This is going to my last post before the weekend. This is because tonight I have Josh Claybourn and his mates coming to stay, and then tomorrow evening we go on our church weekend away. I will probably have to spend the vast majority of the weekend with my foot up resting my knee. As I am wanting to go back to work sometime next week, I’m hoping that it will go OK from a knee point-of-view, and be a... Read more
Mark Dever has been visiting ancient baptistries during his ministry trip to Italy. This picture is of the baptistry in which Ambrose baptised Augustine. Everybody’s favorite Presbyterians, Lig Duncan and David Wayne, will be interested to know some facts about this baptistry. Firstly, it’s BIG — surely only necessary if you are planning to baptise an adult by immersion? Secondly, it’s round so that everyone can get a good view, suggesting that baptism is seen as a testimony to others... Read more
There is nothing more important to our faith than justification. Piper via Driscoll is asking for prayer as he finishes his work next week, which will critically examine N. T. Wright’s perspective on justification. We need this book, so get praying! I will let Driscoll tell the story. (The rest of his post about the Gospel Coalition is interesting, too.) The day was very encouraging, and ended with Dr. John Piper graciously allowing me to hang out in his room... Read more
A dear friend of mine sent me this quote from G. K. Chesterton concerning what he calls the “dislocation of humility.” “What we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place. Modesty has moved from the organ of ambition. Modesty has settled upon the organ of conviction; where it was never meant to be. A man was meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth; this has been exactly reversed. Nowadays the part of a man... Read more
I am writing this with my leg propped up straight, and since it can’t really go under the desk properly, I am a bit twisted round and hence rather uncomfortable! Since my operation two weeks ago today, which removed significant amounts of cartilage from my right knee, I have been painfully aware of our bodies’ inadequacies. I haven’t been able to do much. I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t sit in a chair. At first I couldn’t even sit up in... Read more
I reported here a while back that Bishop Broadbent, leader of the Spring Harvest team, has accepted that disagreements over Steve Chalke played at least some role in the split between Word Alive and Spring Harvest. Today the UCCF issued a follow-up statement on their website which seems to aim to be conciliatory. There is still no official statement or comment from Spring Harvest itself as an organisation in response to the ones from UCCF. Neither has Steve Chalke replied... Read more
Last week I made the point that to Paul the cross and resurrection of Jesus are so closely entwined that he will often use one or the other of them as shorthand for both. Today I want to point to another passage, this time in Peter, where I believe the same thing occurs. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been... Read more
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In an article posted just this week, John Piper writes about how the cross has efficacy because Jesus lived an obedient life. In the debates about the atonement, some people criticise us for over-emphasising the cross at the expense of the incarnation or resurrection. I have been arguing in my series on the resurrection that the cross and resurrection are an inseparable unit. Here Piper argues that the cross and Jesus’ obedience as a man throughout his life are also... Read more
As we are working our way though Romans and highlighting passages that are related to the atonement, we now reach Romans 9-11. It is worth noting that one’s concepts of the atonement and justification are closely entwined. For many who have been influenced by the new perspectives on Paul, this next passage must be slightly awkward. Crucial to the understanding I have of the cross is that it exists in order that God can give us a free gift of... Read more
A Pastoral Response to Online Dating (Josh Harris). The balanced wisdom of the guys from Covenant Life Church is a real blessing. I commend this article written for members of their own church for all struggling with the issue of singleness and whether online dating is the answer. The last time I wrote about online dating, I speculated that blogging might lead to relationships that arose in a more natural way. Not sure if anyone out there would care to... Read more
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