19 Friday Oct 2012
Posted in Christianity, Personal, Theology
Tags
baptism, Gospel, John Chrysostom, John Murray, Paul, prayer, repentance, Romans, temptation
There is a total difference between surviving sin and reigning sin, the regenerate in conflict with sin and the unregenerate complacent with sin. It is one thing for sin to live in us; it is another for us to live in sin.
–John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied (Eerdmans 1955), 145
I am baptized into Christ’s death, John Chrysostom tells me, by virtue of dying as Christ did.
11 Friday May 2012
Posted in Book Discussion, Christianity, Theology
Tags
culture, deception, false teaching, leadership, Paul, psalms, repentance, Romans, sin, teaching, temptation, Thomas Brooks
To get this book from Amazon, click on the book cover.
Thomas Brooks’ book Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices talks about various ways the Christian is dissuaded from the life Christ wants him or her to live. One such idea is to present God as made up entirely of mercy, to the exclusion of other things which can be said about him.
One way the Christian can fight the urge of our time to view God this way is to consider that the people of God who have gone before didn’t consider God’s mercy as an excuse to sin. The psalmist wrote,
3 For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in your faithfulness.4 I do not sit with men of falsehood,
nor do I consort with hypocrites.
5 I hate the assembly of evildoers,
and I will not sit with the wicked.–Psalm 26:3-5, ESV
26 Thursday May 2011
Tags
1 John, assurance of pardon, confession, homosexuality, loneliness, Paul, prayer, relationships, repentance, Scripture, theology
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
–1 John 2:15-17, ESV
And yet again, I’m struck by the way the Scriptures read me. They say things about me that I would never want anyone to know.
The desires of the flesh, desires of the eyes, and pride in possessions–these are my sins. Obviously, they aren’t my only sins. Still, they represent a large quantity of the presence of sin in my life. And with one mind, double-mindedly, I want those things and I want them removed. I find myself in the classical Pauline Dilema, a la Romans 7 all over again. That which I do not want to do, I do. That which I want to do, I do not.
I see things…and I want them. I see a nice set of furniture…an expensive turntable…a nicer car. By grace I’m learning to want Christ more.
I desire physical touch (even inappropriate touch) and sometimes it’s an idolatrous desire. Physical touch isn’t bad, nor do I think I have to somehow deprive myself of it for aesthetic reasons. Simply put, I crave it more than I want God’s design for me, which is chastity (since I’m single).
03 Tuesday Aug 2010
Posted in Book Discussion, Scripture, Theology
Part 7 of a series discussing C. F. W. Walther’s important treatise Law and Gospel: How to Read and Apply the Bible.
The effects of the Gospel are entirely different in nature when compared to the Law. The Law, as we’ve discussed, breathes threats and does not give us any means by which to fulfill those demands.
Could the people at your church wear this shirt and not be sued for false advertising?
The Gospel, as some of you will rightly point out, does demand faith. “Repent and believe the good news!” is indeed the way the Gospel is to be preached, for it is the very message the Lord Himself gave us to dispense.
The second component of this point, however, may have escaped the notice of some, so I’ll flesh it out here: The Gospel gives the very faith it demands. When we preach “Believe in Christ!”, God gives them faith through our preaching. It’s not, of course, the physical sound of the spoken word which saves…it’s the content of the preaching.
The Gospel doesn’t condemn or rebuke those who hear it. Rather, it takes all the terror, fear and anguish away from them, filling them with peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Think about the prodigal father: he lavishes his riches on his wayward son. In this same way, Christ has welcomed us, his wayward and hateful children, into His home where he eats with us and us with Him.
Furthermore, the Gospel never requires anything good from the person: not a good heart, not an improvement in behavior, not piety…not even love.
31 Saturday Jul 2010
Posted in Theology
Dr. Rod Rosenbladt recorded a lecture of this same title that I think many of my readers will find helpful. Please pass it along.
Original source @ New Reformation Press.
Listen to The Gospel for Those Broken By the Church.
27 Tuesday Jul 2010
Posted in Book Discussion, Theology
Part 6 of a series discussing C. F. W. Walther’s important treatise Law and Gospel: How to Read and Apply the Bible.
The Law tells us what to do. It doesn’t give us the strength to carry out its demands; instead, it urges us on in an unwillingness to keep the Law. When the Law has forced its way into the heart, the heart rebels against it (against God himself) and becomes furious at the idea that God would demand such impossible things from him/her. This even leads to them cursing God and wishing Him dead. “The effect of preaching the Law, then, is to increase people’s lust for sinning,” says Walther.
Second, the Law offers the person no means to free himself from sin and throws him into despair.
Third, if the only teaching applied to people is the Law, then they despair, die and perish in their sin. More on this in a future post…
Come on, Dave you may say. Where is THIS taught in Scripture?
22 Thursday Jul 2010
Posted in Theology
Tags
Calvinism, Gospel, Law, Michael Horton, Paul, Reformation Theology, Reformed Theology, Rod Rosenbladt, Scripture, theology
One of the instrumental programs which has helped me to understand the distinction of Law & Gospel is The White Horse Inn, hosted by Reformed theologian Michael Horton. This episode is a live panel discussion, recorded in Los Angeles. I hope you enjoy it.
Podcast Description: What does it mean to “rightly divide the word of truth”? (2 Timothy 2:15) On this program, the White Horse Inn hosts will be taking a look a one of the most crucial and fundamental distinctions in all of Scripture, namely the contrast between justice and mercy, precept and promise; law and gospel. (Originally broadcast on May 22nd, 2005)
14 Wednesday Jul 2010
Posted in Book Discussion, Theology
Tags
1 Timothy, books, C. F. W. Walther, false teaching, Gospel, Law, Luke, Matthew, Paul, Scripture, theology
Part 5 of a series discussing C. F. W. Walther’s important treatise Law and Gospel: How to Read and Apply the Bible.
There is a marked difference between the Law and the Gospel in the aspect of threats: namely, that the Law is nothing but threats and that the Gospel contains no threats of any kind. The Gospel contains only words of consolation: “Your sins are forgiven,” “Christ came to save sinners of whom I am the foremost,” and so on. Should you come across a passage with a threat in Scripture, you can be sure it’s Law. Continue reading
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