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Se t t l e d in t he Fa i th Continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel . . . ColossIans 1:23
It’s a Christian’s duty to be settled in the doctrine of faith. The 1 Peter 5:10 apostle’s prayer says that the God of all grace . . . will . . . establish, strengthen, settle you. That is, that settled Christians might not be meteors in the air, but fixed stars. The apostle Jude speaks of “wandering stars” (v. 13). Unsettled Christians are called wandering stars because, as Aristotle says, “They do leap up and down, and wander into several parts of the heaven; and being but dry exhalations, not made of that pure celestial matter as the fixed stars are, they often fall to the earth.” Those not settled in their Christian faith will, at one time or other, prove wandering stars; they will lose their former steadfastness and wander from one opinion to another. These wandering stars are like the unsettled tribe of Reuben; like a ship without ballast, overturned with every wind of doctrine. These are not pillars in the temple of God, but reeds shaken every way. To be unsettled in one’s Christian faith argues want of judgment. It also argues lightness. Just as feathers will be blown easily everywhere, so will feathery Christians. Therefore such are compared to children: that “we be no more children, tossed to and fro” (Ephesians 4:14). Children are fickle, sometimes of one mind, sometimes of another; nothing pleases them long. So unsettled Christians are childish; the truths they embrace at one time, they reject at another.
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Ex ce l l e n ce a n d H o no r A gray head is a crown of glory; it is found in the way of righteousness. proVerBs 16:31
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It is the great end of the word preached to bring us Christians to a settlement in our faith. Jeremiah 23:29 refers to the Word of God as a hammer: Every blow of the hammer is to fasten the nails of the building. So the words are to fasten you to Christ; preachers weaken themselves to strengthen and settle you. The grand design of preaching is to both enlighten and establish souls, guiding them in the right way as well as keeping them in it. Those not settled in their faith can’t suffer for it; religious skeptics rarely prove martyrs. Those not settled do not answer God’s end in giving them the ministry. To be settled in one’s faith is both a Christian’s excellence and honor. It is their excellence: when the milk is settled, it turns to cream. Now Christians will be zealous for truth and walk in close communion with God. And it is their honor: it is a blessing to see an old disciple, to see silver hairs adorned with golden virtues. Those not settled in their faith also cannot suffer for it; Christian skeptics rarely prove martyrs. Those not settled in their Christian faith hang in suspense; when they think of the joys of heaven, they espouse the gospel, but when they think of persecution, they desert it. Unsettled Christians do not consult what is best, but what is safe. Defectors from the gospel weigh God and Satan against each other, accept the devil’s ways, and proclaim him the best master, “putting Christ to an open shame” (Hebrews 6:6). These unsettled Christians will never suffer for the truth, but as soldiers defecting to the enemy’s side, they will fight on the devil’s side for pay.
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To Esp ouse t he Tr u th They turned aside like a treacherous bow. For they provoked Him with their high places And aroused His jealousy with their graven images. When God heard, He was filled with wrath And greatly abhorred Israel. psalM 78:57–59
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Not being settled in the Christian faith provokes God. To espouse the truth, and then to fall away, brings an ill report upon the gospel, which will not go unpunished. The apostate drops as a windfall into the devil’s mouth. And if you are not settled, you will not grow. Christians are commanded in Ephesians 4:15 to grow up in all aspects into Him who “is the head, even Christ.” But if we are unsettled, there is no growing: “the plant which is continually removing never thrives.” Christians who are unsettled can no more grow in godliness than a bone that is out of joint can grow in the body. There is a great need to be settled, for so many things unsettle us. Seducers are abroad, whose work is to draw people away from Christian principles. First John 2:26 says, “These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.” They are the devil’s factors; they are the greatest felons robbing you of the truth. Seducers have silver tongues that can put off bad wares; they are deceivers. “By good words and fair speeches they deceive the hearts of the simple” (Romans 16:18). They have fine, elegant phrases, flattering language, whereby they work on weak Christians. They possess a pretence of extraordinary piety, so others may admire them and suck in their doctrine. They seem to be men of zeal and sanctity, to be divinely inspired and pretend to new revelations.
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Be wa re t he Fa l se Te a c h e r s They eagerly seek you, not commendably, but they wish to shut you out so that you will seek them. galatIans 4:17
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Another group of seducers labors to vilify and nullify sound orthodox teachers. They would eclipse those who bring the truth, like black vapors that darken the light of heaven; they would defame others, that they themselves may be more admired. Thus the false teachers cried down Paul, that they might be received. Yet another group of seducers preaches the doctrine of liberty: as though men are freed from the moral law, the rule as well as the curse, and Christ has done all for them, and they need to do nothing. Thus they make the doctrine of free grace a key to open the door to all those lacking legal or moral restraints, especially those who disregard sexual restraints. Another means to unsettle Christians is by persecution. The gospel is a rose that cannot be plucked without prickles. Christ’s legacy is the cross. As long as there is a devil and a wicked man in the world, never expect a charter of exemption from trouble. How many fall away in an hour of persecution! “There appeared . . . a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns . . . and his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven” (Revelation 12:3–4). The red dragon, by his power and subtlety, drew away stars, or eminent professors of the Christian faith, who seemed to shine as stars in the firmament of the church. The children of Zion should be like Mount Zion, which cannot be removed.
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Christ ia n s A re t o B e Gr o u nd e d Rooted and grounded in love. ephesIans 3:17
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The way for Christians to be settled is to be well grounded. Christians should be grounded in the knowledge of fundamentals of their faith. The apostle spoke of “the first principles of the oracles of God” (Hebrews 5:12). In all arts and sciences, in logic, physics, and mathematics, there are rules and principles that must be known to practice those arts; so in divinity, there must also be first principles laid down. The knowledge of the foundational principles of the Christian faith is exceedingly useful, or we cannot serve God aright. We cannot worship God acceptably unless we worship Him regularly; and how can we do that if we are ignorant of the rules and elements of our faith? We are to give God a “reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). If we do not understand foundational Christian principles, we cannot offer a reasonable service. Foundational knowledge of Christianity much enriches the mind. It is a lamp to our feet; it directs us in the whole course of living out our Christian faith. Knowledge of fundamentals is the golden key that opens the mysteries of the gospel; it gives us a whole system and body of divinity. It helps us understand those difficult things that occur in the reading of the Word; knowledge of the fundamentals helps. It furnishes us with armor of proof and weapons to fight against adversaries of the truth. Such knowledge is the holy seed of which grace is formed. It is the seed of faith and the root of love. The knowledge of the foundational principles of the faith is key to the making of a complete Christian.
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G roun de d a n d Se ttl e d You have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God. heBreWs 5:12
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A well-settled tree must first be well rooted; so, if you would be well settled in the Christian faith, you must be rooted in its principles. So that we may stand in difficult times, we must have a principle of knowledge within; first grounded, and then settled. For a ship to be stationary, it must release its anchor. Knowledge of principles is to the soul as the anchor is to the ship, steadying it in the midst of the rolling waves of error or the violent winds of persecution. Many people are unsettled, ready to embrace every novel opinion, adorning themselves in as many religions as fashions, because they are ungrounded. Peter referred to these as “unlearned and unstable� (2 Peter 3:16). Those unlearned in the main points of divinity are unstable. Christians cannot be strong in their faith if they lack the grounds of knowledge, for those principles are sinews to strengthen and establish them. It is essential to lay down the main foundations of biblical truths so that the weakest believer may be instructed in the knowledge and strengthened in the love of it. Clearly teaching the principles of Christian dogma, discipline, and ethics is the best expedient for the grounding and settling of people. I fear one reason why there has been no more good done by preaching is because the main doctrinal truths of Christianity have not been fully or clearly explained. Therefore, no solid foundations for living out one’s Christian faith are being laid.
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M a n ’s Chie f En d: To Gl o r i fy Go d That God in all things may be glorified. 1 peter 4:11
Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. The glory of God is a silver thread that must run through all our actions: “whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Everything works to some end in things natural and artificial. Man, being a rational creature, must propose some end to himself, and that should be that he may lift up God in the world. He had better lose his life than the purpose of his living. The great truth asserted is that the end of each man’s living should be to glorify God—to glorify God the Father who gave us life; God the Son, who lost His life for us; and God the Holy Ghost, who produces a new life in us. We must bring glory to the whole Trinity. And what are we to understand by “God’s glory”? There is a twofold glory. First is the glory that God has in Himself, His intrinsic glory. Glory is essential to the Godhead, as light is to the sun: He is called the “God of glory” (Acts 7:2). Second is the glory ascribed to God, that which His children labor to bring to Him. We are to “give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name” (1 Chronicles 16:29). Paul wrote, “Glorify God in your body, and in your spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:20). The glory we give God lifts His name up in the world, magnifying Him in the eyes of others. “Christ shall be magnified in my body” (Philippians 1:20).
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G od’s L if e , His G l o r y My glory I will not give to another. IsaIah 48:11
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Glory is the sparkling of the Deity: it is so co-natural to the Godhead that God cannot be God without it. The creature’s honor, however, is not essential to his being. A king is a man without his regal ornaments when his crown and royal robes are taken away; but God’s glory is such an essential part of His being that He cannot be God without it. God’s very life lies in His glory. This glory can receive no addition, because it is infinite; it is that which God is most tender of, and which He will not part with: “I will not give my glory unto another” (Isaiah 48:11). God will give temporal blessings to His children, such as wisdom, riches, honor. He will give them spiritual blessings, He will give them grace, He will give them His love, He will give them heaven. But His essential glory He will not give to another. King Pharaoh parted with a ring off his finger to Joseph, and a gold chain, but he would not part with his throne: “Only in the throne will I be greater than thou” (Genesis 41:40). So God will do much for His people: He will give them the inheritance; He will put some of Christ’s glory, as Mediator, upon them; but His essential glory He will not part with.
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Glory Ascribed to God Through A p p re c i ati o n Ascribe to the L ORD the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come before Him; worship the L ORD in holy array. 1 ChronICles 16:29
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We glorify God by showing our appreciation to Him for everything He is to us and for everything He does for us. To glorify God is also to set God highest in our thoughts and to have a venerable esteem of Him. The psalmist did this when he sang, “Thou, LorD, art most high for evermore” (Psalm 92:8) and “Thou art exalted far above all gods” (97:9). There is in God all that may draw forth both wonder and delight; there is a constellation of all beauties; He is the original and springhead of being, who sheds a glory upon His children. We glorify God when we are God-admirers—when we admire His attributes, which are the glistering beams by which the divine nature shines forth; His promises, which are the charter of free grace and the spiritual cabinet where the pearl of price is hid; the noble effects of His power and wisdom in making the world, which is called “the work of [His] fingers” (Psalm 8:3). To glorify God is to have God-admiring thoughts, to esteem Him as most excellent, and to search for diamonds in this Rock only.
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G l o r y A s c r i b e d to G o d Through A dorat ion o f H i m Ascribe to the L ORD the glory due to His name; worship the L ORD in holy array. psalM 29:2
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Glorifying God consists in adoration or worship. There is a twofold worship. First is the civil reverence that we give to persons of honor, as when “Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to . . . the children of Heth” (Genesis 23:7). Piety is no enemy to courtesy. Second is the divine worship that we give to God as His royal prerogative, as when God’s people “bowed their heads, and worshiped the LorD with their faces to the ground” (Nehemiah 8:6). This divine worship God is very jealous of; it is the apple of His eye, the pearl of His crown; which He guards, as He did the tree of life, with cherubim and a flaming sword, that no man may come near it to violate it. Divine worship must be such as God Himself has appointed; otherwise it is offering strange fire (Leviticus 10:1). The Lord would have Moses make the tabernacle and its furnishings: “look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount” (Exodus 25:40). Moses must not leave out anything in the pattern, nor add to it. If God was so exact and curious about the place of worship, how exact will He be about the matter of His worship! Surely here every thing must be according to the pattern prescribed in His Word.
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Ascribed Glory to God Through A f f e c ti o n Let them praise the name of the L ORD : for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven. psalM 148:13
Affection is part of the glory we give to God, who counts Himself glorified when He is loved: “Thou shalt love the LorD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and all thy might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). There is a twofold love. First is a love of concupiscence, which is selflove; as when we love another, because that person does us a good turn. A wicked man may be said to love God because He has given him a good harvest or filled his cup with wine. This is rather to love God’s blessing than to love God. The second is a love of delight, as a man takes delight in a friend. This is to love God indeed: the heart is set upon God as a man’s heart is set upon his treasure. This love is exuberant, not a few drops, but a stream. It is superlative: we give God the best of our love, the cream of it. This love is intense and ardent. True saints are seraphims, burning in holy love to God. He who is the chief of our happiness has the chief of our affections.
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Asc ri be G l ory t o G od Thro u g h S u b j e c ti o n Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 1 peter 5:6–7
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Subjection is when we dedicate ourselves to God and stand ready dressed for His service. The angels in heaven glorify Him; they wait on His throne and are ready to take a commission from Him. Therefore the angels are represented by the cherubims with wings displayed, to show how swift they are in their obedience. We glorify God when we are devoted to His service: our head studies for Him, our tongue pleads for Him, and our hands relieve His members. The wise men who came to Christ did not only bow the knee to Him, but presented Him with gold and myrrh. We must not only bow the knee, give God worship, but bring presents of golden obedience. We glorify God when we stick at committed and faithful service, when we fight under the banner of His gospel against an enemy, and say to Him as David to King Saul, “Thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:32). A good Christian is like the sun, which not only sends forth heat, but shines round the world. Those who glorify God have not only their affections heated with love to God, but they go their circuit too: they move vigorously in the sphere of obedience.
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Christ ia n s M ust G l o r i fy G o d It is He who has made us. psalM 100:3
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We must glorify God because He gives us our being. We think it a great kindness in a man to spare our life, but what kindness is it in God to give us our life! We draw our breath from Him, and all the comforts of life are from Him. He gives us health to sweeten our life and food that nourishes the lamp of life. If all we receive is from His bounty, isn’t it reasonable that we should glorify Him? Shouldn’t we live for Him since we live by Him? “For of him, and through him . . . are all things” (Romans 11:36). All we have is from His fullness; all we have is through His free grace. It follows, therefore, “to him be glory for ever.” God is not our benefactor only, but our founder, as rivers that come from the sea empty their silver streams into the sea again. We must also glorify God because He has made all things for His own Glory. “The Lord hath made all things for himself” (Proverbs 16:4), that is, for His glory. God will have glory out of everything, even the wicked, but He has especially made the godly for His glory. They are the lively organs of His praise, the people He formed for Himself (Isaiah 43:12). They cannot add to His glory, but they may exalt it; they cannot raise Him in heaven, but they may raise Him in the esteem of others here. God has adopted the saints into His family and made them a royal priesthood, that they should show forth the praise of Him who has called them.
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