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, […]

Desiring Salvation

Why someone wants to be saved is no small question. It penetrates the heart of our motives and offers a clear view of the desire of our heart. (Do we want God or do we want a gift that God gives?) If God is not your ultimate joy and desire, you may not be saved. […]

Sunday Leftovers (10/29/06)

Those who are saved are saved eternally by the work of the eternal Godhead on their behalf. What does each member of the Godhead do for believers in Christ? [This list is nowhere near exhaustive, but it is a good starting point.] The work of the Father to secure you He has sovereign purposes and […]

Sunday Leftovers (10/22/06)

The supreme gift given by the Father to the Son is a redeemed people that will eternally glorify and delight in the Son. That means that we who are saved are God’s great gift to His Son. And those whom the Father has given to the Son not only will not be lost by the […]