Author Archives: guest

August 2, 2010

A Long Forgiveness

By guest

Most of us think of justification when we mention the forgiveness of sins. This is correct. “Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered” (Psalm 32:1). The receiving of God’s forgiveness of sins at the beginning of our Christian life is truly sweet to our souls. But our tendency is to think only of justification.

The reason for this tendency is obvious. But if justification was such a great event, must we also continue to seek God’s forgiveness? Were not all of our sins – past, present, and future – forgiven? The answer is yes. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)

But once we are truly forgiven, we are in a new place! God’s kingdom is a place of chastening and never wrath. Praise God! We are no longer under the guilty sentence of the Creator’s hell. Rather in this kingdom we are under the care of the Father’s hand. By adoption, God declares He is now our forgiving Father. Continual forgiveness is needed because God correctly warns us of the chastening we deserve. Divine sanctification means His children are now under His chastisement when we sin. In ‘the Lord’s Prayer’ Christ commands His children to continually seek forgiveness from the God He commends. “Despise not the chastening of the Lord. . .” (Hebrews 12:5) Rather let us pray. As our one saving prayer turned God’s wrath aside, so our daily prayers can turn His chastening aside!

The chief feature of the kingdom of God in the world is the forgiveness of sins. It teaches sinners to seek God’s grace concerning both His wrath and His chastening. God’s forgiveness is a long forgiveness. This kind of forgiveness will even prevail in the Day of Judgment. Then the Spirit will pour out His blessings just as the Father poured out His forgiveness, all because Christ poured out His blood for sinners.

By Phil Urie

Posted in Salvation, Sanctification | Leave a comment
July 13, 2010

The Primacy of the Local Church – Part 3

By guest

We have been looking at the church and our relationship to it. Two posts ago we looked at what God is doing in this age and how the church is primary in God’s plan. Last post we looked at the natural conclusion that it should be first place in the life of a believer because every believer should be part of the church. In this post there is something we need to look at which is a step further. We may agree that people cannot walk with God apart from the local church. You may agree with me on that part. This doesn’t necessarily come to the conclusion where we need to go. This is what I would like to do and I am going to do it in a thesis. You may not agree at first, but I will try to prove it in the rest of this lesson. I think we need to come to this next step. Read More »

Posted in Church | Leave a comment
July 10, 2010

The Primacy of the Local Church – Part 2

By guest

In our last post we saw the primacy of the local church in God’s program. This is all important when we look at the world today. The pattern today that people relate to the church is unlike anything the Scripture presents as the pattern! There is little to no loyalty or attachment to the church or church participation. It is done as something convenient or a benefit to me, not done as obedience as God. Church selection is selected that people shop for cars! People though are called out of the world and into the body of Christ. The idea of someone apart from the local assembly would have been foreign to the local church. A believer has come out of the world and has come into the body of believers. Following Christ means coming into the body of Christ and to join with other believers. Our relationship to the church is what matters. For instance, people do not feel baptism is important today. Yet, it is a big deal to live in obedience in the local church! To be part of the church is to identify oneself with Christ through baptism. It is a great test to determine someone’s loyalty to Christ and His church! For churches to accommodate people apart from baptism means that we grow apart from spiritual growth! The Lord’s Table also often gets pushed off to the side because it may distract from our big gatherings! Yet, it was central to the worship of the early church! Read More »

Posted in Church | Leave a comment
July 8, 2010

The Primacy of the Local Church – Part 1

By guest

When a monk by the name of Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517, he began what we know of as the Protestant Reformation. And during this time, some grand truths about God and salvation were recovered from many years of neglect. Things like justification by faith alone, through Christ alone, to the Glory of God alone! Yet, there was one area of theology they overlooked. That was the area of the church! And to this day, we have had a weak view of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Read More »

Posted in Church | Leave a comment
July 1, 2010

The DNA of a New Testament Church

By guest

I once heard about a conversation someone had with a farmer in St. Jacobs, Ontario who told him that not all potatoes labeled Yukon Gold are actually Yukon Gold. You see, with all the genetic changes being made to food, there are a number of things that are labeled one thing, but in reality are something different. A bag of Yukon Gold potatoes that you pick up at the grocery store may in fact not be Yukon Gold! Scary stuff indeed.

Now what does this have to do with the church? Read More »

Posted in Church | Leave a comment
June 23, 2010

One Thing Jesus Paid No Attention To

By guest

But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Mark 13:32)

To this very day only one understanding of this verse prevails. A recent example is the 2009 book, Him We Proclaim by Dennis E. Johnson (Westminster Theological Seminary, California), wherein he says of Jesus: “Throughout his life on earth, he lived . . . submitting both his will and his knowledge to his Father.” (emphasis mine) So Jesus did not know the day of His own return. Only God the Father knew. Read More »

Posted in Christ | Tagged | Leave a comment
June 11, 2010

Feedback Friday: Local Church Spirituality

By guest

Although feedback is always welcome on all posts “Feedback Friday” posts are a great opportunity to join in the conversation. So please chime in and share your thoughts by posting a comment.

Your Spirituality is Tied to the Local Church. That’s a pretty strong statement. In a world where we do not want to commit to any kind of organization this is blasphemy! How can someone say that my spirituality is tied to some kind of institutional religion? In fact, there is a whole movement out there of people who are “spiritual but not religious.” More than 1/5 of Americans describe themselves with this phrase. In a world like this, how can someone say your spirituality is tied to a church? Isn’t my spirituality all about me and God? What does it matter whether I am committed to a local church. It matters completely. In fact, I will argue you cannot grow spiritually independently of being part of a corporate, local body of believers. Read More »

Posted in Christian Living, Church | 5 Comments
May 14, 2010

Whatever Things are Lovely

By guest

A museum exhibits larger than life “sculptures” made from child’s interlocking building blocks. An online gallery offers guidelines for selecting art: “your home deserves eye candy.” Whether art makes you think or wonder, the guide says, “it should always make you feel.”

It’s not our fault we don’t know from art. It’s been institutionalized in galleries, theatres and concert halls. Art instruction, first thing on the budget chopping block, is extracurricular as though it were unrelated to math or language. Students don’t learn to handle paint and brushes; they learn to express themselves. We know what we like all right, but saying we like something is about us; saying something is good, objectively, means we have to know what good is. Read More »

Posted in culture | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment
April 24, 2010

The Key to the Great Door

By guest

Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge; you yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering. (Luke 11:52)

A student at my son’s high school would sometimes block the entrance to the school kitchen where the food was being served. No one dared to challenge him in his bullying ways, not even the teachers. What a different picture we have of Christ described in this verse. Jesus stands up to the bullying of the Pharisees.

Read More »

Posted in Christ, Faith, Heaven, Repentance | Leave a comment
April 8, 2010

Mirror, Mirror

By guest

In a book describing the post-Christian culture,[1] lack of interest in the church is attributed in part to narcissism, excessive self-love. Named for the mythological character Narcissus, who saw his reflection in a pool and fell in love with it, narcissistic personality is recognized as a disorder, but not one for which people are inclined to seek treatment. Psychologists lay the blame on genetics, with an assist from parents who praise overmuch.

Narcissists don’t necessarily stare at their reflections but they do have a sense of entitlement, may come across as boastful, monopolize conversation and have trouble dealing with anything perceived as criticism. They expect others to go along with their ideas and think it’s someone else’s fault when things go wrong. Sound like anyone you know? A survey said that 80% of us think we are above average!

In case you aren’t getting by on your good looks, there are books, CD’s and seminars to help you heal yourself and create your future. Gurus counsel you to stand in front of the mirror each day and say things like, “I love you; you’re perfect just as you are.” If you say those things often enough, maybe click your heels together three times, it should come true. Illusions, however, are dangerous.

When my children were toddlers, we walked in the bright atrium of a shopping mall. There were low glass walls along the concourse and I thought it would be fun to set my daughter on the other side of the wall, let her walk on one side, me on the other, see what our bodies looked like through the glass partition. I was ready to pick her up and hoist her over when something disrupted the reflection in the glass and I realized there was no floor on the other side of the wall, rather a two-story freefall onto the tiles below.

Those who invent their own reality don’t have their feet on solid ground either. Somewhere in the background is an amorphous Universe that not only owes them, but is waiting to receive thanks. Thank you, Universe, for the beautiful wildflowers. Thank you, checkbook, for the vast sum of money that’s as good as there because my thoughts are attracting it. Sounds foolish, but which of us hasn’t tried to discover “The Secret”, a password, formula, a dozen steps, or a drug to help us overcome depression, clutter, fat and the dreaded lack of self-esteem.

“Who’s the fairest of them all” is a good question to ask—as long as we don’t fly into a rage like the wicked queen, when we find out it’s not us. Help doesn’t come from loving ourselves, but from someone who loves us, even though he knows what we really look like. Romans 5:8 is good news. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. You can’t get more beautiful than that. Now I can look in the mirror and instead of squinting my eyes and trying to see perfection in me, I see His perfection. I don’t have to obsess over myself because He already has.

Janice Horton has taught adult and family literacy. She writes about reading, books, and some other things that matter. With her husband, Jerry, she is a member of Covenant Reformed Church (URCNA).

[1] Ryken, Philip G. City on a Hill: Reclaiming the Biblical Pattern for the Church in the 21st Century. Chicago: Moody, 2003. Covenant Reformed Church of Carbondale is currently studying City on a Hill on a monthly basis. If you’re interested in attending please email for more info (covenantrc@verizon.net).

Posted in Book Reviews, Christ, Church | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

  • About

    The purpose of Life Reformation is to advance the cause of the gospel of Jesus Christ by providing accessible and practical theological resources that equip God's people to live for his glory.

  • 2010 Conference Preview


  • Contributors

  • Contact

    info@lifereformation.org

    47 S. Church St.
    Carbondale, PA. 18407

  • Archive

  • Categories