I’m reading my way through Richard Sibbe’s, The Bruised Reed, as a part of Tim Challies’ online book discussion dubbed, “Reading Classics Together.”  Here are a few thoughts I posted related to last week’s reading of chapter one.  And here below are a few thoughts for this week’s reading of chapters two and three.

The third chapter was particularly encouraging this week.  Sibbes establishes that there are a range of Christian maturity levels: “There are several ages in Christians, some babes, some young men.”  To the new and struggling believer he says, “Let us not therefore be discouraged at the small beginnings of grace, but look on ourselves as elected to be ‘holy and without blame’” (Eph. 1:4).

Sibbes urges us to look at our imperfections as motivation for growth in righteousness and signal flares for humility.  His reminder is that “Christ values us by what we shall be, and by what we are elected unto,” and that “Nothing in the world is of so good use as the least grain of grace.”  You can see that he writes very much as a minister seeking to give comfort and confidence to his people.

Sibbes teaches that not only is grace small in the life of the maturing believer, but it is mixed with corruption.  He explains that “the reason for this mixture is that we carry about us a double principle, grace and nature.”

He closes out the third chapter by explaining the function of this mixture by saying that,

“The end of it is especially to preserve us from those two dangerous rocks which our natures are prone to dash upon, security and pride, and to force us to pitch our rest on justification, not sanctification.”

This was perhaps my favorite sentence from the week’s reading.

I’m curious if there’s anyone out there who both reads Tim Challies’ blog and is participating in this round of “Reading Classics Together” who also has somehow wound up here at my blog.  If so, please drop me a line below in the comments and let me know you’re out there.  Thanks.