Overcoming the World: Grace to Win the Daily Battle - Softcover

Joel R. Beeke

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0875527469 ISBN 13: 9780875527468

Publisher: P & R Publishing, 2005

Synopsis

We see all around us that the world is on a quest for pleasure, power, profit, and position. Many Christians struggle to live faithfully in such a world and stay true to Christ's command to be in the world, but not of it. Taking direction from the Puritans, John Calvin, and others, Joel Beeke guides readers to the biblical alternatives to worldliness: genuine piety and holiness.

Written for such times as these, Overcoming the World will be a source of encouragement and growth for readers that are serious about following Christ. Pastors and other leaders will find here a uniquely practical work that will help them in leading Christians through the narrow gate.

About this title

About the Author:

Joel R. Beeke (PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary) is president of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, where he also serves as professor of systematic theology and homiletics. He is the author of several books, including Truth That Frees, The Quest for Full Assurance, and A Reader's Guide to Reformed Literature.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

What Is Overcoming Worldliness? The most valuable things in life are not easily obtained, much less retained. That is true of the spiritual blessing of a personal, saving relationship with God; of a biblical and intimate marriage, of close ties with family and friends; of divine benediction on our work; of contentment in Christ; or of a disciplined lifestyle of commitment to His church and kingdom. None of these blessings should be taken for granted. In spiritual life, in interpersonal relations, in all of our work, this principle holds true: the way to gain is through pain.

In their book In His Image, Paul Brand and Philip Yancey show how pain is a necessary ingredient to growth. That's why we speak of growing pains, they say, and repeat the saying, "No pain, no gain." In nature, struggle and pain are also necessary for proper growth. For example, a man once found a cocoon of the emperor moth and took it home to watch it emerge. One day a small opening appeared. For several hours the moth struggled but couldn't seem to force its body past a certain point. Deciding something was wrong, the man took scissors and snipped the remaining bit of cocoon. The moth emerged easily, its body large and swollen, the wings small and shriveled. The man expected that in a few hours the wings of the moth would unfurl in their natural beauty, but they did not. The moth spent its life dragging around a swollen body and shriveled wings. The struggle and pain necessary to pass through the tiny opening of the cocoon are God's way of forcing fluid from the body of a moth into the wings. The merciful snip of the scissors was, in reality, most cruel.

Likewise, the Christian life is a struggle. It demands entrance through a narrow gate and a daily walk along a narrow path. The Christian way is not a middle way between extremes but a narrow way between precipices. It involves living by faith through self-denial, waging a holy war in the midst of a hostile world. And what a war that is, for the world doesn't fight fairly or clearly, doesn't agree to ceasefires, and doesn't sign peace treaties. To see how the believer overcomes the way of worldliness by faith, let's examine 1 John 5:4-5, which says, "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" With God's help, we shall look at overcoming worldliness by faith in these three parts: what it means (chapter 1), how it is practiced (chapter 2), and how to make it last (chapter 3).

About this edition

• Publisher: P & R Publishing
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0875527469
• ISBN 13: 9780875527468
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 201