For Lord’s Day, July 19, 2015

Dear Saints,

Before I put J.G. Vos’ Westminster Larger Catechism commentary back on the shelves, I thumbed through its pages for review and came across these statements that seemed quite poignant for the times of our nation. We the people need the ability to distinguish between good and evil by the use of the Good Book and Holy Word of Christ if we aren’t to go the way of the Roman Empire:

Where the Bible is known and believed, wickedness and crime are curbed, human life and property are secure, education is widespread, institutions of mercy for the care of the sick, unfortunate, and insane established, and civil liberty is honored and safeguarded … Where the Bible is unkown or almost unkown, human life is cheap and insecure; dishonesty is almost universal; men live in bondage to superstitions and fears; moral corruption and degradation abound.

Human opinions, reasonings, and philosophy are of no weight whatever against the statements of God’s Word.

All human schemes of betterment which are not founded on redemption from sin through Christ are foredoomed to failure. Permanent relief cannot be obtained by treating symptoms only, while ignoring the cause of the trouble.

… the civil magistrate may rightly, for civil reasons, prohibit the public propagation of atheism and of the denial of man’s moral responsibility to God. For a civil court to refuse to grant a charter of incorporation to an association the purpose of which is publicly to propagate atheism is no real infringement of civil or religious liberty. The success of such a corporation would result in the destruction of the moral foundations of human society and of the state itself. Civil and religious liberty do not include even the civil right to attempt to destroy the very basis of human civilization.

These fine assertions are also good timing to meditate on for our text tomorrow morning about the dietary laws in Leviticus 11. The continuity of their general equity today (WCF 19:3) teaches Christians to make ethically holy distinctions in life so as to be protected from the defilement of morally impure worldly influences, and thus to remain ethically pure and whole in the presence of our thrice holy God. The message for tomorrow will be, “Show Discernment to Show Who You Are and Who is Your God.”

May we come before the Lord Jesus with ears to hear what the Spirit has to say to us, praying that He will help us rightly divide the Word of Truth in worship and in life. For in the evening, with the message “Apply Your Life to God’s Word” based on Psalm 111:10, we will learn that when we are simply willing to obey God without question (the answer to the “why?” of the arbitrarily chosen animals in Leviticus 11), He will reward us with good discernment.

Semper Reformanda,

Pastor Grant