Paul’s Golgothic Doctrine of Sanctification
What the Corinthians wanted was the stuff of this age but what they needed was to grasp and believe is that the path to true, Holy Spirit-ual power is through death.
The starting point of sanctification is not obedience. It is faith, trust, confidence in the Christ who was obedient for us sinners. Paul calls the gospel foolishness because that is how it seems to pagans. What has the death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and return of a Jewish rabbi to do with power, success, and influence in this world? From... Continue Reading
Samford Turns Away Episcopalians, Presbyterians from Event Due to LGBTQ Views, Activist Says
The Presbyterian Church (USA) and Episcopal Church college chaplains had taken part in previous ministry fairs at Samford with no problems.
Samford University defended its stance on the matter in a letter sent to students and shared with faculty and staff. Vice President of Student Affairs Philip Kimrey noted that “the university has a responsibility to formally partner with ministry organizations that share our beliefs.” A campus minister at Samford University turned away Presbyterian Church (USA)... Continue Reading
Then Comes the Breaking
Something taps into the deep well of sorrow that resides deep inside of you—sorrow you didn’t even know was there—and you are flooded with the pain.
We think the absence of pain is the goal, but God is known for allowing acute pain in service of deeper healing. Like a broken bone that must be reset, the parts of us that have learned to get by without an ever-present awareness of God’s compassionate and knowing care need to be broken afresh... Continue Reading
Godly Intimacy
Like the food in which we delight, or the drink in which we enjoy, intimacy between a husband and wife should lead to the praise of God, as we remember our God in the goodness of his gift.
We must keep watch over our lives by guarding our heart’s affections. Let us make sure that we do rejoice in our spouse alone, even as we remember our Lord for the goodness of the gift he has given us. It was the winter of 1986 when I first laid eyes on my future... Continue Reading
Should the Church Promote Deeds of Darkness for Missional Purposes?
What if the justification is that “we are trying to reach the culture and love people in the culture and win a hearing with them?”
While the line may not be obvious to some for how Christians can serve and witness in the world, it should be clear that hosting an event on church property in “The Chapel” with a “Dragon” and “Celestial Bodies” with the face of Christ in the backdrop, and where Romans 1 anti-Worship is celebrated should... Continue Reading
“Fathers of Faith, My Fathers Now!”: On Abraham, Covenant, and the Theology of Paedobaptism
At the heart of baptism is a theology of Fatherly care and lavish blessing, hand in hand with an anthropology of helplessness and dependence.
The doctrine of covenant signs is, at every turn, the doctrine of grace—what we receive from God is his promise to be our God and to have us as his people. We do not self-constitute as members of his family; we are included under his wings as he spreads them over us in covenant love. ... Continue Reading
Christian Education in Seven Books (3)—Less Than Words Can Say
Words are the basis of rationality and self-awareness.
Just as you cannot do algebra without numbers, so you cannot know, discover or communicate meaning without clear, accurate, and precise language. It is not too much to say that bad grammar is the enemy of truth. Christians should then prioritise language, since it is the media of propositional truth. For we let our... Continue Reading
When God’s Blessings Flow
God’s blessings flow not only to his people but also beyond them.
It is God’s good pleasure to answer our prayers and to grant his blessings not just to us, but also to others. And who but God can know what blessings they hold, what pleasures they enjoy, that flow from your prayers and mine. A few months ago I stood upon the rocky shores of... Continue Reading
The Divine Timetable: Learning to Wait on God
God is on his own timetable, not ours. He does things when they need to be done, not when we think they should be done.
I do not know about you, but I pray daily that the Lord would return quickly. Yet sometimes I wonder if he ever will return – at least in my lifetime. I just really want to see this evil world come to a conclusion. Some Musings on the Difference between My Clock and God’s... Continue Reading
What Would Jesus Drink?
How are we to know what Jesus meant when he spoke of "the cup" that he had to drink?
The Savior has drunk, to the full, the cup of God’s wrath so that we might drink, to the full, the cup of his blessings. We must learn again and again to remember what it is that we deserve from the hand of God and what our Savior took upon himself for our salvation. It... Continue Reading
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