Reflections on the loving kindness of the Triune God
Why does God do anything? And, as it relates to us, how do we fit within that purpose? Over the years this question has gained weight: I had to ask it. Why? Because I’ve heard different people locate all of life and meaning within one ultimate divine ambition. And I do it myself. But the …
Read More What motivates God?My generation of Christians love rationalistic debates. And one favorite debating point is the question of salvation: among professing believers who is truly saved? Whenever that question is raised claims and counterclaims fly: “You don’t have any right to judge us!” Or, “You’re bending the Bible to build your view!” And again, “Our faith offers …
Read More Truly SavedIt is said that Genesis 1-3 is the seedbed of all of Christian theology. What we believe about God, about our humanity, our morality, our future, and much more is traced back to our reading of these three chapters. What, for instance, should we make of the serpent’s word to Eve that “… you will …
Read More DeificationThe residents of Jerusalem during King Josiah’s reign (640-609 BC) experienced a revival that came with a rediscovery of God’s previously ignored and misplaced Word. Zephaniah, a prophet, warned that enjoying the memory of a revival is not the same as living in response to God. The problem? The people of his day were ready …
Read More Spiritual ComplacencyAn email came last week that reported a conversation between a friend—call him Tom—and his unnamed colleague who told him, with emotion, that “the feelings are not to be trusted!” This confrontation of Tom’s “heresy” (his friend’s term) came because of Tom’s claim that underlying affections define all our thinking and choosing: we always do …
Read More Never trust your feelings!Jeremiah’s book is God’s spiritual and moral bristle brush: it always gives my soul a good scrub when I read it. God, as the prophet tells us, will confront sin. Chaos is coming. Why? Because national religious and political leaders all support evil: the evil of ignoring God’s words and ways. Jeremiah promises his readers …
Read More Stability in ChaosYears ago I met each week with five or six Christian men from two regional theological schools. In evangelical parlance it was an accountability group—a meeting that called for mutual reports on how we were doing in our self-designated ambitions to be holy and faithful men. Any reports of moral defeat or felt vulnerabilities in …
Read More Accountability GroupsToday in our Cor Deo meeting we spoke of Athanasius as one of the heroes of the faith. As bishop of Alexandria, Egypt, (328-373) he was sent into exile by various Roman emperors five times, so that of his 45 years in office he was away more than he was at home. Still he wrote …
Read More Heroes of the FaithChristians, if quizzed, will favor firm objective truth rather than loose subjectivity. If, for instance, believers are asked, “Do you know that God loves you?” most will respond with, “Yes, of course”. We can treat God’s love as an objective certainty affirmed in the Bible. But if the subjective question is asked, “Do you often …
Read More Faith and ExperiencePsalm 34 is attributed to David as his response to God after he played the madman before the king of Gath. One distich in the Psalm caught my attention in a new way: “My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad.” I take it that David was aligning …
Read More Humility as a hearing aid