For, beloved, the knowledge that must save us must not only be of divine things, but it must be divine; it must not only be of spiritual things, but it must be spiritual. The light that we have of spiritual things must be answerable to the things; we must see them by their own light. We cannot know spiritual and heavenly things by a human light; but as the things themselves are spiritual, so we must have the Spirit of God, that by it we may come to know spiritual things spiritually. – Richard Sibbes, An Exposition of 2 Corinthians 1
Author: Josh King
Tolle Lege: Doing Things Right in Matters of the Heart
Readability: 1
Length: 160 pp
Author: John Ensor
One of the most frequent and necessary areas of counseling teens and single adults is in the area of relationships. Culturally, they swim in a pool of insanity, so Biblical wisdom is essential. John Ensor reminds us what it means to be male and female, to have distinct roles. Doing Things Right in Matters of the Heart is a great book for older teens, young singles, and married adults.
In the same way that hunger alone tells us nothing about eating nutritionally, our passions and urges do not teach us about loving well. We can be driven by the chemistry of creation to meet and greet but that is not the same as having a grasp on who we are meeting and what their needs are. Hormones and oxytocin bond us to those with whom we share a bed, but what it means to love beyond merely making love does not come from chemistry; it comes from theology. It comes from parenting. It comes by learning. Proverbs 19:2 says, “Desire without knowledge is not good.”
I once had a lively discussion with a brother who insisted that in his relationship everything was equal, and that this was the hallmark of their marriage. To him equal meant same and therefore interchangeable. He proudly rejected the idea of male initiation and female response. And what is more, he thought he was serving the cause of women in this.
I responded by saying that in my marriage, my wife and I never think about equality, though if forced to think about it we would affirm our mutual worth before God. Instead, I see my wife as better and more precious than I–of greater worth. And I told him my wife took no offense in this matter. Indeed she gets upset with me precisely at the point when I start treating her as my equal. To her it feels like a step down.
The Sweet Dropper: Testimonium Internum Spiritus Sancti
Quest. How shall we know the doctrine of the gospel concerning Christ to be yea, undoubtedly true?
Ans. 1. I answer, how do we know the sun shines? I know it by its own light, and by a light that I have in my eye. There is an inward light joined with the outward light. So it is in this business, how do we know divine truth out of the book of God to be divine? By the light in itself, by the majesty of the Scriptures, by the consent of the Old and New Testament, by the opposition of the enemies, and the confusion of them at the last that have been opposers of it, by the miraculous preservation of it, and the like; but especially by the powerful work of it on the heart, by the experience of this blessed truth. I know this to be an undoubted truth, I find it quelling my corruptions, changing my nature, pacifying my conscience, raising my heart, casting down high imaginations, turning the stream of nature another way; to make me do that which I thought I should never have done, only because I have a strong light of divine truth and comfort. There is this experience of Christ, that a man finds in his soul. It sets him down that he can say nothing, but that it is divine truth, because he finds it so. – Richard Sibbes, An Exposition of 2 Corinthians 1
Tolle Lege: Erasing Hell
Readability: 1
Length: 197
Author: Francis Chan
I was excited when I learned that Francis Chan would be writing a book that began as a response to Love Wins by Rob Bell. I was excited because I was expecting it to be Biblically faithful, and earnest and broken in tone. I also thought that if there was one author who could write such a response that would also sell on a level on par with Love Wins it might be Chan. I prayed that it would outsell Love Wins. I praise God that in Erasing Hell our prayers were answered.
Biblical clarity and faithfulness often comes in the wake of threatening heresy (i.e. the early church creeds), such is God’s blessed providence. Oh that this would lead to a generation believing the doctrine of hell as Chan articulates.
Still I must add that my one complaint with Chan is his leaving annihilationism as a possible alternative. While Chan thoroughly sees evidence for eternal conscious torment and leans toward that view himself, he doesn’t think the language is crystal clear. I disagree and recommend you read John Piper’s dismantling of annihilationism in Let The Nations Be Glad.
I was excited that this book was being written. I am not, as Chan cautions, excited to read about hell. This isn’t an exciting book, but a necessary book. Hell does not make me glad, but I am glad this book on hell was written.
I really believe it’s time for us to stop apologizing for God and start apologizing to Him for being embarrassed by the ways He has chosen to reveal Himself.
And sending people to hell isn’t the only thing God does that is impossible to figure out. The Bible is bursting with divine acts that done make a lot of sense to us…
Would you have thought to rescue sinful people from their sins by sending your Son to take on human flesh? Would you have thought to enter creation through the womb of a young Jewish woman and be born in a feeding trough? Would you have thought to allow your created beings to torture your Son, lacerate His flesh with whips, and then drive nails through His hands and feet?
I’m almost sure I would not have done that if I were God.
Aren’t you glad I’m not God?
It’s incredibly arrogant to pick and choose which incomprehensible truths we embrace. No one wants to ditch God’s plan of redemption, even though it doesn’t make sense to us. Neither should we erase God’s revealed plan of punishment because it doesn’t sit well with us. As soon as we do this, we are putting God’s actions in submission to our own reasoning, which is a ridiculous thing for clay to do.
[W]e need to stop explaining away hell and start proclaiming His solution to it.
The Sweet Dropper: His Body Will Not Always Rot
Let us often think of our nature in him now exalted in heaven, and that we shall follow him ere long. Our head is gone before, and he will not suffer his body always to rot in the earth. Let us think of his natures, and his offices, and all the blessed prerogatives that we have by him, and all the enemies that are conquered by him, that in him we have God reconciled, and the devil vanquished, we have heaven opened, and hell shut; we have our sins pardoned, and our imperfections by little and little cured; in him we have all in all. – Richard Sibbes, An Exposition of 2 Corinthians 1
Tolle Lege: What is a Healthy Church Member?
Readability: 1
Length: 120 pp
Author: Thabiti Anyabwile
I still think every person in the pew should read 9 Marks of a Healthy Church, but I am so very glad that Thabiti has taken those marks, plus one, and made them directly applicable and more accessible to the church member in What is a Healthy Church Member?.
Too often we take more time to think through what it means to be a member of some club, or a citizen of a nation, this should not be so. Buy this little book and think through what it means to be a healthy church member.
The 9Marks series of books is premised on two basic ideas. First, the local church is far more important to the Christian life than many Christians today perhaps realize. A book called What Is a Healthy Church Member? might also be called What Is a Healthy Christian? We at 9Marks believe that a healthy Christian is a healthy church member.
Second, local churches grow in life and vitality as they organize their lives around God’s Word. God speaks. Churches should listen and follow. It’s that simple. When a church listens and follows, it begins to look like the One it is following. It reflects his love and holiness. It displays his glory. A church will look like him as it listens to him.
The Sweet Dropper: There Is Nothing More Terrible Than God…
There is nothing more terrible than God without Christ; but now in Christ we can think of the most terrible thing in God with comfort. – Richard Sibbes, An Exposition of 2 Corinthians 1
Tolle Lege: Surprised by Suffering
Readability: 1
Length: 145 pp
Author: R.C. Sproul
In my opinion this is not the best book on suffering that I have read; neither is this the most thorough book on suffering that I have read, nor is this the most moving or powerful book on suffering that I have read. Why then read Surprised by Suffering? Well it’s Sproul for one; that almost always makes a book worth reading. His fluid conversational style, superb ability to tell a story, and masterful teaching ability ensure you to profit.
The great contribution I think this book makes is its emphasis on death as suffering and then seeing all suffering in light of heaven. Also Sproul does a good job of working out suffering as a vocation.
We are followers of Christ. We follow Him to the Garden of Gethsemane. We follow Him into the Hall of Judgment. We follow Him along the Via Dolorosa. We follow Him unto death. But the gospel declares, we follow Him through the gates of Heaven. Because we suffer with Him, we shall also be raised with Him. If we are humiliated with Him we shall also be exalted with Him. It is because of Christ that our suffering is not useless. It is part of the total plan of God who has chosen to redeem the world through the pathway of suffering.
The Sweet Dropper: Jesus – All in All in Our Preaching and Your Hearing
Indeed, Jesus Christ is all in all in our preaching, and he should be so in your hearing. Of all things you should desire to hear most of Christ. The apprehension of your sinfulness should drive you to Christ. The hearing of duties should be to make you adorn your Christian religion you have taken on you. Naturally men love to hear flashes, witty conceits, and moral points wittily unfolded; but all these in the largest extent do but civilize men. It must be Christ unfolded, and God’s love, and mercy, and wisdom in him reconciling mercy and justice together: the wondrous love of God in Christ, and his justice, and mercy; and the love of Christ in undertaking to work our redemption; and the benefits by Christ, his offices, estates, and conditions. These things work faith and love. These things do us good.
All other things, take them at the best, they do but fashion our carriage a little; but that which enlivens and quickens the soul is Jesus Christ.
Use. Therefore we should of all other things be desirous to hear of Jesus Christ. It is a point that the very angels are students in. – Richard Sibbes, An Exposition of 2 Corinthians 1
Worship and Pronouns
Paul used the expression “our Lord” 53 times in his letters. He wrote “my Lord” only once. It’s all in the pronouns! And pronouns are a powerful teaching vehicle where worship is concerned.
God’s intention is not to become the feel-good Father of a myriad of isolated individuals who appropriate the Christian faith as yet another avenue toward personal enlightenment. –Joseph Hellerman
No Other Boast 