The Ordo Salutis: Regeneration
The word is the instrumental cause of regeneration.
The act of regeneration is not a drawing out of man something which was always lying within man, dormant, falling short of its potential. No. Regeneration puts life, the divine life, within each elect soul, who were spiritually dead. And this life, which comes from outside of man, is Christ’s own eternal life. Perhaps... Continue Reading
The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self
The unprecedented coincidence of our times is that of the plastic, psychological notion of the self and the liquidity, or instability, of our traditional institutions.
The church today is moving to the margins of society. Society increasingly regards her beliefs as buffoonish and her ethical norms as immoral. And the requirements of loyal citizenship are beginning to be antithetical to the requirements of Christian witness. Historians are the great relativizers of the present. When someone declares that the times... Continue Reading
“Whether One May Flee From a Deadly Plague”
God has created medicines and provided us with intelligence to guard and take good care of the body so that we can live in good health.
“Very well, by God’s decree the enemy has sent us poison and deadly offal. Therefore I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine, and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and... Continue Reading
Theological Triage, Yes. How About Emotional Triage, Too?
You might have an opinion on a matter, but do you need to share it?
Disagreement is simply part of reality. If social media has made anything clear in our age, it is that we are an opinionated species. And our opinions are often not the same as the opinions of others. Whether we disagree over how best to educate our children, or who to vote for during an election,... Continue Reading
Obedience
Religiosity does not please God unless it is accompanied by our obedience.
We must take a close look at our walk. We must examine ourselves. Are we obedient with a whole heart or are we simply being religious? What are our motives? We must weed out all compromises. Our obedience must be pure and bound to a humble, devoted heart. 22 Samuel said, “Has the Lord... Continue Reading
Do We Really Believe in Demons?
The desire to avoid the real excesses of some in the church and the desire to appear respectable to some in the world lead us to downplay the demonic.
To disbelieve in the existence of devils is to disbelieve the Bible itself. Yes, it is possible to fall into error by developing an unhealthy fascination that sees demonic activity everywhere. But I do not believe that error to be as serious as the error of denying the truth of God’s Word by dismissing their... Continue Reading
Living Sacrifice: What an Odd Statement
When you hear about the worship sacrifices of Israel, the common denominator is death.
The idea of offering up yourself as a living sacrifice, as Paul describes it, is the same point that Jesus made in his quotation of the Shema. God demands everything. In order to worship God as supreme (as Romans 12:1 says—spiritual worship) involves the proper engagement of heart, soul, mind, and strength. In other words,... Continue Reading
God Loves (and Hates) You
The best harmony of the biblical evidence is the notion that God is able to love and hate a sinner at the same time.
God’s infinite love for His own image within human beings and His infinite hatred of sin in them means He cannot grow in love or hatred towards humans. Thus is not to suggest that God’s love does not truly respond to human behaviour. Instead, the trajectory of sinners towards sin or away from it drives... Continue Reading
Go. Be with your dying person.
A simple guide to visiting someone close to death.
Watching my mother alter from her strong, vibrant shape into a skeletal, weakened slip of herself was wrenchingly, stabbingly difficult. But seeing her strength despite great pain, watching her reach for hope and help, feeling connection even when she could no longer speak: these were among the gifts of her dying. Her dying changed me... Continue Reading
Small Ball
Small ball captures the role of the typical pastor.
Small ball is ordinary but it is basic. Regular time in prayer. Time and patience devoted to sermon preparation. Plotting and planning for ways to enfold the sheep in the work. Time spent with people, inside and outside the church family. The list is long and it isn’t flashy. But God uses it. “I... Continue Reading