Archive for Books

QOTD: They Killed the Lord of Life

// November 13th, 2009 // No Comments » // Books, D.A. Carson, Jesus Stuff, Life, Quote of the Day, grace, reformed, sin, theology

The authorities who crucified Jesus were in fact, quite unwittingly, carrying out God’s purposes. As the praying Christians put it in Acts 4, “indeed Herod and Pontious Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and ill had decided beforehand should happen” (Acts 4:27-28). They thought they were so wise, so politically astute; in fat, by their folly they brought to pass, in God’s perfect providence, his own wise plan–the very plan that they dismissed as foolishness. Amazing Grace: in God’s wise purposes, they killed the Lord of life.

-D.A. Carson, The Cross and Christian Ministry

Faith: True Faith

// November 3rd, 2009 // No Comments » // Books, Calvin, Faith, Jesus Stuff, Life, Quote of the Day, grace, reformed

Christian faith is, rather, a firm and solid assurance of the heart, by which we cling securely to the mercy of God which is promised to us though the gospel.

-John Calvin, Truth For All Time

Faith: Election and Predestination

// November 3rd, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Books, Calvin, Jesus Stuff, grace, reformed, theology

Now the reason why the Lord treats some mercifully and exercises the rigour of his judgement towards others must be known by him alone, for he, with very good intentions, has wished that it should be hidden from us all. The coarse insensitivity of our mind would not be able to bear such a great light; nor would our smallness be able to understand such great wisdom.

In fact, all those who will try to rise to such a height, being unwilling to hold in check the foolhardiness of their spirit, will experience the truth of what Solomon says: that he who desires to investigate the majesty of God will be crushed by his glory (Proverbs 25:2).

It is enough for us to have decided this in our hearts: that this dealing of the Lord, although hidden from us, is nonetheless holy and just. For if God wanted to ruin all humanity, he would have the right to do it. And in those whom he rescues from perdition, one can contemplate nothing but his sovereign goodness.

-John Calvin, Truth For All Time

Faith: A Short Series

// November 1st, 2009 // No Comments » // Books, Calvin, Faith, Jesus Stuff, Life, Quote of the Day, grace, theology

I was lucky enough to get a hold on Calvin’s Truth For All Time, thanks to my buddy Jimmy and I realized that it had some great stuff in it on Faith.. thus I figured I could do a quick QOTD series on faith from this book.

Up first, is today’s quote on how we lay hold of Christ by faith.

It is true that the Word of the gospel calls all men to participate in Christ, but many, blinded and hardened by unbelief, spurn such extraordinary grace. Only believers, then, enjoy Christ; only they receive him as sent to them. He is given to them, and they do not reject him. They are called by him, and they follow him.

QOTD: Less than the Least

// October 21st, 2009 // No Comments » // Books, Bryan Chapell, Jesus Stuff, Paul, Quote of the Day, grace, reformed

The apostle speaks of himself in the present tense, saying that he has been given the grace to preach to the Gentiles even though “I am less than the least of all God’s people” (Ephesians 3:8). There are those who say that this is a bit of pious hyperbole. Paul is not still the least of all the saints. He is an apostle, a scholar, a missionary, a faithful servant, and a willing sufferer for Christ. Surely there are worse Christians than he! But such assertions expose a worldly way of reckoning our status before God that the apostle will not accept. If our best works merit us nothing, and therefor all of Paul’s righteous deeds and sacrificial actions are not to his credit, then the only entries on Paul’s spiritual ledger are those of debt. Without his good works counting to his credit, all that Paul still has in his personal account are such things as holding the cloaks of those who stones Stephen and peronal persectuion of those who named Jesus as Lord (Acts 9:4). Only demerit is in Paul’s account. There is no good that he can provide to cancel it, and yet to such a one “grace was given…to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8), and “to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things” (Ephesians 3:9).

-Bryan Chapell, Ephesians

QOTD: Grace Active

// October 19th, 2009 // No Comments » // Books, Faith, Jesus Stuff, Life, Puritans, Quote of the Day, Valley of Vision, grace

Lord Jesus, Great High Priest,

Thou hast opened a new and living way by which a fallen creature can approach thee with acceptance.
Help me to contemplate the dignity of thy Person, the perfectness of thy sacrifice, the effectiveness of thy intercession.

O what blessedness accompanies devotion, when under all the trials that weary me, the cares that corrode me, the fears the disturb me, the infirmities that oppress me, I can come to thee in my need and feel peace beyond understanding.

The grace that restores is necessary to preserve, lead, guard, supply, help me. And here thy saints encourage my hope; they were once poor and are now rich, bound and are now free, tried and now are victorious.

Every new duty calls for more grace than I now possess, but not more than is found in thee, the divine treasury in whom all fullness dwells.

To thee I repair for grace upon grace, until every void made by sin be replenished and I am filled with all thy fullness.

May my desires be enlarged and my hope emboldened, that I may honour thee by my entire dependency and the greatness of my expectation.

Do thou be with me, and prepare me for all the smiles of prosperity, the frowns of adversity, the losses of substance, the death of friends, the days of darkness, the changes of life, and the last great change of all.

May I find thy grace sufficient for all my needs.

-The Valley of Vision, Grace Active

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