God did not spare the angels who sinned (hamartano), and so He cast them into Tartarus, which was the lowest pit of Hades (2 Pet. 2:4). False teachers are like the false angels, not staying within appropriate boundaries. They have eyes full of adultery, and they cannot quit sinning (hamartia) — they are cursed children …
Taking Issue With the Careless
“Spare neither labour in the study, prayer in the closet, nor zeal in the pulpit. If men do not judge their souls to be worth a thought, compel them to see that their minister is of a very different opinion” (Charles Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, p. 345).
Why Dead Fish Always Swim Downstream
“The historicist mentality finds it difficult to consider the possibility that a dominant trend may be evil, and thus stands ready to embrace anything that will confer contemporaneity on itself” (Herbert Schlossberg, Idols for Destruction, p. 237).
Obedience a Two-Way Street
“It is easy to have strong views on the subject of authority, but these usually come up when we are considering how someone else ought to be obeying us. When we turn to consider those that we should be obeying, our ardor sometimes dims” (For Kirk and Covenant, p. 129).
Spit Spot
As many of you probably know, in the most recent issue of First Things, N.T. Wright wrote a pretty styptic response to Richard John Neuhaus’ review of his book Surprised By Hope. And then Neuhaus responded to that, more or less along the same lines. There are a number of things in that exchange that …
The Altar at the Center/Amos 3
INTRODUCTION: The two great sins that Amos condemns throughout the course of this book are abuse of authority and power, and the corruption of true worship. As a native of Judea bringing an indictment against the Northern Kingdom of Israel, Amos goes out of his way to show that he is not engaging in any …
If My Luck Holds . . .
Rodney Clapp’s next chapter is on the tension between holiness and hedonism. Music with Southern roots exalts and celebrates two times in the week that are worlds apart and are very close to each other — Saturday night and Sunday morning. A recent example of this is the song Boondocks by Little Big Town — …
High Praise from Publishers Who Passed
I recently announced that Evangellyfish was coming soon. Also coming soon will be an explanation of exactly how and in what form it will be coming soon. In short, prior to publication (which will be soon) there will be more teasers, explanations, and glimpses of the characters. Do books have trailers? If so, there will …
The Great Exchange
In 1 Peter, the verb hamartano is used once, and is rendered as “for your faults” (2:20). If we are chastized for our own faults, and not for the sake of Christ, then what spiritual benefit is found in that? In his use of the word for sin, Peter has a strong emphasis on the …
Lowly, Not Servile
“Manly persons are disgusted, and suspect hypocrisy when they hear a preacher talking molasses. Let us be bold and outspoken, and never address our hearers as if we were asking a favour of them, or as if they would oblige the Redeemer by allowing Him to save them. We are bound to be lowly, but …