Sanctification: Besetting Sins
One of my pet peeves as a pastor, is the use of Christian jargon. We sometimes use words or phrases, but are unable to define the terms! In other words: We don’t understand what we are saying! The phrase “besetting…
Tag Biblical Studies
The Prototypical Man
Humans have been fascinated by themselves since the earliest times in the history of our race. From the crude stick figures painted on the walls of caves in prehistoric times through to the sophisticated image of Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian…
Sanctification: A Perilous Journey for Roman Catholics
In an approved essay on the doctrine of “sanctifying grace,” an author at Catholic Answers brings us to the frightening precipice which his church’s doctrine demands. Under the grim heading, “Spiritual Suicide,” the author says of sanctifying grace: “But you…
Sanctification and Union with Christ
The Christian world is thinking and talking a lot about sanctification; how to grow in godliness and live holy lives. Amen! O that we would do so more and more! But I want to contend that in thinking through…
Sure of our Salvation
I heard a comment recently from one of the young men in our church that gave me pause for thought. He said, ‘I don’t think I have ever heard a sermon about assurance.’ My initial reaction was to frantically cast…
Sanctification: An Introduction
It can sometimes be revealing to notice how certain terms or expressions from the Bible take on a different meaning once they find their way into the secular world, or even into other branches of world Christianity. The term…
Anne Dutton and Her Reasons for Writing
Anne Dutton and Her Reasons for Writing From the time of her youth in 17th-century Northampton, England, Anne was described as a lively and outspoken girl. Over the course of her life, she combined this zeal and candor with…
Created in Christ for good Works
Too often the idea of ‘good works’ has been the Cinderella of Reformed discussion. Wanting (quite rightly) to distance ourselves from any kind of meritorious implications attached to them (which lies at the heart of the Roman Catholic view) we…
Grace Now and Not Yet
As heirs of the Reformation, we rightly champion salvation by grace alone. If God was not gracious to us we would have no hope. The simplest definition of grace is: favor extended where wrath is deserved. Others have made the…
Little Greek Gems: God with Us
The opening chapter of Matthew’s Gospel is, for some, like watching paint dry on a wall! Genealogies are not everyone’s thing. But this genealogy ought to be. It’s obviously the genealogy of Jesus. Yet, not so obvious is the Davidic…