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Gratitude and Culture War (King’s Cross Church)

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INTRODUCTION

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, it’s worth considering how gratitude is at the center of the great war against evil and the particular battles we face in our day. The basic divide that runs through the center of the human race throughout human history is gratitude versus spite. The unrighteous are those who know God clearly revealed in Creation but refuse to glorify Him as God or be thankful, and those foolish hearts are darkened and make idols and are given over to uncleanness (Rom. 1:21-24).

THE TEXT

“For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (1 Cor. 4:7)

THE SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

The wisdom of this world is carnal and is marked by envy, strife, divisions, and rivalry (1 Cor. 3:3-4, cf. Js. 3:14-15). And the root of it all is a wicked pride in man. Like arrogant toddlers waddling around in Huggies, people can get puffed up about almost anything, and they do. But the wisdom of God is primarily marked by gratitude since in Christ all things are yours (1 Cor. 3:21), the Lord will judge and make manifest all the counsels of all the hearts (1 Cor. 4:5), and all that we have is from the Lord (1 Cor. 4:7). Who gave you everything that distinguishes you from anyone else? God. What do you have that wasn’t a gift? Nothing. Why do you strut like you had something to do with it?

HE MADE US

“Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name” (Ps. 100:3-4). In Him, we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). Christ is before all things and in Him all things consist (Col. 1:17). All things were not only created by His Word, but all things are held together constantly by His Word (Heb. 1:2-3).

All of this magnifies His kindness and mercy: upholding wicked men, giving life and health and good things to sinners, and then making us alive together in Christ, forgiving our sins, and granting us an inheritance that will never fade. Whatever our duties toward our families, our churches, and our nation, it is all grounded in this thanksgiving and praise and humility. Everything is a gift. And while we must stand against all evil, we must learn to do so with a grin on our face because our Father plays with dragons (Job 41).

NO GRIEVANCE FARMING

Despite all this grace, it is still the temptation of sinners to complain, murmur, and nurse grudges, which are all ultimately directed at God Himself. When Israel murmured about the lack of food and water, they were rebelling against God (Ex. 17:7, Num. 14:22, 1 Cor. 10:10).

In the name of “justice,” sinners plant resentment, spite, and wrath, and expect to reap a harvest of righteousness. But Scripture is clear: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God” (Js. 1:19-20). You can’t build a healthy family, community, business, or nation with wrath welling up in your chest. That is the fuel of the enemy.

Righteous, godly anger is very slow and deliberate: it took God hundreds of years to finally destroy Israel and Judah. But many disciples would call fire down on clueless Samaritans and the animals of Nineveh. Godly anger is like the Ents that hold counsel to determine whether to become angry and go to war. Godly anger is surgical, precise, and altogether holy and productive.

NO MARXISM

Marxism is the modern cult religion of class envy. It imagines that peace and prosperity will magically appear in the aftermath of violent revolution, when the oppressed victims overthrow their oppressors. This was initially pitched in economic terms (working class vs. business owners), but it was repackaged in the last 75 years to include sex, race, and then sexual perversions. But the engine that drives it all is spite and resentment for the way God made the world. There are real injustices that get weaponized, but since the “problem” is God and His world, this so-called “social justice” plays fast and loose with the truth, designating classes of people in unbiblical categories.

God created the world hierarchically and diverse. And He created a world where virtue and hard work are generally rewarded, and sin has created thorns, weeds, pain, enmity, and death. The problem is not power, wealth, sex, or skin color. The problem is sin infecting those things, and sinners are tempted to rage and hate, fixating on those things. And the Devil loves it so because he can keep people locked in cages of resentment and false victimhood.

CONCLUSION

So be thankful for your grandma, the turkey, pumpkin pie, how tall or short you are, the color of your skin, and rejoice before the Lord. No guilt for any of His gifts and love your people they way you have been loved in Christ. But no throwing elbows; no wrath in your chest.

We want true gratitude without any whining, true thanksgiving without any spite, true grace without any rivalry.

There is a marked difference between gratitude that simply sees the gifts and bows the head in gratitude on the one hand, and the faux-gratitude that flexes in front of a mirror, while stealing sidelong glances down the table.

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Holy War: A Post-Election Sermon (King’s Cross)

Lindsey Gardner on

INTRODUCTION

In the aftermath of this most recent election, we have much to be grateful for. Our God is surely merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness. He has not given us what we deserve. But the mercy of God is always a test: hard hearts get right back to sin and apathy, but soft hearts are driven to worship, repentance, and a renewed zeal for holiness.

While our holy war is not primarily or fundamentally fleshly or carnal, our weapons are mighty for pulling down strongholds, “casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; and having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled” (2 Cor. 10:3-6). This does not mean no political action, but it means that obedience to Christ must drive everything we do.

 

HOLINESS AS POWER

Holiness is power. Holiness is that which is set apart, pure, and whole. God is holy, holy, holy, and this holiness drives His omnipotence and power: “Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?” (Ex. 15:11) “And [Jesus was] declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Rom. 1:4).

Human beings were created to reflect and share in God’s holiness, and this is what is being restored in Christ (Eph. 4:24). Ephesians says that growing in this means coming to know the exceeding greatness of His power at work in us, which raised Jesus from the dead, far above all principality, power and might (Eph. 1:17-21). If American Christians seem remarkably impotent culturally and politically, it is because we do not understand or care about holiness. We are more concerned about pragmatic, short term gains than long term victory, but God disciplines us so that we might share in His holiness (Heb. 12:10). God cares more about holiness than political freedom because without holiness, there can be no freedom. So how do we pursue God’s holiness?

 

HOLY WORSHIP

“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus…” (Heb. 10:19ff). While all of life and nature proclaim God’s holiness (the whole earth is full of His glory), He designed the world and people such that we participate in God’s holiness by setting time and space apart to worship Him, by “drawing near.” This is why God set apart the Trees in the Garden, holy ground at the burning bush, and the holy places in the tabernacle and temple. He also set apart one day in seven and made it holy for rest and worship (Gen. 2:3, Ex. 20:8-11). In the New Covenant, after the curtain of the Most Holy Place was torn, any space can be set apart for worship, as can any day, but the Lord’s Day is the first day Sabbath and when God’s people gather together they are His holy priesthood and temple (1 Pet. 2).

The Bible calls this obedient, formal, public worship the “beauty of holiness” (Ps. 29:2) on the “mountain of holiness” (Ps. 48:1, cf. Heb. 12). God’s power of holiness is the source of our power (Ps. 110:3). “Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; to execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron…” (Ps. 149:6-8). In Revelation, it is the worship of the saints that God uses to send air strikes on the earth.

This also happens as individuals and families are transformed by the renewing of our minds, through offering their bodies in worship (Rom. 12:1-2). Planting churches is the New Covenant equivalent to Abraham building altars in Canaan. Wherever the gospel establishes communities of biblical worship, we are acknowledging that Jesus purchased that land, that nation with His blood and insisting that it must and will bow to Him.

 

HOLY MARRIAGE & HOMES

“Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge” (Heb. 13:4). Holiness is not prudish or sanctimonious. Holiness in the home is earthy, physical, material, and full of joy. The Holy Spirit created the heavens and the earth, and He filled the artisans with skill to build the tabernacle (Gen. 1:2, Ex. 35:31).

Holiness means husbands loving their wives like Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for her and wives submitting to their husbands as the Church does to Christ: so that husbands might present their wives holy and without blemish (Eph. 5:22-27). But this is not merely spiritual, this includes loving and protecting your wife as your own body (Eph. 5:28-29) and raising joyful, obedient children (Eph. 6:1-4, 1 Tim. 3:4-5). This means dealing with sin quickly, forgiving one another, and covering sins in love. We cannot be a force for good in this land, if our homes are not models of order and peace.

 

HOLY WORK

Jesus said clearly that he who is faithful in little will be faithful in much, and this includes faithfulness in justice (Lk. 16:10-12). “And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?” Our vocational labors are the practice field for authority and fruitfulness in the world. Honesty, integrity, hard work, fixing mistakes, learning to communicate, and multiplying your talents is the path to influence and blessing (Mt. 25:14).

“Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men” (Eph. 6:6-7). We cannot establish justice in the land if we are not practicing justice in our daily labors.

 

CONCLUSION

Thank God for a clear Trump victory. Now the Church must gird up our loins to fight. We must fight sin and corruption at every level, beginning in our own hearts, families, businesses, churches, and cities. We cannot be a free or powerful America apart from obedience to Christ, apart from holiness.

So think of this time like Joseph’s seven years of plenty. We have 2-4 years to store up and build strong families, businesses, and churches. May God grant us longer and may He grant a true Reformation and Revival, but we must build houses on the rock that are ready for storms.

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Covenantal Education (The Well-Pleased Father #5) (King’s Cross)

Lindsey Gardner on

INTRODUCTION

God created the world with covenantal dynamics wound through everything. This has been the source of our Fall into sin in Adam, but it is also the source of our salvation and new life in Christ. Analogous covenants exist in the family and public square.

One the one hand this explains many of the challenges we face as families and nations, and on the other hand, this is also an invitation into God’s blessing. And the Bible teaches that the curses of covenant rebellion are not as powerful as the blessings of covenant faith (Ex. 32:6-7).

The Text: “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4).

 

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

The Bible teaches that both mothers and fathers have significant duties in the raising of children. This is evident in the biblical requirement of honor and obedience of both mother and father (Eph. 6:1, Ex. 20:12). But the Bible also clearly lays this responsibility at the feet of fathers (Eph. 6:4). This is because of the covenantal nature of the family (Eph. 5:23), which is related the covenantal nature of the world: Adam was the father of the human race (Rom. 5:19), and Abraham is the father of all the faithful (Rom. 4:16). Thus, while mothers play essential roles, fathers are responsible to see to it that their children are not provoked to wrath but raised in the culture and counsel of the Lord Jesus (Eph. 6:4). And because God built the world this way, accepting this responsibility in faith is the path of God’s blessing.

 

COVENANT RESPONSIBILITY

Part of our problem is that we have been marinating in individualism for so long, we often think as mere individuals and think responsibility is either/or rather than both/and. Covenantal thinking teaches us to see the world as layered with loyalties, obligations, and duties (and therefore blessings). Cain was an early individualist: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The answer was yes, as a brother. A husband is the head of his wife, like the head of a body. This doesn’t mean the wife is passive or has no obligations; it simply means that she is to give input and support as her husband’s body. And a husband is required to nourish/feed his wife as his own body, and the same word is used here for “raising/feeding” children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Practically, this means that a father is responsible for the culture of his family, including the discipline and education of his children. Thankfully, there has been a great revolt among thinking Christians over the last several decades pulling kids out of public schools, but sometimes this has resulted in Christian education being led and dominated by women and moms. This temptation is understandable when the men are hustling to put food on the table and pay the bills, but fathers are responsible to oversee this as well. There is plenty of room for delegating, but it must be true delegation and not abdication.

 

NOT PROVOKING

Colossians says something similar to what is said in Ephesians: “Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged” (Col. 3:21). Fathers are often tempted to harshness, and then sometimes in reaction to their failures, absent and distant. But both provoke children to anger.

Faithful fathers imitate the Father: they are present, engaged, consistent, responsible, and generous. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father or lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (Js. 1:17). Of course no earthly father matches this perfectly, and therefore our task is to point to that perfect Father with everything we can. One teacher describes faithful leadership as “failing in the right direction.”

While there really is a dearth of fathers in our land, our hope is not in perfect fathers. Our hope is in the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

CULTURE & COUNSEL

The words translated “nurture” and “admonition” are paideia and nouthesia, which literally mean culture and counsel. A culture is a way of life: ways of speaking, dressing, eating, celebrating, customs, traditions, and worship. Counsel is wisdom, teaching, knowledge, history. We see both of these in the great Shema:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates” (Dt. 6:4-9).

All of this is why Christian fathers must provide a distinctly Christian education for their children. This is why we have banded together in schools and coops to accomplish this. This is why our deacons have a Christian education fund to help families accomplish this.

 

CONCLUSIONS

Psalm 127 says that unless God builds the house and guards the city, the builders and watchmen labor and watch in vain. And no amount of anxiety or sleeplessness can make up for this. We must have God’s blessing on our houses and cities and nations. And the psalm says that one of the principle means by which God does this is through the inheritance of children. Children are arrows in the hands of a warrior; they will stand with their fathers in the city gates.

Children are these weapons in our hands as they are received by covenantal faith in the promises of God. This faith is expressed by Joshua’s ancient confession of faith: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15). But this is not a mere intellectual ascent. This is a living faith that believes and acts, trusts and obeys, takes responsibility and hustles in the right direction, looking to your Father for blessing.

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Forgiven Families (The Well-Pleased Father #4) (King’s Cross)

Lindsey Gardner on

Introduction

The oil of gladness that keeps the engine of fellowship running smoothly is forgiveness. The forgiveness of God in Christ is what motivates the forgiveness we extent to one another, as well as all the kindness and compassion.

Scripture is abundantly clear that those who call themselves Christians who will not forgive those who have wronged them, cannot be forgiven by God (e.g. Mt. 23ff). We pray this regularly: “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” This is not a “works righteousness,” as though we are trying to earn God’s forgiveness. It is rather the natural overflow of receiving God’s complete forgiveness.

The Text: “… Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Eph. 4:29-32).

 

Summary of the Text

Going back to the creation of the world, words (and therefore attitudes) are powerful: God created the universe with His Word, and since people are made in the image of God, our words and thoughts have the power to build up or tear down (Eph. 4:29). The Spirit hovered over creation in the beginning and filled the builders and craftsmen of the tabernacle (e.g. Ex. 31:3ff), and ungracious speech grieves Him (Eph. 4:30). Corrupt and destructive words flow out of bitterness, wrath, and anger (Eph. 4:31). Our ministry of grace and edification is to be full of kindness, compassion, and forgiveness, all because the Father has forgiven us (Eph. 4:32). Just as the Father is building His Church into a temple by His Spirit, the Spirit is working in and through His people to build generational families that reflect His glory.

 

As You Have Been Forgiven

How does the Father forgive His people?

“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him” (Ps. 103:12-13).

“I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins” (Is. 43:25).

“Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Mic. 7:18-19).

“In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7).

“To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43).

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9).

 

Forgiveness is a Promise

Forgiveness is a promise not a feeling. This is the basis of God’s forgiveness: His covenant promises of forgiveness are sealed in the blood of Jesus. If you wait until you feel like forgiving, you are making your feelings the standard and bitterness can often develop. But all human forgiveness is simply agreeing that the blood of Jesus was shed for that sin and promising to consider it paid for.

This is why it is important to confess your sins to God first and receive His forgiveness before going to your neighbor. Your neighbor is not actually taking away your sin (only God can do that). Sometimes a confession is trying to get out of a mere human what only God can do. This is the difference between “getting something off your chest” and reconciliation.

This is also why it is a high-handed blasphemy to refuse to forgive your neighbor; it is insisting that the blood of Jesus is not good enough.

In a healthy family, the words “please forgive me” should be relatively common to hear, followed quickly by the promise: “I forgive you.” And Jesus insists that we must forgive seventy times seven for the same offense (Mt. 18:21-22). This is part of being compassionate and tender-hearted. If you are honest with your own heart, you know the way sin and evil creeps in. You know how much you have been forgiven. As Jesus says, whoever is forgiven little will love very little, but whoever knows they have been forgiven much, will love much (Lk. 7:47).

And wherever forgiveness has not yet been asked for, you ought to have forgiveness waiting and ready for them. As far as it depends upon you, there should be grace in your hearts.

 

Applications

Generational Grace: “Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation” (Ex. 34:7).

One of the ways we need to practice generational mercy is upstream as well as downstream. This means parents need to make sure they are not harboring any bitterness or resentment toward their own parents or anyone. As you forgive those who have sinned against you, you are passing down mercy rather than guilt to your own children and grandchildren.

Practice Restoration: Love keeps no record of wrongs (1 Cor. 13:5). This is what we call “keeping short accounts.” As soon as sin happens, we want to be dealing with it as quickly as it happened (just like other spills and messes). Don’t let dark clouds hover over your kids (e.g. time outs, grounding, etc.). When discipline has occurred, make sure sin is confessed, forgiveness is extended, and fellowship is fully restored.

Sometimes you’ve practiced bitterness (or guilt), and those thoughts and feelings keep coming back. So have your gospel tennis racket ready to bat them away: Christ died for that. And in place of those old thoughts and words, put on gratitude, compassion, and kindness. Whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely… meditate on those things, with the smiling pleasure of your Father at the center of all of it.

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Gospel Obedience (The Well-Pleased Father #3) (King’s Cross)

Lindsey Gardner on

Introduction

Too often Christians oppose grace and obedience, gospel and good works. While we certainly are not saved by our good works or obedience, we are saved for obedience (Eph. 2:8-10). The gospel, rightly understood, truly renews people, making them zealous for good works, working in them the love of obedience.

The Text: “… For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world…” (Tit. 2:1-4).

 

Summary of the Text

Paul exhorts Pastor Titus to teach those things which are “fitting” for sound doctrine (Tit. 2:1). What does he mean? He means instructing old and young, men and women, and even servants to be full of virtue and obedience in the details, “that the word of God be not blasphemed,” that they “may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things” (Tit. 2:2-10). Why? Because the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared (Tit. 2:11). But not only has it appeared, but that same gospel teaches sinners to repent of their sins and live soberly, righteously, and godly in this world (Tit. 2:12). How does the gospel teach and instruct? By pointing to our blessed hope: the glorious appearing of Christ, who gave Himself for us that He might deliver us from sin and purify us and make us zealous for good works (Tit. 2:13-14). In other words, disobedience is an ugly, blasphemous lie about the gospel.

 

Living Sacrifices

The Bible teaches that outside of Christ, true obedience to God from the heart is impossible. Outside of Christ, man is a slave to sin, and therefore for him, gospel obedience is a grievous burden and the aroma of death (Rom. 6:16, 2 Cor. 2:16). But in Christ, the good news is not only redemption and forgiveness but also a new heart that wants to obey the doctrine of Christ (Rom. 6:17), zealous for good works (Tit. 2:14), presenting our bodies as living sacrifices of praise for His great grace (Rom. 12:1). This is nothing less than loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbors as ourselves (Mt. 12:33). This obedience is offering all that we are, all the time, right away, all the way, and cheerfully to the Lord, and all of that would still only be our bare duty, as unprofitable servants, for our great salvation (cf. Lk. 17:10).

 

Loving the Standard

Gospel obedience loves the law of God and loves His standard because Christ is the standard in flesh. He is the Law-Word made flesh. We love God’s way because Christ Jesus is God’s way. Gospel obedience is zealous for good works because its eyes are fixed on Jesus “Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Tit. 2:14). Gospel obedience is like Peter walking on water: so long as our eyes are fixed on Jesus, it is an overflow of gratitude and faith and love. But if you start looking down at the wind and the waves, at your own abilities, at all the trouble in this world, you will begin to sink.

We are called to perfection (as our Father in Heaven is perfect), and the gospel is God’s solemn promise that He will accomplish that goal in you. Like a kid playing his favorite sport in the backyard, picturing his hero’s excellence, we are to love obedience because it is the obedience of our Hero, our Savior. So our goal in our families is a culture of loving the standard, not a cranky perfectionism but a joyful, persistent faith that constantly aims at His holiness, while quickly repenting of sin. We get to walk on the water with Him. And Your Father is well-pleased with every faltering attempt, and therefore you must be too.

 

Applications

Practicing Walking on Water

The central command given to children is to obey their parents in the Lord, which is based on the first command with a promise, that it may go well with you in the land (Eph. 6:1-3).

This command is given to children, and parents (fathers in particular) are assigned the task of teaching this obedience: “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). So the obedience of parents is teaching and training children, and the obedience of children is heeding that instruction. But everyone must obey, and obedience is right away, all the way, and cheerful.

Slow obedience is disobedience. Incomplete obedience is disobedience. Grumpy, complaining, eye-rolling obedience is disobedience. This applies to both parents and children. And remember: “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Gal. 6:1).

The Gospel Grace of Discipline

In Hebrews 12, it says that God disciplines His sons because He loves them and wants them to run the race of obedience even more faithfully, keeping their eyes fixed on Jesus. In other words, God the Father’s discipline of us is part of His gospel grace.

So this is the model for discipline for Christian families. Parents are to discipline and require obedience of their children in gospel grace. Think of Jesus knocking Saul to the ground on the road to Damascus and blinding him: that was a gospel chastening (painful for the present but afterward yielded the peaceable fruit of righteousness).

Chastening includes lots of teaching and admonition, but also the rod of correction. “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him” (Prov. 13:24, ESV). “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him” (Prov. 22:15). “Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell” (Prov. 23:14). By faith, discipline is a great gospel grace.

The gospel is the good news that God has crucified us with Christ, so that by dying in Him, we might rise to newness of life, zealous for obedience (Rom. 6:3-11ff).

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