By Greg Gibson
What Is God Doing in Our Generation?
“This leads me to a few thoughts on the young, restless, reformed movement. I believe God is at work in the under-40 generation, doing something doctrinally, ecclesiologically, and doxologically healthy among many youngish Christians. Further, I believe this work of God is being mediated through a remarkable network of like-minded pastors, preachers, and scholars. I don’t know when there have been so many folks, often friends, saying and writing more or less the same things about the gospel, the atonement, the Scriptures, the glory of God, the doctrines of grace, the centrality of the church, the importance of preaching, the roles of men and women, and on and on it goes. We are blessed with an inordinate and growing number of good teachers, good books, good blogs, and good conferences…The goal is not to be a T4G-TGC-CHBC-ACE-PCA-SGM-DGM groupie. The goal is to know God, love God, and serve God–all of which can be helped, and is being helped, by the love for gospel truth in these groups (and many others).” A Generation of Bandwagon Jumpers by Kevin DeYoung
7 Counterfeit Gospels
“In one of his books (co-authored with Tim Lane), How People Change, he identifies seven counterfeit gospels—-’religious’ ways we try and ‘justify’ or ’save’ ourselves apart from the gospel of grace. I found these unbelievably helpful. Which one (or two, or three) of these do you tend to gravitate towards?”
1. Formalism
2. Legalism
3. Mysticism
4. Activism
5. Biblicism
6. Therapism
7. Social-ism
Counterfeit Gospels by Paul Tripp and Tullian Tchividjian
Which Theological Errors Lead to Hell?
“Where an issue falls within these categories should be determined by weighing the cumulative force of at least seven considerations:
1. biblical clarity;
2. relevance to the character of God;
3. relevance to the essence of the gospel;
4. biblical frequency and significance (how often in Scripture it is taught, and what weight Scripture places upon it);
5. effect on other doctrines;
6. consensus among Christians (past and present); and
7. effect on personal and church life.”
Levels of Doctrine by Justin Taylor
“But I Was Born That Way”(?)
“The key to answering this question—which usually arises in discussions about homosexuality and Christianity—is to insist (with the Bible) that genetic dispositions are not equal to sinful determiners. Our individual makeup and background provide the context for sin and may fuel the craving for sin but never alleviate the responsibility for our sin and the requirement that we imitate God’s holy character…Indeed, human beings are condemned by virtue of Adam’s sin (Rom. 5:16, 18). Such a radical view of sin in which we inherit a sinful nature from Adam means that sinful predispositions are part of our personalities from our inception. Hence, even if it were discovered that we are genetically predisposed to certain sinful behaviors like alcoholism or homosexuality, such discoveries would not eliminate our responsibility for our actions, nor would it suggest that such actions are no longer sinful. The Scriptures teach that we are born as sinners in Adam, while at the same time they insist we should not sin and are responsible for the sin we commit. We enter into the world as slaves of sin (Rom. 6:6, 17), but we are still morally blameworthy for capitulating to the sin that serves as our master.” Are We Still Responsible for Sins for Which We May Be Genetically Predisposed? by Justin Taylor and Thomas Schreiner
“Unless Your (Imputed or Imparted?) Righteousness Surpasses That of the Pharisees”
“In Matthew 5:20 Jesus at a pivotal point in His Sermon on the Mount utters the following serious warning: ‘For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven’…this context the question is not at all one of imputed righteousness, but of imparted righteousness. And it is a question of imparted righteousness as necessary in the day of judgment. First, we need to be clear that Jesus is not speaking our initial justification by faith. Entrance into the kingdom is eschatological here–as it often is in the synoptic gospels. Cf. Matt. 6:10; 8:11-12; 13:43; 25:34. This observation is confirmed by the consistently eschatological perspective of the blessings promised in each of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-10. It is also confirmed by the frequent references to the day of judgment in the comments of Jesus which follow (Matthew 5:22, 26, 29, and 30). It is further confirmed by the parallel passage in Matthew 7:21-23 where the scene of entrance into the kingdom of heaven is the day of judgment.” Is There a Future Justification by Works at the Day of Judgment? #6 by Sam Waldron
If Man Is Sovereign, Why Pray?
“If I [believe in libertarian freedom and] plead with God to remove my friend’s illness, that is not absurd, for God can answer that prayer without negating anyone’s freedom. But what about the request that God change the attitudes and actions of my friend’s tyrannical boss?…” If Libertarian Free Will Is True, Why Pray? by John Feinberg and Justin Taylor
Christ Rose Into the New Creation
“But the resurrection of Christ is also inaugurates something much broader—the re‐creation of the universe.” Christ’s Resurrection and the Dawn of the New Creation by Tony Reinke (HT:JT)
Universalism Refuted: Bibliography
“We recently had an email inquiry to The Gospel Coalition asking for resources on ‘Christian Universalism.’” Responding to “Christian Universalism” by Mike Pohlman
How to Lead Your Church in Prayer: 13 Tips
“1. Prepare. Some traditions use set prayers. Others rely on extemporaneous prayers. Both have their place. But I believe what our congregations need most are studied prayers. These prayers may or may not be read, but will be thought through ahead of time. Public prayer is often boring because little thought is put into it. There’s no training for it, no effort put it into it. An hour or two is not too long to spend in preparing a long, pastoral prayer.” Thirteen Tips for Leading the Congregation in Prayer by Kevin DeYoung
Piper Values Marriage Before Ministry
“…the elders graciously approved on March 22 a leave of absence that will take me away from Bethlehem from May 1 through December 31, 2010. We thought it might be helpful to put an explanation in a letter to go along with the sermon. I asked the elders to consider this leave because of a growing sense that my soul, my marriage, my family, and my ministry-pattern need a reality check from the Holy Spirit.” John Piper’s Upcoming Leave by John Piper
Zwemer: How to Pray for Muslims
Want to know how to pray for Muslims? See missionary Samuel Zwemer’s prayer for Muslims. Prayer for Muslim Lands by Kevin DeYoung
