Discipleship | A People for His Name

Judgment in Both Baptism and the Lord's Supper

July 3, 2011

C. F. D. Moule has pointed out that both the sacraments imply a doctrine of judgment. Baptism is regarded as dying with Christ and rising with Him. It is thus ‘a willing acceptance of the verdict on sin, in union with Christ, whose perfect obedience to the sentence has been vindicated and crowned by the resurrection’. Baptism ‘is essentially pleading guilty, accepting the verdict’. It is unrepeatable, and has about it the once-for-all quality of the final judgment. Holy Communion should be preceded by self-judgment, otherwise it will be followed by divine judgment (1 Cor. xi. 28f.). ‘Emphatically, therefore the Eucharist is an occasion of judgment—either of voluntary self-judgment, in acceptance of God’s verdict on fallen man, or else of unwilling liability to God’s judgment.’

—Morris, The Biblical Doctrine of Judgment, 56-57.

In Quotes

Guitar Music for "Nothing But the Blood"

July 2, 2011

Here are the melody and the chords for Nothing But the Blood in my format for guitar.

In Guitar Music

Be Strong and Manly

July 1, 2011

Reading in Joshua 1 in the LXX today, I was reacquainted with a correlation in biblical Greek that I consider worth noting. Four times, Joshua is challenged with the same two imperatives (1:6a, 7a, 9b, 18d):

ἴσχυε καὶ ’ανδρίζου (“Be strong and quit thyself like a man”; 1:6a, 7a; “Be strong and courageous”; 1:9b, 18d; LXE)

In 1 Corinthians 16, Paul challenges believers with two imperatives (one is the same imperative used four times in Joshua 1, and the other expresses a similar idea to the other one in Joshua 1):

’ανδρίζεσθε, κραταιοῦσθε (“Quit you like men, be strong”; 16:13c, KJV)

Because Paul does not explain what he has in view with these commands, how should we understand what he intends? It would seem that the parallel nature of his statement with those in Joshua 1 indicates that we should understand 1 Corinthians 16:13c in terms of the explanation of the commands given in Joshua 1.

The Lord commanded Joshua to be strong and manly for the sake of his prospering in the vital calling of God for his life (1:6b, 7b). He also commanded him to be strong and manly because He would be with him wherever he would go (1:9d). Finally, the people of Israel whom Joshua would lead exhorted him as well to be strong and manly in view of their declaration that they would follow him as they had followed Moses (1:16-18c).

Based on the parallel between 1 Corinthians 16:13c and the statements in Joshua 1, we should understand that God commands His men to be strong and manly for the sake of our accomplishing His will for our lives, especially in our faithfully leading others (cf. Matt. 28:18-20a). Furthermore, we should be strong and manly because Jesus has promised to be with us always, even to the end of the age (cf. Matt. 28:20b).

Let us be strong and manly, as God desires us to be.

In Discipleship, Interpretation

Amazingly Quick Relief From a Bothersome Problem

June 30, 2011

Today, I had the unpleasant experience of going to the doctor to have wax buildup removed from both of my ears. The nurse had to use the cleaning device about twice as many times in my left ear as she did in my right ear.

When she was done, there was immediate relief in my right ear, but my left ear felt as if I now had an earplug in it. It actually felt worse than it did before the treatment.

For several hours, I had the same sensation. No matter how hard I tried to shake my head to force what I thought must be some left over water out of my left ear, I was not able to relieve the problem.

By late afternoon, I was quite concerned about my left ear. Providentially, I had to return to the same doctor’s office in the afternoon to take my mom for an appointment.

My nurse and doctor from the morning quickly worked me in to check out my ear. I found out that a little bit of water was right on my left eardrum. The doctor said to put 2-3 drops of a 50-50 solution of rubbing alcohol and vinegar in the ear to resolve the problem.

I did not have any vinegar at home, so I was not able to use the remedy until later in the evening when I borrowed some from a friend. Within a very brief time after putting the drops in my ear, I felt the problem dramatically resolve itself.

I am amazed at how effectively and quickly the vinegar and alcohol mixture took care of my ear problem. I think that this instance may have been one of the fastest cures that I have ever experienced for a bothersome health problem.

I thank God for a qualified physician who knew precisely what was needed to handle my problem. This experience seems to me to serve as an excellent illustration for a far more important truth in the spiritual realm: the wonderful effectiveness of our heeding the remedies for the problems of our soul that God, our great Physician, infallibly prescribes for us.

In Discipleship, Health

Absolute Certainty about One's Own Salvation

June 29, 2011

At the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15), Peter cited what God did through him in Caesarea in bringing Gentiles to salvation (15:7-11) as definitive proof that Gentiles did not need to be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses to be saved (cf. 15:1, 5). In his citation, Peter made a remarkable statement:

“And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as He did unto us” (Acts 15:8).

Here, Peter declared that God, who infallibly knows the hearts of all people, supernaturally testified to the saving faith of the people in Caesarea to whom Peter preached the gospel (10:31-48). God did so by giving them the Holy Spirit.

Based on this statement, Peter and the other six witnesses who were with him (11:12) had absolute certainty that Cornelius and the rest of Peter’s hearers on that occasion had been saved. Moreover, Cornelius and all who were with him themselves thus had absolute certainty about their own salvation.

God supernaturally gave these people such certainty, and they would have never needed to have any doubt about their own salvation. Although God does not do so for us today with supernatural testimony that is outwardly visible, we, too, individually can and should have the same certainty about our own salvation through the ministry of the Spirit of God in our own hearts (Rom. 8:16; Gal. 4:6).

In Discipleship

Guitar Playing and Music Ministry Update

June 28, 2011

I have been playing the guitar for more than 25 years. In the past few months, noticeable progress in my playing has been very encouraging to me.

I have been able to play the soprano and alto parts together from 4-part music fairly well for quite some time now. Now, I’m finally attaining some proficiency on my guitar in playing other combinations as well: tenor-base and soprano-tenor.

Playing these various combinations has also had a very exciting side benefit that I had not expected—my ear is getting better at hearing different parts, and I’m being able to sing the tenor part better! I also have developed a new strumming technique that has given me something that I have wanted for some time as a complement to regular strumming and fingerpicking.

This past Sunday, for the first time ever, I accompanied all the congregational singing in church services for both morning and evening services. I also played a guitar offertory for the first time using a new style that I invented for filling out measures when I play two parts together from hymns.

Counting this past Sunday, I have now ministered 10 times this year with my guitar in church services! Praise God for His goodness in allowing me to make much improvement recently in using my guitar for His service!

In Music

Words That Weary God

June 25, 2011

The prophet Malachi indicted God’s people with some amazing words: “Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, ‘Wherein have we wearied Him?’ When ye say, ‘Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and He delighteth in them’; or, ‘Where is the God of judgment?'” (Mal. 2:17). Craig A. Blaising comments,

The Jews in Malachi’s day had failed to learn such hope [of God’s future punishment of evil people and rewarding of the righteous when He comes] from the Scriptures. They questioned God’s justice by saying that He delights in evil people and by asking, Where is the God of justice? Yet they were the guilty ones; they were the ones who were unfaithful to Him. Here too God responded by referring to His forthcoming judgment (Mal. 3:1-5). However, unlike the answers by the righteous biblical writers mentioned earlier [Job 24, 27; Ps. 73; Eccl. 8; Jer. 12; Hab. 2-3; mentioned in the previous paragraph in the commentary], the judgment which Malachi referred to was to be against the hypocritical questioners as well.

—BKC: OT, 1583; bold and italics in the quote are from the original
When we are tempted to question God’s justice, we would do well to allow this indictment (2:17) and God’s response to the people’s questioning His justice (3:1-5) to turn us away from yielding to the temptation to do so.

In Discipleship, Quotes

"Read Therein All the Days of His Life"

June 22, 2011

God’s instruction to His people about when they would come into the land that He had promised to give them (Deut. 17:14) and seek to set a king over them concluded with vital teaching (17:18-20). In these three verses, He declared and explained the necessity of the king’s daily interaction with His words.

The king would have to “write him a copy of [God’s] law in a book” (17:18). He then would have to have the copy with him and read in it “all the days of his life” (17:19a-b).

Through such lifelong daily interaction with God’s own words, the king would learn to fear God, as he should, “to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them” (17:19c-d). His reverence and awe for God developed in him by reading God’s words every day of his life would direct him to obey God comprehensively.

Such comprehensive obedience would serve vital purposes in his life: it would keep his heart from becoming “lifted up above his brethren” (17:20a); and it would ensure that he would not deviate from God’s commandments in any way (17:20b). Being humble with respect to his brethren and walking obediently along the straight way of God, he would prolong his reign and that of his children over Israel (17:20c).

From this teaching, we should learn the necessity of our feeding on God’s Word all the days of our lives. Only through such feasting on Scripture itself will be able to fear God, comprehensively obey Him, be humble, and walk in His ways, as we should.

For us to enjoy the quality and length of life that God intends for us, we must richly partake of His words every day and allow that partaking to accomplish all His purposes in our lives. Doing so, our descendants and we will be what God wants us to be: “A chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that [we] should show forth the praises of Him who hath called [us] out of darkness into His marvellous light” (1 Pet. 2:10)!

Let us read our Bibles all the days of our lives with these things in mind.

In Bible reading

Understand What You Can

June 21, 2011

After 20 years of reading the Bible through every year, I am more convinced now than ever before that it is a trap to think that not understanding everything in my reading means I should stick to studying or reading a particular passage or book until I do understand everything and not worry about reading through the whole Bible. What’s more, I fully believe that we should expect throughout our lives that God would keep on showing us great and wondrous things out of His Word that we have never seen before.

I can attest to many times even in recent years that God has shown me significant truths out of passages that I have read and studied intensively for years. In light of my experience, I encourage every believer to focus on understanding what he can and not be overly troubled about what he does not understand in his reading of Scripture.

Yes, we should try to understand as much as we can, but seeking such understanding should not be at the expense of profiting from the entire Bible year after year.

In Bible reading

Answered Prayers 6/20/11

June 20, 2011

Yesterday morning, I was quite discouraged because I had no upcoming opportunities to preach in my schedule, my employment situation was still not good, and some other concerns were weighing on me heavily. God ministered to me through the services yesterday and provided me with much encouragement, for which I am thankful.

Today, He mercifully provided me with a seemingly good prospect for additional tutoring for at least the next two weeks or so! Better than that, a pastor contacted me about ministering at his church this coming Sunday, and I also received some other good news concerning my efforts to get more preaching opportunities!

God willing, I will be tutoring a new high school student in chemistry for 4 hours this week, and I will be teaching SS and preaching twice on this Sunday. Praise God for answered prayers!

In Prayer

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