You need to read this book (10/9/09)

Christless Christianity by Michael Horton

This is by far the best book I’ve read this year. Horton argues that the American church has been slowly moving away from the gospel of Jesus as the center of our life and preaching to softer, gentler forms of legalism (moralism, personal comfort, self-help, self-improvement, and individualistic religion). We need to stop preaching “Do better, try harder” and start preaching Jesus.

“When we try to fit God into our life movie, the plot is all wrong – and not just wrong but trivial. When we are pulled out of our own drama and cast as characters in his unfolding plot, we become part of the greatest story ever told. It is through God’s Word of judgment (law) and salvation (gospel) that we are transferred from our own pointless scripts and into the grand narrative that revolves around Jesus Christ” (Christless Chrisitianity, 94).

A few things to be excited about.

1. Jesus is alive.
2. Tim Keller’s new book, Counterfeit Gods (of which you can download the intro here)
3. Tim Keller’s new blog.
4. Michael Horton’s new book, The Gospel-Driven Life.
5. The Avett Brothers’ new album, I and Love and You.
6. A free Sojourn demo of “O For A Thousand Tongues”.

John Piper on the new birth

One of the unsettling things about the new birth, which Jesus says we all must experience in order to see the kingdom of God (John 3:3), is that we don’t control it. We don’t decide to make it happen any more than a baby decides to make his birth happen – or more accurately, make his conception happen. Or even more accurately: We don’t decide to make it happen any more than dead men decide to give themselves life. The reason we need to be born again is that we are dead in our trespasses and sins. That’s why we need the new birth, and that’s why we can’t make it happen. This is one reason why we speak of the sovereign grace of God. Or better: This is one reason why we love the sovereign grace of God.

- John Piper, Finally Alive

Jerry Bridges on sanctification

“It is the glory of Christ revealed in the gospel, the good news that Jesus died in our place as our representative to free us not only from the penalty of sin but also from its dominion.  A clear understanding and appropriation of the gospel, which gives freedom from sin’s guilt and sin’s grip, is, in the hands of the Holy Spirit, a chief means of sanctification.

To the degree that we feel we are on a legal performance relationship with God, to that degree our progress in sanctification is impeded.  A legal mode of thinking gives indwelling sin an advantage, because nothing cuts the nerve of the desire to pursue holiness as much as a sense of guilt.  On the contrary, nothing so motivates us to deal with sin in our lives as does the understanding and application of the two truths that our sins are forgiven and the dominion of sin is broken because of our union with Christ.”

- Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace

Jesus wants the rose.

John Owen has a word for the church.

I mean it when I say that every Christian should read anything they can get their hands on by John Owen.  I’m reading through Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers for the second time, this time in the anthology Overcoming Sin & Temptation, and it still carries the same conviction and force.  This stuff is good for your soul.  This quote provides a good corrective against becoming legalistic or licentious and shows how relevant this Puritan’s writings are for the modern church.

“Let me add this to those who are preachers of the word, or intend, through the good hand of God, that employment: It is their duty to plead with men about their sins, to lay load on particular sins, but always remember that it be done with that which is the proper end of law and gospel – that is, that they make use of the sin they speak against to the discovery of the state and condition wherein the sinner is; otherwise, [by chance], they may work men to formality and hypocrisy, but little of the true end of preaching the gospel will be brought about.  It will not avail to beat a man off from his drunkenness into a sober formality.  A skillful master of the assemblies lays his axe at the root, drives still at the heart.  To [denounce] against particular sins of ignorant, unregenerate persons, such as the land is full of, is a good work; but yet, though it may be done with great efficacy, vigor, and success, if this be all the effect of it, that they are set upon the most [persistent] endeavors of mortifying their sins preached down, all that is done is but like the beating of an enemy in an open field, and driving him into an impregnable castle, not to be prevailed against” (Owen 84-84).

Bruce Ware rocks.

He is one of the most helpful theologians I’ve ever read.  His argument against open theism in God’s Lesser Glory is rock solid (in my opinion) and I’ve just started God’s Greater Glory, which focuses on the providence of God.  Go read him.