Pursuing Holiness

Today I began going to a women's bible study at my church. We are studying a book by J. C. called The Pursuit of Holiness. It was such a blessing to me, to be surrounded by other women who love the Lord. We talked about how as Christians we have been delivered from the power of sin and are no longer slaves to it (Romans 6:1-12). It was refreshing to think about the implications of that, and convicting as well because although we have been freed from the power of sin, we still dwell in this body of flesh. This body of flesh in which, Paul tells us, dwells no good thing (Romans 7:18-25; Gal 5:16-17). So it's so easy to slip into this mediocre moralistic life in which outwardly we seem to be doing plenty good works and trying to be good, but inwardly we've become complacent and no longer actively pursue holiness. We justify our sin, succumb to temptation and try to excuse it. We talked about how our desires play such an important part in us succumbing to sin and temptation.(Tit 3:3, James 1:14-15, Eph 4:20-21)

So it gave me a lot to think about. In psalm 139:23-24 David asks the Lord to search his heart, but how many times do we search our heart, or ask God to search our hearts? maybe we don't because we know what we will find in there. But that is why remembering that we have been freed from the power of sin and Satan becomes so important, so crucial. Because it reminds us that we can say NO to sin, it reminds us that we should be daily seeking to honor and glorify God, it reminds us that God's mercies are NEW every morning, it reminds us that we are not alone in this battle, that we have the Holy Spirit indwelling in us who empowers us with the gospel, it reminds us that we have an advocate in Christ Jesus. It reminds us that we are to pursue holiness actively and that our desire should be to glorify God in all that we do. God has commanded us to be holy as He is holy.

So knowing this should lead us to repentance and trust in the work that Christ accomplished at the cross of Calvary and joy for how God has loved us(Romans 5:8).

Asaph's Cry in light of Injustice

Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment.
Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies.
They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression.
They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth.
Therefore his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them.
And they say, "How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?"
Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.
Psalm 73: 1-13

How many of us have felt like Asaph? Like there is no justice in the world? the wicked prosper, you see them get rich or get away with murder, you see how they have all they want in life and never seem to struggle. They never seem to deal with disease and, unless they have some sort of accident for drunk driving or overdosing on some drug, they usually live long. And yet those who trust God and are faithful to Him by His grace suffer persecution, sometimes live in poverty, are accused unjustly, are afflicted with disease, are scoffed and scorned, and it seems as though the more we trust and live for God the harder it gets.
See, Asaph saw how those who scorned God, those who were wicked and did many wicked things boasting in their wickedness and proud of it, were prospering. They were getting away with their wickedness, oppressing the poor and God's people, and spoke haughtily saying there is no knowledge in God and thinking God does not know the things they do . And so naturally the people saw how the wicked prospered and they turned to follow them thinking surely this is the right way.

"All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence.
For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning.
If I had said, "I will speak thus," I would have betrayed the generation of your children." Psalm 73: 13:15

And Asaph envied the wicked, he thought surely all he had done to honor God was in vain, how can the righteous be afflicted and the wicked prosper? How many of us have felt this way? But oh my friends it is foolish to think like this, just like Asaph says a few lines later, it is Brutish to think this way. Because when we realize their end, when we know what will happen to the wicked, to those who die without Christ, we are humbled just as Asaph was. It is no good thing that awaits the wicked. People may get away with murder or adultery, or lying, or stealing, or any wicked thing in this world, but when we all stand before God in the day of judgement ALL things will be laid bare.

"And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done." Revelations 20:12


"But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin.
How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms. When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you. Psalms 73:16-22

So what should our response be when we see things like this? First of all we need to realize that we don't honor God because of the good things we will receive in this world that is soon to perish, we honor God because of what Christ did on the cross for us. We love and honor God because HE loved us first. Because HE redeemed us. Because HE died for us while we were yet sinners. Let us not forget, EVER forget, that:

"we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." Titus 3:3-67

Asaph knew this as well, even back then in the old testament times, this is his response:

"Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.Psalm 73:24-26

And finally what of them? the wicked? shall we leave them to their wickedness and let them perish? I know if someone hadn't prayed for me or witnessed to me I should have been as one of the wicked, I would've perished and gone to hell rightfully. But my friends whom God had delivered from their sin prayed for my soul and witnessed to me and God was merciful to save me, so according to what God teaches us in scripture I say we do what Christ has commanded us, "we should love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse us, pray for those who abuse us"(Luke 6:27-28). And while a specific person might not be OUR enemy, they are God's enemy, and we should pray that God will deliver them from their wickedness just as He delivered us. And if we are given the opportunity we should witness to those who hate God. We should proclaim the loving gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for the wicked and rose again defeating the power of sin and hell so that we may have the hope of eternal life and forgiveness of sins in Him.

"For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works." Psalms 73:27-28

Grace Gems: The Counsel of the Wicked

The counsel of the wicked

(Arthur Pink, "The Blessed Man")

Conversion is the soul's surrender to God, and acceptance of God--as Guide through this world of sin.

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked." Psalm 1:1

Notice exactly how this is expressed--it is not "does not walk in the open wickedness" nor even "the manifest folly of the wicked," but "does not walk in the counsel of the wicked." How searching that is! How it narrows things down!

The ungodly are ever ready to "counsel" the believer, seeming to be very solicitous of his welfare. They will warn him against being too strict and extreme, advising him to be broad-minded and to "make the best of both worlds." But the policy of the "ungodly"--that is, of those who leave God out of their lives, who have no "fear of God"--is regulated by self-will and self-pleasing, and is dominated by what they call "common sense."

Alas, how many professing Christians regulate their lives by the advice and suggestions of ungodly friends and relatives--heeding such "counsel" in their business career, their social life, the furnishing and decorating of their homes, their dress and diet, and the choice of school or avocation for their children!

But not so with the "blessed man." He "does not walk in the counsel of the wicked." Rather is he afraid of it, no matter how plausible it sounds, or apparently good the intention of those who offer it. He shuns it, and says "Get behind me, Satan!"

Why? Because Divine grace has taught him that he has something infinitely better to direct his steps. God has given him a Divine revelation, dictated by unerring wisdom, suited to his every need and circumstance, designed as a "lamp unto his feet and a light unto his path." His desire and his determination is to walk by the wholesome counsel of God, and not by the corrupt counsel of the ungodly.

The "blessed man" does not walk according to the maxims of the world. "But his delight is in the Law of the Lord." "The carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the Law of God" (Romans 8:7). The worldling seeks his "delight" in the entertainment furnished by those who scorn spiritual and eternal things. Not so the "blessed" man--his "delight" is in something infinitely superior to what this perishing world can supply, namely, in the Divine Scriptures. The unregenerate delight in pleasing self--but the joy of the Christian lies in pleasing God. His Word is the daily bread of the "blessed" man.

"And in His Law, he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:2). Thereby does he evidence his "delight" therein--for where his treasure is, there is his heart also! Here, then, is the occupation of the blessed man. The voluptuary thinks only of satisfying his senses; the giddy youth is concerned only with sports and pleasures; the man of the world directs all his energies to the securing of wealth and honors; but the "blessed" man's determination is to please God, and in order to obtain a better knowledge of His will, he meditates day and night in His holy Word. Thereby is light obtained, its sweetness extracted, and the soul nourished!

"Your Words were found, and I ate them; and Your Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart!" (Jeremiah 15:16). Meditation stands to reading--as digestion does to eating. It is as God's Word is pondered by the mind, turned over and over in the thoughts, and mixed with faith--that we assimilate it. That which most occupies the mind and most constantly engages our thoughts--is what we most "delight" in.

"He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season." Fruit is an essential character of a gracious man, for there are no fruitless branches in the true Vine. "In season," for all fruits do not appear in the same month, neither are all the graces of the Spirit produced simultaneously.
Times of trial--call for faith.
Times of suffering--call for patience.
Times of disappointment--call for meekness.
Times of danger--call for courage.
Times of blessings--call for thanksgiving.
Times of prosperity--call for joy.

How far, dear reader, do you resemble this "blessed man"?

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Religious Affections - Part II

I know it's a tad early, actually I still haven't finished reading the 2nd part of part II, I'm currently on point VIII, but something caught my attention from what I was reading:

"...terror and a conviction of conscience are different things. For though convictions of conscience do often cause terror; yet they do not consist in it; and terrors do often arise from other causes. Convictions of conscience, through the influences of God's Spirit, consist in conviction of sinfulness of heart and practices and of the dreadfulness of sins as committed against a God of terrible majesty, infinite holiness and hatred of sin, and strict justice in punishing of it."

This is the reason why I don't stress that much on hell but do stress a lot more on our sins and God's Holiness when witnessing to someone.

There is a Paul Washer video on Evangelism and he gives some pointers on how to witness to people and examples of how he has witnessed to people. In it, he explained that one should always begin with God's Holiness. I agree wholeheartedly, while hell is a terrible place and people should fear it, it should never be the reason why we run to Christ.
Jonathan Edwards explains:

"...there are some persons that have frightful apprehensions of hell, a dreadful pit ready to swallow them up, and flames just ready to lay hold of them, and devils around them, ready to seize them; who at the same time seem to have very little proper enlightenings of conscience really convincing them of their sinfulness of heart and life."
"The devil, if permitted, can terrify men as well as the Spirit of God, it is a work natural to him, and he has many ways of doing it, in a manner tending to no good."

Satan can instill such fears in a person and if a person runs to Christ because of fear of hell and not conviction over their sin, the person may be deceived into thinking he/she is saved and not be saved at all.

Edwards explains that Satan can instill such fears in a person, "not to convince persons of things that are true, and revealed in the word of God, but to lead them to vain and groundless determinations;"

There should always be a balance, but above all we should stay as true to scripture as possible, reading and rereading those valuable examples left for us by the early Christians on how to witness to unbelievers. Below are some of them from the book of acts:
Acts 8:9-24, 8:26-40, chpt 10, 13:4-48, 17:1-4, 24:24-27, chpt 26, 28:16-31

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Religious Affections

Reading Classics RAL - Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards

Yesterday we began with the Reading Classics Together RAL (Read-along), the book chosen for this round is Jonathan Edward's Treatise on The Religious Affections. The assigned reading for yesterday was the preface of the book. I found the preface to be very meaty actually. Edwards really emphasizes on discerning true religion from false religion and explains in details the way Satan causes strife among the Church and the consequences of the lack of discernment. I couldn't agree more with Edwards, and more so because of what I've seen and read about the things happening during these times in the Church.
Edwards says that the greatest danger is having a mixture of false religion and true religion because we are deceived into thinking that what we are doing, what we offer God, is pleasing to Him when in fact it is abominable and people as well are deceived into thinking they are saved when truly they are not. So basically it all boils down to that, discernment. I have been discussing the very same thing with one of the doctors at the hospital I'm currently at, who has recently been revived by God's word after such a long period of starvation partly because of the church he attends.

All in all, it was a great read, I absolutely loved it. Its not an easy read, at least not for me, because it is written in English from those times, if you know what I mean. So I did have to re-read the preface but to my delight.
Here is my little outline of what I got from the preface:

In the first paragraph Edwards poses three questions(well two of those questions are basically the same only posed differently):
1. “What are the distinguishing qualifications of those that are in favor with God, and entitled to his eternal rewards? Or, which comes to the same thing,
2. What is the nature of true religion?
3. And wherein do lie the distinguishing notes of that virtue and holiness that is acceptable in the sight of God?”

Then he basically explains why these questions need to be answered. The importance of knowing the difference b/n True Religion and False Religion. As someone explained, since there were great “revivals” going on back in the day it is important to discern if such revivals were an act of God, or if they were Satan’s way of causing division among the brethren. Because amidst these revivals much false religion prevailed and multitudes of hypocrites sprung up among true saints.

He describes the way Satan has caused strife, damage and division in the Church:
By the mixture of Counterfeit religion with true, not discerned and distinguished is that the devil has:
- Prevailed against all revivings of religion.
- Hurt the cause of Christianity (even more than by all the persecutions of both Jews and Heathens)
- Prevailed against New England, to quench the love and spoil the joy of her spousals.
And says that it will continue to be that way in the Church until we learn to discern between true and false religion, between saving affections and experiences. He says than when these revivals occur and we don’t distinguish between true and false religion, between saving affections and experiences:
The devil is gratified by making us think that the way these revivals occur, that what we are doing is pleasing and acceptable to God when in fact it is abominable to Him. And so it is that the devil deceives many about the state of their souls, making them think they’re saved when they are not.
And finally describes the consequence of said lack of discernment, the devil:
- Damps and wounds religion in the hearts of the saints, obscures and deforms it.
- Causes their religious affections woefully to degenerate, and to be like the manna that bred worms and stank; and dreadfully ensnares and confounds the minds of others of the saints and brings them into great difficulties and temptation,
- He encourages the hearts of open enemies of religion, and strengthens their hands, and fills them with weapons, and makes strong their fortresses; when, at the same time, religion and the church of God lie exposed to them, as a city without walls.
- he brings it to pass, that men work wickedness under a notion of doing God service, and so sin without restraint.
- he brings in even the friends of religion, insensibly to themselves, to do the work of enemies, by destroying religion in a far more effectual manner than open enemies can do, under a notion of advancing it.
The worst consequence of it all is that the devil manages to scatter the flock of Christ, and sets them one against another, and in this way religion, “by degrees degenerates into vain jangling; and during the strife, Satan leads both parties far out of the right way, driving each to great extremes, according as he finds they are most inclined, or most easily moved and swayed, till the right path in the middle is almost wholly neglected.”
If there would be a keyword to describe the introduction, the keyword would be discernment, as someone else mentioned in one of their post I believe. The importance of discernment would be the theme. At least that’s what I understood from what I read and re-read in the introduction.

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Religious Affections