Because of how God made the world, with the marriage of His Son to the Church central to the story He was going to tell, and His determination to picture this in every human marriage, the fact is settled that courtships are therefore interesting. But we are sometimes too interested, or, in another way of …
Building Bridges, Not Walls
I saw a piece by John Piper that Justin Taylor linked to, which I actually thought made quite a few good points. And I even believe he made a number of similar points to what I had argued here. But then I saw Mark Horne’s response to Piper, and Mark didn’t seem that keen on …
Full Plates and Full Hearts
We now come to the portion of Deuteronomy where we find exposition of the second commandment, which is of course the prohibition of graven images. But as we shall see, more is involved in this commandment than a simple prohibition of what we might call gross idolatry. “These are the statutes and judgments, which ye …
Near the Back
We are creatures and so we are necessarily affected by our surroundings. But we are responsible creatures, and this means that if our surroundings are distracting us from our duties, then we must fight those surroundings and overcome them. This room where we are meeting is not conducive to worship in various respects, but one …
A “Yelling At My Windshield” Reprise
Some time ago I listened through a set of conference tapes put out by Westminster West, and blogged on that experience, calling the series something like “Yelling At My Windshield.” That series of posts is in the archives here, located somewhere under Auburn Avenue Stuff. I mention it now because this particular part of my …
Westminster XXVIII: Of Baptism
1. Baptism is a sacrament of the new testament, ordained by Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:19), not only for the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible Church (1 Cor. 12:13); but also to be unto him a sign and seal of the covenant of grace (Rom. 4:11; Col. 2:11–12), of his ingrafting into …
A Heart That Turns to the Right
To repeat the same things over again is a protection. Those who struggle against sin must be reminded again and again. If we start to chafe at the warnings, it simply shows how much we need them. “Therefore thou shalt love the Lord they God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, …
The Mere Fact of Worship
The efficacy of worship goes far beyond the intentions of the worshippers. It is fitting and proper that all worshippers of the triune God fix this in their minds. We are worshipping God in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. We are doing so in faith, and are offering up a right worship of …
Church of England in Exile
I want to begin by praising N.T. Wright, but I want to do so in order to critique the Church of England, along with Dr. Wright’s apparent approach to her. In Jesus and the Victory of God, Wright has a wonderful section where he shows that forgiveness of sins needs to be understood in a …
Be Careful
One time there was a man who did not like the legalistic and fussy way many Christians approached their lives. They always had scruples about everything. There was always a problem with something. And although he had a point, I am afraid he over-reacted, and he began to do things just to get a reaction …