“From within the system, only differences are perceived; from without, the antagonists all seem alike. From inside, sameness is not visible; from outside, differences cannot be seen” (Girard, Violence and the Sacred, p.159).
Eucharistic Dualism
An important part of our responsibility in coming to this Table is to reject all false contrasts and inconsistencies. We reject as unscriptural every attempt at eucharistic dualism, a process which tries to pit external against internal. The superstitious come to the Table in order to fool about with mere externals, considered as such. Their …
Spiritual Morning Glory
The saying of the corporate amen is a great covenant privilege, and has the force of a binding oath. We never want to take it lightly, or invoke it to no purpose, or, worst of all, to mumble it. As we sing the psalms, we offer back to God what He gave us to sing …
Can’t Work the System
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) Growing Dominion, Part 98 “How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver” (Prov. 16:16). This is another interesting comparison in Proverbs. If you have to choose, choose this over that. If …
Three Temptations
We come now to a passage of Scripture which was well-known to our Lord Jesus—He used it in His victory over the devil in the wilderness. “And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers . . .” (Deuteronomy 6:10-25). It ought …
Faith and Frequency
We come to this table on a weekly basis. It is frequently assumed by many that the only reason for this would be because of some kind of superstitious regard for the merits of the Supper. But superstition is a matter of the heart, a question of attitude. At the time of the Reformation, the …
Tender Mercies
There is no substitute for personal holiness, kindness, and humility. Nothing can be substituted in for it. Nothing adequately takes the place of it. There are many glorious truths in the Christian faith, but there is only one demeanor to adorn them all. The gospel is glorious, but what adorns it? Tender mercies. The covenant …
Gotta Be Authentic
“With the emergence of high and low cultural categories around the turn of the century, distinctions were created between ‘commercial’ art, or entertainment, and nineteenth century ‘high’ art, that which was considered creative and authentic” (William Romanowski, Pop Culture Wars, p. 76).
Confession is not Manipulation
“One of the first principles to remember is that confession is not meritorious — to confess sins as a way of placing God in one’s debt is not dealing with sin; it is commiting another sin. The context of all confession must be a thorough grasp of the fdree grace of justification. Put another way, …
Too Far Into It To See It
“In the temporal plan of the system there is not a moment when those involved in the action do not see themselves separated from their rivals by formidable differences. When one of the ‘brothers’ assumes the role of father and king, the other cannot but feel himself to be the disinherited son. That explains why …