Month: April 2022

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OUR HELPER

“God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are his,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.’” (2 Tim 2:19 ESV).

“[W]hen confronted with your failure you can run not away from God but to him. You can do this because your standing with him has never been based on your righteous performance, but on the perfect obedience of your Savior” Paul David Tripp (ref#190, Mar 6th).

“[W]hat he really is concerned about is our state or condition. [W]hat really matters is what we are” Martyn Lloyd-Jones (ref#211, p76).

“Though grace be wrought in the hearts of the regenerate, it is not in their power to act it: He who implanted it must renew, excite, and marshal it. ‘If ye through the Spirit do mortify’ (Rom 8:13). First, He it is who discovers the sin that is to be mortified, opening it to the view of the soul, stripping it of its deceits, exposing its deformity. Second, He it is who gradually weakens sin’s power, acting as ‘the Spirit of burning’ (Isa 4:4), consuming the dross. Third, He it is who reveals and applies the efficacy of the Cross of Christ, in which there is contained a sin-mortifying virtue, whereby we are ‘made conformable unto His death’ (Phil 3:10). Fourth, He it is who strengthens us with might in the inner man, so that our graces—the opposites of the lust of the flesh—are invigorated and called into exercise” A.W. Pink (ref#269, p114).

“Go, again and again, to this divine Fountain, taking to Jesus every corruption as it develops, every sin as it is felt, ever sorrow as it rises” Octavius Winslow (ref#135, Mar 28th).

“[I]t was not enough for him to just forgive me; he had to come and live inside me or I would not be what I had been re-created to be or do. I need the presence and power of the Holy Spirit living inside me because sin kidnaps the desires of my heart, blinds my eyes, and weakens my knees. My problem is not just the guilt of sin; it’s the inability of sin as well. So God graces his children with the convicting, sight-giving, desire-producing, and strength-affording presence of the Spirit” Paul David Tripp (ref#190, Jan 7th).

“It is by yielding to the Spirit’s impulses, heeding His striving, submitting ourselves unto His government, that any measure of success is granted us in this most important work” A.W. Pink (ref#269, p115).

“We can bring our up-and-down moral performance into subjection to the settled fixedness of what Jesus feels about us. [L]et the heart of Christ calm us into joy” Dane Ortland (ref#382, p187).

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RESULTS OF FORGIVENESS

“If you prepare your heart, you will stretch out your hands toward him. If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and let not injustice dwell in your tents. Surely then you will lift up your face without blemish; you will be secure and will not fear. You will forget your misery, you will remember it as waters that have passed away. And your life will be brighter than the noonday; its darkness will be like the morning” (Job 11:13-17 ESV).

“I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.’ and you forgave the iniquity of my sin” (Ps 32:5 ESV).

“Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit” (Ps 32:1-2 ESV).

“[Y]our sins are forgiven for his name’s sake” (1 John 2:12 ESV).

“[I]f we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7 ESV).

“’Cleanseth,’ says the text—not ‘shall cleanse.’ [F]orgiveness of sin is a present thing—a privilege for this day, a joy for this very hour. The moment a sinner trusts in Jesus, he is fully forgiven. The text is written in the present tense, indicating continuance; it was ‘cleanseth’ yesterday, it is ‘cleanseth’ today, and it will be ‘cleanseth’ tomorrow” Charles Spurgeon (ref#34, July 23rd PM).

“I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant” (Gen 32:10 ESV).

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NO MORE BONDAGE TO SIN

“The contented heart is satisfied with the Giver and is therefore freed from craving the next gift” Paul David Tripp (ref#190, Jan 6th).

“We cannot take the name Christian upon us, we cannot say that we belong to the children of God and are of his church, unless we have been delivered from our filthiness” John Calvin (ref#164, Nov 10th).

“Though God has delivered us from the reign of sin, our sinful natures still reside within us. Even though sin’s dominion and rule are broken, the remaining sin that dwells in believers exerts a tremendous power, constantly working toward evil” Jerry Bridges (ref#244, p55).

“Habit is defined as the ‘prevailing disposition or character of a person’s thoughts and feelings. Habits are the thought and emotional patterns engraved on our minds” Jerry Bridges (ref#244, p132).

“Christians tend to sin out of habit. It is our habit to look out for ourselves instead of others, to retaliate when injured in some way, and to indulge the appetites of our bodies. [W]e will spend the rest of our lives putting off these habits and putting on habits of holiness. [T]hough sin no longer reigns in us, it will constantly try to get at us. Though we have been delivered from the kingdom of sin and its rule, we have not been delivered from its attacks” Jerry Bridges (ref#244, p56).

“[W]hen we undertake anything at God’s bidding, we should beware that nothing should hinder our perseverance. None are fitted to act rightly but those who are well prepared to endure the assaults of temptation” John Calvin (ref#164, Jan 12th).

“We can stand up to sin and say no to it. Before we had no choice; now we have one. When we sin as Christians, we do not sin as slaves, but as individuals with the freedom of choice. We sin because we choose to sin” Jerry Bridges (ref#244, p57).

“I can never do too much for Him that hath done so much for me. And I will labour to be like my Saviour, by making humility lovely in the eyes of all men, and by following the merciful and meek example of my dear Jesus” George Herbert (ref#333, p153).

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FORGIVENESS OF SINS

“The gospel message consists of two parts: forgiveness of sins and repentance” John Calvin (ref#164, June 8th).

“Folly is bound up in hearts, but the sanctified rod of correction reveals it, and the discovery proves one of the costliest blessings in the experience of the disciplined child. [L]et us not then shrink from the probing nor be afraid at its discovery, if it leads us nearer to holiness, nearer to Christ, nearer to God, nearer to heaven! Past backslidings—unnoticed, unsuspected, and unconfessed—are recalled to memory when God is dealing with us” Octavius Winslow (ref#135, Jan 25th).

“Forgiveness, received freely from the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, acts as a spring, an impulse, a stimulus of divine potency. It is more irresistible than law, or terror, or threat” Jerry Bridges (ref#192, p207).

“It is forgiveness that sets a man working for God. He does not work in order to be forgiven, but because he has been forgiven, and the consciousness of his sin being pardoned makes him long more for its entire removal than ever he did before” Jerry Bridges (ref#192, p207).

“Inheriting the kingdom of God is a great gift that involves both forgiveness and repentance. These two are to be distinguished but never separated. Examine yourself today: are you both forgiven and penitent? If so, thank God today for these priceless gifts that lead to eternal life” John Calvin (ref#164, June 8th).

“The sum of the gospel is that God through his Son takes away our sins and admits us to fellowship with him, so that we, in denying ourselves and our own nature, may ‘live soberly, righteously, and godly.’” John Calvin (ref#164, June 8th).

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HOLINESS

“God demands more than that we acknowledge His holiness. He says to us, ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’ God rightfully demands perfect holiness in all of His moral creatures. It cannot be otherwise. He cannot possibly ignore or approve of any evil committed” Jerry Bridges (ref#244, p26).

“God, being God, cannot simply forgive sin. Now the common idea about God, the one that we have instinctively is that when we admit we have sinned, all that is necessary is that we should come to God, say we are very sorry, and God will forgive us. But according to the Bible that is impossible. God, because He is God, cannot just forgive sin like that. If God could have forgiven sin just by saying, ‘I forgive,’ He would have done so, and Christ would never have been sent into this world. The work that was given to Him to do was given to the Lord Jesus Christ because without it God cannot forgive sin. He must not only justify the ungodly—He must remain just. The way of salvation must be consistent with the character of God. He cannot deny Himself; He cannot change Himself; He is unchangeable. He is absolutely righteous and holy and just. He cannot remain that and simply forgive sin” Martyn Lloyd Jones (ref#189, Feb 17th).

“[W]ithout holiness no one will see the Lord” (Heb 12:14 NIV).

“The work of Christ was essential because of the character of God, and it was essential because of man being in sin; something had to be done to render man fit for God” Martyn Lloyd-Jones (ref#189, Feb 17th).

“Pray not only against the power of sin, but for the power of holiness also. A wicked heart may pray against his sins, not out of any inward enmity to them, or love to holiness, but because they are troublesome guests to his conscience. His zeal is false that seems hot against sin, but is cold to holiness” William Gurnall (ref#225, Aug 26th).

“[S]inful habits make us feel guilty and defeated. The absence of Christlike character usually doesn’t have a similar effect on us, so there is less motivation to seek change in our lives. We need to work at ensuring that our commitment to holiness is a commitment to God, not to our own self-esteem. When we sin we are more vexed at the lowering of our self-esteem than we are grieved at God’s dishonor” Jerry Bridges (ref#192, p149).

“God, being God, cannot simply forgive sin” Martyn Lloyd-Jones (ref#189, Feb 17th).

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GRACE

“[O]ur hearts are so like a tinderbox and sparks are so plentiful, we need to use all diligence in all places to prevent a blaze. Satan can climb housetops and enter prayer closets. Even if we could shut out that foul fiend, our own corruptions are enough to work our ruin unless grace prevents it” Charles Spurgeon (ref#34, Jan 17th PM).

“Satan does not tempt God’s children, not because they have sin in them, but because they have grace in them. Had they no grace, the devil would not disturb them. Where he has possession all is at peace. His temptations are to rob the saints of their grace” Thomas Watson (ref#225, p278).

“Satan will not often temp a believer to gross crimes: our greatest snares and sorest conflicts are usually found in things lawful in themselves, but hurtful to us by their abuse, engrossing too much of our time, or of our hearts, or somehow indisposing us for communion with the Lord” John Newton (ref#322, p156).

“Although to be tempted is a trouble, yet to consider why you are being tempted is a comfort. Godly temptation causes the increase of grace” Thomas Watson (ref#225, p278).

“If we would make peace with the world, the world would let us alone; if we could be content to walk in the ways of sin, Satan would give us no disturbance; but because grace has rescued us from his dominion, and the love of Jesus constrains us to live to him alone, therefore the enemy, like a lion robbed of his prey, roars against us. He roars, but he cannot devour; he plots and rages, but he cannot prevail; he disquiets, but he cannot destroy” John Newton (ref#322, p96-97).

“Deceit of the mind is carried on by degrees, little by little. We are first drawn away from watchfulness, then from obedience. We are drawn away from watchfulness by overconfidence. We are often drawn away from obedience by the abuse of grace” Jerry Bridges (ref#244, p65).

It is easier to sin and then ask forgiveness than to resist temptation in the first place. “We abuse grace when we think we can sin and then receive forgiveness. We abuse grace when, after sinning, we dwell on the compassion and mercy of God to the exclusion of His holiness and hatred of sin” Jerry Bridges (ref#244, p65).

“Christ succors the tempted. [W]hen a soul is most assaulted, it shall be most assisted” Thomas Watson (ref#225, p278).

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GOD’S GRACE

“God’s grace forgives! God’s grace redeems! God’s grace restores” Bob Kauflin (ref#199, p134).

“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite” (Isa 57:15 ESV).

“Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry, I struck him; I hid my face and was angry, but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart. I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, creating the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,’ says the LORD, and I will heal him” (Isa 57:17-19 ESV).

“He hates your sins, and He will follow your wanderings with His chastising rod; but He loves you, beholding you in the Beloved, fully and freely accepted in the glorious righteousness of Jesus” Octavius Winslow (ref#135, Aug 19th).

“Whenever God punishes the sins of true believers, he does so with wholesome moderation. God has nothing else in view than to correct the vices of his children so that, having thoroughly purged them of sin, he may restore them anew to his favor and friendship” John Calvin (ref#164, Mar 5th).

“Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift” (2 Cor 9:15 ESV)!

“He who can go to Gethsemane and Calvary and come away with slight views of the evil nature of sin must be blind indeed” William S. Plumer (ref#358, p4).