Sunday Worship Preparation: Psalm 113

On this new Lord’s Day, to assist us in preparing spiritually for worship of our Triune God in Jesus Christ, we turn to Psalm 113, the next psalm in our series. This psalm is part of that collection of brief praise songs, whose human authorship we do not know. But these psalms are powerful words of the Holy Spirit, and most fitting for our worship preparation. Let’s put it before us and meditate on it:

Psalm 113

Praise ye the Lord. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.

²Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.

³From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’S name is to be praised.

⁴The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.

⁵Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high,

⁶Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!

⁷He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;

⁸That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.

⁹He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.

Psalm 113, like Psalm 111, focuses on the heart of our worship – God Himself! It declares the blessedness and praise-worthiness of the Lord’s name and gives us the reasons why it is. In sum, it is because of Who He is and what He does as our sovereign God. He is exalted above all nations and above the heavens (v.4). He is the transcendent Lord of all (v.5)!  There truly is none like unto our God! Because He is God alone! And that, first of all, is why He is to be praised, even from sunup to sundown (v.3). That’s why His servants (His chosen and redeemed-by-blood people) are called to bless His name (v.1). Are we ready to do that today? Are our hearts and mouths prepared to bless and praise this great and glorious God? This is our reasonable service as His saved servants (Romans 12:1).

And then note too what this majestic Lord of all does according to this song. Being so exalted and transcendent, does He have no time for His lowly people on earth? Is He so consumed with being praised that He cannot dwell with the poor and needy? Not at all! Read vss.6-9 again. Listen carefully to what He does for us own – he pays attention to everything in His world (v.6). And moved by compassion for the needs of His people, He raises them up and sets them with royalty (vss.7-8). And knowing how easily the women of His kingdom are slighted, our God gives them a special place and role (v.9).  This too is our God! And these too are the reasons for praising Him and blessing His name. Do you see these ways of the Lord with His people? Have you experienced them yourselves? Then praise Him, servants of Jehovah!

And these actions of the Lord all begin with His humility: “Who humbleth himself”! I cannot fathom that, can you? That this high and lofty One, Who has no need of me or you, Who has no reason in us to condescend to raise us up out of our sin and shame, that He would be moved to help us and humble Himself to help us is beyond my comprehension! And we could not believe it to be true except that we have His sure Word that it is, and have the Incarnation and cross of Jesus Christ to prove it. In Him especially are the love and humility of our great God displayed! And when we meditate on that humility and condescension of Christ, we are moved to praise our God and bless His name. It cannot be otherwise. Being so lifted up by the grace of God, we will lift Him up on high in our worship. Shall we do that as His servants again this day?

If you wish to meditate on Psalm 113 through music, I direct you again to the Psalter page of the PRC website, and specifically to this versification (Click on the title for piano accompaniment.):

306.  The Glory and Condescension of God.  Psalm 113.  L.M.  (4 stanzas)

1. Praise God, ye servants of the Lord,
Praise, praise His Name with one accord;
Bless ye the Lord, His Name adore
From this time forth, forevermore.

2. From rising unto setting sun
Praised be the Lord, the Mighty One;
He reigns o’er all, supreme in might,
Above the heavens in glory bright.

3. On whom but God can we rely,
The Lord our God Who reigns on high,
Who condescends to see and know
The things of heaven and earth below?

4. He lifts the poor and makes them great,
With joy He fills the desolate;
Praise ye the Lord and bless His Name,
His mercy and His might proclaim.

Lord's Day 15: He Shouldered the Curse

Reblogged from URC Psalmody:

When we recite the Apostles’ Creed, it’s all too easy to rattle off each clause without devoting our full attention to the words.  “Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell…”  The Heidelberg Catechism, however, reminds us that the Creed is a careful and thorough summary of the tenets of Christianity by carefully and thoroughly examining its contents. 

Read more… 854 more words

On this "Heidelberg Catechism 450th remembrance" Thursday (see all my Thursday posts so far this year) I also want to remind you again of the profitable series Michael Kearney is doing on the "HC" and the Psalms (and Psalter). He posts his series on Wednesdays and this is his latest - on Lord's Day 15. These posts make for fine devotions as we reflect this year on the precious gift we have in our beloved catechism - CJT.

Good Friday 2013 – Selected Poems by A.Toplady and W.Cowper

Today the church of Christ commemorates the death of her Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. There are many ways one can commemorate this historic and salvific event of Calvary. Many will gather for worship today or tonight. Some will attend the afternoon service at Seventh Reformed Church here in Grand Rapids, where for years now the seven words of Jesus spoken from the cross are reflected on by various Reformed ministers, including Protestant Reformed ones. Others may commemorate the event privately by reading the Word of God, praying, and singing.

Certainly another profitable activity is to read edifying the writings of Christian poets, and two of my favorites are Augustus Toplady and William Cowper. On this Good Friday 2013 I post a poem from each of these men, trusting that they will be profitable to you as you remember and reflect on Christ’s death.

A.Toplady Hymn XIV. Thanksgiving for the Sufferings of Christ

1 O Thou who didst thy glory leave,
Apostate sinners to retrieve,
From nature’s deadly fell;
Me thou hast purchas’d with a price,
Nor shall my crimes in judgment rise,
For thou hast borne them all.

2 Jesus was punish’d in my stead,
Without the gate my surety bled,
To expiate my stain;
On earth the Godhead deign’d to dwell,
And made of infinite avail,
The suff’rings of the man.

3 And was he for his rebels giv’n?
He was: th’ incarnate King of hev’n
Did for his foes expire;
Amaz’d, O earth, the tidings hear;
He bore, that we might never bear,
His Father’s righteous ire.

4 Ye saints, the man of sorrows bless,
The God for your unrighteousness,
Deputed to atone:
Praise him ’till with the heav’nly throng,
Ye sing the never-ending song,
And see him on his throne.

Hymns and Poems, Augustus M. Toplady (Cross Publishing, 1971)

W.Cowper, Olney Hymns, XV. Praise for the Fountain Opened (Zech.xiii 1)

There is a fountain fill’d with blood,

Drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;

And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,

Lose all their guilty stains.

The dying thief rejoiced to see

That fountain in his day;

And there have I, as vile as he,

Wash’d all my sins away.

Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood

Shall never lose its power,

Till all the ransom’d church of God

Be saved, to sin no more.

E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream

Thy flowing wounds supply,

Redeeming love has been my theme,

And shall be till I die.

Then in a nobler, sweeter song,

I’ll sing Thy power to save;

When this poor lisping stammering tongue

Lies silent in the grave.

Lord, I believe Thou hast prepared

(Unworthy though I be)

For me a blood-bought free reward,

A golden harp for me!

‘Tis strung and tuned for endless years,

And form’d by power divine,

To sound in God the Father’s ears

No other name but Thine.

C.Olevianus on Christ’s Suffering and Death

In our Thursday series commemorating the 450th anniversary of the Heidelberg Catechism this year (1563-2013), we are currently giving special attention to the secondary author of the “HC”, Casper Olevianus (1536-1587). We have provided some biographical information, and have started to highlight a major work of his that has recently been translated into English, An Exposition of the Apostles’ Creed (Reformation Heritage Books, 2009 – the original work dates from 1576). In the last two weeks we have quoted from the prefatory letters of this work – Olevianus’ letter Frederick III and his letter to the reader (young people especially).

Today in connection with our commemoration of Good Friday tomorrow I thought it would be fitting to quote from Olevianus’ Exposition itself. And what better place than where he is expounding Art.IV of the Apostles’ Creed, where we confess that Jesus Christ “suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried, he descended into hell.” Here is part of Olevianus’ explanation of these truths:

You should view God Himself as the judge, exercising judgment through the mouth of Pilate. Christ is placed before the judgment seat of God here on earth, carrying the burden of your and my wicked deeds, ready to receive the sentence of divine judgment upon them and to bear the punishment of condemnation. For it should have been we who were placed before the seat of the heavenly Judge and condemned there, but Christ took our guilt upon Himself. Therefore, He had to stand at the judgment seat in our place as a criminal and be condemned by God, exercising judgment through Pilate, even though Pilate had something else in mind. The purpose of this was that, with all our sins condemned once for all by God Himself in the exercise of His righteous judgment and punished with the severest justice in His Son, we might no longer be called to justice, much less condemned, for our sins before the judgment seat of God (p.75).

…As the Holy Spirit says in Galatians 3[:13], Christ’s being made a curse for us was real and not a fabrication. The apostle proves that very thing by the voice of God, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.’ Indeed, not only did God know at the time He said this what kind of death His Son would die, but the death on a cross that He pronounced accursed there had already been decreed for the Son. For in this all our hope is placed and the infinite love of God is made manifest, namely, that our God truly and not pretendedly poured out all His wrath on Christ His Son, truly and not figuratively cursed Him, so that He might truly receive us into His favor. Indeed, if Christ had not also been God, He would have remained forever under that curse from which He escaped on our behalf. For otherwise, if the wrath of God had been a pretense, the obedience of the Son would have also been a pretense, and the hope of glory that we await would also have been in vain (p.78).

 

More Review Books – Help Yourselves!

I have been receiving some more review books for my rubric “Bring the Books” in The Standard Bearer (home page). You are welcome to take one of those listed below – with one condition, of course – that you review the book! Don’t be intimidated by the prospect of writing such a review and having it published in the “SB”. Many others have gone before you – men and women – including some new, young reviewers, even college and high school ages! Besides, our managing editor, Don Doezema, likes these reviews to be short and sweet – usually a page, but not more than two pages. You may even make them shorter if you wish – on the order of a book notice (half a page!) – and take two books! Also, there is no rush in doing the review. In fact, I will give you up to a year. Not all of you now, but some of you. Sounds like win-win to me

Here are some of the titles I have on hand. If you are interested in the book and willing to do such a review, let me know, and I will get the book to you asap – absolutely FREE. If none of these “grab” you, let me know and I will find one to match your interests (I also have commentaries on Hebrews and 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus) . You are free to look up any of these titles online and find out more about them before you choose.

• The Happiness of Heaven by Maurice Roberts (RHB & EP, 2009).
• War and Grace: Short Biographies from the World Wars by Don Stephens (EP, 2005).
• Blood Work: How the Blood of Christ Accomplishes Our Salvation by Anthony J. Carter (Reformation Trust, 2013).
• Are We Together? A Protestant Analyzes Roman Catholicism by R.C.Sproul (Reformation Trust, 2012).
• The Challenges of Cultural Discipleship: Essays in the Line of Abraham Kuyper by Richard J. Mouw (Eerdmans, 2012).
• Jesus is the Christ: Studies in the Theology of John by Leon Morris (Eerdmans, 1989 reprint).
• Sing to the Lord a New Song: Choirs in the Worship and Culture of the Dutch Reformed Church in America, 1785-1860 by David M. Tripold (Reformed Church Press/Eerdmans, 2012). No.74 in “The Historical Series of the Reformed Church in America”. Complete with music CD!
• Preaching Christ from Daniel by Sidney Greidanus (Eerdmans, 2012).

One more thing: this week in connection with Good Friday and Easter Ligonier is giving away the eBook version of R.C.Sproul’s The Truth of the Cross (in various formats). This is a deal you won’t want to pass up.

Palm Sunday Worship Preparation: “Behold Thy King Cometh unto Thee.”

For our Sunday worship preparation this Lord’s Day, Palm Sunday, we consider the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 in the light of Matthew 21:1-11. Here is the Word of God in these places:

Zechariah 9:9 – Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

Matthew 21:1-11 - And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, ²Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. ³And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. ⁴All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, ⁵Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. ⁶And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, ⁷And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. ⁸And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. ⁹And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. ¹⁰And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? ¹¹And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

We recognize this as the account of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. This event took place on the first day of the week (Sunday) which the Christian church has come to call “Passion Week”, the week in which the suffering of Jesus reaches its climax with His death on Friday (Good Friday). We understand, of course, that Jesus’ suffering did not begin on this Sunday. It began the moment of His Incarnation, the moment the eternal Son of God took on the flesh and blood of the virgin Mary. At that moment when our Savior joined Himself to our human nature, He took on our sins and the curse due for them, and began to suffer the eternal wrath of God. And it is that passion (suffering) that we must especially think about in this time of year. Not merely what He suffered at the hands of wicked men, as awful as that was, but what He endured at the hands of His Father in heaven on behalf of the people given Him from before the foundation of the world.

The Heidelberg Catechism summarizes this passion of Christ well in Lord’s Day 15:

Question 37. What dost thou understand by the words, “He suffered”?

Answer. That he, all the time that he lived on earth, but especially at the end of his life, [a] sustained in body and soul, the wrath of God against the sins of all mankind: that so by his passion, as the only [b] propitiatory sacrifice, he might redeem our body and soul from everlasting damnation, and obtain for us the favor of God, righteousness and eternal life.

 

Question 38. Why did he suffer under Pontius Pilate, as judge?

Answer. That he, being innocent, and yet condemned [c] by a temporal judge, might thereby free us from the severe judgment of God to which we were exposed. [d]

 

Question 39. Is there anything more in his being crucified, than if he had died some other death?

Answer. Yes [there is]; for thereby I am assured, that he took on him the curse which lay upon me; for the death of the cross was [e] accursed of God.

[a]: 1Pet. 2:24; Isa. 53:12
[b]: 1John 2:2; Rom. 3:25
[c]: Luke 23:14; John 19:4; Psa. 69:4
[d]: Gal. 3:13,14
[e]: Deut. 21:23; Gal. 3:13

And so when we read this prophecy of Zechariah about the church’s conquering King coming to her, and read of it being fulfilled on that “Palm Sunday” by our Lord, we understand why He came in such “lowly” and “meek” way. Not riding on a mighty, white steed but on the colt of an ass. Not coming to rout the Romans and re-take Jerusalem for the Jews, but to rout sin and Satan, death and the grave, and redeem His people for everlasting glory in the new creation! Not by the blood of the sword, but by the blood of the covenant (see Zech.9:11)! So that we slaves of sin might become “prisoners of hope’ (Zech.9:12). No wonder the Lord told the prophet to tell the people to shout for joy, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem”! These are the things we should dwell on today and this week. And this is the song we ought to sing, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing” (Rev.5:12).

May that joy and that song fill our hearts this Lord’s Day and this week. May God grant you a blessed day of rest and worship focused on Christ crucified and raised.

“The Crosses We Make” – Grace Gems

Grace Gems!.

This was the daily devotional from yesterday. Good food for thought, especially as we meditate on the suffering and death of our Savior Jesus Christ in a special way in this season of the year.

The crosses we make

(J.R. Miller)

A cross is composed of two pieces of wood. The shorter piece represents your will–and the longer piece represents God‘s will. Lay the two pieces side by side–and there is no cross; but lay the shorter piece across the longer one–and you have a cross.

Just so, whenever our will falls across God’s will–there is a cross in our life. We make a cross for ourselves . . .
every time we do not accept Christ’s way,
every time we murmur at anything He sends,
every time we will not do what He commands.

But when we quietly accept what He gives, when we yield in sweet acquiescence to His will, though it shatters our fairest hopes, when we let our will lie alongside His–there are no crosses in our life, and we have found the peace of Christ.

“My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, may Your will be done.” Matthew 26:42

“I delight to do Your will, O my God!” Psalm 40:8

Sunday Worship Preparation – Psalm 110

To guide us in the thoughts, desires, and actions of our worship today we consider the 110th Psalm, a highly significant song of David given through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. When we read this psalm, we will come to see that the truth revealed in it is the very basis and reason for our worship, for the key to our worship is Christ. Let’s put it before our mind’s eye right away, reading it slowly and meditating on it:

Psalm 110

The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

²The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.

³Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.

⁴The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

⁵The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.

⁶He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.

⁷He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.

Having read this psalm, we see that this Word of God is clearly Messianic, pointing us to and showing us the glory of Israel’s king to come, the Lord Jesus Christ. While the immediate occasion of this song may have been the coronation of David as king (after he had conquered Jebus and established Jerusalem as the royal city), we understand (in the light of the NT) that David was not merely writing about himself but about someone greater. He speaks of the Son in his covenant line Who is the fulfillment of all God’s promises and Israel’s hopes – THE Christ (Messiah), Who in the fullness of time was revealed to be Jesus, the very Son of God in our flesh.

And in fact, Jesus Himself used Psalm 110 to prove that he is the promised Son of David as well as the Son of God. You will recall this exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees:

⁴¹While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, ⁴²Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. ⁴³He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, ⁴⁴The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? ⁴⁵If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?⁴⁶And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

And the greatness and glory of this Messiah is not only that He is the sovereign King of God’s Israel (the church in both the OT and NT) but also that He is Priest. And not just any Priest, but a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek (Gen.14:18). The writer to the Hebrews especially explains the significance of this priesthood (5:6,10; 6:20), telling us these truths about Jesus in chap.7:

For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; ²To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; ³Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually….

¹¹If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? ¹²For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. ¹³For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. ¹⁴For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. ¹⁵And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, ¹⁶Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. ¹⁷For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. ¹⁸For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. ¹⁹For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God. ²⁰And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest: ²¹(For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:) ²²By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. ²³And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: ²⁴But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. ²⁵Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. ²⁶For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; ²⁷Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. ²⁸For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

It is not my purpose to add much more commentary on this psalm, for this is the Spirit’s own commentary on Psalm 110. I trust we see now why I said that this psalm reveals the very basis and reason for our worship: Christ Jesus, our great Priest-King! Why are we allowed to draw near God today? Why are we able to draw near to Him in worship and in fellowship? Why do we want to draw near in praise and thanks? Because the LORD (Jehovah) said unto His Lord, “Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thy enemies thy footstool.” With firm trust in this Messiah, may we come near to our God this day and magnify Him in every part of our worship.

If you wish to meditate through music on this psalm, I point you to the PRC Psalter page and to this versification of Psalm 110 found in our Psalter (Click on the title to hear piano accompaniment):

302.  Our Lord Jesus.   Psalm 110.  8s and 7s. (3 stanzas)

1. The Lord unto His Christ hath said,
In glory I enthrone Thee
Till all Thy foes, in triumph led,
Their sovereign King shall own Thee;
From Zion shall Jehovah send
Thy scepter, till before Thee bend
The knees of proud rebellion.

2. Thy people will be gladly Thine
When Thou shalt come victorious,
In holy beauty Thou shalt shine
Like morning fair and glorious;
The word of God shall not depart:
The King of Righteousness Thou art,
A Royal Priest forever.

3. The Lord at Thy right hand shall smite
Earth’s kings in indignation,
And He shall judge with sovereign right
Throughout His wide creation;
While living streams His strength sustain,
The Christ the victory shall gain,
Head over all exalted.

Playing with Lenten Fire – D.G. Hart

Playing with Lenten Fire | Old Life Theological Society.

With all the attention paid to the season of “Lent” (especially, of course, by Roman Catholics), and with many Protestants beginning to promote a similar season for evangelicals, it is refreshing to hear a true Protestant perspective on this subject. D.G.Hart offered his on a recent blog post (Feb.13, 2013), and it is worth noting here.

He is particularly critical of some recent comments on “The Gospel Coalition” website encouraging Protestant participation in Lent. What he has to say is exactly right, and must be kept in mind by all true Protestants. I hope his brief thoughts will help us keep our own thoughts straight on this matter. Here are a few paragraphs from his post; read the rest at the link above.

So where is the Gospel Coalition? Well, today the blog posted two items recommending Lent to is gospel allies. One says this:

Lent strikes many Protestants as the exclusive domain of Roman Catholics, but this season can serve any Christian as a unique time of preparation and repentance as we anticipate the death and resurrection of Jesus. On the Christian calendar, Lent (from Latin, meaning “fortieth”) is the 40 days beginning on Ash Wednesday and leading up to Easter Sunday. (Sundays aren’t counted, but generally set aside as days of renewal and celebration—”mini-Easters” of sorts.) Whatever you might think about popular practices, “Lent is first and foremost about the gospel making its way deeper into our lives,” Kendal Haug and Will Walker observe.

As much as I appreciate Rome’s attention to sin and its consequences — something that doesn’t come through when leaders speak of Christ’s self-sacrificial love as a model for social justice and the dignity of the human person — Lent has significance for Roman Catholics that it cannot have for Protestants. After all, Protestants don’t have a history of self-inflicted pain to merit spiritual rewards. If as the gospel allies would have it that Lent is to remind us of Christ, then we should also be reminded that nothing we do to attack sin can compare with what Christ accomplished in his own suffering and death. If Protestants deny themselves, it is part of sanctification, the mortification of the self, that comes daily and year round through the means of grace and the armor of God (Eph. 6). We don’t spend forty days a year denying self.

TGC’s mix-and-match piety, a dose of urban transformationalism from column A, a slice of Roman Catholic devotion from column B, and a dish of sweet (charismatic) and sour (Calvinist) conferences from column C is a undisciplined program by which to promote and defend the gospel. It is further evidence of why Protestantism needs confessional churches, not the parachurch agencies that pillage those communions.

D. G. Hart is Visiting Professor of History at Hillsdale College in Michigan, and also serves as an elder for a new Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Hillsdale.

“Signs and Seals of Union” (with Christ) – Joel Beeke

Signs and Seals of Union by Joel Beeke | Reformed Theology Articles at Ligonier.org.

This month’s issue of Tabletalk deals with the theme of “Union with Christ” (See the previous Monday posts for this month – visit the calendar just to the right of this post and click on the date.). The final feature article on this subject is the one linked above. Dr.Joel Beeke, who resides and teaches here in Grand Rapids, MI, writes about how the sacraments relate to our union with Christ by being signs and seals of this precious connection. Like the other writers on this subject, Beeke has good thoughts and applications to help us understand and appreciate what it means to be “in Christ” as believers. I will leave you a partial quote from his article and invite you to read the rest at the Ligonier link above.

The indwelling Spirit is the essence of our communion with the Father and the Son (2 Cor. 13:14;Eph. 2:18). John Calvin said, “The Holy Spirit is the bond by which Christ effectually unites us to himself” (Institutes 3.1.1). As husband and wife are “one flesh,” we are “one spirit” with the Lord Jesus (1 Cor. 6:16–17). Imagine how close you would be to a friend if your very soul could dwell in him. Such is Christ’s intimacy with each of His members through the indwelling Holy Spirit. This same Spirit baptizes us into the one body of Christ, uniting us in faith, life, worship, and service (1 Cor. 12:12—13; Belgic Confession, Article 27).

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the sacraments of the church confirm and manifest our union with Christ and with each other. Galatians 3:26–28 says:

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:26 clearly says that we are saved by faith, not by any of our works, whether moral works such as keeping the Ten Commandments or ceremonial works such as circumcision, baptism, or the Lord’s Supper (see also 2:16; 5:2). Yet verse 27 says that those who have been baptized “have put on Christ” and, therefore, are “one in Christ.” How is this to be understood? They are to look to their baptism not as a cause but as a sign of their union with Christ by faith and, in Him, with each other. In his 1545 Catechism, Calvin sets forth this definition:

What is a sacrament? An outward attestation of the grace of God which, by a visible sign, represents spiritual things to imprint the promises of God more firmly in our hearts, and to make us more sure of them. (Q. 310)

If the sacrament of baptism itself united us to Christ and saved us, it would be inconceivable for Paul to write that “Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel” (1 Cor. 1:17). Why preach the gospel if the desired results could be obtained simply by baptizing all people? The gospel, not baptism, is “the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16). Calvin said:

We are not to be taken up with the earthly sign so as to seek our salvation in it, nor are we to imagine that it has a peculiar power enclosed within it. On the contrary, we are to employ the sign as a help, to lead us directly to the Lord Jesus, that we may find in Him our salvation and … well-being. (Catechism Q. 318)