" ‘Tis not that I did choose Thee,
For Lord, that could not be;
This heart would still refuse Three,
Hadst Thou not chosen me …
My heart owns none before Thee,
For Thy rich grace I thirst;
This knowing, if I love Thee,
Thou must have loved me first."
– Josiah Conder, 1836
Found in the front matter of the Jesus Storybook Bible we bought Dutch. Wow, that’s the type of Christ-exalting humility and truth I hope our young son to grasp. We hope to swim with him in the deep end of God’s perfections and grace (even from this young age).
"We love becaus e hefirstlovedus ." [1 John 4:19 ]
“God did not create us to get the cosmic, infinite joy of mutual love and glorification, but to share it. We were to join in the dance. If we center our lives on him, serving him not out of self-interest, but for the sake of who he is, for the sake of his beauty and glory, we will enter the dance and share in the joy and love he lives in. We were designed, then, not just for belief in God in some general way, nor for a vague kind of inspiration or spirituality. We were made to center our lives upon him, to make the purpose and passion of our lives knowing, serving, delighting, and resembling him. This growth in happiness will go on eternally, increasing unimaginably (1 Corinthians 2:7-10 ).”
- Timothy Keller, The Reason For God (New York, NY: Dutton, 2008), 219.
“How can we recover the new affection for Christ and his kingdom that so powerfully impacted our life-long worldliness, and in which we crucified the flesh with its lusts?
What was it that created that first love in any case? Do you remember? It was our discovery of Christ’s grace in the realization of our own sin. We are not naturally capable of loving God for himself, indeed we hate him. But in discovering this about ourselves, and in learning of the Lord’s supernatural love for us, love for the Father was born. Forgiven much, we loved much. We rejoiced in the hope of glory, in suffering, even in God himself. This new affection seemed first to overtake our worldliness, then to master it. Spiritual realities—Christ, grace, Scripture, prayer, fellowship, service, living for the glory of God—filled our vision and seemed so large, so desirable that other things by comparison seemed to shrink in size and become bland to the taste.
The way in which we maintain ‘the expulsive power of a new affection’ is the same as the way we first discovered it. Only when grace is still ‘amazing’ to us does it retain its power in us. Only as we retain a sense of our own profound sinfulness can we retain a sense of the graciousness of grace.”
In a Theology course we are working through personal doctrinal statements; one of the first was on Jesus Christ. The inherent problem with black letters on white paper is they do not convey the infinite beauty and worth of the One being depicted. (That is my weakness, not Christ’s.)
Oh that I could state the supremacy of Jesus Christ with precision and passion in which John Piper does:
God glorifies Himself toward the creatures also in two ways: 1) By appearing to . . . their understanding. 2) In communicating Himself to their hearts, and in their rejoicing and delighting in and enjoying the manifestations which He makes of Himself . . . . God is glorified not only by His glory’s being seen, but by its being rejoiced in. When those that see it delight in it, God is more glorified than if they only see it. His glory is then received by the whole soul, both by the understanding and by the heart.
(Jonathan Edwards, The “Miscellanies,” ed. by Thomas Schafer, The Works of Jonathan Edwards , Vol. 13, (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1994), p, 495, Miscellany #448; see also #87, pp. 251-252; #332, p. 410; #679 (not in the New Haven Volume). Emphasis added.)
Quoted by John Piper in "How My Pastoral Ministry Shapes My Pulpit Ministry," under the heading “16 Foundational Convictions that Shape How I Preach,” point 10: This form of speech—preaching—is designed by God to correspond to his aim in creation and redemption to be glorified by his creatures, namely, his aim to be known and enjoyed. (Feb. 26, 2008 at the National Resurgence Conference.) [See notes | audio | video ]
“The character of our praying will determine the character of our preaching. Light praying will make light preaching. Prayer makes preaching strong, gives it unction, and makes it stick.”
–E.M. Bounds, Power Through Prayer, p. 27
“Prayer, much prayer, is the price of preaching unction; prayer, much prayer is the one, sole condition of keeping this unction. Without unceasing prayer the unction never comes to the preacher. Without perseverance in prayer, the unction, like the manna overkept, breeds worms.” (p. 70)
A couple weeks ago in our Theology Colloquium class we discussed Soteriology (the doctrine of salvation). I was on the ad hoc panel for asking questions of the three making defense of their doctrinal statements. It is a somewhat nerve-racking experience for those giving defense, and all in the room need humility, especially those asking questions. Afterward we are able to amend and revise our written doctrinal statements (after they are graded and returned to us). I see this time as part of the process of helping us “land” doctrinally and leading to convictions about the most essential things, more than mere opinions.
Near the end of our Q&A time another panel member asked a question to the effect, “What does an unbeliever need to know to be saved?” (In contrast to our detailed and structured doctrinal statements. Obviously a person need not exhaustively and logically think through all of these points in order to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ.)
One of the students gave the short response, “They have to like Jesus.” That may seem like (and is) an insufficient answer. A whole lot of people “like Jesus.” In fact, I would say that many people want Jesus but don’t want God, in that they want a Jesus after their own liking. Thus they don’t want their Creator at all. (The question could be restated: What must a person believe about Jesus in order to be saved?)
A little bit of argument (constructive and helpful) ensued and during the break I had a discussion with my fellow classmate about his response. Knowing my fellow student as well as the rapid-fire nature of our questions and how their heads might have been spinning at the moment, I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt but ask him to think it through. We were talking previous to that question about affections and how the inner desires of the heart are changed so that Jesus becomes compellingly beautiful. So, when sharing the Gospel we realize there is a change that is not merely cognitive. His answer related to the fact that we cannot simply present bare facts as if there are neutral. A person will be awakened by the beauty of Jesus, but as I contend, it is not apart from knowledge about Christ. Knowledge and belief are good friends, and serve one another. Knowing about God has always served to lead me to worshiping Him…
“To love God we must know him. God would not be honored by groundless love. In fact, there is no such thing. If we do not know anything about God, there is nothing in our mind to awaken love. If love does not come from knowing God, there is no point in calling it love for God. There may be some vague attraction in our heart or some unfocused gratitude in our souls, but if they do not arise from knowing God, they are not love for God.”
—John Piper, What Jesus Demands from the World, p. 76.
Later on, in a smaller group, we got to a discussion of the role of the affections in seeing the compelling beauty of Christ. That is a key phrase in John Piper’s (and my) theology (see 2 Corinthians 4:3-7 for the biblical context). The following quote relates to our experience of Christ as the fountain of our joy, and not merely the basis and example for our renewed moralistic behavior.
“The reason I use the phrase ‘compellingly beautiful’ is to stress two things. One is that loving God is not a mere decision. You cannot merely decide to love classical music or country western music, much less God. The music must become compelling. If you don’t love it, something must change inside you. That change makes it possible for the mind to experience the music with a compelling sense of its attractiveness. So it is with God. You do not merely decide to love him. Something changes inside you, and as a result he becomes compellingly attractive. His glory—his beauty—compels your admiration and delight.
The other thing I am emphasizing in the phrase ‘compellingly beautiful’ is that love for God is not essentially behavior but affection—not deeds but delight. God’s glory becomes our supreme pleasure. We begin to prefer above all else to know him and see him and be with him and be like him. There are several important reasons for believing that love for God is most essentially an experience of the affections, not behavior.”
—John Piper, What Jesus Demands from the World, pp. 77-78.
If we love God something else will happen, living for Him.
One of my students at Cornerstone SOM in Corvallis gave a summary and response to those paragraphs in a recent assignment:
“The first [reason we must see God as 'compellingly beautiful'] is to realize that love for God isn’t some hypothetical decision that you do just cause you do it. It isn’t simply a decision you make. In order for us to love God, we must be attracted to Him. And if we aren’t, something has to change. Once this change occurs, we experience the second reason He emphasizes that we see God as compellingly beautiful: He is our desire. We are in love with Him, and we don’t obey His laws and walk in His light just because it is the right thing to, but because we take delight in living with Him. This is such a pivotal point in a believer’s life. It is this reality, the desire and affection for our God, which makes Christianity more than just a religion. It gives richness, fervency, and meaning behind what we do… not to mention motivation. Out of our affection for Him, our behavior will change. It is automatic, and we need not be concerned with that. We are commanded to love God.”
I noted to her that our behavior may not be “automatic” as in passive, but rather as a response and participation. It will naturally flow from a regenerate person who sees God as all, as compellingly beautiful in Christ. As we love God, our character will transform and we will be living for Him. (Simple, but not easy!)
The two Greek words de ("but") and Theos ("God") are the first two words of Ephesians 2:4: "But God, who is rich in mercy..."
Because of God's great love and grace extending to us in Jesus Christ, we are forgiven, redeemed and able to know, love + enjoy God more fully, ever-increasing and forever.
This site contains the thoughts and conclusions and journeys of the Patterson family -- Jeff, Kari and Dutch -- who have experienced the front-end of God's amazing grace, and continue to delight in His unfailing love.
Read more about us, and what we hold most precious.
