Product Description
Product Description
“Self-denial is one of the fundamental principles of the Christian life. It is Christianity 101,” writes author Ryan McGraw. Christians, regardless of personal cost, must believe and do whatever Christ teaches them and reject and flee from whatever He forbids them.
McGraw helps readers develop an understanding of this essential principle of Christian living by providing an in-depth explanation of what self-denial is and why it is important, and then giving examples of what it looks like in practice.
Contents:
What is Self-Denial, and Why Is It Important?
What Does Self-Denial Look Like in Practice?
Conclusion
Pages: 36
Author
RYAN M. MCGRAW is pastor of First Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sunnyvale, California; research associate, University of the Free State; and adjunct professor of systematic theology, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
Endorsement
"‘Deny yourself.’ This is one of the hardest biblical commands for Christians to implement practically. Our selfish sinful nature wants and wants even more. Ryan McGraw’s pamphlet is a powerful call to the twenty-first-century church to be more like Jesus and less like the world; to be transformed by the Spirit rather than conformed to the world. We need this exhortation today, and I’m glad to commend this pamphlet for issuing that call.” — Daniel R. Hyde, pastor, Oceanside United Reformed Church, Carlsbad, California
Cultivating Biblical Godliness Series
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said, “The world today is looking for, and desperately needs, true Christians. I am never tired of saying that what the Church needs to do is not to organize evangelistic campaigns and attract outside people, but to begin herself to live the Christian life. If she did that, men and women would be crowding into our buildings. They would say, ‘What is the secret of this?’”
Many people who are new to the church need instruction in the most basic aspects of godly living. Even where churches are engaged heavily in discipleship, visitors and members often have gaps in their understanding and practice. One of the greatest needs of our time is for the Spirit of God to cultivate biblical godliness in us in order to put the glory of Christ on display through us, all to the glory of God the Father.
For these reasons, Joel Beeke and Ryan McGraw are coediting a series of booklets titled Cultivating Biblical Godliness. These booklets treat matters that are vital to Christian experience, and each contribution aims to address a wide variety of people and circumstances at a fundamental and introductory level. This includes teaching people what to believe in order to practice personal holiness as well as specific directions on how to cultivate biblical godliness in relation to issues that are common to God’s people.
The distinctive feature of this series is its experiential tone. While some booklet series aim to enlighten the mind, these booklets aim to warm the affections as well. The goal is to promote communion with the triune God and to transform the entire person in thought, speech, and behavior. To this end, we intend to include a wide range of authors whom the Spirit has blessed to skillfully stir up the church to personal holiness and affection to Christ through their preaching and writing ministries.
We need a Christianity that puts the transformative power of God in the gospel on display through developing a communion with God that is visible to the world. Our prayer is that through this series, the Lord would revive His church by producing Christians who are full of love for Christ, who deny themselves in order to follow Him at great personal cost, and who know the joys of walking with the triune God. This is the kind of Christianity that we need. This is the kind of Christianity that the triune God has used to turn the world upside down. May He be pleased to do so again.
Series Editors
Joel R. Beeke is President and Professor of Systematic Theology and Homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, a pastor of Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a prolific author.
Ryan M. Mcgraw is pastor of First OPC in Sunnyvale, CA. He is also author or The Day of Worship: Reassessing the Christian Life in Light of the Sabbath.
