October’s book of the month is Newton on the Christian Life: To Live is Christ by Tony Reinke. Crossway has published a series of books focused on various historically significant pastors’ and theologians’ approach to growing into faithful followers of Christ. I have read and benefited from several of them, but this book is uniquely good.

Who was John Newton?

Most Christians have a vague idea of who John Newton was because of the enduring popularity of his hymn Amazing Grace. Most people know that he was captain of a slave trade ship who converted to Christianity and eventually wrote the famous hymn. What most people do not know is that Newton was a pastor, prolific hymn writer, publisher of books and hymnals, and spiritual mentor to pastors and laymen alike. He was one of the most influential Christians in England for much of his life. It was not until after his death that Amazing Grace became popular. 

What this book is

This book is not a biography of Newton’s life. If you would like to read a biography, I would recommend Jonathan Aitken’s book John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace. Instead, it is a book that seeks to capture the heart of Newton’s pastoral ministry. The hope is that we learn from a skilled soul physician how to live the abundant life Christ redeemed us to have. Newton was a skilled letter writer. These letters serve as the primary source for the book’s explanation of how we live the Christian life.

Why I love the book

There are a lot of concepts thrown around in Christian circles that we can get very familiar with without truly experiencing them in our daily lives. Terms like born again, grace, abiding in Christ and walking by the Spirit are things we can define yet not know the transforming power of God in the experience of them. Talking about them is not the same thing as internalizing them.

I picked this book up in a season when I was weary and my relationship with God was not as intimate as it could have been. It was an instrument of God’s grace to me at the time. Newton helped me understand God’s grace better. He strengthened my walk and taught me more about what it means to abide in Christ. The book introduced me to a pastor who thought of himself as a physician for sick souls. His gentle yet courageous way of speaking truth into struggling people’s lives was instructive to me as a pastor.

I try to be a discipled and consistent reader. It is rare for me to read a book more than once, and it is even less rare for me to say that a book has made my list of top five books to affect me most. Yet I have read this book three times. Each time it has ministered to my soul. I have recommended it to others who gave similar reports. It is definitely in my list of top five books. I trust you will be blessed by it too if you choose to read it.

1 Kings 21 describes Solomon’s great wealth. It tells the story of his trading ships which went all over the Mediterranean trading goods. Once every three years they returned to Jerusalem with various kinds of wealth, including apes and peacocks. These were exotic animals not native to Israel. They were novelties that only the wealthy could afford to enjoy. It is like a wealthy person owning a tiger or some other exotic pet today. It is a sign of wealth and privilege. The many zoos across America filled with animals from other continents point to a similar wealth among us.

This question reminds us how important it is to learn the times and cultures of the Bible. The most recent parts of the Bible were written almost 2000 years ago. The events in 1 Kings 10 took place nearly 3000 years ago. They lived in a very different time and place. Many things they thought, did, and prioritized seem strange to us. If we are to properly understand the Bible, we must become familiar with their culture and times.

One of the principles of sound bible interpretation is asking what did this mean to the original audience? To answer this question, we must know their times, setting, and culture. Only after we understand what the text meant to the original audience can we ask how does this apply to our times, setting, and culture?

This is why the ongoing study of the Bible is important. It takes time to build a catalogue of knowledge about Bible times and cultures. Through intentional study, we gain a working knowledge of these things that greatly aid our understanding of the text. Questions like the one above are healthy because they recognize that something is happening here that I do not understand, but I want to know why! 

Context is king in Bible interpretation. Understanding the culture is vital to understanding the context. The Bible begins to yield its greatest treasures to us when we read it carefully, ask good questions of the text, and then find answers to those questions. 

September’s book of the month is John Bunyan’s classic Pilgrim’s Progress. I have heard (although never verified) that the Bible is the only book in history to be translated into more languages or sold more copies than Pilgrim’s Progress. English pastor John Newton, of Amazing Grace fame, read it so often that he memorized it. He spent over 2 years lecturing through it on Tuesday nights. The book as had a lasting impact on generations of Christians.

John Bunyan (1628-1688) was a tinkerer, meaning he fixed pots and pans and other household items made of metal for a living. He was also a flagrant sinner. Yet God had set him aside for an important work that continues to bear fruit today. Bunyan’s conversion was gradual, and the early days of his pilgrimage were marked by doubt. Yet God’s irresistible grace proved greater than these challenges. Eventually, Bunyan would become a famous Baptist preacher, author, and sufferer for Christ.

Bunyan lived during a time when English law required everyone to attend services in the Church of England at least once a month. Failure to do so could lead to arrest or even exile. It was also illegal to preach without a government license. Dissenting congregations, like the Baptists, Congregationalists, and Presbyterians were illegal. Bunyan would spend 9 years in prison for preaching without a license. Yet God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purposes (Ro. 8:28). Just like Joseph in the OT, God had a plan for Bunyan’s imprisonment, for it was here that he wrote his famous allegory.

Pilgrim’s Progress narrates Christian’s journey from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. It is an allegory of the Christian life, in which Bunyan demonstrates two great qualities. First, he demonstrated piercing insight into human nature. Characters like Pliable, Talkative, Faithful, Hopeful, Evangelist, Doubtful, and many more capture human qualities and weaknesses in a way that helps us understand ourselves and others.

Second, Bunyan had a masterful understanding of how hard faithfulness to Christ can be. Slough of Despond (despair), Vanity Fair, Doubters Castle, and Bypath Meadow all represent dangers we face as Christians. Through Christian’s victories and failures, we learn what it means to live as aliens and sojourners in the world.

Although I am not an enthusiast at the level as John Newton, I do think every Christian would benefit from reading Bunyan’s classic. I find myself returning to it every five years or so. Each time I read it, my appreciation for its insights grows. I also find myself referencing it more frequently in sermons than I used to. 

Because the book is past copywrite laws, there are many versions available. Not all of them are quality versions, so buying the cheapest version on Amazon may prove to be a disappointment. So read the reviews before you buy a copy. There are wonderful adaptations available for children. I have used Tyler Van Halteren’s Little Pilgrim’s Big Journey more than once for family devotions. There are also quality abridgements available that modernize the English. If you have never read a book from the 1600s before, I would recommend one of these, as 400-year-old English can be hard to follow. If you read it, you will join countless Christians helped along their own pilgrimage through Bunyan’s insightful allegory of the Christian life.

Mark 1:15 summarizes the content of Jesus’ first sermons in this way: the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel. By starting his public ministry with these words, Jesus was aligning with another preacher his listeners were familiar with. Matthew 3:2 summarizes John the Baptist’s preaching with these words: repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Jesus’ call to repentance indicates that He was continuing the work started by John. It should be no surprise then, when Peter’s first sermon ended by telling people to repent. He was simply preaching the same message as John and Jesus. 

Repentance is an important but often neglected part of our response to the gospel. Since the Bible commands everyone to repent, we would be wise to understand what it means to do so.

Repentance is more than feeling sorry for what you have done. It includes that, but repentance is more than remorse. Repentance means you stop going in your current direction in order to go in an entirely different direction. A great illustration of this principle is found in Exodus 32. Israel had sinned by making the golden calf. God, who was rightly angry with them for it, told Moses that He was going to wipe them out and start over with him. Moses interceded for the people. In response to his prayer, we are told in Exodus 32:14, so the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people (NKJV). The KJV gives a more literal translation when it says that the Lord repented of the evil He intended against His people. God intended to do one thing but responded to Moses’ intercession by doing the opposite.

Now obviously, God is neither tempted by or capable of sin, so the ‘repentance’ He expressed is different than a sinner’s repentance. But His relenting of harm in order to do good to His people helps us understand repentance. Before salvation, we are slaves of sin, captured by Satan, bound to do his will, and willfully rebelling against God. When we repent, we relent of our rebellion, turn from sin, and follow Christ in loving submission. Repentance is the letting go of our former way of life to live by faith in the Son of God. If salvation were a coin, faith would be the face and repentance the tail. Both are our response to God’s gift of salvation, which is why Jesus said to repent and believe the gospel (Mk. 1:15).

The Bible draws our attention to three important aspects of repentance. First, repentance recognizes how sin is ultimately the violation God’s character. Psalm 51 records David’s repentance of his sinful actions in the matter with Bathsheba. In vs. 4 we read against You, You only, I have sinned, and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge. What does he mean he sinned against God only? What about Bathsheba? Scholars debate if she was a willing participant or unfortunate victim in the affair. Regardless, David had led her to violate her marriage covenant. What about Uriah? He was the victim of David’s adulterous actions and then of his murderous plan. What about the nation? As king, David was the shepherd of Israel. Had his sin not violated the nation’s trust? The answer is yes each of these; yet David says that, despite each of these offenses, the real problem was that he had violated God’s character. Until we realize the spiritual treason sin is against the eternal goodness of God, true repentance will not happen.

Second, repentance is preceded by godly sorrow. In 2 Corinthians 7:8-10, we learn that Paul sent the church at Corinth a letter that had upset them. Some accused him of being too harsh in his correction. Yet Paul responded by saying for though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; through I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while—I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.

There are two kinds of sorrow. Worldly sorrow that leads to death and godly sorrow that produces repentance. It is not uncommon as a pastor for people to seek my help dealing with a sinful habit. Oftentimes, these conversations are preceded by the individual ‘getting caught’ by someone. Some of these individuals are truly broken over their sin and want victory. They have a godly sorrow. Others come to see me because a parent or spouse told them they had to. They regret how their actions have created discomfort and are doing what they must to make it all go away. This is worldly sorrow. Unsurprisingly, those who experience godly sorrow often go on to have victory over their sin because they experience true repentance, while those who try to make the situation go away rarely experience lasting change because their hearts have not changed. Their sorrow is over how sin affects them personally, not for how it offends God. Repentance starts with a change of heart that leads to changed behavior. 

Finally, repentance is a gift of God. In 2 Timothy 2:25-26 Paul tells Timothy to gently correct those who are in error so that perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.  According to this verse, repentance is something God gives. That means it is a part of His gracious working within us.

Now, in saying that repentance is a gift we receive from God does not mean we are to be passive about it. The opposite is true. We are to seek it from the Lord who wants to be gracious towards us. Isaiah 55:6-7 tells us to seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake His way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

The bible presents two parallel, non-contradicting truths. First, repentance is a part of God’s gracious working in salvation. He must grant it to us. Second, we are to seek God and call upon His name, trusting Him to do the work He has promised to do. As we do, God will work His grace in us, including giving us the gift of repentance. God never denies the experience of His grace to anyone who truly seeks Him.

John Calvin once observed that all the Christian life is repentance. By that he meant that after salvation, Christians are engaged in the lifelong process of turning away from their former life of sin to follow Jesus. May we be the kinds of Christians who seek the Lord with a whole heart while fleeing sin.