The Marks of a Healthy Church: The Great Commission
The relationship that began with ‘Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men’ (Mt 4.19), has now come of age, as Jesus tells the disciples to ‘Go…!’
The precise wording of the Great Commission is significant. Even though, at least for those who only read it in English translation, it would be tempting to think the ‘command’ component of what Jesus says is to ‘Go!’, the imperative in this clause is actually to ‘make disciples’. The ‘going’ is presented in a present... Continue Reading
Accommodating Rome?
Might there have been a Lutheran order within the Roman church if the pope was more sophisticated and skillful?
Christians who adhered to sola scriptura – the authority of Scripture alone – could never endure a papacy that demanded that its tradition stood beside (and in practice above) the plain meaning of Scripture. Moreover, by study of the Bible, the Protestants came to the conclusion that the papacy was an utterly illegitimate and usurping office. ... Continue Reading
Sola Scriptura Then and Now
Sola scriptura is no mere slogan, a creedal point to be checked off with approval from a list.
Either Scripture establishes what the gospel is, calls people back to the gospel, and transforms God’s people with his Spirit-anointed gospel truth, shaping them into conformity with his Son, or it is but an empty boast. Sadly, some affirm sola scriptura in a sloganeering way, but rarely read Scripture and never meditate on it; or, worse yet, they thoughtlessly defy it.... Continue Reading
Comfort For The Sheep From Calvin
Despite Believer's Lack of Sufficient Good Works - "We Shall Not Cease To Be Acceptable To God"
In the sermon excerpt below, Calvin informs his congregation that not only believer’s sins of commission (doing the things we shouldn’t) have been imputed to Christ and therefore ‘abolished by the obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ’ but also our sins of omission, i.e. the good works we should have done but didn’t! Calvin writes, ‘If we... Continue Reading
Conversations through 95 Theses – Does Sufficiency Necessitate Competency?
Does the fact that the Bible is authoritative and sufficient mean that every well-meaning believer with a Bible is competent for counseling?
In Dr. Lambert’s 95 Theses, I could find acknowledgment that not all biblical counselors are skilled (Theses 27 and 28). What I could not find was the subsequent acknowledgment of the possibility that a non-biblical counselor who is more skilled with a lesser tool may be more effective for some individuals than an unskilled biblical counselor with a superior... Continue Reading
Ideas to Cultivate Community
Don't wait for friendship to happen to you, be a friend to others.
Just as it takes time for a planted seed to grow and develop into a full and thriving plant, it takes time for friendship and community to grow. Deep friendships are built over time and often through shared trials and challenges of life. The longer we walk with someone in our journey of faith, the... Continue Reading
The Wounds of a Friend
We need those friends who will battle it with us, and pound the Truth into our heads. Even if it hurts.
I say this carefully. Many have been unnecessarily wounded by well-meaning people who make the problem worse, not better. Quoting Bible verses glibly to a person in pain or grief is certainly not helpful. There is a time for prayers, physical presence, and silence. But Alyssa did it right: She already knew me very well,... Continue Reading
The Holy Spirit’s Ministry
The Reformers placed tremendous stress on the gifts of the Spirit to the whole body of Christ.
Well-meaning Christians sometimes mistake the Spirit’s work of illumination for revelation, which, unhappily, can lead to serious theological confusion and potentially unhappy practical consequences. But the doctrine of illumination also helps us explain some of the more mysterious elements in our experience without having to resort to the claim that we have the gift of... Continue Reading
What is Sola Scriptura Protecting Us Against? More Than You Think
It is often forgotten that Sola Scriptura was designed to battle more than Rome
“In the end, these three movements–traditionalism, individualism, existentialism–capture what Sola Scriptura was designed to prevent. And thus we see something that is perhaps surprising on this Reformation anniversary: one need not be Catholic to reject Sola Scriptura.” Well, Oct 31st, 2017 is finally here. All year long, churches and organizations around the world have... Continue Reading
Luther’s Royal Marriage
Who then, can appreciate what this royal marriage means?
Here this rich and divine bridegroom Christ marries this poor, wicked harlot, redeems her from all her evil, and adorns her with all his goodness. Her sins cannot now destroy her, since they are laid upon Christ and swallowed up by him…as the bride in the Song of Solomon says [2:16], “My beloved is mine,... Continue Reading