When Satan Comes to Church

The famous Welsh preacher, Christmas Evans, once vividly described what he imagined Satan would look like if he came to church:

The way in which a man hears the Gospel is an index to the state of his heart and the nature of his affections and desires. If we were to suppose that Satan came into the congregation, what kind of hearer would he be? He is the inveterate enemy of all truth, righteousness and godliness; and the sanctification of the soul, devotion, and spiritual affections in the worshippers of the house of God vex [annoy] him sorely [greatly]. If one day, then, in human form he took his place amongst the hearers of the everlasting Gospel, we may fancy that, in order to hinder and annoy as much as possible, he would take his seat in a conspicuous place, either under the pulpit or in front of the gallery, before the eyes of all. Then he would pull ugly faces and close his eyes, and appear as if asleep. He would most anxiously guard against giving the slightest indication of being touched by what was said. Not a trace of conviction, submission, peace and joy should on any account ever appear. He would scowl and knit his brows and shake his head, and show every disapproval of the Gospel he hears, as if he would change every man in the place into the same devilish disposition.   Continue at Jeremy Walker

SERVING TWO MASTERS - J. C. Ryle

13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” 14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. 15 And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. 16 “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.[a] 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void. 18 “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery. These verses teach us, firstly, the uselessness of attempting to serve God with a divided heart. Our Lord Jesus Christ says, "No servant can serve two masters--for either he will hate the one and love the other--or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Luke 16:13-18

The truth here propounded by our Lord appears, at first sight, too obvious to admit of being disputed. And yet the very attempt which is here declared to be useless is constantly being made by many in the matter of their souls. 

Thousands on every side are continually trying to do the thing which Christ pronounces impossible. They are endeavoring to be friends of the world and friends of God at the same time. Their consciences are so far enlightened, that they feel they must have some religion. But their affections are so chained down to earthly things, that they never come up to the mark of being true Christians. And hence they live in a state of constant discomfort. They have too much religion to be happy in the world, and they have too much of the world in their hearts to be happy in their religion. In short, they waste their time in laboring to do that which cannot be done. They are striving to "serve God and mammon."  Continue at Reformation Theology

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Where Can I Find Assurance?

A month or so ago I made the point in this post that confidence in my transformation is not the source of my assurance. Rather, the source of my assurance comes from faith in Christ’s substitution. Assurance never comes from looking at ourselves. It only comes as a consequence of looking to Christ.

As a result, I had a few people raise this question: “But wait a minute…once God saves us and the Spirit begins his renewing work in our lives, shouldn’t that work of inward renewal become a source of our assurance? Isn’t that at least one way we can know we’re right before God?”

At this point we need to be very clear regarding what we’re talking about specifically when we talk about assurance of salvation.

To be sure, the sanctifying work of the Spirit in the life of the Christian bears fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). God grows us in the “grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In Christ, we have died to sin and been raised to newness of life (Romans 6:4). And this new life shows itself in new affections, new appetites, new habits. We begin to love the  things God loves and hate the things God hates. We begin to grow into our new, resurrected skin.  Keep Reading >>>

Marriage Advice from Richard Baxter

If God call you to a married life, expect all these troubles, or most of them; and make particular preparation for each temptation, cross, and duty which you must expect. Think not that you are entering into a state of mere delight, lest it prove but a fool’s paradise to you. See that you be furnished with marriage strength and patience, for the duties and sufferings of a married state, before you venture on it.

Especially:

1. Be well provided against temptations to a worldly mind and life: for here you are like to be most violently and dangerously assaulted.

2. See that you be well provided with conjugal affections: for they are necessary both to the duties and sufferings of a married life. And you should not enter upon the state without the necessary preparations.

3. See that you be well provided with marriage prudence and understanding, that you may be able to instruct and edify your families, and may live with them as men of knowledge, 1 Pet.3:7 and may manage all your business with discretion, Psalm 112. Keep Reading...

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Affections and the Christian Life

I’m not sure, but I suppose a number of you have been following the intra- Gospel-Coalition exchange between Kevin DeYoung and Tullian Tchividjian regarding the Gospel, its relationship to sanctification, and what place there is for the believer’s effort, if there’s any place at all. As may be expected, blogger-extraordinaire Justin Taylor has provided a helpful roundup and summary of the interaction, as well as some helpful additions to the discussion from Bavinck and Berkouwer via Dane Ortlund, and from J. I. Packer. Since those posts, Tullian has responded once more, and also has posted an open letter from Elyse Pitzpatrick to Mr. Grace-Loving Antinomian.

As I’m sure will be much to your delight, I’m not planning on writing a thesis that thoughtfully engages each of the well-reasoned points from every one of those posts. Neither do I have any illusions of settling the matter once and for all, though to be honest I’m not sure there’s much to be settled, as I’m unable to discern a whole lot of disagreement between Kevin and Tullian. But the exchange has indeed been helpful, as it’s forced those reading to consider afresh what Scripture has to say about how the believer grows in the grace and knowledge of Christ (2Pet 3:18), becoming increasingly conformed to His image (Rom 8:29; 2Cor 3:18). And we need to think about that, because that’s where we all live. Our sanctification is the will of God for us (1Thess 4:3), and so it’s important that we know (a) if we have any part of that at all, and, if we do, (b) how we go about pursuing our sanctification in ways that are honoring to God and that magnify the sufficiency of Christ. Keep Reading...

The Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment of Spiritual Dehydration

Let me begin this post by asking you four direct questions about the condition of your soul right now:

• Do you sense that your affections for the Savior have diminished recently?
• Has your appetite for Scripture weakened?
• Does your soul seem dry?
• Does God seem distant from you?
  

If so, you are not alone. These struggles are common to even the most mature Christians—so common that Scripture anticipates them. But these are serious problems and must be addressed and not ignored. They don’t just go away over time.

So how should we respond?

Tucked away in the short (and often neglected) letter of Jude we find help and hope:

But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. (Jude 1:20–21)

In these verses we find a command and three practical ways to obey the command. Continue reading>>>

How to live a Miserable Christian Life