Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.

Romans 10

Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. Romans 10:1

I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which today looks at how we pray for unbelievers - similar to yesterday where John Piper sought to help us see what kind of prayer pleases God. Piper looks at Romans 10, where Paul - a Jew - seeks to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to the Israelite nation. He points out that Paul does not pray for "ineffectual influences, but for effectual influences," and that we should pray as such. Effectual influences are described (not exhaustively - see also this post) as promises of God and examples from scripture provided by Piper include:

• God, take out of their flesh the heart of stone and give them a new heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 11:19)
• Circumcise their heart so that they love you! (Deuteronomy 30:6)
• Father, put your Spirit within them and cause them to walk in your statutes. (Ezekiel 36:27)
• Grant them repentance and a knowledge of the truth that they may escape from the snare of the devil. (2 Timothy 2:25–26)
• Open their hearts so that they believe the gospel! (Acts 16:14) 

The implication here is that while we can pray for positive earthly influences for unbelievers (a gospel-centered church, Godly friends and disciple-makers, etc.), there is no substitute for God in how He is sovereign and provident over election and salvation.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus - You are so good and You saved me - pursuing me and giving me a new heart of flesh - that I can desire and seek You.  Thank You Jesus!  Amazing grace - of course I am not deserving.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior - circumcise their heart so that they love you!  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.

Chapter 37: Pages 526-539

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. Ephesians 1:4

This morning, I continued John Piper's book Providence (purchased from Amazon Kindle Store) with Part 3 "The Nature and Extent of Providence", moving to Section 7 "Providence Over Conversion" - moving to chapter thirty-seven "Driven Back to the Precious Roots of Election".

Here, Piper explores the challenging subject of "election", or the extent of God's providence in conversion that looks back in time to eternity past.  He starts by ensuring we know that believers are God's "special possession", pointing to scriptural examples in Amos 3:2 and Psalm 1:6. Additional examples are provided in Matthew 22:14, 22, 31, Luke 18:7, Romans 8:33, 11:7, 1 Corinthians 1:27, Ephesians 1:4, 1 Peter 2:9, and Revelation 17:14.  Piper writes that "it is clear that [God] has chosen which dead, unresponsive "stones" are his.  And in this choosing, God does not act whimsically and without a wise plan.  Therefore, this choosing (that is election) must be part of a plan."  A more "explicit" example is found in Acts 13:48. Piper uses this example to show how the Gentiles referred to in the verse believed "because they were in the group that was ordained to believe....God's providence in seeing to it that his people believe includes his choosing them for this."

Piper than pivots to John 8 (47), 10 (26), 17 (6) - 18 (37) to show how people belong to the Father before the Father gives them to Jesus. Piper then is emphatic in his statement that "being of God can't include all humans.  So belonging to God before being given to Jesus does not include everyone." God's election of anyone is a free act of God, an "act of free grace" - no one "qualif[ies] for God's choice."

He wraps it up using not just Acts 13:48, but Ephesians 1:4 to show God's providence over conversion and how it "stretches back into eternity" - election. 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who chose me to believe BEFORE the foundation of the world - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love.  My sin continues daily and there is much of it...please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

Chapter 36: Pages 507-523, 2 Timothy 2, 1 Timothy 2

 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:24-26

This morning, I continued John Piper's book Providence (purchased from Amazon Kindle Store) with Part 3 "The Nature and Extent of Providence", moving to Section 7 "Providence Over Conversion" - moving to chapter thirty-six "Saving Faith as the Gift of Providence".

Piper starts by reinforcing the critical point that God is ultimately decisive in our conversion and he points to Ephesians 2:4-10 and 1 Corinthians 1:27:31 as scriptural evidence. He moves to God's providence in repentance by primarily pointing to Paul's letters to Timothy.  He connects 2 Timothy 2:24-26 to 1 Timothy 2:4 by stating that God desires all to be saved yet NOT all ARE saved; Piper wants us to clearly see the loose connection between God's desires and actions: "[N]ot all of [God's] desires govern God's actions. He is governed by the depth of his wisdom through a plan no ordinary human deliberation would ever conceive." Piper does want us to understand that while God alone may grant repentance for some but not others, there is a role for pastors and teachers to help "lead" people to a "knowledge of the truth."

Piper wraps up the chapter by stating that "[God] opens our blind eyes and grants us to see the compelling truth and beauty and worth of Jesus in such a way that we find him irresistible, and so gladly and willingly embrace him as our Savior and Lord and treasure."

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who reigns for all eternity in all things...and You granted me repentance and faith and You have done so in the lives of those close to me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving...nor is anyone.  My sin continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

Chapter 35: Pages 493-505

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:4-6

This morning, I continued John Piper's book Providence (purchased from Amazon Kindle Store) with Part 3 "The Nature and Extent of Providence", moving to Section 7 "Providence Over Conversion" - moving to chapter thirty-five "Three Biblical Pictures of How God Brings People to Faith".

Here, Piper explores "three biblical descriptions of God's providence in bringing people to faith." He begins by re-stating what we reviewed in the last chapter, that before conversion we are "slaves to sin", "dead in trespasses and sin", "loving the darkness", and "under the wrath of God" - we also are unable to taste the glory of God without God decisively acting on our behalf.  Piper sums up our pre-conversion condition as "bondage...the overwhelming force of our heart's preference for self-exaltation over submission to God." 

Piper then moves to the three descriptions of our conversion (1) new birth, (2) God's call, and (3) new creation.  Our new birth is required because our natural birth "is a condition of spiritual deadness" and "hopeless unless there is a new birth." God's call is not the "general call of preaching", but the same call as done by Jesus to Lazarus (John 11:43) - this call "creates the belief."  Piper points to Romans 8:28-30 to further explain this call. Finally, Piper uses 2 Corinthians 4:4-6 to describe the new creation and he contrasts the light used in these verses to the same light commanded in Genesis. 

Piper wraps it all up: [i]n the new birth, God gives spiritual life where was none.  In the call of God he awakens the dead and causes Christ crucified to be seen as the wisdom and the power of God. In the new creation, God overcomes the blindness of the soul and gives the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.  In each case, the answer to our question is this: God's providence brings his people to faith in Christ by doing for them what they cannot do for themselves.  We cannot cause our own birth.  We cannot cause our own resurrection.  And we cannot cause our own creation. These are divine miracles that must be done to us and for us." 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You gave me new birth, You called me, and made me a new creation - thank You Jesus!  I am undeserving of such gifts!  My sin continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to accept You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

 Chapter 34: Pages 482-490 

 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:14

This morning, I continued John Piper's book Providence (purchased from Amazon Kindle Store) with Part 3 "The Nature and Extent of Providence", moving to Section 7 "Providence Over Conversion" - moving to chapter thirty-four "Our Condition Before Conversion".

Here Piper turns to how "God is uniquely at work in the lives of his people in a way that he is not in the lives of others.  In the case of true Christians, God's providence is an inexorably saving providence." He explores whether "God or man [is] the final and decisive cause of...conversion[.]" 

To explore this question, Piper starts "in the middle" as it is less theoretical. He states that it is less important for believers to rely on the memories of our conversion, but critical to learn from scripture what happened.  He writes "[i]n fact, many people must unlearn aspects of what they think happened, when they finally see in Scripture what truly happened in their conversion."

We are encouraged to recognized the gravity of our situation and to not see our conversion as boring, particularly in light of our dreadful spiritual condition prior to conversion. Piper points to several scriptural examples of our pre-conversion spiritual condition:  

• Romans 6:17 (slaves to sin)
• Ephesians 2:1-3 (dead in trespasses,following the prince of the power of the air)
• John 3:19-21 (loving the darkness)
• Romans 3:5-6 (under the wrath of God)

He then points to 1 Corinthians 2:14 to show how unbelievers and those in whom the Holy Spirit does not dwell are not able to "taste the glory of Christ."  Piper writes that the same thing is said in Romans 8:6-8.

Piper sums it up: "[t]he Spirit of God must move into our lives....[as] the door into light is locked."

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus - thank You for unlocking the door to the Light!  I am grateful - immeasurably so. Yet I am also undeserving - I know I sin...every single day.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.