Monthly Archives: October 2010

Trouble in Perspective

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

King David, wrote:

“For the enemy has pursued my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead. Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled. I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands. I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land” (Psalm 143:3-6).

The Christian life is not always one of emotional joy. There are times when we can descend into the depths of depression, be overcome by circumstances, or succumb to grief. We don’t always walk around with a smile on our face. This life often includes pain. So, how should we respond when life deals with us harshly? David provides some answers in Psalm 143.

David endured persecution from the members of his own family. His son, Absalom, sought to over throw his father and annoint himself as king. Early on, while serving King Saul, David’s life was threatened by the very king he served. Because of his sin with Bathsheba, the son born out of this adulterous union died. David was acquainted with sorrow.

The advice David gives is “remember the days of old.” Think back on God’s faithfulness to you. Let your thoughts dwell on all the things God has done. Which is harder for God; seeing you through tough circumstances or delivering you from hell? God is all powerful (omnipotent), so nothing is too difficult for Him. However, from our perspective the greater deed was in the forgiveness of our sins. If God can forgive our sins, can he not see us through the worst of circumstances?

When we feel like we’re at the end of our rope, that is precisely when we need to contemplate the faithfulness of God.  We need to turn our heart towards Him regardless of how we feel.

Update to the Blog Post, “How do you listen?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I received some encouraging feedback from the post, “How do you listen”.  Writing is so much easier when people profit from you words.  After writing that article I received a copy of Dr. Joel Beeke’s book, “The Family at Church”.  Dr. Beeke writes about listening to sermons.  He asks Christians to be “active listeners” to the preached word.  He also brings out the point that we should prepare our hearts beforehand to receive the Word; as well as discuss the preached word after the sermon.  Even though we come from some differing theological convictions, it is good to be in agreement with Dr. Beeke on this subject.  I heartily recommend this book.

STOP the press! Here is Glenn Beck on the atonement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Lawrence Underwood at Imprimis for providing the full quote of Glenn Beck’s comments on his faith in the atonement.  This comes from todays radio broadcast via transcript.

How many times, America, is this man going to talk about collective salvation, which is “I’ve got to save all the half monkey people or I don’t get saved.” It is, it is an affront to Christianity. And when I say Christianity, I know there are people like Jim Wallis, you know, who vehemently disagree. I know there are Marxists out there that believe in the liberation theology which is, again, collective salvation. I get that. And I know there are a lot of Christians out there that don’t think I’m a Christian because I’m a Mormon. I testify to you now that Jesus Christ is my savior and He saved me. The only reason why I am alive today is because of the atonement of Jesus Christ. Period. So let’s move on.

Looks good at a cursory glance, doesn’t it?  That’s until the atonement and salvation are defined the Mormon way.

What are you most known for, your politics or your faith? Part II

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is Glenn Beck a Christian?  Interesting question to start off this article, isn’t it?

This morning I was driving in Montgomery County, Maryland when I came across Glenn Beck’s radio program.  I must admit that I’m drawn to some aspects of Beck’s political views.  Beck has been known to talk about religion on his program.  However, today he tackled a subject head on; a subject that many Christians have wondered about.  Beck responded to criticism from other Christians as to whether he, himself, is actually a Christian.  I don’t have access to Beck’s program transcript, so I’ll have to paraphrase his statements.  Glenn Beck said that he is both a Christian and a Mormon.  He tried to tie evangelical Christianity and Mormonism to the atoning work of Jesus Christ.  He said that he has placed his faith in Christ and the atonement that He accomplished.  Therefore, Beck is a Christian (according to him).  He then added a, “Now that that is settled, lets move on.”  But is it really settled?  Are we to accept Beck’s contention that his faith in Christ is the same as what the bible teaches?  Do Mormons believe in the same atonement that the vast majority of Christians do?  Seeing as this blog marches to a distinct Reformed drum, is the faith and atonement that Beck espouses in congruence with Reformed tradition?  The Christian Apologetics & Research  Ministry examines Mormonism in detail.  Since Beck spoke this morning about the atonement, let me share what CARM has to say about Mormonism’s view:

Mormonism and the atonement of Jesus

The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints does not view the atonement of Christ in the biblical and historical Christian manner. Instead of the atonement occurring on the cross, Mormonism teaches that the atonement occurred primarily in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus shed His blood. Please consider the following quotes from a BYU professor and the Mormon apostle Bruce McConkie.

  • BYU professor Robert J. Matthews, who on page 282 of his book, A Bible! A Bible!, wrote, “It was in Gethsemane, on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, that Jesus made his perfect atonement by the shedding of his blood-more so than on the cross.”
  • Mormon Apostle Bruce McConkie, stated, “Where and under what circumstances was the atoning sacrifice of the Son of God made? Was it on the Cross of Calvary or in the Garden of Gethsemane? It is to the Cross of Christ that most Christians look when centering their attention upon the infinite and eternal atonement. And certainly the sacrifice of our Lord was completed when he was lifted up by men; also, that part of his life and suffering is more dramatic and, perhaps, more soul stirring. But in reality the pain and suffering, the triumph and grandeur, of the atonement took place primarily in Gethsemane,” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, vol. 1, p. 774, emphasis mine).
  • For more quotes regarding the atonement and Mormonism please see Interesting Quotes on the Atonement from Mormon writings.

There is no biblical record of Jesus atoning for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Garden is where He suffered greatly in prayer because He did not want to go through the coming ordeal of His beating and crucifixion. The agony of the Garden was so intense for Him that He apparently sweat blood (Luke 22:44). But, the only references in the Bible dealing with Christ and the atonement are in reference to the cross, not the Garden of Gethsemane.

  1. Reconciliation is through the cross:
    1. “And might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity,” (Eph. 2:16).
    2. “And through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven,” (Col. 1:20).
  2. Our debt nailed to the cross
    1. “Having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross,” (Col. 2:14).
  3. He bore our sins on the cross
    1. “And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed,” (1 Pet. 2:24).
  4. Reconciled through Christ’s death — which occurred on the cross.
    1. “For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life,” (Rom. 5:10).
    2. “Yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach,” (Col. 1:22).

Paul says, “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified,” (1 Cor. 2:2). He does not mention anything, ever, about Jesus bearing our sins in the Garden. He only mentions sins in relation to the cross of Christ. Wherein did God purchase the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28)? It was the cross, not the Garden.

Propitiation

A propitiation is a sacrifice that turns away wrath. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was just such a propitiation. It was on the cross where Jesus bore our sins (1 Pet. 2:24) where he became a propitiation, the sacrifice for our sins. Notice that the sacrifice on the cross is a public event and it is this public display where propitiation occurred: “whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith,” (Rom. 3:25). When Jesus sweat drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, that was not a public display. Therefore, the sacrifice of redemption, where Jesus bore our sins as the propitiation, did not occur in the Garden of Gethsemane, but in the public display of the cross. Thus, when we see the term propitiation referred to in Scripture, we know it is referring to the sacrifice on the cross. Let’s take a look at more Scriptures dealing with this:

  • “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people,” (Heb. 2:17).
  • “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world,” (1 John 2:2).
  • “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins,” (1 John 4:10).

Notice that Jesus, the high priest, was the propitiation for our sins. This means that He bore our sins in His body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24), as a publicly displayed sacrifice (Rom. 3:25) by which we are cleansed from our sins (1 John 1:7). It is not the blood that He sweat in the Garden that cleanses us of our sins, but the blood that was shed in the public display of the propitiatory sacrifice on the cross that cleanses us. This is why the scripture says, “and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity,” (Eph. 2:16).

In Conclusion

There is so much wrong with Mormon theology to begin with (plurality of gods, goddess mother, becoming gods, keeping the commandments to be forgiven, etc.), that it is no surprise to learn that Mormonism lays the emphasis of the redemptive work of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane instead of the cross.

  • “Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, all mankind, even as many as will, shall be redeemed. The Savior began shedding His blood for all mankind, not on the cross but in the Garden of Gethsemane. There He took upon Himself the weight of the sins of all who would ever live. Under that [page 6] heavy load, He bled at every pore,” (Russell M. Nelson, “His Mission and Ministry,” New Era, Dec. 1999, p. 4, 6, emphasis mine).
  • “Jesus paid for all our sins when He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane,” (Laurel Rohlfing, “Sharing Time: The Atonement,” Friend, Mar. 1989, p. 39).

Error comes from error. If the Mormon church would only repent of its false doctrines and come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, the true Jesus Christ, who bore our sins in His body on the cross and redeemed us freely, then the Mormons could also enjoy the free forgiveness of sins earned by Christ. Instead, because of the error of Mormonism regarding God and salvation, Mormons are still under the law and are required to obey all the commandments in order to receive the atonement work of Christ.

  • “We accept Christ’s atonement by repenting of our sins, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and obeying all of the commandments,” (Gospel Principles, Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1979, p. 68, emphasis mine).

Nobody can obey all the commandments and to try in any way is to take on an impossible burden of guilt: “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all,” (James 2:10). And, “nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified,” (Gal. 2:16). Therefore, not only is the Mormon position dealing with the atonement false, but so is its doctrine of salvation. Mormons are, unfortunately, still dead in their sins.

The True Gospel

The true gospel is that Jesus Christ, who is God in flesh, obeyed perfectly all the Old Testament laws. He fulfilled everything and never sinned. It was necessary that He do this because we could never do it. Because our works are filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6), there is absolutely nothing we have to offer God. The only thing we have is what Christ has done and the only way to be forgiven of our sins is to trust in Christ alone. But in Mormonism, Christ is the brother of the devil begotten through sexual relations between God and his goddess wife who both came from another planet. This is not the Jesus of the Bible. This is critical because the object of the Mormons faith is false. And since we have seen that their doctrine of the atonement is also wrong, we can now recognize more easily that they are lost.

Salvation, complete forgiveness of sins, does not come through obedience to the laws and the commandments. Complete forgiveness of sins comes by faith in Jesus Christ, the Jesus of the Bible, not the Jesus of Mormonism.

It is clear that Mormonism has a different view of the atonement than biblical Christianity.  Unless Glenn Beck is willing to repudiate the Mormon view of the atonement we must conclude that he agrees with it.  Mormons do not look to the cross where the propitiation (satisfaction) for sin was accomplished, by Christ.  Mormons believe that Jesus Christ is not God the Son, part of the Holy Trinity.  They believe Jesus and Satan are physical sons of God the Father.  These are not just minor points of doctrinal disagreement.  If you get the Son of God wrong you get the Gospel wrong.  If you get the Gospel wrong there is no hope of salvation.

Is Glenn Beck a Christian?  Not if he holds to Mormon orthodoxy.  What does this have to do with Christians and politics?  Be careful of who you choose to be your political heroes.  I have run into Christians who are willing to dismiss Beck’s Mormonism for the greater good of his politics.  The greater good of his politics? How about dismissing his politics for the greater good of the true Gospel?  There is to be no compromise when it comes to the Gospel.  There is to be no compromise when it comes to true biblical faith.

Matthew 16:6  And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

An Inadequate gospel (John MacArthur and Todd Friel)

An oldie but a goodie from John MacArthur and Todd Friel.  Rick Warren does not present the Gospel that saves sinners in his book, “The Purpose Driven Life.”  What Warren presents is a gospel that lacks power and leads to a false hope and security.  Oh, that pastors will preach the true Gospel in power and with boldness!

 

What are you most known for, your politics or your faith? Part I

When I was a bible college student some twenty-two years ago, the founder of the college made the following statement during a chapel service, “If God has called you to preach, never stoop to be President.”  The man who made that statement was Jack Wyrtzen, one of the founders of Word of Life Fellowship International.  While my theological perspective has grown to be quite different than that of Word of Life, that statement by Jack Wyrtzen still echos in my mind.  What Jack (he always insisted on being called by his first name) was really saying was that the preaching of the Gospel is a higher calling than political office.  In fact, if Jack were alive today he would tell you that it is the highest of all callings.

This is a difficult article for me to write.  I am extremely passionate about my political opinions.  I don’t try to hide them. In fact, I’ve been known to go out of my way to share them.  The question I need to answer – indeed, that we all need to answer is this: do people know us best because of our political convictions or our faith convictions?  John the Evangelist wrote, “And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17).  The world is passing away.  Paul states in 1 Corinthians 2:6, that the rulers of this world are passing away.  On the other hand the bible is full of politics.  Even a cursory reading of the Old Testament will reveal the political tension that often accompanied some of the central figures; especially David and Solomon.  In the New Testament the Apostle Paul used his status as a Roman citizen to cut short his torture and then to appeal to Caesar (Acts 22:25-29; 25:11).  So, we see that politics and faith are often strange bedfellows.  How is the Christian to navigate through this quandary?  Must a Christian muzzle his political opinions for the greater progress of the Gospel, or does he have free reign in his political opinions and ambitions?

We’ll take a look at the possible answers to these questions in our next part.

How do you listen?

Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls (James 1:21).

Listening to a sermon is often thought of as a passive exercise.  You sit in your chair and hear the words coming out of the preacher’s mouth.  You may even take notes.  If the preacher is organized he may include an outline of the sermon in the church bulletin.  All these things are good.  They are tools to be used.  But the greatest tool is actively listening.  An active listener is one who is involved in the sermon.  The listener’s role is just as important as the preacher’s.  As the Word is being preached the listener should be receiving it, not simply into his ears, but into his soul.  This type of listening cannot be turned on and off like a light switch.  It takes preparation and practice.

Why should we prepare our hearts before we come into the house of the Lord on His day?  Consider what Charles Spurgeon said on this subject.

“Let us consider the fit and proper preparation for listening to the Gospel, or what is to be done BEFORE HEARING. It will strike every man who thinks about it, that there should be some preparation of the heart in coming to the worship of God and to the hearing of the Gospel. Consider who He is, in whose name we gather, and surely we cannot rush together without thought! Consider whom we profess to worship and we shall not hurry into His Presence as men run to a fire. Moses, the man of God, was warned to take off his shoes when God only revealed Himself in a bush—how should we prepare ourselves when we come to Him who reveals Himself in Christ Jesus, His dear Son? There should be no stumbling into the place of worship half-asleep; no roaming there as if it were no more than going to the theater. We cannot expect to profit much if we bring with us a swarm of idle thoughts and a heart crammed with vanity. If we are full of folly, we may shut out the Truth of God from our minds. We should make ready to receive what God is so ready to bestow. If he was condemned, who came to the wedding feast not having on a wedding garment, what shall we say of those who habitually come into the festivals of our Lord and never think of being meet to be partakers of His royal dainties? What shall we say of those who defile the temple of God by never seeking to have their souls washed from the filthiness of their sin? Certainly there should be a serious preparation when a sinful creature draws near to the most holy God!”

It is not a trivial thing to come into the Lord’s house on the Lord’s Day with a heart full of the worlds concerns.  It is not acceptable to say, “Well, I’m here.  Isn’t that enough?”  No, friend. That is not enough.  Our lives are to be a holy and living sacrifice to the Lord (Romans 12:1). How can our lives be holy when we drag them into the Lord’s house out of duty instead of joy?  What have you filled your mind with during the week?  Have you feasted on God’s word privately and with your family?  Have you sought Him in prayer; confessing your sins and interceding for one another?  Have you prayed for your pastor and elders, asking God to fill them with His Holy Spirit?  Do you long for the preached Word as more valuable than the food you eat (Matthew 4:4)?

Dear Christian, don’t allow another Lord’s Day to come and go without preparing your heart to meet with God.  Become an active listener and receive the Word into your soul.

Welcome to The Spurgeon Blog

chspurgeon

Both Reformed and Calvinistic Baptists can trace their history back to the Puritan and Particular Baptists in Great Britain.  Of those Baptists none was more well known than Charles Haddon Spurgeon.  Even today Spurgeon is regarded as one of the most articulate voices of the doctrines of grace.  He was a man for his time and a man ahead of his time.  And while this blog is called the “Spurgeon Blog”, it is not about exalting a man.  In fact, Spurgeon once said:

“Remember, dear brethren and sisters, if you would be preserved from falling, you must be schooled in humility, and keep very low before the Lord. When you are half-an-inch above the ground, you are that half-inch too high. Your safety is to be nothing. Trust Christ, but do not trust yourself. Rely on the Spirit of God, but do not rely on anything that is in yourself.”

This blog exists to pursue thought and discussion of Reformed theology.  Spurgeon never saw the worth of theology independent from right living.  Join with me in that endeavor – to know and to do, all to the glory of God!