Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
- Mark 10:42-45
“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them.
- Mark 14:24
But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
- Romans 5:15
and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
- Revelation 1:5-6
“Take heed to yourselves, lest you live in those actual sins which you preach against in others; and lest you be guilty of that which daily you condemn. Will you make it your work to magnify God, and when you have done dishonour him as much as others? Will you proclaim Christ’s governing power, and yet contemn it and rebel yourselves? Will you preach his laws and wilfully break them? If sin be evil, why do you live in it? If it be not, why do you dissuade men from it? lf it be dangerous, how dare you venture on it? if it be not, why do you tell men so? If God’s threatenings be true, why do you not fear them? If they be false, why do you trouble men needlessly with them and put them into such frights without a cause? Take heed to yourselves, lest you cry down sin and not overcome it; lest while you seek to bring it down in others. You bow to it and become its slaves yourselves. It is easier to chide at sin than to overcome it.’ (The Reformed Pastor, Chapter l.2.2)”
- Tony Lane, A Concise History of Christian Thought
Richard Baxter (1615-1691) was a minister and self-styled theologian. He refused an appointment as a bishop and was thrown out of the Church of England. He became a minister in the Nonconformist movement and that caused him to serve some jail time, but he became a prolific writer of theology. He was predominantly a Calvinist, but he had some odd ideas regarding predestination. As he was preparing for the ministry, John Owen was a big help to him.
Of course, the quote from Rev. Baxter is “preaching to the choir”. It was in a book on instructions for the newly ordained reformed pastor.
But it touches on a serious topic. Often pastors and writers talk about repentance or struggles with sin. But when they point fingers at the people that receive the message, do they point fingers back at themselves?
I often write myself into a corner. I realize that I should be front-row center in reading the post that I had just written. None of us are perfect, and at times, I feel a little less perfect.
As Rev. Baxter states at the end of the quote, “It is easier to chide at sin than to overcome it.”
In other words, when I write something about sin, I am right there with you, overcoming as opposed to having already arrived.
If you like these Tuesday morning essays about philosophy and other “heavy topics,” but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Tuesday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory.
Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley 
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