NINE TESTS FOR SPIRITUAL FRUIT

How to Recognize the Holy Spirit

Article by Scott Hubbard

Of all the blessings that are ours in Christ, is any greater than the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit?

The Spirit is “the sum of the blessings Christ sought, by what he did and suffered in the work of redemption,” Jonathan Edwards writes (Works of Jonathan Edwards, 5:341). The Spirit illumines our Savior’s face (John 16:14). The Spirit puts “Abba! Father!” in our mouths (Romans 8:15). The Spirit plants heaven in our hearts (Ephesians 1:13–14).

For all the blessings the Spirit brings, however, many of us labor under confusion when it comes to recognizing the Spirit’s presence. As a new believer, I was told that speaking in tongues and prophesying were two indispensable signs of the Spirit’s power. Perhaps others of us, without focusing the lens so narrowly, likewise identify the Spirit’s presence most readily with his miraculous gifts: visions, healings, impressions, and more.

“Of all the blessings that are ours in Christ, is any greater than the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit?”

To be sure, the Spirit does reveal himself through such wonders (1 Corinthians 12:8–11), and Christians today should “earnestly desire” them (1 Corinthians 14:1). Nevertheless, when Paul tells the Galatians to “walk by the Spirit” and “keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16, 25), he focuses their attention not on the Spirit’s gifts, but on the Spirit’s fruit.

So if we want to know whether we are keeping in step with the Spirit, or whether we need to find his footsteps again, we would do well to consider love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Fruit of the Spirit

In order to understand the Spirit’s fruit, we need to remember the context in which it appears. Paul’s list came at first to a community at odds with each other. The apostle found it necessary to warn the Galatians not to “bite and devour one another,” nor to “become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another” (Galatians 5:15, 26). The Galatians, in turning from God’s grace in the gospel (Galatians 1:6), had evidently begun to turn on one another.

In this context, the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit describe two communities: the anti-community of those in the flesh, seeking a righteousness based on their works (Galatians 5:19–21); and the true community of those in the Spirit, justified through faith alone in Christ alone (Galatians 5:22–23).

As we use Paul’s list to examine ourselves, then, we need to ask if these graces mark us, not when we sit in peaceful isolation, but when we move among God’s people. I may appear patient, gentle, and kind when alone in my apartment, but what about when I am with the church? Who we are around others — baffling others, irritating others, oblivious others — reveals how far we have come in bearing the Spirit’s fruit.

Now, what are these nine clusters of fruit that manifest the Spirit’s presence? To keep the survey manageable, we will include only one or two angles on each virtue, and restrict ourselves mostly to Paul’s letters.

Love: Do you labor for the good of your brothers and sisters?

When God pours his love into our hearts through the Spirit (Romans 5:5), our posture changes: once curved inward in self-preoccupation, we now straighten our backs, lift our heads, and begin to forget ourselves in the interests of others (Philippians 2:1–4). We find our hearts being knit together with people we once would have disregarded, judged, or even despised (Colossians 2:2; Romans 12:16). Our love no longer depends on finding something lovely; having felt the love of Christ (Galatians 2:20), we carry love with us wherever we go.

“Who we are around others reveals how far we have come in bearing the Spirit’s fruit.”

Such love compels us to labor for the good of our brothers and sisters (1 Thessalonians 1:3), to patiently bear with people we find vexing (Ephesians 4:2), and to care more about our brother’s spiritual welfare than our own spiritual freedom (1 Corinthians 8:1). No matter our position in the community, we gladly consider ourselves as servants (Galatians 5:13), and are learning to ask not, “Who will meet my needs today?” but rather, “Whose needs can I meet today?”

Better by far to carry even an ounce of this love in our hearts than to enjoy all the world’s wealth, comforts, or acclaim. For on the day when everything else passes away, love will remain (1 Corinthians 13:7–8).

Joy: Do you delight in the Christlikeness of God’s people?

For Paul, the fellowship of God’s people was not peripheral to Christian joy. He could write to Timothy, “I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy” (2 Timothy 1:4), or to the Philippians, “In every prayer of mine for you all [I make] my prayer with joy” (Philippians 1:4). To be sure, the joy of the Spirit is, first and foremost, joy in our Lord Jesus (Philippians 4:4). But genuine joy in Christ overflows to all who are being remade in his image. By faith, we have seen the resplendent glory of our King — and now we delight to catch his reflection in the faces of the saints.

The pinnacle of our horizontal joy, however, is not simply in being with God’s people, but in seeing them look like Jesus. “Complete my joy,” Paul writes to the Philippians, “by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind” (Philippians 2:2). What would complete your joy? When we walk by the Spirit, the maturity of God’s people completes our joy. We rejoice when we see humility triumph over pride, lust fall before a better pleasure, the timid speak the gospel with boldness, and fathers lead their families in the fear of the Lord.

Peace: Do you strive to maintain the unity of the Spirit, even at significant personal cost?

The Holy Spirit is the great unifier of the church. Because of Jesus’s peacemaking work on the cross, the Spirit makes Jew and Gentile “one new man” (Ephesians 2:15); he gathers former enemies as “members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19); he builds us all “into a holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:21–22). No matter how different we seem from the person in the next pew, we share a body, we share a home, we share a sanctuary — all because we share the same Lord, and will one day share the same heaven (Ephesians 4:4–6).

“Kindness receives an offense, refashions it in the factory of our souls, and then sends it back as a blessing.”

Those who walk by the Spirit, then, do not grieve him by tearing down what he has built up (Ephesians 4:29–30), but rather “pursue what makes for peace” (Romans 14:19): We ask for forgiveness first, even when the majority of the fault lies with the other person. We renounce unwarranted suspicions, choosing rather to assume the best. We abhor all gossip, and instead honor our brothers behind their backs. And when we must engage in conflict, we “aim for restoration” so that we might “live in peace” (2 Corinthians 13:11).

Patience: Are you growing in your ability to overlook offenses?

As a fruit of the Spirit, patience is more than the ability to sit calmly in traffic or to wait at the doctor’s office well past your appointment time. Patience is the inner spiritual strength (Colossians 1:11) that enables us to receive an offense full in the face, and then look right over it. Patient people are like God: “slow to anger” (Exodus 34:6), even when confronted with severe and repeated provocation (Romans 2:4; 1 Timothy 1:16).

Patience is integral to one of the church’s primary responsibilities: discipleship. When Paul exhorted Timothy to “preach the word . . . in season and out of season,” he told him to do so “with complete patience” (2 Timothy 4:2; cf. 3:10–11). Ministry in the church, no matter our role, places us around people whose progress is much slower than we would like. We will find ourselves around “the idle, . . . the fainthearted, . . . the weak,” and instead of throwing up our hands, we must “be patient with them all” (1 Thessalonians 5:14). We must come alongside the plodding, stumbling saint, and remember that he will one day shine like the sun (Matthew 13:43).

Kindness: Do you not only overlook offenses, but also repay them with love?

It is one thing to receive an offense and quietly walk away. It is quite another to receive an offense, refashion it in the factory of your soul, and then send it back as a blessing. The former is patience; the latter is kindness (Romans 2:4–5; Titus 3:4–5; Ephesians 4:32). Spirit-wrought kindness creates parents who discipline their children with a steady, tender voice; sufferers who respond to ignorant, insensitive “comfort” with grace; wives and husbands who repay their spouses’ sharp word with a kiss.

This fruit of the Spirit has not yet matured in us unless we are ready to show kindness, not only to those who will one day thank us for it, but also to “the ungrateful and the evil” (Luke 6:35). The kind are able to give a blessing, to receive a curse in return, and then to go on giving blessings (Romans 12:14).

Goodness: Do you dream up opportunities to be helpful?

Outside the moment of offense, those who walk by the Spirit carry with them a general disposition to be useful, generous, and helpful. They do not need to be told to pitch in a hand when the dishes need drying or the trash needs emptying, but get to work readily and with a good will.

“Just as no one can sit beneath a waterfall and stay dry, so no one can gaze on this Jesus and stay fruitless.”

Such people, however, do not simply do good when they stumble upon opportunities for doing so; they “resolve for good” (2 Thessalonians 1:11), putting their imagination to work in the service of as-yet-unimagined good deeds as they seek to “discern what is pleasing to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:8–10). They follow the counsel of Charles Spurgeon: “Let us be on the watch for opportunities of usefulness; let us go about the world with our ears and eyes open, ready to avail ourselves of every occasion for doing good; let us not be content till we are useful, but make this the main design and ambition of our lives” (The Soul-Winner, 312).

Faithfulness: Do you do what you say you’ll do, even in the smallest matters?

The faithfulness of God consists, in part, of his always doing what he says he will do: “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). The faithfulness of God’s people consists, likewise, in our making every effort to do what we say we’ll do, even when it hurts.

The Spirit makes us strive to say with Paul, “As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No” (2 Corinthians 1:18). The faithful build such a trustworthy reputation that, when they fail to follow through on their word, others do not say, “Well, you know him,” but are rather surprised. If we say we’ll come to small group, we come. If we commit to cleaning the bathroom, we clean it. If we agree to call someone on Thursday at 4:00, we call on Thursday at 4:00. We labor to be faithful, even if our areas of responsibility right now are only “a little” (Matthew 25:21), knowing that how we handle little responsibilities reveals how we will handle big ones (Luke 16:10; 2 Timothy 2:2).

Gentleness: Do you use your strength to serve the weak?

Gentleness is far from the manicured niceness it is sometimes portrayed to be. “Gentleness in the Bible is emphatically not a lack of strength,” but rather “the godly exercise of power,” David Mathis writes. When Jesus came to save us sinners, he robed himself with gentleness (Matthew 11:29; 2 Corinthians 10:1). When we do our own work of restoring our brothers and sisters from sin, we are to wear the same clothing (Galatians 6:1). Gentleness does not prevent the godly from ever expressing anger, but they are reluctant to do so; they would far rather correct others “with love in a spirit of gentleness” (1 Corinthians 4:21).

“In making our home with him, Christ makes our hearts a heaven.”

No wonder Paul pairs gentleness with humility in Ephesians 4:2. As one Greek lexicon puts it, gentleness requires “not being overly impressed by a sense of one’s self-importance.” In the face of personal offense, the proud unleash their anger in order to assert their own significance. The humble are more concerned with the offender’s soul than their own self-importance, and so they channel their strength in the service of gentle restoration.

Self-control: Do you refuse your flesh’s cravings?

Scripture gives us no rosy pictures of self-control. Paul writes, “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. . . . I discipline my body and keep it under control” (1 Corinthians 9:25, 27). The Greek word for discipline here means “to give a black eye, strike in the face.” Paul’s use is metaphorical, but the point still holds: self-control hurts. It requires us to say a merciless “No!” to any craving that draws us away from the Spirit and into the flesh (Titus 2:11–12).

The need for self-control applies to every bodily appetite — for sleep, food, and caffeine, for example — but in particular to our sexual appetites (1 Corinthians 7:9). Those governed by the Spirit are learning, truly even if fitfully, to hear God’s promises as louder than lust’s demands, and to refuse to give sexual immorality a seat among the saints (Ephesians 5:3).

Walk by the Spirit

The Spirit of God never indwells someone without also making him a garden of spiritual fruit. If we are abounding in these nine graces, then we are walking by the Spirit; if these virtues are absent, then no spiritual gift can compensate for their lack. How, then, should we respond when we find that the works of the flesh have overrun the garden? Or how can we continue to cultivate the Spirit’s fruit over a lifetime? We can begin by remembering three daily postures, the repetition of which is basic to any Christian pursuit of holiness: repent, request, renew.

Repent. When the works of the flesh have gained control over us, we must go backward in repentance in order to go forward in holiness. Confess your sins honestly and specifically (perhaps using Paul’s list in Galatians 5:19–21), and then trust afresh in “the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Remember again that we are not justified by fruit, but by faith.

Request. Apart from the renewing, fructifying presence of God’s Spirit, we are all a cursed earth (Romans 7:18). If we are going to bear the fruit of holiness, then, we need to ask him “who supplies the Spirit” to do so more and more (Galatians 3:5).

“Those governed by the Spirit are learning to hear God’s promises as louder than lust’s demands.”

Renew. Finally, we renew our gaze on Jesus Christ, whom the Spirit loves to glorify (John 16:14; Galatians 3:1–2). Here we find our fruitful vine: our Lord of love, our joyful King, our Prince of peace, our patient Master, our kind Friend, our good God, our faithful Savior, our gentle Shepherd, our Brother who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet with perfect self-control. Just as no one can sit beneath a waterfall and stay dry, so no one can gaze on this Jesus and stay fruitless.

Heaven in Our Hearts

Of course, renewing our gaze on Jesus Christ is more than the work of a moment. When Paul said, “I live by faith in the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20), he was speaking of a lifestyle rather than a fleeting thought or a brief prayer. We must do more than cast an eye in Jesus’s direction; we must commune with him.

We cannot commune with Christ too closely, nor can we exert too much energy in pursuing such communion. If we make nearness to him our aim, we will find ourselves rewarded a hundredfold beyond our efforts. The Puritan Richard Sibbes once preached,

Do we entertain Christ to our loss? Doth he come empty? No; he comes with all grace. His goodness is a communicative, diffusive goodness. He comes to spread his treasures, to enrich the heart with all grace and strength, to bear all afflictions, to encounter all dangers, to bring peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost. He comes, indeed, to make our hearts, as it were, a heaven. (Works of Richard Sibbes, 2:67)

This is what we find when we walk by the Spirit of Christ: in making our home with him, he makes our hearts a heaven.

Scott Hubbard is a graduate of Bethlehem College & Seminary and an editor for desiringGod.org. He and his wife, Bethany, live in Minneapolis.

Posted at: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/how-to-recognize-the-holy-spirit

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

Ben Ciavolella

In light of Matt Foreman's insightful article, it seems appropriate to look at some practical advice from The Beatitudes by Thomas Watson.[1]. Here's what Watson had to say about becoming a peacemaker:

How shall we attain to peaceableness?

1. Take heed of those things which will hinder it. There are several impediments of Peace which we must beware of; and they are either outward or inward.

a) Outward; as whisperers (Rom. 1:29)

There are some who will be buzzing things in our ears purposely to exasperate and provoke; among these we may rank Tale-bearers (Lev. 19:16). The Tale-bearer carries reports up and down, the Devil finds his Letters by this Post; the Tale-Bearer is an Incendiary, he blows the coals of contention. Do you hear (saith he) what such a one saith of you? Will you put up such a wrong? Will you suffer yourself to be so abused? Thus saith he by throwing in his fireballs, foment differences, and set men together by the ears; we are commanded indeed to provoke one another to love (Heb. 10:24), but nowhere to provoke anger: We should stop our ears to such persons as are known to come on the Devil's errand.

b) Take Heed of Inward Hinderances[2] to Peace, such as:

i) Self-Love (φιλαυτία). Men shall be lovers of themselves (2 Tim. 3:2): And it follows, they shall be fierce (ἀνήμεροι; v. 3) The setting-up of this Idol of Self, hath caused so many Law-suits, Plunders, Massacres in the World. All seek their own (Phil. 2:21). Nay; it were well if they would seek but their own. Self-love angles away the Estates of others, either by force or fraud. Self-love sets up Monopolies and Enclosures; it is a Bird of prey, which lives upon rapine. Self-love cuts asunder the bond of Peace. Lay aside Self. The Heathens could say "We are not born for ourselves" (Non nobis solum nati).

ii) Pride (ἀλαζονεία). He That is of a proud heart, stirreth up strife (Prov. 28:26). Pride and Contention, like Hippocrates Twins, are both born at once. A proud man thinks himself better than others, and will contend for superiority. "Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence" (3 John 9): A proud man would have all strike sail to him. Because Mordecai would not give Haman the Cap and Knee, he gets a bloody warrant signed for the death of all the Jews (Esther 3:9). What made all the strife between Pompey and Caesar, but pride? Their Spirits were too high to yield one to another. When this wind of pride gets into a mans heart, it causeth sad Earthquakes of division. The Poets fain, that when Pandora's Box was broke open, it filled the world with disease. When Adam's pride had broken the Box of Original Righteousness, it hath ever since filled the world with debates and dissensions. Let us shake off this viper of Pride; humility solders Christians together in Peace.

iii) Envy (φθόνος). Envy stirreth up strife; the Apostle hath linked them together (1 Tim 6:4). Envy cannot endure a Superiour; this made the Plebeian faction so strong among the Romans, they envied their Superiours: an envious man seeing another to have a fuller Crop, a better Trade, is ready to pick a quarrel with him. "Who can stand therefore envy?" (Prov. 27:4). Envy is a vermin that lives on blood; take heed of it; peace will not dwell with this inmate.

iv) Credulity (ταχυτείθεια). "The Simple believeth every word" (Prov. 14:15). A credulous man is a kin to a fool; he believes all that is told him, and this doth often created differences. As it is a sin to be a Tale-bearer, so it is a folly to be a Tale-believer. A wise man will not take a report at the first bound, but will sift and examine it before he gives credit to it.

2. Let Us Labour for those things which will maintain and cherish peace, such as:

a) Faith. Faith and peace keep house together. Faith believes the Word of God; the Word saith, "Live in peace" (2 Cor. 13:11). And as soon as faith sees the King of heavens Warrant, it obeys. Faith persuades the soul that God is at peace; and it is impossible to believe this, and live in variance. Nourish faith; faith knits us to God in love, and to our Brethren in peace/

b) Christian-Communion. There should not be too much strangeness among Christians; the primitive Saints had their love-feasts (ἀγάπαι). The Apostle exhorting to peace, brings this as an Expedient: "Be ye kind one to another" (Eph. 4:32).

c) Look not upon the failings of others, but their graces; there is no perfection here. We read of the "spots of God's children" (Deut. 32:5). The most golden Christians are some grains too light. Oh let us not so quarrel with the infirmities of others, as to pass by their virtues. If in some things they fail, in other things they excel. 'Tis the manner of the world to look more upon the Sun in an Exlipse, than when it shines in its full luster.

d) Pray to God that he will send down the Spirit of Peace into our hearts. We should not, as Vultures, prey one upon another, but pray one for another. Pray that God will quench the fire of contention, and kindle the fire of compassion in our hearts one to another.

------

[1] Thomas Watson, The Beatitudes, or a Discourse Upon Part of Christ's Famous Sermon on the Mount (London, 1671). 

[2] Original: "lets" (credit to Banner's 2014 edition for clarifying). 

Ben Ciavolella is a student at Westminster Theological Seminary. He works as a publishing assistant for the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals.

Posted at: https://www.reformation21.org/blog/blessed-are-the-peacemakers

Satan’s Strategy #6: Just Say Sorry

Robert Spinney

Satan tells us that repentance is easy and forgiveness is available, so yielding to temptation is not serious. We are tempted to think that we'll only commit a sin a few times and then claim God's forgiveness. “Correcting the situation after you sin is easy,” the Tempter tells us.

But this is dangerous thinking for several reasons. First, consider how nauseating even we humans find insincere repentance. Here's an example of what I mean: Imagine that you heard me saying to my young daughter,

“I am about to smash your finger with this hammer I will do this deliberately and with no regard for the pain it causes you. I know it’s wrong for me to crush your finger like this, but I'm going to do it anyway because it is fun. And tomorrow, I will apologize and ask for your forgiveness.” 

I then proceed to wallop my little girl's finger and, as expected, she screams in anguish. The next day, I say to my injured daughter, “I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Don't hold this against me. I apologize.” Wouldn't you be horrified that I could manipulate concepts like “I'm sorry” and “forgive me” so mechanically? Wouldn't you be outraged at my hypocrisy and malice? Surely you would doubt that I was truly repentant, since by definition repentance includes sincerity and genuine remorse.

Humans reject insincere repentance like this; surely God rejects it as well. Satan will tempt you to think that God will accept such insincere repentance. But He will not; the Holy One of Israel will not accept it, since it is not true repentance at all, but an insulting attempt to manipulate God. And this will result in judgment. 

And what if Satan is successful at getting you to think like this? What if the devil persuades you to sin now on the assumption that it will be easy to find forgiveness later? If Satan is so successful at getting you to sin today, what makes you think he won't be equally successful at getting you to avoid repenting? Once you have committed your sin, Satan will work just as hard to persuade you that repentance is unnecessary. After your sin, the Adversary will point out (accurately, I might add) that repentance is often humiliating. It may involve tears and sleeplessness, shame and anguish of soul, perhaps even public confession and costly restitution.

Anyone who has repented knows that repentance is not easy! If Satan persuades you to sin now, isn't it likely that he will persuade you to not repent later? The power of Satan's temptations today should convince you that Satan's temptations tomorrow will be equally powerful. Your easy repentance and easy forgiveness will not be so easy. 

Nor can we even be certain that we will want to repent after we sin. This is because indulging in sin desensitizes us to sin. Frequent sinning diminishes our sense of moral outrage at sin. When sin becomes commonplace and routine, we are more likely to sin again. We all know calloused men who sin repeatedly and no longer wish to repent of their sins. They continue in their sins precisely because they don't want to repent of them. This is the process that Scripture characterizes as a searing of the conscience (1 Timothy 4:2).

Your deliberate sins today may make you unwilling to repent tomorrow.>

Robert Spinney (PhD, Vanderbilt) is professor of History at Patrick Henry College, where he teaches American history and historiography. He is the author of City of Big Shoulders: A History of Chicago and World War II in Nashville: Transformation of the Homefront, as well as an American history textbook and numerous ministry-related booklets. Dr. Spinney formerly served as a pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Hartsville, TN, and at Winchester Baptist Church in Winchester, VA.

Posted at: https://www.reformation21.org/blog/satans-strategy-6-just-say-sorry

Satan’s Strategy #5: God Doesn't Judge

Robert Spinney

Satan tempts us to think that God is so indulgent that we need not fear punishment for our sins. Few of Satan's lies are more widespread and more dangerous today,

"God is a God of love. He does not punish. He never judges. God expects people to sin and simply overlooks our sin, much as would a lenient and permissive grandfather. So don't get too alarmed about sin."

Not true. Here we see Satan resorting to a common ploy: He obscures a portion of the truth to create a falsehood. God is indeed a God of love, but He is also holy. God forgives sin, but He is also a consuming fire (Deut. 4:24; Heb. 12:29). Although rich in mercy, God also cast the angels out of Heaven and expelled Adam from Paradise. God's patience is great, but He also destroyed the entire earth in a catastrophic flood. God displays compassion, but He also sent fire from Heaven to judge the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. 

Nowhere is God's righteous anger against sin more clearly demonstrated than at Calvary. When the Lamb of God hung on the cross bearing the sins of all God's people, the thrice holy God poured out His divine punishment upon the Messiah. The Bible makes this clear: The God who gives grace is also the God who judges sin. 

It is an error—and sometimes a fatal one—to misinterpret God's patience as God's indulgence. God mercifully withholds chastisement as He calls us to repentance. But Satan tempts us to regard withheld punishment as God's lack of concern for our sin. We are then emboldened to continue in sin. “Do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?" (Rom. 2:4). The Holy Spirit displays God's goodness to us and directs us to repent; Satan tells us that God's goodness is evidence that He won't punish sin, and therefore we don't need to repent. 

God does not indulgently ignore our sins. “Do not be deceived," the Bible says to we who are so easily deceived. “God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap." (Gal. 6:7) There is a reaping that is inevitably linked to our sowing: If we sow in sinful actions, we will reap a harvest of sin's consequences (which include God's judgment). There are several good protections against temptation, but one of the best is a healthy fear of God's hand of punishment. 

Brooks cautions that we should be most alarmed over our spiritual health when we can break God's laws and not sense God's holy displeasure with us. “When God lets the way to Hell be a smooth and pleasant way," warns Brooks, it is "a dreadful sign of God's indignation against a man; a token of His rejection, and that God doth not intend good unto him."

Robert Spinney (PhD, Vanderbilt) is professor of History at Patrick Henry College, where he teaches American history and historiography. He is the author of City of Big Shoulders: A History of Chicago and World War II in Nashville: Transformation of the Homefront, as well as an American history textbook and numerous ministry-related booklets. Dr. Spinney formerly served as a pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Hartsville, TN, and at Winchester Baptist Church in Winchester, VA.

Satan’s Strategy #4: Great Men Sin

Robert Spinney

Satan tempts us to excuse or ignore our sin by showing us the sins of great men. We need not turn to tabloid newspapers to read of such sins; the Bible will suffice. Noah got drunk. Abraham lied. Jacob deceived his father and cheated his brother. David committed adultery and murder. Peter denied the Lord Jesus Christ and behaved hypocritically toward Gentile Christians. Satan tells us that such examples prove sin comes with few negative consequences. "These men continued to be useful servants in God's kingdom," Satan says. "They sinned, found forgiveness, and the whole mess was over. They recovered and all was well."

Satan also tells us that such examples prove that sin is inevitable. "There is no avoiding sin," the Devil says. "Sin will happen to the very best of men. God expects us to sin, so He is neither surprised nor terribly disappointed when we do sin. Don't get overly concerned about sin," the Deceiver tells us.

When Satan tempts us in this manner, he neglects to tell us the rest of the story. He hides the tears, heartaches, misery, and painful repentance that result from yielding to temptation. David's infamous sins with Bathsheba and Uriah were followed by his humiliating encounter with Nathan, his public disgrace, and his soul-wrenching repentance. We also know that God punished David for his sin. (See Psalm 51 and 2 Samuel 12:10.) Peter's denial of Jesus before a lowly servant girl resulted in a night of tears. According to early Christians who knew the elderly Peter, whenever the apostle heard a cock crow he would be reminded of his sins, fall upon his knees, and beg for pardon anew.

Great saints sin, but they also feel the pain of sin acutely. “Though God doth not, nor never will, disinherit His people for their sins," writes Brooks, "yet He hath severely punished His people for their sins."

Nor does Satan tell us that great men do not make it a habit to sin. They fall into sin, but they do not stay there. They are overtaken by sin; they do not remain in it. As Brooks put it, they fall accidentally, occasionally, and with much reluctancy; they do not sin obstinately, readily, delightfully, or customarily. Great saints grieve over and fight their way out of sin.

Seeing the sins of great men should certainly affect us: It should persuade us that sin is deceitful and powerful. It should convince us that we are not strong enough to experiment with sin. Every Christian should realize that he is not so mature that he is immune to the allure of sin. Great men's sins should cause us to fear sin all the more and be even more vigilant in resisting it. Believers who think they stand should take heed lest they fall (1 Corinthians 10:12). It can encourage our own repentance when we see that even great saints sinned and yet found restoration through forsaking their sin.

Satan's showing us the sins of great men often has another effect: It encourages us to think that we lack the power to resist sin. "If that great saint could not resist temptation," the Devil tells us, "then how can you? You are much weaker than he!" We see godly Christians succumb to temptations and come to the conclusion that resisting sin is futile.

Not true.

“No temptation has you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are with the temptation will provide the way of escape a you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

This assures me that I always possess the ability to resist on temptations. I never face a temptation that is stronger the provision of God's grace. God is faithful to restrict temptations to snares I am able to resist. This verse also tells me that there is always a way to escape from the temptation without sinning. I can never surrender and cry out, “I can't endure this temptation any longer!" Because a sovereign God controls all events and gives grace, I am always able to endure it. The question is never whether I have the ability to resist this temptation to sin, because the answer to that question is “Yes.” Rather, the question Christians face is whether they are willing to resist this temptation to sin. The Bible tells me that I am never in a situation where I must sin. "The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation.” (2 Peter 2:9).

Robert Spinney (PhD, Vanderbilt) is professor of History at Patrick Henry College, where he teaches American history and historiography. He is the author of City of Big Shoulders: A History of Chicago and World War II in Nashville: Transformation of the Homefront, as well as an American history textbook and numerous ministry-related booklets. Dr. Spinney formerly served as a pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Hartsville, TN, and at Winchester Baptist Church in Winchester, VA.

Posted at: https://www.reformation21.org/blog/satans-strategy-4-great-men-sin

Satan’s Strategy #3: Downplay the Danger

Robert Spinney

Satan downplays the seriousness of sin so that we think it poses no danger to our soul. “But it's such a harmless sin," he tells us, 

“It's so small. No one will be hurt. It's just a little pride, a little worldliness, a little compromise, a little sexual immorality. Only you and God will know, and God understands. There will be no victims and no negative fallout. You may engage in this sin (carefully, of course) without harming your soul.” 

This is a lie. Despite its appeal to your flesh, you must rject this temptation as a falsehood straight from Hell. All sin is a vandalizing of God's world; all sin is a criminal violation God's authority. Sin both offends and betrays God. As Cornelius Plantinga explains: 

"Sin is not only the breaking of law but also the breaking of covenant with one's Savior. Sin is the smearing of the relationship, the grieving of one's divine parent and benefactor, a betrayal of the partner to whom one is joined by holy bond." (Not the Way It's Supposed to Be: A Breviary, of Sin, p. 12) 

This is why the Bible never suggests that so-called small sins are insignificant. Every sin is big. Of course, some sins carry more obvious consequences, and some sins hurt more bystanders than other sins. But even the smallest sin is an act of treason against the Creator. Sin is a personal affront to God: Deliberate sin is the equivalent of slapping God in the face. This is why Adam plunged the human race into misery and was banished from Eden for what we would likely consider a small sin. Adam didn't murder or commit adultery; he ate a piece of fruit! This was a massively serious sin, however, because it (like all sin) was a defiant rejection of God's legitimate authority. 

Is not resisting so-called small sins a better test of true love for God than avoiding what we regard as big sins? The earthly consequences of big sins are frequently so frightful that even non-Christians refrain from them. Because of the threat of legal punishment or the prospect of public scorn, even unbelievers often frown on adultery, condemn murder, and disapprove of theft. But in small sins, the issue of obedience or disobedience is more clearly a matter of principle. When the consequences of sin are less apparent, do you still obey God? Do you obey God simply because He is God? Do you avoid sin only because of its painful earthly consequences, or rather because you love your Creator? 

Sin corrupts our thinking so that we do not see how "small sins" damage our souls. Due to sin's very nature (and not its smallness or bigness), it distorts our character and perverts our abilities. Small sins are like small amounts of the HIV virus: They weaken our spiritual immune system, compromise our overall spiritual health, increase our vulnerability to other sins, and insure that we will grow only more ill in the future. Small sins numb our consciences. They nurture soul-level corruption and lead to other sins. Brooks is right: in the end, there is more misery in the smallest sin than in the most severe hardship. 

Small sins also often lead to big sins. We frequently entertain small sins when we feel empty, lonely, depressed, or angry. We want our spirits to improve-we want a “mood enhancer” – so we indulge in a sin in hopes that it will make us happy. Often it does; there is usually a momentary thrill when we do something forbidden, and sin is often pleasurable (at least initially). Our little sin seemingly has the desired effect of injecting excitement into our lives. 

However, this sin-induced mood enhancement wears off. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can create sustained fulfillment and contentment in our souls. And ao qe soon find ourselves back where we started: Empty, lonely, depressed, or angry. But now, the little sin that electrified us last month no longer carries the same thrill that it had before. It is no longer exotic, because we have explored it. Indulging in our little sin has normalized that sin to us. 

At this critical moment, temptation does not say to us, “The old course of action-finding pleasure in sin-failed.” Instead, the Tempter says, “Finding pleasure in sin is the right course of action; just do more sin." To enhance our mood now, we must graduate from our little sin to a bigger and more exciting one. In time, however, we will become bored with this bigger sin as well ... and will need an even bigger one to obtain the same mood-enhancing effect. 

This is the classic process of addiction which alcoholics and drug addicts know it all too well. The longest running addiction on planet earth is the addiction to sin. When we say that we are sinners, we mean that are sin addicts; Christians are recovering sin addicts who suffer relapses. As with the alcoholic, so with the sin-oholic; he hopes to find in his vice the satisfaction that only God gives. A little sin is to the sinner what a little whiskey is to the alcoholic: A doorway to self-destruction. 

Both sinner and alcoholic desperately need to resist temptations in order to be healthy. “It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich," says Proverbs 10:22,"and He adds no sorrow to it.” God gives spiritual highs that come with neither hangovers nor destructive addictions.

Robert Spinney (PhD, Vanderbilt) is professor of History at Patrick Henry College, where he teaches American history and historiography. He is the author of City of Big Shoulders: A History of Chicago and World War II in Nashville: Transformation of the Homefront, as well as an American history textbook and numerous ministry-related booklets. Dr. Spinney formerly served as a pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Hartsville, TN, and at Winchester Baptist Church in Winchester, VA.

Posted at: https://www.reformation21.org/blog/satans-strategy-3-downplay-the-danger

Satan's Strategy #2: Sin that Seems Virtuous

Robert Spinney

Scripture reports that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14). Understand that Satan's deception extends beyond disguising his person; he also disguises his activities. Especially when Satan tempts Christians, he presents sins as things that are not so bad, and sometimes even good.

Wasn't this what Satan did in the Garden of Eden? He claimed the forbidden fruit would open the eyes, make man like God, and impart the ability to know good and evil. Eve’s conclusion: It was good to eat the fruit (Gen. 3:6-7). 

Brooks gives several examples of this kind of temptation that resonated with his seventeenth-century culture. Believers are tempted to be proud (says Brooks) when Satan deceives us into thinking that pride is really only neatness and cleanliness. Christians are tempted to covet when covetousness is repackaged as thriftiness. Drunkenness is recast as nothing more than enjoying fellowship with friends. Riotous living is excused as merely a stage through which all youth pass. 

Here are several examples that may resonate with today's culture:

• Men are tempted to give free rein to their bad tempers when this sin is portrayed as merely exercising firm leadership as the head of one's family. 

• Women are tempted to nag and manipulate their husbands when they are deceived into regarding such behaviors as only encouraging their spouses to do what's right. 

• Children are tempted to dishonor their parents when they think they are only exercising their God-given rights as individuals.

• We allow ourselves to wallow in self-pity when we rationalize it as suffering unfairly for Christ's sake. 

• Believers are tempted to indulge in pornography when Satan persuades them that they are merely fulfilling normal sexual desires in a way that doesn't hurt anyone. 

• Impatience is justified as a determination to get things accomplished. 

• Irreverence in worship is excused as friendliness, warmth, and avoiding stuffiness. 

• When we are argumentative in religious discussions, we are tempted to justify our lack of kindness because we are defending the truth. 

• We are tempted to wear immodest clothing when we recast the subject as fitting into our culture for the sake of the gospel. 

• An employee is tempted to steal from his employer when he regards his theft of money, goods, or time as a just compensation for the employer's alleged injustices. 

Sadly, sin corrupts our minds so that we make ingenious defenses for sinful conduct (e.g. Eph. 2:3; 4:17, 18; Titus 1:15; 2 Tim. 3:8; Col. 1:21; Rom. 8:6-7). Indeed, we are chillingly adept at putting a virtuous face on sin. Satan encourages this activity; he excites the remnants of sin in us to think about sin itself in an unbiblical (and sinful!) manner. 

A sanctified mind is one of our best defenses against temptation. Sin frequently appeals to our feelings; in this regard, it is often irrational. It uses our emotions to overwhelm our better judgment. But when our mind is informed by the Word of God, it exposes sin to the purifying light of God's truth. It is our mind that says, "No! This sexual lust will not make me happy. It will not fulfill; it will make me miserable. It will destroy the joy and contentment that only God gives.” 

A biblically-informed mind argues against the often emotional appeal of temptation; it unmasks sin that masquerades as virtue. In so doing, a sanctified mind promotes real godliness (and real contentment).

Robert Spinney (PhD, Vanderbilt) is professor of History at Patrick Henry College, where he teaches American history and historiography. He is the author of City of Big Shoulders: A History of Chicago and World War II in Nashville: Transformation of the Homefront, as well as an American history textbook and numerous ministry-related booklets. Dr. Spinney formerly served as a pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Hartsville, TN, and at Winchester Baptist Church in Winchester, VA.

Posted at: https://www.reformation21.org/blog/satans-strategy-2-sin-that-seems-virtuous

Satan's Strategy #1: Bait and Hook

Robert Spinney

This is Satan's most common scheme: He presents the bait and hides the hook. Satan presents sin as fun, satisfying, profitable, and pleasurable, while concealing the miseries and pain that always accompany sin. 

Surely this is part of what Scripture calls the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:13). We are tempted to believe that our happiness and fulfillment require us to indulge some sin. The “passing pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25) seem irresistible, in part because temptation presents to me only the alleged benefits of sin. Far from conferring benefits, however, sin is the very thing that cripples us. When we commit sin, as Brooks puts it, wrath, misery, shame, and loss are always close behind (p. 29). 

Sin is bad for many reasons; one of them is that it wreaks havoc in a man's soul. It promises satisfaction, but delivers emptiness. Sin leads to more and bigger sins. It either makes us feel guilty and ashamed (which is bad), or creates moral numbness in us so we no longer feel guilt and shame over our sin (which is worse). But Satan hides these hooks and presents only the bait. 

Satan used this ploy successfully in the Garden of Eden. He told Eve that the forbidden fruit would open her eyes, thus causing her to be like God (Genesis 3:4-5). The serpent presented the bait, and said nothing about the hook. Richard Sibbes, one of Brooks' contemporaries, wrote, "Satan gives Adam an apple, and takes away Paradise. Therefore in all temptations let us consider not what he offers, but what we shall lose." Satan also tempted the Lord Jesus Christ in this manner: He offered Christ the largest bait imaginable, namely all the kingdoms of the world (Matthew 4:8-9). 

The bait looks attractive because we believe that sin leads to happiness. Temptation offers shortcuts to fulfillment; it promises quick contentment. But obedience to God is the only sure route to satisfaction. God's laws are guidelines given by a loving Creator who desires for His creatures to flourish. Holiness—not sin— leads to happiness. Sin's remnants in us rebel against this truth, which is why we often struggle with obedience to God's will. Satan exploits these vestiges of sin in us and fans our doubts about whether God's way is truly the best way. 

When we are tempted, the alleged benefits of a sin appear large-just like a juicy worm appears large on a fisherman's hook. The worm does taste good to the fish when he swallows it. But along with the worm comes a hook. Expect Satan to entice you with bait that has special appeal to you. "Satan, like a fisher, baits his hook according to the appetite of the fish," observed Thomas Adams, one of Brooks' fellow pastors. 

Sin's hook is painful. It injures, damages, enslaves, and sometimes disables. Sin leaves long-term (and occasionally life long) scars. Although God forgives sin, He frequently allows us to live with the consequences of our sins.

Christian, believe God's assessment of sin: It brings misery. 

Robert Spinney (PhD, Vanderbilt) is professor of History at Patrick Henry College, where he teaches American history and historiography. He is the author of City of Big Shoulders: A History of Chicago and World War II in Nashville: Transformation of the Homefront, as well as an American history textbook and numerous ministry-related booklets. Dr. Spinney formerly served as a pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Hartsville, TN, and at Winchester Baptist Church in Winchester, VA.

Posted at: https://www.reformation21.org/blog/satans-strategy-1-bait-and-hook

God is Always Doing 10,000 Things in Your Life

John Piper

“God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” That was one of our most widely spread tweets in 2012. So we want to say it again for 2013 and make this promise even more solid.

Not only may you see a tiny fraction of what God is doing in your life; the part you do see may make no sense to you.

• You may find yourself in prison, and God may be advancing the gospel among the guards, and making the free brothers bold. (Philippians 1:12–14)

• You may find yourself with a painful thorn, and God may be making the power of Christ more beautiful in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:7–9)

• You may find yourself with a dead brother that Jesus could have healed, and God may be preparing to show his glory. (John 11:1–44)

• You may find yourself sold into slavery, accused falsely of sexual abuse, and forgotten in a prison cell, and God may be preparing you to rule a nation. (Genesis 37–50)

• You may wonder why a loved one is left in unbelief so long, and find that God is preparing a picture of his patience and a powerful missionary. (Galatians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:12–16)

• You may live in all purity and humility and truth only to end rejected and killed, and God may be making a parable of his Son and an extension of his merciful sufferings in yours. (Isaiah 53:3; Mark 8:31; Colossians 1:24)

• You may walk through famine, be driven from your homeland, lose husband and sons, and be left desolate with one foreign daughter-in-law, and God may be making you an ancestor of a King. (Ruth 1–4)

• You may find the best counselor you’ve ever known giving foolish advice, and God may be preparing the destruction of your enemy. (2 Samuel 17:14)

• You may be a sexually pure single person and yet accused of immorality, and God may be preparing you as a virgin blessing in ways no one can dream. (Luke 1:35)

• You may not be able to sleep and look in a random book, and God may be preparing to shame your arrogant enemy and rescue a condemned people. (Esther 6:1–13)

• You may be shamed and hurt, and God may be confirming your standing as his child and purifying you for the highest inheritance. (Hebrews 12:5–11)

There are three granite foundation stones under this confidence for 2013: God’s love. God’s sovereignty. God’s wisdom.

“There is no power in the universe that can stop God from fulfilling his totally good plans for you.”TweetShare on Facebook

Love: In the death of Christ on our behalf, God has totally removed his wrath from us (Romans 8:3; Galatians 3:13). Now there is not only no condemnation (Romans 8:1), but now God is only merciful (Romans 8:32). Even his discipline is all mercy.

Sovereignty: There is no power in the universe that can stop him from fulfilling his totally good plans for you. “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2).

Wisdom: God’s infinite wisdom always sees a way to bring the greatest good out of the most painful and complex situations. “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Romans 11:33).

Therefore, no matter what you face this year, God will be doing 10,000 things in your life that you cannot see. Trust him. Love him. And they will all be good for you.

John Piper (@JohnPiper) is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books, including Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist and most recently Why I Love the Apostle Paul: 30 Reasons.

Applying the Beatitudes

Matt Foreman

The Beatitudes, according to Matthew, mark the beginning of Jesus' public teaching ministry. They are the first things that Jesus emphasized as he proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom. Unlike Moses at Mount Sinai, Jesus began his Sermon on the Mount, not with commandments, but with promises of God's blessing on heart attitudes. He began focusing on the heart, doing heart surgery, wanting to reconstruct our hearts and bring our hearts in tune with his. The Beatitudes describe the foundational character qualities and family characteristics Jesus wanted to be at work in his people.

Sadly, it often seems that Christians today easily forget the foundational importance of the Beatitudes. Going by the evidence of public interactions between "Christians" on social media, blogs, public debates, publications, it's hard sometimes to see active evidence of the Beatitudes. But since these are the foundational teachings of our Savior, they are the heart attitudes that should govern, guide, and be evident in all our interactions. Christians then need to be regularly giving themselves to meditation and application of the Beatitudes as the foundation for Christian living.

Foundations for the Christian Life

Consider the following:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit"

- the foundation for a relationship with God

- losing hope in yourself and finding your only hope in God.

"Blessed are those who mourn"

- the foundation for repentance

- seeing the true grievousness of sin.

"Blessed are the meek"

- the foundation for faith

- quieting your soul to trust God in all circumstances.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness"

- the foundation for Christian living and sanctification

- the pursuit of holiness in your life and in the world.

"Blessed are the merciful"

- the foundation for Christian relationships

- loving others as God has loved us.

"Blessed are the pure in heart"

- the foundation for Christian worship

- having a vision of God 'win out' over all other things.

"Blessed are the peacemakers"

- the foundation for Christian mission

- seeking to bring God's offer of peace to a hostile world.

"Blessed are the persecuted"

- the foundation for Christian perseverance

- knowing and following our Savior through many tribulations for the joy set before us.

A Guide to Prayer

The Beatitudes become a great guide to prayer - for ourselves, our children, our fellow church members, our neighbors. If you have children, you are probably aware of one of your children who needs to come to a poverty of spirit, or to a mourning over sin, or to a meekness of faith. You may know a husband and wife struggling in their marriage who need to grow in mercy and compassion towards one another, who need to apply the Gospel of peace in their home (James 4:13-18; 2 Tim.2:24-26; 2 Cor.13:11). You may know someone struggling in sin who has become defeated and complacent, who needs his hunger and thirst for righteousness aroused and who needs his heart purified in Spirit-filled worship to God again (James 4:7-10; Psalm 73:1-2, 25-28; 1 John 3:2-3; Deut.30:6). You may know someone being persecuted for their faith - in their workplace, by their family, on the mission field - who need prayer to be able to rejoice and grow in the steadfastness of hope (1 Pet.2:19-21, 4:1-14; Rom.5:3-4; James 1:2).

Questions for Self-Examination

The Beatitudes are a great source for self-examination, personal confession, and prayer. Here are a list of questions to ask yourself from the Beatitudes...

"Blessed are the poor in spirit."

• Do I trust myself and my strength and my rightness too much? Am I often satisfied in myself?

• Do I say, "I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing. But ... not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked" (Rev.3:17).

• Or do I realize that I am poor and weak and desperate, and my only hope is in God?

• Do my days begin on my knees, acknowledging my spiritual poverty before God?

"Blessed are those who mourn."

• Do I only grieve over temporary things that inconvenience and affect me personally?

• Or do I ever grieve more deeply, as Jesus himself did, over the ugliness and destructiveness of sin, over the dishonoring of the goodness of God, over the brokenness and hardness of the world?

• Am I only 'sorry' for my sins, or am I grieved enough that I want to quit?

"Blessed are the meek."

• Am I someone who is always defending myself, defending my rights, asserting myself, fearfully trying to control my circumstances?

• Am I harsh and emotionally reactionary?

• Or have I learned to submit to difficulties and trust God in all circumstances?

• Have I learned to be humble about myself and confident in God so that I am able to respond to others with softness and gentleness and patience?

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness."

• Do I hunger and thirst for worldly pleasure and worldly recognition?

• Am I complacent spiritually and act like I've arrived and I'm satisfied with where I am?

• Or do I have new desires to be closer to God, to live rightly before him in the world, and to see his righteousness spread in the lives of others?

"Blessed are the merciful."

• Am I too concerned about 'the letter of the law' and judgmental towards others?

• Do I find it hard to forgive? Am I regularly impatient with those around me? Do I think that people deserve what they get?

• Or am I more aware of my own sins against God, and the death Christ died for me to show me mercy, so that I am inclined towards mercy?

• Am I a forgiving, patient, gracious, compassionate person because of Christ?

"Blessed are the pure in heart."

• Am I complacent with impure thoughts and hypocrisy in my life?

• Does love for myself and for the world often 'win out' over love for God?

• Or am I actively seeking to 'clean my hands' and 'purify my heart' through repentance, worship, and devotion to Christ - making him first in all things?

"Blessed are the peacemakers."

• Am I a fighter and thrive on conflict? Or do I passively avoid conflict at all costs?

• Do I think I have to choose between truth and love? Do I think it's godly to fight, that I'm standing up for my convictions and am zealous for truth, but it's never motivated or presented with love? 2 Tim.2:24-26

• Am I only a peace-faker or peace-keeper, but not a peace-maker?

• Or do I actively and sacrificially seek to bring God's Gospel of peace, truth, justice, repentance, and reconciliation to the world with gentleness and love?

"Rejoicing in Persecution."

• Am I a people-pleaser? Afraid to speak up, quick to back down, wanting everyone to speak well of me?

• Do I 'seek' persecution by being obnoxious, not realizing that actual persecution only comes after the other Beatitudes - like humility, meekness, mercy, and peace-making?

• Or am I willing to suffer to bring Christ and his Gospel to a dying world?

• Does opposition and hardship overwhelm me? Or does it draw me nearer to fellowship and faith and hope and joy in Christ, with willingness to die to myself and show his incomparable worth, no matter the cost?

These are the heart attitudes of true Christianity and the life truly blessed by God, because they are the heart attitudes of God's own Son, in whom he is well-pleased. May we be transformed more and more into his image!

Matt Foreman is the pastor of Faith Reformed Baptist Church in Media, PA. Matt is a graduate of Furman University and Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He previously served as the Founding Chairman of the Reformed Baptist Network, is the secretary for the RBN Missions Committee, and is a lecturer in Practical Theology at Reformed Baptist Seminary. Matt also writes music for worship; some of which can be found at ekklesiahymns.org.

Posted at: https://www.reformation21.org/blogs/applying-the-beatitudes.php