Through the Bible - Daniel 3-4, 1 John 4
Good morning,
I've been (slowly) reading through Martyn Lloyd-Jones "Great Doctrines of the Bible" and recently came to a chapter titled "Creation and Common Grace" in which he describes common grace as "those general operations of the Holy Spirit in which, without renewing the heart, He exercises a moral influence whereby sin is restrained, order is maintained in social life, and civil righteousness is promoted. That is the general definition. The Holy Spirit has been operative in this world from the beginning and He has had His influence and His effect upon men and women who are not saved and have gone to perdition. While they were in this life and world they came under these general, non saving operations of the Holy Spirit. That is what we mean by common grace."
Today's verse comes from John 1 where we see several references to "light".
John 1:9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. NKJV
That "Light" of the world is Jesus.
Lloyd-Jones continues, "It is a kind of natural light, as we call it, natural understanding. It is the light that is in conscience and there is that light of conscience in every person born into the world. Now that is one of the operations of the Holy Spirit in what is called common grace. .... Many Christian people are in grave error with regard to this matter. They seem to have the idea that God has nothing to do with the unsaved world. But that is not scriptural. Even those who are unsaved are under the influence of the Holy Spirit. It is not a saving influence, nor is it a redemptive influence, but it is a part of God's purpose."
If you are following the read through the Bible plan outlined above, in the Old Testament you have moved into the book of Daniel. Try reading the first few chapters with this in mind. Look for the "common grace" of God working for good through the people in the book from servants to King
Nebduchadnezzar, for God to accomplish His purposes, and be glorified. You can see the same thing happening time and time again in the Bible from Genesis forward until today.
Some, perhaps many feel that God is far off, if around at all. I don't think anyone can fathom what would happen if God were to remove His hand, His common grace from the world around us. Whether people acknowledge Him or not, He is the hope, the only hope for every man.
Reading the words "every man" in John 1:9 reminded me of the song Every Man by Casting Crowns, here are the last few lines of the song. He is the hope, love, and peace that the world so desparately needs.
There is hope for every man
A solid place where we can stand
In this dry and weary land
There is hope for every man
There is Love that never dies
There is peace in troubled times
Will we help them understand?
Jesus is hope for every man
"God alone knows himself in the depths of his being. What we know is only what he has chosen to make known to us, and he has not chosen to make known much of his dealing with evil in the world or exactly how his purposes are ripening in the church that now seems so battered.” - David F. Wells,
In Christ,
Mike
mikevw@bellsouth.net
John 1:1-10
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John's Witness: The True Light
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
NKJV
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