When thinking about the permanence of salvation, two words are commonly used: security and assurance. While they are related terms, they are not the same thing. John MacArthur summarizes the difference well: Many people lack assurance because they do not understand that salvation is an utterly divine, totally sovereign operation. Assurance is built on the […]
Read More Security and assuranceYesterday I received a copy of John Piper’s new book, The Future of Justification. Is it important to write a 225-page book on the doctrine of justification? In his acknowledgments, Piper notes why it really is: From the moment we believed until the last day of eternity God is 100 percent for us on this […]
Read More Piper: the importance of justificationIt is enough that no one can snatch a believer from the hand of Jesus Christ. It is enough that no one can snatch a believer from the hand of God the Father. It is enough that the Holy Spirit is given as a pledge (guarantee) of our salvation and inheritance. Any one of those […]
Read More Sunday Leftovers (11/11/07)In his recent book, The Gospel and Personal Evangelism, Mark Dever begins by asking the question, “why don’t we evangelize?” Part of his answer is that we don’t plan to evangelize. And to that he offers 12 steps to take to counteract that mindset: Pray (for opportunities) Plan (to put ourselves in positions to share […]
Read More Why don’t we evangelize?Dwight Edwards was the pastor of Grace Bible Church in College Station, TX until he failed morally and resigned several years ago. In the great grace of God, repentance was wrought in his heart, as he recently shared in his testimony (search using his last name to find the audio). What contributed to his failure? […]
Read More On the reasons for great sinHow should a Christian (or should he) recognize and participate in Halloween? I have often said that when the girls were little, we viewed it as a quest to get as much chocolate as quickly as we could. I have always understood this as an issue where a Christian may exercise Biblical liberty (and must […]
Read More What about Halloween?The great event of October 31, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the door of the Wittenburg Church. We do well to remember what Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Cranmer, Hooper, Ridley, Latimer, and a host of others fought for. J. C. Ryle’s book, Five English Reformers helps us do just that: Let men say […]
Read More It’s Not Halloween. It’s Reformation Day.In today’s passage, Jesus refers to two familiar figures of speech to explain who He is — I am the door of the sheep (vv, 7, 9) I am the good shepherd (vv. 11, 14) Jesus and the rest of Scripture frequently use such images to help us understand the character of God and His […]
Read More Sunday Leftovers (10/28/07)At the Gospel Coalition earlier this year, Phil Ryken gave an excellent defense of the importance of imputed righteousness. Both the text of his message and the audio are available. “I am not accepted on my own merit, but I am fully accepted in Christ and that is the basis of my acceptance before God […]
Read More Justification and ImputationIn a recent message, “Some Sweet Blessings of Masculine Christianity,” John Piper defined Biblical masculinity this way: By “masculine Christianity,” I mean (though words are inadequate): The theology and the church and the mission are marked by over-arching male leadership and an ethos of tender-hearted strength and contrite courage and risk-taking decisiveness and readiness to […]
Read More Piper on Biblical MasculinityDawson Trotman, the founder of The Navigators, was a uniquely gifted and effective evangelist and discipler. His heart for the latter is demonstrated in his sermon, “Born to Reproduce.” It’s the first time I’ve heard a recording of one of his sermons, and I found it personally challenging. It’s worth a listen.
Read More Born to ReproduceYou know how to read. I know that. But sometimes a little guidance on how to get control over that growing stack of books on your night stand (or wherever your favorite place to stack things is) would be helpful. Here are six tips from Al Mohler: Maintain regular reading projects. Work through major sections […]
Read More Reading TipsTim Keller on the role of worship in transformation: A Christian, if you looked into the Mirror of Erised [Desire] you would see yourself perfectly enjoying God and if you could have one perfect act of worship in which you perfectly valued Him, in which you perfectly enjoyed Him, if you completely enjoyed Him as […]
Read More Worship and TransformationGreg Bahnsen articulates clearly and well the fundamental differences between Catholicism and Protestantism. We are not one with Catholics; they do believe a different gospel; and we must not (for the sake of their eternal destiny) suppose that we believe the same work of Christ. Listen to “The Road to Rome: Was the Reformation Right?”
Read More The difference between Catholicism and ProtestantismSome leftover quotations after thinking about God’s purposeful (read: sovereign) intention to use all circumstances to make worshippers out of unbelievers: “Our trials reveal the measure of our affection for this earth — both its good things and bad things. Our troubles expose our latent idolatry.” [John Piper, Life as a Vapor.] “In order to […]
Read More Sunday Leftovers (10/21/07)
Words of Grace 