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If the Lord Marks Iniquity - R.C. Sproul

1/29/2015

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This article has been copied from Ligonier.org. It was written by Dr. R.C. Sproul

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If the Lord Marks Iniquity, Who Should Stand? - 
from R.C. Sproul Jan 26, 2015 

The Psalmist asked the question: “If the Lord marks iniquity, who should stand?” This query is obviously rhetorical. The only answer, indeed the obvious answer is no one.

The question is stated in a conditional form. It merely considers the dire consequences that follow if the Lord marks iniquity. We breathe a sigh of relief saying, “Thank heavens the Lord does not mark iniquity!”

Such is a false hope. We have been led to believe by an endless series of lies that we have nothing to fear from God’s scorecard. We can be confident that if He is capable of judgment at all, His judgment will be gentle. If we all fail His test—no fear—He will grade on a curve. After all, it is axiomatic that to err is human and to forgive is divine. This axiom is so set in concrete that we assume that forgiveness is not merely a divine option, but a veritable prerequisite for divinity itself. We think that not only may God be forgiving, but He must be forgiving or He wouldn’t be a good God. How quick we are to forget the divine prerogative: “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” (Rom. 9:15 )

Tweet thisIf God loves us all unconditionally, who needs the righteousness of Christ?

In our day we have witnessed the eclipse of the gospel. That dark shadow that obscures the light of the gospel is not limited to Rome or liberal Protestantism; it looms heavily within the Evangelical community. The very phrase “preaching the gospel” has come to describe every form of preaching but the preaching of the gospel. The “New” gospel is one that worries not about sin. It feels no great need for justification. It readily dismisses the imputation of Christ’s righteousness as an essential need for salvation. We have substituted the “unconditional love” of God for the imputation of the righteousness of Christ. If God loves us all unconditionally, who needs the righteousness of Christ?

The reality is that God does mark iniquity, and He manifests His wrath against it. Before the Apostle Paul unfolds the riches of the gospel in his epistle to the Romans, he sets the stage for the need of that gospel: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men … ” (Rom. 1:18).

This text affirms a real revelation of real wrath from a real God against real ungodliness and unrighteousness of real men. No appeal to some invented idea of the unconditional love of God can soften these realities.

The human dilemma is this: God is holy, and we are not. God is righteous, and we are not. To be sure, it is openly admitted in our culture that “No one is perfect.” Even the most sanguine humanist grants that humanity is marred. But, on balance … ah, there’s the rub. Like Muslims we assume that God will judge us “on balance.” If our good deeds outweigh our bad deeds, we will arrive safely in heaven. But, alas, if our evil deeds outweigh our good ones, we will suffer the wrath of God in hell. We may be “marred” by sin but in no wise devastated by it. We still have the ability to balance our sins with our own righteousness. This is the most monstrous lie of all. We not only claim such righteousness; we rely on such righteousness, which righteousness in fact does not exist. Our righteousness is a myth, but by no means a harmless one. Nothing is more perilous than for an unrighteous person to rest his future hope in an illusion.

It was against such an illusion that Paul stressed by citing the Psalmist: “For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.’” (Rom. 3:9–12 )

What comprises just under four verses of the New Testament is so radical that if the modern church would come to believe it, we would experience a revival that would make the Reformation pale into insignificance. But the church today does not believe the content of these verses: There is none righteous—not one.

Who believes that apart from Jesus not a single human being, without exception, is righteous. Not a single unregenerate person can be found who understands God.

Seeking God? We have totally revised corporate worship to be sensitive to “seekers.” If worship were to be tailored for seekers, it would be directed exclusively to believers, for no one except believers ever seeks God.

Every person turns aside from God. All become unprofitable in spiritual matters. At rock bottom no one even does good—no, not one.

Good is a relative term. It is defined against some standard. If we establish what that standard is, we can congratulate ourselves and take comfort in our attainment of it. But if God establishes the standard, and His standard includes outward behavior (that our actions conform perfectly to His law) and internal motivation (that all our acts proceed from a heart that loves Him perfectly), then we quickly see that our pretended “goodness” is no goodness at all. We then understand what Augustine was getting at when he said that man’s best works are nothing more than “splendid vices.”

Tweet thisThe only place such perfect righteousness can be found is in Christ—that is the good news of the gospel

So what? The equation is simple. If God requires perfect righteousness and perfect holiness to survive His perfect judgment, then we are left with a serious problem. Either we rest our hope in our own righteousness, which is altogether inadequate, or we flee to another’s righteousness, an alien righteousness, a righteousness not our own inherently. The only place such perfect righteousness can be found is in Christ—that is the good news of the gospel. Subtract this element of alien righteousness that God “counts” or “imputes” for us, and we have no biblical gospel at all. Without imputation, the gospel becomes “another gospel,” and such a “gospel” brings nothing but the anathema of God.

With the righteousness of Christ promised to us by faith, we have the hope of our salvation. We become numbered among those blessed to whom the Lord does not impute sin (Rom. 4:8).

This post was originally published in Tabletalk magazine.


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The Divine Gardner - J.C. Ryle

1/28/2015

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"Every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit!" John 15:2 

The Father is ever training the members of this family for their everlasting abode with Him in Heaven. He acts as a gardener pruning his vines, that they may bear more fruit. He know the character of each of us . . .
  our besetting sins,
  our weaknesses,
  our peculiar infirmities,
  our special needs, 
  our trials, 
  our temptations, 
  and our privileges. 

He knows all these things, and is ever ordering all for our good. He allots to each of us, in His providence, the very things we need, in order to bear the most fruit. He gives us . . .
  as much of sunshine as we can stand--and as much of rain;
  as much of bitter things as we can bear--and as much of sweet.

Trials are intended . . .
  to make us think,
  to wean us from the world,
  to send us to the Bible, and
  to drive us to our knees!

"The Christian grows by tears--and withers by smiles. God's vines thrive the better for pruning." (Stephen Charnock)
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The Cricket (Devotion on God's Providence) - A.B. Jack

1/28/2015

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We are all very apt to believe in divine Providence when we get our own way; but when things go awry, we think that God is only in Heaven and not upon the earth.

The cricket, in the spring, builds his house in the meadow, and chirps for joy because all is going so well with him. But when he hears the sound of the plough a few furrows off, and the thunder of the oxen's tread--then his sky begins to darken, and his young heart fails him! By-and-by the plough comes crunching along, turns his dwelling bottom-side up, and he goes rolling over and over, without a house and without a home! "Oh," he says, "the foundations of the world are breaking up, and everything is hastening to destruction!" 

But the gardener, as he walks behind the plough--does he think the foundations of the world are breaking up? No. He is thinking only of the harvest that is to follow in the wake of the plough; and the cricket, if it will but wait, will see the gardener's purpose.

We are all like crickets! When we get our own way, we are happy and contented. When we are subjected to disappointment, we despair and murmur against God and His providence.


"We must confide in the judgment of God, and distrust our own. We are short-sighted creatures, and easily imposed upon by appearances, and know not what is good for us in this vain life which we spend as a shadow. But God cannot be mistaken. A wise father will choose far better for his infant, than the infant can choose for himself." (William Jay)
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Good in afflictions - Joseph Williams

1/27/2015

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"It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn Your decrees." Psalm 119:71 

I find afflictions to be good for me. I have always found them so. Afflictions are happy means in the hands of the Holy Spirit to subdue . . .
  my corruptions,
  my pride,
  my evil passions, and
  my inordinate love to the creature. 

Afflictions . . .
  soften my hard heart, 
  bring me to my knees,
  increase faith,
  increase love,
  increase humility,
  increase self-denial. 
Afflictions make me poor in spirit, and nothing in my own eyes! 

"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey Your Word." Psalm 119:67 

"I know, O LORD, that in faithfulness You have afflicted me." Psalm 119:75
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God's Most Comforting Attribute - Charles Spurgeon

1/27/2015

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"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who arecalled according to His purpose!" Romans 8:28 

There is no attribute of God more comforting to His children than that of God's sovereignty. Under the most adverse circumstances, in the most severe troubles, they believe . . .
  that Sovereignty has ordained their afflictions,
  that Sovereignty overrules them, and
  that Sovereignty will sanctify them all. 

There is nothing for which the children of God ought more earnestly to contend, than . . .
  the doctrine of their Master ruling over all creation,
  the kingship of God over all the works of His own hand,
  the throne of God, and His right to reign upon that throne.

"Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases!" Psalm 115:3 

"
All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth." Daniel 4:35 

"Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns!" Revelation 19:6 


"To be God and sovereign are inseparable!" (Stephen Charnock)

"Sovereignty characterizes the whole being of God. He is sovereign in all His attributes!" (Arthur Pink)

"God has sovereign right to dispose of us as He pleases. We ought to acquiesce in all that God does with us and to us." (William Carey)
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God's Most Hated Attribute - Charles Spurgeon

1/27/2015

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"Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases!" Psalm 115:3 

"The LORD does whatever pleases Him, throughout all heaven and earth, and on the seas and in their depths!"Psalm 135:6 

"
All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth." Daniel 4:35 

On the other hand, there is no doctrine more hated by worldlings, as the great, stupendous--but yet most certain doctrine of the Sovereignty of the infinite Jehovah!

Men will allow God to be everywhere except on His throne!

They will allow Him to be in His workshop to fashion worlds and make stars. 

They will allow Him to be in His almonry to dispense His alms and bestow His bounties.

They will allow Him to sustain the earth and bear up the pillars thereof, or light the lamps of Heaven, or rule the waves of the ever-moving ocean.

But when God ascends His throne--then His creatures then gnash their teeth! And when we proclaim anenthroned God, and His right to do as He wills with His own, to dispose of His creatures as He thinks well, without consulting them in the matter--then it is that we are hissed and execrated, and then it is that men turn a deaf ear to us--for God on His throne, is not the God they love!

No doctrine in the whole Word of God has more excited the hatred of mankind, than the truth of the absolute sovereignty of God!

Opposition to divine sovereignty is essentially atheism--and were it not for sovereign grace, none of us would ever have followed the path to Heaven. I am daily more and more convinced that the difference between one man and another is, not the difference between his use of his will--but the difference of grace that has been bestowed upon him.
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Grand Secret of Daily Comfort in Christianity - J.C. Ryle

1/16/2015

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"We have a great High Priest who has entered Heaven, Jesus the Son of God." Hebrews 4:14

Christ, the great High Priest in Heaven, is ever doing the work of a Friend, a Protector, a Counselor, and an Advocate, on behalf of His redeemed people. He is ever watching over the interests of His people, and providing a continual supply of all that they need. To . . .
   sympathize with them in all their troubles,
   guide them in their perplexities,
   strengthen them for their duties,
   preserve them in their temptations--
all this is part of Christ's present priestly office. 

Note His tenderness and sympathy--so that He can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. Note His forbearance and patience--so that He can bear with our weaknesses and pity our mistakes. Note His wisdom, His faithfulness, His readiness to aid--who can describe or number up these things? 

Christ, as our great High Priest, is ever interceding for us in Heaven. It is written, "He is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by Him, because He ever lives to make intercession for them!" (Hebrews7:25.) It is asked by Paul, "Who then is the one who condemns? No one! Christ Jesus who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us!" (Romans 8:34.) Jesus is carrying believers safely from grace to glory, by His almighty intercession!

Reader, let us thank God daily that Christ is doing the work of a Priest for us in Heaven. Let us be thankful for the "precious blood" of Christ--but let us not be less thankful for His precious intercession.

Christ's continual Priesthood is the grand secret of a saint's perseverance to the end. Left to ourselves, there would be little likelihood of our getting safely home to Heaven. We might begin well--and end ill. 
So weak are our hearts, 
so busy is the devil, 
so many and ensnaring are the temptations of the world
--that nothing could prevent our making shipwreck!

But, thanks be to God, the Priesthood of Christ secures our safety. He who never slumbers and never sleeps is continually watching over our interests, and providing for our needs. While Satan pours water on the fire of grace, and strives to quench it--Christ pours on oil, and makes it burn more brightly. 

Christ's continual Priesthood is the grand secret of daily comfort in Christianity. Oh, what an unspeakable comfort it is to remember that we have a great High Priest in Heaven, who never forgets us night or day, and is continually interceding for us, and providing for our safety! Christian, that great High Priest who died for you andintercedes for you--will never forget His people, or allow one lamb of His flock to perish! The merciful and faithful High Priest who began a work for you on the cross, will bring that work to a triumphant conclusion. 

Reader, think of Jesus Christ as a loving Friend, to whom you may go morning, noon, and night, and  receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need. Of all the offices that Christ exercises on behalf of His people, none will repay thought and study so richly, as that of His present priesthood.
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Trials and Pain: Underneath Are the Everlasting Arms - A.W. Tozer

1/14/2015

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The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, and will say, "Destroy!" --Deuteronomy 33:27

Surely Bible-reading Christians should be the last persons on earth to give way to hysteria. They are redeemed from their past offenses, kept in their present circumstances by the power of an all-powerful God, and their future is safe in His hands. God has promised to support them in the flood, protect them in the fire, feed them in famine, shield them against their enemies, hide them in His safe chambers until the indignation is past and receive them at last into eternal tabernacles.

If we are called upon to suffer, we may be perfectly sure that we shall be rewarded for every pain and blessed for every tear. Underneath will be the Everlasting Arms and within will be the deep assurance that all is well with our souls. Nothing can separate us from the love of God-not death, nor life, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature.

This is a big old world, and it is full of the habitations of darkness, but nowhere in its vast expanse is there one thing of which a real Christian need be afraid. Surely a fear-ridden Christian has never examined his or her defenses. This World: Playground or Battleground? pp. 7-8

"Lord, I'll go today in the power of these awesome promises. I'll rest in these strong assurances. I'll face this 'big old world' and its 'habitations of darkness' in complete peace as I trust You completely today. Amen.

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Opportunity for expressing love

1/14/2015

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There is a fundraiser to help Allen and Sheila Brantley with expenses as Allen is being treated for cancer. Allen's co-workers are helping provide relief through a sale of pork butts. They can be ordered and picked up on Jan. 30th from 4-6 p.m.


The pick-up location will be across from State Bank, and the must be ordered by Jan. 23rd. Contact Comsouth if you have any questions. You can also contact us at Southside, and we can put you in touch with Chuck Gordon.


This is an opportunity to express love and support for Allen & Sheila.
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Personal Life: The Knowledge of God - A.W. Tozer - Devotional

1/13/2015

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For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.--Hebrews 5:12

Probably the most widespread and persistent problem to be found among Christians is the problem of retarded spiritual progress. Why, after years of Christian profession, do so many persons find themselves no farther along than when they first believed?...

The causes of retarded growth are many. It would not be accurate to ascribe the trouble to one single fault. One there is, however, which is so universal that it may easily be the main cause: failure to give time to the cultivation of the knowledge of God....

The Christian is strong or weak depending upon how closely he has cultivated the knowledge of God....

Progress in the Christian life is exactly equal to the growing knowledge we gain of the Triune God in personal experience. And such experience requires a whole life devoted to it and plenty of time spent at the holy task of cultivating God. God can be known satisfactorily only as we devote time to Him. The Root of the Righteous, 7-9.

"Lord, I'd like to devote the remaining years of my life and ministry to the 'holy task of cultivating God.' Help me to know You first, and then out of the overflow of that growing knowledge can come whatever ministry You choose to bless me with. Amen."


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