No Cross, No Gospel
There seems to be a growing number of PCA churches and/or pastors who do not properly define the gospel.
Certainly a statement that addresses the gospel in all its fullness and implications could not fit in a simple statement. But there is simply no gospel apart from the cross. There is no proper explanation or proclamation of the gospel apart from the fact that “Christ died for our sins.” So how can it be... Continue Reading
Dr. Jones: There is an Answer to “How Many Works Are Necessary?”
What is our Lord’s answer to “How many works are necessary for final salvation?” Well quite frankly, all of them.
So, we see that good works are in fact necessary for salvation—perfectly performed and constant good works, with no derelictions of duty, all done from a pure heart of love for God and neighbor. This is what faith grasps, by the grace of God, in our only Savior Jesus Christ. And His works become our... Continue Reading
On Still Small Voices And Allegories
Perhaps we seek extra-biblical revelation because we are dissatisfied with what God has already said?
The truth is the God is not going to tell you directly, privately, through a “still, small voice” whether to attend this college or that, whether to take this job or that, or to marry this person or not. He has commanded us to work. He has told us to fulfill our vocation in this... Continue Reading
Righteousness and Repentance
Pursue repentance quickly, early, and truly rather than let your sin take such a hold that it doesn't lead to godly grief.
The church shouldn’t be foolish. For example, it would be foolish to put an adulterous pastor back in the pulpit after a few weeks of “repentance.” Nor can repentance remove any penalty imposed by the State, nor automatically restore broken relationships. Sin is far easier to see in others than in ourselves. The one in... Continue Reading
Complicating Manhood and Womanhood
From the male perspective, I’ve been introduced to a number of books on biblical manhood in which a Christian father is called to be a prophet, priest, and a king in his home. At various times, this has given me the impression that godliness for a Christian man is very different than godliness for a... Continue Reading
Sexual Consent in a Confused, Confusing World
The problem with so much of today’s talk of consent is that it studiously avoids grounding it in the only appropriate context for sexual activity.
Sex—with its nakedness, its vulnerability, and its intimacy—is very powerful. It is risky, even, and this is why God has set it in a particular context. According to God, the creator of human sexuality, marriage is the only appropriate context for sexual activity of any kind. Within marriage, sex flows out of the commitment formalized... Continue Reading
Don’t Expect a Spectacular Christian Life
I suspect one reason we struggle with public and private spiritual disciplines around the Word and prayer is because we expect them to be extraordinary.
We seem to think our discipline issues are due to some sort of discipline defect—and yet we execute spiritual disciplines every day. Even if you rarely touch your Bible, you’re always disciplining yourself toward certain activities you believe will open the door to spiritual vitality and joy. How are your spiritual disciplines? Take a... Continue Reading
Lest There be any Confusion as to Grace, Works, Faith, and Salvation
C. Hodge: "Salvation is in no sense, and in no degree, of works"
“That the guilty should stand before God with self-complacency, and refer his salvation in any measure to his own merit, is so abhorrent to all right feeling that Paul assumes it (Rom. 4:2) as an intuitive truth, that no man can boast before God. And to all who have any proper sense of the holiness... Continue Reading
Eight Dangers of Pursuing Applause
John Brown lists the rancid fruit of “indulging in ambitious inclinations” which leads us to “hunt after vainglory and applause from men”
As I read Brown’s counsel I not only try to apply it to my life as a pastor but also as a pastor who uses social media. A lust for platform—whether it’s being able to brag about baptism numbers or Twitter followers—will always take you further than you wanted to go. You might even succeed... Continue Reading
Parallelomania
It is quite the fashion these days in scholarly circles to find parallels between biblical texts and either Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) texts, for the Old Testament, or Greco-Roman texts, for the New Testament.
One could argue, I suppose, that God could somehow use already existing human materials in a new way in the process of inspiration. However, that is not how parallelomaniacs argue. They argue that the biblical text is fully derivative. They start from an assumption that the Bible could not possibly be breathed out by God. It is... Continue Reading