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God's grace can lead to not taking sin very seriously. Big mistake! Sin is toxic, to kiss it is to die. Its aim is to take us out, to render us harmless, ineffective, useless, or worse yet, turning us into bored, distracted and conflicted spectators.
Recent Entries
God? Who Needs Him?May 31, 2013
Self-sufficient humanism. Paul saw it coming – “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”
Imago Dei
September 12, 2012
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Why Can't I Pray?
August 18, 2012
The bible gives us several reasons, but according to Jeremy Taylor, a deceitful heart is at the root of prayerlessness.
It's Not Rocket Science
July 23, 2012
To keep in step with the Spirit should be our daily quest. And if we are successful at that, all of life falls into place.
Theological Steak
April 10, 2012
These words by P. T. Forsythe on the magnificence of Christ's work are to theology what Ruth's Chris is to a good steak.
Describing the Indescribable
February 11, 2012
What we have in Christ will take all eternity to describe. But for one segment of one sermon, a great preacher made a mighty attempt.
Making Sense Of It All
January 30, 2012
Where are things headed? Is there rhyme and reason to the endless cycle of summer, fall, winter and spring? Is there a plan in place, or is randomness the explanation?
The Kiss Of Death
June 2, 2009
John Owen was burdened by apostasy, defined as the formal religious disaffiliation or abandonment or renunciation of one's religion.
The church in all ages has been both red hot and ice cold. Revelation 2 and 3 was written to restore what had been lost, and inspire zeal and fervor for the things of God.
The following is extracted from Owen's THE MORTIFICATION OF SIN, and has been edited slightly to become (hopefully) more clear to our 21st Century ears.
The one main reason why the Spirit and the new nature have been given to us is this - that we may have a principle within whereby to oppose sin and lust.
The flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit also lusts against the flesh," Gal. 5:17.
There is a propensity in the Spirit, or spiritual new nature, to be acting against the flesh, as well as in the flesh to be acting against the Spirit. And when we participate with the divine nature, we are given us an escape from the pollutions that are in the world through lust.....
Now this is, first, the most unjust and unreasonable thing in the world (we might say "idiotic!") when two combatants are engaged, to bind one (the work of the Spirit) and keep him up from doing his utmost, and to leave the other (the flesh) at liberty to wound him at his pleasure; and, secondly, the most foolish thing in the world to bind him who fights for our eternal condition, and to let him alone who seeks and violently attempts our everlasting ruin.
The contest is for our lives and souls. Not to be daily employing the Spirit and new nature for the mortifying of sin, is to neglect that excellent succour which God has given us against our greatest enemy.
If we neglect to make use of what we have received, God may justly hold his hand from giving us more. His graces, as well as his gifts, are bestowed on us to use, exercise, and trade with. Not to be daily mortifying sin, is to sin against the goodness, kindness, wisdom, grace, and love of God, who hath furnished us with a principle of doing it.
Negligence in this duty casts the soul into a perfect contrary condition to that which the apostle affirms....
"Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." 2 Corinthians 4:16
When we let the flesh get the upward hand, 2 Corinthians 4:16 is turned upside down - the inward man perishes, and the outward man is renewed day by day. Sin becomes like the house of David, and grace takes on the unfortunate role of the house of Saul. And we know how that turned out! Not good at all for Saul. If this happens, grace loses, as Saul found out in the end.
Exercise and success are the two main cherishers of grace in the heart. When grace is suffered to lie still, it withers and decays: the things of it are ready to die.
Sin gets ground towards the hardening of the heart. This is that which I intend: by the omission of this duty grace withers and lust flourishes, and the frame of the heart grows worse and worse; and the Lord knows what desperate and fearful issues it hath had with many.
Where sin, through the neglect of mortification, gets a considerable victory, it breaks the bones of the soul and makes a man weak, sick, and ready to die, so that he cannot look up.
And when poor creatures will take blow by blow, wound after wound, foil after foil, and never rouse up themselves to a vigorous opposition, can they expect any thing but to be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, and that their souls should bleed to death?
Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. 2 John 8.
Indeed, it is a sad thing to consider the fearful consequences of this neglect, which lie under our eyes every day. How tragic to see those who we once knew to be humble, melting, broken-hearted Christians, tender and fearful to offend, zealous for God and all his ways, his Sabbaths and ordinances now become - through neglect of watching unto this duty - earthly, carnal, cold, wrathful, complying with the men of the world and things of the world, to the scandal of religion and the fearful temptation of them that know them?
COME SPIRIT COME
Come Holy Spirit, dwell here among us
We need your power, your healing grace
Show us your favor, grant us your presence
As you have promised, come Spirit come
Come rushing wind, come holy fire
Here and now descend
O breath of God, O Perfect peace
Revive us once again
The church in all ages has been both red hot and ice cold. Revelation 2 and 3 was written to restore what had been lost, and inspire zeal and fervor for the things of God.
The following is extracted from Owen's THE MORTIFICATION OF SIN, and has been edited slightly to become (hopefully) more clear to our 21st Century ears.
The one main reason why the Spirit and the new nature have been given to us is this - that we may have a principle within whereby to oppose sin and lust.
The flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit also lusts against the flesh," Gal. 5:17.
There is a propensity in the Spirit, or spiritual new nature, to be acting against the flesh, as well as in the flesh to be acting against the Spirit. And when we participate with the divine nature, we are given us an escape from the pollutions that are in the world through lust.....
Now this is, first, the most unjust and unreasonable thing in the world (we might say "idiotic!") when two combatants are engaged, to bind one (the work of the Spirit) and keep him up from doing his utmost, and to leave the other (the flesh) at liberty to wound him at his pleasure; and, secondly, the most foolish thing in the world to bind him who fights for our eternal condition, and to let him alone who seeks and violently attempts our everlasting ruin.
The contest is for our lives and souls. Not to be daily employing the Spirit and new nature for the mortifying of sin, is to neglect that excellent succour which God has given us against our greatest enemy.
If we neglect to make use of what we have received, God may justly hold his hand from giving us more. His graces, as well as his gifts, are bestowed on us to use, exercise, and trade with. Not to be daily mortifying sin, is to sin against the goodness, kindness, wisdom, grace, and love of God, who hath furnished us with a principle of doing it.
Negligence in this duty casts the soul into a perfect contrary condition to that which the apostle affirms....
"Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." 2 Corinthians 4:16
When we let the flesh get the upward hand, 2 Corinthians 4:16 is turned upside down - the inward man perishes, and the outward man is renewed day by day. Sin becomes like the house of David, and grace takes on the unfortunate role of the house of Saul. And we know how that turned out! Not good at all for Saul. If this happens, grace loses, as Saul found out in the end.
Exercise and success are the two main cherishers of grace in the heart. When grace is suffered to lie still, it withers and decays: the things of it are ready to die.
Sin gets ground towards the hardening of the heart. This is that which I intend: by the omission of this duty grace withers and lust flourishes, and the frame of the heart grows worse and worse; and the Lord knows what desperate and fearful issues it hath had with many.
Where sin, through the neglect of mortification, gets a considerable victory, it breaks the bones of the soul and makes a man weak, sick, and ready to die, so that he cannot look up.
And when poor creatures will take blow by blow, wound after wound, foil after foil, and never rouse up themselves to a vigorous opposition, can they expect any thing but to be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, and that their souls should bleed to death?
Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. 2 John 8.
Indeed, it is a sad thing to consider the fearful consequences of this neglect, which lie under our eyes every day. How tragic to see those who we once knew to be humble, melting, broken-hearted Christians, tender and fearful to offend, zealous for God and all his ways, his Sabbaths and ordinances now become - through neglect of watching unto this duty - earthly, carnal, cold, wrathful, complying with the men of the world and things of the world, to the scandal of religion and the fearful temptation of them that know them?
COME SPIRIT COME
Come Holy Spirit, dwell here among us
We need your power, your healing grace
Show us your favor, grant us your presence
As you have promised, come Spirit come
Come rushing wind, come holy fire
Here and now descend
O breath of God, O Perfect peace
Revive us once again
