Chapter 1

Section 2b

Redemption Through Christ

Kind bowels yearning in th’ eternal Son,

He left his Father’s court, his heavn’ly throne:

Aside he threw his most divine array,

And wrapt his Godhead in a veil of clay.

Angelic armies, who in glory crown’d,

With joyful harps his awful throne surround,

Down to the crystal frontier of the sky*

To see the Saviour born,did eager fly;

And ever since behold with wonder fresh

Their Sov’reign and our Saviour wrapt in flesh.

Who in his garb did mighty love display,

Restoring what he never took away*.

To God his glory, to the law its due,

To heav’n its honour, to the earth its hue,

To man a righteousness divine, complete,

A royal robe to suit the nuptial rite.

He in her favours, whom he loved so well,

At once did purchase heav’n, and vanquish hell.

Oh! unexampled love! so vast, so strong,

So great, so high, so deep, so broad, so long!

Can finite thought this ocean huge explore,

Unconscious of a bottom or a shore?

His love admits no parallel, for why,

At one great draught of love he drank hell dry.

No drop of wrathful gall he left behind;

No dreg to witnes that he was unkind.

The sword of awful justice pierc’d his side,

That mercy thence might gush upon the bride.

The meritorious labours of his life,

And glorious conquests of his dying strife;

Her debt of doing, suff’ring, both cancell’d,

And broke the bars his lawful captive held.

Down to the ground the hellish host he threw,

Then mounting high the trump of triumph blew,

Attended with a bright seraphic band,

Sat down enthron’d sublime on God’s right hand;

Where glorious choirs their various harps employ,

To sound his praises with confed’rate joy.

There he, the bride’s strong intercessor sits,

And thence the blessings of his blood transmits,

Sprinkling all o’er the flaming throne of God,

Pleads for her pardon his atoning blood;

Sends down his holy co-eternal Dove,

To show the wonders of incarnate love,

To woo and win the bride’s reluctant heart,

And pierce it with this kindly killing dart;

By gospel light to manifest that now

She has no futher with the law to do;

That her new lord has loos’d the fed’ral tie,

That once hard bound her or to do or die;

That precepts, threats, no single mite can crave.

Thus for her former spouse he digg’d a grave;

The law fast to his cross did nail and pin,

Then bury’d the defunct his tomb within,

That he the lonely widow to himself might win.

I’ve been listening to this Cd for the last month.  I really like the music that Red Mountain Church releases, but this is definitley one of my favorites.  The songs all share common themes of sin, doubt, and confession.  Like Indelible Grace Music has done in the past, Red Mountain Church has used the poetry of the old hymns and set them to new music.   The Christ-centered poetry of such writers as Charles Wesley, Isaac Watts, John Newton and William Cowper is preserved, and new music is added to make them a little more accessible to christians in the 21st century.  The Cd is available on the Red Mountain Chuch website and on Amazon. It is also available for download on Itunes.  The following paragraph is from the the Red Mountain Church website.

We decided to call this record Help My Unbelief. Many of the texts in these particular songs carry themes of doubt and longing. We believe that the Christian life is a complexity of emotions, a marriage of sorrow and joy. Valleys and mountaintops. Light and darkness. The hymn writers of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries seem to have captured these tensions with more honesty and depth than many contemporary writers. Because these writers have given us glimpses of their own doubt and unbelief, working through their hymns has given us much hope. Hope that we are not alone. Hope that sorrow, pain and hardship are not exclusive to our small, believing community here in Birmingham, AL. Rather, that Christians from different parts of the world, hundreds of years ago struggled with the same things. This is one reason why we sing hymns, to remember that the Church is bigger than just us at this moment. We hope you will join us in confessing, “Lord I believe; help my unbelief.” Believing that in our doubts and fears Jesus will meet us with patience and grace. This collection of hymns is for God’s prodigals and sojourners as they wait patiently for the Kingdom to come.

Below are a few samples of the songs on the Cd:

With Melting Heart and Weeping Eyes

Help My Unbelief

It Is Finished – Part II (Hark, the Voice of Love and Mercy)

Love Me to the End

I was at dinner with my friend Warren Bailey last night, and he told me that Alice Cooper is now a Christian and that he hangs out with R.C. Sproul.  I didn’t believe a word of it until I did a little research on the web today and found the following information:

The Alice Cooper Story …based on an eyewitness account by B. Hackett

As it seems, R.C. Sproul is a golfer. One of his buddies asked him to do a small promo spot on a “Golf my Way” video on how to improve your game.  So, R. C. did this spot and continued on with life. He never thought much about it again. Alice Cooper too is a golfer. This is his mid-life resource, hitting a little white ball into holes in the ground. Alice Cooper’s father is a Reformed missionary to the Navajo Indians. So he’s had some exposure to the Word of God. Sheryl Cooper is Alice’s wife. Her father is a Baptist preacher in California and an avid R.C. Sproul fan. (Hmm..can you see anything yet?)

Now, as it turns out, Sheryl’s father had been sending them R.C. Sproul books on a regular basis. However, Alice & Sheryl chucked them in a box, never thinking of them again. Then, one day, Alice is watching this Golf my Way video with R.C. doing a promo spot. At that very point, Sheryl walks into the room and says “Hey! That’s the guy on those books that Daddy keeps sending us!” Alice’s reply was something to the effect “Yeah, sure…” Anyway, they go to the box, and pull out the books and sure enough it’s the same guy. They hop on the phone to Sheryl’s father to see what this guy is all about. Sheryl’s father says to them to register for the upcoming convention in San Diego, and see for themselves what he’s all about – So they did.

At the convention, Alice Cooper comes to the registration desk and registers as Vince Cooper, but pays with his VISA card which says Alice Cooper. The guy on registrations recognizes him right away, and lets the rest of the staff know he’s there. It is one of those staff members who related this story to me. Alice Cooper was then seen with his pregnant wife sitting near the back, singing “Lift High the Cross of Jesus”. This was such a moving event for these workers that they all burst into tears to actually realize that this man of darkness was singing praises to the Lord.

“You couldn’t believe in God without believing in the Devil. I always tell bands that the most dangerous thing you can do is to believe in the concept of the Devil or the concept of God, because you’re not giving them full credit. When you believe in God, you’ve got to believe in the all-powerful God. He’s not just God, He’s the all-powerful God and He has total control over everyone’s life. The Devil, on the other hand, is a real character that’s trying his hardest to tear your life apart. If you believe that this is just mythology, you’re a prime target because you know that’s exactly what Satan wants: To be a myth. But he’s not a myth, of this I’m totally convinced. More than anything in the world, I’m convinced of that.”

Cooper said, “We have to make a choice. And everybody, at some point in their lives, has to make that choice. When people say, ‘How do you believe this? Why do you believe this?’ I just say nothing else speaks to my heart…. And I totally believe it. That being said, I’m not a very good Christian. I mean, none of us are ever ‘good’ Christians. That’s not the point. When you’re a Christian, it doesn’t mean you’re going to be good; it means you’ve got a harder road to pull.”

John Piper, while speaking at the Resolved Conference, brought a  message that was really encourging to me.  Take 40 minutes out of your day and listen to this.  It will be well worth it.

I am only posting a portion of section 2 today.  It is a little shorter than usual, but this portion of the sonnets is my favorite overall.  This section displays God’s sovereign grace towards His people in that He rescued them from His wrath while they were His enemies.  Read and enjoy.

Chapter 1

Section 2a

Redemption Through Christ

The second Adam, sov’reign Lord of all,

Did, by his Father’s authorizing call,

From bosom of eternal love descend,

To save the guilty race that him offend;

To treat an everlasting peace with those,

Who were, and ever would have been his foes.

His errand, never ending life to give

To them, whose malice would not let him live;

To make a match with rebels, and espouse

The brat which at his love her spite avows.

Himself he humbled, to depress her pride,

And make his mortal foe his loving bride.

But, ere the marriage can be solomniz’d,

All lets must be remov’d, all parties please’d,

Law-righteousness requir’d, must be procur’d,

Law-vengeance threaten’d, must be full endur’d.

Stern justice must have credit by the match,

Sweeet mercy by the heart the bride must catch.

Poor Bankrupt! all her debt must first be paid,

Her former husband in the grave be laid:

Her present lover must be at the cost,

To save and ransom to the uttermost.

If all these things this Suitor kind can do.

Then he may win her, and her blessing too,

Hard terms indeed! while death’s the first demand;

But love is strong as death*, and will not stand

To carry on the suit, and make it good,

Tho’ at the dearest rate of wounds and blood.

The burden’s heavy, but the back is broad,

The glorious lover is the mighty God*.

Accountability in the Christian life is important.  It is also important that we practice accountability in a Christ honoring method.  In an article that was posted on johnowen.org,  Jonathan K. Dodson discusses several ways in which accountability groups can “result i[n] a kind of legalism in which the healing of confession and the power of God’s promises are substituted by peer prescribed punishments.”  He goes on to say,

“With accountable asceticism, the main motivation for not sinning is punishment or embarrassment.  The idea is that we will refrain from sinning becasue we don’t want to lose something or to be embarrassed by confessing our sin to a friend. Confessional booth accountability empties the power of holiness by hollowing its motivation.  Earnestness for holiness is replaced by ritual regurgitation of our sin.  Whether we drift toward the confessional booth or the accountable asceticism, common to both is a subverting of the seriousness of sin and a forsaking of holiness, both of which sever us from the joy of the Lord. In short, we substitute ritual for righteousness.”

He then proceeds to lay out three principals for accountability groups that will help focus the battle on Christ as opposed to falling into legalistic or moralistic ruts.  He is carefull to point out that his aim is not to propose another model, but to suggest key guidlines to help foster sound accountability.  He derives these principles from the Puritan pastor and theologian John Owen.  Owen set forth these principles in his work entitled On the Mortification of Sin and On Temptation.  Jonathan states,

 ”Owen articulates the purpose for his writing on the subject: ‘that morification and universal holiness may be promoted in my own and in the hearts and ways of others, to the glory of God; so that the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ may be adorned in all things….’  In this quote Owen sets the mortification of sin in its rightful place, as a means to glorifying God and making much of the gospel of Christ.  if this is not our aim, these principles will be easily perverted into rules for self-righteousness.”

 I will list out the three principles that he provides, but please read the complete article to go deeper into each one.  The three principles are as follows:

1. Identification: Know thy sin

2.  Mortificaton:  Be killing sin lest it be killing you

3. Sanctification:  Set thy faith on His promises

Jonathan closes his article with a word on application.

“All three principles can and should be applied at an idividual level.  However, I have found that there is greater consistency and victory when these principles are embraced in community.  By gathering together regularly to encourage one another to pursue the happiness that comes with holiness, we can forsake sinful, second-rate pleasures.  In addition to believing the warnings and banking on the promises of God, we must be sure to listen, learn and love, while also praying for one another.  Together, with a common commitment to identification, mortification, and sanctification, we can avoid the perils of ascetic accountability and the evangelical confessional booth and so adorn the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ….”

Chapter 1

A general account of Man’s fall in Adam, and the remedy provided in Christ:  And a particular account of man’s being naturally wedded to the law, as a covenant of works.

Section 1

The Fall of Adam

Old Adam once a heav’n of pleasure found,

While he with perfect innocence was crown’d:

His wing’d affections to his God could move

In raptures of desire, and strians of love.

Man standing spotless, pure, and innocent,

Could well the law of works with works content;

Tho’ then, (nor since,) it could demand no less

Than personal and perfect righteousness!

These unto sinless men were easy terms,

Tho’ now beyond the reach of wither’d arms.

The legal cov’nant then upon the field,

Perfection sought, man could perfection yield.

Rich had he and his progeny remain’d,

Had he primeval innocence maintain’d:

His life had been a rest without annoy,

A scene of bliss, a paradise of joy.

But subtile Satan, in the serpent hid,

Proposing fair the fruit that God forbid,

Man soon seduc’d by hell’s alluring art,

Did, disobedient, from the rule depart,

Devour’d the bait, and by his bold offence

Fell from his blissful state of innocence*,

Prostrate, he lost his God, his life, his crown,

From all his glory tumbled headlong down,

Plung’d in a deep abyss of sin and wo,

Where, void of heart to will, or hand to do;

For’s own relief he can’t command a thought,

The total sum of what he can is nought. 

He’s able only now t’increase his thrall,

He can destroy himself, and this is all,

But can the hellish brat heav’n’s law fulful?

Whose precepts high surmount his strength and skill,

Can filthy dross produce a golden beam?

Or poison’d springs a salutif’rous stream?

Can carnal mind, firece enmity’s wide maw,

Be duly subject to the Divine law?

Nay, now its direful threatenings must take place

On all the disobedient human race,

Who do by guilt Omnipotence provoke,

Obnoxious stand to his uplifted stroke.

They must engulf themselves in endless woes,

Who to the living God are deadly foes;

Who natively his holy will gainsay,

Must to his awful justice fall a prey:

In vain do mankind now expect, in vain

By legal deeds immortal life to gain:

Nay, death is threatened, threats must have their due,

Or souls that sin, must die*; as God is true.

Dr. Sam Storms, founder of Enjoying God Ministries and author of Chosen for Life: The Case for Divine Election, posted the following study in the theology section of his website:

GOSPEL SONNETS

PART I

The Believer’s Espousals:

A POEM

Upon Isaiah 54:5 – Thy Maker is thy husband.

PREFACE.

I have decided to post Ralph Erskine’s Gospel Sonnets on this blog.  Shane Rosenthal, the producer of the nationaly sidnicated radio show The White Horse Inn and webmaster of Reformation Ink, has newly type set and edited the sonnets for Reformation Ink.  He gave a brief introduction to Ralph Erskine in an article that he wrote for Modern Reformation Magazine:

The name Ralph Erskine might not sound all that familiar to modern ears but in fact this minister’s literary works were once so treasured that as late as 1879 they were still some of the best selling religious books in London. Most of Erskine’s published material consisted of his sermons, but his most popular selling volume was a collection of feisty poetic discourses entitled the Gospel Sonnets, first published in 1720 and which by 1793 had seen over twenty editions (including American releases).

Erskine was born in Monilaws, Northumberland in 1685. His father, Henry Erskine was a minister there and was personally involved in the conversion and discipleship of Thomas Boston. Ralph entered Edinburgh University to study theology when he was fifteen, and was old enough to be licenced as a preacher by 1709. In a short biography of Erskine, Dr. G. Ella records that once he was called to the ministry,

…he was filled with grave doubts as to his Christian witness and calling, and scoured the works of godly men to find comfort. On reading Boston on the covenant, he was able to plead the promises of God and regain peace of heart.Erskine’s view of himself as shown by his diary at this time is instructive. He writes, ‘This morning, after reading, I went to prayer, under a sense of my nothingness and naughtiness, vileness and corruption, and acknowledged myself a beast before God.’ He could nevertheless add, ‘I was made to cry with tears, Lord I believe, help thou my unbelief. I was led, in some suitable manner, under a veiw of my nothingness, and of God’s all-sufficiency, to renounce all confidence in the flesh.’

Look to the blog in the coming days and months to read the posts on the Gospel Sonnets.  The complete sonnets are very long so it will take a very long time to post all of them.  I have not yet decided how often I will post them or how much of the sonnets each post will contain.  But the sonnets are full of great poetry and great theology so please continue to visit the blog.

The ESV (English Standard Version) Study Bible is going to be available for shipment in October.  This looks like it will be a tremendous benefit to the body of Christ.  Plese take a look at the ESV Study Bible website.  It will provide you with an overview of the publication.  You will also be able to view an introduction to the books of Revelation and Luke.  Below is from the website:

The ESV Study Bible was created to help people understand the Bible in a deeper way—to understand the timeless truth of God’s Word as a powerful, compelling, life-changing reality. To accomplish this, the ESV Study Bible combines the best and most recent evangelical Christian scholarship with the highly regarded ESV Bible text. The result is the most comprehensive study Bible ever published—with more than 2,750 pages of extensive, accessible Bible resources.

With completely new notes, maps, illustrations, charts, timelines, and articles, the ESV Study Bible was created by an outstanding team of 95 evangelical Christian scholars and teachers. In addition to the 757,000 words of the ESV Bible itself, the notes and resources of the ESV Study Bible comprise an additional 1.3 million words of insightful explanation, teaching, and reference material.

Primary Features

• 2,752 pages—equivalent to a 20-volume Bible resource library all in one volume.
• 1.3 million words—written by 95 leading evangelical scholars and teachers.
• 20,000 notes—focusing especially on understanding the Bible text and providing answers to frequently raised issues.
• Over 50 articles—including articles on the Bible’s authority, reliability, and interpretation; on biblical archaeology, theology, worship, prayer, and personal application.
• Over 200 full-color maps—created with the latest digital technology, satellite images, and archaeological research; printed in full color, throughout the Bible.
• 200-plus charts—offering key insights and in-depth analysis in clear, concise outline form; located throughout the Bible.
• 80,000 cross-references—to encourage easy location of important words, passages, and biblical themes.
• More than 40 new full-color illustrations—including historically accurate reconstructions of the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, Solomon’s temple, Herod’s temple, the city of Jerusalem in Jesus’ time and throughout the history of Israel, and many more.

Below are a few endorsements of the study bible.

“The ESV is a dream come true for me. The rightful heir to a great line of historic translations, it provides the continuity and modern accuracy I longed for. Now the scope and theological faithfulness of the ESV Study Bible study notes is breathtaking. Oh how precious is the written Word of God.” 

John Piper, Pastor for Preaching and Vision, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, MN

 

“The ESV Study Bible is the most important resource that has been given to the emerging generation of Bible students and teachers. The ESV Study Bible is the best. Period.”

Mark Driscoll, Preaching Pastor, Mars Hill Church, Seattle, WA; President of  the Acts 29 Church Planting Network

 

“Outstanding! The ESV Study Bible is a treasure—a beautiful volume, filled with a wealth of resources. It will be just as useful for the seminarian and long-time pastor as it will be accessible to the brand-new Christian.”

 

R. Albert Mohler Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY

 

“I was privileged to act as General Editor of the English Standard Version, and now that I look back on what we did in producing that version, I find myself suspecting very strongly that this was the most important thing that I have ever done for the Kingdom, and that the product of our labors is perhaps the biggest milestone in Bible translation in certainly the last half century at least, and perhaps more. And now, as Theological Editor of the ESV Study Bible, I believe that the work we have done together on this project has set an altogether new standard in study Bibles.”

 

J. I. Packer, Professor of Theology, Regent College, Vancouver, Canada

 

“The ESV Study Bible is a tour de force: innovative production, beautiful graphics, and notes by outstanding scholars packed with useful information.”

 

Mark Dever, Senior Pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, DC

The April edition of the Criswell Theological Review was dedicated to the topic of Christians and alcohol.  Since that is the overall theme of this website, it caught my attention.   A very helpful article was one by Kenneth L. Gentry Jr. entitled, “The Bible and the Question of Alcoholic Beverages.”  Please read the whole article in PDF form here.  One of the last paragraphs in the article gives a final summation of the thesis.

In the final analysis it is quite clear that Scripture neither urges universal total abstinence nor demads absolute life-long prohibition.  Although alcoholic beverages can be, have been, and are presently abused by individuals, such need not be the case.  Indeed, the biblical record frequently and clearly speaks of alcoholic beverages as good gifts from God for man’s enjoyment.  Unfortunatly, as is always the case among sinners, good  things are often transformed into curses.  This is true not only with alcohol but with food, medicine, sex, wealth, authority, and many other areas of life.  In fact, gluttonous eating of food is paralleled with immoderate drinking of wine in Scripture, just  as is the perverted use of sex….

The only point I make herein is that the biblical evidence shows that God allows alcohol consumption in moderation.  Too often the Bible takes the back seat to emotional, anecdotal, and social arguments against alcohol consumption.  This is most unfortunate-especially when considering the matter in ecclesiastical circles for Christians must “let God be found true” (Rom 3:4).

Mark Driscoll, the preaching pastor at Mars Hill Church in Seattle Washington, discusses the difference between Calvinism and Arminianism in the following video:

I work in financial planning.  One of the main goals for  a financial planner is retirement.  The following video from Desiring God Ministries makes sure that we keep the right perspective.