“Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than he who is perverse in speech and is a fool.” (Prov. 19:1; NASB) A number of years ago, Ted Engstrom told this story in his book Integrity: For Coach Cleveland Stroud and the Bulldogs of Rockdale County High School [Conyers, Georgia], it was their […]
Read More IntegrityOne of the best tools for studying Scripture is a good concordance. Seeing how an author discusses a topic throughout a book or in his other books, or discovering how other authors discuss the same topic will help one develop a full theology on a given topic. One book where it is particularly useful to […]
Read More A short concordance for ProverbsIs it possible for God to hate? Does God hate? Yes, it is possible for God to hate and yes, He does hate. He hates anything that is contrary to righteousness. His hatred is a means of defending His truth, integrity and good. He is against anything that violates His standard of what is right. […]
Read More What the Lord hatesThe security of the believer is the objective reality of what God has done to save believers and keep them saved. It is different from the believer’s assurance, which is his subjective experience of his salvation. A believer’s security is unchanging. Despite what he feels about his salvation, once his name has been penned in […]
Read More Sunday Leftovers: the believer’s securityHuston Smith, senior professor of religion at Syracuse University, recounted his interaction with a famous author and professor: While I was teaching at MIT, Aldous Huxley joined us for a semester as distinguished visiting professor in the humanities. Needless to say, he was in demand all over New England, and my regard for him was […]
Read More What is wisdom?A couple of years ago I sat in a courtroom as a member of a jury serving a criminal case. On that day there were two lawyers in that courtroom serving as advocates — one as a defender of the man accused of a crime, and the other serving as both defender of the victim […]
Read More Christ, our AdvocateJohn R. W. Stott recounts the letter written by Robert Murray M’Cheyne to the Rev. Dan Edwards on October 2, 1840 after Edwards’ ordination as a missionary: I trust you will have a pleasant and profitable time in Germany. I know you will apply hard to German; but do not forget the culture of the […]
Read More How’s your heart?Say the word “fool” and the image of one who is easily duped comes to mind: Larry, Mo and Curly, Barney Fife, Laurel and Hardy. Yet they, and the characters they portrayed were not so much fools as simpletons who were essentially harmless, innocent, and amusing. Not so with the fool. Scripture is clear that […]
Read More Identifying the foolJohn writes that Jesus Christ Himself is the propitiation for the sins of the believer (1 John 2:2a). There has been much debate about the meaning of the word propitiation. Some have suggested that it is synonymous with expiation, meaning that through Christ God has canceled the debt of sin. Others have said it is […]
Read More Propitiation and God’s wrathIn 1 John 2:1, the apostle declares, “I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.” He is telling his readers — believers in a group of churches in Asia Minor who had been taught by a group of heretics that sin was irrelevant and that one could be in good […]
Read More Sunday Leftovers: Fighting against sinYou wake up in the morning, get your favorite cup of caffeine or a glass of orange juice, wander slowly to a comfortable chair, and pick up your Bible. You sit still for a few moments, trying to orchestrate a coherent thought or two about what you are about to do. You then offer a […]
Read More How do you respond to Scripture?The believer is to forgive anyone who comes to him for forgiveness — and whenever he comes to him for forgiveness (Lk. 17:3). Yet it is always easier to forgive someone who is repentant and broken for their sin. But what does repentance look like? The apostle Paul commends the Corinthians for their repentance and […]
Read More Sunday Leftovers: marks of repentanceIn 1 John 1:9, the beloved disciple reminds believers that “If (when) we confess our sins, God is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Most believers are quite familiar with this verse, but what does it really mean to confess our sins? What is confession? What should […]
Read More Sunday Leftovers: more on confession and 1 John 1:9This afternoon I’ve been thinking about tomorrow’s sermon on 1 John 1:9. This may be one of the most well-known verses in Scripture, behind perhaps John 3:16, Psalm 23, and Genesis 1:1. It’s easy to miss the importance of a passage because of our familiarity. How can we prepare to hear this familiar word in […]
Read More Preparing for a sermon on 1 John 1:9For the past two days, I have been meditating on the first part of Ps. 40:5 — Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done, And Your thoughts toward us… The words are penned by David and I have pondered what kinds of things he might have contemplated as he considered […]
Read More What God has done
