This week we had one new visitor in our afternoon service. We also had a blessed day in the Lord as we considered his provisions for our unworthiness.
The Source of a Reprobate Religious Mind (Rm 3.5-8)
Paul concludes his argument with the Religious man as he imagines the final objections of his Jewish opponent. Paul asserts that all men, Jews and Gentiles are alike under the judgement of God. The Religious man objects that this makes his religion pointless, that surely God will still keep his promises in spite of the unbelief of ’some’ and finally that if God’s righteousness is magnified by man’s sin, surely God would be unjust to condemn man’s sin. In fact, the objector should say, we might as well sin the more, in order to make God look better. Paul strenuously dismisses these arguments as unworthy of any consideration. The Religious man stands subject to judgement as every other man.
Pilgrim’s Progress (2): At the House Beautiful
The family of believers arrive at the House Beautiful, Bunyan’s image of the local church where they gain assurance of salvation, catechising of the young, the dangers of marrying unbelievers, the healing of evil influences (by a medicine called ‘ex carne et sanguine Christi‘), and several lessons for future meditation.
He is Unclean (Lev 13) [Communion: Leviticus]
In Lev 13, we find the first chapter of laws concerning leprosy. Our message gives some of the mundane organizational details of the chapter, then distinguishes what sort of diseases are in view in Lev 13-14. As most have come to believe, the ‘leprosy’ of these chapters could not have been what we know of today as leprosy. The diseases were less serious, and in some ways a bit more puzzling to us, considering the severe response of banishment from the community (Lev 13.45-46). As we close the message, we attempt to see the point: man in his uncleanness and sin is banished from the presence of God, but our sin-bearer, the one who heals our diseases, rips open the veil covering the Holy of holies, giving us the right of access to God.
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