If realizing how short we have fallen moves our hearts to repentance, then we are headed in the right direction. Let that contrition burn within us and move us to heartfelt prayer and worship while trusting in the blood of Jesus to wash us clean. Possessing the cleansing we need, let us worship our Savior with gratitude.

Merely going through the motions is unacceptable in the Christian life. This truth is a key part of what Paul tells Titus when he says, “To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure (Titus 1:15).” This statement presents such a severe dichotomy that it should leave our cold hearts speechless because a ritualistic heart is an impure heart.
We are performative by nature. We like formulas and tend to think that if we do the right things, no matter how insincerely, all is well. For many of us, going to church has become a ritual. We stay in step with the liturgy, but our hearts are elsewhere as we “worship.” What Paul is saying here is that, even if we do all the right actions, if our hearts are far from God, it is all defiled.
In Crete, the church had a problem with false teachers teaching Jewish myths (Titus 1:14). These false teachers were from the circumcision party; they taught all kinds of rituals, saying, “Do not handle. Do not taste. Do not touch.” They were Judaizers at heart, believing these rituals made someone right with God.
Because of cleanliness rituals, they were willing to destroy the work of God for the sake of food (Romans 14:20). This means that the kinds of food you ate or did not eat were more significant to them than Christ’s work on the cross.
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Written by R.C. Sproul |
Sunday, September 15, 2024
On this side of heaven, the Lord gives us a glimpse of our heavenly home in many ways, especially when we gather for corporate worship. I’ve experienced this in my home church, Saint Andrew’s Chapel, where every Lord’s Day we gather and cross the threshold from the secular to the sacred. But I’ve also seen it when I have worshipped in foreign lands.

There is just something about being at home, isn’t there? I am reminded of this every time I travel. As I write this column, it has been only a few weeks since we returned from a Ligonier study cruise in the Caribbean. We had a wonderful time of study and fellowship with Ligonier’s friends and supporters, many of whom are likely reading this column right now. Despite my enjoyment of the trip, however, I was happy to return home. I feel the same way every time I travel. I love my homeland and am happy to come back to the United States even after a blessed journey.
Even though I am glad to come back to America, I must admit that when I come home to my country, I long to be elsewhere. At the end of the day, the United States is but an inn, a place to rest on the way to my true home—the city of heaven. As a Christian, I realize that I will never be truly home until I am with my Savior in heaven. The old spiritual puts it well: “This world is not my home . . . I’m just a passin’ through.”
God’s people have always been what we would call a “pilgrim people.” The constitution of the old covenant church in the exodus gave the ancient Israelites the names pilgrims and sojourners. Living a semi-nomadic existence in the desert, they had no permanent place to call their own. Even their place of worship was a tent—the tabernacle—that had to be taken down when the Lord called Israel to move and put back up when they established a new camp. Later, John’s description of the incarnation picks up this theme. The Word of God who “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14) translates with the English term dwelt a Greek term with the same root that means “tent” or “tabernacle.” Christ literally “pitched His tent” or “tabernacled” among us.
Because of this, Christ is the ultimate Pilgrim revealed to us in Scripture. He became the supreme Sojourner in the incarnation, leaving His home in heaven in our behalf.
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God is Himself light, and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). His first words in creating the heavens and the earth were ‘Let there be light!’ (Gen.1:3) In Milton’s paraphrase of Psalm 136, which delights in the mercies of God: ‘He, with all commanding might. Filled the new made world with light.’ The world was created for light. So when God makes Himself known, He speaks in those same terms.  His prophetic word is likened to ‘a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts’ (2 Pet.1:19). 

Light is a concept we naturally consider as good and beneficial, while its absence – darkness – is alien and threatening. In the days of landlines and six young children sleeping at home, the manse phone once started ringing about midnight. In my rush to get to it – to speak to a fellow pastor who apparently lived the life of an owl – I thought I could save time by not bothering to turn on any lights. After all, I knew the lay-out of the house well. Not as well as thought I did, evidently, for I kicked a skirting board and broke my little toe. By the time I reached the phone, the toe was throbbing, and I was left grimacing but pretending all was fine. In the scale of tragedies, it does not rate, but it was a painful reminder for a week or two that light is a good thing.
God is Himself light, and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). His first words in creating the heavens and the earth were ‘Let there be light!’ (Gen.1:3) In Milton’s paraphrase of Psalm 136, which delights in the mercies of God:
‘He, with all commanding might
Filled the new made world with light.’
The world was created for light.
So when God makes Himself known, He speaks in those same terms. His prophetic word is likened to ‘a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts’ (2 Pet.1:19). God promises that He will come to those who fear His name as ‘the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its (or His, if Charles Wesley has it right) wings’ (Mal.4:2).
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This book is really good. No wonder why many Christians recommend it. It’s time that you read it as well. Let’s encourage and motivate each other in our pursuit of holiness because God says that we should be holy as He is holy. (1 Pet. 1:15) Holiness is the pathway to true happiness because as we become holier, we become closer to the God whose presence is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore. (Ps. 16:11)

This is a book authored by Jerry Bridges. I just finished this book today. This book has proved to be a blessing to my soul. It has challenged me to have a radical commitment in my pursuit of holiness. In this article, allow me to share the lessons that I have learned from the book.
One of the lessons that struck me the most is that holiness is my responsibility. Holiness does not just happen when I sit there and do nothing. I need to make every effort in applying Scripture in my life by the help of the Holy Spirit to produce holiness in me.
Jerry Bridges made an illustration about a farmer who does his work to ensure that the crops are good for harvest but also relies on God for rain and sunshine. This is a picture of our pursuit of holiness. We do our part by putting sin to death and obeying God’s commandments and relying to the Holy Spirit in our pursuit. We should do what we must do. God won’t do it for us. But we need also to rely on God’s help because at the end of the day, it is Him who works in us. (Phil. 2:13)
Another lesson is that, in this pursuit of holiness, we would be greatly aware of how sinful we are and how we have violated God’s commandments. That is why, it is important to remind ourselves of our standing in Christ. We pursue holiness not to be accepted by God but because we are already accepted by God. There is a huge difference.
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Right now family serves an earthly purpose. But the day will come when it will be transformed into a glorious experience that is multiplied and magnified by the larger family to which we are united. As Randy Alcorn has said, “God usually doesn’t replace his original creation, but when he does, he replaces it with something that is far better, never worse.”

Okay, I’m going to say something that may sound unsettling, but I want you to think about it. Are you ready? The whole idea of family, in the way we experience it on earth, is only temporary. There is a day coming when the concept of family will be swept up into a more glorious and satisfying arrangement.
Don’t let that make you nervous. What awaits us is far more magnificent.
Marriage as a Sign Pointing Forward
One day the Sadducees tried to trick Jesus with a question about heaven. Jesus answered, “In the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven” (Matt. 22:30). Jesus is not saying that because marriage isn’t eternal, it’s time to toss it on the trash heap. No, he’s telling us that something even better awaits.
In heaven there will be one glorious marriage between Christ and his bride, and that marriage will satisfy and complete every desire we’ve had for marriage on this earth. In fact, the eternal marriage between Christ and the church is the very point for which marriage in this life exists.
Marriage on earth is a picture of that eternal reality. It mirrors a higher purpose.
Paul explains, “‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church” (Eph. 5:31–32). In glory you will experience delight that far outweighs what you’ve experienced here and now.
Think about this. If your spouse is there, it’s hardly a stretch to think you’ll experience heavenly delight in Christ along with your spouse—the one you’ve delighted in most in this life. But being in heaven with your spouse will not be glorious because you go on being their mate; being in heaven will be glorious because together you will behold face-to-face the One to whom your marriage pointed.
In Pittsburgh, where I grew up, there is a beloved amusement park called Kennywood. Back in the day, yellow Kennywood signs all around the ’Burgh pointed in the direction of what we believed to be the ultimate amusement experience—cotton candy, caramel apples, delicious treats.
Oh, and did I mention the roller coasters that would stop your heart and expel the candy you had just gobbled straight onto the coaster tracks? Heck, throwing up at Kennywood was a rite of passage, something to boast about in English class on Monday.
The Kennywood signs pointed people in the direction of our deep desires for amusement park pleasure, but the signs were not the reality.
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James lays great stress on faith. Trials both prove our faith (to be authentic) and improve our faith (strengthen). Our journey in this world is by faith in our King and His kingdom, and that journey can be an arduous one. Yet the light is not merely at the end of the tunnel; it is with us in the tunnel directing us in the way of righteousness, and dispelling the darkness to give us peace and joy. 

Count it all joy when you fall into various trials,knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.But let patience have its perfect work,that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.(James 1:2–4, NKJV)
When my children were little we would sometimes eat at McDonald’s, back in the day when the Happy Meal prizes were impressive, even collector’s items. One of those prizes was an Inspector Gadget figurine that was assembled by parts found in various Happy Meals. Each part, such as an arm or a leg, had its own unique function, and when assembled made a complete Inspector Gadget.
James gives us that sort of picture for how the Spirit of God is building us to be like Jesus. Various trials that we encounter in the course of our lives are unique opportunities to contribute to the whole of becoming like Jesus.
That’s why when we face trials of various kinds, intensities, and durations we can consider it all joy.
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God’s Spirit is not at odds with God’s Word. God’s Spirit never contradicts the Word, and God’s Word never hinders the Spirit. If you want One, then you have to take the other. They’re a package deal. So stop trying to separate friends!

I’ve heard that there are people who are trying to cause a rift between two of my friends. People have been saying that these two just can’t work together. They’ve been saying that you have to choose between one of them, but you can’t have both. They’ve also been saying that they’re actually just too different to be in the same place at the same time. I’ve just got to clear this up, all of these things are untrue!
Oh wait, did I forget to mention who these friends were? I’m talking about the Spirit of God and the Word of God.
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Paul concludes, “and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom. 5:5). Hope won’t put you to shame, but it’s not the hope of wishing upon a star, or asking the universe or self-will, it is from God almighty and “poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” It’s the real deal.

Have you ever begun reading a passage in the Bible and started anticipating where it was going, and then it took a left-hand turn? I recently had one of those moments. In Romans 5, Paul takes four turns, each more surprising than the last. At the core of Paul’s argument is a counter-intuitive perspective on hope.
Having just worked through Abraham’s faith, Paul begins, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:1-2). I’m tracking with Paul here. I got it: faith leads us to peace with God through our relationship with the one who secured that peace, Jesus Christ. And he has also has brought us into grace. Because of this, we rejoice at the in-breaking hope of the glory of God. Yes and yes!
But then Paul’s mind takes a left turn, “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,” (Rom. 5:3). Wait, what? We just went from faith to peace to hope to glory to suffering? My mind would have probably moved from glory to heaven or maybe love. What the connection here? I think I see it: the grace we live in causes me to rejoice in the completion of that grace in the incoming glory of God, but that makes me recognize that the completion of that grace won’t come until we go through this time of suffering, and that isn’t a waste, it is doing a work in us.
Paul continues, and now I’m tracking, “and endurance produces character” (Rom. 5:4a). Got it, Paul. I’m with you. The work of suffering produces endurance and character. Any athlete knows this. And we know this of those who have gone through severe challenges in life—
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Nobody wants to be the pastor who foists himself on others when people aren’t for a visit nor the one who turns up unannounced to family gatherings when they aren’t welcome. Neither do they want to be the pastor who never visits anyone when they’re desperate for a visit and won’t go to anything despite repeated invites. Nobody wants to be the pastor who keeps arranging meetings that just make people uncomfortable. But people don’t tick the same way. We have to understand our people as individuals and then work out how to serve them best if we are going to avoid these things.

I have heard it said that, as a pastor, there are things you can miss and things you can’t. What people tend to mean is that there are certain things you will be expected to be at and other things that matter much less. Often people mean that, if you weren’t available for a party, nobody is too worried but if you miss a funeral of a longstanding member, people are going to notice. And there is lots of truth in the observation.
But I sometimes think we are a bit simplistic in how we think about these things. There are those who insist they would make sure they were at every funeral. Others who are clear to make sure they get to every major bash. On a lesser, but still important, level there are people who are keen to make sure everyone in the church gets a visit. One thing people don’t always factor in is a bit of nuance about knowing our people.
There are, of course, those who would be mortally offended if you do not attend the funeral of their close relative to support them. But there are just as many who would feel it is intruding on a family affair for you to turn up. The answer here is not to simply always go or to always stay home. The key is knowing our people and understanding who are the folks who definitely want you around and who are those who would be happier without you there.
The same goes for visitation. There are some people who can’t get enough visits. Any time the pastor it available, they would love him to pop round and have a cup of tea with them. There are others who are quite content not being visited unless and until they have a specific issue they want to discuss with you. Again, the answer lies not in always visiting or never visiting. The answer is, know your people and do what serves each of them.
Even the form of what we do with people needs a bit of nuance.
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Elizabeth Prentiss left behind a legacy of ministry to countless suffering women, devotion to her husband and children, many stories and books that helped others grow in Christ, and the hymn “More Love to Thee.” She did all this despite frequent waves of grief and sorrow, sickness and poor health. Though well-known as a published author, most of her life was spent in the ordinary, and many of her days were filled with her painful medical issues, the grief of the deaths of multiple children, and frequent brushes with death in her immediate and extended family. 

Elizabeth Prentiss was born in Portland, Maine, in 1818. Her father, Edward Payson, was a widely known and greatly respected pastor. He died of tuberculosis just before her ninth birthday, and Elizabeth felt this loss deeply. It is recorded that “her constitution was feeble . . . Severe pain in the side, fainting turns, the sick headache, and other ailments troubled her, more or less, from infancy.”1 Despite her physical issues, she was intelligent, vivacious, and well loved by those who knew her. Her writing talent emerged at a young age, and some of her works were published in The Youth’s Companion, an American children’s magazine.
Though Elizabeth made a profession of faith at age twelve, she experienced a season of doubting her salvation when she was twenty-one. During this time:
her sense of sin, and of her own unworthiness in the sight of God, grew more and more intense and oppressive. At times she abandoned all hope, accused herself of having played the hypocrite, and fancied she was given over to hardness of heart.2
After months of intense spiritual distress, a sermon on Christ’s ability to save to the uttermost brought rest to her weary soul and marked a watershed moment in her faith in Christ as she rested fully in His work on her behalf.
In 1840, she took a teaching position in Richmond, Virginia. Though she was an excellent teacher beloved by her students, the summer heat greatly affected her frail health. Letters written to friends during this time reveal ongoing struggles with (among other things) depression, headaches, angina, body pains, exhaustion, and strange neurological symptoms that no doctor could help her with.
At age twenty-seven, Elizabeth married the Rev. George Prentiss, pastor of South Trinitarian Church in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Elizabeth had always loved babies, and their first child, Annie, was born a year and a half later. Twenty-one months later, their second child, Edward, was born. Baby Eddy had health issues as well, and the sleep deprivation that Elizabeth experienced because of this left a permanent imprint on her health, creating relentless insomnia that she would suffer from for the rest of her life. Though Eddy’s health eventually improved, Elizabeth’s did not. She spent about three days a week in bed with a headache, and the other days she was filled with exhaustion and frailty. But her faith in God’s providence is clear when she writes:
It seems to me I can never recover my spirits and be as I have been in my best days, but what I lose in one way perhaps I shall gain in another. Just think how my ambition has been crushed at every point by my ill-health, and even the ambition to be useful and a comfort to those around me is trampled underfoot, to teach me what I could not have learned in any other school!3
The Prentiss family moved to New York, where George became the pastor of Mercer Street Presbyterian Church. When Elizabeth was six months pregnant with their third child, tragedy struck when Eddy died at the age of four. Elizabeth had not yet recovered when Bessie was born three months later.
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