PRESBYTERIAN THOUGHTS

O the depth of the riches

both of the

wisdom and knowledge

of God!

how unsearchable are his judgments,

and his ways past finding out!

For who hath known the mind of the Lord?

or who hath been his counsellor?

Or who hath first given to him,

and it shall be recompensed unto him again?

For of him,

and through him,

and to him,

are all things:

to whom be glory for ever.

Amen.

Romans 11:33-36

When the great doctor of the Reformation was asked to recant his writings since they went against the papacy and the traditions of the church, Luther was slow to speak and was quite articulate. In today’s church we tend to be more quick to defend the status quo, and less likely to disrupt the supposed peace in our churches and denominations.

If there are things taught that are contrary to Scripture- we must stand for what is right. If there are practices that are contrary to the Word of God- we must defend the biblical positions.

Brothers and sisters, as heirs of the Protestant Reformation, we have a duty to guard and defend those truths that were recovered almost 600 years ago. I cannot imagine that the serious error and apostasy of the medieval church came in over-night or with one great sweep. We must stand on the Word of our savior. God help us.

I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Amen. -Dr. Martin Luther

The assurance of one’s election also affords much liberty and gives much support in prayer. One may approach unto God and say, “My Father! Hast Thou not known me by name and have I not found grace in Thine eyes? Hast Thou not eternally known me to be one of Thy own, chosen me to be Thy child and the object of Thy love, and wondrously to glorify me by Thy grace, mercy, and faithfulness, which manifests itself in the way in which Thou hast led me and wilt lead me? Therefore, oh Father, consider the trials and tribulations which I fear, the troubles which press me down, and my sinfulness which oppresses me. These matters I desire, these are the needs of my body, and these are my spiritual desires. May it therefore please Thee to look down upon Thy chosen one and upon the object of Thy favor. May it please Thee to hear me and to grant my desire.” How this yields liberty, familiarity, faith that my prayer will be answered, and quiet submission! (I: 249-250).

I am afraid that the schools will prove the very gates of hell, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraving them in the heart of the youth.
-Martin Luther

How much more in today’s society and in today’s places of higher learning. May we love the Scriptures and seek out God in them as dilligent schoolmen in the school of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“All who call on God in true faith, earnestly from the heart, will certainly be heard, and will receive what they have asked and desired, although not in the hour or in the measure, or the very thing which they ask. Yet they will obtain something greater and more glorious than they had dared to ask.”
– Dr. Martin Luther

And what is it, dear Dr. Luther, for which we ask? We ask for none other than the reform of the Church. We desire to see the Bride of Christ, the glorious Church live as a pure bride, devoted to her husband and glorious head.

Brothers and sisters, pray for the Church. Pray that the broken walls of Zion would be rebuilt.

Here is a nice map of all of the main Presbyterian bodies in the USA. It shows the places of origin and the splits that have occured. This is a good resource for Presbyterians who have to try to explain where they are from and why their church was never connected with the PC (USA).

* The promoting of this map does not mean that I promote schism of any kind, nor does it justify why the Presbyterian churches are in such a state of chaos. Remember- the Lord prayed that we would be one as the Father and the Son are one. Much shame is on the Presbyterians for their schismatic ways.

Hebrew grammar test this Thursday and a vocabulary test a week from tomorrow. Pray for me.

Read, search, and meditate upon the Word of God with all diligence and persistence. This should even be the practice of kings. “And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life” (Deu. 17:19). It is the duty of scholars as well. “Give attendance to reading” (1 Tim. 4:13). It is the privilege and obligation of the lowly and of every individual. “Search the Scriptures” (John 5:39); “Have ye not read?” (Mat. 12:3).

The eunuch read while riding in his chariot (Acts 8:28). The Bereans searched the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:11). How everyone ought to practice this in private, prior to going to work, both by himself alone, and with his family! At noon when one nourishes his body, he ought also to nourish his soul. In the evening after work, one must end the day by seeking some refreshment from the Word of God. In the meantime, while engaged in his occupation, by meditating upon what has been read, the soul will maintain communion with God. He will be enabled to understand the spiritual meaning as well as to experience the power of God’s Word. This will cause the soul to grow in grace, protect against vain thoughts, control the tongue, suppress corruptions, and direct man to fear God (I: 77).

I have not read the book- but here are some quotes that were sent to me from a fellow seminarian during a discussion on translation and textual traditions. If the quotes are reflective of the quality of the book, then it is quite worthy as a read.

‘Now when the Reformers first rejected the abuses of the Roman Catholic church, they did so on the basis of Sola Scriptura – the Roman Catholic church responded by collecting all the variant textual readings and then holding them up in front of the Reformers and asked, which one is scripture alone? you need the Roman Catholic church and the Pope to tell you.’

‘The Reformers responded, not as scientists, examining every textual manuscript (which they couldn’t anyway, because the Vatican had most of them), but as confessing Christians, and said that the Sola Scriptura was contained in the manuscript family which contained the overwhelming number of manuscripts = the Received Text. (80% of all manuscripts).’

‘The Reformers looked at the variant texts and saw what man can do (that is, thousands of scribal errors). Then they looked to the Received Text (or Textus Receptus; not the same as the Majority Text), and saw what God does (that is, He uphold His Word accurately).’

‘All the protestant bible tanslations up to the KJV used the Received Text, until the NIV introduced textual criticism. Now most Bibles include the variant texts, because they’re thought to be older and better. This is leaving the thoughts of the Reformers.’