A reflection from a lifelong friend in Covenanter country!!

Geneva College    Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania

All those whom God hath predestinated unto life, and those only, he is pleased, in his appointed and accepted time, effectually to call, by his Word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death, in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation, by Jesus Christ; enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God, taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them a heart of flesh; renewing their wills, and, by his almighty power, determining them to that which is good, and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ: yet so, as they come most freely, being made willing by his grace.

                              Westminster Confession of Faith(1646) Chapter 10 section 1

Indeed, the rolling foothills of western Pennsylvania serve as a perpetual testament to the enduring legacy of our faith!  For several centuries, those foreordained of God to serve as defenders and executors of our faith, having been catalytic in forging a great nation out of the wilderness, left an indelible signature in the rolling foothills of the Alleghenies. By the grace of God, many have been supplanted to this tradition. Many indeed were foreordained, as was Scotland itself, to be led by the Father's right hand from many a horrific  cauldron into the warmth, light and respite of the Gospel. . One such man has called Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania his home for many years and has been a friend of mine for many more - since high school, in point of fact. His name is Michael Gura and he is a successful entrepreneur who is able to look out his window  while having his morning coffee and savor the site pictured above. What a wonderful, prolific reminder that the charge of stewardship to the elect is an enduring office.

 Let not this book of the Law depart out of thy mouth, but meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe and do according to all that is written therein: for then shalt thou make thy way prosperous, and then shalt thou have good success. Joshua 1: 8

Several days ago, Mike shared with me how daunting the thought is that those not given the gift of faith have no chance whatsoever at salvation.  Not that he was endeavoring a perichoresis between theology and the Great Commission, at all.  At times,he feels quite sympathetic for those who seem to have no comprehension of plenary moral truths or absolutes. In this age of crass secularism and moral relativism, it seems to be becoming more commonplace to encounter this type. When we do and do not display the "socially acceptable coping mechanisms" for their waywardness, it is we who are labeled "intolerant" or even "functionally awry".

I would respectfully submit that these are not unreasonable trepidations when one considers- as best any mortal can- the magnanimity and exclusivity of God's covenant with the elect. Clearly, we are not to view God as the cosmopolitans do. The Father is often mis-portrayed as a benign figure who is not supposed to be prone to wrath. He is all loving ,and therefore, not the least bit inclined to provide consequences for those who willfully deviate from His divine purpose. The reprobate reasons " Well, God made me a certain way. Why would He punish me for doing what He made me to do?"


^{Daniel 5:27
27} TEKEL, thou art weighed in the balance, and art found too light.

 

 

Obviously, Mike has been led to a more full knowledge and understanding of God's beneficence and His wrath. To this end, he is ever more thankful that the Father has mercifully led him into a spiritual bastion and intellectual place; that he can better engage the charge of stewardship and enjoy the transforming power of the Gospel.  When I was in the mainline church, the gravity of Scriptural verses such as these never enjoyed the elucidation of exegesis. The causal link between the willingness of men and nations to deviate from God's will and the deterioration thereof was never talked about. Only now, after being brought out of that great and terrible wilderness (as per Deuteronomy 8: 15) am I able to better appreciate both the spiritual and circumstantial consequences of man's total depravity and what can happen when you act upon it.

 Others, not elected, although they may be called by the ministry of the Word, and may have some common operations of the Spirit, yet they never truly come unto Christ, and therefore cannot be saved: much less can men, not professing the Christian religion, be saved in any other way whatsoever, be they never so diligent to frame their lives according to the light of nature, and the laws of that religion they do profess. And, to assert and maintain that they may, is very pernicious, and to be detested.
 
  Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) Chapter 10 Sec 4

Mike and I went to parochial school.He holds, as I do, that the experience of parochial education offers a several major tactical advantages. First of all, we enjoyed firsthand experience of academia, devoid of the godless trappings of liberalism that has become all too prevalent in public education. Secondly, the notion of moral absolutes were reinforced in our learning experiences in the idea of consequence was prevalent. Unfortunately, the church has been rocked by a most vile scandal. There have been those in that system who were taken advantage of in a most unutterable way. Although neither one of us was a victim, we both cringe at the thought of how the perpetrators (in clerical garb) were covered up for. It caused us both to take an unflinching look at the dynamics of the faith system and the maladroitness that can been flagged when right versus wrong becomes politicized. Such a litmus, as heartbreaking and as horrifying as it was, serve to better prepare us for the purity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ we enjoy today as young men still.



 "Even the common folk...cannot be unaware of the excellence of the divine art, for it reveals itself in this innumerable and yet distinct and well-ordered variety of the heavenly host."  John Calvin

Adam and Eve were given the charge by God to dress and keep the Garden of Eden, and man has been given the charge by God to be the stewards of His creation. As an indemnification of the Father's righteousness, everything from the terror of nature to its most frivolous and pristine aspects serve as further evidence and testimony to the glory of God.


Case in point:

This beautiful African Leopard, for instance, enjoys a quality of life that other wild felines living in that part of the world can only dream about. In terms of his strength, he is no match for his cousin, the African lion. His top speed is about 40 mph, rendering him unable to compete in that category with the cheetah, to whom he's quite a bit more distantly related. But he has been given stealth ambush skills and precise lethality. In addition, this smallest of the "big cats" is able to climb trees- with his pray in his mouth- well out of the reach of other predators. Incidentally...... leopards have been known to live quite a bit longer than the other two cats.

Meanwhile, the lion- who kills by asphyxiation- has been known to have to maintain its death grip on the throat of intended prey for the better part of a half hour before its death enables the lion to feast. The cheetah lacks the strength to fight off other predators and scavengers. Often, cheetahs must abandon their kill when other animals approach to feed. These specialized gifts ensure a proper predatorial balance in nature. A balance that could only have been the result of Divine engineering. Only the impiety, excess and abuses of man have marred this balance.   

Now let's look at what I didn't say:


The Leopard did not acquire his specialized skills on his own. He did not, of his own volition, decide to cultivate them with the idea that their mastery would ensure his place in the cat family. The behavior, biology and predation techniques of this beautiful cat were no less foreordained for him than the gifts of faith or effectual calling are for the elect! Did God not make them? The behavior the leopard is consistent with that with which he was imputed. It was slated for him, in more plain verbiage, to have and use these skills……… long before the cat family itself appeared on this earth for the very first time, some 35 million years ago (mere moments in the Father's sight).





The very same principle's at work in the matter of man....


Dear Mike,



Thank you for your reflection. It's very timely and natural, in the due course of the contemplations of the elect, to thus engage from time to time. I once thought my having gone to Catholic school was far less of an asset than a liability, in terms of my general credibility as a Presbyterian in witness. I've since been brought to a more mature and reflective place. I look back and am more sure than ever that the comforts and assurances we enjoy are in no wise predicated upon our merit. I think of Tim Supko from our class and the heights to which is scholastic inclinations of abilities could have propelled him. But he left us our senior year. I think of Mr. Stoops and how he embodied, in a most sublime and quintessential sense, the intelligence and reverent manhood to which we should all aspire. Yet he was not intended to celebrate Cardinal Mooney's football victory over Boardman that night. What about beautiful Rochelle Cousin; who was murdered in 1994. Or our quarterback the year Mooney took state in football? Ray Allen had everything of what it took to go further. But his social undertakings led him to death – in a dispute over a woman. What about poor Jeff Burkart and his heartbreaking suicide or that of Mike Saadey, Judy's brother? Bill Aaron, Bob Nunley, Jim Lyda....... all had promise and potential. None is alive to act upon it.

God has allowed me to live and enjoy the prolific bequest of His Gospel. He didn't do it because he noted my strength, virtue, valor or intelligence. God chose me, in spite of my weakness, decadence, cowardice and idiocrity. I tremble too..... It's only natural. Pondering the dimensions and glaring differentials of the Father's grace is indeed a daunting endeavor. We are only to take respite in God's beneficence and say "There but for the grace of God go I....."

I feel privileged to a been able to expound like this. Tell ya what, let's meet up at the coffeehouse in Beaver Falls next week to catch up on old times. Call me… Until then.

Respectfully, your brother in Christ,

Eric