John Elias (1774-1841) is arguably the most powerful preacher Wales has ever produced. He belonged to the second generation of the Calvinistic Methodists of Wales, taking the baton from other the previous generation, the likes of Howell Harris, Daniel Rowland, William Williams of Pantycelyn, and Howel Davies. The mid to late eighteenth century had seen thousands of people come to a saving faith in Christ as a result of the many revivals led by these powerful preachers. The converted were nurtured spiritually through societal meetings called the seiat in Welsh. At these weekly meetings they would sing hymns, pray, receive teaching from the scriptures, and very openly share their spiritual experiences of temptation, sin, and the joy of walking with God In their daily lives.

Elias was an extraordinary orator and preacher. At the height of his ministry he feared nothing and no one but God alone. He had no hesitation in walking into the midst of the drunkards, gamblers and traders during a Sunday fair, setting up a box, standing upon it, praying aloud, singing hymns, and commanding the attention of the crowd through his powerful preaching. He addressed their sins directly, without fear or compromise, yet with such love an grace he offered them hope and peace through the gospel of Christ. At five foot and ten inches—though apparently he seemed taller—he had a dark complexion with high cheekbones which gave his face a sternness, and his face was scarred by smallpox which he had suffered with as a child. His voice was so clear that ten thousand people could hear him clearly in an open field.[1] Of his eyes and face, R. Parry, recalling the presence of Elias in the pulpit said: “But his eyes—his eyes: his great soul thrusts into them in flame. Living speech is in every sinew and muscle of his face.”[2] And of his ability to capture the attention of the congregation, Parry recalls the following:

Of his use of language and vocabulary, Elias preached primarily in Welsh. He was a man of lowly beginnings and spoke like those on the lower end of the socio-economic scale. He was an ordinary man from an ordinary family. He did not belong to the gentry, educated, wealthy class,[4] even though he rubbed shoulders with them later in life. He was a man of the people and his ministry was primarily among them. He never changed, in that respect. He spoke like the ordinary people and loved them.

Elias was born 6th May 1774 on the Llŷn peninsula in North , on a farm called Crymllwyn Bach (see photograph below). His parents were Elias Jones and Jane née Roberts. They lived with his paternal grandfather, a devout Anglican churchgoer who greatly influenced Elias and taught him to read and write. From an early age Elias was encouraged to read the Bible which he did fervently. In his autobiography, he recounts experiencing terrifying dreams and thoughts of the Day of Judgement and feared going to hell.[5] Except for the time of his lengthy battle with smallpox, he would walk with his grandfather every Sunday to the local Anglican church where he would occasionally hear Calvinistic Methodist preachers.[6] After his grandfather’s death he continued this practice, often travelling more than ten miles on a Sunday, listening to three sermons, and, if a renowned preacher was in the area, following him around from one church to the next.

Many people and events contributed to his coming to faith throughout his childhood and adolescence. At the age of eighteen he had a life-changing spiritual experience as he travelled the forty miles to the Bala Association to hear renowned Calvinistic Methodist preachers. He journeyed there with other young Christian men and women and the experience profoundly affected him. This contributed a great deal to his understanding of prayer, godliness, and the joy of the gospel—what it is to live without guilt and shame by the grace of God. While the Association meeting itself had a profound effect on him, the journey there and back was equally important, if not more so. He recalls: “I found such delight in the company of the religious people on this journey that I decided I could not live without being with them.[7]

It was around this time that the verses from 2 Corinthians 18-19 came to his mind during a walk down to Pwllheli. Suddenly, he realised something that had never occurred to him before: that God, through Christ, reconciles man to Himself. In Christ, the Christian is no longer under condemnation, but has instead been given the righteousness of Christ since Christ Himself was condemned in his place. Elias felt a deep desire to tell everyone, everywhere, of this glorious truth, yet he was also burdened by the fact that he was not a member of the church.

In his search for a spiritual home, Elias remembered that Griffith Jones, a Calvinistic Methodist minister who lived at Ynys-y-Pandy some fourteen miles away, was in the same trade as his father, being a weaver of wool. Jones was known to take on workers, so Elias went to Ynys-y-Pandy in search of work and lodging, and was welcomed with open arms. Griffith Jones preached at a local seiat which was held at Hendre Hywel,[8] a farm up in the hills above Tremadog. I have visited this farm and there is still a piece of wood resembling a large hook sticking out of the wall where, it is said, the preacher would grip as he preached (see photograph below). Elias began to attend the seiat despite initially feeling deeply unworthy. He was encouraged to read, pray and also to give short exhortations on the scriptures. Those present were so impressed by his oratory skills and gospel clarity that he was encouraged to pursue a preaching ministry with the Calvinistic Methodists, which he did.[9]

After being approved to preach at the Monthly Meeting at Brynrodyn on Christmas Day, 1794,[10] he was sent out to preach every Sunday until 1799, when he was called to minister on Anglesey. With great fear he accepted this call, and married Elizabeth Broadhead of Llanfechell the same year.[11] They settled in Llanfechell where they also kept a shop to make ends meet, although it was mostly run by Elizabeth to enable Elias to undertake preaching tours.[12] They had four children, though only two survived infancy, and sadly Elizabeth died in 1828 after twenty-nine years of a happy marriage. In 1830, to the annoyance of many, Elias married Lady Bulkeley, the widow of Sir John Bulkeley and moved into home at Fron, Llangefni[13] where he remained until his death on 8th June 1847 and the age of sixty-seven. Around ten thousand people joined the funeral procession from Llangefni to his burial at Llanfaes.[14]

There were only a few chapels on Anglesey when he arrived.[15] But by the end of his ministry, forty-four chapels had been built[16] as the result of his ministry and others, such as the baptist minister, Christmas Evans. At that time, Anglesey was notorious for smuggling, adultery, drunkenness, and all kinds of evil. It was not a place one would go to for a holiday as one might today. Edward Morgan describes the state of the island in his biography of Elias:

Elias was such a popular preacher that he would attract a crowd of one thousand people in just half an hour, regardless of the season or time of day. Thousands would congregate to hear him in the open-air, and also at the chapels. During an Association meeting at Bala in 1807, the chapel was so full that hundreds stood outside unable to gain admission. After one of the ministers opened with prayer and a Bible reading, Elias went and stood on the windowsill of the chapel so that those standing outside would be able to hear him as well as those inside.[18]

According to a couple of eye-witnesses, on at least one occasion he preached to a crowd of between ten to twelve-thousand people at one time, which was quarter of the population of Anglesey at the time.[19] Remarkable things took place on that island during his ministry, the likes we have not seen since.

Dr. Owen Thomas has written a comprehensive biography of another great Calvinistic Methodist preacher: John Jones of Talsarn. In this biography he gives an account of an occasion where John Elias was preaching at an Association meeting at Caergybi on October, 1824. Around this time the Association meetings on Anglesey was mixed with al manner of people present, including many drunkards. Dr. Thomas recalled the following:

Elias shows such a beautiful and clear understanding of the gospel as it relates to those who were considered among the worst in society—the drunkards. From Dr. Thomas’s account, we can see the contrast between Elias’s preaching of the gospel and the reaction of some of the the other ministers present. Many were outraged at his seeming acceptance of the drunkards, especially in light of his extension of God’s grace to them.

Unrelated to this event, in an essay titled ‘On Preaching the Gospel’, Elias writes: “Not everyone who is called a minister of the Gospel, preaches it. What he delivers may not be the Gospel, though so called. It may not be good news to a sinner, who sees his miserable state before God.”[21] This remains true today, perhaps more so than at any other time in our history.

We can learn valuable lessons from Elias and his address to the drunkards at the Caergybi Association meeting. Here are three ways Elias’s address can speak to us in our modern context:

At the end he showed compassion and the love of Christ for the drunkards present, but before he did, he did not minimise their sin. He called it degrading, shameful, and destructive. Not only personally, but socially and spiritually. He was not embarrassed to name the sin publicly. Modern evangelical churches often struggle to maintain this balance.

One danger is moral compromise. Some fear that strong language about sin will appear judgemental, so they soften biblical teaching until repentance is barely mentioned in any concrete and specific way, only in general terms. This leads to a diluted gospel, little awareness of guilt, and a reduced urgency for salvation.

The opposite danger is moral superiority. Some rightly oppose sin but communicate it in ways that imply:

“Clean yourselves up before coming,”
“Respectable people belong here,”
“Your failures makes you unwelcome,”

And sadly, this is often communicated in many ways without the use of speech. It can be conveyed through the clothes we wear. The expectation that one should wear their ‘Sunday best’ can subtly suggest that only the well-presented truly belong. It is also communicated through body language, our greetings, who we choose to speak with after the service, and who we invite into our homes. Cliques form within society according to social class or perceived respectability. This should not be the case in the church. It creates a church that may defend morality but fail to reflect the heart of Christ.

Elias’s way was better. He treated sin seriously because sin is serious, but he did not treat sinners as disposable. This distinction matters. Sin is condemned. Sinners are invited. His dramatic pivot from “Who will take them?” to Christ’s “I will take them!” shows that the church’s message must never end with rebuke.

Churches should speak clearly about addiction, sexual immorality, greed, pride, and unbelief. Churches should also maintain biblical standards, yet communicate unmistakably:

“You are welcome here,”
“Christ receives broken people,”
“Grace is greater than your sin,”

Without moral seriousness, grace becomes cheap. And without compassion, truth becomes cruelty. Elias held both together, much to the disappointment of many present.

This is a great challenge for the church today. Elias was frustrated by the disgrace these drunkards brought to Methodist gatherings, but his imagination did not stop at social damage. He ultimately framed them in spiritual terms. The questions was not “How do we get rid of these people?” but “Whose will they be?” This changes everything.

In our contemporary church contexts, non-Christians are often viewed primarily as cultural opponents—especially in churches that have seen very little growth—and increasingly as threats to Christian values, the cause of societal decline, and those responsible for the loss of traditional values. This mindset breeds fear, tribalism, a defensive posture, and culture-war mentalities. Because of this, we are seeing a rise of Christian Nationalism, which is, in my view, more damaging to the church than those it opposes (you can read my article on Christian Nationalism here).

Elias offers a gospel-centred alternative. Even those publicly disruptive sinners were not beyond hope. Jesus was not ashamed to claim the filthy, the addicted, the disgraced. Churches should not just lament secularism, addiction crises, or moral collapse. Neither should they despise those perceived to be driving moral decline, whether politicians, members of other religions, or those who follow and promote troubling ideologies. They should ask:

How do we reach these people?
How do we embody Christ’s welcoming power?
How do we proclaim redemption to those with whom we disagree?

This requires courage, hospitality, patience, and missional thinking. But more than anything else, it requires love. “Love thy neighbour”, Jesus said. Christians can disagree with others and still love them to death. Welcoming sinners does not mean affirming sin; it means believing that no sinner is beyond Christ’s reach. To sustain this perspective, we must understand the severity of our own sin before a holy God. It is not the amount of sin in our lives that condemns us, but the fact of sin in our lives. We are no more worthy of the gospel than those who outwardly revel in sinfulness. And they are no more worthy of judgement than you and me.

Elias was not offering a self-help program, though some form of therapy or rehabilitation is often helpful today for those struggling with addiction. He did not proclaim a path of better habits, respectability, social decency, or external reform. He proclaimed Jesus. No one else in society would want such sinners apart from two: the devil, to destroy them further, and Christ, to save them.

Modern evangelicalism can sometimes drift toward reducing Christianity to good morals, family stability, morally conservative politics, and lifestyle change. These may have value, but they are not the gospel. Behavioural reform alone cannot remove guilt, reconcile sinners to God, change the heart, defeat spiritual bondage, or break the power of idols. A drunkard may become sober and still be as lost as he was in his drunken state. Elias focusses on the fact that Christ cleanses, Christ redeems, Christ transforms. His emphasis was on blood-bought forgiveness and the divine intervention of God in the sinner’s life.

Preaching must centre on repentance, faith, the cross, the resurrection, grace, and regeneration, not simply: “Be a better person,” “Improve yourself,” “Follow Christian values.” If the church only preaches morality it will produce either respectable Pharisees or discouraged failures, but not true born-again Christians. Only Christ can save.

John Elias teaches that the church must be uncompromising about sin, yet overflowing with love and hope for all sinners. The church must also view unbelievers not as problems, but as people made in the image of God whom Christ may still redeem. And finally, the church must not just offer reform, but the living Christ as Saviour. The evangelical church’s mission is not to produce respectable outsider conforming to a safe Christian culture, but redeemed sinners through the gospel of our Lord.

As Elias powerfully dramatised: the world may reject sinners, religion may fear them, the devil may claim them, but Jesus still says, “I will take them.”

[1] R. Tudur Jones, John Elias—Pregethwr a Phendefig, (Mudiad Efengylaidd Cymru, 1975), 22.

[2] My translation from: R. Parry, Adgofion am John Elias, (Dinbych: Thomas Gee, 1859), 7.

[3] My translation from: Ibid., 8.

[4] R. Tudur Jones, John Elias—Pregethwr a Phendefig, 22.

[5] John Elias, Hunangofiant John Elias, (ed. Goronwy P. Owen; Mudiad Efengylaidd Cymru, 1974), 49-50.

[6] Ibid., 50-2.

[7] My translation from: Ibid., 57.

[8] Edward Thomas, Y Parchedig John Elias o Fôn, (Gwrecsam: Hughes a’i Fab, 1905), 12.

[9] John Elias, Hunangofiant John Elias, 60.

[10] Ibid., 61-2.

[11] Ibid., 64.

[12] J. Roberts & J. Jones, Cofiant y Parchedig John Elias, o Fon, (Liverpool: M. A. Jones, 1850), 29-30.

[13] John Elias, Hunangofiant John Elias, 65-6.

[14] W. Pritchard, John Elias a’i Oes, (Caernarvon: D. O’Brien Owen, 1911), 298-9.

[15] John Elias, Hunangofiant John Elias, 67.

[16] Edward Thomas, Y Parchedig John Elias o Fôn, 30.

[17] Edward Morgan, John Elias: Life and Letters, (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1973), 43.

[18] Owen Jones, Some of the Great Preachers of Wales, (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1885), 244.

[19] R. Parry, Adgofion am John Elias, 14.

[20] My translation and syntax arrangement, taken from: Owen Thomas, Cofiant y Parchedig John Jones, Talsarn, (Wrexham: Hughes and Son), 860-2.

[21] Rev. E. Morgan, Valuable letters, essays, and other papers of the late Reverend John Elias of Anglesea, (Carnarvon: H. Humphreys, 1847), 216.

Bibliography

Elias, John. Hunangofiant John Elias. ed. Goronwy P. Owen; Mudiad Efengylaidd Cymru, 1974.

Jones, Owen. Some of the Great Preachers of Wales. London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1885.

Jones, R. Tudur. John Elias—Pregethwr a Phendefig. Mudiad Efengylaidd Cymru, 1975.

Morgan, E. Valuable letters, essays, and other papers of the late Reverend John Elias of Anglesea: Together with observations on his publications. Carnarvon: H. Humphreys, 1847.

Morgan, Edward. John Elias: Life and Letters. Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1973.

Parry, R. Adgofion am John Elias. Dinbych: Thomas Gee, 1859.

Pritchard, W. John Elias a’i Oes. Caernarvon: D. O’Brien Owen, 1911.

Roberts, J. & Jones, J. Cofiant y Parchedig John Elias, o Fon. Liverpool: M. A. Jones, 1850.

Thomas, Edward. Y Parchedig John Elias o Fôn. Gwrecsam: Hughes a’i Fab, 1905.

Thomas, Owen. Cofiant y Parchedig John Jones, Talsarn. Wrexham: Hughes and Son.

Jane had always wanted to become an accomplished artist. An artist whose paintings would grab people’s attention in a gallery, stopping them in their tracks as they gaze at the beauty of her paintings. She longed deeply for her paintings and drawings to move those who encountered them.

She prepared carefully and saved enough money for the finest paint brushes, oils, acrylics, and canvases, and allowed her imagination to speak through her hands as she brushed the canvas. She portrayed the people she passed each day on her commute, noticing every wrinkle that told the story of theirs lives. She sketched mountains and rivers she had never seen, oceans she had never sailed, and sunsets that only existed in her mind. All in the pursuit of beauty and recognition. She displayed her work in galleries, entered competitions and poured her all into her work. Yet the recognition never came. She fell short of the awards and galleries began to turn her away. The acclaim she dreamed of so passionately eluded her.

Jane’s pursuit helps us understand something about the Christian life because the pursuit of holiness is a little bit like her story. As much as we try to please God by obeying his commands, reading our Bibles, serving others, striving for an intimate prayer life, and killing sin, we never seem to be able to truly say, “Finally, I am now holy!” In this life, we will never be able to reach the standard of holiness that God expects of us. And yet He still demands holiness. Jesus Himself said, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48). The Apostle Peter also reminds us of God’s command: “You should be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:16).

This creates real frustration for the Christian. Why would God demand something He knows we can never fully attain to it in this life? Just like Jane could never achieve the recognition she desired as an artist, we also will never achieve God’s standard of holiness. But does that mean we should stop the pursuit of holiness?

For Jane, the greatest joy was in the pursuit itself. Even though the dream she longed for remained out of reach, she had discovered that the beauty of it all was in the quiet courage of a heart that refuses to give up. And the reason she had not given up was because the joy was in the act of painting. The problem, then, is not that we pursue holiness, but why we pursue it.

If we pursue holiness as a means to be accepted by God, hoping that our righteousness will finally please Him, the Christian life becomes exhausting and unsatisfying. Hoping our good works and obedience will earn God’s approval will always make us anxious, because the moment we think we have done well, we quickly fall short again. If our relationship with God is kindled by good works and maintained by obedience, then ultimately, He can never be pleased with us because perfect holiness remains unreachable.

This exhausting, performance-driven way of living is sometimes referred to as biblical legalism.

Biblical legalism is using God’s law as a means to be justified by Him through earning our acceptance. The church in Galatia struggled massively with this. It was largely made up of former pagans who came to know Jesus as their Saviour. But later, many believers adopted the false teaching of the Judaizers; a group of Jewish-Christians who insisted that Gentile Christians must adopt Jewish customs and the law of Moses, such as circumcision, in order to be accepted by God.

The same temptation that confronted the Galatian church quietly affects the modern church today. Modern evangelicals might not debate circumcision or ceremonial laws like the Galatians, but we still struggle with biblical legalism which presents itself in subtler forms. As Christians, we know we should read our Bibles, pray, attend church, serve others, and give generously. We believe these are supposed to draw us closer to God, yet they subtly shift from being expressions of our love for God and begin to become ways to prove ourselves to God and others. The moment we believe “God loves me when I do this,” or, “God is disappointed with me when I don’t,” we have moved from grace to performance.

Paul strongly warned the Galatians that this is just another form of idolatry, no different to their former pagan idol worship. Being former pagans, Paul argued that earning one’s way through biblical legalism and morality is just as much enslavement to idols as outright paganism and all its moral practices (Gal. 4:8-20). It means the religious person who seeks to please God through works-righteousness is just as lost and enslaved as the irreligious person because both are trying to be their own lord and saviour in different ways. Both are seeking acceptance by what they do.

If we place our greatest hope in wealth, for example, we will be controlled and enslaved by money. And if we are not good at getting it, we will be devastated and it will destroy us. Likewise, if our hope for acceptance is placed in our performance—whether it be Bible reading, prayer, church attendance or something else—we will still be destroyed since those things become our means of justification. These are not things we would normally think of as idols, but they can be. If anything but Jesus is a requirement for being accepted and worthy, we will become its slave.

In a strange way, even ministry itself can be an idol to pastors like me. We are particularly vulnerable. While pastors are in ministry, they are needed, affirmed, intellectually engaged, and can become addicted to praise. Our sense of worth becomes deeply entangled with our usefulness. By the time retirement arrives, pastors can struggle a great deal because they have lost their sense of worth and purpose. Their identity is shaken to the very core because suddenly, no one needs them anymore. Their purpose becomes unclear and they often have to start again by moving to another church to allow the new pastor to settle. This is what happens when ministry quietly replaces Christ as the source of our worth and joy. If anything, the idolatry and slavery of religion is more dangerous than the slavery of irreligion, because it is less obvious.

If the pursuit of holiness makes us miserable, we are pursuing it for the wrong reasons.

In order to learn why we pursue holiness, the first thing we should do is grasp what holiness really is, since it gives a wonderful vision of God and leads us to consider His unfading love for us. When we begin to grasp the holiness of God, we gradually start to understand that it is not our good works that makes us holy. Christ Himself is our holiness. Our good works become an expression of Christ’s holiness through us As we are being transformed by the Holy Spirit.

We are not accepted by the pursuit of holiness itself. Rather, our desire to pursue holiness is born out of our acceptance in Christ. The standard for acceptance from God for all human beings is holiness. Holiness for human beings means being set apart for God, to live in a way that reflects His character. Since we are His creation, made in his image and likeness, we belong completely to Him. God is to be adored, worshipped, and obeyed. Sin should not exist in us, but it does.

For God, holiness is an attribute that He possesses which means He is completely set apart. The One triune God is majestic, supremely beautiful, righteous, perfectly good, infinitely pure, and so much more. He is so holy that if He were to reveal His glory to us in its fullest as we are, we would simply die and shrivel under its immensity.

The angels in heaven worship God day and night:
“They never stop saying: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is, and is to come” (Rev. 4:8).

They do not worship him continually because they are commanded to, as though God were needy or dependent upon affirmation. Their praise is involuntary. They cannot stop worshipping because of the immensity of God’s beauty and holiness. They enjoy Him, and their delight in His presence increases endlessly. They see God’s holiness, experience His glory, know His authority and understand His greatness. God is infinitely greater, more glorious and powerful than all creation. He is completely set apart from everything else. Nothing comes close to matching his beauty and majesty.

The angels themselves are holy because they are consumed by the holiness of God. Their greatest desire is to pursue Him further and to declare His glory forever. They do not worship in order to be accepted. They are not driven by fear of banishment. They cannot help but praise him. It is their supreme enjoyment. And yet, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, did not die for the angels, fallen or unfallen. He did not bear the wrath of God for them. How much more, then, should we be drawn to worship God! Unlike the angels, we worship God as our Saviour.

The more we see His glory in the gospel and recognise that He is worthy to be praised, the more we will pursue holiness with awe and complete joy, not out of fear, guilt, or shame, but because we have realised our freedom in Christ. God Himself is our ultimate joy and satisfies us completely. Because of this, our pursuit of holiness is no longer wearisome but beautiful, even with all our weaknesses and failures, because God is infinitely forgiving in His grace and mercy through Christ’s death and resurrection. The law is no longer seen as a means of justification for the Christian, but a delight to obey because we have already been justified by Christ who kept the law in perfect obedience.

What is absolutely astonishing is that our magnificent God entered into His own creation. He didn’t remain distant and indifferent. The Word became flesh. God has shown mercy by sending His Son to become one of us; to live obediently, die on the cross, and rise from the dead for the atonement of our sins so that we could be gifted His righteousness which is imputed to us. Repentant sinners are raised to life in Him and are set apart for holiness. He gives us a new heart (Ezek. 36:26) and a new way of thinking (Rom. 12:2). We are new creations in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17) having had the eyes of our hearts opened to see the hope to which he has called us (Eph. 1:18), the glory as of the only Son of God (John 1:14).

Therefore, let your Bible reading, your service of others, your prayer life, your church attendance, your struggle against of sin, and everything else you do in the pursuit of holiness be motivated not by a desire to earn God’s acceptance, but as a joyful response to the acceptance you have in Christ by faith. You have been set free from both the exhausting performance-based religion, and the idolatry of irreligion, to enjoy the pursuit of holiness.

It is no longer a task to earn approval or avoid condemnation. Instead, it becomes an expression of love and gratitude as you delight in God. Every act of obedience and every effort to grow in righteousness is now an opportunity to rejoice in the One who has already declared you accepted, forgiven, and made holy by His grace. It is now a joyful journey, even in the midst of suffering because it is a reflection of a heart that has been truly set apart for holiness and renewed by the Holy Spirit.

On the right, about two miles west of Caerwent in Monmouthshire, along the A48, stands Tabernacle Chapel, on the outskirts of Llanfaches. It is a memorial chapel built in 1803 and remodelled sometime during the last century. It closed its doors for the final time in December 2025.

The church itself began in 1639 by a man called William Wroth. It was the first Independent (nonconformist) church in all of Wales which means it was the first church not to be Roman Catholic or part of the Church of England.

The original chapel was not situated at the current site but in the nearby hamlet of Carrow Hill. The precise location is unknown, but a cottage there bears Wroth’s name which was probably his dwelling place. The chapel would have been somewhere nearby. Local rumour says a previous owner of this cottage found the foundations of an old building, possibly a church, in the garden while he was digging one day. Could it be the original building? We will never know the exact location. It is lost to history. But that doesn’t matter. What matters it how the church began.

Wroth is arguably one of the most important historical figures in Welsh nonconformity, yet he is not well known today. He became known as the Apostle of Wales and the father of Welsh Puritanism. At the height of his ministry he attracted hundreds, if not thousands, of listeners to Llanfaches.

Many prominent Welsh Puritans went to learn from him, including Walter Cradock, Vavasor Powell, and the famous poet Morgan Llwyd, who was converted under Cradock’s ministry and followed him to Llanfaches to be part of the new puritan church for a while.[1] After Wroth’s death, Cradock seems to have taken over from him at the new independent church at Llanfaches for a while.[2] Powell’s ministry extended across the counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire and part of Breckonshire.[3] Llwyd later became a chaplain in Oliver Cromwell’s army during the English Civil War before becoming a minister and an accomplished poet.[4] Powell and Llwyd could be considered sons in the faith to Walter Cradock.[5]

Wroth was likely born around 1576 into an aristocratic family near Abergavenny. He was educated locally before leaving Wales for Oxford at just fourteen where he spent fifteen years, graduating with a B.A. from Christ Church and an M.A. from Jesus College. He returned to Wales and lived for a time with Sir Edward Lewis at the Fan, Caerphilly, who promised him the rectory of Rogiet in 1613 and later at Llanfaches in 1617 when it became vacant. He ministered at both places until he had a spiritual experience in 1626, which led him to resign from Rogiet and focus solely on Llanfaches.[6]

Even though Wroth was a rector in the Church of England, like many of the clergy, he was unconverted. By this I mean that his religion was not shaped by personal faith or deep conviction, but was largely a matter of performing religious duties simply because they were required of him. He may have desired to be pious, yet he had not known Jesus as his Saviour. Remarkably, his conversion came while he was already ordained. Isn’t that strange?

Like many of the clergy, he had little care for the gospel—the good news of saving faith—which is at the heart of Christianity, and probably had no understanding of the gospel or key doctrines such as Justification by Grace through Faith Alone which was at the heart of the Reformation just a century earlier. Learning that salvation is a gift from God, not earned through good works, would not only save him but also transform him into one of the most powerful preachers in all of Wales.

A keen musician and skilled on the harp (a true Welshman), prior to his conversion he would play it in the churchyard after the morning service as a way to entice the locals to attend the evening service.[7] But soon, it would be his preaching and passion for the gospel, not the harp, that eventually brought listeners.

His conversion marked a dramatic turning point in his life, though accounts differ in detail. It appears to have occurred around 1625-1626, when the head of the household where he lodged, having just won a legal case, planned a celebration at which Wroth would provide the music. But before the man could return home, he died. The shock of this struck Wroth terribly that he threw away the harp and fell on his knees in the midst of all and prayed.[8]

This sudden realisation of life’s fragility and the seriousness of eternity turned his heart toward God. There are two accounts of Wroth’s conversion mentioned in R. Geraint Gruffydd’s work, In That Gentile Country. The first account is by Thomas Charles who published it in Trysorfa Ysprydol and the other is by the baptist historian Joshua Thomas[9] which “is less full and differs in detail, but also has some additional material”.[10] Charles gives the following account:

He learned to play upon the harp, and before his conversion would play upon it in the churchyard to divert people in the evening of the Lord’s Day after the morning service. Thus Mr. Wroth spent the Lord’s Day in his unconverted state until the mercy of God intended for him began to operate toward him in the following manner. The master of the family where he lodged and to whom he himself was related, having bought a new harp for him in London, came down to Colebrook on his way home, fell sick there and died. Notice was sent to the family, but before they went he had been buried. This great and sudden turn of providence greatly affected him, and put him on thinking of the world to come. This was greatly helped on by an extraordinary dream he had at that time. He dreamed he was in a great flood in danger of drowning, in great fear, apprehending him he was quite unfit to die. While in this perplexity he saw in his dream standing on the bank of the river a beautiful young man with a sky coloured cap or crown on his head. He said to him, ‘What wilt thou do to have thy life saved?’ He answered, ‘I will do anything to have my life.’ Then replied the other, ‘Make restoration, and go and preach the Gospel.’ When he awakened he was greatly affected and resolved to obey. Accordingly he sent for one to whom he had lent money on interest and returned so much back that he impoverished himself; and studied a sermon to preach without telling the people of it, not knowing how he should come off. For before he had only read the Common Prayer to a few old people and those hard by, for the young people met in the afternoon to play in the churchyard, who expected him to come among them with his harp, and wondered he did not come, but were told by those that had heard him that he had preached a sermon, which brought more to the church the next Lord’s Day, and the next Lord’s Day more, and the whole parish and about, still increasing more and more, so Llanfaches church was another sort of place from what it had been before. The congregation increased continually, so that the church became much too little, and Mr. Wroth was obliged to come out to the churchyard, which had been before profaned, though called consecrated ground, was indeed [consecrated], by the presence of God and the preaching of the Gospel, whereby many sinners were turned from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to the living God.[11]

Wroth was transformed, and so was his ministry. He abandoned his former lighthearted approach to life and ministry and embraced a gospel-centred calling. Within less than a decade, he became the leading Puritan in Wales.

But how?
 

After his conversion, Wroth resigned from the church at Rogiet and focussed on Llanfaches. His preaching was simple but powerful, and his church thrived because of it. He drew crowds from all around. Crowds as far as Somerset, Gloucestershire, Bristol, Herefordshire, Radnor and Glamorganshire came to hear him preach. As we have already seen from Charles’ account of his conversion, so many attended that he often had to preach in the churchyard.[12]

But with the growth of his ministry, opposition also increased. In 1633, King Charles I and Archbishop William Laud republished the Declaration of Sports (or Book of Sports), a pamphlet which had to be read aloud in every church outlining the additional sports and recreations which were permitted to take place on Sundays.[13] It was an antagonistic move on the their part who sought to counteract the Puritanical teaching.

Wroth took a great offence to this since it discouraged people from worshipping God by prioritising recreational activities above the importance of worship. To him, Sunday (the Lord’s Day) was a divine gift, not a cultural habit. At the risk of excommunication, he refused to read it.

The world in which Wroth lived was very different to ours today. It is now very normal to play sports on a Sunday instead of attending church. Before rushing to make judgements about Wroth as some overly religious spoilsport, we need to understand his world and the state of the church to make sense of why he would take such a strong stance against the Book of Sports which to many today would be seen as harmless.

The issue was never really about sport. The question beneath it all was who had the right to shape the worship and conscience of the church; Christ or the crown? The Archbishop and the King were not simply encouraging people to relax after church. They were deliberately using political power to weaken Puritan influence and to redefine the meaning of the Lord’s Day—the appointed day for Sunday worship. Many saw this as a challenge to the authority of God over the life of His people.

The Lord’s Day was not seen a cultural habit, but a divine gift that should be honoured. Almost everyone went to church in those days. It was a weekly reminder that life did not revolve around the labour and toil of work, but around the worship of God in community. Rest should be found in Christ and the gospel, not in recreational activities.

To publicly promote sport and recreation on that day was to slowly shift the heart of the community away from worship and toward self-gratification. This is why Wroth refused to read the declaration, even at the risk of his livelihood. He knew that once the church surrendered its conscience to the state in small matters, it would soon surrender it in greater ones.

In 1642, just a few years after the Declaration of Sports was reissued, the English Civil War broke out across Great Britain and Ireland between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians—an ugly war intermixed with politics and religion. The kind of antagonism caused by the Book of Sports played into the build-up toward the English Civil War. It was not the sole cause, but certainly a piece of a much larger picture. Wroth would not live to see the English Civil War, but many of his followers did.

Wroth’s refusal to read the Book of Sports, together with news of his open-air preaching and Puritanical teaching led Bishop William Murray of Llandaff to bring him before the High Commission Court in 1635.[14] Wroth had preached faithfully and successfully in the years since his conversion and drew large crowds. Not only did people flock to hear him, but Wroth had also become a leader of men. Two men; William Erbury, Vicar of St. Mary’s and Walter Cradock, his Curate, who was mentioned earlier, were notable Wrothian disciples. Cradock “being a bold ignorant young fellow”[15] was dismissed while Wroth and Erbury were brought before the High Commission Court and asked to account for their behaviour.

For three years no verdict was reached, allowing their ministry to continue until 1638, when the court demanded that the men must conform. Wroth replied to the Bishop, “with tears, there are thousands of immortal souls around me thronging to perdition, and should I not use all means likely to succeed to save them?”[16] According to Thomas Charles, the Bishop, worried for his own position admitted, “I shall lose my place for your sake”.[17] Wroth surprisingly conformed to the court, though Erbury resigned.

Even though Wroth conformed, it did not stop him from further reforms within his church. His reluctant conformity did not mean compromise, but a strategic step in continuing his ministry. It was during this time that he engraved the following words into the large stone stile at his church in Llanfaches:

Who Ever hear on Sonday

Will Practis Playing at Ball

It May be before Monday

The Devil Will Have you All

What a strong warning! In order to enter a churchyard in those days, one had to step over a waist-high stile made of a large flat stone which prevented livestock from grazing on the cemeteries. Two stiles still exist at the church today (see photographs above). It would be very difficult to enter the church without noticing this most obvious warning. This actual stile has been preserved and can be seen hanging on the wall in the porch of St. Mary’s Church, Llanfair-Discoed (see photograph below). Despite Wroth’s conformity, his warning demonstrates his insistence that God’s command for holy rest could not be ignored. According to Wroth, the spiritual implications of such ignorance would be devastating.

A year later, in November 1639, Wroth invited Henry Jessey to Llanfaches. He was a minister of a Congregational church in London who had obvious influence on Wroth and Cradock. As a result of his influence, the first Independent Church in Wales was formed, who gathered in a Church Covenant, “under which they would appoint their own officers” apart from the Church of England.[18]

Wroth became the father of Welsh nonconformity and became known as the Apostle of Wales, and Llanfaches the Antioch of Wales. Edward Whiston, the biographer of Henry Jessey, in describing Jessey’s journey to Wales, says:

“in November 1639, he [Henry Jessey] was sent into Wales by the congregation for the assisting of old Mr. Wroth, Mr. Cradock and others in their gathering and constituting the Church in Llanfaches in Monmouthshire in South Wales, which afterwards was like Antioch the Mother Church in that Gentile Country.”[19]

This new Independent church was patterned after the Congregational example of John Cotton, a Puritan leader in New England, U.S.A.[20] The first meeting took place in November 1639,[21] and Wroth died in early 1641. He is buried at the parish church of Llanfaches, known today as St Dyfrig’s (Dubritius’) Church. This Puritan movement was more than a local experiment; it became the foundation for a Puritan network across Wales; Wroth in the South and Oliver Thomas in the North.[22]

William Wroth stands as a powerful example to the modern church and to pastors in particular, especially those concerned with theological faithfulness. His life illustrates what genuine faithfulness and fruitfulness in ministry look like. Here are three ways how Wroth‘s example remains deeply relevant to us today:

1. A pastor must be a true convert who preaches the Bible faithfully

If you attend a church and the minister does not faithfully preach and teach the Bible, then you need to stop going there because you are not listening to God. You are listening to a human being and his or her opinion. A minister’s authority comes from God’s Word, not their own ideas.

Ask yourself this: Has your minister truly encountered God? If they have never acknowledged their sin, confessed it, and received forgiveness from God, then they are still “dead in [their] trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). A minister who denies their own need for salvation has nothing to offer you.

Faithfulness also requires a correct understanding of who Christ is. If a minister denies that Jesus is both God and Man, the gospel they preach is absolutely false. Without Christ’s divinity, He cannot be our perfect substitutionary sacrifice. Without his humanity, He could not die for us and be punished in our place. More than that, if He did not rise from the dead, we have no hope.

There are many other non-negotiables—particularly core doctrines—that a church must uphold in order to experience genuine spiritual growth and the blessings of knowing Christ as Lord and Saviour. These particulars, however, are beyond the scope of this article. At the very core has to be the centrality of Christ and the gospel in accordance with Scripture.

Churches are shrinking and closing up and down the country because the gospel has been neglected and no one is being introduced to God as He is revealed in the Scriptures. Ministers who are unconverted or lukewarm lead people astray. William Wroth, in contrast, loved Jesus passionately and proclaimed the truth of the gospel without compromise. His ministry bore fruit because it was anchored in the authority of God’s Word and the reality of his own conversion. His life reminds us that church health depends not on programs, popularity, or talent, but on Christ-centred preaching and teaching by men who have encountered Christ and the gospel.

2. Growth comes from faithfulness to God’s Word

Churches cannot grow spiritually through gimmicks or entertainment. A cool band might draw a crowd, but it becomes a concert hall, not a hospital for sinners. I read last year of a church in England who was putting on silent discos to try and draw crowds. I’m up to trying out a silent disco, it sounds fun, but why would I go to a church to do that with the local vicar? That doesn’t grow a church. I have heard of churches doing the most bizarre experiments such as having pet services, “wine and wisdom” evenings, or even escape room-style Bible events. None of these things will bring spiritual growth. These are things that should take place in a village hall, not a church. They are desperate attempts to create a community because they have already lost the gospel and the supremacy of Christ. Wroth himself used to play the harp in the cemetery hoping it would attract a crowd Until he encountered Christ and the gospel.

Transformation comes when people see their sin and the impending judgement—that they are not who we should be. We are wretched sinners in need of a Saviour. Transformation comes when people repent, and turn to Christ for forgiveness and salvation.

Many prefer a “feel-good” Christianity: a church that has a minister who never mentions sin but tells nice short stories, gives moral lessons, or vague assurances that God loves you for who you are. But the only way we can really know why and how He loves us is if we grasp the fact that we are sinners who are undeserving of His love. The fact that Jesus chose to bear our judgement gives meaning to the statement “God loves you.” He loves us to death. Literally. Without the sacrifice of Christ, we would all remain under judgement. Without the resurrection, we would have no hope.

The church grows when people are confronted by the truth of their sinfulness and offered the gospel of Christ by the grace of God. When people begin to rejoice in God for who He is and what He has done, they begin to respond in obedience and serve the church and the community. We are seeing this happening at our own church. Growth flows from faithful Bible preaching, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Wroth’s church flourished because he proclaimed the gospel boldly, calling people to genuine repentance and faith in Christ.

3. Pastors must be willing to die for their convictions

Every disciple of Jesus, except John who was exiled on an island, was martyred for proclaiming the gospel. They had seen the risen Christ and could not stop proclaiming Him as the Saviour of the world.

Wroth didn’t die for his convictions, but I have no doubt that he would have. He demonstrated courage in his own life by risking his livelihood and position to follow Christ faithfully. You might think his refusal to read the Book of Sports was petty or trivial, but he didn’t think so. He was convinced that the Church of England was straying from Scripture and governed by unconverted men. Because of this he seceded from the established church and suffered opposition with unwavering faith until his death. He is the unsung hero of Welsh nonconformity. His courage reminds us that ministry is not about popularity or comfort. It is about faithfulness to Christ, and fruitfulness as a result, even when it costs everything.

In a world that often prizes ease and acceptance, Wroth challenges all Christians and ministers, that faithfulness to God may cost everything, but it is worth infinitely more than worldly approval.

[1] Trevor Watts, William Wroth (1570-1641): Father of Welsh Nonconformity, (The
Congregational History Magazine, Vol.2. No. 5., 1989), 55.
[2] R. Tudur Jones, Hanes Annibynwyr Cymru, (Abertawe: Undeb Yr Annibynwyr Cymraeg,
1966), 42.
[3] Ibid., 57.
[4] W. J. Gruffydd, Coffa Morgan Llwyd (ed. John W. Jones; Llandysul: Gwasg Gomer,
1952), 16-17.
[5] R. Tudur Jones, Hanes Annibynwyr Cymru, 38.
[6] Watts, William Wroth (1570-1641): Father of Welsh Nonconformity, 9-12.
[7] R. Geraint Gruffydd, ‘In That Gentile Country…’: The beginnings of Puritan Nonconformity in 
Wales, No, 3., (Bryntirion, Bridgend: Evangelical Library of Wales, 1976), 12-13.
[8] Watts, William Wroth (1570-1641): Father of Welsh Nonconformity, 44.
[9] Geraint Gruffydd, ‘In That Gentile Country…’, 10-11.
[10] Ibid., 12.
[11] Ibid., 11-12.
[12] Ibid., 16-17.
[13] Watts, William Wroth (1570-1641): Father of Welsh Nonconformity, 47-48.
[14] Ibid., 50.
[15] Geraint Gruffydd, ‘In That Gentile Country…’, 14.
[16] Watts, William Wroth (1570-1641): Father of Welsh Nonconformity, 46-47.
[17] Geraint Gruffydd, ‘In That Gentile Country…’, 14.
[18] Watts, William Wroth (1570-1641): Father of Welsh Nonconformity, 55.
[19] Quoted by: Watts, William Wroth (1570-1641): Father of Welsh Nonconformity, 54.
[20] Geraint Gruffydd, ‘In That Gentile Country…’, 15.
[21] J. Morgan Jones, Hanes ac Egwyddirion Annibynwyr Cymru, (Llandysul: Gwasg Gomer), 11.
[22] Geraint Gruffydd, ‘In That Gentile Country…’, 28-29.

SOURCES

Gruffydd, R. Geraint. ‘In That Gentile Country…’: The beginnings of Puritan Nonconformity in
Wales. No, 3., Bryntirion, Bridgend: Evangelical Library of Wales, 1976.

Gruffydd, W. J. Coffa Morgan Llwyd. Edited by John W. Jones. Llandysul: Gwasg Gomer, 1952.

Jones, J. Morgan. Hanes ac Egwyddirion Annibynwyr Cymru. Undeb yr Annibynwyr Cymraeg,
Llandysul: Gwasg Gomer, 1939.

Jones, R. Tudur. Hanes Annibynwyr Cymru. Abertawe: Undeb Yr Annibynwyr Cymraeg, 1966.

Watts, Trevor. William Wroth (1570-1641): Father of Welsh Nonconformity. The
Congregational History Magazine, Vol.2. No. 5., 1989.

The Rev. Shem H. Morgan, a former minister of Tabernacle, Llanfaches, wrote a booklet on the history of the church entitled: A History of Tabernacle United Reformed Church, Llanvaches. I obtained a copy of Shem’s booklet directly from the chapel itself. As it is poorly referenced it has not been used as a source for this article. However, it does contain several interesting details that are likely only known by local people. For example, it includes a sketch of the original chapel at Carrow Hill which was drawn by a member of the church. Apparently, as a child, this church member was taken by his grandmother to see the ruins which were demolished during the early twentieth century, and sketched it from memory. The booklet also provides information about what happened to the chapel in the years following Wroth’s death.

I am sat across the table from my wife, Libby, at Pret a Manger in the Mall at Cribbs, sipping coffee and reading a list of article ideas I have compiled on my phone, asking her to inspire me. She has reminded me of something Tom Harding, a member of our church, said during a sermon of his on Sunday 28th December (2025). If you haven’t heard it, I highly recommend listening to it on our YouTube channel. In his introduction he said something that struck both me and Libby because it is often true of us. It is also something I have noticed in the life of the church in general—that busyness is often worn as a badge of honour. Something to be proud of.

For some reason, we like everyone to know how busy we are and how tired we are as a result. We want others to be convinced of our usefulness, whether it’s a student trying to prove their worth, a business owner building something important, a volunteer who hopes their effort matters, a parent who wants their children to love and appreciate them, a pastor who wants to grow a church, or simply a believer trying to be faithful.

But why?

We fear being overlooked, and being seen as “doing nothing” doesn’t prove our usefulness. We live as if busyness is proof of our worth. If we are productive, visible, and needed, then we feel justified in our existence. If someone else notices it, then we quite like that. If our calendars are full, our phones are pinging, and people depend on us, then we believe our lives matter. So we just keep ourselves busy.

I think deep down, we want to know that we matter, that we are enough, and we wonder if anyone would miss us if we stopped. Busyness becomes our coping mechanism for those fears. Even when we have time to relax, we often check our phones nonstop. Anything but sitting in silence with our own thoughts.

The hunger for validation creeps into every area of our lives: parenting, ministry, career, retirement, and even spiritual disciplines. We worry whether we are reading our Bibles and praying enough. But how would we even know what “enough” looks like?

We tend to think that the opposite of busyness is laziness. But I don’t think it necessarily has to be. There are times when we simply need to be inactive. I don’t think I have ever heard anyone boast in their inactivity. I certainly don’t. When I am asked what I have been up to, I would hardly ever admit to being inactive, even if I have been.

I wear my busyness with a badge of honour. I want people to know that I am doing all I can, by God’s strength, to preach well, shepherd consistently, lead faithfully, and fill in the gaps with emails, texts, evangelism, reading, thinking of ideas, and article writing like I am doing now. If people know I am busy, then it becomes harder to criticise me. If I’m not busy, then I fear the church won’t grow. If I’m not busy then I won’t be valued.

When I am asked how I’m doing, I would much prefer to say I am tired from my busyness than to say I am well rested because I haven’t been up to much. It hurts my pride and my ego. What a sinful man I am!

The truth is, we have to be inactive for periods of time, whether we like it or not. It is a sin to be lazy, of course, but not to be inactive. Before leading Israel, Moses spent 40 years as a shepherd in Midian. I’m sure he was busy at times, but it required no active preaching, no miracles, or public preaching. Just tending sheep in obscurity. We don’t really know what he got up to, but those years were not wasted, they were God’s preparation.

Joseph waited in a prison cell for years. He didn’t build anything, advance ministry or use his gifts publicly. David was anointed king as a teenager but spent many years doing nothing kingly. After Elijah’s greatest victory, he collapsed in exhaustion and despair. God did not give him another assignment. God gave him food, sleep, and silence. Sometimes the most spiritual thing God can give us is rest. Even Jesus Himself spent about thirty years in obscurity before three years of public ministry. And even during His ministry, He often withdrew to lonely places for solitude (Mark 1:35; 4:38; 6:13; Luke 5:16; 10:42).

The tragedy is that busyness is a poor substitute for belonging. It exhausts the soul while never satisfying it. Busyness become an idol we serve in order to feel accomplished and valued.

But in the gospel, our value is not proven or measured by how much we do or accomplish. We are valued by how deeply God loves us. Before we did anything for God or anyone, He declared us His own. Before we started to produce spiritual fruit, we were adopted. Before we served, we were seen by Him. Busyness says: “I matter because I am useful.” The gospel says, “You are useful because you already matter.” Until that makes sense and settles in our hearts and minds, we will keep boasting in our activity, because of the fear of being unimportant. No amount of activity will ever be enough to silence that fear.

So, what needs to happen if you, like me, boast in your busyness? Well, we need to confess it to God, knowing that it is Christ who gives us our identity. We do not repent of work and busyness itself, but of the deeper sin beneath it: the belief that our value rises and falls with what we do and how much we do.

Whether we are active or inactive, God loves us because Christ is our King. He is our Lord and Saviour.  We need to stop trading the security of being loved by God for the illusion of being needed by others.

After that, run to the arms of Christ—to the gospel. We do not boast in our activity, but in Christ’s activity. We are not defined by our success, our careers, our children, our productivity, or anything else. Whether we have full days or quiet days, we belong to God because of Christ.

His love does not increase when we are busy, and it doesn’t decrease when we are still. His love and affection for us are anchored in Jesus Christ, our beautiful Saviour. And this is freeing.

It frees us from the exhausting work of trying to prove ourselves and our worth. We no longer work for identity. Rather, we work from identity. We have true rest in Christ, not because our work is finished, but because His work is finished.

From 1st February, our church will begin meeting for Sunday morning services at Rogiet Primary School. The services will begin at the usual time of 10:30am. We haven’t made this decision without much prayer and consideration, but it is one we have made out of necessity for space. To put it simply, we have outgrown our chapel building.

For the past few months we are thankful that more and more people have joined us which means we have had to squeeze in extra chairs to accommodate and have also had to use overflow seating. We have asked people to sit closer together and even then, there have been Sundays where there has barely been any room. It’s a great problem to have, but a problem nonetheless.

The growth we have been experiencing has come from the quiet, powerful work of God. People have come with questions, carrying burdens, brokenness, hope, expectation, and hunger for something more. And by the grace of God, many have found a place among us where the Bible is proclaimed and taught, where prayers are lifted, and where love is shown. But as the church has filled, we have come to a simple and unavoidable reality. We need more space to make room for the people God is bringing.

We have explored many other options. We considered the community hall, the village hall, and other possible spaces, but unfortunately none were available. We are very grateful to the committees of those facilities for their time, their consideration, and their willingness to help. This decision, while it is necessary, has been guided by prayer and care for both our church family and our village.

So, beginning on 1st February, we will be gathering on Sunday mornings at Rogiet Primary School. The service will start at the same time, have the same people, and proclaim the same gospel, just in a different place for now.

We want to make one thing clear. Although our Sunday morning location is changing, everything else about the life of our church remains the same. Our midweek meetings and groups, the Village Cafe, prayer meetings, and ministries will continue as usual at the chapel. Our Sunday evening services will also still be held at the chapel since it has a lower attendance. Our heartbeat, our message, and our mission are unchanged.

We are not leaving Caerwent. We are not abandoning our village. We are not turning our backs on the place God planted us over 200 years ago. Caerwent is our home. It is the soil in which God has grown this church. We love our village deeply, and our commitment to serve, pray for, and love the people of Caerwent remains stronger than ever.

This move is not about chasing numbers. It is about making room for people. It is refusing to let walls limit the work of God among us. It is about saying “yes” when God keeps sending more. In the Gospels, when crowds came to Jesus, He never told them there was no room. When people were hungry, He fed them. When they were broken and needy, He healed them. When they were weary, He welcomed them with open arms. And today, we believe Jesus is still doing the same work among us and through us.

This is an exciting new chapter, but it is not about the building in which we meet. It’s about human souls. It is about the lost being found, the hurting being healed, the weary being given rest, the sinner being shown mercy, and the hopeless being given eternal hope in Christ. It is about children hearing the name of Jesus. It is about families learning to pray and serve together. It is about lives being changed by the power of the gospel.

We are deeply thankful for our chapel. Those walls have witnessed years of prayer, worship, tears, joy, and testimony. We honour the faith of those who built it and those who have served faithfully within it. But we also know that the church has never been bricks and mortar. The church has always been the people of God, called together by His grace.

And now, by God’s grace, He has called us to take a step of faith. We are stepping into Rogiet Primary School not as strangers, but as disciples of Christ, carrying the same love, hope, and message we have always carried: Jesus saves, Jesus heals, Jesus forgives and Jesus reigns.

We are praying for a smooth transition. We are praying for those who will walk through the doors for the first time. We pray for the children who will hear the gospel. We pray for those who are searching for answers. We pray that Jesus would be lifted high and that many would come to know Him.

If you are someone who has never been to church before, or perhaps has not been for a long time, know this: you are welcome. There is room for you. There is grace for you. There is hope for you.

From 1st February, at 10:30am, we will be gathering at Rogiet Primary School as one church, one family, with one gospel, and one Saviour. And as always, we will continue to love and serve the village of Caerwent, trusting God to do what only He can do: build His church and change lives through Jesus Christ.

We are very grateful to Mr. Hamer and the staff at Rogiet Primary School for allowing us to use the building on Sundays. They have been more than accommodating. 

Christ is all,

Pastor Gwydion Emlyn and the Elders

If God cannot be tempted, and Jesus is God, then how could Jesus be tempted? James 1:13 states very clearly that “God cannot be tempted with evil”, but Jesus, being God, was tempted three times by Satan in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13) and the book of Hebrews says that Christ is was tempted as we are:

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with out weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb. 4:15).

The Bible affirms in many places and in many different ways that Jesus Christ is God (John 1:1-14; 5:18; 10:30; Col. 1:15-20), namely, the Son of God (John 1:18). Because of this there seems to be a contradiction. If God cannot be tempted, yet Jesus, being God, was tempted, isn’t that a contradiction?

I want to explain why this is not a contradiction. In fact, the untemptability of God and the temptability of Christ helps to explain the wonder of the incarnation of the Son of God. As a pastor I am often asked about this seeming contradiction, and I have great joy explaining it. I have written this article to try and show show how Christ’s temptation functions to radiate his glory, how God’s inability to be tempted is utterly beautiful, and how both truths can simultaneously be true. I will do this first by discussing the twofold nature of temptation, then explain God’s absolute untemptability, and finally show how Christ could in fact be tempted even though he is the divine Son of God.

All human beings possess a fallen human nature as a result of the original sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. We all inherit the effects of Adam’s sin in the “Fall” (Genesis 3). Possessing a fallen human nature does not simply mean that we sin sometimes. It is far worse. It means that our very nature, the way we think, desire, and relate to God and others is affected. The Bible describes human beings as having sinful “flesh” (Rom. 7:18; Gal. 5:17). Because of this, we tend to suppress the truth of God and are more easily led by selfish desires than by God’s guidance. Our affections, therefore, are greater toward created things than toward God our Creator.

By possessing a fallen human nature, we are tempted in two ways:
1. Outward Temptation
2. Inward Temptation

Outward temptation refers to external pressures, situations, or influences that provoke our desire to sin. Imagine a married man being offered a one-night stand with a physically attractive woman, being guaranteed the promise of secrecy and confidentiality. No will ever find out, no one will ever know, especially not his wife. She offers physical beauty, intimacy, sexual pleasure, and the fulfilment sexual fantasies.

For a brief moment, a testosterone-filled man may immediately associate the offer with the pleasure of sexual gratification and the attraction of physical beauty (albeit lust). He may value the persuasiveness of secrecy, reasoning that it would not directly hurt his wife if she never finds out. These are realities that he perhaps recognises for a moment—even if only as a passing thought—because it is true that men are attracted to physical beauty, desire sexual gratification, and do not wish to harm their wives. But even in the face of these fleshly impulses and the offer placed before him, his love and desire for his wife is far greater than the temptation to commit adultery in secret. More than that, his desire to remain faithful to God far outweighs the temptation to lustfully sleep with another woman. He therefore resists obediently. That is outward temptation.

Inward temptation, however, comes from within ourselves. Our own desires, cravings, and inclinations. It is not something external like pressure from others, but rather, the heart itself stirring us toward sin. Inward temptation is exasperated by past experiences because we remember the temporal enjoyment of past sins. To use a similar illustration, a man could be sat on the couch minding his own business just watching the television when suddenly a thought comes to his mind that he could watch pornography or masturbate in secret for self-gratification. There could be a number of reasons for this. He may be sexually frustrated, tired, bored, feels neglected, or some other reason. The memory of past sinful pleasure floods his mind and produces the desire to experience it again. This is inward temptation.

Yet he suddenly remembers the gospel and the freedom he has in Christ—that to give into this inward temptation would enslave him to sin once again. He would relinquish his freedom for a time, “submitting again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1). By the grace of God and the help of the Spirit (1 Cor. 10:13), he refuses the temptation because his desire to obey God is greater than his sinful desires.

James 1:14 explains this clearly: “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” The “luring” refers to outward temptation, while being “enticed by his own desire” refers to inward temptation.

Neither outward nor inward temptation is sinful in itself, however. Both are simply opportunities to sin. It is only sinful to enact upon those temptations. Adam and Eve saw the beauty of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. That in itself was not sinful. They also understood the argument presented by the serpent that the fruit is good for food. That also in itself, was not sinful. They were outward temptations which led to sin, but sin had not yet occurred. They recognised the potential the fruit offered to make them to be like God, and it became desirable to them. But even then, they had not yet sinned, for they could still have resisted. The sin occurred when they believed the offer of the serpent’s word over God’s command for them not to eat the fruit. As a result, they reached out, took the fruit, and ate. Nothing was ever the same. From that moment, by possessing a fallen human nature, they would always be tempted inwardly (and outwardly) to return to the gratification they felt when eating that fruit.

There are several reasons why God cannot be tempted (James 1:13). I will mention the two most important here.

First, God cannot be tempted at all because of His holiness. His holiness means that “in him [there is] no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). God’s holiness does not refer to His moral goodness. It means He is utterly set apart, perfectly good, incorruptible, and unchangeable in His nature. Holiness is not something God has. Rather, holiness is what God is.

Second, God cannot be tempted at all because it is incompatible with, and contradictory to, His nature. Nothing can offer God greater joy or satisfaction than what He already possesses within Himself as the triune God. Creation is simply an expression of His beauty and goodness. Nothing in all creation can offer Him anything greater than that which already exists in Himself which is infinitely greater.

To illustrate: why would I be tempted to drink from a pool of muddy water while holding a nice cold glass of orange juice? I cannot be tempted by what is inferior when I already possess something far better. This analogy is limited, of course, because I might easily be tempted to choose from a strong black americano over an orange juice because I just prefer coffee. Being finite means there will always be something greater outside of me that can tempt me away from what I already possess. But because God is infinitely holy and is Himself the source of all good things, He cannot be tempted, for all good things are only finite expressions of His infinite beauty and goodness.

When we hear that God cannot do something we can do—namely, sin— we are tempted (excuse the pun) to think this limits Him somehow; that we obtain a quality that He does not. But this is mistaken. Possessing the “ability” to sin would not add to God’s nature, it would diminish it. We naturally associate “ability” with value. But it is not so in this case. Possessing the ability to sin is not a quality which increases our worth. It decreases it. God’s inability to sin proclaims the fullness and perfection of his divine nature and holiness.

Having addressed the twofold nature of temptation and the untemptability of God, we are now prepared to address the question at hand: How was Jesus tempted if He is God and God cannot be tempted?

The answer is fairly simple. Christ could not be tempted inwardly, only outwardly. But before we can get into this, we must first consider Christ’s human nature in comparison to our own human nature.

The Bible teaches that Jesus possesses a fully divine nature. He is the Son of God (John 1:18), fully divine (John 1:1-14; 10:30), eternal (Col 1:15-20), of one substance with the Father (John 10:30; Col. 2:9; Heb.1:3), yet distinct in his person (John 1:1-2). The Son is begotten by the Father (Ps. 2:7; John 3:16) which means He is uncreated and eternally proceeds from the Father eternally. He possesses all the attributes of God.

In the incarnation—the coming of the Son of God into this world—He took to Himself a human nature. This was not a transformation of His divinity into humanity, nor did he become a hybrid. Rather, he assumed a complete human nature like ours: body, soul, mind, and emotions, while remaining fully God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, says the Gospel of John.

Theologically, the union of the divine and human natures is termed the hypostatic union. This comes from the Greek hypostasis, meaning “person”, or “personal being”. Thus hypostatic union means the union of two natures in one Person. Jesus is one Person, not two separate people, and he possesses two distinct natures. Each nature retains its own properties in that his divinity is unchangeable and his humanity experiences limitation.

Understanding this helps to make sense of Hebrews 4:15 which we mentioned earlier:

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with out weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

By becoming human, He truly sympathises with everything we face and endure, including our temptations, yet remains sinless.

Although Christ assumed a human nature like ours, there is a subtle yet crucial difference between his human nature and ours in that He did not possess a fallen human nature as we do. By taking on a human nature, He subjected himself to his own creation and humbly lived according under its laws. He had to eat, drink, go to the toilet, learn, grow, endure pain and suffering, and experience grief and sadness.

With this came the capacity for temptation, yet His temptation was only outward, not inward. By virtue of his human nature which was not fallen, He was not susceptible to temptation from inward desires. On account of his divine nature, he maintained the attribute of impeccability, which means he was not capable of sinning. It’s not that he refrains from sin, but that sin is impossible for him. If Christ could sin internally like we do, then his obedience would be uncertain, his sacrifice would be risky, and redemption would be a gamble. But if Christ cannot sin (impeccable), and yet truly faces temptation, then his obedience is not fragile. It’s triumphant. He doesn’t just avoid failure, he establishes righteousness. This is why Paul could say that Jesus is the last Adam. Christ stands unshakeable where Adam fell under temptation, not because the test was fake but because the Saviour is truly righteous.

By divine providence, the triune God predestined that the Son would face outward temptations and overcome them. To accomplish this, He lived live under the law—His own law—and obeyed it perfectly. In doing so, He is our Great High Priest, not offering an animal, but Himself, the Lamb of God, as an acceptable sacrifice in our place.

Like us, Christ appreciated the beauty and pleasures of this world and fully understood the offers presented by Satan in the wilderness, just as Adam and Eve understood the serpent’s offer in Garden of Eden. But unlike our ancient ancestors, He refused the offer. He knew what it was to enjoy God’s good gifts. Yet He resisted every temptation to pursue those earthly pleasures in a sinful way.

It matters because it safeguards the heart of the gospel and the meaning of Christ for people. If God could be tempted then God would be changeable, needy, incomplete, and insecure. He would be capable of being affected by something outside of Himself. God would therefore not be the highest good. He would not be self-sufficient, and actually not worthy of worship. If God could be tempted, then he could fall. And if that was the case, then everything else falls with it.

Yet at the same time, the temptability of Christ in human flesh, and his inability to sin, tells us that the Son of God did not pretend to be human. He entered fully into our human condition without ceasing to be God. That is the wonder, that God remains untemptable in his divine nature, but that God becomes temptable in Christ’s human experience. Without this distinction, the incarnation becomes either God shrinking into something less than God, or Jesus just acting human without truly sharing our condition. Both destroy the gospel.

If the reality of God’s untemptability and Christ’s temptability were a contradiction, Christianity would collapse into mythology. Instead, Christianity holds together two truths that only God could hold together: absolute holiness and real human struggle. Not a paradox for the sake of it, but the only way sinners could be saved. It matters because God is truly God and Christ is truly human. The cross is truly sufficient and our salvation is truly secure. Our suffering is truly understood and our hope is truly unshakeable. This is not a footnote doctrine, this is the architecture of redemption.

When John Funnell wants a chat, I drop almost anything to talk. As one of my closest friends and brother-in-Christ, I love him a great deal. We met six years ago soon after becoming pastor of Caerwent Baptist as our respective churches are within the same AECW cluster. We clicked instantly, and over the years we have developed a wonderful and trusting friendship.

I was driving home after preaching in Pembrokeshire in early July when he rang me (on my hands-free, of course) to share his exciting news. We spoke for about an hour as he shared his vision of starting a school of theology to train the many young men in his church for ministry in the Valleys. To my surprise, he asked if I would be willing to join the faculty and teach New Testament Exegesis. I agreed without hesitation. To read more about the vision for the school itself, you can visit the website here and/or contact John directly. Since readily agreeing, I have thought a great deal about why I should support and be involved with the proposed school. I can say with confidence that the result of my prayers and reflection is an increased desire to help. Some may question the purpose of this course when there are other theology colleges and courses available, but I want to share why I believe this course is different and offers something that others do not.

As a former student of Union School of Theology (during its WEST years), I love the college. Actually, a young woman in our church is starting her BA Theology with Union this September. I will continue to support Union as an excellent institution with a brilliant faculty because it offers what the other theology courses in Wales do not: a rigorous academic theological education with accredited qualifications. There is another course in Wales run by the EMW called the Theological Training Course (TTC), but I am not in a position to comment on it as I know very little about it - only that I know people who have taken that course. What I do know is that John Funnell’s Valleys School of Theology offers something that the other courses do not.

The Lord led John to Noddfa, Abersychan which is situated in the Torfaen Valley around eight years ago. The church was weeks, if not days, away from closing, but, going against the advice of others, he took up the role of pastor. For the first year, all he did was pray. That year was not a waste of time at all as the church now has a weekly attendance of around 200 people, most of whom are from very difficult and troubled backgrounds. You can hear his story and a fascinating summary of the work God is doing through John in  by listening to a podcast here. His church is unlike any other in all of Wales, especially in Reformed circles. Many, if not most, of those who attend are either receiving benefits (Universal Credit, PIP, etc.), taking drugs, recovering from drugs, are gypsies, adulterers, homeless, transgendered, violent, or alcoholics. For a while, most of the attendees were not Christians, just needy people looking for answers. But now, many have been saved! He has baptised around 80 people so far—that’s about 10 per year. God is at work there in an amazing way through a man (and men) who is (are) willing to suffer.

Out of this ministry, the Lord is raising up men who are called to ministry in the Valleys. These men—uneducated, unemployed, often with tattoos on their necks and faces, some who are former boxers, gypsies and the like—are unlike the average middle-class, chino-wearing, educated young men who will typically occupy the average city church for a couple of decades on a teacher’s salary. These men are already incarnational. They are from the Valleys and will minister in the Valleys. They will not attempt to plant a conventional middle-class church in a setting in which is not likely to thrive, but will preach the gospel as men who are like those to whom they will preach. They have been saved and transformed by Christ from within the communities into which they will minister.

Incredibly, John has around 12 men in his congregation ready to train for ministry, but, due to the available funding, the plan for the first year will be to support the training of four men. By God’s grace, should the course prove to be successful, more students will be able to enrol in the years to come, not only from within Noddfa (John’s church), but also from without. I am sure that as the school develops and grows, its vision will too.

The faculty is made up mostly of pastors (with the exceptions of Steve Foley, a retired pastor, and Paula, a missionary) of growing churches who preach successfully into the context in which their churches exist. You can see who the faculty are here. My role, at least for the first year, will be to teach New Testament Exegesis. I am by no means an expert, but I have a particular interest in biblical exegesis and it is something I already teach in my own church at Caerwent. As a faculty, we are seriously committed to training these men for ministry and to prepare them in ways other theological schools do not, specifically ensuring that they will be equipped to reach needy, broken societies where young men usually do not wish to go as pastors. I am very excited to see what comes of this work.

Should a man who feels called to ministry attend a Bible college, school, or seminary? I believe that it depends on the location to which a man feels called to minister to. Generally I do not think it’s necessary for a prospective pastor to receive a theological qualification, but I do, however, think it is absolutely necessary for a man planning to pastor a church to be theologically educated. There is a difference. Some churches require  their pastors to have an undergraduate degree in theology as a minimum. One church that I am aware of would not accept a man with anything less than a PhD. Perhaps in a context where there are highly educated people, rightly or wrongly, a qualification may be helpful in order to be accepted or taken seriously by the congregation and local residents. But if a man is attempting to reach people in a deprived area of society, such as the Valleys, he would fit in better with a tattoo and a pit bull than with letters after his name.

The issue with the Valleys is that in order to reach the people with the gospel, one needs to understand them, their way of life, and the lack of opportunities available to them. Many have attempted to have a successful church in this setting but have failed simply because they have not considered the cost involved. Men frequently take over pastorates that once thrived in the mid-twentieth century only to help the church shut its doors rather than build it from the ground up. However, John and his wife Harriet have been willing to endure difficulties in order to continue ministering in this different and often difficult location. Their house has been broken into whilst he and his family were asleep, their car has been stolen, the church has had multiple robberies, he has been accused of being a cult leader by local residents and a liberal by a well-known evangelical newspaper. John is far from perfect, and he would be the first to admit it, but whatever he is doing in Abersychan—the most deprived valley in Wales—the Lord is blessing it. One of the unique things about the school will be time spent with John–someone who, by God’s grace and with His help, leads a successful and thriving ministry in the Valleys, and understands the unique challenges and opportunities of doing ministry there.

Valleys School of Theology will not offer qualifications, but it will offer an education. Applicants are not required to have GCSEs or A-levels—they simply need to be spiritually qualified men who are recognised with having a calling and gifting from the Lord. I trust the Lord’s leading and I trust John’s vision. I am more than willing to help him and to fulfil the role he has called me to.

Personally, I am even more excited about what happens beyond their studies. I am excited to see how God will use these men to preach the gospel in the Valleys and to build churches that will last. The Valleys have been deprived of the gospel for far too long. It is about time that the right men are trained and sent with an unfading hope to a people who generally have very little hope.

Recently, I have come to the realisation that for years I have been approaching God wrongly. What I mean by approaching God wrongly is that, through prayer (mainly), I have been treating God as something of a Santa Claus who functions as someone who gives good gifts when he receives requests. Children like Santa because he gives them nice gifts. If Santa didn’t give nice gifts or gave horrible gifts, they wouldn’t like him. They have no relationship with Santa other than sitting on a stranger’s knee at the local Santa’s grotto. Children enjoy what Santa gives, not who he is. He seems like a nice guy not because they know him but because he apparently gives them nice things.

I have very much been treating God like children do Santa: receiving my enjoyment from God not always based on who he is, but too often based on whether he’s been answering my prayers the way I have expected him to, or not. As a result, my prayers have not been enjoyable at all. They are filed with expectation, but not satisfaction. I have only really been satisfied with God when he has answered my prayers. I keep a prayer journal which, when I look back at it, is full of requests rather than praise. I have deceived myself and the evil one has joined in so very carefully and cleverly by twisting biblical meaning with the following couple of statements among others:

I have convinced myself that as long as my prayers are requests for ministry related concerns and matters that will bless others rather than myself, then surely God will see that I am humble enough and will therefore answer me. After all, the Bible tells me to consider others of greater value than myself (Phil. 2:3-4). As long as I put others before me, then I can ask for the things I want.

Let me use my exchange with Santa to illustrate what I mean: I believed in Santa as a child and wrote letters to him. But in the back of my mind, my approach to writing these letters was, “If I write a letter in a nice and humble manner, Santa will be more likely to give me the things I want because he will see I’m a nice boy.” Basically, being nice to Santa was a ploy for getting what I wanted.

Whilst it’s okay to ask God for things, it’s not right to try and manipulate God by praying the things we ‘should’ pray before getting to what we really want to ask.

In the Parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8), Jesus teaches us esentially to nag God the same way the widow kept nagging the useless judge for justice against her adversary. In the end the judge gave into the widow’s request just so that she would stop nagging. Jesus says, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?” (v. 6-7).

Because of this, I have been asking persistently for things in the hope that the more I ask, the more chance there is for God to answer. While there is some truth in this which I will not discuss here, the real blessing in being persistent is not found in the answer to prayer, but in the enjoyment of depending on God for all things. Let me put it this way: If I knew that God would never answer my persistent prayer, would I keep praying persistantly for that thing? No, I wouldn’t. So, the reason why God doesn’t answer all our prayers immediately is so that we can learn to depend on him and to accept his ways rather than our own regardless of the outcome.

In other words, imagine God wants me to keep nagging him for 10 years and then after 10 years his answer to my prayer is a “No” instead of the “Yes” I expected. How would I feel? “Why, Lord, would you keep me nagging for 10 years if you knew the answer would always be a “No”?”

Asking myself this question and receiving the answer changed my prayer life. The motive for asking anything, wheter it be once, or a thousand times, should not be for the enjoyment of receivng what we asked for, but for the purpose of enjoying God for who he is as an end in itself.

God, in his graciousness, has exposed the sin of my heart. I have been coming to God primarily because he is useful to me. After all, he is the only one who can answer my prayers and provide me with what I want and need. So, my prayers have been full of demands and requests rather than praise adoration.

My basic confession is this: I have not been enjoying God the way I should or could. Rather, I have been using God and receiving the enjoyment from answered prayers.

Prayer is a gift primarily for communion with the trinitarian God, not for requests. Make your requests known, by all means, but for God’s sake, enjoy him while you’re at it. When I think back to my childhood, which was a happy one, I think about my mother and how much she loved me. But I don’t remember the things she gave me. I think I can remember 2 gifts out of a thousand. Instead, I remember who she was to me and how she was with me. The things I remember most are the words of comfort, her love, her manner, her warmth, and even the songs she sang to me. One song that has stuck with me is a kind of lullaby she composed. Unfortunately, I can’t provide the melody on paper:

Pwy yw cariad gorau’r byd? Gwydion.
Pwy yw cariad gorau’r byd? Gwydion.
Gwydion Rhys yw cariad Mami,
Gwydion Rhys yw cariad fi.
Gwydion Rhys yw cariad Mami,
Cariad gorau’r byd.

It doesn’t translate well into English, especially with the syllables:

Who is the greatest love in the world? Gwydion.
Who is the greatest love in the world? Gwydion.
Gwydion Rhys is Mummy’s love.
Gwydion Rhys is my love.
Gwydion Rhys is Mummy’s love.
The greatest love in the world.

This song was an invitation for me to enjoy her as a mother. She expressedn her love to me by telling me what I meant to her. God is not a distant giver of good gifts, but a God who draws near and loves sinners like me. My Mum didn’t become more wonderful after every passing gift. She became more wonderful every time she drew near.

The more we see the beauty of God, the more we shall enjoy him for who he is rather than what he gives. Don’t misunderstand me, the gifts we receive speaks of his wonderful generosity, but receiving the gifts in and of themselves are not the basis of our enjoyment in him.

What is the bauty of God for us to be able to enjoy him? Is it his holiness? Is it his purity and righteousness? What is it? David writes of God’s beauty in Psalm 27:4:

One thing have I asked of the Lord,

that will I seek after:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    
all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
    
and to inquire in his temple.
 
The beauty of God’s could be gazed upon in the tabernacle/temple, which is where God’s dwelling place was on earth. The Most Holy Place was shut off from the Israelites permanently apart from one day a year where the High Priest could enter to atone for the sin of Israel. The beauty of God was in the blood of the animals being offered in the place of sinful Israelites daily, wekly, seasonally and annually. This work of constant atonement was what gave the Jews access to God through their justification by faith.

When Jesus died on the cross and cried out “It is finished”, the curtain separating the Most Holy Place from the community tore in two. This meant that anyone could now enter into the presence of God—not through priests or sacrifices—but through the Lord Jesus Christ. This means that Jesus Christ is the beauty of God - the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Nothing is more precious or beautiful than Jesus on the cross - where the second member of the triune God offered his body as an acceptable sacrifce in our place. Through his death, our sins are put to death and through his resurrection we are raised to life.

Christ is present with us now on earth through the Church. The Holy Spirit dwells in the believer (1 Cor. 6:19) and the Church which is the body of Christ (Eph. 1:23; 5:22-23). Therefore, the beauty of God is found in Christ who is the radicance of the glory of God (Heb. 1:3). His beauty is experienced in 3 primary ways: 1. individually through prayer and meditaion, 2. collectively through fellowship, and 3. collaboratively through the scriptures.

“Is that all?” I hear you ask. The beauty of God is in prayer, fellowship and Bible study? Yes! But done properly, it is the greatest blessing on earth and results in joyful worship and praise. As a pastor, I find that most of people’s spiritual issues and difficulties can be resolved by a proper devotion to one, two or all of those three things where they are lacking. Let’s go back to Psalm 27 and verse 8:

You have said, “Seek my face.”

My heart says to you,
  
“Your face, Lord, do I seek.”

David was asked by God to chase something that he could never truly see: his face. But in doing so, he did nevertheless see and experience the beauty of God and found satisfaction in his presence. So much so that he ends the psalm by saying (v.13-14):

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord
    
in the land of the living!
Wait for the Lord;
    
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
    
wait for the Lord!

David speaks eschatalogically of a time where he will look at God in the “land of the living”. And the psalm ends by telling the reader to wait for this: “wait for the Lord”.

No one has ever seen God and lived. Even though Moses’ own face shone with God’s glory after being with him on Mount Sinai, even he couldn’t see the Lord’s face and live (Ex. 33:20-23). The beauty and glory of God can be enjoyed now by the Spirit and through Christ, but the fullness of his glory is yet to be seen. In Revelation 21-22, the Apostle John receives a vision from the Lord Jesus of the New Heavens and the New Earth and the New Jerusalem—a new city which will come down from heaven—where God’s people shall dwell with him forever. This city will be built in the same cubic shape as the Most Holy Place mentioned earlier (Rev. 21:15-21). More than that, there will be no temple there because God himself will be the temple (21:22). More than that, “They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” (Rev. 22:4). The face of God will be seen by all who dwell in him, for our glory will match his glory. We shall be glorious as Christ is glorious and all that is his will be ours (Rom. 8:32). We shall be seated with him on his throne (Rev. 3:21)

Christ is the light of the world which is so unfathomably glorious that a mere glimpse of it blinded the Apostle Paul on the road to Emmaus. Paul tells us that his light is so glorious that Christ “dwells in unapproachable light” (1 Tim. 6:16). However, in the New Heavens and New Earth, this unapproachable light in which Christ dwells, we shall also dwell in: “And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.” (Rev. 22:5).

God’s beauty and presence could be known and experienced by David in the temple, but so much more now through Christ the Word become flesh who dwelt among us and offered his body on the cross. But still more than that, his beauty is yet so be seen in its fullness. This should cause us to look forward with expectation that as we taste the waters of life in this life, we shall fill our bellies with it in the next (Rev. 22:1-2).

Enjoying God is being raised up to the heavenly places with him (Eph. 2:6) and finding pleasure in his being. We are brought into the communion that the Father, Son and Spirit have enjoyed since eternity past. We participate in that communion—in the unfading love, friendship and devotedness —demonstrated through the atoning work of Christ. What makes it stunning is that we are invited into his presence as a people undeserving of such blessing, but a people whom God delights in and desires, not for who we are but for who he is. He removes the dirt and clothes us with his garments. He wipes our tears with his thumb. He keeps his faithfulness to us despite our faithfulness and fornication. The wrath, anger and judgement of God is removed and instead we become the judge (1 Cor. 6:3).

God blesses us with the intelligence to understand and to grasp the mysteries of his will. He blesses us with sight to be able to see the glory of God having the eyes of our hearts opened (Eph. 1:18). He blesses us with pleasures so intense that we delight in him emotionally. He blesses us with a mission so irresistable that we can’t but dedicate ourselves to it fully. Therefore, we no longer keep his commandments as a means to earn God’s acceptance. Rather, we keep his commandments because it is a delight to do so out of thankfulness and gratitude at the fact that he accepts us as we are through Christ who is our righteousness.

I’ve always believed in God (accompanied with occasional doubts over the years), but haven’t always understood who God is; his character, his personality and his personhood. Even though my mother taught me about God and the Bible as a child, I imagined God as being a big bearded man in the clouds because that’s how the cartoons on the tele portrayed him - a kind of Zeus-like figure. Jesus, as I understood it was his son, also with a brown beard and wearing a long white dress with blue trimmings who walked on the earth uttering pithy statements. In the pictures of him, he always had long flowing hair, neatly conditioned and was always playing with birds and forest creatures like some weird effeminate hippy - a complete misrepresentation of the real Jesus. Jesus was a strong and hard working carpenter. He would have had splinters and calluses on his hands from hard work, tough feet, a muscular structure, probably had dark skin from being in the sun and was eventually homeless because he was constantly on the move during his three-year ministry. But what about the Holy Spirit? I had no idea what the Holy Spirit was like. I imagined him as being a white dove because of the illustrated pictures of him in the children’s Bibles - the story of the baptism of Jesus, for example.

Having become a Christian at the age of 16 through repentance and faith, my desire for wanting to know more about God grew, and as I learned more about him, he was nothing like the bearded man I imagined him to be when I was a child. He is very different. The God of the Bible is one God in three persons. They are distinct in persons but not separate. They are of one substance but are not each other. The God of the Bible is neither monotheistic, nor is he polytheistic. The God of the Bible is trinitarian. He is unlike any of the other gods of the other religions. He is not a bearded man in the clouds. God is Spirit. But the whole Godhead has chosen to reveal himself through the person of Jesus Christ (Col. 1:19).

I will briefly discuss the Trinity before moving on to investigate who the Holy Spirit is because I think the Holy Spirit is the most misunderstood person in the Trinity. I’ll supply a list of ‘he is…’ facts about him to make things simple.

The Trinity is neither a theory nor a bright idea someone just thought up, it is a doctrine that is clearly taught in the Bible. Although the word ‘Trinity’ doesn’t appear in the Bible, the truths that it attempts to summarise it do. The word helps to systemise facts about the Godhead: that there is one God in three persons. The Bible tells us to study the word of God (Josh. 1:8; Acts 17:2, 11; 19:8; Col. 3:16; 2 Tim. 2:15; 3:16-17), and to prayerfully understand/interpret its meaning (Acts 8:30). Throughout the centuries, theologians have systematically investigated every single verse/passage in the Bible which says something about God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and studied them all in their contexts to try and make sense of who God is. The conclusion that thousands of theologians have come to is that God is trinitarian. By my own personal study of both scripture and church history, I have also come to the conclusion that God is trinitarian—that it is the best way to explain who God is.

Soon after the Apostles died, theologians began disputing doctrines like the Trinity and the person of Christ. Sadly, there were good and bad people leading churches, just like there are today. So, each time a doctrinal dispute arose, the Church would call together a council together to debate and produce ‘creeds’ to provide a clear document stating what the Church believed about God and other biblical doctrines. God was clearly providentially supervising these councils as every creed during the first millennia and a half managed to convey clear biblical truth regarding fundamental biblical doctrines.

There is a noticeable development in articulating the doctrine of the Trinity between the First Nicene Creed (AD 325) and the First Constantinople Creed (AD 381), which was the amended version. Both creeds name the three persons, but the Constantinople Creed states that the Father and Son are of “one substance” and that the Holy Spirit “proceedeth from the Father and the Son” and that the three “together is worshipped and glorified”. The Eastern Orthodox Church reject the filioque concept - that the Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son. They maintain even to this day that the Spirit proceeds from the Father only. However, regardless of this difference, the Eastern Orthodox Church affirms that God is Trinity as do the Roman Catholics and Protestants. Admittedly, studying historical theology can be confusing and daunting at first—it can even appear to be pedantic over semantics—but with perseverance, it gets very exciting and fascinating.

The creed that is most obvious in its confession of the Trinity is the Quicumque Vult (the Athanasian Creed). Authored sometime in the fourth to fifth centuries, it is historically believed to have been written by Athanasius but the author is actually unknown. The creed clearly relies heavily on the teaching of Athanasius and it helpfully states truths about what the Trinity is and also what the Trinity is not. For example, it says, “the Father is God: the Son is God: and the Holy Spirit is God. And they are not three Gods, but one God…So there is one Father, not three Fathers: one Son, not three Sons: one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits. And in this Trinity none is afore, or after another: none is greater, or less than the other.” I’d encourage every Christian to read the whole creed and to become familiar with it - it’s especially helpful.

In addition to the creeds, the writings of the early church fathers assert the doctrine of the Trinity. Men like Ignatius, Tertullian, Origen, Augustine, Irenaeus, Gregory of Nyssa, Hilary of Poitiers and many others maintain that God is Trinity. There have also been, of course, nontrinitarians like Arius, Sabellius and Photinus. But these men were universally condemned as heretics and their teachings as heresies. In recent years, people have formed sects and cults like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Unitarians and Mormons among others because of ‘new revelations’ their founders claimed to have received. Their rejection of fundamental biblical doctrines come as a result of the rejection of certain aspects of God’s word, not as a result of careful study. All they’re doing is ignorantly repeating the same things the heretics of the past have said. However, regardless of past and present heretics and their heresies, the three main Christian sects, namely Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestantism still affirm the doctrine of the Trinity today.

So, with the support of church history and our freedom to understand and interpret the Bible, we can concede that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are coequal, coeternal, and have been in absolute perfect communion with each other as one God in essence and nature for all eternity. There is one God in three persons. They are distinct but not separate. They are of one substance (homoousios) and have the same will. They do not work independently from each other, but they do work uniquely. The Father did not die and neither did the Holy Spirit; the Son did. But the Son did not do this work independently—it was the will of the whole Godhead.

As a man on earth, Christ remained fully God and maintained perfect unity with the Father and the Spirit at all times. The Son cannot be separated from the Father and the Spirit, he merely added to himself human nature. So, Christ is one person with two natures: he has a divine nature and a human nature. The union between the two natures in the one person of Christ is theologically termed the hypostatic union - it is a fantastically interesting topic to study. Even on the cross, the Son was not separated from the Godhead. The Father was there to punish him and the Spirit was there to minister to him prior to his death. Christ was raised from death by his own authority but also by the authority of the Father.

• Omniscience (God is all-knowing)
• Omnipotence (God is all-powerful)
• Omnipresence (God is everywhere at all times)
• Immutability (God cannot change)
• Eternality (God has neither beginning nor end)
• Impeccability (God cannot sin and is not subject to temptation)
• Transcendence (God is above, beyond and outside of creation)
• Immanence (God is actively involved within creation)
• Holiness (God alone is sinless, righteous, perfect and pure)
• Aseity (God contains in himself the cause of himself)

Having said a little bit about God as one in three persons, let’s now consider who the Holy Spirit is and what he does.

The ancient Greek word for ‘spirit’ is ‘pneuma’. ‘Pneuma’ can also be translated to the English word ‘ghost’. The modern understanding for ‘ghost’ is that it’s the soul of a dead person wandering among us. The Holy Spirit is not a ghost in that sense - he is a divine being that is unseen. Just because we can’t see the Holy Spirit, it doesn’t mean he isn’t there and isn’t effectively at work in the world. The word ‘ghost’ is not a great term to use today because it carries different connotations because of modern cultural influences. I prefer to use the word ‘Spirit’.

The Holy Spirit is not confined to one place. He is omnipresent, meaning he is everywhere at all times. He is in this world and is also in the heavenly realm. He is infinite just as the Father and the Son are infinite. He has no beginning and no end. Along with the Father and the Son, he is the Creator of the universe. He has always existed and will always exist as God the Holy Spirit: the third person of the triune God.

The Holy Spirit isn’t an impersonal force or some ambiguous energy of God in the world but rather, he is a person. By person, I don’t mean that he is a human being, but that he is a divine being: he is not a something, but a someone. He is God. When the Bible refers to him, it uses pronouns - the Holy Spirit is a ‘he’, not an ‘it’. Some have understood the Holy Spirit not to be a person or a someone, but to be the Father’s way of expressing himself in the world. This, of course, is wrong and is a complete misunderstanding of God and a misinterpretation of the Bible. The Father is not the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is not the Father. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, but is a distinct person within the Godhead. The Holy Spirit and the Father were there distinctly and immediately after the baptism of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit, as a person, can therefore be known, heard and understood. We are able to speak to him, pray to him and worship him along with the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is someone we can go to for help, we can ask him to save us from our sin and to work in our lives and in our churches for the glory of God. He cares immensely about the world and the Church. The Holy Spirit is the one preparing us for Heaven. He loves righteousness but hates Satan, sin and death. He works perfectly as one substance and essence with the Father and the Son to fulfil God’s perfect providential plan.

Who wrote the 66 books of the Bible? Well, the Bible was written over a course of around 1500 years by approximately 40 men. However, behind the scenes, the real author was the Holy Spirit. I like to compare this to a theatrical play or a film; each actor plays their part in communicating the narrative before the audience to portray a real life and believable story, but the real authors are behind the scenes and are mostly unseen: the writer of the script, the director, the music composer and the producer. They are the ones who create the story. Similarly, the Holy Spirit inspired the biblical authors to say and write what they did, but they wrote in their own style and certain personality traits of each author is evident as you read the Bible. They were merely instruments used of God to communicate what he wanted us to know.

The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:16 that the Bible was “breathed out” by God and Peter says the prophets wrote as they were “carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:21). The Bible was not dictated by God, but the authors were perfectly guided along and their writings were entirely inspired by the Holy Spirit. We find the saying “thus says the Lord” over 400 times in the Bible. So, when we learn that this book is perfect, has no error, is completely and absolutely consistent all the way through, we can only make sense of how this can be when we realise it was the Holy Spirit who authored it. God himself had a story to tell, and it is the Holy Spirit who has revealed God to us.

When most Christians think of the Father, the first thing that comes to mind is that he is the Creator of the universe, which of course he is. But he is more than that and was not alone in creating everything. New Testament passages such as John 1:1-4 and Colossians 1:15-20, and Old Testament verses such as Psalm 33:6 reveals Jesus Christ as the Creator too. But when we think about Jesus, we rarely  think of him as Creator - we think of him more often as a Saviour. What about the Holy Spirit? What do you think about when you hear his name? Whatever may ‘pop’ into our minds, he is also the Creator with the Father and the Son.

The most obvious verse which speaks of the Holy Spirit being Creator would be Genesis 1:1-2 - “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” This clearly states the presence and involvement of the Holy Spirit in creating the universe. Moreover, Job in Job 33:4 says that the Spirit of God made him: “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”

When the Spirit is at work within creation, the Bible often describes him as the ‘breath’ of God or as one who is ‘breathing’ out God’s work. For example, the Bible was “breathed out by God” (2 Tim. 3:16). This was the doing of the Holy Spirit - to breathe something into existence. Moreover, Genesis 2:7 says that God formed man out of the dust of the ground and “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life”. We can confidently assume that this was the work of the Holy Spirit.

Even in the work of regeneration (as we will see later), it is the Holy Spirit who gives us new life through Christ. After Christ’s resurrection, he breathed on the disciples and said “receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). So, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are working with and for each other in every aspect of life: as one God with distinct roles they created the universe; as one God with distinct roles they redeem sinners; and as one God with distinct roles they will establish a new heaven and a new earth for those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.

We learn in the Gospels that Jesus having become a man received strength and power from the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:14).

It was prophesied in Isaiah 11:2-3 and 42:1 that the Messiah would receive power from the Holy Spirit, and Matthew 12:17-21 shows us that this was fulfilled in Christ. It was the Holy Spirit was the one who told Mary she would conceive as a virgin as he would put the seed in her womb to give birth to Jesus Christ (Luke 1:30-31). At Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit descends upon him like a dove and remained with him. Jesus was “full of the Holy Spirit” and was led by him into the desert to be tempted by Satan (Luke 4:1-2). It was the Holy Spirit who anointed him for public ministry as he read from the scroll of Isaiah in his hometown of Nazareth (Luke 4:16-19). We see that the whole Trinity was involved in the ministry of Jesus - that God had sent Christ and that he was “given the Spirit without measure” (John 3:34).

So, Jesus clearly experienced perfect communion and unity with the Holy Spirit on earth as he had done in eternity past. Moreover, Jesus had promised the disciples that he would sent them a ‘Helper’ after his death, resurrection and ascension (John 14:16-17) to convict the world of sin (John 16:8-9) and to guide the world to the truth (John 16:13). So, while Jesus is now absent in body, he is present with us in Spirit—by the Holy Spirit. As we are convicted of our sins and are revealed the truth by the Holy Spirit, we see the wonderful love and glory of Christ. The Holy Spirit is our Helper and will be with us for eternity (Romans 8:30). He gives us understanding and guides us to respond in repentance and faith to the revelation of the Gospel.

The Helper came in power at Pentecost which is recorded in Acts chapter 2. As the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples, filling them with power for ministry, Peter preached a sermon to a few thousand people and we see thousands of people being converted and giving their lives to the Lord. This was the beginnings of the Church.

The Holy Spirit remained with the Apostles throughout their ministry to plant churches across the world and it is the Holy Spirit who empowers Christians for ministry today. The outcome of people being saved is that they are saved into a community: the Church.

To regenerate something kind of sounds like a complicated industrial or engineering operation. Well, in a way, it is. In the process of being born-again (John 2:1-21), God literally re-engineers our soul, mind, thoughts and desires. The Holy Spirit is the one who initiates this work because of God’s predestined election of his people (Romans 8:29; 9:1-29).

When we repented of sin and received faith to believe in Christ, seemed at first that it was our decision to do so. But it wasn’t our decision to be saved. We are only willing to give ourselves over to the Lord because we have been chosen to become his children (John 15:16; Ephesians 1:4-5). The Holy Spirit has opened our eyes to see, our ears to hear and our minds to understand the Gospel and to turn from our old ways to follow the Lord (Romans 8:6). God’s grace has been poured out on us and it is irresistible. This is the work of regeneration (Titus 3:5).

As the famous line in the Charles Wesley hymn says, “My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose went forth and followed Thee.” It is the Holy Spirit who broke those chains which kept us in bondage to sin to free us to worship the eternal God through the revelation of the redemptive work of Christ. This is wonderful. Redemption is given by the Father, achieved by the Son and revealed by the Hoy Spirit.

The ultimate goal of God is to regenerate the whole of creation (Romans 8:18-30). He will reconcile his people (the Church) to himself, and establish a new heaven and a new earth full of people who have been truly regenerated and have been conformed to the likeness of his Son.

What I mean by the Holy Spirit being an ‘indweller’ is not that he hangs out at your house - although he does do that. He is an indweller because he dwells within believers (1 Corinthians 3:16). He sets us apart from the rest of humanity by dwelling in us. He ‘seals’ us for eternity, meaning, he claims on us for himself (Ephesians 3:13).

I remember playing a game when I was at school which was eventually banned called British Bulldog. A group of players had to run from one side of the field to the other trying to avoid being caught by the one or two ‘bulldogs’ (people not actual dogs) in the middle whose job was to try and catch them. If you were caught, you then had to join the ‘bulldogs’ in the middle in trying to catch the remaining players running from one end of the field to the other. The more players who were being caught, the more difficult it became to outrun the ‘bulldogs’. If you were caught you were immediately sealed and branded as a ‘bulldog’ and your whole function in the game changed and your allegiance swapped. A conversion took place. This is what happens to a Christian. We spend our lives running from God and avoiding his desire for our lives until we are shown the irresistible grace of God by the Holy Spirit through Christ. Then, we are converted and sealed for eternity. Our desires and our allegiance changes. We repent of our former lives and commit ourselves to a life of godliness and holiness. We join a different team. We pass from death to life, from darkness to light, from being lost to being found.

When we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, he dwells in us and enables us to persevere as Christians until the day we die or until Christ returns. The Bible also speaks of the conflict that goes on within the Christian: the flesh is sinful and desires sinfulness, but our spirit which has been born again desires righteousness and holiness. The Holy Spirit lives in us to sanctify us and to give us the assurance of eternal life (Rom. 8:1). So, thank the Lord that the Holy Spirit was sent to dwell in us to keep us on the right path.

The Holy Spirit dwells in a believer in order to sanctify us (1 Thess. 4:3). As fallen human beings we are totally depraved in our sinful nature (Eph. 2:1), so we need divine intervention (Eph. 2:4-5). The Holy Spirit lovingly intervenes and helps us to live obedient lives to God (Phil. 2:13) and to kill our sin while we are on earth even though we cannot achieve perfection until we are glorified at the second coming of Christ (1 Thess. 5:23). The Holy Spirit gives us the desire and the ability by the strength of God to please the Father as we live obediently in continual worship and unity with Christ the Son of God. Sanctification is the work of God in the life of a believer to set us apart for holiness (1 Cor. 6:11). Sanctification requires the Holy Spirit to enable us to work towards holiness through our own obedience in grateful and loving response to the saving work of Christ.

Paul tells the Philippian Church to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Phil. 2:12). This verse is extremely interesting because it clearly states that it is the Christian who puts his/her salvation into practice, but conversely, that it is also God who works in us. Without God working in us we would not be able to work out our salvation.

There is a terrible saying often used among some Christians often use which is: “Let go and let God”. It’s unhelpful because it implies that you must “let go” of trying so hard and just let God do all the work for you. It says, “you have proven that you are useless at being like Christ, so let God do it”. It’s true that it is God who enables us to work hard, but we can’t become spiritually lazy as if there are times we should just do nothing. A better quote would be: “Work hard with God”. Sanctification requires both the obedience of the believer to do something, and the supernatural intervention of the Holy Spirit to sanctify us—to prepare us for Heaven.

One way the Holy Spirit enables us to “work out our own salvation” is by giving us spiritual gifts. These are gifts we receive when we are converted. Upon receiving the Holy Spirit, he gifts us with abilities to fulfil God’s calling for our lives. These gifts help us to more effectively carry out the mission God has given us (2 Timothy 2:21), which is to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 26:19). Some are gifted preachers, teachers and evangelists. Others are gifted with hospitality, serving and with works of mercy (1 Corinthians 12:1-11). The Holy Spirit decides and we obey.

There are also supernatural gifts such as prophecy, tongues, interpretation of tongues, discernment and the gift of healing among others (1 Corinthians 12:8-11) which some Christians believe to have ceased with the Apostolic age. There are two streams of understanding within evangelicalism when it comes to the supernatural spiritual gifts: cessationism and continuationism.

Christians who believe the supernatural gifts have ceased are called cessationists. I am not convinced with the arguments cessationists make. Personally, I am persuaded by the continuationist understanding of the gifts - that the supernatural gifts have not ceased but are still practiced today. Having said that, I am very skeptical of the extent of the supernatural claims a lot of charismatic Christians make and am critical of how they are practiced in a lot of places. I don’t wish to say more on this because there is much to discuss regarding this topic, but I would like to do is state that the Holy Spirit is the one (or was the one if you’re a cessationist) who gifts (or gifted) God’s people with supernatural and natural ministerial gifts.

I would encourage you to make up your own mind in regards to where you stand with the supernatural gifts, but most can agree that the Holy Spirit gifts every Christian with one or a few of the natural gifts. We can’t all be Pastors, Teachers or Evangelists. Not everyone is gifted with hospitality. Some people are clearly ‘wizards’ at admin work. We each have a role to play within the Church to work as members of one body to serve the head of the Church: the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 12:27-31).

There is a good article by Sam Storms discussing the continuationist’s point of view on The Gospel Coalition website. I will provide a link to both at the very end of this article.

Have you ever desired to pray to the Lord but have found it incredibly difficult? Maybe sadness has overcome your ability to concentrate. Perhaps difficult circumstances has left you without words to utter and confusing thoughts. You might even feel a little angry with God about something and find it hard to pray without bitterness. Have you felt weak or depressed before and can’t find the energy to mutter the words to pray? Well, the Holy Spirit is there to help during those moments.

What is the Trinity? by R.C. Sproul
The Good God by Michael Reeves
The Quest for the Trinity by Stephen R Holmes
Delighting in the Trinity by Tim Chester
The Holy Trinity by Robert Letham
Communion with the Triune God by John Owen

Who is the Holy Spirit? by R.C. Sproul
Who on earth is the Holy Spirit? by Tim Chester and Christopher de la Hoyde
Forgotten God by Francis Chan
The Holy Spirit by Sinclair Ferguson
The Mystery of the Holy Spirit by R.C. Sproul

Sam Storms’ article on The Gospel Coalition website discussing continuationism: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/why-i-am-a-continuationist/

I have often been the subject of my own lies, telling myself that I’m too tired to pray, or letting myself off the hook for lack of prayer by convincing myself that I’ve been too busy to devote more time to prayer. However, this is all completely untrue. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you do or whatever you’re going through, there is no good reason for why we neglect prayer. There isn’t an excuse in the world that would convince God that your lack of prayer is justifiable. Below are some of the common excuses we use to defend ourselves when we fail to pray. Beneath each excuse I’ve offered answers to prevent us from using them again.

The Christian’s greatest work and duty is prayer. To use this excuse is to say that your secular work is more important than your duty to pray. Praying is an act of worship and obedience. Praying is directly commanded by God. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:18 that we should be “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints”. By using this excuse, we contradict God’s command. Our duty to secular work does not compare with our duty to pray. Try waking up earlier, and pray before your earthly duties kick in as Jesus did before he carried out his daily ministerial duties (Mark 1:35).

We will eat our food, it seems, no matter how tired we are. We will watch the television or surf the internet as a means of relaxing when we feel shattered. If at our most exhausted state, the house started to burn down, we would, without even thinking, muster up the energy needed to save ourselves, our family, and if possible some of our belongings. If we could see the plans and carefully engineered schemes of the devil, in the same manner, we would muster up the energy to pray.

The answer must come from two angles. The first is blunt and honest in the form of a warning. The second is more reasoned and calculated.

Here’s the blunt and honest answer: There is no easy way to say this, but God knows the heart of such an objector to be a hardened heart, and the end of such a person is destruction. This excuse can be heard in churches around the world. They are “diseased trees” who have been overcome by “ravenous wolves”. Jesus tells us how we can tell a true believer apart from a false believer in Matthew 15:20, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognise them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognise them by their fruits.”

Jesus tells us that true believers can be recognised by their fruit. This kind of objection should cause the objector to repent and to recognise their own diseased heart. If this is you, then yes, the Lord does know what you need, and that’s the gospel. Turn from this way of thinking and spend time on your knees before the throne of grace.

Here’s the reasoned and calculated answer: It’s true that even before we pray, God knows what we need and what we will ask, so logically, it makes sense (to a certain degree) that there is no point in praying. However, we do not pray for God’s benefit, we pray for our own benefit. It demonstrates that we need him. We learn what to ask for and how to ask for them. It teaches us to love him and to respond to him in a way that glorifies him.

One of the greatest benefits of prayer is seeing them answered. If we never prayed, we would never know nor understand that God listens and is near. Moreover, if we never prayed we would never truly repent nor express thankfulness.

I’m not yet a parent, so I will not pretend to know what it’s like to parent a child, neither do I understand the strains and demands that children and babies have on Mums and Dads. Immediately, some Mums and Dads will read the above objection, resonate with it and wonder who I think I am to provide an answer to a situation I have no experience with.

I don’t know the first thing about flying a plane either, nor the demands of a pilot’s demanding schedule and shifts. However, I don’t need to be a pilot to know that prayer should not take a back seat within that environment.

Just hear me out. I am not telling anyone how to parent their children in this answer. I am simply rejecting the above objection as a justifiable excuse. I have known men and women who were godly and fervent in prayer before getting married. But soon after getting married, and having children, there was a noticeable difference in their church attendance, serving and above all, their godliness. I personally know at least four Christian couples (and know of many others) whose marriages have ended in divorce which can easily be traced back to a neglect of spiritual disciplines. Paul even warned against this (1 Cor. 7:6-8).

Prayer is not something that gives way to other demands because nothing is more important than prayer. Surely, the very sight of your child being born should lead you to prayer? As beautiful as your baby is, he/she has been born in sin which should remind us of original sin and that the baby will grow to transgress the law of God. Would we not want to, on a daily basis, bring this child before God pleading for his/her salvation and his/her cleansing by the blood of Christ?

Remember that the welfare of the child’s soul is more important than the welfare of the body. Therefore, the soul of the child deserves greater attention than the body. I’m not recommending you should cast off the child’s physical welfare at all! On the contrary, as you nurse the child with milk, warmth and attention, pour out your prayers before Lord. As you cradle the child back and forth, make known to God your requests. After all, your child is not your own. Your child belongs to the Lord, so care for his/her physical welfare in the shadow of his/her spiritual welfare.

I struggle to make sense of this. The nearer we are to the grave, surely the more fervent our prayer life should be and the more active we should be in preparing ourselves for that day?

Not only should we be motivated to pray because our final day is drawing near, but we should also pray more zealously being motivated by thanksgiving. Proverbs 16:31 says, “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.” Growing old is a sign of God’s grace. We should be overflowing with thankfulness expressed through prayer for what is behind and determined to face what is ahead by the grace of God and the help of the Spirit.

If this is you, it sounds like you think there are better things to do than to experience a relational closeness with your Creator; the one who made the things you wish to enjoy before you cast your mind on him. You are as liable to death as the oldest person you know, and have as much need of prayer as the sickest and most needy person in the world.

I’ve given up many great opportunities by putting things off until later. And I’ve lived to regret it. Every single person I have met who has become a Christian in their old age has regretted that they did not follow Christ in their youth. Even though you do not see it now, your life is fragile and uncertain. This alone should drive you to your knees in repentance, seeking to have a relationship with your Creator through Christ the Saviour.

I can relate to this excuse most of all because I have struggled with prayer, still do and always will until I am perfected in glory. But learning to pray is part of the experience of growing in our knowledge of God.

Before I answer this excuse, I want you to ask whether it really is the case that you don’t know how to pray, or whether the truth is that you will not pray? This excuse can often be resolved by re-examining the real reason why we do not pray. Let me explain.

When I was a teenager, my Mum, busy upstairs would shout down asking me to put the washing machine on, and my reluctant response was always, “But I don’t know how to do it.” Even after my Mum taught me how to use it, I would still use the excuse, “Sorry, but I’ve forgotten how to do it.” The real problem was not that I didn’t know how to do it, the truth was I really didn’t want to do it because it meant I had to give up watching television or something else I was invested in at the time in order to wash the clothes. Even if I didn’t know how to put the washing machine on, it still is a terrible excuse because I could have easily learnt how to do it.

If you really want to learn how to pray, the best way to learn is to actually start praying. It’s like swimming. You can’t learn to swim unless you get into the water. Just talk to God. There is much more to say on how to pray, but for now I would suggest using the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9:13 as a structural guide. As you read the prayer out loud, expand on the prayer of Christ. Below is the Lord’s prayer. The Bible text is in bold and my comments on how to expand each point beneath:

Our Father in heaven,
Understand and reflect on who you’re praying to. Do you know that you have been adopted and that praying is extremely intimate and valuable.

hallowed be your name.
God has many names, but try and communicate back to God who he is. Express to God your understanding of who he is. He is holy and perfect, for example.

Your kingdom come,
Demonstrate a desire for God’s church to grow and expand.

your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Sometimes our desires are not God’s desires. A big part of prayer is to align our will with God’s. We should desire to do God’s will above our own. Ask for this. What do you want in life? Is this what God wants for your life?

Give us this day our daily bread,
Feel free to ask God for daily things. What is happening today? What do you need help with? Id it financial, emotional, physical? Ask the Lord to supply for your needs.

and forgive us our debts,
You must repent of sin and ask the Lord for forgiveness every day. Even though in Christ all our sins have been dealt with, we still should commit ourselves to the Lord and confess our sins to him who is gracious and just to forgive us.

as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Ask the Lord to help you to forgive those who’ve sinned against you and who’ve hurt you in the past and presently. Resolve any grudge or enmity you have with others.

And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Ask God to protect you from your own sinful desires, the temptations of Satan and the evil influence of the world around us that we should be holy as Christ is holy. Ask God to sanctify you—to continually work in you by the Holy Spirit to make you obedient to him.

It’s incredibly frustrating when your prayer life feels more like a duty than a privilege. It can become discouraging when praying becomes a thing you feel like you have to do rather than something you feel like you want to do. It’s tough to be motivated to pray out of guilt rather than desire. It’s difficult to be motivated to pray when the thought of it doesn’t excite you.

It’s wonderful when you do feel or experience a closeness to the Lord when you pray, but those times can be rare. We shouldn’t be judging how fruitful our prayers are based on how we feel during or after our prayer time. Remember, that our relationship with God is not based on our feelings and experiences. Our relationship with God is based on the finished work of Christ, holding fast to knowing him and by holding firm to his promises.

If God has promised to listen to our prayers and petitions, then who are we to begin doubting them just because we do not feel particularly close to the Lord. A lot of Christian teenagers struggle with this after coming home from summer camp. After having an intense hilltop experience with God’s people and feeling especially blessed and close to the Lord, they try to maintain this feeling after coming home, but fail. To read about this issue, I have written an article on it. Click here to read it.

Some of our prayer times will inevitably be joyful and the Holy Spirit might manifest his presence in a special way. But if our motive for prayer is to have this experience, we won’t end up praying much because the vast majority of our prayers are simple conversations with God.

I love my wife more than anything in this world, but I’m ok with the fact that not all our conversations have to do with how we feel about each other. We talk about all kinds of things, from interests, planing, what we need for the week, how our day’s been and so on. So it is with prayer. A prayer of repentance is not enjoyable. A prayer of thanksgiving is joyful. A prayer of grieving is painful. A prayer for help is urgent.

How do you know he doesn’t answer your prayers? God answers your prayers in one of three ways. For example if you ask, “Father, please can I have a new car?”, he will answer with either “Yes”, “Not yet” or “No”. If God doesn’t give you a new car, it’s either because that’s not what he wants for you, or it’s not the right time.

Whilst you can ask anything of the Lord at any time, the task ahead of you is to know what to ask of God and when to ask.

I can’t help but feel that the real question the person with this excuse wants to ask is, “Why isn’t God doing what I’m asking him to do?” The answer is simple. What you’re asking for is not what’s good for you. A child will ask his Mum for all kinds of things. He really wants to eat a whole box of chocolates. But Mum knows better. Mum refuses to give him what he wants all the time because she is protecting him from his own wants.

Having said that, sometimes our ‘unanswered’ requests are reasonable requests—to be healed of cancer, to relieve stress, to save a family member etc. It can feel like the Lord is giving us the silent treatment at times. But he isn’t. He is teaching us. He is teaching us patience, perseverance, long-suffering, and above all else he is teaching us lean more heavily on him and to cast all our worries on him knowing that the will of God is good even if we don’t understand his ways.

I’m sure you can think of many other excuses. I’ve certainly been very creative with my excuses not to pray. Our prayer lives are investments. We are investing in our relationship with the Father, through the Son, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. Do what Paul told the church in Romans 12:12 to do: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Praying is difficult. Actually, I would say that praying is the most difficult aspect of the Christian life. Praying can be laborious and can feel impotent and ineffective. But learning to pray is part of the beauty of knowing God. It is my prayer that your prayer life and mine would be enriched as we invest in our relationship with our Saviour by persevering in prayer.

How can I know what is God’s will for my life? This is a question I hear all the time. Your best bet and definitely the best place to start is by reading the Bible. If you’ve never read the whole thing, and you’re not ploughing through it day by day, then how can you expect to know anything about what God wants for you? Having said that, there are things about our lives that aren’t immediately addressed in the Bible, such as: what job we should pursue, who to marry, how many children should we have and the like. I think what people mean when they ask what God’s will is for them, is how can they know which life-choices God wants them to make at any given time.

I’ve been trying to know my wife’s will ever since we started dating and I haven’t got a clue what she wants a lot of the time. The same is true of her. She often has a hard time guessing what it is I’d like to eat, what I want to hear and how I’m feeling at any given time. So, if I sometimes have difficulty knowing her will and she sometimes has difficulty knowing mine, how can we expect to know what God’s will is if what we’re looking for is not written in the Bible?

The reason we struggle with knowing God’s will is because we are asking the wrong question. There is a reason we don’t know exactly what’s going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month or next year. There is a reason why things happen to us unexpectedly. We can’t know God’s will anymore than we can know when the world will end. Instead of desperately wanting to know what God’s will is for our lives, we should be asking: ‘How can we know God himself better?’ So, stop trying to work out his will, and start working on getting to know him as God.

The more I get to know my wife and the more she gets to know me, the easier it becomes for us to know what the other wants, what the other needs, and how we’re likely to respond to certain situations. This is universally true of all relationships. So my point is: the more we know God himself, the more we will align our will with his as we grow in our relationship with him by understanding his character, how he works, what he hates and loves, what he expects of us and how we can grow to be more like Christ. Too often we demand immediate answers from God: Should I or should I not apply for this job? Is pastoral ministry something I should pursue? Am I meant to marry this person? What church should I join? How much money should I tithe? Where should I live? And so on.

The problem we have (which is why we keep asking this question) is that we are too caught up in ourselves; what God has for our lives, instead of being caught up in him; who he is. No one ever asks: Should I read my Bible? How often should I pray? Should I be in regular fellowship? These are a given, but they are repeatedly neglected. We’re too occupied with what we want for us.

Let me suggest 3 ways to better know God himself, which will naturally equip you to better seek his will in all things:

1. BE IN YOUR BIBLE REGULARLY
Notice I have said ‘be in your Bible’ instead of ‘read’ or ‘study’ your Bible regularly. What I mean by ‘be in your Bible regularly’ is that you should so soak yourself with the word, that you are drenched with its wisdom. To be in the word is to have the word dwelling in you. If I asked you to sing the words of your favourite song, you would be able to do it because you are so familiar with it. If you truly love something, you will invest your time doing what it is you love. If you love God, reading the Bible carefully will dramatically transform your understanding of the purpose of life.

Read it through fast and regularly to become familiar with it – become familiar with the storyline of scripture, where the prophetic books fit into Israel’s history etc. There are plenty of Bible reading plans online to make use of.

Also, be sure to study the word by spending quality time on small sections to become acquainted with the hidden jewels that can only be attained through careful study. Investigate books of the Bible and fight to understand what each book is about. Take care in interpreting its meaning and applying it to your life. Use other book to help you like commentaries, a concordance, Bible maps, theological and doctrinal books and other Bible translations. Read books on the Christian life, Christian biographies and Church history. Make use of the vast amount of resources available to you.

Meditate on verses and small passages of the word. Memorising scripture will aid you through personal struggles, suffering and will help you in your evangelism. Have verses and passages imprinted in your brain and recite them to yourself often while you drive, clean, cook or while you’re getting ready in the morning.

The more you are ‘in your Bible’ the better you will understand who God is, what his plan is, how providence works, what he wants from us and ultimately, how we should seek to understand his will.

2. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING
You may already know that ‘pray without ceasing’ is a verse in the Bible, found in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. It’s one of the most famous verses quoted when prayer is discussed, and rightly so. However, before we can pray without ceasing, we must first have a sense of direction, that is, why do we pray without ceasing and how can we pray without ceasing? The answer to both is found in the verses either side of “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Paul’s whole sentence is (1 Thess. 5:16-18): “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Why do we pray without ceasing? Because we “rejoice always” (v.16). We rejoice in the Gospel of God, in the salvation that we have been given through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we pray because of what we have been given by God himself – our reason for praying is because we are full of joy. Christ is ours, and we are his!

How do we pray without ceasing? By giving “thanks in all circumstances”. In other words, there should never be a situation or circumstance to discourage us from being in prayer. We should pray through the good times and the bad by trusting that God is sovereign over all and is good to his children. Poverty is not a reason to stop praying, neither is being rich. Physical illness is not a reason to stop praying, neither is being healthy. Depression and anxiety is not a reason to stop praying, neither is being happy. Praying without ceasing is recognising our need for God in every situation. The more we realise our need for him, the more we shall understand his will because the verse ends with, “for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (v.18). The will of God is that we should know him by rejoicing in him and praying to him by giving thanks in every circumstance. Therefore, whatever job we get or don’t get, whichever church we are a part of, however much money is in our bank accounts, glory and praise belong to him and in that we rejoice and are satisfied. Our true fulfilment is found in Christ, not in the things of this world.

So, with a measure of sensitivity I will say, who cares what your job is or how much money you earn? Whether you’re a cleaner, doctor, astronaut, teacher, actor, pastor, bin man/woman or anything else, no job nor circumstance should separate you from his will. His will is for you to rejoice in him, giving thanks to him through the Lord Jesus Christ. Anything that distracts you from walking with the Lord, get rid of it!

3.   BE IN REGULAR FELLOWSHIP
When referring to fellowship, I mean Christian fellowship, primarily within the church. Every Christian should be a member of a local church. God saves us individually to be added into a community of believers. The church is the bride of Christ – the fulfilment of Israel. It is through the church that God evangelises and blesses the world.

If a church has a morning and evening service on a Sunday, then the desire of a true Christian would be to be at both. If there are meetings in the week designed for Bible study, prayer and fellowship, then the Christian should desire to be there. There is a dumb cultural habit among church-goers to think that Church is meant only for Sundays where everyone dresses their best and pretends their lives are great and there’s nothing wrong. The Sunday best comes on, smiles all around, they say their prayers, shake hands, sing the hymns, say the right things, then go home and gossip about the preacher until next Sunday. This is bizarre.

Concerning the Church, Luke writes in Acts 2:46-47a: “And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favour with all the people.” Fellowship was practiced every-single day, which interestingly enough was not in a church building, but at the Jewish Temple, town halls and in each other’s homes. As they didn’t have a designated building to meet in, they met wherever they could. When the Apostles were seeking to appoint deacons, it was because the widows were being neglected in the “daily distribution”, meaning ministry was going on ‘daily’. Moreover, other early Christian texts like the Didache (AD80-140) shows us that the early church emphasised daily fellowship: “Every day, seek out the faces of the saints, so that you may be refreshed by their words.”

Christians should make every effort to meet with each other as often as possible because it’s good for them and it brings glory to God. By being in regular fellowship, you will be taught, rebuked, encouraged and motivated to do God’s will. It’s God’s will for you to be in regular fellowship with Christians, so if you are not in regular fellowship, how can you expect to fulfil God’s will in relation to anything else? For example, if I have ignored my wife in the day, how can I expect to receive her attention in the night? If I don’t take care of my marital responsibilities, I have no right to ask her to be responsible for hers. So, why should God set everything in place for us if we are refusing to be in regular fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ?

WHAT NOW?
When people ask me ‘How can I know God’s will?’, I will usually respond with 3 questions myself: Are you in the word daily? How is your prayer life? Are you in regular fellowship? If they are not, then how can they expect to know God’s will? If someone are not obediently seeking to know God himself, there is no way they can know what his will is for their life. What this person needs is to be discipled, which basically means to be disciplined—spiritually disciplined.

Consequently, if we seek his will in the basic things: Bible reading, prayer, fellowship, evangelism, fasting, serving and so on, then God will deal with the every day things (bad or good) through our obedience to him. God’s will for us is that we be “conformed to the image of his Son”, whatever it takes, which he predestined for us that we may be justified and glorified before him (Rom. 8:29-30).

Written by: Pastor Gwydion Emlyn

Humans clearly consider certain crimes to be more severe than others. Some crimes deserve greater punishment than others. For example, a murderer spends longer in prison than a petty thief, and a rapist or sex-offender is considered to be worse than a tax-evader. They’re all crimes, but the murder, rape and molestation are considered far worse acts of evil.

Not only do we see severities of crimes, but we also consider certain acts of ‘wrong-doings’ worse than others. White lies are apparently not intended to harm an individual, it’s often intended to benefit the person (example: “Do I look fat in this”, asks the wife. “No dear”, replies the husband even though he thinks she does), so they don’t seem as bad as lies which are intended to hurt someone.

If humans consider some sins and crimes to be more severe than others, how much more does God! I have wrongly heard Christians say that all sins are the same. They’re not. The Bible is clear that some sins are worse than others. But before I explain, let me say that all sins are condemnable—big or small—and the sinner will be condemned to utter damnation in Hell where the presence of God’s wrath is for all eternity! The contrast between the holiness of God and the fallenness of humanity as the result of one ‘small’ sin is enormous. If a white shirt which is readily washed and ironed on a Sunday morning gets a drop of red grape juice on it, no matter how big or small the spot, it’s stained. I might be able to hide it behind a jacket, jumper or blazer, but I can’t get rid of it - it has to be rewashed. Likewise, no matter how big or small our sins, they are severe enough to merit an eternity of anger and wrath away from the loving presence of God.

This might seem harsh to some because they do not consider themselves very bad at all. One might argue that there is more good than bad in them. Surely, Hitler certainly deserves Hell, not the average Joe. What qualifies someone for Hell, however, is not the murder of 6 million Jews (although that certainly does), but the speck of sin which corrupts us. The standard for anyone to be able to enter into the presence of God, is perfection, which doesn’t exist in humans. We would be happy to learn that Hitler, Stalin, Ted Bundy and Jack the Ripper are burning in Hell, but we would be less comfortable to know that our unrepentant neighbours or family members are there too. The Bible is clear that everyone who does not accept the truth of the Gospel by turning to God through Christ by repenting of their sins and receiving salvation by faith by the regeneration of the Holy Spirit will be condemned for the sins that they have committed. And some will be judged worse than others.

Those who reject Christ are literally storing up an inheritance of judgement by sinning. They continue to add to a list of sins which grows and grows. Paul says, “But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed” (Romans 2:5). Judas’ sin was so great that he is said to be in “his own place” (Acts 1:25) which some theologians interpret it to mean that he is now in a reserved spot in Hell.

In Matthew 11:23-24, Jesus says that the day of judgement will be more bearable for Sodom than for Capernaum. Sodom was a place of exceedingly great and severe sin. Capernaum, on the surface, was civilised and would not have been considered in the same manner. So, why does Jesus condemn Capernaum in such a way? It seems that the severest of sins is to hear the Gospel, understand it and to reject it. This seems to be far worse than murder, adultery, sexual sin, theft and any other. The degree of punishment seems to be worse for those who have heard the truth and rejected it than for those who’ve committed the most abominable sins but have never heard the truth. The severity of punishment is apparently measured by how much truth has been revealed to the individual.

Peter tells the church that for those who once claimed to know Christ but have now turned away, their last state is far worse than the first: “For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them” (2 Peter 2:20-21). Therefore, for those who have heard the message of the Gospel and have ignored it, greater punishment will be upon them than for those who have never heard it.

Frightening are the words of the author to the Hebrews: “How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?” (Heb. 10:29). One of the worst sins is to reject, ignore and condemn Christ by not repenting when an understanding of the truth has been gained, or to turn from once professing Christ to now rejecting Christ.

Above all else, the very worst sin is the work of false prophets and teachers. These are people who have understood, and in some cases accepted the truth, but have profaned it and are now actually teaching others to turn to a different Gospel and a different Jesus than the one presented in the Gospels (2 Cor. 11:4; 2 Pet. 2:1-11; Jude 3-16).

The act of turning from Christ, after having once understood and followed Christ, is not a falling away from salvation, or ‘falling from grace’, as some term it. Once someone has been saved, they cannot be unsaved (John 10:27-29; Rom. 8:1, 28-39; Phil. 1:6). It’s simply that they were never truly regenerated in the first place and have made a mockery of the Gospel by lessening it to appear as just some other worldview.

To summarise, there are most certainly degrees of punishment in Hell that are likely compartmentalised based on one’s response to the gospel:

• Compartment 1: Sinners who’ve never heard the gospel but are aware of their sins.
• Compartment 2: Sinners who’ve heard the gospel but have never repented by faith.
• Compartment 3: Sinners who’ve made a profession of faith and then discarded it at a later stage.
• Compartment 4: Sinners who’ve made a profession, taught the gospel and then have turned away by teaching a false gospel and a different Jesus and thereby leading others astray.

We can learn 3 things from this:

1. Understand and repent

Be sure of your own salvation. Concern yourselves with who you are before a holy God. Ask yourself whether you have understood the gospel—that salvation cannot be obtained through your own good works—it can only be received by faith alone through the atoning work of Christ. Repent of your sins and turn to the ways of Christ. Love him, serve him and serve his church.

2. Don’t live in paranoia

If what you’ve read so far worries you, then you need to be assured of your salvation. At the very least you fit into Compartment 2. But if you have repented of your sins and profess to know Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, then “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12b). In other words, put your faith to practice. But remember, through your obedience it is God who is at work in you: “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).

If it is a particular sin that’s causing you to doubt your salvation, then you might want to consider whether you have been saved in the first place. A person who continues a pattern of sinning and refuses to change or does not have a desire to put that sin to death has never truly repented in the first place. However, you will continue to sin (as we all do), but if every time you sin causes you to doubt your salvation, I would encourage you to understand that you cannot lose your salvation (Rom. 8:1). Christ’s atonement was enough to cover all our iniquities.

There’s no room for paranoia in God’s kingdom. Be assured of your salvation based on the promises of God that those who call upon his name shall be saved (Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21; Rom. 10:13). Being confident of your salvation does not depend on you, but on God.

3. Christ has been judged once, and for all his people

Remember, people who were once destined to be judged to any one of the 4 compartments have been saved before. Jesus’ atoning sacrifice is enough to cover the worst of sins. As long as a man/woman has breath in his/her lungs, there is still time for him/her to be saved. Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sins. The stack of sins that we carry and continue to contribute towards has all been laid on the shoulders of our Lord and has been judged in him instead. Therefore, our response to all of this is twofold: firstly, we respond in worship and praise. Secondly, we warn others of the devastation that is before them and the way of escape our Creator has supplied through his own suffering.

Written by Pastor Gwydion

I’m about to take a few weeks off, so here are some things we could do to be useful this summer.

1. Plan your summer wisely.

It’s so easy to be lazy and unmotivated during holidays. Make sure you don’t get sucked into the routine of just lying on the couch and watching telly all summer. It’s time consuming, unrewarding, energy-draining and pointless. Instead, plan ahead, schedule your days, take time to rest and to be productive. Fill your time with constructive activities whether it’s spending time with friends, your family, visiting people in the church, or attending conferences, camps and conventions. Don’t let September creep up only to realise your summer has gone. You’ll regret the sin of not doing what you should have been doing. Of course, many will still be working their normal jobs, but to those who will be taking time off, use that time well.

One thing I recommend you do, is to read books. Yes, I do mean a theological book. Read a book on a doctrine you are unfamiliar with. Read a Puritan paperback. Ask Christians for book recommendations. As well as theological books, try to get hold of a novel. I find that novels helps to stretch my imagination and helps me to relax by visiting another world for a moment in the day.

2. Pray for various ministries.

Summer is a tricky time. Some ministries and Pastors take time off to recover, to pray, rest, and organise/plan for the future. Other ministries, on the other hand, are hard at work. For example, beach missions, conferences, camps, conventions e.t.c. It’s important to pray for all kinds of ministries – the ones taking time off and the ones hard at work.

3. Encourage your leaders.

Some Pastors take time off during summer to be with their families. This is a great time for them to recover, and re-fill their buckets so to speak. Think about it; there are 52 Sundays in a year so think how many hours of preaching goes into those Sundays. Preaching requires preparation, and preparation requires time. Pastors work hard all year round not only to preach but also to care and shepherd the church. Summer gives them time to recover and work on the church rather than in the church.

Take time this summer to encourage them, pray for them, and to let them know you love them. Do this also to your elders, deacons and other leaders. 1 Thessalonians 4:18 – “Therefore encourage one another with these words.” I feel no shame saying this to my church. I know they will gladly pray for me.

4. Prepare yourself for next term.

What are you up to next term? Are you going to a different school year? Are you attending college or university? Maybe you’re going straight into the workplace? Are you moving job? Are you retiring? Maybe nothing at all will change. Whatever is happening, preparation is so important. Each term is different and can make some of us very nervous just thinking about it. Often times our reaction to nervousness is to try and forget about it and deal with it when it comes. We postpone our feelings and emotions to a later date which only makes things worse. It’s always helpful to take Jesus as our example. He was always prepared. He was so prepared for his crucifixion that he foretold of Peter’s denial and Judas’ betrayal. Of course, we cannot foretell the future, but we can be prepared by leaning on the Lord for guidance, and support. Prepare yourself spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Next term’s challenges may take you by surprise but if you’re prayerfully prepared, then by God’s grace, dealing with those challenges will be easy. Always remember that God is sovereign and is completely in control.

5. Pray regularly.

There is a verse in the Bible that just says “pray continually”. The whole sentence says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:16-18). I cannot emphasise the importance of prayer enough. Spurgeon once wrote, “I know of no better thermometer to your spiritual temperature than this, the measure of the intensity of your prayer”. If your prayer life is non-existent or not very good then allow summer to become a time where your prayer life is re-kindled. Read books on prayer and learn.

6. Read your Bible.

2 Timothy 2:15 – “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” You cannot handle the word of truth unless you read it. Read your Bible and get familiar with its content. Study what you struggle with and ask other Christians for help. There are plenty of online Bible reading plans to download and so many other resources.

Begin reading the Bible as you would read any book. Familiarise yourself with the story. You could also focus on a couple of chapters and study it carefully. Memorise sections you’ve been wanting to memorise for years.

7. Have fun.

What’s the point of summer if you’re not having fun? When I say fun I don’t mean the worldly interpretation of “You only live once” kind of fun. “You only live once so do whatever makes you happy” is dumb. It selfishly elevates the need for your own happiness. We all know what makes a serial killer happy. The phrase should be: “You only live once so repent and live forever”. Be wise with your fun. Sin can be fun but its consequence is by no means fun. Don’t abuse your freedom in Christ by sinning, but rather use your freedom in Christ to enjoy. God created summer – so spend time with your family, be with your friends, go places, love Jesus, and rejoice that it’s summer – nice weather or not.

Enjoy your summer!

Written by: Pastor Gwydion