John Newton on Christian Growth Part II: Grace in the Ear

No, the title of this letter does not mean that grace comes through the ear.  Since the English in the 18th Century didn’t speak American, we sometimes have these little misunderstandings.  This refers to grace, in the believer, in the bud.  That is, the stage in spiritual growth when we have not yet attained maturity.  This is a sort of spiritual adolescents.  According to Newton, it is a common experience for a believer to go through a season of dryness, anguish, and guilt after their conversion.  The young Christian is zealous and flighty.  The maturing Christian is beginning to see just how deep his own sin runs.  Contrary to what one might think, as the Christian grows he does not simply grow in more and more peace and joy.  Rather, the maturing Christian deepens in his sense of dependence on God.  It is very telling that in this letter, more than the letter on the new Christian and the letter on the mature Christian, John Newton uses the first person.  Most of us exist in the place of weakness and dependence.  This letter is a great encouragement to the struggling believer.  Make sure you read it all the way through!

B; or, Grace in the Ear

“First the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.” Mark 4:28

Dear Sir,
The manner of the Lord’s work in the hearts of his people is not easily traced; though the fact is certain, and the evidence demonstrable from Scripture. In attempting to explain it, we can only speak in general, and are at a loss to form such a description as shall take in the immense variety of cases which occur in the experience of believers. I have already attempted such a general delineation of a young convert, under the character of ‘A’, and am now to speak of him by the name of ‘B’.

This state I suppose to commence, when the soul, after an interchange of hopes and fears, according to the different frames it passes through, is brought to rest in Jesus, by a spiritual apprehension of his complete suitableness and sufficiency, as the wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption of all who trust in him, and is enabled by an appropriating faith to say, “He is mine, and I am is.” There are various degrees of this persuasion; it is of a growing nature, and is capable of increase so long as we remain in this world. I call it [i]assurance[/i], when it arises from a simple view of the grace and glory of the Savior, independent of our sensible frames and feelings, so as to enable us to answer all objections, from unbelief and Satan, with the Apostle’s words, “Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died; yes rather, who is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” Rom. 8:34. This, in my judgment, does not belong to the essence of faith, so that ‘B’ should be deemed more truly a believer than ‘A’, but to the establishment of faith. And now that faith is stronger, it has more to grapple with.

I think the characteristic of the state of ‘A’ is desire, and of ‘B’ is conflict. Not that B’s desires have subsided, or that ‘A’ was a stranger to conflict; but as there was a sensible eagerness and keenness in A’s desires, which, perhaps, is seldom known to be equally strong afterwards,

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AMEN!!!

One thing that frequently disturbs me in ministry is how our denomination has forced the centrality of the priesthood.  It bothers me for a number of  ungodly reasons, but it disturbs me when the Holy Spirit has a hold of my heart.  It disturbs me, very simply, because it retards spiritual growth and brings dishonor on the cross of Christ which eliminated the need for any mortal mediator between God and man.  If we would become spiritually mature, we must learn and have confidence in the doorway that Christ has opened to the heavenly throne r0om, and, as Hebrews says, enter boldly.  A.W. Pink sums these sentiments up nicely here…

Tied to their minister’s apron strings?

(Arthur Pink, “Spiritual Nurses”)

It is lamentable when a boy in his teens is still tied to his mother’s apron strings. Yet is it not equally deplorable for those who have been Christians many years–to be tied to their minister’s apron strings? Yet how often we witness this very thing. There is a certain class who seem to be afraid, or at any rate unwilling, to think for themselves–to search the Scriptures for themselves, and act accordingly–and we suspect that in many cases the preacher is as much to be blamed as they are. It is true that he is their teacher, and as such he should possess a wider and deeper knowledge of spiritual things than they have. Yet it is his duty to instruct them–to familiarize themselves with God’s Word, and thus become qualified to “Test all things–and hold fast that which is good.” (1 Thess. 5:21). In other words, the preacher is not to be a nurse unto them all their lives!

It has long been our conviction that the preacher who is really of greatest service to his people–is the one who makes them most independent of human help, and casts them back directly upon God Himself. For souls to run to their pastor every time they are in trouble, or look to him to solve all their spiritual problems–is virtually to give him the same place in their lives, as the deluded Papists accord their “priests.” This is not only to rob God of His glory–but also retards their spiritual progress. It is with God Himself, that I most need to deal, and any man who comes between me and the Lord is really a hindrance, no matter how good his intentions may be. Moreover, the preacher is human, and therefore liable to err–but God is omniscient and never misdirects. “If any of you lacks wisdom–let him ask of God.” (James 1:5).

Sooner or later there comes a time in the lives of most real Christians, when those words, “Stop trusting in man!” (Isaiah 2:22) are applied to their hearts in Divine power. This will not mean that they now refuse to hear God’s servants or read their writings–but that they will no longer place the same blind confidence in their teachers as the Papists do in their priests. Instead, they will emulate the Bereans, who did not mechanically accept what they heard, even from the lips of the Apostle Paul–but “examined the Scriptures every day–to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11).

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Reforming Spiritual Disciplines: Excuses Not to Pray

One thing that has grieved, troubled, and perplexed me is the dearth of writings on Spiritual Disciplines coming out of today’s Reformed camps.  I fear that often our teaching and preaching focuses on the why of prayer, fasting, and meditation to the exclusion of the how.  If today’s evangelicals are returning to spiritual directors who would have been shunned by the most prayerful and spiritual of the Reformed, we must at least lay some of the blame on ourselves for not providing an alternative.  For this reason, I was glad to run across D.A. Carson’s A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers.  Here’s an excerpt.  I haven’t been so convicted by reading anything in a long time.

“I Am Too Busy

Lillian Guild tells an amusing story of an occasion when she and her husband were driving along and happened to notice a late-model Cadillac with its hood up, parked at the side of the road. Its driver appeared somewhat perplexed and agitated. Mrs. Guild and her husband pulled over to see if they could offer assistance. The stranded driver hastily and somewhat sheepishly explained that he had known when he left home that he was rather low on fuel, but he had been in a great hurry to get to an important business meeting so he had not taken time to full up his tank. The Cadillac needed nothing more than refueling. The Guilds happened to have a spare gallon of fuel with them, so they emptied it into the thirsty Cadillac, and told the other driver of a service station a few miles down the road. Thanking them profusely, he sped off.

Twelve miles or so later, they saw the same car. Hood up, stranded at the side of the road. The same driver, no les bemused than the first time, and even more agitated, was pathetically grateful when they pulled over again. You guessed it: he was in such a hurry for his business meeting that he had decided to skip the service station and press on in the dim hope that the gallon he had received would take him to his destination.

It is hard to believe anyone would be so stupid, until we remember that that is exactly how many of us go about the business of Christian living. We are so busy pressing on to the next item on the agenda that we choose not to pause for fuel. Sadly, Christian leaders may be among the worst offenders. Faced with constant and urgent demands, they find it easy to neglect their calling to the ministry of the Word and prayer because they are so busy. Indeed, they are tempted to invest all of their activity with transcendental significance, so that although their relative prayerlessness quietly gnaws away at the back of their awareness, the noise and pain can be swamped by the sheer importance of all the tings they are busily doing.”
 

Read the rest here

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