What are we specially taught by these words before me in the first commandment?

These words before me, or before my face, in the first commandment, teach us, that God, who seeth all things, taketh special notice of, and is much displeased with, the sin of having any other God: that so it may be an argument to dissuade from it, and to aggravate it as a most impudent provocation:[1] as also to persuade us to do as in his sight,: Whatever we do in his service.[2]

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Help Me Help A Brother

From my email:

Do you know of some old hymns that speak directly to penal substitution? I saw one on your blog but do you know of others?

That Christ’s death was penal substitution means that “his death bore the just penalty of God for our sins as a substitute for us.” (Definition taken from the glossary of Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology.)

The hymn refered to that I posted was Hallelujah! What a Savior, which says, “in my place condemned he stood.”  Can you think of other hymns with phrases like this, hymns that clearly teach that Christ’s death was penal substitution?

April's Blog Theme: Petitionary Prayer

This month’s theme here at Rebecca Writes will be focused on the things we are asking of God. On Tuesdays and Fridays throughout April, I’ll be posting one petition I have made that day, and I’m asking you to join me in posting your petitions if you like.

Just send me the links to your posted petitions and I’ll link to your post. You don’t have to restrict yourself to posting petitions only on Tuesday and Friday. Post whenever (and as often, and with as many petitions) as you want, and I’ll include your links in the next petitional post I make.

If a petition is one that is best kept private, consider explaining it in general terms. “I am praying for a friend who is in a health crisis” or “I am praying for one of my children who has an important decision to make” will often be wiser than going into more detail on the world-wide web.

Oh, and if you don’t have a blog, don’t let that stop you. I want your petitions, too. Either email them to me or put them in the comments of one of the petitional prayer posts and I’ll include them in the next scheduled prayer post.

I’m hoping that posting our petitions will be an encouragement in at least two ways: 

• It will encourage us to keep track of what we ask from God so that we notice and are thankful when we receive from him.
• It will encourage us to bear one another’s burdens.

[I meant to post this yesterday, on the first day of April, but my internet provider has been under the weather over the last two days. One of the disadvantages of the satellite internet service I have is that it has periods of unreliability. Grrrr.]