Thursday: The Mighty God, the LORD

By James Boice

Theme: The Second Indictment: Hypocrisy

Because God is the judge of all the earth, our proper response to him is to humble ourselves, repent of our sins, and offer ourselves to him in grateful service.

Scripture: Psalm 50:1-23

With verse 16 there is an unmistakable movement to a second class of people, since the verse begins, "But to the wicked, God says." However, it is important to see that even here we are not in the presence of the heathen but rather still with the alleged people of God. Derek Kidner calls these "the nominally orthodox," "hypocrites" and "hardened characters."5

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

Wednesday: The Mighty God, the LORD

By James Boice

Theme: The Cure for Mere Ritual

 Because God is the judge of all the earth, our proper response to him is to humble ourselves, repent of our sins, and offer ourselves to him in grateful service.

Scripture: Psalm 50:1-23

As soon as we begin to think that we are doing God a favor by our worship we dishonor God and slide into a false religion of works righteousness. This is why what is emphasized in the psalm as the right approach to God is thankfulness and honor (vv. 14, 15, 22), and not faith. Thankfulness embraces other items, but it is stressed here because it emphasizes what God has done and not what we imagine ourselves as being able to do.

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

The Many Faces of Legalism

by Nick Kennicott • February 27, 2018

We are all born with a legal-heart, and the Christian life is one of discovering just how legal-hearted we continue to be. It’s not until we understand the right use of God’s law in its intimate union with the gospel that we begin to move away from every form of legalism. “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).

A number of years ago, I defined legalism as, “an attempt to win God’s favor apart from the finished and sufficient work of Christ on behalf of sinners.” This is a doctrinal legalism which undermines the gospel. There also exists a practical legalism that is often ignored or misunderstood—a legal root that is at the heart of every one of our sins (1 Corinthians 15:56).

The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals is member supported and operates only by your faithful support. Thank you.

Christward Collective is a conversation of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Christward Collective and the mission of the Alliance.

Tuesday: The Mighty God, the LORD

By James Boice

Theme: The First Indictment: Formalism

Because God is the judge of all the earth, our proper response to him is to humble ourselves, repent of our sins, and offer ourselves to him in grateful service.

Scripture: Psalm 50:1-23

Yesterday we concluded by looking at the first element involved in being summoned to God’s court. We begin today by mentioning the other two.

The universal scope of the impending judgment. The next important element in this opening summons to judgment is the scope of the call itself. It extends to the whole "earth, from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets" (v. 1). Indeed, it is even greater than that. For having traversed the earth from east to west in verse 1, the psalmist then looks up and down as he refers to God summoning "the heavens above, and the earth" in verse 4. All are included. None are left out. We seem to be on the very verge of God's final judgment of the ungodly.

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

Monday: The Mighty God, the LORD

By James Boice

Theme: Summons to Judgment

Because God is the judge of all the earth, our proper response to him is to humble ourselves, repent of our sins, and offer ourselves to him in grateful service.

Scripture: Psalm 50:1-23

In the introduction to Psalm 49 I pointed out that, because the Bible is a progressive revelation, it is often the case that a New Testament passage is a commentary on an Old Testament text. In the case of Psalm 49 it was the other way around; the psalm can be viewed as exposition of Jesus' well-known parable of the rich fool. Psalm 50 is an example of the normal pattern. Its theme is developed in 1 Peter 4:7, where Peter writes, "For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" A theme like this calls for sober reflection by God's people.

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

Friday: You Can’t Take It with You

By James Boice

Theme: An Appeal to Be Wise

In this week’s lessons we learn about the foolishness of trusting in riches, and instead are told to trust in God, who alone is able to redeem our souls.

Scripture: Psalm 49:1-20

In this stage in the history of biblical revelation it would be too much to suggest that the psalmist anticipated the redemption of sinners by the death of Jesus Christ, as the New Testament presents it, for example, in Romans 3:22-24 ("There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus"), or in 1 Peter 1:18, 19 ("For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect"). Nevertheless, "redeem” is exactly the right word to use in this context.

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

Thursday: You Can’t Take It with You

By James Boice

Theme: The Great Contrast: Those Who Trust God

In this week’s lessons we learn about the foolishness of trusting in riches, and instead are told to trust in God, who alone is able to redeem our souls.

Scripture: Psalm 49:1-20

Those who trust God. The most remarkable thing about this section, indeed of the psalm as a whole, is the statement of verse 15, which expresses faith in life for the righteous after death. Its first words, "But God,” are one of the great "but God" contrasts of the Bible. They teach that those who trust riches will die, be buried and soon be forgotten, while those who trust God will be redeemed by him and be taken to him to enjoy personal life and fellowship with him forever.

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

"Join or Die?" The Necessity and Gift of Church Membership

by William Boekestein • February 21, 2018

Contrary to the practice of most Americans, God not only calls believers to attend church but to bind themselves to a local, Bible-believing congregation in a visible and vital way.

 

In 1754 Benjamin Franklin published a cartoon called “Join or Die.” It pictured a snake cut into eights representing the British colonies in the New World. Franklin argued that unless the colonies formed one body they would never be able to resist the powerful threat of the French and their Indian allies.

The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals is member supported and operates only by your faithful support. Thank you.

Christward Collective is a conversation of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Christward Collective and the mission of the Alliance.

Wednesday: You Can’t Take It with You

By James Boice

Theme: The Great Contrast: Those Who Trust Riches

In this week’s lessons we learn about the foolishness of trusting in riches, and instead are told to trust in God, who alone is able to redeem our souls.

Scripture: Psalm 49:1-20

After these wise observations the psalmist ends the first half of the poem with a couplet that will be repeated with some slight but significant variations at the end (vv. 12 and 20): “But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish.”

After these wise observations the psalmist ends the first half of the poem with a couplet that will be repeated with some slight but significant variations at the end (vv. 12 and 20): “But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish.”

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

Spiritual Obesity

by Justin Poythress • February 20, 2018

We lack for nothing. When was the last time you felt needy, weak, or deprived? Try going twenty-four, or even twelve hours without food. The point is not the feeling--it's for what or to whom do you look for help.

Have you ever referred to another person’s weight without transgressing taboos, or creating discomfort? It’s a topic without a winning exit strategy. We’re all sensitive about our weight, and you can bet the person you’re speaking to is more conscious of it than you are. I want to suggest, however, there is a sort of fatness we all carry to which we are mostly oblivious, but which nevertheless weighs us down. I’m talking about spiritual fat. The Bible speaks to holidays and rituals of fasting and feasting which help to compose culture and identity.

The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals is member supported and operates only by your faithful support. Thank you.

Christward Collective is a conversation of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Christward Collective and the mission of the Alliance.

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