What Is The Glory That Jesus Gives Us in John 17? Answer: The Holy Spirit
The miraculous thing is that God does not share his glory with another; but he shares it with us in Christ in whom the fullness of God dwells.
What does this mean? And to complicate things, how does this fit with Isaiah 42:8 which reads, “my glory I give to no other”? The answer requires paying close attention to the argument of John, the order of redemptive history, and reflecting theologically on the meaning of both. I argue that “glory” in John 17... Continue Reading
Against Open Doors
There is ample guidance in Scripture for how we should live our lives.
Scripture never invites us to pry into God’s decretive will. In fact, it sharply discourages us from doing so (Deut. 29:29). Scripture invites us, rather, to frame our lives according to God’s preceptive will, and to exercise wisdom and good decision-making principles (see above) when faced with life’s multitude of choices. Much that passes... Continue Reading
The Tempest in Sam Allberry’s Teapot: Much Ado About Not Talking Revoice 2019
Let us take a look at who introduced Sam Allberry to the people of the SBC and how he became a TGC editor.
A series of articles by anti-social justice Dallas Statement leader Tom Buck served to focus attentions on part of the LGBT+ problem in the SBC by turning the spotlight on Sam Allberry and his UK based ministry “Living Out.” At issue were some 6-year-old articles posted on the Living Out website. Much of the deeper... Continue Reading
Book Briefs: “Still Protesting: Why the Reformation Matters” by D. G. Hart
Those well-versed in the Reformation are sure to find new insights and connections in the pages of this book.
Hart expertly unfolds the history of the Reformation and evaluates key evangelical truths (including the important “5 Solas”) as compared to the historical Roman Catholicism of that day. He goes on to examine whether the Roman Catholic Church has truly changed in its stance on these points over time. 500 years ago the Reformation... Continue Reading
Finding Your Identity
If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation.
The great appeal of the gospel is that it gives us a new identity, one that is in continuity with our particular selves, yet makes us new persons. Our new self begins here in this life and then in the life to come will be raised up to enjoy fellowship with God forever. And... Continue Reading
Overcoming the Darkness
With Paul in the School of Spiritual Warfare (3 of 5)
Though we are no longer of the world, we remain in it, on guard, at work. The church has the job of training us in sound doctrine (4:12-16) to defend us against our spiritual foe and to equip us to advance against the kingdom of darkness, as Christ builds His church through us as His... Continue Reading
Paul And Slavery: Union With Christ And One Another
Paul subtly and deftly dismantled racism, as well as the entire ancient system of slavery by stressing our common unity as Christians in union with Christ and one another.
Paul not only calls Onesimus – a former slave, owned by another member of the church – a faithful and beloved brother, he also writes that he is “one of you.” This slave, this person who was seen as a secondary human being in this society, is “one of you,” a fellow Christian, purchased and... Continue Reading
Were Early Christian Scribes Untrained Amateurs?
Satlow’s book argues that both the OT and NT canons were late bloomers, and that they bore no real authority until the third or fourth century CE.
The oft-repeated claim that early Christian scribes were unprofessional and untrained simply does not fit with what we know about early Christian manuscripts nor about early Christian literary culture. Loveday Alexander provides a perfect summary, “It is clear that we are dealing with a group [early Christians] that used books intensively and professionally from very... Continue Reading
Three Ways to Purify Your Thinking
Search for this Jesus as you read your Bible day by day. Cast your mind in the mold of his goodness.
Those with minds set on glory above will not ultimately be satisfied with trivialities below. We will search to find a deeper echo of the tune, something that sends us past the crust of life to the core. We will look for something to awaken us to the wonder of being image-bearers of the high... Continue Reading
Thoughts on Despair
There is a distinction between sadness and despair: Sadness can co-exist with joy; it doesn’t cancel out assurance. Despair is devoid of joy, of any incentive to keep going
I explained to my children that this is where the devil wants us to end up after going through intense suffering. He wants to beat us up so badly that we are left believing that everything is bad, including God. He wants to fill us with despair—the state of being where one no longer has... Continue Reading