Our hearts so often condemn us (we probably don’t know our hearts as we think we do). But God is greater than our hearts. Calvin wrote, “the human heart has so many crannies where vanity hides, so many holes where falsehood lurks, is so decked with deceiving hypocrisy, that it often dupes itself.” It never dupes God (see Hebrews 4:13). Look to God and his grace for healing comfort.
The Secret
Calvin points out in his commentary on Psalm 18 (vv. 21 – 24) that “whoever, therefore, would desire to persevere in uprightness and integrity of life, let them learn to exercise themselves daily in the study of the Word of God; for, whenever a man despises or neglects instruction, he easily falls into carelessness and stupidity, and all fear of God vanishes from his mind.”
The Hope of Glory
The Christian life and experience cannot be lived vicariously. This means that you cannot live the Christian life by clinging to the coat-tails of another Christian, nor can you live your spiritual life through someone else. Nobody lives your life, but you. Reading your Bible with your spouse or children is no substitute for reading the Bible on your own. Praying with others is no substitute for praying alone before God. These activities are important, but they do not replace your personal responsibility towards God. There are many, however, who think like this and live like this. [Read more…]
He is Risen
We belong to another who has been raised from the dead – so that we might bear fruit for God (Rom. 7:4). Here is an intended consequence to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus – fruit bearing. Do we bear fruit for God?
Holding onto Sin
John Bunyan lists 7 ways we hold onto our sins
1. If possible, the soul that entertains sin will hide it so that it will not be discovered.
2. The soul that cannot hide its sin will excuse it and plead that it really is not such a bad thing
3. The soul that justifies its sin will seek to cover it with a good name (i.e. change what I call sin into something good)
4. If our convictions will not let us call our sin, sin, then we might flatter God that we will put it away from us in due time – (it’s no big deal)
5. If God pursues us and seeks to see if we have put away our sin – we will give up some part of it but keep the choicest part for ourselves
6. All sin must be abandoned or the soul will have no rest – so we might let our sins go with reluctance
7. If our sins that we have pout away should meet us again – we will court them and commit them in the dark
So sin goes in a circle – it starts in death & ends in death – We must deal sin a death-blow daily, over and over again, as John Owen says. Strike the root. Dig it us and burn it – and then keep on doing that. It is a never ending task – but sin mortified will help us see sin for what it is and help us deal with it as we ought.