Recollect that there are two kinds of perfection which the Christian needs-the perfection of justification in the person of Jesus, and the perfection of sanctification wrought in him by the Holy Spirit. At present, corruption yet remains even in the breasts of the regenerate-experience soon teaches us this. Within us are still lusts and evil imaginations.

But I rejoice to know that the day is coming when God shall finish the work which he has begun; and he shall present my soul, not only perfect in Christ, but perfect through the Spirit, without spot or blemish, or any such thing…

Yet let not the hope of perfection hereafter make us content with imperfection now. If it does this, our hope cannot be genuine; for a good hope is a purifying thing, even now. The work of grace must be abiding in us now or it cannot be perfected then. Let us pray to “be filled with the Spirit,” that we may bring forth increasingly the fruits of righteousness.

from Morning and Evening, Charles Spurgeon (emphasis/formatting added)

The Reformed faith proposes the highest aim for evangelism. It is not the salvation of souls. Nor is it the growth of Christ’s church. Nor yet is it the coming of Christ’s kingdom. All those aims of evangelism are important, even of inestimable importance. yet they are but means to the accomplishment of that end for which all things were brought into being and continue to exist, unto which God does all that He does, in which the whole of history will one day culminate, and on which the never-ending ages of eternity will be focused–the glory of God.

R.B. Kuiper, God-Centered Evangelism

HT: Timmy Brister

A group of concerned Christians have put together a declaration of care for the environment and the poor. You can read more, watch a short video, or endorse the statement at the We Get It website.

The We Get It! Declaration:

God Said It

God created everything. He made us in His own image, and commanded us to be fruitful and multiply and watch over His creation. Although separated from God by our sin, we are lovingly restored through Jesus Christ, and take responsibility for being good stewards.

We Get It

Our stewardship of creation must be based on Biblical principles and factual evidence. We face important environmental challenges, but must be cautious of claims that our planet is in peril from speculative dangers like man-made global warming.

They Need It

With billions suffering in poverty, environmental policies must not further oppress the world’s poor by denying them basic needs. Instead, we must help people fulfill their God-given potential as producers and stewards.

Let’s Do It

We will follow our Lord Jesus Christ and honor God as we use and share the principles of His Word to care for the poor and tend His creation.

Jay Younts reflects on God, Cyclones, Earthquakes and the News:

It is no longer politically correct to associate God with the news of the day. Low pressure centers form and produce hurricanes and tornadoes. A fault line slips and an earthquake happens. In a world which refuses to allow for the actions of the God of the Bible, life hangs in the balance of random chance. This view is pervasive and impacts you and your children, whether you realize it or not. Instead of assuming the providential control of God, the relevance of God—any god—is assigned by the media to memorial services occurring after the fact.

The perspective we learn from the God of the Bible is quite the opposite. Colossians 1 speaks of Jesus Christ holding all things together—all things. Whatever happens in this world, as Christians we must start with this fact.

Do you ever feel reluctant to pray “whatever it takes” prayers for fear that God might actually answer them?  The fear is misplaced. The real danger lies in settling for less.

(Original link)

Have you heard this from someone recently? That “WE CANNOT KNOW, with certainty, what God has revealed so anyone who thinks he does is proud? We must, rather, (they say) embrace God as mystery?” I don’t know about you but I have heard this more than once in the past few weeks. IN light of this shouldn’t we be asking the following:

Is not this assertion itself a dogma with affirmations and denials? Is not this itself a statement of knowledge?

Read more.

Great comment from Dan Wallace:

I was on the radio in Montreal last week, on the Joe Cannon Show at 940 AM. I was interviewed about the Albania manuscripts that CSNTM photographed this past summer, but the interview quickly turned to politics. Mr. Cannon asked, “If Jesus were alive today, where would his political alignments be?” I responded, “I believe he is alive today, and he is above politics.”

John Mark Reynolds wonders Should I play Grand Theft Auto?

What is the justification for playing Grand Theft Auto?

The easy answer: “It is fun.”

Fun is a good reason to do a thing, but not good enough.

My own religion teaches that joy is a great good. I plan on spending eternity in bliss.

Fun is a good sign that there is something worthwhile about a thing. Of course, many things mix worthwhile parts with enough worthless harms to ruin them. Some good does not justify even more bad.

Does Grand Theft Auto have enough “fun” in it to justify any harm it might do me? Is there some fun there, some deep joy of soul, that I cannot get other places without potentially harming self?

I loath the attitude of some that being fun is a good reason to worry about a thing, but I equally worry that in our consumerist culture, we might justify too much in the name of fun.

The Puritanical are not, after all, particularly powerful or popular in most of our entertainment culture. Surely we should consider whether it is possible to go too far in the other direction and become libertines?

Read on.

Tim Challies is giving away a big ole stack of books…. Go <a href=”http://www.challies.com/draw.php?userid=60062″>sign up</a>!

Tony Jones, national coordinator of Emergent Village, and author of The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier, and Collin Hansen, editor-at-large of Christianity Today, and author of Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist’s Journey with the New Calvinists, have begun a dialogue at Christianity Today:

The books and movements share a number of themes: reaction against entertainment-driven church life, desire for transcendence, rediscovery of tradition, and a need to answer common misconceptions about the movements. Christianity Today invited Hansen and Jones to read each other’s books and discuss how the rise of one movement might illuminate aspects of the rise of the other. Are both movements scratching the same itch? Are there internal tensions in one movement that also appear in the other? The conversation will continue over several days.

HT: Justin Taylor