I’ve arrived back from a week in Atlanta, GA.  Hallie and I spent the week at our denomination’s church planter assessment.  How should I describe the week?  It was intense.  It was at times fun.  We made some new friends. We had our known strengths and weaknesses confirmed and found some of each we didn’t know about.  It was a time that our relationship with the Lord was strengthened.  We were forced again to admit, “Jesus, it is about you, your strength, your kingdom and your glory, not about Joe and Hallie and theirs.” Where does that leave us now?  ... [read more]

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I’ll be away from my blog this week.  A week’s worth of livin’ should make for interesting material to blog about upon my return.  See you in a few days.       

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In this respect, what is true of the light of nature is true also of the Ten Commandments given by God through Moses specifically to the Jews. For man cannot obtain saving grace through the Decalogue, because, although it does expose the magnitude of his sin and increasingly convict him of his guilt, yet it does not offer a remedy or enable him to escape from his misery, and, indeed, weakened as it is by the flesh, leaves the offender under the curse. Synod of Dort 3/4.5 __________ We discussed last week the light of nature in man.  We concluded that man is able to reason but not able to r... [read more]

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In my Sunday evening preaching series I am now three quarters of the way through preaching on the person and work of Jesus. Jesus is the Revelation of God Jesus is God and Man Jesus is the Mediator Jesus is the King of the World This past week was on Jesus as the mediator.  The mediator of what?  Well, he is the mediator of the covenant of grace.  I am a firm believer in covenant theology–that the main, overarching meta-narrative of the Bible is summarized by the covenant of redemption as it unfolds in time as the covenant of works and the covenant of grace.  Whew, that is a mou... [read more]

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Resolved, when I think of any theorem in divinity to be solved, immediately to do what I can towards solving it, if circumstanced do not hinder. - Jonathan Edwards, The Works of Jonathan Edwards (Hendrickson: Peabody, 2000), 1.lxii. __________ Edwards had the heart of a pastor.  He knew that he was responsible before God to the ministry of word and prayer (Acts 6:4).  He believed the Bible could be understood and the complexities of theology pursued.  So, he resolved that whenever an unsolved question arrived on his doorstep he would spend all available immediate time to finding it&rsquo... [read more]

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Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme,  or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.  For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.  Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.  Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor… For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that... [read more]

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“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble. “ -Daniel 4:37 He was one of the most aggressive and cruel military leaders Bablyon had ever known.  Biblical and extrabiblical evidence record the sheer desolation that he delivered to countries in the Ancient Near East.  But this cruel Babylonian king came into contact with the God of the universe through a rag tag bunch of exiled Israelites.  God humbled him and broke his heart.  He was lead to worship ... [read more]

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The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. -Acts 15:6 I’m at the lovely Twin Lakes Conference Center in Florence, MS at the quarterly meeting of the Mississippi Valley Presbytery.  When I tell people I’m going to presbytery they usually utter a sympathetic groan.  Why do they do that?  Well, they groan for a few reasons.  Day long meetings aren’t much fun, even if you are discussing the church.  Pastors aren’t known to be the most lively, fun-loving bunch — though they should be.  Also, the words docket, committee, advisor... [read more]

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Justin Taylor wrote an article today critiquing some of John Piper’s recent writing on tomorrow’s election–all of which is very good and deserves your attention.  But Taylor’s honing of Piper’s work is simply a must read. Piper, Politics, and Abortion: A Few Thoughts       

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There is, to be sure, a certain light of nature remaining in man after the fall, by virtue of which he retains some notions about God, natural things, and the difference between what is moral and immoral, and demonstrates a certain eagerness for virtue and for good outward behavior. But this light of nature is far from enabling man to come to a saving knowledge of God and conversion to him - so far, in fact, that man does not use it rightly even in matters of nature and society. Instead, in various ways he completely distorts this light, whatever its precise character, and suppresses it in ... [read more]

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