If a misguided father, in the interests of preventing pride from taking root in his children, offered criticism after criticism, the results would not be what he anticipated. Instead of rearing humble children, he would bring up neurotic and jumpy children. “What is it now?” would be their constant internal question. But another father who …
Running from Words
Our Father and God, You have established Your Church as a royal priesthood in this world, and so we intercede for the nations of men now, confessing on their behalf so that the grace of Your forgiveness will soon be extended to them all. Father, we confess that as a people we have not wanted …
Lungs Full of Mountain Air
Living in community means that the very nature of the case requires that we submit to demands from outside our selves. These demands encompass every aspect of our lives, and this means that our use of money is included. No man is an island, as Donne put it, and so we don’t have the right …
Faith in Adversity
Book 3/Chapter 7 True sincerity (section 7) 1. For Calvin, are loving actions sufficient? 2. How can liberal actions be made reprehensible? 3. When we give to the downtrodden, what must we experience? Devotion to his will (section 8) 1. When we learn self-denial, what two things form in us? 2. Our fear of what …
The Lord’s Placeholder
Book 3/Chapter 7 Right toward others (section 4) 1. What relation does self-denial have to our fellow men and to God? 2. What happens when we rush into self-love? 3. What does each person find within his breast through self-flattery? Helpfulness (section 5) 1. What will keep you from accomplishing anything in this life? 2. …
Them Jews
Yesterday, a white guy with issues that go all the way down walked into the Holocaust museum in Washington and opened fire, killing a security guard. A notebook was found in his nearby car, claiming that Obama was being controlled by “his Jew owners.” Various natterers in the media were quick to blame the tragedy …
Confusions About Economic Freedom
I have written many times that free markets depend on free men, and free men are not to be had apart from the gospel. Another way of putting this is that men who are slaves to sin will not be able to create or sustain any kind of significant liberty anywhere else. Freedom from sin …
Setting Self Aside
Book 3/Chapter 7 Owned by another (section 1) 1. What is the central principle to remember in Christian living? 2. What must reason give way to with regard to submission? True devotion (section 2) 1. What does godly self-denial lead to? 2. What happens when virtue is pursued for its own sake? Self-denial (section 3) …
In Which Wilson Takes a Passing Dog By the Ears
Ugly Babies/Romans XXII
INTRODUCTION: We come now to Paul’s treatment of the great theme of true liberty and freedom. What is the nature of freedom? We need to be especially careful with this because as Americans we are trained to believe that we understand liberty in some special way, while it appears that we have really lost an …