Treasuring God's Truth in Your Heart

1 John 2:1-2: Am I a Christian?

1 John 2:1-2: My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. [1]

 Sin affects believer and unbeliever alike. [2] But when sin manifests itself in the believer’s life, it can be distressing. Thoughts like, “If I were truly saved, would I be dealing with this right now?” creep in and torment us in doubt. [3]

 What assurance is there for those tortured by doubt and scrupulosity? John helps us understand that Jesus Christ, the only perfect person on earth, defends us as the perfect lawyer before a just God. [4] 1 John 4:10 reminds us that the Father, in love, sent the Son to redeem His people. [5] Because Jesus has perfectly appeased God’s wrath, removed the “guilt of our sin” and “suppl[ied] satisfaction for sin” we need not doubt our standing as children before God. [6]

 This good news is not license to sin, [7] but freedom for obedience. The Triune God’s grace is so good we should all be motivated to flee sin and live biblical principles through the power of the Holy Spirt. [8] And when we find ourselves wrestling with sin again, we look to Him Who represents us and faithfully forgives. May the Trinity be pleased to help you trust, confess, and rest in Christ today.

This blog was written by Seth Dunn

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Logos Bible Software. Al Scripture references will be ESV unless noted otherwise.

[2] Romans 3:10-23; 6; 7.

[3] Simon J. Kistemaker. New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Epistle of James & the Epistles of John. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1986), 241. For identity, see also John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion. Trans. Henry Beveridge. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 2008), 253-254.

[4] Kistemaker, Exposition of the Epistle of James & the Epistles of John, 254.

[5] Kistemaker, Exposition of the Epistle of James & the Epistles of John, 253.

[6] Kistemaker, Exposition of the Epistle of James & the Epistles of John, 252-253.

[7] Romans 6:1; James 2.

[8] Ephesians 2:8-100

Treasuring God's Truth in Your Heart

Psalm 27:13-14: God Is Always Enough

Psalm 27:13-14: I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living!

Wait for the Lord;

be strong, and let your heart take courage;

wait for the Lord! [1]

 When we watch movies, we might want clear, complete, and comforting conclusions. Just as every film does not have a happy finish, neither does every Psalm. [2] Psalm 27 ends on “naked faith,” trust when suffering seems to have no certain culmination insight —something that believers “may have to” exercise. [3] But Psalm 27 does not end with blind fatalism. David wraps up his Holy Spirit inspired poem resting on “the assurance that God is worth waiting for.” [4] David’s faith, like the Old Testament saint’s faith, led to rest on Christ even in uncertainty, [5] and Christians should do the same.

 Is God always enough for us even when the future is questionable? Is the life, death, and resurrection of the incarnate Christ all we need when anxieties are aggravated and fear infests fickle hearts? When there are bills to pay, difficulties in the office, or bullying at school do we have a theology that believes the Triune God can resolve our trials when we do not know how? If you are like me, then the honest answer is no. We might confess our faith, but when the explosion erupts we can react faithlessly. At the root of this sin, and all others, is unbelief. [6] We need to cry out to the Holy Spirit, asking that He would help us put to death unbelief, so that in every season we can believe God is always enough.

This blog was written by Seth Dunn

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Logos Bible Software. All Scripture references will be ESV unless noted otherwise.

[2] Derek Kidner. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries: Psalms 1-72, An Introduction and Commentary on Books I and II of the Psalms. General Ed: D.J. Wiseman. (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1973), 122.

[3] Kidner, Psalms 1-72, 122.

[4] Kidner, Psalms 1-72, 122.

[5] Hebrews 11.

[6] John Colquhoun. Repentance. (London, England: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1965), 118.

Treasuring God's Truth In Your Hearts

Psalm 27:10-11: God’s Shield

Psalm 27:11-12: Teach me your way, O Lord,

and lead me on a level path

because of my enemies.

Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;

for false witnesses have risen against me,

and they breathe out violence. [1]

Often in life we do not always understand why the LORD tests us. Job was not explicitly told why He suffered. [2] On occasion, Scripture gives us some explanations for trials. James 1:2-4; Romans 8:18-39; 2 Corinthians 1:3-10; etc. help us see some ways the Triune God is greater than suffering and can use it in believers’ lives. Arguably, Psalm 27:11-12 is one of those passages. [3] David does not get an outright answer, [4] but John Calvin explains this passage is a comfort for modern Christians. [5] Calvin teaches, “. . . this prayer was dictated for our comfort, to intimate that God can maintain our innocence, and oppose the shield of his protection to the cruelty of our enemies.” David’s suffering and prayer are recorded so Christians can see and believe that the Trinity is able to save His children.

Calvin also reminds us that Jesus Christ faced the ultimate suffering from lying and violent people. [6] Because of Immanuel’s murder, we are able to walk in the LORD’s ways, even when we suffer. [7] When our faith is founded on Christ’s redemptive work alone, we will face suffering, [8] and see the ways God uses suffering to refine us, and show us His power. [9] Believer in Jesus Christ, no matter what you are suffering, the Trinity’s shield is sufficient to guard you. Pray that you would believe it more.

This blog was written by Seth Dunn

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Logos Bible Software. All Scripture references will be ESV unless noted otherwise.

[2] Job 38-42.

[3] John Calvin. Commentary on the Book of Psalms, Vol. I. Trans. James Anderson. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1979), 461-462.

[4] Derek Kidner. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries: Psalms 1-72, An Introduction and Commentary on Books I and II of the Psalms. General Ed: D.J. Wiseman. (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1973), 122.

[5] Calvin, Psalms, Vol. I, 462.

[6] Calvin, Psalm, Vol. I, 461-462. See also Acts 2:14-42 (esp. v. 23), 3:11-26 (esp. vv. 13-16).

[7] 1 Peter 2:21-25, 4:12-19; 5:9-10.

[8] 2 Timothy 3:12.

[9] Calvin, Psalms, Vol. I, 461.

Treasuring God's Truth in Your Heart

Psalm 27:9-10: In Case of Emergency: Pray

Psalm 27:9-10: Hide not your face from me.

                        Turn not your servant away in anger,

O you who have been my help.

                        Cast me not off; forsake me not,

O God of my salvation!

            For my father and my mother have forsaken me,

but the Lord will take me in.  [1]

In these verses, David gives those of us facing difficulty two principles for praying during trials. First, David teaches us to pray urgently: he knows that if God is not with him there is no hope. [2] Second, in his urgent prayer, David leans on God’s promises, trusting that the Trinity will keep His Word. [3]

No one lived these principles better than Christ Jesus. The Lord Jesus prayed earnestly before going to the cross, to the point He sweat as if He were bleeding. [4] But before entering the garden He also prayed resting on what He knew to be true. [5] Though Christ was abandoned far worse than David, His trails in life and on the cross made real hope possible for those of us facing trials. [6]

Prayer may not remove our trials, but when we pray to Christ we communicate with someone Who has suffered as we have, and Whose death gives us hope. [7] A hope that our present sufferings are not worth thinking about with Christ’s coming restoration. [8] A hope that the Holy Spirit meets us in our struggles and helps us in them. [9] A hope that there is a good God orchestrating His children’s suffering for their benefit because nothing is greater than Christ’s finished work. [10] This hope is for all who embrace Christ. If you desire this hope, confess the false hopes you have held to and cling to Christ as your exclusive hope for forgiveness before a just God. If you believe but wrestle, you are not alone. I encourage you to memorize Romans 8 and to urgently pray and believe it in your trials.

This blog was written by Seth Dunn

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Logos Bible Software. All Scripture references will be ESV unless noted otherwise.

[2] William S. Plumer. Psalms: A Critical and Expository Commentary with Doctrinal and Practical Remarks. (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 2016), 361.

[3] Plumer, Psalms, 361, Joshua 1:5; Psalm 27:10;

[4] Luke 22:44.

[5] John 17.

[6] Plumer, Psalms, 361.

[7] Hebrews 4:14-16.

[8] Romans 8:17-25.

[9] Romans 8:26-27.

[10] Romans 8:28-39.

Treasuring God's Truth in Your Heart

Psalm 27:7-8: True Prayer

Psalm 27:7-8: Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;

be gracious to me and answer me!

            You have said, “Seek my face.”

                        My heart says to you,

“Your face, Lord, do I seek.”  [1]

After seeing the confidence in verses 1-6 you might read this passage and think: “David, what happened?” David prays so passionately because he knows prayer communicates with the Triune God Who hears. [2] Verse 8 teaches us to listen to God’s call to seek Him, and shows David’s heart in his quick response to seek the LORD. [3]

When we pray we can have the same assurance that we will be heard, and should expect to be heard. [4] Do we pray that way? When pain strikes, and the way we understand the world is rocked, do we pray expecting God to answer? If this is an area where you struggle, or if you are in a hard season where you need wisdom, please pray this whole Psalm regularly. Lord willing, Psalm 27 will teach you David’s confidence, earnestness, and seeking the Trinity as you pray to the God Who hears because of His Son Jesus Christ. [5] Notice: David does not appeal to His righteousness but looks to what God has said. Pray confidently because Jesus has reconciled us who were God’s enemies. [6] Your life does not need to be in order. You do not need to be perfect. Come to Christ, and you have everything you need to pray.

This blog was written by Seth Dunn

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Logos Bible Software. All Scripture references will be ESV unless noted otherwise.

[2] C.H. Spurgeon. The Treasury of David, Containing An Original Exposition Of The Book Of Psalms; A Collection Of Illustrative Extracts From the Whole Ranger Of Literature; A Series Of Homiletical Hints Upon Almost every Verse; And Lists Of Writers Upon Each Psalm In Three Volumes, Vol., 1 Part 2: Psalm XXVII to LVII. (Peabody, Mass: Hendrickson Pub, 1876), 4.

[3] Spurgeon, Treasury, 4.

[4] Spurgeon, Treasury, 4. See also 2 Kings 19:14-37; 2 Chronicles 20.

[5] Hebrews 4:14-16.

[6] Romans 5:10-11.