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Bible reading for Nov 4.  2 Kings 17. "'You shall not fear other gods, but you shall fear the LORD your God, and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.' However, they would not listen, but they did according to their former manner." (2 Kings 17:38-40)  FALL OF SAMARIA. This chapter reports the Assyrian siege against Samaria and the resulting fall of the northern kingdom in 722/21 BC. The divine explanation is given in full. The northern tribes are lost, not in the sense that they are off wandering somewhere, but that they are resettled and mixed with the surrounding peoples. Their ethnic identity will be mixed (vv 6, 24). It's a sad conclusion to the story of the northern kingdom of Israel. Here's the summary: "'And the statutes and the rules and the law and the commandment that he wrote for you, you shall always be careful to do. You shall not fear other gods, and you shall not forget the covenant that I have made with you. You sha...

Here are some recent highlights from reading  The Everlasting God , by Broughton Knox, on God's wisdom and goodness... God’s covenant relationship with creation, when expressed in personal terms, means that he is faithful; he fulfills that which he promises. He is the faithful God and we are to reflect his faithfulness in our relationships, not only with God, but with one another. The faithfulness of God is the most important aspect of his goodness. First, there is the relationship, then there is the responsibility of that relationship. From this flows the authority which God has over all, and which leads in turn to the obligation on all of obedience, thanksgiving and honor. Knowledge applied purposefully but not towards the good of others is not called wisdom but cunning. Wisdom must always be good. His infinite knowledge coupled with his infinite power and infinite goodness mean that he has infinite wisdom. God’s wisdom is marvelously displayed in the created wor...

In Sunday's sermon we learned how we should reject moralism and embrace God's grace given to us in Jesus Christ  (Romans 2:1-11) .  In staff meeting this morning we discussed a related question -- how then do we do good works as Christians without lapsing  back into moralism? What exactly is a good work for the believer, the kind of good work God is looking for?  How do the good works  we attempt before salvation differ from the good works that God expects of the believer after salvation? I think there are at least four differences between a moralistic approach to life and the life of the Christian seeking to do  good .    1) There's a different standard .  For the believer God's word is the source book for what constitutes a good work.  Before, it  was what seemed right or good to us at the time, or what is popularly viewed as good in our culture.  Though there are many  good works from a humanitarian viewpoint...

"For by grace you have been saved through faith . And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works , so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship , created in Christ Jesus for good works , which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV) "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love."  (Galatians 5:6 ESV) So, for the Christian, what qualifies as a "good work"? The Heidelberg Catechism summarizes this concisely...  90. Q. What is the coming to life of the new nature ? A. It is a heartfelt joy in God through Christ,[1] and a love and delight to live according to the will of God in all good works.[2] [1] Ps. 51:8, 12; Is. 57:15; Rom. 5:1; 14:17. [2] Rom. 6:10, 11; Gal. 2:20. 91. Q. But what are good works ?  A. Only those which are done out of true faith,[1] in accordance with the law of God,[2] and to Hi...

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works , so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship , created in Christ Jesus for good works , which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them ." (Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV) "You have often heard me say that the Christian life has two dimensions: the first is faith, and the second is good works. A believer should live a devout life and always do what is right. But the first dimension of the Christian life — faith — is more essential. The second dimension — good works — is never as valuable as faith. People of the world, however, adore good works. They regard them to be far higher than faith.  "Good works have always been valued more highly than faith. Of course, it’s true that we should do good works and respect the importance of them. But we should be careful that we don’t elevate good works to such an extent that faith and Ch...

Works done by unregenerate men, although for the matter of them they may be things which God commands; and of good use both to themselves and others: yet, because they proceed not from an heart purified by faith; nor are done in a right manner, according to the Word; nor to a right end, the glory of God, they are therefore sinful, and cannot please God, or make a man meet to receive grace from God: and yet, their neglect of them is more sinful and displeasing unto God.  ( Westminster Confession of Faith , 16.7) Dr. John Frame, in his excellent volume, The Doctrine of the Christian Life (Theology of Lordship series), explains below what goes into to making a "good work" before God.  (Relatively and humanly speaking, people may do good works toward one another, but the question here is, what is a good work before God, what kind of work is he is pleased with?)  He answers... "Note the three necessary ingredients: (1) a heart purified by faith, (2) obedience to God’s Wo...