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RCT: The Holiness of God (VII)
- 11/25/10
- 6
This will be an abbreviated Thanksgiving edition of Reading Classics Together (since, honestly, most people aren’t doing a lot of surfing today…so maybe if I keep it short, you’ll be able to read quickly and get back to the family!). This week I will simply share some of my favorite quotes from chapter 7 of The Holiness of God. The chapter is titled “War and Peace with a Holy God.”
Summary
People in awe never complain that church is boring.
…
The struggle we have with a holy God is rooted in the conflict between God's righteousness and our unrighteousness. He is just, and we are unjust. This tension creates fear, hostility, and anger within us toward God. The unjust person does not desire the company of a just judge. We become fugitives, fleeing from the presence of One whose glory can blind us and whose justice can condemn us. We are at war with Him unless or until we are justified. Only the justified person can be comfortable in the presence of a holy God.
…
When God signs a peace treaty, it is signed for perpetuity. The war is over, forever and ever. Of course we still sin; we still rebel; we still commit acts of hostility toward God. But God is not a cobelligerent. He will not be drawn into warfare with us. We have an advocate with the Father. We have a mediator who keeps the peace. He rules over the peace because He is both the Prince of Peace and He is our peace.
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Our peace with God is not fragile; it is stable. When we sin, God is displeased, and He will move to correct us and convict us of our sin. But he does not go to war against us. His bow is no longer bent, and the arrows of His wrath are no longer aimed at our hearts. He does not rattle His sword every time we break the treaty.
…
This is the legacy of Christ: peace. It is His peace that is our inheritance. He gives the gift in a way that is different from the gifts that are given in this world. There are no ulterior motives and no sinister strings attached. He gives us His peace not for His benefit but for ours. It is an otherworldly gift given in an otherworldly manner. It is ours to keep forever.
Next Week
For next Thursday please read chapter 8, "Be Holy Because I Am Holy."
Your Turn
The purpose of this program is to read these classic books together. This means that it's now your turn to offer your thoughts or your questions on this week's reading. You can do so by leaving a comment here or by posting a link to your own site if you left a comment there. Of course there is no need to say anything. Just read and enjoy if that's more your style.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I worship and serve as a pastor at 
Releasing on April 1, The Next
Published in 2008, this book
This is a guide that calls men,
This review of the bestselling
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This is a guide written
Comments (6)
Maybe it is just us here in the blogsphere today! (You in Canada and my family in Mexico)
My thoughts, few today, are here:http://bit.ly/e1ydNc
P.S. I couldn’t resist it, so we are having turkey and pumpkin pie tonight! :)
Happy Thanksgiving to all readers of this blog and participating in the RCT.
Between vacation and Thanksgiving I have fallen behind but hope to be all caught up for next week.
Praise be to God for all the wonderful blessings and freedom we have spiritually in Christ and physically here in America.
Just a brief note from me, too. Turkey and trimmings await.
I like the permission that Sproul seems to give us to “wrestle” with God. Because in the end, it leads us to accepting the peace that comes with surrender.
More on my blog here:
War and Peace with God
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
“I learned that peace is an important thing, a cause for unbridled celebration when it was established and for bitter remorse when it was lost.”
How great my heart rejoices to think we have a peace that lasts forever. In our lives when we do feel the loss of peace in our communities, it does cause us to carry extra burdens.
“We are to come into His presence boldly and in confidence. There is no need to retreat from Him or to hesitate to enter. But when we come, we must remember two things: (1) who He is; and (2) who we are.”
I was so excited to read this last section. So often when i think about this boldness we are called to have when we approach Him, i can’t help but wonder if im being irreverent. Or when i hear someone talk about being bold in what we ask for, i am not sure what to tell them. When we approach our Holy God, we must remember who He is, and who we are.
This quote above, was also one that I highlighted in my book.
This is the legacy of Christ: peace. It is His peace that is our inheritance. He gives the gift in a way that is different from gifts that are given in this world. There are no ulterior motives and no sinister strings attached. He gives us His peace not for His benefit, but for ours. It is an otherworldly gift given in an otherworldly manner. It is ours to keep forever.
Its sure seems easy to not feel it in trials though.
Finally got a few brief thoughts posted:
http://homewithpurpose.blogspot.com/2010/11/reading-classics-together-ho…