Reflections on the loving kindness of the Triune God
Paul wrote of two competing laws in Romans 3 as he scolded some of the Jews in Rome for the moralistic demands they placed on Gentile believers. In his view a “law of works” set up self-focused “boasting” about the role we have in faith: “Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By …
Read More Reflections on RomansThis entry repeats my entry at the Cor Deo site. Please post any responses there. Thanks! What role does the Holy Spirit play in our salvation? I ask because most formal conversations about salvation feature the Father and the Son while largely ignoring the Spirit. This Spirit-light tradition features the Father’s saving plan for the …
Read More The Saving SpiritRighteousness—and how to achieve it—is at the heart of Christian faith. But what, according to the Bible, makes us righteous? Another word, justification – “to be made righteous”, refers to the same issue: how do we come into a proper standing with God? In Christianity at least three ways of determining righteousness have been promoted: …
Read More Righteous?The spiritual formation movement—popular among many Christians today—has certain attractions. Ignatius Loyola, the 16th century founder of the Jesuits, inaugurated this theme as he promoted a disciplined spirituality in his Spiritual Exercises. Spiritual Directors applied these exercises to aspirants during quietist retreats. Loyola, a former soldier, meant to spread the Catholic faith—and to suppress the …
Read More Spiritual FormationThis article is our current Cor Deo blog. Please offer any responses there: thanks! The Jesus who shows up in a bold, fast-paced, Bible reading is remarkably demanding and incredibly delightful. He overwhelms us both in what he offers and in what he asks for. The problem is that we’re not ready for it. So …
Read More The problem with JesusLet me ask a question that is mostly unspoken among Christians today: Is God troubled by the broad lack of response to him that we see throughout history? Or, more to the point, does the Bible ever address the question? Here are some of my preliminary thoughts. Your own thoughts and comments are invited as …
Read More NumbersIn the deeply immoral and anti-Christian environment found in Europe and North America today concerned Christians leaders and communities are offering very different responses. Some seek to engage unbelieving societal leaders in ongoing conversation with an ambition to redirect cultural mores and values through personal presence and winsome reason. Others move in the opposite direction …
Read More Faith OptionsWhat if Adam had told Eve, “No, my love, we won’t eat that fruit—it’s been forbidden to us. Our lovely God told me very directly, ‘Don’t eat from that tree’ and he’s to be trusted and obeyed no matter what the serpent said.” Or what if, as considered in 1 Samuel 13:13-14, Saul had proven …
Read More What if we loved God?Here’s a question. Do we pursue God or does God pursue us? Are we the seekers while God is coy and hard to get? Or is he persistently tugging, calling, and wooing us while we stubbornly deflect his efforts to win our hearts? The Bible emphatically supports the latter answer and dismisses the former—John 3:16-19, …
Read More Two AnswersThe “Fresher’s Fair” is offered by every British university as part of a new academic year. Recruitment displays and tables filled the room—a large meeting hall—as new students were being recruited. If, for instance, an arriving freshman is interested in joining the university crew he would be drawn to the proper spot by a pair …
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