Eternally Assured

  “Mine are tears in times of sorrow. Darkness not yet understood. Through the valley I must travel where I see no earthly good. But mine is peace that flows from heaven and a help in times of need. I know my pain will not be wasted, Christ completes His work in me ” -   Christ is Mine Forevermore - CityAlight The past few months have been very difficult for me. However, I have also learned that I am deeply loved by my family, my friends, and my God. That knowledge has carried and sustained me. This Thanksgiving I find myself feeling grateful. I am solemnly grateful because I am aware that not all of my brothers and sisters in Christ are able to rejoice this season. The Holiday season is hard for so many, and my heart breaks for you as I think about all of the pain you are carrying this year. I am so sorry. I don't want this post to be about the need for gratitude as a Christian because I think the sting of that obligation might be too difficult to bear for some who will read this,

  "Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the earth I call to you when my heart is faint.  Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy" (Psalm 61:1-3) Introspection & Chaos.... I have been on an introspection hamster wheel the past few months. The introspection isn't because I think that I am not saved, but more of an evaluation of my character and who I am as a person. It has been painful evaluating myself in the light of God's law and even other people's perceptions of me. What I have come to discover is that I find value and safety in seeking approval from people through what I can do for them. It has been really hard to realize that in many ways I still struggle with defining my worth and value in trying to be all things to all people. Processing this truth has caused me to struggle with maintaining an inner sense of stability and well being.  This unsettled reality makes me feel as though

"But this Mediator whom the Father has appointed between himself and us, ought not terrify us by his greatness, so that we have to look for another one according to our fancy. For neither in heaven nor among the creatures on earth is there anyone who loves us more than Jesus Christ does" - Snippet from Belgic Confession Article 26 Since it has pleased God to give us his Son as our Intercessor, let us not leave him for another- or rather seek, without ever finding. For when God gave him to us he knew well that we were sinners." - Snippet from Belgic Confession Article 26 CityAlight released the rest of their album last week. Once again they hit the ball out of the park when it comes to their simple and profound lyrics. When I love a song, I tend to listen to it on repeat until I get tired of it. Their song "Known & Loved" was wonderful. The lyrics made me stop and really think about what it means to be fully known and loved by God.  My favorite lyric was th

"There is one gospel to which I cling. All else I count as loss. For there, where justice and mercy meet, he saved me on the cross. No more I boast in what I can bring. No more I carry the weight of sin. For he has brought me from death to life. I stand in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!" - CityAlight  CityAlight released a new single called "There is One Gospel"   this past Friday. I have been listening to this song on repeat. The lyrics are wonderfully simple and deeply rich. The last lyric for each stanza is, "I stand in the Gospel of Jesus Christ'.  I have been thinking the past few days about what that means. What does it mean for Christians to be able to stand in the Gospel of Jesus Christ?  Stand in Christ's Righteousness  To stand in the Gospel of Jesus Christ as a Christian means to stand in His righteousness. It is to understand that everything that He has earned for us in his living is now ours by faith.  We believers, who have been regenerated t

Disclaimer: I know that this topic is very controversial and complicated.  If you already oppose this view, please know that I am not sharing this to try and change your mind. I am quite happy to agree to disagree amicably. This post is a result of thinking through the linked chart's implications, and is not meant to be an exposition on whether or not the doctrine of particular redemption is biblical.  I will include links at the end of this post to the materials I found valuable in helping me to think through this.   It has been a while since my last post that addressed the Reformed emphasis on the third use of the law. This  post will address the  implication of  how believing Limited Atonement ( I like using the term Particular Redemption) might impact my assurance. You can find the chart my friend made here for more context as well as my last post here .  Limited Atonement (Christ died only for the elect). Implication: How do I know Christ died for me?  Reformed Response:  Acc

" Today on weary nations the heav'nly manna falls, to holy convocations the silver trumpet calls. Where gospel light is glowing with pure and radiant beams, and living water flowing, with soul refreshing streams"  (O Day of Rest and Gladness - Christopher Wordsworth) "It is not insignificant that the liturgy of Sunday worship was developed early on in the church, to remind us that while God has prepared good works for us to do, we walk in them from the place of resting in the resurrection" - Ragged: Spiritual Disciplines for the Spiritually Exhausted by Gretchen Ronnevik I love consistency. I love my everyday rhythm of rolling out of bed, walking to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee, and powering on my computer to begin a day's work. After work I enjoy watching an episode of "Call the Midwife".  To help me sleep, I've recently enjoyed listening to Harry Potter on audiobook and remembering the experience of reading the books for the first time

" The rich young ruler understood that. It’s why he walked away from Christ in shame ( Luke 18:18–30 ). When Jesus told him to sell all his possessions and give everything to the poor, He wasn’t offering the young man salvation by works. The money itself wasn’t the point—it was a question of his willingness to do whatever the Lord told him to do. What would he give up for the sake of his eternal soul? It was a test of his obedience and what he valued most in his heart. And he failed miserably. Reconciliation to God doesn’t happen on our terms, according to our schedules, when it’s convenient for us. It’s a radical redemption and transformation, and it requires us to be penitent, submissive, and completely sold out for God’s purpose and work. Nothing less is acceptable" - Excerpt from Reconciled by the Response of Obedience I recently read an article from a well known ministry titled  "Reconciled by the Response of Obedience"   I was saddened by reading it and also v

"Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God" - Hebrews 12: 1-2 "...and the same apostle says that we are 'justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus', and therefore we cling to this foundation, which is firm forever..." - Snippet from Belgic Confession Article 23 - The Justification of Sinners "In a word, Christ is our wisdom, because he is the subject, the author, and the medium. He is our righteousness, that is, our justifier. Our righteousness is in him, as in the subject; and he himself gives this unto us by his merit and efficacy. He is our sanctification, that is, sanctifier; becau

  Enough: adequate for the want or need; sufficient for the purpose to satisfy desire (dictionary.com)  Why I hate this word I have a love/hate relationship with this word because much of my Christian life was defined by it. The constant question that plagued me was "Am I doing enough?" Did I read the bible enough that day? Did I pray enough? Did I serve my neighbor enough? Did I love God enough? Did I surrender enough? Am I passionate for Christ enough? Did my life adequately display enough sanctification for me to be qualified to take comfort in the Gospel?  Do I even believe the Gospel enough?  I wonder how many Christians walk around with their minds constantly plagued by questions like this. I wonder and my eyes fill with tears, because I know that it is absolutely exhausting.  I often think about the hours of sermons I listened to that subconsciously urged me to keep looking to my "enough" to placate my conscience.  I knew acutely that the answer to all of the

Why is he called "Christ" meaning "anointed?" Answer: Because he has been ordained by God the Father and has been anointed with the Holy Spirit to be our chief prophet and teacher who fully reveals to us the secret counsel and will of God concerning our deliverance, our only high priest, who delivered us by the on sacrifice of his body and who continually intercedes for us before the Father and our eternal king, who governs us by his Word and Spirit and who guards and keeps us in the deliverance he has won for us (Heidelberg Q&A 31)  I want to define what it means to "surrender all" to Jesus as I heard it and experienced it as a young Christian. The idea of total and complete surrender was used in context of coming to saving faith. In order to be  assured of a right standing with God, I had to surrender every facet of my life to Christ.  I was always confused and scared when I heard the concept explained in this manner, particularly when it came to con

My friend released a chart last year on twitter that shared tensions she experienced with some Reformed teachings and how Lutheranism helped her to resolve the m.  You may find the full chart  here .  The introduction to the chart states the following:  "This is a very basic and simple chart I put together to demonstrate some of the implications I experienced with some Calvinistic and Reformed theological teaching. The first column shows some questions that came up for me, and the second column represents the way that Lutheran thought has resolved these doubts. I still love Reformed theology in many ways, but this chart represents a simplified look into why Lutheranism has been comforting to me"   I have spent a good amount of time thinking about the implications on her chart. With her permission, I thought it would be a neat idea to try and address her tensions from a Reformed perspective .  I will address one concern at a time. The last post will include some of the resourc