2011 Colossians 2:6 Perception : Spring 2011
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PERCEPTION F As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. SPRING 2011 Colossians 2:6 Perception : Spring 2011 CONTENTS Page: Editorial …………………………………………………………………. 1 Current Issues Zimbabwe - Sowing the Word of Truth ………………………….…… 4 Dr. I. A. Sadler Church History Augustus Toplady (1740-1778) ………………………………………… 6 J. R. Broome Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) - His Early Years …………...……… 12 J. R. Broome Doctrine & Truth Luther on the Law and the Gospel - Part 2 …….………………...…… 17 Dr. I. A. Sadler A Sense of Sin …….……………………...……………………………… 22 Rev. J. S. Sinclair Of the Mercy of God ……………………………………...…………….. 25 Dr. J. Gill Letters, A resses & Sermons Extract from a Sermon by John Green ……………………………….. 28 Current Events Mr Clement Wood (1920-2010) ……………………..…..……………… 33 Cover Picture: An albatross in the Antarctic Ocean, ta-en by Dr . Mercer on a recent visit E itor 0 Mr .. 2. 3roome, 50 4rasmere, Trowbri ge, 6ilts, 3A14 7LL. Tel. No. 01225 752035. Email 8 9rbroome:tal-tal-.net. All correspon ence shoul be a resse to the E itor. The Annual Subscription (which inclu es postage) shoul be sent to :0 UK ?9, Mr D... Christian, 5 2oun woo 4ar ens, Harpen en, Herts, AL5 3A. USA A19, Mr ..K. Stehouwer, Bion, 1710 2ichmon Street, N.6., 4ran 2api s, Mich. 49504 USA Australia AA23, Mr H... Clitton, 33 Dermont Avenue, Corio, Dictoria 3214, Australia Netherlan s E14, Mr 4. Clements, 6estein e 57, 2969 3M, Ou 0Alblas, The Netherlan s PERCEPTION Volume 3 SPRING 2011 Number 9 HEDITORIAL “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1. 12). allen man cannot, will not, receive Christ. The unregenerate F heart, the carnal mind, “ is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Rom. 8. 7). The Lord Jesus Christ according to Isaiah’s prophecy was to be despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Isaiah goes further and in the language of one called by divine grace and favoured with the gift of faith, adds: “We hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isa. 53. 3). This is the confession of all the children of God, as they look back to the days when they were “strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world” (Eph. 2. 12). Paul, in his days as a Pharisee, hated Christ and persecuted His followers, standing by and consenting to the stoning of Stephen, hailing men and women to prison who were followers of the Lord Jesus. When he set out for Damascus “breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord” and the Lord Jesus stopped him with the words, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?”, we see clearly that it was a divine power, Christ Himself, that stopped him that day. Later when the Lord Jesus directed Ananias, one of His disciples in Damascus, to go to him, He told Ananias “Behold, he prayeth” (Acts 9. 11). The Apostle Paul had been born again by the Spirit of God, converted, and brought to receive Him, whom to know “is life eternal.” Now he pleaded that very name that he had so hated, even the name of Jesus. Now he bowed at the mercy seat and in his heart was the cry, “Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me!”(Mark 10. 47). Here was a man truly “born of God.” The Apostle John makes it clear how this great act of quickening was done and by whom. It was the work of God. “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the 2 Perception : Spring 2011 kingdom of God” (John 3. 3). “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3. 5). The fact that our parents may have been converted in no way influences this work. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit,” Jesus told Nicodemus (John 3. 6). Nor was it of the “will of the flesh.” As sons of Adam, men and women are born “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2. 1) and are “by nature the children of wrath” (Eph. 2. 3). They have no will or power to come to Christ. But the psalmist David says, “Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power” (Psa. 110. 3). John Berridge expresses this truth in a verse of one of his hymns:- No wit or will of man, Or learning he may boast, No power of reason can Draw sinners unto Christ; So fallen is nature, such her flaw, None come except the Father draw. Another aspect of this work is that it is love which draws sinners to Christ. Augustus Toplady in his hymn, “Compared with Christ, in all beside, no comeliness I see…” says; Loved of my God, for him again With love intense I’d burn; Chosen of thee ere time began, I choose thee in return. Once they hated Him “without a cause,” yet they were loved by Him. We think of the two thieves on the cross who “cast the same in his teeth,” “He trusted in God; let him deliver him.” Yet hours later one of them “received him;” received Him as the eternal Son of God, the King of Kings and creator of this universe, received Him as his Redeemer. He spoke in confession of his sin, “We indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss” (Luke 23. 41). Then he asked Jesus, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” The Lord’s reply was, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23. 43). Here a dying sinner received Christ and Christ received the dying sinner. There was a blessed coming together in love, mercy, sovereign grace, atoning love, blood and peace. “As many as received him, to them gave he power” – the right or the privilege, as the margin reads – “to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1. 12). The dying thief Perception : Spring 2011 3 believed. The Ethiopian eunuch to whom Philip was sent in the desert believed. “ Here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Acts 8. 36-37). The Apostle Paul has much to say about faith. In chapter eleven of his Epistle to the Hebrews, he describes faith as, “The substance” – the ground or confidence, as the margin reads – “of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11. 1). In his Epistle to the Ephesians he says, “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2. 8). He tells us of the necessity of faith; “Without faith it is impossible to please him : for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb. 11. 6). He tells us of the working of faith; “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10. 17). In his Epistle to the Galatians, Paul tells us that faith “worketh by love” (Gal. 5. 6). So we see that those who receive Christ as their God and Saviour have been brought by the work of the Holy Spirit to believe in Him, brought to possess their sins (Job 13. 26), convicted and convinced of their evil nature in the sight of God, brought to feel their need of the Good Physician as sick in soul and leprous in heart, coming in godly sorrow and repentance to Him, believing that He alone is able to heal them. They see a beauty in Christ as the Incarnate Son of God, and like Peter can say of Him, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16. 16), and again, “We believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God” (John 6. 69). They receive Him in faith and love and He receives them. To them He extends the gracious invitations and promises of the Gospel in all their fullness: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matt. 11. 28-29). “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6. 37). It was on this latter text that John Bunyan wrote his book, Come and welcome to Jesus Christ . William Gadsby also wrote in a similar vein: Come, whosoever will, Nor vainly strive to mend; Sinners are freely welcome still To Christ, the sinner’s Friend. 4 Perception : Spring 2011 His tender, loving heart The vilest will embrace; And freely to them will impart The riches of his grace. ============ CURRENT ISSUES Zimbabwe Sowing the Word of Tr th By Dr.