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Pushing for Same Sex Marriage?
We were at a rally on the weekend, with some of our kids. It was a peaceful protest against the "Safe Schools" program in schools, but I don't think our kids felt very safe among the...
View ArticleNo confidence apart from the Gospel! (Calvin)
How can we be sure that God is favourable towards us, that we are reconciled to him and that all our wrongs before God are forgiven (and we all have many wrongs before God)?"Beware, then, of placing...
View ArticleJ I Packer on Calvinistic Determination
Calvin and Calvinism are often linked with determinism. Well here is a quote by J I Packer on the determination (rather than determinism) of Calvinism in the persistence of Protestantism...“Without...
View ArticleJ I Packer on the "Christmas Spirit"
The shops are telling us Christmas is getting closer, and I just read these helpful and challenging words by one of my favourite Christian writers, J I Packer... talking about the "Christmas...
View ArticleJohn Erskine on Preaching
Some good advice on preaching, from 18th century Scottish preacher and theologian, John Erskine:I need not caution you against affecting a florid haranguing style, nor tell you that the more of...
View ArticleCalvin on Knowing God's Love for Us
How do we know if God really loves us? How can we be sure? Where do we look? "It was then from God’s goodness alone, as from a fountain, that Christ with all his blessings has come to us. And as it is...
View ArticleM'Cheyne on Following Jesus Fully
May God empower us to follow the Lord fully, as M'Cheyne preached in 1842:"Although he had no sin of his own to make him humble, yet he was humble in his own nature. He did not vaunt himself--did not...
View ArticleJ I Packer on Stunted Christian Character in 21st Century
Back in 1999, looking towards the 21st century, Christian teacher, J I Packer, said... "Children are growing up without any knowledge of the Bible or its morality. Sometimes they are taught the Gospel...
View ArticleThe church was made for God's mission (Christopher J. H. Wright)
"It is not so much that God has a mission for his church in the world; rather, God has a church for his mission in the world. Mission was not made for the church; the church was made for mission--God's...
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Parable of Two Librarians (Samuel T. Logan, Jr)
I thought this "parable of two librarians", was a good illustration of how Christians and churches can approach our role in spreading the knowledge of Jesus -- one a bad example, one a good example. It...
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John Owen on the Lord's Supper (Philippians 3:10)
For some brief tastes of John Owen (1616-1683), his discourses are great, short and also solid and thoughtful. I just read one of his discourses relating to the Lord's Supper, based on Philippians...
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John Owen on Preaching Preparation
Some good advice from John Owen, from his last years of ministry, part of a sermon preached at another's ordination..I think, truly, that no man preaches that sermon well to others that doth not first...
View ArticleSinclair Ferguson on Righteousness and Meritoriousness
I was listening to this old talk by Sinclair Ferguson, speaking about the attributes of God. By bouncing off of Deuteronomy 24:13, he makes some thoughtful and helpful comments on how we should think...
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John Stott on Missions and Authentic Christianity
Some challenging and helpful words, from the late John Stott (1921-2011)..."...missions lies at the very heart of our generous God. The church without mission is a church no longer. Since an essential...
View ArticleCalvin on Continuity and Discontinuity of Mosaic Law
The question of the relevance of Mosaic Law to the Christian today is a constant issue. On the one hand the NT can quote the Law as authoritative, and on the other has statements about the Christian no...
View ArticleWhat's the big deal about the Trinity?
Often we may wonder, how big a deal is the Trinity, really? Sure the early Christians spent lots of time debating and clarifying what the Bible teaches. But when you hear or read some of the technical...
View ArticleCalvin's summary of the meaning of the sacraments
I was reading from Calvin's Institutes again, and came across this neat sound bite where he effectively summarises the meaning of baptism and the Lord's Supper:"who by baptism are initiated into the...
View ArticleJ C Ryle on what Jesus says about the Bible
What did Jesus think about the Bible? In John 10:35 Jesus says, "Scripture cannot be broken".I like these comments by J C Ryle (1816-1900) about this verse...We should observe.. in these verses, the...
View ArticleIt was night (John 13:30)
In John 13:30, we have this little statement, seemingly a little bit of trivia, "It was night". Jesus had just announced his betrayal, and Judas had "immediately went out". Prior to that Jesus had...
View ArticleCalvin on the God-Man, and Matthew 28:18
In the person of Jesus we are often confronted with the two great mysteries of the Christian Faith, both the Trinity and the Incarnation. How do we have three persons in the one God, what are the...
View ArticleHaven't the "cool kids" always been there?
I noticed an article over at the Gospel Coalition, called "Canceled: How the Eastern Honor-Shame Mentality Traveled West". It is an interesting article about honour-shame culture, and East Vs West. I...
View ArticleCalvin and Jewish Badges in the Law (Ephesians 2:14-16)
One of the ongoing debates amongst Christians is the question around the place of Mosaic law (torah) under the "new covenant" in Jesus. How and to what extent does it still apply to Christians? And...
View ArticleWhy leaders don't listen
Sometimes leaders don't listen because they are afraid it makes them look weak, or because it takes too much time, or because it might mean they themselves have to change. This can be too true in the...
View ArticleAugustine on enduring people who talk but have nothing to say
Augustine had hoped to get some answers from the Manichean, Faustus. Faustus doesn't have answers, but at least he is modest about it, unlike too many others..."He knew that he did not know the answer...
View ArticleJonathan Edwards on distinguishing between true Christian love and counterfeits
Not all love is equally virtuous. Jonathan Edwards makes an insightful distinction:"There is commonly in the wildest enthusiasts, a kind of union and affection, arising from self-love, occasioned by...
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