“The common idea of many persons that St. Paul’s writings are full of nothing but doctrinal statements and controversial subjects — justification, election, predestination, prophecy, and the like — is an entire delusion, and a melancholy proof of the ignorance of Scripture which prevails in these latter days. I defy anyone to read St. Paul’s writings carefully without finding in them a large quantity of plain, practical directions about the Christian’s duty in every relation of life, and about our daily habits, temper, and behavior to one another. These directions were written down by the inspiration of God for the perpetual guidance of professing Christians. He who does not attend to them may possibly pass muster as a member of a church or a chapel, but he certainly is not what the Bible calls a ‘sanctified’ man” (J. C. Ryle, Holiness, 28).

“Too often, we Christians are not as critical of ourselves as we are of the secular culture” (Michael Horton, A Better Way: Rediscovering the Drama of God-Centered Worship, 50).

The phrase “beyond the impression” comes from the preface of C. S. Lewis’ last work, The Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature.

There are, I know, those who prefer not to go beyond the impression, however accidental, which an old work makes on a mind that brings to it a purely modern sensibility and modern conceptions; just as there are travelers who carry their resolute Englishry with them all over the Continent, mix only with other English tourists, enjoy all they see for its ‘quaintness’, and have no wish to realize what those ways of life, those churches, those vineyards, mean to the natives. They have their reward. I have no quarrel with people who approach the past in that spirit. I hope they will pick none with me. But I was writing for the other sort.

Beyond the Impression

I like the phrase beyond the impression. The phrase implies that there are two types of knowledge: “mere hearing” and “understanding.” The former implies that a persons is satisfied with the mere impression of knowledge, while the latter seeks (to use another Lewis phrase) to go “further up, further in!”

Gospel: Going Beyond the Impression

In the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13), Jesus Christ used the imagery of a sower casting seed on different types of soil to demonstrate the principle of going beyond the impression: the sower cast some seeds along the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them; other seed fell on stony places that had not much earth, and they sprung up, but on account of not having deepness of earth they withered away when the sun rose; other seed fell among thorns and were choked out by them; lastly, some seed feel into good ground, and brought forth fruit upon fruit upon fruit (“some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold”).

Christ goes on and provides the interpretation for this parable: regarding the 1) seed on the way side, 2) seed on stony places, and 3) seed among thorns, Christ said,

When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received the seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he comeeth unfruitful.

And  this is Christ’s interpretation regarding the last example, the seed cast upon good soil:

But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

The difference between the three former examples and the fourth latter example can be described with Lewis’ phrase “beyond the impression” — the fourth example of the received seed into the good ground demonstrates the need to go beyond the impression of Gods word.

Spiritual Acknowledgment and Spiritual Agreement: Beyond the Impression

With understanding we go beyond the impression of merely hearing of God’s word. Understanding God’s word comes by the way of assent — spiritual acknowledgement and spiritual agreement. But how does one come to God’s word by way of assent? We must acknowledge and agree that God’s word is God’s word on the basis of God’s authority — we acknowledge and agree it is God’s word because God said so. Submission is how you begin to go beyond the impression.

The demons have heard God’s word. The demons even have faith (James 2:19). But is it a submissive faith? Is it a submissive, spiritual acknowledgement and agreement with what God has said? No. It is not. The demons have demon faith. They have demonic assent. They will not bend their knee to God. They will not accept God’s word on the basis of God’s authority. As James says, the demons believe and “tremble”. Therefore, the demons never go beyond the impression of God’s word. So too the reprobate.

God declares his word all over the place: God’s word is declared in both special and in general revelation. The reprobate and the demons never go beyond the impression of God’s special and general revelation. The elect, however, do go beyond the impression. The elect are those who received the seed of God’s word into good (submissive) ground. Therefore, the elect understand, they are fruitful, and for this they will receive their reward.

“He that pretends to be a saint, while he sneers at the Ten Commandments, and thinks nothing of lying, hypocrisy, swindling, ill-temper, slander, drunkenness, and breach of the seventh commandment [“thou shalt not commit adultery”], is under a fearful delusion. He will find it hard to prove that he is a “saint” in the last day!” (J. C. Ryle, Holiness, 27)

This past Lord’s Day I concluded sermon series on Habakkuk. Here is the bare bones summary.

Habakkuk 1:1-4

Infographic series on the higher education bubble. 

Philip Schaff reflecting on God’s hand of providence in the midst of Heathenism:

Greece gave the apostles the most copious and beautiful language to express the divine truths of the Gospel, and Providence had long before so ordered political movements as to spread that language over the world and to make it the organ of civilization and international intercourse, as the Latin was in the middle ages, as the French was in the eighteenth century, and as the English is coming to be in the nineteenth (History of the Christian Church, vol. 1, 77).

Before Christ (BC)

God providentially used heathen empires and languages of olden times to prepare man for Jesus Christ. All of Western history and culture, i.e., Mesopotamia, Egypt, Assyria, Persia, Sparta and Athens; Grecian epics, lyrical poetry, and dramas; the rise of Rome, etc., was a tool in the hand of God, preparing the sons of Adam for Jesus Christ. Schaff says, “In Judaism the true religion is prepared for man; in heathenism man is prepared for the true religion” (58).

Anno Domini (AD)

Christ came. Christ ascended and now rules at the right hand of the Father. And Christ used the events of AD history, i.e., fall of Rome and Romish and Byzantium schism; 7th-10th century Islamic growth and development of medieval civilization; economic, technological, and political European transformations and the Renaissance; Protestant reformation and Western expansion; etc. and etc., for , as Schaff said, the “gradual diffusion of his spirit and progress of his kingdom.”

Christian Approach to the Future

So, if we want to craft a Christian approach to the future, then we need to remember that Christ is King and is using the events of AD history to push his Kingdom into the corners and the shadows of this world. But how do you think and live if that is the approach you are trying to take? Well, here are a couple examples:

1) International Economies

Christ is using international economies to subdue the world, even when the captains of those international economies are tyrants. Eventually those tyrants are going to be overthrown, but in the meantime Christ is using them as a tool to cultivate the world, and from those figurative fields the Lord will grow and feed his Church.

2) Internet

The Internet is an incredible vehicle for delivering stuff. The glorious thing about the Internet is that it is an infrastructure that is both ubiquitous and flexible, e.g., you can get nearly everything (audio, video, text) anywhere (via wireline, WiFi, Satellite, etc., communication channels). The Internet is a powerful tool that Christ is leveraging for expanding his Kingdom, e.g., with the click of a finger you can send the entire writings of the Ante-Nicene, Nicene, and Post-Nicene Fathers to a village in middle of the Congo. And parallel to the Internet is technology in general: you can smuggle all the Western Christian classics and multiple translations of the Bible into Communistic countries on itty-bitty SD cards. Boom Shakalaka!!!

3) Cities

Cities are growing and growing and growing and growing, and even though lots of cities are bastions for sin (read: NY, LA, etc.), have faith that God is shoving people into cities for a reason. I thinks that when God begins to pour out his Spirit of revival and renewal there is going to be a lot of (positive) collateral damage, merely because of the fact that God has shoved a whole lot of humans into cities. My best guess is that it will look like the revolution that took place when the early church grew in the midst of Roman paganism: back then there was a lot of “positive” collateral damages, e.g., God’s common grace was dispersed through the mercy ministries of the church: through the creation of orphanages, and care and dignity was given to the sick and infirm; also, a great many abandoned babies were saved and given homes, etc. On the front-end, all of that revival and renewal requires sustained prayer, so that the church is prepared and made-ready. That way when the moment comes all of us are ready to roll-up-our-sleeves and jump in! But on the back-end, it is going to be so cool to see God’s Spirit poured out that we’re going to want to crack a beer and just bask in the enjoyment of watching the glory of widespread-revival. But I digress.

The thing to remember in the midst of all this optimism is that Christ does not convert the nations at the edge of a sword. Christ uses AD history for the “gradual diffusion of his spirit and expansion of his kingdom,”  but he uses it after the specific pattern exemplified by himself and his Church: it is the pattern of peaceful martyr and witness. Christ didn’t march into Jerusalem armed to the teeth, rather he peacefully rode into that city, all the while knowing he would be crucified as a martyr. God raised Christ from the dead, so the church follows the example of Christ. The church knows that God brings life out of death, therefore, the church has always been an optimistic witness of the efficaciousness of martyrdom.

“True holiness does not make a Christian evade difficulties, but face and overcome them. Christ would have His people show that His grace is not a mere hot-house plant, which can only thrive under shelter, but a strong, hardy thing which can flourish in every relation of life” (J. C. Ryle, Holiness, 26).

“The history of mankind before his [Jesus Christ] birth must be viewed as preparation for his coming, and the history after his birth as a gradual diffusion of his spirit and progress of his kingdom” (Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, vol. 1, 57).

“When Scripture is stored in the mind, it is available for the Holy Spirit to take and bring to your attention when you need it most” (Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, 42).