So I’m going to seminar - Survival!

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Sunday Gurnall - 2

This week Gurnall taught me how Satan has five strategies in managing his temptations for deceiving Christians into sin.

1. He hangs out false colours, and comes up to the Christian in the disguise of a friend, so that the gates are opened to him, and his motions received with applause, before either be discovered. (Note 2 Cor. 11:14) On this point, I find this line from Gurnall to be very insightful, “[Satan] decries and vilifies the Scripture, by magnifying faith” (75). Now, I’m not a terribly educated man, but that captures the entire Liberalism movement since Schleiermacher. In every age there have been those who attack the Bible (noting John Toland even back in the 17th century, more here). But what I find so insightful from Gurnall is his recognition that people will create this disjunction between “faith” and the Bible, and then lift their faith above Scripture so as to judge which aspects were truly “for faith”. Those who do this create a false dichotomy, and to the extent that they hate Scripture, they hate Jesus. Satan tempts people away from true faith and the real Jesus by wearing Christian cloths.

2. Is to get intelligence of the saint’s affairs. Gurnall points out that Satan has a long history of learning the ins and outs of the human heart, he knows what he’s doing. Gurnall calls this “heart-anatomy”. Satan’s aim is to learn our hearts and our weaknesses, our trials and temptations and seeks to lead us into “the wood of worldly employments, over head and ears in the desires and cares of this life…How easily, having first blown them up with vain hopes, doth he draw them into horrid sins.” Here he points to the story of Amnon and Tamar in 2 Samuel 13, and how Jonadab was readily available to give advice, leading Amnon into the snare of sin.

3. In his gradual approaches to the soul. Satan will come and ask a little temptation – only a little lust, only a “white lie”. While in logic, a slippery slope argument is a fallacy, in sin it is the logical consequence of any temptation. “Many have yielded to go a mile with Satan, that never intended to go two; but when once on the way, they have been allured farther and farther, till at last they know now how to leave his company…[W]hen the hem is worn, the whole garment will ravel out, if it not be mended by timely repentance” (77).

4. By his reserves. Satan no sooner is rejected in one offer of temptation that he has another close at hand. Here we need only look at the temptation of Christ in Matthew 4. “Now it requires some readiness in our postures, and skill at our weapons, to make our defense…And truly this is Satan’s way when he tempts the Christian to neglect of [the] duties of God’s worship” (78). On this note, how often do we complain of “not having time” or “having grown cold” to spiritual things when the reality is that they are simply not a priority to us because we have taken Satan’s bate in one area or another?

5. In his politic retreats. Here Gurnall means that when Satan “retreats” from tempting, he is only feigning defeat. His example is a castle being bombarded by an attack, and that the inhabitants are ready and on guard. But when the attackers pull back, those inside grow a little more relaxed, open the gates, etc. At this point, Satan is again ready in full force for an attack. “Let Satan tempt or not tempt, assault or retreat, keep thou in order, stand in a fighting posture, let his flight strengthen thy faith, but not weaken thy care” (78).

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What I find helpful on this point from Gurnall is his serious-mindedness about Satan’s war against the Christian to lead them into sin. To many these days Satan is a fanciful, red tailed, pointy-forked character from cartoons. As the line goes, “The greatest lie Satan ever told was to make people believe he didn’t exist.” It is every Christians imperative to study and know how Satan will attack them as a part of their desire for and growth in holiness. Should we expect any different treatment when our Lord himself was attacked by Satan? Thankfully, our Lord conquered Satan, sin, and death so that we might have life and power in his through the Holy Spirit to fight against Satan and his aims in our lives.

Six Reasons to Kill Indwelling Sin

From chapter 2 of John Owen's The Mortification of Sin, he talks about six reasons why Christians should diligently seek to kill their indwelling sin:

1. Indwelling sin always abides while we are in this world; therefore it is always to be mortified.
2. Sin does not only abide in us, but is still acting, still laboring to bring forth the deeds of the flesh.
3. Sin will not only be striving, acting, rebelling, troubling, disquieting, but if let along, if not continually mortified, it will bring forth great, cursed, scandalous, soul-destroying sins.
4. This is one main reasons why the Spirit and the new nature is given to us - that we may have a principle within whereby we may oppose sin.
5. Negligence in this duty casts the soul into a perfectly opposite condition to that which the apostle affirms was his - 2 Corinthians 4:16, "Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day."
6. It is our duty to be "perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1); to be "growing in grace" every day (1 Peter 2:2, 2 Peter 3:18); to be "renewing out inward man day by day" (2 Cor. 4:16).

A few memorable quotes:

Let not that man think he makes any progress in holiness who walks not over the bellies of his lusts. He who doth not kill sin in this way takes no steps towards his journey’s end. He who finds not opposition from it, and who sets not himself in every particular to its mortification, is at peace with it, not dying to it. (6:14)

Be killing sin or it will be killing you. (6:9)

(I know I should have a Sunday Gurnall in here, but that will wait until tomorrow. This comes from some Owen I'm rereading in the mornings to focus my mind on mortifying the sin in my heart - which is multifarious!)

Visits of Christ

In reflecting on the state of my soul lately, I can't remember one single day in the last year where I wasn't tempted to, battle with, or succumbed to spiritual depression. By spiritual depression I simply mean that black, hopeless cloud of a downward spiral into a meaningless, ambivilent, dispare, fueled mostly by doubt and (for me) anger. It's not precisely happy land, but a land nonetheless. Of course circumstances don't particularly matter, this is one of those things that comes about for various randomly prompted reasons. However, in a recent trial Michelle and I have been facing, I've seen the temptation arrive at my door step.

With this, I have once again picked up the letters of a good (dead) friend of mine, Samuel Rutherford. His spiritual experience of God is nothing short of staggering. I'm particularly fond of reading his letters, not so much because he's a dead Puritan, but because his experience and expressions of Christ help clear the fog for me and set a vision of what I want for my own life with Christ. In a letter I read last night, he spoke to the subject of spiritual depression with the following remark to a friend:

Now, my dear brother, I cannot show you how matters go betwixt Christ and me. I find my Lord going and coming seven times a day. His visits are short; but they are both frequent and sweet. I dare not for my life think of a challenge of my Lord. I hear ill tales, and hard reports of Christ, from The Tempter and my flesh; but love believeth no evil. I may swear that they are liars, and that [such] apprehensions make lies of Christ's honest and unalterable love to me. ~ Samuel Rutherford, Letters #92, 195.

What he says is astonishing: The war of liars of "false lies" from Satan and his own flesh is fought by the declaring the true and unalterable love of Christ for him, which he experiences regularly. The Gospel says "Yes!" to our sin and it's just punishment in Hell, but quickly follows up with the open arms and extension of Jesus Christ's love for us in the mercy of his work on the cross. In my spiritual depression, there is a fog light of love to be seen in Christ. As Rutherford states, Christ's love for me is "honest and unalterable." More over, I long to experience Christ's presence and love regularly through the day. How does one aim at this? By warding off Satan and the flesh's regular attacks of condemnation with the Gospel. Jesus Christ died to save lost and hopeless people, one of the great truths to be seen here is that God initiates salvation to bring me near. He runs to save, he runs to love, not because of me, not because of what I add to him, but because he chooses to. God comes near in the Gospel not once, but now regularly. Regular visits of Christ in love for the enjoyment of my soul.

As the Psalmist says:

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God. ~ Psalm 43:5

Sunday Gurnalls - 1

For this year I had set out the regular habit of reading a few pages of William Gurnall’s The Christian in Complete Armour every Sunday afternoon. Alas, I have failed in large part on this task. I kept it up for a little while, but much like the sluggard I buried my hand in the dish, but was to weary to bring it back to my mouth (Proverbs 26:15). I would say this applies to my regularity on the blog – so to those who read frequently (the grand total of four worldwide), please forgive my sloth! And pray for me, that I would grow in killing this sluggard heart of mine, my unmortified sin.

For my reading of Gurnall today, I just wanted to post a little outline of his discussion with a few quotes to accompany (because lets face it, you’d rather read Gurnall’s thoughts than mine!).

In this section he’s discussing that Satan’s main design is to draw us into sin. The first way he does this is by taking advantage of various seasons in the Christian life. (Pages 71-74 in this edition.)

Season 1: When a Christian is newly converted.

“In [the new Christian] [Satan] finds every grace in a great indisposition to make resistance, both from its own weakness, and the strength of the contrary corruption, which commonly is such as unmortified.”

In my experience, new Christians more often than not just simply need encouragement in the Gospel of Grace. They are birthed like natural children, weak, eager, and with lots of sin remaining to be killed. New Christians often just needs encouragement because their fainthearted from their exposed sin and their weak in their standing in the Gospel. Therefore Paul says, “encourage one another and built one another up” (1 Thes. 5:11,14).

Season 2: When a Christian is beset with some great affliction

“A temptation comes strong when the way to relief seems to lie through the sin that Satan is wooing to.”

For this, Gurnall points to Job as prime example number one. On this, one understands why Paul says, “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Cor. 10:13).

Season 3: When the Christian is about some noble enterprise for God’s glory

“The more public thy place, Christian, and the more eminent thy service for God, the more thou must look that the devil [will have] some more dangerous design or other against thee.”

Season 4: When Satan has the presence of some object to entice his temptation.

“Look not on that beauty with a wandering eye, by which though wouldst not be taken prisoner. Parley not with that in thy thoughts, which though meanest not to let into thy thoughts. Conversation begets affection.”

Of all the examples to choose from here, the clearest to my mind, and easiest to access, is the man in Proverbs 5.

Season 5: After great manifestations of God’s love

There could be much said here, but I think that for every mildly seasoned Christian they will note that after deep, sweet times with God there is usually a stronger attack of some kind against their peace in Christ. For me, my experience has been that that week or two of deep time with the Lord is followed by strong attacks of spiritual depression.

Season 6: The hour of death.

For the superficial reader of biography, the last words of a guy like John Owen or Samuel Rutherford, can seem like the last gasps of an unfinished sermon. But the one who gives reflection to their condition will know that that last sermon is for their own soul. They must guard their souls against the attacks of Satan’s lies and whispers of uncertainty. I’ve never faced death seriously (though my kidney stones did make me want it swiftly), but I have been struck lately by John Piper’s statements that one of his main goals in memorizing loads of Scripture is that when his mind starts to go, he wants the important stuff (like God’s Word) to stick.

As a final little note, I’m trying to get a better handle on what to post, and what is beneficial for others to read. If you have any thoughts or think I could modify what I’m doing (even in this post!) please feel free to leave a comment.

(Thanks to Tim Ashford's example and Steve Burlew’s recent encouragement in getting back into Gurnall.)

PS - For facebook readers, the original blog entry is here.

Yours truly... P.2

So, as you can see by the date of the post I'm linking, I'm a vigorous reader of my church's blog. (Note, sarcasm was employed in the construction of that sentence.) So, for the desirous reader of all things Jacofied, I made a blog post at my church's blog that some might enjoy:

How to Form Kidney Stones (An Update from Last Week)

Not Expecting Prayer? Pride!

"Not to pray for others is uncharitableness;
not to expect it from others is pride."

~ Thomas Manton, Works 4:461, commenting on James 5:16.

I love Psalm 119...

I just want to say that I love Psalm 119. For about the last month I've been committing a section of it to memory, verses 33-40 (and am tempted to do the whole thing!). This is mainly because I saw my own heart confronted and turned to God by the middle line, "Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things, and give me life in your ways!" I liked the whole section which gives me hope for growth in holiness, so I hunkered down in the section to memorize it. A part of this has been making the whole psalm itself my evening devotion, one little verse at a time, right before I go to bed. Charles Spurgeon has a "devotional commentary" on this that I got for free once that I have been reading little by little along with this time (available for purchase here, and for free online reading here).

There have been two main reasons why I have grown in my love for this psalm.

The first is that in seeking to memorize verses 33 through 40, I have had a lot of time to reflect on the structure of the psalm. A quick glance at the psalm shows a lot of activity being done in the section: Teach, Give, Lead, Incline, Turn, Confirm, Turn, and Behold. But the key to the section is seeing the active agent in these verbs: God. David prays for great things (not only to keep the path of God's law with a pure and whole heart to the end of his life, but also to delight in it, enjoy it, and to feel the weight of God's glory and holiness), but we should note that it is the Lord that he demands to be the source of its affectation. "Teach me, O Lord... and I will thus, and only by your divine, gracious teaching, keep your holy way to the end." This isn't a legalism of giving thanks to God for producing the fruit and taking credit for it (like the Pharisee of Luke 18:9-14). It is an acknowledgment that apart from God, he sucks and will continue to in depravity if God does not teach him in his school of grace that changes people for life, continually, all to the glory of God. This is all from the explicit and implicit things being said in the structure of the section. Another is verse 36: "Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!" My selfish gain is being contrasted with God's testimonies - his redemptive history. What does this say about what I am trying to do in celebrating my own achievements and fame? That's what the structure of God's holy Word here is asking us to ponder.

The second reason is that I've seen God's power working in my through this time I've committed to memorization and meditation. Subtly, and unintentionally, I've noticed that the "furniture" of my mind has been shifted. I have noticed in retrospect how the language of 119 has come out in my prayers. I find that the psalm comes to mind in not only fighting temptations (i.e. "turn my eyes from looking at worthless things" is a pretty good measuring rod to evaluate my internet activity by...ahem, Facebook?). It's also subtly changed my inherent, gut desires for holiness. I find my mind going more towards spiritual affections for Christ as expressed in this section of Scripture (i.e. the "promise" of verse 38 refers to God's covenant with David in 2 Samuel 7, which is realized in Jesus Christ - talk about giving me hope!).

The Word of God has been more deeply lovely to me. It has been, as Jesus prayed, been my sanctification because it is the very truth of God (John 17:17). God's word is living and active, and meditating on it has been a banquet of grace for the stirring of my soul for a deeper love for Jesus Christ that is filled with the glory of God.

So I’m going to seminary - Dr. Ashford

I haven't had a chance to work on this series of blogs recently, but I did want to put forth a series of posts somebody else did on this subject which a friend brought my attention to while discussing these posts.

The Dangers of Seminary

I haven't read beyond the first post in the series, so I can't speak for my thoughts on their content, but from what I've read so far, and the given tittles of the posts, I at least wanted the up for others to reference. On to posting again soon.

Yours,
~Jacob

Yours truly...

I thought some readers might appreciate knowing that a blog post I did on here a year or so ago has been edited and now been posted as a new post over on my church's blog: When Kidney Stones Take You to School.

Yours truly,
~Jacob