Sunday Sampler

Today I finished reading Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen. Here are some selections from that book which I thought were important:

"According to the Christian conception, a creed is not a mere expression of Christian experience, but on the contrary it is a setting forth of those facts upon which experience is based."

"If Christ provides only a part of our salvation, leaving us to provide the rest, then we are still hopeless under the load of sin."

"'Christ died' - that is history; 'Christ died for our sins' - that is doctrine. Without these two elements, joined in an absolutely indissoluble union, there is no Christianity."

"The narration of the facts is history; the narration of the facts with the meaning of the facts is doctrine."

"Here is found the most fundamental difference between liberalism and Christianity - liberalism is altogether in the imperative mood, while Christianity begins with a triumphant indicative; liberalism appeals to man's will, while Christianity announces, first, a gracious act of God."

I am in Job in my Bible reading right now. Which Christian could fail to love this passage?

"For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another." Job 19:25-27

This time around I was struck by the context of these verses. Job is proclaiming his innocence against the false accusations of his 'comforters.' He here claims a Redeemer, implying that his innocence is not his originally but has been given to him, and he here maintains his complete confidence in his Redeemer. May God give to us a faith like Job's, a faith in the goodness of God.