Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

“Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches;
but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 9: 23-24.

Consider Isaiah 46: 9-11:
“Remember the former things long past,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘ My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure‘;
Calling a bird of prey from the east,
The man of My purpose from a far country.
Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.
I have planned it, surely I will do it.”

God accomplishes all of His good purpose.  Total Perfect Triumph.

Consider John 6: 28-29:
“Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.’ ” 

God changes the focus from what man should do to what God has done.  God changes the focus from works to faith.  God changes the focus from man generating his own faith to God even giving faith.  Total Perfect Triumph.

John 1:12-13:
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. ” 

God elects and give birth to His children.  Total Perfect Triumph. 

In summary: Psalm 115:3 states:
“But our God is in the heavens;
He does whatever He pleases.“

God does whatever he pleases.  Total Perfect Triumph.

So, our response is:
“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God;” Revelations 19: 1b.
“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.” Revelations 19: 6b. 
(Emphasis added in the above Scriptures).

Total Perfect Triumph.

“Why, then, are we justified by faith?  Because by faith we grasp Christ’s righteousness, by which alone we are reconciled to God.  Yet you could not grasp this without at the same time grasping sanctification also.  For he “is given unto us for righteousness, wisdom, sanctification, and redemption” [I Cor. 1:30]. Therefore Christ justifies no one whom he does not at the same time sanctify. These benefits are joined together by an everlasting and indissoluble bond, so that those whom he illumines by his wisdom, he redeems; those whom he redeems, he justifies; those whom he justifies, he sanctifies.”  John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book III, 16.1

It is important for us to be reminded of this fact that God is the One who sanctifies.  We are more ready to accept God’s role in justifying us, but we want to assume at least partial responsibility for what we call “the sanctification process”.  I do not think it is helpful to think of sanctification as a process;  such a “process thinking” leads us to take control.  

We need to be reminded of Galatians 3:2-5:  “This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?  Are you so foolish?  Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?  Did you suffer so many things in vain–if indeed it was in vain?  So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”

We must approach sanctification as we do justification – by faith!  We must believe the golden chain of salvation – the God who justifies us will certainly sanctify us.   

FOR HIS NAME’S SAKE

“…He guides me in the paths of righteousness
         For His name’s sake.”  Psalm 23: 3.  (Emphasis added.)

It is very encouraging that God does not just guide us in the paths of righteousness for our sake.  God guides us in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. 

We are His children.  We are His bride.

We are His creation.  We are His workmanship.  

We glorify Him.  We belong to Him.

God guides us in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. 

“Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders;
         They did not remember Your abundant kindnesses,
         But rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.
  Nevertheless He saved them for the sake of His name,
         That He might make His power known.”  Psalm 106: 7-8.  (Emphasis added.)

God saves us for His name’s sake. 

“Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;
         I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. 
“For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act;
         For how can My name be profaned?
         And My glory I will not give to another. ”  Isaiah 48: 10-11  (Emphasis added.)

God refines us for His name’s sake. 

“We know our wickedness, O LORD,
         The iniquity of our fathers, for we have sinned against You. 
 Do not despise us, for Your own name’s sake;
         Do not disgrace the throne of Your glory;
         Remember and do not annul Your covenant with us. 
  Are there any among the idols of the nations who give rain?
         Or can the heavens grant showers?
         Is it not You, O LORD our God?
         Therefore we hope in You,
         For You are the one who has done all these things. ”  Jeremiah 14: 20-22  (Emphasis added.)

God keeps His covenant with us for His name’s sake. 

“But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made Myself known to them by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.  “So I took them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness.  “I gave them My statutes and informed them of My ordinances, by which, if a man observes them, he will live.   “Also I gave them My sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.”

 “But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness They did not walk in My statutes and they rejected My ordinances, by which, if a man observes them, he will live; and My sabbaths they greatly profaned Then I resolved to pour out My wrath on them in the wilderness, to annihilate them.

 “But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, before whose sight I had brought them out.  “Also I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands, because they rejected My ordinances, and as for My statutes, they did not walk in them; they even profaned My sabbaths, for their heart continually went after their idols.  “Yet My eye spared them rather than destroying them, and I did not cause their annihilation in the wilderness.  “I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols.  ‘I am the LORD your God; walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and observe them.  ‘Sanctify My sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God.’  “But the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, nor were they careful to observe My ordinances, by which, if a man observes them, he will live; they profaned My sabbaths. So I resolved to pour out My wrath on them, to accomplish My anger against them in the wilderness.

 “But I withdrew My hand and acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.  “Also I swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them among the lands, because they had not observed My ordinances, but had rejected My statutes and had profaned My sabbaths, and their eyes were on the idols of their fathers.  “I also gave them statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could not live;  and I pronounced them unclean because of their gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire so that I might make them desolate, in order that they might know that I am the LORD.”‘  “Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed Me by acting treacherously against Me.   “When I had brought them into the land which I swore to give to them, then they saw every high hill and every leafy tree, and they offered there their sacrifices and there they presented the provocation of their offering. There also they made their soothing aroma and there they poured out their drink offerings.  “Then I said to them, ‘What is the high place to which you go?’ So its name is called Bamah to this day.”‘  “Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Will you defile yourselves after the manner of your fathers and play the harlot after their detestable things?  “When you offer your gifts, when you cause your sons to pass through the fire, you are defiling yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “I will not be inquired of by you.  “What comes into your mind will not come about, when you say: ‘We will be like the nations, like the tribes of the lands, serving wood and stone.’

“As I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “surely with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I shall be king over you.

“I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out;  and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face.  “As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you,” declares the Lord GOD.  “I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; and I will purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Thus you will know that I am the LORD.

“As for you, O house of Israel,” thus says the Lord GOD, “Go, serve everyone his idols; but later you will surely listen to Me, and My holy name you will profane no longer with your gifts and with your idols.  “For on My holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel,” declares the Lord GOD, “there the whole house of Israel, all of them, will serve Me in the land; there I will accept them and there I will seek your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your holy things.  “As a soothing aroma I will accept you when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered; and I will prove Myself holy among you in the sight of the nations.  “And you will know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the land which I swore to give to your forefathers.  “There you will remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for all the evil things that you have done.  

“Then you will know that I am the LORD when I have dealt with you for My name’s sake, not according to your evil ways or according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel,” declares the Lord GOD.'”   Ezekiel 9: 20-44  (Emphasis added.)

God sovereignly acts throughout history for His name’s sake.   
 

In 1977, I moved to Florida to go to law school, and I stayed here in Florida.  I attended and was a member, even a lay leader, of Protestant churches in a wide range of denominations and also in some nondenominational churches and small fellowships.  At first, I thought Reformed Doctrine would be preached in all Protestant churches.  When I heard some strange preaching or teaching, I first thought that the problem was just with that particular minister or teacher. Eventually, when I spoke about what I encountered to a childhood friend (with whom I grew up in church and school), he asked me if I remembered “TULIP” which is also known as the Five Points of Calvinism and the Reformed Doctrine of salvation.

“TULIP” is a nutshell summary of the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation as more fully taught in the Reformed confession of faith called Canons of Dordt.

“TULIP” is an acronym for “Total Depravity”, “Unconditional Election”, “Limited Atonement”, “Irresistible Grace”, and “Preservation of the Saints” (also known as “Perseverance of the Saints”), the “T”, “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”.

These Five Points of “TULIP” should not be isolated from each other, but rather the points combine to teach of a God Who saves from predestination to glorification.  “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;  and these whom He predestined, He also called;  and these whom He called, He also justified;  and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”  Romans 8:29-30.

“Salvation belongs to the LORD”.  Psalm 3:8.

“For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.”  So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.” Romans 9:15-16.

I studied the differences between Calvinism and Arminianism.  That study made me aware that often what bothered me was not just bad preaching or teaching by a particular minister, but rather the problem was more wide spread, caused by bad doctrine that broadly and deeply affected a certain Protestant church and sometimes its denomination, which church or denomination, at some time of its history strayed away from Reformed Doctrine rediscovered in the Reformation.  The truth, logic, beauty, and simplicity of “TULIP” proved to be in sharp contrast to this bad doctrine which I encountered.

“TULIP” glorifies God alone for salvation.

But, in sharp contrast, other doctrine glorifies man for man’s works, or at least, other doctrine glorifies man for man’s wisdom and man’s alleged free-will to choose Christ.  Other doctrine teaches that God loves everybody, Christ died for everybody, and man is ultimately saved by producing enough works or enough will to distinguish himself worthy for salvation.

“For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;  but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.  But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”  1 Corinthians 1:26-31.

I am now passionate about proclaiming “TULIP”, because it is the sound doctrine of salvation and because most Protestant Churches do not teach it or at least do not emphasize it enough.  They may pay “lip service” to Reformed “doctrines of grace”.  They may even list some of the points of “TULIP” in their web site.  But, when you listen to the sermons, the sermons focus on man and what man should do, rather than focus on God and what He has done.  The sermons try to build up faith in man and man’s alleged free-will and man’s works, rather than build up faith in God and God’s will and God’s works.  The sermons hide or minimize God’s predestination (also known as “Unconditional Election”, the “U” of “TULIP”) as if they are embarrassed by it or as if they viewed it as an obstacle to growing a church.

Rather than shun God’s predestination also known as “Unconditional Election”, we should rejoice in it and cling to it, recognizing that due to our natural condition of “Total Depravity” (the “T” of “TULIP”), it is our only chance for salvation.

The Canons of Dordt in the FIRST HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of Divine Predestination states “election is the fountain of every saving good”.

Article 9.  This election was not founded upon foreseen faith, and the obedience of faith, holiness, or any other good quality of disposition in man, as the pre-requisite, cause or condition on which it depended;  but men are chosen to faith and to the obedience of faith, holiness, etc., therefore election is the fountain of every saving good;  from which proceed faith, holiness, and the other gifts of salvation, and finally eternal life itself, as its fruits and effects, according to that of the apostle:  “He hath chosen us (not because we were) but that we should be holy, and without blame, before him in love,”  Ephesians 1:4.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.  In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”  Ephesians 1:3-6.