Letter to the Editor: Saying, "I believe in democracy" or "I believe in a multi-ethnic state", etc. is the equivalent of saying, "I believe in love." However, "love" is a noun of indistinct ...
Novembletters
I Usually Don’t Come Close
“The current plan is to review [By Faith Alone, Johnson/Waters] thoroughly in this space. By ‘review it’ I mean that I intend to take it apart brick by brick, and if the past is any indicator of the future, I intend to snap any flawed brick in two, and throw at least one half of that brick at the moon.”
The Joy Juice of Democracy
Introduction: When the apostle John told Christians to keep themselves from idols (1 John 5:21), he said this because there was actually a possibility that they might not do so. There have been times ...
Book of the Month/November 2023
One of the things I would recommend you do with your family is to find a really good book of Advent readings. And on the assumption that you have worn this one out, and are looking for an understandable change of pace, I heartily recommend Winter Fire. This book is a collection of trenchant observations …
How to Be a Christian Kid (3)
Sermon Video Introduction: One of the best ways for a Christian child to honor his father and mother is to surpass them. If a child outgrows his parents in love for Christ, in knowledge of the ...
Christ and Moses
“A man under conviction of sin can be just as worked over by the Sermon on the Mount as by the Ten Commandments. That doesn’t make it appropriate to state as a hermeneutical principle that Christ now has to be Moses. This is why I prefer to speak of use, rather than hermeneutic.”
The Bubble Bath of Orthodoxy
We “also speak in numerous places, of a decretal election, settled and sealed before all worlds, in which the elect of God are named and numbered, and with a number that cannot be increased or diminished. But there no sense bring that up here—it would only serve to confuse people who have settled into the warm bubble bath of orthodoxy and wish to have no pounding on the bathroom door.”
Be a Little Considerate
Where the Law/Gospel Divide Actually Is
“I prefer to speak of a law/gospel use, rather than hermeneutic. Just as the law is one, but there are three uses of the law, so with this. Instead of assuming that the Scriptures come in two categories, I prefer to speak of the human race coming in two categories—the regenerate and unregenerate. For the regenerate, the entire Bible is gospel, good news. The gospel is obviously gospel, and the law falls under the third use of the law. The regenerate believer looks to Scripture and finds Christ everywhere. Christ in the manna, Christ in the water, Christ in the sacrifices, Christ in the law. He finds Christ in the promises and Christ in the law. To the unregenerate, the law is simply condemnation. For the elect who are unregenerate, this condemnation drives them to Christ and therefore functions asa servant to the gospel. For the unregenerate who are not elect, this condemnation drives them away. All this is simply standard for Reformed believers. But we have to note that for the unregenerate who are not elect, the gospel does exactly the same thing that the law does—it is the aroma of death (2 Cor. 2:14-16).”
Content Cluster Muster [11-02-23]
I Call That a Ninth Commandment Violation: Open Road: More here Some friends are planting a church in the Tri-Cities area of Washington state. Here is more info, in case you are in that area. Here is their Facebook page. Interested folks can contact Leon LeFerriere (2llaferriere@gmail.com) or Eric Robinson (r.eric.robinson@icloud.com). A Song I Really …