EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/24/2025 8:15 PM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-1 “Gratitude For God’s Grace”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
1 John 3:19-20
Message of the verses: “19 We will know by
this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him 20 in
whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.”
John MacArthur begins this section by writing
something that I am not sure that I knew.
“Every human being is born with the law of God written in the heart and
with a conscience to accuse or excuse, depending on how the person acts in
regard to the law.”
The
following is the Scripture that is used to back up what was just written which
is Romans 2:14-15:
14 For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do
instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to
themselves, 15 in that they show the work of the Law written
in their hearts, their
conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them.
Well
it seems that what MacArthur wrote certainly goes along with what Paul wrote to
the Romans, so I guess that I needed a reminder of this truth and happy to
receive it.
MacArthur
continues his thoughts after he quotes these verses from Romans: “This means every person has some degree of
self-knowledge and some innate ability to recognize right and wrong.” It seems to me that one could say of
unbelievers when they were young that “if you don’t use it you lose it.”
Now
mostly we were talking about unbelievers but those who are Christians have
embraced the truth of Scripture, by which they were regenerated as seen in 1
Peter 1:23: “for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but
imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” We as believers are continuing being
sanctified as John 17:17 tells us "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word
is truth.” MacArthur writes that “They
desire to know and obey the Word (cf. 1 John 2:3-6; 3:6-10). And when believers obey the Word of God,
their consciences inform them that they did the right thing (Romans 9:1),
giving them joy and godly confidence (2 Cor. 1:12). Similarly, if they sin, their consciences indict
them on account of their wrong thoughts, words, or actions (John 8:9). If believers persist in sin, implicitly the
conscience will make them fearful, depressed, and insecure (cf. Pss. 32:3-4;
38:1-8; 40:11-12).” I will stop quoting
from MacArthur’s commentary and quote those verses that are seen above, because
I think this is a very important point that he is making here which will be
backed up with these verses.
“3 When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted
away Through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night Your hand was heavy
upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.
Selah” (Ps. 32:3-4).
O LORD, rebuke me not in Your wrath, And chasten me not in
Your burning anger. 2 For Your arrows have sunk deep into me, And Your hand has
pressed down on me. 3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your
indignation; There is no health in my bones because of my sin. 4 For my
iniquities are gone over my head; As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.
5 My wounds grow foul and fester Because of my folly. 6 I am bent over
and greatly bowed down; I go mourning all day long. 7 For my loins are filled
with burning, And there is no soundness in my flesh. 8 I am benumbed and badly
crushed; I groan because of the agitation of my heart” (Ps. 38:1-8).
11 You, O LORD, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me. 12 For evils
beyond number have surrounded me; My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am
not able to see; They are more numerous than the hairs of my head, And my heart
has failed me” (Ps. 40:11-12).
Now I will continue with the quote from
MacArthur’s commentary: “They will then
begin to question the genuineness of their profession of faith, on account of
their prolonged disobedience. While they
cannot lose their salvation (if they are truly saved), they can begin to lose
the assurance of that salvation due to a plaguing conscience that accuses
them. Until they properly deal with
their sin, their conscience, empowered by true, Spirit-aided knowledge of the
scriptural standards for holiness, will continue to painfully remind them of
the blatant discrepancy between what they profess and what they practice.”
1/24/2025 8:49 PM
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