Further to my entry on the ‘Goldilocks Effect’ – the idea that the universe is ‘just right’ for the emergence of human life – I’ve been thinking about one aspect of this richly variegated theme.
At first sight, the earth’s near neighbour, the moon, seems to have no drastic effect on life here on earth. True, it influences ocean tides and offers a bit of light to see things by at night, but, it seems, little more than that.…
Once a year, in late October or early November, a very British event takes place in London: the State Opening of Parliament. Her Majesty the Queen is taken by horse-drawn carriage from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster and into the House of Lords. There she delivers her speech from the throne, informing the great and the good of her plans for her government and for her people.
Looking at that scene, with all its pomp and circumstance, you should have no trouble working out who is in charge.…
Assurance is glory in the bud, it is the suburbs of paradise. (Thomas Brooks)
Assurance is, as it were, the cream of faith. (William Gurnall)
Sin can never quite bereave a saint of his jewel, his grace; but it may steal away the key of the cabinet, his assurance. (William Jenkin)
A letter may be written, when it is not sealed; so grace may be written in the heart, and the Spirit may not set the seal of assurance to it.…
Matthew Henry, the famous Bible commentator, once preached a series of sermons on sanctification. In each sermon he would deal with a sin to be ‘mortified’, and then the corresponding grace to be cultivated.…
Leaving aside for a moment my reading on this subject, I would like just to jot down here some of the questions and challenges posed by the New Perspective on Paul, especially in the version developed by Bishop N.T. (Tom) Wright.
What follows formed the basis of a couple of recent small group studies. I should point out that the choice of topic was theirs, not mine!
Eph 1:3-14 is a good place to start: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.…
Romans 9 is one of the few places in Scripture where the tension between divine sovereignty and human responsibility is acknowledged to be something of a problem to our finite, fallen understanding. Douglas Moo (in the New Bible Commentary) has a helpful comment:-
‘Paul’s emphasis on the sovereignty of God in salvation raises certain objections, as he well knew from many years of preaching. Paul deals with two of these in this section. Is not God unfair to choose some and reject others (v14)?…
Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation; so as a natural man, being altogether averse from that good, and dead in sin, is not able, bu his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto. (Westminster Confession)
‘The condition of Man after the fall of Adam is such, that he cannot turn and prepare himself, by his own natural strength and good works, to faith; and calling upon God.…
I’ve been posting, off and on, on Tom Wright’s Justification: God’s Plan and Paul’s Vision. Haven’t finished yet. Reviews have starting appearing, and I was particularly interested to read that of Craig Blomberg, Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Denver Seminary. Blomberg writes:
Throughout his prolific writing career, Wright has increasingly centered his attention on the breadth of the gospel message being much more than how an individual attains salvation, defined as life in heaven after death.…
Bruce Milne’s Know The Truth is a straightforward, uncomplicated handbook of Christian doctrine.
Milne defines ‘election’ as
that work of God’s grace whereby he chooses individuals and groups for a purpose or destiny in accordance with his will.
Examples form the Old Testament include Abraham, Gen 11:31-12:7, Israel, Ex 3:6-10, and the Messiah, Isa 42:1f. In the New Testament Jesus is in a special sense the object of election, Lk 9:35; 1 Pet 2:4f. Then, the church itself is referred to as ‘the elect’, Mt 22:14; Mk 13:20; Lk 18:8; 1 Pet 2:4f.…
