A.W. Pink on Loving the Brothers

The exercise of brotherly love is not only a testimony to the world, but it is also evidence to Christians themselves of their regeneration:

“We know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren” (1 John 3:14).

There should be a word of comfort here for those poor saints whose souls are cast down. At present, they cannot “read their title clear to mansions in the sky,” and are afraid to cry “Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6), lest they be guilty of presumption.

But here is a door of hope opened to Christ’s little ones:

You may, dear reader, be afraid to affirm that you love God, but do you not love His people? If you do, you must have been born again and have in you the same spiritual nature that is in them.

But do I love them?

Well, do you relish their company, admire what you see of Christ in them, wish them well, pray for them, seek their good?
If so, you certainly love them.

- A. W. Pink, Defining Brotherly Love (reprinted in the Free Grace Broadcaster #206)

Romans 6:1-2: Should We Sin Because of Grace?

I was reveiwing my notes on Romans 6 in preparation for a Bible study on the beginning of the chapter, and I decided to post my brief notes on verses 1-2. Perhaps it may later be followed by more? Here is Romans 6:1:
"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?"

In response to Romans 5:20-21, where we learn that grace abounds even more where sin increased. Does that mean that we should keep on sinning so that grace may continue to abound? If grace is so much more abundant where sin is increased, then why not sin so much the more in order that grace may keep abounding? That is the question, and that is the issue most often brought up when the religious mind understands grace. The religious person responds in distrust: "What are you saying, that we can keep sinning so grace will abound?" While the non-religious person responds with antinomianism: "Wow! I can sin as much as I want and God's grace will cover it - that's great!" etc. But Paul makes it clear that this objection to grace, as well as the abuse of grace is not possible at all. For one thing, sin is not the cause for grace to abound. Paul didn't write in verse 20, "where sin increased, sin made grace abound all the more..." No, but rather he wrote, "but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound" (KJV). So since grace is a free gift of God and cannot be earned by good works, we should also realize that it cannot be earned by sin either. Grace is free, undeserved, and no sinning can bring more of it, since it is only freely given at God's own goodwill and pleasure.

In the next verses we find out just how impossible it is for us to continue in sin because of grace.

Romans 6:2
"By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?"

The answer to the question in verse 1 is a strong, resounding NO! No way! May it never be!

Why? Paul answers the question with another question: How can we be dead and still be alive at the same time? In other words, we died to sin, so how can we be alive to it still? Those who are dead are no longer living, and those who have died to sin can no longer live in it anymore. It is an impossibility, a contradiction for a Christian to continue to live a sinful life, because he has died to sin.

A Death Poem:

Did you ever die?

What happens when someone dies?

First, they lose their ability to do anything. No more breathing, heart-beating, feeling, tasting, hearing, smelling, seeing. No more thinking, speaking, reading, writing, praying, being. No more moving.

Death takes everything away. No more wearing, buying, selling, enjoying. No more money, friends, family, health, house, city, town, pets, spouse, children, country.

All gain is lost. All hopes quenched. All plans ended. The past is gone, the future lost, the present restricted.

Death ends it all.

So, have you ever died? I don't mean physical death like I described above, because then you would not be reading this now. Have you died to this world? Have you died to sin? Have you died to self? Have you died to the law so that you may live to God in Christ who is the fulfillment and end of the law? Have you died with Christ, and so have you been raised to new life with Him? If so, just as you cannot live while being dead, you cannot continue in your old life of sin while being a Christian. That would be impossible.

I'm not forgetting the other objection to this teaching in Romans 6, and Paul didn't either, that is why we have Romans chapter 7. We are free from sin, yet we continue to fight with it until we are completely delivered from "this body of death". Nevertheless, we are dead to it, and so we walk in newness of life.

Let us remember, it is all of grace! And we must not forget it :D

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

For you formed my inward parts;
You knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
My soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
When I was being made in secret,
Intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance,
In your book were written, every one of them,
The days that were formed for me,
When as yet there was none of them.
(Psalm 139:13-16 ESV).

It is so important to remember that we are creatures. “Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, [and not we ourselves] and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” (Psalm 100:3 ESV, footnote added). We are created beings. We did not create ourselves. We have not always existed. There was a time when we did not exist at all, then God brought us forth into existence by His own creative power. “You knitted me together in my mother’s womb.“ There is mystery in God’s creation. “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works… when I was being made in secret.” So God is our Creator, and we are His creature. That is a profound and humbling thought. God made us simply by His own will, for His own purpose and pleasure, and by His own wisdom and design. “Your eyes saw my unformed substance, in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” This Psalm shows in many ways how beautifully Sovereign the Lord GOD, YAHWEH, is over His creation of man. Of course, Jesus, being the Son of David and God in human flesh, is also prophesied in this Psalm. So it is all about Jesus, but applies just as well to us, who are the work of His hands. It causes me to be in awe of the One who “formed my inward parts” as well as “my frame.” And it is He who wrote beforehand in His book the details of each day, “when as yet there was none of them.”

Just as it is important to remember that we were created by God, we also need to remember that we did not cause ourselves to be born again, but it was only through the Sovereign will and power of God. "Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfuits of his creatures." (James 1:18). "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," (1 Peter 1:3 ESV). This happened when we received Christ as our Life. "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12-13 ESV). "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and [here is our evangelistic call] gave us the ministry of reconciliation;..." (2 Corinthians 5:17-18).

My friends who believe in grace, are you new creatures in Christ by grace? Because if that is what we are, then we have been reconciled to God our Creator through His Son, and are now commissioned to minister this grace to others by His Spirit's work through us. And for all this I praise and adore Yahweh!

By His Grace

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

(Titus 3:3-7 ESV).

Grace is more than a free ticket to heaven. Grace does not only make it possible for fallen, imperfect, broken and sinful people to be accepted into the gates of pearl. It does far more. Grace works by the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior. "For by grace are you saved" (Ephesians 2:8). God's grace and mercy actually works with power to regenerate dead and lifeless rebels, washing them and renewing them by His Holy Spirit so that they are no longer the same. "Even when we were dead in sins, has he [God] quickened us [made us alive] together with Christ (by grace you are saved;) (Ephesians 2:5).

God's grace is personal. By this grace of God I have been saved. For I myself was once foolish, disobedient, led astray, a slave to various passions and pleasures, passing my days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God my Savior appeared, He saved me, not because of works done by me in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on me richly through Jesus Christ my Savior, so that being justified by His grace I might become an heir according to the hope of eternal life. Can you say the same about yourself? All praise and glory goes to God our Savior!

Grace and peace be multiplied to you who are in Christ Jesus by grace alone.