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Sunday

Aug232020

Sunday's Hymn: O That I Had a Thousand Voices

Sunday, August 23, 2020 at 8:34AM

O that I had a thousand voices
To praise my God with thousand tongues!
My heart, which in the Lord rejoices,
Would then proclaim in grateful songs
To all, wherever I might be,
What great things God hath done for me.

O all ye pow’rs that he implanted,
Arise, and silence keep no more;
Put forth the strength that he hath granted,
Your noblest work is to adore.
O my soul and body, be ye meet
With heartfelt praise your Lord to greet!

All creatures that have breath and motion,
That throng the earth, the sea, and sky,
Now join me in my heart’s devotion,
Help me to raise his praises high.
My utmost pow’rs can never aright
Declare the wonders of his might.

O father, deign thou, I beseech thee,
To listen to my earthly lays;
A nobler strain in heaven shall reach thee,
When I with angels hymn thy praise
And learn amid their choirs to sing
Loud hallelujahs to my King.

—Johann Mentzer

Other hymns, worship songs, or quotes for this Sunday:

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Friday

Aug212020

Theological Term of the Week: Theology Proper

Friday, August 21, 2020 at 3:30AM

theology proper
The branch of theology that studies what the Bible teaches about God, and includes the study of God’s existence, his attributes, his works, and the Trinity.

From the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 2, Of Of God, and of the Holy Trinity:

I. There is but one only, living, and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions; immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, most absolute; working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will, for, His own glory; most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him; and withal, most just, and terrible in His judgments, hating all sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty.

II. God hath all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and of Himself; and is alone in and unto Himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creatures which He hath made, nor deriving any glory from them, but only manifesting His own glory in, by, unto, and upon them. He is the alone fountain of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom are all things; and hath most sovereign dominion over them, to do by them, for them, or upon them whatsoever Himself pleaseth. In His sight all things are open and manifest, His knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent upon the creature, so as nothing is to Him contingent, or uncertain. He is most holy in all His counsels, in all His works, and in all His commands. To Him is due from angels and men, and every other creature, whatsoever worship, service, or obedience He is pleased to require of them.

III. In the unity of the Godhead there be three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost: the Father is of none, neither begotten, nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son.Although true believers be not under the law, as a covenant of works, to be thereby justified, or condemned; yet is it of great use to them, as well as to others; in that, as a rule of life informing them of the will of God, and their duty, it directs and binds them to walk accordingly….

From Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof, on the existence of God:

The existence of God is the great presupposition of theology. There is no sense in speaking of the knowledge of God, unless it may be assumed that God exists. The presupposition of Christian theology is of a very definite type. The assumption is not merely that there is something, some idea or ideal, some power or purposeful tendency, to which the name of God may be applied, but that there is a self-existent, self-conscious, personal Being, which is the origin of all things, and which transcends the entire creation, but is at the same time immanent in every part of it. The question may be raised, whether this is a reasonable assumption, and this question may be answered in the affirmative. This does not mean, however, that the existence of God is capable of a logical demonstration that leaves no room whatever for doubt; but it does mean that, while the truth of God’s existence is accepted by faith, this faith is based on reliable information… .

The Christian accepts the truth of the existence of God by faith. But this faith is not a blind faith, but a faith that is based on evidence, and the evidence is found primarily in Scripture as the inspired Word of God, and secondarily in God’s revelation in nature. Scripture proof on this point does not come to us in the form of an explicit declaration, and much less in the form of a logical argument. In that sense the Bible does not prove the existence of God. The closest it comes to a declaration is perhaps in Heb. 11:6 … “for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that seek after Him.” It presupposes the existence of God in its very opening statement, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Not only does it describe God as the Creator of all things, but also as the Upholder of all His creatures, and as the Ruler of the destinies of individuals and nations. It testifies to the fact that God works all things according to the counsel of His will, and reveals the gradual realization of His great purpose of redemption. The preparation for this work, especially in the choice and guidance of the old covenant people of Israel, is clearly seen in the Old Testament, and the initial culmination of it in the Person and work of Christ stands out with great clarity on the pages of the New Testament. God is seen on almost every page of Holy Writ as He reveals Himself in words and actions. This revelation of God is the basis of our faith in the existence of God, and makes this an entirely reasonable faith. It should be remarked, however, that it is only by faith that we accept the revelation of God, and that we obtain a real insight into its contents. Jesus said, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself,” John 7:17. It is this intensive knowledge, resulting from intimate communion with God, which Hosea has in mind when he says, “And let us know, let us follow on to know the Lord,” Hos. 6:3. The unbeliever has no real understanding of the Word of God. The words of Paul are very much to the point in this connection: “Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this age (world)? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For, seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom knew not God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save them that believe,” I Cor. 1:20, 21.

Learn more:

GotQuestions.org: What Is Theology Proper?
Greg Herrick: Theology Proper
Paul Washer: The One True God (pdf)
Thomas Boston: Of God and His Perfections
A. W. Pink: The Attributes of God
Louis Berkhof: The Doctrine of God
S. Lewis Johnson: Lectures on Theology Proper (audio)
Greg Nichols: The Doctrine of God (audio)

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Wednesday

Aug192020

16 Truths You Should Know: Believers Have New Life

Wednesday, August 19, 2020 at 3:30AM

One January when my youngest children were both in elementary school, we had a long cold snap. The thermometer stayed below -40C for almost three weeks. I didn’t want to drive in such extreme temperatures, so I walked them to school each morning. The three of us, bundled in thick parkas, snow pants, heavy boots, tuques, mitts, hats, and scarves, set out toward the school each morning.

At first it didn’t feel cold, and the street lights and lamps in our neighbours’ houses lit out way. But three-quarters of the way there, we left our subdivision to walk through the forest on a small trail that led to the school. The sky was black, the air was thick with ice fog, and our legs began to ache with cold. If there were other people on the trail, we didn’t see or hear them. No life, no light, no warmth. It was as if the whole world was dead around us.

But just five months, our morning walks to school were completely different. The sun was up and shining. The air was warm. The trees had fresh green leaves, and the birds were singing. The land was alive once more.

The yearly change from winter to spring reminds me of the first part of Ephesians 2. All believers, Paul writes, were once “dead in the trespasses and sins” (verse 1), but God “made [them] alive together with Christ” (verse 5). God’s work of salvation brings new spiritual life to people who were spiritually dead. He brings the warmth and light of spring where there was once dark winter coldness.

Everything Changes

Scripture also calls this transformation being born again (John 3:3-8; 1 Peter 1:23), being newly created (Ephesians 2:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17), or becoming a new self or new person (Ephesians 4:24). Theologians often call it regeneration.

According to Louis Berkhof, when this change happens, “the governing disposition of [a person’s] soul is made holy”.¹ In Ephesians 2:2-3, which come between verses 1 and 5 quoted above, Paul wrote that our natural governing disposition—the spiritually dead one we are born with—is definitely unholy. A spiritually dead person is

following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind … . (Ephesians 2:2-3)

In our natural state, we are governed by Satan and our own sinful desires. But when we are reborn, we come under the dominion of the Holy Spirit. Or to put it another way, in the new birth, the Spirit unites us to Christ, who lives his resurrection life within us.

When we recieve new life, everything changes. We once saw no need for repentance, but now, repentance is our way of life. We had no desire or ability to follow Christ, but now we do.

New Life Gives Faith

Someone who has been born again believes Christ, loves him, and trusts him. In the last post in this series, we learned that the faith by which we are saved is a gift from God. He implants new life within us, and “conscious, intentional, active faith in Christ is [the] immediate fruit.”²Everyone who has been born again repents and believes. The reverse is also true: No one repents and believes unless they have been born again.

New Life Grows Holiness

What’s more, just as the light of spring brings new growth in a forest, new spiritual life brings spiritual growth. Regeneration changes our attitudes and actions, and we become more and more obedient to Christ. We begin to bear spiritual fruit. Some sin will always remain in this life (1 John 1:8), but a person who has been born again cannot keep on living the same old life characterized by sin (1 John 3:9). Someone with new life will grow increasingly holy (1 John 2:29).

Theologians call this process—the growth of holiness in someone who is regenerated—sanctification. Sanctification is, first of all, God’s work. The Holy Spirit works within the believer, causing them to want to please God and giving them the power to do so (Philippians 2:13). And in response, the believer works to do what pleases God (Philippians 2:12). Our growth in obedience is completely dependent on God’s inner recreative work, but we are never passive in the process. We work to do what God has prepared for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

Out with the Old, In with the New

It is every believer’s job to become what, through God’s regenerating work, we already are. Paul exhorts us to “put off [our] old self, which belongs to [our] former manner of life” and “put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24).

Jesus, the one with whom we have been united in the new birth, the one whose resurrection life gives us our new life, is our example as we live out our new life of obedience. In sanctification, we are becoming conformed to his image—and the more we grow in our knowledge him, the more we become like him (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Are you a believer? Then work to become what you already are—a new person recreated in Christ’s image.

1 Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof, page 469
2 Concise Theology by J. I. Packer, page 158.

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