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“Sanctification” has the basic meaning of being set apart or dedicated to God on the basis of the atoning work of Christ. While God sees believers in Christ as being fully righteous (2 Cor. 5:21), sanctification most often refers to the process of the believer progressively working out his salvation so that he is increasingly […]

A good word about the Word

I came across this statement about the authority of Scripture in my devotional reading this morning: I declare, as though before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ, where I expect soon to appear, my unshakable conviction that when Scripture speaks, God speaks.…When Scripture speaks, God speaks. When Scripture proclaims God’s will or the way of […]

Resolved…

‘Tis the season for making resolutions and setting goals. Perhaps you’ve already established your course for the year, or perhaps your resolution for 2008 is to make your resolutions before the new year has begun! Perhaps you haven’t set any goals for the coming year because your experience with goal setting is an overwhelming sense […]

How People Change

Yesterday I began reading How People Change by Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp. If the first chapter is indicative of the rest of the book, it should be a very helpful book. For instance, “if we do not live with a gospel-shaped, Christ-confident, and change-committed Christianity, that hole will get filled with other things.” What […]

Sunday Leftovers (12/24/06)

Jesus is difficult to believe and hard to follow. It is for good reason that He says, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that […]

For the love of God

One of my favorite statements from one of my favorite Puritans, Thomas Watson: The first fruit of love is the musing of the mind upon God. He who is in love, his thoughts are ever upon the object. He who loves God is ravished and transported with the contemplation of God. “When I awake, I […]

Ungrateful for the gift of Christ?

On Christmas morning, gifts will be opened that will be ungratefully received. They will be taken, but without gratitude. Perhaps the recipient will have wanted something else. Perhaps the value of the gift is unknown, or perhaps it is known and considered “inadequate.” This same Christmas season, people will be presented with the gift of […]

Preparing for Christmas worship

Every Christmas, John Piper writes a series of four advent poems for his congregation. This year the poems are written around a consideration of the life of Nebuchadnezzar. They are worth hearing or reading. One of my favorite advent poems remains “The Innkeeper.” These are worth hearing or reading as you prepare your heart for […]

Eugenics and you

Eugenics is not an oft-used word in my conversations. And probably not in yours either. But the influence of eugenics and the theology behind it is increasingly influencing our lives. Eugenics is defined as: “the study of hereditary improvement of the human race by controlled selective breeding. Formed from the Greek prefix eu – meaning […]

Feed My Sheep

I just finished reading Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching. It is admittedly written to pastors and for pastors. But the principles in the book will apply well to anyone who would teach the Scriptures. Two chapters are particularly worthy of consideration. Sinclair Ferguson considers the topic, “Preaching to the Heart.” This principle […]

Obedience and joy — another leftover

If God demands obedience, then does Christianity just become a 70-year will-power act of endurance? Absolutely not. The point of obedience is to produce joy in the life of a believer as he learns to find the greatest satisfaction in God rather than in the temporal and vain pleasures of this present age (Titus 2:12). […]

Preparation for Sunday

Preparation for corporate worship is a key component to worshipping in a God-glorifying manner. To that end, I like to say, “Sunday worship begins on Saturday.” That is, the things I do on Saturday will produce either the fruit of worship or the lack of it on Sunday. So on Saturday (and actually throughout the […]

The Children of Men

P. D. James’ reputation is as a mystery fiction writer, but this Christmas a movie based on a non-mystery book written by James will be making headlines. It’s not a feel-good Christmas movie. But it may be a movie that addresses an important theme. Wheaton Professor Alan Jacobs explains the storyline of The Children of […]

Mohler on homosexuality

Al Mohler has some insightful comments on the announcement last week that Mary Cheney, the daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, is pregnant. That is hardly exceptional news except that she has lived in a lesbian relationship for the past 15 years and has openly opposed a potential ban on same-sex marriages. Mohler’s blog, “Is […]

Sunday Leftovers (12/10/06)

On Sunday I said that following Christ is hard because Christ is a King who “inconveniences” His children with various demands. And one of the things He demands is obedience. Now you might ask, “Just how is obedience an inconvenience?” Obedience is an “inconvenience” because it requires submission and transformation. Many will take Christ as […]