Assurance

Assurance of my salvation is not something that I have struggled with, but I did hear a phrase in this past week's sermon that would be good to use when explaining assurance to someone else. We're studying Thessalonians.

In the spirit of foreknowledge or predestination, which is so offensive to many, I know that God chose me. And while it did reduce me to tears when I realized this and queried *Why me?*, it was not the moment that I was saved. The two were years apart. He was continuing to draw me. John 3:44

At any rate, if I were to explain assurance to another I would focus on the fact that God made the decision to save me. I did not decide to save myself.

Because God is great, all-powerful, all-knowing, immutable (all those perfections), He does not made bad decisions. And He does not change His mind. He chose me once at for all. Two thousand years ago, Christ knew my name. Long before I was born physically on earth.

That means I dont have to worry.

It also means that I am His bond-servant.

May I be faithful witness.

Book Lists

BuriedTreasureBooks is one of my favorite websites and every morning I check in to see what Carmon is pondering. Recently she posted about reading lists and gave us several links.

With all the books choices and reading opportunities that exist, I agree with Samuel Johnson's quote about books (like friends) needing to be well-chosen. Early in my parenting was I convicted of my obligation to supply our children with worthy reading material as well as supplement their assigned (school) reading. See my xanga entry on Parker Hudson's books.

But the real thrust of this entry is to comply with a request from Carmon. It relates to my references to Carolyn Custis James's book, When Life and Beliefs Collide, mentioned here, here, and here.

Carmon asked that I share Mrs. James's Recommended Reading List found in the back of this book.

The Bible

This heads the list of the books we need to read says Mrs. James on page 237 where she challenges her audience to read and study the Bible PLUS read it to (your) children. While she recommends Marian Schoolland's Leading Little Ones to God (which I own), she also recommends The New Living Bible (Tyndale House) which I do NOT recommend or own. She mentions Dr. Tremper Longman's Reading the Bible with Heart and Mind for an overview. In this category, I own Eugenia Price's Beloved World and Karen Lee-Thorp's Story of Stories.

Mrs. James does recommend owning a set of commentaries. In our home library are Matthew Henry's and John Calvin's. For further resources she recommends Wayne Grudem's theological textbook, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. We refer to R J Rushdoony's.

"Knowing God is not a private matter," states Mrs. James on pg 242, where she begins her list of books to help us get to know God better. "Historically, Christians have always explored AND interacted with the Scriptures within the context of the church;" and so, she refers us to godly leaders from previous generations by recommending Augustine's Confessions; Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion, and J I Packer's A Quest for Godliness. She has already highly recommended Packer's Knowing God.

Then a list of Books to Help us Know God Better.

Allender's The Cry of the Soul: How our emotions reveal our deepest Questions about God.

Bridges' Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts

Piper's The Pleasures of God

Sproul's The Holiness of God

Tada's A Step Further and When God Weeps: Why our Sufferings Matter to the Almighty

Carson's How Long, Lord? Reflections on Suffering and Evil

Books to Help Us Know God in Our Relationships

Allender's Intimate Allies

Tripp's, P D Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens
________ War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles

Tripp's, T Shepherding a Child's Heart


In conclusion, Mrs. James challenges us to become thoughtful readers (p.245) in the spirit of Acts 17:11 where Paul's listeners "received the message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what he said was true." Some of the books she recommends contain views with which she personally takes issue. But overall, the strengths far outweigh the weaknesses.

That is how I feel about the book, When Life and Beliefs Collide.

Let me know if you've read it.

Theology on Thursdays

Interesting conversation with a Christian young lady over the summer prompted me to pick up again Carolyn Custis James's book, When Life and Beliefs Collide: How Knowing God Makes a Difference. On my xanga site I have written a review of the book, but here I want to mention a couple of thoughts.

Lamenting that "in the Bible there are just not enough women to talk about", the aforementioned lady continued to say that it was difficult to find enough information about the women that are mentioned and to make those stories interesting and educational to middle-school aged girls.

Keeping up my end of the conversation, I mentioned several women along with their Biblical character traits, never really seeming to make any headway with my friend. I really was trying to be encouraging by offering the names of a variety of females mentioned in Scripture.

Even now I continue to feel like I was not a good witness because I think my comments frustrated rather than encouraged the Christian younger than I. Questions came to mind: What type of Titus 2 model was I? How could I have been more persuasive in my choice of words and tone of voice? Was I a good theologian?

In search of answers, not only did I review the Bible for examples of Godly women, I began to re-read When Life and Beliefs Collide. In there Mrs. James challenges her audience: "Our task is not simply to know God more deeply ourselves but to lead our daughters to pursue a deeper relationship with him too." Pg 14

I think I failed to lead.

Either way, the Bible IS full of examples of women: old and young, married and unmarried, Godly and ungodly. It speaks to and about women.

I pray my friend found them.