Justification by Faith Alone

Justification by Faith, Not by Works
Isaac Watts, 1674-1748

Vain are the hopes the sons of men,
On their own works have built;
Their hearts by nature all unclean,
And all their actions guilt.

Let Jew and Gentile stop their mouths,
Without a mum'ring word,
And the whole race of Adam stand
Guilty before the Lord.

In vain we ask God's righteous law
To justify us now;
Since to convince and to condemn
Is all the law can do.

Jesus, how glorious is Thy grace!
When in Thy name we trust,
Our faith recieves a righteousness
That makes the sinner just.

Audio and Video of J.R.R. Tolkien

If you enjoy literature at all, I am guessing that you appreciate the literary feast that is J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (and The Hobbit). Justin Taylor has posted several video clips of Tolkien reading and/or discussing the works in his own voice. View them and listen to them here.

J. Gresham Machen Resources

In honor of J. Gresham Machen's birthday yesterday, Martin Downes has posted numerous resources related to Machen's life and theological legacy. Check them out here.

A Summary of Preaching

The following is taken from the Banner of Truth's edition of the classic Puritan text on preaching, The Art of Prophesying, by William Perkins.

Preaching involves:

1) Reading the text clearly from the canonical Scriptures.

2) Explaining the meaning of it, once it has been read, in the light of the Scriptures themselves.

3) Gathering a few profitable points of doctrine from the natural sense of the passage.

4) If the preacher is suitably gifted, applying the doctrines thus explained to the life and practice of the congregation in straightforward, plain speech.

The heart of the matter is this:

Preach one Christ,
by Christ,
to the praise of Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria
To God alone be the glory!

Daily Preaching the Gospel to Yourself

Tim Challies recently posted an excerpt from Jerry Bridges' book, Respectable Sins, in which Bridges explains the excellent practice that he has made popular in his books - daily preaching the gospel to yourself. This is such a helpful practice, and one that keeps us ever centered on the cross of Christ.

The Morning Star of the Reformation

This has to be one of my favorite pictures of the Pre-Reformation era. It is a portrait of John Wycliffe, who laid the groundwork for folks like Luther and Tyndale. Notice Wycliffe resisting the Roman Catholic authorities and clinging ever so tightly to his English Bible - something for which he eventually would be martyred.

This portrait says volumes about the significance of the time period leading up to and including the Reformation, and about the incredible treasure of having the Bible translated in your own language. Thanks be to God for raising up men like John Wycliffe!

Here is the plaque that accompanies the painting at St. James Clerkenwell.

This Day in Church History

July 25, 325

The Council of Nicaea closes. The first of the ecumenical councils (this one convened by Constantine), it officially condemned the teaching of Arius, who denied the fully deity of Christ.

A Poetic Call to Prayer

An Exhortation to Prayer
by William Cowper, 1731-1800

What various hindrances we meet
In coming to a mercy-seat!
Yet who that knows the worth of pray'r,
But wishes to be often there?

Pray'r makes the dark'ned cloud withdraw,
Pray'r climbs the ladder Jacob saw;
Gives exercise to faith and love,
Brings ev'ry blessing from above.

Restraining pray'r, we cease to fight;
Pray'r makes the Christian's armor bright;
And Satan trembles, when he sees
The weakest saint upon his knees.

While Moses stood with arms spread wide,
Success was found on Israel's side;
But when thro' weariness they fail'd,
That moment Amalek prevail'd.

Have you no words! Ah, think again,
Words flow apace when you complain;
And fill your fellow-creature's ear
With the sad tale of all your care.

Were half the breath thus vainly spent,
To heav'n in supplication sent;
Your cheerful song would oft'ner be,
"Hear what the LORD has done for me!"

Five Marks of Excellence That Could End the Worship Wars

There is a great article by Donald T. Williams in the July/August issue of Touchstone titled "Durable Hymns: Five Marks of Excellence That Could End the Worship Wars" (unfortunately, it is not yet available online). In it, he discusses five criteria that we should use to evaluate contemporary worship music (and these same criteria are the ones that characterize those songs and hymns that have stood the test of time). Here is an excerpt:

"... we cannot find, encourage, and preserve the best contemporary music without knowing those marks of excellence that made the best of the past stand out and survive so long.

What are those marks? There are at least five: (1) biblical truth; (2) theological profundity; (3) poetic richness; (4) musical beauty; and (5) the fitting of music to text in ways that enhance, rather than obscure or distort, its meaning.

These are the marks of excellence in any age. They are not arbitrary but are derived from biblical teaching about the nature of worship (it is to be in spirit and in truth, and it involves loving God with our whole person, including the mind) and from an understanding of the nature of music and how it can support those biblical goals."

In the rest of the article, Williams elaborates on each of the marks and gives specific examples (both good and bad). It is well worth getting a copy and reading it in its entirety.

And though I've said it on this blog before, I'll say it again. If you do not currently subscribe to Touchstone, you are depriving yourself of possibly the best current example of literary excellence among all Christian journals. Click here to subscribe.

Pastors as Poets and Hymnwriters

Readers of this blog will not find it surprising that I greatly appreciated the recent post on "The Pastor & Worship" by Ray Van Neste. Read both the quote and Ray's thoughts below it.

Clarifying the Caricatures of Calvin

The 500th anniversary of John Calvin's birth a few weeks ago brought a host of articles and stories in newspapers and magazines across the globe. Unfortunately, many of them were grossly inaccurate and did little more than perpetuate the common (yet misguided) caricatures of Calvin's life and legacy. And as I was reading in Calvin's Institutes this morning, I could not help but be reminded of how terribly misunderstood he has been.

One of the ways you will often hear Calvin described is fatalistic (i.e., since God is sovereign over all things, it doesn't matter what we do and thus things like prayer become meaningless). Of course, those who describe him in this way rarely know anything about him and have probably never read anything by him. But this characteristic is clearly dispelled in the portion that I read this morning from Book III, Chapter 20 - "Of Prayer - A Perpetual Exercise of Faith. The Daily Benefits Derived from It."

Does this sound like someone who believes in fatalism?

It is very absurd, therefore, to dissuade men from prayer, by pretending that Divine Providence, which is always watching over the government of the universe, is in vain importuned by our supplications, when, on the contrary, the Lord himself declares, that he is "nigh unto all that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth" (Ps. 145:18).

The Value of Corporate Silence

Mark Dever has a great post on "Making Silence Together" at the 9Marks blog. It is a reflection on the moments of silence during corporate worship and the value they provide. He concludes the post in this way:

"We silence ourselves exactly because God has not kept silent. We silence ourselves in order to hear God speak in His Word (cf. Deut. 27:9) We silence ourselves to show our assent to God's charges against us (cf. Ps. 39:9). We silence ourselves to show respect and obedience and humility and restraint (cf. Zeph. 1:7; I Cor. 14:34; I Tim. 2:12). We silence ourselves to search our hearts (cf. Ps. 4:4).

... Making silence together builds and unifies the church, witnesses to the majesty of God and tacitly proclaims His greatness to all who hear."

268th Anniversary of Edwards' Famous Sermon

July 8 was the 268th anniversary of Jonathan Edwards' famous (though some would say infamous) sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." There is a great post at "A Divine and Supernatural Light" that helps clarify the circumstances surrounding this sermon. In addition, it sheds light on the fact that a sermon like "Sinners" was not the regular diet of preaching that Edwards gave his hearers.

If your high school literature class was like most, you will appreciate this more accurate reflection of Edwards' sermon.

And to listen to a free MP3 download of Max McLean's powerful presentation of "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," click here.

Reactions to "Heresy" Comment

By now, you have probably heard about the comment made by the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Dr. Katherine Jefferts Schori, at their General Convention last week. If not, here is what she said in her Opening Address:

The overarching connection in all of these crises has to do with the great Western heresy – that we can be saved as individuals, that any of us alone can be in right relationship with God. It’s caricatured in some quarters by insisting that salvation depends on reciting a specific verbal formula about Jesus. That individualist focus is a form of idolatry, for it puts me and my words in the place that only God can occupy, at the center of existence, as the ground of being. That heresy is one reason for the theme of this Convention.

Not surprisingly, there have been a few responses from evangelicals to what Schori called "the great Western heresy."

Here is one from Al Mohler.

Here is one from Richard Mouw.

And here is another from Scott Clark.

The Value of Reading Old Books

Here is wise counsel that ministers should heed from Guy Waters in his interview with Martin Downes in Risking the Truth: Handling Error in the Church.

"...[T]he minister should resolve to study good books - the best books. I am amazed when I survey the Internet at both the wealth and poverty of information available there. The web is a dangerous place for someone who is not cultivating the biblical duty of discernment. It is not the 'go-to' place for most ministers to advance their theological education after Seminary. The minister should be devouring Calvin, Turretin, the British Puritans, the Dutch 'Second Reformation' Divines, the Scottish and American Presbyterians of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and their modern heirs. The minister should read recent books, but read them with discernment. Most recent books are untested. Reading the older writers appreciatively allows us both to remain in the 'old paths' and to read recent literature without uncritical enthusiasm towards the contemporary."

-- Guy Waters