Sunday, September 27, 2015

About Faithfulness

Particularly in my later ministry, I have emphasised the need for faithfulness in Church attendance. I refer to the doctrine of the means of grace, which was once famously summed up as follows: “The Holy Spirit can, but does not ordinarily, work without the Word” -- where the Word usually refers to the Word of God preached. Berkhof’s Systematic Theology has a useful section on this. That is, it is not so much about whether I feel like attending Church today, or about the feelings I carry away with me, or whether the service was good today or not. It is about what I know and believe about how God works. Neglect the means of grace, and you have probably stalled your spiritual progress. OBSERVATION: As an encouragement to others, I refer to my own faithfulness when I am off duty.

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