Comments on: Ben Franklin on Christmas http://shepherdtheflock.com/2007/12/21/ben-franklin-on-christmas/ "Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you...” Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:57:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.2 By: JP http://shepherdtheflock.com/2007/12/21/ben-franklin-on-christmas/#comment-1441 JP Sat, 22 Dec 2007 10:34:21 +0000 http://shepherdtheflock.com/2007/12/21/ben-franklin-on-christmas/#comment-1441 It's a great quote from Franklin. I knew basically nothing about him until I read Dallimore's Whitefield.....interesting man. As you infer it is actually very frightening to think that someone can recognise true faith and yet reject it....perhaps partly because of our hypocrisy. JP It’s a great quote from Franklin. I knew basically nothing about him until I read Dallimore’s Whitefield…..interesting man. As you infer it is actually very frightening to think that someone can recognise true faith and yet reject it….perhaps partly because of our hypocrisy.

JP

]]> By: davide http://shepherdtheflock.com/2007/12/21/ben-franklin-on-christmas/#comment-1442 davide Sat, 22 Dec 2007 16:08:37 +0000 http://shepherdtheflock.com/2007/12/21/ben-franklin-on-christmas/#comment-1442 Wow, what an awesome quote! very profound! Wow, what an awesome quote! very profound!

]]> By: Thomas Twitchell http://shepherdtheflock.com/2007/12/21/ben-franklin-on-christmas/#comment-1443 Thomas Twitchell Sat, 22 Dec 2007 19:24:23 +0000 http://shepherdtheflock.com/2007/12/21/ben-franklin-on-christmas/#comment-1443 When the unbelieving want to remain in unbelief there is no Christ that they will approve of even if the works testify of the authority to judge. Of Christ we have witness that he put to open shame that powers that existed, yet they would not repent. It is fatal when we direct the claims of Christ to ourselves and our behavior. While it is truth that we should not by our action give cause for the unbelieving world to blaspheme God, it is also true, that eventhough they know him, by the testimony of the Word we speak, they do not honor him, and supress the truth in the equivocating claims that we are sinners too. It is our humiliation, then, that we must proclaim along with Christ, that we are sinners should be first in our claim to the Righteousness that is found only in Christ. For the world is watching, not for proof of our claim, but for our stumbling, that they may blame, and having found out our faults, excuse themselves. Let us then turn our gaze upon Christ the author and perfecter and away from this body of sin, and worship God with our mind as Paul instructs. For, therefore there is no condemnation. Who will accuse us then if we first judge ourselves? For it is Christ who has taken our judgement upon himself who is for us, weak as we are. For in weakness is his power, the power of the Gospel, made perfect. For his grace is sufficient, not behavior, but his grace is what has made us joint heirs to the glory yet to come. Let's us then remind the world, not of our righteousness, but our sin. It is no wonder that Ben could not see the glory God, for he sought that which all men without the Spirit seek, the hope in this present life of glory in the flesh made perfect by its own effort. When the unbelieving want to remain in unbelief there is no Christ that they will approve of even if the works testify of the authority to judge.

Of Christ we have witness that he put to open shame that powers that existed, yet they would not repent. It is fatal when we direct the claims of Christ to ourselves and our behavior. While it is truth that we should not by our action give cause for the unbelieving world to blaspheme God, it is also true, that eventhough they know him, by the testimony of the Word we speak, they do not honor him, and supress the truth in the equivocating claims that we are sinners too. It is our humiliation, then, that we must proclaim along with Christ, that we are sinners should be first in our claim to the Righteousness that is found only in Christ. For the world is watching, not for proof of our claim, but for our stumbling, that they may blame, and having found out our faults, excuse themselves. Let us then turn our gaze upon Christ the author and perfecter and away from this body of sin, and worship God with our mind as Paul instructs. For, therefore there is no condemnation. Who will accuse us then if we first judge ourselves? For it is Christ who has taken our judgement upon himself who is for us, weak as we are. For in weakness is his power, the power of the Gospel, made perfect. For his grace is sufficient, not behavior, but his grace is what has made us joint heirs to the glory yet to come.

Let’s us then remind the world, not of our righteousness, but our sin. It is no wonder that Ben could not see the glory God, for he sought that which all men without the Spirit seek, the hope in this present life of glory in the flesh made perfect by its own effort.

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