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reports, reviews, thoughts, news (and fun) posted by Gary Ware

Category Archives: Christian Freedom


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‘For Every Look At Yourself, Take Ten Looks At Christ’ -The 200th Anniversary Of The Birth Of Robert Murray McCheyne

Even though marking the anniversary of someone’s birth is a bit odd (given that it’s not really their achievement), any reason to remember the legacy of 19th century Presbyterian pastor Robert Murray McCheyne should be welcome, particularly given my earlier post relating to the Church of Scotland.
At The Briefing, Sandy Grant offers a short appreciation of McCheyne’s (notably brief) life and devotion to personal holiness.
Here’s the intro.

Perhaps some of the most famous words ever spoken on the topic of holiness by a pastor came from Robert Murray McCheyne.
He said,
The greatest need of my people is my own holiness.
He was not just referring to a minister with moral standards, but one who is walking constantly in communion with Christ, and is being so changed by it to be more like Jesus.

Read the rest at The Briefing, and give thanks for the example of a devoted disciple of Jesus.


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A Prayer for Repenting of Whining and Ingratitude (via Scotty Smith)

Scotty Smith points out that focussing on God’s gracious acceptance and delight in us is one of the best antidotes to complaining and resentfulness.
He also points out, that even when we come to the point of view whereby we ourselves become convicted of our unsavoury behaviour toward God; in Christ, God has always been looking on us with love and delight. Further reason to be freed from negativity.
From Heavenward.

     [The older brother] was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, “Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!” And he said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.” Luke 15:28-31

Forbearing Father, meditating through this familiar portion of your Word has taken to me a familiar place again, unfortunately. Though I’d never boast about my many years of serving you—as thought my service merits your acceptance; and I’d never think of boasting in my record of obedience to your commands—as though my works earned a relationship with you; nevertheless, I acknowledge there are times when my ingratitude matches that of the older brother.
This has become obvious to me lately, and I want to repent before it gets any worse. My best repenting happens, not when I grovel, but when I preach the gospel to my own heart, so here goes.
Father, you are constantly running to me in the gospel—inviting me, imploring me, pleading with me to get on the dance floor of your grace—to enjoy the music of reconciliation; to sing the songs of redemption; to make merry to the glory of God.
You are constantly saying to my grumbling, complaining, discontented self-righteous face, “My son, you’re always with me because I’m always with you. Nothing will ever separate you from the everlasting love I have for you, and all my children. I greatly delight in you. I rejoice over you with singing. Everything I have is yours.
All your sins are forgiven, including your gross ingratitude. I’ve declared you to be righteous in my beloved Son. Having given his life for your redemption, I’ve hidden your life in his, for your exultation. I’ve begun a good work in you, and in my whole broken world, that I will bring to completion.
I’ve made you a co-heir of the new heaven and new earth. You are destined for an eternity of perfect relationships, perfect health, a perfect environment, a perfect story, perfect worship, perfect fulfillment—perfect everything. Come, let us rejoice and be glad.”
Father, I so repent—and please don’t relent. Keep beating down my ungratefulness with multiplied love offensives of the gospel. Only grace can free me from whining for worship. So very Amen I pray, in Jesus’ peerless and praiseworthy name.


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Self-Deception: The Lie We’re Smart Enough To Create, But Not Smart Enough To See Through (via Douglas Wilson)

Ever tried tickling yourself? It just doesn’t work. Only someone else’s touch will do.
You might think the same would be true with lies.
Some else has to tell you the lie in order for you to be truly deceived.
But it’s not the case.
Humans can actually be smart enough to think of a lie that they themselves will believe, a lie they’re not smart enough to see through.
Which takes a special sort of smart and a special sort of stupid, all at the same time.

Douglas Wilson explains what self-deception is, and provides some observations about how we can avoid pulling the wool over our own eyes.

Self-deception is hard to understand, and even harder to see. Think for a moment about what self-deception involves. You have to be cunning enough to tell yourself a lie, and you have to gullible enough to believe it. How can that happen? How can one part of you pull the wool over the eyes of another part of you?
When someone calls you on it, you have to make deaf the part of you that knows their rebuke to be true, and you have to make the gullible you blink uncomprehendingly, perhaps with tears in those eyes. You have to manage the whole enterprise most carefully, which means the managerial you has to be in on the secret, and yet allow the managerial you to be somewhat sincere when protesting your innocence. This is what self-deception involves. You have to lie to you, and you have to buy it, and then you have to walk away from that encounter grateful that you didn’t ask too many questions. This is self-deception.
This is a deep trap, and so, not surprisingly, the Bible posts warning signs for us. The first lesson is that the Bible—the perfect law of liberty—is the only mirror which can enable us to identify this gross problem in ourselves (Jas. 1:25). Consequently, the self-deceived have to practice a little trick whenever they encounter the Word, whether in their Bible reading, or in sermons, etc. They have to disconnect hearing from doing (Jas. 1:22), which is the besetting sin of those in orthodox churches. Let hearing good stuff substitute for doing good stuff.
So we deceive ourselves when we shy away from application (Jas. 1:22). We deceive ourselves when we minimize our own sin (1 John 1:8-10). We deceive ourselves when we take our standards for evaluating ourselves from the world’s wisdom instead of the wisdom of Christ (1 Cor. 3:18). And of course, we deceive ourselves when we allow ourselves to flatter ourselves. “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself” (Gal. 6:3).
So as we come to confess our sins, let us take special care to ask the Lord to show us ourselves as we ought to see ourselves.


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Westminster Confession Of Faith – Lord’s Day 20

Westminster Confession Of Faith – Lord’s Day 20

Chapter 12 – Of Adoption
I. All those that are justified, God vouchsafes, in and for his only Son Jesus Christ, to make partakers of the grace of adoption: by which they are taken into the number, and enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God; have his name put upon them; receive the Spirit of adoption; have access to the throne of grace with boldness; are enabled to cry, Abba, Father; are pitied, protected, provided for, and chastened by him as by a father; yet never cast off, but sealed to the day of redemption, and inherit the promises, as heirs of everlasting salvation.