Oct
31
Posted by Eric F. Langborgh on
October 31, 2006
In October I began to increase the level of activity on my blog again since I’ve resumed blogging after my August reprieve. Though I am not posting original material nearly so often as I was before my break, there were still a number of entries I thought I’d bring to your attention:
Earlier in the month, as many of you know, Samuel was put under for surgery. The experience was certainly memorable, not the least of which was for Samuel’s brave response. Also on the “Family News and Events” front, was a fun time — and pictures! — as Maggie and her brother enjoyed their first Ferris Wheel ride. And note who The Luckiest Man on Earth is — not that I’m biased! ;)
Politically, I still have lots of problems with our unconstitutional Iraq War. Well, some thoughts I shared in September on the subject provoked some great discussions about the Islamist threat, the Constitution, and the nature of our Republic, which culminated in my lengthy post, “On the War on Terror, Imperialism, and American Monarchy.”
Some of you have been following along with the “Lord’s Day Meditations” I post at the start of each Sabbath, and are thus aware that I just completed a lengthy series through the Heidelberg Catechism. For navigational ease and reference, I linked to them all in one spot in a post titled, “The Heidelberg Catechism: Topical Reference.”
Finally, I’d like to point out a new category that I started in earnest this month: “Sermon Notes.” Transcribing and cleaning up my notes from the Lord’s Day message each week seems such a no-brainer, I wonder: why didn’t I start this sooner?! Anyway, there were a number of excellent messages from our new pastor at our new church (I’ll explain next week, so check in then!) that I share here now for the edification of all:
Oh yes: and as a helpful addendum to the last two sermons, I decided to re-post my article and series on the topic “Predestination and the Liberty of God.” Many found this helpful before, so I trust it will be again.
As always, there was lots more — including posts concerning Halloween, the destructive minimum wage, and the person of Christ and the nature of the Church — which you can find in the monthly archive for October.
Oct
31
Posted by Eric F. Langborgh on
October 31, 2006
The Wittenberg Hall blog has three very good and thoughtful articles concerning Halloween that I highly recommend:
After reading these excellent articles, my views remain the same as that laid out in my previous post. However, I concede that my practice — and even attitude — towards the day probably needs to change, at least somewhat. It seems there is a definite middle that Christians should position themselves in on Halloween between retreatism/escapism and mindless following of the unbelieving masses. After all, we are to be as light to the world, not as the world. But to be that light, we must be in the world, even while making sure we are not of the world.
For tonight, Samuel is Spider-Man, Maggie is an adorable clown, and we will celebrate with the saints and neighbors from the community that join us at church for an open house full of fun games and lots of treats.
Oct
31
Posted by Eric F. Langborgh on
October 31, 2006
I hate Halloween. But rather than pen again why, I simply link here my article from a year ago, “In Lament of the Fact of Halloween.”
In it, I explain my revulsion at the holiday, the impotence of the occult, our position on whether or not we will allow our children to “trick-or-treat” (hint: they will not do so tonight), and my strong preference to celebrate “The Festival of the Reformation.”
Oct
30
Posted by Eric F. Langborgh on
October 30, 2006
Sermon Notes — Lord’s Day service, October 29, 2006 — Rev. Brian Webster, Pastor — Christ Church of Arlington, Virginia
And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
~Romans 8:30
(For Part I, click here. For my own related article and series, “Predestination and the Liberty of God,” click here.)
“Those God called, he justified…” The effectual calling of God is is the third link in the “golden chain” of salvation.
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Oct
28
Posted by Eric F. Langborgh on
October 28, 2006
Lord’s Day Meditation
To all who are spiritually weary and seek rest; to all who mourn and long for comfort; to all who struggle and desire victory; to all who sin and need a saviour; to all who are strangers and want fellowship; to all who hunger and thirst after righteousness; and to whomsoever will come, this church opens wide her doors and offers welcome in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
~The Invitation of Christ Church of Arlington (PCA)
Oct
26
Posted by Eric F. Langborgh on
October 26, 2006
Given the topic of Sunday’s sermon, of which I posted my sermon notes Monday, I thought that this would be an appropriate and helpful time for me to re-post an article I wrote here nearly a year ago: “Predestination and the Liberty of God.”
Predestination and the Liberty of God
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30)
Predestination.
God’s complete sovereignty of will, and omnipotence to enact that will.
This is a topic that tends to perplex, even anger, those who ponder or discuss the doctrine at any length. Most pretend it is not there, or try to explain it away. Yet, there it is, right in front of us in the middle of Paul’s Epistle to the Church in Rome.
What perhaps angers people the most is how the doctrine must strip of man all real power and glory in himself. Man wants what is only rightfully the Lord’s. This, after all, was the temptation that caused man’s initial Fall — the desire to “be like God.” And so we, participating fully in Adam’s sin, find most hateful to our prideful ears texts like the following, which logically (and in fact) follow the one that opened this post:
What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses,
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. (Romans 9:14-18)
This makes us most indignant, and for many we place ourselves in the dangerous position of judging God, or thinking this doctrine somehow absolves us of our responsibilities:
One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?” But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ “Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?” (9:19-21)
Lamentably, too many demand answers that they can deem acceptable, and will not receive the truth God gives them. Worse, we demand God’s reasons for what He does, as though we are in a moral position superior to that of the Lord.
But if we would just stop to listen, we would begin to hear what is so glorious and hopeful about this doctrine:
What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath — prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory — even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? (9:22-24)
And so for some of us, we go beyond the appalled perplexity and find great comfort and assurance for our faith. We find strength to endure hardship and persecution — because we gladly accept that the strength needed for the task is not our own:
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died — more than that, who was raised to life — is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (8:31-39)
These, after all, are the verses that immediately follow Paul’s great explication of God’s exercise of His sovereign will — the doctrine of predestination. Or, as one pastor put it and as I prefer to state it, the liberty of God.
Soli Deo Gloria
*****
In November 2005, I posted a series of blog articles on the topic of predestination. These articles came out of an extended conversation I had with a dear friend over this difficult issue. The implications of the doctrine that we explored included the “reasonableness” of God’s predestinating work, the perseverance of the saints (that all who truly believe will truly be saved) and apostasy, prayer and its usefulness, and more.
One thing I hope will come out loud and clear from my conversation is that, far from being an esoteric, terrifying doctrine, divine election should be a source of great joy and comfort for the Christian — and real hope for the non-Christian. As Douglas Jones put it in a chapter he titled “The Font of Laughter: Where Joy and Gratitude Overflow” in the excellent book, Angels in the Architecture: A Protestant Vision for Middle Earth:
We think that predestination is a vast and impersonal machine grinding our bones into flour, when it’s nothing other than our loving Father involved in everything we say and do. …
Too often Christians debate the fact of predestination in such a way that both sides forget what a wonderful doctrine it would be if it were true. “Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.” (Is. 52:9) The real stakes in the real debate are joy and laughter.
My prayer is that in reading through this series, you will find joy and comfort in the eternal goodness of our Lord and God:
Oct
23
Posted by Eric F. Langborgh on
October 23, 2006
Sermon Notes — Lord’s Day service and Communion, October 22, 2006 — Rev. Brian Webster, Pastor — Christ Church of Arlington, Virginia
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
~Romans 8:29-30
Martin Luther struggled for years under the knowledge of his sinful nature and the rightful judgment of a Holy God, trying to find the answer to the question: “How can we be sure of salvation when we sin ever day?”
This passage has come to be known as the “golden chain” of salvation. This morning we are focusing on the first two links in the chain: God’s foreknowledge and predestination.
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