Approaching Our Sin Biblically Rather than Therapeutically
As Romans 7 reminds us, even believers like the apostle Paul continue to struggle with sin in this life. Progress in holiness is really possible by God’s wonderful grace (see prior post on that issue here), but we will never be fully rid of sin while still in this life. So, the question then becomes: How do I diagnose and respond to the sin patterns in my life? Well, there are two basic answers to that in our world: a therapeutic answer and a biblical answer.
The therapeutic answer is that (a) the cause of your problems is outside yourself (your upbringing, your parents, society), and (b) the solution … Continue reading...
Is Anyone More Holy Than Anyone Else? The Missing Category of the ‘Righteous Man’
“No one is more holy than anyone else.” That was the statement I heard in a recent sermon. At first, I thought I must have misheard it. But, I had not. The point being made to the congregation was clear: abandon your ‘self-righteousness’ and recognize that you are no holier than the person in the pew next to you.
Now, statements like that sound compelling at first. Humble, even. After all, we are trained to go after those Pharisees among us (usually defined as anyone who appears to be holier than we are!). Moreover, we have the reformed doctrine of total depravity entrenched in our minds, reminding us that our … Continue reading...
Is Tradition the Only Way to Know Which Books are in the Canon?
Over at the Parchment and Pen blog, Michael Patton has objected to the statement of faith of Together for the Gospel (T4G), particularly as it pertains to the relationship between tradition and canon:
…Think of it another way: Without tradition being an authority we would not even have the Scriptures themselves, as it is only through tradition that we know what Scripture is actually Scripture. The Scriptures have no place where there is an inspired list telling us which books belong in the Scripture (we call this the “canon” of Scripture). It is through the traditions of the church that we know which books are the final authority. Therefore, tradition
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Wonderful New Book: The Envy of Eve
My wife Melissa has just published a wonderful new book, The Envy of Eve: Finding Contentment in a Covetous World (Christian Focus, 2012). The issue of coveting is one that does not get much attention in today’s church (when’s the last time you heard a sermon on it?). Yet, as she points out in her book, coveting is really a “mother” sin. That is, when left unchecked it can give birth to all kinds of other sins.
Thus, coveting is the foundation for suspicion of, and rebellion against, both our maker and our neighbor. In this sense, coveting is the direct opposite of the two greatest commandments: “And you shall … Continue reading...
Christian Humility and the World’s Definition of Humility
One of the most common objections made to the absolute claims of Christianity is that Christians are arrogant. Christians are arrogant to claim that they are right; arrogant to claim others are wrong; arrogant to claim that truth can be known. Unfortunately, in the midst of such accusations, no one bothers to ask which definition of humility is being used. Over the years, the definition of humility has undergone a gradual but nonetheless profound change. Especially in the intellectual community. In the modern day, humility has basically become synonymous with another word: uncertainty. To be uncertain is to be humble. To be certain is to be arrogant. Thus, the … Continue reading...