November 25, 2008
The first comes from Martin Luther. I was helping my wife prepare for her women’s Bible study last night when we came across this. The women are finishing up their study through the book of Galatians, and we were looking at Luther’s commentary on Galatians 6:4.
A faithful minister cares little what people think of him, as long as his conscience approves of him. The approval of his own good conscience is the best praise a minister can have. To know that we have taught the Word of God and administered the sacraments rightly is to have a glory that cannot be taken away.
Quite often teaching the Bible rightly will not make you popular. Not with the world, and not even with people in the church who would prefer to live their lives without being challenged to change by the Word of God.
But if one is to be a “faithful” teacher, one must not only teach it, but also live it. This morning as I’m studying through Psalm 50, I was looking at verses 16-21. The Lord is speaking of those who recite the Law but do not keep it. Hypocrisy of this sort is harmful to the church and people of God. I found the following while looking at Spurgeon’s comments on this Psalm.
We need the grace of the doctrines as much as the doctrines of grace, and without it an apostle is but a Judas, and a fair-spoken professor is an errant enemy of the cross of Christ.
Lesson: teach the truth to others, but let it transform your heart and mind beforehand.
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Posted by brance
November 5, 2008
…and I slept like a Calvinist.
My point is that God is still sovereign. He’s in control. I don’t know why he ordained that Obama be President. I wish he hadn’t. But I’ll trust him that it’s all part of the plan intended to bring Him the most glory.
I don’t think Obama is the best choice for President, but I don’t think the government should be viewed as a functional savior by Christians. That’s just idolatry.
At the end of the day, God is still sovereign, Christ is still King, His blood still atones, and grace is still given.
Thank you Father!
Come Lord Jesus, come!
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Posted by brance
November 2, 2008
…we have an income tax structure today that is inherently unjust. We almost never hear anybody discuss this injustice…the poor [should not be] allowed to say, “We’re going to pay five percent and the rich are going to pay fifty percent because they can afford it.” What that is ladies and gentlemen is the politics of envy that legalizes theft. Anytime you vote a tax on somebody else that is not a tax on yourself, you’re stealing from your brother. And though the whole world does it and though it’s common practice in the United States of America, a Christian shouldn’t be caught dead voting to fill his own pocketbook at the expense of someone else. Isn’t that plain? Isn’t that clear? And until we get some kind of flat tax, we’re going to have a politicized economy, we’re going to have class warfare, and we’re going to have the whole nation’s rule being determined by the rush for economic advantage at the polls. Don’t do it. Even if that means sacrificing some benefit you might receive from the federal government. Don’t ask other people at the point of a gun to give you from their pockets what you don’t have. That’s sin. – read the whole thing
I would add: If you have the money and want to help others, don’t vote to give that money to the government for them to redistribute, give it to your church or a faith based organization that helps people in need. Or better yet, help people personally so you get to know them and can share the Gospel with them, which is the help they REALLY need.
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Posted by brance
