Time to Awaken

Oh how great it is to be alive at this point in history. With great fervor many seek a true revival. It is with soundness of mind, clearness of logic, and Spirit-led insight, that so many have been awakened to both, see and abhor the grave errors in doctrine and practice within evangelicalism today, and to sense and know that God isn't throwing up His hands ready to call it quits. It's inspiring to meet so many young people who are being converted and led by God to grasp and adore the theology of our Christian forefathers. What zeal for the LORD this stirs!

In contrast to that, it's sad to see how sick a state many "churches" are in. And why? Could it be because they settle for Christian clichés; and because they are not studying to show themselves approved? Could it be directly linked to their neglect of historical Christianity, as it relates to the attributes of God, and the Gospel, and the doctrine of regeneration (the weightiest of Scripture truths)? So many of our brethren in Christ, who were martyrs and scholars and passionate about Jesus and His Kingdom, have already set forth for us Scriptural boundaries as it relates to things which cannot be compromised on; things which evangelicals today call "essentials". It would be wise then for us to heed the counsel of Scripture: "Do not move the ancient boundary which your fathers have set" (Proverbs 22:28). But herein lies the problem...in our a-theological Christian culture, far too many professors of Christ spend no time whatsoever studying the works of men who God Himself gave to His Church to be our teachers: "He Himself gave some...to be teachers, to equip the saints" (Ephesians 4:11-12). Sadly, many of these same people claim the Spirit alone is their teacher. But how foolish! It is with certainty that I say that most "Christians" develop their hermeneutics, and their understanding of key Biblical doctrines, from somebody, and generally it's their Pastor. Therefore, wouldn't it be wise to be a student of history yourself to make sure your Pastor's teachings don't contradict the "ancient boundaries"? If God employed the Spirit in the way that many claim He has (and I don't deny the Spirit's work in guiding God's people "into all truth"), then why are their so many doctrinal disagreements?

True evangelical revival has already begun. I say that for this reason: it is, by and large, and to the best of my knowledge, disciples of Christ who are being awakened by God to sound theology, deeper spiritual convictions, and evangelistic zeal. God is birthing within the hearts of a multitude an emboldening passion for the glory of God. God is stirring many of His elect to retrace the steps of His ambassadors of old. In this note I want to write a bit on Jonathan Edwards; for his life and work seem to be just one example of someone God is making popular in this hour. Edwards lived in a spiritual climate very similar to ours. One key difference was that, rather than people thinking they were saved because they had walked an aisle or prayed a prayer, as is common in our day, many were deceived into thinking church membership and taking the sacraments equaled regeneration. Edwards was a man zealous for the truth and glory of God. To see so many false converts pained his soul. At a relatively young age he set out to go against the grain, and to lay down for his life certain resolutions, which can be read in their entirety by following this link: http://www.reformed.org/documents/Edwards/index.html?mainframe=/documents/Edwards/j_edwards_resolutions.html.

Two such resolutions were:
"Resolution 4: Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if I can avoid it".

Resolution 7: Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life".

God greatly blessed the preaching of Jonathan Edwards, and to this day the revivals that broke out, consisting of mass conversions, as well as fire being lit, and depth being brought, in the lives of saints, have been regarded as the greatest this nation has ever seen. They are known as the Great Awakenings. Now I want to, very briefly, describe for you the terrible difference which exists between the mindset of men like Edwards, along with those today who would be considered likeminded with him, and the mindset of so many today within the visible church. Jonathan Edwards is, still to this day, considered by many to be America's greatest theologian ever. The man knew the Scriptures well, to say the least. It was his God-given understanding of the Bible that informed HOW he preached, and what he preached. Jonathan Edwards taught "the whole counsel of God". Today, unlike the preaching of men like Edwards, the Bible is dummied-down, the Gospel is watered-down, and the result is, false converts seem to abound everywhere you go. People major on doctrine that is man-centered, and neglect key and central truths of Scripture, such as the holiness, justice, righteousness, and wrath of God, the true evidences of regeneration, and the call for everyone who wants to follow Christ to first understand they must forsake all else, and be willing to be united with Christ in His death. I don't question motives. I just think that masses of "Christians" have bought into this doctrine (or lack of), which is absolutely foreign to the Scriptures, as well as to the writings and teachings of men like Edwards.

Let me quote a little from a Jonathan Edwards sermon for you (which by the way was used of God for the conversion of thousands):

"thus it is that natural men are held in the hand of God, over the pit of Hell; they have deserved the fiery pit, and are already sentenced to it; and God is dreadfully provoked, his anger is great towards them...the bow of God's wrath is bent, and the arrow is made ready on the string, and justice bends the arrow at your heart, and strains the bow, and it is nothing more than the mere pleasure of God, and that of an angry God, without any promise or obligation at all, that keeps the arrows one movement from being made drunk with your blood. Thus all you that never passed under a great change of heart, by the mighty power of the Spirit of God upon your souls; all you that were never born-again, and made new creatures, and raised from being dead in sin, to a state of new, and before altogether inexperienced light and life, are in the hands of an angry God".

Men scarcely now even mention the judgment of God at all, let alone that His judgment is joined with great fierceness and fury (Isaiah18, 66:15, Revelation 19:15). But why do we withhold the words of God; the words HE CHOSE to speak out of the mouths of His prophets and apostles? Why do we preach nothing like the men of God recorded for us in Scripture? For doesn't God Himself say, "You thought I was just like you... now consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you in pieces, and there will be none to deliver you"; and also, "If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword. His has bent His bow and has made it ready" (Psalm 50:16-22, 7:12). Friends, we withhold truth when we fail to warn the wicked that God is angry with them everyday (Psalm 7:11)! Equally though, we fail to employ the speech and methods of God Himself, and we raise ourselves up as being wiser in speech, and more tempered and loving in our approach than He. Don't you see that? Didn't Jesus say to His disciples: "I will tell you whom you should fear; fear God, who after He has killed has power to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!" (Luke 12:5). And that was an exhortation to His disciples!

My point in all of this is that God is indeed raising up an army of saints who love His unchanging truth, and who are willing to be pleasers of God, rather than pleasers of men. These saints look nothing like the contemporary mold. They resemble their forefathers. God has been pleased to make it so. For this I greatly rejoice, and count myself unworthy to have been given the grace of enlightenment! The glory of God is the chief end of all things; and God is glorified when the truth of His Word is read, meditated upon, prayed through, loved, enjoyed, taken as sustenance, dug into as for treasure, and applied carefully. God is not glorified when men and women forsake the doctrine and principles and methodology found within His Word, and when they take it upon themselves to alter and "improve upon" them.

May Christ be ever-increasingly magnified in this world!