American democracy has accomplished far more than any other government in human history. It has broken barrier after barrier, bringing a voice to the people and overthrowing the more often than not oppressive rule of royalty. But even so, the people are still not fully heard and still not fully free. If the people of America aren’t oppressed by a king, the wealthy still hold the most power as those without influence or worth can cast a vote, but never truly have a voice. It took years to bring rights to those who were “created equal,” and though equality may be complete within the government, it is far from on the street. People aren’t loved, cherished, cared for by the government. It may be of the people, but many would agree that it is not for the people as special interests wage war, elected officials waste the people’s hard earned money on selfish exploits, and the branches fail to uphold the very document which created them.

No, American democracy has failed to be the humanistic solution to the human problem. And the Kingship of Christ, which was predestined before the foundation of the earth, before all created things came to be, remains alone in perfection. The total depravity of humanity cannot be overcome by the creation of a republican democracy, nor can it overcome the tongue and race barriers brought about by the judgement of Babel. No, Christ still remains as the perfection of rule as all will one day kneel at His throne when peoples of all nations and tongues will gather and sing praises to His name.

Freedom will come, not by human means, but by God’s hand. Equality will come, not by human rule, but by God’s scepter. The governments of man will perish, but He will reign forever.

(I apologize for the short post. I had planned to write in far more depth but my internet access is sparse. Hopefully in the future I will write more on this topic.)

All that came into being exists for Christ — that is, everything exists to display the greatness of Christ. Nothing — nothing! — in the universe exists for its own sake. Everything—from the bottom of the oceans to the top of the mountains, from the smallest particle to the biggest star, from the most boring school subject to the most fascinating science, from the ugliest cockroach to the most beautiful human, from the greatest saint to the most wicked genocidal dictator—everything that exists, exists to make the greatness of Christ more fully known—including you, and the person you have the hardest time liking.

We exist to make the greatness of Christ more fully known. We exist to bring glory to His name as His image bearers! We exist to glorify Christ so that the Father is glorified ever more. That is why we have been redeemed! We cannot forsake the very mission we have been called out of the muck to do.

If we are to bring glory to His name we must in every action, in every thought and in every word, because everything that we do can bring glory to God. And if we are to bring glory to God in everything we do we therefore must bring the most glory to His name, choosing not that which brings little glory, but that which brings magnificent glory. And all glory will be to Him alone, for the crowns we will receive for such glorification of God will not be ours, but Christ’s, for it is God who is at work, and it is God who chose us before the foundations of the earth and it is Christ who has redeemed us, regenerating our hearts and freeing us from total depravity.

Resolution Four.

Resolved, to determine prior to execution how God might be most glorified in every act, in every word and thought, and do that which is determined no matter the cost of one’s self.

Jesus says in Matthew 13:44 that “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

Notice the man’s reaction to the treasure, “in his joy.” He does not grudgingly sell all that he has, he does so in his joy, because of his joy, for his joy. The treasure is so great that he is eager to sell all that he has to obtain it.

Now imagine the man before the video begins, finding the treasure and reading the for sale sign. Below the words sits the price and it reads, “your wardrobe, your car, your money, your time, your career, your future plans, your friends, your family, your health.”

And it goes on in detail, “your lust, that girl who sits in class next to you, yes I know what she wears, but you cant look at her like that anymore. Anger, I know what your parents are like, but that anger gots to go. Pride, it is no longer about you and what you want. Aspirations, that family and career with stable pay, I know you desire that, but I may have something else planned for you. Independence, I am your Lord now. Fears, I know you don’t like to open yourself up to others, but you are no longer your own master. Status, it isn’t about your popularity, it is about My glory.”

And then below that are three more words.

And everything else.

After reading the sign, the man laughs, as if it say “is that all?”

Take a few moments to think about the man’s reaction to the treasure and the selling of his possessions. What are you still holding on to that you have yet to surrender to the Lord. Ask yourself this, what is its value compared to the treasure that is the kingdom of heaven?

Justice requires that sin be punished, because sin deserves punishment. What the demerit of sin calls for, justice calls for; for it is only the same thing in different words. For the notion of a desert of punishment, is the very same as a just connexion with punishment. None will deny but that there is such a thing, in some cases, as the desert or demerit of a crime, its calling for or requiring punishment. And, to say that the desert of a crime does require punishment, is just the same thing as to say, the reason why it requires it is, that it deserves it. So that the suitableness of the connexion between the crime and the punishment, consists in the desert; and therefore, wherever desert is, there is such suitableness. None will deny that some crimes are so horrid, and so deserving of punishment, that it is requisite that they should not go unpunished, unless something very considerable be done to make up for the crime; either some answerable repentance, or some other compensation, that in some measure at least balances the desert of punishment, and so, as it were, takes it off, or disannuls it: otherwise the desert of punishment remaining, all will allow, that it is fit and becoming, and to be desired, that the crime should be severely punished. And why is it so, but only from the demerit of the crime, or because the crime so much deserves such a punishment? It justly excites so great abhorrence and indignation, that it is requisite there should be a punishment answerable to this abhorrence and indignation that is fitly excited by it. But by this, all is granted that needs to be granted, to show, that desert of punishment carries in it a requisiteness of the punishment deserved. For if greater crimes do very much require punishment, because of their great demerit, lesser crimes will also require punishment, but only in a lesser degree, proportion-ably to their demerit; because the ground of the requisiteness of the punishment of great crimes, is their demerit. It is requisite that they should be punished, on no other account but because they deserve it.

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The laying of hands on the head of the sacrifice, was a token of putting the guilt of sin upon a person; agreeably to the customary signification of the imputation of guilt among the Hebrews. Thus the phrase, his blood shall be upon his awn head, or on our heads, &c. was a phrase for the imputation of the guilt of blood. So Joshua ii. 19. 1 Kings ii. 32, 33. “And the Lord shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing thereof, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of.Tether, captain of the host of Judah. Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever; but upon David, and upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his throne, shall there be peace for ever from the Lord.” Verse 37. “For it shall be, that on the day thou goest out and passest over the brook Kidron, thou shall know for certain that thou shall surely die; thy blood shall be upon thine own head.” Verse 44. “The king said moreover to Shimei, Thou knowest all the wickedness which thine heart is privy to, that thou didst to David my father; therefore the Lord shall return thy wickedness upon thine own head.”

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The word translated here in Isaiah liii. 4, and 12. is Greek the same word, and the same phrase, of bearing sin and bearing iniquity, is often used concerning things which are the types of Christ’s priesthood and sacrifice, viz. the Levitical priests and sacrifies. It was no uncommon phrase, but usual, and well understood among the Jews; and we find it very often used in other cases, and applied to others besides either Christ or the types of him. And when it is so, it is plain, that the general meaning of the phrase is, lying under the guilt of sin, having it imputed and charged upon the person, as obnoxious to the punishment of it, or obliged to answer and make satisfaction for it; or liable to the calamities and miseries to which it exposes. In such a manner it seems always to be used, unless in some few places it signifies to take away sin by forgiveness. See Dr. Owen on Heb. ix. 28. and Pool’s Synopsis on Isaiah liii. And concerning their laying their hands on the head of the sacrifice, see also Pool’s Synopsis on Levit. i. 4.

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The translation of guilt or obligation to punishment was not a thing alien from men’s conceptions and notions of old in scripture times; neither the times of the Old Testament nor New; as appears by what the woman of Tekoa says, 2 Sam. xiv. 9. “My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me and on my father’s house, and the king and his throne be guiltless.” And by what the Jews said, when Pilate said of Christ, “I am innocent of the blood of this just person, see ye to it;” Matt. xxvii. 24, 25. “His blood be on us and on our children.” And the words of Rebekah, when Jacob objected against doing as she proposed, that he should bring a curse on himself and not a blessing; Gen. xxvii. 13. “On me be thy curse, my son, only obey my voice.”

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The sacrifice of Christ is a sweet savour, because as such it was a great honour done to God’s majesty, holiness, and law, and a glorious expression of Christ’s respect to that majesty, &c. That when he loved man, and so greatly desired his salvation, be had yet so great respect to that majesty and holiness of God, that he had rather die than that the salvation of man should be any injury or dishonour unto those attributes. And then, 2ndly, It was a sweet savour, as it was a marvellous act of obedience, and some expression of a wonderful respect to God’s authority. The value of Christ’s sacrifice was infinite, both as a propitiation, and as an act of obedience; because he showed an infinite regard to the majesty, holiness, &c. of God, in being at infinite expense from regard to those divine attributes.

But we cannot allow this to happen, we cannot allow our hearts to grow cold. I believe it was Spurgeon who said that we must read of the cross again and again until are affections (a little Jonathan Edwards there) are moved. It was Edwards who said that man cannot be moral without a love for God, for morality without heart is no morality at all. This, as Christians, is crucial, for we must have the heart, we must be moved to actions, moved to live.

We must live in the context of the resurrection, remembering always what Christ started on the cross and finished in the empty tomb. He has risen! Christ has triumphed! He reigns!

Oh how I pray that the Lord would ignite the hearts of the elect who have yet to taste death, to see Christ’s bride living with joy in the glorification of a sovereign God.

Renkie goes on to show how the simplicity of “I’m with Jesus” can answer a barrage of questions. This woke up my brain, as it did his, and reminded me how central Jesus is to questions of the Christian faith. If one accepts Jesus everything else falls into place, from the authority of scripture, to practical living. Which also reminds me of how important it is to point to Christ when defending the faith. Jesus is the door, there is no other way in. If we preach Christ, his acceptance will lead to the acceptance of his divinity, the innerancy of the Bible, the existence of the prophets of old, the resurrection, justification, total depravity… because to accept Jesus is to accept his words. C.S. Lewis’ description of Jesus either being a liar, lunatic or Lord, though so overused, is so true. If you say you are with Jesus yet do not accept his words as his own, then you are not with him. You cannot accept Jesus without accepting him as Lord.

6:1 When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! 4 So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, 6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? 7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!

Though the words are far from new for me, the bolded part of the passage never hit me as it does now. This is a pretty radical statement by Paul. In a me first society, rather, in any human society, the idea of suffering and not avenging one’s self is an insane proposition. Why not rather suffer wrong? Paul is telling his brothers that it is better to allow yourself to be wronged, to be defrauded, by another brother, than to fight back with a lawsuit.

How often do we as disciples of Christ lash out at one another? Criticize one another? How many anti-[enter Christian organization here] websites do we have attacking brothers/sisters in the faith because we feel we have been wronged? How many times do we cry out “stop judging me” when someone is trying to hold us accountable? How many times do we have conflict in the church, splits in the congregation?

Paul writes STOP! Remember who you are!

…you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (Verse 11)

We need to go back to the Gospel, to return to the roots of our faith. We need to remember the God that we serve. Not only are we wronging a brother or sister, we are wronging an adopted son or daughter of God.

Remember Christ’s words in Matthew 12:26?

And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?

How can we thrive as the body of Christ, glorifying God and preaching the gospel to all nations, if we are divided against ourselves?