Beholding the Beauty

Speaking to lost people who think that God's justice doesn't include horrible things like Hell and anger being poured out on the wicked, John Piper reminds them : When blood flows as high as the horse's bridle, you will think differently about justice than when your biggest problem is an air conditioner that doesn't work.

I was recently "In the Nick of Time", a blog by Kevin T. Bauder, and came across a series by him in which he lays the groundwork for any reasonable discussion of the propriety of theater as a medium. In it, he makes a statement that applies generally, and not just to a discussion of theater. It is long, but worth quoting in it's entirety. You could replace "forbade theater" in the first sentence with whatever your favorite topic would be. Generation after generation of believers thought that biblical principles forbade theater. My generation disagrees. To which group should I listen? Suppose we were to gauge the spiritual depth of these two groups. The first group somehow preserved the faith through persecutions by pagans, betrayals by heretics, and the decadence of the Romish system. At enormous sacrifice they reformed a corrupted Christendom, built the great missionary movements, and conducted the great revivals and awakenings. When they were cal...

"Today we are too much about what we do , and not enough about who we are ." — Paul Washer

I was reading I Peter again the other day, and when I came to the beginning sentence of chapter 3, I noticed 1 something in it's grammatical structure that I haven't noticed before. This item is not so much a correction of previous error in my thought on this sentence, but rather an expansion of it. Before I get into what I noticed, let me repeat the sentence itself: Likewise, ye wives, [be] in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; while they behold your chaste conversation [coupled] with fear. First, let me point out that the popular teaching 2 on this verse is that a believing woman's unbelieving may husband may yet be won through her biblical submission to his authority, even though he may (at first) reject the authority of the Scriptures. Now on to the actual discovery, which is found at the end of the first verse. The application listed above implies a reading of ...

I just read this great article , on "Christ, the breath of our nostrils", out of Lamentations 4:20ff. I think the Expostulation to sinners at the end is particularly well written. It has definite Jonathan Edwards overtones, don't you think? Particularly this bit: Do you doubt that God would put you to torment? Look to the cross, where he was pleased to put his own Son to torment for sins, and look to the lives of Christians everywhere who, although indwelt by the Spirit of Christ himself, he is pleased to bring through many trials and tribulations; and do you doubt that he will have the heart to put you to shame and torment? Your life is fleeting and uncertain if Christ is not your breath, and it may be cut off at any time, and you will be plunged into the fiery chasm of God’s eternal wrath. Flee to Christ at once, or you will be left utterly without hope!

No, this is not a political post (although I might do one using this title on my political blog ). :) I was reading a book the other day, and I was once again reminded of an old analogy used by ecumenicalists to explain their god, and how he is the same god all the other religions have. The analogy goes something like this: There were once three blind men who came upon an elephant. They said to each other: "Well, this is a strange creature! What is it?" The first, who had caught the tail, said, "It is like a long rope." The second, touching the massive leg, replied, "That's impossible. This is very sturdy, like a strong oak tree! This creature is nothing like a rope." The third, hearing the descriptions of the others, and comparing it with the elephant's trunk, which was his point of contact, laughed, saying, "You're both very wrong! The creature is not a rope, nor a tree, but like a large snake. How could you both be so silly?...

You don't tell men that they are saved; you tell men how to be saved. God tells them that they are saved. — Paul Washer

Don't worry...I haven't forgotten about the blog. I'm just really busy lately.

Turns out I'm a Covenant Theologian -- at least insofar as totally agreeing with this post makes me one. :) This is, IMHO, a great breakdown of the Abrahamic Covenant and how it applies/doesn't apply to us (and the Jews, a.k.a. the "Israelites according to the flesh") today. Let me know what you think!