When we live in tight community the way we do, it is not possible for this to happen without some of us becoming indebted to others of us. Scripture says we are to owe no one anything except the debt of love, and this either means no debt or no debt but what is fully …
The Mountain Behind
As Christians who live in history, as believers who occupy time, we want to make sure we understand the tenses of the verbs that describe our salvation. Before the foundation of the world, He has chosen us. That is in the past. His past choice concerns our future—that we should be holy and blameless. Because …
See What Happens
We gather here as a result of the gospel, and we gather as a means of proclaiming the gospel. The ordained evangelist proclaims the gospel to those outside, and the informal evangelist shares the faith with others as it comes up. But all of us together are evangelical Christians, and we are all to be …
Theonomy Is a Many-Splendored Thing
I may say this without fear of contradiction because a poet, one of our own, has taught us that love is a many-splendored thing, and no less than the apostle Paul himself has taught us that love is the fulfillment of the law. “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one …
The Suburbs of Sin
As we come, week after week, to confess our sins, we need to learn to make certain fine distinctions. In one direction is the peril of a false scrupulousness, and in the other we see the error of rejecting that, and settling in complacently to substandard Christian living. We don’t want hyper-scrupulousness of conscience, but …
Gently Bobbing
Not a person in this room has to struggle with the temptations that other people have. And every person in this room does in fact have to struggle against the temptations that present themselves, daily, to you. Now as we all seek to establish our walk with Christ, one of the perennial temptations will be …
A Brief Theology of Two Services
As you no doubt know, you are worshiping God this morning in one of two services. Thinking about this, and as you discussed with your families which one you would attend, it would be easy to reduce the whole question to a matter of logistics. We don’t really have room to fit everyone conveniently into …
Senator Edward Kennedy
As you all know, this last week, Senator Edward Kennedy passed from this life. This drew national attention, and in the media virtually everyone—right, left and middle—paid their respects. Some considered him as the exemplar of what is needed, while others praised him personally while reserving to themselves the right to differ with him “on …
Become Less to Matter More
For reasons I don’t need to go into here, I have been mulling this last week on godly ambition, and the desire to make a difference in the world. For, of course, there is a dangerous counterfeit here. Wanting to change the world is one of the most predictable and worldly things we can do. …
No False Pride
We are in the presence of God to worship Him. We are gathering in the name of Jesus, and we are doing so as His people. We belong to Him, and, because of this, we belong to one another. Although we are ascending into the heavenly places in our worship, by the power of the …