Category Archives: Uncategorized

The End For Which God Created the World, 1

07 Monday Jun 2010

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I began seminary today with summer Greek.  I’m not completely freaked out, but I’m sufficiently motivated.  I’ve been studying flash cards I’ve made with vocabulary and the Greek alphabet, so I figured I’d take a few moments to look at a Jonathan Edwards dissertation concerning The End for which God Created the World. It was recommended to me by a fellow Greek student, so I thought I’d give it a look.  I’m reading out of the 1860 printing of the 1834 edition.  It’s a rewarding experience to read a classic in an older edition, but for the sake of my notes, I’ll be paraphrasing most of what I read. Continue reading →

An Interview on Law & Gospel

31 Monday May 2010

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A great many comments have come about, some through posts and some in person, whenever I speak of the law and gospel being related but separate entities.  I hope, in the coming weeks and months, to address some of this material.

To begin with, however, I would like to direct you to Tullian Tchividjian‘s blog for the transcript of a recent interview with Justin Taylor, of the Between Two Worlds blog.

Click here to read the interview.

Biblical Leadership according to Paul

27 Thursday May 2010

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In Paul’s letter to Titus, Paul lays out some protocol for those in Titus’ pastoral care. In verses 1 & 2 of chapter 3, Paul exhorts Titus to “remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.”  As an evangelical who edges closer to confessional Christianity each passing day, I affirm the authority of Scripture to determine faith and practice.  So let’s look at the context in which this exhortation is given.

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The Gospel Is Not Your Story

23 Sunday May 2010

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Many folks in evangelicalism who routinely ‘share their faith,’ go about telling their story.  They talk about how Jesus has saved them from this or that sinful behavior or thought pattern.  Some folks’ sin of choice involves alcohol, some are sidelined by homosexual behavior, others by drugs, anger, or nicotine.  Whatever they wrestled with before, they have the victory over now…all thanks to Jesus.

Here’s the problem: even if we are to grant that God has wrought such life-change through sanctification, this is still not the Gospel. Such life-change is potentially a fruit of the Gospel, but the Gospel and its fruit must never be confounded.  Someone recently asked me to summarize the Gospel.  Here’s what I answered:

That Christ, acting outside of me, apart from my will, died for me in history and that he rose again, giving me his righteousness which covers me like a robe would. His righteousness is always and always will be alien to (outside of) me.

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The King and the Pirates

11 Tuesday May 2010

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Les Lanphere, of the Killer Robot Ninja Blog, offers this insightful parable to illustrate the sovereignty of God in election:

Ten Pirates invade a King’s ship. They beat and rape the King’s entire family, and begin pillaging all the goods.

The King arrives in his rowboat, and from the water can see what’s going on. He shouts to the pirates, “Stop now, and I will be merciful to you, and forgive you!” (desire for all to repent, and not to die in sins).

The Pirates bring out his family and rape and murder them on the deck, while laughing at the King. As they get drunk on the wine from the ship they do even more perverse things with the bodies all while the King watches in horror, and rage. They yell insults and taunts at the King and light the sails on fire. The ship begins to go up in flames.

Read the rest of the story here.

Corporate Confession of Sin

11 Tuesday May 2010

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Why should we, as the gathered church, confess our sins, out loud, as a group?  Many churches never do this and it seems very strange to even consider doing so.  Some churches do it and congregants never really consider why they confess their sins publicly and privately in the course of a worship service.

The first blurb is from Reformed theologian John Frame…the second thought is from me.

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Left alone

07 Friday May 2010

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Sometimes I feel as if I’ve been left alone.  I know that ultimately, I serve the God who has not left me alone.

And yet, it feels that way.  The last few days have probably been some of the loneliest I’ve had in a while.  I’ve been fairly stressed with trying to get everything in order before I start seminary in the fall.  I’ve been judged unfairly by people from church folks as well as family members.  I miss both of my best friends a lot.  I need a better job that will actually get my bills paid.

I am very tired of sleeping alone.

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Part 2: Insightful words on sexuality

17 Saturday Apr 2010

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Will, at the Sojourns with Jesus blog, continues his reflections on Jennifer Knapp and sexuality in the Church.

Jesus in divine obstructiveness has refused for whatever reason to leave me alone especially in my sexuality. I have loved Jesus since early childhood and believed in Jesus even when I did not believe in God. I walked away from him but he never walked away from me. Jesus invaded my life including my imagination, desires, and struggles at seventeen. My only problem with Jesus has always been that he wants to be in charge of all my life including my sex life. He is thoroughly un-modern in his insistence that he is the Lord of my heart and I am not {suppose to be}.

Continue reading →