December 2011
1 post
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Job 38-42 WBC Review
To say the least, The Word Biblical Commentary Series is an industry standard for Bible Commentaries. It has a long history of trusted scholarship and the series is a must have for the serious student of the Bible. This volume, Job 38-42 by David Clines is no exception. This volume wraps up his commentary on the book of Job and brings excellent scholarship to the final chapters in Job. What is...
September 2011
1 post
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The Barbarian Delusion (Book Review of Unleashed:...
“But then the worst thing happened that could happen to any fighter, you got civilized” – Mick to Rocky in Rocky III. This is the opening quote of the book, Unleashed: Release the Untamed Faith Within by Erwin Raphael McManus. I take it that Mick’s point is not that training, practice, proper diets and a disciplined life is counter to the success of a boxer. Mick’s point is that a boxer must...
August 2011
2 posts
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I Hope I Don’t End Up in Heaven
It is not an overstatement to say that most people have some element of confusion as it relates to what happens to a person after he or she dies.
It is generally held in popular Evangelicalism (whatever that word means) that the final, ultimate “resting” place after we die or when all is said and done, is in “heaven.”
But is this true? Is this what the Scriptures teach? This is sometimes...
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In Eager Anticipation: Free Will, Missions, Full... →
This is a post from my good friend Andy Shurson. A good read for all my Calvinist friends and for those struggling with issues on free will, missions, atonement, and prayer. It is not a treatise, but provides enough food for thought.
It is posted here unabridged:
Free Will, Missions, Full Atonement, Prayer: 4 Tenets this Calvinist Holds.
I have been a Calvinist for about seven years now. I have...
July 2011
1 post
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From Radical to Ordinary (Book Review of Radical:...
A quick look in the dictionary at the word “Radical” and one will find two related though different meanings. The first meaning is: “of or going to the root or origin; fundamental.” The second meaning is: “thoroughgoing or extreme, especially as regards change from accepted or traditional forms.” These two definitions represent two different perspectives in how one looks at the book by David...
June 2011
2 posts
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“For the same reason it was also imperative that he who was to become our...”
– John Calvin, Institutes 2.12.3
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“Eye the Father as love; look not on him as an always lowering father, but as one...”
– John Owen, Communion with the Triune God
May 2011
4 posts
“We do not presume to come to this your table, merciful Lord, trusting in our own...”
– Thomas Cramner, Book of Common Prayer (via davidlindell)
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WatchTim Keller talks about the “end of the mushy middle” in America. Where are you?
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““Did God say?”, that plainly is the godless question.
“Did God say,” that he...”
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Creation and Fall: A Theological Exposition of Genesis 1-3.
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“We come to our own rescue and build the tower of Babel. In what haste we are to...”
– Karl Barth, The Word of God and the Word of Man.
April 2011
6 posts
4 tags
The Beauty of Easter: Resurrection and...
a collaborative piece by Andy Shurson and Clint Patronella
Sundays are made for sleeping in, yard work, playing golf, attending brunch, and relaxing before beginning another week of commitments, responsibilities, and stress. Yet every Spring, people abandon their usual activities and flock to churches to fulfill their duty in recognition of the most important day in our liturgical calendar:...
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The Resurrection (A Harmony of the Events on...
(Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-9; Luke 24:1-49; John 20:1-23)
Needing to get Jesus buried before sundown on Friday evening (Sabbath begins Friday evening and goes until Saturday evening), Joseph of Arimathea secures the body of Jesus in order to give Him a proper burial. The tomb is guarded by Romans soldiers.
Saturday all is quiet and somber.
At dawn on Sunday morning, a group of women (Mary...
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LOVE Friday
Freedom. Hope. Love.
With words like that you would think that “Once upon a time” would come next. What beautiful words, yet for most of us, those words seem out of our reach? Those words can’t possible exist.
Freedom. Hope. Love.
Do you ever feel like you are in a land far from home where your life is only worth what service you could provide? Do you ever feel like you have no hope? Do you...
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“First, We bid a man begin by examining himself, and this not in a superficial...”
– John Calvin: Reply to Sadoleto
Translation by Henry Beveridge in John Calvin, Tracts Relating to the Reformation, Volume 1, pp. 25–68 (Edinburgh: Calvin Translation Society, 1844).
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The Beauty of Sabbath (Book Review of Sabbath, by...
In Mark 2:27, Jesus says, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (ESV). Jesus is teaching that the Sabbath was given as a gift for man to rest, refresh and reflect in sublime joy in God. However, man has a history of abusing the good gifts God has given us and in the practice of the Sabbath it either becomes an anvil to weigh people down or a forgotten relic of the past. It is...
March 2011
9 posts
6 tags
Beautiful Tension: Love and Wrath
How is it that God can be both loving and wrathful? Are not these two qualities mutually exclusive? Is it possible that in order to be loving one must also have wrath? Can a loving God ignore injustice, thereby shrugging off the attribute of wrath? Or is it possible to have an angry wrathful God who also have the ability to forgive thereby expressing inexplicable love?
On this issue Tim Keller...
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“And, indeed, one of the choicest and most eminent parts of practically spiritual...”
– John Owen, The Mortification of Sin (via shurson)
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“Joseph’s story foreshadows the central story of the Gospels. The worst day in...”
– William J. Stuntz, criminal justice professor at Harvard Law School http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/article_print.html?id=84612
Do What You Love: Protestants love Latin-ish →
garrettmathis:
In Protestantism, you only have to know six Latin words to be in the gang. Obviously, there’s “Sola” and then one of the biggies that follows it: “scriptura,” “fide,” “gratia,” “Christus” (technically, “Solus Christus”), or “gloria” (once again, technically, “Soli Deo gloria”). Well, it looks…
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From the Beginning - Appeared - Proclaimed -...
Redemptive History in the Preface to the 1st Epistle of John
1John 1:1-4 (ESV) [1] That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— [2] the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was...
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Redemption: A Definition by Jonathan Edwards
The definition of Redemption has both a micro and a macro definition. Here Jonathan Edwards is particularly helpful in explaining both from his work, A History of the Work of Redemption:
The use of the word redemption.—And here it may be observed, that the work of redemption is sometimes understood in a more limited sense, for the purchase of salvation; for the word strictly signifies, a purchase...
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Ephesians 1:3-14 (One Glorious Sentence)
via Justin Taylor…
It’s well known that Ephesians 1:3-14 is one long sentence in Greek. The following is from the ESV but I’ve made some of the pronouns more explicit to highlight the way in which Paul sees the Christian life—from before the foundation of the world to eternity—as bound up with the idea of union with Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who...
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Stitching People Together (Book Review of The...
The Sacred Meal
The Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and...
February 2011
6 posts
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What is Present when we Kneel to Pray in Jesus'...
Confession. I suck at praying. I forget. I get distracted. I often know not what to say. I want to get better.
This morning I found this on the desiring God website from John Piper and found it encouraging to my soul. I hope it is for you to.
Here’s what is present when we kneel to pray in Jesus’ name:
1. God the Father on his throne sovereign over the universe, with a welcoming, countenance...
In Eager Anticipation: O the Sweet Exhange →
shurson:
In my previous blog I referenced a late 2nd Century writing called The Epistle to Diognetus. I was struck as I read through chapter 9 again and again, the beautiful understanding of Jesus Christ as a substitution for me. Often times I struggle to understand why God would send his Son to die in my…
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“The way that God has prepared for the saving of sinners is a fruit and product...”
– John Owen, GOSPEL GROUNDS AND EVIDENCES of the FAITH OF GOD’S ELECT (via davidlindell)
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“What Jesus calls his hearers to do, most fundamentally, is not a cognitive act...”
– johnhowardYODER, the war of the lamb: the ethics of nonviolence and peacemaking (via jonwasson)
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Restoring Liturgy (Book Review of The Liturgical...
The word liturgy often conjures up thoughts of dried up traditions void of meaning for the 21st century. The Liturgical Year: The Spiraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life by Joan Chittister (Part of the Ancient Practices Series) seeks to debunk this myth that the liturgical year is meaningless ritual and irrelevant practice for the modern Christians. Writing from the perspective of a Roman...
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Preach the Gospel in Word and Deed (Review of...
“Preach the Gospel always. And if necessary use words.” This well known quote is often attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi and yet it does not do justice to this Franciscan monk of the 12th and 13th century. Robert West provides a fantastic introduction to the study of the man, the preacher, and the vagabond St. Francis in the Christian Encounters biography series. West tells the skillfully...
December 2010
1 post
Miscellanies: Doubt... →
austinariail:
You see, doubt doesn’t mean that God is dying for us. Doubt signals that we are beginning to die to ourselves and our ideas about God. Jesus talks about that: taking up your cross daily, losing your life so you can find it (Matt 10:38-39); Paul talks about being crucified with Christ—I no longer…
November 2010
1 post
Do What You Love: Is Jesus a Joke? →
garrettmathis:
Yesterday I had a conversation with a long-time friend about really taking our faith (as in, relationship with Jesus) seriously. We are quickly approaching 30, and when we look back on the past 10 years we wonder, “What on earth have we done with our lives for the Kingdom?” It was extremely…
October 2010
1 post
“The blood of Christ is so precious that it is fully sufficient to pay the debt...”
– Jonathan Edwards (via ryanbowen)
September 2010
1 post
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Why "Substitutionary Atonement" Remains Crucial →
This is a link to a great article on the REsurgence website on why subsitutionary atonement remains a vital part of our historic doctrine. It is well worth reading and digesting.
August 2010
5 posts
4 tags
Stained Glass: Walk The Line →
2005
I was living in Dallas, writing music, and playing the occasional show. I had a good band comprised of greater friends and we were out to make it big. “Walk The Line”, the Johnny Cash bio pic, was released, I watched it in the theatre, and came out entertained. I liked it but had no idea…
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“As Christ is a divine person, he is infinitely holy and just, hating sin, and...”
– Jonathan Edwards, The Excellency of Christ (via austinariail)
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Justification by Theology
by: Dustin Neeley (Acts 29 Pastor)
Our enemy has many weapons in his arsenal.
In ancient times, Satan deceived God’s people to prize their knowledge of the Scriptures more than the One behind them. Today, he lures God’s people to fall more in love with their theological system than their Savior—a particular danger for our tribe.
To be clear, I am for careful study,...
July 2010
4 posts
1 tag
Living By Faith?
You would think by the way people talk about it that “living by faith” would be easy. Well-meaning believers glibly encourage others during times of uncertainty to just have faith. Well to be Captain Obvious, this is not easy.
Recently, my friend felt a sure calling to move his family to from Dallas, Texas to Denver, Colorado. After months of praying and searching he finally found a...
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“Why did the omnipotent and loving One not do something about the tsunami before...”
– Miroslav Volf, Against the Tide (via mrcrowder) (via jonwasson)
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What God Requires, Christ Provides →
“God provided in Christ what God demanded from us in the law. But today this good news that Christ is not only our pardon but also our perfection is under serious attack. Here I hope to show not only that the doctrine of the imputation of Christ’s righteousness is biblical but why we should defend it.” —John Piper
Making All Things New →
This is a great article on the blessed hope of redemption.
June 2010
15 posts
1 tag
Φῶς Ἱλαρόν (Phos Hilaron)
Φῶς ἱλαρὸν ἁγίας δόξης ἀθανάτου Πατρός, οὐρανίου, ἁγίου, μάκαρος, Ἰησοῦ Χριστέ, ἐλθόντες ἐπὶ τὴν ἡλίου δύσιν, ἰδόντες φῶς ἐσπερινόν, ὑμνοῦμεν Πατέρα, Υἱόν, καὶ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα, Θεόν. Ἄξιόν σε ἐν πᾶσι καιροῖς ὑμνεῖσθαι φωναῖς αἰσίαις, Υἱὲ Θεοῦ, ζωὴν ὁ διδούς· διὸ ὁ κόσμος σὲ δοξάζει.
O gracious Light, pure brightness of the everlasting Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and...
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“There is no agreement in the church today about what happens to people when they...”
– n.t. wright
this quote is from his book Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church
you can read a longer excerpt from the book, posted as an article here: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/april/13.36.html
(via davidlindell)
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WatchMumford and Sons performing Roll Away Your Stone.
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Watch
Ladies and Gentlemen, Republicans and Democrats, it’s time to call our leaders to make good on their promises to an energy dependent future. Jon Stewart (no matter how you feel about him) provides an excellent 8 minute video showing how the last 8 presidents have promised to move America to a place where we as a nation are energy-responsible and energy-dependent. The last 8 presidents (5...
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“The gospel is not moral conformity, which is religion, nor is it self-discovery,...”
– Tim Keller