Do not make the mistake of trying to figure sin out. In one sense, we can describe the pattern of sin and temptation, but we cannot ever make sense of sin. If sin made sense, it wouldn’t be sin. This means that every sin, no matter how small, is insanity in principle. Every pattern of …
You Betcher
In the second part of chapter five, Waters goes on to misrepresent me on some other issues, particularly on the subject of the perseverance and apostasy. While Wilson admits the existence and presence of hypocrites within the covenant community and stresses the necessity of the inward operations of the Holy Spirit for an individual’s salvation, …
Love in Trifles
You come here to display Your love for God, and this is good. But this cannot be done apart from your love for your neighbor, whom you have seen. The two great commandments are always together in Scripture, like husband and wife. A husband is not a wife, but without a wife, he is no …
Keep Us From Our Own Devices
Our Lord and God, we come to You now in the great and powerful name of Jesus. We praise Your holy name through Him, and we ask You to accept our thanksgiving on the same basis. We know that we are anemic in our ability to celebrate and rejoice, and so we ask You to …
Federal Vision Assurance
The first half of chapter five in Waters’ book addresses the question of assurance of salvation. After recognizing that I had dedicated a full chapter to this subject, and granting that I emphasized a number of subjective aspects to assurance, Waters goes on to doubt the whole deal. Because I concluded that chapter with a …
A Worldview Wheel IV
Introduction: We come now to a third “spoke” on our worldview wheel, which this week will be considered under the heading of ritual, liturgy and symbol. We have considered the value of propositional truth. We have considered the importance of practical lifestyle. Now we are going to reflect on the importance of the unspoken but …
Three Extra Eggs in the Pudding
After nine days on the road, occupied with this and that, I have just now had opportunity on the plane back to Idaho to comment on Guy Waters’ next chapter, the chapter on “covenant and election.” In order to work through this, we should begin by taking note of what it really means to read …
Mosquitos in the Swamp of Self
The overflow of your salvation is to be love – love for God and love for your neighbor. This love comes along with a host of all the graces – humility, patience, gentleness, kindness, and every other good and pleasant thing that ties brothers together. You have one obligation to God, and that is to …
Their Stage-Prop God
You are being summoned to worship the triune Majesty of God – Father, Son and Holy Ghost. As you come, it is most necessary that you keep yourselves from the corruptions of idols. In these troubled times, it is crucial for every Christian to recognize that the Holy Trinity is not the god mentioned on …
Eating and Drinking the Wisdom of Christ
When you come to worship the Lord, you do so in order to magnify His name, His Word, and His way. Spiritual confusion enters when we try to listen to more than one spiritual authority. We are Christians, and this means that God alone has ultimate authority over us, and that God alone has an …