Are the United Methodists and Southern Baptists Listening?

Allen Ross in his excellent book Recalling the Hope of Glory (pages 327-8) writes:

Amazingly, an urge to embrace the religious impulses of the ancient polytheistic societies has resurfaced today, as if that were some kind of progress in religious thought toward a more magnanimous pluralism. As in the days of the prophets, those who hold to the authority of the Word of the LORD in such matters are seen as outdated and narrow-minded, and sometimes even branded as “un-Christian.” For those who would corrupt Christian worship by re-imaging God (making a god in their own image), or by reintroducing ancient deities like the Queen of Heaven, or by redefining doctrines to make them more acceptable to other religions, the way has been prepared by decades of liberal theology that has discredited and marginalized the written Word of God, the Holy Scriptures. Once this was done, it was easy for people to address the clear-cut commands of God in the familiar words of the deceiver, “Did God really say?”

By setting aside the revealed faith in favor of a man-made religion (that is in fact ancient paganism reborn), many false teachers have made it easy for the morality of the people to deteriorate in the name of tolerance and inclusivity so that what the Bible labels as sin is no longer sin and may actually receive the approval and blessing of churches. Of course forgiveness and redemption cease to matter if sin no longer exists. What has happened is that the sovereignty of the holy LORD God has been set aside, and that has always been the first step to false worship and pagan idolatry.

All this is possible because of the ignorance of the people: they do not know the Scriptures, doctrine, or the history of the paganization of the faith. And that ignorance prevails even in congregations that have become satisfied with their own experiential forms of worship. A great conflict lies ahead, a challenge over the historic faith from very liberal groups within Christendom and intolerant non-Christian religious groups without. Too many people have turned a blind eye to it all, choosing to believe unity (i.e., no dissension) is more important than the truth. Believers must know the revelation of the God of glory thoroughly and safeguard the proper forms of worship and spiritual service that he has ordained.

The Ambiquity of the Church

To perfectionists we say, “You are right to seek the purity of the church. The doctrinal and ethical purity of the church is a proper goal of Christian endeavor. But you are wrong to imagine that you will attain it. Not till Christ comes will he present his bride to himself as a ‘radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless’ (Eph 5:27).”

To defeatists we say, “You are right to acknowledge the reality of sin and error in the church, and not to close your eyes to it. But you are wrong to tolerate it. There is a place for discipline in the church, and even for excommunication. To deny the divine-human person of Christ is the anti-Christ (1 John 2:22). to deny the gospel of grace is to deserve God’s anathema (Gal 1:6-9). We cannot condone these things.”

So this is ambiguity of the church

• The church is sanctified yet still sinful and called to be holy.
• The church is enriched yet still defective, eagerly waiting for the return of Christ.
• The church is united (the only and only church of God) yet still unnecessarily divided and called to renounce personality cults.

In these ways we are living in the painful tension between the already and the not yet. Only when Christ comes will the ideal become reality, and all ambiguity cease.

John Stott, Basic Christian Leadership, pages 29-30

Center of the Gospel

The love of Christ to sinners is the very essence and marrow of the Gospel. that He should love us at all, and care for our souls,–that He should love us before we love Him, or even know anything about Him,–that He should love us so much as to come into the world to save us, take our nature on Him, bear our sins, and die for us on the cross,–all this is wonderful indeed! It is a kind of love to which there is nothing like among men. The narrow selfishness of human nature cannot fully comprehend it. It is one of those things which even the angels of God “desire to look into.” It is a truth which Christian preachers and teachers should proclaim incessantly, and never be weary of proclaiming.

JC Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, vol 4, page 2

The Ultimate Purpose of Life

There are two ways to state the ultimate goal of life, one positively and one negatively. Positively we could say: the ultimate goal of life is to glorify God by enjoying him forever. Or negatively, we could say: the ultimate goal of life is not to sin. They both mean the same thing because sinning is falling short of glorifying God by embracing other things as more enjoyable.

So if we could learn how to glorify God by enjoying him, we would know how not to sin. And if we could learn how not to sin, we would know how to glorify God by enjoying him.

From John Piper’s sermon found here

The Christian Life

The Christian life after all is a life, it is a power, it is an activity. This is the thing we so constantly tend to forget. It is not just a philosophy, it is not just a pont of view, it is not just a teaching that we take up and try to put into practice. It is all that, but it is something infinitely more. The very essence of the Christian life, according to the New Testament teaching everywhere, is that it is a mighty power that enters into us; it is a life, if you like, that is pulsating in us. It is an activity, and an activity on the part of God.

—-Martin Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression, page 291