Joseph Alleine

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FAUX CONFESSION

“People are optimistic about this world, and they are so because they have never understood the nature of sin” Martyn Lloyd-Jones (ref#189, Dec 11th).

These are people “who are under the impelling urge of variegated, passionate desires, ever learning and never able to come to a precise and experiential knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim 3:6-7 Wuest).

“The mere presentation of the cross to the natural eye will awaken no emotion, other than natural ones. Thus, in a contemplation of the sufferings of Christ, there may in minds of deep natural sensibility be emotion, the spectacle may affect the observer to tears—but it is nature only. [B]eware of mistaking nature for grace—the emotions of a stirred sensibility—for the tears of a broken and a contrite heart” Octavius Winslow (ref#365, p46).

“We may repent of our sins outwardly and even respect God’s Word, absorbing its teaching week after week at church and in Bible study, and getting a certain amount of joy from it. But if we repeatedly succumb to temptation without heart-sorrow and fail to change our ways, even when we are reprimanded by other godly people, we should beware lest our faith be only temporary” John Calvin (ref#164, June 25th).

“The unsound covert takes Christ by halves. He is all for the salvation of Christ, but he is not for sanctification. Jesus is a sweet Name, but men do not love the Lord Jesus in sincerity. Every man’s vote is for salvation from suffering, but they do not desire to be saved from sinning. They would have their lives saved, but still would have their lusts. O be infinitely careful here; your soul depends upon it” Joseph Alleine (ref#225, Oct 16th).

“[I]t is most important that we should distinguish between mock mortification and true, between the counterfeit resemblances of this duty and the duty itself. There is a pagan ‘mortification,’ which is merely suppressing such sins as nature itself discovers and from such reasons and motives as nature suggests. This tends to hide sin rather than mortify it. It is not a recovering of the soul from the world unto God, but only acquiring a fitness to live with less scandal among men” A.W. Pink (ref#269, p113).

“Nobody is free who is unforgiven. If I were not sure of God’s forgiveness, I could not look you in the face, and I certainly could not look God in the face. I would want to run away and hide” John Stott (ref#258, p84-85).

“God isn’t at the beck and call of sinners, but listens carefully to anyone who lives in reverence and does his will” (John 9:30-33 MSG).

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THE SOUND CONVERT

“The sound convert takes a whole Christ, and takes Him for all intents and purposes, without exceptions, without limitations, without reserve. He is willing to have Christ upon any terms; he is willing to have the dominion of Christ as well as deliverance by Christ” Joseph Alleine (ref#225, Oct 16th).

“The general condition and appointment of their life, the whole level of their existence, is one of righteousness; they are righteous people, holy people, not perfect people” Martyn Lloyd-Jones (ref#211, p78).

“Although Christians are free from the condemnation of the law, sin nonetheless continues to dwell within, and all genuine Christians should be profoundly aware of how far they fall short of God’s absolute standard of righteousness. Christians are delivered daily from the indwelling power of sin by walking ‘not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit’ and by the indwelling presence of ‘the Spirit of God [who] dwells in you’” ESV Study Bible (ref#125, p2169).

“We are growing in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord; we are increasingly being made to conform to the image of His Son. We are being delivered—we have been, we are, and we shall be ultimately. The glorification is coming when He will take away our sin altogether” Martyn Lloyd-Jones (ref#211, p56).

“[T]hey fall into sin occasionally, but they do not stay on the ground—they get back to the high level. They know that they have sinned; they hate sin and repent and confess their sin and the blood of Jesus Christ again covers them, and back they go walking in the light. [T]hey know there is a seed of righteousness in them. [T]hey have been translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son” Martyn Lloyd-Jones (ref#211, p79).

TRUE CHRISTIAN OR FAUX?

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CARNAL-LIKE CHRISTIAN VS. A SOUND CONVERT

“…the carnal state is a state of continual sinning and failure…sins…are the sign that we are not living a healthy life…” Andrew Murray (ref#272, p12).

“A biblical Christian is one who has wholeheartedly complied with the terms for obtaining God’s provision for sin….True faith is permeated with repentance, and true repentance is permeated with faith….a believing penitent and a penitent believer” Albert N. Martin (ref#221, p15).

“The unsound ‘convert’ takes Christ by halves.  He is all for the salvation, but not sanctification.  He is all for the privileges, but neglects the person of Christ.  He divides the offices and benefits of Christ….They desire salvation from suffering, but do not desire to be saved from sinning.  They would be saved and keep their lusts; they are content to destroy some sins, but cannot leave the lap of Delilah….” Joseph Alleine (ref#301, Aug 26th).

“The sound convert takes a whole Christ without exceptions, without limitations, without reserve.  He is willing to have Christ upon any terms.  He is willing to have the dominion of Christ as well as deliverance” Joseph Alleine (ref#301, Aug 26th).

“You see a mark of the carnal state not only in unlovingness, self-consciousness and bitterness, but in so many other sins.  How much worldliness, how much ambition among men, how much seeking for the honor that comes from man—all the fruit of the carnal life—to be found in the midst of Christian activity” Andrew Murray (ref#272, p12)!

“…spiritual men were not called so because there was no flesh in them but because the Spirit in them had obtained dominance…” Andrew Murray (ref#272, p14).

“…let us beware lest the blessing God gives us in our work deceive us and lead us to think that because He has blessed us, we must be spiritual men.  God may give us gifts that we use, and yet our lives may not be wholly in the power of the Holy Spirit” Andrew Murray (ref#272, p14).

“The sincere convert accepts a complete Christ.  He loves not only the reward, but labour.  He seeks not only the benefits, but the burden of Christ.  He takes up the commands, yes, even the cross of Christ” Joseph Alleine (ref#301, Aug 26th).