The Gospel for Those Broken By the Church

If the Ten Commandments were not impossible enough, the preaching of Christian behavior, of Christian ethics, of Christian living, can drive a Christian into despairing unbelief. Not happy unbelief. Tragic, despairing, sad unbelief. (It is not unlike the [unhappy] Christian equivalent of “Jack Mormons” – those who finally admit to themselves and others that they can’t live up to the demands of this non-Christian cult’s laws, and excuse themselves from the whole sheebang.) A diet of this stuff from pulpit, from curriculum, from a Christian reading list, can do a work on a Christian that is (at least over the long haul) “faith destroying.”

 

Read the whole thing HERE

Christian Behavior

First, A good work must have the Word of God as its authority. Second, It must, as mentioned before, flow from faith. Third, It must be both rightly timed and rightly placed. Fourth, It must be done willingly, cheerfully, &etc.

First, It must have the Word for its authority. Zeal without knowledge is like a high-spirited horse without eyes, or like a sword in a madman’s hand; and there is no knowledge where there is not the Word: for if they reject the Word of the Lord, and do not act according to it, “what wisdom is in them?” says the prophet (Jeremiah 8:9; Isaiah 8:20). Therefore, see that you have the Word for what you do.

Second, As there must be the Word of God in authorizing what you do, so there must be faith from which it must flow, as I explained before: “for whatsoever is not of faith is sin;” and “without faith it is impossible to please God.” Now, I say, without the Word there is no faith (Romans 10:17), as without faith there is no good, regardless of men’s pretenses.

Third, As it must have these two aforementioned, so also it must have, 1. Right time; and, 2. Right place. Read the rest HERE