Saturday, February 25, 2023

Sunday Salon #9


Current Bible plans and projects:

NRSV XL -- Proverbs 19-25; Psalms 95-119:1-104; Wisdom of Solomon; Sirach.

ESV Church History -- Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Isaiah 1-47, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation 1-6

BSB M'Cheyne -- Exodus 2-8; Luke 5-11; Job 19-26; 1 Corinthians 6-12. 

Growing 4 Life. February is Mark 5-8. This week I read NKJV, NASB 77, NASB 95, ESV, ASV, NIV 84. 

Currently reading (non-Bible plans and projects)
  • The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz (so close on this one, it should be finished this week)
  • Come and See: The Journey of Knowing God Through Scripture by Jonathan Pennington (same as above)
  • One Faithful Life by John MacArthur Jr. (just started this one on Saturday)
  • The Sovereignty of God by A.W. Pink (started this one this past week)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

22. One Perfect Life


One Perfect Life: The Complete Story of the Lord Jesus. John F. MacArthur Jr. 2013. 528 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 

ETA: This was my third time to read One Perfect Life. I read it in February 2013 and March 2013. Yes, two times in one year. I'd meant to reread this one for years. On Ash Wednesday I decided that I'd try to read this one for Lent. Oops. I read it in four days instead of forty. That happens sometimes. I don't really know how to take things slow.

The subtitle of One Perfect Life is, "The Complete Story of the Lord Jesus." And complete it is, compiling Scriptures from Genesis through Revelation in the New King James translation. There are eleven parts of the story divided into 215 readings. Each reading has a handful of MacArthur's study notes. So for those wanting to learn more, to understand more of the text, it's there.

  • Part 1: "Anticipating the Lord Jesus Christ"
  • Part 2: "The Beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ"
  • Part 3: "The Beginning of Jesus' Ministry"
  • Part 4: "From Passover AD 27 to Passover AD 28"
  • Part 5: "From Passover AD 28 to Passover AD 29"
  • Part 6: "From Passover AD to Passover AD 30"
  • Part 7: "The Final Journey to Jerusalem for Passover AD 30"
  • Part 8: "The Passion Week of the Messiah AD 30"
  • Part 9: "The Upper Room on the Night Before His Death"
  • Part 10: "The Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension"
  • Part 11: "New Testament Reflections on the Gospel of Jesus Christ"

The first and last parts are quite interesting to me as they attempt to create one narrative from many sources of Scripture. For example, in the first reading, "Jesus Christ--the Preexistent Creator and Savior," the narrative is pieced together from these verses: Genesis 1:1John 1:1-5a1 Corinthians 8:6Ephesians 1:3-5Colossians 1:15-18Colossians 2:92 Timothy 1:9Titus 1:2Hebrews 1:1b-3a. It reads--in part--like this,
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. There is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation... (17)
From the eleventh section, we have a reading entitled "Salvation is by Grace Alone Through Faith Alone in Christ Alone." Its narrative is drawn from these texts: Acts 4:12Acts 15:11aRomans 3:23-26Romans 4:2-5Romans 4:24-25Romans 5:1-2Romans 8:1Romans 8:29-39Romans 11:6Galatians 2:16Galatians 3:11-14Ephesians 1:13-14Ephesians 2:8-9Philippians 3:8-10a1 Timothy 2:5-6a2 Timothy 1:8b-11Titus 3:4-7Hebrews 7:25, and 1 John 2:1b-2. Here is how it reads--in part:
Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all. Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (509-510)
The focus of the entire book is, of course, on Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and on the gospel. The book not only reveals who Christ is, it reveals who we are--with or without Christ. The very last reading is a great invitation to come to Christ and be saved.

One Perfect Life is a powerful, compelling read. I was reminded of the hymn, "I Love To Tell The Story."

I love to tell the story
of unseen things above,
of Jesus and his glory,
of Jesus and his love.
I love to tell the story,
because I know 'tis true;
it satisfies my longings 
as nothing else can do.
and
I love to tell the story,
for those who know it best
seem hungering and thirsting
to hear it like the rest.
And when, in scenes of glory,
I sing the new, new song,
'twill be the old, old story
that I have loved so long. 

One Perfect Life is a book that is easy to love. The story may, at first, be familiar, but allow yourself to be fascinated by the drama and you might just be amazed.

Here is a very appropriate Dorothy Sayers' quote that I'd like to share (again):
Let us, in Heaven's name, drag out the Divine Drama from under the dreadful accumulation of slipshod thinking and trashy sentiment heaped upon it, and set it on an open stage to startle the world into some sort of vigorous reaction. If the pious are the first to be shocked, so much the worse for the pious--others will pass into the Kingdom of Heaven before them. If all men are offended because of Christ, let them be offended; but where is the sense of their being offended at something that is not Christ and is nothing like Him? We do Him singularly little honour by watering down His Personality till it could not offend a fly. Surely it is not the business of the Church to adapt Christ to men, but to adapt men to Christ. It is the dogma that is the drama--not beautiful phrases, nor comforting sentiments, nor vague aspirations to loving-kindness and moral uplift, nor the promise of something nice after death--but the terrifying assertion that the same God who made the world lived in the world and passed through the grave and gate of death. Show that to the heathen, and they may not believe it; but at least they may realize that here is something that one might be glad to believe.
I would definitely recommend this one.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

21. PROOF


PROOF: Finding Freedom Through the Intoxicating Joy of Irresistable Grace. Daniel Montgomery and Timothy Paul Jones. 2014. Zondervan. 224 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: Performance — work and reward — is one of the basic structures of our lives. As a result, we grow up thinking, “I am what I am because of what I do . . . or because of what I’ve failed to do.” But what if we told you that it’s all a lie? What if we proved to you that, when you stake your identity on your performance, you’re delusional. Better yet, what if we told you a truth that can get you free from this lifelong delusion?

ETA: This is the third time I've read PROOF. I read it in 2014, 2016, and 2023. Is it as magical as Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul? Perhaps not. That one is super-super-super special to me and always will be. But I really loved this one. It was great. It was saturated in scripture.  

I loved, loved, loved, LOVED, LOVED this one. I first reviewed it in 2014. I decided to reread it again this year. I'm so glad I did.

What is it about? The gospel--the amazing, beautiful, glorious gospel.
The gospel is the good news that God’s kingdom power has entered human history through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When we repent and rely on his righteousness instead of our own, his kingdom power transforms us, and we become participants in the restoration of God’s world.
The three aspects of the gospel are the kingdom, the cross, and God’s grace. 1. The gospel of the kingdom is life with God under God’s rule. 2. The gospel of the cross is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus by which God accomplishes our salvation, rescues us from his wrath, incorporates us into his people, and inaugurates his reign in the world. 3. The gospel of grace is the wonderful news that God accepts us, shares his life with us, and adopts us as heirs of his kingdom not because we have earned it or deserve it but because God chooses to give all of this freely at Christ’s expense.
It is about the doctrines of grace. Perhaps you're unfamiliar with the "doctrines of grace." Or perhaps you're too familiarwith the doctrines of grace. This is a good book in both instances. Whether this is your very first book about the "doctrines of grace" or your fiftieth.

The authors write,
Whenever we talk about PROOF, we’re referring to an acronym that summarizes five key facets of God’s amazing grace. PROOF reminds us of five different ways in which we experience the grace of God at work in our lives
P -- planned grace
Before time began, God mapped out the plan of salvation from first to last. God planned to adopt particular people as his own children; Christ offered himself as a sacrifice for these people’s sins and as a substitute who satisfied God’s righteous requirements in their place (John 10:11-18Ephesians 1:4-12). 
R -- resurrecting grace
Everyone is born spiritually dead. Left to ourselves, we will never choose God’s way. God enables people to respond freely to his grace by giving them spiritual life through the power of Christ’s resurrection (John 5:21Ephesians 2:1-7). 
O -- outrageous grace
God chose people to be saved on the basis of his own sovereign will. He didn’t base his choice to give us grace on anything that we did or might do (John 15:16Ephesians 2:8-9). 
O -- overcoming grace
God chose people to be saved on the basis of his own sovereign will. He didn’t base his choice to give us grace on anything that we did or might do (John 15:16Ephesians 2:8-9). 
F -- forever grace
God seals his people with his Holy Spirit so that they are preserved and persevere in faith until the final restoration of God’s kingdom on the earth (John 10:27-29Ephesians 1:13-144:30).
To anyone who has questions about salvation, this is the book for you. What is salvation? How can I be saved? What is God's part in my salvation? What is my part in my salvation? Is salvation forever and ever? Can I lose my salvation? Is my salvation dependent on my sanctification, on my striving to follow God's rules and commands? What exactly is grace? Is grace too good to be true? What are the conditions of receiving God's grace? Am I really supposed to share the gospel? share the gospel with everyone?!

Some of my favorite quotes:
The empty wisdom of human religion proclaims, “What goes around comes around. God helps those who help themselves. You get what you pay for” — but these are lies that lead only to bondage and despair. The gospel of grace speaks an entirely different word, a word that’s filled with paradox and mystery. By God’s grace, we get what someone else paid for. By grace, God helps those who not only can’t help themselves, they don’t even want to. By grace, what goes around stops at the foot of the cross, never to come around again.
The message of planned grace begins with the truth that God is a loving Father who chose us personally and specifically before time began. It continues with the truth that God is a loving Bridegroom who has accomplished everything necessary to win the heart of his beloved bride. God didn’t plan for Christ’s work on the cross to extend a certain distance only to discover later that his creatures have somehow thwarted his good intentions. God’s grace always goes precisely as far as God planned.
    When did God choose to love and save his people? God planned to love and save his people before the creation of the world. This is planned grace. God maps out our rescue from start to finish (Ephesians 1:4–5). The Son didn’t just make the world savable — he secured salvation for every individual who repents and believes. The value of his suffering was more than sufficient to atone for every person in the world, but God planned for his death to purchase particular people from every nation.
    Spiritual zombies don’t choose the gift of God’s grace for the same reason that prison escapees don’t show up voluntarily at police stations. It isn’t because convicted felons are incapable of locating their local law-enforcement agency. It’s because the police represent everything the convict wants to avoid. Ever since our expulsion from Eden, every human being has been a convicted corpse on the run from God’s reign. Apart from God’s single-handed gift of resurrecting grace, no human being will ever seek God because a death-defeating King who demands that we find our greatest joy in his Father’s fame is repulsive to the spiritually dead (John 3:19 – 20Romans 3:11).
    The sovereign king of the cosmos isn’t waiting on a permission slip from humanity before he resurrects spiritual zombies — and he certainly isn’t pacing the portals of heaven, wringing his hands, hoping someone responds positively to his invitation to the celestial prom. God powerfully sends his church to proclaim the gospel in every nation. As the gospel is shared, God’s Spirit pierces the lives of particular people who are spiritually dead and exchanges their death for his life (Acts 2:3713:48Colossians 2:13).
    God’s choice to save you had nothing to do with anything that you have done or will do. You did nothing to gain God’s favor, and there’s nothing you can do to keep God’s favor. All that you can do — which is really no “doing” at all — is to receive what God in Christ has already done. It’s only when we realize that nothing we did or might do formed the basis of God’s choice to save us that we truly taste the intoxicating joy of God’s irresistible grace.
    Outrageous grace isn’t a favor you can achieve by being good; it’s the gift you receive by being God’s. Outrageous grace is God’s goodness that comes looking for you when you have nothing but a middle finger flipped in the face of God to offer in return.
    The God of the Scriptures is no debonair gentleman who waves to us from the opposite side of a chasm, hoping we will find it in our hearts to respond. In Jesus Christ, God himself crossed the chasm between himself and humanity (John 1:1412:27). He came as a righteous shepherd who sacrifices his life to snatch his sheep from the jaws of the beast (Ezekiel 34:10Matthew 18:12 – 14John 10:11 – 15). He entered space and time as a sovereign lord in humble disguise, seeking to transform a broken woman into his pure and perfect bride (Ezekiel 16:1 – 14Hosea 3:1Ephesians 5:25 – 27). He came as a medic on an emergency mission to breathe life into sin-infected souls (Mark 2:17). Now, through the power of his Spirit and the proclamation of his gospel, this same Jesus is shattering every resistance to his reign in the lives of those he has chosen. He is planting outposts of his kingdom where love and justice grow, and he is beginning the healing of his people’s sin-infected souls. Jesus Christ came to seek and to save his people who were lost, and he isn’t asking anyone’s permission to finish this mission (Matthew 1:21Luke 19:10). That’s the power and the beauty of overcoming grace.
    Christ’s commitment to his people does not depend on our capacity to remember, but on God’s capacity to sustain us and preserve us. It depends on a covenant that has been engraved in flesh and confirmed in blood.

    © Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

    Sunday, February 19, 2023

    Sunday Salon #8


    Current Bible plans and projects:

    NRSV XL -- Proverbs 12-18; Psalms 62-94. Judith; Esther (with additions); 1 Maccabees; 2 Maccabees; Amos; Obadiah; Ecclesiastes. 

    ESV Church History -- 2 Chronicles 13-36; Hebrews 7-13; Job 1-42; James 1-5; 1 Peter 1-5.

    BSB M'Cheyne -- Genesis 45-50; Exodus 1; Mark 15-16; Luke 1-4; Job 11-18; Romans 15-16; 1 Corinthians 1-5

    Growing 4 Life. February is Mark 5-8. I read it in these versions: BSB, NIV 1978, LSB, NASB 2020, NASB 77, KJV. 

    Currently reading:
    The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz
    Come and See: The Journey of Knowing God Through Scripture by Jonathan Pennington


    © Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

    Saturday, February 18, 2023

    20. The Holiness of God


    The Holiness of God. R.C. Sproul. 1985/2012. 226 pages. [Source: Bought]


    First sentence: I was compelled to leave the room. A deep, undeniable summons disturbed my sleep; something holy called me.

    ETA: I reread The Holiness of God. I wasn't planning to exactly. But after reading Chosen by God, I just *had* to. These books complement each other so well. These two are so essential. Both hold a special place in my heart. 

    Holiness of God is a classic by R.C. Sproul that every Christian should read at least once. Emphasis on at least once. I think it happens to be one of those books where you might even want to reread it every other year or so.

    So what is it about? It's about God, about who HE is, about his HOLINESS and righteousness. But it is also about who we are. It's about sin--what it is, how it divides us, how it damns us--about grace, about justice. It is about our holiness as well. Why are believers called saints? Why are we called to be holy and to live holy lives? Ultimately, the book is a refresher course on the gospel itself.

    In the first chapter, Sproul writes: "Today I am still absorbed with the question of the holiness of God. I am convinced that it is one of the most important ideas that a Christian can ever grapple with...How we understand the person and character of God the Father affects every aspect of our lives. It affects far more than what we normally call the “religious” aspects of our lives." If you agree, then this book is a must read. And if you don't agree, well, then perhaps reading the book will change your mind.

    I have read this one three times now. I think I love it more each time.

    Quotes:
    Here is the promise of God: We shall see Him as He is. Theologians call this future expectation the beatific vision. We will see God as He is.
    Right now it is impossible for us to see God in His pure essence. Before that can ever happen, we must be purified. When Jesus taught the Beatitudes, He promised only a distinct group the vision of God: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matt. 5:8).
    None of us in this world is pure in heart. It is our impurity that prevents us from seeing God. The problem is not with our eyes; it is with our hearts.
    Only once in sacred Scripture is an attribute of God elevated to the third degree. Only once is a characteristic of God mentioned three times in succession. The Bible says that God is holy, holy, holy.  Not that He is merely holy, or even holy, holy. He is holy, holy, holy. The Bible never says that God is love, love, love; or mercy, mercy, mercy; or wrath, wrath, wrath; or justice, justice, justice. It does say that He is holy, holy, holy, that the whole earth is full of His glory.
    In a very real sense, the word holy is a foreign word. The problem we face, however, is that the word holy is foreign to all languages. No dictionary is adequate to the task. 
    Sinful people are not comfortable in the presence of the holy. The cliché is that misery loves company. Another is that there is fellowship among thieves. But thieves do not seek the consoling presence of the fellowship of police officers. Sinful misery does not love the company of purity.
    If we fix our minds on the holiness of God, the result might be disturbing.
    “Love God? Sometimes I hate Him.” This is a strange quote to hear from the lips of a man as respected for his religious zeal as Luther.
     Two things separated Luther from the rest of men: First, he knew who God was. Second, he understood the demands of God’s law. He had mastered the law. Unless he came to understand the gospel, he would die in torment.
    “The just shall live by faith.” This was the battle cry of the Protestant Reformation. The idea that justification is by faith alone, by the merits of Christ alone, was so central to the gospel that Luther called it “the article upon which the church stands or falls.” Luther knew that it was the article by which he would stand or fall.
    There is no such thing as evil justice in God. The justice of God is always and ever an expression of His holy character.
    What God does is always consistent with who God is. He always acts according to His holy character. God’s internal righteousness is the moral excellence of His character.
    God does not always act with justice. Sometimes He acts with mercy. Mercy is not justice, but it also is not injustice. Injustice violates righteousness. Mercy manifests kindness and grace and does no violence to righteousness. We may see nonjustice in God, which is mercy, but we never see injustice in God.
    The false conflict between the two testaments may be seen in the most brutal act of divine vengeance ever recorded in Scripture. It is not found in the Old Testament but in the New Testament. The most violent expression of God’s wrath and justice is seen in the Cross. If ever a person had room to complain of injustice, it was Jesus. He was the only innocent man ever to be punished by God. If we stagger at the wrath of God, let us stagger at the Cross. Here is where our astonishment should be focused.
    It is impossible for anyone, anywhere, anytime to deserve grace. Grace by definition is undeserved. As soon as we talk about deserving something, we are no longer talking about grace; we are talking about justice. Only justice can be deserved. God is never obligated to be merciful. Mercy and grace must be voluntary or they are no longer mercy and grace.
    God never “owes” grace. He reminds us more than once: “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy” (Exod. 33:19). This is the divine prerogative. God reserves for Himself the supreme right of executive clemency.
    The moment awareness of His divine presence begins, the deepest personal struggle a person can experience begins as well.
    We may wrestle with the Holy One. Indeed, for the transforming power of God to change our lives, we must wrestle with Him. We must know what it means to fight with God all night if we are also to know what it means to experience the sweetness of the soul’s surrender.
    One of the names by which God is revealed in the Old Testament is the name El Shaddai. The name means “the thunderer” or “the overpowerer.” It was by the name El Shaddai that God appeared to Job. What Job experienced was the awesome power of a sovereign God who overpowers all people and is Himself overpowered by no one.
    How much time elapses before the sinner begins to become pure? The answer is none. There is no time lapse between our justification and the beginning of our sanctification. But there is a great time lapse between our justification and the completion of our sanctification.
    Semi-Pelagianism is the majority report among evangelical Christians and probably represents the theology of the vast majority of people who read this book. But I am convinced that with all of its virtues, Semi-Pelagianism still represents a theology of compromise with our natural inclinations. Evangelicals today have unconverted sinners who are dead in trespasses and sin bringing themselves to life by choosing to be born again. Christ made it clear that dead people cannot choose anything, that the flesh counts for nothing, and that we must be born of the Spirit before we can even see the kingdom of God, let alone enter it. The failure of modern evangelicalism is the failure to understand the holiness of God. If that one point were grasped, there would be no more talk of mortal enemies of Christ coming to Jesus by their own power. The only kind of God we can love by our sinful nature is an unholy god, an idol made by our own hands. Unless we are born of the Spirit of God, unless God sheds His holy love in our hearts, unless He stoops in His grace to change our hearts, we will not love Him.
    God is not at the edge of Christians’ lives but at the very center. God defines our entire life and worldview.


    © Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

    Thursday, February 16, 2023

    19. Five Puritan Women: Portraits of Faith and Love


    5 Puritan Women: Portraits of Faith and Love. Jenny-Lyn de Klerk. 2023. [February] 161 pages. [Source: Review copy]

    First sentence: Have you ever had an emotional or intellectual epiphany so significant that it changed your way of being for years to come? When I first pulled a book by a puritan woman off some library stacks, I was not ready for what I would find. 

    The Five Puritan Women being introduced to contemporary readers are Agnes Beaumont, Lucy Hutchinson, Mary Rich (Countess of Warwick), Anne Bradstreet, and Lady Brilliana Harley. Jenny-Lyn de Klerk has chosen to focus on these five women, but not just to give mini-history lessons. She's using these women's stories to focus in on five spiritual disciplines that she feels are beneficial. For example, with Agnes Beaumont's story, she's telling Agnes' story AND emphasizing how Agnes' use of memorization as a spiritual discipline or aide proved most beneficial in her life. 

    These stories are--for the most part--unexpected and fascinating. These stories are sometimes--though not always--packed with adventures and misadventures. 

    Before reading this one, I had only ever heard of Anne Bradstreet. Her story might be the most 'normal' or 'typical.' of the bunch. Though her story is no less touching. 

    I found this an interesting read. I loved learning more about all these women. As I just mentioned, most were unfamiliar to me. Yet even though they were strangers, I soon found myself absorbed in their stories. Absorbed is a good word. There was nothing 'technical' or 'boring' or 'dull' about their lives or the presentation of their lives. 

    I would recommend this one to those that enjoy biography but also those that like the role modeling of doctrine in practice. 

    © Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

    Monday, February 13, 2023

    18. Chosen by God


    Chosen by God. R.C. Sproul. 1986. 192 pages. [Source: Bought]

    First sentence: Baseball. Hot dogs. Apple pie. Chevrolet. These are all things American. To complete the mix we must add the great American motto: "We will not discuss religion or politics." Mottoes are made to be broken. Perhaps no American rule is broken more frequently than the one about not discussing religion or politics. We embark on such discussions repeatedly. And when the topic turns to religion it often gravitates to the issue of predestination. Sadly, that often means the end of discussion and the beginning of argument, yielding more heat than light. Arguing about predestination is virtually irresistible. 

    I've read and reread this one so many times. It was such a pivotal book in my life.  It was full of "aha" moments, light bulb moments. 

    The book is divided into nine chapters: "The Struggle," "Predestination and the Sovereignty of God," "Predestination and Free Will," "Adam's Fall and Mine," "Spiritual Death and Spiritual Life: Rebirth and Faith," "Foreknowledge and Predestination," "Double, Double, Toil and Trouble: Is Predestination Double?", "Can We Know That We Are Saved?" and "Questions and Objections Concerning Predestination."

    Is the book reader friendly? Yes and no. The theological subject is complex. Being complex doesn't make it more biblical OR less biblical. Because it can sound so absolutely foreign to our natural nature, our natural mind, to everything that we think we know, it can be tough to grasp. R.C. Sproul makes a point that this is the kind of knowledge that you almost fight against accepting. Depending on your background, depending on your church experience, depending on your theological leanings, of course. I absolutely love R.C. Sproul's approach to this:
    Why do we speak of it? Because we enjoy unpleasantness? Not at all. We discuss it because we cannot avoid it. It is a doctrine plainly set forth in the Bible. We talk about predestination because the Bible talks about predestination. If we desire to build our theology on the Bible, we run head on into the concept. We soon discover that John Calvin did not invent it... (10)
    If we are to be biblical, then, the issue is not whether we should have a doctrine of predestination or not, but what kind we should embrace. If the Bible is the Word of God, not mere human speculation, and if God himself declares that there is such a thing as predestination, then it follows irresistibly that we must embrace some doctrine of predestination. If we are to follow this line of thinking, then, of course, we must go one step further. It is not enough to have just any view of predestination. It is our duty to seek the correct view of predestination, lest we be guilty of distorting or ignoring the Word of God. (11)
    I wrote a note to myself that I kept on my desk in a place where I could always see it: YOU ARE REQUIRED TO BELIEVE, TO PREACH, AND TO TEACH WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS IS TRUE, NOT WHAT YOU WANT THE BIBLE TO SAY IS TRUE. (12)
    They say there is nothing more obnoxious than a converted drunk. Try a converted Arminian. Converted Arminians tend to become flaming Calvinists, zealots for the cause of predestination. You are reading the work of such a convert. (13)
    To a Calvinist, to someone of the "Reformed" faith, the book is easier going. Once you connect the dots, once you have grasped the doctrines of grace, then it is hard to see what kept you blind to these "obvious" biblical truths. 

    Chosen by God is a book to read or perhaps reread slowly and thoughtfully. It is not necessarily a book to be rushed. It's a book to read side by side with the Bible, a book to be studied and pondered.

    Favorite quotes:
    The freedom of the sovereign is always greater than the freedom of his subjects. (24)
    The very essence of grace is that it is undeserved. God always reserves the right to have mercy upon whom he will have mercy. God may owe people justice, but never mercy. (33)
    Let us assume that all men are guilty of sin in the sight of God. From that mass of guilty humanity, God sovereignly decides to give mercy to some of them. What do the rest get? They get justice. The saved get mercy and the unsaved get justice. Nobody gets injustice. Mercy is not justice. But neither is it injustice. (37)
    God is free. I am free. God is more free than I am. If my freedom runs up against God's freedom, I lose. His freedom restricts mine; my freedom does not restrict his. (43)
    To have free will is to be able to choose according to our desires. Here desire plays the vital role of providing a motivation or a reason for making a choice... According to Edwards a human being is not only free to choose what he desires but he must choose what he desires to be able to choose at all. (54) 
    Our choices are determined by our desires. They remain our choices because they are motivated by our own desires. (54)
    The will is a natural ability given to us by God. We have all the natural faculties necessary to make choices. We have a mind and we have a will. We have the natural ability to choose what we desire. What, then, is our problem? According to the Bible the location of our problem is clear. It is with the nature of our desires. This is the focal point of our fallenness. Scripture declares that the heart of fallen man continually harbors desires that are only wicked... Before a person can make a choice which is pleasing to God, he must first have a desire to please God. Before we can find God, we must first desire to seek him. Before we can choose the good, we must first have a desire for the good. Before we can choose Christ, we must first have a desire for Christ. The sum and and substance of the whole debate on predestination rests squarely on this point: Does fallen man, in and of himself, have a natural desire for Christ? (60-1)
    Edwards insists that, in the Fall, man lost his original desire for God. When he lost that desire, something happened to his freedom. He lost the moral ability to choose Christ. In order to choose Christ, the sinner must first have a desire to choose Christ. Either he has that desire already within him or he must receive that desire from God. (61)
    Original sin refers to the result of the sin of Adam and Eve. (63)
    Before the Fall Adam was endowed with two possibilities: He had the ability to sin and the ability not to sin. After the Fall Adam had the ability to sin and the inability not to sin. The idea of "inability to not" is a bit confusing to us because in English it's a double negative. Augustine's Latin formula was non posse non peccare. Stated another way, it means that after the Fall man was morally incapable of living without sin. The ability to live without sin was lost in the Fall. This moral inability is the essence of what we call original sin. (65)
    No human being can possibly come to Christ unless something happens that makes it possible for him to come. That necessary condition that Jesus declares is that "it has been granted to him by the Father." Jesus is saying here that the ability to come to him is a gift from God. Man does not have the ability in and of himself to come to Christ. God must do something first. (68) (John 6:65)
    A cardinal point of Reformed theology is the maxim: "Regeneration precedes faith." Our nature is so corrupt the power of sin is so great, that unless God does a supernatural work in our souls we will never choose Christ. We do not believe in order to be born again; we are born again in order that we may believe. (72-3)
    We see people searching desperately for peace of mind, relief from guilt, meaning and purpose to their lives, and loving acceptance. We know that ultimately these things can only be found in God. Therefore we conclude that since people are seeking these things they must be seeking after God. People do not seek God. They seek after the benefits that only God can give them. (110)
    Seeking is the business of believers... The Christian life begins at conversion; it does not end where it begins. It grows; it moves from faith to faith, from grace to grace, from life to life. The movement of growth is prodded by a continual seeking after God. (111)
    When God regenerates a human soul, when he makes us spiritually alive, we make choices. We believe. We have faith. We cling to Christ. God does not believe for us. (118)
    Jesus is irresistible to those who have been made alive to the things of God. Every soul whose heart beats with the life of God within it longs for the living Christ. (123)
    I learned one thing clearly in my experience in evangelism: The message of justification by faith alone has not penetrated our culture. Multitudes of people are resting their hopes for heaven on their own good works. They are quite willing to admit they are not perfect, but they assume they are good enough. They have done "their best" and that, they tragically assume, is good enough for God. (165)

    © Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

    Sunday, February 12, 2023

    Sunday Salon #7


    Current Bible plans and projects:

    NRSV XL -- Proverbs 5-11; Psalms 24-61. 2 Samuel. 1 Kings. 2 Kings. Hosea. Joel. Tobit. 

    ESV Church History -- 2 Kings 3-25. 1 Chronicles 1-29. 2 Chronicles 1-12. Ecclesiastes. Song of Solomon. 2 Thessalonians. 1 Timothy. 2 Timothy. Titus. Philemon. Hebrews 1-6. 

    BSB M'Cheyne-- Genesis 38-44; Mark 8-14; Job 4-10; Romans 8-14.

    Growing 4 Life. February is Mark 5-8. I read it in these versions:
    1599 Geneva; 1537 Matthews; CSB, NIV 84, KJV, ASV, LSB, and RSV.  

    Current plans for other books:

    Still reading:  Laura Frantz' The Rose and the Thistle. 
    Began reading Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul

    © Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

    Saturday, February 11, 2023

    17. Selected Sermons


    Selected Sermons. Lemuel Haynes. Edited by Jared C. Wilson. 2023. 71 pages. [Review copy]

    First sentence: You hold in your hands a rare gem recovered from one of the darker mines of church history, as Lemuel Haynes is perhaps the single most important American figure most Christians have never heard of. Born July 18th in 1753 to a Black man and a White woman, Haynes was abandoned by his parens in the home of a family friend who sold the infant Haynes into indentured servitude. By the providential hand of God, however, young Lemuel was place into a Christian home, where by all accounts including his own, he was treated as a member of the family and raised to love the things of God.

    Selected Sermons by Lemuel Haynes contains four sermons: "Universal Salvation," "A Sermon on John 3:3," "The Character and Work of a Spiritual Watchman Described," "Liberty Further Extended." 

    Is the book a rare gem? Yes. Because reprints of his sermons are rare--at least according to the introduction/preface. I certainly have never heard of him as a theologian/preacher/teacher/author. I've not come across his work before. Yes. Because it is a 'gem.' I know, I know, I know that there are just four sermons. But a book doesn't have to be LONG to be worthwhile. Would I have read this book if there'd been sixteen sermons? YES. Sadly, there just aren't that many copies of his sermons to have survived. So we have four that have survived. Must be thankful for that at least.

    The sermons that stick out most from my reading are the first and last. In "Universal Salvation," Haynes is preaching against the heresy of universal salvation. He argues that Satan/the Devil was the first preacher and that the first 'sermon' ever 'preached' to mankind was that of universal salvation. His sermon on the fall of man [Genesis 3] is SOMETHING. It got me thinking. It engaged me. I'd honestly never thought of the devil as a preacher. But after reading this sermon it began to make all kinds of sense. He masquerades as an angel of light and he's the father of lies. He knows just what to say to 'tickle' the ears of his audience. He can twist the truth just enough to deceive and mislead. He has always used Scripture to his so-called advantage. Adding here, subtracting there, twisting, turning, pulling, distracting. In "Liberty Further Extended." this American Patriot preaches against slavery. This is a mighty sermon--point after point after point, it's on target and just rings TRUE. He argues against all the so-called 'reasons' in support of slavery that are supposedly from the Bible are faulty. 

    All the sermons are worth reading. 

    © Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

    16. We Believe


    We Believe: Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms for Worship. Mathew B. Sims. 2015. 360 pages. [Source: Bought]

    First sentence (from the introduction): My parents prioritized family worship--but we never used creeds, catechism, and confessions. My parents were former Roman Catholics who were suspicious of these tools because of religious baggage.

    We Believe is a collection of confessions, catechisms, and creeds. The book is edited by Mathew B. Sims. The book includes a few pieces that are neither confessions, catechisms, or creeds. There are a handful of 'commentary' pieces or prefaces and the like. 

    The book is organized into faith traditions. It opens with the 'Catholic' creeds (Apostle's Creed, Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed), before moving on to other traditions. The other traditions are: The Dutch Reformed Tradition (Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, Canons of Dordts); The Scottish-English Tradition (The Westminster Confession of Faith, Westminster Shorter Catechism); The Particular Baptist Tradition (1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith); German-Lutheran Tradition (The Augsburg Confession; Luther's Small Catechism); and finally the Anglican Tradition (The Thirty-Nine Articles; An Outline of the Faith, Commonly Called the Catechism). While the book may not be absolutely complete and thorough, I think it provides more than enough of a 'sample' of what creeds, confessions, and catechisms contain, what they are all about. Readers can see--if they read it cover to cover--what subjects are covered, how they agree with one another, or, perhaps at times how they differ from one another. Some are definitely more practical for daily/weekly practical use. Others seem more of a reference.

    I bought this one because I wanted my creeds, confessions, and catechisms all in one place. There are a handful that I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. In particular, the Heidelberg Catechism, the Westminster Shorter Catechism, and the Belgic Confession. (I also love The Apostle's Creed and the Nicene Creed.) 

    This book was just what I wanted--expected--needed. 

    © Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

    Wednesday, February 8, 2023

    15. Becoming Free Indeed


    Becoming Free Indeed. Jinger Duggar Vuolo. 2023. 240 pages. [Source: Library]

    First sentence: I first had the idea to write this book in the summer of 2017. My husband, Jeremy, and I had just attended an Advanced Training Institute conference in Big Sandy, Texas (later in the book, I'll talk more about what the conference is and why we went). While there, I saw dozens of people I'd grown up with--friends who, like me, had come to Big Sandy every year. But for every old friend I saw that week, there was one or two I expected to see who didn't show up. In the coming months and years, I'd start to hear stories of those friends. I'd find out that some of them no longer loved Jesus and wanted nothing to do with Christianity. As they reached young adulthood, they had rejected everything they'd been taught about God, the Bible, and the Christian faith. While that is not my story--I am a Christian who loves Jesus and wants to follow HIm--I have, like those friends, rejected much of the teaching I heard each year at the conference in Big Sandy. My faith is still intact, but it has changed. Instead of leaving the faith entirely, I have unthreaded, or disentangled, the truth of Christianity from the unhealthy version I heard growing up.

    Premise/plot: Becoming Free Indeed is the memoir of Jinger Duggar Vuolo. In this memoir, she writes of her disentangling journey from Bill Gothard's teaching [Institute of Basic Life Principles.] It is a journey of her examining Gothard's teachings in light of Scripture. She'd hold up Gothard's teachings to what the Bible actually says. She learned that what Gothard taught didn't match a common sense reading of Scripture [or stand up to spiritual scrutiny]. She unpacks her childhood faith--the faith that she grew up believing, the faith that she was consistently instructed and raised in--and slowly, deliberately re-examines everything. All of her unpacking is done with the mind to be true to Scripture, to line up her beliefs, her views, her values with Scripture. She writes that this process was scary. Scary because she knew that it might create distance, division, discord with her immediate family members who were still diehard Gothard supporters, to those who are heart-soul-body still believers in the IBLP. But scary also because she was replacing the known, the certain, with the unknown, the uncertain. Letting herself question EVERYTHING she was taught for the first twenty to twenty-two years of her life was--and I think we can all agree--scary. It was "safe" to not ask questions, to push down doubts, to just go with the flow, to just submit to what her parents wanted/needed/preferred. 

    Ultimately, I believe we'd both agree that it was the Holy Spirit who led her to the truth, to freedom, to the true, fully-fleshed out gospel. But the catalysts for this change comes down [in some ways] to two things: her relationship with her brother-in-law, Ben. As she spent time with Ben and Jessa as they were courting, as they were married, Ben's influence began to effect her own view of Scripture, of the faith. She began searching and seeking out more and more in Scripture. Her theology got meatier--here and there. She wasn't all-in committed to "disentangling" if you will. But she became hungry for the Word of God, interested in God's character, etc. She later met Jeremy. Her friendship/courtship/marriage with Jeremy led her to re-examine EVERYTHING. He wanted to know more about the IBLP. He was seeking to understand how his wife had been raised, what "made her tick" if you will. They watched over sixty-hours of teachings by Bill Gothard. Together they watched, discussed, studied....all in light of Scripture. Her view of Scripture had shifted considerably. She began to agree with her husband that Gothard's teachings weren't biblical. Some of his messages were scary-dangerous. [She shares several examples of this throughout the book.] Lies were being replaced with truth. Recognizing that Jesus is the ULTIMATE truth. That the Word of God IS truth. One thing she noticed is that Gothard's view of Scripture was lacking. 

    My thoughts: Legalism is not restricted to the IBLP. It's not. That's why I think there is plenty within the memoir that would make it relevant to many/most readers. This memoir celebrates the gospel. I found it an interesting read. 

    © Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

    Sunday, February 5, 2023

    Sunday Salon #6


    Current Bible plans and projects:

    ESV Church History Bible: Proverbs 29-31. Psalms 139-150. 1 Samuel 21-31. 2 Samuel. 1 Kings. 2 Kings 1-2. Philippians. Colossians. Matthew 1-28. 1 Thessalonians. I finished up Psalms and Proverbs this week. I'll now be doing my Book of Common Prayer readings from those two books in the NRSV. I am still loving the ESV Church History Bible. 
    This was Jesus' reason for speaking to them in parables: they could not understand spiritual things, and therefore he gave them no naked doctrine, for then they would not have listened at all. They did not really see what they saw, nor hear what they heard. The plainer the teaching, the more they were puzzled by it. They had become so morally and spiritually diseased, that the only thing they would notice was the attractive dress of a truth; for the truth itself they had no liking and no perception. ~ Charles Spurgeon 

    NRSV XL. Psalms 1-23. Proverbs 1-4. Exodus 16-40. Leviticus. Numbers. Deuteronomy. Joshua. Judges. Ruth. 1 Samuel. 

    M'Cheyne BSB. Genesis 30-37. Mark 1-7. Esther 6-10. Job 1-3. Romans 1-7. 

    Growing 4 Life January (Mark 1-4) and February (Mark 5-8). I read some from each this week since we didn't switch months until mid-week.

    Mark 1-4 -- Living, NRSV, 1560 Geneva, NIV 84.
    Mark 5-8 -- LSB, Living, NRSV, ESV, 1560 Geneva, NIV 84, NASB 95. 

    Current plans for other books:

    I finished a handful of books this week! And I've reviewed them already! I am currently reading Laura Frantz' The Rose and the Thistle. 

    Questions:

    Do you write down quotes? share quotes? mark quotes? I started sharing a tiny selection of quotes from the ESV Church History bible this week. 

    © Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

    Saturday, February 4, 2023

    14. Sounding Joy


    Board book: Sounding Joy. Ellie Holcomb. Illustrated by Laura Ramos. 2022. [September] 24 pages. [Source: Library] 

    First sentence: What does joy sound like? Is it quiet like snow? Does joy sound like the laughter of friends that you know? Is joy like the sound of a kiss on your cheek? Or like holding your breath when you play hide and seek? 

    Premise/plot: Ellie Holcomb's Sounding Joy is a holiday [Christmas] board book to read aloud to little ones. [I say little ones, but it's also perfectly suitable for the whole family to share together]. It begins by asking readers--or listeners, I suppose--to think about what JOY looks like, sounds like, feels like. What is joy LIKE? It then goes on to share the nativity story of Jesus Christ. That was the full expression of joy. And it is packed with promises that are ever-relevant. Reminders that JOY, inexpressible, resounding, repeating JOY are yet to come. Every Christmas is a reminder of not only what has been fulfilled, but what is coming still.

    My thoughts: I definitely enjoyed this one. I loved the art by Laura Ramos. I liked the connections. I liked that it isn't just one or the other. There is a strong connection between what happened in Bethlehem and our present lives. Our joy is found IN Jesus our savior. There is reason to celebrate, rejoice, give thanks, every single day because of Jesus. 

    I would have reviewed this one in December of 2022 if my library hold had come in. I am reviewing it now because why wait until next December??? 

    © Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

    13. Be Thou My Vision


    Be Thou My Vision: A Liturgy for Daily Worship. Jonathan Gibson. 2021. [November/December] 352 pages. [Source: Review copy]

    First sentence: It may come as a surprise, but there is no explicit command in Scripture to have a time of worship each day, either as an individual or as a family. And yet it is a habit that every Christian believer or Christian family is encouraged to practice. The name of the habit may vary depending on one's Christian tradition or background--"devotion," "quiet time," or "personal or family worship"--but the basic elements of Bible reading and prayer are usually present. 

    ETA: I first read this one in 2021. I liked--really liked quite a few things about it. I mentioned at the time that I wanted to give it a 'proper' go. To use it for a month--or two, or three--to see how well I liked it--or not. 

    I started using the Be Thou My Vision devotional in December 2022. I also continued using it in January 2023. Now that I've read through it three times, I can now say that I definitely enjoy it. I do think it is solid and steady. 

    Original review:

    What you see is what you get. This is a LITURGY for DAILY WORSHIP. Thirty-one days of liturgical worship that can be repeated to infinity (and beyond). 

    The structure of the liturgy for daily worship is:

    CALL TO WORSHIP (thirty-one Scripture readings, these are taken from both Old and New Testaments)
    ADORATION (thirty-one prayers--all focused on praise and adoration--taken from church history; I believe the doxology is included under this heading as well)
    READING OF THE LAW (seven readings taken from Scripture--from both Old and New Testaments--regarding the law)
    CONFESSION OF SIN (thirty-one prayers--all focused on confessing sin--taken from church history)
    ASSURANCE OF PARDON (thirty-one Scripture readings--focusing on assurance of forgiveness of sins--taken from both the Old and New Testaments)
    CREED (alternates three creeds, but one of the three creeds is divided into three; Apostles' Creed, Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed)
    PRAISE (Gloria Patri, two versions alternating weekly)
    CATECHISM (refers you to an appendix where you'll read from the Heidelberg Catechism or the Westminster Shorter Catechism. These are undated; you are encouraged to read one question a day.)
    PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION (seven prayers from church history, repeated weekly)
    SCRIPTURE READING (refers you to an appendix where they share the M'Cheyne reading plan. Here's where it gets confusing, the plan clearly has you reading FOUR chapters a day, but the book has you just reading one chapter a day????)
    PRAYER OF INTERCESSION (thirty-one prayers from church history; you are also encouraged to pray on your own for personal, church, world needs)
    LORD'S PRAYER (daily)

    The book has five appendices: musical tunes for the Doxology and Gloria Patri, the two catechisms, the M'Cheyne reading plan, and the collects from the Book of Common Prayer, and author index. 

    The book pulls in sources from all over--including the Book of Common Prayer. The structure is different from that of the Book of Common Prayer, and yet there are similarities to a certain degree. It does offer more variety in some ways. 

    I think you could definitely improvise with this as well. You wouldn't have to read just one chapter from a daily reading plan that clearly and obviously has four readings. You wouldn't have to follow this reading plan at all.

    I do wish that one of the sections was focused on the PSALMS and taking you through the Psalms each month. That's one of my favorite, favorite, favorite things about doing the Daily Offices from the Book of Common Prayer.

    © Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible