Heavenly Springs

Holding Fast The Doctrines of Grace

Obedience Must Be in and Through Christ

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ThomasWatson“Obedience must be in and through Christ. Not our obedience, but Christ’s merits procure acceptance. In every part of worship we must present Christ to God in the arms of our faith. Unless we serve God thus, in hope and confidence of Christ’s merits, we rather provoke Him than please Him.  As, when king Uzziah would offer incense without a priest, God was angry with him, and struck him with leprosy (see II Chron. 26:20); so, when we do not come to God in and through Christ, we offer up incense to Him without a priest; and what can we expect but severe rebukes!”

Obedience, A Classic Study by Thomas Watson (1620-1686)

HT: Thomas Watson Quotes

Encouragement to Christians who fail in obedience

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“For encouragement to regenerate persons. Though you fail in your obedience, and cannot keep the moral law exactly, yet be not discouraged.

What comfort may be given to a regenerate person under the failures and imperfections of his obedience?

That a believer is not under the covenant of works, but under the covenant of grace. The covenant of works requires perfect, personal, perpetual obedience; but in the covenant of grace, God will make some abatements; he will accept less than he required in the covenant of works. (1) In the covenant of works God required perfection of degrees; in the covenant of grace he accepts perfection of parts. There he required perfect working, here he accepts sincere believing. In the covenant of works, God required us to live without sin; in the covenant of grace he accepts of our combat with sin. (2) Though a Christian cannot, in his own person, perform all God’s commandments; yet Christ, as his Surety, and in his stead, has fulfilled the law for him: and God accepts of Christ’s obedience, which is perfect, to satisfy for that obedience which is imperfect. Christ being made a curse for believers, all the curses of the law have their sting pulled out. (3) Though a Christian cannot keep the commands of God to satisfaction, yet he may to approbation.

How is that?

(1) He gives his full assent and consent to the law of God. ‘The law is holy and just:’ there was assent in the judgement. Rom 7:12. ‘I consent unto the law;’ there was consent in the will. Rom 7:16.

(2) A Christian mourns that he cannot keep the commandments fully. When he fails he weeps; he is not angry with the law because it is so strict but he is angry with himself because he is so deficient.

(3) He takes a sweet complacent delight in the law. ‘I delight in the law of God after the inward man.’ Rom 7:22. Greek: ‘I take pleasure in it.’ ‘O! how love I thy law.’ Psa 119:97. Though a Christian cannot keep God’s law, yet he loves his law; though he cannot serve God perfectly, yet he serves him willingly.

(4) It is his cordial desire to walk in all God’s commands. ‘O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes.’ Psa 119:5. Though his strength fails, yet his pulse beats.

(5) He really endeavours to obey God’s law perfectly; and wherein he comes short he runs to Christ’s blood to supply his defects. This cordial desire, and real endeavour, God esteems as perfect obedience. ‘If there be a willing mind, it is accepted.’ 2 Cor 8:12. ‘Let me hear thy voice, for sweet is thy voice.’ Cant 2:14. Though the prayers of the righteous are mixed with sin, yet God sees they would pray better. He picks out the weeds from the flowers; he sees the faith and bears with the failing. The saints’ obedience, though short of legal perfection, yet having sincerity in it, and Christ’s merits mixed with it, finds gracious acceptance. When the Lord sees endeavours after perfect obedience, he takes it well at our hands; as a father who receives a letter from his child, though there be blots in it, and false spellings, takes all in good part. Oh! what blotting are there in our holy things; but God is pleased to take all in good part. He says, ‘It is my child, and he would do better if he could; I will accept it.’ “

Thomas Watson, Westminster Shorter Catechism Project, Body of Divinity Contained in Sermons Upon the the Assembly’s Catechism

Charity by Thomas Watson

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Once again, in the spirit of this week’s book giveaway (for which there still remains time to enter) I am posting an excerpt from A Plea for Alms, one of the six sermons published in “The Fight of Faith Crowned”.

In this sermon, Watson explains how charity runs along two different channels: “charity to the souls of others and charity to the temporal needs of others.”  As Christians, we ought to be concerned with both.

On charity to the soul, Watson utters these gracious but challenging words:

“Charity to the souls of others is a spiritual alms. Indeed, this is the highest kind of charity. The soul is the most precious thing. It is a vessel of honor, a bud of eternity, a spark lighted by the breath of God, a rich diamond set in a ring of clay. The soul has the image of God to beautify it—and the blood of God to redeem it. It being, therefore, of so high a descent, sprung from the ancient of days, and of so noble an extraction, that charity which is shown to the soul must be the greatest.

This is charity to souls—when we see others in their sins, and we pity them. If I weep (says Augustine) for that body from which the soul is departed, how should I weep for that soul from which God is departed! This is charity to souls—when we see men in the bondage of sin—and we labor by counsel, admonition or reproof to pull them out of their dreadful estate, as the angels did to Lot in Sodom. “Hurry! Get out of here right now, or you will be caught in the destruction of the city! When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety outside the city!” Genesis 19.”

“When shall we see a resurrection of charity, which seems to lie dead and buried? Surely it will not be, unless God works a miracle upon men’s hearts. May the good Lord by His Spirit cleave the rocks in our bosoms so that the water of repentance and the wine of charity may flow forth!”

You can read the whole thing here.

 

Truth by Thomas Watson

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In the spirit of this week’s book giveaway (for which there is still plenty of time to enter), I thought an excerpt from Thomas Watson’s, “Heaven taken By Storm” was appropriate. Although, please note that this quote is not extracted from Kistler’s work (I have not received that yet) but rather from the 1816 edition that has been graciously made available at the library at Hail and Fire.

On this subject of truth, I cannot help but wonder at how far American Evangelicalism has fallen. Error, falsehood, compromise, deception, and flat out lies have all come to chip away at the bedrock of the Christian faith.

Truth is the very nature of Christianity.  It is the character of God (Psalms 31:5).  It is Jesus, full of grace and full of truth (John 1:14).  Christ crucified is truth (Galatians 3:1).  The Gospel of our salvation is truth (Ephesians 1:13). There is no worship of God apart from the truth (John 4:24). The Holy Spirit guides us in truth (John 16:13). There will never be a single  discussion of eternal value on Jesus Christ apart from the truth.

As Watson explains, truth is the ground of our faith.  Take it away “and our faith is fancy.”

Yet, no matter how blurry the lines have become, the solid rock that lies beneath will never be moved. “The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of our Lord remains forever.” (1 Peter 1:25). Truth conquers.

“Truth is the most glorious thing; the least filing of this gold is precious; what shall we be violent for, if not for truth? Truth is ancient; its grey hairs may make it venerable; it comes from him who is the ancient of days. Truth is unerring, it is the Star which leads to Christ. Truth is pure, Psalm 119:140. It is compared to silver refined seven times, Psalm 12:6. There is not the least spot on truth’s face; it breathes nothing but sanctity. Truth is triumphant; it is like a great conqueror, when all its enemies lie dead, it keeps the field, and sets up its trophies of victory. Truth may be opposed, but never quite deposed. In the time of Dioclesian, things seemed desperate, truth ran low, soon after was the golden time of Constantius, and then truth did again lift up its head.  When the water in the Thames is lowest, a high tide is ready to come in. God is on truth’s side, and so long there is no fear but it will prevail: The Heavens being on fires shall be dissolved. 2 Peter 3:12 but not that truth which came from Heaven, 1 Peter 1.25.”

Thomas Watson