The Condescension of God
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  • Table of Contents
  • Chapters
    • To The Reader
    • 1 - The Condescension of God >
      • A Poetical Introduction: Look at the Cross
      • The Sovereignty of God in Determinate Counsel
      • God in the Ways of God
      • God in the Ways of Man
    • 2 - The Simultaneous Genuine Wills of God >
      • Lesser Matters
      • Weightier Matters
      • A Priestly Covenant
      • A Kingly Covenant
    • 3 - The Abrahamic Covenant >
      • Tracing the Abrahamic Covenant
      • The Exodus Generation Saved by Faith
      • Tracing Hebrews
      • Holy Mount Sinai
      • The Call, Mount, and Fear of the Prophet Like Unto Moses - Jesus Christ
      • Zion is the Mountain of our Covenant
    • 4 - The Exodus Generation >
      • The Exodus Generation - The Contrast of Simultaneous, Genuine, Paradoxical Wills in God
      • New Covenant Applications
    • 5 - Abrahamic Exemplification >
      • The Covenant Promises Subject to Conditions
      • Tracing Abraham's Life: The Trial of Faith
      • The Burden of Perfection
      • Understanding the Trial of Faith
    • 6 - The Davidic Covenant >
      • The Davidic Covenant: Seeking a Performance of the Promises
      • Bewilderment & Blindness by a Covenant Breached
    • 7 - Interceding Against Wrath >
      • Wrath Pursuing Sinners
      • Wrath Pursuing Saints
    • 8 - The Near Annihilation of God's People >
      • The Covenant of "the Called" in its Initiation: THE GREAT PAUSE
      • The Divine Struggle Continues
    • 9 - "I Am Weary With Repenting"
    • 10 - "Mercy On Whom I Will Have Mercy" >
      • "Mercy On Whom I Will Have Mercy"
      • Great Is Thy Faithfulness
      • His Mercy Endureth Forever
    • 11 - The Righteous Judgment of God >
      • The Righteous Judgment of God - By Principle: Horizontally & Vertically
      • Life - Tribe & Company
      • Life - City & Nation
      • Life - The Temple of God
    • 12 - The Glory of God in Wrath: Personification, Anthropomorphism, & Zoomorphism >
      • Personification, Anthropomorphism, & Zoomorphism
      • The Glory of God in Wrath
    • 13 - The Doctrine of Reprobation
    • 14 - The Damnable Abuse & Misapplication of Sovereign Election >
      • Jeremiah
      • Joshua
      • Jacob
      • Josiah
    • 15 - The Deception of God >
      • Froward for Froward
      • Eli
      • Balaam
      • Israel
      • Micaiah & Later Generations
      • Saints Who Recover - The Temporary Experience of the Deception of God
    • 16 - Have You Discerned Your "Day" & "Time" >
      • Where Is The Lord?
      • Spiritual Darkness
      • Spiritual Famine
      • Spiritual Drunkenness
      • Spiritual Drunkenness - Spiritual Infancy
    • 17 - A Biblical Study of Spiritual Infancy >
      • Introduction
      • The ROD
      • NT Darkness to Light: The Gospel of Regeneration
      • NT Foolishness to Wisdom: The Gospel of Regeneration
    • 18 - NT Lost to Saved - The Gospel of Regeneration >
      • The Gospel of Regeneration
      • Crucified/Mortified/Buried
      • Resurrected & Ascended
      • Baptized
      • Put on Christ
      • Quickened (Alive, Living, & Revived)
    • 19 - The Partial Completion of the Gospel >
      • Present Progressive Salvation Explained
      • Perfection
      • Blamelessness
      • Holiness & Sanctification
      • Without Spot & Blemish
    • 20 - The Gospel Calling
    • 21 - The Great Falling Away
    • 22 - The NT Gospel Call to Worthiness >
      • The NT Gospel Call to Worthiness
      • "GOD, HIS WAY IS PERFECT'
      • "GOD IS LOVE"
      • "GOD IS ONE"
      • GOD "IS HOLY"
      • GOD IS A STRANGER
      • GOD IS HEAVEN
      • "GOD IS LIGHT"
      • GOD IS GLORY & VIRTUE
      • GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE
    • 23 - The Condescension Withdrawn >
      • PATTERN #1: Our Only Hope - God's Faithfulness
      • Your Ascent or God’s Descent
      • PATTERN #2: God’s Eternality, Sovereignty, & Higher Righteousness Exalted
      • The NT Visitation of God – Final Judgment & Final Salvation
    • 24 - "The Goodness of God Leadeth Thee to Repentance" >
      • How is repentance wrought in the regenerate children of God?
      • "Groanings Which Cannot Be Uttered"
    • 25 - "Many Are Called But Few Are Chosen" >
      • Many Golden Chains: The Golden Chains Throughout History
      • The PURPOSE & INTENT for Salvation
      • NT Intercessions & NT Repentances
      • Called - Elect - Chosen - Foreknown
      • "Many Are Called But Few Are Chosen"
      • The Marriage & The Called, Chosen, and Faithful
      • The Epistles: A Commentary, Echo, and Practical Application of the Parables of Jesus Christ
      • A Pastor's Sermons to Make Sure Biblical Mercy
    • 26 - The Assurance of Eternal Election >
      • Believe His Word!
      • "What Manner of Love"
      • Concluding Statement
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Chapter 22: The NT Gospel Call to Worthiness

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"GOD, HIS WAY IS PERFECT" - Psalm 18:30

“…keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in His ways, and to fear Him” (Deut. 8:6).

“Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in His ways.” (Ps. 128:1)
The NT Gospel Call to Worthiness
"GOD, HIS WAY IS PERFECT" - Psalm 18:30
"GOD IS LOVE" - 1 John 4:16
"GOD IS ONE" - Mark 12:29
GOD "IS HOLY" - 1 Peter 1:16
GOD IS A STRANGER
GOD IS HEAVEN
"GOD IS LIGHT" - 1 John 1:5
GOD IS GLORY & VIRTUE
GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Mat 5:43-48)

“But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.” (Luke 6:35-36).
Christian, you are called to live worthy of the gospel. Therefore you are called to be “as your Father” is (Lk. 6:36), which means that you walk in Him, and when you walk in Him, you do His deeds. God does love His enemies. He does good to them and blesses them, and how? By shining the sun and raining rain upon them. So also, if you are “perfect” you will be “as your Father” (Matt. 5:48), which means that you do what He does by walking in Him. “He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also, so to walk, even as He walked” (John 2:6). In this way must be “as He is” (1 John 4:17) in walk. Can you see how Christian perfection is to be “as He is” (1 John 4:17)? In Matthew 5:43-48 & Luke 6:35-36, the attribute of God’s merciful love is in direct view, thus we can see that Christian perfection is to be “as your Father” (Matt. 6:48), and from henceforth as we examine “perfection”, whatever attribute is in view about Who God is, or, what are the manner of His ways, to be perfect in “Christian perfection” is to be “as He is”. God’s way is perfect; therefore we must be perfect by walking in His ways. “Ye do the deeds of your father” (John 8:41).

“Be Perfect” – Matt. 5:48
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“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48)
“Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.” (Lk. 6:36)
“…every one that is perfect shall be as his Master.” (Luke 6:40)
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect.” (Matt. 6:48)
“that ye may be the children of Light” (John 12:36)
“that ye may be the children of your Father” (Matt. 6:45)
John 12:36 says, “walk… that ye may be the children of Light”, and now, here in Matthew 5:43, it states that we should love as God loves, which is being as He is, which is also being perfect as He is perfect (Matt. 5:48), and all of this is to the end “that ye may be the children of your Father” (Matt. 5:45), God says! For, if you do not do these things and are not “as He is in this world” (1 John 4:17), then you will not be called a child or son of God on the Last Day of Judgment! Christian perfection (Php. 3:15), which is saving faith, does lay hold upon the gospel calling (Php. 3:14) in a worthy “walk” (Eph. 4:1) right NOW, presently and progressively, so that in the Final Judgment you will obtain final, sinless perfection (Php. 3:12) in the gospel consummation. To be perfect like as Matthew 5:48 states is a present progressive COMMAND which is obtainable, at present, and thus the NT writers labor for Christian perfection with all their might, bearing in mind that it is an eternally significant cause (Col. 1:28-29)! “The disciple is not above his Master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his Master” (Luke 6:40). Can you now understand and see the meaning behind these verses? We’d better understand what Christian perfection is! There is no other reason for the gifts of the Spirit to empower Church ministers except that they would, by grace, cause the people to be established in and maintain perfection (Eph. 4:12-13). Hear of Paul’s exhausting devotions to this supreme goal: “Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labour, striving according to His working, which worketh in me mightily” (Col. 1:28-29). Perfection was heard about, it was evidently a supreme topic in his preaching, warning, and teaching, and, in this cause he was laboring, striving, and working according to the mighty power of God – yet is Christian perfection so alien to you that you don’t even know what it is? Has your congregation ever heard you speak of it, and is it in your prayers that you pray to God? Paul’s heart was utterly rent over the spiritual necessity of each individual’s perfection in Christ – so much so, he did so earnestly pray – “NIGHT AND DAY praying EXCEEDINGLY that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith” (1 Thess. 3:10)! A matter so grave, so heavy, Paul was continually cast upon his knees, prostrated on his face, standing in the nights with hands lifted up, praying and praying, exceedingly, and lo, WOE TO US – we don’t even understand what it is! Christian perfection is a matter of eternity, and do you think that you are a biblical pastor or elder, and yet you don’t know what this subject pertains to? May the Lord have mercy! Then preacher, know this, you are not the man of God for the hour! Let this agonizing lamentation of God sink down into your ears – “Oh that My people had hearkened unto Me, and Israel had walked in My ways” (Ps. 81:13)!

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