain that we are not treasuring iniquity in our hearts. Deal with it! 4. Turn to God with genuine humility and affection. 5. Remember and be fully persuaded that God appointed this sacrament. 6. Share in the bread and wine according to God's will, with all that that entails. 7. Always heed the deceit that no preparation is needed. This is certainly not an exhaustive list. However, I think that it addresses the most essential aspects of preparation for communion. Of course, we can only be prepared through God's grace by way of the power of the Holy Spirit. So after communion, I take some time to examine how worthily I performed it. If I find that I did well, I offer thanksgiving to the Lord for His enablement. If I find that I did poorly, I confess, and ask for His forgiveness, and for the grace needed to do better next time. Bayly deals with this so well. God is gracious to have given us his instruction, and drawing our attention to it now. Thank you for your thoughts, Ed. Sorry if I have been too long-winded. In Him, Doc |
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487 | A Poetic Rephrasing of Psalm 23 | Ps 23:6 | DocTrinsograce | 242607 | ||
The 23 Psalme The God of love my shepherd is, And He that doth me feed: While He is mine, and I am His, What can I want or need? He leads me to the tender grasse, Where I both feed and rest; Then to the streams that gently passe: In both I have the best. Or if I stray, He doth convert And bring my minde in frame: And all this not for my desert,1 But for His holy name. Yea, in deaths shadie black abode Well may I walk, not fear: For Thou art with me; and Thy rod To guide, Thy staff to bear. Nay, Thou dost make me sit and dine, Ev’n in my enemies sight: My head with oyl, my cup with wine Runnes over day and night. Surely thy sweet and wondrous love Shall measure all my dayes; And as it never shall remove, So neither shall my praise. --George Herbert (1633) |
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488 | Cain feared who would kill him? | Gen 4:13 | DocTrinsograce | 242605 | ||
Hi, Justme... Given that Cain says "...whoever finds me will kill me." (Genesis 4:14b) and God's reply "Therefore whoever kills Cain..." (v15a) imply that the community of men was either growing or expected to grow. John Calvin comments with: "Cain, however, in this place, not only considers himself as deprived of God’s protection, but also supposes all creatures to be divinely armed to take vengeance of his impious murder. This is the reason why he so greatly fears for his life from any one who may meet him; for as man is a social animal, and all naturally desire mutual intercourse, this is certainly to be regarded as a portentous fact, that the meeting with any man was formidable to the murderer." In Him, Doc |
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489 | Saved! | Rom 5:9 | DocTrinsograce | 242600 | ||
"Whan a man gets saved, he gets saved from God. The justice of God was coming for you. God saved you from Himself, God saved you for Himself, and God saved you by Himself." --Paul Washer |
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490 | His Trust was in Jesus | Acts 26:10 | DocTrinsograce | 242599 | ||
"John Brown was a farmer who lived at Priesthill near Muirkirk. He and his wife had been married by the Covenanter preacher Alexander Peden. He was one of many who refused to go to hear the Episcopal ministers. One morning, after Peden had been staying with them, Brown and his nephew were cutting peat when John Graham of Claverhouse and his dragoons suddenly appeared and seized them. Brown refused to take an oath denouncing James Renwick's Apologetical Declaration and Claverhouse searched his house and found weapons and 'treasonable papers.' "Claverhouse told his soldiers to shoot Brown, but they refused. Claverhouse then shot him dead himself in front of his wife and children. Claverhouse then asked his wife, 'What thinkest thou of thy husband now, woman?' to which she replied 'I thought ever so much good of him, and as much now as ever.' "In Claverhouse's official report of the killing, he wrote 'I caused shoot him dead, which he suffered very unconcernedly.' John Brown's trust was in Jesus, so he wasn't afraid to die." --Unknown (John Brown was martyred May 1, 1685) |
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491 | Putting the Minister's Sermon in Print | 1 John 2:6 | DocTrinsograce | 242598 | ||
"The Christian's life should put his minister's sermon in print." --William Gurnall (1617-1679) |
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492 | While the Preacher Preaches | Luke 1:77 | DocTrinsograce | 242594 | ||
Dear Ed, Perhaps we can discuss some of the points that you found of value. I appreciate your taking the time to read Bayly. Even more so, I am pleased that you found it useful. I am also encouraged by your enthusiasm. There is a paragraph that summarizes the book. Clearly something written at a much later date. However, it says that Bayly's book had great and positive impact on the Puritans. Thus, those brothers of so many centuries ago, saw the value in it as well. One thing that I realized as I read, was how piety, as he discusses it, is fostered by self-discipline. As I read a number of his suggestions, hoping to adopt them as habits of my own, the challenge is daunting. But given He who spared not His only Son, how can I do anything other than pursue Him in ways that will please Him. Let us pray for one another as we, in our several ways, attempt to put feet to Bayly's teaching. In Him, Doc |
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493 | It is Time | 1 Cor 6:4 | DocTrinsograce | 242582 | ||
"Surely it is time to become realistic. It is time to drop the cultural elitism that poses as significant Christian transformation of culture but only really panders to nothing more than middle class tastes and hobbies. It is time to look again at the New Testament’s teaching on the church as a sojourning people where here we have no lasting home. The psalms of lament teach us that it is only when we have realistic horizons of expectation will we be able to stand firm against what is coming. If we do not understand that now, we are going to be sorely disappointed in the near future." --Carl Truman (2015) |
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494 | While the Preacher Preaches | Luke 1:77 | DocTrinsograce | 242581 | ||
Dear Ed, I found this in book entitled "Practice of Piety: Directing a Christian How to Walk, that He Might Please God" by Lewis Bayly in 1611. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/bayly/piety The quote I took from it was on this page: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/bayly/piety.iv.xii.iii.html He enumerates further recommendations on that page if you are interested. In Him, Doc |
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495 | While the Preacher Preaches | Luke 1:77 | DocTrinsograce | 242574 | ||
"Whilst the preacher is expounding and applying the word of the Lord, look upon him; for it is a great help to stir up thine attention, and to keep thee from wandering thoughts: so the eyes of all that were in the synagogue are said to have been fastened on Christ whilst He preached, and that all the people hanged upon Him [listened attentively] when they heard Him. Remember that thou art there as one of Christ's disciples, to learn the knowledge of salvation, by the remission of sins, through the tender mercy of God (Luke 1:77). Be not, therefore, in the school of Christ, like an idle boy in a grammar-school, that often hears, but never learns his lesson; and still goes to school, but profiteth nothing. Thou hatest it in a child -- Christ detesteth it in thee." --Lewis Bayly (1611) |
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496 | I had a Dream! | Jer 23:25 | DocTrinsograce | 242571 | ||
"I have made it a College exercise with our brethren. I have said -- We will read a chapter of the Koran. This is the Mohammedan's holy book. A man must have a strange mind who should mistake that rubbish for the utterances of inspiration." --Charles H. Spurgeon |
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497 | Carnal Means | Gal 3:3 | DocTrinsograce | 242570 | ||
"If you use carnal means to attract men [to the gospel], you're going to attract carnal men, and you have to keep using greater carnal means to keep them in the church." --Paul Washer |
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498 | Almost understanding? | James 1:22 | DocTrinsograce | 242569 | ||
Amen! Our God is not just forgiving, but also forbearing and longsuffering. Glad to have you with us, Rik! |
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499 | Grace vs Works? | James 1:22 | DocTrinsograce | 242565 | ||
Hi, Rik... The fundamentals of what we believe are simple, such that even children can grasp these truths. However, the truth is not shallow nor simplistic. We would not expect it to be! Think of the enormous profundity that is in creation: from Astronomy to Zoology. If the created realm is that profound, why would we think that our God would be simple? I want to point out to you that there ARE answers to your questions. The Scriptures are polemic, propositional, and purposely epistemic. God is a rational being who created language before humans ever came on the scene. His word is intended to convey the truths that He wants us to know. See 2 Timothy 3:16-17. He tells us that the Scriptures are to help us know what to believe, to correct the error in our minds, to instruct us in Godly behavior. All of this for the purpose of Christian maturity, and equipping us to be His servants. Some ten years ago I transcribed some of my notes on rightly interpreting the Scriptures. This is what we call hermeneutics: The science (systematic approach) of properly interpreting the Bible as it was meant to be understood by those who wrote it. If you like, you can read through those posts by entering the number 156916 in the search box in the upper right hand side of your screen. Perhaps some of that will be useful to you. In Him, Doc |
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500 | Grace vs Works? | James 1:22 | DocTrinsograce | 242550 | ||
Hi, Rik... You should also be continuously involved with a congregation where the Word is exposited. If you neglect that, then your other efforts will be without suitable direction and you will also be subject to error. Asking God to give you understanding is something that He does promise, "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." (James 1:5-8) Indeed, probably one of the most efficacious prayers a person can pray is simply "Help!" God will never turn away the sacrifice of our utter dependence on Him coming through such a prayer. These things -- hearing the word, reading the word, praying with the brethren, worshipping corporately, sharing one another's burdens, participating in the sacraments (or ordinances if you prefer) -- are what are called "means of grace." You see, God cannot be approached in any way you like. No, we must approach Him the way He has directed. Any other ways are, quite simply, evil. Our God is not to be trifled with. Nonetheless, He has lovingly provided us with channels through which He empowers us to do His will. It is rather like the old time showers where you pulled a chain and the water would flow. That is a good analogy of what is meant by means of grace. By the way, there are some things I will never understand either. God tells us that very succinctly in Deuteronomy 29:29. But if you read that verse, you will discover that He does promise us knowledge that He reveals through the Word (Hebrews 1:1-2). Job is a good example. In that book the fundamental question asked is "Why do good people suffer?" It is interesting though that in Job (as in the other wisdom books) the "Why" questions are not answered. I believe there are three reasons why that may be so: (1) It is none of our business (per Deuteronomy 29:29); (2) We are incapable of understanding (Isaiah 55:8-9); (3) We really don't want the answer -- instead we are only trying to justify ourselves (e.g. Luke 10:29a; cf Proverbs 12:15). I often tell people to read through the New Testament. I always remind them: Do not worry about what you do not understand. God will not hold you responsible for what you do not understand. Instead, worry about what you DO understand. That will separate you from the double-minded man spoken of by James. In Him, Doc |
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