Hebrews 3:12-13
“We wander away when we express the anger we feel toward our spouse or children. We wander away when we covet the blessing of a friend. We wander away when we compromise biblical conviction for acceptance, for possessions, or for position. We wander away when we surrender to a moment of lust. We wander away when we doubt God and his goodness. We wander away when we have opportunity to be salt and light, but remain silent and inactive, when the cares of this world squeeze out a diligent pursuit of God. Wandering does not only refer to rank apostasy. Much of our wandering is subtle and unnoticed.”
Paul Tripp
“Sanctification does not prevent a man from having a great deal of inward spiritual conflict. By conflict I mean a struggle within the heart between the flesh and the Spirit, which are to be found together in every believer. A deep sense of that struggle, and a vast amount of healthy discomfort from it, are no proof that a man is not sanctified. Nay, rather, I believe, they are healthy symptoms of our condition and prove we are not dead, but alive. A true Christian is one who has not only peace of conscience, but war within. He may be known by his warfare as well as by his peace.”
J.C. Ryle
“Since each of us still has sin remaining in us, we will have pockets of spiritual blindness. Our most important vision system is not our physical eyes. We can be physically blind and live quite well. But when we are spiritually blind, we cannot live as God intended. Physically blind people are always aware of their deficit and spend much of their lives learning to live with its limitations. But the Bible says that we can be spiritually blind and yet think that we see quite well. We even get offended when people act as if they see us better than we see ourselves! The reality of spiritual blindness has important implications for the Christian community. The Hebrews passage clearly teaches that personal insight is the product of community. I need you in order to really see and know myself. Otherwise, I will listen to my own arguments, believe my own lies, and buy into my own delusions. My self-perception is as accurate as a carnival mirror. If I am going to see myself clearly, I need you to hold the mirror of God’s word in front of me.”
Paul Tripp
“Rebuke is not something that exists outside a good relationship, brought in only at crisis moments. The Bible presents confrontation as one of the cords of a strong relationship, a normal part of the interaction that makes the relationship what it is. Often when people hear the words rebuke and confrontation, they think of a radical moment of truth telling, a long list of stern indictments against a person who is significantly rebellious or who has tragically wandered away. Yet the model here is ongoing honesty in an ongoing relationship. Rather than one big moment of confrontation, the model here is many mini-moments of confrontation. The biblical model recognizes that as we live and work with others, our hearts will be progressively exposed. It calls us to deal with whatever God reveals as he reveals it. In each small moment of truth speaking, the progress of sin is retarded and spiritual growth is encouraged.”
Paul Tripp
