Let us take with us to church, not only our bodies, but our minds, our reason, our hearts and our consciences. Let us often ask ourselves, ‘What have I got from this sermon?’, ‘What have I learned?’, ‘What truths have been impressed on my mind?’.
The heart is unquestionably the main point: but we must never forget that the Holy Ghost generally reaches the heart through the mind. Sleepy, idle, inattentive hearers are never likely to be converted.
~ J.C. Ryle
Monday, September 28, 2009
J.C. Ryle On The Importance Of Using The Mind
Friday, September 25, 2009
Kirk Cameron Bashed for Darwin Campaign
Here is an article that appeared on WND today that I thought my readers might find interesting:
Kirk Cameron bashed for Darwin campaign
Media gets snarky over effort to debunk evolution on college campuses
Posted: September 25, 2009
12:45 am Eastern
Kirk Cameron in screen shot of video introducing his "Origin of Species" campaign
A campaign by Ray Comfort and actor Kirk Cameron to give away 100,000 copies of a special edition of Charles Darwin's "Origin of Species" on 100 university campuses in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of the seminal book's publication in November already is drawing a caustic reaction from media.
The special release of the book challenges the theory of evolution with a 50-page introduction that includes an overview of Darwin's life and presents a case for a universe created by God through arguments such as the structure of DNA and the absence of species-to-species transitional forms.
Reacting to a video presentation of the campaign by Cameron, a television writer and contributing editor to Rolling Stone magazine, David Wild, wrote in the Huffington Post that Cameron "seems like a really nice guy."
"Unfortunately, the Artist Formerly Known as Mike Seaver seems like a really nice guy who's evolved into a willfully ignorant idiot," Wild wrote, alluding to Cameron's role as a teen star in the 1980s TV sitcom "Growing Pains."
The introduction to the special "Origin of Species" release, which can be read on Living Waters website, also shows how great scientists of the past such as Nikolas Capernicus, Isaac Newton, Francis Bacon and Albert Einstein, believed in God's existence
Meanwhile, a TMZ video parody features "the matchup of the century, Kirk Cameron versus Charles Darwin, who is dead."
"Yes, the former 'Growing Pains'-star-turned-religious-fanatic is launching an all-out attack on Darwin's theory of evolution."
The TMZ spoof says, "Kirk has decided to unbrainwash people by teaming up with fellow Bible-thumper Sonny Bono, er Ray Comfort, who literally rewrote Darwin's 'Origin of Species.'"
Cameron is co-host with Comfort of "The Way of the Master" television show, produced by Comfort's Bellflower, Calif.-based Living Waters ministry.
In his video presentation of the Darwin campaign, Cameron says, "An entire generation is being brainwashed by atheistic evolution without even hearing the alternative; and it's radically changing the culture of our nation."
Cameron encourages providing students with an alternative view of life's origin and letting them decide for themselves what to believe.
The Huffington Post published a brief item on the Darwin campaign, coupling Cameron's video with a snarky "response" from a Slavic-accented YouTube user.
The YouTube video, with more than 444,000 views, is accompanied by a robust string of more than 8,800 comments, including, "Sorry, science teaches that people evolved. That means NO Adam and Eve. That means NO first sin, or fall from grace. That means NO need for Jesus to have died on a cross to save us."
The Living Waters video, featuring Cameron, has more than 143,000 views.
Comfort previously told WND "atheists are going crazy" on Internet forums in response to the "Origin of Species" plan, saying, "How can we stop this? We're going to have a book burning."
Comfort's Living Waters is working on the project with Answers in Genesis, Campus Crusade for Christ, Teen Mania and the Alliance Defense Fund.
To critics of the campaign, Comfort points out his edition features the entire publication, with nothing removed, and his name will be on the cover.
"I think that the liberal media need to stand back for a moment, take deep breath and think about what they are saying," Comfort told WND in an e-mail.
He argued there have been more than 140 reprints of "Origin of Species," most have had introductions or forewords, and some were critical of the theory of evolution.
Comfort cited an introduction by Prof. W. R. Thompson in 1956, who said it was "right and proper to draw the attention of the non-scientific public to the disagreements about evolution."
Thompson added: "But some recent remarks of evolutionists show that they think this unreasonable. This situation, where scientific men rally to the defense of a doctrine they are unable to define scientifically, much less demonstrate with scientific rigor, attempting to maintain its credit with the public by the suppression of criticism and the elimination of difficulties, is abnormal and unwise in science."
Comfort contends he hasn't attacked Darwin, "but simply looked objectively at his belief and asked if it's scientific, and then left it up to the reader to make up his own mind."
"What's wrong with that?" he asked. "Charles Darwin, in his own Introduction in 1859, said, 'A fair result can be obtained only by fully stating and balancing the facts and arguments on both sides of each question.'"
Ray Comfort
Comfort also pointed out that, thanks to advice from atheists on his blog and others, the 50-page introduction will address Darwin's "racism" and "reveal how he was truly a gentleman who was adamantly against slavery."
It also qualifies Darwin's apparent disdain for women and argue that his moral character is irrelevant to the theory of Evolution, just as the theory of relativity should stand on its own merits and not on the morality of Albert Einstein.
Comfort said his introduction also makes it clear that Adolf Hitler's attraction to the theory is not relevant to whether or not it's true, pointing out the Nazi dictator also used Christianity for his own political ends.
"I want this introduction to be fair-minded, free from prejudice against Darwin, with no straw men or quote-mining," Comfort said.
Nothing created everything
Comfort notes a survey showed 61 percent of U.S. professors in biology or psychology said they were atheists or agnostics.
"Atheism has doubled in the last 20 years among 19 to 25 year olds. So young people are being brainwashed by this stuff," he said. "All we want to do is give an alternative."
"So many young people are being convinced that atheism is right, that evolution is right, there's no god, there are no moral absolutes," he said. "Who cares if you marry a dog? What's the big deal? And that's what atheism believes, too. It's very sad, and we're going to do our best to fight back in November."
He said the plan includes a trip to a leading bastion of academic skepticism, the University of California at Berkeley.
"So what is Berkeley going to do, ban 'Origin of Species'? Especially when they sell it in their bookstore for $29.95, and we're going to be giving away copies."
As WND reported, Comfort's lively interaction on his Atheist Central blog with scores of atheists and agnostics of all kinds – from young students to decorated scientists – has given him unusual insight into the skeptical mind and led him to conclude atheism rests on a remarkably illogical and unscientific premise that became the title of his latest book, "Nothing Created Everything."
Comfort's new book leading scientists who believe "nothing created everything," including British biologist and unofficial leader of the popular atheist movement, Richard Dawkins.
Dawkins, in his 2004 book "The Ancestor's Tale" wrote, "The fact that life evolved out of nearly nothing, some 10 billion years after the universe evolved literally out of nothing, is a fact so staggering that I would be mad to attempt words to do it justice."
As Comfort offered $20,000 to Dawkins to debate him on BBC radio, but the British scientist has not responded.
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
Monday, September 21, 2009
Meditate On These Four Things
Over several days last week Grace Gems featured excerpts from William Dyer’s booklet Christ’s Famous Titles. Dyer, a 17th century English preacher, gives us a list of four things on which we need to meditate often; these are Death, Judgment, Hell, and Heaven. Here is what he wrote:
We would all do well to head this advice.
Meditate often on these four last things:
Death, which is most certain.
Judgment, which is most strict.
Hell, which is most doleful.
Heaven, which is most delightful.
Meditate upon DEATH, which is most certain.
"It is appointed unto men once to die."
Hebrews 9:27
Out of the dust was man formed; into the dust shall man be turned.
To think of death--is a death to some men!
Oh, sirs! Meditate upon death.
Meditation on death--will put sin to death!
Death to the wicked--is the end of all comfort, and the beginning of all misery!
Death to the godly--is the outlet to sin and sorrow, and the inlet to peace and happiness!
The saints' enjoyment shall be incomparable, when the sinners' torments shall be intolerable!
When a believer's soul goes out of his own bosom--it goes into Abraham's bosom! When a saint dies--he leaves all his bad behind him, and carries his good with him! When a sinner dies--he carries his bad with him, and leaves his good behind him!
The godly man goes from evil--to all good.
The wicked man goes from good--to all evil.
When a saint leaves the world--his soul returns to happiness and rest!
When a sinner leaves this world--his body goes to worms to be consumed, and his soul goes to flames to be tormented!
The saint goes to Abraham's bosom; the sinner goes to Beelzebub's bosom!
The wheat goes to the barn; the chaff goes to the fire!
Oh, sirs! meditate upon death!
Meditate upon JUDGMENT, which is most strict.
"We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ!"
Those who will not come before His mercy-seat, shall be forced to come before His judgment-seat!
Those who will not hear His Word--shall feel His Sword!
Those who are graceless in this day--will be speechless in that day!
At the world's end--such will be at their wits' end, to see:
the earth flaming,
the heavens melting,
the stars falling,
the graves opening,
the judgment hastening,
the sun and moon mourning,
Christ and His angels coming!
He who comes to raise the dead, will also come to judge the dead.
Oh! sirs, the great day to great sinners will be a dreadful day--when they shall see Christ coming in the clouds:
with great power and glory,
crowned with dignity,
enraged with anger, and
attended with His angel reapers!
He will bring all kings and nobles, high and low, rich and poor, to His judgment bar! And there He will judge them, not by the whiteness of their faces--but by the blackness of their hearts!
"He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity!"
Psalm 98:9
You who make no account of His coming--how can you give an account at His coming?
Sirs! Meditation on judgment--may make you judgment proof!
Those who now judge themselves in their own private sessions--shall not be judged by Christ at His great white throne judgment!
Meditate upon HELL, which is most doleful!
Heaven is a place where all is joyful; and Hell is a place where all is doleful.
In Heaven--there is nothing but happiness; but in Hell--there is nothing but heaviness!
"The wicked shall be turned into Hell, and all the nations that forget God.''
Psalm 9:17
Mark, sirs--the wicked shall be turned into hell.
Oh, dreadful place--where the devil is the jailer!
Hell is the prison, damnation is the punishment, eternity is the duration, brimstone is the fire, and men and devils are the fuel!
To endure this will be intolerable; and to avoid it will be impossible!
This is the day of God's long-suffering; that will be the day of man's long-suffering!
There they will suffer:
pain without ease,
torment without end,
sorrow without support,
and misery without mercy!
Sirs! Meditate upon Hell! Oh, what hells are there in Hell!
Hell is:
the loss of God,
the loss of Christ,
the loss of all good!
Endless, ceaseless, and remediless torments must be their eternal portion!
Oh, that you would often think of Hell!
If once you drop into Hell--then after a thousand years:you will be as far from coming out of Hell, as you were at your first entrance into Hell!
There is only one way to KEEP a man out of Hell--but there is no way to GET a man out of Hell!
In this world, the wheat and the chaff both grow together, but they shall not always both lie together!
In Hell, there shall not be a saint among those who are terrified!
In Heaven, there shall not be a sinner among those who are glorified!
The sea of damnation--shall never be sweetened with a drop of compassion!
Will you pity a person who is going to the gallows--and will you not pity a person who is going to the bottomless pit?
What a dreadful visitation is that--where the black horse of death goes before, and the red horse of wrath follows after!
Oh, that must needs be sad--when one death comes upon the back of another; when the second death comes upon the back of the first death!
A man's condition in this life may be honorable, and yet his state in eternity may be damnable!
Poor Lazarus goes to Heaven--when rich Dives goes to Hell.
It is far better to go to Heaven poorly--than it is to go to Hell richly!
Oh, sirs! let us go to Hell by contemplation, that we may never go to Hell by condemnation!
Oh sirs! Meditate upon Hell!
Meditate on HEAVEN, which is most joyful.
"Then the King will say to those on His right--Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world!" Matthew 25:34
"Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of your Lord!"
Matthew 25:21
Heaven is a place where all joy is enjoyed!
In Heaven, there will be:
mirth without sadness,
light without darkness,
sweetness without bitterness,
life without death,
rest without labor,
plenty without poverty!
Oh, what joy enters into the believer--when
the believer enters into the joy of his Lord!
Who would not . . .
work for glory with the greatest diligence, and
wait for glory with the greatest patience?
Oh, what glories are there in glory! Thrones of glory, crowns of glory, vessels of glory, a weight of glory, a kingdom of glory!
Here on earth--Christ puts His grace upon His spouse!
There in Heaven--He puts His glory upon His spouse!
In heaven the crown is made for them, and in Heaven the crown shall be worn by them!
In this life believers have some good things--but the rest and best are reserved for the life to come!
Oh, sirs! meditate upon Heaven, for meditation on Heaven will make us heavenly!
Heaven is not only a possession promised by Christ--but a possession purchased by Christ!
When our contemplations and minds are in Heaven--then we enjoy Heaven upon earth!
To be IN Christ is Heaven below; to be WITH Him is Heaven above!
There cannot be a better thing for us, than for us to be with the best of beings! "To me to live is Christ--and to die is gain!"
Philippians 1:21
Let our condition now be ever so great--it is Hell without Christ! Let our condition now be ever so bad--it is Heaven with Christ!
"I had rather be in Hell with Christ--than in Heaven without Him!" said Luther.
Hell itself would be Heaven--if Christ was in it!
Heaven would be Hell--if Christ was out of it!
That which makes Heaven so full of joy--is that it is above all fear!
That which makes Hell so full of horror--is that it is beyond all hope!
The vessels of grace--shall swim in the ocean of glory!
We may talk of the greatness of our crowns--but we shall never know the weight of our crowns--until they are set on our heads!
We would all do well to head this advice.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Were I To Define A Christian
Here is a brief excerpt from the Letters of John Newton.
Were I to define a Christian, or rather to describe him at large, I know of no text I would choose, sooner than Galatians 5:17, "The sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other--so that you do not do what you want."
A Christian has noble aims--which distinguish him from the bulk of mankind. His leading principles, motives, and desires--are all supernatural and divine. Could he do as he desires--there is not a angel before the Eternal Throne, that would excel him in holiness, love, and obedience! He would tread in the very footsteps of his Savior, fill up every moment of time in His service, and employ every breath in His praise!
This he would do--but, alas! he cannot! Against these spiritual desires, there is a contrary desire and working of a corrupt nature, which meets him at every turn! He has a beautiful copy set before him in the Scriptures--he is enamored with it, and though he does not expect to equal it, he writes carefully after it, and longs to attain to the nearest possible imitation. But indwelling sin and Satan continually jog his hand, and spoil his strokes!
Therefore, the most spiritual and gracious people confess themselves as vile and worthless! One eminent branch of our holiness, is a sense of shame and humiliation for those evils which are only known to ourselves, and to Him who searches our hearts!
In proportion as the Lord enables you to live more simply upon the blood, righteousness, and grace of the Mediator--you will possess a more stable peace. The nearer you are brought to Him--the more lively sense you will have of your vileness and worthlessness; and your continual need of Him. Thereby your admiration of His power, love, and compassion, will increase from year to year.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Deeper 2009
I was just privileged to be able to spend two wonderful days of worship and study at the Deeper Conference 2009 at First Baptist Church in Woodstock, GA. Last year the conference was great ,and this year was even better as the focus of every session this year was our awesome God and His attributes.
The theme of the conference this year was There is no god like our God! taken from Psalm 86:8-13, which reads:
There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.Psalm 86:8-13
The conference began Friday afternoon with a message by Ray Comfort entitled The Eternality of God. In this message Ray talked about the fact that one in four of our college and university professors today are either atheists or agnostics, and that they are turning out zealous atheists like there is no tomorrow. He showed that by focusing on the eternality of God we can confront these atheist with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He also talked about how we all have a sixth sense - common sense - and that if we don't abandon the use of this sixth sense we will see the proof of God's existance all around us; he used Romans 1:20-25 as his main text:
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
Romans 1:20-25
Ray also reminded us that as Christians we need to keep our eyes focused clearly on the cross - especially when witnessing - because if we win the argument but fail to preach the cross we have failed.
The next speaker was Emeal "E.Z." Zwayne. E.Z. spoke on God of the Generations and reminded us that our primary responsibility as God's people is to make sure that we are instilling a love for and fear of God in our own children and grandchildren.
He talked about a recent trip that he took to Europe and the heartbreaking situation going on there as that continent has walked away from God and many of the great cathedrals that were once filled with praise and worship to our God have become something secular or abandoned altogether.
E.Z. then showed how we in the United States will face the same situation if we fail to pass our faith on to the next generations; he said:
The deterioration of the Christian family is the root cause of the deterioration of a nation.
And if we look around us we can see clearly that the Christian family, and our nation, is in decline.
E.Z. asked two questions:
- What are my children and grandchildren seeing in my life?
- Do we have a multi-generational vision for our family?
Then ended with this Scripture:
Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth.Malachi 2:15
After a short break we then got to hear Pastor Johnny Hunt talk about The Forbearance of God. He talked about how when Jesus went to the cross He completely satisfied the wrath of God that we deserved; He became our propitiation - our sacrifice of atonement - and paid the price for all of the sins that had been committed by those Old Testament saints that we read about in the Bible that God - in His forbearance - had overlooked in anticipation of the cross.
But, God's forbearance didn't stop there; in His forbearance He also overlooked all of the sins that each one of us have committed before coming to Christ. He explained that it is because of God's forbearance that He did not utterly destroy us the second that we committed our first sin (as that is what we deserved) but instead He showed us mercy and waited patiently for us to repent and in faith believe.
Pastor Hunt then went on to warn us, however, that God's forbearance to sinners will not last forever; Jesus paid the price for the the sins of those who will repent and believe, but for those who refuse there will come a day when the cup of the wrath of God will be poured out on those who have not come to faith in Christ.
This was probably my favorite study of the conference and I will write a more in depth post on this one at a later date.
Mark Cahill followed Dr. Hunt with a message entitled The Holiness of God.
This was a very convicting message as Mark showed us how God is absolutely holy and we are not. He began this message by telling us that he felt completely inadequate to be bringing this message and that it would be at best a very poor representation of who God really is as we cannot even begin to comprehend the holiness of God.
In this message he explained that holiness demands justice, and that as a holy God, God cannot just overlook our sin - it must be paid for. He also showed us that we cannot set our own standard for right and wrong; the standard is complete perfection - the standard is absolute holiness (and the standard of holiness is God Himself).
but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:15-16
After a dinner break we were blessed with a message from Kirk Cameron entitled Keeping the Foundations Sure. In this message Kirk built upon what E.Z. and Mark had said by talking about the importance of living out our faith at home first before we try to preach to others.
He talked about the danger that each of us faces in our walk with God: we focus so much on reaching the lost world that we neglect the needs of those under our own roof and in our own families. He reminded me that my primary responsibility to God is to live out my Christian life:
- With Christ
- With my Wife
- With my son
- With the people of God
- Then with the lost
If I mess up this order I will not only be living in disobedience I risk loosing what is most important - my own family.
Finally on Friday night we were privileged to hear a message from Ravi Zacharias, one of the preeminent apologist of our time. Ravi's Friday night message was entitled The Veracity of God and in this message he asked and answered the question, is there a God?
He explained that this is a question that the atheist asks of the Christian thinking that in doing so they have made the move that cannot be countered, but the atheist is not the only one who gets to ask questions, he must also answer them himself.
Ravi then went on to explain that even the atheist believes in right and wrong, but that in order to have right and wrong there must be a moral law - a standard from which right and wrong are determined. And if there is a moral law there must also be a moral law giver, he said:
- If there is no moral law giver that transcends us then there is no moral law by which we must live.
- If there is no moral law giver then life has no meaning.
- If life has no meaning then there is no hope.
- In addition to life being meaningless, if I believe that there is no moral law giver and no moral law and I am wrong there is also no recovery. If you are wrong here the result is catastrophic (read eternity in hell).
Day one then ended with about 45 minutes of worship lead by Scott Krippayne.
Day two began where day one ended, with more worship lead by Scott Krippayne
The first speaker on Saturday morning was Todd Friel, host of the Wretched Radio TV shows. Todd, in his chaotic, hyperactive way took us though a two hour sermon on the Kindness of God (in just under an hour).
In this message Todd showed us that it is the kindness of God that leads us to true repentance. It was all I could do to keep up with him while trying to take notes, so here is what I got:
Romans 2:4 The kindness of God leads to repentance
Psalm 34:8 The Lord is kind
1 Peter 2:3 Give thanks - the Lord is kind
Luke 6:35 God is kind
God did not create the world to show His wrath, He created it to show His kindness.
Psalm 106:7 Remember the kindness of God
Romans 11:22 God shows kindness to the repentant but wrath to the ungodly
Ephesians 2:7 God's kindness to us is in Christ Jesus
Titus 3:4-5 We are saved because of God's kindness
Galatians 5:22 kindness and Goodness are both part of the fruit of the Spirit
Psalm 25:5 Good and upright in the Lord
Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good
Exodus 33:19
Psalm 25:7
Psalm 31:19
Isaiah 27:4-5
- Fury is not in God
- God is not looking to demonstrate His wrath
- God gives us His strength
And that was just the introduction! This was another great sermon by Todd, and I highly recommend that you get it and listen to it if/when it is made available.
Todd was followed by Greg Koukl who gave a very in-depth talk on Evil, Suffering, and the Goodness of God. Dr. Koukl did an amazing job explaining that just because a person decides that there is no God they are still faced with the problem of evil in the world. And that more importantly, evil in the world is actually proof that there is a God.
This message built right on top of the foundation that Ravi laid on Friday night; Dr. Koukl explained that in order to have evil in the world you must have a standard by which to measure what is and is not evil. You cannot say that something is evil unless you have an absolute standard of what is good - and that standard is God. Good and evil are just relative terms compared to that standard.
He also explained that evil is not a thing, it is the absence of a thing. For example: a shadow is not a thing, it is merely the place where light is absent. In the same way evil is not a thing, it is the place where good is absent, and in order for good to be absent there must be good, and if there is good there must be God. Therefore the very existence of evil in our world is proof that there is a God.
After lunch we were treated to another message from Ravi Zacharias, who picked up where he ended the previous night, and built more on the message that we had just received from Greg Koukl.
In this session Dr. Zacharias talked about the importance of truth saying "The most valuable thing and most powerful weapon in the world is truth."
He went on to give a three stage argument that points to the existence of God:
- However the concrete physical is broken down it will always lead outside of itself for proof of its existence.
- No matter where you see intelligibility, you will always see a designer.
- The course of Human events - Historical, Social, Cultural - points to a designer.
- Jesus is the only one who explains the human condition in a way that corresponds to reality
- Jesus is the only one who provides a solution for my malady - it is only in the Christian faith that atonement is offered
- Jesus' claim that He would be raised bodily made the resurrection provable
This was a wonderful weekend and I can't wait until next year. I hope you can make it.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Thoughts on Why Everything Exists
Here is an interesting and thought provoking article by Dr. John Piper. Have you ever thought about how sin could be part of God's plan, but at the same time God not be responsible for it? Dr. Piper does a good job of addressing this very issue:
Thoughts on Why Everything ExistsOne of the main points of the forthcoming book, Spectacular Sins and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ, is that sin and God's wrath against it were part of God's plan when he created the world. This is different from saying that God sins or that he approves of sinning.The main reason for making this point is to exalt the revelation of God's grace in the crucifixion of Jesus to the highest place. This is the point of the universe--the glorification of the grace of God in the apex of its expression in the death of Jesus.Jesus died for sin (1 Corinthians 15:3). The death of Jesus for sin was planned before the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8; Ephesians 1:4-6). Therefore, sin was part of the plan. God carries this plan through in a way that maintains full human accountability, full hatred for sin, full divine justice, and full saving love for all who trust Christ. And we don't need to know how he does it to believe it and rest in it and worship him for it.This morning I was meditating for my devotions on Ezra 8 and 9. I saw there another pointer to the truth of God's planning for human sin and divine wrath.In Ezra 8:22, Ezra says, "The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and his power and his wrath are against all who forsake him." This text leads me to ask: Did God know before creation that his creatures would "forsake him." Yes, he did. The plan for their redemption was in place before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:3-6).Was Ezra 8:22 true before the foundation of the world? Yes, it was. God did not become holy and just after creation. He has always been holy and just. "His power and his wrath are against all who forsake him" because this is, and always has been, the holy and just thing for God to do.Therefore, since God knew that his creatures would forsake him, he also knew that his power and wrath would be against them. Therefore, this was part of his plan. He created the world knowing that sin would happen and that he would respond as Ezra 8:22 says he does.This planning is what Paul means in Romans 9:22 when he says that God was "desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power. . ." And if you ask Paul why God would go forward with this plan, his most ultimate answer is in the next verse: "in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy" (Romans 9:23).God knew that the revelation of his wrath and power against sin would make the riches of his glory shine all the brighter and taste all the sweeter for the vessels of mercy."The riches of his glory" are the riches we inherit when we see his glory in all the fullness that we can bear (Ephesians 1:18) and are transformed by it (Romans 8:30; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 John 3:2). These riches of glory reach their supreme height of wonder and beauty in the death of Jesus as he bore the condemnation of God's wrath and power in our place (Romans 8:3; Galatians 3:13).In other words, God's plan that there be sin and wrath in the universe was ultimately to bring about "the praise of the glory of his grace" in the death of Christ (Ephesians 1:6). What is at stake in the sovereignty of God over sin is the ultimate aim of the universe, namely, the exaltation of the Son of God in the greatest act of wrath-removing, sin-forgiving, justice-vindicating grace that ever was or ever could be. The praise of the glory of God's grace in the death of Christ for sinners is the ultimate end of all things.Christ is the aim of all things. When Paul says, "All things were created . . . for him" (Colossians 1:16), he means that the entire universe and all the events in it serve to glorify Jesus Christ. May the meditations of our hearts take us ever deeper into this mystery. And may the words of our mouths and the actions of our hands serve to magnify the infinite worth of Jesus and his death. This is why we existJohn Piper
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