“But in the end the sovereignty of God and the power of the gospel of Jesus, not the feasibility of our human plans, is the rock of hope and encouragement.”
–Finish the Mission by John Piper
All posts by Bruce Henry
the beachhead of sanctification in the soul
“Regeneration, which Richard Lovelace calls “the beachhead of sanctification in the soul,” is God’s mysterious work of imparting new life to the soul.”
Christ Formed in You by Brian Hedges
“in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19 ESV)
“in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19 ESV)
Whose righteousness do you trust in – His or yours?
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. (Luke 18:9–14 ESV)
When we are proud of our moral cleanness, disciplined efforts and good works, we show that we are at odds with the Gospel. Those who are proud of their ability to manage their behavior treat others with contempt. The Gospel beckons those who recognize their complete inadequacy and long to lean upon Another. As Christians, we should view ourselves as nothing more than beggars showing other beggars where to find bread.
Moral reformations can take place apart from Christ. History proves that. Mortal resurrections, on the other hand, require the Gospel. It requires Christ alone to come and do for us what we could never do for ourselves.”
“Moral reformations can take place apart from Christ. History proves that. Mortal resurrections, on the other hand, require the Gospel. It requires Christ alone to come and do for us what we could never do for ourselves.”
–Pictures of Grace, Part 1 by Tullian Tchividjian
What Motivates Your Pursuit?
“All too often, religious people view their acts of piety or moral efforts as a means of gaining acceptance with God. Check yourself now. Even if you’ve been a Christian for a long time, don’t you sometimes feel like God is more pleased with you on days when you’ve been faithful in daily devotions than those rushed days when you neglected time in the Word and prayer? Do you tend to view your relationship with God as a long list of “do’s and don’ts”? Is your obedience to God motivated by love and characterized by joy—or guilt and fear? Is it easy for you to admit your failures and take ownership of your sins? Or does the possibility of being exposed feel threatening to your sense of well-being?
Like Luther, our relationship with God can easily become based on our own performance, rather than the performance of Christ. Even good spiritual disciplines, such as Bible-reading, prayer, and worship, become in our minds, like rungs on the ladder to heaven. We may not express it this way. In fact, we might even deny it. But functionally, and practically, we live as if approval from God depended upon our obedience, instead of Christ’s obedience for us.”
–Christ Formed in You by Brian Hedges
Faith is a relinguishment of all work
“Faith is believing in and relying upon God. It is “not a work, but a relinquishment of all work, an unqualified trust in God who gives life to the dead (Rom. 4:17), who raised Christ from the dead (4:24), who in Christ gave ‘a righteousness from God.’”
–Christ Formed in You by Brian Hedges (location 1094 Kindle Edition)
Friends of the omnipotent, soverign Creator
I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. (John 15:15–16 ESV)
We are friends of the omnipotent, sovereign Creator of all things. What a staggering statement! Jesus chose us to bear fruit, but we often times get it backwards. We want to tell people to go and bear fruit, but we neglect to point out that the fuel for the fruit is that He chose us and brings us in to a sustaining relationship with Him. Jesus chose us out of the world (verse 19), we are not friends with the world. We are not left on our own, the Spirit has come to remind us, sustain us, embolden us, and bear witness about Jesus (John 15:26). Jesus even said that it was to our advantage that he go away so the Spirit could come (John 16:7).
men prize those things which are solid and substantial
“Bubbles please boys, but men prize those things which are solid and substantial, with a foundation and a bottom to them which will bear the test of ages.”
-CH Spurgeon
God nourishes the soul
“For it is not mere words that nourish the soul, but God Himself, and unless and until the hearers find God in personal experience they are not the better for having heard the truth. The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts.”
–The Pursuit of God by AW Tozer (location 85 Kindle Edition)
The Gospel Centered Life 