I was recently asked to recommend twelve Christian classics that every Christian ought to aim to read at some point in their Christian lives. Here is my list, in no particular order.
1. Saint Augustine, Confessions
2. John Stott, The Cross of Christ
3. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
4. Thomas a Kempis, The imitation of Christ
5. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion
6. Don Carson, A Call to Spiritual Reformation
7. JI Packer, Knowing God
8. CS Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
9. John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress
10. Martin Luther King Jr, Letter from Birmingham City Jail
11. John Piper, Let the Nations be Glad!
12. Elisabeth Elliot, Shadow of the Almighty
Feel free to make your own suggestions...
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Monday, 15 March 2010
The first great secret of holiness
This week in our series in Galatians we came to look at Galatians 5v24, "And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." We noticed that this is a crucifixion that we do - when we become Christians we nail our old way of life to the cross and turn away from it. And then now that we are Christians we need to be denying sin every day and not returning to it.
In his commentary on Galatians, John Stott says that understanding this is the "first great secret of holiness." This is his quote in full:
"The first great secret of holiness lies in the degree and the decisiveness of our repentance. If besetting sins persistently plague us, it is either because we have never truly repented, or because, having repented, we have not maintained our repentance. It is as if, having nailed our old nature to the cross, we keep wistfully returning to the scene of its execution. We begin to fondle it, to caress it, to long for its release, even to try to take it down again from the cross. We need to learn to leave it there. When some jealous, or proud, or malicious, or impure thought invades our minds we must kick it out at once. It is fatal to begin to examine it and consider whether we are going to give in to it or not. We have declared war on it; we are not going to resume negotiations. We have settled the issue for good; we are not going to reopen it. We have crucified the flesh; we are never going to draw the nails." (Bible Speaks Today Commentary, p151-152)
I think Stott is saying that the way that many of us approach sin is if it were a chocolate bar when we are on a diet. We keep it in the house, we take it out the cupboard and look at it, we unwrap it, we think about whether we are going to eat it or not, and of course we evantually do. However, Paul says that in the war against sin we must crucify it and then not return to hanging out with it or schmoozing up to it. Instead, as Stott says, we have crucified it and must not start pulling out the nails.
In his commentary on Galatians, John Stott says that understanding this is the "first great secret of holiness." This is his quote in full:
"The first great secret of holiness lies in the degree and the decisiveness of our repentance. If besetting sins persistently plague us, it is either because we have never truly repented, or because, having repented, we have not maintained our repentance. It is as if, having nailed our old nature to the cross, we keep wistfully returning to the scene of its execution. We begin to fondle it, to caress it, to long for its release, even to try to take it down again from the cross. We need to learn to leave it there. When some jealous, or proud, or malicious, or impure thought invades our minds we must kick it out at once. It is fatal to begin to examine it and consider whether we are going to give in to it or not. We have declared war on it; we are not going to resume negotiations. We have settled the issue for good; we are not going to reopen it. We have crucified the flesh; we are never going to draw the nails." (Bible Speaks Today Commentary, p151-152)
I think Stott is saying that the way that many of us approach sin is if it were a chocolate bar when we are on a diet. We keep it in the house, we take it out the cupboard and look at it, we unwrap it, we think about whether we are going to eat it or not, and of course we evantually do. However, Paul says that in the war against sin we must crucify it and then not return to hanging out with it or schmoozing up to it. Instead, as Stott says, we have crucified it and must not start pulling out the nails.
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