The Forgotten Martyr – Lady Jane Grey

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LADY JANE GREY had the misfortune to be born with royal ties. She was the granddaughter of Henry VIII’s sister Mary, making her the king’s grandniece and a first cousin once removed of his son King Edward VI. On the strength of that tie, Jane’s parents and in-laws tried to make her queen of England, supplanting King Henry’s daughters (Edward’s half-sisters) Mary and Elizabeth.
Jane’s father, Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, sided with the English church reformers, as did John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland. Scheming for power, Northumberland arranged to marry his son Guildford to Jane.
When Edward’s health declined, Northumberland and Suffolk felt uneasy at the prospect of a Roman Catholic successor—Mary. They seem to have been motivated less with concern for the Reformation than for their own power and influence. They manipulated Edward’s religious sympathies to have him appoint Jane as his successor. Edward was willing: he liked Jane, with whom he had played as a child, and knew she was staunchly Protestant.
When her ambitious family announced to Jane that she was to be queen, she wept uncontrollably, rejecting the idea. However, her parents and in-laws insisted. Later she would reproach her father that he, whose responsibility it was to seek to prolong her life, had helped bring it to an untimely end.
Jane was proclaimed queen on July 10, 1553. Northumberland rode off to capture Mary but failed. The common people of England so detested him that they rallied behind the Catholic heir.
And so, just nine days after ascending the throne, Jane became a prisoner in the Tower of London. She wrote Mary a repentant letter, but pointed out that she had been forced into her action, which was not of her own seeking. Mary was lenient.
However, Jane’s father soon participated in another rebellion against Mary. It sealed his daughter’s doom. She was condemned to death. Mary’s chaplain, John Feckenham, persuaded the queen to delay Jane’s execution so that he would have a chance to convert her to Catholicism. But while Jane appreciated Feckenham’s kindness toward her, she clung to her religious views. She had been well-tutored, could read and write several languages fluently, and appreciated the positions of the reformers, some of whom she had met and corresponded with.
On this day, February 12, 1554, Jane and her husband were executed. Guildford was beheaded publicly but, fearing to produce an angry mob, the authorities beheaded pretty, seventeen-year-old Jane inside the Tower.
Feckenham accompanied her to the place of execution. There Jane thanked him for his kindness, insisted once more that she had been innocent of any desire for the throne, recited Psalm 51 in English, and forgave her executioner, asking him not to strike the blow until her neck was on the block. After a blindfold was wrapped around her eyes, she groped for the block, crying out, “What shall I do? Where is it?” Someone guided her to the spot. Her last words were, “Lord, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” Then the executioner brought down the axe.
—Dan Graves

(Christian History Institute)

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Being A Prophetic Voice

How should the Church relate to the state? There are a number of ways this can be done, one of them is to be a prophetic voice. In other words, we are to proclaim God’s Word – to praise or rebuke when necessary. The Presbyterian Church in America is set to draft a letter calling on the government to renounce the sin of promoting transgender surgeries for minors. In doing this, they’re being a prophetic voice – an example we should follow. You can read about here.

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We Put A Mezuzah on Our Doorpost

We put a mezuzah on our doorpost the other night, to show support for Jews in Israel and around the world. We’re in a period of increasing Jew-hatred, which was seen clearly in the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7th. Dennis Prager started a campaign to convince non-Jews to put the small box containing a scroll with Deuteronomy 6:1-9 printed on it on their doorpost. He had heard reports that some Jews, here in the United States, had removed the mezuzah from their own doorposts our of fear. It’s hard to believe that would happen, but it has. If you’re interested, you can search “mezuzah” online or visit a local synagogue.

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Only One Question

There is only one question that matters when it comes to abortion: “What is it?” Is what is in the mother’s womb a human being or not?

If what is in the mother’s womb is not a human being, then no justification is needed for abortion.

If what is in the mother’s womb is a human being, then no justification is possible for abortion.

Robert George makes the point well this article. It’s worth your time.

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Social Justice & the Gospel

Many of us in the church have heard, or read,  a lot about “social justice” recently. Words such as “intersectionality,” “identity politics,” “white privilege,” and racism have been thrown around quite liberally.

This Leftist ideology (which some call Cultural Marxism) has made its way into the evangelical church through several popular websites, authors, pastors, and thinkers. In my opinion, it’s deadly and could have a devastating effect. In fact, we’ve already seen a few fractures which may take awhile to heal – if ever.

A document has been written and published to bring clarity to these issues. The Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel was written by John MacArthur, Voddie Bauchum, Phil Johnson, and James White among others. It’s well-written, well-thought out and, most importantly, thoroughly biblical.

Part of the introduction says,

“Specifically, we are deeply concerned that values borrowed from secular culture are currently undermining Scripture in the areas of race and ethnicity, manhood and womanhood, and human sexuality. The Bible’s teaching on each of these subjects is being challenged under the broad and somewhat nebulous rubric of concern for “social justice.” If the doctrines of God’s Word are not uncompromisingly reasserted and defended at these points, there is every reason to anticipate that these dangerous ideas and corrupted moral values will spread their influence into other realms of biblical doctrines and principles.”

Please read it. You can also sign it if you’re so inclined (I did). This is an important time for the church in the United States.

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Settling the Question

How do we know what’s right and wrong? How do we know that abortion is wrong? How do we know that all human beings have dignity, value, and worth? How do we know that there are two sexes – male and female – which are assigned to us by God at our conception? How do we know the true spiritual condition of mankind (lost, sinful, and fallen)? How do we know how we can be right with God?

There are a number of answers, and almost all of them are wrong. Human reason and logic can’t give us the answers. Neither can intuition, personal experience, or tradition. As Christians, we rely on revelation. God has revealed Himself to us and He has spoken to us in His Word. The reason we know anything, and can know anything, is because God has revealed it to us.

When we think about any issue or question, whether inside the church or not, our first question needs to be “What does the Scripture say?” In other words, we need to ask what God thinks about it. This ought to be our first instinct, not our last. God’s Word – what He has to say – is authoritative in every area of life. That instinct, however, is in short supply in today’s church. We seem to take our cues from just about any other source than God and His Word.

It ought not be so, as illustrated by the following two passages. The apostle Paul has been arguing in the early chapters of the book of Romans that everyone is sinful and, therefore, deserving of God’s wrath (1:18-3:20). He then proclaims that justification by faith alone is the answer to the question of how sinful man can be right with a holy God (3:21-31). In 4:1, he says, in effect, “What about Abraham? How was he justified?” In order to give his answer, he appeals to Scripture, when he says, “What does the Scripture say?” (4:3). A quotation from Genesis 15:6 follows: “Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Paul cites Scripture to make his case and bring the discussion to an end – the matter is settled.

The second passage is Matthew 19:3-9. Some Pharisees challenged Jesus about whether or not a man could divorce his wife. Instead of quoting an influential rabbi or two, Jesus went straight to the Scripture to give the authoritative answer. He said, “Have you not read?” in verse 4. In other words, “What does the Scripture say?” The Lord Jesus asked this question many times during His ministry. He continually appealed to God’s Word as the final authority in all matters.

The church needs to remember and recover this crucial principle. We know what’s right and wrong, what’s true and false, because we read it in God’s Word – because God says so. There’s nothing wrong with believing and saying that. In fact, if we’re going to be faithful Christians, that’s exactly what we’ll do.

 

 

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Signing the Statement

Having read the Nashville Statement carefully and with prayer, I gladly signed it. The statement represents the biblical teaching on human sexuality which the Christian church as held for two thousand years. In other words, there’s nothing new in it. It’s a reminder of God’s Law and a proclamation of His gospel.

Human identity and sexuality is widely misunderstood in our day. Homosexuality, same-sex marriage, and transgenderism are only the start – there’s more to come. Because of that, a number of Christian scholars and leaders met in Nashville, Tennessee to write a statement that clearly presented the Christian position.

The need for a statement like this became apparent immediately as reactions began to roll in. The statement was panned, and even vilified, by many on the Left (and even some who consider themselves evangelical Christians), and praised by many on the Right. As the church, we need to think clearly on these issues, and the Nashville Statement is a good step in the right direction.

I use you to read the Nashville Statement here.

I would also suggest that you read a piece by Rosaria Butterfield on why she signed the Statement. You can read it here.

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Sermon in a Sentence

I had the privilege this morning of preaching on Romans 1:18-32 (as part of a short series on gender and sexuality from God’s perspective). Here is a summary of my sermon in the space of one sentence: God’s design for mankind and marriage, along with everything else, has been corrupted by man’s sin.

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Sermon in a Sentence

I had the privilege this morning of preaching on John 21:24-25. Here is a summary of my sermon in one sentence: The Gospel of John, as well as the entire Bible, is authentic, authoritative, and sufficient.

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Sermon in a Sentence

This morning, I had the privilege of preaching on John 17:13-16. Here is a summary of my sermon in one sentence: As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are in the world but not of the world, joyfully.

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