Quote - John MacArthur

"If we are truly born of God, we have a faith that cannot fail to overcome the world (1 John 5:4).  We may sin (1 John 2:1) - we will sin- but the process of sanctification can never stall completely.  God is at work in us (Phil. 2:13), and He will continue to perfect us until the day of Christ (Phil 1:6; 1 Thess. 5:23-24)."  The Gospel According to Jesus by John MacArthur (p. 33)

Why We Should Memorize Scripture - John Piper

I love this short video of John Piper's reasons to memorize Scripture.  It is a helpful reminder and an encouragement for us all to be more diligent in this task!



Memorizing Scripture....

1. makes meditation possible at times when you can't be reading the Bible and meditation is the pathway to deeper understanding.
2. strengthens my faith because faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of God and that happens when I am hearing the Word in my head.
3. shapes the way I view the world by conforming my mind to God's viewpoint on everything.
4. makes God's Word more readily accessible in overcoming temptation to sin because God's warnings and promises are the way we conquer the deceitful lies of the devil.
5. guards my mind, making it easier to detect error and the world is filled with error because the god of this worldis a liar.
6. enables me to hit the devil in the face with a force he cannot resist to protect myself and my family from his assaults.
7. provides the strongest and sweetest words for ministering to others in need
8. provides the matrix for fellowship with Jesus because He talks to me through His Word and nowhere else.

HT: Matt Hess & Michael Kelley

Carnal Christianity - B.B. Warfield's Response to Lewis Sperry Chafer

"'It is a grievous error to teach that a true believer in Christ can stop short in 'carnality.'"

"[Lewis Sperry] Chafer's characterization of the carnal man actually 'assigns to the lower class [of Christians] practically all the marks of the unregenerate man.'"

"He who believes in Jesus Christ is under grace, and his whole course, in its process and in its issue alike, is determined by grace, and therefore, having been predestined to be conformed to the image of God's Son, he is surely being conformed to that image, God Himself seeing to it that he is not only called and justified but also glorified.  You may find Christians at every stage of this process, for it is a process through which all must pass; but you will find none who will not in God's own good time and way pass through every stage of it.  There are not two kinds of Christians, although there are Christians at every conceivable stage of advancement..."

quoted from B.B. Warfield's "Review of Chafer" (p.326-327) in Christ the Lord: The Reformation and Lordship Salvation Edited by Michael S.Horton (p.161-162)