The Vision (2.27.26): The Mystery of Redemption

 

Image: Winter sunset. North Garden, Virginia. February 2026.

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Philippians 2:5-8.

“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8).

Philippians 2:5-11 is known as the Christ Hymn. Paul begins by urging the Philippians: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (v. 5). He wants them to follow the model of Christ in humility.

He describes first the humiliation of Christ (vv. 6-8) and then the exaltation of Christ (vv. 9-11).

With respect to his humiliation (vv.6-8), Paul reveals four mysteries:

First, he addresses the mystery of Christ’s true divinity. He was “in the form [morphe] of God” (v. 6).

Second, he addresses the mystery of Christ’s true humanity. He “took upon him the form [morphe] of a servant [doulos, a slave], and was made in the likeness of men” (v. 7).

Third, he addresses the mystery of Christ’s incarnation: “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself” (v. 8a).

Finally, Paul addresses the mystery of redemption. Christ “became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (v. 8b).

With God there is but one will. There are three persons in the Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), but there are not three wills. As true God, Christ’s divine will was one with that of the Father and the Spirit. As true man, Christ also had a human will, which was always obedient to the divine will. This is why he prayed in the garden, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42).

That last statement in v. 8, “even the death of the cross,” is a reminder or how terrible a death this was. Crucifixion was a shameful death. It was the death of slaves and criminals. It was excruciatingly painful and humiliating.

It had to be this sort of death in order justly to illustrate the magnitude of what God has done for us in Christ.

The one who was in the form of God took on the form of a servant and as a true man was obedient to death on the cross to save his people from their sins.

Thanks be to God!

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

WM 369: Iain H. Murray on "INTELLECTUAL RESPECTABILITY" and SCRIPTURE

 

JTR

WM 368: RBS Journal: The Reformation Text and the Septuagint

 

JTR

The Vision (2.20.26): Being "of one mind" in the Lord

 

Image: Fellowship at CRBC Midweek Meeting (2.18.26)

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Philippians 2:1-5.

“Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Philippians 2:2).

Philippians is Paul’s thank you note and his love letter to the saints at Philippi. He does not take on the harsh tone he uses in letters like 1 Corinthians and Galatians, where he is correcting gross errors.

This does not mean, however, that Paul is not using all his gifts of rhetoric and leveraging all his apostolic authority to exhort the church at Philippi and especially to urge them to avoid divisions and schisms by being “likeminded” and having “one mind” in the Lord.

The Italian Reformer Zanchi said this concerning our passage:

“…we are of one mind if we hold fast to the one Christ (and not to many), to the one Head of the church (not to many), to the one Supper of the Lord that He celebrated and instituted (not to many), and finally to that single doctrine that He gave us through the apostles, and if we embrace no others” (Commentary on Philippians, 222-223).

Some have fouled things up by suggesting that clarity of doctrine divides. If we take too clear a stand on doctrine, we’ll drive people away. It is actually just the opposite. Clarity of doctrine unites. This is why we are glad to use a classic confession of faith (the Second London Baptist Confession) that offers specific details and not general notions about what we believe. This allows us to enjoy unity of faith and avoid unnecessary division.

We seek not only unity of faith but also of practice. This is the beauty of the regulative principle of worship. Following the simple Biblical guidelines for worship (singing Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; prayer; the public reading of Scripture; preaching; baptism and the Lord’s Supper) unites Christians around the world. As some pastor friends reminded me in a podcast once, even using the same translation of the Bible in the church, based on the traditional text, unites us. “Uniformity” of practice, leads to unity in the body.

May the Lord make us “likeminded” and give us “one mind” as we know and serve Him and His people.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

Thoughts from Hugh Latimer on "Ash Wednesday"

From my x account:

On this "Ash Wednesday," it might be edifying to consider what the Protestant Bishop and Martyr Hugh Latimer (1487-1555) wrote:

"Where the devil is resident, and hath his plough going, there away with books and up with candles; away with the Bibles and up with beads; away with the light of the Gospel and up with the light of candles, yea, even at noonday. Where the devil is resident, that he may prevail, up with all superstition and idolatry, censing, painting of images, candles, palms, ashes, holy water, and new services of men's inventing."

-As cited in J. C. Ryle, Five English Reformers, 113.

The Vision (2.13.26): Conversation that becometh the gospel of Christ

 

Image: Winter sunset. North Garden, Virginia. February 2026.

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Philippians 1:27-30.

“Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27).

Philippians 1:27-30 has one main thought dominated by one main command spelled out in v. 27a: “Let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ….”

This is the headwaters from which the steams that make up the rest of this passage flow.

We hear the English word “conversation,” and we think of two people talking. In the King James translation, however, “conversation” usually has to do not with talking but with action. It means “conduct.” So, we might render the opening to v. 27: “Let your conduct be as it becometh the gospel for Christ….”

To go a bit further, the verb here for “to conduct oneself” in Greek is politeuo. It has as its root the word “polis” which in Greek means “city.” The Greeks had city states where each polis or city was like a small country. Many of the names for our cities today have “polis” at the end of them, like: Annapolis, Maryland; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Indianapolis, Indiana. We also get terms like “politics” from this word root.

The statement here literally means: Conduct yourself as a citizen of the kingdom of Christ, as is fitting for someone whose life has been changed by the gospel and who continues to promote and live for Christ.

Paul uses a related term (the noun, politeuma) in Philippians 3:20 when he writes, “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Many modern translations render politeuma here not as “conversation” but as “citizenship” (cf. NKJV: “For our citizenship is in heaven….”).

Here is mentor Paul, spiritual father Paul, older brother Paul saying to the Philippians: If you are citizens of the kingdom of Christ, if by God’s grace you have been translated out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light, then live in such a way as befits those who know the good news of what God has done for us in Christ. Live as a genuine Christian. Don’t be a phony. Don’t be a hypocrite. Don’t be a play actor.

Where my boys played youth baseball, at the end of the regular season, some boys were selected to take part in the all-star season. The man who ran the park would always have a meeting with these boys tapped for all-stars, and he explained to them that they would be traveling to play other teams and there would even be one long trip out of state. He would then say very seriously, “Respect the uniform! When you wear this uniform with the name of our park on the front you represent this park and this program.” And he said, “If you do anything to bring disrespect upon that uniform, you will be kicked off the team and sent home.”

We can draw an analogy from this to what Paul says here to the Philippians. If you say you are a citizen of the kingdom of Christ, then live like it. Don’t do anything that is incongruous with one who claims to know the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

Reformation Bible Society Journal: Volume 1: The Reformation Text and the Septuagint

 

The Reformation Bible Society has published the first volume of the RBS Journal: The Reformation Text and the Septuagint (RBS, 2025). This initial volume contains papers from the inaugural RBS conference held on August 3, 2024 at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia and a couple of extra articles and book reviews.

We hope to produce Volume Two this year (2026) with papers from the 2025 conference held on August 2, 2025 at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan on the theme: "The Text and Canon of Revelation."

Lord willing, we will host our third annual conference on August 1, 2026 at Greenville Presbyterian Seminary in Taylors, South Carolina on the theme: "Confessional Bibliology: Defined & Defended."

The RBSJ is available now in both an e-book and a paperback format. Look here for links.

JTR

Below is the title page and table of contents:

New Leather Hardback edition of Baptist Confession of Faith & Baptist Catechism from Broken Wharfe

Got the new hardback edition of the The Baptist Confession of Faith & The Baptist Catechism (Broken Wharfe, 2025) in mail this week. Very handsome and sturdy edition, inside cover artwork, crisp and clear font, chapter and paragraph in red, gilded book ribbon, "Printed in Britain" back cover stamp. This is a gem. JTR

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