Samuel Bolton, The True Bounds of Christian Freedom, p. 107

John Calvin, Institutes, 2.7.6.

Ralph Erskine, "Law-Death, Gospel-Life," in The Works of Ralph Erskine, vol. 2, p. 84).

By its immoderate harshness it deprives and despoils sinners, miserable and afflicted with trembling and grief, of the consolation of this Sacrament; yet in it, all the delights of the gospel were set before them. Surely the devil could find no speedier means of destroying men than by so maddening them that they could not taste and savor this food with which their most gracious Heavenly Father had willed to feed them. In order, therefore, not to rush headlong to such ruin, let us remember that this sacred feast is medicine for the sick, solace for sinners, alms to the poor…Therefore, this is the worthiness- the best and only kind we can bring to God- to offer our vileness and (so to speak) our unworthiness to Him so that His mercy may make us worthy of Him; to despair in ourselves so that we may be comforted in Him; to abase ourselves so that we may be lifted up by Him; to accuse ourselves so that we may be justified by Him."

John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 4.17.41-42.

We cannot have grace on ourselves. Only the Great King can confer a blessing on His subjects- especially if that blessing includes adoption of sinners into His own royal family. Nothing that we do- however crucial to our Christian life, can communicate or confirm the promises of God. Only God can do that, and that is why He has instituted the preaching of the gospel and the sacraments…"

Michael Horton, God of Promise, p. 162

Robert Bruce, The Mystery of the Lord’s Supper, p. 160

The Reformers, with the prophets and apostles, were convinced that only the Gospel could bring such comfort to the struggling Christian.

Without this constant emphasis in preaching, one can never truly worship or serve God in liberty, for his gaze will always be fastened on himself--either in despair or self-righteousness--rather than on Christ. Law and Gospel must both ever be preached, both for conviction and instruction, but the conscience will never rest…so long as Gospel is mixed with Law. "Consequently, this Gospel does not impose any commands, but rather reveals God's goodness, his mercy and his benefits." This distinction, Calvin says with Luther and the other Reformers, marks the difference between Christianity and paganism: "All who deny this turn the whole of the Gospel upside down; they utterly bury Christ, and destroy all true worship of God.

Michael Horton, "The Law and The Gospel," (http://www.whitehorseinn.org/free-articles/the-law-the-gospel-by-michael-horton.html)

Herman Witsius, The Economy of the Covenants Between God and Man, p. 218.

John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 3.11.3. 

Jerry Bridges, The Gospel For Real Life, pp. 16-17

That being so, I ask you just to run through the Bible in your mind and consider how very pervasive in the Bible is the Bible’s teaching about the law of God. We have already observed how clear that teaching is in the account which the Bible gives of the first sin of man. God said, "Ye shall not eat of the fruit of the tree". That was God’s law; it was a definite command. Man disobeyed that command; man did what God told him not to do: and that was sin.

But the law of God runs all through the Bible. It is not found just in this passage or that, but it is the background of everything that the Bible says regarding the relations between God and man,” (J. Gresham Machen, The Christian View of Man, pp. 184-185).

Michael Horton, The Gospel-Driven Life, pp. 22-23 

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, p. 250

John Colquhoun, A Treatise on the Law and the Gospel, p. 103

“…what would enable us to say, He was able to pay the penalty He had undertaken? That He died manifests His love and His willingness to save. It is His rising again that manifests His power and His ability to save. We cannot be saved by a dead Christ, who undertook but could not perform, and who still lies under the Syrian sky, another martyr of impotent love. To save, He must pass not merely to but through death. If the penalty was fully paid, it cannot have broken Him, it must needs have been broken upon Him. The resurrection of Christ is thus the indispensable evidence of His completed work…It is only because He rose from the dead that we know that the ransom He offered was sufficient, the sacrifice was accepted, and that we are His purchased possession."

The Person and Work of Christ, p. 544

Ewald M. Plass, What Luther Says, p. 767

C.F.W. Walther, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, p. 47

When it comes to battling and dealing with our daily sin, what we need most is Good News. We need consolation in those dark moments when the lively fellowship we so enjoyed with our Heavenly Father is turned into bitterness and anxiety. For, as Robert Traill has written, “It is impossible that there can be true and strong love fixed on that person from whom we do dread the greatest evil…”

We can never love God until we can see somewhat more or less of his love to us, unless we hear his consoling words of promise, Good News.

For, we are naturally enemies of God by nature. We are born with a heart that is against God. And even after our conversion, there remains something of a legalist in all of us, that is in our flesh. So until we can get somewhat of the knowledge of God, as revealed to us in Christ, consolation will allude us.

This is where grace comes in, that undeserved favor Dei by which sinners alone are received and cleansed from their sin and guilt. God is a promising God because He is a gracious God. God, if He is to be known in a consoling manner, must be known as a promising God. As Robert Traill wrote, “The Lord hath framed us in that manner, that it is impossible that God can be loved, but by a person that takes up this God as a promising God.”

God is a promising God because He is a gracious God.

There is no consoling knowledge of God apart from His promises and their are no consoling promises if God is not gracious.

In Acts 20:24, Paul speaks of the gospel as “the gospel of the grace of God,” and in v. 32, he speaks of it as “the word of his grace.” The grace of God runs through every vein of the Gospel. Every promise God makes is a word of grace. However, apart from the Gospel, God is only a consuming fire.

Consolation comes from the knowledge of God as He reveals Himself in and through Christ. Such knowledge of God is a gracious condescension on God’s part. It is from the grace of the Incarnation, the Word-made-flesh (Jn. 1:14), that Christ has made God known to us (Jn. 1:18). The glory of God, manifest in Christ, is “full of grace and truth,” (John 1:14). The grace of God shines gloriously in the justification of a sinner through the righteousness of Christ. God’s glory, then, is most supremely manifested in His graciousness (cf., Ex. 33-34; Eph. 1:6, 12, 14). It is from Christ’s “fullness,” that “we have all received, grace upon grace,” (John 1:16). Throughout our lives, we who have already received grace, have it bestowed upon us again and again, constantly freeing us from sin. What consolation!

Every promise God makes is a word of grace.

Our consolation, then, is a gift of God, a God who is unspeakably gracious. There is nothing that we have that we have not freely received, including consolation (cf., 1 Cor. 4:7). We must never think that we have merited consolation. For, if our consolation was dependent upon our obedience, there would be no comfort but only a terrifying expectation of judgment. Rather, our consolation comes from knowing that:

“The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness (Lam. 3:22-23)!”

It is because of the grace of Christ that our sins have been removed from us as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12). “…He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself,” (Heb. 9:26). Christ has put our sins so far away they shall never rise up again in judgment against us (Rom. 8:1). The words of grace we hear spoken to us are the gracious words Christ spoke to the woman caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more,” (Jn. 8:11).

God, in Christ, has done for us in grace what we could never achieve by our works. “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works…” (Eph. 2:8-9).

God has graciously chosen to redeem us, “so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus,” (Eph. 2:7).

When the stinging awareness of sin arises in your mind, drop to your knees and with great humility and gratitude, joyfully recall the surpassing riches of His grace. It is the kindness of our promising God that leads us to repentance (cf., Rom. 2:4). For, if the Lord should mark our iniquities, none of us could stand. But, with Christ, there is forgiveness that He may be feared (cf., Ps. 130:3-4).

Consolation, then, comes not by law but by grace. Consolation, like grace, is received not earned. Yet, because something of a legal disposition remains in us while we are is in this world, we are prone to think of God’s consolation as conditioned upon our performance. When we really “blow it” we are tempted to think that we have forfeited God’s favor.

However, because consolation is based on grace and not merit, we need to realize that we do not earn God’s consolation by our performance and we do not forfeit God’s consolation by our failures.

Jerry Bridges, in Disciplines of Grace put it this way, “Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace,” (p. 18).

Our consolation is based upon a promising God who is exceedingly gracious. Consider some of His gracious promises:

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel,” (Gen. 3:15).

“I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you,” (Gen. 17:7).

“I will not remove from him my steadfast love or be false to my faithfulness. I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips,” (Ps. 89:33-34).

“I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins,” (Isa. 43:25).

“31 Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more,” (Jer. 31:31-34; cf., Heb. 10:1-17).

“25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules,” (Ezek. 36:25-27).

“For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more,” (Heb. 8:12).

The words, “I will,” are our consolation! Amazing Grace! Grace abounding to sinners! “20 …where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord,” (Rom. 5:20b-21). This is the sinner’s consolation.

In those moments when you are painfully conscious of your sin and you begin to grow anxious about your salvation and your right standing with God, always remember the grace of God. God’s promises are always joined with His grace and compassion. Therefore, you have no reason to fear that He will fail to keep His promises.

We are not condemned because God’s grace is never ending. His love never ceases. His mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning. Therefore, we can have great hope in Him.

In all your dealings with God, remember grace. Receive His consolation as grace. It is certain that nothing but grace can justify a sinner and nothing but grace can console a justified sinner.

In all your dealings with God, remember grace.

The consolation of the believer stands in the fullness of Christ. “…from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace,” (John 1:16).

The grace of God is exceedingly abundant toward sinners (cf., 1 Tim. 1:14). Therefore, because God’s grace abounds, His consolation is always in supply. The believer’s consolation comes from knowing that there is always a greater abundance of grace than there is of sin to be covered.

The grace of God is everlasting. As Paul writes, “…grace reigns through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord,” (Rom. 5:21). Because grace reigns forever, God’s consolation is ever present and never ending.

“To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen,” (1 Tim. 1:17).

Mark Dever, The Message of the Old Testament, p. 75

Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, vol. 26, pp. 245-246

Graeme Goldsworthy, Gospel and Kingdom, p. 86

These guides are usually neither law (i.e., God’s directives) nor gospel (i.e., God’s promises and acts in Christ), but helpful advice from fellow sailors. In a sense, the advice they offer is more law than gospel, since it imposes expectations and demands as conditions for success. Yet the more advice you get, the deeper your sense that you are simply dead in the water spiritually. Exhausted, you either give up and promise to never sail again or your realize that what you really need is a fresh gust of wind in your sails. That wind is always Christ in His saving office. What you really need is to be told all over again about who God is and what He has done to save you, and about the new world that awaits you because of His faithfulness to unfaithful sailors. This alone will fill your sails so that you can get safely back to the harbor when the gales blow hard.

Our whole life as Christians is a process of sailing confidently into the open seas, dying down in exhaustion, and having our sails filled again with God’s precious promises…

No less than when we first believed, we must always attribute to the gospel the power that fills our sails with gratitude, and to the law the proper course that such gratitude takes. At the beginning, in the middle, and at the end, the gospel ‘is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes’ (Rom. 1:16)."

Michael Horton, God of Promise, pp. 193-194

The following sermon, Earthquakes, Haiti and the Gospel, was delivered to our church on Sunday, January 17 upon the return of Jay and Diana from Haiti. Since January 17, Jay has returned in order to take supplies to the orphanage.

Please pray for Jay and Diana in regard to their relief efforts and gospel-driven ministry. If you would like to make a donation or sponsor a child, you can get more information at Lespwa Worldwide's website.

Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you'll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren't heroes at all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose). They get afraid and run away. At times they are downright mean.

No, the Bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It's an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It's a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne- everything- to rescue the one He loves. It's like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!

You, see the best thing about this Story is- it's true. There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves His children and comes to rescue them.

It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story. And at the center of the Story, there is a baby. Every Story in the Bible whispers His Name."

Sally Lloyd-Jones, The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every story whispers his name, pp. 14-17.

John Stott, The Cross of Christ, p. 335

Jay founded Lespwa (means "hope" in Creole) as a nonprofit organization to care for the orphan children of Haiti (over 1 million). Lespwa is a wonderful, gospel-centered ministry. 

You can help Lespwa with relief efforts by making a donation on their website. Click here: DONATE.

Please pray about what you can give and allow the gospel to drive you to excel in this act of grace (2 Corinthians 8:4-7).

What Happens at the Lord’s Table?

Over the past decade, there has been an increasing awareness within Evangelicalism of the central need of the gospel not only to get started in the Christian life but also to continue on in the Christian life (Gal. 3:3). Such awareness has brought a much-needed corrective to many erroneous views of discipleship and spiritual growth. The Biblical teaching is clear that the gospel is the means for spiritual growth.

Much of the focus and discussion has been directed to the cross, which is certainly correct! The cross was preeminent in the apostles teaching and writing. The message of the cross rests at the heart of the gospel (cf., 1 Cor. 15:1-4).

However, despite all the helpful books that have been written, there has been little attention given to the sacraments (some may also argue the resurrection) and the vital role they play in the believer’s spiritual growth. To be sure, the sacraments are dependent upon the Word of God. Apart from the Word, they are empty signs. But when joined with the Word and the Spirit, the sacraments play a vital role in the believer’s spiritual growth. Robert Bruce writes, “The Word leads us to Christ by the ear; the Sacraments lead us to Christ by the eye,” (The Mystery of the Lord’s Supper, p. 30). Therefore, if the gospel is recognized as the key means of spiritual growth, it is regrettable that many fail to give more emphasis to the beneficial role the sacraments play in the discipleship process.

The sacraments visibly and tangibly placard the promises of God before believers. They are signs and seals of the covenant of grace, which assure believers that God’s promises are indeed “Yes and Amen” for them. These visible words help strengthen our faith and nurture discipleship. Hence, they play a vital role in public worship, which is critical to the discipleship process.

How then does the Lord’s Supper, which is a visible proclamation of the gospel, serve to strengthen our faith and nurture discipleship? What exactly happens?

One of the phrases Paul regularly uses to speak of the believer’s union with Christ is, “in Christ,” (e.g., 1 Cor. 1:2, 30; 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 3:26; Eph. 1:1, 3; 2:6). In Ephesians 1:3, Paul states that the believer’s union with Christ is the wellspring of all his spiritual blessings. Union with Christ is the foundation for all of our obedience to God. It is the key to living a holy life (i.e., discipleship). Yet, without assurance of this union, genuine spiritual growth is impossible. Walter Marshall wrote,

“You cannot love God if you are under the continual, secret suspicion that He is really your enemy!...This kind of slavish fear will compel you to some hypocritical obedience…However you will never truly love God if you are compelled only by fear…You simply cannot love God unless you know and understand how much He loves you…In the gospel, you can come to know that God truly loves you through Christ. When you have this assurance, you can even love your enemies, because you know that you are reconciled to God,” (The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification, pp. 31-32).

Because the reality and nature of our union with Christ is difficult to apprehend, Jesus gave us The Lord’s Supper to assure us of our union with Him. This “spiritual banquet,” as John Calvin called it, assures us that we are made one with Christ and that the whole Christ with all of His benefits are applied and given to us. Calvin writes,

Since, however, this mystery of Christ’s secret union with the devout is by nature incomprehensible, he shows its figure and image in visible signs best adapted to our small capacity. Indeed, by giving guarantees and tokens he makes it as certain for us as if we had seen it with our own eyes. For this very familiar comparison penetrates into even the dullest minds: just as bread and wine sustain physical life, so are souls are fed by Christ. We now understand the purpose of this mystical blessing, namely, to confirm for us the fact that the Lord’s body was once for all so sacrificed for us that we may now feed upon it, and by feeding feel in ourselves the working of that unique sacrifice…(Institutes, 4.17.1).

Through the Gospel and faith, the Holy Spirit brings believers into union with Christ and through the Lord’s Supper the Spirit makes this union certain for us. The Spirit brings believers into a deeper and fuller fellowship with Christ, who in turn makes them more holy. Consequently, unless the outward signs are conjoined with the inward ministry of the Spirit, this sacrament is to no avail. We must therefore pray and ask God to be present by His Holy Spirit (Bruce, The Mystery of the Lord’s Supper, pp. 31, 55).

In the Lord’s Supper, when the Spirit is present, the believer is helped not only to remember Christ’s death in the history of it but also in the mystery of it (Marshall, The Gospel Mystery, p. 205). The Holy Spirit reveals Christ to us and increasingly assures us of our union with Him. We are made to “feel” that Christ’s body was broken for us, and that His blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins.

God wants His people to receive and enjoy all the promises of the gospel. He therefore instituted the Lord’s Supper as an ongoing gospel-reminder that Christ’s body and blood, just as bread and drink, are totally sufficient to nourish our souls to everlasting life. When we eat and drink the signs by faith, the Spirit assures us that we are as closely united to Christ as the food is to our bodies (Marshall, p. 205). “Indeed,” writes Bruce, “so truly is the Body of Christ conjoined with the bread, and the Blood of Christ conjoined with the wine, that as soon as you receive the bread in your mouth you receive the Body of Christ in your soul, and that by faith. And as you receive the wine in your mouth, you receive the Blood of Christ in your soul, and that by faith,” (The Mystery of the Lord’s Supper, pp. 35-36).

God’s favor is placarded before us in the humble signs of bread and wine. This gospel blessing assures us of His great love for us and it deepens our delight in Him. Gospel-driven believers recognize and avail themselves of these guarantees and tokens of God’s favor. They understand the vital role this sacrament plays for their spiritual growth and deepening discipleship.

Through the visible signs of bread and wine, the Holy Spirit assures us of our invisible union with Christ. He makes real the invisible food of the Gospel. He assures us that we have been received once and for all into the Father’s family as beloved, adopted sons (Gal. 4:6-7). O, how great this gift is in light of those too frequent moments when we are acutely aware of our sins and failures! By this spiritual banquet, believers can gather great assurance and delight (Institutes, 4.17.2). We can taste and see that the Lord is good and thereby delight ourselves in Him!

“If there are not more such statements in Paul, it is only because visible evidences of the Spirit’s presence were presuppositional for him and his churches; and he refused to appeal to them for the very reason that they might deflect from the essential message of the gospel of a crucified Messiah."

God’s Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul, p. 384, footnote 56

Walter Marshall, The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification, p. 218

Philip Ryken, Galatians, pp. 90-92

Robert Bruce (1589), The Mystery of the Lord's Supper, p. 52

John Stott, Galatians, p. 70

Graeme Goldsworthy, Gospel and Kingdom: A Christian Interpretation of the Old Testament, p. 95.

Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, vol. 26, pp. 179-180

Ralph Erskine, “The Strength of Sin; And How The Law Is The Strength Thereof, Opened Up and Unfolded,” in The Works of Ralph Erskine, vol. 5, p. 511).

In neither case are the leaders really amazed at grace. Only when there is a profound awareness of the holiness of God and of the costliness of the sacrifice he provided will there be a joyful awe that is at once warm and forceful. Only a joyful yet awe-filled heart- an exuberant decorum- can keep pomp and sentimentality from mimicking the two true poles of biblical worship: awe and intimacy."

Tim Keller in Worship By the Book, ed. D.A. Carson, pp. 213-214

Turretin’s clarity concerning the distinction between the law and gospel permeates his entire treatment of justification. His discussion is very instructive and provides a much-needed corrective for a great deal of contemporary Evangelical preaching and teaching, some of which has no idea that a law/gospel distinction even exists!

How then does the law/gospel distinction relate to the doctrine of justification?

The law/gospel distinction highlights two methods of justification. A man can be made just in two ways:

1. In himself, from the law, inherent, “Do this and Live”

2. Or, in another, from the gospel, imputed, “Believe and thou shalt be saved” (p. 10).

In other words, Turretin shows how the issue of inherent versus imputed righteousness rests upon the distinction between the law and gospel. In light of the law/gospel distinction, Turretin writes, “God therefore, makes him just whom he justifies; not in himself, as if from a sight of his inherent righteousness he declared him just, but from the view of the righteousness imputed- in Christ,” (p. 7).

This two-fold method of justification rests upon two covenants, the covenant of works and the covenant of grace (p. 10). He writes, “For as there are two covenants which God willed to make with men- the one legal and the other of grace- so also there is a twofold righteousness- legal and evangelical. Accordingly there is also a double justification or a double method of standing before God in judgment-legal and evangelical,” (pp. 9-10).

Each method of justification demands a perfect righteousness (p. 10). The legal method requires a man’s own perfect obedience and conformity to the law (Rom. 2:13; 10:15, inherent righteousness). The evangelical method (Rom. 1:16-17; Rom. 3:24; Phil. 3:9; Rom. 9:30-31) “admits the vicarious righteousness of a surety,” (imputed righteousness). The covenant of grace then is not founded upon inherent righteousness but rather upon the imputed righteousness of Christ. Thus, the evangelical method looks totally away from works of the law and by faith alone trusts in the righteousness of another, namely the righteousness of Christ (pp. 10-11).

When the law/gospel distinction is established, Turretin points out that the question in regard to the foundation of justification doesn’t concern legal justification. The law/gospel distinction demonstrates that inherent righteousness as the meritorious cause for justification is impossible and cannot be obtained by reason of the fact that the law has become weak by sin.

The question then is not whether inherent righteousness is infused into us through the grace of Christ (the orthodox are falsely charged that they do not allow for inherent righteousness, p. 11). The correct question is “whether that inherent righteousness enters into our justification, either as its cause or as a part, so that it constitutes some part of our justification and is the meritorious cause and foundation of our absolving sentence in the judgment of God,” (p. 11).

If justification were by inherent righteousness, justification would be based upon the law and not the gospel. However, the law and gospel are diametrically opposed to one another and the confounding of the two destroys the foundation for justification (p. 20). 

Helpful and critical words of paramount importance to ponder and take to heart!

And now, when I fall into sin, I have not sinned against the law, I have sinned against love. Like the prodigal, I will go back to my Father and I will tell Him, “Father, I am not worthy to be called your son.” But He will embrace me, and He will say, “Do not talk nonsense, you are My child,” and He will shower his love upon me! That is the meaning of putting on the breastplate of righteousness! Never allow the devil to get you into a state of condemnation. Never allow a particular sin to call into question your standing before God. That question has been settled.”

Martyn Lloyd Jones, The Christian Soldier, p. 255

Walter Marshall, The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification, p. 31

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth and therefore as the Spirit of love He captivates our hearts by the love of God and of Christ to us. In the diffusion of that love there flows also love to one another. "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought to love one another" (1 John 4:11). The biblical ethic knows no fulfillment of its demands other than that produced by the constraint and claim of Christ's redeeming love (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:14, 15; Galatians 2:20). Our love is always ignited by the flame of Christ's love. And it is the Holy Spirit who sheds abroad in our hearts the igniting flame of the love of God in Christ Jesus. The love that is ignited is the fruit of the Spirit"

John Murray, Principles of Conduct, p. 226

If a man preaches justification by works, no one would ever raise this question. If a man’s preaching is, ‘If you want to be Christians, and if you want to go to heaven, you must stop committing sins, you must take up good works, and if you do so regularly and constantly, and do not fail to keep on at it, you will make yourselves Christians, you will reconcile yourselves to God and you will go to heaven’. Obviously a man who preaches in that strain would never be liable to this misunderstanding. Nobody would say to such a man, ‘Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?’, because the man’s whole emphasis is just this, that if you go on sinning you are certain to be damned, and only if you stop sinning can you save yourselves. So that misunderstanding could never arise. And you can apply the same test to any other type or kind of preaching. If a man preaches that you are saved by the Church, or by sacraments, and so on, this kind of argument does not arise. This particular misunderstanding can only arise when the doctrine of justification by faith only is presented.

There is a sense in which the doctrine of justification by faith only is a very dangerous doctrine; dangerous, I mean, in the sense that it can be misunderstood. It exposes a man to this particular charge. People listening to it may say, ‘Ah, there is a man who does not encourage us to live a good life, he seems to say that there is no value in our works, he says that ‘all our righteousness are as filthy rags.’ Therefore what he is saying is, that it does not matter what you do, sin as much as you like.’ There is thus clearly a sense in which the message of ‘justification by faith only’ can be dangerous, and likewise with the message that salvation is entirely of grace. I say therefore that if our preaching does not expose us to that charge and to that misunderstanding, it is because we are not really preaching the gospel.

Nobody has ever brought this charge against the Church of Rome, but it was brought frequently against Martin Luther; indeed that was precisely what the Church of Rome said about the preaching of Martin Luther. They said, ‘This man who was a priest has changed the doctrine in order to justify his own marriage and his own lust’, and so on. ‘This man’, they said, ‘is an antinomian; and that is heresy.’ That is the very charge they brought against him. It was also brought George Whitfield two hundred years ago. It is the charge that formal dead Christianity- if there is such a thing- has always brought against this startling, staggering message, that God 'justifies the ungodly', and that we are saved, not by anything that we do, but in spite of it, entirely and only by the grace of God through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

That is my comment and it is a very important comment for preachers. I would say to all preachers: If your preaching of salvation has not been misunderstood in that way, then you had better examine your sermons again, and you had better make sure that you are really preaching the salvation that is offered in the New Testament to the ungodly, the sinner, to those who are dead in trespasses and sins, to those who are enemies of God. There is this kind of dangerous element about the true presentation of the doctrine of salvation."

(Martyn Lloyd Jones, Romans 6, pp. 8-10).

James Buchanan, The Office and Work of the Holy Spirit, p. 245

Graeme Goldsworthy, Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture, p. 126

James Buchanan, Justification, pp. 2-3

Francis Turretin, Justification, p. 29

In other words, even though there is no more condemnation (Rom. 8:1), the Scriptures do not say that there is no longer nothing condemnable or worthy of condemnation in believers. For as long as we live, sin remains in us. Thus, there is always something condemnable.

But (!) the Good News of the gospel is that on account of the interceding grace of the Judge our sin no longer actually condemns us! The justified believer has peace with God (Rom. 5:1). Since there is no condemnation, no punishment for sin remains because condemnation is the devoting to punishment (p. 59).

And so we find that the Scriptures use synonymous phrases to teach the same thing concerning God’s forgiveness such as: ‘covering’ (Ps. 32:1)… “not imputing” (Ps. 31:2)… “not remembering” (Jer. 31:34)… by a “blotting out” (Pss. 51:1; 103:12; Acts 3:19; Col. 2:14)… “casting of them behind His back” and “throwing them into the sea” (Mic. 7:19)… “purging” (Heb. 1:3; 9:14)… “turning away” of “His face” (Ps. 51:9)… “putting away” (2 Sam. 12:13; p. 56).

Praise God for such a gospel blessing! "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace..." (Eph. 1:7)!

John Stott, Galatians, p. 59

In Psalm 32:1 David writes, "Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered."

What does it mean for God to "cover" sin? To "cover" sin is a synonymous way to express forgiveness. When God "covers" (i.e., forgives) sin, He does not take them away in an absolute sense. He doesn't fail to notice them. Rather, God doesn't punish us for those sins. God, the Just Judge, withholds condemnation.

Thus, Augustine writes, "Therefore, why does he say his sins are covered? In order that they might not be seen. For what was it for God to see sins except to punish them," (Turrretin, Justification, p. 57).

How is it possible for God, whose eyes are too pure to approve evil, and can not look on wickedness with favor (Hab. 1:13), to cover a man's sins?

This blessing is a principal effect of the full satisfaction Christ made for us. Christ, Peter says, "bore our sins in his body on the tree," (1 Pet. 2:24). Paul says Christ canceled "the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross," (Col. 2:14).

Because Christ made a full satisfaction no punishment of our sin remains. God doesn't demand the payment of the same debt twice. Consequently, "There is, therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," (Rom. 8:1). Jesus made a full satisfaction for us. He canceled our debt and freed us from the curse and condemnation of the law by becoming a curse for us (Gal. 3:13). By one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified (Heb. 10:14).

It is in this way that God is able to "cover" our sins. This is truly a state of blessedness!

1. The passages which treat of justification admit to no other than a forensic sense (cf. Job 9:3; Ps. 143:2; Rom. 3:28; 4:1-3; Acts 13:39).

2. Justification is opposed to condemnation (Rom. 8:33-34).

As accusation and condemnation occur only in a trial, so also justification.

3. The equivalent phrases by which our justification is described are judicial (cf. Jn. 5:24, “not to come into judgment,” see also Jn. 3:18; Rom. 4; 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:19).

4. Justification is to be used in the sense that Paul employed it in his disputation against the Jews (i.e, Paul argued about how the sinner can stand before the judgment seat of God and obtain a right to life, whether by works of the law (Jews) or by faith in Christ (Paul).

5. Unless justification is taken is a forensic sense, it would be confounded with sanctification.

Francis Turretin, Justification, p. 40

Francis Turretin, in his discussion of justification, notes that the question is not whether inherent righteousness is infused into us through the grace of Christ (for evangelicals believe and teach that the benefits of justification and sanctification are so indissolubly connected with each other that God justifies no man without equally sanctifying him and giving him inherent righteousness, p. 11).

The question is whether that inherent righteousness enters into our justification, either as its cause or as a part, so that it constitutes some part of our justification and is the meritorious cause and foundation of our absolving sentence in the judgment of God (p. 11).

The Roman Catholic communion maintains that inherent righteousness is the meritorious cause on account of which we are justified. The orthodox answer a resounding no.

This distinction is not a meaningless quarrel about words neither is it reserved for the halls of academia. Rather, as Turretin remarks, the question concerning the meritorious cause of our justification is the principal foundation of our salvation, which if is overthrown or weakened, all our confidence and consolation both in life and death must necessarily perish (Justification, p. 13).

When a man is overcome with sin and a sense of real guilt before God, what is it that he trusts in that he may be acquitted before God and reckoned righteous? What is that righteousness that can survive the perfect judgment of God, overcome condemnation, obtain the forgiveness of sins and a right to eternal life? If the answer is not righteousness that inheres in us, what is the foundation and meritorious cause upon which our justification rests?

Turretin answers,

"...the righteousness of Christ alone imputed to us is the foundation and meritorious cause upon which our absolutary sentence rests, so that for no other reason does God bestow the pardon of sin and the right to life than on account of the most perfect righteousness of Christ imputed to us and apprehended by faith," (p. 13).

Only a perfect righteousness (Matt. 5:48) that is in accordance with truth in which there is no "wiggle room" for deception or grading on a curve (i.e., a gracious acceptation by God) will be acceptable to God. Inherent righteousness is not perfect and therefore no man can stand in God's judgment trusting in his inherent righteousness, which consists in works of the law (divine or human of any kind; Gal. 2:16).

The imputed righteousness of Christ alone is the meritorious cause of salvation and is apprehended by faith alone, which acts instrumentally and receptively not meritoriously (Rom. 3:20-28; Rom. 4:6; Gal. 2:16).

Theodore Beza, The Christian Faith, 4.23

 This is the truth of the gospel: you can be confident that God will work his salvation out in your precisely because your reconciliation with God is what produces your good works…You will never receive any spiritual life that can free you from this dominion of sin unless this guilt and curse of sin is removed from you. This, of course, is what happens when God justifies you- the guilt and curse of sin are removed from you (Galatians 3:13-14; Romans 6:14). You know that as long as you see yourself still under the curse and the wrath of God, you can have nothing but despair…

 The nature of true obedience to the law absolutely requires you to understand that you are reconciled to God, loved by him, and under his favor, if you really are going to obey the law…When we speak of love, we are not talking about the kind of love that a scientist might have toward his experiments, where he is just trying to please himself by gaining more knowledge. We are talking about a practical, life-changing love,” (The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification, pp. 29, 30, 31).

In his sermon entitled, "By what Means may Ministers best win Souls?," Robert Traill preaching from 1 Timothy 4:16, wrote,

"This description of the people, them that hear thee, saith, That the principal work of a minister is preaching; and the principal benefit people have by them, is to hear the Lord's word from them; though there be a seeing (i.e. of their holy conversation; "behavior"-J.F.) that is also useful, Phil. iv. 9. But the apostle knew no such ministers as were only to be seen in worldly pomp and grandeur, and seldom or never heard preaching.

Thou shalt save them. The great end of both preaching and hearing, is salvation; and if salvation were more designed by preachers and hearers, it would be more frequently the effect of the action," (The Works of Robert Traill, vol. 1, pp. 237-238).

May the Lord be pleased to raise up many gospel preachers and hearers!

Francis Turretin, Institutes of Elenctic Theology, vol. 2, p. 633

Ralph Erskine, "The Everlasting Gospel," in The Works of Ralph Erskine, vol. 2, p. 634

Ralph Erskine, The Works of Ralph Erskine, vol. 2, p. 27.

This quote was taken from Together For Adoption's newly released video from Ethiopia, which highlights the global orphan crisis. Take a moment to view this 3 minute video:

Freed to Visit Orphans (Ethiopia)

I am making such a point of all this to keep anyone from supposing that the doctrine of faith is an easy matter. It is indeed easy to talk about, but it is hard to grasp; and it is easily obscured and lost. Therefore, let us with diligence and humility devote ourselves to the study of Sacred Scripture and to serious prayer, lest we lose the truth of the gospel."

Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, vol. 26, p. 114

Martin Luther, What Luther Says: An Anthology, vol. 2, p. 703.

The Bible can exhort those who trust the living God to be concerned with issues of social justice (Isa 2; Amos); it can tell new covenant believers to do good to all human beings, especially to those of the household of faith (Gal 6); it exhorts us to remember the poor and to ask, not “Who is my neighbor?” but “Whom am I serving as neighbor?” We may even argue that some such list of moral commitments is a necessary consequence of the gospel. But it is not the gospel. We may preach through the list, reminding people that the Bible is concerned to tell us not only what to believe but how to live. But we may not preach through that list and claim it encapsulates the gospel...

Failure to distinguish between the gospel and all the effects of the gospel tends, on the long haul, is to replace the good news as to what God has done with a moralism that is finally without the power and the glory of Christ crucified, resurrected, ascended, and reigning," (click here to read the entire editorial: Themelios, 34.1, April 2009).

J.I. Packer, Knowing God, p. 181

Click here to read and/or download, Paul: The Spiritual Abolitionist, Part II (Not Man’s Gospel!, Part 17), an exposition of Galatians 2:11-21.

"There are two great temptations in the Christian life, and, in a certain sense, the better a man is the more liable he is to them. First, there is the temptation to try to earn God's favour, and second, the temptation to use some little achievement to compare oneself with our fellow men to our advantage and their disadvantage. But the Christianity which has enough of self left in it to think that by its own efforts it can please God and that by its own achievements it can show itself superior to other men is not true Christianity at all."

William Barclay, The Letters to Galatians and Ephesians, p. 21

Welcome to Paramount Church's new blog!

The name of our blog, just as our church's name, seeks to capture and emphasize the gospel, which is the foremost truth of the Christian faith and life (1 Cor. 15:3).

Paramount Blog is the new home of Gospel-Driven Blog. However, even though the name and location has changed, the content and focus remain the same, which is the gospel!

I would like to thank everyone who has spent the last couple of years reading and following Gospel-Driven Blog. It has been a great joy to hear from so many of you. Nothing is more joyous than to hear how the Lord, through the gospel, has brought so much encouragement and freedom to so many.

Gospel-Driven Blog will remain. However, all new articles, quotes, etc... from this day forward will be posted on our new home.

There truly is nothing more notable or glorious in the church than the ministry of the gospel. It is my prayer that as you read Paramount Blog, you will be encouraged and liberated by the Good News of Christ.

May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ (2 Thess. 3:5).

Gospel blessings!

John Fonville