Frequent and Ardent

"A good prayer should not be lengthy or drawn out, but frequent and ardent" (Luther, vol. 43, Works, 209).

A Total View of Christianity

Packer on the essence of Puritanism:

Puritanism . . . was a total view of Christianity, Bible-based, church-centered, God-honouring, literate, orthodox, pastoral, and Reformational, that saw personal, domestic, professional, political, churchly, and economic existence as aspects of a single whole, and that called on everybody to order every department and every relationship of their life according to the Word of God, so that all would be sanctified and become "holiness to the Lord."  

Puritanism's spearhead activity was pastoral evangelism and nurture through preaching, catechizing, and counselling (which Puritans themselves called casuistry), and Puritan teaching harped constantly on the themes of self-knowledge, self-humbling, and repentance; faith in, and love for, Jesus Christ the Saviour; the necessity of regeneration, and of sanctification (holy living, by God's power) as proof of it; the need for conscientious conformity to all God's law, and for a disciplined use of the means of grace; and the blessedness of the assurance and joy from the Holy Spirit that all faithful believers under ordinary circumstances may know. Puritans saw themselves as God's pilgrims, travelling home; God's warriors, battling against the world, the flesh, and the devil; and God's servants, under orders to do all the good they could as they went along.

—J. I. Packer, Honoring the People of God: Collected Shorter Writings on Christian Leaders and Theologians (Vancoover: Regent College Publishing, 1999), 24-25

Ask Whatever You Wish?

What Jesus holds out to his disciples in Jn.15:7 simply staggers the mind: "Ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." Whatever I wish? Really? Come on. How can that be?

Now I do not in the least desire to downplay the sweep of Jesus' promise here in John 15. However, if you have ever wondered how this texts works in real life, only to find yourself more than a little puzzled and perplexed, ponder first long and hard (before throwing up your hands in defeat because the Bible is too hard to get) the flow of thought that starts in v. 1.

The subject of vv. 1-7 is bearing fruit by abiding in Jesus, and Jesus' words abiding in us. "Bearing fruit" language occurs five times in the first five verses. And then following Jesus mind-bending word in v. 7, we read: " By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples" (v. 8). The "by this" of v. 8 shows us the topic and scope of "whatever you wish" and "it will be done for you." Jesus' wants fruit bearing in his disciples, fruit bearing that brings glory to the Father. And as the following verses reveal (vv. 9-17), the pre-eminent and all-embracing fruit is love (see also Jn. 13:34-35).

So abide in Jesus. Let his word abide in you. Ask for whatever fruit you want. Any fruit whatever. Let every request be one flowing from and aiming at love. It will be given to you and prove you are Jesus' disciples. By this God the Father is glorified—"the chief end of man"—showing no narrowly self-serving requests fit into the mind-bending sweep of Jn. 15:7.

Stolen Gain Goes Down the Drain

Luther's instruction to his barber on how think about the eighth commandment (Luther was instructing him how to pray through it):

I can learn here that I must not take property belonging to my neighbors from them or posses it against their will, either in secret or openly. I must not be false or dishonest in business, service, or work, nor profit by fraud, but must support myself by the sweat of my brow and eat my bread in honor. Furthermore, I must see to it that in any of the above-named ways my neighbors are not defrauded, just as I wish for myself. I also learn in this commandment that God, in his fatherly solicitude, sets a protective hedge around my goods and solemnly prohibits anyone to steal from me. Where that is ignored, he has imposed a penalty and those in authority are ordered to punish the disobedient. Where that cannot be done, God himself metes out punishment and they become beggars in the end. As the proverb says, "Those who steal in their youth go begging in old age," or, "Stolen gain goes down the drain."

—Martin Luther, Luther's Prayers (ed. Herbert F. Brokering; Augsberg: Minneapolis, 1994), 58.

Seifrid on Pistis Iēsou Christou

How the term pistis Iēsou Christou (πίστις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ) in Rom. 3:22 (and elsewhere) should be interpreted has been a matter of intense scholarly dispute. For my part, I lean heavily toward the traditional interpretation, taking it as an objective genitive: "faith in Jesus Christ." But I don't want to give my reasons here. I want to post Mark Seifrid's view, which I find intriguing (though I'm not convinced yet). Most interpreters take pistis Iēsou Christou as either a subjective or objective genitive. Not so Seifrid. 

Providing examples from Josephus, Philo, Ignatius, and Acts, Seifrid argues that neither the objective nor subjective options should be embraced, because they both presuppose a purely verbal noun. Rather, Paul speaks of Christ as source and author of faith, so that “to believe in Jesus Christ is not first to act, but rather to be acted upon by God in his work in Jesus Christ.”

 —Seifrid, Mark A., “The Faith of Christ,” in The Faith of Jesus Christ: Exegetical, Biblical, and Theological Studies (eds. Michael F. Bird and Preston M. Sprinkle; Peabody: Hendrickson and Paternoster, 2009), 129-146.

Justification and Union with Christ

In thinking through Paul's articulation of justification in Romans (e.g., Rom. 3:21-22), it is vital to see that Paul sees "a righteousness from God" given as a gift for those who are united with him by faith coming in consequence of Jesus’ obedience, death, and resurrection (e.g., 3:24-25; 4:24-25; 5:9, 12-21). In union with Christ, Paul's most fundamental soteriological category, the sinner is seen as righteous.

It is also vital to see that although faith is stressed at length in 3:27ff, it is not seen as a work. It looks to God and his grace in the crucified and risen Christ (e.g., 3:22, 24; 4:5, 4:24). In fact, faith itself is seen as God’s doing (note the passive verb in the Greek in 4:20). Faith alone accords with grace (4:16), because its nature is to look away to what God, not man, has done and freely gives.

Justification and Church Membership

“Justification not only refers to the forgiveness of sins and acquittal of believers, but it also establishes the believer’s membership in the people of God" (Bird, The Saving Righteousness of God, 152).

More Special Helps Against Satan's Devices

In the last post, I gave the first five of "ten special helps and rules against Satan's devices,"  taken from Thomas Brooks' Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices (Banner of Truth, p. 243ff). Now here are the last five (again, the italics are the author's, followed by two or three sentences of my choosing from each point that seem to communicate well each help):

6. The sixth help. If you would not be taken in any of Satan's snares, then keep humble. Humility keeps the soul free from many darts of Satan's casting, and snares of his spreading. . . . The devil hath least power to fasten a temptation on him that is most humble.

7. The seventh help. If you would not be taken in any of Satan's snares, then keep a strong, close, and constant watch (1 Thess. 5:6; cf. Matt. 26:41; Col. 4:2: 1 Pet. 4:7). That soul that will not watch against temptations, will certainly fall before the power of temptations. . . .The best way to be safe and secure from all Satan's assaults is, with Nehemiah and the Jews, to watch and pray, and pray and watch. . . . Watchfulness includes a waking, a rousing up of the soul. It is a continual, careful observing of our hearts and ways, in all the turnings of our lives, that we still keep close to God and his Word.

8. The eighth help. If you would not be taken with any of Satan's snares and devices, then keep up your communion with God. Your strength to stand and withstand Satan's fiery darts is from your communion with God. A soul high in communion with God may be tempted, but will not easily be conquered. Such a soul will fight it out to the death.

9. The ninth help. If you would not be taken in any of Satan's snares, then engage not against Satan in your own strength, but be every day drawing new virtue and strength from the Lord Jesus. Ah, souls! when the snare is spread, look up to Jesus Christ, who is lifted up in the gospel, as the brazen serpent was in the wilderness [Jn. 3:14-15], and say to him, Dear Lord! here is a new snare laid to catch my soul, and grace formerly received, without fresh supplies from thy blessed bosom, will not deliver me from this snare. Oh! give me new strength , new power, new influences, new measures of grace, that so I may escape the snares.

10. The tenth help. If you would not be taken in any of Satan's snares, then be much in prayer. Prayer is a shelter to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge to the devil. . . . Prayer is the gate of heaven, a key to let us into paradise. There is nothing that renders plots fruitless like prayer; therefore saith Christ; "Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation" (Matt. 26:41). You must watch and pray, and pray and watch, if you would not enter into temptation.

Brooks has a footnote with this tenth help, which says: "It was said of Charles the Great that he spake more with God than with men. Ah! that I could say so of the Christians in our days." And my response: Oh that we could say so of ourselves in these days!

So I end now these two posts on "Special Helps Against Satan's Devices" with this longing and prayer:

O God in heaven, Lord and Lover of the Church's soul, keep us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Waken us to speak more with you than we speak with people. Forgive us for neglecting Jesus' instruction to "watch and pray." We've been so often so easily seduced by Satan's devices. But you've not left us ignorant without instruction. And you've not left us without a great Savior. So pardon our sins, empower our lives, and give us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ —all for your great honor and glory. Amen.

Special Helps Against Satan's Devices

In the conclusion of his book Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices, Thomas Brooks sets forth "ten special helps and rules against Satan's devices" (Banner of Truth, p. 243ff). In this post I'll give the first five, and in the next the last five (the italics are his, followed by two or threes sentences of my choosing from each point that seem to communicate well each help):

1. The first help. If you would not be taken by any of Satan's devices, then walk by rule. When men throw off the Word, then God throws off them, and then Satan takes them by the hand, and leads them into snares at his pleasure.

2. The second help. As you would not be taken with any of Satan's devices, take heed of vexing and grieving of the Holy Spirit of God. Whoever be grieved, be sure the Spirit be not grieved by your enormities, nor by refusing the cordials and comforts that he sets before you, nor by slighting and despising his gracious acting in others. . . . The Spirit of the Lord is your counsellor, your comforter, your upholder, your strengthener.

3. The third help. If you would not be taken with any of Satan's devices, then labour for more heavenly wisdom. There are many knowing souls, but there are but a few wise souls. . . . It is not the most knowing Christian, but the most wise Christian, that sees, avoids, and escapes Satan's snares.

4. The fourth help. If you would not be taken with any of Satan's devices, then make present resistance against Satan's first motions. It is safe to resist, it is dangerous to dispute. . . . He that will play with Satan's bait, will quickly be taken with Satan's hook. The promise of conquest made over to resisting, not to disputing: "Resist the devil, and he will fly from you" (Jas. 4:7).

5. The fifth help. If you would not be taken with any of Satan's devices, then labour to be filled with the Spirit. The Spirit of the Lord is a Spirit of light and power; and what can a soul do without light and power "against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph. 6:12). It is not enough that you have the Spirit, but you must be filled with the Spirit, or else Satan, that evil spirit will be too hard for you. . . . Therefore labor more to have your hearts filled with the Spirit than to have your heads filled with notions, your shops with wares, your chests with silver, or your bags with gold. . . .

If You Will Keep My Covenant

The way covenants function in the Scriptures is what I consider a problem area for interpretation and theologizing. I suppose it may have something to do with the noncovenantal thinking of the evangelicalism in which I've been reared. But I think it also has to do with the way the whole Bible hangs together, which is a very complex matter.

Exodus 19:5 is an example of this. Which covenant is in view? Here's what William Dumbrell says, which seems right-minded to me: 

The covenant in mind may be prospective and have Exodus 20 in view. In the OT, however, references to keeping a divine covenant are consistently to a covenant already in existence (Gen. 17:9-10; 1 Kgs. 11:11; Ps. 78:10; 103:18; 132:12; Ezek. 17:14). It is possible that Exodus 19:5 points back to 6:5 and 3:13-15 and that continuity with the patriarchal covenant is involved, especially in light of the patriarchal style of address with which Yahweh begins verse 3. Involved in the Sinai arrangement that follows is continuity within the Abrahamic covenant but, for Israel, a specialized responsibility within the covenant. 

 —The Faith of Israel: A Theological Survey of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2002), 37.

Father Hunger

Doug Wilson began a series called "Father Hunger" about a month ago. You can find the first in this series here. The series is proving thus far to be very instructive, and I would encourage fathers to give it a listen. Wilson is surely right in seeing "father hunger" as one of the great problems of our times.

MLJ Trust Major Announcement

Here is some really good news: Lloyd-Jones' preaching is now free for the world. God is good. And I am glad, and deeply grateful.

Ambling Along Complacently, Acting Like Rogues

Luther's counsel for praying through the sixth commandment:

"You shall not kill." Here I learn, first of all, that God desires me to love my neighbors, so that I do them no bodily harm, either by word or action, neither injure nor take revenge upon them in anger, vexation, envy, hatred, or for any evil reason, but realize that I am obliged to assist and counsel them in every bodily need. In this commandment God commands me to protect my neighbor's body and in turn commands my neighbor to protect my own. 

Second, I give thanks for such ineffable love, providence, and faithfulness toward me by which he has placed this mighty shield and wall to protect my physical safety. All are obliged to care for me and protect me, and I, in turn, must behave likewise toward others. He upholds this command and, where it is not observed, he has established the sword as punishment for those who do not live up to it. Were it not for this excellent commandment and ordinance, the devil would instigate such a massacre among us that no one could live in safety for a single hour—as happens when God becomes angry and inflicts punishment upon a disobedient and ungrateful world. 

Third, I confess and lament my own wickedness and that of the world, not only that we are so terribly ungrateful for such fatherly love and solicitude toward us—but what is especially scandalous, that we do not acknowledge this commandment and teaching, are unwilling to learn it, and neglect it as though it did not concern us or we had no part in it. We amble along complacently, feel no remorse that in defiance of this commandment we neglect our neighbors, and, yes, we desert them, persecute, injure, or even kill them in our thoughts. We indulge in anger, rage, and villainy as though we were doing a fine and noble thing. Really, it is high time that we started to deplore and bewail how much we have acted like rogues and like unseeing, unruly, and unfeeling persons who kick, scratch, tear, and devour one another like furious beasts and pay no heed to this serious and divine command.

Fourth, I pray the dear Father to lead us to an understanding  of this his sacred commandment and to help us keep it and live in accordance with it. May he preserve us from the murderer who is the master of every form of murder and violence. May he grant us his grace that we and all others may treat each other in kindly, gentle, and charitable ways, forgiving one another from the heart, bearing each other's faults and shortcomings, and thus living together  in true peace and concord, as the commandment teaches and requires us to do. 

—Martin Luther, Luther's Prayers (ed. Herbert F. Brokering; Augsberg: Minneapolis, 1994), 55-56.

Nothing but a Pigsty and School for Rascals

A bit of Lutheran instruction on prayer for parents:

If you are a father or mother, you should . . . remember your children and the workers in your household. Pray earnestly to the dear Father, who has set you in an office of honor in his name and intends that you be honored by the name "father." Ask that he grant you grace and blessing to look after and support your wife, children, and servants in a godly and Christian manner. May he give you wisdom and strength to guide and train them well in heart and will to follow your instruction with obedience. Both are God's gifts, your children and the way they flourish, that they turn out well and that they remain so. Otherwise the home is nothing but a pigsty and school for rascals, as one can see among the uncouth and godless. 

—Martin Luther, Luther's Prayers (ed. Herbert F. Brokering; Augsberg: Minneapolis, 1994), 55.

Hosea 1:1-11 (LXX) and The Message of Hosea

Here is my rendering of the LXX of Hos. 1:1-11 from Septuaginta: Vetus Testamentum Graecum (vol. XIII, Joseph Ziegler, ed.; Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1984) followed by my outline of Hos. 1:1-11 (LXX; 1:1-2:2, MT) and my summary of Hosea's message in the context of the book. The LXX here seems to be quite close the the Vorlage of the MT.

Translation

¹ The word of the Lord that came to Hosea the son of Beeri in the days of Uzziah and Jotham and Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.

² The beginning of the word of the Lord in Hosea: And the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a promiscuous woman and children of promiscuity, for the land will commit flagrant whoredom from following the Lord.”

³ And so he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore to him a son.

⁴ And the Lord said to him, “Call his name 'Jezreel,' for yet a little while and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel on the house of Jehu and turn away the kingdom of the house of Israel.”

⁵ And it shall be in that day, I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.

⁶ And she conceived again and bore a daughter. And she said to him, “Call her name ‘No Mercy,’ for I will by no means continue to have mercy on the house of Israel, but I will surely oppose them.

⁷ But I will have mercy on the sons of Judah and deliver them by the Lord their God, and I will not deliver them by bow or sword, nor by war or chariots, nor by horses or horsemen.

⁸ And she weaned No Mercy and conceived again and bore a son.

⁹ And he said, “Call his name ‘Not My People,’ for you are not my people, and I am not your ‘I AM.’”

¹⁰ And the number of the sons of Israel was as the sand of the sea, which shall not be measured or numbered. And yet it will be in the place where it was said to them “You are not my people,” they shall also be called—“sons of the living God!”

¹¹ And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will be gathered together at the same place, and they shall appoint for themselves one ruler, and will go up from the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.

Outline
I. Superscription (1:1)
II. The Beginning of the word of the Lord in Hosea (1:2-9)
 A. Hosea ordered to take to himself a whore and children of whoredom (1:2-3)
 B. First child: Call his name “Jezreel” (1:4-5)

 C. Second child: Call her name “No Mercy” (1:6-7)
 D. Third child: Call his name “Not My People” (1:8-9)
III. “Not My People”: “Sons of the Living God” who appoint one ruler (1:10-11)

Summary 

The book of Hosea introduces the Book of the Twelve. Hosea “seems particularly well suited to its introductory role,” says Sweeney, for it “begins by raising the question of the disrupted relationship between YHWH and Israel by comparing it to the disrupted marriage of the prophet to his wife Gomer.”[1] The other bookend of the Twelve, Malachi, forms an inclusio with Hosea[2] and calls Israel to return to the Lord and observe the covenant. These two themes—a ruptured covenant relationship between the Lord and his people and the restoration of that relationship—summarize well the Twelve as well as Hosea as a whole.[3]

More specifically, “the analogy between Hosea’s marriage and Yahweh’s relationship with Israel is the subject of Hosea 1-3, and then Hosea 4-14 addresses the behavior that has been figuratively depicted as adultery in the first three chapters.”[4] Hosea was called to the prophetic office during the reign of Jeroboam II, that is, some time prior to 745 BC, when Assyria was the regional superpower. This period for Israel and Judah was marked by economic boon and political stability—and Baalism that threatened the exclusive worship of YHWH (Hos 2:8, 13, 16-17; 4:13-15, 18; 9:1; 13:1-2, NETS).[5] His ministry likely lasted until just before the fall of Samaria in 721 BC; the heart of Hosea’s oracles denounces Israel’s idolatry in the provocative terms of spiritual whoredom.[6]

But the message was not limited to what Hosea proclaimed verbally. Hosea’s life and marriage were a dramatization of YHWH’s marriage to his adulterous covenant people. Hosea was called not only to proclaim a message, but also shockingly and jarringly to be the message. This painful divine word, vividly portrayed, spoke the Lord’s judgment on Israel’s spiritual harlotry—exile under the foreign powers with whom Israel had played the whore (Hos 1:11; 2:14-15; 3:4-5; 7:11; 8:8-10; 12:1; 14:3, NETS). Yet already in the first eleven verses of the book, judgment and exile are not the final word. Despite Israel’s disgusting infidelity, a beautiful restoration hope is held forth (1:10-11).

---

[1] Marvin Sweeney, “Sequence and Interpretation in the Book of the Twelve,” in Reading and Hearing the Book of the Twelve (eds. James Nogalski and Marvin Sweeney; Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2000), 49-64.

[2] The covenant infidelity depicted and indicted in Hosea is described multiple times with the form μοιχαλίς (“adulteress”). This noun, as Jobes points out, is used a number of times in the LXX, but only in Hos 3:1, Mal 3:5, and Ezek 23:45 does it describe God’s people violating the covenant. The Mal 3:5 LXX usage translates a masculine plural participle (מנאפים, “adulterers”) with a feminine plural accusative (μοιχαλίδας, “adulteresses”). Observing this, Jobes states that the Greek translator has clearly interpreted Mal 3:5 through Hosea’s usage of the adulteress imagery, forming an inclusio, since Hosea is always first and Malachi always last in the Twelve. Karen Jobes, “The Minor Prophets in James, 1 & 2 Peter, and Jude”in Minor Prophets in the New Testament (eds. Maarten J. J. Menken and Steve Moyise; New York: T & T Clark, 2009), 135-153.

[3] Jeremias has argued that Hosea and Amos are also related and probably never circulated independently. Jörg Jeremias, “The Interrelationship Between Amos and Hosea,” in Forming Prophetic Literature: Essays on Isaiah and the Twelve in Honor of John D. W. Watts (eds. James W. Watts and Paul R. House; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1996), 171-186. In the LXX, Amos follows Hosea in all the extant manuscripts. Both prophets ministered in the eighth century BC. Both spoke into the northern kingdom a message of impending judgment. And yet their messages—to the same target audience—were different, at least in emphasis. So how are they related? They are related as root and fruit. Hosea strikes primarily at the corrupt root in Israel, namely, idolatry. The people had played the whore with foreign deities and nations. And Amos primarily strikes at the corrupt fruit of social injustice and oppression. Hosea, like Amos, also addresses social injustice, but he more explicitly roots this in a lack of faithfulness, steadfast love, and the knowledge of God.

[4] James M. Hamilton Jr., God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment: A Biblical Theology (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), 235.

[5] N. E. Lennart Bostrom, “Hosea,” NDBT: 236-239.

[6] Ibid., 237.

One of the Most Urgent Needs Today

"One of the most urgently needed things today is a careful treatment of how the gospel, biblically and richly understood, ought to shape everything we do in the local church, all of our ethics, all of our priorities."

— D. A. Carson, "What is the Gospel?—Revisited, " in For the Fame of God's Name: Essays in Honor of John Piper (ed. Sam Storms and Justin Taylor; Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), 165.

Doing Theology Today

With great wisdom and insight, John Frame speaks to the state of affairs in doing theology today:

I think theology today has become preoccupied by these auxiliary disciplines to the extent of neglecting its primary responsibility: to apply Scripture itself. Theological literature today is focused, especially, on history of doctrine and contemporary thought. Often this literature deals with theological questions by comparing various thinkers from the past and from the present, with a very minimal interaction with Scripture itself.

Then, in a footnote, Frame speaks of his conviction:

This problem is partly the result of our present system for training theologians. To qualify for college or seminary positions, a theologian must earn a PhD, ideally from a prestigious liberal university. But at such schools, there is no training in the kind of systematic theology I describe here. Liberal university theologians do not view Scripture as God's Word, and so they cannot encourage theology as I have defined it, as the application of God's infallible Word. Students are welcome to study historical and contemporary theology, and to relate these to auxiliary disciplines such as philosophy and literary criticism. But they are not taught to seek ways of applying Scripture for the edification of God's people. Rather, professors encourage the student to be "up-to-date" with the current academic discussion and to make "original contributions" to that discussion, out of his autonomous reasoning. So when the theologian finishes his graduate work and moves to a teaching position, even if he is personally evangelical in his convictions, he often writes and teaches as he was encouraged to do in graduate school: academic comparisons and contrasts, minimal interaction with Scripture. In my judgment, this is entirely inadequate for the needs of the church. It is one source of the doctrinal declension of evangelical churches, colleges, and seminaries in our day. Evangelical denominations and schools need to seek new methods of training people to teach theology, educational models that will force  theologian candidates to mine Scripture for edifying content. To do this, they may need to cut themselves off, in some degree, from the present-day academic establishment. And to do that, they may have to cut themselves off from the present-day accreditation system. 

—The Doctrine of the Word of God (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2010), 278. 

The Goal of the Law is Christ for Righteousness

Here's my translation of Rom. 10:4: "For the goal of the law is Christ for righteousness to everyone who is believing."

And here's Calvin unpacking of this text (simply marvelous!):

. . . those who seek to be justified by their own works are false interpreters of the law, because the law has been given to lead us by the hand to another righteousness. Indeed, every doctrine of the law, every command, every promise, always points to Christ. We are, therefore, to apply all its parts to Him. . . .

Thus the righteousness of faith (as we saw in the first chapter) is witnessed to by the law. This remarkable passage declares that the law in all its parts has reference to Christ, and therefore no one will be able to understand it correctly who does not constantly strive to attain this mark.

 —The Epistles of Paul the Apostle to the Romans and Thessalonians (Grand Rapids: Paternoster, 1960), 221-222.

I confess that this is my life, my joy, my salvation, my all!