Sunday Leftovers (2/15/09)

When God waits for a thousand years to accomplish a purpose of His own, He does not wait a long time. He waits only for “one day.” That is, His purposes are not compromised by a delay of a thousand years, nor are they enhanced by the delay. In fact, what are a thousand years […]

Today’s Quote (11/3/08)

George Whitfield: Was there any fitness foreseen in us, except a fitness for damnation? I believe not. No, God chose us from eternity, he called us in time, and I am persuaded will keep us from falling finally, till time shall be no more. Consider the gospel in this view and it appears a consistent […]

Today’s Quote (11/2/08)

John Piper, Pleasures of God: God elects, predestines, and secures for one great ultimate purpose — that the glory of his grace might be praised forever and ever with white-hot affection. This is why God delights in election. It is the great first work of free grace that takes away the final refuge of human […]

Today’s Quote (11/1/08)

Thomas Watson: Let us then ascribe the whole work of grace to the pleasure of God’s Will. God did not choose us because we were worthy, but by choosing us, He makes us worthy.

Today’s Quote (10/5/08)

John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied: Truly God is love. Love is not something adventitious; it is not something that God may choose to be or choose not to be. He is love, and that necessarily, inherently, and eternally. As God is spirit, as he is light, so he is love. Yet it belongs to […]

Today’s Quote (9/29/08)

Stephen Nichols, The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World: Though I lived as a monk without reproach, I felt that I was a sinner before God with an extremely disturbed conscience. I could not believe that he was placated by my satisfaction. I did not love, yes I hated the righteous […]

Today’s Quote (9/18/08)

Thabiti Anyabwile, What is a Healthy Church Member?: With a group of mature Christian church members and friends, use the following questions [for self-examination of your conversion] to consider and cite evidence of God’s grace among you and, if necessary, identify areas where grace is needed. Do we walk in the light or in the […]

Today’s Quote (9/17/08)

Thabiti Anyabwile, What is a Healthy Church Member?: Conversion is the radical turn from an enslaved life of pursuing sin to a free life of pursuing and worshipping God. Conversion is a change of life, not merely a decision. This change is not a matter of moral rectitude, self help, or mere behavior modification. It […]

A few more thoughts about sin and salvation

A few years ago I came across the first addendum of sins that the Roman Catholic church added to its official list of sins compiled at the Council of Trent in 1545. Some of the new offenses? Failing to vote. Drunken driving. Forging checks. Charging unjust rents. Paying unfair salaries. Wasting resources (like pampering pets). […]

Sunday Leftovers (4/20/08)

Since Sunday morning, I’ve been thinking more about my message and the implications of sin and salvation on our spiritual life. I’ve even listened to the sermon again myself. Did I say what I wanted to say, the way I wanted to say it? I was intentional in attempting to front-load the sermon with a […]

Atonement sermons

Stimulated by the book Pierced for Our Transgressions, Mark Dever and Michael Lawrence (pastors at Capitol Hill Baptist Church) began a series at Christmas that will culminate at Easter on the penal substitutionary work of Christ. I’ve only listened to the first two messages, but it appears that it will be a very helpful and […]

Book Review: Pierced for Our Transgressions

Earlier this week, Keith asked me, “what’s the best book you’ve read on your sabbatical, so far?” I offered several different titles that I enjoyed, but none stood out as “the best.” Now I have a title for him. Not only is Pierced for Our Transgressions the best book I’ve read on sabbatical, but it’s […]

Reflection on God’s work in salvation

The past couple of days I’ve been doing a fair bit of reading in the recently published book, Pierced for Our Transgressions. It is an important book because of it is a clear and definitive defense of the penal substitutionary work of Christ on the cross. I’ll have more comments when I finish the book […]

Sunday Leftovers (1/21/07 )

One of the great (and often over-looked) truths about salvation is that God draws (compels) men to believe. This action originates with the Father’s eternal plan (Jn. 6:44; Eph. 1:3-6), but it also includes the resurrecting work of Christ as the means by which salvation is fulfilled (Jn. 6:39, 40, 44, 54) and the revealing […]

What “moment” were you saved?

Puritan pastor John Owens articulated much better what I said about the exact time of a believer’s salvation a couple of weeks ago: “He that is alive may know that he was born, though he know neither the place where nor the time when he was so; and so may he that is spiritually alive, […]