Hope because Hell has not yet come
“This past Sunday at our church we started a new sermon series on the book of Lamentations. The title of this series is “Hell of a subject” because Lamentations teaches us about the wrath or “fierce anger” (1:12) of God, of which an eternal hell is the ultimate expression.
We don’t often hear about the wrath or fierce anger of God, let alone about an eternal hell. Most people would say something like, “My God would never do that!” Rather than worshipping and serving the God of the Bible, most people worship and serve the God of their own making, who, not-surprisingly, has all the same opinions as themselves. Lamentations will help us. Lamentations gives us a small foretaste of the wrath of God…”
– At the REACH South Africa (formerly CESA) website, Andre Visagie shares strong observations from Lamentations.
Prophetic from the Centre
Crossways has released a free mini-book in PDF, .mobi and epub formats.
It’s adapted from Don Carson’s address to the first Gospel Coalition conference, in 2007.
The topic: Prophetic from the Centre – The Gospel of Jesus Christ in 1 Corinthians 15:1–19. Good to pass on to congregations!
‘The best of’ Ask Pastor John
Andy Naselli has listening to all of the more than 900 episodes of “Ask Pastor John”, with John Piper, and offers links to a dozen which stand out for him.
Shared Conversations: How not to handle the Word of God correctly
“I have just returned from a two-week holiday and a graduation in the UK, mindful of the Church of England’s General Synod.
While there, I disciplined myself to avoid comments and to simply enjoy my time away with my wife and friends. But, towards the end, my attention was drawn to an article written by the Rev. Dr. Ian Paul, reporting as a participant in the ‘Shared Conversations’ on human sexuality, as part of the reception of the Pilling Report (which seems to recommend to the Church of England, in the end, ‘pastoral accommodation’ in the form of the blessing of same sex civil partnerships)…”
– The American Anglican Council’s Canon Phil Ashey calls us back to the authority of God’s word.
Related: 32 Synod delegates publicly express “lack of confidence” in C of E Shared Conversations process – Anglican Mainstream.
“We, the undersigned members of the General Synod, wish to express our lack of confidence in the process of the Shared Conversations. Whatever their stated purposes, the outcome has not led to a greater confidence that the Church will be guided by the authoritative voice of the Scriptures, and its decisive shaping of traditional Anglican teaching, in any forthcoming discussions.”
Is the Reformation over?
“Is the Reformation over? Have the issues that divided Protestants and Catholics been sufficiently resolved that we can now pursue a return to unity? At the very end of his book Rescuing the Gospel, an account of the Protestant Reformation, Erwin Lutzer offers a compelling answer…”
– From Erwin Lutzer’s book, Tim Challies draws out why unity can only come at the expense of the gospel.
For whom did Christ die?
“In his epistles, Paul speaks of Christ’s death in both a particularistic way (for a specific group) and a universalistic way (for an undefined, ambiguous group). I would argue that these texts present compatible elements of Paul’s atonement theology…”
– Dr. Jonathan Gibson, newly appointed assistant professor of Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary, and formerly at Moore College, shares some helpful observations on the question, ‘For whom did Christ die?’.
(Jonny will be back in Australia to speak at Basecamp shortly.)
Mike Ovey on Faithful Teachers in an Age of Confusion
Mike Ovey spoke at this year’s Church Society Conference on the major threats to the gospel in the Church of England.
Sober, challenging, rebuking, and very helpful.
The talk and Q&A (34MB mp3), is linked from this page.
Defending classic marriage
“God is the ultimate marriage celebrant. Our Prayer Book marriage services – the only services by which Anglican clergy are authorised to conduct marriages – says, ‘What God has joined together, let no-one put asunder’.
These words are repeated after the couple’s vows as part of the minister’s declaration of marriage: ‘Those whom God has joined together let not man put asunder’. Indeed, if the couple chooses either the Gospel of Matthew or the Gospel of Mark as their Bible reading, you will hear those words for a third time!
God is the ultimate marriage celebrant. The union is not just a secular legal status; marriage existed before nation states and their laws. With marriage, we are talking about an absolute reality: it’s God who joins people together in marriage. A society can redefine marriage in its rhetoric and laws. But we cannot redefine the ultimate deep reality of marriage.
But what is biblical marriage?…”
– In an article adapted from a speech he gave at Sydney Synod in October year, Sandy Grant reminds us why the ‘classic view’ of marriage is worth defending. At GoThereFor.com.
Priests or Presbyters?
“The ambiguity of priest/presbyter might seem like linguistic pedantry. The poor English word ‘priest’ has to do overtime, since it translates two separate New Testament words…”
– At Church Society, Robert Evans – about to be ordained Priest (or is it Presbyter?) – outlines what the Ordinal means by ‘priest’.
The Church Praying — latest 9Marks Journal
“Abraham prayed. Moses prayed. David prayed. The prophets prayed. The apostles prayed. Jesus himself prayed.
But do our churches pray when they gather together?
My own experience suggests, not much. There might be a few cursory upward glances through the course of a church service. But there are almost no studied, careful, extended times of prayer—little to no adoration, confession, thanksgiving, or supplication. And that lack of praying, when you think about it, is embarrassing. Do we actually think we can change the leopard spots, or bring the dead to life? Anything a church does that will be eternally worthwhile must be done by the Lord, which is to say, through prayer.
Our primary hope for this Journal is that it would both encourage churches to pray more together and offer a few pointers on how.”
– Jonathan Leeman introduces the latest 9Marks Journal.
Christian funerals can be too happy
“Have you ever felt guilty for experiencing grief?
It might seem like a strange question — why would you feel guilty for grieving? But sometimes Christians do feel guilty, precisely because we believe in Jesus. Belief in Jesus, so it is thought, should remove any reason for grief. Jesus loves me. Jesus died for me. Jesus is in control. Jesus raises the dead.
With such beliefs, how could any real Christian give in to grief?…”
– At Desiring God, former Moore College lecturer Constantine Campbell reminds us that it’s OK to grieve.
Don Carson on How knowing the Bible does not automatically make you more holy
“Knowledge of the Word does not sanctify us by mere education. I have now lived long enough and have belonged to enough professional biblical societies that there are not many front-rank New Testament scholars in the world whom I have not met. Some of them are very brilliant minds indeed…”
– Andy Naselli shares a sobering quote from D. A. Carson. Read it all at the link, and pray that we would all be shaped by God’s Word to be his people.
ERS: Is there order in the Trinity?
“This is the first in a two part series responding to recent theological challenges to the doctrine of eternal functional (or relational) subordination (EFS or ERS).
This doctrine has been under sustained attack, especially in the light of its use to support the argument for an appropriate order of equals that might apply in relations between men and women in the home and in the church. It has also been under attack, it must be admitted, because of overstatement and a lack of precision in some of its advocates.
In this post I want to explore the strictly theological question of whether this doctrine inevitably involves a drift into the subordinationist heresy associated with Arius. This is the most common theological objection to the doctrine…”
– Here’s an important post on a vital doctrine – that of the holy Trinity – by Dr Mark Thompson at Theological Theology. Take the time to read it.
Teaching 2 Peter
In the latest Preaching Matters video from St. Helen’s Bishopsgate, William Taylor encouraged preachers to tackle the little letter of 2 Peter.
He shows the great benefit of a careful study of the Biblical text.
Death and the Life Hereafter in focus
“What happens after death? Will I get a spot in heaven? Is hell for real?
We’ve all asked ourselves such ultimate questions and the Annual Moore College Lectures will dare to provide answers.
Held between August 19 and 26, ‘Death and the Life Hereafter’ will be an engaging lecture series which investigates some of the most important aspects of our existence…”
– Dr Paul Williamson is giving this year’s Annual Moore College Lectures.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…