John Calvin deals with this doctrine fairly early on in the Institutes – in Book 1, Chapters 16-18.
In Chapter 16, he begins by asserting that ‘we see the presence of divine power as much in the continuing state of the universe as in its inception.’ In other words, God’s power is as apparent in his works of providence as it is in his work of creation. The One who made the world sustains and governs it.…
“You nearly found your preaching voice today.”
Those were the kindly, but slightly troubling, words of an elderly Christian gentleman after he heard me preach recently.
What he meant was that in my preaching I tend to be too tied to my notes, and to speak more to the head than to the heart. In other words, in his view I tend to lecture, rather than to preach.
A number of somewhat random thoughts occur to me as I try to reflect on this:-
According to Fee & Stuart,
‘The early Christians came to realize that Jesus had not come to usher in the “final” end but the “beginning” of the end, as it were. Thus they came to see that with Jesus’ death and resurrection, and with the coming of the Spirit, the blessings and benefits of the future had already come. In a sense, therefore, the end had already come. But in another sense the end had not yet fully come.…
‘A little knowledge of God,’ wrote J.I. Packer, ‘is worth more than a great deal of knowledge about him.’
He continues:-
1. One can know a great deal about God without much knowledge of him.
I am sure that many of us have never really grasped this. We find in ourselves a deep interest in theology (which is, of course, a most fascinating and intriguing subject—in the seventeenth century it was every gentleman’s hobby). We read books of theological exposition and apologetics.…
Moses was the first great preacher of the word of God of whom we have any detailed knowledge.
Moses’ call is recorded in Ex 4:10-16. When Moses protests his inability to speak for God, the reply he receives is that God will teach what to say and how to say it. He is to be God’s mouthpiece. He is to act as intermediary between God and the people. He spoke on God’s behalf to the people, and the people accepted his words as the Lord’s, Ex 24:3. …
For many Christians the prospect of being re-united with loved ones in the life to come is one of the greatest comforts in the face of bereavement.
Of course, this prospect ought not to overshadow that fellowship with our Lord which ought to be pre-eminent. After all, the Psalmist could pray, “Whom have I in heaven but thee?’ (Psa 73:25), and Paul’s great desire was to depart and ‘being with Christ’, Phil 1:23; 1 Thess 4:17. …
My mother, Peggy Mason, died peacefully on 11th December after a short illness. She had led an extraordinarily active life, and although in recent years short-term memory loss took its toll, her loving personality remained intact until the end.
Yesterday, Friday 23rd December, a service of thanksgiving was held at Chapelfield Road Methodist Church, Norwich. One of my sisters, Catherine, spoke of our mum’s life generally, and I had the privilege of saying a few words about mum’s Christian faith.…
Chris Green, Vice Principal of Oak Hill Theological College, has noted that among the 35 contributors to John Stott: a portrait by his friends, there is none from ‘the other side’ of the 1966 debate with Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones. ‘Perhaps,’ Green suggests, ‘some issues are still too raw.’
It seems extraordinary that such a situation should pertain nearly half a century after the event. I would like to revisit the momentous events of that 1996 debate and its consequences.…
The thoughts that follow are based on an address given by J.I. Packer in 1988. It is remarkable how rapidly thought and practice in the Christian church have moved on since then (Packer was focussing on women as presbyters; now the urgent discussions are about women as bishops). But that might make his discussion more, rather than less, relevant.
It is often assumed that the Bible is hostile to women. Arriving at a correct view of the biblical view of the role of women is complicated for both secular and churchly reasons.…
Chris Tilling has a high regard for the writings of Tom Wright. It is of interest, therefore, that he thinks that many who attempt to reflect Wright’s teaching in their preaching end up saying either of two things:-
1. “You thought this text means this…but you are wrong! It is not about going to heaven when you die. Understood in terms of exile and restoration, it means…” Tilling remarks that this iconoclastic habit has a tendency to undermine hearers’ confidence in Scripture. …
