Legalism definition by Jerry Bridges

"Legalism is when we build fences to keep ourselves from committing certain sins. Soon these fences -- instead of the sins they were designed to guard against -- become the issue. We elevate our rules to the level of God's commandments."

Jerry Bridges Transforming Grace, p.122

John Adams Quote

I saw this quote in an excellent article about whether government run health care is a good idea in the Summit Ministries Feb 15, 2010 Truth Or Consequences article.

Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.
— John Adams, U.S. Diplomat and Politician (1735–1826), "Argument in Defense of the Soldiers in the Boston Massacre Trial," December 1770

Exceprts from The Neo-Liberal Stealth Offensive by Phil Johnson

Excerpts from a Phil Johnson article in the Jan-Feb 9Marks eJournal:

With the advent of the seeker-sensitive movement, however, evangelicals began to be influenced by a new species of entrepreneurial leaders who marginalized those core doctrines by neglect. Most of them didn’t overtly deny essential biblical truths; but neither did they vigorously stress or defend anything other than their own methodology.

The results were predictable: Churches are now filled with formerly unchurched people who are still untaught and perhaps even unconverted. Multitudes of children raised on a treacly diet of seekersensitive religion have grown up to associate the label evangelical with superficiality. Most of them cannot tell you what the term originally meant, and they reject whatever vestigial evangelical boundaries or doctrinal distinctives their parents may have held onto. But they still call themselves evangelicals when it’s convenient, and many have remained at the fringes of the visible movement, decrying how out of step the church is with their generation. That, after all, is exactly what they learned from their parents.

iDisappointment from Challies.com

Tim Challies has a great blog post today about what he calls his iDisappointment with the new iPad and its lack of features. Tim is really, really smart.

Jonathan Edwards quote

This is a great Jonathan Edwards quote on the first page of James Spiegel's new book, The Making of an Atheist: How Immorality Leads to Unbelief.

There is no one thing whatsoever more plain and manifest,
and more demonstrable, than the being of God. It is manifest
in ourselves, in our bodies and souls, and in everything
about us wherever we turn our eye, whether to
heaven, or to the earth, the air, or the seas. And yet how
prone is the heart of man to call this into question! So
inclined is the heart of man to blindness and delusion, that
it is prone to even atheism itself.
Jonathan Edwards
Man’s Natural Blindness in Religion

Grace Gem, J.R. Miller " A Secret of Victorious Living"

Here is an excellent Grace Gem from Tuesday of this week.

A secret of victorious living

(J. R. Miller, "Thread for a Web Begun" 1894)

There is a secret of victorious living which, if people knew it, would make all of life easier for them. It may be stated thus: that as we take up any duty and go forward with it, we shall receive the strength we need to do it. There are several Divine promises that give this assurance.

One reads, "As your days--so shall your strength be." Deuteronomy 33:25. This seems to mean that the help which God gives, varies according to the necessity of the particular day. God fits His blessing--to our days.
When we are faint--He increases strength.
When we are sorrowful--He gives comfort.
When we are in danger--He grants protection.
When we are weary--He gives rest.
"As your days--so shall your strength be."

Another of Christ's promises reads, "My grace is sufficient for you." Every word of this assurance shines with radiant light.

"My grace is sufficient for you." It is Christ's grace that is sufficient. We know that He has all Divine fullness, and therefore we are sure that no human need can ever exhaust His power to give help!

"My grace is sufficient for you." It is Christ's grace that is sufficient. If it were anything else but grace, it might not give us such comfort. Grace is undeserved favor, goodness shown to the unworthy. We deserve nothing, for we are sinners. But it is Christ's grace which is sufficient, and so we can claim it.

"My grace is sufficient for you." It is present tense--IS sufficient. Christ is always speaking personally to the one who is in any need, and saying, "My grace IS sufficient for you."

"My grace is sufficient for you." The word "sufficient" is one whose meaning expands and amplifies with the measure of the need. No necessity is so small as not to be included; and none is so great as to go beyond the capacity of the blessing that is promised.

"My grace is sufficient for you." The grace is sufficient for each of His redeemed children--"for you" the promise runs.

Life lies before us, with . . .
its burdens,
its duties,
its responsibilities,
its struggles,
its perplexities.
It does not come to us all in one piece. God breaks our years--into months and weeks and days, and never gives us more than just a little at a time--never more than we can bear or do for the day.

If we take up the present duty or burden--we shall always have strength to do it. If we do not have strength of our own sufficient for the work or struggle, we need not falter--but should go on, just as if we had omnipotence in our arm; for as we obey God, though the task is impossible to our ability--He will sustain us by giving us all the help we need.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

John Calvin on "The Word of God as Holy Scripture"

Now in order that true religion may shine upon us, we ought to hold that it must take its beginning from heavenly doctrine and that no one can get even the slightest taste of right and sound doctrine unless he be a pupil of Scripture.

Institutes of the Christian Religion, 1.6.2

Blindness & Pride from Heart of the Matter episode 177

Here is a link to an excellent exchange between Shawn McCraney from Heart of the Matter recapping the previous weeks show which included an exchange with an LDS man (Ed) who phoned the show. Ed typifies the Pharisaical pride that exists with some people who really believe they're earning their salvation.

Remembering two great Americans, Two great men of God

Contemporary Calvinist has a great blog post on the Confederate leaders Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson.
Here is Lee's definition of a gentleman:

The forbearing use of power does not only form a touchstone, but the manner in which an individual enjoys certain advantages over others is a test of a true gentleman.

The power which the strong have over the weak, the employer over the employed, the educated over the unlettered, the experienced over the confiding, even the clever over the silly -- the forbearing or inoffensive use of all this power or authority, or a total abstinence from it when the case admits it, will show the gentleman in a plain light.

The gentleman does not needlessly and unnecessarily remind an offender of a wrong he may have committed against him. He cannot only forgive, he can forget; and he strives for that nobleness of self and mildness of character which impart sufficient strength to let the past be but the past.

A true man of Honor feels humble himself when he cannot help humbling others.