Charity & Its Fruits: Lecture XIII

"Love...believes all things, hopes all things..." -1 Corinthians 13:7

DOCTRINAL TRUTH FROM THIS TEXT:

"THE GRACES OF CHRISTIANITY ARE ALL CONNECTED TOGETHER, AND MUTUALLY DEPENDENT ON EACH OTHER."

Jonathan Edwards, Charity And Its Fruits, (Banner of Truth Trust, 1998), p. 270.

Charity & Its Fruits: Lecture XII

"Love bears all things..." -1 Corinthians 13:7

DOCTRINAL TRUTH FROM THIS TEXT:

"CHARITY, OR A TRULY CHRISTIAN SPIRIT, WILL MAKE US WILLING, FOR CHRIST’S SAKE, TO UNDERGO ALL SUFFERINGS TO WHICH WE MAY BE EXPOSED IN THE WAY OF DUTY."

Jonathan Edwards, Charity And Its Fruits, (Banner of Truth Trust, 1998), p. 253.

Good Works

"God doesn't need our good works, but our neighbor does."

Martin Luther, (1483-1546).

Charity & Its Fruits: Lecture XI

"Love...does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth." -1 Corinthians 13:6

DOCTRINAL TRUTH FROM THIS TEXT:

"ALL TRUE CHRISTIAN GRACE IN THE HEART TENDS TO HOLY PRACTICE IN THE LIFE."

Jonathan Edwards, Charity And Its Fruits, (Banner of Truth Trust, 1998), p. 222.

Charity & Its Fruits: Lecture X

"Love...is not...resentful." -1 Corinthians 13:5

DOCTRINAL TRUTH FROM THIS TEXT:

"THE SPIRIT OF CHARITY, OR CHRISTIAN LOVE, IS THE OPPOSITE OF A CENSORIOUS SPIRIT."

Jonathan Edwards, Charity And Its Fruits, (Banner of Truth Trust, 1998), p. 204.

Christian Love

O LOVER OF THE LOVELESS,
It is thy will that I should love thee
   with heart, soul, mind, strength,
   and my neighbour as myself.
But I am not sufficient for these things. 
There is by nature no pure love in my soul;
Every affection in me is turned from thee;
I am bound, as slave to lust,
I cannot love thee, lovely as thou art,
   until thou dost set me free.
By grace I am thy freeman and would serve thee,
   for I believe thou art my God in Jesus,
   and that through him I am redeemed,
   and my sins are forgiven.
With this freedom I would always obey thee, 
   but I cannot walk in liberty,
   andy more that I could first attain it, of myself.
May thy Spirit draw me nearer to thee
   and thy ways.
Thou art the end of all means,
   for if they lead me not to thee,
   I go away empty.
Order all my ways by thy holy Word
   and make thy commandments the joy
     of my heart,
   that by them I may have happy converse
     with thee.
May I grow in thy love and manifest it
     to mankind.

Spirit of love, make me like the loving Jesus;
   give me his benevolent temper,
   his beneficent actions,
   that I may shine before men to they glory.
The more thou doest in love in me and by me,
   humble me more;
   keep me meek, lowly,
   and always ready to give thee honour.

"Christian Love", The Valley of Vision, (Banner of Truth Trust, 2002), p. 250-251.

Charity & Its Fruits: Lecture IX

"Love...is not irritable." -1 Corinthians 13:5

DOCTRINAL TRUTH FROM THIS TEXT:

"THE SPIRIT OF CHARITY, OR CHRISTIAN LOVE, IS THE OPPOSITE OF AN ANGRY OR WRATHFUL SPIRIT OR DISPOSITION."

Jonathan Edwards, Charity And Its Fruits, (Banner of Truth Trust, 1998), p. 186.

Charity & Its Fruits: Lecture VIII

"Love...does not insist on its own way." -1 Corinthians 13:5

DOCTRINAL TRUTH FROM THIS TEXT:

"THE SPIRIT OF CHARITY, OR CHRISTIAN LOVE, IS THE OPPOSITE OF A SELFISH SPIRIT."

Jonathan Edwards, Charity And Its Fruits, (Banner of Truth Trust, 1998), p. 157.

Happy Thanksgiving!

"The modern American seldom pauses to give thanks for the simple blessings of life. One reason is that we are used to having so much. We simply assume that we will have all the good things of life. Another reason is that it hurts our pride to be grateful. We do not want to admit that God is the Provider of all good things. We are simply His stewards. Being thankful requires humility and faith in God. When we have these, we can be grateful."

Richard B. Douglass, Quotable Quotations, (SP Publications, 1985), p. 396.

Charity & Its Fruits: Lecture VII

"Love...does not...boast; it is not arrogant or rude..." -1 Corinthians 13:4,5

DOCTRINAL TRUTH FROM THIS TEXT:

"THE SPIRIT OF CHARITY, OR CHRISTIAN LOVE, IS A HUMBLE SPIRIT."

Jonathan Edwards, Charity And Its Fruits, (Banner of Truth Trust, 1998), p. 130.

"*God is light." "*God is love." That which professes to be light yet lacks love, is not of God; while that which calls itself love, but is not according to light is equally not of God."

J. Charleton Steen


*(1 John 1:5; 4:8).

Charity & Its Fruits: Lecture VI

"Love...does not envy..." -1 Corinthians 13:4

DOCTRINAL TRUTH FROM THIS TEXT:

"CHARITY, OR A TRULY CHRISTIAN SPIRIT, IS THE VERY OPPOSITE OF AN ENVIOUS SPIRIT.

Jonathan Edwards, Charity And Its Fruits, (Banner of Truth Trust, 1998), p. 111.

Charity & Its Fruits: Lecture V

"Love is patient and kind..." -1 Corinthians 13:4

DOCTRINAL TRUTH FROM THIS TEXT:

"CHARITY, OR A TRULY CHRISTIAN SPIRIT, WILL DISPOSE US FREELY TO DO GOOD TO OTHERS."

Jonathan Edwards, Charity And Its Fruits, (Banner of Truth Trust, 1998), p. 96.

Happy Birthday, Hannah!!

Today my wife is 25 years old! 

Hannah, I love you more than you will ever know. Thank you for being the best wife, friend, companion, and lover. I am so thankful for you. You truly are the love of my life. I can't wait to spend years upon years with you, if the Lord sees fit. I hope you have the best day ever, babe.

“There is no more lovely, friendly, and charming relationship, communion, or company than a good marriage.”

Martin Luther, (1483-1546).

Stoning of Stephen

"The best testimony that Stephen bore was his last: not when preaching and working miracles, but when he pleaded for his persecutors; for then he most resembled the Lord Jesus in patience, forgiveness and love."

Robert C. Chapman

Charity & Its Fruits: Lecture IV

"Love is patient and kind..." -1 Corinthians 13:4

DOCTRINAL TRUTH FROM THIS TEXT:

"CHARITY, OR A TRULY CHRISTIAN SPIRIT, WILL DISPOSE US MEEKLY TO BEAR THE EVIL THAT IS RECEIVED FROM OTHERS, OR THE INJURIES THAT OTHERS MAY DO TO US."

Jonathan Edwards, Charity And Its Fruits, (Banner of Truth Trust, 1998), p. 67. 

Charity & Its Fruits: Lecture III

"If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing." -1 Corinthians 13:3

DOCTRINAL TRUTH FROM THIS TEXT:

"ALL THAT MEN CAN DO, AND ALL THAT THEY CAN SUFFER, CAN NEVER MAKE UP FOR THE WANT OF SINCERE CHRISTIAN LOVE IN THE HEART."

Jonathan Edwards, Charity And Its Fruits, (Banner of Truth Trust, 1998), p. 52. 

Lack of Love

"I may be straight doctrinally, as straight as an icicle, and just as cold--so very doctrinal, yet ineffective in my ministry because of lack of love."

T.J. Bach, Quotable Quotations, (SP Publications, 1985), p. 224.

Charity & Its Fruits: Lecture II

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." -1 Corinthians 13:1-2

DOCTRINAL TRUTH FROM THIS TEXT:

"THE ORDINARY INFLUENCE OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD, WORKING THE GRACE OF CHARITY IN THE HEART, IS A MORE EXCELLENT BLESSING THAN ANY OF THE EXTRAORDINARY GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT."

Jonathan Edwards, Charity And Its Fruits, (Banner of Truth Trust, 1998), p. 28.

Charity & Its Fruits: Lecture I

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing." -1 Corinthians 13:1-3

DOCTRINAL TRUTH FROM THIS TEXT:

"ALL THE VIRTUE THAT IS SAVING, AND THAT DISTINGUISHES TRUE CHRISTIANS FROM OTHERS, IS SUMMED UP IN CHRISTIAN LOVE."

Jonathan Edwards, Charity And Its Fruits, (Banner of Truth Trust, 1998), p. 3.

Charity & Its Fruits: Intro

I will be conducting a series of quotes/doctrines of Jonathan Edwards from his book Charity And Its Fruits. The book is essentially an exposition of 1 Corinthians 13, which Edwards divides into 16 "Lectures" (chapters). Each post will be a quote of Edwards' opinion of the overriding doctrinal truth from each lecture/section of the text. To get us ready for this lengthy series, below is the text with which we will be dealing. Enjoy!

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

          1 Corinthians 13, (English Standard Version). 

What Really Matters?

"To look is one thing.
To see what you look at is another.
To understand what you see is a third.
To learn from what you understand is still something else.
But to act on what you learn is all that really matters, isn't it?"

Harvard Business Review, Quotable Quotations, (SP Publications, 1985), p. 212.

Missions

"Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever."

John Piper, Let The Nations Be Glad!, (Baker Academic, 2003), p. 1.

U.S. President Barack Obama

"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed."

Romans 13:1-7,  (English Standard Version).

Gospel: Not A Means To A Greater End

"The gospel--the Good News of God's justification of sinners in Christ--is not a means to a greater end. It is not one theme among many. It is not something we use in order to go on to something more important, more relevant, and more practical. It is the ocean that we swim in, the air we breathe, the identity that defines us.

"...The Bible's "big story" does not make a point; it is the point...

"The gospel is not a general belief in heaven and hell or hope for a better life beyond; it is not even a confidence in a resurrection at the end of the age. It is the announcement that Jesus Christ himself is our life, for he is our peace with God. He does not merely show us the way; he is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6)."

Michael Horton, The Gospel-Driven Life, (BakerBooks, 2009), p. 79-80.

Even Angels Hide From God's Holiness

"Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying." (Isaiah 6:2)

"The seraphim are not sinful humans burdened with impure hearts. Yet as angelic beings, they are still creatures, and even in their lofty status as consorts of the heavenly host it is necessary for them to shield their eyes from a direct gaze on the face of God. They are fearfully and wonderfully made, equipped by their Creator with a special pair of wings to cover their faces in His majestic presence.

"The seraphim have a second pair of wings. The second pair is used to cover their feet. This equipment is not intended as a sort of angelic shoe to protect the soles of their feet or to facilitate walking in the heavenly temple. The covering of the feet is for a different reason, a reason reminiscent of Moses' experience with the burning bush:

There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight--why the bush does not burn up."

When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses, Moses!"

And Moses said, "Here I am."

"Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." (Exodous 3:2-5)

"God commanded Moses to take off his shoes. Moses was standing on holy ground. The ground was made holy by the presence of God. The act of removing the shoes was a symbol of Moses' recognition that he was of the earth--earthly. Human feet, sometimes called "feet of clay," symbolize our creatureliness. It is our feet that link us to the earth.

"The seraphim are not of the earth Their feet are not made of clay. As angels, they are spirit beings. Nevertheless they remain creatures, the imagery of Isaiah's vision suggests that they too must cover their feet, acknowledging their creatureliness in the exalted presence of God." 

R.C. Sproul, The Holiness of God, (Tyndale, 1998), p. 23-24.

"Fall Back": Marking This Year's End Of Daylight Savings Time

"An extra yawn one morning in the springtime, an extra snooze one night in the autumn is all that we ask in return for dazzling gifts. We borrow an hour one night in April; we pay it back with golden interest five months later." 

Winston Churchill, (1874-1965).

Aspiring The Status And Position Of God

"The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate." (Proverbs 8:13)

"...none of us are immune to the logic-defying, blinding effects of pride. Though it shows up in different forms and to differing degrees, it infects us all. The real issue here is not if pride exists in your heart; it's where pride exists and how pride is being expressed in your life. Scripture shows us that pride is strongly and dangerously rooted in all our lives, far more than most of us care to admit or even think about...Why does God hate pride so passionately? Here's why: Pride is when sinful human beings aspire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon Him...Pride takes innumerable forms but has only one end: self-glorification. That's the motive and ultimate purpose of pride--to rob God of legitimate glory and to pursue self-glorification, contending for supremacy with Him. The proud person seeks to glorify himself and not God, thereby attempting in effect to deprive God of something only He is worthy to receive. No wonder God opposes pride. No wonder He hates pride. Let that truth sink into your thinking.

C. J. Mahaney, Humility: True Greatness, (Multnomah Books, 2005), p. 29, 31 & 32.

'Love The Sinner, Hate The Sin'

"I remember that when Christian teachers told me long ago that I must hate a bad man's actions but not the man, I used to think this a silly, straw-splitting distinction: how could you hate what a man did and not hate the man? But years later it occurred to me that there was one man to whom I had been doing this all my life--namely myself."

C. S. Lewis, (1898-1963).

Love & Marriage

"As you gave the ring to one another and have now received it a second time from the hand of the pastor, so love comes from you, but marriage from above, from God. As high as God is above man, so high are the sanctity, the rights, and the promise of love. It is not your love that sustains the marriage, but from now on, the marriage that sustains your love."

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison, (Touchstone, 1997), p. 27-28.