These days when you mention Jonathan Edwards in some circles you have to be careful to be clear about who you mean! I mean neither the Olympic athlete, not the General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, but rather the eighteenth century American Pastor and theologian.

As a fairly young man he began to make resolutions concerning his walk with God, and continued to add to the list through his life. I thought I might find it helpful to take some time to think about his list, so here goes.

1) Jonathan Edwards knew that it was not enough just to make resolutions.

The full list of seventy resolutions are prefaced with the following comment:

BEING SENSIBLE THAT I AM UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING WITHOUT GOD’ S HELP, I DO HUMBLY ENTREAT HIM BY HIS GRACE TO ENABLE ME TO KEEP THESE RESOLUTIONS, SO FAR AS THEY ARE AGREEABLE TO HIS WILL, FOR CHRIST’ S SAKE.

Edwards knew that by the exercise of the human will power alone nothing would be achieved. That didn’t make him give up however. When he made his resolutions, he made them fully aware that without divine aid they would be no more than good intentions, and so he asked God for grace to keep the resolutions that he maked. This coming together of serious human commitment and a recognition of the need of God’s help is profoundly Biblical.

Take one example: Psalm 127:1 says:

“Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.”

This Psalm resounds with sense of dependency on God. If he is not at work, then everything we do is vain. This truth however is neither a reason for the builder to stop building, or for the watchman to desert his post. 

Jonathan Edwards neither made the mistake of assuming that it was all down to him leaving him to do everything, or assuming that it was entirely down to God so he need do nothing. To use the image of the Psalmist, he both built energetically and prayed passionately for God to build. He both watched assiduously and prayed faithfully for God to keep watch.

A Question: Do I both build with all my might and pray in a way that is consistent with the belief that I am completely dependent on God?

I came across this powerful and challenging video at Between two words.

You can watch it here.

How we can have confidence in overcoming sin. (v18)

1Jn 5:18  We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
1Jn 5:19  We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. (ESV)

If you are truly a Christian and are trusting Jesus, and believing the gospel, then you will not “keep on sinning.” This is because Jesus ”he who was born of God” protects you, to the extent where Satan “the evil one” does not touch you. A few thoughts:

1. John is not saying that it is possible to become sinless in this life. If he were, then he would be denying what he wrote in 1 John 1:8 “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” While we live in this world, we will never be without sin.
2. John is saying that it is possible to see success in defeating areas of sin. In fact he is saying that it is normal for the Christian to see sin defeated.  
3. This verse is to be the basis of confidence, but never of apathy. The Bible reminds us that while the defeat of sin is the Spirit’s work in us, he works as we work. Sin is not defeated in our passivity, but as we act to put it to death. Paul writes in Romans 8:13Rom 8:13  “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” It our duty and responsibility to be putting to death the deeds of the body. (For more information on how this happens see here.)
4. The basis of our confidence is not rooted inside of ourselves, but outside of ourselves. In other words, my confidence that I will continue to overcome the power of sin does not come from my determination to do battle with it, or from techniques that I have acquired to apply against it. The basis or my confidence is Christ’s work for me. The one who was born of God protects me. I have confidence as I exercise my faith in Christ for him to do what his word says he will do.
5. Believers gain the greatest confidence in their salvation as they observe the defeat of sin in their own lives. The death of areas of sin is one of the most powerful ways for a Christian to know that they are born of God. Gifting or anointing are frankly inconclusive as either may be counterfeit.  Consistent and ongoing sanctification is conclusive evidence of the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit in the believer.
6. Believers must not love the world, but should have confidence and not fear the world. We must not love the world or anything in the world (1 John 2:15-16) We are no longer citizens of the world, because we are from God. This world is in the grip of the Devil, but as God’s children we are protected by him and the Devil cannot touch us (v18)

How we can have confidence that we possess eternal life. (v13)

1Jn 5:13  I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. (ESV)

John wrote his first letter so that his readers could have confidence that they possessed eternal life. This statement comes as a surprise to some readers because John’s letter is so challenging. Indeed throughout the letter he provides a series of tests to distinguish between authentic faith and false faith. Here are the some of the clearest examples:

 

False faith	Authentic faith
Darkness and light
1Jn 1:6  If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.	1Jn 1:7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Confessing Sin
1Jn 1:8  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 1Jn 1:10  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.	1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Keeping his commandments
1Jn 2:4  Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, (See also vs 5-6)	1Jn 2:3  And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
Love and hate for brothers
1Jn 2:9  Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. (See all of vs 8-11)	1Jn 2:10  Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.
Love for the world
1Jn 2:15  Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.	1Jn 2:17  And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Sin and purity
1Jn 3:6  No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. (See vs 3-10)	1Jn 3:3  And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
Love for the brothers
1Jn 3:15  Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.	1Jn 3:14  We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers.
Listening to us..
1Jn 4:6b  …whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.	1Jn 4:6a  We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us;

 

If John wants to reassure his readers of the reality of their salvation, why give them so many points on which they might doubt it? For us to be truly confident that we belong to Christ, mere human reassurance is not enough, we need more. Any basis for false confidence must be done away with. If I go to my doctor because I fear that I may be sick, then I do not want him to simply say “Don’t be so neurotic, there’s nothing wrong with you” and send me away without so much as examining me. I want him to see if there is any real reason why I feel as I do, and if there is, then I want him to treat me so that I can get better.

As it is with my physical health, so is it with my spiritual health. It is downright dangerous to feel “just fine” if, in fact, you are dangerously ill. We can have confidence that we posses eternal life when we observe in ourselves the distinguishing marks of authentic faith. If we do not see them then we should not be apathetic, but rather flee to Christ.

How we can have confidence in prayer. (v14-15)

1Jn 5:14  And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
1Jn 5:15  And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
1Jn 5:16  If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life–to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that.
1Jn 5:17  All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. (ESV)

  There is no trick to getting your prayers answered. Prayer is not a magic spell, but a trusting request based on a loving relationship. Answered prayer depends not on getting the incantation right, as in a spell, or coming up with the right formula as in so much religious practice. Instead we are to put confident trust in the goodness of God and his will.

We can have confidence that God listens with approval when we ask him for anything in accordance with his will. Here are a few thoughts about how we might apply this idea:

1. God’s answers to our prayers are subject to his will, not ours. While preparing, I came across a web page whose author claimed that: “I cracked the code… …In a moment, I’ll share with you exactly how I did it — and how you can do it, too. You see, when I discovered the skills and principles that caused almost all of my struggles to do an amazing about-face, I wanted to share it with people…. …I will teach you, step by step, simple techniques I learned along the way to create anything quickly and easily; and how to get answers to all your prayers.” And she will for a one off payment of $147.
   The simple truth, that we need to be reminded of is that God is in charge, not us. He hears us when we ask according to his will.
2. God always answers prayer, but he does not always say yes. A number of years ago, I read a helpful little book entitled “God’s five answers to prayer” by Fred Crix. God does not always say yes. Sometimes he says “yes”, sometimes he says “no”, sometimes he says “wait”, sometimes he says “Do it yourself” and sometimes he says “None of your business.”
3. God is kind enough to restrict the “yes” answers to prayer to those things which are in accordance with his will. I’m going to make a confession. My daughter can sometimes get what she wants merely through persistence. I’m not a good Father in that sometimes I give in for the sake of some peace and quiet. My heavenly Father will never do that. Therefore we should pray with confidence that our Father will not give us that which is not in accordance with his will.
4. Don’t worry whether its OK to pray about it. Sometimes we think, this is too small to bother the Father with. We are told “if we ask anything” and “he hears us in whatever we ask”
5. Ask him for things that he has already declared are his will for you to have. As you read the scriptures study make a habit of studying the promises of God  for those things which he has declared are his will, so that you might ask for them with confidence.
6. We should pray with confidence for brothers and sisters who we see flagrantly sinning. It seems from verse 16 that the Christians to whom John wrote were wondering if they should pray for those who sinning. John is keen that his readers understand that this kind of prayer would be in accordance with God’s will. We should pray with confidence that God would give life to them. Verses 16-17 also comprise a warning however. There is sin that leads to death, and given the content of his letter, John probably has in mind those who have “apostatized” by deserting the gospel and leaving the church.

Last night I shared on the value of John Owen’s “The Mortification of Sin.” I acknowledged that Owen can difficult to read, but recommended “The enemy within; Straight talk about the power and defeat of sin” by Kris Lundgaard. What the author has set out to do is to distil the wisdom of John Owen in the issue of the Christian’s battle with sin, and present it in a contemporary way. Lundgaard is completely up-front about this. He says:

“I kidnapped Owen. By force I took him as my co-author, and together we’ve written a new book. He brought to the table his precious exposition, outlines, arguments and illustrations, and I returned to him stories of bone marrow transplants and torx sockets, and tried to bring his profound understanding of the Bible into our world. I haven’t simply abridged his as others have done. Yet anyone familiar with him would see his ghost haunting my work.” (p14)

So has he succeeded? Well generally yes. Having read the book through, I thought it was a very helpful re-expression of some of John Owen’s ideas in a very accessible way. The thirteen short chapters are crisp and to the point, and some of Owen’s pointed comments carry over very well indeed. The one niggle, experienced a couple of times was the American illustrations, but then the Author, and the book are American.

I called this post ‘Some thoughts on using “The Enemy within” by Kris Lundgaard.’ It struck me while I was reading the book, that if anyone out there is looking for some material to read with an accountability partner or partners then this book would be absolutely ideal. Here are some reasons why:

1) It’s got thirteen short chapters. That’s enough material to keep an accountability group going for a couple of months at least. The chapters are brief and to the point, meaning that it is realistic for all members of a group, both to read the relevant chapter and have a good grasp of its contents. (For example the fourth chapter, chosen at random is just seven pages long.)

2) It cuts to the heart of the issue which is…. the heart. It’s easy to get together with an accountability group and just have a nice chat. These chapters, with God’s help will guide a group in examining the heart. (Which is the point of meeting with an accountability group.)

3) Questions for further reflection are provided with each chapter. These will be a helpful guide to shape the meeting of the accountability group and give some shape to discussing the application of the material.

4) It’s the kind of book which you shouldn’t just skate over. Discussing the book and prayerfully applying its message together with other will help you wring the most out of this book.

5) Its cheap! If it wasn’t good this wouldn’t be an issue, but it is good and Amazon have it for under £5 (You will have to wait a few weeks as I write)

So if you are not in an accountability group, why not agree to meet for no more than an hour, once a week with a few friends that you can trust. Agree to read one chapter a week, Agree to be honest with each other. Agree to observe the confidentially of the group. Agree together that you want to grow in grace. When you meet, discuss the contents of the chapter. Discuss how you intend to apply what you are learning. Pray for one another, asking for God’s help as you apply the material. Begin the next session by seeing how you have all done and giving thanks to God for answered prayer.

Here are some notes that I wrote a couple of months ago. I was reminded of them after talking about John Owen’s “The mortification of sin” last night.

I’ve been a pastor now for more than thirteen years, and during that time, I’ve had cause more than once to grapple with questions about how people change. Throughout that time, I’ve also been painfully aware of the darkness that lurks in my own heart. Every committed Christian will be in a continual battle with sin. How can they conquer the sin that they recognize in their own hearts?

There is no shortage of ideas around as to how the human heart might be changed but will any of them work? Will techniques of behavior modification really lead to authentic discipleship? Do people change by trying harder, and if so by trying harder at what?

To complicate matters further, some fairly simple reflection will serve to emphasize the pervasive “stickiness” of sin. When I avoid sin simply in order to avoid getting caught, am I conquering sin or merely falling deeper into pride? Can sin be hidden behind deeper sin? These are difficult but important questions and should not be lightly dismissed.

Some time ago I was browsing the sale table in the bookstall of a major Christian conference. I always have a keen eye for a bargain, and so I snapped up a couple of books which had been knocked down in price. Among them was “The Glory of Christ, His office and grace” by a 17^th century puritan named John Owen. I knew already of his reputation for difficult and complicated sentences, but I also knew that many considered it worth persevering with his difficult prose because they regard him unequalled as a theologian writing in the English Language.

Some readers might be put off by the word “theologian” and others by the word “puritan” but Owen had no reputation as a dry and dusty academic theologian, or indeed as a dour killjoy. He was a pastor, and much of his theology is intensely practical. Many who read his works come to think of him as a man who profoundly knew God.

“The Glory of Christ,” is one of his very last works. It went to the printer while Owen himself lay dying. In it he set out the importance of a vision of the glory of Christ and gave practical advice for the lukewarm Christian as to how such a vision might be attained.

John Owen knew that of paramount importance for anyone who would be a disciple was a vision of the glory of Christ. Allow yourself a few moments to ponder this quote from Owen:

“..no man shall ever become like him by bare imitation of his actions, without that view or intuition of his glory which alone is accompanied with a transforming power to change them in the same imagine.” [1]

For John Owen, transformation into the image of Christ is something that happens as we actively contemplate the glory of Jesus Christ.

This is indeed an unfamiliar teaching in our day and age, and some frustrated readers might already be crying out; “but how?” It is after all one thing to commend the importance of a vision of the glory of Christ; it is another thing to attain to it.

Owen was not an impractical theorist long on ideas but short on practice. He was first and foremost a pastor concerned to help people take strides forwards in living their spiritual lives for the glory of God. At one point in this book, Owen offers practical advice for those who are lukewarm. For those who find themselves in this state, Owen offers four particular pieces of advice which are as follows:

1. You must understand something. Those who want to burn with spiritual fervor need to recognize that seeing the glory of Christ is; “the greatest privilege of which in this life, we can be made partakers.” Owen knew the danger for those who saw little value in beholding the glory of Christ.
   I suspect that many modern Christians need to stop here and take notice of what Owen is saying. He is not simply telling us that this beholding of the glory of Christ is a great duty of Christians. (Though I am sure that he would agree that it is.) He tells us that such a vision will be for our enjoyment. We are to seek our enjoyment and happiness in Christ. If we do not believe that such a vision is the greatest of privileges then we will not seek it for our enjoyment.

1. You must get busy. A Christian, will realize that the kind of knowledge of Christ that Owen commends cannot be attained purely by the application of human reason alone and comes by revelation. Even though this is the case, we should never resign ourselves to thinking that there is nothing that we can do to help ourselves. We are not helpless before God and unable to do anything for ourselves. That kind of resigned thinking is far from the truth.
   We should think of the way in which people seek worldly skill and knowledge. How does the craftsman get his skill and where does the professor get her knowledge? We would be foolish to suppose that such skill or knowledge ever comes without either practice or study. In the same way, spiritual understanding only comes from God, but we will not receive any without applying ourselves to the “means appointed by God for attaining it”[2]
   What are these means? We need to pray for a vision of Christ. We need to think much about spiritual things and make plans to grow spiritually. If we will not get busy in such means, he says we ought not to think that we will ever gain a consuming vision of Christ.
2. You must learn to be vigorous in your thinking about Christ. Owen says that we should learn from the pursuit of human appetites and desires. Here is what Owen says: “When the minds of men are vehemently fixed on the pursuit of their lusts, they will be continually ruminating on the objects of them, and have a thousand contrivances about them.”[3]
   Over time we become more and more like the objects of our thoughts. The one who thinks cruel and vengeful thoughts will over time become more cruel and more vengeful. The one who thinks mostly about meeting their own needs will over time become more selfish. If this is so, then we cannot afford to be lazy in contemplating Christ, for when we contemplate him we will be transformed into his likeness.
3. You must aim for a transforming experience. Owen is concerned that his readers understand that contemplating Christ is the route to transforming experience in theory but make no effort to make the contemplation of Christ their practice. He says “The affecting power of it upon our hearts is that which we should aim at.”[4] He reminds his readers that those saints who are in heaven have an unhindered view of the glory of God in Christ and are utterly transformed by this vision. Owen, ever the preacher, asks his readers “Do we expect, do we desire, the same state of blessedness?”[5]

If contemporary Christianity thinks at all about how people change, it tends to focus on techniques that might change actions but rarely transform hearts. Accountability partnerships and ten step programs may have their place as tools in the pastoral tool box, but they have their limitations and can a best be a support in the transformation of human hearts.

I have often noticed that on frosty mornings the blades of grass that are in the sun defrost long before the blades of grass that are in the shade. We need again to learn what John Owen knew. It is as we stand and bask as a forgiven sinners in the sun-like glow of the glory of Christ that the frozenness of our sinful hearts is melted, and real change happens.

[1] Owen. The glory of Christ p66

[2] Owen, The Glory of Christ p70

[3] Ibid p70

[4] Ibid p71

[5] Ibid p71

I’ve produced a summary of “The Mortification of Sin” by John Owen which you can download here.

My hope is that this summary will encourage new readers to attempt to read Owen himself. I do not offer it as an alternative to the work itself, but rather as a road map for those who would set out to explore John Owen’s great work on the killing of sin. Owen is not as hard to read as some people make out, but the original outlining scheme is confusing to say the least, and you can get lost in his books. I hope that this will help anyone trying to read through “The Mortification of Sin” and help them grasp Owen’s message.

From the Desiring God blog

John Piper has once again compacted about 30 of his sermons from Romans into approximately 6 hours of rich lecture.

This series on Romans 12-13–titled The Mercies of God and the Transformed Christian Mind–was given just this past weekend at the Billy Graham Training Center (aka The Cove) in Asheville, NC.

We have the full audio along with notes taken during each session.

• Session 1
• Session 2
• Session 3
• Session 4
• Session 5
• Q&A (link fixed)