Reflections on the loving kindness of the Triune God
What does it mean to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength? In Matt Jenson’s book, The Gravity of Sin he traces, among other things, how Martin Luther portrayed sin as a centripetal force in the soul. It drags all of life back to self. So that everything—including vocation, religion, and God’s …
Read More Enjoying God’s GiftsWhat role does God have in shaping our daily decisions? A key feature of this question is our view of his involvement and disposition. Does he care about our choices? And, if he does, do we care that he cares? We should! And here are Bible texts worth chewing on if and when we ask …
Read More Looking for DirectionWelcome to All Saints Eve, 2017—now reduced to the weirdly twisted event of Halloween. Halloween aside, many of us know this day marks the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther posting his Ninety-five Theses in Wittenberg, Germany. I’d love to be in Germany but having missed my chance let me at least offer a reflection in …
Read More Luther in 1517[Note: my apologies for the many copies of the last post many of you received—it felt like a reprise of Disney’s “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” in Fantasia! We think we’ve solved the problem … but only this post will reassure us!] Don’t look for this topic—God’s humility—in any systematic theology. You won’t find it! Certainly not …
Read More God’s Humility[A technical note: the subscription feed for Spreading Goodness failed and needed to be replaced. In the changeover this post wasn’t sent to most subscribers and needs to be re-sent. But some of you will have seen it already – sorry for any inconvenience!] I’m returning to the ministry of the Spirit in this post—a …
Read More Reflecting on the SpiritI’m returning to the ministry of the Spirit in this post—a favored topic of recent months. The immediate stir this time was a recent invitation to speak on the Trinity. The preparation took me back into Jonathan Edward’s “Treatise on Grace” which is really a discussion of the Spirit. But let me start with the …
Read More Reflecting on the SpiritTime measures things. An ordinary conversation, for instance, is usually trivial. A brief exchange with a friend may fade in minutes. After 500 minutes it’s at best a faint recall. And it’s certainly gone after 500 days. Unless, of course, it’s something like a marriage proposal or a new job offer. But a request to …
Read More Luther’s 500thIn the Genesis creation narrative we read of God’s vocational calling for Adam and Eve. “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth …
Read More Dominion with ChristIn this entry I’d like to consider corruption and its cure. In the news we regularly read about corruption but in most cases it isn’t explained. So let’s chase a definition by turning to Ezekiel where we read of Satan’s fall: “Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the …
Read More Corruption & CorrectionLet me revisit an important question. Is a distinct conversion always part of an authentic faith? Or in a day to come will professed believers who lack a decisive conversion hear the Lord say, “Depart from me. I never knew you.” As a starter, we must never take on God’s role. If someone claims to …
Read More A Lively Question