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What you will find in this post is the third part of an answer to a question raised by a reader about how to develop a stronger faith and overcome consuming lust. The third essential factor for developing a stronger faith and overcoming lust takes us back to the basics again. Before i mention this third factor, I want to encourage you not to refuse to think seriously about it because in your judgment it is so basic. Remember the exhortation of Vince Lombardi on another front that we mentioned in the last blog: victories are won by paying attention to the basics and failure occurs because we fail to learn and practice the basics with abandonment. So here’s basic factor number three for developing a stronger faith and overcoming lust:  to develop and sustain a stronger faith and a more robust fear of God you must consistently and submissively study God’s Word.

 

Sometime ago I wrote a book called The Twin Pillars of the Christian Life. One of these pillars was the pillar of fervent prayer that we mentioned in the previous post. The other factor that my book addresses is the pillar of Bible Study. These are the pillars of the Christian life on which a vibrant spiritual life must be built. Though very basic, we must understand that here can be no substitute for either these pillars.  Mark it down, don’t overlook it: if you want to develop a strong faith that will overcome sinful patterns and a robust fear of God that is necessary for progress in the Christian life, you will never develop and sustain these essential qualities apart from fervent prayer and the faithful study of His Word. Again as mentioned in the former post, the battles of the Christian life are won or lost because people either faithfully practice or don’t practice these two disciplines.

 

The crucial importance of faithful and submissive Bible study is suggested by numerous verses in which the fear of God is mentioned. I will quote a few of these verses and, as I do, I will emphasize (underline) certain words that will help us to get an answer to the ‘yes, but how’ question.

1. Deut. 4:10 - “Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when the Lord said to me, ‘Assemble the people to Me, that I may let them hear My Words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days they live on the earth…” (Deuteronomy 4:10); 

2. Deut. 6:1,2 - “Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you … so that you and your son, and your grandson might fear the Lord your God…” (Deuteronomy 6:1,2);3. Deut. 8:6 - “Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God to walk in His ways and to fear Him” (Deuteronomy 8:6);4. Deut. 13:4 - “You shall … fear Him, and …listen to His voice…” (Deuteronomy 13:45. Deut. 14:23 “… in order that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always” (Deuteronomy 14:23); 6. Deut. 17:19 - “… and he shall read it (God’s Word) all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God” (Deuteronomy 17:19);7. Deut. 31:12 “…and all
Israel shall hear and fear.” (Deuteronomy 21:21);“Assemble  the people … in order that they may hear and learn and fear the Lord your God…” (Deuteronomy 31:12);

8. Psalm 34:11 - “Come you children, listen to me, and I will teach you the fear of the Lord” (Psalm 34:11); 

From these verses we may draw several conclusions about how to develop and sustain the fear of God in our lives.

Several times we notice in these verses that hearing and listening are associated with developing the fear of God. Romans 10:17 informs us that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”  In other words, if we want to have a strong faith we must put ourselves in a place where we will hear God’s Word being faithfully preached. Faith doesn’t float around in the air and mysteriously grab us. God uses His preached Word to strengthen our faith. People who want to develop and sustain a robust fear of God must faithfully,diligently and attentively hear God’s Word being preached. This  is one of theprimary instruments God uses in building this quality into our lives.

Still further these verses teach us that people who want to develop a stronger fear of God must make this a priority in their lives and they must do it regularly.

And, they must make sure that the preaching they are listening to is really an expository ministry. It is not some man’s ideas, it is not the theories of psychologists or philosophers or sociologists that promote the fear of God. It is the faithful proclamation of God’s Word. There can be no neglect, nor substitute for this. 

The second conclusion we may draw from these verses we just read is set of verses that the fear of God is that developing and sustaining the fear of God will involve the use of the mind. To become God-fearing people we must be students, we must put forth an effort to learn. Being a student obviously involves studying. If you don’t study, you have no right to think of yourself or present yourself as a student. Sitting around watching television or even sitting in a church auditorium or classroom doesn’t necessarily mean you are a student or that you are learning anything.

 

You may just be sitting there occupying space. You may not be learning or retaining or processing anything that is being said. No one can be considered a learner unless they retain, process and benefit from what is being said. And, again please note that growing in the fear of God is associated with being taught, studying and learning the Word of God.  

In our book, The Fear Factor, we define the fear of God in this way (and what we said about the fear of God can also be said about true faith): the fear of God is a reflex attitudinal and emotional reaction to an accurate understanding of who and what God is.

1. The word “reflex”indicates that our attitudes and emotions automatically respond to something. When our hand touches an extremely hot surface, we don’t have to tell our hand, nor make our hand move away from that surface. Because of the nerve endings in our hand, our hand just automatically jerks away from the hot surface.

 

When I use the word “reflex” in association with the development of the fear of God or a stronger faith, I mean that when a certain thing happens we will naturally, automatically respond with the fear of God and have a stronger faith.

 

2. The word “reaction” in our definition conveys a similar idea. What we’re saying is that the fear of God (or a stronger faith) is more of a “reaction” than it is an action. It is something that happens rather than something we directly make happen. Only in an indirect way do we make the fear of God and a stronger faith happen.  The fear of God happens because something else has happened. And unless that something else happens we will never develop and sustain the fear of God.

 

The question then is: what is it that causes the fear of God or a stronger faith to develop? What must happen for the fear of God to happen? The rest of our definition answers these questions.

1. The fear of God happens as we gain and maintain an accurate understanding of who and what the God of the Bible is. In other words, it happens as we hear and listen to God and His Word; it happens as we continue to study and learn, as we continue to accurately think about and meditate on God and His Word.

2. This is the method God uses to make our fear of God quotient stronger. You simply can’t expect to have a strong fear of God quotient if you are unwilling to be a perpetual student of God’s Word.

 

Interestingly, Psalm 19:9 makes this connection between the diligent study of God’s Word and the development of the fear of God unmistakably clear by calling the Bible “the fear of the Lord”. Obviously, the Bible is called “the fear of the Lord” because it is a primary means by which God develops and sustains this quality in our lives.

 

In his book on the fear of God, John Bunyan writes, “The fear of God flows from … a sound impression that the Word of God makes on our souls; for without an impress of the Word, there is no fear of God. Hence it is said that God gave Israel good laws, statutes and judgments that they might learn them, and in learning them, learn to fear the Lord their God …For as to the extent that a man drinks good doctrine into his soul, so to that extent he fears God; if he drinks in much, he fears Him greatly; if he drinks in but little, He fears Him but little; if he drinks not at all, He fears Him not at all.” (John Bunyan, ibid, p. 424)

 

So to develop a robust and influential fear of God or a stronger faith you must make the study of God’s Word a regular and diligent discipline in your life.. Scripture makes it clear that faith in God and the fear of God are His gifts to His people (Ephesians 2:8, 9; Galatians 5:22, 23; Jeremiah 32:39, 40). And along with that, Scripture, as noted in the earlier part of this blog, makes it clear that God bestows these gifts on people who fervently and faithfully study His Word.

 

This, then, is the third factor in answering the questions: how can I develop a strong, robust fear of God? How can I overcome unbelief and doubts? How can I overcome consuming lust? If you are serious about overcoming unbelief and doubts and lust you must make sure that you are fervently practicing the privilege of diligent and submissive Bible study..

 

John Bunyan was absolutely convinced that a diligent study of God’s Word played a crucial role in the development and maintenance of the fear of God in our souls. He could hardly have made that point more clearly. According to Bunyan, drink much of the Word of God and you will have much of the fear of God, drink little and you will have little, drink not at all and you will have none is his conviction. And, according to the Scripture, he was right! This, again I say, is only one of many factors, but it is a foundational factor

(God willing, we will move on to another extremely important factor in the near future. I have just been dismissed from the hospital after a minor hart problem. So it may be a little while before I actually post the next factor, but Lord willing it will come. )

 

 

 

In this post, I’m continuing to respond to one of the questions a person who reads our blogs raised in the comment section to one of our blogs. One of the questions he asked was “how do you overcome unbelief and doubt” and the answer I’m giving this series is really related to the question how do you develop a more robust fear of God? But what I’m writing about in terms of how to develop a robust fear of God is the same answer I would give to the question “how do I develop a stronger faith and overcome unbelief”? (And as I previously mentioned, the answer I’ll give in this series of blogs is also the answer to another question raised by a responder about how to overcome consuming lust.) Now here’s an absolutely essential second factor for developing and sustaining a robust fear of God or developing and maintaining a strong faith: to develop and sustain the fear of god you must be devoted to fervent and persistent prayer. “You have not because you ask not” or because you ask for purely selfish reasons is the word of God that explains why the faith of many of us is weak (James 4:2, 3).

Several years ago when Vince Lombardi was a well known coach of one of the best and winningest American professional football teams he stood one day at the beginning of the season before his seasoned, very experienced football players and brought a stirring message to them. He was attempting to motivate them to become a strong, dedicated, skilled and winning football team. There they sat before him as a group of massive human beings eagerly waiting for instructions from their experienced and knowledgeable coach; there they sat wondering what pearls of wisdom about how to be a winning team would come from his lips. And what did he say? He said something similar to what he had often said and would often say in the future. It’s reported that he said something like this, “Gentlemen, if you want to be a good, strong, winning football team you must concentrate on the basics. The game of football is not really that complicated. When you boil it all down, the game of football consists of blocking, tackling, running, passing and catching and doing all these basics with abandonment. Let’s get back to the basics. That’s how you win football games by learning and doing the basics well. Teams lose football games because they neglect the basics.”

Well, the message that Vince Lombardi brought to his football team is the message I’d like to bring to Christians who want to build a strong faith in God and a robust fear of God. My message is, “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for us to get back to the basics. It’s time for us to learn and practice and do the basics of Christianity well and with abandonment. Instead of looking for new techniques and gimmicks for developing super duper Christian lives, for building a strong faith and increasing in the fear of God, let’s get back to learning and practicing Christianity 101. That’s how to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. And failure to practice the basics well is why many Christians are losing the battles in their spiritual lives.”

In Psalm 86:11 the Psalmist is an example for all of us who want to be more God-fearing in our approach to life. Here we find him praying, “Unite my heart to fear Thy name.” David who wrote this Psalm teaches us several things about becoming a more God-fearing or a person with a strong faith. One, he makes it clear that you have to begin with the heart. The fear of God (or strong faith) is developed in the heart before it is ever experienced anywhere else. If we have a powerful fear of God it will emerge from the heart. If we lack the fear of God, something is wrong in our hearts. Two, David realized that for a person to have a robust fear of God his heart had to be united. David knew that his heart was the mission control center of his life; he realized that if his heart was not united nothing else would come out right in his life. He was aware that a double hearted or triple hearted or quadruple hearted person is unstable in all his ways (James 1:8). He knew that his heart was the reservoir from which all of the issues of life flowed (Proverbs 4:23). He realized that frequently our hearts are divided in terms of their focus. He knew that sometimes our hearts begin to drift or become distracted from what is really important.

Sometimes we lose our focus, and like Martha, we become focused on many things rather than the one thing that is needful (Luke 10:38-42). Sometimes our hearts get out of control and run off in many different directions. Sometimes we forget that the fear of God should be a priority issue with us. David knew that he couldn’t control his heart on His own. He knew this was too big a task for Him. He knew that if his heart was to be united, God had to give him strength to do it. This petition was both an expression of his desire and also an expression of weakness. He realized he desperately needed the help of God if he were to have a united heart controlled by the fear of God.

In essence, David has learned the lesson about prayer that Jesus was teaching in the model prayer He gives us in Matthew 6:9-13. In this prayer Jesus used different words than the ones David did, but the meaning is the same. He said that when we pray we should begin by praying that God’s name (which represents who and what He is) would be hallowed. And what is it to hallow God’s name? It is to set it apart as holy, unique, worthy of reverence and holy respect. By indicating that this is the first petition we should pray, Jesus was teaching us that reverence for God should be a primary focus of our lives and prayers. And, the fact that he taught us to pray that God’s name would be hallowed indicates that we can’t do this without the help of God.

Developing and sustaining a healthy, robust fear of God should be a primary emphasis in our prayer lives. We will never be able to give God the respect and reverence that is His due apart from His help. You show me a person who isn’t praying the way David prayed in Psalm 86:11 and the way Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6:9 and I’ll show you a person in whose life the fear of God or his faith in God is very small or non-existent.

So to develop a robust and influential fear of God or a stronger faith you must make the acquisition of such a matter of fervent and persevering prayer. Scripture makes it clear that faith in God and the fear of God are His gifts to His people (Ephesians 2:8, 9; Galatians 5:22, 23; Jeremiah 32:39, 40). And along with that, Scripture makes it clear that God bestows these gifts on people who fervently and faithfully ask Him for these gifts (James 4:2; 5:17; Matthew 7:7 – 11; Luke 11:13).

This, then, is the second factor in answering the questions: how can I develop a strong, robust fear of God? How can I overcome unbelief and doubts? How can I overcome consuming lust? If you are serious about overcoming unbelief and doubts and lust you must make sure that you are fervently practicing the privilege of devoted prayer. This, again I say, is only one of many factors, but it is a foundational factor. I close this blog with a paraphrase of a statement made by John Piper. He wrote, “Much prayer, much power; little prayer, little power and no prayer, no power.” Well, I say, “Much of the right kind of prayer, much faith; little prayer, little faith and no prayer, no faith.” (God willing, we will move on to other factors in the near future.)

In this post, I’m kind of responding to one of the questions Scott raised in the comment section to one of our blogs. I say “kind of responding” because one of the questions he asked was “how do you overcome unbelief and doubt” and the answer I’m going to give in the next few blogs is really related to the question how do you develop a more robust fear of God?

At first glance, what I’m going to say about how to develop a robust fear of God may not appear to relate his question, but, in my judgment, my answer does very much relate. It is my conviction that the answer to the question “how do I develop a robust fear of God” is the same as the answer to the question “how do I get rid of my doubts and develop a strong faith”?

(Actually, the answer I’ll give in this series of blogs is also the answer to another question raised by a responder about how to overcome consuming lust.)

If Scott or anyone else is saying, “I really do want to develop or increase and sustain a more healthy, wholesome, robust fear of God (i.e., a strong faith in God). I really do want to be a truly God fearing person, i.e., a strong believer. Will you please tell me how I can become and remain that kind of person? I want it, I need it, but how do I get it?” my next few blogs should be very helpful. In these posts I want to point Scott and all of us who claim to be Christians to some biblical directives for doing the very thing the previous quote from Scott indicates he desires to have happen. If the fear of God (or a strong faith) is as important for us as Christians as the Bible clearly indicates it is, we might expect that God would give us information about how to develop it. And, indeed He has! In these posts we’re going to see that God has much to say about this aspect of developing, increasing and sustaining the fear of God in our lives.

I begin in this post with factor number 1 which is: to develop and sustain the fear of God you must have a change of heart. (Hang with me: this is only the first installment. There is more to come, but we must begin with factor number 1 because it is foundational to all the other factors.)

To understand how to develop and sustain a healthy, robust fear of God it’s important for us to note that we don’t just naturally fear God. With all that the Bible says about the majesty and glory of God we might be tempted to think that men would automatically fear God or have a strong faith in God.

Understanding who God is, what He has done and still does and the benefits that come to people who fear Him, we may be inclined to ask the same questions that Jeremiah and the people in Revelation asked: “Who would not fear Thee, O King of the Nations?” (Jeremiah 10:7); “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Thy name?” (Revelation 15:4) It seems irrational, absurd, unbelievable that people would not automatically fear and reverence someone who is as great and majestic as God is, someone who has the power and ability that God has, someone who has done and still does what God has done and continues to do.

In reality, when you consider the greatness of God, there is nothing more reasonable than the fear of God. To not fear Him is the height of absurdity. Yet the Scripture declares and our experience illustrates the fact that men don’t naturally fear God. In God’s description of what characterizes the whole of the human race (Romans 3:9 - both Jews and Greeks are under sin) since the time of Adam, He says, “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3:18). In this verse Paul is probably quoting an Old Testament text that says essentially the same thing: “There is no fear of God before his eyes” (Psalm 36:1). “There is no fear of God in this place” was the way that Abraham described the society in which he lived. The situation has not changed. The society in which we live in the twenty first century is still devoid of the fear of God. Unregenerate, unredeemed men don’t by nature fear God. Instead of fearing God, men automatically fear man (Proverbs 29:25; Romans 1:23, 25). By nature, men are more concerned with the approval of men rather than the approval of God (John 12:43).

If that is true, the question that naturally arises is: what must happen for men who don’t naturally fear or trust God to begin to do this? Thankfully, the Scriptures give a very clear answer to this question. God provides an answer through the inspired prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 32. In that message, God says this about the people whom He says He will make His people and for whom He will become their God (Jeremiah 32:38), “I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me always … I will put the fear of me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me” (Jeremiah 32:39, 40). For people to fear God, God has to supernaturally put that fear in their hearts. Earlier in Jeremiah, God has described the hearts of men before He gives them a new heart as being deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). Before God gives to men a new heart they oppose the God of the Bible, they resist and rebel against this God (Romans 1:18-25; 8:5-8; Mark 7:21-23; Ecclesiastes 9:3; Isaiah 1:5; Genesis 6:5). Sometimes this heart resistance and rebellion is covert and sometimes overt, sometimes violent (easily recognized) and sometimes more subtle and even disguised.

Nonetheless, the hearts (a word that is used metaphorically to describe our inner man, our soul, the non-physical part of us as human beings, the core of our being, the mission control center of our lives) of all men resist God and don’t fear God in the way described in the last message of this book.

For a person to truly fear God, some important internal changes must take place, changes that only God can make. This change is variously described in Scripture. Jeremiah indicates that for this change from a lack of fear of God to a fear of God to occur, God must perform heart surgery. He must give that person a new heart. He must change that person on the inside, at the very core of his being. In the book of Ezekiel, God describes this same indispensable operation in two passages: First, He does it in Ezekiel 11: 19, 20: “I shall take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh that they may walk in My statutes and keep my ordinances to do them.” Then He does it again in message 26:25-27: “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes”. In both of these Ezekiel passages, God makes it clear that the problem with people in terms of their attitude toward and relationship with Him is a heart problem. They have a heart of stone and need a heart of flesh. What they need is a new heart, a new spirit; a heart of flesh. Their heart of stone (a heart that was impervious to God and His Word, a heart that was uncaring about God, a heart that was committed to an antiGod focus in life, a heart that was insensitive and inflexible, a heart that lacked the fear of God) needed to be replaced with a heart of flesh (a heart that was soft and impressionable and responsive, a heart that was sensitive, a heart that was tender and compliant to God and His Word). Ezekiel 26 refers to filthiness and idolatry. Where was the primary location of that filthiness and idolatry? The references to needing a new heart and a new spirit indicate that the change and cleansing that was needed was internal. Ezekiel message 14 mentions that the problem with people is heart idolatry (Ezekiel 14:1-9) and message 11:21 mentions that their hearts are going after detestable things and abominations (i.e., that which is an abomination to the Lord). The problem of man, then and now, is a heart problem. So the cleansing that Ezekiel 26 says men need is a cleansing that is not merely external, but primarily internal.
As with all of us, these people needed to be cleaned up on the inside; because that’s where the real problem was. For them to become God centered, God fearing, they needed to be cleaned up on the inside, they needed to receive a new heart, a new disposition, a new spirit, a new internal control center. No one fears God in the Biblical way until this has occurred. In his comments on this passage Matthew Henry has rightly said, “We cannot sanctify God’s name unless he sanctify our hearts, nor live to His glory, but by grace alone.” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary, Volume IV, Revell, New York, 962) Turning to the New Testament, we find the same truth about our need for an inner change before we can be rightly related to God and become God fearing people emphasized in many places. I Corinthians 6:9-10 describes what the Corinthians were like before they became Christians. They lived lives of debauchery and immorality, there was no fear of God before their eyes - they lived for themselves, they lived to please people, they did what they wanted to do, they had no regard for the God of the Bible, they had the hearts of stone of which Ezekiel was speaking. But Paul says something happened to them that changed them; he says, “Such were some of you” indicating that they were no longer living that way. What had happened to change their orientation to life? Verse 11 explains what made the change - they had been washed (cleaned up on the inside), they had been justified (declared righteous) through the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ on their behalf. And more than that, the change had occurred because they had been set apart by the Holy Spirit. They heard the Word of God and, as they did, the Spirit of God convicted them of their sin, brought them to repentance over their sin and to faith in Christ. Through the work of the Holy Spirit using God’s Word and through the atoning work of Jesus Christ they had been cleansed on the inside and the inside cleansing then manifested itself in their changed attitude toward themselves, toward sin, toward life and especially toward God. In the words of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, God gave them a new heart, a new spirit, a new disposition that enabled them to do what they could not have done previously. He replaced their old inner control center which was under the control of sin with a new inner control center under the control of God. Or in the words of Paul in his second epistle to the Corinthians, Christ had come to them through the Gospel and by the Spirit and had made them new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). As a result, they could bring glory to God and live a God fearing life (I Corinthians 6:19, 20; 10:31).

How can we develop the fear of God or a stronger faith in God? How can we overcome unbelief and doubt? The first requirement for developing and sustaining a God - fearing manner of life is being cleaned up on the inside, receiving forgiveness through the sacrificial death of Christ (I John 1:7; 2 Corinthians 5:21); being declared righteous by God’s grace through the redemption that is in Christ (Romans 3:24, 25) by faith in Christ alone. When that happens, a person becomes a new creature in Christ, receives a new heart and spirit which God provides for all who come to Him through Christ and becomes indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God who enables Him to live a God centered and God honoring life (Romans 8:9-13; I Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 3:17-19). As Peter puts it in I Peter 1, because a person is redeemed by Christ he should and can live his entire life on this earth as a God fearing person. Experiencing redemption from the penalty and power of our sin sets us free to live our lives in the fear of the Lord. (I Peter 1:17-19). This kind of a life is only possible for those who have been redeemed, but it is possible for all who are redeemed. John Bunyan explains, “This fear flows from a new heart. This fear is not in man by nature; the fear of devils they may have, as also an ungodly fear of God, but this fear is not in any, but where there dwelleth a new heart, another fruit and effect of this everlasting covenant, and of this distinguishing love of God. …So then, until a man receive a heart from God, a heart from heaven, a new heart, he has not this fear of God in him. … This fear of God must not be, cannot be found in old hearts; old hearts are not bottles out of which this fear proceeds, but it is from an honest and good heart, from a new one, from such an one that is also the effect of the everlasting covenant, and the love of God to men. He therefore that has not received at the hands of God a new heart, cannot fear the Lord.” (John Bunyan, The Complete Works of John Bunyan, Volume II, The National Foundation for Christian Education, Marshallton, Delaware, p.423.) This, then, is the first factor in answering the questions: how can I develop a strong, robust fear of God? How can I overcome unbelief and doubts? If you are serious about overcoming unbelief and doubts you must examine yourself to make sure you really have had a supernatural change of heart.

This is only one of many factors, but since it is a foundational factor to everything else I will say in future blogs I wanted to begin here in that here is where God starts. (God willing, we will move on to other factors in the near future.)

I’m not sure what Dad is up to.

I know that he is busy preaching, teaching and writing but he obviously hasn’t been able to post anything on the blog in a long time.  If anyone is interested I’m still writing over at Africabound

I thought though if Dad still reads this blog and has the time (which is a big if) he might answer one or two of the following questions left by Scott on a previous blog-entry:

“1.) How do you overcome unbelief and doubt?2.)How do you overcome lust when it seems the only thing that you can think about?

3.) I don’t know how to listen to the Holy Spirit and I don’t know if it’s Him or me?

I struggle a lot with anxiety over these issues and I have a hard time just believing God at His Word.”

I received this statement about the new perspective on Paul from Pastor Geof Thomas and thought it was so good and relevant and important that I decided to include it as a blog. It was part of a newsletter Geof sent out publicly.

The influence of the New Perspective on Paul …. Derek (Thomas) was asking a student how he defined the gospel. “Jesus Christ is Lord,” he said, which is Archbishop Tom Wright’s definition. What is gospel - good news - about that? If that same Lord declares that he is going to say to many in that Day, “Depart from me you cursed ones into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” where is there good news in the person of Christ?  Surely you have to go to I Corinthians 15 and its opening verses for the gospel . . . Christ died for our sins and rose again. If you don’t fix your eyes on Christ’s work of salvation then his Lordship is terrifying. We men crucified him and we are facing his holy Father. Derek asked another student … , “Is the Christian obliged to keep the Moral Law?” The student paused for what seemed an interminable time before answering. Then guardedly said that the Christian was obliged, to BUT that salvation was all from Christ, and we could make no contribution to our salvation by our law keeping and there were dangers of a legalistic mentality taking over etc., etc. at length “Come on,” Derek was thinking, “this is not the question I asked you. Do you and I have an obligation to keep the moral law of God?” 

The New Perspective on the apostle Paul is the biggest issue to have hit the evangelical church in America for years. It is beginning to divide associations and denominations and seminaries. The issue is central to the gospel. It denies the imputed righteousness of Christ in an act of justification. It stresses that children sprinkled with water in the name of the Trinity are to be considered as children of God. Many of its adherents champion these infants being given bread and wine in the communion. Its emphasis is on the congregation as the body of Christ and it loathes searching preaching and self-examination as destructive of the divine status of church members who receive the ordinances in the public means of grace. The new perspective claims and promises so much, just like Karl Barth’s neo-orthodoxy claimed to be the ‘theology of the word.’ Yet did it produce one single evangelist? Did one minister go to the slums and fill a building with future missionaries and godly people by preaching Barthianism? No one. The same judgment will be passed on the new perspective. They will take the already evangelised and taught Christians and muddle them up. (End quote) 

Paul’s warnings about “another (heteros - of a different kind) Gospel” not really being “another (allos - of the same kind) Gospel are as relevant today as they were when he first wrote them the church at Galatia. And Jude’s exhortation to “earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints” was never more relevant than it is today. There is nothing more precious than the true Gospel of God’s Word and there is nothing more devious and destructive than the perverted Gospel that some are proclaiming today. May our great God have mercy on us and guard people from the delusions of truth about the Gospel that are robbing our Saviour of the glory which is rightly His and robbing people of the freedom and forgiveness and power of the true Gospel (Romans 1:1 - 16: Galatians 1:3 - 9; Titus 2:8 - 14; Romans 3:24, 25; I Corinthians 15:1 - 4).

I know I’m not in Dad’s category, but I just wrote down some of the tasks I need to get accomplished this year…

Finish my doctoral dissertation.

Raise funds to move to South Africa.

Pastor Grace Church in Coopersburg.

Teach two new classes at Plumstead Christian School.

Help develop the philosophy of ministry for Tshofelo Children’s Home as well as discover support.

Find a replacement for me at Grace.

Transition the church smoothly.

Each one of these things by themselves is beyond me.  Seriously.  There’s only one that seems like it might be somewhat easy and that is teaching two classes at Plumstead and sitting here writing that I know I shouldn’t because if I say I think it might be easy that probably means it isn’t going to be nearly as easy as I think. 

I need God’s help.  In a big way.

If you think of it, could you please pray for me?  These are just tasks and they are beyond me.  Imagine all the other really important stuff, like being a godly man and discipling my wife and children and reaching out to unbelievers with the gospel. 

The title of this post is also the title of a new book I’ve written and recently had published by Focus Publishing. In the book I attempt to deal with what has been called the common cold of mental ailments from a distinctly biblical perspective.

The back cover puts it this way: if you are not facing the problem now, you know someone who is or one day you will personally face it. Moreover since this is true, it is my conviction that it is important for all of us to know how to deal with depression as God intended. It is my conviction that each of us needs to know how to define and describe depression accurately ahd biblically; we need to know how and why depression develops and we need to know a biblical procedure for defeating or preventing depression for our own sakes and for the sake of helping others.

The question is: do you know how to do these things? You can and you should. So get to work studying Scripture on the subject and after you’ve done that you may want to do more research by reading the book Out of the Blues.  

The title of this blog represents the progression on fruit bearing found in John chapter 15. In verse 5 of this chapter Jesus compares Himself to the vine and us as professing Christians to the branches. Then in verse 2 he says that “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, He (God) takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.” There you have mention of no fruit, fruit and more fruit.  In verse 16 Christ continues this emphasis on fruit by stating a number of important truths about the Christian life, “You did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain.”  One, he tells us that He is the one who initiates our relationship with Him - He chose ut. Two, He tells us that as those who are chosen by Him He expects us to bear fruit and to continue to bear fruit that is solid and genuine - it remains. Verse 8 enlarges on our Lord’s fruit bearing lesson by stating, ”By this is my Father glorified that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” ( John 15:

Fruit bearing, according to John 15:8, serves two purposes: one it glorifies God and two it demonstrates that we are really disciples of Christ. In other words, it fulfills the main purpose for which we have been created and redeemed: it glorifies God; it puts the glory of God on display. And more than that, verse 8 asserts that it also manifest the fact that we are really Christians. It does not make us Christians; that is all of God’s grace. But it does demonstrate the reality of our profession of faith.

So the questions are: do you want to really fulfill the purpose for which God made you and redeeemed you? Do you want your life to be a theater in which the glory of God is clearly and vividly displayed? Do you want to fulfill the purpose for which He saved you? Do you want to prove to be Christ’s disciple?  Well then Jesus says you can do all these things by bearing fruit, more fruit, much fruit.

But you may ask, what is the fruit I am to bear that will accomplish these purposes? An answer comes from a message I heard yesterday which was preached by my good friend Pastor Lance Quinn at The Bible Church of Little Rock. Lance used an acrostic to define the fruit that fulfills the fruit bearing lessons of Jesus in John 15. I simply give you his outline. In the message , he said that the fruit God wants us to bear is:

F  = Fear of God - Psalm 128:1 -3;Ecclesiastes 12:13;    

R = Righteousness - Psalm 92:12 - 15;

U = Understanding of God, His Word, His purposes, etc. - Proverbs 3:13; 4:5; 5:1; 8:14; 16:22;

 I = Integrity = Psalm 15:1,2; 25:21; 41:12; Proverbs 10:9; 19:1; Job 2:3; 27:5

 Trust in God = Jeremiah 17:5 - 8; Nehemiah 1:11; John 15:4.

There is, of course, much more to this fruit bearing for which Jesus chose us than we’ve noticed in this blog or even in Lance’s whole message, but this is a start. I challenge you to go further by using your concordance and checking it out for yourself by looking up the many references that talk about the source of our fruit bearing, the nature of the fruit we’re to bear, the requirements for fruit bearing and the results of our fruit bearing and the awful warning to those who make a profession of faith but bear no fruit in their lives.

I'm never going to be on Larry King Live and I'm thankful for that.  People like Dr. Mohler and Dr. MacArthur do an amazing job at it and I'm glad they do. I do think it is fun though to listen to Larry's questions and think about how I might answer if I were in that position.

For example, take last night's discussion about homosexuality.

Larry King asks… click here for the rest of the article.

To diminish your PQ (pride quotient) and increase your HQ (humility quotient) we encourage you to take this inventory and then confess, repent, plan how and where you need to change and then put your plan into practice.

Take the following True Humility Inventory which is designed to evaluate our pride and humility quotient. Since humility is considered by God to be such an important quality and since we are so prone to be proud, this inventory can be helpful in promoting spiritual growth in our lives. Read through each of the manifestations of humility and then rate yourself using the following rating scale: 4 = always true of you; 3 = frequently true of you; 2 = sometimes; 1 = seldom; 0 = never. On the items where you recognized your lack of humility, confess that lack to God as a sin and ask Him for help to change. Periodically, complete this inventory to promote spiritual growth in humility. Perhaps you would like to ask an honest, brave and loving friend to evaluate how he/she would rate you on these items.

True Humility in terms of our behavior toward men:

1. I am not selfishly ambitious or greedy of the honor and appreciation of men. ____

2. I am not ostentatious around people; I don’t try to impress people with my intelligence or abilities or status in life. ____

3. I am not arrogant or assuming or presumptuous in my behavior toward people. ____

4. I am not scornful nor contemptuous or demeaning to people. ____

5. I am not willful nor stubborn in my behavior toward people. ____

6. I don’t seek to level those who are over me or have authority over me;

I show respect for and am willing to submit to God ordained authorities. ____

7. I show respect for and am willing to submit to others who are not as educated or gifted as I may be. ____

8. I am not defensive when others rebuke me or criticize me. ____

9. I am willing to confess my sins and faults to others and frequently do so. ____

10. I am willing to accept instruction and correction from others. ____

11. I am willing to serve others and not be upset when I don’t receive appreciation for what I’ve done. ____

12. It doesn’t bother me when others are honored more than I am. ____

13. It doesn’t bother me when others are honored for something I’ve done. ____

14. I am willing to sacrificially serve others even if they are not willing to serve or help me. ____

15. I am willing to sacrificially serve others even if it involves hardship and difficulty. ____

16. I am willing to listen to others rather than talk or express my opinion. ____

17. I am willing to seek and follow good counsel. ____

18. When I must make decisions I seek the input and perspectives of others before acting. ____

19. I display a lifestyle of truthfulness even if others may be upset with me for telling the truth about what I have done or said. ____

20. I am Christlike in my attitude and words and actions toward others.. ____

(Adapted from Wayne and Joshua Mack’s book, Humility: A Forgotten Virtue, P& R Publishers)

If you've been reading our recent posts, you are aware that we've been focusing on what Augustine called the most important Christian virtue, namely, humility. Pride as Joel Beeke and others have stated is the first sin to rear its head and the last to go when we die. God hates pride and loves humility. God is opposed to the proud and gives grace to the humble. Identifying ways in which our pride manifests itself and how will humility manifest itself is a useful procedure for us as we seek to defeat pride in our lives and develop increased humility.

Because this is true, we have designed two pride and humility inventories to assist us in this endeavor. One of them is included in this present post and the other will be inluded in the next blog. To diminish your PQ (pride quotient) and increase your HQ (humility quotient) we eoncourage you to take these inventories and then confess, repent, plan how and where you need to change and then put your plan into practice. Since humility is considered by God to be such an important quality and since we are so prone to be proud, this inventory can be helpful in promoting spiritual growth in our lives. Read through each of the manifestations of humility and then rate yourself using the following rating scale: 4 = always true of you; 3 = frequently true of you; 2 = sometimes; 1 = seldom; 0 = never. On the items where you recognized your lack of humility, confess that lack to God as a sin and ask Him for help to change. Periodically, complete this inventory to promote spiritual growth in humility. Perhaps you would like to ask an honest, brave and loving friend to evaluate how he/she would rate you on these items.

True Humility in terms of your behavior before God:

1. I heartily and freely acknowledge my insignificance and littleness before God. _____

2. I freely confess my sinfulness and unworthiness to God and acknowledge that I am totally unworthy of His mercy and grace _____

3. I am distrustful of myself (Isaiah 2:22; Jeremiah 17:5,6) and know that ultimately I can only put my complete and absolute trust in God. (Jeremiah 17:7,8). _____

4. I renounce all the glory of the good I possess and do, and give God allthe glory and credit (Psalm 115:3). _____

5. I am respectful of, receptive, responsive and obedient to God’s Word even when it tells me to do what is difficult and contrary to my own opinion or the opinion of others (Luke 9:23,24). _____

6. I accept and submit myself to God’s revealed will even if it is difficult to do and might cause others to criticize me and lose respect for me when I do it (Matthew 5:5; 10-12). _____

7. I am content with the providence and daily provisions of God for my life Hebrews 13:5,6; Philippians 4:10-13). _____

8. I delight in worshipping and praising God (Psalm 34:1-3; Philippians 3:3; Psalm 10:1-6). _____

9. I am continuously seeking God in prayer (Luke 18:1; I Thessalonians 5:16; Philippians 4:6). . _____

10. I consider serving Christ in small and insignificant and unnoticed things – basin and towel things -as well as tasks that are considered by others to be important and bring recognition as a great privilege. _____

11. I am content to let God know some things that I don’t know; I don’t require God to explain whatever He is doing to me; I rest in His wisdom and love and grace when the reasons for events and circumstances are not clear to me (Romans 11:32-36; Deuteronomy 29:29). _____

12. I realize that God doesn’t owe me anything except hell and that any pleasures I experience in this life are wholly undeserved. _____

13. When I experience suffering or unpleasantries I don’t get upset or bitter with God; nor do I think or say, "How could God ever allow this to happen to me ? God isn’t treating me as well as I should be treated. I don’t deserve this. I’ve tried to serve Him, I’ve read my Bible and prayed faithfully, I’ve gone to church regularly, I’ve given to Him, I’ve witnessed. I’ve tried to be moral. God should treat me better than this." ____

(Adapted from Wayne and Joshua Mack’s book, Humility: A Forgotten Virtue, P & R Publishers)

… pride is a groundless thing. It standeth on the sands; or worse than that, it puts its foot on the billows which yield beneath its tread; or worse still, it stands on bubbles, which soon must burst beneath its feet. Of all things pride has the worst foothold; it has no solid rock on earth whereon to place itself. We have reasons for almost everything, but we have no reasons for pride. Pride is a thing which should be unnatural to us, for we have nothing to be proud of. What is there in man of which he should glory? Our very creation is enough to humble us; what are we but creatures of to-day? Our frailty should be sufficient to lay us low, for we shall be gone to-morrow. Our ignorance should tend to keep pride from our lips. What are we, but like the wild ass's colt which knoweth nothing? And our sins ought effectually to stop our mouths, and lay us in the dust. Of all things in the world, pride towards God, is that which hath the very least excuse; it hath neither stick nor stone whereon to build. Yet like the spider, it carrieth its own web in its bowels, and can, of itself, spin that wherewith to catch its prey. It seems to stand upon itself, for it hath nothing besides whereon it can rest. Oh! man, learn to reject pride, seeing that thou hast no reason for it; whatever thou art, thou hast nothing to make thee proud. The more thou hast, the more thou art in debt to God; and thou shouldst not be proud of that which renders thee a debtor. Consider thine origin; look back to the hole of the pit whence thou wast digged. Consider what thou wouldst have been, even now, if it were not for Divine grace. And, consider, that thou will yet be lost in hell if grace does not hold thee up. Consider that amongst the damned, there are none that would have been more damned than thyself, if grace had not kept thee from destruction. Let this consideration humble thee, that thou hast naught whereon to ground thy pride.

Again, it is a brainless thing as well as a groundless thing; for it brings no profit with it. There is no wisdom in a self-exaltation. Other vices have some excuse, for men seem to gain by them; avarice, pleasure, lust, have some plea; but the man who is proud sells his soul cheaply. he opens wide the flood-gates of his heart, to let men see how deep is the flood within his soul; then suddenly it floweth out, and all is gone—and all is nothing, for one puff of empty wind, one word of sweet applause—the soul is gone, and not a drop is left. In almost every other sin, we gather up the ashes when the fire is gone; but here, what is left? The covetous man hath his shining gold, but what hath the proud man? He has less than he would have had without his pride, and is no gainer whatever. Oh! man, if thou wert as mighty as Gabriel, and had all his holiness, still thou wouldst be an arrant fool to be proud, for pride would sink thee from thine angel station to the rank of devils, and bring thee from the place where Lucifer, son of the morning, once dwelt, to take up thine abode with hideous fiends in perdition. Pride exalts it head, and seeks to honor itself; but it is of all things most despised. It sought to plant crowns upon its brow, and so it hath done, but its head was hot, and it put an ice crown there, and it melted all away. Poor pride has decked itself out finely sometimes; it hath put on its most gaudy apparel, and said to others, "how brilliant I appear!" but, ah! pride, like a harlequin, dressed in thy gay colours, thou art all the more fool for that; thou art but a gazing stock for fools less foolish than thyself. Thou hast no crown, as thou thinkest thou hast, nothing solid and real, all is empty and vain. If thou, O man, desirest shame, be proud. A monarch has waded through slaughter to a throne, and shut the gates of mercy on mankind to win a little glory; but when he has exalted himself, and has been proud, worms have devoured him, like Herod, or have devoured his empire, till it passed away, and with it his pride and glory. Pride wins no crown; men never honor it, not even the menial slaves of earth; for all men look down on the proud man, and think him less than themselves.

Again, pride is the maddest thing that can exist; it feeds upon its own vitals; it will take away its own life, that with its blood may make a purple for its shoulders: it sappeth, and undermineth its own house that it may build its pinnacles a little higher, and then the whole structure tumbleth down. Nothing proves men so made as pride. For this they have given up rest, and ease, and repose, to find rank and power among men: for this they have dared to risk their hope of salvation, to leave the gentle yoke of Jesus, and go toiling wearily along the way of life, seeking to save themselves by their own works, and at last to stagger into the mire of fell despair. Oh! man, hate pride, flee from it, abhor it, let it not dwell with thee. If thou wantest to have a madman in thy heart, embrace pride, for thou shalt never find one more mad than he.

Then pride is a protean thing; it changes its shape; it is all forms in the world; you may find it in any fashion you may choose, you may see it in the beggar's rags as well as in the rich man's garment. It dwells with the rich, and with the poor. The man without a shoe to his foot may be as proud as if he were riding in a chariot. Pride can be found in every rank of society—among all classes of men. Sometimes it is an Arminian, and talks about the power of the creature; then it turns Calvinist, and boasts of its fancied security—forgetful of the Maker, who alone can keep our faith alive. Pride can profess any form of religion; it may be a Quaker, and wear no collar to its coat; it may be a Churchman, and worship God in splendid cathedrals; it may be a Dissenter, and go to the common meeting-house; it is one of the most Catholic things in the world, it attends all kinds of chapels and churches; go where you will, you will see pride. It cometh up with us to the house of God; it goeth with us to our houses; it is found on the mart, and the exchange, in the streets, and everywhere. Let me hint at one or two of the forms which it assumes. Sometimes pride takes the doctrinal shape; it teaches the doctrine of self-sufficiency; it tells us what man can do, and will not allow that we are lost, fallen, debased, and ruined creatures, as we are. It hates divine sovereignty, and rails at election. Then if it is driver from that, it takes another form; it allows that the doctrine of free grace is true but does not feel it. It acknowledges that salvation is of the Lord alone, but still it prompts men to seek heaven by their own works, even by the deeds of the law. And when driven from that, it will persuade men to join something with Christ in the matter of salvation; and when that is all rent up, and the poor rag of our righteousness is all burned, pride will get into the Christian's heart as well as the sinner's—it will flourish under the name of self-sufficiency, teaching the Christian that he is "rich and increased in goods, having need of nothing." It will tell him that he does not need daily grace, that past experience will do for to-morrow—that he knows enough, toils enough, prays enough. It will make him forget that he has "not yet attained;" it will not allow him to press forward to the things that are before, forgetting the things that are behind. It enters into his heart, and tempts the believer to set up an independent business for himself, and until the Lord brings about a spiritual bankruptcy, pride will keep him from going to God. Pride has ten thousand shapes; it is not always that stiff and starched gentleman that you picture it; it is a vile, creeping, insinuating thing, that will twist itself like a serpent into our hearts. It will talk of humility, and prate about being dust and ashes. I have known men talk about their corruption most marvelously, pretending to be all humility, while at the same time they were the proudest wretches that could be found this side the gulf of separation. Oh! my friends, ye cannot tell how many shapes pride will assume; look sharp about you, or you will be deceived by it, and when you think you are entertaining angels, you will find you have been receiving devils unawares.

Now, I have to speak of the seat of pride—the heart. The true throne of pride everywhere, is the heart of man. If, my dear friends, we desire, by God's grace, to put down pride, the only way is to begin with the heart. Now let me tell you a parable, in the form of an eastern story, which will set this truth in its proper light. A wise man in the east, called a dervish, in his wanderings, came suddenly upon a mountain, and he saw beneath his feet a smiling valley, in the midst of which there flowed a river. The sun was shining on the stream, and the water as it reflected the sunlight, looked pure and beautiful. When he descended, he found it was muddy, and the water utterly unfit for drinking. Hard by he saw a young man, in the dress of a shepherd, who was with much diligence filtering the water for his flocks. At one moment he placed some water into a pitcher, and then allowing it to stand, after it had settled, he poured the clean fluid into a cistern. Then, in another place, he would be seen turning aside the current for a little, and letting it ripple over the sand and stones, that it might be filtered, and the impurities removed. The dervish watched the young man endeavoring to fill a large cistern with clear water; and he said to him, "My son, why all this toil?—what purpose dost thou answer by it?" The young man replied, "Father, I am a shepherd; this water is so filthy that my flock will not drink of it, and, therefore, I am obliged to purify it little by little, so I collect enough in this way that they may drink, but it is hard work." So saying, he wiped the sweat from his brow, for he was exhausted with his toil. "Right well hast thou labored," said the wise man, "but dost thou know thy toil is not well applied? With half the labor thou mightest attain a better end. I should conceive that the source of this stream must be impure and polluted; let us take a pilgrimage together and see." They then walked some miles, climbing their way over many a rock, until they came to a spot where the stream took its rise. When they came near to it, they saw flocks of wild fowls flying away, and wild beasts of the earth rushing into the forest; these had come to drink, and had soiled the water with their feet. They found an open well, which kept continually flowing, but by reason of these creatures, which perpetually disturbed it, the stream was always turbid and muddy. "My son," said the wise man, "set to work now to protect the fountain and guard the well, which is the source of this stream; and when thou hast done that, if thou canst keep these wild beasts and fowls away, the stream will flow of itself, all pure and clear, and thou wilt have no longer need for thy toil." The young man did it, and as he labored, the wise man said to him, "My son, hear the word of wisdom; if thou art wrong, seek not to correct thine outward life, but seek first to get thy heart correct, for out of it are the issues of life, and thy life shall be pure when once thy heart is so." So if we would get rid of pride, we should not proceed to arrange our dress by adopting some special costume, or to qualify our language, by using an outlandish tongue, but let us seek of God that he would purify our hearts from pride, and then assuredly if pride is purged from the heart, our life also shall be humble. Make the tree good, and then the fruit shall be good; make the fountain pure, and the stream shall be sweet. Oh! that God might grant us all, by his grace, that our hearts may be kept with diligence, so that pride may never enter there lest we be haughty in our hearts, and find that afterwards cometh wrath. (Spurgeon’s Sermons, park Street Chapel, Charles Spurgeon, Spurgeon Archives, 1856)

One cause of errors attending a great revival of religion, is undiscerned spiritual pride.

The first and the worst cause of errors that prevail in such a state of things is spiritual pride.

This is the main door by which the devil comes into the hearts of those who are zealous for the advancement of religion. It is the chief inlet of smoke from the bottomless pit, to darken the mind and mislead the judgment. This is the main handle by which the devil has hold of religious persons, and the chief source of all the mischief that he introduces, to clog and hinder a work of God. This cause of error is the main spring, or at least the main support, of all the rest.

Till this disease is cured, medicines are in vain applied to heal other diseases. It is by this that the mind defends itself in other errors and guards itself against light, by which it might be corrected and reclaimed. The spiritually proud man is full of light already; he does not need instruction, and is ready to despise the offer of it.

But, if this disease be healed, other things are easily rectified. The humble person is like a little child, he easily receives instruction; he is jealous over himself, sensible how liable he is to go astray, and therefore, if it be suggested to him that he does so, he is ready most narrowly and impartially to inquire. Nothing sets a person so much out of the devil’s reach as humility, and so prepares the mind for true divine light without darkness, and so clears the eye to look on things as they truly are; Ps. xxv. 9. "The meek will he guide in judgment. And the meek will he teach his way."

Therefore we should fight, neither with small not with great, but with the king of Israel. Our first care should be to rectify the heart, and pull the beam out of our eye, and then we shall see clearly.I know that a great many things at this day are very injuriously laid to the pride of those that are zealous in the cause of God. When any person appears, in any respect, remarkably distinguished in religion from others; if he professes those spiritual comforts and joys that are greater than ordinary, or appears distinguishingly zealous in religion; if he exerts himself more than others in the cause of religion, or seems to be distinguished with success; ten to one but it will immediately awaken the jealousy of those about him. They will suspect (whether they have cause or no) that he is very proud of his goodness, and affects to have it thought that nobody is so good as he; and all his talk is heard, and all his behaviour beheld, with this prejudice. Those who are themselves cold and dead, and especially such as never had any experience of the power of godliness on their own hearts, are ready to entertain such thoughts of the best Christians; which arises from a secret enmity against vital and fervent piety. But zealous Christians should take heed lest this prove a snare to them, and the devil take advantage from it, to blind their eyes from beholding what there is indeed of this nature in their hearts, and make them think, because they are charged with pride wrongfully and from an ill spirit, in many things, that therefore it is so in every thing.

Alas, how much pride have the best of us in our hearts! It is the worst part of the body of sin and death; the first sin that ever entered into the universe, and the last that is rooted out; it is God’s most stubborn enemy!The corruption of nature may all be resolved into two things, pride and worldly-mindedness, the devil and the beast, or self and the world. These are the two pillars of Dagon’s temple, on which the whole house leans. But the former of these is every way the worst part of the corruption of nature; it is the first-born son of the devil, and his image in the heart of man chiefly consists in it. It is the last thing in as sinner that is overborne by conviction, in order to conversion; and here is the saint’s hardest conflict; the last thing over which he directly militates against god, and is most contrary to the Spirit of the Lamb of God. It is most like the devil its father, in a serpentine deceitfulness and secrecy; it lies deepest, is most active, and is most ready secretly to mix itself with every thing.And, of all kinds of pride, spiritual pride is upon many accounts the most hateful, it is most like the devil; most like the sin he committed in a heaven of light and glory, where he was exalted high in divine knowledge, honour, beauty, and happiness. Pride is much more difficult to be discerned than any other corruption, because its nature very much consists in a person’s having too high a thought of himself.

What is Living and Active and Sharp? Several of the words I’m using as a title for this post are found Hebrews 4:12. They are words that are used to describe what God’s Word, the Bible, is and can do. They are accurate, of course, because they are part of God’s inspired and infallible and inerrant Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20, 21). And, for that reason alone, I believe what they say about the Bible. God cannot and will not lie and, consequently, I do not need proof or confirmation of their validity.

However, because they are true, I expect that when I rightly understand and apply God’s Word in my own life and in my ministry to others, God the Holy Spirit will make them just what He says they are – living and active (powerful – KJV) and sharper that a two- edged sword. And, again and again I have seen Him use His Word in that very way.

Recently, as my wife and I counseled a lady and her husband we saw God do this in a vivid way. This woman had been identified by a physician as a manic depressive individual (bipolar depression) and had been given medicine to treat this condition. When she and her husband evidenced some concern about taking her taking the medicine, a friend of hers encouraged her to come to see us for biblical counseling. We set up an appointment with them and had them fill out the Personal Data Inventory forms prior to the first session. During the first session we reviewed the forms and gathered a lot of information about her background and the development of what the physician called her manic depression. (Incidentally, I’m using this counseling account with her permission to do so.)

Interestingly enough, as is so often the case in my counseling experience the physician had made her diagnosis (?) purely on the basis of the woman’s description of her family background and emotional and behavioral symptoms. In other words, no physiological tests had been run to identify some chemical or hormonal or glandular malfunction. The assumption, as is often the case with some people hepers in the medical realm, was that her emotional and behavioral symptoms coupled with her family background was all that was needed to make the bipolar diagnosis.

In our initial sessions we discussed a biblical perspective on depression and also talked about some possible explanations for the upswing side of the depression. I presented some information about manic depression to them from Dr. Robert Smith’s book, The Christian Counselor’s Medical Desk Reference and also asked her to read some books I had written dealing with a biblical perspective on the definition, development, dynamics and defeat of depression.

In the course of our initial counseling sessions I also presented to them Bunyan’s description of Christian’s depression and release from depression in The Pilgrim’s Progress and spent some time explaining, illustrating and applying the relevance of I Corinthians 10:13 to out problems. As follow up assignments I asked her to read, highlight, digest and apply on a regular, daily basis the information found in the following books: Down But Not Out (subtitle – A Biblical Perspective on How To Get Up When Life Knocks You Down), Out of the Blues (subtitle – A Biblical Perspective on Overcoming the Blues of Depression and Loneliness) and A Fight to the Death (subtitle – Taking Aim at Sin Within). I also instructed her to complete the application question assignments at the end of each of the chapters she read.

She immediately began to voraciously read and gain biblical insight and help from these biblically based books. As she disciplined herself and used the resources of God’s Word, God the Holy Spirit began to immediately use His “living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword” to make some changes in her life.

That God had prepared her for understanding, believing and applying His truth is evident from this note she wrote to us shortly after we began to meet wit her. In this note she wrote: “These have been two trying weeks for me, but then I read the words from the pilgrim’s progress – that moving through the prison out of the castle, one would need to apply determination, as each door becomes more difficult to open. I realized the urgency of keeping within the thoughts of God, meditating continuously, digesting and aligning ALL thoughts accordingly. Some ungodly thoughts I have considered as very insignificant – but have found one cannot compromise or relax, as it is these little foxes that destroy the vineyard … now I see “take every thought captive”.

I Pet. 5:6 – 7 has pulled me through this week & I have witnessed God’s faithfulness that in the appropriate time He does uplift those humbled beneath His hand.

I am just giving a quick over view of my 2, now moving into 3 weeks; one thing is certain, I have never before been this excited about God’s Word – God has significantly opened my eyes into the wonderful gift He has come to give us – how, within 14 years of being a ‘born again Christian’ I have not come to this simple understanding confirms to my heart that only God can open eyes, for the truth to set me free was with me, yet I did not see.”

She then went on to write that her desire was to continue “to learn as much as possible, to see God’s Word so simplified, yet so powerful – amazing!”

That note was written about eight weeks ago. Since then we have continued to see spiritual growth and development in her and her husband. God is fulfilling through His Word and by His Spirit the desire she expressed in that note. We saw her yesterday and, though she has recently experienced a set back at work, she is handling it well and moving on as she relies on God’s promises and His sustaining “amazing” grace. She stands as testimony to the fact that God’s Word is indeed living, active, powerful and sharp enough to cut through, then cut out and also replace the unbiblical thoughts and intents of our hearts that harass us and keep us in bondage to various kinds of problems.

Frequently when Mohammed Ali (aka Cassius Clay) was interviewed prior to a boxing match, he would proudly say, “I’m the greatest.”  Well, I’ve known people who said or acted in keeping with what this man used to say about himself.  However, it’s not often that I’ve heard someone say, “I am absolutely the worst.”

Recently, I was struck by the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ actually encourages us to seek to be the greatest.  Oh, He doesn’t want us to seek to be the greatest boxer or musician or preacher or business person or athlete, but there is an area in which he does challenge us to want to be the greatest.

How do you think Jesus would answer the question, who is the greatest? Well, I don’t just think he would answer in a particular way. I know how he would answer because of a statement he made in Matthew 18:4.  In that text Jesus encourages us to pursue greatness in an area in which many of us fail miserably.  It’s an area whose opposite George Swinnock  called the “shirt of the soul, put on first and put off last.” Becoming the greatest according to the definition of Jesus involves developing a quality that Cotton Mather called the “the contrary grace”. It's a "contrary grace" because it is contrary to what most people think makes a person great and because it is contrary to what we are by natural inclination.

Who then, according to Jesus, is the greatest? Answer: “whoever humbles himself …, he is the greatest….”  In another place He said something quite similar,”whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant”.

In practical terms this certainly would mean that the greatest among us is the person:

1. Who freely and sincerely confesses his own insignificance before God ((I Timothy 1:15,16; Psalm 8:4);
2. Who does not put his trust in his own heart or abilities but completely depends on God for all things (Proverbs 3:5,6; Psalm 20:7; Isaiah 2:22);
3. Who gives God the glory for all the good things he has or does (Psalm 115:1; I Corinthians 15:10; James 1:17);
4. Who respectfully and obediently responds to God’s Word (Isaiah 66:2; 2 Kings 22:8 – 13; Psalm 119:128);
5. Who submits to God’s will without complaining even if it is difficult (Genesis 12:1 – 4; Philippians 2:6 – 9)
6. Who submits himself to the unpleasant providences of God without complaint (Philippians 4:11 – 13);
7. Who delights in the worship and praise of God (Psalm 122:1; Psalm 95; 100);
8. Who is continuously seeking in God in prayer even when God does not immediately answer his prayers to his satisfaction (2 Corinthians 1:11; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Luke 18:1 – 8; I Thessalonians 5:17);
9. Who consider it a privilege to serve Christ in any capacity (2 Corinthians 2:16; Jeremiah 1:17 – 19;
10. Who is willing to let God know some things he doesn't know (Job 23:1 – 5 compared with Job 40: 4 – 6; Deuteronomy 29:29)

We began this blog by asking, who is the greatest? The answer according to Jesus is “whoever humbles himself … is the greatest…”  And what does a humble person look like? In part, it looks like the person whose life is characterized by the ten previous  statements describing how humilty will display itself before God.  (We may expand on this in a future blog concerning how humility will display itself before men as well as before God.) The question for each of us is, are these things true of us never, seldom, sometimes, usually, always? Reflect on these ten statements and use them to evaluate your humility or pride quotient before God.

And one more thing to think about, if what we have just stated is the answer to the question, who is the greatest, what do you think would be the answer to the question, who is the worst?  In the foreword to our book Humility: A Forgotten Virtue, Joel Beeke provides the answer to that question. He writes: “as a sin pride is unique.” In other words,  by using the word “unique”, Dr. Beeke is indicating that when it comes to sin, pride is in a class all by itself; that there is no sin that compares with the sin of pride. Beeke then goes on to tell us that this is true because “Most sins turn us away from God, but pride is a direct attack upon God. It lifts our hearts above Him and against Him. Pride seeks to dethrone God and enthrone self.”  And, if that’s true, would it not be true for us to write that “whoever exalts Himself or whoever is proud and arrogant is the worst”?

 (This post was adapted and abbreviated from chapter 2 of Humility: A Forgotten Virtue by Wayne and Joshua Mack, P and R publishers, 2005.)

Recently, after I wrote a blog about examining yourself, someone said to me that they really don’t like to examine themselves because when they do they see too many ugly things and that causes them to have a bad day. I understand what that person is saying, but still believe that getting an accurate knowledge of self in comparison to the standard set in the written (the Bible) and living (Jesus Christ) Word of  God is a very important practice for us as Christians. I still believe that taking time to examine yourself is an important part of having a good day.

Examining ourselves is an important part of having a good day because without it we have a tendency to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think (Romans 12:3). Without it we may have a propensity to indulge in the practice described in Proverbs 16:2; we have an inclination to clean up or justify our own ways and make them something other than what they really are in God’s sight. In other words, without appropriate self examination (using the Scriptures as our standard of  evaluation) we are inclined to live in a world of unreality, a fantasy world..

This practice is also an important part of having a good day because it causes us to appreciate God’s grace and love and forgiveness and kindness to us in Christ more. It motivates us to run to Christ for forgiveness and love Him on a continual basis. It expands our understanding of the importance of the cross of Christ throughout our Christian lives and not just at the time of salvation (Galatians 6:14; I Timothy 1:15). It provokes us to deal with continuing sin issues in our lives and to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit and to pursue holiness out of the fear and love of God (2 Corinthians 7:1). The ultimate purpose of getting to know yourself is not so that you would wallow in your sin, but that you would love Christ more and become a more grateful and godly person.

In keeping with this perspective on self examination being an essential part of having a good day, I want to quote a prayer about Self Knowledge from the book The Valley of the Vision that beautifully illustrates the value of this practice. The prayer goes like this:

Searcher of Hearts,

It is a good day when thou givest me a glimpse of myself;

Sin is my greatest evil; but thou art my greatest good;

I have cause to loathe myself, and not to seek self-honor, for no one desires to commend his own dunghill.

My country, family, church fare worse because of my sins, for sinners bring judgment in thinking sins are small, or that God is not angry with them.

Let me not take other good men as my example,and think I am good because I am like them,

For all good men are not as good as thou desirest, are not always consistent, do not always follow holiness, do not feel eternal good in sore affliction.

Show me how to know when a thing is evil which I think is right and good, how to know when what is lawful comes from evil principle,

Such as desire for reputation or wealth or usury.

Give me grace to recall my needs, my lack of knowing thy will in Scripture,  of wisdom to guide others, of daily repentance, want of which keeps thee at bay, of the spirit of prayer, having words without love, of zeal for thy glory, seeking my own ends, of joy in thee and thy will, of love to others,

And let me not lay my pipe too short of the fountain, never touching the eternal spring, never drawing down water from above.

At the beginning of this prayer, the author said “It is a good day when thou givest me a glimpse of myself”. Having stated that, he then goes on to give us many reasons why getting a knowledge of ourselves is a good thing. I encourage you to reflect on this prayer and enumerate the reasons that substantiate his original assertion. I love his last petition which really is his way of saying that an accurate knowledge of self will cause us regularly and consistently draw water from above, from the fountain and eternal spring which are found in Jesus Christ. Accurately knowing ourselves in a godly way will cause us not to be satisfied with anything in ourselves or in our world, but it will not, as some would suggest, drive us to despair. Rather it will cause us to turn away from the broken cisterns of this world to find our sufficiency in Christ alone.  And that my friends is a good thing!

So I say, have a good day by making sure that your pipeline for joy and meaning and purpose and peace and satisfaction in life is attached to the right fountain, to the eternal spring found in Jesus Christ (John 4:7 - 14; 7:37, 38). Attachment to any other source of satisfaction is laying your pipe too short.

Recently in a message I preached I mentioned that, according to the Bible, a healthy dose of “the fear of God” has tremendous practical consequences. After the service a man who reads our blogs asked me to enumerate some of the practical consequences of the fear of God on a future post. So I decided to do it a series of statements that begin with the words “If you fear God you…” and then attach Bible verses that support these statements.

According to the Bible, if you fear God you:

1. Walk in His ways, love and serve Him with all of your heart – Deuteronomy 10:12;
2. Hate evil, pride, arrogance and the perverted mouth – Proverbs 8:13; Exodus 20:20;
3. Are a truly humble person because of your relationship with God – Proverbs 8:13; 15:33;
4. Are being honored by the Lord – Proverbs 15:33; Psalm 15:4;
5. Obey His commandments – Ecclesiastes 12:13; Psalm 128:1;
6. Are being blessed by the Lord – Psalm 128:1; 4;
7. Receive wisdom from the Lord – Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 15:33; Psalm 11:10;
8. Are in a frame of mind to receive God’s instructions through Scripture in the choices you should make – Psalm 25:12;
9. Experience God’s goodness – Psalm 31:19;
10. Are a special object of God’s protection – Psalm 31:20;
11. Are truly gracious and generous in a godly way – Psalm 112:4, 15;
12. Are a confident, courageous person because of your relationship with God – Psalm 112:6 – 8; Proverbs 14:26; Job 4:6; Psalm 112:7
13. Trust God and are not afraid when evil tidings come because of your relationship with God – Psalm 112:7;
14. Are a person who keeps your word, who makes promises and keeps them even if it is to your own disadvantage because of your relationship with God – Psalm 15:4;
15. Experience true godly contentment because of your relationship with God – Psalm 112:5, 6, 8, 9; Psalm 34:9;
16. Are a godly husband and father (that is, if you are a married man with children) – Psalm 128:1, 4;
17. Are a godly wife and mother (that is, if you are a married woman with children) – Proverbs 31:30;
18. Receive the benefit of peaceful sleep because of your relationship with God – Proverbs 19:23;
19. Are free from an envious spirit because of your relationship with God – Proverbs 23:17;
20. Have a solid hope for the future because of your relationship with God – Proverbs 23:17, 18;
21. Respect God ordained authorities because of your relationship with God – Proverbs 24:21;
22. Avoid intimate associations with people who are disrespectful to God ordained authorities; to people who “are given to change” – Proverbs 24:21, 22;
23. Are a place of refuge for other family members because of your relationship with God – Proverbs 14:26;
24. Are a source of blessing to other family members because of your relationship with God – Psalm 128:1 – 4; 112:2;
25. Are characterized by integrity and faithfulness because of your relationship with God – Job 2:3; 4:6;
26. Are truly considerate and kind to other people – Psalm 112:4, 5;
27. Persevere in doing what is right because of your relationship with God – Psalm 112:3, 5; 2 Corinthians 7:1;
28. Practice constructive speech in their dealings with people because of your relationship with God – Malachi 3:16; Proverbs 31:30, 26;
29. Work hard, but are not so committed to work that you will not have time for enjoyment because of your relationship with God – Psalm 128:3
30. Accept responsibility for your own family and yet are not overly responsible – Psalm 128:3;
31. Take responsibility for parenting, but not smother and inhibit their children’s personal development – Psalm 128:3;
32. Delight in worshipping God – Revelation 14:7;
33. Are free from the fear of man because of your relationship with God – Matthew 10:28; Deuteronomy 1:17; Isaiah 41:10;
34. Exercise whatever authority you have in a righteous, God honoring manner without being domineering or authoritarian – 2 Samuel 23:3; Nehemiah 5:15
35. Are willing to submit to the Lord and make sacrifices for Him – 2 Kings 17:36;
36. Are a person who praises God – Psalm 22:23, 25; 40:3
37. Know God in an intimate way – Psalm 25:14;
38. Stand in awe of God – Psalm 33:8;
39. Think much about God’s lovingkindness – Psalm 33:18;
40. Want to encourage others to know God and fear and love and trust Him – Psalm 40:3;
41. Receive a godly inheritance of s[iritual graces and blessings from the Lord – Psalm 61:5;
42. Want to tell others of the great things has done for you - Psalm 66:16;
43. Desire to be with those who fear God - Psalm 119:63;
44. Do not want to offend God and you will not take His judgments lightly - Psalm 119:120;
45. Have your desires fulfilled; your prayers answered - Psalm 145:19;
46. Recognize your own intellectual limitations and be humble about what you know - Proverbs 3:7
47. Recognize that being right with God is more valuable than all of the riches the world may provide - Proverbs 15:16;
48. Are zealous in your efforts to try to persuade people to come to Christ - 2 Corinthians 5:11;
49. Want to confess your sin and be cleansed of anything in your life that may be displeasing to God; if you are serious about pursuing holiness -  2 Corinthians 7:1, 11;
50. Are willing to submit yourself and gladly be in subjection to other believers - Ephesians 5:21;
51. Honor other people and have a deep love for other Christians - I Peter 2:17;
52. Want to glorify God – Revelation 14:7; 15:4;
53. Believe God and His Word – Exodus 14:31;
54. Desire with all your heart to magnify the Name of Jesus Christ – Acts 19:17; Philippians 1:20;
55. Receive and respond to the message of salvation in Jesus Christ - Acts 13:16, 2;
56. Love to hear and share the message of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ – Acts 13:16 – 43.

Well, after much Bible study and consideration, that’s my list of the practical consequences that a healthy, vibrant, robust fear of God will produce in our lives. And keeping these truths in mind, it’s easy to see why the writer of Ecclesiastes stated that the conclusion of the whole matter and the whole duty of man in terms of his relationship with God can be summed up in the words “Fear God” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Nothing, absolutely nothing, could be more important or necessary or beneficial than developing and sustaining this robust fear of God in our lives. (For more about the nature and development of the fear of God we encourage you to read chapters 12 – 14 of our book The Fear Factor and The Joy of Fearing God by Jerry Bridges.)

I want you to think of a horrifying thought.  And I mean horrifying.

Your life always being easy.

I have to admit for myself that thought doesn't sound all that horrifying at first.  In fact, I imagine I kind of would like it.  And you know there is a sense in which it really isn't all that terribly horrifying because our eternal future isn't going to be one big long struggle.

But that said, when it comes to life in this world, if it always was easy, if to quote John Calvin, "we enjoyed here an enduring round of wealth and happiness" that would be trouble.

Let me tell you one reason why.

I already have a hard enough time not living for now.  It's already pretty toug