Grace, God’s glory and election

“God’s electing a certain definite number is a manifestation of His glory. It shows the glory of His divine sovereignty. God is declaring His absolute sovereignty over His creation. He is showing us just how far that sovereignty extends. In purposely choosing some and passing on others, He shows that His majesty and power are unparalleled. Those who do not see glory and dominion in election simply do not understand God. They are not aware of His greatness, and do not understand grace. Grace is defined in election. God chose His people to happiness and glory long before they were born. He chose them out of the mass of fallen mankind. He loved them before they knew Him. He chose them when they did not deserve to be chosen. That is grace! The doctrine of election shows that if those who received God’s grace had earnestly sought it, it was God’s grace that caused them to seek it. It shows that even their faith itself is the gift of God, and their persevering in a way of holiness unto glory is also the fruit of electing love. Believer’s love of God is the fruit of and because of God’s love to them. The giving of Christ, the preaching of the gospel, and the appointing of ordinances are all fruits of the grace of election. All the grace that is shown to mankind, either in this world or in the world to come, is comprised of the electing love of God.”

- Jonathan Edwards, The Works of Jonathan Edwards, volume 2, page 936: Sermon 13 in occasional sermons on 1 Peter 2

HT:  Reformation Theology

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The gospel: for grannies and cannibals

Whether you are cookie makin’ grandma or an openly wicked sinner, the gospel is for you.

Mike Leake explains  in “When Serpents Bite Your Granny” how the gospel can save the self-righteous or the shamed sinner and urges all “Turn your eyes away from your serpent bite and fix your eyes on the blood-drenched yet resurrection healed face of Jesus.”

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Spurgeon’s evangelistic fervor

From Nathan Bingham who has blogged all week on Spurgeon’s evangelism using Steve Lawson’s lastest book The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon.

Evangelism was at the heart of all that Spurgeon did. He said, “Soul-winning is the chief business of the Christian minister; indeed, it should be the main pursuit of every true believer.” Spurgeon gloried in pursuing conversions in his ministry: “God has sent us to preach in order that through the gospel of Jesus Christ, the sons of men may be reconciled to Him. . . . The glory of God being our chief object, we aim at it by seeking . . . the salvation of sinners.” So focused was Spurgeon on this endeavor that he affirmed, “I would rather be the means of saving a soul from death than be the greatest orator on earth.” As Geoff Thomas writes, “Holding consistently to the tension of divine sovereignty and human responsibility meant that Spurgeon, wholeheartedly and without restriction of any kind, exhorted unconverted persons to repent and believe and to come to Christ as the Son of God and receive Him immediately as Lord and Savior.” Spurgeon was, first and foremost, an evangelist.

Read the entire entry here.

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Learn the hymns

England had its great women hymnists, such as Frances Ridley Havergal and also America, in such ladies as Fanny Crosby. But Sweden had a relatively unknown hymn writer in Lina Sandell, more formerly known as Karolina W. Sandell-Berg, who lived from 1832-1903. Sandell wrote approximately 650 hymns. Though not as prolific a hymnist as Fanny Crosby, Lina Sandell wrote some of the finest hymns of the faith, including one of my favorites, Day by Day, which I sent to a dear friend today. If you are not familiar with it, please learn it and sing it. The benefits of meditating on this hymn are far-reaching and very encouraging.

“Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find, to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He Whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best—
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.
Every day, the Lord Himself is near me
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear, and cheer me,
He Whose Name is Counselor and Power.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”
This the pledge to me He made.
Help me then in every tribulation
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E’er to take, as from a father’s hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till I reach the promised land.”

One of the greatest negligences among Christians today is the neglect of great hymns. We neglect them by not learning them, singing, and meditating on them for our own spiritual benefit. To settle for the shallow, frivilous, empty-headed, unintelligent and frothy music of today, when such spiritual and theological riches exist, is a great mistake. People need to be told and educated on this important aspect of the Christian life.

“Learn the hymns”, said Leonard Ravenhill. He was right then and he still is today.

~ Mack Tomlinson

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