The Hell Fire Club?

The Hell Fire Club?

(edited from Spurgeon's sermon, #950
"Means for Restoring the Banished" )

Mr. Thorpe was a member of an 'infidel' club.
In those days infidelity was more blasphemous
than now. This infidel society took the name of
the "Hell Fire Club". Among their amusements
was that of holding imitations of religious
services, and exhibiting mimicries of popular
ministers.

Thorpe went to hear George Whitfield preach,
that he might caricature him before his profane
associates. He listened to Whitfield so carefully
that he caught his tones and his manner, and
somewhat of his doctrines.

When the "Hell Fire Club" met to see his caricature
of Whitfield, Thorpe opened the Bible that he might
take a text to preach from it after the manner of
Whitfield. His eye fell on the passage, "Except you
repent, you shall all likewise perish." As he spoke
upon that text he was carried beyond himself, lost
all thought of mockery, spoke as one in earnest,
and was the means of his own conversion!

He was carried by the force of truth beyond his
own intention, like one who would play in a river,
and is swept away by its current.

Even the scoffer may be reached by the arrows of truth!
Scripture has often been the sole means in the hands
of its divine Author of converting the soul.

"For the Word of God is full of living power. It is
sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into
our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes
us for what we really are." Hebrews 4:12

(After his amazing conversion, Thorpe became a
noted preacher of the gospel.)

 

 

Chris White

New Book Recieved

I was given a book that I’ve been wanting to read;

 

Why We're Not Emergent by: Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck– But even better it was signed by Kevin.

 

Now to finish my current books so I can read it.

 

Chris White

Just finished 'The Potter's Freedom'

I just finished the book ‘The Potter’s Freedom’ by James White

 

It was an amazing book that exegetes scripture and defends the Reformed Faith.

 

I hope to finish my review of it soon.

 

Chris White

 

 

 

What?! God didn't think man would fall.

(Thoughts of Biblical study students and my response)

Statement: God didn't think man would fall.

 

Reply: Why was Christ foreknown before the foundation of the world to be the lamb?

 

1 Peter 1:19-21

 

WHAT?!

Paper on Justification - Part 5

Paul spends a great deal of time on justification by faith. Justification does not change the person but it changes the person’s status. (1) Justification is an action that God takes on the elect person, relevant to that person. It is a judicial announcement of that person’s relationship to God. “It is Christ’s Obedience, both active and passive, that is imputed to the believer. To make any action (including the action of faith) the basis of justification is to take away from the righteousness of Christ, which is the true basis of Christian justification.” (1) Justification is a once for all action on God’s part. Someone that was justified cannot become unjustified because Christ’s work on the cross had forgiven all the sins of the person that was justified. Unlike justification, sanctification is the constant process or progressive work of the justified individual.

Throughout Romans, Paul makes clear the fact that every part of salvation belongs to God. God is the one who initiates and completes it. Here, we see, in what is called the golden chain of redemption, that each part of salvation is owned by God; “And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified.” Romans 8:30 The freedom of God’s grace is the greatest joy that can be known. To know in both mind and hear that God predestine, called justified, and glorify all of His people from the darkness and drawing them to Him is an awesome thing. If that does not humble anyone than I don’t know what would. Nothing that man does can earn grace, merit it, purchase it, or force it. It is free or it wouldn’t be grace. (2) 

We see that without God’s intervention, no man would want to come to God Man would be happy living in his sinful desires. Paul places a focus on justification as an act of God that man has no part in. It is a one-time act, there is no need for it to happen again.. Once a Judge clears someone of a crime they are no longer tied to those crimes. The same is with God, once man is justified he is cleared of those crimes against God.

 

References

(1)        White, J.R. (2001) The God who justifies. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House.

(2)        White, J.R. (2009) The Potter’s Freedom 2^nd Edition. USA: Calvary Press Publishing.

 

 

Chris White

Paper on Justification - Part 4

Paul spent three chapters of Romans explaining the depravity and universal sinfulness of man. Before Paul gets into the Gospel he pins, "Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God." Romans 3:19 (ESV) This verse is a perfect segue into the gospel because it tells us that every man has need for a savior “The only person who longs to hear the good news of a way of forgiveness is the person who knows he is justly condemned and helpless.” (1)

Once a man realizes he is a lost and sinful man that is separated from God, he can listen to and understand the Good News in order to be saved. There is a difference between justification and sanctification.  But the difference is often muddied, even to the point that the two concepts are sometimes incorrectly combined into one action.  This misconception leads to a twisted gospel. “The many errors about the work of God in salvation could be avoided if everyone would recognize one fact: Justification, while intimately connected to sanctification, is a separate divine act, with differing time frame of operation. That is, while it is completely true that everyone who is justified will also be sanctified, it is likewise just as true that justification must be distinguished from sanctification. If it is not, tremendous errors result, for inevitably this wrong view results in a confusion of the experience of sanctification with the grounds upon which all of the work of God rests, the perfect sacrificial work of Christ on Calvary.” (2)

Chris White

WOW, just WOW!

Components of Worldview Thinking

Varying numbers of Americans embrace the different aspects of biblical worldview thinking. The survey found that:

§  One-third of all adults (34%) believe that moral truth is absolute and unaffected by the circumstances. Slightly less than half of the born again adults (46%) believe in absolute moral truth.

§  Half of all adults firmly believe that the Bible is accurate in all the principles it teaches. That proportion includes the four-fifths of born again adults (79%) who concur.

§  Just one-quarter of adults (27%) are convinced that Satan is a real force. Even a minority of born again adults (40%) adopt that perspective.

§  Similarly, only one-quarter of adults (28%) believe that it is impossible for someone to earn their way into Heaven through good behavior. Not quite half of all born again Christians (47%) strongly reject the notion of earning salvation through their deeds.

§  A minority of American adults (40%) are persuaded that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life while He was on earth. Slightly less than two-thirds of the born again segment (62%) strongly believes that He was sinless.

§  Seven out of ten adults (70%) say that God is the all-powerful, all-knowing creator of the universe who still rules it today. That includes the 93% of born again adults who hold that conviction.

 

Paper on Justification - Part 3

Being a self-righteous person is a grievous sin in God’s eyes. The actions of the Pharisees revealed self-righteous attitudes, which brought Jesus to denounce them on many occasions. There is no greater parable describing this than the following: "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get. But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18:10-14 (ESV)

Chris White

Paper on Justification - Part 2

Paul took very serious the gospel that he gave out and Romans is one of the best epistles that he wrote concerning the depth and process of the salvation of one of God’s people. Paul wastes no time making sure that the people that read this letter know their place. Everyone is sinful and totally depraved. "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." Romans 3:10b-12 (ESV) There can be no justification without the knowledge of the individual’s sin. Unless someone confesses their sin and that God is just in punishing the sin of man or, more importantly, the sin of the individual, they cannot be justified.

 

Chris White

 

Paper on Justification - Part 1

Salvation has been written about by many great theologians in more books than one can imagine. The depth that Paul was able to achieve in so few words is an act of the Holy Spirit and a proof of God’s hand in the writing of His word. I will attempt to briefly review justification, what it is and what part man and God each play in it. Paul relates the act of salvation through justification to a judicial system, where God is the perfect and just judge and man is the heathen criminal.

 

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