How to Tell If Your Grace is Weak or Counterfeit

I am guessing that many people have never actually read the Puritans. If they had they would not be able to maintain the view that Puritans are impractical men with their head in the clouds—helpful to nobody and a nuisance to all. These men were deeply helpful and excelled in soul care.

William Bridge is one of those Puritans. In his work, A Lifting up for the Downcast, Bridge gives seven differences between weak grace and counterfeit grace. If you are wondering how you can determine if your struggles reveal that you merely have counterfeit grace, Bridge hopes to open up for you the possibility that it is weak grace and not counterfeit*. Here are seven marks of weak, but true, grace.

1. True grace, though weak, will not oppose more grace
2. True grace loves examination; counterfeit grace likes to hide.
3. True grace seeks to grow in knowledge of God
4. True grace is engaged in the work of humiliation
5. True, though weak, grace is always laying the foundation; counterfeit grace pursues another foundation.
6. True grace is willing to learn from other people; counterfeit grace will not relish what is brought to him by the hand of another.
7. True grace is very sensible of its own weakness

That fifth point is a little difficult to summarize. Listen to how Bridge expounded upon it:

[True grace] staggers at the promise, yet it goes to the promise; it doubts of Christ’s love, yet it runs to Christ; it stumbles, yet it keeps its way; it is ignorant of Christ, and not so forward in the knowledge of Christ as it should be, yet it lays the foundation, Hebrews 6:1. It is the fault of a weak Christian, that he is always laying the foundation, yet he is laying the foundation. (Bridge, 101)

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*I have modernized Bridge’s language where necessary.

You can (and should) purchase Bridge’s work here.

I Didn’t Need Twitchy

Justin Taylor has posted a very helpful two minute or so illustration from D.A. Carson about two Hebrew guys named Smith and Brown on the night of the Passover.  Watch it here (It starts at about the 2 minute mark and ends a little after 4):

When I first saw the title of this post I had imagined that Carson was discussing Smith who believed and put blood on the doorpost and Brown who was skeptical and didn’t put it on the doorpost.  I was going to use this as a launching pad for a very brief point—that there is also probably a third guy present, whom I was going to call Twitchy. 

Twitchy of course is just like Mr. Smith in Carson’s story.  So, I didn’t need him.  He puts blood on the door post but he doesn’t sleep very well that night.  He trusts the Lord enough to cover slaughter the lamb and spread the blood but he spends his night indoors quivering and saying, “Boy I sure hope this works”. 

Christian faith is like that sometimes.  At times we are strong in our faith like Mr. Brown.  We are trusting in Christ and we are graced with confidence and assurance.  At other times we find ourselves a little more like Mr. Smith saying, “Boy I sure hope this works”. 

Remember a weak faith can lay hold of a strong Christ. 

Obviously we’d all rather be Mr. Brown.  But the Mr. Smith’s of the world will stand amazed when the death angel passes over and the sons of God that took refuge in the mighty King stand with the Conquering Lion. 

How Lamenting and Assurance Fit Together

Carl Trueman is, in my opinion, one of the best writers of our time.  It is not surprising then, that I am thoroughly enjoying his book Reformation: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.  I received this book (originally written in 2000) free while attending this years T4G.  It was one of the first books of the thirty free ones that I picked up to read.  I am not disappointed. 

Here Trueman is defining assurance and considering how we can lament and have assurance at the same time.  Enjoy:

Assurance is…backward looking with regard to its foundation but forward looking in its orientation.  In essence, assurance is being certain that God is who he says he is—and that is derived from our knowledge of his great saving acts throughout history as they culminate in Christ—and therefore being sure that he will bring us to glory, that he will complete that good work within us which he has started.  We live in the present, at a time when we know that one day we will see God in glory but only see him now by faith.  In the meantime, the world is a dark and hostile place; and our souls are in many ways still darkened and frequently tending to hostility towards God.  Therefore, there will be times when, either because of external or because of internal factors, we do not see or feel God smiling upon us.  At such times we can indeed lament our sorry condition.  It is right and proper, and pastoral good sense, that we do so, because to do otherwise is to fool nobody, not even ourselves, and thus to store up trouble for later on; but as we do so, we should also remind ourselves that it is not what we feel now that determines our status, but who God was, is and always shall be.  Thus, the lamentation should be set, as it almost invariably is in the psalms, within the context of God’s larger redemptive acts and purposes.  (From Reformation, 124-25)

I would encourage you to read through that again and really chew on what Trueman is saying.  If you like this paragraph chances are you will greatly benefit from the entire book.  You can purchase it here for under 10 bucks.  You can read more from Trueman here. 

How to Examine Yourself

If you came here hoping to find how to give yourself a prostate exam you are in the wrong place…

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I’m really digging these old editions of The Gospel Magazine.  In the June 1766 version there is a discussion on examining yourselves.  I found this particularly helpful:

“…Look into Scripture and see what God has made marks of the Christian, and do not let fancy be your guide in a matter of such an importance: Distinguish between marks of grace, and marks of growth in grace; and apply each to their proper subjects in your inquiries.  For instance, if you would know whether you are a Christian, do not inquire into the measures of degrees of faith, love, etc. but into the reality of them.  A weak faith renders the Christian as safe as a strong faith; and a spark of real love is an evidence of a saving change, though it is not blown up into a flame.”

I also found this an interesting quote.  I am honestly still considering its implications and I am not 100% sure that I agree.  (Consider my recent interview with author Mike McKinley—particularly question 4). 

“If you can find but one mark, you may draw a favorable conclusion.  This is an evidence that God has begun a good work in your heart.  Should you have reason to conclude that you love the brethren; love them for the image of CHRIST in them, you may conclude yourself to be in a safe state: for this love is the exercise or goings out of that grace God has implanted.  Sometimes one mark appears visible, and sometimes another.  If you have but one be thankful, and give God all the glory.”

What do you think?  Do you agree that “if you can find but one mark, you may draw a favorable conclusion”? 

7 Questions with Mike McKinley: Author of “Am I Really a Christian?”

A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to read and review Mike McKinley’s new book, “Am I Really a Christian?”.  I noted that McKinley does a phenomenal job of “walking the fine line between easy-believism and morbid introspection.  He does it with pastoral sensitivity, wit, wisdom, and engaging writing.”

Even in the midst of his wife giving birth to their fifth child Mike was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions.  And he even manages to use awesome words like “canard” in the interview.

1. What motivated you to write this book?

Well, it's a question that comes up a lot in the course of my pastoral ministry. 

It's such a basic question.  Really, the book is about conversion.  We tend to focus so much in the church on getting people to convert that we don't talk very much about what conversion is and what it looks like in someone's life.  But a misunderstanding in that arena leads to problems in almost every other area of church life.

2. You probably could have gotten quite a few different people to write the foreword for such an important topic. I’m curious, why Kirk Cameron?

The book is not aimed at pastors or theologians, so it didn't seem to make a lot of sense to have a pastor or theologian do the preface.  It seemed like the themes of the books fit well with a lot of the themes of Kirk's ministry, and he is known and respected by Christians all over the country. 

Plus, my sister had a huge crush on him in the 1980's.

3. As I read through this book I could tell that you are a pastor. I’ve read books and heard sermons on assurance that seem to lack pastoral sensitivity. You seem to effectively walk that fine line between easy-believism and morbid-introspection. What were some of your helps in doing this? Do you have any pastoral experiences that either taught you to be more sensitive in your approach or also experiences that taught you to be more pointed?

The sensitive part is easier.  If you're a pastor, you're going to deal with people who love the Lord but struggle with assurance.  It's always a joy to point those people to kindness of Christ.  I always keep extra copies of Sibbes' A Bruised Reed on hand in my office for just such a purpose, and it seems like a go through a stack of them every year. 

But I've also dealt with a good number of professing Christians who are hardened in and even proud of their sin.  It's a sad kind of ministry, but love requires you to use the Bible a bit like a pinata stick.  You hope that God shows people their state and leads them to repentance.  

The old canard is that pastoral ministry requires you to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted.  It's true.

4. In your book you list 5 things that the Bible says will accompany a true conversion. What if I get 3 out of 5?

The 5 things are:
1.  Belief in true doctrine.
2.  Hatred for sin in your life.
3.  Perseverance over time.
4. Love for other people.
5.  Freedom from the love of the world.

The Bible speaks of the absence of each of those 5 things in terms of being deal breakers.  So it may be that some of those things are stronger or weaker in specific Christians, but the total absence of any one of them is very concerning.

5. Some have suggested that books like this are not helpful because it causes true believers to doubt their salvation. It is their belief that we should never question our salvation. What is your response to that? (Really, I’m looking for what is your response to those in the free-grace-Lordship-salvation-is-the-devil camp).

The apostles Paul (II Corinthians 13:5) and Peter (II Peter 2:10) didn't seem to share that concern. 
My fear is that there are millions of people who are inoculated to the gospel because they prayed a prayer or were baptized when they were a child and received a false sense of assurance.  As a result, they never hear the call to repent and believe as directed to them.

So I guess I'd say that there are worse things than doubting your salvation.  Like thinking you're going to heaven and winding up in Hell. 

6. As an Eagles fan how excited are you about the upcoming season? How excited were you when you found out the Eagles had signed top free agent Nnamdi Asomugha?

Well, my heart tells me that this is our year.  But history makes me think that this is just another way for football to get my hopes up and then crush me.

I'm insanely excited about Asomugha.  I was sitting in the NICU with my newborn child when I got the text that they had signed him.  It was strange, my wife wasn't as excited as I was.  But when I explained that this meant we had three shut down corners and we could now dominate from our nickel defense, she understood.

7. Your book has been on the shelves for a couple months now. Many people have read it and you have probably gotten a good amount of feedback. Is there anything that you would change in a second edition?

I think I'd build upon chapter 9, where I talk about the role of the church in helping us determine whether we're Christians.  There's a lot more to say there than what I said.

8. This last one isn’t really a question. I just wanted to thank you for chapter 9. I think that what is lacking in many books on this topic is the relationship between assurance and the body of Christ. I would love to see somebody even build upon what you have written here. So, thank you!

Thanks.  I think people have really appreciated that chapter, and the credit goes to my good friend and editor Jonathan Leeman.  He read the first draft of the book and suggested that the role of the church needed to be much more prominent.  He was correct, I think.
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Thanks again for taking the time to answer these questions.

If you think this book may be helpful to you or a friend you can buy it for around 10 bucks.

Was John Calvin Saved? And Other Things Not to Trust In.

Recently I wrote a paper on John Calvin’s view of the extent of the atonement in 1 John 2:2.  Perhaps, I will share some of that at some point (I’d like to get a grade first to see how much of a heretic I am).  While doing research on this topic I came across an interesting thread on the Baptist Board.  A guy named Plain Old Bill posed this question:

I'm not trying to be mean but you guys got me started reading all kinds of Calvin's writings and I can't find anything with his testimony of how he came to know Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. Does anybody have anything to help out here I guess that would also beg the question , was Calvin saved?

My response here is not meant to be directed towards Plain Old Bill.  In fact I doubt he will ever see this post, as the question was posted almost four years ago. 

First, I’ll just answer the question directly.  You will not find much of a testimony from John Calvin.  What you will find is this, “God by a sudden conversion subdued and brought my mind to a teachable frame.”  And you will also find a great amount of Christ-centeredness and trust in Calvin’s writing.  Even upon his deathbed Calvin spoke of trusting in Christ alone. 

What I really want to interact with is this idea that you have to have a “testimony” to be saved. 

Around the time of the Puritans there was a particular teaching going around similar to our SPOT (Specific Place or Time).  Iain Murray points refers to this in his book The Old Evangelicalism.  There he mentions Richard Baxter who:

…[spoke] of a meeting of eminent Christians and ministers where it was asked that everyone should give an account of the time and manner of his conversion, ‘and there was but one of them that could do it’.  To which Baxter added, ‘I aver from my heart that I neither know the day, nor the year, when I began to be sincere’.”  (Murray, The Old Evangelicalism, p20)

Now certainly there are those, like the Apostle Paul, that had an arresting conversion experience.  But there is a serious danger in forcing many true believers to fit this mold.  Furthermore, it is a potentially grave error to make “ a testimony” the mark of whether or not a person is saved. 

This is one reason why those like Spurgeon did not hop on board the “altar call” movement.  They had a great fear that people would eventually conflate things like a “testimony” and “going forward” with trusting in Christ.  If my personal experience is worth anything I would have to agree with them.  I have often heard people use “going forward” or “having a testimony” as synonyms for trusting in Christ. 

Granted this is often just a nuance of our Christianese.  But there is a real danger when the evidence of someone’s salvation is marked by something they did in the past rather than if they are trusting in Christ at the present.  There are numerous people that have testimonies, that went forward, and are still living in sin and not trusting Christ.  There are also numerous stories of people, like Calvin and Baxter, that evidently trust in Christ yet do not know the particular time or place when they were first converted. 

So, I ask.  What are you trusting in?  Are you trusting in an experience or are you trusting in Christ?  Your experience or “past decision” is a shaky foundation.  Only when your foundation is Christ will it be firm. 

I Don’t Want to Be “That Guy” in Matthew 7

My friend Chris and I used to joke about our desire to not be “that guy”. You don’t want to be “that guy”. You know, “that guy” that you point at with the comb-over that fools nobody, you don’t want to be him. Or “that guy” decked out in eye black, pinstripes, $125 cleats, and wrist bands playing church-league softball. You don’t want to be “that guy”. Or “that guy” that still sports a mullet, drives a 1980’s Camaro, smoke’s Camel cigarettes, and drives through town waving a 12 foot Old Dixie. Nobody really likes “that guy”. Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite is “that guy”. Nobody wants to be him.

There is one “that guy” that I definitely do not want to be. It’s “that guy” that struts up to Jesus confident of his acceptance; like the confident batter that begins walking to first in the certainty that the umpire will call “ball four”. I do not want to be “that guy” because it doesn’t end well for “that guy”:

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

I have to be honest; Matthew 7 has always left me a little uncomfortable. I always get a little afraid that maybe I will be “that guy”: you know, the guy that stands before Jesus full of confidence, only to get thrown into the fires of hell. Please do not misunderstand me. I do have confidence that I will be with Christ for eternity. But I think the poor saps in Matthew 7 had that same confidence. And if I am being honest, that scares me a little bit.

Today in Blogworld 2/1

Welcome to February. I am beginning to think that many bloggers are snowed in today; we are having quite an active Friday.

Steve Camp has a well put-together post on Discerning whether or not you are in Christ. He provides quotes from Flavel, Whitefield, and the little known Matthew Mead. Really good stuff here. Also you can view his first post in this series on discernment, here.

Alvin Reid, whom we used his book for Intro to Evangelism in college, has a wonderful discussion on The Great Commission in the Home. Recently in my conversation with David Michael (Pastor for Parenting and Family Discipleship at Bethlehem in Minneapolis) he mentioned something similar. For some reason we forget that the home can be a strategic center for missions and obedience to the Great Commission. I look for a resurgence in this in the coming days. Reid offers an interesting challenge to pastors: "Ask your congregation how many grew up in a Christian home? Then ask how many of those who raised their hands can recall their parents leading a discussion ever about reaching your neighbors. Then, ask how many remember the family ever doing anything specifically to get the gospel to their neighbors."

Timmy Brister closes up our discussion on The Bruised Reed. The last post is an open thread (which if you are involved in the challenge be sure to post on to be eligible for the prizes--I'm pulling for #7). Timmy also offers a summary of all the posts on Sibbes. He concludes his discussion by pointing out the mercy exhibited by Sibbes as well as the fact that he was a 17th Century Christian Hedonist.

Scott Lamb posts a transcript of Jimmy Carter's speech(?) at the New Baptist Covenant Celebration.

J.D. Hatfield has a phenomenal post on The Heart of the Matter. It is a very phenomenal articulation of the balance between being a jerk in our proclamation of the truth and neutering the gospel for the sake of being nice. Excellent job, J.D.! (Will: Make sure to read this one!)

I am overjoyed that C.J. Mahaney has joined the blogosphere. He gets it going with a great lists of Cross-Centered books. After reading this I need to update my wishlist with a couple of these books. He also offers a lists of helpful books on the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit.

Scott Lee asks, "Is Church Membership Divisive?"

Thabiti has written a wonderful article on The Gospel and Bitterness, at NA. I absolutely love Thabiti's heart (from what I've seen) and his ministry! Thanks, dear brother!