An interesting thread broke out after a recent post I made about N.T. Wright and the need to bring genuine discipline to academic debate. The thread (to use shorthand) revolved around private judgment, the priesthood of believers, sola Scriptura, and the ministerium of the Church. How’s that for a summary? I thought I would add …
Valuable Beyond Rubies
The sanctification of the checkbook is extraordinarily difficult for many. We like to tell ourselves that obedience to God’s way is “impractical,“ as though we knew more about it than He does. Always, always, always we must turn to the Word. And on this subject, we have a treasury of doctrine. First, wealth is a …
I Know How You Feel
A certain black man was visiting a strange city on business, and he had to be gone over the weekend. He was a believer and hated to miss worship at home, and his business was all at the convention center where he was staying, and he did not have a rental car. So he thought …
Your Law Is Honey
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! My mediation is Your law! I love to contemplate All day the law You gave to us. Through Your commands You made me wise, More than my enemies can know. More than my teachers I have learned, Your laws instruct my heart. …
Sons of Belial
The law of God beats us up, but it does this for our edification, not our condemnation. Whenever we hear of His wisdom, His holiness, His righteousness, with humble hearts, it convicts us, but it also encourages us. But if we are exasperated by it, or condemned, or frustrated, or if we chafe under the …
All Good Gifts
Father and God, we thank You now for the arrival of yet another Lord’s Day. We thank You for the company of friends, for wine, for food, for the children. We are grateful to You for all good gifts, which You shower upon Your people faithfully. We look forward to our worship of You tomorrow, …
Let the Gentleman Do His Thing
I had made a mental note to post something about N.T. Wright’s comments on the Christian faith of Marcus Borg. Life has been busy, and this might be yesterday’s newspaper by now, but I would like to add my two cents. Those who missed the flap can catch up on it by looking at some …
Ezra Nehemiah 19
Introduction: Repentance is hard work. Although a change of heart and mind is right at the center of it, there are other aspects of repentance—study of the law of God being one of them. It is not enough to say that you would do what God wants “if you only knew.” Perhaps, if He has …
The Fool Is a Thoroughbred
A people are known by their proverbs — what they value and what they do not, where they profess to find wisdom and where they do not. Our modern culture hates objectivity — countless propaganda pieces tell us that we must find the truth within ourselves, we must be true to ourselves, we must always …
The Liberty of God
There is certainly no biblical problem with preaching the doctrine of God’s sovereignty. At the same time, there are other situations where it is wise to present the facts of the case as dispassionately as we are able to. God’s saints must see this issue as it really is — the clear, objective teaching of …