a thought on reformation day

I am privileged to be assigned Spurgeon's "Lectures to My Students" to read. I love to read, but I don't know if I would have read this otherwise. But I'm loving it! It's written powerfully and it's actually pretty easy to read. And he was humorous too, so that helps!

But, seeing as how it's Reformation Day, I'll share what Spurgeon said about Luther (and some related thoughts):

Luther was the man for decision. nobody doubted that he believed what he spoke. he spoke with thunder, for there was lightning in his faith. The man preached all over, for his entire nature believed. You felt, 'Well, he may be mad, or he may be altogether mistaken, but he assuredly believes what he says. he is the incarnation of faith; his heart is running over at his lips.'
We have a fixed faith to preach, my brethren, and we are sent forth with a definite message from God. We are not let to fabricate the message as we go along. We are not sent forth by our Master with a general commission arranged on this fashion: "As you shall think in your heart and invent in your head, so preach. keep abreast of the times. Whatever the people want to hear, tell them that, and they shall be saved." Verily, we read not so. There is something definite in the Bible. it is not quite a lump of wax to be shaped at our will....There is something told me in the Bible...revealed to me as infallible fact, which must be believed, the opposite of which is deadly error, and comes from the father of lies."

Scripture is true. We must preach it as Truth. We must teach it as Luther did. Let no one doubt our belief in it.

illumination

so, i'm studying for a mid-term, but i read this in my notes and had to share it.

when you think of the word "illumination" (think outside of any spiritual context for a minute) what do you think of? the light bulb going on (literally or figuratively!), plugging in the lights to a CHRISTmas tree, turning on a flashlight on a dark night to "illuminate" your path. really, that's what Spiritual illumination is too...it's having the eyes of your heart enlightened so that you might see the light of the glory of God in the face of Christ (Eph. 1:18-20; 2 Cor 4:6).

here's the quote I wanted to share:

...We are there abundantly taught, that the saints differ from the ungodly in this: that they have the knowledge of God, and the sight of God, and of Jesus Christ...this plainly shows, that there is a discovery of the divine superlative glory and excellency of...Christ, peculiar to the saints; and also, that it is as immediately from God, as the light from the sun...For it is compared to God's creating the light by His powerful word in the beginning of creation [cf. 2 Cor 4:6]...The change made by this spiritual opening of the eyes in conversion would be much greater, and more remarkable every way than if a man born blind should have the sense of seeing imparted to him at once, in the midst of the clear light of the sun discovering a world of visible objects. For though sight be more noble than any of the other external senses, yet this spiritual sense is infinitely more noble and the object infinitely more important.

~Jonathan Edwards

wow. pretty cool, huh?

Christ, all-sufficient.

I'm reading a book for my Bibliology class called "The All-Sufficient Savior". It's written by Steve Fernandez, the president of the Seminary (and the pastor of Community Bible Church). It's really good so far, and I've only read the first chapter! But I read this and wanted to post it:

Here are the issues: Does the Lord Jesus Christ need the insights of fallen men to help His people? Does the Scripture anywhere indicate that the church must look to natural revelation or any other source to supplement Christ? In other words, does Christ need more than His Word, His Spirit, His Body, and His all-sufficient Person to help emotionally devastated people? We contend that He does not! We also contend that any other position diminishes His glory. It makes Him less than He is. It diminishes His glorious, all-sufficiency as Savior and Deliverer...[this] is a central issue because it concerns the well-being of the church. A church not focused on Christ, however well-intended, will be powerless and infirm. Is the Evangelical church any stronger, or has it had more impact on the world after a generation of being enamored with psychology? The answer is self-evident. The church, if it is to see a reformation and revival, if it is to see a movement of the Spirit, must be marked by a Christ-centered, Christ-dependent ministry."

Sola Christus!

revealed

"What of God it is needful and beneficial for us to know, He has revealed in Christ, and whatsoever is not there, we may rest assured it is unfit and unnecessary for us to know. Truly the revelation is by no means scant, for there is vastly more revealed in the person of Christ than we shall be likely to learn in this mortal life, and even eternity will not be too long for the discovery of all the glory of God which shines forth in the person of the word made flesh, Those who would supplement Christianity had better first add to the brilliance of the sun or the fullness of the sea. As for us, we are more than satisfied with the revelation of God in the person of our Lord Jesus, and we are persuaded of the truth of His words 'he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.'"

~C. H. Spurgeon

content

"Lord, teach us whatsoever state we are in, therewith to be content."

~A Method for Prayer Matthew Henry