True Belief

Horatius Bonar had these words to say about the nature of true belief in God and how this affects our view both of God and of ourselves. What he says is both perceptive and challenging. Take your time reading through it, think through what he is saying, and then take time to examine your own heart in light of it.

In all unbelief there are these two things—a good opinion of one’s self and a bad opinion of God. Man’s good opinion of himself makes him think it quite possible to win God’s favor by his own religious performances; and his bad opinion of God makes him unwilling and afraid to put his case wholly into His hands. The object of the Holy Spirit’s work (in convincing of sin) is to alter the sinner’s opinion of himself, and so to reduce his estimate of his own character that he shall think of himself as God does, and so cease to suppose it possible that he can be justified by an excellency of his own. The Spirit then alters his evil opinion of God, so as to make him see that the God with whom he has to do is really the God of all grace.

But the inquirer denies that he has a good opinion of himself and owns himself a sinner. Now a man may SAY this, but really to KNOW it is something more than SAYING. Besides, he may be willing to take the name of sinner to himself, in common with his fellow-men, and yet not at all own himself such a sinner as God says he is—such a sinner as needs the cross, and blood, and righteousness of the Son of God. It takes a great deal to destroy a man’s good opinion of himself; how difficult it is to make a man think of himself as God does! What but the almightiness of the Divine Spirit can accomplish this?

Unbelief, then, is the belief of a lie and the rejection of the truth. Accept, then, the character of God as given in the gospel; the Holy Spirit will not give you peace irrespective of your views of God’s character. It is in connection with THE TRUTH concerning the true God, “the God of all grace,” that the Spirit gives peace. That which He shows us of ourselves is only evil; that which He shows us of God is only good!

An Infinite Fountain of Love

Yesterday in a post we saw that Jonathan Edwards recognised the biblical reality of hell. His most famous sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God clearly shows this. However, he also recognised the glorious realities of what the new creation shall be like for all those who belong to Christ, what those who have gone to be with Christ enjoy, and what will be tasted in fullness by all of His people in the new heavens and new earth. In a sermon entitled Heaven, A World of Love he spelt out some of these magnificent realities. He looks clearly at the character of God, and what it means for Him, as Father, Son and Spirit, to be love, and from there he spells out the implications of this for heaven. Here is an excerpt from the sermon, which gives us a refreshingly great view of God:

The Apostle tells us that God is love, 1 John 4:8. And therefore seeing he is an infinite Being, it follows that he is an infinite fountain of love, Seeing he is an all-sufficient Being, it follows that he is a full and overflowing and an inexhaustible fountain of love. Seeing he is an unchangeable and eternal Being, he is an unchangeable and eternal source of love. There even in heaven dwells that God from whom every stream of holy love, yea, every drop that is or ever was proceeds.

There dwells God the Father, and so the Son, who are united in infinitely dear and incomprehensible mutual love. There dwells God the Father, who is the Father of mercies, and so the Father of love, who so loved that world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life [John 3:16].

There dwells Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, the Prince of peace and love, who so loved the world that he shed his blood, and poured out his soul unto death for it. There dwells the Mediator, by whom all God’s love is expressed to the saints, by whom the fruits of it have been purchased, and through whom they are communicated, and through whom love is imparted to the hearts of all the church. There Christ dwells in both his natures, his human and divine, sitting with the Father in the same throne.

There is the Holy Spirit, the spirit of divine love, in whom the very essence of God, as it were, all flows out or is shed abroad in the hearts of all the church [cf. Rom. 5:5].

There in heaven this fountain of love, this eternal three in one, is set open without any obstacle to hinder access to it. There this glorious God is manifested and shines forth in full glory, in beams of love; there the fountain overflows in streams and rivers of love and delight, enough for all to drink at, and to swim in, yea, so as to overflow the world as it were with a deluge of love.

"Attaining the knowledge of the mind of God in the Scripture"

In a previous post we saw our need to be sweating over the text in dilligent study as we seek to understand and apply Scripture. However, we must not neglect our need to also be sweating over the text in prayer. If we are merely working hard with the text and neglecting to wrestle with God in prayer that He might open our eyes to see the glorious truths of His word then we cannot expect to understand it. This is what John Owen recognised. Listen to these words: 

I suppose ... this may be fixed on as a common principle of Christianity; namely, that constant and fervent prayer for the divine assistance of the Holy Spirit, is such an indispensable means for ... attaining the knowledge of the mind of God in the Scripture, as that without it all others will not [avail]. (Works, IV, p. 203.)

The Work of The Spirit in the Life of George Whitefield

Every year the Proclamation Trust holds the Evangelical Ministry Assembly in London, a conference aimed at those in Christian ministry, especially preachers. At the last two EMA's Vaughan Roberts has given excellent biograpical addresses which focus on the life and ministry of saints of old. At the most recent EMA he gave a very helpful address on the life of George Whitefield, one of the key figures, under God, in the revival of the 18th Century in England. Vaughan's focus in this address was on the work of the Holy Spirit in Whitefield's life. It is well worth setting aside the fourty minutes it takes to watch this video.


EMA 2010: The work of the Spirit in the life of George Whitefield from The Proclamation Trust on Vimeo.

Trinity 2: The Holy Spirit

It is no secret that in our evangelical constituency we tend to be more comfortable talking about Jesus than we are the Holy Spirit. Some even baulk or squirm when conversations to do with the Spirit go beyond the inspiration of Scripture... but should they?

There is no doubt that a lot of very important ground needs to be defended concerning the person and work of Christ (e.g. his substitutionary atonement) but Article 10 of the 104 Irish Articles encourages us to maintain a well rounded Trinitarian theology:


Article 10. The Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is of one substance, majesty, and glory, with the Father and the Son, very and eternal God.

The Holy Spirit is no less majestic, no less glorious that the Father or the Son. He is the one who opens blind eyes to see the glory of Christ, who unites us to Christ by faith to make us partakers of his risen life. He equips and enables our Christian service and binds us together in love for one another as the Church.

Surely these are not things to squirm at but cause us to rejoice and motivate us to more fervent prayer that the Spirit would work in our lives for the glory of Jesus and the good of others.

A lot more can and should be said here but, suffice it to say, it is worth considering when you last asked the Holy Spirit for help? Help to see Jesus more clearly, help to minister to a friend in need, asking him to heal, to convict or to bring new life...

And if that wasn't provocative enough check out this short video interview with John Piper.