Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Spurgeon On Self Righteousness #1
Sinner, if you grow no sweeter flowers than the dunghill of your own nature can nourish, you will die amid poisonous weeds. If you never drink of better water than the filthy well of your own heart will yield, you will perish of thirst, or of a deadly draught. Another, and a better helper than one born in your house, must come this way. Help must be laid upon one that is mighty, exalted of the Lord out of the people, and endowed with divine power and Godhead, for only such a Saviour, infinitely good and great, can save a soul so lost as yours.
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10 comments:
This message is clearly written for Christians, not non-believers
Whateverman, you are not a sinner?
I believe that "sin" is a man made concept. However, I might be wrong - so rather than say I'm not a sinner, I'd rather say that I don't think I am.
Which isn't to say that I'm perfect. Far from it - I've got plenty of flaws.
But - my first comment is still valid (I believe). The quote isn't written by someone trying to convince people to accept (and repent of) sin. It's written by a Christian and addressed to other Christians.
I often find that Christians who evangelize online try to use their faith to argue the validity of their faith - it's utterly unconvincing to someone who does not already believe.
Whateverman, it is the testimony of scripture that "Sin is transgression of God's law" (1 John 3:4). So are you saying that you have never broken God's law? Never lied? Never stolen anything? Never hated anyone? Never lusted after someone or something?
As you have said yourself, you have plenty of flaws... and God calls those flaws sin!
If you refuse to acknowledge that you have, are and will continue to break God's laws (sin) then we have a problem! Either you are speaking truth and the scripture is in error, or the scripture holds true and you are a liar!
As it is written, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." 1 John 1:8-10
I often find that Christians who evangelize online try to use their faith to argue the validity of their faith - it's utterly unconvincing to someone who does not already believe.
How much faith do you need to see that you are a hell deserving sinner?
Ok, you might not believe in the reality of hell, but surely, if you were to take an honest assessment of all that you think and do: all those things that are done in darkness when no one is looking, all those shameful thoughts, feelings and actions that not even your friends and family know about... you would find that you do not need any faith to realise that your own nature is a dunghill!
It's plain fact!
Where faith comes in is... in spite of what you know about yourself to be true, in spite of all the crap that you have done, in spite of the fact that you have willingly sought to deny his existance... that Christ would love you and give his life for you so that you might be forgiven and made whole and clean!
Sam wrote the following: Whateverman, it is the testimony of scripture that "Sin is transgression of God's law" (1 John 3:4). So are you saying that you have never broken God's law?
You ignored what I wrote previously. If I don't believe that scripture represents anything more than the writings of fallible human beings, I'm surely going to dismiss the idea that I've broken God's laws - and that doing so equates to "sin".
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Sam also wrote the following to me: How much faith do you need to see that you are a hell deserving sinner?
{...}
you do not need any faith to realise that your own nature is a dunghill!
I would need lots of faith. I do not now believe that sin is anything more than a man-made concept designed to provide guidance to illiterate, bronze-age people. As such, I'm going to need lots of faith to overlook this belief and accept that Hell is real.
As for my nature being a "dung hill", you go right ahead and believe this, and I'm not going to stop you. I disagree, of course, but you've got a right to your beliefs.
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Sam wrote this too: you have willingly sought to deny his existance... that Christ would love you and give his life for you so that you might be forgiven and made whole and clean!
Was Christ a real figure? I believe "yes". But the story and explanation of his death and resurrection makes little sense to me. A God who created human beings and gave them brains to think would not need to sacrifice his only son in order to save us.
I don't find Jesus' resurrection to be overly compassionate and loving. It sounds more like a (Jewish?) cosmic guilt trip than anything else. My brain refuses to accept that I should feel guilty to be alive.
And by the way, I'm not an atheist. Many evangelicals assume that all criticism of their opinions somehow equates to atheism, and this is not true.
You ignored what I wrote previously. If I don't believe that scripture represents anything more than the writings of fallible human beings, I'm surely going to dismiss the idea that I've broken God's laws - and that doing so equates to "sin".
Ok. Fair Enough. Can I ask you another question...? Have you ever done anything that you know is wrong? By know, I mean, your conscience has really given it to you either before, during or afterward? The Book says God has put his law in your heart. He has written it upon your conscience. You may easily dismiss the Book, but it is not so easy to dismiss your conscience. And because your conscience has made you conscious (at least in part) of your sin there will be no pleading ignorance on the day when all that you've said, thought and done is brought out into the light...
Was Christ a real figure? I believe "yes". But the story and explanation of his death and resurrection makes little sense to me.
Whateverman, the fact that Christ's death and resurrection makes little sense to you is common. "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." Jesus’ person, his purpose and the plan of salvation is foolishness to them that are perishing. It doesn't make sense. If it did make sense to you, if you truly got it, you'd be overwhelmed by God's great kindness and mercy towards you! Your heart would overflow with deep thankfulness and love towards this God who has punished His Christ in your place!
A God who created human beings and gave them brains to think would not need to sacrifice his only son in order to save us.
The fact that you don't yet understand why Christ was crucified just means that you don't yet rightly understand God.
Why did Christ come? Why did God send Christ? Christ was born to absorb the wrath of a just and holy God on account of us! Christ was born to die in! But why?
Well, if God were not just, there would be no demand for his Son to suffer and die. And if God were not loving, there would be no willingness for his Son to suffer and die. But God is both just and loving!
God's law demands, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:5). But we have all loved other things more. This is what sin is-- dishonouring God by preferring other things over him, and acting on those preferences. That is why the Bible says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). We glorify what we enjoy most. And it isn't God!
Our sin is not small, because it is not against a small Sovereign! The seriousness of an insult rises with the dignity of the one insulted. As the Creator of the universe is infinitely worthy of all respect and admiration and loyalty, then failure to love him is not trivial-- it is treason. It defames God and destroys human happiness!
Since God is just, he does not sweep these crimes under the rug of the universe. He feels a holy wrath against them! They deserve to be punished, and he has made this clear: "For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). "The soul who sins shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4).
There is a holy curse hanging over all sin. Not to punish it would be unjust. The spurning of God would be endorsed. The flagrant violation of his laws encouraged! Therefore God says, "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all the things written in the book of the Law, and do them" (Galatians 3:10, Deuteronomy 27:26).
But the love of God does not rest with the curse that hangs over all sinful humanity. He is not content to only show his wrath, no matter how holy it is. It is for this reason that God sent his own Son to absorb his wrath and bear the curse for all who trust in him. "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us" (Galatians 3:13).
The substitute, Jesus Christ, does not just cancel the wrath; he absorbs it and diverts it from us to himself. Or to put it another way, Jesus died on the cross in my place on account of my sins! He was punished so that I might find peace with God!
It is because of this amazing truth that I can sing:
Because the sinless Saviour died,
My sinful soul is counted free,
For God the just is satisfied,
To look on Him and pardon me!
Let us not trifle with God or trivialize his love. We will never stand in awe of being loved by God until we reckon with the seriousness of our sin and the justice of his wrath against us. But when, by grace, we waken to our unworthiness, then we may look at the suffering and death of Christ and say with a broken heart, "Forgive me Lord! Have mercy on me a sinner!"
And the most amazing thing is: He will! As the scripture says, "Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13) and "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever trusts in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
Having done all this for us, having paved a way whereby we may be made right with God, it is no wonder the scriptures warn "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?" (Hebrews 2:3)
And by the way, I'm not an atheist
True, but you are not a child of God either! My prayer is one day that you will come to know the One who created you, who breathed life into you, who has shown you His great mercy all these years (though you do not yet recognise it), who is willing to forgive all your transgressions, who is willing to give you a new heart, a clean conscience, who will take away the guilt of your sin, who has made a way for you to escape the wrath to come and who, even now, is calling you to turn and seek Him!
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