Implications of believing

Today my Dad and I talked about the nature of the gospel and the reality that it must and will produce transformation in those who believe. There is no salvation without some form of transformation. William Mounce addresses the same issue in his recent blog post, “Is there a difference between ‘certainly’ and ‘never’?” As […]

Preaching the gospel to good people

This morning, Byron Yawn offered a compelling meditation on the gospel, complementing what I wrote yesterday about the gospel and sanctification. Here he asks, how will the gospel influence “good” people? Obviously, conversion brings a change, but salvation is not about the adjustment of one’s behavior from bad to good. Ultimately, Christianity is not about […]

When the gospel is dishonored

The gospel inherently is honorable. But the gospel can be dishonored by those who believe it, or purport to believe it. David Powlison elaborates: Free grace — past, present, and future — is effective grace. It intends to change us from our sins in the midst of our sufferings. The gracious Master, who learned obedience […]

Resolved, like Jonathan Edwards

In this season of resolutions — before all our promises are undone by the realities of weak commitments — we do well to hear the words of Jonathan Edwards about resolutions and the need for them to arise from a quest for God’s mercy and grace, as well as our own heart desire for transformation: […]

Prayer Answered by Crosses

Echoing the same theme that I found yesterday in John Donne’s poem, “Batter My Heart” (aka “Holy Sonnet XIV”), John Newton penned “Prayer Answered by Crosses.” It is yet another testimony that grace is found in burdens. God’s favor is evidenced in the revelation of “the hidden evils of my heart.” These devices and more […]

Batter My Heart

What will you accept and even desire from God for the transformation of your heart? What do you long for God to do to you and in you so that you will walk in newness of life and be freed from the daily temptations of sin and the desires of the flesh? Last night, my […]

When change is slow

Why is it that we sometimes remain unchanged in our walk with Christ? Or why does change sometimes seem to come slowly? Here are at least three reasons why transformation may degrade into stagnancy: We substitute rationalization for repentance (Acts 8:14-24, esp. vv. 20-24). We substitute our desires (i.e., sins) for God’s desires (i.e., righteousness; […]

The Radical Question

David Platt asks what he calls “The Radical Question.” Here is the question: What is Jesus worth to you? Do you believe he is worth abandoning everything for? Do you really believe Jesus is so good, so satisfying, and so rewarding that you will leave all you own and all you are to find your […]

A few articles worth reading

A few articles I’ve come across on the internet recently that are worth reading. Here are the articles with some samples from each of them: “Pornography — The Difference Being a Parent Makes” Political scientists and sociologists long ago came to the realization that one of the most significant indicators of political behavior is parenthood. […]

There are Canaanites in the land!

The story of Israel in the book of Joshua is triumphal and victorious. It is filled with obedience, worship, and delight in God. The story of Israel in the book of Judges is sorrow and defeat. Judges is everything that Joshua isn’t. It is a book of disobedience, idolatrous worship, and rejection of God. And […]

Uneducated and untrained men – changed

I have been challenged by something I read recently — “I worry that our lives are like soap operas. We can go for months and not tune into them, then six months later we look in and the same stuff is still going on.” The urgency of the immediate prevents us from seeing the impact […]