“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) Growing Dominion, Part 42 Self-interest is built into us. We do not have to create it, and it is not possible to annihilate it. It is fixed; it is a given. This means that when I have a toothache, I know instinctively that …
Ask, Seek, Knock
God is our Father, and we as believers must learn to approach Him as our Father. This approach is not limited to what we call Him; it necessarily includes our requests. In a very real way, what one feels free to request indicates how much at home that person is. Are you at home in …
A Savior in History
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! Great God , Majestic Father, Creator of all that has life and breath, we use the breath You have bestowed on us in order to return thanks to You. You are the God of great deliverance. You are the Savior God. You …
Not Taking It For Granted
We considered last week the problem posed by repetition, as well as the great blessing that flows from repetition. Some, seeing the very real problem of getting into a liturgical groove, have sought to address the problem by changing the liturgy constantly. But this approach seeks to address a spiritual problem through mere physical means—which …
Me and St. Peter
“There follows from this a vital and liberating point, which I first met in the works of the great Anglican divine Richard Hooker, and for which I shall always be grateful. One is not justified by faith by believing in justification by faith. One is justified by faith by believing in Jesus” (What St. Paul …
All Fatherhood
Our Father in heaven, You are the Father from whom all fatherhood in heaven and on earth derives its name. We worship You now in the name of Jesus Christ, Your eternal Son, and we ask You to receive us for His sake. We look to You, wanting Your Holy Spirit to bind us together …
Short History of Calvinism
The History of the Debate This installment will not be exegetical. The purpose is simply to provide a historical backdrop for understanding how the debate about the biblical exegesis has been conducted, and when. We will limit our discussion to the history of the Christian church, although it is important to recognize that this is …
Knowing the Father
Here is N.T. Wright on the impact of the gospel. “On this basis, Paul argues in Romans 5-8 that all who believe this gospel are the true, sin-forgiven, people of God, who are thus assured of their future salvation, which will consist in their resurrection as one aspect of the renewal of all of God’s …
God Promises Us Our Children
A few days ago, I wrote about how I became a paedobaptist. I attributed that change to a connection that was shown to me between the promises of God for our children and the practice of infant baptism. That connection stirred up a reasonable question out there, which I would like to try to answer …
Different Kinds of Snakes
The fundamental problem with boasting is only connected to the direct object in one sense. The one who boasts must boast in the Lord. A man who boasts in the Lord is guiltless because the object is right (2 Cor. 10:17). But if someone boasts in anything on this side of the Creator/creature divide, the …