Our Sin Problem Part 3

by Mike Ratliff

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. (Colossians 3:1-6 ESV)

I find it appalling that our version of the church in the early 21st Century has so neglected Discipleship that Christians across the board are clueless about the deadly issue of resident sin within them. They not only do not know it is there, but they are given no training on how to deal with it. After salvation they are told that they are new creations in Christ, the old has passed away, behold the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Well, that is true, at salvation believer’s hearts are quickened. What was dead is now alive. What this means is that where there was zero spiritual life before there is now abundant spiritual life. However, this means that believers are now in Christ spiritually and He is in them spiritually. They can pray, worship and read their bibles with understanding. However, it does not mean that their “old man” sin nature is dead and gone. He is still there. He now has an alive Spirit to deal with whereas before, the Soul controlled everything. Now there is huge battle taking place between the Spirit and Soul for dominance in the heart of the believer.

Our Sin Problem Part 2

by Mike Ratliff

As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me! For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me. Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me! O LORD, make haste to help me! (Psalms 40:11-13 ESV)

As we saw in Part 1, the first step in mortifying our sin is to attack it habitually. That means that as we take each step through each part of each day we habitually take each thought capture to the Holiness of God. We compare what our hearts are attempting to pursue for gratification with God’s standards, the Law and the commands of our Saviour. This is the first step in our declared war on the root of sin in our hearts. There are two ways to attack our sin nature. The first way is useless. It involves trying to stop doing the sin. It is equivalent to picking the fruit off of a bad tree in an attempt to kill it. That, of course, is silly, but that is what trying to use will power to stop sinning is analogous to. The other way to to attack our sin nature is to lay the axe at the root of the tree and start going for the kill. If we kill the root the tree will die. I would rather think of what we are attempting to kill as weeds rather than a fruit tree, but you get the idea.

Our Sin Problem Part 1

by Mike Ratliff

Most believers I know become quite perturbed with me when I dwell on the topic of sin after salvation. I fear that many of our number consider this a taboo topic. In their estimation, they are saved and they don’t have to worry about sin anymore. Of course these same believers are never very interested in the topic of personal holiness either. When these believers do sin they come across with an attitude like, “I know I sinned, but God is going to forgive me so what is the big deal?” It is as if they are living as examples of certain admonitions from scripture.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? (Romans 6:1 ESV)

What was the Apostle Paul’s response to that question?

By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:2-14 ESV)

Judging by Appearances

by Mike Ratliff

I have had a very interesting day today. First, my wife is out of town so I have the house to myself. Second, it’s about 7pm on Monday right now and I am working from my home office. I have several hours of work left over from my day job that I must get done tonight. I am waiting for a 4gb file to finish copying across a T1 so I can finish this. So, while I am waiting, I am writing this post. The reason I chose this topic is because of two sets of comments I received today on this blog. The first set I have flagged as spam, but in fact, the person who commented decided to call all Christians idiots, Jesus a jerk and God an tyrant. The language was 5th grade level trash talk. In other words, my natural inclination is to confront the blatherer about the level of either their maturity or IQ.

Charles Spurgeon Quote

“The eye cannot see itself. Did you ever see your own eye? In a mirror you may have done so, but that was only a reflection of it. And you may, in like manner, see the evidence of your faith, but you cannot look at the faith itself. Faith looks away from itself to the object of faith, even to Christ.”

Suffering for Doing Good

by Martin Luther

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.” ( 1 Peter 3:13-14)

Peter doesn’t want you to say that the person who harmed you was doing right. For there is a much different judgment between me and God and between me and you. For example, I can have anger, hatred, and evil desire in my heart and not hurt you. You remain unharmed and have nothing against me. But before God, I am guilty. If he punishes me, he does what is right, for I have certainly earned it. If he doesn’t punish me, then he shows mercy to me. He is right either way. But it doesn’t follow from this that the person persecuting me is also doing right. For I have not wronged that person in the same way that I have wronged God.

In Ezekiel 29:19-20, God speaks about King Nebuchadnezzar. It’s as if God were saying, “Don’t you know that he has been my servant and has served me? Now I must give him a reward. I have not yet paid him. I will give him the land of Egypt as his reward.” Nebuchadnezzar had no right to the land, but God had the right to punish others through him. In order that these evil scoundrels won’t eat their bread free of charge, God has them serve him by persecuting his people. Human reason, then, steps in and thinks that people like this must be doing well. But God is only paying them in return for their work of punishing and persecuting devout Christians. But if you endure the punishment and bless God by saying, “You are right, Lord!” you will do well. Then God will cast those people into hell and punish them for doing wrong. But he will mercifully receive you and give you eternal salvation. So let God do what he will. He will certainly repay in the end.

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Hell is Necessary

I believe that we need to take the time to examine the Doctrine of Hell. We love to look at salvation, worship, obedience, prayer, and devotion. However, the Doctrine of Hell is a necessary part of the our understanding of salvation. Follow this link to a fine sermon by Tim Conway. (not the comedian) I did a great deal of heart searching while listening to Pastor Tim’s anointed teaching.

In Christ

Mike Ratliff

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Phos Hilaron

Phos Hilaron is the oldest surviving hymn from the primitive church. Most date it to around 300 AD. Below are the Greek, Latin and English words.

Greek

Φώς ‘ιλαρόν αγίας δόξης αθανάτου Πατρός, ουρανίου, αγίου, μάκαρος, Ιησού Χριστέ, ελθόντες επί τήν ηλίου δύσιν, ιδόντες φώς εσπερινόν, υμνούμεν Πατέρα, Υιόν, καί άγιον Πνεύμα, Θεόν, Αξιόν σε εν πάσι καιροίς υμνείσθαι φωναίς αισίαις, Υιέ Θεού, ζωήν ο διδούς, διό ο κόσμος σέ δοξάζει.

Latin

Iucunda lux tu gloriae, fons luminis de lumine, beate Iesu caelitus a Patre sancto prodiens. Fulgor diei lucidus solisque lumen occidit, et nos ad horam vesperam te confitemur cantico. Laudamus unicum Deum, Patrem potentem, Filium cum Spiritu Paraclito in Trinitas gloria. O digne linguis qui piis lauderis omni tempore, Fili Dei, te saecula vitae datorem personent. Amen.

English

Hail, gladdening Light, of His pure glory poured Who is th’immortal Father, heavenly, blest, Holiest of Holies–Jesus Christ our Lord!

Now we are come to the sun’s hour of rest; The lights of evening round us shine; We hymn the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit divine!

Worthiest art thou at all times to be sung With undefiled tongue, Son of our God, giver of life, alone: Therefore in all the world thy glories, Lord, thy own. Amen.

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The Genuine Gospel

by Martin Luther

Praise be to God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3)

The book of 1 Peter is a wonderful letter and a model for us. Peter begins by explaining who Christ is and what we have received through him. He says that God has given us a new birth to a living hope through Christ’s resurrection. Likewise, the Father out of pure mercy has given us everything, apart from our merit. These are genuinely evangelical words that must be preached.

May God help us. How little of this message we find in other books! Even among the best, such as those written by Jerome and Augustine, we find hardly anything. Therefore, we must preach about Jesus Christ, that he died and rose from the dead and why he died and was resurrected. We must preach so that the people will believe in him and through faith be saved.

This is what it means to preach the true gospel. Any preaching that is different than this is not the gospel, no matter who preaches it.

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Christ is the Center

by Martin Luther

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up. (John 3:14)

When Moses lifted up the snake on a pole, many Israelites disapproved of God’s command to look at it because it wasn’t pleasant. Only believing Israelites–and no one else–understood and were healed because of their faith in the Word. Who else but our Lord could have used this story to point to Christ? I never would have bee so bold to interpret this story the way Christ did. He explains it by pointing to himself and saying, "That is the bronze snake, But I am the Son of Man. The Israelites had to look at the snake with their eyes. But you must look at me with the eyes of faith. They were cured of a physical poison. But through me, you will be redeemed from an eternal poison. Looking at the snake means believing in me. Their bodies were healed. But I will give eternal life to those who believe in me." These are strange statements and an extraordinary teaching.

With these words, the Lord gives us the proper way to interpret the Old Testament. He helps us understand that the writers and prophets of the Old Testament point to Christ with their stories and illustrations. Christ shows us that he is the center point from which the entire circle is drawn. Everyone looks toward him. Whoever follows Christ belongs in that same circle. All the stories in Holy Scripture, it they are interpreted correctly, point toward Christ.

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Journeying On

LORD OF THE CLOUD AND FIRE,

I am a stranger, with a stranger’s indifference;

My hands hold a pilgrim’s staff,

My march is Zionward,

My eyes are toward the coming of the Lord,

My heart is in thy hands without reserve.

Thou has created it,

    redeemed it,

    renewed it,

    captured it,

    conquered it.

Keep from it every opposing foe,

    crush in it every rebel lust,

    mortify every treacherous passion,

    annihilate every earthborn desire.

All faculties of my being vibrate to thy touch;

I love thee with soul, mind, body, strength,

    might, spirit, affection, will,

    desire, intellect, understanding.

Thou art the very perfection of all perfections;

All intellect is derived from thee;

My scanty rivulets flow from thy unfathomable fountain.

Compared with thee the sun is darkness,

                                    all beauty deformity,

                                    all wisdom folly,

                                    the best goodness faulty.

Thou art worthy of an adoration greater than my dull heart can yield;

Invigorate my love that it may rise worthily to thee,

    tightly entwine itself round thee,

    be allured by thee.

Then shall my walk be endless praise.

From The Valley of Vision – A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions

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