Thus says the Lord: "Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.
But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'" --Jeremiah 6:16

 

5 February, 2006   comments: (0) Resource Spotlight   Love To Christ - Necessary to Escape the Curse The Puritans were never lacking in wordy titles for their writings, and likewise - Thomas Doolittle's excellent book has this ominous-sounding, yet biblically accurate title: Love To Christ Necessary to Escape the Curse at His Coming. It's a book that would never make it to the New York Times bestseller list as today's Christian feel-good books do, but it does have an important message for the modern church; it's based on a solid exposition of 1 Cor. 16:22 - If anyone does not love the Lord - a curse be on him. Ask me what I think of Thomas Doolittle and I'll tell you that I think he was a man after God's own heart; ask my youngest daughter and she'll tell you that he had the "most pretty hair" of any of the Puritans! In all seriousness, I really believe we must look to these great leaders of the 17th century for a level of Christian depth that is rare in this modern age of TV, comfort, and life in the fast lane. Christianity in our culture, is a life that's void of almost any persecution and suffering for the Lord's sake. With no contemporary fear of run-on sentences, the author of the book explains genuine love to Christ in these terms: Love to Christ is a special grace wrought in the heart by the Spirit of God, enlightening the mind, whereby the soul, discerning the incomparable goodness, suitableness, and communicability of Christ unto him, and in his judgment having a superlative valuation of him, the will doth choose him before all; primarily for himself, and secondarily for his benefits: and giving to him the predominant degrees of his affections, resigneth himself to Christ in all His offices: delighting in him, if present; desiring after him, if he cannot find him. This is the love you must have to Christ, if you would not be Anathema (accursed) when the Lord shall come. The book gives this synopsis of doctrine related to 1 Corinthians 16:22 - (If anyone does not love the Lord - a curse be on him): From this text, this doctrine clearly resulteth: "That whatsoever man has not sincere love to the Lord Jesus Christ, is in a deplorable condition, and shall be accursed when the Lord comes". For his sin is great, his mind is blind, his will perverse, his heart is hard and carnal, his affections corrupt and base, and his soul and body shall then be doomed down to the blackness of darkness, to extremity, and eternity of misery, to pains and punishment, that no tongue can express, no heart conceive, no pen can write, how great and terrible, how intolerable it will be found to be. The method in treating on this subject is cast into these five general heads: I. What is the nature of this love to Christ; what kind of manner of love is it; without which if a man be found, he is anathema, and shall be plagued with this heavy curse at the coming of the Lord? II. That whosoever is without this love to Christ, is in such a miserable condition, and, dying without it, shall be damned when Christ shall come, is to be demonstrated. III. What are the properties of this curse, that will make it so exceedingly grievous and intolerable. IV. Why so great a stress is put on such love; why the Lord insists so much upon the love of man unto His Son, that whosoever [is without] it, shall be thus accursed. V. The improving of this doctrine by practical application. One of the important practical reminders that the author gives, relates to how this love to Christ makes Christian disciplines a joy rather than a burden: Are not all the duties of religion tedious to you, for lack of love to Christ? Do you find it a burden to pray? a burden to hear or read the Word of God? Is it a burden to you to meditate upon God and Christ, and things above? It is all due to a lack of love to Christ; for love makes hard things easy, and heavy labor to be light. Thomas Doolittle shows us why this love is like a barometer in the life of a believer, showing where his affections are: Love shows the true character of a man, according to the object which he loves more than anything else: for as is the love, so is the man. According to his love, so might you confidently designate the man. If he is a lover of honour, he is an ambitious man; a lover of pleasure, a sensual man; and if he chiefly love the world, he is a covetous man. If a man loves righteousness, he is a religious man; if the things above, a heavenly-minded man; and if he love Christ with a pre-eminent love, he is a sincere man: "Rightly do they love you.," Song of Songs 1:4. If Christ has our love, he has our all; and Christ never has what he deserves from us, till he has our love. True love withholds nothing from Christ, when it is sincerely set upon him. If we actually love him, he will have our time, and he will have our service, and he will have the use of all our resources, and gifts, and graces; indeed, then he shall have our possessions, freedom, and our very lives, whenever he calls for them. In the same way, when God loves any of us, he will withhold nothing from us that is good for us. He does not hold back his own only begotten Son, Rom.8:32. When Christ loves us, he gives us everything we need-- his merits to justify us, his Spirit to sanctify us, his grace to adorn us, and his glory to crown us. Therefore, when any of us love Christ sincerely, we lay everything down at his feet, and give up all to be at his command and service: "And they loved not their lives unto the death," Rev. 12:11. More Information and Resources: Thomas Doolittle's book is hard to find but available from Grace & Truth Read Doolittle's writings on "Motives to Love Jesus Christ" Also see the book The True Christian's Love to The Unseen Christ I highly recommend the video series for Sunday School and small groups Posted by: Jim B.   Link: http://www.oldtruth.com/blog.cfm/id.2.pid.210   Be the first to post a comment about this article        Home  |   About  |  Videos   |  Calvinism