tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53450101256965155482024-02-08T02:38:02.637-08:00Select Quotations & Verses for the ContenderThis blog is primarily a resource for my theo/apolo blog called <a href="http://contendersbiblestudy.blogspot.com/">the Contender</a>, and I use it to reference quotes that I find compelling or memorable.EJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-25793943091993724322008-02-23T23:34:00.000-08:002008-02-23T23:35:42.422-08:00<blockquote>“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;” (Philippians 2:3)</blockquote><br />The idea seems to be that of mere self-esteem; a mere desire to honor ourselves, to attract attention, to win praise, to make ourselves uppermost, or foremost, or the main object. The command here solemnly forbids our doing anything with such an aim-no matter whether it be in intellectual attainments, in physical strength, in skill in music, in eloquence or song, in dress, furniture, or religion. Self is not to be foremost; selfishness is not to be the motive. Probably there is no command of the Bible which would have a wider sweep than this, or would touch on more points of human conduct, it fairly applied. Who is there who passes a single day without, in some respect, desiring to display himself? What minister of the gospel preaches, who never has any wish to exhibit his talents, eloquence, or learning? How few make a gesture, but with some wish to display the grace or power with which it is done! Who, in conversation, is always free from a desire to show his wit, or his power in argumentation, or his skill in repartee? Who plays at the piano without the desire of commendation? Who thunders in the senate, or goes to the field of battle; who builds a house, or purchases an article of apparel; who writes a book, or performs a deed of benevoience, altogether uninfluenced by this desire? If all could be taken out of human conduct which is performed merely from "strife," or from "vain-glory," how small a portion would be left!” - Albert Barnes, (from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft).EJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-83855619488710735932008-02-07T06:12:00.000-08:002008-02-07T06:13:11.639-08:00“As long as the fallen human mind is what it is, the Arminian way of thinking will continue to be a natural type of mistake.” - J.I. Packer, Introduction to “The Death of Death in the Death of Christ” by: John Owen p. 9EJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-40171552011799310882008-02-07T06:11:00.000-08:002008-02-07T06:13:33.702-08:00“Certainly, Arminianism is “natural” in one sense, in that it represents a characteristic perversion of biblical teaching by the fallen mind of man, who even in salvation cannot bear to renounce the delusion of being master of his fate and captain of his soul.” - J.I. Packer, Introduction to “The Death of Death in the Death of Christ” by: John Owen, p. 9EJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-75807071346812426902008-02-07T06:08:00.000-08:002008-02-07T06:11:30.010-08:00“The Spirit’s gift of internal grace was defined by the Arminians as “moral suasion,” the bare bestowal of an understanding of God’s truth. This, they granted—indeed, insisted—does not of itself ensure that anyone will ever make the response of faith. But Calvinists define this gift as not merely an enlightening, but also a regenerating work of God in men, “taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them a heart of flesh; renewing their wills, and by His almighty power determining them to that which is good; and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ; yet so as they come most freely, being made willing by his grace.” Grace proves irresistible just because it destroys the disposition to resist.” - J.I. Packer, Introduction to “The Death of Death in the Death of Christ” by: John Owen, p. 7,8EJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-58108044708264628412008-02-06T14:02:00.000-08:002008-02-06T14:06:09.371-08:00"One view presents the three great acts of the Holy Trinity for the recovering of lost mankind—election by the Father, redemption by the Son, calling by the Spirit—as directed towards the same persons, and as securing their salvation infallibly. The other view gives each act a different reference (the objects of redemption being all mankind, of calling, those who hear the gospel, and of election, those hearers who respond), and denies that any man’s salvation is secured by any of them. The two theologies thus conceive the plan of salvation in quite different terms. One makes salvation depend on the work of God, the other on a work of man; one regards faith as part of God’s gift of salvation, the other as man’s own contribution to salvation; one gives all the glory of saving believers to God, the other divides the praise between God, Who, so to speak, built the machinery of salvation, and man, who by believing operated it." - J.I. Packer, Introduction to John Owen's "The Death of Death in the Death of Christ", p.4EJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-92089426756731033722008-02-06T13:55:00.000-08:002008-02-06T13:56:04.629-08:00<sup>9</sup> Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb; You made me trust {when} upon my mother's breasts. <sup>10</sup> Upon You I was cast from birth; You have been my God from my mother's womb. (Psalms 22:9,10)EJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-42925819734284826212008-01-29T12:28:00.001-08:002008-01-29T12:30:38.830-08:00<sup>11</sup> God is a righteous judge, And a God who has indignation every day. <sup>12</sup> If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready. <sup>13</sup> He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons; He makes His arrows fiery shafts. (Psalms 7:11-13)EJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-28744466563669349602008-01-29T12:24:00.000-08:002008-01-29T12:25:23.195-08:00<sup>1</sup> The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good. <sup>2</sup> The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men To see if there are any who understand, Who seek after God. <sup>3</sup> They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one. (Psalms 14:1-3)EJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-27971917318785355542008-01-29T12:04:00.000-08:002008-01-29T12:11:35.960-08:00"<sup>27</sup> All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. <sup>28</sup> Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. <sup>29</sup> Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. <sup>30</sup> For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:27-30)EJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-13519122752388298642008-01-28T13:02:00.000-08:002008-01-28T13:05:35.541-08:00"All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." (Matthew 11:27)EJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-36195321645105151872008-01-24T07:49:00.000-08:002008-01-24T07:57:08.090-08:00<sup>3</sup> For the wicked boasts of his heart's desire, And the greedy man curses {and} spurns the LORD. <sup>4</sup> The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek {Him.} All his thoughts are, " There is no God." (Psalms 10:3,4)EJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-2371815251145728372007-12-21T08:02:00.000-08:002007-12-21T08:03:43.455-08:00how befilthying a thing it is"Unto Him who loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood!" Revelation 1:5 <br /><br />“We are all loathsome to God, before we are washed pure in the blood of Christ!<br /><br />By nature, we are all in a filthy and cursed condition. We are a lump of clay and sin mingled together. Sin not only blinds us—but defiles us. It is called filthiness (James 1:21). And to show how befilthying a thing it is, it is compared . . .<br /> to a plague of the heart (1 Kings 8:38),<br /> to corruption (Deuteronomy 32:5),<br /> to vomit (2 Peter 2:22),<br /> to a menstrual cloth (Isaiah 30:22). <br /><br />If all the evils in the world were put together and their quintessence strained out—they could not make a thing so black and polluted as sin is! A sinner is a devil in a man's shape! When Moses' rod was turned into a serpent—he fled from it. If God would open men's eyes and show them their deformities and damnable spots —they would fly from themselves, as from serpents! <br /><br />When grace comes—it washes off this hellish filth! It turns ravens into swans. It makes those who are as black as hell—to become as white as snow!<br /><br />"Christ gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own." Christ shed His blood—to wash off our filth. The cross was both an altar and a laver. Jesus died not only to save us from wrath (1 Thes. 1:10)—but to save us from sin! (Matthew 1:21). Out of his side came water which signifies our cleansing—as well as blood which signifies our justifying (1 John 5:6).” - Thomas Watson “The Beatitudes” from Grace Gems.EJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-26594055047825224492007-12-21T07:46:00.000-08:002007-12-21T07:53:47.821-08:00strewing flowers on a dead corpse"External morality is not heart-purity. A person may be clothed with great moral virtues, such as justice, charity, prudence, and temperance—and yet go to hell. <br /><br />We must not rest in mere outward morality. A swine may be washed—yet be a swine still. Morality does but wash a man—grace changes him. Morality may shine in the eyes of the world—but it differs as much from purity, as a pebble differs from a diamond! <br /><br />Morality is but strewing flowers on a dead corpse!<br /><br />A man who is but highly moral—is but a tame devil. <br /><br />How many have made 'morality' their Savior! Morality will damn—as well as vice! A boat may be sunk with gold—as well as with dung.<br /><br />The moral person, though he will not commit gross sins—yet he is not sensible of heart sins. He is not troubled for unbelief, hardness of heart, vanity of thoughts. He abhors gross-sins, not gospel-sins.<br /><br />The snake has a fine appearance—but has a deadly sting! Just so, the moral man is fair to look on—but has a secret antipathy against the holy ways of God. <br /><br />Morality is not to be rested in. The heart must be pure. God would have Aaron wash the inner parts of the sacrifice (Leviticus 9:14). Morality does but wash the outside; the inside must be washed."<br /><br />“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8 <br /><br /><hr><br />Thomas Watson “The Beatitudes” from Grace Gems.EJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-41188494418179328942007-12-04T06:53:00.000-08:002007-12-04T06:59:38.850-08:00“Everybody talks about living and worshiping to the glory of God. And I find that something now is missing in the heart of it and the mind of it unless they are really happy about the fact that the most God-centered person in the universe is God. That God loves His glory more than He loves them. If we are only God-centered because He is man-centered, we are man-centered! But if we are God-centered because we want to get on board with God’s God-centeredness, then God is God and we are not. God chose us to the praise of the glory of His grace. God has from eternity reached out and made us His own that He might be made much of. God chose you for God. Isaiah 43:6 “bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth, everyone who I created for My glory.” You were made for God’s glory. There’s no doubt about why you exist. You exist to make God look good like He really is, that’s why you’re on planet earth. To draw attention to the magnificence of God, you were created for that, to the glory and praise of God. Oh, if we could just remember the beginning of sentences when we get to the end, our whole lives would be different. Christ suffered and died on the cross to vindicate the righteousness of God because God had passed over so many sins. Get that? Hardly anybody in America gets that. What the cross was designed to solve is the unrighteousness of God in forgiving sinners. You know its unrighteous to free rapists and murderers and say, ‘Oh, let it go.’ The whole bible says it is an abomination to justify the wicked. This is unjust to let off so many criminals that fill this room who rage against the living God or are indifferent to God. He kills it, punishes it, He hates it, He pours out wrath upon it, He condemns it. ‘It’ is called ‘Jesus crucified’.” - John Piper (transcribed from "Real"; a Sermon Jam from relevantrevolution.com)EJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-46280579998091508692007-11-15T09:18:00.000-08:002007-11-15T09:20:04.660-08:00"The emergent church is really not that new. Some of its precepts started at the Garden of Eden when the enemy of our souls said, “Has God really said,” [or[ “did God really say this,” causing doubt on the propositional revelation of God. So I think the emergent church is flirting with a lot of danger. It is flirting with the obliteration of the revealed Word and making a felt reality [into] ultimate reality. My experience is not what is ultimately real, God’s word is what is eternally true, and I have to alter my way of thinking to conform to God’s Word, not the other way around." - Ravi Zacharias, PTL October 2007EJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-14394947942591560402007-10-31T12:14:00.000-07:002007-10-31T12:16:14.082-07:00“If Islam is a peaceful religion, then what do you call the Amish in Lancaster County?” - Dr. Peter Hammond, WOTMR Hr 2 10/10/07EJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-53450731880677556582007-10-26T12:52:00.000-07:002007-10-26T12:53:14.641-07:00“’There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God.’ —By the mere pleasure of God, I mean his sovereign pleasure, his arbitrary will, restrained by no obligation, hindered by no manner of difficulty, any more than if nothing else but God’s mere will had in the least degree, or in any respect whatsoever, any hand in the preservation of wicked men one moment.—The truth of this observation may appear by the following considerations.” - Jonathon Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” Preached at Enfield, July 8th, 1741,EJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-63751107079462789262007-10-16T07:31:00.001-07:002007-10-16T07:32:31.134-07:00”The word “fair” and the word “loving” as defined by whom? I tell people all the time, you want fair? Fair sends everybody to hell. You want what is just? Justice sends everyone to hell. I think what you want is grace, and grace is at the discretion of the giver. Is it not? And forgiveness is at the discretion of the forgiver, is it not? And [forgiveness is] on the terms of the one who has been offended.” - John MacArthur “The Doctrine of Actual Atonement – Part 2” GTY 10/2/07 Said in response to a comment that election and limited atonement don’t sound loving or fair.EJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-61632023439495271432007-10-16T07:29:00.000-07:002007-10-16T07:30:48.920-07:00“O love that ever burnest and art never quenched! O Charity, my God, enkindle me! Thou commandest continence. Grant what thou commandest and command what thou wilt.” - Augustine “Confessions” (X, 40)( source http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1994/862_Long_for_the_Pure_Milk_of_the_Word/ )EJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-2139529230557082842007-10-16T07:28:00.000-07:002007-10-16T07:29:43.528-07:00“The amazing miracle of commanding a man who can’t respond and then giving him the power to respond is analogous to salvation. The gospel commands dead men to rise. [The gospel commands] dead men to believe. [The gospel commands] dead men to understand. [The gospel commands] dead men to repent. The gospel commands dead people to do, frankly, what they can’t do.” - John F. MacArthur Jr. “The Doctrine of Total Inability” 9/27/07 GTYEJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-81869595652736323452007-10-16T07:27:00.000-07:002007-10-16T07:28:16.497-07:00“There is enough dust on some of your Bible's to write "damnation" with your fingers.” - C.H. SpurgeonEJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-72184621462131800682007-10-16T07:26:00.000-07:002007-10-16T07:27:42.653-07:00On D.L. Moody: “On Sunday night, October 8, 1871, while preaching at Farwell Hall, which was now being used because of the increased crowds, Moody asked his congregation to evaluate their relationships to Christ and return next week to make their decisions for Him. That crowd never regathered. While Sankey was singing a closing song, the din of fire trucks and church bells scattered them forever, for Chicago was on fire. The Y.M.C.A. building, church, and parsonage were all to be lost in the next 24 hours.” Between 200 & 300 people died in that fire. “I always think about D. L. Moody, the night he preached in Chicago and said - I want you people to go home and think about what I've said and come back tomorrow night ready to make a decision for Christ. And that night the Chicago fire broke out and a great portion of his audience was dead. He said I never told anybody tomorrow again.” - John MacArthur Jr "http://www.gty.org/Resources/transcripts/1378"EJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-29024269729328339352007-10-16T07:22:00.000-07:002007-10-16T07:23:32.498-07:00“We do well to consider that in the most moral culture this world will ever know, man will love sin. Unless you think that’s shocking, go back to the perfect environment in the Garden of Eden. And remember, there were only two people and they both chose sin. And they did it from innocence, what will humanity do from depravity? It doesn’t matter what age, doesn’t matter what kind of world they live in; depraved people love sin.” – John F. MacArthur Jr. "The Coming Earthly Kingdom of Jesus Christ" GTY 9/6EJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-34003473581119959412007-09-26T09:35:00.001-07:002007-09-26T09:35:55.493-07:00On [the gay] issue, the emergent crowd is becoming increasingly obscure. Brian McLaren was named by Time Magazine as one of the 25 most influential evangelicals in America. He was asked this question, “What is your position on gay marriage?” His answer was this: "You know what, the thing that breaks my heart is that there's no way I can answer it without hurting someone on either side." To which I would respond, “Now you have hurt God.” That we cannot simply say there are people who believe heterosexual marriage is acceptable, there are people who think that homosexual marriage is acceptable, and I plead the fifth and refuse to answer the question because someone will have their feelings hurt, when God is in heaven with His feelings hurt. Because He has spoken to this issue with great clarity. He then went on to say, in an online version of Christianity Today, to which I lost my mind and had to repent of what I said so I’m not telling you that he’s a bad guy and I’m a good guy, we’re both bad guys, Jesus is the good guy, he said, “Frankly, many of us don't know what we should think about homosexuality.” I’m not sure who the “many” are. Do you think he knows what he believes about homosexuality? Do you think that a man that is the age of, essentially, my father and has pastored a church for a good number of years has no idea where he is at on the issue of homosexuality? How many of you could possibly be in pastoral ministry and not have a position on homosexuality? <br /><br />A huge percentage of the people who attend my church have all kinds of sexual sin including bisexuality and homosexuality. And no answer is an answer. An inability or unwillingness to answer the question is, in and of itself by virtue of silence, permission.” - Mark Driscoll – “Convergent Conversation Session 3; SEBTS”EJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345010125696515548.post-34845001803555693532007-09-26T08:29:00.000-07:002007-09-26T08:30:10.503-07:00“And in [the revisionist] sort of emergent stream, what concerns me is what I see in genesis 3. I (look at/hold up) the verbal, plenary, inerrancy, and authority of scripture. I might be the only guy in Seattle who does, but that’s where I’m at. And what I see in Genesis 3 is incredibly important because it shows us where history went askew, and we were led by the serpent, which revelation reveals is Satan our enemy, into error and folly, and that is through a conversation. And the emergent church has positioned itself as a conversation. A conversation about things that God has said; a conversation about whether or not God meant what He said. Of course, I don’t mind a conversation. I’ve got a wife and two daughters, I’ve had them. <br /><br />But when God speaks, we are not to converse, we are to obey. And the subtle manipulation of God’s word is; God speaks, and we’re not denying that, we’re not attacking that, and we’re not undermining that, we just want to question that. And in that stream there are three men that are very prominent; Brian Mclaren, Doug Pagitt, and Rob Bell.” - Mark Driscoll – “Convergent Conversation Session 3; SEBTS” beginning at 18:50EJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10885830096757444438noreply@blogger.com0