Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God

Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer (Downer’s Grove: IVP, 1991, 126 pp)

Personal evangelism has been on my mind frequently the last few months, as a Christian who ought to be thinking carefully how to better articulate the Gospel, and as a pastor needing to lead my congregation through the same thought process. I have read several articles and books during that time, all which seemed to reference J.I. Packer’s Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, which I finished last week. Packer’s aim is to explain why personal evangelism and the doctrine of God’s sovereignty can and ought to coexist in our minds and practice. The 127 page book is broken down into four chapters of unequal length: “Divine Sovereignty,” “Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility,” “Evangelism,” and “Divine Sovereignty and Evangelism.”

Packer’s explanation of God’s sovereignty in chapter one was as clear and compelling as any of his arguments in Knowing God. He asserts from the beginning that he has no intention of trying to “prove” the sovereignty of God to Christians, because he doesn’t need to. Every Christian deep down believes in God’s sovereignty:

“. . . I know that, if you are a Christian, you pray; and the recognition of God’s sovereignty is the basis of your prayers. In prayer, you ask for things and give thanks for things. Why? Because you recognize that God is the author and source of all the good that you have already, and all the good that you hope for in the future . . . In effect, therefore, what what we do every time we pray is to confess our own impotence and God’s sovereignty.” (11-12)

I think this is precisely the way we should present God’s sovereignty in our preaching – not as a controversial doctrine to be defended, but from Christian experience and Biblical texts where it is simply assumed that the one who has created all things necessarily rules all things, and brings about every one of his own good purposes. It is not a point of controversy, and we ought not treat it as though it is. Alongside that, as Packer shows, we should display a passion for souls in evangelism.

I found Packer’s explanation of what evangelism and the message Gospel are to be one of the most helpful sections in the book. Packer tells us that the Gospel message is made up of at least four components: It is a message about God and his character, a message about sin, a message about the person and work of Christ, and it is a summons to repentance and faith. Packer’s theologically astute tracing out of each of these components provides an excellent resource for anyone preparing to go out and evangelize or who is training others to do so. 

Finally, Packer makes all the right practical points in his final chapter when he explains why a robust understanding of God’s sovereignty should always strengthen our passion for evangelism. It is the rock solid knowledge that God saves even the chief of sinners through the proclamation of the Gospel from the most fragile of vessels that should stir us and send us out. We are not like Encyclopedia salesmen having to convince people to buy something they don’t really need by our own power and cleverness, hoping against hope that we can win them over. Instead, we are heralds of the salvation of God. This means, as Packer notes in closing, that the work of evangelism must always drive us to prayer:

“. . . there are two sides to the evangelistic commission. It is a commission, not only to preach, but to pray; not only to talk to men about God, but to talk to God about men. Preaching and prayer must go together; our evangelism will not be according to knowledge, nor will it be blessed, unless they do. We are to preach, because without knowledge of the Gospel, no man can be saved. We are to pray, because only the sovereign Holy Spirit in us and in men’s hearts can make our preaching effective to men’s salvation, and God will not send His Spirit where there is no prayer.” (124)

This highly recommended book was an excellent read, and if you are at all familiar with the territory he is covering, it is a fairly quick one as well. Like Packer’s Knowing God, it represents the best kind of theological writing - the kind that drives us out to exalt Christ through the proclamation of the Gospel.

Trusting in a Savior, Not Simply a Saving Work

J.I. Packer makes the excellent point that the call to saving faith is belief in Christ himself, a living person who deals with our sins, rather faith simply in a work or a theory of atonement. This is, of course, a point that comes out forcefully and beautifully in the Gospels as sinful men and women encounter the Lord Jesus. I found this to be a much needed corrective for my own Gospel preaching and personal evangelism. . .  

We must not present the saving work of Christ apart from his person. 

Evangelistic preachers and personal workers have sometimes been known to make this mistake. In their concern to focus attention on the atoning death of Christ, as the sole sufficient ground on which sinners may be accepted with God, they have expounded the summons to saving faith in these terms: ‘Believe that Christ died for your sins.’ The effect of this exposition is to represent the saving work of Christ in the past, dissociated from his person in the present, as the whole object of our trust. But it is not Biblical thus to isolate the work from the Worker. Nowhere in the New Testament is the call to believe expressed in such terms. What the New Testament calls for is faith in (en) or into (eis) or upon (epi) Christ Himself - the placing of our trust in the living Savior, who died for our sins. The object of faith is thus not, strictly speaking, the atonement, but the Lord Jesus Christ, who made atonement. We must not in presenting the gospel isolate the cross and its benefits from the Christ whose cross it was. For the persons to whom the benefits of Christ’s death belong are just those who trust his person, and believe, not upon his saving death simply, but upon Him, the living Saviour. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,” said Paul. “Come unto me . . . and I shall give you rest,” said our Lord. 

J.I. Packer, Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God, 65-66.

Broken by the Public Reading of Scripture

I had the rare and humbling privilege of preaching in another congregation in my former home of Jackson, TN, this past Sunday. For the first time in almost a year, I found myself in a service of gathered worship in which I was neither the resident pastor nor the worship leader. I had played no role in crafting the order of service nor in picking the hymns. I was not thinking about Biblically shaping my people into a certain kind of thoughtful, affectionate group of worshipers through my prayers and remarks. On this Lord’s Day morning, others were attending to all of that wonderful work, and my only responsibility was simply to get up and preach at the appointed time. 

I sat somewhat uneasily with my wife as we awaited for the service to begin. Part of me was feeling a mix of homesickness and slight guilt for being away from my own dear church, wishing I was there with them. Part of me was nervous about trying to proclaim God’s Word before many old friends and brothers I respected very much. Part of me was trying to keep from thinking about any of these things at all and simply prepare to worship with Christ’s church. All of this mental tug-of-war is taking place while the pastor works his way through the morning’s announcements. 

When the announcements were completed, he announced the text for the morning’s call to worship, and invited us all to stand out of reverence for the reading of God’s Word. The Scripture to which he turned was Psalm 32. For years, this has Psalm has been the most precious to me in all of Scripture, because it tells so well my own story of how the Lord mercifully laid his heavy hand upon me in my sin and crushed my bones until he had brought me to repentance of my wretched sin and joyful faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I think Psalm 32 was one of those “penitential psalms” that Augustine had written on the wall for his meditation as he lay on his death bed. Martin Luther called it one of the “Pauline psalms.” Every word of it drips the grace of Christ. 

The pastor began reading, “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered . . .” My mind was instantly taken back to the days of my rebellion and careless self-indulgence. How could I have been so vile to sin against the God who had given me life and breath and everything? Then I remembered the miserable days that gave way to sleepless nights as the Lord began to do business with my soul. I lowered my head and began to weep quietly as he read on, ” I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. . .” My heart flooded with emotion as I considered the kindness and mercy of God to me in making me a different man than I had been. Here I sat beside a beautiful, godly wife, preparing to herald the Gospel of my salvation to the people of God. I am still so sinful, but oh what a different set of affections he has given me. He is patiently, relentlessly, certainly saving me by his grace.

When the reading was done the musicians began to play, but I could not sing the words. I could not even lift my head in the presence of this magnificent God. I did not become even moderately composed until I stepped behind the pulpit a half an hour later. 

I share this lengthy, personal narrative at the risk of appearing a spiritual narcissist, drawing attention to my own deep religious experiences. I do not mean to do this. I hate the idea of this. I share it instead because I was left as broken as the thief on the cross, not by some intense musical worship set, nor even by passionate preaching, but by the public reading of Scripture. And I am not the only one to whom the Gospel is precious and personal. I am not the only one who ever has or ever is affected by the Spirit of God operating powerfully through and with the divinely inspired Word of God. This is how God in his wisdom has designed to reveal himself. 

The public reading of Scripture. Brothers, let us devote ourselves to it. (1 Tim 4:13)

Fly to Christ!

The Puritans often used a phrase which I love to describe the Gospel call to sinners – - “Fly to Christ!” This is the urgent plea you will find on the lips of John Bunyan and Thomas Watson, George Whitefield and Charles Spurgeon. Though I think this call to the unconverted is marvelously faithful to the Biblical model of Gospel proclamation, I do not think I have ever heard the phrase used by a preacher, even in an impassioned post-sermon invitation. I think we are the poorer for it, and I have already begun an effort to recover it in the Gospel conversation at my own church. Why? Here are four reasons.

The call, “Fly to Christ!” is so descriptive of the peril of our plight in sin. Man apart from Christ is but a heartbeat away from an eternity in torment for rebellion against his Maker. John 3:36 tells us that the righteous wrath of God burns against the sinner right now, hanging over our heads every second that he rejects God’s Son. It is simply impossible to overstate the grave danger in which every sinful human being finds his or herself. They are not simply living below their potential, settling for a second-rate existence, or missing out on love and acceptance: they are literally in danger as they sit and listen because they have so brazenly and repeatedly violated the law of God. Though it is neither popular nor pleasant to make listeners feel uncomfortable and disturbed, this is precisely how they ought to feel in their unconverted state, and how they must necessarily feel if they ever are to be roused from their indifference toward God. We must fly to Christ.  

The call, “Fly to Christ!” is also descriptive of the urgency of our need to flee. Though as preachers we should shun all tactics which manipulate people into performing some ritual like walking an ailse or praying a prayer, nevertheless we must make clear the urgency of the plight of the lost. Much like televison meteorologists who set aside their calm, professional demeanor and begin shouting and begging for their listeners to take cover during a destructive tornado, so must the herald of this Gospel call alert his hearers that we are not promised one moment longer. They must and we must never take the proclamation of the Gospel lightly, delaying our repentance for a more convenient time. Scripture tells us instead that Now is the acceptable time! The armies of the Kingdom of God, as it were, are on the march against all those who oppose the great King. The King has published terms of Gospel peace which will allow enemies to lay down their arms and bow to his rule, but his armies continue to steadily advance as the treaty remains neglected. And so, while there is yet time, we are urged to fly to Christ.

The call, “Fly to Christ!” is descriptive of the necessity of repentance in salvation. Fleeing to Christ necessarily means nothing less than fleeing away from sin and rebellion. Perhaps the most vivid image of what this looks like can be found in the opening pages of Pilgrim’s Progress. Here we are told that a young man is holding a book in his hands, weeping loudly because of the conviction under which the Word has brought him. Then, a man named “Evangelist” instructs him in what he should do: “flee the wrath to come!” He must run, as fast as he can, to the wicket gate at the top of the hill, allowing nothing to stop or slow him. He must flee his home in the City of Destruction if he is to find life in the Celestial City. So must we run away from our sin and our defiance of God, precisely because we are dwelling in a city whose destruction is sealed. It is no true Gospel call that does not clearly and earnestly plead with listeners to repent and believe upon the Lord Jesus – - to flee from sin and flee to Christ.

Finally, the call of, “Fly to Christ!” is so descriptive of the object of our faith: Christ himself. Though this may seem obvious, I believe it is often obscured in many of our invitations today. We more hear the call to “make a decision,” turn over a new leaf and, though rarely put in so many words, ’save ourselves’ through our own efforts. The object of faith becomes our own response – the walking of an ailse, the praying of a prayer, the overwhelming emotion felt during a service. But the Gospel demands not that we put our trust in any of these things, but in Christ himself. We are not saving ourselves, but fleeing to a Savior. We are running as fast as we can to a person, to a crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ. We come to Christ, convinced of his sufficiency to save us from the judgement and wrath of God which we so rightly deserve, believing that he has laready borne our punishment and come through it in resurrection victory. We flee to him the way the Israelites in days of old would flee to a city of refuge when the avenger of blood was pursuing them. We flee to him and only him – quickly, desperately, and we take shelter in all that he is and all that he is done. We fly to Christ, so that Jesus himself becomes the chief object of trust and affection and joy for the saved sinner, for all eternity. We must fly to Christ!

Interview with Dr. James Patterson

Dr. James Patterson is a University Professor and Associate Dean of the School of Christian Studies at Union University in Jackson, TN. Dr. Patterson earned a Masters of Divinity from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary. At Union, Dr. Patterson was my professor in Old Testament Survey and Great Texts and Theologians, an excellent course in historical theology. He was also a faithful fellow member of Englewood Baptist Church in Jackson, TN, where he still serves as a deacon.

 

 

1. Could you describe how you came to faith in Christ?

When I was 10 years old, I responded at a summer camp to a gospel call and accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior.  I was later baptized in my home church after completing a discipleship class with the pastor.

2. Could you describe your call to ministry?

As a college student at a secular, state university I came to a realization during my sophomore year that the Lord was calling me to “full-time Christian service.”  At that point I began investigating seminaries and eventually enrolled at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.  Late in my seminary experience I sensed that the Lord was directing me to a ministry in Christian higher education, so I went on to Ph.D. work in church history.

3. Could you describe your personal devotional time (what time of day, what it consists of, whether or not you pray according to a list/schedule for various people, use a Bible reading plan, etc.)?

I prefer mornings for my major devotional time. My prayer includes a list of people and organizations that I pray for regularly, our church prayer sheet (distributed Wed. evenings), and the daily list of missionaries in Open Windows.  I have a Bible reading plan–I simply work through the Bible, chapter-by-chapter.  I also use the daily devotional reading in Open Windows.

4. Which two or three books outside of the Bible have had the greatest impact on you? Are there any authors from the past or present of whom you would recommend we read all their works? Why?

I have been influenced by C. S. Lewis, esp. Mere Christianity, Augustine’s Confessions and City of God, Luther’s Bondage of the Will, Calvin’s Institutes, Edwards’s Religious Affections, J. I. Packer’s Knowing God, and several books by David Wells (e.g., Above All Earthly Pow’rs).  I think that it is better to sample several Christian authors than to try to read any single writer’s entire corpus.

5. Because the Puritans are of special interest to me, is there any Puritan work which you have found to be particularly helpful? Why?

Richard Baxter’s Reformed Pastor is helpful for those in pastoral ministry.  I consider John Bunyan to be in the Puritan tradition, and recommend Pilgrim’s Progress and Grace Abounding.  Several of John Owen’s books are worthwhile, including The Death of Death.

6. What is your role in the local church right now? Why is it important to you to take part in this?

I am active at Englewood Baptist as a deacon, Sunday school teacher, and ESL tutor.  I have served 2 consecutive terms as deacon chair at a time when the church was transitioning from a retiring pastor to a much younger pastor.  I consider the local church to be the real center of what God is doing in the world and thus a very high priority for me.

7. What do you find to be the most discouraging and the most encouraging in your ministry, leadership position, or walk with Christ?

The most discouraging thing is church people who are not really committed to Christ or the local body of believers.  The most encouraging thing is the significant number of people that I fellowship with at my church who are truly clued in to the kingdom.

8. If there was one word of advice, encouragement, or challenge to pastors, what would it be?

Preach the Word responsibly, conscientiously, and consistently and let the chips fall where they will.

Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health

Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health by Donald S. Whitney, Navpress, 2001, 140 pp.

After finding his writings so helpful in my own spiritual development, I decided a couple of months ago that it would be wise to purchase and read all of Donald Whitney’s books. All of his books could fall under the category of “Biblical Spirituality.” In truth, he is articulating the golden instruction of Puritan biblical teaching in how to grow in grace through the disciplined use of the means God has prescribed in His Word. His illustrations from church history, occasional references to small town southern living (he’s from Osceola, AR, right across the River from me), and wisdom from fifteen-plus years of pastoral ministry all resonate particularly deeply with me. Clearly, I am a big fan, and several members of my church have expressed their appreciation of his Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life as well, which we have been working through in reading groups.

Last week I completed Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, a 140 page but profound examination of the soul. From the introduction: “My purpose in writing these pages is to act as a physician of the soul – to ask questions and suggest spiritual tests that can, by the help of the Holy Spirit, enable you to self-diagnose your spiritual health.” (13) The ten questions comprise the ten chapters, and include such soul-searching questions as, “Do you still grieve over sin?” and “Are you increasingly governed by God’s Word?” To read a free sample chapter, ‘Do you thirst for God?”, click here. I found it very manageable  to read one chapter in the mornings along with my personal Bible reading, and never failed to be edified.

The application for pastoral ministry is obvious. As physicians of the souls of our people, these are just the sorts of questions we should be leading them through. This could be accomplished by recommending the book, of course, but also in our private conversations. In my short experience, I have already found the questions of “Are you a quicker forgiver?” and “Do you delight in the bride of Christ?” to be essential questions to be unpacked in sermons, discipleship, and even in personal evangelism. I would be very interested to know how Dr. Whitney has used these questions in his own pastoral ministry. I highly recommend this book for pastors, for church book studies, for individual Christians. I intend to refer back to it often.

Interview with Dr. Walton Padelford

I am always encouraged and challenged by conversations with godly brothers who have been following the Way longer than I have. I have asked a few such men the Lord has placed in my life to consent to a brief interview concerning their pursuit of godliness through personal devotion and the local church which will be posted here periodically over the next few weeks.

The first brother I would like to introduce to you  is Dr. Walton Padelford, University Professor of Economics in the McAfee School of Business at Union University, and elder at Christ Community Church in Jackson, TN.  

 

  1. Could you describe how you came to faith in Christ? 

I believed in Christ as a young lad under the influence of my mother and father and my local church.

2. Could you describe your call to ministry? 

I was involved with my vocation of teaching economics and the call of God sort of developed over time.  I began to be more seriously involved in discipleship when I was around 26 years old.  I began to read Scripture every day and pray.  One thing led to another and ministry opportunities opened up for my wife and me.  This eventually led to some evangelism opportunities overseas with Campus Crusade for Christ, my wife and I learned Spanish in which I still teach Bible and preach.  One never knows what kind of ministry the Lord will open up.

3. Could you describe your personal devotional time (what time of day, what it consists of, whether or not you pray according to a list/schedule for various people, use a Bible reading plan, etc.)?      

I read the Bible and pray in the morning, early.  My Bible reading has at times been systematic (a book at a time, or reading through the Bible), and sometimes I have followed no plan, but may spend time in the Psalms.  I particularly love the Psalms and Proverbs.  Right now, I have a prayer book with some classic prayers from some of the church Fathers, some Scripture and the names of everyone in my local congregation (I am one of four elders).  I have divided the names into four sections and try to pray for one section of individuals per day.

4. Which two or three books outside of the Bible have had the greatest impact on you? Are there any authors from the past or present of whom you would recommend we read all their works? Why?     

The Cost of Discipleship and Letters and Papers from Prison by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  I would recommend those two plus Life Together and Ethics by Bonhoeffer.  I find him always challenging and refreshing.  I started my theological journey with Arthur Pink, particularly his commentary on the Gospel of John and commentary on Hebrews.  Very strong stuff.  You might not agree with all of it, but strong and biblical.  Learning Theology with the Church Fathers, and Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers by Christopher Hall.  These are very good at explaining the viewpoint and methodology of the Church Fathers–Patristic theology.  I believe that this is a refreshing antidote in our day of “anything goes” evangelism and cultural appeasement by the Church.

5. Because the Puritans are of special interest to me, is there any Puritan work which you have found to be particularly helpful? Why?      

The only Puritan I have read in recent memory is John Owen, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ.  I find Owen some difficult to read, however the preface to The Death of Death by J.I. Packer is worth the price of the book.

6. As a pastor, do you have a particular strategy for continuing to study and learn? When do you do this? Why is this important to you?     

I am one of four elders in my local church.  I am always reading something, and I plan to continue.  I am working on a large project now.  If I ever finish I think I would like to try to read much of Karl Barth.

7. What do you find to be the most discouraging and the most encouraging in your ministry, leadership position, or walk with Christ?          

The most encouraging thing in my walk with Christ is the real relationship that exists between us.  When I pray, there is someone there rather than just talking to myself.  This relationship is a constant source of encouragement for me.

8. If there was one word of advice, encouragement, or challenge to pastors, what would it be?   

For young pastors, I would say continue your own theological reading and study.  Do your own work in Scripture and your own exegesis.  Consider at least some of the time preaching verse by verse through some book of the Bible.  This will force you to deal with sublime issues as well as problem / controversial issues.  Stay with the Scripture. It continues to change our lives and will also change the life of your congregation.

More Pastoral Visitation Questions

The pastoral visitation questions from Mark Dever considered in the last post were few in number and (realtively) open-ended. Here is a much more comprehensive, specific set of questions from Paul Martin, based on his church’s covenant. These are used in scheduled elder visits, as well as in intentional times of fellowship among members. I think there are particular strengths to both sets of questions.  

Your Spiritual Life
1. Describe your spiritual health (growing, stagnant, stuck, joyful, strong, etc).
2. Are you reading the Bible? What are you currently reading?
3. Are you regularly praying? Do you pray for the members (use the directory)?
4. In what areas have you discerned God’s grace changing you?
5. Are there particular sins you are finding it difficult to repent of or that seem to keep tripping you up?

Your Life in the World, but Not of the World
1. Are you handling your money in a way that glorifies God?
2. How is your time management? Too busy? Lazy?
3. Are there any New Testament commands that you know you should obey but you are not?
4. Has anyone addressed sins in your life recently? How did you respond? What changes have taken place in your life since then?
5. When is the last time you evangelized someone?
6. Have you been guilty of sins like gossip, outbursts of anger, lying, cheating, or taking pleasure in evil?
7. If you work outside of the home, would your co-workers consider you to be just, honest, faithful, God-glorifying and hard working?
8. Are you living the life of a good citizen; paying taxes, fulfilling societal obligations, serving your neighbours, etc?

Your Life at Home
1. Describe your home life. Is it a happy place to be? What changes would improve your home life?

Husband:
1. Are you leading your wife? Are you romancing her and wooing her? Are you loving her as Christ loved the church?
2. Have you been leading your wife/family in some form of devotions?

Father:
1. Do you know the spiritual condition of your children?
2. Are you shepherding their hearts?
3. Are you teaching your children the Gospel and calling them to turn to Jesus?

Wife:
1. Are you following your husband in everything?
2. What are some areas that you find it difficult to submit to him?

Mother:
1. Do you know the spiritual condition of your children?
2. Are you shepherding their hearts?
3. Are you teaching your children the Gospel and calling them to turn to Jesus?

Singles:
1. Are you content with being single?
2. Do you have any habits or living patterns that are not conducive to spiritual growth?
3. How are you building strong Christian friendships with others?
4. If you desire marriage, how are you preparing for that gift now?

Pastoral Visitation Questions from Mark Dever

A difficult element of private pastoral ministry for me is simply knowing the right questions to ask. Because we see “spiritual conversation” rarely modeled, it can be daunting to sit across the table from a church member you want to disciple, but can think of nothing but endless questions about baseball and food and the weather (though there is a place for this sort of conversation too). It is nice in such a situation to have a few ‘go-to’ questions, and I ran across these suggestions from Mark Dever that I found helpful. They are designed for regular pastoral visitation, so may need some alteration in a conversation where such questions may be unexpected. They will also probably require further explanation, and vague answers may require further probing. Nevertheless, they seem to be good way to get the conversation started.

• In what particular way have you grown in your understanding of the Christian life since we last met?
• In what particular way have you grown in your practice of the Christian life since we last met?
• In what particular way do you feel that you need instruction?
• In what particular way are you disappointed in your own pursuit of holiness?
• How, specifically, can I pray for you?

Nine Marks of a Healthy Church (Wheaton: Crossway, 2004), 212

Christ, Our Righteous One

Have you ever been taken aback by the bold language of some of the psalmists when they speak about their own righteousness? Consider two examples:

Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry!
   Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
From your presence let my vindication come!
   Let your eyes behold the right!

 You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night,
   you have tested me, and you will find nothing;
   I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips
   I have avoided the ways of the violent.
My steps have held fast to your paths;
   my feet have not slipped.

Psalm 17:1-5

Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
   And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
   who does not lift up his soul to what is false
   and does not swear deceitfully.
He will receive blessing from the LORD
   and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

Psalm 24:3-5

These are the sorts of confessions that we could never make with our own lips. If we rose up at 4:30 in the morning for our quiet time, we would already have lifted up our hearts to unclean things before we ever rise from morning prayer. Even our holiest acts are tainted with sin – a desire to be recognized, impure motives, etc. So what do we do with these psalms? The very God-inspired prayers and praises intended to give us comfort and hope have left us in utter despair.

This is the same position we might find ourselves after reading the apostle’ John’s statement in 1 John 2:1, “My little children, I write these things to you so that they may not sin.” After speaking about the universal sinfulness of men in the 1:5-10, John urges his listeners not to use this robust hamartiology as an excuse to take a lax stance toward sin. Instead, they are to hate it. They are to fight it. And yet, sin remains a reality in every Christian, and if John stopped writing here, as though our life in Christ depended all on our ability to keep our hands clean, we would have cause for despair.

But John doesn’t leave us there. As Lloyd-Jones put it, he gives them a command, and then comfort; an exhortation, and then an encouragement. He calls us to fight, and then he points us to Christ. He tells them, “But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

Like the rest of the writers of the New Testament, John is concerned that we know that Jesus Christ is righteous. In every way, he is without sin. When he stands before the God “who is light, and in him is no darkness at all,” (1 John 1:5) the man Christ Jesus himself is spotless in his holiness. Consider the way the Gospel writers highlight the devotion of Christ to his Father, and his perfect obedience to the Law.

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. Mark 1:35

After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. Luke 2:46-51

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. . . So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. . . And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” John 4:34, 5:19, 8:29

The picture of Christ is not only one who is passively avoiding sin, as though he were in a bubble. Instead, we see a flesh-and-blood God-man, whose heart is aflame with zeal for his Father’s glory. This should be precious to believers as we read it. Why? Many might respond by saying, “Because Jesus shows us how we ought to live.” While Jesus is certainly the ultimate example of godliness for us to follow, this in itself is nothing to comfort a weary soul. If Christ is merely an example of perfection, we will all go to hell admiring his example from afar, because none of us are able to attain it for ourselves. His perfect obedience would be damning to us rather than saving. But the active righteousness of Jesus Christ is precious to believers, because he is a righteous man for us. The Gospel is not ultimately about an example to follow, but an exchange to be made. The man Christ Jesus takes our sin upon him at the cross, and gives us his righteousness. (2 Cor 5:21)

One of my favorite devotional exercises now as I read through the Psalms recently is to think of these prayers being lifted to God by Jesus Christ in the days of his flesh. This has brought incredible delight and satisfaction to my soul. Hear Jesus of Nazareth praying Psalm 24, “Oh Lord, who shall ascend to the mountain of the King, and stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false . . . ” Consider how many times, in how many ways, you have failed to live that out just today, and then realize that this is the reality for Christ all the days of his life. And if you are joined to Christ by faith through the Holy Spirit, that righteousness is yours.

Oh, beloved, think often on the righteousness of Christ this Holy Week. When the fight against sin becomes so heavy, when you feel at the point of despair over your continued sin, remember that you have been given a righteousness in Heaven that shall never be moved. Jesus Christ the righteous stands before God for you.