Sin and the Crown of Life

In my Systematic Theology class we just finished our study on man. The big theological term for this is anthropology. As we were in this discussion we looked at what sin is. Dr. Schaefer described it as “missing the mark with God.” Which I think is a good overall definition that is based on Scripture (see Romans 3). But it lacks a little something. It lacks what sin does. I have often thought on my own personal sins. The conclusion of that reflection has led me to see my sins as the person taking nailing Christ to the Cross.

I remember when The Passion of the Christ came out 3 years ago and seeing one of the interviews that Mel Gibson did with a reporter who asked him “who is nailing Jesus to the Cross in that scene?” And Mel properly responded “I am.” Since hearing that I have pictured myself as the one who swings that hammer because every time one sins they spit at God and despise the great love He has shown this world. Sin is the personal act of rejecting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. It is saying “I do not want you to be God, I want to be god!” When I think of myself and my sins as what killed Christ that leads me to mourn because I recognize my own personal spiritual poverty.

CS. Lewis in his Chronicles of Narnia, shares a delightful insight into the nature of sin and redemption in the persons of the Pevensee Children. In his development of Edmund we see one who knows the truth and suppresses it. When he goes into Narnia for the second time he despises the coat he wore as it was a ‘ladies coat.’ But Lewis draws our attention to what it signified – it made them look royal. Edmund despised the potential crown that awaited him (though he did not know it awaited him) instead he longed for the crown that the wicked white witch promised him upon his return.

We are creatures created by God to glorify Him. For those who believe in Christ’s name a crown awaits you in heaven. When we sin we say to God “no thanks, I will take my own.”

What Crown will you take?

Speaking to yourself

I am currently reading CJ Maheney's great book Humility: True Greatness (it is short so you can read it in a few days if need be). It is a convicting short read, with many good insights and built upon many champions of the faith. Mahaney quotes men like Owen, Bunyan, Stott, Dever, and Martin Lloyd-Jones.

One tidbit by Dr. Lloyd Jones that he referenes is particularly convicting to me; throughout the course of today I have been meditating on his counsel. Mahaney points out that we are Totally Depraved Sinners, and that we need Christ if we every want to be Humble. Pastor Mahaney forther points out that as sinners we speak sinful thoughts to our hearts if we do not look to the cross... The tidbit that i mentioned earlier is:

Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in your life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself, instead of talking to yourself?

One thing that i have noticed today is how true it is that when i do not preach the Gospel to myself, I am listening to Satan's evangelist that is within my heart, trying to swoon me over to him. To battle my sinful heart I must preach the Gospel to myself. This is a learning lesson that I have been grasping over the past few months, from working with Pastor Stivason, reading Mahaney's Living the Cross Centered Life, and even now as I continue to grow in Christ.

Above all Earthly Powers Recap

I sit in this chair (a fairly comfy one too) reflecting on what i am reading on this years Desiring God National Conference "Above All Earthly Powers." I am envious of my two good friends Dan and Hallie who spent the last of their honeymoon money on going to this conference. I had to rely on Tim Challies, Josh Harris, and a final recap by CJ Mahaney.

I urge you all to read these selections as talented men of the gospel reflect on what they heard from Tim Keller, Mark Driscoll, John Piper, and David Wells. It had to of been very edifying... and i cannot wait for the web broadcasts of Keller's, Carson's and Well's sermon to get here. :-)

Coming to Know Christ

[HT] Girl Talk
Charles Spurgeon, describing the origins of his understanding of the doctrines of grace:

One week-night, when I was sitting in the house of God, I was not thinking much about the preacher's sermon, for I did not believe it. The thought struck me, "How did you come to be a Christian" I sought the Lord. "But how did you come to seek the Lord?" The truth flashed across my mind in a moment--I should not have sought Him unless there had been some previous influence in my mind to make me seek Him. I prayed, thought I, but then I asked myself, How came I to pray? I was induced to pray by reading the Scriptures. How came I to read the Scriptures? I did read them, but what led me to do so? Then, in a moment, I saw that God was at the bottom of it all, and that He was the Author of my faith, and so the whole doctrine of grace opened up to me, and from that doctrine I have not departed to this day, and I desire to make this my constant confession, "I ascribe my change wholly to God."

Spurgeon's Conversion

[HT] Josh Harris

How did Charles Haddon Spurgeon come to saving faith in Jesus Christ? Later in his life, Spurgeon took delight in telling the story. It was January 6, 1850 and he was 16 years old. Though he was knowledgeable of the Bible, he had not been born again. He was despairing and desperate to find some comfort for his soul. That Sunday because of heavy snow he couldn’t reach the church he planned to attend and instead wound up at a small Primitive Methodist church.

There were only 15 people present and, because of the weather, there was no preacher. So an uneducated and—by Spurgeon’s own estimation—not-very-bright member of the congregation was forced to give an impromptu sermon. Spurgeon remembered the man as "thin-looking," and either a tailor or shoemaker. He was not impressive in appearance, nor in his delivery of his sermon. According to Spurgeon, he didn’t even pronounce his words correctly as he read Isaiah 45:22, which said, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.” I’ll let you hear the rest of the story in Spurgeon’s own words:

“Blessed be God for that poor local preacher. He read his text. It was as much as he could do. He was an ignorant man, he could not say much; he was obliged to keep to his text. Thank God for that. He began, 'Look, that is not hard work. You need not lift your hand, you do not want to lift your finger. Look, a fool can do it. It does not need a wise man to look. A child can do that....Look unto Me. Do not look to yourselves, but look to Me, that is Christ….Look unto Me; I am sweating great drops of blood for you; look unto Me, I am scourged and spit upon; I am nailed to the cross, I die, I am buried, I rise and ascend, I am pleading before the Father’s throne, and all this for you.'

Now that simple way of putting the Gospel had enlisted my attention, and a ray of light had poured into my heart.

Stooping down, he looked under the gallery and said: 'Young man, you are very miserable.' So I was, but I had not been accustomed to be addressed in that way. 'Ah,' said he, 'and you will always be miserable if you don’t do as my text tells you; and that is, Look unto Christ.' And then he called out, with all his might, 'Young man, look; in God’s name look, and look now. Look! Look! Look! You have nothing to do but look and live.'

I did look, blessed be God! I know I looked then and there; and he who but that minute ago had been near despair, had the fullness of joy and hope. The cloud was gone, the darkness rolled away, and in that moment I saw the sun. I had been waiting to do fifty things, but when I heard the word Look, I could almost have looked my eyes away. I could have risen that instant, and sung with the most enthusiastic of them of the precious blood of Christ, and the simple faith that looks alone to Him.”

Andree Seu on Forgiveness

[HT World Magazine]
She Writes:

"Forgiveness is a brutal mathematical transaction done with fully engaged faculties. It's my pain instead of yours. I eat the debt. I absorb the misery I wanted to dish out on you, and you go scot-free. Beware the forgiveness that is tendered soon after injury; be suspicious. Real forgiveness needs a time lag, for it is wrought in private agony before it ever comes to public amnesty. All true acts of courage are thus done in secret.

Pastor Tim Keller of Redeemer Church in Manhattan shares the following letter from a man who once had to forgive a woman:

"I forgave her and it took me a whole year and I had to forgive her in small sums over that whole twelve months. I paid those sums whenever I spoke to her and kept myself from rehashing the past. I paid them whenever I saw her with another man and refused self-pity and rehearsal inside for what she'd done to me. I paid them whenever I praised her to others when I really wanted to slice away at her reputation. Those were the payments but she never knew them. However, I never knew her payments, but I know she made them. I could tell."

And now the unthinkable: not only to forgive but seek the good. Nature abhors a vacuum and Jesus admits of no middle ground between hate and love. Pray for him."

The Sword of the Spirit

For a few months now I have used an analogy to illustrate the various needs of Scripture. Part of this is accredited to my good friend Ron who is a Musical Therapist at the nursing home that i used to work at.

First we have the dagger of the spirit, something that you can keep in your pocket... easily seen if yu wish, but also very readily concealed for those emergencies. Plus you do not need a concealed weapons permit. This eapon is a favorite for those who do street evangelism and do not want people to see this great and powerful weapon in their hands. (a Pocket New Testament)


Second is the Saber. The Saber was the weapon of choice for the cavalry in the 19th century. Very light and fast.. but also managable in a compact space. This is ideal for ladies who would like a light Bible to carry around instead of carrying around the normal Sword or dagger.

These previous swords of the spirit are classic for 'sneak attacks' on unbelievers because they are easily hid. But also they are very accessible if they are in your purse or car. Our next model is the classic Sword of the Spirit.. The Pew Bible - we all know what these are so it is rather pointless to illustrate with a nice picture.
But this model is the best to train the soldiers of the faith in the Bible drills and other necessities. (a note of reference the author is partial to the ESV or NKJV)

Lastly, there is the biggest model of them all.. this is the study Bible. There are a lot of Study Bibles that are shoddy, with all their notes - this makes them heavy and cumbersome with a lot of unneeded ornateness... but there is one that surpasses them all.. and this is the Claymore... That when someone objects to you or your truth claim... you have this at your side.. with one swipe nothing is able ot stand in the way of this living sword...

Finally what you have all been waiting for: The Claymore of the swords... the Reformation Study Bible

More Spurgeon Quotes

"The hearing of the gospel involves the hearer in responsibility. It is a great privilege to hear the gospel. You may smile and think there is nothing very great in it. The damned in hell know. Oh, what would they give if they could hear the gospel now? If they could come back and entertain but the shadow of a hope that they might escape from the wrath to come? The saved in heaven estimate this privilege at a high rate, for, having obtained salvation through the preaching of this gospel, they can never cease to bless their God for calling them by his word of truth. O that you knew it! On your dying beds the listening to a gospel sermon will seem another thing than it seems now."


"Do you know, my dear unsaved hearer, what God’s estimate of the gospel is? Do you not know that it has been the chief subject of his thoughts and acts from all eternity? He looks on it as the grandest of all his works. You cannot imagine that he has sent his gospel into the world to be a football for you to play with–that you may give it a kick, as Felix did when he said to Paul, "Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee" (Acts 24:25). You surely cannot believe that God sent his gospel into the world for you to make a toy of it, and to say, as Agrippa said to Paul, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian" (Acts 26:28), and then put away all thought of it out of your souls. You cannot even speak of it irreverently without committing a great sin."


"Avoid a sugared gospel as you would shun sugar of lead. Seek the gospel which rips up and tears and cuts and wounds and hacks and even kills, for that is the gospel that makes alive again. And when you have found it, give good heed to it. Let it enter into your inmost being. As the rain soaks into the ground, so pray the Lord to let his gospel soak into your soul."

"Never lose heart in the power of the gospel. Do not believe that there exists any man, much less any race of men, for whom the gospel is not fitted."

"Let this be to you the mark of true gospel preaching - where Christ is everything, and the creature is nothing; where it is salvation all of grace, through the work of the Holy Spirit applying to the soul the precious blood of Jesus."

"If God does not save men by truth, he certainly will not save them by lies. And if the old gospel is not competent to work a revival, then we will do without the revival."

"On Christ, and what he has done, my soul hangs for time and eternity. And if your soul also hangs there, it will be saved as surely as mine shall be. And if you are lost trusting in Christ, I will be lost with you and will go to hell with you. I must do so, for I have nothing else to rely upon but the fact that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lived, died, was buried, rose again, went to heaven, and still lives and pleads for sinners at the right hand of God."

"We have an unchanging gospel, which is not today green grass and tomorrow dry hay; but always the abiding truth of the immutable Jehovah."

"If the Lord's bearing our sin for us is not the gospel, I have no gospel to preach."

"The heart of the gospel is redemption, and the essence of redemption is the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ."

"When we preach Christ crucified, we have no reason to stammer, or stutter, or hesitate, or apologize; there is nothing in the gospel of which we have any cause to be ashamed."

Update: I am currently interning at Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church in Meadville Pennsylvania under the direction of Jeffrey Stivason. (Graduate of Grove City, RPTS, Pittsburth Theological Seminary and a student at Westminster Theological Seminary.) The church website is curently under construction but the address is Covenantrpc.org.

Here is an article that i wrote for Covenant's monthly newsletter (to be published).

I have lived, worked and served among you for the past 10 weeks. I would like to share with you a portion of my walk with God, something that captures my mind and pushes my knees to the ground to bow before the God on high.

I was raised in a covenant home under two godly parents always being taught to serve Christ’s kingdom. That did not mean that my parents pushed me to be a pastor, actually they discouraged it. But why would someone ever want to devote a life of service to being a pastor, or an elder, a deacon, a missionary? Why?

The answer is what makes every believer love Christ, that is the gospel. Because of Christ’s work, those who call on Christ’s name will see heaven.

We only know of three men from Scripture who had a glimpse of heaven. One was Stephen the deacon. Who when he was stoned looked up and saw "the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God." Another was the Apostle John on the Isle of Patomos, where he wrote the book of Revelations.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."

The other man was Paul whom we will come to in a moment, let me beg you to consider a question posed by pastor John Piper,

The critical question for our generation--and for every generation--is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there?

From these two passages of Scripture we are told that what makes heaven a place that we want to be, which is the presence of Christ, the glory of God. Jesus will walk among us. Which is awesome! Paul tells us of his picture of heaven in 1 Corinthians 15, regarding the resurrection. (read that glorious chapter)

Imagine for a moment that you are in heaven and your name is read out of the book of life. And you see your precious savior ahead of you and you run with great ease and quickness to Him. When you are before Him you give Christ a warm embrace…. As your hands are on his back you feel the scars of the whip tearing into his body.. you pause and take a step back to look at His hands… to find the holes of the nails of the cross… and you realize once again what He did for you.

Later that ‘day’ you walk into the city of Zion, striding into the sanctuary of Yahweh. As you enter you see every saint, every believer that has ever lived… John Calvin, Augustine, Athanasius, JM Boice, every believer that has ever lived. And you look and see friends from church and their new bodies given to them without any of their handicaps. And the whole congregation begins to sing praises to God. Then a man walks by you.. you see scars on his back… and they stick out to you because no one else has any scars of their life on this planet.. .but this man has scars from a crown of thorns, nails, a whip and the bare rough cross.

Paul exhorts us to believe in the resurrection, saying that it is essential to our faith. (1 Corinthians 15:12ff) If there was no resurrection of the dead, then Christ was not raised from the dead. If he was not raised, then all we have is the cross, which is a truly horrific picture. For that is where Christ became a curse for His children, in and of itself there is no salvation. The resurrection is what gives men life. What makes the cross pleasant is the fact that God poured out all His wrath upon Himself, and when that was finished the Father raised the Son from the dead… It is where Christ bore the punishment for our sins… and later risen from the dead.

This is the gospel, that God the Son became man, later crucified, buried and then rose from the dead for those that call upon His name.

Why do I want to give my life to Christ? I hope at this time, the answer is obvious. May you see Christ’s blood as precious, that is the reason my life is not my own… To end, a prayer from The Valley of Vision,

"Blessed Lord Jesus,
Before your cross I kneel and see the heinousness of my sin, my iniquity that caused you to be made a curse, the evil that excites the serveity of divine wrath.
Show me the enormity of my guilt by the crown of thorns, the pierced hands and feet, the bruised body, the dying cries. Your blood is the blood of incarnate God, its infinite, its value beyond all thought. Infinite must be the evil and guilt that demands such a price
Sin is my malady, my monster my foe, my viper born in my birth, alive in my life strong in my character, dominating my faculties, following me as a shadow, intermingling with my every thought, my chain that holds me captive in the empire of my soul.
Sinner that I am, why should the sun give me light!? The air supply breath? The earth bear my tread? Its fruits nourish me? its creatures subserve my ends?
Yet your compassions yearn over me, your heart hastens to my rescue, your love endured my curse, your mercy bore my deserved stripes.
Let me walk humbly in the lowest depths of humiliation, bathed in your blood, tender of conscience, triumphing gloriously as an heir of salvation."