May 1, 2024 by Chris P
Category: Uncategorized
For this month’s book review, we are stepping back into the early 1800s to dust off a little book written by Octavius Winslow. Winslow was born in England and ministered as a contemporary of Charles Spurgeon and J.C. Ryle. He is noted for his high view of God, yet desire to flesh out the power of Christ’s supremacy in the believer’s daily life.

Consider with me for a moment Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 6:4: “As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything” (6:10).
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How is it possible to be characterized by both sorrow and joy; having nothing, yet possessing everything? At first glance, they do seem to be contradictory or at the least, strange bed-fellows. At second glance, we recognize the harm it would be to experience a life of joy with no sorrow, or on the other hand, sorrow with no joy.

Imagine the danger of experiencing a drowning sorrow that knows no joy or the alternative - a triumphal joy that knows no sorrow. Would not a pure unmitigated sorrow be characterized of hell? And wouldn't a pure, undiluted joyful bliss be characterized of heaven?

Neither an unmixed joy nor an unmixed sorrow would be in touch with reality, which is our situation on earth. Neither mental states would reflect a healthy mindset. For as long as we live on this earth, in this temporal plane, sorrow and joy are mixed in our experiences. For this old-creation world participates in both the common curse as a result of the fall, and common grace as a result of God's Noahic covenant to preserve the world for the redemption of Christ.

And yet, all humankind participates in both common curse and common grace, thus experiencing mixed joy and sorrow, while awaiting the return of Christ who will indeed redeem and judge separating a new-creation heaven (and new earth) filled with joy from the old-creation hell filled with sorrow. But that's not really our topic for the moment. We are considering the mixed sorrow and joy of the believer-in-Jesus as a motivation for serving Christ today. 

​Omaha Bible Church: Omaha, NE > The Christian Ethic of Joy and Suffering

The gospel writer Luke recounts the time in Christ’s earthly ministry when he sat down for a great feast with a large company of tax collectors. The religious leaders, with great grumbling, asked Jesus’ disciples why he would be eating with sinners like tax collectors.
Aware of their complaining, Jesus responded, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31-32). Jesus’ response is shocking and provocative.

Let’s observe some of the sins that identify the sinners that God saves to understand the shock value that the Pharisees experienced. God saves adulterers, perverts, murderers, pedophiles, traitors who betray and sell out Christians (like tax collectors), witches, sorcerers, and homosexuals, but He does not save the honest person, the faithful spouse, the one who sacrifices his life to save another, the religious church member, or the loving parent because of their good efforts.

This is a shocking, almost revolting statement of Jesus, isn’t it? As Paul noted in 1 Corinthians 6:11, with regard to these sins, “Such were some of you.” God does not save good, upstanding people. God does not let self-righteous people into His holy kingdom because humanity’s best efforts are actually filthy rags to God (Isaiah 64:6).

As to the matter of entrance into God’s kingdom, all humanity is equally condemned. There is no scale for God’s acceptance. There is only the righteousness of God and the self-righteousness of the flesh, which is rubbish to God. All of it.

Then what value does honesty and faithfulness provide? Ecclesiastes observes that both the do-gooders and the evil-doers end up in the same place – the grave (9:2). So, as to the pragmatic end, there is no benefit. As to the horizonal perspective, there is a temporary benefit for our neighbors in that we show love by being honest, kind, and sacrificial. 

But, as to the vertical dimension, with regard to God, Philippians 3:7-9 reminds us that it is all rubbish.

So, how do we explain God’s salvation of sinners, if he doesn’t save the righteous? The reformers delineated this apparent paradox whereby God saves sinners by describing Christians as sinner-saints.

READ MORE HERE!
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