How can sin and temptation work for our good (i.e. Romans 8:28)? Thomas Watson’s answer:
Temptation works for good, as it abates the swelling of pride…Better is that temptation which humbles me, than that duty which makes me proud…(All Things for Good, p. 35).
Better is that sin which humbles me, than that duty which makes me proud (p. 50).
Meekness and humility are closely related, but not identical. You cannot have one without the other, but they are not precisely the same thing. Meekness is not weakness. It takes a strong person (in the Lord) to be meek. Thomas Watson’s description of meekness, in my opinion, is as clear an expression of this as you will find – meekness is a disposition, granted by God’s grace, that allows us to receive evil, bear it, forgive it, and return good for it (see Psalm 37 below for biblical precedent for this definition). Here’s how he puts it:
Meekness is a grace whereby we are enabled by the Spirit of God to moderate our angry passions…First, meekness consists in the bearing of injuries…The second branch of meekness is in forgiving injuries…The third branch of meekness is in recompensing good for evil… (Thomas Watson, An Exposition of Mat. 5:1-12).
Add to that the Doctor’s description:
The meek man is not proud of himself, he does not in any sense glory in himself. He feels that there is nothing in himself of which he can boast. It also means that he does not assert himself. You see, it is a negation of the popular psychology of the day which says ‘assert yourself,’ ‘express your personality.’ The man who is meek does not want to do so; he is so ashamed of it. The meek man likewise does not demand anything for himself. He does not take all his rights as a claim. He does not make demands for his position, his privileges, his possessions, his status of life…the man who is meek is not even sensitive about himself. He is not always watching himself and his own interests. He is not always on the defensive…The man who is truly meek is the one who is amazed that God and man can think of him as well as they do and treat him as well as they do’ (Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, pp. 57-58).
How do we learn to be meek?
The example of Christ: Your king comes unto you meek’ (Matthew 21:5). Christ was the exemplar and pattern of meekness. ‘When he was reviled, he reviled not again’ (1 Peter 2:23). His enemies’ words were more bitter than the gall they gave him—but Christ’s words were smoother than oil. He prayed and wept for his enemies. He calls us to learn of him: ‘Learn of me, for I am meek’ (Matthew 11:29). Christ does not bid us (says Augustine) learn of him to work miracles, to open the eyes of the blind, to raise the dead—but he would have us learn of him to be meek (Thomas Watson, Ibid).
From the example of Christ we learn that the valley is the place of vision:
Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory. Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess all, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive, that the valley is the place of vision (from the Valley of Vision).
This is a prototypical example of why I love the Puritans in general, and Thomas Watson in particular. He takes the phrase, ‘I kept myself from my iniquity,’ and probes the depth of the human heart with us, calling us out for our idolatry and besetting sin. Be aware that Thomas Watson was no legalist, he was a preacher of the gospel, yet he was not afraid to press the application of a passage to the very core issues concerning sin. Besetting sin is a lust-affair. Here are some excerpts:
There is usually one sin that is the favorite—the sin
which the heart is most fond of. A godly man will not
indulge his darling sin: “I kept myself from my iniquity.”
(Psalm 18:23). “I will not indulge the sin to which the
bias of my heart more naturally inclines…Question: How shall we know what our beloved sin is?
Answer 1: The sin which a man does not love to have
reproved—is the darling sin..Men can be content to have other sins
reproved—but if the minister puts his finger on the
sore, and touches this sin—their hearts begin to burn
in malice against him!Answer 2: The sin on which the thoughts run most, is
the darling sin…Examine what sin
runs most in your mind, what sin is first in your
thoughts and greets you in the morning—that is
your predominant sin.Answer 3: The sin which has most power over us, and
most easily leads us captive—is the one beloved by the
soul. There are some sins which a man can better resist.
If they come for entertainment, he can more easily put
them off. But the bosom sin comes as a suitor, and he
cannot deny it—but is overcome by it…Answer 4: The sin which men most defend, is the
beloved sin…The sin we advocate and
dispute for, is the besetting sin. The sin which we
plead for, and perhaps wrest Scripture to justify it
—that is the sin which lies nearest the heart.Answer 5: The sin which a man finds most difficulty in
giving up, is the endeared sin.The besetting sin is, of all others, most dangerous.
As Samson’s strength lay in his hair—so the strength
of sin, lies in this beloved sin. This is like a poison
striking the heart, which brings death. A godly man
will lay the axe of repentance to this sin and hew it
down! He will sacrifice this Isaac; he will pluck out
this right eye—so that he may see better to go to
heaven.
Now here’s my summary and gospel applications for each point:
Summary: Your pet sin, the nicotine for the smoking soul, is the one:
1. You don’t want to be called out on
2. You think about the most
3. That has the most power over you, that you find hardest to resist
4. That you will do anything to justify
5. That you won’t give up
What do you do?
1. Hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, repent, and believe:
2. Turn your thoughts upon him and his gospel constantly:
3. Consider how much more Jesus suffered for your sin than you will for turning away from it:
4. Consider that in justifying your sin, you are neglecting the One who truly justifies the sinner:
5. Consider how your laying aside of sin pales in comparison to the resolve of Christ, who laid aside his glory:
In my study of the biblical idea of meditation I’ve come across some pretty good quotes. I list a few here for future reference:
Meditation Defined:
To meditate in God’s word is to discourse with ourselves concerning the great things contained in it, with a close application of mind, a fixedness of thought, till we be suitably affected with those things and experience the savour and power of them in our hearts” (Matthew Henry, Commentary on Psalm 1).
[Meditation is] the steadfast and earnest bending of the mind upon some spiritual and heavenly matter, discoursing thereof with our selves, till we bring the same to some profitable issue, both for the settling of our judgments, and the bettering of our hearts and lives (John Ball, A Treatise on Divine Meditation).
Meditation looks like:
[Of the man who meditates:] He takes a text and carries it with him all day long; and in the night-watches, when sleep forsakes his eyelids, he museth upon the Word of God. In the day of his prosperity he sings psalms out of the Word of God, and in the night of his affliction he comforts himself with promises out of the same book (Charles H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, Psalm 1).
Meditation chews the cud, and gets the sweetness and nutritive virtue of the Word into the heart and life: this is the way the godly bring forth much fruit (Author Unknown, from Spurgeon’s Treasury of David)
Few do it Well:
How few among us can lay claim to the benediction of the text! Perhaps some of you can claim a sort of negative purity, because you do not walk in the way of the ungodly; but let me ask you – is your delight in the law of God? Do you study God’s Word? Do you make it the man of your right hand – your best companion and hourly guide? If not, this blessing belongs not to you (Charles H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, Psalm 1).
The Ultimate Test of Character:
Meditation doth discriminate and characterize a man; by this he may take a measure of his heart, whether it be good or bad; let me allude to that; “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7. As the meditation is, such is the man. Meditation is the touchstone of a Christian; it shows what metal he is made of. It is a spiritual index; the index shows what is in the book, so meditation shows what is in the heart (Thomas Watson).
Liberating Power:
But yet I must now say that, after all my searching and reading, prayer and assiduous meditation have been my only resort, and by far the most useful means of light and assistance. By these have my thoughts been freed from many an entanglement into which the writings of others had cast me or from which they could not deliver me (John Owen, Preface to Commentary on Hebrews).
No Excuses:
There is none so simple or busy, of so high place, or base condition, of so short memory, or quick capacity, such a babe in Christ, or so strong a Christian, that can exempt himself from this duty, unless he purpose to live unprofitably to others, uncomfortably to himself, and disobedience against God (John Ball, A Treatise on Divine Meditation).
You are already meditating even if you don’t realize it…Even worry is a form of meditation (Tim Keller, on Psalm 1).
