“It is important to remember that bold preaching will surely bring opposition from some. You must be prepared for opposition, even persecution. It is part of the cost that must be counted as you seek to become a better preacher . . . You must be prepared to face the criticisms which bold, confrontational preaching …
Romantic Claptrap
“In modern society the main cause of drug addiction, apart from the fact that many people have nothing to live for, is a literary tradition of romantic claptrap, started by Coleridge and DiQuincey, and continued without serious interruption ever since” (Dalrymple, Romancing Opiates, p. 61).
Common Faith
Book 3/Chapter 2 Not all faith the same (section 9) 1. How does Calvin answer the proof from 1 Corinthians 13 that argues that if faith is described as being without love, there must something like unformed faith? 2. What mistake is made by Calvin’s adversaries here? The faith of Simon Magus (section 10) 1. …
A Rocking Chair in Heaven
Once there was a man who had spent many, many years in back breaking work. What he didn’t know about the uses of a shovel wasn’t worth knowing. One day at the tail end of a hot day and a very long ditch, he paused for a moment to talk with a young man in …
The Obedience of Faith
Book 3/Chapter 2 Prefaith (section 5) 1. Is there something else that we may call implicit faith? 2. Are there believers who are not yet believers in an exact sense? True knowledge of Christ (section 6) 1. How must we receive Christ? 2. How does Paul define faith? How faith arises (section 7) 1. Does …
The Devil is a Musician
This is a solemn and joyful occasion, and so our music should match that kind of occasion. This means that we need musicians to teach and lead us. At the same time, in the ordinary course of things, we the people of the congregation, not musical experts, are to be the ones offering the sacrifice …
He Prepares a Table
Our practice of taking a day to honor our mothers is certainly a practice in accord with Scripture. It is not a holy day, marking an important event in the life of Christ, but it is a fine cultural practice. But what could it have to do with the Lord’s Supper? Everything in the world …
Honor Her
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 live in a generation that rejects Your laws, and …
Learning the Tune
Mark Twain’s wife was a long-suffering woman, and one day she walked up to him and calmly repeated back to him every foul word she had ever heard him use, and he had probably used them all. When she was quite done, he looked at her and said, “My dear, you know the words, but …
Implicit Faith
Book 3/Chapter 2 Faith in Christ (section 1) 1. Is it hard for us to keep the law? 2. What inadequate notion of faith does Calvin address first? 3. What two things must we know? 4. How does Christ the God/man help us in this? Knowledge and faith (section 2) 1. What fiction does Calvin …