The Elect of God can only be discerned from those who are not Elect by their faith and life. We cannot climb up into the secret of God’s eternal counsels. We cannot read the book of life. The fruits of the Spirit, seen and manifested in a man’s conversation, are the only grounds on which we can ascertain that he is one of God’s Elect. Where the marks of God’s Elect can be seen, there, and there only, have we any warrant for saying “this is one of the Elect.”…
John Piper’s recent book, Coronavirus and Christ (Crossway, 2020) has quite a lot on common with John Lennox’s Where is God in a Coronavirus World?
Both are written from an evangelical perspective by men with long experience in Christian ministry, and who have experienced significant ill-health in the past. Both books are quite short, appeal to the same kinds of biblical teaching, and extend an invitation to accept the Good News of Jesus, crucified, risen and returning.…
We are thankful to God for the recovery of Boris Johnson, British Prime Minister, from what was, evidently, a bad case of Covid-19. We are thankful, too, that tomorrow (27th April 2020) he expects to be able to return to 10 Downing Street and pick up the reigns of national leadership again.
His comments, upon leaving hospital, were heartfelt, and appreciative of the efforts made by NHS staff not only on his own behalf, but also on behalf of their many other patients.…
John Lennox, Where is God in a Coronavirus World? The Good Book Company, 2020.
I’d like to offer a brief resume of this book by an Oxford mathematician, philosopher of science, and Christian apologist.
I think that I have faithfully reflected – albeit mostly in my own words – the main lines of thought.
1. Feeling vulnerable
Lennox writes in April, 2020, just a few short months into the world-wide emergency that has been precipitated by the rapid spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. …
Sean Doherty writes:
The church is under huge pressure to move away from biblical teaching with respect to sexuality. For example, the New Testament scholar Walter Wink, who is in favour of same-sex relationships, admits that the Bible does rule out same sex sexual intimacy. But he also maintains that the Bible sanctions slavery, which thankfully we now recognise as deeply evil and wrong. Wink therefore suggests that it is quite right to move away from biblical teaching on this matter, in the same way that we have moved away from biblical teaching on slavery.…
Study of ‘me’ in John’s Gospel
(Picking, 1,000 Subjects, slightly adapted)…
1 Corinthians 15:42 It is the same with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. 15:43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 15:44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
Paul’s teaching here has led some to interpret the resurrection appearances of vv5-8 as non-physical, amounting to something like subjective visions. …
John 20:15 Jesus said to [Mary], “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” Because she thought he was the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him.”
‘She thought he was the gardener’ – This supposition has provided rich pickings for preachers who like to domesticate the biblical text while allowing free reign to their own imaginations. …
A summary of chapter 30 of The Fountain of Life., by John Flavel.
“He is not here; for he is risen, as he said: come, see the place where the Lord lay.” Matthew 28:6
In these words we have both a declaration and confirmation of the resurrection of Christ from the dead.
First. A declaration of it by the angels, both negatively and affirmatively. Negatively, He is not here. Positively, He is risen.…
Mt 13:31f “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest garden plant and becomes a tree, so that the wild birds come and nest in its branches.”
Mk 4:30-32 “To what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to present it? It is like a mustard seed that when sown in the ground, even though it is the smallest of all the seeds in the ground—when it is sown, it grows up, becomes the greatest of all garden plants, and grows large branches so that the wild birds can nest in its shade.” …
