John Newton

The Suicide of Justifying Suicide

by Ben Zornes · Jul 13, 2015

I recently was asked what the Bible teaches on suicide. This question is obviously not one to play with, or give glib answers to. I thought it may be helpful to unpack a few things in regards to how we ought to think Biblically about this issue.

First off, contrary to our â€œthe Bible is all warm and fuzzyâ€ brethren, the Bible does make allowance for lawfully taking a life. The Pentateuch makes it clear that if someone murders another, the entire nation of Israel must not pity the murderer, but has the civic and even religious duty to â€œnot pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee (Deu. 19:11-13).â€ Thus it is lawful to take a life, if that life is judged by Godâ€™s law to be deserving of death; â€œThou shalt not murderâ€ is not a command to be lightly passed over, and the New Testament doesnâ€™t soften the edges of this command (see especially Rom. 13:4 & 1 Pt. 2:14).

Sweeter Than Honey

by Ben Zornes · Nov 11, 2014

I recently came across this little factoidÂ about honey, that it is considered to have an eternal shelf-life. In fact, some archaeologists have found pots of honey that are thousands of years old in ancient Egyptian tombs, and it is still edible!! This got me to thinking, and it led me to some other interesting facts about mankindâ€™s first source of sweetener.

Some might call honey a sort of miracle food. It just doesnâ€™t go bad. And hereâ€™s why: though sugar is a classic breeding ground for spoiling bacteria and organisms, the acidity which gives honey its signature flavor also acts to repel any would-be spoiling agent. In essence, though bacteria would love to make its home in and destroy honey, the honey has a defense mechanism so that it can last, in a sense, forever.

Nutritionists will tell you that honey is one of the best energy boosts for the body. In our day of energy drinks, and power bars, we would actually do better to eat a bowlful of honey. Whereas most sugary treats give a short boost and then a crash, honey gives a boost andâ€“â€“because of the protein in itâ€“â€“is able to sustain the boost. [Read more…] about Sweeter Than Honey

A New Year’s Hymn

by Ben Zornes · Jan 1, 2014

I have begun to read through the hymns of the great hymn-writers as a part of my morning routine of prayer and study. It has been a rich addition for my soul. Poetic verse has the ability to unlock a dimension of our being that is untouched by mere intellectual input. Think about it. How many lectures from your college classes do you remember? Now, finish this line, “Just a small town girl . . . ”

Our mind is soft clay, and poetic verse has the ability to stamp itself deep within our memory. Thus, to begin the year of 2014, here is John Newton’s powerful hymn, which asks us to pause and consider how we shall spend our lives in this new year:

See! another year is gone!
Quickly have the seasons passed!
This we enter now upon
May to many prove our last.
Mercy hitherto has spared,
But have mercies been improved?
Let us ask, am I prepared
Should I be this year removed?

Some we now no longer see,
Who their mortal race have run;
Seemed as fair for life as we,
When the former year begun;
Some, but who God only knows,
Who are here assembled now,
Ere the present year shall close,
To the stroke of death must bow.

Life a field of battle is,
Thousands fall within our view;
And the next death-bolt that flies,
May be sent to me or you:
While we preach, and while we hear,
Help us, Lord, each one, to think,
Vast eternity is near,
I am standing on the brink.

If from guilt and sin set free,
By the knowledge of Thy grace;
Welcome, then, the call will be
To depart and see Thy face:
To Thy saints, while here below,
With new years, new mercies come;
But the happiest year they know
Is their last, which leads them home.

Yes indeed. The longing of the believing soul is such that it aches for the day when we are ushered from this life into the world of joy and eternal delight. May God give you grace this year, and speed you along the pathway to Heaven. May there be no dallying or delaying in your heavenly pilgrimage! Soon, my friends, our faith will be sight, and all our prayers will melt into praise! Oh, Lord Jesus, haste the day!

The Treasure of the Bible

by Ben Zornes · Nov 9, 2013

I have been reading a John Newton hymn every morning during my time of prayer and study. It has been a rich blessing to read the

poetic verse that came out of this man’s passionate, blood-bought heart. His soul was a soul that felt deeply the things of God, and allowed his tongue to be the pen of a ready scribe (Ps. 45:1). The other day, I read this one, and I thought this is well worth sharing. The Bible is a treasure, and all too often we treat it so flippantly. Psalm 119:103 tells us His Word is sweeter than honey, Hebrews 1:2 declares that God is now ever speaking to us by His Son, Jesus, Hebrews 4:12 says it is quick, powerful, effective and gets right to the heart of the matter. How often we neglect the medicine, the shield, the sword that is given to us in God’s Word. Enjoy this hymn, and if you want to dig in deeper to how to get more out of your times of study go here or here. [Read more…] about The Treasure of the Bible

Inward Trials: God’s Means for Growth in Grace

by Ben Zornes · Sep 26, 2013

John Newton well knew what it was to be humbled before a Thrice Holy God. We often times long for the testimony of holiness and divine power to mark our lives, but we withdraw from the rose of God’s grace, simply because the thorns of purgation and tribulation surround it. Newton, a man with a mighty testimony, staunch abolitionist, famous hymnodist, and mighty Gospel preacher was often plagued with ten thousand ghosts of his former sins. Though he had indeed found the Amazing Grace of God to cover all his many sins, he found that that amazing grace is brought to us by means of inward trials of God’s purging, threshing, and sanctifying.

If we would grow in grace, we must also see that God will afflict every last vestige of pride and selfishness within; if we desire the mercy of the cross, we will also taste the unrelenting agenda of the cross: conformity to Christ. Thus, the old man must die, so that Christ life alone remains.

Enjoy this gem by Newton. And may it be a servant of grace unto your soul, though it means wrestling with the God-man until daybreak.