What a precious blessing you have getting to love God and your neighbor! Biblia.com Exodus 20:1-17 20 And God spoke all these words: 2  “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3  “You shall have no other gods before me. 4  “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5  You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6  but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7  “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. 8  “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10  but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11  For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 12  “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. 13  “You shall not murder. 14  “You shall not commit adultery. 15  “You shall not steal. 16  “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 17  “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Matthew 22:35-40 ...an expert in the law tested Jesus with this question: 36  “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37  Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  38  This is the first and greatest commandment. 39  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  40  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 5: The Inadequacy of the Law What is true of the light of nature is true also of the Ten Commandments  given by God through Moses  specifically to the Jews.  For humans cannot obtain saving grace through the Decalogue, because,  although it does expose the magnitude of their sin  and increasingly convict them of their guilt,  yet it does not offer a remedy or enable them to escape from human misery,  and, indeed, weakened as it is by the flesh, leaves the offender under the curse. Summary In the Reformed tradition, oftentimes as a part of Sunday’s worship service, the Ten Commandments are read in some way, shape, or form.  Whether it be a summary of the Law, a responsive reading, or reading through the Ten Commandments together as a congregation, we are reminded of God’s Law, and we need that reminder as it is God’s will for our lives, His will for how we are to live in relation to Him and our fellow man.  When we take a look at the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments) we find that the first four commandments deal with our relationship with God, while the remaining six deal with our relationships with our neighbors, those around us whether it be family, friends, co-workers, or the stranger we meet on the street or at the grocery store.  Our Lord Jesus summarizes this in the second of our two passages, telling us that the greatest commandment is that you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets ”.  Yet, as we’re reminded in both Scripture and the Canons, it is inadequate to save us.   Dig Deeper   We’ll dig more into what is meant by the Law’s inadequacy to save us in the days ahead, so for now, let’s take some time to reflect on God’s call to love Him and our neighbor together.  As believers in Christ, having been washed in the precious blood of the Lamb, this is God’s will for us. We do so through His grace and strength, not in order to be saved by it, but out of gratitude and love for all that He has done for us in Jesus’ perfect life, atoning death on the cross, and His victory over the grave which He graciously imparts to us!  Each and every day we have numerous opportunities to love God and our neighbor through our words, our actions, and even our thoughts.  Instead of worshipping all the false gods this world would have us chase after, we get to love God and worship Him solely.  Instead of lying to get ahead, we get to honor and glorify God in our honesty as He is Truth.  Instead of cutting someone down with our words or our actions, we get to see and treat our neighbor as a fellow image-bearer of God.  What opportunities do you have in your own life to love God and your neighbor?  Ask God to show you, and ask Him for the grace and strength to do so. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, the LORD our God, before whom we shall have no other gods; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the grace and strength to notice and act upon the opportunities you have to love God and your neighbor; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 12

It may seem like the wicked always prosper, but be reminded the LORD is King! DailyVerses.net CONTEXT: Psalm 10 is a direct extension of Psalm 9, which is attributed to David. Both psalms praise the LORD as the King forever, and both contain pleas for the LORD to come to the aid of His people. Psalm 10 1  Why, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? 2  In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises. 3  He boasts about the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord. 4  In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. 5  His ways are always prosperous; your laws are rejected by him; he sneers at all his enemies. 6  He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.” He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.” 7  His mouth is full of lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue. 8  He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent. His eyes watch in secret for his victims; 9  like a lion in cover he lies in wait. He lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net. 10  His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength. 11  He says to himself, “God will never notice; he covers his face and never sees.” 12  Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. 13  Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, “He won’t call me to account”? 14  But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. 15  Break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not otherwise be found out. 16  The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. 17  You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, 18  defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly men will never again strike terror. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 4: The Inadequacy of the Light of Nature There is, to be sure, a certain light of nature remaining in all people after the fall,  by virtue of which they retain some notions about God, natural things, and the difference between what is moral and immoral,  and demonstrate a certain eagerness for virtue and for good outward behavior.  But this light of nature is far from enabling humans to come to a saving knowledge of God and conversion to him— so far, in fact, that they do not use it rightly even in matters of nature and society.  Instead, in various ways they completely distort this light, whatever its precise character, and suppress it in unrighteousness.  In doing so all people render themselves without excuse before God. Summary Psalm 10 begins with one of life's most difficult words. Certainly the word why isn't hard to pronounce or define; what makes it so difficult is its persistence. Our why's never quite find the satisfaction they demand in the answers they're given. Why is one of the first questions a child learns and one of the last a person mutters before death. The why on David's mind as Psalm 10 begins is one of the most desperate of them all: Why, LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? Isn't it remarkable that someone that God described as being "a man after His own heart" would unload such an inquiry before Him? If even David felt abandoned by God at times, it's likely you will as well. Mark Futato, my former professor whose excellent commentary on the Psalms has been referenced often in this space this year, writes, There are times in our lives when it seems as if God is far off. God often seems distant, uninvolved, and unconcerned “in times of trouble” (9:9 and 10:1). Our personal anguish can become even more intense when, “in times of trouble,” we look around at those who have no time for God and who even despise God, yet they seem to be succeeding in every way. Psalms 9–10 teaches us how to respond in such situations. At the center of our response is our willingness to honestly pour out our heart to God, expressing to him exactly how we feel about his apparent distance and the apparent injustice of life. Such lamenting is not the complaining of ancient Israel in the wilderness, because surrounding this complaint is the plea for God to act. We may plead with the Lord in times of trouble. In spite of appearances, the Lord does see our trouble and grief. In his own time he will “arise” to help the helpless. With this assurance we can surround our sorrow with songs of praise.   Dig Deeper   The heart of David's lament helps illustrate this ugly doctrine of Total Depravity. This past week, we've come to understand that it doesn't mean that all people are totally evil. Rather, as the Canons put it, there is a certain light of nature remaining in all people after the fall. This light can often lead to what appears to be a blessed life. Part of David's angst in Psalm 10 stems from the fact that the ways of the wicked man are always prosperous. This light of nature seems so adequately bright to sinners that they often say to themselves "Nothing will ever shake me." They swear "No one will ever do me harm." But Canons go on to note that the wicked completely distort this light, whatever its precise character, and suppress it in unrighteousness. David poetically explains that the faint light of nature the wicked prosper under cements their own arrogance and pride , causing them to think that God will never notice that they reject His Law as they murder the innocent, catch the helpless, and crush their victims. But even in his deep lament, David knows the truth. He knows that the LORD is King for ever and ever, and that He sees the trouble of the afflicted. Our King is the helper of the fatherless and defends the oppressed. David knew, even here in the depths of Psalm 10, that God's grace is stronger than the wicked. You know that this grace has been forever applied to your life in and through our Savior, Jesus Christ, as you wait for God to replace the flickering, dim light of nature with the eternal light of His glory. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who hears the desire of the afflicted; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will not simply be led by the light of nature, but will instead follow the true light of God's Word; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 11

You must recognize, receive and believe into the True Light. John 1:6-14 (NIV) CONTEXT: This is part of the famous prologue that introduces John's gospel. 6  There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7  He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8  He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9  The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10  He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11  He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12  Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14  The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 4: The Inadequacy of the Light of Nature There is, to be sure, a certain light of nature remaining in all people after the fall,  by virtue of which they retain some notions about God, natural things, and the difference between what is moral and immoral,  and demonstrate a certain eagerness for virtue and for good outward behavior.  But this light of nature is far from enabling humans to come to a saving knowledge of God and conversion to him— so far, in fact, that they do not use it rightly even in matters of nature and society.  Instead, in various ways they completely distort this light, whatever its precise character, and suppress it in unrighteousness.  In doing so all people render themselves without excuse before God. Summary John doesn't waste any time establishing the theme of his gospel - contrasting the light of Christ with the darkness of the world. In doing so he introduces another John , the one often referred to as 'the baptist,' who came as a witness to testify concerning the coming true light. The sad fact in this happy passage announcing the light's arrival is that the world, which was made through Him, did not recognize Him. It's interesting how John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, frames Jesus' reception - or lack thereof. John doesn't describe the world's reaction to Jesus by using active tense words like reject or spurn, rather John uses reflexive & passive verbs here: the world simply did not recognize or receive the true light . This passive failure certainly led to active rebellion. The point here is that it's easy to think of sin as simply being a deliberate choice to act contrary to God's law (which it is). But John is helping demonstrate that it's even far more insidious: dark sin oozes out of people's rejection of the true light. In other words, the ugly and obvious acts commonly associated with sin begin as an inability to receive or even recognize truth. As the Canons put it, sin comes as the result of people completely distorting the true light... and suppressing it in unrighteousness.    Dig Deeper   Of course John didn't pen this prologue or write his gospel, three epistles and the Revelation to announce bad news. Quite the opposite! John holds out a massie promise here to those who do receive the true light and who believe in His name: He gave them the right to become children of God! Notice here how John combines a passive tense verb - receive - along with an active tense verb - believe . What a picture of how salvation works! The Holy Spirit regenerates those whom God has chosen for salvation. One way to understand this is that He opens the eyes of the elect so that they can't help but recognize the true light shining into the darkness. At this point, salvation is a passive process - we simply receive what the Spirit gives: recognition of Christ as our Savior. But this passive process gives way to a very active demand: you must believe. John has an interesting and unique way of describing belief in the true light. Literally translated, you must believe into Him. The people Jesus ministered amongst are a good example of what John means. Even those who crucified Jesus believed in Him; how could they not? He stood right there before them! But the those who had true faith, who recognized the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth, actively believed into Jesus by repenting. That is, they took all of their darkened, worldly ways of thinking and put all of their heart and soul and mind and strength into the True Light. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, whose children we now are because the True Light gave us the right; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that as a believer in the True Light that you would put all of your heart and soul and mind and strength into Him; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 10

The scary reality is that God always gives people what they want. Romans 1:18-32 (NIV) 18  The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19  since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. 21  For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23  and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. 24  Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25  They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. 26  Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27  In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28  Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29  They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30  slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31  they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32  Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 4: The Inadequacy of the Light of Nature There is, to be sure, a certain light of nature remaining in all people after the fall,  by virtue of which they retain some notions about God, natural things, and the difference between what is moral and immoral,  and demonstrate a certain eagerness for virtue and for good outward behavior.  But this light of nature is far from enabling humans to come to a saving knowledge of God and conversion to him— so far, in fact, that they do not use it rightly even in matters of nature and society.  Instead, in various ways they completely distort this light, whatever its precise character, and suppress it in unrighteousness.  In doing so all people render themselves without excuse before God. Summary Paul begins the greatest exposition of the gospel (Good News) ever written with the harshest proclamation of bad news ever written: The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against the godlessness and wickedness of people. But notice that, for as bad as what godlessness and wickedness are, they are simply the presenting symptoms of our sin. Our underlying problem, as we've seen so often these last couple of weeks, is noetic . That is, we have a thinking problem. People know God, because He's clearly seen and understood from what has been made. Therefore, claiming ignorance , or as it's often more attractively described as being agnostic, isn't an option. But sin causes people to suppress the plain truth about God, and consequently to fail to act upon this knowledge by glorifying and giving thanks to God. As a result, their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. In other words, the result of this thinking problem results in total depravity: people's intellect, emotions and volition are broken and useless. The scary reality is that God always gives people what they want. Three times in this passage, we read that God gave them over - first to their sinful desires, then to shameful lusts, and then finally to a depraved mind. At each stage, a person's capacity to think is further replaced by increasing sensual lusts which lead to increasingly deviant sexual behavior.   Dig Deeper   So if God always gives people what they want, can you then attribute the fact that you want to live in the knowledge of God to the fact that your thinking ability is more robust than that of the common herd of ignorant fools? No! Not at all! The reason that you don't suppress the truth the way the rest of the world does is because God in His electing grace through His Spirit has regenerated you; that is, He's turned the lights on, so to speak, so that you no longer wander in ignorant darkness guided solely by what feels good in the moment. Praise God that His grace is stronger than your instinctive desire to suppress the truth. He sovereignly restored your ability to think, and now that you properly understand God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature, it changes what you want. As we'll learn later this year, God's grace has now become irresistible to you, and God gives you what you now want. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, whose grace has set us free from our sinful desires; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength and desire to continually sharpen and develop your restored ability to think; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 9

You'll never be smart enough to find God on your own. Thankfully, He found you. It doesn't matter how smart or wise you are if you're wandering around in the dark. Acts 17:16-30 (NIV) 16  While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17  So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18  A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19  Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20  You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” 21  (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.) 22  Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23  For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. 24  “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25  And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26  From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27  God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28  ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’  As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ 29  “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30  In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 4: The Inadequacy of the Light of Nature There is, to be sure, a certain light of nature remaining in all people after the fall,  by virtue of which they retain some notions about God, natural things, and the difference between what is moral and immoral,  and demonstrate a certain eagerness for virtue and for good outward behavior.  But this light of nature is far from enabling humans to come to a saving knowledge of God and conversion to him— so far, in fact, that they do not use it rightly even in matters of nature and society.  Instead, in various ways they completely distort this light, whatever its precise character, and suppress it in unrighteousness.  In doing so all people render themselves without excuse before God. Summary Things hadn't been going well for Paul. In each of the recent cities he's visited, he either ended up in jail or run out of town by a riotous mob, angry that his preaching of the gospel upset their status quo. He'd been separated from his companions, Silas and Timothy, and in today's passage, we find him waiting for them in Athens. Athens, of course, is that ancient Greek city famous for its philosophy. It's where men like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and Epicurus were from. But it had been centuries since those men lived and spoke and wrote in Athens, and the city was a mere shell of what it had used to be by the time Paul arrived. Luke, the author of Acts who loves to subtly point out irony, simply notes that this city once known for its brilliant intellect was now full of idols. Nonetheless, even in Paul's day everybody who lived in Athens spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas. When Paul got there, he did what he did in every new city he came to: he began to teach in the local synagogue. Except Luke uses a different word to describe Paul's teaching here in Athens - Paul reasoned... with both the Jews and God fearing Greeks. Interestingly, Luke will go on to use this word often to describe Paul's teaching. You've likely been told before the lie that in order to fully embrace faith you need to suspend your logic and intellect. Paul faced the same animosity from the self appointed Athenian elites who called him a babbler when they first heard him speak. But then Paul, no intellectual slouch, came in and schooled those gathered in the Areopagus - even quoting their own philosophers back to them to make his point.   Dig Deeper   You probably haven't thought about philosophy much this past week... or month... or even decade. That's ok. Most modern philosophy isn't worth your time. But sometimes it can be quite helpful in making sense of this world in which we live. Plato is a good example. He taught of an eternal, unchanging creator and that man must live morally according to an external, objective standard. In other words, Plato, who lived hundreds of years before Christ and likely had no knowledge of the Hebrew scriptures, independently reasoned his way to an understanding of reality that's quite consistent with what God has revealed in His Word! As the Canons put it, humanity retains some notions about God, natural things, and the difference between what is moral and immoral. God has revealed Himself in nature so that we would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him. Although he came amazingly close, Plato never found God. It's not that he wasn't smart; it's just that like everyone else, Plato was infected with Adam's curse. The light of nature that Plato so brilliantly illuminated is far from enabling humans to come to a saving knowledge of God and conversion to him . Plato's students would go on to suppress and distort this light as they marched away from the truths Plato taught. This is the doctrine of total depravity in a nutshell. It doesn't mean that people are as totally bad and evil as possible; the world has always been full of brilliant thinkers who benefit humanity even as they miss the big picture. Total depravity simply means that unless people's intellects are set free by the Holy Spirit from their slavery to sin, they'll never fully understand the truth, no matter how smart they are. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, in whom we live and move and have our being (don't miss the irony that you're praying words from the ancient philosopher Epimenides that Paul uses to describe our relationship to God!) A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will do the hard work necessary to keep your intellect sharp so you can reason with those who are still in the dark; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 8

It's Monday! Find out how you can find satisfaction in your toil this week. Monday doesn't need to be this way. Ecclesiastes 3:9-15 CONTEXT: The book of Ecclesiastes contain the writings of the Teacher, a character modeled after the life and wisdom of King Solomon, as he searches for meaning under the sun. 9  What do workers gain from their toil? 10  I have seen the burden God has laid on the sons of man ( ʾā·ḏām ). 11  He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12  I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13  That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. 14  I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him. 15  Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 4: The Inadequacy of the Light of Nature There is, to be sure, a certain light of nature remaining in all people after the fall,  by virtue of which they retain some notions about God, natural things, and the difference between what is moral and immoral,  and demonstrate a certain eagerness for virtue and for good outward behavior.  But this light of nature is far from enabling humans to come to a saving knowledge of God and conversion to him— so far, in fact, that they do not use it rightly even in matters of nature and society.  Instead, in various ways they completely distort this light, whatever its precise character, and suppress it in unrighteousness.  In doing so all people render themselves without excuse before God. Summary Most people will read this on a Monday, that most dreaded day of the week in which the grind of work edges out the fun and rest of the weekend (although for too many, the 'fun' far surpasses the rest). Today millions of people - perhaps even yourself - will wonder along with the Teacher what do workers gain from their toil? as they drag themselves back to work. But the fact that Mondays are so universally loathed is actually one of the greatest testimonies to the truth of scripture! The Teacher here writes of the burden that God has laid upon the hearts of the sons of ʾA·ḏām. On one hand, as image bearers of God we have an ability to see, appreciate and long for the beauty of God's creation in a way no other creature can. But on the other hand, it quickly and painfully becomes evident that our work in this beautiful world is cursed. Mondays painfully remind us that things are not the way they're supposed to be. Our problem, writes the Teacher, stems from the same root so many other Biblical writers identify and which we've noticed so often as we've read the Bible together these last few months: the noetic effect of sin - the fact that apart from God's grace, people can no longer think properly. No one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Or as the NET Bible translates it, people cannot discover what God has ordained. In other words, sin has blocked people's ability to understand who God made them to be and what He's designed them to do. As a result life for them has become a perpetual Monday: purposeless, hopeless, corrupted, and anything but the beautiful thing God created it to be.   Dig Deeper   The Teacher's prescription for this broken world seems trite, especially if it's read apart from his overall message. Just be happy and do good while you live. Believe it or not, all people, regardless of whether they've experienced God's grace or not, have the ability to follow this seemingly simplistic advice. As the Canons put it, people in general demonstrate a certain eagerness for virtue and for good outward behavior . But despite the inability to think clearly that came as the result of Adam's sin, people still instinctively know that things are not the way they're supposed to be, and this fuzzy knowledge continually sabotages people's ability to be happy. We know this, writes the Teacher, because God has set eternity in the human heart. All people know in their heart of hearts that there's something more, and this insatiable longing makes those who live apart from God's grace miserable. They know this world is broken, and that there has to be something more, but they can't ever figure it out. The flickering light of nature that they still retain is far from enabling them to come to a saving knowledge of God and conversion to him . So be thankful that God's grace is stronger than you are - that it's restored your ability to fathom what God has done from beginning to end and to satisfy your natural longing for peace with your eternal Creator. Mondays will still have their problems and challenges, but as one who is saved by grace, you can joyfully fulfill the purpose God created you for: to eat and drink and find satisfaction in all of your toil - this is the gift of God. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who has made everything beautiful in its time; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for His grace which has restored your ability to fathom Him, and pray that your work will glorify the one who freed you from meaninglessness; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 7

God's re-creating power sets you free from bone crushing sin. bibleversestogo.com Psalm 51 For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. 1  Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2  Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4  Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. 5  Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 6  Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. 7  Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8  Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9  Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. 10  Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11  Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12  Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. 13  Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. 14  Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 15  Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16  You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17  My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. 18  May it please you to prosper Zion, to build up the walls of Jerusalem. 19  Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous, in burnt offerings offered whole; then bulls will be offered on your altar. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 3: Total Inability All people are conceived in sin and are born children of wrath,  unfit for any saving good, inclined to evil,  dead in their sins, and slaves to sin.  Without the grace of the regenerating Holy Spirit  they are neither willing nor able to return to God,  to reform their distorted nature,  or even to dispose themselves to such reform. Summary Commentator Mark Futato writes , Psalm 51 grips our hearts as it exposes our need that results from our moral failures in life. Our moral failures are not simply a matter of what we do. They are a matter of what we do because of who we are . Our need is for something outside of ourselves to make a radical difference within ourselves. Our need is for God—but not for just any god. Our need is for the God who will speak in truth about our desperate condition and who will act in love for our salvation. Our need is twofold: We need reconciliation (51:1–9), and we need transformation (51:10–19). We need justification, and we need sanctification. To experience these, we need repentance, and the way of repentance is set forth clearly and eloquently in Psalm 51.   Dig Deeper   David understood well the doctrine of total depravity that we've been working our way through these last couple of weeks. His prayer of confession here in Psalm 51 serves as one of the foundational supporting texts for this doctrine, as he realizes that not only was he sinful at birth, but that he was sinful from the time his mother conceived him. David realizes that his problem runs far deeper than just some bad habits he's picked up or misguided desires he has from time to time. As a son of Adam, David's entire being had been corrupted, just as it has for the rest of us. As such, David's life needs more than just a little tinkering or fine tuning to be fixed. Futato writes, "We are perpetually confronted with the temptation to blame others or our circumstances for our troubles. So we frequently pray that God would change other people and change our circumstances. David resists this temptation here." This is why David's key request is for God to create in me a pure heart, O God. David doesn't ask God to fix this or repair that; he doesn't blame others for his failures. Rather, he realizes that the only way he could ever find peace with God is for his heart - that is, his intellect, emotions and volition - to be made completely new again. Make David's prayer your prayer as another week draws to a close and you prepare for God to continue renewing a steadfast spirit within you as you gather with His people in His house to worship Him. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who is merciful according to His unfailing love; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that God would continue to change you and to grow your re-created heart through His Word; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 6

Your new birth in Christ enables you to see in the dark. John 3:1-8 (NIV) 3 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2  He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” 3  Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” 4  “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” 5  Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7  You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8  The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 3: Total Inability All people are conceived in sin and are born children of wrath,  unfit for any saving good, inclined to evil,  dead in their sins, and slaves to sin.  Without the grace of the regenerating Holy Spirit  they are neither willing nor able to return to God,  to reform their distorted nature,  or even to dispose themselves to such reform. Summary John has this brilliant way of capturing profound truth with simple words, the way he here describes Nicodemus' secretive visit to Jesus - he came to Jesus at night . It's possible that John just casually mentions the time of day and means nothing by it. Maybe he wants to convey the fear that Nicodemus, a well known member of the establishment, had of being seen talking to Jesus. But it's more likely that John is framing this episode according to his prevailing gospel theme in which he contrasts light and dark; Nicodemus here steps out of the darkness and into Christ's wonderful light (to borrow language from Peter ). Interestingly, Nicodemus begins not with a question for Jesus, but a statement about himself. He and his colleagues know that Jesus is a teacher who has come from God. They've seen the signs Jesus performed ( sign is John's word for miracle), signs that Jesus could only perform if God were with Him. Nicodemus here is prodding Jesus to tell a bit more about who He is. But in His reply, it doesn't seem like Jesus takes the bait. Rather, Jesus begins talking about the kingdom of God. From our viewpoint, the concepts of Jesus and the kingdom of God are so synonymous that we hardly notice Jesus' subtle conversational shift, but image how confusing things were for Nicodemus at this point! Just a few words into their visit, Nicodemus is realizing for the first time that Jesus is so much more than what people tend to categorize Him as - both Jesus' contemporaries as well as people still today. Certainly Jesus taught and performed signs - almost everybody knows this - but that's not His primary identity. John conveys to you what Jesus explained to Nicodemus: He is the King God's people have been waiting for. But Nicodemus' confusion was only just beginning.   Dig Deeper   The three synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark & Luke) all begin with some sort of proclamation announcing the arrival of the kingdom of God. John, in keeping with his deeper style, frames his kingdom announcement more personally. John reports that the only way people can see the kingdom of God , as Jesus famously tells Nicodemus, is if they are born again. In other words, the blindness brought about by sin is so severe that something as significant as the kingdom of God can be right in front of an unregenerate person but not be seen. This is in keeping with the way that so many different Biblical writers explain the primary effect of this doctrine we call total depravity: sin incapacitates mankind's ability to think and properly understand the reality around us. As the Canons put it, without the grace of the regenerating Holy Spirit people are neither willing nor able to return to God, to reform their distorted nature, or even to dispose themselves to such reform. But as Jesus talks to His new friend Nicodemus on that dark night, He's not so interesting in unpacking all of these theological and noetic implications. Jesus wants to shed light upon how this blindness is cured: that the only way one can see and enter the kingdom of God is to be born again. Nicodemus, one of the men responsible for teaching Israel prophecies like Ezekiel's vision of the dry bones come to life and how the Spirit would regenerate stone cold hearts into hearts of flesh , misses the implication of Jesus' words here as he gets hung up on physical logistics. For Nicodemus, the lights didn't suddenly come on all at once; He would need to hear more from Jesus. So it is with us all. The more we hear God's Word proclaimed, the more the Holy Spirit brings us into new birth. Sunday's quickly coming again; begin preparing yourself to come further out of this present world's night and into the light of Christ as you gather once again with the saints. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, whose kingdom has come near; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for a desire to leave the dark night behind and come into the light of Christ; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 5

Your faith determines everything about you: how you think, feel and act. Romans 8:3-9 (NIV) CONTEXT: Romans 8 is one of the Bible's most powerful chapters. It begins with the famous words "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," and ends with the powerful promise that "nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God." Today's passage contrasts life in the Spirit with the depravity of life in Sarx - that is, sinful human nature. 3  For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4  in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5  Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6  The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7  The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8  Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. 9  You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you... Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 3: Total Inability All people are conceived in sin and are born children of wrath,  unfit for any saving good, inclined to evil,  dead in their sins, and slaves to sin.  Without the grace of the regenerating Holy Spirit  they are neither willing nor able to return to God,  to reform their distorted nature,  or even to dispose themselves to such reform. Summary Many would likely agree with the statement that people are generally pretty good, since most of the people we encounter seem pretty decent. In this view, since you're 'pretty good' on your own, Christianity is merely a tool to make you a little better. Unfortunately, this is the underlying philosophy for far too many Christians and churches. Yet one of our foundational Reformed doctrines flies in the face of this conventional wisdom. We understand that in order to fully appreciate the good news of Jesus Christ, you must first comprehend the depravity of life apart from Christ. Paul here, as he does so often, demonstrates that there are only two types of people, and the distinctions are not 'pretty good' and 'a little better.' Rather, a person is either living according to the flesh or according to the Spirit . The effects of this distinction are total: we read here that it controls what your mind is set on as well as what your mind is governed by. In using the word mind here, Paul doesn't just mean your intellect; rather, it refers to everything that defines you: how you think, feel and act. Rather than seeking to live in submission to God's law, they act in hostility towards Him.   Dig Deeper   The scary bad news is that all those in the realm of the flesh cannot please God . Not only can such people not fulfill life's primary purpose of glorifying God, and therefore will never be able to truly enjoy life , but even worse, eternal life with God is predicated upon our pleasing Him - that is, keeping His covenant. The tremendous good news of this passage is that if you trust in Christ alone, you're no longer mired in the total depravity that defines the realm of the flesh. Rather, you're now in the realm of the Spirit, if [since] the Spirit of God lives in you. This means that you now please God because in Christ, the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in you! Now you can find true enjoyment in this life as you glorify God, and you have complete assurance that you will live at peace with Him for all of eternity. But as long as you live in the here and now, your sinful flesh will continually try to claw its way back into your life. It wants your mind to again be hostile to God and governed by death. Fight back each day by keeping yourself focused on what the Spirit desires and stay governed by life and peace as you submit yourself to God's law. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who did on our behalf what our flesh was unable to do for ourselves; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength to live according to the Spirit; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 4

Are you a true believer or a poser? BibleStudyTools.com John 8:30-44 (NIV) CONTEXT: Jesus has been talking to a somewhat hostile group of people in the temple courts, including Pharisees. But as He describes His identity and relationship to the Father, we read: 30  Even as he spoke, many believed in him. 31  To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33  They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” 34  Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35  Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36  So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37  I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38  I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.” 39  “Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. 40  As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41  You are doing the works of your own father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.” 42  Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. 43  Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 3: Total Inability All people are conceived in sin and are born children of wrath,  unfit for any saving good, inclined to evil,  dead in their sins, and slaves to sin.  Without the grace of the regenerating Holy Spirit  they are neither willing nor able to return to God,  to reform their distorted nature,  or even to dispose themselves to such reform. Summary Once again John torpedoes the pervasive idyllic image so many people have regarding what Jesus was like. Jesus is often described using words like gentle, nonjudgmental, tolerant, soft-spoken and mild. Certainly at times Jesus was those things. And of course no matter His demeanor He never acted sinfully, but notice how often in the gospels (especially John's) Jesus argues with people! What's so surprising about today's passage is that it's not just the corrupted religious establishment types that Jesus tussles with, but that he here lays into the Jews who had believed Him! And He doesn't just gently chide them either; He challenges their core identity as descendents of Abraham. He provocatively tells them than not only was Abraham wasn't their father, but that not even God was! Jesus knew that these people weren't true believers, they were posers. He tells them their father is the devil! True believers - or disciples , to use Jesus' terminology - are the ones who hold to His teaching. Jesus knew that although these people were intrigued by what He said at the moment and even actually believed it, they were not true believers. They would quickly lose their grip on the gospel and instead begin to look for a way to kill Jesus. Jesus goes on to explain their specific problem: they had no room for His Word. As soon as His Word challenged their carefully constructed identity, they immediately and instinctively attacked it.   Dig Deeper   Ironically, it's one of Jesus' most beloved and well known sayings that sets these 'believers' against Him: You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. The very people who had been saved from slavery in Egypt and now were under the thumb of Caesar ironically retort that they've never been slaves of anyone! In their mind, they had nothing that they needed to be set free from. This deeply embedded human instinct persists. People continue to reject these doctrines of grace that we've been studying this year because they can't swallow the concept of total depravity , which teaches that, in Jesus' words, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Robert Schuller, the famous twentieth century Crystal Cathedral preacher (who actually grew up in NW Iowa!), once said, “I don't think anything has been done in the name of Christ… more destructive to human personality … than the often crude, uncouth, and unchristian strategy of attempting to make people aware of their lost and sinful condition.” But Jesus wants you to know that it's not until you come to grips with the slavery to sin that you were born into that you - empowered by the Holy Spirit - can keep your grip on Jesus' teaching as His disciple. This is why the ugly doctrine of total depravity is the very T in our TULIP, continually reminding us that God's grace is stronger than our slavery. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who sent Jesus so that we would love Him; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength to keep on killing of your old self which is enslaved to sin so that you can hold to Jesus' teaching and truly believe into Him. A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 2