What is superstition? In our secular age, it is common to define it as the religious practices of someone else, practices that you don’t believe in. But this is too easy. Superstition should be best understood as any devoted spiritual practice that is mindlessly conducted and pursued, and yet tenaciously practiced. False faith would be …
No Salvation Without a Savior
Our Father and God, You have established Your Church as a royal priesthood in this world, and so we intercede for the nations of men now, confessing on their behalf so that the grace of Your forgiveness will soon be extended to them all. Father, we have indeed sinned with our fathers, and we have …
Daniel and Brooke
The text from Hosea that was read for us is a rich text (Hos. 2:14-23), one that calls for more extensive treatment than can be offered in the brief words of exhortation in a wedding ceremony. But we have it on the authority of the apostle Paul that the prophet here was speaking of Christ …
Advocate and Mediator
Book 3/Chapter 20 Constant forgiveness (section 16) 1. How can our prayers obtain an answer? 2. Does Calvin give any examples of intemperate prayers that are answered? 3. Should the defects in these prayers be repudiated? 4. Is it legitimate to raise hands in prayer? Two offices (section 17) 1. What two offices of Christ …
The Bubble Wrap of Our Grumbles
All right, so let us continue our discussion of Christians on the dole. And let us realize two things about it. First, given the fact that in the Western world, the dole has metasticized, it is complicated. And second, a large measure of these complications have arisen from the rationalizations that we have allowed ourselves …
Defective Prayers
Book 3/Chapter 20 Confident prayer (section 14) 1. What demeanor should we have in prayer instead of terror? 2. Is this consistent with confidence? 3. Upon what does this confidence rest? Defective prayers (section 15) 1. Why does God answer prayers from unbelievers that are clearly defective? 2. What are the prayers of the saints …
Coming Glory/Romans XXVIII
INTRODUCTION: We should always desire to act biblically, and not to react to the mistakes or abuses of others. Many of us came into the Reformed faith because we were trying to get away from all the relational goo. Well and good. But take care not to react mindlessly. There is no relational goo in …
Your Life as a Vowel
Michael Hyatt of Thomas Nelson interviewed Nate in Nashville a week or so ago, and blogged about it here. And below is a short interview with Nate that he conducted.
The Sticky Mass of Federal Helps
Here are a few random thoughts to follow up on yesterday’s post about Christians entangled in the sticky mass that we are pleased to call federal helps, aids, loans, seductions, boondoggles, and entitlements. As I said yesterday, there are qualifications that can and should be made on this — it is a complicated subject — …
The Fourth Rule of Prayer
Book 3/Chapter 20 Fourth rule (section 11) 1. What is the fourth rule for prayer? 2. What does lack of trust in prayer do? 3. What is our guide in prayer? An illustration (section 12) 1. What comparison does Calvin use for us unburdening ourselves in prayer? A basic motive (section 13) 1. What should …