Sin on Miscellanea

A fault which is no fault

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 10:31:00 +0000

Men who are possessed with self-love and with prejudice against others will readily count that a fault in their neighbours which yet is no fault, and will allow that in themselves which they condemn in others.

Knowledge of God vs Fear of Man

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 02:18:32 +0000

A growing knowledge of God displaces the fear of people, and it casts out our tendency to be casual with our secret sins.

Full and Complete and Sufficient Ransom

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 02:04:29 +0000

What is the great reason that so many poor souls are so much cast down for sin, too much dejected under the sight and sense of it?

It is this: because they are afraid to cast themselves wholly upon Jesus Christ, and to roll themselves upon him for salvation.

Though more sin requires more tears upon the thoughts of it, yet Jesus Christ need not shed more blood for sin; Jesus Christ needs no more to die for the satisfaction for sin; Christ hath paid a full and complete and sufficient ransom for sin, and needs die no more.

What do you think about when you are in bed?

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 12:18:02 +0000

What do you think about when you are in bed, either settling down to sleep or waking up? There are those who ‘work out evil on their beds’! (Mic. 2:1). And there are those who ‘sing aloud on their beds. The high praises of God are in their mouths’ (Psa. 149:5-6). There are those who ‘devise mischief on their beds’ (Psa. 36:4). And there are those who commune with their hearts and remember God and meditate on him on their beds’ (Psa. 4:4; 63:6).

Deplorable

Wed, 04 Nov 2020 02:06:04 +0000

The state of the nation, the state of the churches—both are deplorable! Those who should be praying—are disputing and fighting among themselves! Alas! how many professors are more concerned for the mistakes of government—than for their own sins!

Indignation at Sin

Tue, 06 Nov 2018 12:21:01 +0000

Many seem to have indignation at sin; but it is not because it is sin, but because it touches them. They will inform against a man that swears; but it is only if he swear at them, and affront them, not because he dishonours God. These disciples [in Matthew 20:24] were angry at their brethren’s ambition, though they themselves, nay *because *they themselves, were as ambitious.

Note, It is common for people to be angry at those sins in others which they allow of and indulge in themselves. Those that are proud and covetous themselves do not care to see others so. Nothing makes more mischief among brethren, or is the cause of more indignation and contention, than ambition, and desire of greatness.

Suffering Exposes Sin

Tue, 09 Oct 2018 11:24:08 +0000

Suffering exposes the sin in our hearts in a way few things can.

When our lives are trouble free, we can confuse personal satisfaction for faith.

Christ's Specific Grace

Thu, 14 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000

[God’s grace] doesn’t merely cover my life as a whole, leaving the details to work out on their own.

Christ meets us again and again in our particular moments of lust, resentment, fear, negligence, coldness—and says, ‘Father, forgive them, for the sake of my blood.’

Stirring Up Division

Wed, 13 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000

As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.

The Deacon Must be Sincere

Sun, 19 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +0000

A deacon, to be relieved from the annoyances sometimes connected with the discharge of his duties, is tempted to put the poor off with insincere words—to say one thing to one man, and an opposite to another.

He is in danger also, perhaps, of promising to the pastor, and not fulfilling.

This is justly fatal to character and to usefulness.

It prevents confidence and creates contempt.

The deacon, then, must be sincere.

We Cannot Be So Evil as He is Good

Fri, 28 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Well, when we have said all we can of the aboundings of sin in us, grace still more abounds in Jesus.

We cannot be so evil as He is good. …

In ourselves we have cause to be abased; but in him we may rejoice.

Blessed be God for Jesus Christ.

Put your Sins Before You

Fri, 14 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000

But the rewards of the Lord cannot be before your eyes unless your sins are before your eyes.

Let not delight in past sin be before your eyes, but let the condemnation of sin be before your eyes: condemnation from thee, forgiveness from God.

The Deporable State of the Nation

Mon, 23 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000

The times look awfully dark indeed; and as the clouds grow thicker—the stupidity of the nation seems proportionally to increase. If the Lord had not a remnant here, I would have very formidable apprehensions. But He loves His children; some are sighing and mourning before Him, and I am sure He hears their sighs, and sees their tears. I trust there is mercy in store for us at the bottom; but I expect a shaking time before things get into a right channel—before we are humbled, and are taught to give Him the glory.

The From... Too.. Movement of the Christian Life

Wed, 04 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000

The central dynamic of the Christian life has this FROM… TO… movement. ‘Repentance is not merely the start of the Christian life; it is the Christian life,’ wrote Joel Beeke.

Freedom from God’s Will?

Thu, 15 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Emancipation from the blessed will of God always involves bondage to some worse taskmaster.

Sin’s Footprint

Thu, 01 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000

One of sin’s ‘fingerprints’ is its consuming passion to praise self.

Sinner, Pray Hard

Sun, 30 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Do you think such an exalted Lamb paid merely a small price with a meager sacrifice for our sins? Pray hard for you are quite a sinner.

Pray for Sinners

Tue, 11 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000

If you pity an ox or an ass going astray, will you not pity a soul going astray from God, who has lost his way and his wits, and is upon the precipice of damnation.

Nay, not only pity sinners, but pray for them. Though they curse, do you pray; you will pray for persons demented; sinners are demented.

Wicked men are going to execution, sin is the halter which strangles them, death turns them off the ladder, and hell is their burning place; and will you not pray for them, when you see them in such danger?

Christ is in None of These Ways

Thu, 04 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Some men rejoice in others’ failings; they are malicious and fail more in that sinful joy than their brethren in that which they rejoice at.

Some are angry at weaknesses and infirmities; they are proud and conceited, not considering that they themselves also are in the flesh.

Some delight to dwell always upon a frailty…

Some study revenge more than pardon.

Some pretend to forgive, concealing a rough heart behind a smooth face.

He Does Not Cease to Plead

Wed, 03 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000

He does not cease to plead on our behalf, despite our continual backsliding (1 John 2:1–2).

Character and Doctrine

Sun, 03 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000

If a man teaches uprightly and walks crookedly, more will fall down in the night of his life than he built in the day of his doctrine.

Little Sins

Sun, 26 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000

It’s through the ’little sins’ that Satan gains an entrance into our lives.

Jesus Must Increase

Tue, 21 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Your maneuvering for power, for influence, for position, for status, for wealth, for reputation of the present is a contradiction of the eschatological nature of life in Christ. Make yourself of some reputation in the arena where Christ makes himself of no reputation? What a fool!

Jesus must increase, and you must be nothing that He may be all-in-all. Enough of these Reformed egomaniacs! Give me servants of Jesus who are content to be of no reputation with their Lord.

Great Affliction

Fri, 20 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Let it be as great an affliction as it will, it is not as great as your sin.

Power of Sin is Broken

Mon, 09 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000

In his finished work Christ did something once for all respecting the power of sin and it is the virtue of this victory which he secured that the power of sin is broken in all those who are united to him. It is in this connection that a strand of New Testament teaching needs to be appreciated but which is frequently overlooked.

It is that not only is Christ regarded as having died for the believer but the believer is represented as having died in Christ and is being raised up with him to newness of life.

Bad Parents Make Bad Children

Sun, 01 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000

I cannot suppose thee to be such a stranger as to be ignorant of the general complaint concerning the decay of the power of godliness, and more especially of the great corruption of youth. Wherever thou goest, thou wilt hear men crying out of bad children and bad servants; whereas indeed the source of the mischief must be sought a little higher: it is bad parents and bad masters that make bad children and bad servants.

The End of Temptation

Sun, 24 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000

One gracious end, therefore, that the Lord has in permitting his people to be tempted, is for the prevention of greater evils, that they may not grow proud or careless, or be ensnared by the corrupt customs of the world.

In this view, I doubt not, however burdensome your trials may at some seasons prove, you are enabled, by your composed judgment, to rejoice in them, and be thankful for them.

In Much the Best Life Faileth

Sun, 10 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000

To wash away the crimson stain, / grace, grace alone availeth; / our works, alas! are all in vain; / in much the best life faileth: / no man can glory in thy sight, / all must alike confess thy might, / and live alone by mercy.

That Monster Self

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000

I long to be able to use Job’s words, with the same feeling as I believe Job had when he spoke them, Behold, I am vile! The acknowledgment in words is quite easy — but really and in good earnest to abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes — is most difficult. I know that I ought to be humbled before Him — but I want to be so indeed.

Our Strange Pride

Wed, 03 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000

It is strange that pride should ever find anything in my experience to feed upon; but this completes my character for folly, vileness, and inconsistence, that I’m not only poor but proud; and, though I’m convinced I am a very wretch, as nothing before the Lord, I’m prone to go forth among my fellow-creatures as though I were wise and good.

Look on Christ

Wed, 23 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Oh look on Christ, this rare pattern, and be humbled! It is an unseemly sight to see God humbling himself and man exalting himself; to see a humble Saviour and a proud sinner.

The Ungoverned Tongue

Tue, 14 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0000

My own reading affords countless instances of the greatest disasters resulting from an ungoverned tongue. When upon the marriage of Philadelphus with his sister, Sotades composed a scurrilous verse, he paid ample atonement for talking out of season by rotting for a long time in prison. He thus purchased a laugh in others by long weeping of his own.

Self Realization?

Fri, 22 May 2015 00:00:00 +0000

However, the essence of a fallen world is that the best cannot be attained by free enjoyment, or by what is called ‘self-realization’ (usually a nice name for self-indulgence, wholly inimical to the realization of other selves); but by denial, by suffering. Faithfulness in Christian marriage entails that: great mortification. For a Christian man there is no escape.

Sinfulness of Ignorance

Sun, 11 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Ignorance and obstinacy are in themselves sinful, and no plea of sincerity will exempt them from the danger of being under their influence.

Debt of National Sin

Sun, 04 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

They who understand spiritual arithmetic, may be well startled if they sit down and compute the debt of national sin.

Acquainted with Controversy

Mon, 22 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Those who have been at all acquainted with controversy, will ﬁnd it the hardest thing for two warm disputants, when struggling hard for victory, not to throw about that dirt, whereby if they cannot overthrow, they are sure to blacken and bespatter, each other.

Loveth Thee Best

Thu, 06 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000

He that hates thy sins most, loveth thee best.

Do You Mortify?

Mon, 14 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Do you mortify? Do you make it your daily work? Be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you.

Ignorance of Providence

Fri, 14 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Ignorance of providence is the ultimate of all miseries.

Entire Life of Repentance

Wed, 05 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000

When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said ‘Repent,’ he intended that the entire life of believers should be repentance.

Temptations in Me

Wed, 19 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000

In London I’m in a crowd of temptations, but in the country there is a crowd of temptations in me. My mind is a Vanity Fair.

Gospel Strength for Preachers

Fri, 24 Jan 2014 14:25:00 +0000

It is, indeed, no small thing to stand between God and the people, to divide the word of truth aright, to give every one their portion, to withstand the counter tides of opposition and popularity, and to press those truths upon others, the power of which, I, at times, feel so little of in my own soul. A cold, corrupt heart is uncomfortable company in the pulpit!

Yet, in the midst of all my fears and unworthiness, I am enabled to cleave to the promise, and to rely on the power of the great Redeemer. I know I am engaged in the cause against which the gates of hell cannot prevail. If He died and rose again, if He ever lives to make intercession — there must be safety under the shadow of his wings: there would I lie. In his name I would lift up my banner; in his strength I would go forth, do what He enables me — then take shame to myself that I can do no better, and put my hand upon my mouth, confessing that I am dust and ashes — less than the least of all his saints.

An Astonishing Dispensation

Fri, 10 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000

And truly, for sinners to have fellowship with God, the infinitely holy God, is an astonishing dispensation.

Yahweh Elohim

Sun, 20 Oct 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The gnostic and Marcionite disjunction between the Old Testament God of wrath and vengeance and the New Testament God of love and mercy is unknown to Scripture. Yahweh Elohim in the Old Testament, though just, holy, zealous for his honor, and full of ire against sin, is also gracious, merciful, eager to forgive, and abounding in steadfast love.

Resentment and Impatience

Thu, 01 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Our resentment is against the timetable which the sovereign God has assigned us, a schedule based on a plan of which we are usually ignorant. It is this ignorance which brings about our frustration, the seeming senselessness of delay, loss, or failure. But this is the reason why impatience is such a noxious weed—it leaves God out of our thinking.

Bavinck on Crime

Tue, 23 Jul 2013 00:00:00 +0000

If the state’s only right to act against criminals is for self-protection and to improve them, how will we stop those who wish to deal with all kinds of sick people in similar manner, to view the religious and moral convictions that are judged to be contrary to the public good as so many diseases, remnants and aftereffects of an earlier state, and to take over the entire upbringing of its citizens and the whole culture of the society in question.

Sin in the Cloister

Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Monks take the sin in their hearts with them into the cloister.

Christians Past Lives

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000

[Christians] must never look at our past lives; we must never look at any sin in our past life in any way except that which leads us to praise God and to magnify His grace in Christ Jesus.

Be a Sinner

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

If the mercy is true, you must therefore bear the true, not an imaginary sin. God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners. Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world.

Owen on Fearing Temptation

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Let no man, then, pretend to fear sin that does not fear temptation to it.

We Are Not Innocent Victims of Sin

Sun, 24 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000

We are not innocent victims of sin. We are co-conspirators with sin against God.

As Though God Could Be Indebted

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000

We show our scorn of God’s sufficiency, by secret thoughts of meriting from him by any religious act, as though God could be indebted to us, and obliged by us. As though our devotions could bring a blessedness to God more than he essentially hath.