He who finds a wife...

I promised I would say a bit more about polygamy.  Here it is, but my hubby did it. I went to bed the other night, and he stayed up and prayed and pondered and studied.  He came up with this:

 

Adam had 1 wife - Eve.  This is how marriage was introduced by God, and is the foundation of any Biblical understanding of marriage as being unalterable - there was NEVER the slightest hint that this was not God's single and most holy intention.  Adam had neither additional wives, nor concubines - neither before, nor after the fall.

 

In 1 Corinthians 7:2 the Apostle Paul, speaking with the very authority of Heaven, declares: "let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband"; adding the provision than just as it is UNNATURAL for a man to have a multiplicity of wives, so it is likewise UNNATURAL for a woman to have a multiplicity of husbands.

 

Revelation 21:9b declares:  "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife." 

 

From Genesis to Revelation there is a singularity in the concept of marriage partners - one husband, one wife.

 

By the example given from the beginning of creation, He did notify His people that marriage is to be one man and one woman.  By the recording in His Word, it is recorded, and WE KNOW IT TODAY.  That you are positive or not is your responsibility, as God cannot make His will and purpose more plainly, or more simply.  One bride.  One groom.  God is immutable, that is, unchangeable (Hebrews 13:8-9a  "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines ")

 

That Old Testament history shows that many (not all)  were engaged in polygamy is not proof of God's approval, but more rather of His grace.  Any attempt to stretch Scripture to indicate that the practice of polygamy in the Old Testament is prescriptive, and ought to be practiced today, is being "carried about with various and strange doctrines."

 

Please notice the singularity in the following sample verses.

 

Proverbs 18:22 "He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favour from the LORD."

 

.Song of Solomon 4:12;6:3  "A garden locked is my sister, my bride, a spring locked, a fountain sealed...  I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine;"

 

Eph 5:28b; 31b  "he who loves his wife loves himself... and the two shall become one flesh"

 

Ephesians 5:23  "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church..."

 

The uniting together of a man and of a woman into the marriage relationship is a picture of the redemptive work of Christ - one sinner, one Saviour.

The First Place

The First Place

March 5, 2009 by ostrakinos

Radiant colors swirl ahead and behind crystal-like boardwalks
That reflect nothing around rainbows and emerald seas.

Mild flashings under deep rumblings from between
Chambered rounds of faith lumbering in thunderous voices
Too loud to be heard.

The more I think I know the face of the One who made me
The more I know I think wrong things about most of what makes me
Think more of the things that wrongly made me
Think of them in the first place.

 

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. . . I think with flawed thoughts. . . yet I think often about the One Who Made Me.  

Like Ostrakinos, I am fragile . . . easily broken . . . a jar of clay.  

Yet, I am treasured . . . eternal . . . full of joy.

May the majority of my thoughts be turned towards the Only One who is Worthy of my thinking.

Idol Factory

From the Irish Calvinist:

 I know my heart is an idol factory that can take and corrupt good things.  I know that I secretly crave affirmation from the world around me.  I know that I want to indulge my flesh.  I know that I want to evaluate people based on my standards.  I know my pride swollen heart really does want to eclipse Christ’s glory even through the Trojan horse of ministry.  I know that I need to spend much more time evaluating my own heart in light of the word of God rather than evaluating others’ in light of my own standards.

Heart Idols are something we all struggle with.  We want to be on the throne, to be appreciated, to be admired.  We want to do well, and we often fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to the next guy.  I  have been homeschooling for many years, and it warms my heart when I see that my son reads better than others his age.  I tend to swell, just a little, with a tiny bit of pride.  

Again I say (agreeing with the Irish Calvinist) I have to preach the gospel to myself.  I have to remind myself that God chose the foolish (me), the weak (me), the low and despised (me!) so that He could show His power through His people. 

1 Corinthians 1:26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise;  God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even  things that are not, to  bring to nothing things that are, 29 so  that no human being  might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God,righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

If I teach well, it's because of Christ.  If my children follow the Lord, it's because of Christ.  If I am healthy and have energy and can go from dawn to dusk, it's because Christ, the Lord, empowers me.  I can do all things through Christ, Who strenghthens me.  Without Him, I can do nothing.  At least, nothing of any value.

Lord, keep this child of Yours from idols.  Help me to guard my heart, to recognize the idols I constantly try to manufacture, and to cast them aside.  Help me to live this moment before YOU, before the face of God.  You are SO GOOD to me.  May I live in the light of that Goodness, and bask in the sense of Your presence.  In Christ, I pray.  Amen.

Preaching the Gospel to Yourself

A friend is coming from out of town, and you think to yourself, "I'd love to see her...but look at the mess in my yard.  And what if she notices I've gained 30 pounds over the past couple of years?  I'd rather make up an excuse than to have to face her."

The trouble isn't really with your weight gain, or your unsightly yard.  The problem is with your heart.  You are trapped by pride, and you've taken your eyes off of what is important (Jesus!) and placed them firmly on the things that don't matter.

You need to learn to preach the gospel to  yourself!

Yes, your sin is real (gluttony), and obvious(laziness, procrastination), but don't forget that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  The very person that wants to visit and has left you feeling unsettled is a sinner, too.

There are sins of the heart that God hates - pride being one of them.  Don't let your pride stop you from ministering to others, and from being ministered to by others.  Satan loves to kill and destroy, including killing and destroying relationships.  But God is a God of relationships - we are commanded to Love God and to Love Our Neighbour.  How that is done is in relationship with Him and with those He brings into contact with us.

I have found Jerry Bridges' writing on Preaching the Gospel to Yourself to be very helpful.  It basically teaches you to have the mind of Christ, to saturate yourself with the Word of God, and to apply it to your life every day.

May this be a blessing to you:

How to Preach the Gospel to Yourself

I retrieved the following from this blog:

October 26, 2008 by strengthenedbygrace

Here is how Jerry Bridges does it:

"I begin each day with the realization that despite my being a saint, I still sin every day in thought, deed, and motive.  If I am aware of any subtle, or not so subtle, sins im my life, I acknowledge those to God.  Even if my conscience is not indicting me for conscious sins, I still acknowledge to God that I have not even come close to loving Him with all my being or loving my neighbor as myself, I repent of those sins, and then I apply specific Scripture that assure me of God's forgiveness to those sins I have just confessed.

I then generalize the Scripture's promises of God's forgiveness to all my life and say to God words to the effect that my only hope of right standing with Him that day is Jesus' blood shed for my sins, and His righteous life on my behalf. This reliance on the twofold work of Christ for me is beautifully captured by Edward Mote in his hymn "The Solid Rock" with his words, "My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus' blood and righteousness." Almost every day I find myself going to those words in addition to reflecting on thepromises of forgiveness in the Bible."

The first step in the scenario above is to recognize the compounding effects of sin.  My gluttony has had consequences - I've gained weight, and am embarrassed to let my friend see me this way.  My laziness and procrastination have had the effect of allowing a mess to accumulate in my yard.  I must acknowledge the sin, and repent.  

Then (oh, joy!) I must realize that Christ died for my sin of pride; He died for my sin of procrastination and laziness.  Those sins were nailed to the cross, and I bear them no more. Praise the Lord! 

Now I am free.  Free to serve my friend, to invite her in, to make her a cup of tea.  I'm free to acknowledge my sinful heart, and to be ever so grateful that Jesus took that sin upon Himself.  I can reflect on the forgiveness found in the Bible - my sin has been cast into the depths of the sea - and can share openly and honestly with others.  Relationships are deepened, both with God and with people.  And all this is because of the good news - Christ died for ME!

JerryBridges  was interviewed by C.J. Mahaney recently.  It's worth the listen.  

You'd be wise to ponder the following verses, then praise our Beautiful God!

Psalm 103:12 as far as the east is from the west,  so far does he  remove our transgressions from us.

Isaiah 43:25 “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.

Isaiah 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray;  we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Romans 4:7-8  “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,

and whose sins are covered;
  blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 130:3-4 If you, O Lord, should  mark iniquities, O Lord, who could  stand?

  But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.

Isaiah 1:18 “Come now,  let us reason  together, says the Lord:  though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as  white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

Micah 7:19  He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot.

You will cast all our  sins into the depths of the sea.

Ephesians 1:7 In him we have  redemption  through his blood,  the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

Colossians 2:13-14   And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Hebrews 8:12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,  and I will remember their sins no more.”

Hebrews 10:17-18  “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Character of a Happy Life

How happy is he born and taught

That serveth not another's will;

Whose armour is his honest thought

And simple truth his utmost skill!

Whose passions not his masters are,

Whose soul is still prepared for death,

Not tied unto the world with care

Of public fame, or private breath;

Who envies none that chance doth raise

Or vice; who never understood

How deepest wounds are given by praise[1];

Nor rules of state, but rules of good:

Who hath his life from rumours freed,

Whose conscience is his strong retreat;

Whose state can neither flatterers feed,

Nor ruin make accusers great;

Who God doth late and early pray

More of his grace than gifts to lend;

And entertains the harmless day

With a well-chosen book or friend;

--this man is freed from servile bands

Of hope to rise, or fear to fall;

Lord of himself, though not of lands;

And having nothing, yet hath all.[2]

~Sir Henry Wotton

[1]  Proverbs 26:28 A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin.

[2]  Psalm 37:16 Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked.

Proverbs 15:16 Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it.

Bible Study - The Treasure of God's Word

How should we study the Bible?  How do we understand difficult topics like polygamy, for instance?  When we read about the Patriarchs in the Old Testament, we see that they had many wives.  Is that prescriptive?  Should good Christian men in modern times go out and get themselves a few wives, just to be on the safe side?  (I will respond to that in another post.)

God chose to reveal Himself to the people He created, and He did so in different ways.  First, He created Adam and gave him work to do.  He gave him his beautiful wife, Eve, and we can assume that He walked with Adam in the garden, in the cool of the day.  He taught Adam about Himself while in a relationship with him.

Then, God gave Adam eyes to see the glories of creation.  

Psalm 19 The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above  proclaims his handiwork.

Day to day pours out speech,

and night to night reveals knowledge.

  

There is no speech, nor are there words,

whose voice is not heard. 

Better yet, God breathed out His very word to people who wrote down exactly what the Lord intended to have written.

1 Peter 1:19 And  we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God l as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

"That the Scriptures have a divine origin, being authoritatively inspired of God, is shown by the combined witness of archaelogy and the Scriptures, including the recorded testimony of Christ and evidenced by the transformation of human lives." ~Emery H. Bancroft, Elemental Theology, p. 37

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable 

for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

The Word of God is inerrant, complete, verbally inspired by God, of no private interpretation, and organic.  God used different writers from various ages and backgrounds to record His Word to us.

"In harmony, with the personality, experiences, gifts, talents, vocabulary and style of the writer, the Holy Spirit illuminates the mind, aids the memory, and represses sin within, so that the end product is the Word of God."

Systematics is the study of the doctrines in the Bible done systematically.  Picture a Filing Cabinet full of files.  In one file you will find everything the Bible says about anthropology, or the study of man.  Another one has a file on Ecclesiology, or the study of the church.  It is good and right to study the Bible systematically, as it helps a student to safeguard the Word of God by studying everything God has to say to us on a particular topic.  However, there is a weakness in this wonderful discipline, and that is that things can be taken out of context.  We must learn to study systematically, but we must not neglect Biblical Theology - the study of each of the Books in the Bible.  

 We must remember that God revealed His Word slowly, over time.  Diachronological study is study with the awareness that as time progressed, God revealed more of His plan and purpose and decrees to His people.  Adam knew the pronouncement of the Protoevangelicum... that God would provide someone to bruise the "head" of Satan.  He did not know that this would be the Messiah, Jesus.  We, looking back, see the entire truth of the doctrine of Christology.  

Every doctrine must be studied systematically and theologically.  God revealed truths about certain topics to Adam, to the patriarchs, to the prophets, and to the apostles.  We must study the whole counsel of God to understand what He says about each doctrine.  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God...all Scripture, Old and New Testament...but not every Scripture has as much weight on a topic as another Scripture on that same topic.  We must read with wisdom and discernment, with prayer and much study, in order to understand what the Word of God actually says.

What is the danger of "proof-texting", or searching for specific verses to prove one's point?  Those verses are taken out of context, so the historical context (why the passage was written, to whom it was written, what was happening at the time, etc.) is lost.  We must guard against this kind of error by studying the entire Bible, by reading whole books, by learning the historical context, and by understanding the different genres of Biblical literature.  

The final goal of reading any portion of Scripture is the practical application - the So What?  If this is true, how does it apply to my life?  What do I do now?  How should my thinking and behaviour change as a result of understanding this passage from God's Holy Word?

 "The Bible gives forth no uncertain sound.  Its testimonies are reliable, and its teachings are trustworthy."~!A.W. Pink

This is a key verse for the doctrine of Scripture, indicating that Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit, but at the same time men spoke God's words, using their own personalities, knowledge, background, vocabulary, and style. “They were carried along” implies that the inspiration of Scripture was invisibly directed by the Holy Spirit, though without overriding the personalities of the human authors. Thus Scripture is fully the Word of God, even though it is recorded in the words of human beings. 

2 Timothy 3:16 d All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Shopping List

I simply have to share this neat Shopping List.  It's FREEWARE!  You can download it in seconds, and take a few minutes to edit the items and prices.  Once it is set up, you click, print, and go to the store with a detailed list.  

Shopping is always a challenge in our family, with so many food sensitivities to deal with.  Most of us have celiac disease (so we avoid wheat and gluten) and some of us have sensitivities to corn, soy, dairy, nightshades, and so on.  

The beauty of this shopping list is that I can enter the unusual items I must buy (like sorghum flour) and the estimated cost, so before I even get to the store I have a better idea of what it will cost us.  

It's truly the simple things in life that are a blessing.

Troublemakers

When Gump Worsley played goalie for the New York Rangers, a sportswriter asked him what team gave him the most trouble. Worsley very candidly answered “the Rangers.”

It's certainly sad to say, but it's reality:  Christians love to bite and devour one another.

Galatians 5:15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

Theodore Roosevelt said, “It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out where the strong stumbled or how the doer could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is in the arena, his face marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and falls short again and again: There is no effort without error.”

No matter how sincere  you are, if you are in ministry, you will make mistakes.  Unfortunately, there are groups on the internet that exist solely to "sound the alarm" and point out the errors of those in the front lines.  As I stated in my  post yesterday, this has been going on for generations, but it is far more far-reaching today. With the advent of the internet and instant communication, and the added perk of search engines, people are able to flit from "cyber-house" to "cyber-house" in the manner of silly women, amassing information in order to kill and destroy.

1 Timothy 5:13 Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not.

Richard Abanes, author and journalist, writes in a post (go there and read it!) 

called "Don't Believe Everything You Read on the Internet":

We live in an era of too much information; an era wherein anyone/everyone can post whatever they want to post on the Internet—unchecked, unverified, unaccountable, unhindered, and unstoppable. Rumors, gossip, baseless accusations, outright lies, fear-mongering, hate rhetoric, hoaxes, slander/libel, and false information now litter the Internet.

Pastor James McDonald of Harvest Bible Fellowship has experienced this.  He writes,

I have been a pastor for more than 25 years and I have heard some pretty harsh things; but the deepest wounding by far has been at the hands of people using the gift of discernment in the flesh.  Most often, these are the folks that separate friends, divide churches and destroy families.  It is a very dangerous gift when not under the Spirit’s control.  Maybe you have experienced this personally, or worse, have been the one doing it. 

His post, "Great Damage: The Gift of Discernment Used in the Flesh" points out that there are five ways to know if someone is using the gift of discernment in their own strength, and not in the strength of the Lord.  The following is a shortened version of what James has to say.  For the full version, click here. 

1) Isolation: The gift of discernment, like all spiritual gifting, needs the balancing confinement of the local church.  Sadly these folks are often so harsh and so foolishly confident in their own distortions that mature Christians leave them isolated rather than face their fleshly wrath.  Which leads to number two . . .

2) Anger: “The wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:20).  Righteous anger directed against specific sin and toward a solution is needed and productive for the kingdom of Christ.  Correction, exhortation, even rebuke, have their place. But when it comes wrapped in harsh, angry words it does not edify, it does not build up, and it does not advance God’s purposes in this world.   Speaking the truth in love is a biblical exhortation often lost to those using the gift of discernment in the flesh.   

3) Fear: The gift of discernment used in the flesh promotes fear.  “God has not given us a spirit of fear,”  (1Timothy 1:7).  To fear anything or anyone other than the Lord is not from God.  Sixty-three times we are exhorted in scripture, “Fear not!”   We do have to speak up and be involved and do our best to shine a righteous light on the darkness all around us.  But anyone who is playing upon our fears to motivate us to do right things is not advancing the work of Christ in or through us.  Beware of fear mongers; they may mean well, they may have legitimate concern, but irrational arguments flourish in an atmosphere of fear. 

4) Distortion: Straw man argumentation is the practice of caricaturing the argument of your opponent and then dismissing the distortion.  Are you listening flesh-discerners?

5) Not listening: I have learned a lot from listening to even the harshest of comments this past week.   I learned that people who are using the gift of discernment in the flesh will not yield to any point of explanation or clarified intent because they DO NOT LISTEN!  They only attack and vilify.

J. Vernon McGee used to say, “The only exercise some Christians get is jumping to conclusions and running others down.” How true that is.

And how sad.

To those in ministry who are bearing the brunt of unfounded criticism:

Be not weary in well doing, my friends.  Do not give in to the pressure to conform, to soften your message, to change your ways.  Keep your eyes on Jesus, and keep going.

Vocabulary and other Lessons

In our vocabulary lesson this morning we studied the word "brevity" - a noun meaning "conciseness.  The sample sentence was

 "Brevity is essential when you send a telegram - you are charged for every word." 

 I gave the children the famous example of a brief telegram, "Saved Alone", written by Anna Spafford to her husband Horatio to tell him of the death of all four of their beautiful daughters.

Most Christians know that Horatio Spafford got on the next available ship to go and join his grieving wife.  As they were crossing the Atlantic, the captain informed Horatio when the ship was in the spot where the girls had drowned.  He went to his cabin and penned the words to the beautiful hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul".

However, many are not aware of the rest of the story.  

When the Spaffords got back to Chicago, they naturally expected their Christian brothers and sisters to rally around them and encourage them in their great loss.  Not only had they lost their daughters to drowning, but Horatio had lost most of his real estate holdings in the Great Fire of Chicago.  They knew what it was to suffer.  They knew what it was to lose everything they held dear.

But God wasn't finished teaching them to depend on Him, and Him alone.

Bertha Spafford (a daughter born later) wrote about her parents' struggle:

The important thing was not to lose faith... The Puritan foundation of the protestant churches had carried into the United States many of the harsh Old Testament tenets. It was universally accepted by all Christians then that sickness or sorrow was the result of sin.... What had father done, what had his young wife done, that they should be so afflicted? 

A bitter, public quarrel ensued, and Horatio decided to take his wife and young daughter, Bertha, to the Holy Land, where they threw themselves into the service of others.  

There is no doubt that God used suffering to refine this family.  He had a purpose - and that is evident in the life of Bertha Spafford, later Bertha Vester.  Click on the link and read her fascinating story.  She spent her life serving the Lord and the Arab people.

In 1963, King Hussein awarded Mrs. Vester the Jordanian Star in recognition of her "praiseworthy qualities," as His Majesty's citation read. She is the only Christian woman ever to have received the award. But perhaps the most touching tribute is a cement ramp which partly fills in a street of steps leading from Herod's Gate up to the children's hospital. In Jerusalem, where hardly a stone is moved without official sanction, the government allowed the steps to be filled in so Mrs. Vester could be wheeled up to visit her beloved babies.

Bertha died in 1968.  This is the obituary from Time Magazine:

Died. Bertha Spafford Vester, 90, Jerusalem's Florence Nightingale, who cared for thousands of Christians, Moslems and Jews under four flags (Turkish, British, Jordanian and Israeli); in Jerusalem. Called "Ummuna" (mother of us all) by her Arab friends, the ex-Chicagoan (who moved to the Holy City in 1881 with her parents) treated both British and Turkish soldiers wounded in the city during World War I, Jewish and Arab soldiers during the 1948 war. Her Spafford Memorial Children's Hospital, founded in 1925, is now —with its infant-welfare center and 60-bed clinic—one of the best pediatric clinics in the Arab Middle East. Mrs. Vester, herself a Presbyterian, capped a distinguished career in 1963 by obtaining enough polio vaccine from the U.S. to inoculate 300,000 Jordanian children.  

So, what are the lessons learned today in Vocabulary Class?  

1.  God uses great tragedy to accomplish His purposes of refinement in the lives of His children.

2.  It is nothing new that Christians sometimes choose to act unkindly and treat their brethren sinfully.  It happened to the Spaffords, and it still happens today.

3.  God has prepared work for His children in places they often can't imagine going to.  He orchestrates the events to move His people where He wants them to serve.  Were it not for the faulty doctrine of the Chicago churches, the Spaffords would not have moved to the Middle East, and Bertha would not have served and loved sick children for over 40 years.

Can a Racist be a Christian?

One of the debates I have been involved with online in the past few weeks is whether or not R.L. Dabney was "the greatest Southern theologian" of his century.  It was never my intention to defend the man or get into a debate online about whether or not Dabney was a "great theologian".  However, the comment that one lady made to me that he could not have been a Christian got me to thinking.  (Waves to Linda!!)

The following quote is from a John Piper sermon I listened to yesterday (regarding the recession) :

The book of Job in the Old Testament begins, “There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil” (Job 1:1). But in the last chapter of the book, Job says, “I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6). He was “blameless,” but later he repented. What does that mean?

It means that the most godly people in the world are like a clear glass of water with a sediment of sin hidden at the bottom of the glass. And when the glass is struck—with Job’s suffering, or with our recession—the sediment of sin is stirred up and exposed, and the water becomes cloudy. 

John explained, "The most pure, holy, blameless saint on the planet has a sediment of sin lying quietly at the bottom of the beaker, while we look at the clean, clear water called holiness.  You bump him, and he gets cloudy!  Job got bumped, big time."

The most pure, holy, blameless, godly, faithful, committed saint has a sediment of sin.

Abraham did.  He headed down to Egypt when the going got tough, then lied about his wife, Sarah, out of fear.  He did not trust.  He did not have faith.  Yet God called him His friend.

David did.  He sent one of his faithful soldiers to the front of the line, commanding his comrades-in-arms to draw back, effectively having him murdered.  He was an adulterer.  Yet God called him a "man after God's own heart".  

Peter did.  He boasted that he'd never leave the Lord, and would even die for him, yet wouldn't acknowledge him to a girl who questioned his background.  Yet Jesus called him "the Rock".  

The most pure, holy, blameless, godly, faithful, committed saint has a sediment of sin.

And that includes you.  And me.  And . . . Dabney. 

Whether the "sediment of sin" is murder, or pride, or adultery, or lying, or anger, or gossip, or denial of Christ, or racism... the most pure, holy, blameless, godly, faithful, committed saint has a sediment of sin.

I honestly don't know if Dabney was a Christian, because I cannot look into his heart.  I know the One who can.  

1 Chronicles 28:9   David's Charge to Solomon

“And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. 

Jeremiah 17:10 “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

I do assume Dabney was a Christian, because of the Systematic Theology book he wrote.  Only the Lord knows for sure.

But my point is this:  The most pure, holy, blameless, godly, faithful, committed saint has a sediment of sin.  And that sediment can take all sorts of ugly forms.

The great lesson here is that God came into the world to save sinners.  Even murderers, adulterers, and Christ-deniers.  

Even racists.