Category Archives: Flavel, John

Christ applied to believers

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Summarising:

Flavel, J. The Method of Grace, ch. 1

1 Cor 1:30 “—Christ Jesus, whom God has made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption.’

Just as the plaster must be applied to the wound, the coat must be worn, the cordial received, so Christ must himself be applied to the heart.

In this text we have,

(a) an enumeration of the chief privileges of believers:

  • wisdom, which answers to man’s natural ignorance
  • righteousness, which answers to our guilt
  • sanctification, which answers to our pollution
  • redemption, which answers to the whole range of the effects of sin

(b) the method by which we come into these privileges: ,(i) by receiving the person of Christ

  • by personal application
  • by the work of God
  • Christ’s work is suitable to our needs

Hence: ‘The Lord.…

The believer’s fellowship with Christ

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Summarising ch. 8 of John Flavel, The Method of Grace.

Psa 45:7 ‘Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.’

This psalm prefigures the espousal of Christ and the church. Here we have,

  1. The saints’ dignity, that they are fellows and co—partners of Christ, 1 Jn 2:27; Rev 1:6.
  2. The pre—eminence of Christ.

By ‘the oil of gladness’ we understand, the Spirit of holiness, Acts 10:36. This oil makes them beautiful; it makes them shine with glory; it equips them for every good work.…

Christ’s exaltation

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A summary of chapter 41 of The Fountain of Life, by John Flavel.

“When he had by himself purged our sins, he sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Hebrews 1:3

Christ is described

  • By his essential and primeval glory and dignity, he is ‘the brightness at his Father’s glory’, the very splendor of glory, the very refulgency of that son of glory.
  • By the work he wrought here on earth, in his humbled state, ‘When he had by himself purged our sins.’
…

Flavel: the ascension of Christ

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A summary of chapter 40 of The Fountain of Life, by John Flavel.

John 20:17 – ‘Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.’

The persons to whom this message was sent: ‘My brethren’; a sweet term, and full of love.

The message itself: ‘Tell my brethren, I ascend to my Father, and your Father; to my God, and your God.’…

The resurrection of Christ

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A summary of chapter 30 of The Fountain of Life., by John Flavel.

“He is not here; for he is risen, as he said: come, see the place where the Lord lay.” Matthew 28:6

In these words we have both a declaration and confirmation of the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

First. A declaration of it by the angels, both negatively and affirmatively. Negatively, He is not here.  Positively, He is risen.…

The Lord’s Supper

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A summary of ch. 21 of John Flavel’s The Fountain of Life.

“The Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do you, as oft as you drink [it], in remembrance of me.”…

The nature of Christ’s death

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A summary of ch. 26 of John Flavel’s The Fountain of Life.

“Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.” Acts 2:23

In this text, we have an account of

1. The nature of the death Christ died, which is here described more generally, as a violent death, You have slain him: and more particularly, as a most ignominious, cursed, dishonorable death; you have crucified him.…

Christ’s humiliation in his life

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“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself; and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross.” Phil. 2:8

DOCTRINE. That the state of Christ, from his conception to his resurrection, was a state of deep debasement and humiliation.

The Lord Jesus was humbled in his incarnation, his life, and his death.  Here we deal with the second of these.

I. The Lord Jesus was humbled in his very infancy, by his circumcision according to the law, Lk 2:21. …

Christ’s wonderful person

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A summary of ch. 5 of John Flavel’s The Fountain of Life.

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” John, 1:14

Here we have:

  1. The Person assuming, the Word, that is, the second Person or Subsistent in the most glorious God-head; called the Word, either because he is the scope or principal matter, both of the prophetical and promissory word; or because he expounds and reveals the mind and will of God to men, as verse 18: “The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared” or expounded “him.”
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Christ’s humiliation in his incarnation

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Extracts from The Fountain of Life, by John Flavel.  Ch. 18, Christ’s Humiliation – In His Incarnation.

“And being found in fashion as man, he humbled himself, and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross.” Phil. 2:8.

Here is the sun almost under total eclipse. He that was beautiful and glorious, Isa. 4:2, yea, glorious as the only begotten of the Father, John 1:14, yea, the glory, James 2:1, yea, the splendor and brightness of the Father’s glory,” Heb.…