Following Faith with P. T. Forsyth

Daily Devotions

Donald K. McKim

• Publisher: Cascade Books
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN:
  9781666717365
  9781666717372
• eBook ISBN:
  9781666717389
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Theology

This book is a unique look at the Scottish theologian Peter Taylor Forsyth (1848-1921). Forsyth was an important theologian whose significance has been increasingly realized in the years since his death. He wrote a number of books and articles that focused on central aspects of the Christian gospel and their meaning for the church and the faith of church members in their daily lives. Each of the eighty-four devotions in this book takes a short theological quotation from Forsyth and explores its meaning and its significance for Christian living today--both for the church and for individual Christians. Here is spiritual wisdom that can help foster a stronger theological understanding and a more vital Christian life.

Living as a Christian

43

The Organized Hallelujah

Our chief praise is thanksgiving for the Gospel. And our prayer is Christian only in the name of the Gospel. Preaching is “the organized Hallelujah of an ordered community.”43

Services of worship in Protestant churches are marked by different “rubrics” or parts. Three key elements of worship are the Praise of God, especially as expressed in hymns and music; Thanksgiving to God, as especially as expressed in prayer; and Preaching in which the gospel message is proclaimed to the gathered community of the church.

Forsyth stressed the importance of preaching as a dimension of worship. Preaching, he believed was “the great, common, universal faith addressing the faith of the local community” (94). The preacher “reflects the faith of the great true Church” (94). For “nothing in the service goes to the root of the Gospel (and, therefore, of the Church) like preaching.”

Then Forsyth went on to say, “Our chief praise is thanksgiving for the Gospel. And our prayer is Christian only in the name of the Gospel. Preaching is ‘the organized Hallelujah of an ordered community.’” We praise and thank God for the gospel of Jesus Christ. When we pray we do so in the name of Jesus Christ, who is himself the gospel.

Preaching as “the organized Hallelujah” of the Christian community enables us to hear the gospel proclaimed to us through preaching. Preaching in the church enables worship to happen as the people of God hear the Word of God proclaimed and respond to the gospel through the different dimensions of worship. Preaching stirs hearers to worship—to the praise and joy of God: Hallelujah! Preaching leads to prayer in thanks to God. Preaching enables worshipers to engage the gospel message in what they say and do!

43. P. T. Forsyth, Positive Preaching and Modern Mind (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1907; rpt. 1981), 95.

44

Daily Cleansings of Channels of Grace

Every believer has more or less of this sin in him, and the risk of it always. But it does not cut him off from the divine life. There is a daily confession, a daily forgiveness, a daily cleansing of the channels of the grace of God.44

When ovens with timers were being introduced, their advertising slogan was: “Set it and forget it.” Even if the preacher preached overtime, the Sunday dinner roast would not be ruined because the timer would ensure it would not cook too long. Set it and forget it!

Some people have the “set it and forget it” view of the Christian life. Once they have been “saved,” they believe they can set their lives on “automatic pilot” and have no need to worry about sin.

But Christian believers still sin. We still break God’s laws, fall short of God’s glory, and do not always live as God desires. Forsyth points out that while “every believer has more or less of this sin in him, and the risk of it always,” this does not cut us off “from the divine life. There is a daily confession, a daily forgiveness, a daily cleansing of the channels of the grace of God.”

This is a word to encourage us. God gives us means by which our sin can be forgiven: by confession and seeking forgiveness. Daily we confess and seek God’s forgiveness. There is a “daily cleansing of the channels of the grace of God” as we use the means God gives us by which God’s grace may be received. These can include Scripture reading, prayer, the fellowship of other Christians, and reconciliation with those whom we have hurt or wronged. Through these, we will not be cut off from life lived in a relationship of trust and love of God.

We cannot take our Christian lives for granted; or think sin does not matter. Day by day we use “the channels of the grace of God” in confession and forgiveness to receive anew the grace of God which blesses us.

44. P. T. Forsyth, Christian Perfection (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1899), 22.

45

The Greatest Benefit in Life

It is the goodness of God, His holy love, as it sinks in, that brings home to us what Schiller teaches, that “the greatest bane of life is guilt”; because it makes us first know and feel that the greatest boon of life is grace. Only the good know how bad they were.45

It takes time for us to experience the goodness of God. It takes time for us to experience God’s holy love. As we live as Christians, experiencing life day by day, if we are sensitive and aware, we will know ways in which God’s goodness becomes real to us. We will recognize God’s holy love time and time again when we find the strength and comfort we need.

But as we experience God’s goodness and holy love, we will also become aware of our sinfulness and guilt when we live apart from God. The contrast between who God is and who we are is dramatic and can be disheartening. This is why Forsyth noted that “it is the goodness of God, His holy love, as it sinks in, that brings home to us what Schiller teaches, that ‘the greatest bane of life is guilt.’ As we know more and...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Preface
• Introduction
• Using This Book
• Believing as a Christian
• Living as a Christian