Here are a couple of recent quotes from the blog Of First Importance.

“Union with Christ is not simply one step in salvation; it is the whole stairway on which every step is taken. Or perhaps it would be better to say that union with Christ is the prism through which all the other colors of salvation are refracted. Our election is in union with Christ, for it is in Christ that we were chosen before the creation of the world (Eph. 1:4). Our regeneration is also in union with Christ, for the Scripture says we are created in Christ; and this re-creation is for good works, which means that our sanctification is in union with Christ as well (Eph. 2:10). In short, everything up to and including the doctrine of glorification is in union with Christ, for those who share in his sufferings will also share in his glory (Rom. 8:17).’

- Philip Graham Ryken, “Justification and Union with Christ”

“[God] gave up his own Son as a ransom for us, the holy one for the lawless, the guiltless for the guilty, ‘the just for the unjust’, the incorruptible for the corruptible, the immortal for the mortal.

For what else but his righteousness could have covered our sins? In whom was it possible for us, the lawless and ungodly, to be justified, except in the Son of God alone?

O the sweet exchange, O the incomprehensible work of God, O the unexpected blessings, that the sinfulness of many should be hidden in one righteous man, while the righteousness of one should justify many sinners!”

—Anonymous, “The Epistle to Diognetus” in The Apostolic Fathers, ed. Michael W. Holmes (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1992), 547

“We are not sent to preach sociology but salvation; not economics but evangelism; not reform but redemption; not culture but conversion; not progress but pardon; not a new social order but a new birth; not revolution but regeneration; not renovation but revival; not resuscitation but resurrection; not a new organization but a new creation; not democracy but the gospel; not civilization but Christ; we are ambassadors, not diplomats.”

—Hugh Thomson Kerr, quoted in George W. Peters, A Biblical Theology of Missions (Chicago: Moody Press, 1972), 65

As we interact with unbelievers and our hearts overflow out of our mouths we will present a picture of God.   The way we talk about God- the picture we present of him- will in some sense determine whether people even care about the work of Christ. If God is our greatest love we won’t just talk about Him we will talk about Him in a way that communicates that He is worth everything. On the other hand, if we present God as dull, distant, or normal people will see no great need for forgiveness and reconciliation.  Who wants to go to heaven if God isn’t worth spending time with?

Ultimately it is the Spirit who must open eyes to the beauty of Christ and the supreme satisfaction of knowing God. However the Spirit chooses to work through faithful presentations of the gospel of the glory of Christ.  We are called to be faithful in presenting the glory of God accurately for the unbeliever to see when the Spirit opens their eyes.

I have been thinking about this idea after reading a sermon by Thomas Chalmers entitled- “The Expulsive Power of a New Affection.”  The title gives you a good idea of what the sermon is about but here are some key quotes.  The application of this has tremendous relevance not only for the unbeliever but also for the believer and his ongoing transformation into Christ-likeness. You may need to read the quotes a couple of times but they are worth it.

It is when He [God] stands dismantled of the terrors which belong to Him as an offended lawgiver, and when we are enabled by faith, which is His own gift, to see His glory in the face of Jesus Christ…it is then that a love paramount to the love of the world, and at length expulsive of it, first arises in the regenerating bosom. It is when released from the spirit of bondage…the spirit of adoption is poured upon upon us—it is then that the heart, brought under the mastery of one great and predominant affection, is delivered from the tyranny of its former desires, and in the only way in which deliverance is possible.

The object of the gospel is both to pacify the sinner’s conscience and to purify his heart; and it is of importance to observe, that what mars the one of these objects mars the other also. The best way of casting out an impure affection is to admit a pure one; and by the love of what is good to expel the love of what is evil. Thus it is, that the freer gospel, the more sanctifying is the gospel; and the more it is received as a doctrine of grace, the more will it be felt as a doctrine according to godliness.

It is thus that the boy ceases, at length, to be the slave of his appetite; but it is because a manlier taste has now brought it into subordination, and that the youth ceases to idolize pleasure; but it is because the idol of wealth has become the stronger and gotten the ascendency, and that even the love of money ceases to have the mastery over the heart of many a thriving citizen; but it is because, drawn into the whirl of city politics, another affection has been wrought into his moral system, and he is now lorded over by the love of power. There is not one of these transformations in which the heart is left without an object.

Here’s some more food for thought on the issue of sin to follow up Josh’s sermon this past Sunday.

This first quote was posted on the blog Of First Importance.

“He who looks upon sin merely as a fiction, as a misfortune, or as a trifle, sees no necessity either for deep repentance or a great atonement.

He who sees no sin in himself will feel no need of a Saviour. He who is conscious of no evil at work in his heart, will desire no change of nature. He who regards sin as a slight affair will think a few tears or an outward reformation ample satisfaction. The truth is no man ever thought himself a greater sinner before God than he really was. Nor was any man ever more distressed at his sin than he had just cause to be.”

- William S. Plumer, quoted by Robin Boisvert in This Great Salvation (Gaithersburg, Md.: Sovereign Grace Ministries, 1992), 20.

This second quote was posted by Justin Taylor at Between Two Worlds and is from Paul Tripp’s new book, Whiter Than Snow: Meditations on Sin and Mercy.

Sin lives in a costume, that’s why it’s so hard to recognize. The fact that sin looks so good is one of the things that make it so bad. In order for it to do its evil work, it must present itself as something that is anything but evil. Life in a fallen world is like attending the ultimate masquerade party.

Impatient yelling wears the costume of a zeal for truth.
Lust can masquerade as a love for beauty.
Gossip does its evil work by living in the costume of concern and prayer.
Craving for power and control wears the mask of biblical leadership.
Fear of man gets dressed up as a servant heart.
The pride of always being right masquerades as a love for biblical wisdom.

Evil simply doesn’t present itself as evil, which is part of its draw.

You’ll never understand sin’s slight of hand until you acknowledge that the DNA of sin is deception. Now what this means personally is that as sinners we are all very committed and gifted self-swindlers. I say all the time to people that no one is more influential in their own lives than they are because no one talks to themselves more than they do. We’re all too skilled at looking at our own wrong and seeing good. We’re all much better at seeing the sin, weakness, and failure of others than we are our own. We’re all very good at being intolerant of others of the very things that we willingly tolerate in ourselves. The bottom line is that sin causes us to not hear or see ourselves with accuracy. And we not only tend to be blind, but to compound matters, we tend to be blind to our blindness.

What does all of this mean? It means that accurate-self assessment is the product of grace. It is only in the mirror of God’s Word and with the sight-giving help of the Holy Spirit, that I am able to see myself as I actually am. In those painful moments of accurate self-sight, we may not feel as if we are being loved, but that is exactly what is happening. The God, who loves us enough to sacrifice his Son for our redemption, works so that we would see ourselves clearly, so that we would not buy into the delusion of our own righteousness, and with a humble sense of personal need, seek the resources of grace that can only be found in him.

At 3:30 am this morning the Moultons welcomed Alexandria Marie into the world.  She was 19.5 inches long at birth and weighed in at 7 lbs 12 oz.

Wow!  God is an amazing Creator and an amazing Giver.

Congrats to Sarah and Nick!

As I thought about the idea of being on mission in my community recently I realized that most of the time I don’t really love people. I often go through life and interact with people without thinking much about them or about the gospel. Most of the time I am far more aware of myself than I am of other people or the gospel.

I am not overtly conceited or blatantly wrapped up in my own little world (I am much better at hiding my sin than that). However, most of my time around other people is spent thinking about what I’m going to say, what I want to do, what I think about this or that, what other people might think of me, how I’m feeling, etc. Many times these are the things I am alert to and aware of- me, me, me.

Who and what are you alert to and aware of as you move through your day?

My interaction with others is often based on how they fit into my little world.

At worst I seek to use others to meet the goals of my self-love. How can they make me feel good, help me have the fun I want to have, make me happy in some way?

At best people around me are just part of my environment- like a self-check out stand at the grocery store or a passing car on the street (wow- this sounds really bad).

How do you see people?

I am praying for God’s grace to slow down, to really see people, and to consider how God views them. God made them in His image. He pours out His goodness on them in innumerable ways each day. He intimately governs the details of their daily life. He longs for them to come to repentance. He offers Living Water freely for them to drink. He holds out the message of Jesus and the joy of eternity with Him.

I am praying that my interaction with other people day to day will increasingly come to reflect the heart of God rather than a heart of self-love. Pray with me. Strive with me to love.

The following is a post from The Blazing Center blog. The quote he points to from Packer is a classic and you may have heard it elsewhere. Definitely stuff worth thinking about and questions worth asking yourself.

Did you ever come across one of those quotes that made your draw drop? You know the kind I’m talking about. You read it, and read it again, and then realize that drool is leaking from the corner of your mouth because you’re staring and your mouth is hanging open. I recently had one of those moments when reading J.I. Packer’s classic book, Knowing God. Packer writes:

“If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all.”

Does the thought of God as my Father control my whole outlook on life? Do I see every circumstance, every trial, every joy, and every sorrow through the lens of God as my father? No, I don’t.

I often worry about my little girl, Charis. Will she be healthy? Is she developing properly? Will she live a long life? How would all these fears and worries change if the thought of God as my loving, caring father controlled my outlook on life? If I was regularly aware that the God of the universe calls me ’son’, what would happen to my worries? Most of them would probably evaporate.

I’m often a legalist. When my spiritual ‘performance’ suffers, and I miss devotional times and pray weak, half-hearted prayers, I feel distant from God. If I was keenly aware of God’s intense, fatherly love for me, demonstrated most clearly on the cross, what would happen to my legalism? Legalism would be replaced by joy.

Aren’t you glad that God is your father? The God who made you calls you ’son’ or ‘daughter’, and we call him ‘Father’. I want to see life through the prism of God as Father.

What about you? Does the thought of God as Father control your outlook on life?

Proclaiming the grace of God is a privilege. It should forever amaze us that God uses us in His work. This struck me again as we discussed God’s grace this last Sunday in Grace Group.

God the Father is the Fountain of all grace, for He purposed in Himself the everlasting covenant of redemption. God the Son is the only Channel of grace. The Gospel is the Publisher of grace. The Spirit is the Bestower. He is the One who applies the Gospel in saving power to the soul: quickening the elect while spiritually dead, conquering their rebellious wills, melting their hard hearts, opening their blind eyes, cleansing them from the leprosy of sin.

In this section Pink is discussing the way in which the Trinity cooperates in planning, displaying, and pouring out the grace of God. In the midst of all this Pink states that the “gospel is the Publisher of grace.”

This set me to thinking- What does Pink mean here? How is the Gospel the Publisher of Grace? The Gospel goes out, it is actually published, as God’s people communicate it to the lost world around them.

Think about that- as the members of the Trinity work in perfect wisdom and irresistable power to pour out grace, you and I are dropped right in the middle of it all and given the privilege of proclaiming the message of grace. Wow!

Here are a couple of verses on this to chew on-

2 Corinthians 5:20- Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Romans 10:14-15- How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!”

I came across the following post on the Desiring God blog a couple of weeks ago.

One of the things worth thinking about in this post is the idea that when we blame someone else for our sin we are depriving ourselves of the joy of going to the cross and enjoying God’s grace. Enjoy!

It started in the Garden. Adam said to God,

The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate. (Genesis 3:12)

The first man, caught in the first sin, turns to blame his wife. And he extends the blame to God as well! He implies that he would have remained innocent if God hadn’t put Eve in the garden with him.

The blame-shifting in the Garden continues today. Our proud hearts send us desperately looking for someone else to point to every time we’re confronted with our own sin. There must be someone else—our spouse, sibling, parent, boss, co-worker, pastor, friend, or God, himself.

We are so desperate to justify ourselves that we become irrational. Here are 12 examples.

1) Anger

I wouldn’t lose my temper if my co-workers were easier to get along with, or if my kids behaved better, or if my spouse were more considerate.

2) Impatience

I would be a very patient person if it weren’t for traffic jams and long lines in the grocery store. If I didn’t have so many things to do, and if the people around me weren’t so slow, I would never become impatient!

3) Lust

I would have a pure mind if there weren’t so many sensual images in our culture.

4) Anxiety

I wouldn’t worry about the future if my life were just a little more secure—if I had more money, and no health problems.

5) Spiritual Apathy

My spiritual life would be so much more vibrant and I would struggle with sin less if my small group were more encouraging, or if Sunday school were more engaging, or if the music in the worship service were more lively, or if the sermons were better.

6) Insubordination

If my parents/bosses/elders were godly leaders, then I would joyfully follow them.

7) A Critical Spirit

It’s not my fault that the people around me are ignorant and inexperienced.

8 ) Bitterness

If you knew what that person did to me, you would understand my bitterness. How could I forgive something like that?

9) Gluttony

My wife/husband/roommate/friend is a wonderful cook! The things they make are impossible to resist.

10) Gossip

It’s the people around me who start the conversations. There’s no way to avoid hearing what others happen to say. And when others ask me questions, I can’t avoid sharing what I know.

11) Self-Pity

I’ll never be happy, because my marriage/family/job/ministry is so difficult.

12) Selfishness

I would be more generous if we had more money.

Making excuses like this is arrogant and foolish. It’s a proud way of trying to justify our actions and pacify our guilty consciences. And it keeps us from humbling ourselves before God to repent of our sins and seek his forgiveness.

Consider James 1:13-15, which leaves us with no way of escaping our own sin and guilt. We cannot blame God, for he “cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.”

Instead, we have to accept the humbling truth that “each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” This will end the blame game, and it will send us pleading for Christ’s mercy and grace.