I have a couple of books that I've finished and I've been working on the posts for them but the busyness of the Christmas season has kept me from being able to take the time to really sit and think about what I'm writing. In lieu, I'm going to post what I read last night in a book of Christmas stories. No original thoughts from me but hopefully it will inspire you....
"It is a good thing to observe Christmas day. The mere marking of times and seasons when men agree to stop work and make merry together is a wise and wholesome custom. It helps one to feel the supremacy of the common life over the individual life. It reminds a man to set his own little watch, now and then, by the great clock of humanity.
But there is a better thing than the observance of Christmas day, and that is, keeping Christmas.
Are you willing to forget what you have done for other people and to remember what other people have done for you; to ignore what the world owes you and to think what you owe the world; to put your rights in the background and your duties in the middle distance and your chances to do a little more than your duty in the foreground; to see that your fellow men are just as real as you are, and try to look behind their faces to their hearts, hungry for joy; to own that probably the only good reason for your existence is not what you are going to get out of life, but what you are going to give to life; to close your book of complaints against the management of the universe and look around you for a place where you can sow a few seeds of happiness - are you willing to do these things even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas.
Are you willing to stoop down and consider the needs and the desires of little children; to remember the weakness and loneliness of people who are growing old; to stop asking how much your friends love you and ask yourself whether you love them enough; to bear in mind the things that other people have to bear on their hearts; to try to understand what those who live in the same house with you really want, without waiting for them to tell you; to trim your lamp so that it will give more light and less smoke, and to carry it in front so that your shadow will fall behind you; to make a grave for your ugly thoughts and a garden for your kindly feelings, with the gate open - are you willing to do these things even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas.
Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world - stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death - and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago is the image and brightness of Eternal Love? Then you can keep Christmas.
And if you keep it for a day, why not always?
But you can never keep it alone."
Merry Christmas!!! May your holiday time be blessed with undeniable Light and the Spirit of the season surround you in all you and your family do.
Thursday, 22 December 2011
Sunday, 27 November 2011
"A Body of Divinity" by Thomas Watson (Part 2)
Well I said that I would do this before Christmas and I have some time available to me so I thought I should use it wisely to honour my promise. I feel like when I wrote about the first half of this book is was so dry and thoughtless (heading, quote, heading, quote...) but I just don't feel equipped to actually analyze the author's words in any way. That being said I still want to share his amazing, thought-provoking writings with those of you who may never have the time to read the book in it's entirety. So, here we go again...
[The third section of "A Body of Divinity" discourses on the fall.]
The Covenant of Works
Adam had the power to keep this law: he had a copy of God's law written on his heart...It was Adam's fault that he did not keep the law. God gave him a stock of grace to trade with, but by his own neglect he failed. (p. 129)
When Adam lost his righteousness, he lost his anchor of hope and his crown; there was no way for relief, unless God would find out such a way as neither man nor angel could devise...Learn from Adam's fall, how unable we are to stand in our own strength. If Adam, in the state of integrity, did not stand, how unable are we now, when the lock of our original righteousness is cut. (p. 130-131)
Sin
Sin is not only a defection, but a pollution. It is to the soul as rust is to gold, as a stain to beauty...Sin has blotted God's image, and stained the orient brightness of the soul. It makes God loathe a sinner...and when a sinner sees his sin, he loathes himself...it infects our prayers. (p. 133)
Sin is...a defiling thing...grieving God's Spirit...an act of contumacy against God...an act of disingenuity and unkindness...a disease...an irrational thing...a painful thing...the only thing God has an antipathy against. (p. 132-135)
Adam's Sin
Free-will was a sufficient shield to repel temptation. The devil could not have forced him unless he had given his consent...Adam gave away his own power, and suffered himself to be decoyed into sin. (p. 137)
There were many sins in this one sin of Adam ...incredulity ...unthankfulness (the epitome of all sin) ...discontent ...pride ...disobedience ...curiosity ...wantonness ...sacrilege ...murder ...presumption. (p. 140-142)
Original Sin
A man by nature cannot but sin; though there were no devil to tempt, no bad examples to imitate, yet there is such an innate principle in him that he cannot forbear sinning. (p. 143)
...thy heart, like muddy ground, defiles the purest water that runs through it. Nay, though thou art regenerate, there is much of the old man in the new man. Oh how should original sin humble us! (p 147)
God leaves original sin to pull down the plumes of pride. Under our silver wings of grace are black feet. Let the sense of this make us daily look up to heaven for help...Though the sin of our nature seems quiet, and lies as fire hid under the embers, yet if it be a little stirred and blown up by a temptation, how quickly may it flame forth into scandalous evils! (p. 148)
Man's Misery by the Fall
What a sad plague it is for a sinner to be at the will of the devil!...Sin binds men, but the gospel looses them...The gospel star leads you to Christ; and if you get Christ, then you are made free, though not from the being of sin, yet from Satan's tyranny. (p. 150)
Hell is the very accent and emphasis of misery; there is judgment without mercy. (p. 153)
[The fourth division of the book introduces the covenant of grace and its mediator. Thank goodness after that last section!!]
The Covenant of Grace
Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness - 1 John 3:4
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned - Romans 5:12
For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf - Hebrews 9:24
And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil - John 3:19
I do not ask for these things only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also my be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me - John 17:20-21
And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy - the Son of God... - Luke 1:35
And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" - Matthew 28:18
You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me - Galatians 2:20
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith - 1 John 5:4
...Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier to the one who has faith in Jesus - Romans 3:25-26
And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him - 1 John 2:4-5
Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble - 1 Peter 5:5
I wil make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they will not turn from me - Jeremiah 32:30
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain - Philippians 1:21
Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment - John 5:28-29
[The third section of "A Body of Divinity" discourses on the fall.]
The Covenant of Works
Adam had the power to keep this law: he had a copy of God's law written on his heart...It was Adam's fault that he did not keep the law. God gave him a stock of grace to trade with, but by his own neglect he failed. (p. 129)
When Adam lost his righteousness, he lost his anchor of hope and his crown; there was no way for relief, unless God would find out such a way as neither man nor angel could devise...Learn from Adam's fall, how unable we are to stand in our own strength. If Adam, in the state of integrity, did not stand, how unable are we now, when the lock of our original righteousness is cut. (p. 130-131)
Sin
Sin is not only a defection, but a pollution. It is to the soul as rust is to gold, as a stain to beauty...Sin has blotted God's image, and stained the orient brightness of the soul. It makes God loathe a sinner...and when a sinner sees his sin, he loathes himself...it infects our prayers. (p. 133)
Sin is...a defiling thing...grieving God's Spirit...an act of contumacy against God...an act of disingenuity and unkindness...a disease...an irrational thing...a painful thing...the only thing God has an antipathy against. (p. 132-135)
Adam's Sin
Free-will was a sufficient shield to repel temptation. The devil could not have forced him unless he had given his consent...Adam gave away his own power, and suffered himself to be decoyed into sin. (p. 137)
There were many sins in this one sin of Adam ...incredulity ...unthankfulness (the epitome of all sin) ...discontent ...pride ...disobedience ...curiosity ...wantonness ...sacrilege ...murder ...presumption. (p. 140-142)
Original Sin
A man by nature cannot but sin; though there were no devil to tempt, no bad examples to imitate, yet there is such an innate principle in him that he cannot forbear sinning. (p. 143)
...thy heart, like muddy ground, defiles the purest water that runs through it. Nay, though thou art regenerate, there is much of the old man in the new man. Oh how should original sin humble us! (p 147)
God leaves original sin to pull down the plumes of pride. Under our silver wings of grace are black feet. Let the sense of this make us daily look up to heaven for help...Though the sin of our nature seems quiet, and lies as fire hid under the embers, yet if it be a little stirred and blown up by a temptation, how quickly may it flame forth into scandalous evils! (p. 148)
Man's Misery by the Fall
What a sad plague it is for a sinner to be at the will of the devil!...Sin binds men, but the gospel looses them...The gospel star leads you to Christ; and if you get Christ, then you are made free, though not from the being of sin, yet from Satan's tyranny. (p. 150)
Hell is the very accent and emphasis of misery; there is judgment without mercy. (p. 153)
[The fourth division of the book introduces the covenant of grace and its mediator. Thank goodness after that last section!!]
The Covenant of Grace
God knows we have slippery hearts, therefore, he will have a covenant to bind us...It would be sad if, as oft as we break covenant with God he should break covenant with us; but God will not take advantage of every failing, but in 'anger remember mercy'. (p. 155)
It never came into God's thoughts to make a new covenant upon terms of worthiness. If God should show mercy to none but such as are worthy, then must he show mercy to none. But it is God's design in the new covenant to advance the riches of grace, to love us freely; and when we have no worthiness of our own, to accept us through Christ's worthiness. Therefore let not unworthiness discourage you; it is not unworthiness that excludes any from the covenant, but unwillingness. (p. 158)
Christ the Mediator of the Covenant
God and we were at variance by sin, now Christ mediates and becomes umpire between us; he reconciles us to God through his blood...There is no way of communion and intercourse between God and man but in and through a Mediator. (p. 162)
What was said of Ignatius, that the name of Jesus was found written in his heart, should be verified of every saint; he should have Jesus Christ written in his heart. (p. 166)
Christ's Prophetic Office
He teaches us to see into our own hearts...when Christ teaches he removes the veil of ignorance, and lights a man into his own heart...[and a man] prays, as Augustine, that God would deliver him from himself. (p. 167)
When Christ teaches, he makes us obey...he not only informs the judgment, but inclines the will. He does not only come with the light of his word, but the rod of his strength, and makes the stubborn sinner yield to him. His grace is irresistible. (p. 168)
...the spiritual darkness is not accompanied with horror, men tremble not at their condition; nay, they like their condition well enough. 'Men loved darkness.' John iii 19. This is their sad condition, till Jesus Christ comes as a prophet to teach them, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan of God. (p. 169)
Till Christ teach, we never learn any lesson; till Christ is made to us wisdom, we shall never be wise to salvation. (p. 170)
Christ's Priestly Office
...it was necessary that Christ should lay down his life as a sacrifice. (1) To fulfil the predictions of Scripture...(2) To bring us into favour with God...(3) Christ died, that he might make good his last will and testament with his blood...(4) He died that he might purchase for us glorious mansions. (p. 174)
We should look upon sin with indignation, and pursue it with a holy malice, and show the blood of those sins which shed Christ's blood. (p. 174)
As fire is to the chemist, so is faith to the Christian; the chemist can do nothing without fire, so there is nothing done without faith...Without faith Christ himself will not avail us. (p. 176)
Christ intercedes for the weakest believers, and for all the sins of believers. (p. 178)
It is a great comfort to a believer, when his prayer is weak, and he can hardly pray for himself, that Christ's prayer in heaven is mighty and powerful. (p. 181)
Our best services, as they come from us, are mixed with corruption, as wine that tastes of the cask...but Christ purifies and sweetens these services, mixing the sweet odours of his intercession with them; and then God accepts and crowns them. (p. 182)
Let us come boldly to the throne of grace. We have a friend at court that speaks a good word for us, and is following our cause to heaven; let this animate and encourage us in prayer. (p. 182)
Christ's Kingly Office
Many would admit Christ to be their advocate to please for them, but not their king to rule over them. (p. 188)
When the hearts of his people are most humble, when their prayers are most fervent, when their faith is strongest, when their forces are weakest, when their enemies are highest; then is the usual time that Christ puts forth his kingly power for their deliverances. (p. 189)
Christ's Humiliation in His Incarnation
It was not fit for any to satisfy God's justice but man; none could do it but God; therefore, Christ being both God and man, is the fittest to undertake this work of redemption. (p. 192)
Christ took our flesh upon him, that he might take our sins upon him. He was, says Luther, maximus peccator, the greatest sinner, having the weight of the sins of the whole world lying upon him. (p. 194)
...so when God the Father was angry with us, Christ married himself to our nature, and now mediates for us with his Father, and brings us to be friends again, and now God looks upon us with a favourable aspect. (p. 195)
Christ's taking of our flesh was one of the lowest steps of his humiliation. He humbled himself more in lying in the virgin's womb than in hanging upon the cross. (p. 196)
If Christ be born in thy heart, thou hast been deeply afflicted for sin. Christ is never born in the heart without pangs. Many thank God they never had any trouble of spirit, they were always quiet; a sign Christ is not yet formed in them. (p. 199)
After Christ is born in the heart, there is a violent motion: there is a striving to enter in at the strait gate, and offering violence to the kingdom of heaven...Christ being incarnate was made like us, let us labour to be made like him...Let us be like him in sweetness of disposition; be not of a morose spirit...Let us be like Christ in mildness and sweetness. Let us pray for our enemies, and conquer them by love...We are never so comely in God's eyes as when we are black in our own...True religion is to imitate Christ. (p. 200-201)
A Christian should be both a loadstone and a diamond; a loadstone, in drawing others to Christ; a diamond, in casting a sparkling lustre of holiness in his life. Oh let us be so just in our dealings, so true in our promises, so devout in our worship, so unblameable in our lives, that we may be the walking pictures of Christ. Thus as Christ was made in our likeness, let us labour to be made in his. (p. 202)
Christ's Exaltation
The world looks upon humility as that which will make contemptible, but it is the ready way to honour; the way to rise is to fall; the way to ascend is to descend. (p. 206)
Let us exalt Christ in our heart; believe, adore and love him. We cannot life him up higher in heaven, but we may in our hearts. (p. 208)
Christ the Redeemer
The doctrine of redemption by Jesus Christ is a glorious doctrine; it is the marrow and quintessence of the the gospel, in which all a Christian's comfort lies. (p. 209)
There is nothing that can hurt the soul but sin; it is not affliction that hurts it, it often makes it better, as the furnace makes gold the purer; but it is sin that damnifies. (p. 210)
...the heavenly inheritance, it does not lose its orient colour, but keeps its freshness and greenness to eternity; the beauty o it fadeth not away. (p. 211)
...the redeemed of the Lord use the world, and take the lawful comforts of it, but their hearts are presently off these things, and they ascend to heaven. They live here, and trade above. (p. 213)
When the hearts of his people are most humble, when their prayers are most fervent, when their faith is strongest, when their forces are weakest, when their enemies are highest; then is the usual time that Christ puts forth his kingly power for their deliverances. (p. 189)
Christ's Humiliation in His Incarnation
It was not fit for any to satisfy God's justice but man; none could do it but God; therefore, Christ being both God and man, is the fittest to undertake this work of redemption. (p. 192)
Christ took our flesh upon him, that he might take our sins upon him. He was, says Luther, maximus peccator, the greatest sinner, having the weight of the sins of the whole world lying upon him. (p. 194)
...so when God the Father was angry with us, Christ married himself to our nature, and now mediates for us with his Father, and brings us to be friends again, and now God looks upon us with a favourable aspect. (p. 195)
Christ's taking of our flesh was one of the lowest steps of his humiliation. He humbled himself more in lying in the virgin's womb than in hanging upon the cross. (p. 196)
If Christ be born in thy heart, thou hast been deeply afflicted for sin. Christ is never born in the heart without pangs. Many thank God they never had any trouble of spirit, they were always quiet; a sign Christ is not yet formed in them. (p. 199)
After Christ is born in the heart, there is a violent motion: there is a striving to enter in at the strait gate, and offering violence to the kingdom of heaven...Christ being incarnate was made like us, let us labour to be made like him...Let us be like him in sweetness of disposition; be not of a morose spirit...Let us be like Christ in mildness and sweetness. Let us pray for our enemies, and conquer them by love...We are never so comely in God's eyes as when we are black in our own...True religion is to imitate Christ. (p. 200-201)
A Christian should be both a loadstone and a diamond; a loadstone, in drawing others to Christ; a diamond, in casting a sparkling lustre of holiness in his life. Oh let us be so just in our dealings, so true in our promises, so devout in our worship, so unblameable in our lives, that we may be the walking pictures of Christ. Thus as Christ was made in our likeness, let us labour to be made in his. (p. 202)
Christ's Exaltation
The world looks upon humility as that which will make contemptible, but it is the ready way to honour; the way to rise is to fall; the way to ascend is to descend. (p. 206)
Let us exalt Christ in our heart; believe, adore and love him. We cannot life him up higher in heaven, but we may in our hearts. (p. 208)
Christ the Redeemer
The doctrine of redemption by Jesus Christ is a glorious doctrine; it is the marrow and quintessence of the the gospel, in which all a Christian's comfort lies. (p. 209)
There is nothing that can hurt the soul but sin; it is not affliction that hurts it, it often makes it better, as the furnace makes gold the purer; but it is sin that damnifies. (p. 210)
...the heavenly inheritance, it does not lose its orient colour, but keeps its freshness and greenness to eternity; the beauty o it fadeth not away. (p. 211)
...the redeemed of the Lord use the world, and take the lawful comforts of it, but their hearts are presently off these things, and they ascend to heaven. They live here, and trade above. (p. 213)
[The fifth section of the book is about the application of our redemption. This was definitely my favourite part of the the book.]
Faith
Love is the crowning grace in heaven, but faith is the conquering grace upon earth. (p. 217)
The true obedience of faith is a cheerful obedience. God's command do not seem grievous. (p. 219)
Growth of faith is seen by doing duties in a more spiritual manner, with more fervency; we put coal to the incense, from a principle of love to God. When an apple has done growing in bigness, it grows in sweetness; so thou performest duties in love and art sweeter, and come off with a better relish. (p. 220)
Effectual Calling
[Is] an outward call, which...shows men what they ought to do in order to salvation, and renders them inexcusable in case of obedience...an inward call, when...the heart is renewed, and the will is effectually drawn to embrace Christ. (p. 221)
That God should call thee when thou wast in the hot pursuit of sin, admire his love, exalt his praise. (p. 225)
Justification
God, in justifying a person, pronounces him to be righteous, and looks upon him as if he had not sinned...God does not justify us because we are worthy, but by justifying us makes us worthy. (p. 227)
God the Father justifies, as he pronounces us righteous; God the Son justifies, as he imputes righteousness to us; and God the Holy Ghost justifies, as he clears up our justification, and seals us up to the day of redemption. (p. 228)
Justified persons may fall from degrees of grace, they may leave their first love, they may lose God's favour for a time, but not lose their justification. If they are justified they are elected; and they can no more fall from their justification than from their election. If they are justified they have union with Christ; and can a member of Christ be broken off? If one justified person may fall away from Christ, all may; so Christ would be a head without a body. (p. 229)
...though believers should be humbled under their defects, they should not despond. (p. 231)
Adoption
...whom God adopts he sanctifies; he not only gives a new name but a new nature. (p. 233)
He adopted us from slavery: it is mercy to redeem a slave, but it is more to adopt him. (p. 233)
Now, since God had a Son of his own, and such a Son, how wonderful God's love in adopting us! We needed a Father, but he did not need sons. (p. 235)
Our adoption was purchased at a dear rate; for when God was about to make us sons and heirs, he could not seal the deed but by the blood of his own Son. Here is the wonder of God's love in adopting us, that he should be at all this expense to accomplish it. (p. 235)
The first sign of adoption is obedience...It must be done by a right rule...Child-like obedience is that which is consonant to our Father's revealed will...It must be done from a right principle...It must be done to a right end...the end of obedience is glorifying God...True obedience looks at God in all things...True child-like obedience must be uniform...All God's commands have the same stamp of divine authority upon them; and if I obey one precept because my heavenly Father commands me, by the same rule must I obey all. (p. 236-237)
Sanctification
Sanctification is...a supernatural thing...an intrinsic thing; it lies chiefly in the heart...an extensive thing: it spreads to the whole man...an intense and ardent thing...a beautiful thing...an abiding thing...a progressive thing. (p. 241-242)
Sanctification is progressive; if it does not grow, it is because it does not live. (p. 242)
The signs of sanctification [are]...such as are sanctified can remember a time when they were unsanctified...the indwelling of the Spirit...antipathy against sin...a sanctified person can say he not only leaves sin, but loathe it...the spiritual performance of duties with the heart, and from a principle of love...a well-ordered life...steadfast resolution. (p. 245-246)
[This is an absolutely rich and inspiring section of the book. I'm not doing it justice here so please, when you read it, drink this portion of his writing in!!]
Assurance
If a Christian had no doubts there would be no unbelief in him; had he no doubts there would be no difference between grace militant and grace triumphant. (p. 251)
The heart must be ploughed up by humiliation and repentance, before God sows the seeds of assurance. (p. 252)
Assurance will make us love God, and praise him. Love is the soul of religion...Can a Christian, staggering with fears about his spiritual condition, praise God that he is elected and justified? No! (p. 253)
To get assurance...keep a pure conscience...be much in the exercise of grace...cherish the Holy Spirit of God...lie at the pool of the ordinances, and frequent the word and sacrament. (p. 257-258)
[I'm so sorry but again I must plead with you to read this section of the book because I could go on and on here with all the things I highlighted and made notes about in the margin]
Peace
How shall we know that ours is a true peace?...True peace flows from union with Christ...True peace flows from subjection to Christ...True peace is after trouble. (p. 263)
If Satan cannot make us ungodly, he will make us unquiet. Violent winds made the sea rough and stormy; so the winds of temptation blowing, disturb peace of spirit, and put the soul into a commotion. (p. 264)
Peace is the result of pardon. He who has pardon sealed, cannot choose but love his prince. (p. 265)
To attain this blessed peace...let us ask it of God...make war with sin...Go to Christ's blood...Walk closely with God. Peace flows from purity. (p. 265-266)
...make up your spiritual accounts daily; see how matters stand between God and your souls. (p. 266)
Joy
Joy is setting the soul upon the top of a pinnacle - it is the cream of the sincere milk of the word. Spiritual joy is a sweet and delightful passion, arising from the apprehension and feeling of some good, whereby the soul if supported under present troubles, and fenced against future fear. (p. 267)
Walk consistently and spiritually. God gives joy after long and close walking with him. (p. 271)
Growth in Grace
The right manner of growth is uniform, growing in one grace as well as another...The right manner of growth is, when a Christian has grace suitable to his several employments and occasions; when corruptions are strong, and he has grace abel to give check to them; burdens are heavy, and he has patience able to bear them; temptations fierce, and he has faith able to resist them. (p. 274)
There is no standing in religion, either we got forward or backward. If faith does not grow, unbelief will; if heavenly-mindedness does not grow, covetousness will. (p. 276)
Christians should seek after the grace they want, but they must not overlook the grace they have. (p. 278)
Perseverance
Although true believers do not fall away actually, and lose all their grace, yet their grace may fail in degree, and they may make a great breach upon their sanctification. (p. 279)
Thus lively and vigorous may corruption be in the regenerate; they may fall into enormous sins. But though all this be granted, yet they do not, penitus exeidere, fall away finally from grace...Though their grace may be drawn low, yet it is not drawn dry; though grace may be abated, it is not abolished...Grace, when at the lowest, shall revive and flourish. (p. 280)
As it is not possible to sever the leaven and the dough when they are once mingled and kneaded together, so it is impossible for Christ and believers, when once united, ever to be separated. (p. 282)
Though a Christian has but little grace to trade with, yet he need not fear breaking, because God not only gives him a stock of grace, but will keep his stock for him...'Grace may be shaken with fears and doubts, but it cannot be plucked up by the root' (Augustine). (p. 285)
He who loves God will rather die than desert him...Keep your faith, and your faith will keep you. (p. 289)
[The sixth and final section of the book is entitled 'Death and the last day']
The Death of the Righteous
To a believer death is great gain...Believers at death shall gain a writ of ease from all sins and troubles; they shall be in a state of impeccability: sin expires with their life...Believers at death shall gain the glorious sight of God...The saints at death shall not only have a sight of God, but shall enjoy his love...Believers at death shall gain a celestial place, a house not made with hands...Believers at death shall gain the sweet society of glorified saints and angels...Believers at death shall gain perfection of holiness...At death, the saints will gain a royal magnificent feast...Believers at death shall gain honour and dignity; they shall reign as kings. (p. 291-293)
Though we should be desirous of doing service here, yet we should be ambitious of being with Christ. Phil i 23. We should be content to live, but willing to die. (p. 294)
A Believer's Privilege at Death
At death a believer is freed from...torturing fears; he is as far from fear as the damned are from hope. (p. 297)
Death will free a child of God from temptation, so that he shall never be vexed more with the old serpent. (p. 298)
...the very essence of happiness is the enjoyment and fruition of God. God is an infinite inexhaustible fountain of joy; and to have him, is to have all. (p. 300)
...be patient till death, and you shall have a supply of all your wants; you shall have a kingdom, and be as rich as heaven can make you. (p. 305)
The Resurrection
If the dead rise not, then Christ is not risen, and then our faith is in vain. (p. 307)
Defile not your bodies, which you hope shall rise one day to glory...If your bodies glorify God, God will glorify your bodies. (p. 309)
When once the sentence is passed, it is irreversible; there is no appealing to a higher court. The trial also has a light side. It will increase the joy and happiness of the righteous. The day of judgment will be a day of jubilee to them. (p. 313)
They that sin against conscience, will be shy of their judge...Christian, thy pack will be opened at the last day, I mean, thy conscience (and Christ is the searcher), to see what sins, what prohibited goods thou hast taken in; and the he proceeds to judgment. Oh! be sure to keep a good conscience; which is the best way to stand with boldness at the day of judgment. (p. 316)
Wow, I cannot believe that I actually went through this entire book in this manner. I hope and pray that the smallest of small sampling that I have given you here will stir your heart to take this book and really dive into it with pen or pencil or highlighter in hand. The treasures you find may be quite different than mine but I have no doubt at all that they are there for you to uncover. Thanks for sticking along with me on this two-parter. It was a long haul!!
Faith
Love is the crowning grace in heaven, but faith is the conquering grace upon earth. (p. 217)
The true obedience of faith is a cheerful obedience. God's command do not seem grievous. (p. 219)
Growth of faith is seen by doing duties in a more spiritual manner, with more fervency; we put coal to the incense, from a principle of love to God. When an apple has done growing in bigness, it grows in sweetness; so thou performest duties in love and art sweeter, and come off with a better relish. (p. 220)
Effectual Calling
[Is] an outward call, which...shows men what they ought to do in order to salvation, and renders them inexcusable in case of obedience...an inward call, when...the heart is renewed, and the will is effectually drawn to embrace Christ. (p. 221)
That God should call thee when thou wast in the hot pursuit of sin, admire his love, exalt his praise. (p. 225)
Justification
God, in justifying a person, pronounces him to be righteous, and looks upon him as if he had not sinned...God does not justify us because we are worthy, but by justifying us makes us worthy. (p. 227)
God the Father justifies, as he pronounces us righteous; God the Son justifies, as he imputes righteousness to us; and God the Holy Ghost justifies, as he clears up our justification, and seals us up to the day of redemption. (p. 228)
Justified persons may fall from degrees of grace, they may leave their first love, they may lose God's favour for a time, but not lose their justification. If they are justified they are elected; and they can no more fall from their justification than from their election. If they are justified they have union with Christ; and can a member of Christ be broken off? If one justified person may fall away from Christ, all may; so Christ would be a head without a body. (p. 229)
...though believers should be humbled under their defects, they should not despond. (p. 231)
Adoption
...whom God adopts he sanctifies; he not only gives a new name but a new nature. (p. 233)
He adopted us from slavery: it is mercy to redeem a slave, but it is more to adopt him. (p. 233)
Now, since God had a Son of his own, and such a Son, how wonderful God's love in adopting us! We needed a Father, but he did not need sons. (p. 235)
Our adoption was purchased at a dear rate; for when God was about to make us sons and heirs, he could not seal the deed but by the blood of his own Son. Here is the wonder of God's love in adopting us, that he should be at all this expense to accomplish it. (p. 235)
The first sign of adoption is obedience...It must be done by a right rule...Child-like obedience is that which is consonant to our Father's revealed will...It must be done from a right principle...It must be done to a right end...the end of obedience is glorifying God...True obedience looks at God in all things...True child-like obedience must be uniform...All God's commands have the same stamp of divine authority upon them; and if I obey one precept because my heavenly Father commands me, by the same rule must I obey all. (p. 236-237)
Sanctification
Sanctification is...a supernatural thing...an intrinsic thing; it lies chiefly in the heart...an extensive thing: it spreads to the whole man...an intense and ardent thing...a beautiful thing...an abiding thing...a progressive thing. (p. 241-242)
Sanctification is progressive; if it does not grow, it is because it does not live. (p. 242)
The signs of sanctification [are]...such as are sanctified can remember a time when they were unsanctified...the indwelling of the Spirit...antipathy against sin...a sanctified person can say he not only leaves sin, but loathe it...the spiritual performance of duties with the heart, and from a principle of love...a well-ordered life...steadfast resolution. (p. 245-246)
[This is an absolutely rich and inspiring section of the book. I'm not doing it justice here so please, when you read it, drink this portion of his writing in!!]
Assurance
If a Christian had no doubts there would be no unbelief in him; had he no doubts there would be no difference between grace militant and grace triumphant. (p. 251)
The heart must be ploughed up by humiliation and repentance, before God sows the seeds of assurance. (p. 252)
Assurance will make us love God, and praise him. Love is the soul of religion...Can a Christian, staggering with fears about his spiritual condition, praise God that he is elected and justified? No! (p. 253)
To get assurance...keep a pure conscience...be much in the exercise of grace...cherish the Holy Spirit of God...lie at the pool of the ordinances, and frequent the word and sacrament. (p. 257-258)
[I'm so sorry but again I must plead with you to read this section of the book because I could go on and on here with all the things I highlighted and made notes about in the margin]
Peace
How shall we know that ours is a true peace?...True peace flows from union with Christ...True peace flows from subjection to Christ...True peace is after trouble. (p. 263)
If Satan cannot make us ungodly, he will make us unquiet. Violent winds made the sea rough and stormy; so the winds of temptation blowing, disturb peace of spirit, and put the soul into a commotion. (p. 264)
Peace is the result of pardon. He who has pardon sealed, cannot choose but love his prince. (p. 265)
To attain this blessed peace...let us ask it of God...make war with sin...Go to Christ's blood...Walk closely with God. Peace flows from purity. (p. 265-266)
...make up your spiritual accounts daily; see how matters stand between God and your souls. (p. 266)
Joy
Joy is setting the soul upon the top of a pinnacle - it is the cream of the sincere milk of the word. Spiritual joy is a sweet and delightful passion, arising from the apprehension and feeling of some good, whereby the soul if supported under present troubles, and fenced against future fear. (p. 267)
Walk consistently and spiritually. God gives joy after long and close walking with him. (p. 271)
Growth in Grace
The right manner of growth is uniform, growing in one grace as well as another...The right manner of growth is, when a Christian has grace suitable to his several employments and occasions; when corruptions are strong, and he has grace abel to give check to them; burdens are heavy, and he has patience able to bear them; temptations fierce, and he has faith able to resist them. (p. 274)
There is no standing in religion, either we got forward or backward. If faith does not grow, unbelief will; if heavenly-mindedness does not grow, covetousness will. (p. 276)
Christians should seek after the grace they want, but they must not overlook the grace they have. (p. 278)
Perseverance
Although true believers do not fall away actually, and lose all their grace, yet their grace may fail in degree, and they may make a great breach upon their sanctification. (p. 279)
Thus lively and vigorous may corruption be in the regenerate; they may fall into enormous sins. But though all this be granted, yet they do not, penitus exeidere, fall away finally from grace...Though their grace may be drawn low, yet it is not drawn dry; though grace may be abated, it is not abolished...Grace, when at the lowest, shall revive and flourish. (p. 280)
As it is not possible to sever the leaven and the dough when they are once mingled and kneaded together, so it is impossible for Christ and believers, when once united, ever to be separated. (p. 282)
Though a Christian has but little grace to trade with, yet he need not fear breaking, because God not only gives him a stock of grace, but will keep his stock for him...'Grace may be shaken with fears and doubts, but it cannot be plucked up by the root' (Augustine). (p. 285)
He who loves God will rather die than desert him...Keep your faith, and your faith will keep you. (p. 289)
[The sixth and final section of the book is entitled 'Death and the last day']
The Death of the Righteous
To a believer death is great gain...Believers at death shall gain a writ of ease from all sins and troubles; they shall be in a state of impeccability: sin expires with their life...Believers at death shall gain the glorious sight of God...The saints at death shall not only have a sight of God, but shall enjoy his love...Believers at death shall gain a celestial place, a house not made with hands...Believers at death shall gain the sweet society of glorified saints and angels...Believers at death shall gain perfection of holiness...At death, the saints will gain a royal magnificent feast...Believers at death shall gain honour and dignity; they shall reign as kings. (p. 291-293)
Though we should be desirous of doing service here, yet we should be ambitious of being with Christ. Phil i 23. We should be content to live, but willing to die. (p. 294)
A Believer's Privilege at Death
At death a believer is freed from...torturing fears; he is as far from fear as the damned are from hope. (p. 297)
Death will free a child of God from temptation, so that he shall never be vexed more with the old serpent. (p. 298)
...the very essence of happiness is the enjoyment and fruition of God. God is an infinite inexhaustible fountain of joy; and to have him, is to have all. (p. 300)
...be patient till death, and you shall have a supply of all your wants; you shall have a kingdom, and be as rich as heaven can make you. (p. 305)
The Resurrection
If the dead rise not, then Christ is not risen, and then our faith is in vain. (p. 307)
Defile not your bodies, which you hope shall rise one day to glory...If your bodies glorify God, God will glorify your bodies. (p. 309)
When once the sentence is passed, it is irreversible; there is no appealing to a higher court. The trial also has a light side. It will increase the joy and happiness of the righteous. The day of judgment will be a day of jubilee to them. (p. 313)
They that sin against conscience, will be shy of their judge...Christian, thy pack will be opened at the last day, I mean, thy conscience (and Christ is the searcher), to see what sins, what prohibited goods thou hast taken in; and the he proceeds to judgment. Oh! be sure to keep a good conscience; which is the best way to stand with boldness at the day of judgment. (p. 316)
Wow, I cannot believe that I actually went through this entire book in this manner. I hope and pray that the smallest of small sampling that I have given you here will stir your heart to take this book and really dive into it with pen or pencil or highlighter in hand. The treasures you find may be quite different than mine but I have no doubt at all that they are there for you to uncover. Thanks for sticking along with me on this two-parter. It was a long haul!!
Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness - 1 John 3:4
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned - Romans 5:12
For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf - Hebrews 9:24
And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil - John 3:19
I do not ask for these things only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also my be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me - John 17:20-21
And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy - the Son of God... - Luke 1:35
And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" - Matthew 28:18
You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me - Galatians 2:20
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith - 1 John 5:4
...Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier to the one who has faith in Jesus - Romans 3:25-26
And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him - 1 John 2:4-5
Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble - 1 Peter 5:5
I wil make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they will not turn from me - Jeremiah 32:30
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain - Philippians 1:21
Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment - John 5:28-29
Monday, 14 November 2011
"Shepherding a Child's Heart" by Tedd Tripp
My intent with 'Theology Mommy' was to have both theology and parenting content. I am forever saying "I read in this parenting book..." but can never remember concretely which book it was. I've read a lot of Christian parenting books as I believe that next to my relationship with God and my commitment to my marriage and making that stronger, my responsibility to raise children who know that they serve a God who loves them and how they can reflect that back to Him and to the world should be a massive part of my daily life. I realized the other day that I have been very heavy on the theology side of things and much lighter than I originally intended on the parenting. I have some parenting books in my bedside table stack and one of them is the follow-up to this book. I first read Shepherding a Child's Heart about two years ago but thought it definitely deserves some attention here so that there would be sufficient background when I write about it's successor. I'm hoping to find some time in 2012 to write about some of the other books that have impacted my parenting. Rarely a day goes by when I don't think of something from one of the three or four books that fall into this category. But I will get to those, Lord willing, in due time.
What is great, and tough, about the tools this book gives parents is it teaches us to get to the root of our children's actions rather than just dealing with the same 'issue' over and over again. "Parents tend to focus on the externals of behavior rather than the internal overflow of the heart... To the degree and extent to which our focus is on behavior, we miss the heart. When we miss the heart, we miss the subtle idols of the heart" (p. xi). But be warned, parenting this way requires a lot of thinking and examining (of ourselves and our children) and a tonne of time in the actual discipline process. But I believe that, when done consistently and properly, it's completely worth it. We must be a loving authority in our children's lives - "The purpose for your authority in the lives of your children is not to hold them under your power, but to empower them to be self-controlled people living freely under the authority of God" (p. xx). We are to be their earthly shepherd - "It involves investing your life in your child in open and honest communication that unfolds meaning and purpose of life" (p. xxi). And the central focus of our parenting must be the gospel - "The gospel enables you and your children to face the worst in yourselves - your sin, your baldness, and your weakness - and still find hope, because grace is powerful" (p. xxii).
The first thing Mr. Tripp ask us to think about is how "the behavior a person exhibits is an expression of the overflow of the heart" (p. 3). This being said, we must then become concerned with the attitudes of our hearts that lead to any given behavior. "You must help your child ask the questions that will expose that attitude of the heart that has resulted in wrong behavior...Your concern is to unmask your child's sin, helping him understand how it reflects a heart that has strayed. That leads to the cross of Christ. It underscores the need for a Savior. It provides opportunities to show the glories of God who sent his Son to change hearts and free people enslaved to sin" (p. 5-6). When I originally read this book, I noted in the margin 'my deepest desire for my boys'. Now I feel like I should add 'and myself' because ultimately we all, as Christians, have at the root our actions the desire to make the cross the focus of all we do and bring glory to God thereby. The author then discusses the shaping influences in children's lives and says "The person your child becomes is a product of two things. The first is his life experience. The second is how he interacts with that experience" (p. 10). Areas such as structure of the family, family values, family roles, family conflict resolution, family response to failure and family history all play major roles in this experience. "Children are never passive receivers of shaping. Rather, they are active responders " (p. 16). Once we understand this, we can say that it is the child's Godward orientation that forms the outcomes of his or her shaping influences. "The young child may not be conscious of his religious commitment, but he is never neutral. Made in the image of God, he is designed with a worship orientation. Even as a young child, he is either worshipping and serving God or idols" (p. 20). Pretty serious statement. This leaves our task as directing them toward their source of worship. "You need to engage your children as creatures made in the image of God. They can find fulfillment and happiness only as they know and serve the living God" (p. 22).
An extremely key chapter for me in this book was "You're in Charge". I cringe whenever I hear a parent utter 'Well, my kid(s) won't let me....". It made me cringe before I ever read this book and even more so now. "If you are unsure about the nature and extent of your authority, your children will suffer greatly. They will never know what to expect from you because the ground rules will be constantly changing. They will never learn the absolutes and principles of God's Word that alone teach wisdom" (p. 27). For years I had heard people talk about consistency in parenting being key but I never quite understood why. Those two sentences cleared it up for me. Once we become parents we are called to be in charge and we are called to obedience. God has called us to have authority in our children's lives and "[we] may not try to shape the lives of our children as it pleases [us], but as pleases him" (p. 28). Understanding our task here should help us think more clearly and realize "[i]t is God who is not obeyed when you are disobeyed. It is God who is not being honored when you are not honored. The issue is not an interpersonal contest, it is rather your insistence that your child obey God, because obeying God is good and right" (p. 29). Because of our call to obedience, "[u]nderstanding that you are God's agent as a parent deals not only with the right to act - it also provides the mandate to act. You have no choice. You must engage your children. You are acting in obedience to God. It is your duty" (p. 30). In defining parenting, Mr. Tripp explains that the reduction of our current culture to parenting as simply providing care is weak and we as Christians "[w]hether waking, walking, talking or resting...must be involved in helping [our] child to understand life, himself, and his needs from a biblical perspective" (p. 32). We must provide direction for our children but also be humble and willing to apologize and seek forgiveness if we have acted sinfully or angrily toward our children. One point that struck me as so important is when we discipline in anger the child learns the fear of man and not the fear of God. "Any change in behavior that is produced by such anger is not going to move your children toward God. It moves them away from God. It moves them in the direction of idolatry of fearing man...Correction is not displaying your anger at their offenses; it is rather reminding them that their sinful behavior offends God...you can teach your child to receive correction from you because it is the means God has appointed. The child learns to receive correction, not because parents are always right, but because God says the rod of correction imparts wisdom, and whoever heeds correction shows prudence" (p. 35). We need to hold fast to the promises in Scripture that join discipline and love (Prov. 3:12, 13:24, Rev. 3:19). This great chapter ends with the following: "Your correction must be tied to the principles and absolutes of the Word of God. The issues of discipline are issues of character development and honoring God. It is God's non-negotiable standard that fuels correction and discipline" (p. 37).
In the next chapters, the author discusses our goals in parenting and what they should be versus what the world tells us they should be. "Having well behaved children is not a worthy goal. It is a great secondary benefit of biblical childrearing, but an unworthy goal in itself...When being well-mannered is severed from biblical roots in servanthood, manners become a classy tool of manipulation. Your children learn how to work others in a subtle but profoundly self-serving way" (p. 43-44). With our understanding that the chief end of man is to glorify God at to enjoy him forever, "you must equip your children to function in a culture that has abandoned the knowledge of God" (p. 45). We must give our children a biblical worldview, providing them with with knowledge that a life truly lived is one that is looking toward the day that he or she will stand before God and serving Him in the meantime. "What your children need is spiritual nurture. They need to be taught the ways of God. They need to be instructed in the character of God so that they can learn a proper fear of God. They need to understand that all of life rushes toward the day when we shall stand before God and give account. They need to understand subtleties of the malignancy of their own hearts. They need to know the dangers of trusting in themselves. They need the answers to the great problems of life...Tenderly encourage them to trust God. They need to trust him not only for salvation, but for daily living" (p. 52). But why is it so important to use biblical methods in our parenting and nurturing? If the current secular parenting books and methods are seeming to yield happy, well-adjusted children why can't we employ those? "Superficial parenting that never addresses the heart biblically produces superficial children who do not understand what makes them tick. They must be trained to understand and interpret their behavior in terms of heart motivation. If they never have that training, they will drift through life, never understanding the internal struggles that lie beneath their most consistent behavior" (p. 66). This opens up the door for us to take our children to the foot of the cross and present to them the gospel every day. "God does open-heart surgery, not a face-lift. He produces change from the inside out" (p. 67). In today's culture of parenting "[c]haracter is ignored. The emphasis is on getting homework done. Children are not being trained to make ethical choices as responsible people living in reverence for God. They are learning how to jump through your hoops and avoid your displeasure...There is another devastating effect of this approach to discipline. It produces distance between parent and child. Children soon see through the implicit and explicit manipulation. They eventually come to resent the crass attempts to control their behavior. They learn to play the cat-and-mouse game with you, but depth of relationship and communication is lost...they become more resistant to the manipulation and perhaps even openly rebellious" (p. 68). I'm a 'prepare for the worst' kind of gal and I'm constantly thinking about how what I'm doing now will affect my children 5, 10, 20 years down the road so I definitely want to do my best to not get to that place of blatant rebellion rather than having to start at square one when it does rear it's ugly head.
Mr. Tripp believes "[a] biblical approach to children involves two elements that you weave together. One element is rich, full communication. The other is the rod" (p. 71). Starting with communication, he asks us first to understand that it is not a monologue but a dialogue. "The finest art of communication is not learning how to express your thoughts. It is learning how to draw out the thoughts of another. Your objective in communication must be to understand your child, not simply to have your child understand you (italics mine)" (p. 73). I adore this concept and it changed everything for me when I approached my kids in a posture of discipline. "Your first objective correction must not be to tell your children how you feel about what they have done or said. You must try to understand what is going on inside them" (p. 73). Please let me tell you that trying to do this with a four-year old boy must be akin to some form of Chinese water torture. But I endured countless minutes (or hours) of humming and hawing on his part and he figured out how to express to me what was going on in his heart or, at the very least, in his mind when he was acting a particular way. His future wife can thank me later. "Your question in correction is this: What is the specific content of the abundance of the heart in this circumstance? What was the temptation? What was his response to that temptation? What was he trying to accomplish?...What you must do is peel away the behavior and discern the inner world of your child's motivation in this situation. While you can never understand the issues of the heart flawlessly, it is a pursuit worthy of effort" (p. 74). Just so you know, when I first read the book I just wrote 'Huh? How?' in the margin beside this quote. Now as I've worked at it I get it a little better but it still requires a lot of effort and patience. But to give you some hope - "As you learn their internal struggles with sin, you have an inside track. You, like them, are a sinner. You can use your insight into the nature of temptation to help them understand their own battles. You can also encourage your children that the unending grace and mercy that you have found in Jesus Christ is offered to them as well. In him there is righteousness that we cannot produce, forgiveness that we cannot merit, and power that we cannot generate. There is hope for needy people in this one who became flesh and dwelt with us" (p. 77). Mr. Tripp feels that it is imperative to choose the appropriate type of communication depending on the situation.
1) Encouragement - when we need to give our child hope and courage. It is important to ensure that this hope and inspiration comes from God.
2) Correction - "gives your children insight into what is wrong and what may be done to correct the problem" (p 82).
3) Rebuke - "sometimes a child must experience your sense of alarm, shock and dismay at what he has done or said" (p. 83).
4) Entreaty - for cases of great import. It is not begging but earnest pleading that child act "in wisdom and faith" (p 83).
5) Instruction
6) Warning - fill their heads with the cautions of the Bible
7) Teaching - "often most powerfully done after a failure or problem" (p. 87).
8) Prayer - "understanding what they pray and how they pray is often a window into their souls...the parent's prayer provides instruction and insight for the child" (p. 87).
That's the list in a nutshell but when you read the book you will get much more information about how to use each form of communication.
In the final section on communication, Mr. Tripp explains how communicating with your children must become a way of life and how "[y]ou will never have the hearts of your children if you talk with them only when something has gone wrong" (p. 90). There are so many treasures in this section of the book and tips that you can remind yourself of every morning (because I need those fresh mercies every morning) as you go to start the day with your children. "'Shepherding the heart'...means helping them understand themselves, God's works, the ways of God, how sin works in the human heart, and how the gospel come to them at the most profound levels of human need" (p. 90). There is a cost to the parents in making a commitment to communicate with your children on this level. "You must become a good listener. You will miss precious opportunities when you only half-listen to your children. The best way you can train your children to be active listeners by actively listening to them "(p. 90). "Admit when you are wrong. Be prepared to seek forgiveness for sinning against your children. The right to make searching and honest appraisal of your children lies in the willingness to do the same for yourself" (p. 91). "Children trust you when they know you love them and are committed to their good, when they know you understand them, when they know you understand their strengths and weaknesses, when they know that you have invested yourself in [the types of communication listed above]. When a child knows that all his life you have sought to see the world through his eyes, he will trust you. When he knows that you have not tried to make him like you or like anybody else, but only sought to help him realize his full potential as a creature of God made to know him and live in the relationship of fellowship with him, he will trust you" (p. 94). "Parenting is your primary calling. Parenting will mean that you can't do all the things that you could otherwise do. It will affect your golf handicap. It may mean that your home does not look like a picture from Better Homes and Gardens. It will impact your career and ascent on the corporate ladder. It will alter the kind of friendships you will be able to pursue. It will modify the amount of time you have for bowling, hunting, television, or how many books you read. It will mean that you can't develop every interest that comes along. The costs are high" (p. 97). I kind of felt put in my place when I read that, but in a good way, a way I needed to hear.
And now...the rod. Did you hear the low, slow bass drum beats? Totally kidding. As someone who never doubted that she would spank her children, this was a wonderful, informative chapter that reminded me how to approach this extremely important aspect of disciplining my boys. I'm so leery to try and summarize this part of the book because all the points Mr. Tripp makes to arrive at his conclusions are so important. So please, just read the parts that were the most meaningful to me and then read the chapter in it's entirety for yourself. "The young child who is refusing to be under authority is in a place of grave danger...Your task is to rescue your children from death. Faithful and timely use of the rod is the means of rescue" (p. 103). "The rod of correction brings wisdom to the child. It provides an immediate tactile demonstration of the foolishness of rebellion. Properly administered discipline humbles the heart of a child, making him subject to parental instruction" (p. 104). His definition of the rod is a good one: "The rod is a parent, in faith toward God and faithfulness toward his or her children, undertaking the responsibility of careful, timely, measured, and controlled use of physical punishment to underscore the importance of obeying God, thus rescuing the child from continuing in his foolishness until death" (p. 104). He is very careful to point out that we never discipline our children for childishness (like spilling some milk) or when we are angry. "The rod is a responsibility. It is not the parent determining to punish. It is the parent determining to obey...He is not on his own errand, but fulfilling God's...The rod is never a venting of parental anger. It is not what the parent does when he is frustrated. It is not a response to feeling that the child has made things hard for him...The parent knows the proper measure of severity for this particular child at this particular time. The child knows how many swats are to come" (p. 106). The author then spends some time discussing distortions of use of the rod and also objections to the rod. These are great things to be aware of, especially if you may wind up in a discussion with another parent regarding your personal decision to use the rod as part of raising your children. "The rod returns the child to the place of blessing. Left to himself, he would continue to live a lust-driven life. He would continue to seek comfort in being a slave to his desires and fears. The rod of correction returns him to the place of submission to parents in which God has promised blessing...The parent who is engaging his child and refusing to ignore things that challenge the integrity of their relationship will experience intimacy with his child" (p. 112-113).
The final method Mr. Tripp employs is an appeal to the conscience of the child. "Your correction and discipline must find their mark in the conscience of your son or daughter. God has given children a reasoning capacity that distinguishes issues of right and wrong...Your most powerful appeals will be those that smite the conscience. When the offended conscience is aroused, correction and discipline can find their mark" (p. 116). We must correct and discipline our children with a focus on redemption. "The central focus of childrearing is to bring children to a sober assessment of themselves as sinners...The focal point of your discipline and correction must be your children seeing their utter inability to do the things that God requires unless they know the help and strength of God" (p. 120).
The latter third of "Shepherding a Child's Heart" is how to guide and discipline and love your children through all stages of childhood, from infancy to teenagers. This part of the book ensures that it will never gather dust on my bookshelf or get buried under a stack of papers on the office desk. This book will always be a valuable resource in my parenting journey and I'm sure I will refer to it hundreds of times in the years to come before my boys leave home. And then I'll pull it out again to help them when they have kids of their own!!
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life - Proverbs 4:23
The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies - Psalm 58:3
A fool despises his father's instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent - Proverbs 15:5
The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother - Proverbs 29:15
The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out - Proverbs 20:5
Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol. My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad - Proverbs 23:13-15
Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him - Proverbs 22:15
What is great, and tough, about the tools this book gives parents is it teaches us to get to the root of our children's actions rather than just dealing with the same 'issue' over and over again. "Parents tend to focus on the externals of behavior rather than the internal overflow of the heart... To the degree and extent to which our focus is on behavior, we miss the heart. When we miss the heart, we miss the subtle idols of the heart" (p. xi). But be warned, parenting this way requires a lot of thinking and examining (of ourselves and our children) and a tonne of time in the actual discipline process. But I believe that, when done consistently and properly, it's completely worth it. We must be a loving authority in our children's lives - "The purpose for your authority in the lives of your children is not to hold them under your power, but to empower them to be self-controlled people living freely under the authority of God" (p. xx). We are to be their earthly shepherd - "It involves investing your life in your child in open and honest communication that unfolds meaning and purpose of life" (p. xxi). And the central focus of our parenting must be the gospel - "The gospel enables you and your children to face the worst in yourselves - your sin, your baldness, and your weakness - and still find hope, because grace is powerful" (p. xxii).
The first thing Mr. Tripp ask us to think about is how "the behavior a person exhibits is an expression of the overflow of the heart" (p. 3). This being said, we must then become concerned with the attitudes of our hearts that lead to any given behavior. "You must help your child ask the questions that will expose that attitude of the heart that has resulted in wrong behavior...Your concern is to unmask your child's sin, helping him understand how it reflects a heart that has strayed. That leads to the cross of Christ. It underscores the need for a Savior. It provides opportunities to show the glories of God who sent his Son to change hearts and free people enslaved to sin" (p. 5-6). When I originally read this book, I noted in the margin 'my deepest desire for my boys'. Now I feel like I should add 'and myself' because ultimately we all, as Christians, have at the root our actions the desire to make the cross the focus of all we do and bring glory to God thereby. The author then discusses the shaping influences in children's lives and says "The person your child becomes is a product of two things. The first is his life experience. The second is how he interacts with that experience" (p. 10). Areas such as structure of the family, family values, family roles, family conflict resolution, family response to failure and family history all play major roles in this experience. "Children are never passive receivers of shaping. Rather, they are active responders " (p. 16). Once we understand this, we can say that it is the child's Godward orientation that forms the outcomes of his or her shaping influences. "The young child may not be conscious of his religious commitment, but he is never neutral. Made in the image of God, he is designed with a worship orientation. Even as a young child, he is either worshipping and serving God or idols" (p. 20). Pretty serious statement. This leaves our task as directing them toward their source of worship. "You need to engage your children as creatures made in the image of God. They can find fulfillment and happiness only as they know and serve the living God" (p. 22).
An extremely key chapter for me in this book was "You're in Charge". I cringe whenever I hear a parent utter 'Well, my kid(s) won't let me....". It made me cringe before I ever read this book and even more so now. "If you are unsure about the nature and extent of your authority, your children will suffer greatly. They will never know what to expect from you because the ground rules will be constantly changing. They will never learn the absolutes and principles of God's Word that alone teach wisdom" (p. 27). For years I had heard people talk about consistency in parenting being key but I never quite understood why. Those two sentences cleared it up for me. Once we become parents we are called to be in charge and we are called to obedience. God has called us to have authority in our children's lives and "[we] may not try to shape the lives of our children as it pleases [us], but as pleases him" (p. 28). Understanding our task here should help us think more clearly and realize "[i]t is God who is not obeyed when you are disobeyed. It is God who is not being honored when you are not honored. The issue is not an interpersonal contest, it is rather your insistence that your child obey God, because obeying God is good and right" (p. 29). Because of our call to obedience, "[u]nderstanding that you are God's agent as a parent deals not only with the right to act - it also provides the mandate to act. You have no choice. You must engage your children. You are acting in obedience to God. It is your duty" (p. 30). In defining parenting, Mr. Tripp explains that the reduction of our current culture to parenting as simply providing care is weak and we as Christians "[w]hether waking, walking, talking or resting...must be involved in helping [our] child to understand life, himself, and his needs from a biblical perspective" (p. 32). We must provide direction for our children but also be humble and willing to apologize and seek forgiveness if we have acted sinfully or angrily toward our children. One point that struck me as so important is when we discipline in anger the child learns the fear of man and not the fear of God. "Any change in behavior that is produced by such anger is not going to move your children toward God. It moves them away from God. It moves them in the direction of idolatry of fearing man...Correction is not displaying your anger at their offenses; it is rather reminding them that their sinful behavior offends God...you can teach your child to receive correction from you because it is the means God has appointed. The child learns to receive correction, not because parents are always right, but because God says the rod of correction imparts wisdom, and whoever heeds correction shows prudence" (p. 35). We need to hold fast to the promises in Scripture that join discipline and love (Prov. 3:12, 13:24, Rev. 3:19). This great chapter ends with the following: "Your correction must be tied to the principles and absolutes of the Word of God. The issues of discipline are issues of character development and honoring God. It is God's non-negotiable standard that fuels correction and discipline" (p. 37).
In the next chapters, the author discusses our goals in parenting and what they should be versus what the world tells us they should be. "Having well behaved children is not a worthy goal. It is a great secondary benefit of biblical childrearing, but an unworthy goal in itself...When being well-mannered is severed from biblical roots in servanthood, manners become a classy tool of manipulation. Your children learn how to work others in a subtle but profoundly self-serving way" (p. 43-44). With our understanding that the chief end of man is to glorify God at to enjoy him forever, "you must equip your children to function in a culture that has abandoned the knowledge of God" (p. 45). We must give our children a biblical worldview, providing them with with knowledge that a life truly lived is one that is looking toward the day that he or she will stand before God and serving Him in the meantime. "What your children need is spiritual nurture. They need to be taught the ways of God. They need to be instructed in the character of God so that they can learn a proper fear of God. They need to understand that all of life rushes toward the day when we shall stand before God and give account. They need to understand subtleties of the malignancy of their own hearts. They need to know the dangers of trusting in themselves. They need the answers to the great problems of life...Tenderly encourage them to trust God. They need to trust him not only for salvation, but for daily living" (p. 52). But why is it so important to use biblical methods in our parenting and nurturing? If the current secular parenting books and methods are seeming to yield happy, well-adjusted children why can't we employ those? "Superficial parenting that never addresses the heart biblically produces superficial children who do not understand what makes them tick. They must be trained to understand and interpret their behavior in terms of heart motivation. If they never have that training, they will drift through life, never understanding the internal struggles that lie beneath their most consistent behavior" (p. 66). This opens up the door for us to take our children to the foot of the cross and present to them the gospel every day. "God does open-heart surgery, not a face-lift. He produces change from the inside out" (p. 67). In today's culture of parenting "[c]haracter is ignored. The emphasis is on getting homework done. Children are not being trained to make ethical choices as responsible people living in reverence for God. They are learning how to jump through your hoops and avoid your displeasure...There is another devastating effect of this approach to discipline. It produces distance between parent and child. Children soon see through the implicit and explicit manipulation. They eventually come to resent the crass attempts to control their behavior. They learn to play the cat-and-mouse game with you, but depth of relationship and communication is lost...they become more resistant to the manipulation and perhaps even openly rebellious" (p. 68). I'm a 'prepare for the worst' kind of gal and I'm constantly thinking about how what I'm doing now will affect my children 5, 10, 20 years down the road so I definitely want to do my best to not get to that place of blatant rebellion rather than having to start at square one when it does rear it's ugly head.
Mr. Tripp believes "[a] biblical approach to children involves two elements that you weave together. One element is rich, full communication. The other is the rod" (p. 71). Starting with communication, he asks us first to understand that it is not a monologue but a dialogue. "The finest art of communication is not learning how to express your thoughts. It is learning how to draw out the thoughts of another. Your objective in communication must be to understand your child, not simply to have your child understand you (italics mine)" (p. 73). I adore this concept and it changed everything for me when I approached my kids in a posture of discipline. "Your first objective correction must not be to tell your children how you feel about what they have done or said. You must try to understand what is going on inside them" (p. 73). Please let me tell you that trying to do this with a four-year old boy must be akin to some form of Chinese water torture. But I endured countless minutes (or hours) of humming and hawing on his part and he figured out how to express to me what was going on in his heart or, at the very least, in his mind when he was acting a particular way. His future wife can thank me later. "Your question in correction is this: What is the specific content of the abundance of the heart in this circumstance? What was the temptation? What was his response to that temptation? What was he trying to accomplish?...What you must do is peel away the behavior and discern the inner world of your child's motivation in this situation. While you can never understand the issues of the heart flawlessly, it is a pursuit worthy of effort" (p. 74). Just so you know, when I first read the book I just wrote 'Huh? How?' in the margin beside this quote. Now as I've worked at it I get it a little better but it still requires a lot of effort and patience. But to give you some hope - "As you learn their internal struggles with sin, you have an inside track. You, like them, are a sinner. You can use your insight into the nature of temptation to help them understand their own battles. You can also encourage your children that the unending grace and mercy that you have found in Jesus Christ is offered to them as well. In him there is righteousness that we cannot produce, forgiveness that we cannot merit, and power that we cannot generate. There is hope for needy people in this one who became flesh and dwelt with us" (p. 77). Mr. Tripp feels that it is imperative to choose the appropriate type of communication depending on the situation.
1) Encouragement - when we need to give our child hope and courage. It is important to ensure that this hope and inspiration comes from God.
2) Correction - "gives your children insight into what is wrong and what may be done to correct the problem" (p 82).
3) Rebuke - "sometimes a child must experience your sense of alarm, shock and dismay at what he has done or said" (p. 83).
4) Entreaty - for cases of great import. It is not begging but earnest pleading that child act "in wisdom and faith" (p 83).
5) Instruction
6) Warning - fill their heads with the cautions of the Bible
7) Teaching - "often most powerfully done after a failure or problem" (p. 87).
8) Prayer - "understanding what they pray and how they pray is often a window into their souls...the parent's prayer provides instruction and insight for the child" (p. 87).
That's the list in a nutshell but when you read the book you will get much more information about how to use each form of communication.
In the final section on communication, Mr. Tripp explains how communicating with your children must become a way of life and how "[y]ou will never have the hearts of your children if you talk with them only when something has gone wrong" (p. 90). There are so many treasures in this section of the book and tips that you can remind yourself of every morning (because I need those fresh mercies every morning) as you go to start the day with your children. "'Shepherding the heart'...means helping them understand themselves, God's works, the ways of God, how sin works in the human heart, and how the gospel come to them at the most profound levels of human need" (p. 90). There is a cost to the parents in making a commitment to communicate with your children on this level. "You must become a good listener. You will miss precious opportunities when you only half-listen to your children. The best way you can train your children to be active listeners by actively listening to them "(p. 90). "Admit when you are wrong. Be prepared to seek forgiveness for sinning against your children. The right to make searching and honest appraisal of your children lies in the willingness to do the same for yourself" (p. 91). "Children trust you when they know you love them and are committed to their good, when they know you understand them, when they know you understand their strengths and weaknesses, when they know that you have invested yourself in [the types of communication listed above]. When a child knows that all his life you have sought to see the world through his eyes, he will trust you. When he knows that you have not tried to make him like you or like anybody else, but only sought to help him realize his full potential as a creature of God made to know him and live in the relationship of fellowship with him, he will trust you" (p. 94). "Parenting is your primary calling. Parenting will mean that you can't do all the things that you could otherwise do. It will affect your golf handicap. It may mean that your home does not look like a picture from Better Homes and Gardens. It will impact your career and ascent on the corporate ladder. It will alter the kind of friendships you will be able to pursue. It will modify the amount of time you have for bowling, hunting, television, or how many books you read. It will mean that you can't develop every interest that comes along. The costs are high" (p. 97). I kind of felt put in my place when I read that, but in a good way, a way I needed to hear.
And now...the rod. Did you hear the low, slow bass drum beats? Totally kidding. As someone who never doubted that she would spank her children, this was a wonderful, informative chapter that reminded me how to approach this extremely important aspect of disciplining my boys. I'm so leery to try and summarize this part of the book because all the points Mr. Tripp makes to arrive at his conclusions are so important. So please, just read the parts that were the most meaningful to me and then read the chapter in it's entirety for yourself. "The young child who is refusing to be under authority is in a place of grave danger...Your task is to rescue your children from death. Faithful and timely use of the rod is the means of rescue" (p. 103). "The rod of correction brings wisdom to the child. It provides an immediate tactile demonstration of the foolishness of rebellion. Properly administered discipline humbles the heart of a child, making him subject to parental instruction" (p. 104). His definition of the rod is a good one: "The rod is a parent, in faith toward God and faithfulness toward his or her children, undertaking the responsibility of careful, timely, measured, and controlled use of physical punishment to underscore the importance of obeying God, thus rescuing the child from continuing in his foolishness until death" (p. 104). He is very careful to point out that we never discipline our children for childishness (like spilling some milk) or when we are angry. "The rod is a responsibility. It is not the parent determining to punish. It is the parent determining to obey...He is not on his own errand, but fulfilling God's...The rod is never a venting of parental anger. It is not what the parent does when he is frustrated. It is not a response to feeling that the child has made things hard for him...The parent knows the proper measure of severity for this particular child at this particular time. The child knows how many swats are to come" (p. 106). The author then spends some time discussing distortions of use of the rod and also objections to the rod. These are great things to be aware of, especially if you may wind up in a discussion with another parent regarding your personal decision to use the rod as part of raising your children. "The rod returns the child to the place of blessing. Left to himself, he would continue to live a lust-driven life. He would continue to seek comfort in being a slave to his desires and fears. The rod of correction returns him to the place of submission to parents in which God has promised blessing...The parent who is engaging his child and refusing to ignore things that challenge the integrity of their relationship will experience intimacy with his child" (p. 112-113).
The final method Mr. Tripp employs is an appeal to the conscience of the child. "Your correction and discipline must find their mark in the conscience of your son or daughter. God has given children a reasoning capacity that distinguishes issues of right and wrong...Your most powerful appeals will be those that smite the conscience. When the offended conscience is aroused, correction and discipline can find their mark" (p. 116). We must correct and discipline our children with a focus on redemption. "The central focus of childrearing is to bring children to a sober assessment of themselves as sinners...The focal point of your discipline and correction must be your children seeing their utter inability to do the things that God requires unless they know the help and strength of God" (p. 120).
The latter third of "Shepherding a Child's Heart" is how to guide and discipline and love your children through all stages of childhood, from infancy to teenagers. This part of the book ensures that it will never gather dust on my bookshelf or get buried under a stack of papers on the office desk. This book will always be a valuable resource in my parenting journey and I'm sure I will refer to it hundreds of times in the years to come before my boys leave home. And then I'll pull it out again to help them when they have kids of their own!!
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life - Proverbs 4:23
The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies - Psalm 58:3
A fool despises his father's instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent - Proverbs 15:5
The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother - Proverbs 29:15
The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out - Proverbs 20:5
Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol. My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad - Proverbs 23:13-15
Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him - Proverbs 22:15
Sunday, 6 November 2011
"The Mystery of the Holy Spirit" by R.C. Sproul
Go ahead, say it..."Another Sproul book?!?!" Sorry, I promise that there are no more in my current 'to read' stack. Clearly what Mr. Sproul has to say is what I need to hear in 2011. I'm thinking that 2012 might be a bit Bonhoeffer heavy so prepare yourself for that onslaught. I finally finished "Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy" by Eric Metaxas and it was well worth the effort. The man is beyond this 'realm'. Seriously, that's all I can say except that I will be diving into his writings with an excited heart and mind because whatever he had to say, I want to hear it. But I digress....
I'm always looking for advice on how to be more 'Spirit-filled' as I feel that's a major key to me decreasing as He increases (John 3:30). And that's not a charismatic, barking-in-the-spirit filling but rather, having a clearer sense of hearing God speak into my life and knowing without a doubt that it is Him and not me. Some of the chapters in this book are very heavy on the philosophy end of things and I won't even attempt to tease that stuff out here. But the latter chapters are full of wonderful insights about the Holy Spirit and made me glad I had taken the time to wade through the stickier stuff.
In the first chapter, "Who is the Holy Spirit?", it is obviously the place to lay the foundational information about what/who we are about to study. "In our fallen human state we lack the ability to receive the things of God...A person cannot discern spiritual things until that person is first made alive to spiritual things by the Spirit of God. It is the Spirit's work of regeneration, of spiritual rebirth, that enables us to have spiritual discernment" (p. 14). I was glad to know that I was on the right path in terms of what I wanted to learn from the book. Mr. Sproul goes into some explanations and examples of the Holy Spirit being referred to with personal pronouns and how, from this, we should declare that the Holy Spirit is a person. "The New Testament exhorts us not to sin against the Holy Spirit, not to resist the Holy Spirit, and not to grieve the Holy Spirit. He is set forth as a person whom we may either please or offend, who can love and be loved, and with whom we can have personal fellowship" (p. 16).
Chapter 2, "The Holy Spirit is God", explains in depth the controversy that has been in the church for centuries regarding the deity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. It's well worth the read to see how Scripture supports them both in the affirmative. In terms of the Holy Spirit, the determination is made that the Spirit is "omniscient, omnipresent, and eternal" (p. 24), thus ascribing deity.
When I read the title of Chapter 3, "The Mystery of the Trinity", my first thought was that my brain was about to get a lovely ache. I enjoyed Sproul's explanation of why we should attempt to unwrap this topic and thought it could apply to all theology as a whole - "Before we can ever begin to love God with all of our heart, soul, and might, we must first have some concept of the God we are to love" (p. 30). First he delves into some common objections raised against the concept of the Trinity:
1) "Trinity" is not a biblical word. His answer: "We may use non-biblical words in our theological expressions as long as they are communicating biblical concepts" (p. 32). He then follows this with some great quotes from Calvin and an in-depth explanation of some Greek works (homoousios/homoiousios) that have been at the centre of the controversy.
2) The doctrine of the Trinity is contradictory and therefore irrational. His answer: "In the Bible the contradiction is not the hallmark of the truth; it is the hallmark of the lie" (p. 40). He goes on to discuss the philosophical Law of Contradiction and in relation to this says "If it [the concept of the Trinity] is irrational, then it is unworthy of our belief. God is not honored by nonsense statements. If our formula for the Trinity is contradictory, then it is a nonsense statement and ought to be abandoned" (p. 42) but "the formula does not assert such things. The formula says that God is one thing (essence) and three in another (persons). Unless it can be shown that essence and person are the same thing, the formula is not contradictory" (p. 44). But seriously, there is so much logic he went through to get to this conclusion. Just read it.
I have to start out the paragraph for Chapter 4 "Essence and Person: Probing the Mystery of the Trinity" with the quote Dr. Sproul chose on the first page. "It does not take a great mind to be a Christian, but it takes all the mind a man has" - Richard C Raines. The moment I read this, I thought 'I should get this tattooed on my forearm so I could always have it in front of me'. I might not go that far but I definitely have it written down where I will see it often. Anyway...the author starts out the chapter with a great discussion of the difference between paradox, mystery and antinomy. "A paradox is so-called because it seems like a contradiction. It looks like a contradiction, but is not a contradiction" (p. 46). "Mystery is often confused with contradiction...The difference is that a mystery may be understood with additional information, but a bona fide contradiction can never be understood. We cannot understand contradictions because they are intrinsically unintelligible" (p. 48). He then goes on to deal with the opening of John's gospel and how important it is for us to understand the statements made here, lest we wind up in bad theology like that of the Jehovah Witnesses or Mormons. This is well worth the read if you have ever tried to 'argue' the first chapter of John with someone from these belief systems. Coming back to the essence of God at the end of the chapter, Dr. Sproul says "when the Christian church confesses its faith in a triune God, it intends to convey the idea that there is one essence or being, not three, but that there are three distinctive, subsisting personalities in the Godhead. The names Father, Son and Holy Spirit indicate personal distinctions in the Godhead but not essential divisions in God" (p. 61). At the very end of the chapter, I loved how he encouraged people to stay with him in this investigation by saying "centuries of theologizing have made it clear that the Christian life is not lived rightly without the the right beliefs as the foundation. Not every Christian needs to be a seminary-trained theological scholar, but every Christian does need to understand the nature of the God we worship. (We are supposed to love God with all our mind)" (p. 61).
Chapter 5, "The Holy Spirit in Creation", provides strong proofs that the Spirit was and is a divine part of God's overall creation. "Part of the Spirit's work is to 'hover' over creation, keeping things intact. In this regard we see the Spirit as the divine Preserver and the Protector. The Spirit works to maintain what the Father brings into being" (p. 71).
Chapter 6 was where this little book really started to pick up for me. In my copy, I have a lot of notes and thoughts in the margins from this point forward. Entitled "The New Genesis: The Holy Spirit and Regeneration", the crux of the chapter is the absolute necessity of regeneration for someone to come to faith and how that regeneration can only come from One source. I think what I loved so much about this is that it gives all the credit and glory to God for every single soul that comes to Christ. No pride can come of our witness or walk if we cling to this truth. "Spiritually dead persons are incapable of seeing the kingdom of God. It is invisible to them, not because the kingdom itself is invisible, but because the spiritually dead are also spiritually blind" (p. 78). "No one is born a Christian. No one is born biologically into the kingdom of God. The first birth is one that is of the flesh. Flesh begets flesh. It cannot produce spirit" (p. 79). "The flesh is not merely weak with respect to the power of rebirth. It is utterly impotent. It has no power whatever to effect rebirth. It cannot aid or enhance the Spirit's work. All that the flesh yields is more flesh. It cannot yield an ounce of Spirit. The nothing is not a little something" (p. 80). This is why I need more of Him and less of me. The chapter ends out with a discussion of monergism (a work produced singly) and synergism (a work that involves cooperation between two or more persons or things). The reason this distinction is so important is we want to answer the question 'Is regeneration a monergistic work of God, or is it a synergistic work that requires cooperation between man and God?'. "To be sure, after a person is regenerated, that person cooperates by exercising faith and trust. But the first step, the step of regeneration by which a person is quickened to spiritual life, is the work of God and of God alone. The initiative is with God, not with us...telling a man to choose rebirth is like exhorting a corpse to chose resurrection" (p. 87). Reading this chapter made me pause and take some time to be thankful that I was chosen for this infinitely valuable gift. "It is to the Holy Spirit of God that we are debtors for the grace of regeneration and faith. He is the Gift-giver, who while we were dead made us alive with Christ, to Christ, and in Christ. It is because of the Holy Spirit's merciful act of quickening that we sing sola gratia and soli deo Gloria - to the glory of God alone" (p. 93).
Another brilliant quote starts out Chapter 7 - "To the one who remembers the Spirit there is always a way out, even in the wilderness with the devil" (Herbert F. Brokering). This chapter, "Safe and Sound by the Holy Spirit", really appealed to my sense of knowledge as it shows how we move from our original consciousness of God through to conviction which then leads us to conformity with Christ. "In salvation we are not only saved from sin and damnation, we are saved unto holiness. The goal of redemption is holiness" (p. 95). I love these two sentences because it gives me a clear direction when I wake up every morning. If I seem to be losing my way at any point I can just remind myself 'Move toward holiness'. Those words should always steer me in the right direction. "The battle with Satan is chiefly a battle for our minds. There is no greater folly, no greater peril to our sanctification than to succumb to the enticing seduction that says, 'Christianity is strictly a matter of the heart' (p. 98)...Mindless Christianity is a contradiction in terms. Christians are exhorted to think - deeply - under the guidance of the Holy Spirit" (p. 99). Mr. Sproul then discusses how the Holy Spirit is so key to us when we approach the Word. He is the author, He is the inspiration, He is the illuminator, He is the One who convicts. "The Holy Spirit teaches, leads, and speaks to us through the Word and with the Word, not apart from or against the Word. How grievous it is to the Holy Spirit when unbridled spirits mock God by claiming the leading of the Spirit when they are acting against the Word of God" (p. 101). Some thoughts on justification as the fruit of faith follow. "We are just, not because we have become instantly sanctified; we are just because the merits of Christ are imputed to our account. God counts us just in Christ, while in ourselves we are still polluted by sin" (p. 102). Simul Justus et peccator = at the same time just and sinner. In understanding regeneration versus justification, we should learn that regeneration (which is monergistic) is immediate and spontaneous whereas sanctification (which is synergistic) is a gradual process which proves our justification authentic. Yes, it's a bit to wrap your brain around but please do it. The final section addresses our conscience in sanctification. "Our outward behaviors manifest the inward disposition of our heart and the thinking of our minds" (p. 107). There will be a constant changing in our consciences as we move toward Christ-likeness. "The Holy Spirit works not only to give us an awareness of the truth; He works to convince us of the truth...The conscience serves as a monitor of our behavior. The problem with our conscience is that it may be acutely sensitive to the Word or God or it may be desensitized" (p. 108). And to further prove how diligently we should study the Word: "A good conscience is one trained by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. When we understand God's truth clearly and are convicted by it firmly, then the governor of conscience begins to rule us into righteousness. The spiritually mature conscience is scrupulous. It does not allow what the flesh allows" (p. 109). Can I get an 'AMEN'?
Chapter 8, "The Baptism of the Holy Spirit", discusses the doctrine of such and has some good historical information on the Charismatic/Neo-Pentecostal movement in the church. "This is the exciting news of Pentecost. In God's plan of redemption the Holy Spirit has gifted every believer for ministry. The whole church has been empowered from on high. There are not two levels of believers - gifted and non-gifted, baptized in the Spirit and not baptized in the Spirit" (p. 131).
"The Fruit of the Spirit" in Chapter 9 was a great journey. "It is the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit that is the mark of our progress in sanctification" (p. 133). As someone who is always concerned that I'm not moving forward enough in my sanctification, this chapter was very helpful in giving me some more concrete areas that I can examine to either spur me in a different direction or encourage me that I'm looking at and working on the right areas in my life. "Here is the battle. The old man is pitted against the new man. The sin nature of the flesh fights to choke the influence of the Spirit. Though this warfare is internal and invisible, there are clear outward signs of the carnage wrought by the battle. When the Spirit is victorious, we see the fruit of it. When the flesh wins, we also see the outward evidence" (p. 134). Mr. Sproul uses Galatians 5:19-21 as a list of the works of the flesh and discusses each point on the list so the reader can better check themselves for evidence of these in their life. Then Paul gives us the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-33. "It is no accident that the fruit of the Spirit is not elevated in our ranks as the highest test of righteousness. There abides so much flesh in us that we prefer another standard. The fruit test is too high; we cannot attain it. So within our Christian subcultures we prefer to elevate some lesser test by which we can measure ourselves with more success. We can compete with each other with greater facility if we mix some flesh together with the Spirit" (p. 137). After I read this I wrote in the margin 'Sad but struck me as so true'. Then he goes on to discuss each of the fruits of the Spirit in more detail. Please pardon me for going on here but some of his points are brilliant!
Regarding love: "Love is not defined by simplistic abstinence from drinking, dancing, makeup, movies, card-playing, and the like. It was envy that required the cross, not lipstick; it was covetousness that demanded atonement, not poker; it was pride that called forth the need for propitiation, not the cinema" (p. 138). "The preacher who smiles benignly from his pulpit, assuring us that 'God accepts you just the way you are' tells a monstrous lie. The kingdom of God is far more rigorous in its requirements than Mr. Roger's neighbourhood. The gospel of love may not be sugar-coated with saccharin grace. God does not accept the arrogant man in his arrogance. He turns His holy back on the impenitent. To be sure, He demonstrates love toward His fallen creatures, but that love has holy demands" (p. 138).
Regarding joy: "The joy of the Spirit is permanent...The joy of salvation is forever" (p. 139). "The joy of the Spirit is as stable as it is exhilarating. it the joy that abides in the midst of suffering. It has depth. It penetrates the soul. It sends despair into exile and banishes pessimism. It produces confidence without arrogance, courage without bravado" (p. 140).
Regarding peace: "The legacy of Christ is peace. Peace is our inheritance from the Prince of Peace. It is a peace the world cannot give. This peace is a lasting peace that no one can snatch from us" (p. 140).
Regarding patience: "It has no place for explosive tantrums from a hair-trigger personality. It is slow to anger. It endures the insult and the malice of others. It knows nothing of a judgmental spirit" (p. 141).
Regarding kindness: "Kindness is a virtue of grace. It involves a willingness to keep one's power and authority in check. It does not crush the weak. It is thoughtful and kind. It manifests the judgment of charity, tempering justice with mercy" (p. 142).
Regarding goodness: "The ultimate standard of goodness is the character of God Himself...the quality of goodness is planted in the lives wherein the Holy Spirit works" (p. 142).
Regarding faithfulness: "Faith is trust. It means far more than believing in God. It means believing God" (p. 143).
The final chapter "The Other Comforter" discusses Jesus as the Paraclete (Greek word meaning helper or comforter or counselor). I had never heard this word before and Mr. Sproul explained that traditionally the church uses Paraclete to speak of the Holy Spirit but that the Spirit is more of 'Another Paraclete' and Jesus is the original. "The ministry of the Messiah involves a ministry of consolation. He comes to heal the brokenhearted and to comfort all who mourn" (p. 148). "In his role of Paraclete the Spirit is doing something to assist us before we are wounded. He works to provide us with strength for the battle as well as consoling us after the battle" (p. 154). I will end the examination of this book as the book itself ends: "If Nietzsche is looking for supermen, he must look to those who have been strengthened by the power of the presence of God, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who is called alongside of us to come with strength. Indeed, in and of ourselves, we as Christians are a mass of weakness. But we hear afresh the promise of Christ to His church: You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8)" (p. 156).
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all - 2 Corinthians 13:14
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one - Deuteronomy 6:4
In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it - John 1:4-5
Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" - John 3:3
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing: it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast - Ephesians 2:8-9
...as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy" - 1 Peter 1:15-16
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor - Luke 4:18
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law - Galatians 5:22-23
I'm always looking for advice on how to be more 'Spirit-filled' as I feel that's a major key to me decreasing as He increases (John 3:30). And that's not a charismatic, barking-in-the-spirit filling but rather, having a clearer sense of hearing God speak into my life and knowing without a doubt that it is Him and not me. Some of the chapters in this book are very heavy on the philosophy end of things and I won't even attempt to tease that stuff out here. But the latter chapters are full of wonderful insights about the Holy Spirit and made me glad I had taken the time to wade through the stickier stuff.
In the first chapter, "Who is the Holy Spirit?", it is obviously the place to lay the foundational information about what/who we are about to study. "In our fallen human state we lack the ability to receive the things of God...A person cannot discern spiritual things until that person is first made alive to spiritual things by the Spirit of God. It is the Spirit's work of regeneration, of spiritual rebirth, that enables us to have spiritual discernment" (p. 14). I was glad to know that I was on the right path in terms of what I wanted to learn from the book. Mr. Sproul goes into some explanations and examples of the Holy Spirit being referred to with personal pronouns and how, from this, we should declare that the Holy Spirit is a person. "The New Testament exhorts us not to sin against the Holy Spirit, not to resist the Holy Spirit, and not to grieve the Holy Spirit. He is set forth as a person whom we may either please or offend, who can love and be loved, and with whom we can have personal fellowship" (p. 16).
Chapter 2, "The Holy Spirit is God", explains in depth the controversy that has been in the church for centuries regarding the deity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. It's well worth the read to see how Scripture supports them both in the affirmative. In terms of the Holy Spirit, the determination is made that the Spirit is "omniscient, omnipresent, and eternal" (p. 24), thus ascribing deity.
When I read the title of Chapter 3, "The Mystery of the Trinity", my first thought was that my brain was about to get a lovely ache. I enjoyed Sproul's explanation of why we should attempt to unwrap this topic and thought it could apply to all theology as a whole - "Before we can ever begin to love God with all of our heart, soul, and might, we must first have some concept of the God we are to love" (p. 30). First he delves into some common objections raised against the concept of the Trinity:
1) "Trinity" is not a biblical word. His answer: "We may use non-biblical words in our theological expressions as long as they are communicating biblical concepts" (p. 32). He then follows this with some great quotes from Calvin and an in-depth explanation of some Greek works (homoousios/homoiousios) that have been at the centre of the controversy.
2) The doctrine of the Trinity is contradictory and therefore irrational. His answer: "In the Bible the contradiction is not the hallmark of the truth; it is the hallmark of the lie" (p. 40). He goes on to discuss the philosophical Law of Contradiction and in relation to this says "If it [the concept of the Trinity] is irrational, then it is unworthy of our belief. God is not honored by nonsense statements. If our formula for the Trinity is contradictory, then it is a nonsense statement and ought to be abandoned" (p. 42) but "the formula does not assert such things. The formula says that God is one thing (essence) and three in another (persons). Unless it can be shown that essence and person are the same thing, the formula is not contradictory" (p. 44). But seriously, there is so much logic he went through to get to this conclusion. Just read it.
I have to start out the paragraph for Chapter 4 "Essence and Person: Probing the Mystery of the Trinity" with the quote Dr. Sproul chose on the first page. "It does not take a great mind to be a Christian, but it takes all the mind a man has" - Richard C Raines. The moment I read this, I thought 'I should get this tattooed on my forearm so I could always have it in front of me'. I might not go that far but I definitely have it written down where I will see it often. Anyway...the author starts out the chapter with a great discussion of the difference between paradox, mystery and antinomy. "A paradox is so-called because it seems like a contradiction. It looks like a contradiction, but is not a contradiction" (p. 46). "Mystery is often confused with contradiction...The difference is that a mystery may be understood with additional information, but a bona fide contradiction can never be understood. We cannot understand contradictions because they are intrinsically unintelligible" (p. 48). He then goes on to deal with the opening of John's gospel and how important it is for us to understand the statements made here, lest we wind up in bad theology like that of the Jehovah Witnesses or Mormons. This is well worth the read if you have ever tried to 'argue' the first chapter of John with someone from these belief systems. Coming back to the essence of God at the end of the chapter, Dr. Sproul says "when the Christian church confesses its faith in a triune God, it intends to convey the idea that there is one essence or being, not three, but that there are three distinctive, subsisting personalities in the Godhead. The names Father, Son and Holy Spirit indicate personal distinctions in the Godhead but not essential divisions in God" (p. 61). At the very end of the chapter, I loved how he encouraged people to stay with him in this investigation by saying "centuries of theologizing have made it clear that the Christian life is not lived rightly without the the right beliefs as the foundation. Not every Christian needs to be a seminary-trained theological scholar, but every Christian does need to understand the nature of the God we worship. (We are supposed to love God with all our mind)" (p. 61).
Chapter 5, "The Holy Spirit in Creation", provides strong proofs that the Spirit was and is a divine part of God's overall creation. "Part of the Spirit's work is to 'hover' over creation, keeping things intact. In this regard we see the Spirit as the divine Preserver and the Protector. The Spirit works to maintain what the Father brings into being" (p. 71).
Chapter 6 was where this little book really started to pick up for me. In my copy, I have a lot of notes and thoughts in the margins from this point forward. Entitled "The New Genesis: The Holy Spirit and Regeneration", the crux of the chapter is the absolute necessity of regeneration for someone to come to faith and how that regeneration can only come from One source. I think what I loved so much about this is that it gives all the credit and glory to God for every single soul that comes to Christ. No pride can come of our witness or walk if we cling to this truth. "Spiritually dead persons are incapable of seeing the kingdom of God. It is invisible to them, not because the kingdom itself is invisible, but because the spiritually dead are also spiritually blind" (p. 78). "No one is born a Christian. No one is born biologically into the kingdom of God. The first birth is one that is of the flesh. Flesh begets flesh. It cannot produce spirit" (p. 79). "The flesh is not merely weak with respect to the power of rebirth. It is utterly impotent. It has no power whatever to effect rebirth. It cannot aid or enhance the Spirit's work. All that the flesh yields is more flesh. It cannot yield an ounce of Spirit. The nothing is not a little something" (p. 80). This is why I need more of Him and less of me. The chapter ends out with a discussion of monergism (a work produced singly) and synergism (a work that involves cooperation between two or more persons or things). The reason this distinction is so important is we want to answer the question 'Is regeneration a monergistic work of God, or is it a synergistic work that requires cooperation between man and God?'. "To be sure, after a person is regenerated, that person cooperates by exercising faith and trust. But the first step, the step of regeneration by which a person is quickened to spiritual life, is the work of God and of God alone. The initiative is with God, not with us...telling a man to choose rebirth is like exhorting a corpse to chose resurrection" (p. 87). Reading this chapter made me pause and take some time to be thankful that I was chosen for this infinitely valuable gift. "It is to the Holy Spirit of God that we are debtors for the grace of regeneration and faith. He is the Gift-giver, who while we were dead made us alive with Christ, to Christ, and in Christ. It is because of the Holy Spirit's merciful act of quickening that we sing sola gratia and soli deo Gloria - to the glory of God alone" (p. 93).
Another brilliant quote starts out Chapter 7 - "To the one who remembers the Spirit there is always a way out, even in the wilderness with the devil" (Herbert F. Brokering). This chapter, "Safe and Sound by the Holy Spirit", really appealed to my sense of knowledge as it shows how we move from our original consciousness of God through to conviction which then leads us to conformity with Christ. "In salvation we are not only saved from sin and damnation, we are saved unto holiness. The goal of redemption is holiness" (p. 95). I love these two sentences because it gives me a clear direction when I wake up every morning. If I seem to be losing my way at any point I can just remind myself 'Move toward holiness'. Those words should always steer me in the right direction. "The battle with Satan is chiefly a battle for our minds. There is no greater folly, no greater peril to our sanctification than to succumb to the enticing seduction that says, 'Christianity is strictly a matter of the heart' (p. 98)...Mindless Christianity is a contradiction in terms. Christians are exhorted to think - deeply - under the guidance of the Holy Spirit" (p. 99). Mr. Sproul then discusses how the Holy Spirit is so key to us when we approach the Word. He is the author, He is the inspiration, He is the illuminator, He is the One who convicts. "The Holy Spirit teaches, leads, and speaks to us through the Word and with the Word, not apart from or against the Word. How grievous it is to the Holy Spirit when unbridled spirits mock God by claiming the leading of the Spirit when they are acting against the Word of God" (p. 101). Some thoughts on justification as the fruit of faith follow. "We are just, not because we have become instantly sanctified; we are just because the merits of Christ are imputed to our account. God counts us just in Christ, while in ourselves we are still polluted by sin" (p. 102). Simul Justus et peccator = at the same time just and sinner. In understanding regeneration versus justification, we should learn that regeneration (which is monergistic) is immediate and spontaneous whereas sanctification (which is synergistic) is a gradual process which proves our justification authentic. Yes, it's a bit to wrap your brain around but please do it. The final section addresses our conscience in sanctification. "Our outward behaviors manifest the inward disposition of our heart and the thinking of our minds" (p. 107). There will be a constant changing in our consciences as we move toward Christ-likeness. "The Holy Spirit works not only to give us an awareness of the truth; He works to convince us of the truth...The conscience serves as a monitor of our behavior. The problem with our conscience is that it may be acutely sensitive to the Word or God or it may be desensitized" (p. 108). And to further prove how diligently we should study the Word: "A good conscience is one trained by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. When we understand God's truth clearly and are convicted by it firmly, then the governor of conscience begins to rule us into righteousness. The spiritually mature conscience is scrupulous. It does not allow what the flesh allows" (p. 109). Can I get an 'AMEN'?
Chapter 8, "The Baptism of the Holy Spirit", discusses the doctrine of such and has some good historical information on the Charismatic/Neo-Pentecostal movement in the church. "This is the exciting news of Pentecost. In God's plan of redemption the Holy Spirit has gifted every believer for ministry. The whole church has been empowered from on high. There are not two levels of believers - gifted and non-gifted, baptized in the Spirit and not baptized in the Spirit" (p. 131).
"The Fruit of the Spirit" in Chapter 9 was a great journey. "It is the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit that is the mark of our progress in sanctification" (p. 133). As someone who is always concerned that I'm not moving forward enough in my sanctification, this chapter was very helpful in giving me some more concrete areas that I can examine to either spur me in a different direction or encourage me that I'm looking at and working on the right areas in my life. "Here is the battle. The old man is pitted against the new man. The sin nature of the flesh fights to choke the influence of the Spirit. Though this warfare is internal and invisible, there are clear outward signs of the carnage wrought by the battle. When the Spirit is victorious, we see the fruit of it. When the flesh wins, we also see the outward evidence" (p. 134). Mr. Sproul uses Galatians 5:19-21 as a list of the works of the flesh and discusses each point on the list so the reader can better check themselves for evidence of these in their life. Then Paul gives us the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-33. "It is no accident that the fruit of the Spirit is not elevated in our ranks as the highest test of righteousness. There abides so much flesh in us that we prefer another standard. The fruit test is too high; we cannot attain it. So within our Christian subcultures we prefer to elevate some lesser test by which we can measure ourselves with more success. We can compete with each other with greater facility if we mix some flesh together with the Spirit" (p. 137). After I read this I wrote in the margin 'Sad but struck me as so true'. Then he goes on to discuss each of the fruits of the Spirit in more detail. Please pardon me for going on here but some of his points are brilliant!
Regarding love: "Love is not defined by simplistic abstinence from drinking, dancing, makeup, movies, card-playing, and the like. It was envy that required the cross, not lipstick; it was covetousness that demanded atonement, not poker; it was pride that called forth the need for propitiation, not the cinema" (p. 138). "The preacher who smiles benignly from his pulpit, assuring us that 'God accepts you just the way you are' tells a monstrous lie. The kingdom of God is far more rigorous in its requirements than Mr. Roger's neighbourhood. The gospel of love may not be sugar-coated with saccharin grace. God does not accept the arrogant man in his arrogance. He turns His holy back on the impenitent. To be sure, He demonstrates love toward His fallen creatures, but that love has holy demands" (p. 138).
Regarding joy: "The joy of the Spirit is permanent...The joy of salvation is forever" (p. 139). "The joy of the Spirit is as stable as it is exhilarating. it the joy that abides in the midst of suffering. It has depth. It penetrates the soul. It sends despair into exile and banishes pessimism. It produces confidence without arrogance, courage without bravado" (p. 140).
Regarding peace: "The legacy of Christ is peace. Peace is our inheritance from the Prince of Peace. It is a peace the world cannot give. This peace is a lasting peace that no one can snatch from us" (p. 140).
Regarding patience: "It has no place for explosive tantrums from a hair-trigger personality. It is slow to anger. It endures the insult and the malice of others. It knows nothing of a judgmental spirit" (p. 141).
Regarding kindness: "Kindness is a virtue of grace. It involves a willingness to keep one's power and authority in check. It does not crush the weak. It is thoughtful and kind. It manifests the judgment of charity, tempering justice with mercy" (p. 142).
Regarding goodness: "The ultimate standard of goodness is the character of God Himself...the quality of goodness is planted in the lives wherein the Holy Spirit works" (p. 142).
Regarding faithfulness: "Faith is trust. It means far more than believing in God. It means believing God" (p. 143).
The final chapter "The Other Comforter" discusses Jesus as the Paraclete (Greek word meaning helper or comforter or counselor). I had never heard this word before and Mr. Sproul explained that traditionally the church uses Paraclete to speak of the Holy Spirit but that the Spirit is more of 'Another Paraclete' and Jesus is the original. "The ministry of the Messiah involves a ministry of consolation. He comes to heal the brokenhearted and to comfort all who mourn" (p. 148). "In his role of Paraclete the Spirit is doing something to assist us before we are wounded. He works to provide us with strength for the battle as well as consoling us after the battle" (p. 154). I will end the examination of this book as the book itself ends: "If Nietzsche is looking for supermen, he must look to those who have been strengthened by the power of the presence of God, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who is called alongside of us to come with strength. Indeed, in and of ourselves, we as Christians are a mass of weakness. But we hear afresh the promise of Christ to His church: You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8)" (p. 156).
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all - 2 Corinthians 13:14
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one - Deuteronomy 6:4
In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it - John 1:4-5
Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" - John 3:3
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing: it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast - Ephesians 2:8-9
...as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy" - 1 Peter 1:15-16
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor - Luke 4:18
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law - Galatians 5:22-23
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