Loraine Boettner: Do You Reject The Absolute Sovereignty Of God?

Quoting Loraine Boettner:

“Although the sovereignty of God is universal and absolute, it is not the sovereignty of blind power. It is coupled with infinite wisdom, holiness and love. And this doctrine, when properly understood, is a most comforting and reassuring one. Who would not prefer to have his affairs in the hands of a God of infinite power, wisdom, holiness and love, rather than to have them left to fate, or chance, or irrevocable natural law, or to short-sighted and perverted self? Those who reject God’s sovereignty should consider what alternatives they have left” (The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination, 32)

Richard Baxter On The Pastor Prevailing With God

Richard Baxter

In the words of Richard Baxter:

“Our whole work must be carried on under a deep sense of our own insufficiency, and of our entire dependence on Christ . . . Prayer must carry on our work as well as preaching; he preacheth not heartily to his people, that prayeth not earnestly for them. If we prevail not with God to give them faith and repentance we shall never prevail with them to believe and repent.” (The Reformed Pastor, 122)

A Nation Gone Under

President Ronald Reagan

Quoting Ronald Reagan:

“Without God there is no virtue because there is no prompting of the conscience…without God there is a coarsening of the society; without God democracy will not and cannot long endure…If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a Nation gone under.”

George Mason On The Laws Of Nature

George Mason

Quoting George Mason, 1776:

“The laws of nature are the laws of God, whose authority can be superseded by no power on earth.”

Let Us Choose To Endure By The Grace Of Christ

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you. (Titus 2:11-15, ESV)

When was the last time you heard a sermon on renouncing ungodliness and worldly passions? When was the last time you were exhorted to live a self-controlled, upright, and godly life? Many church services sound like infomercials to me: “Just trust in Jesus Christ and you will immediately receive the blessings of health, wealth, and success.”

God, however, has not made such promises. Charlatan preachers, whose god is really Mammon, have manipulated their congregations by the use of Bible promises taken out of context. Christians should not expect to receive a “Get Out of Hard Times Free” card every time they face a crisis. God makes specific promises to give us peace within and joy and satisfaction in Him regardless of circumstances. Yet, there is no guarantee made that provides us with a problem-free existence. Christians must learn to deal with problems in their professions, families, and everyday lives. God allows these hard times to bring us to maturity as His children. To mature we must endure pressure. Only pressure can bring about the growth and maturity that God desires for us.

In the following verses, the Apostle James reminds us that even a crisis may have its purpose:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4 ESV)

Trials are inevitable and please remember that the great majority of trials are not related to something you did wrong, but a time of trial is a good time to look at your own heart and motives. A crisis reveals the true character of our faith. As our faith is put to the test, endurance is produced in our lives.

Endurance may be described as someone under a tremendous load or burden who firmly chooses to continue to bear that burden. Endurance knows how to live under pressure. Our faith, as it is purified by trials, produces the ability to stick with something even when the pressure seems overwhelming.

Endurance is not passive resignation; “Well, what can I do? I guess I will just have to learn to live with it.” Endurance is facing the problems of life and continuing to move forward. You and I have seen people go through hell on earth and yet, we see time and time again many of those same people persist and endure until they emerge with stronger character, unyielding faith, and a greater confidence in God. When our time of trial may come, I pray that we will: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” (James 1:2-3 ESV)

John Calvin On Following The Rule Of God

John Calvin

When Jesus Christ comes into our hearts, we know that we shall be cleansed from our filthiness; for by His grace we are taken for His children. There is nothing from the unbeliever that is not defiled. Without God’s grace, we have no righteousness that allows us to stand before God. Our actions, words, and thoughts are corrupt and not acceptable to God because they are infected by sin. Can such a creature gain righteousness by his obedience to Old Testament law and ritual that has been revoked by God? Can he follow the rules of men to heaven? John Calvin provides us with the answers:

Unto the pure all things are pure; but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him: being abominable and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. (Titus 1:15-16)

[I]t is faith that must cleanse us. Then will all meats be clean to us: that is, we may use them freely without wavering. If men enjoin spiritual laws upon us, we need not observe them, being assured that such obedience cannot please God, for in so doing, we set up rulers to govern us, making them equal with God, who reserves all power to Himself. Thus, the government of the soul must be kept safe and sound in the hands of God. Therefore, if we allow so much superiority to men that we suffer them to enwrap our souls with their own bands, we so much lessen and diminish the power and empire that God hath over us.

And thus the humbleness that we might have in obeying the traditions of men would be worse than all the rebellion in the world; because it is robbing God of His honor, and giving it, as a spoil, to mortal men. St. Paul speaketh of the superstition of some of the Jews, who would have men still observe the shadows and figures of the law; but the Holy Ghost hath pronounced a sentence which must be observed to the end of the world: that God hath not bound us at this day to such a burden as was borne by the old fathers; but hath cut off that part which He had commanded, relative to the abstaining from meats; for it was a law but for a season.

Seeing God hath thus set us at liberty, what rashness it is for worms of the earth to make new laws; as though God had not been wise enough. When we allege this to the papists, they answer that St. Paul spoke of the Jews, and of meats that were forbidden by the law. This is true, but let us see whether this answer be to any purpose, or worth receiving. St. Paul not only saith that it is lawful for us to use that which was forbidden, but he speaketh in general terms, saying, all things are clean. Thus we see that God hath here given us liberty, concerning the use of meats; so that He will not hold us in subjection, as were the old fathers.

Therefore, seeing God hath abrogated that law which was made by Him, and will not have it in force any longer, what shall we think when we see men inventing traditions of their own; and not content themselves with what God hath shown them? In the first place, they still endeavor to hold the church of Christ under the restrictions of the Old Testament. But God will have us governed as men of years and discretion, which have no need of instruction suitable for children. They set up man’s devices, and say we must keep them under pain of deadly sin; whereas God will not have His own law to be observed among us at this day, relative to types and shadows, because it was all ended at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Shall it then be lawful to observe what men have framed in their own wisdom? Do we not see that it is a matter which goeth directly against God? St. Paul setteth himself against such deceivers: against such as would bind Christians to abstain from meats as God had commanded in His law. If a man say, it is but a small matter to abstain from flesh on Friday, or in Lent, let us consider whether it be a small matter to corrupt and bastardize the service of God! For surely those that go about to set forth and establish the tradition of men, set themselves against that which God hath appointed in His Word, and thus commit sacrilege.

Seeing God will be served with obedience, let us beware and keep ourselves within those bounds which God hath set; and not suffer men to add any thing to it of their own. There is something worse in it than all this: for they think it a service that deserves something from God to abstain from eating flesh. They think it a great holiness: and thus the service of God, which should be spiritual, is banished, as it were, while men busy themselves about foolish trifles. As the common saying is, they leave the apple for the paring.

We must be faithful, and stand fast in our liberty; we must follow the rule which is given us in the Word of God, and not suffer our souls to be brought into slavery by new laws, forged by men. For it is a hellish tyranny, which lesseneth God’s authority and mixes the truth of the gospel with figures of the law; and perverteth and corrupteth the true service of God, which ought to be spiritual. Therefore, let us consider how precious a privilege it is to give thanks to God with quietness of conscience, being assured it is His will and pleasure that we should enjoy His blessings: and that we may do so, let us not entangle ourselves with the superstitions of men, but be content with what is contained in the pure simplicity of the gospel. Then, as we have shown concerning the first part of our text, unto them that are pure, all things will be pure. (“The Word Our Only Rule”)