Are we still responsible for sins for which we may be genetically predisposed?
Justin Taylor at Between Two Worlds quotes these helpful words from Tom Schreiner at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky–
“Even if some sins could be traced to our genetics, it would not exempt us from responsibility for such sins. The Scriptures teach that all human beings are born into this world as sons and daughters of Adam, and hence they are by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3). Read more
The Phantom Menace: Territorial Spirits and SLSW
Church Society has just republished a very helpful ten-year-old article by Melvin Tinker on popular notions of ‘spiritual warfare’.
“The aim of our spiritual warfare is not to disarm principalities and powers, which Christ has already done (Colossians 2:15). That is why he is seated above every rule and authority and why in principle Christians are seated with him in complete security (Eph 2:6). The objective of spiritual warfare is to ‘stand’.”
It’s available as a PDF file from their website.
On related topics, see also Peter Bolt’s Living with the Underworld (Get copies from Reformers, Moore Books) and Christ’s Victory over Evil (Moore Books, Reformers).
Barry Newman on Baptism Revisited — full series
Barry Newman has now completed his series of posts revisiting his earlier series on Biblical Baptism – and he’s made them available as a PDF file at his blog.
Sure to provoke discussion.
Smiting Morality with Gospel Joy
John Piper reads a powerful quote from CS Lewis.
Taking Sovereignty Seriously
Mark Thompson recommends John Woodhouse’s article in the issue of Southern Cross to be distributed in churches from this Sunday … He quotes John as writing —
“I am astonished at how glibly we sometimes speak of gospel work — as though leadership skills, ministry strategies or entrepreneurial flair is what is needed to make the gospel effective. Leadership is not what makes the blind see. Strategies do not make the deaf hear. Entrepreneurs do not make the dead walk!
It is God who calls out his elect, chosen by him before the foundation of the world. They could not have saved themselves and nor could we have saved them no matter how clever we are. And he hardens the heart of others in their chosen state of lostness.”
Find the article on pages 18 and 19 (‘Serving a Sovereign God’) of the February 2010 Southern Cross.
The Wonder of Words
“Put simply, then, the question of the importance of words to the Christian church is a question of theology, not methodology: to marginalise preaching in our church life and outreach is to marginalise words; and to marginalise words will inevitably involve marginalising the Word himself.”
– Thabiti Anyabwile quotes from Carl Trueman as he ponders the wonder of how God speaks to us.
Related: Propositional Revelation, the Only Revelation – by D.B. Knox.
Biblical Baptism revisited
Barry Newman picks up the theme of Baptism in the latest posts on his blog –
“Over September 1 to September 13 2009 I created a series of blogs on the subject entitled “Biblical Baptism”. The material has been discussed by various people in different venues and I have tried to listen carefully to the comments made. What follows is an attempt to further contribute to the debate…”
– Read Barry’s blog here.
The glory of the Cross
“There is no greater cleavage between faith and unbelief than in their respective attitudes to the cross.
Where faith sees glory, unbelief sees only disgrace. What was foolishness to Greeks, and continues to be to modern intellectuals who trust in their own wisdom, is nevertheless the wisdom of God.
And what remains a stumbling-block to those who trust in their own righteousness, like the Jews of the first century, proves to be the saving power of God (1 Cor. 1:18-25).”
– John Stott, The Cross of Christ. (With thanks to Of First Importance.)
Leon Morris on The Person of Christ
Church Society has republished Leon Morris’ 1960 Church Book Room Press booklet “The Person of Christ’ on their website:
“When we want to understand the importance of a person we turn to his work. If we think, for example, of Winston Churchill our minds instinctively go back to the dark days of the war when he rallied the Empire. If we think of Napoleon we recall his mighty deeds on many battlefields. If we think of Einstein his enunciation of the theory of relativity gives us the measure of his greatness. What men do shows what men are.
Similarly in the religious world, if we wish to understand something of the person of Jesus Christ we do well to begin with what He has done. John sums it up for us in a sentence: ‘the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world’ (1 Jn. 4:14). The greatness of Christ is to be seen in the fact that He brought salvation, not for just a few, but for ‘the world’…”
T. F. Torrance on the meaning of the cross
“As many of us await the endlessly delayed second volume of T. F. Torrance’s lectures on the person and work of Christ, I thought I would share a purple passage from the end of volume one, Incarnation: The Person and Life of Christ …”
– Read it at ACL President Mark Thompson’s blog.
Barry Newman on the Soul
Barry Newman, having written about the sacraments and Christ-centred communion at his blog, now turns to the soul.
Lots of insights and worth following.
(h/t Gordon Cheng at The Sola Panel.)
Don Carson on Spiritual gifts
The Gospel Coalition has posted online the audio files of Don Carson’s exceedingly helpful talks given at the 1985 Moore Theological College Annual Lectures.
This series formed the basis of his book, Showing the Spirit: A Theological Exposition of 1 Corinthians 12–14. They are –
The Unity of the Body and the Diversity of Gifts (1 Cor. 12)
The Most Excellent Way: When Does Perfection Come? (1 Cor. 13)
Prophecy and Tongues: Pursuing What Is Best (1 Cor. 14:1-15)
Order and Authority: Restraining Spiritual Gifts (1 Cor. 14:26-40)
Unleashed Power and the Constraints of Discipline: Toward a Theology of Spiritual Gifts.
Well worth downloading and hearing – again. The second file – on 1 Corinthians 13 – is incomplete (but you can always get the book!). h/t Justin Taylor.
The Gospel Old and New
“Have you heard the New Gospel? It’s not been codified. It’s not owned by any one person or movement. But it is increasingly common.
The New Gospel generally has four parts to it.
It usually starts with an apology: ‘I’m sorry for my fellow Christians. I understand why you hate Christianity. It’s like that thing Ghandi said, ‘why can’t the Christians be more like their Christ?’ Christians are hypocritical, judgmental, and self-righteous. I know we screwed up with the Crusades, slavery, and the Witch Trials. All I can say is: I apologize. We’ve not give you a reason to believe…’
Then there is an appeal to God as love …
The third part of the New Gospel is an invitation to join God on his mission in the world…
And finally, there is a studied ambivalence about eternity…”
– Kevin DeYoung at the Gospel Coalition on why the ‘new gospel’ is so wrong.
Who cares about heresy?
Martin Downs at Against Heresies writes,
“Guy Davies draws my attention to the soon to be released Heresy: a history of defending the truth by Alister McGrath and published by SPCK (with a foreword by Rick Warren). I will look forward to reading it.
But here’s a curious line from the Amazonian blurb:
‘McGrath’s provocative thesis is that the categories of heresy and orthodoxy must be preserved by the church today.’
Go on, read it again, only this time slowly. Provocative? Would that not have received a blank stare, or a furrowed brow, from the apostles, early church fathers, medieval schoolmen, reformers, and the puritans?…”
– Read the article here.
Article XVIII
They also are to be had accursed that presume to say, That every man shall be saved by the Law or Sect which he professeth, so that he be diligent to frame his life according to that Law, and the light of Nature. For holy Scripture doth set out unto us only the Name of Jesus Christ, whereby men must be saved.
“The sequence of articles on the subject of individual salvation that began with Article XI ends here with this very strong statement against the view that it is sincerity and diligence that matter most in the religious life.…”
– Michael Jensen is up to Article XVIII at Thirty Nine.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…