Want to Understand How Suffering Fits with the Sovereignty of God? Here’s a Great Place to Start

One of the perennial questions for all theologians (and all human beings) is “Why do we suffer?” And, “If God is good and sovereign, why does he allow suffering?”
While most of us have these questions, we don’t really have to deal with them until we experience suffering ourselves. This is when we discover whether we really have a “theology of suffering” that can deal with the hard parts of life.
And that’s the thing about the coronavirus. It forces all of us to answer the tough questions about suffering. We can no longer duck the issue.
To be clear, I am not talking about answers to the intellectual questions … Continue reading...
Here is My @TGC Conversation with Nancy Guthrie about How to Teach the Book of Romans

When it comes to understanding the gospel of salvation by grace alone, there are few books more foundational than Romans.
It was Romans that Martin Luther was reading when the light clicked on regarding justification: “The righteous shall live by faith” (1:17). And it was Romans that Augustine read when he heard the child’s voice say tolle lege: “So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light” (13:12).
That very verse led to Augustine’s conversion.
The impact of Romans has been felt in every generation of the church. And, of course, we can’t forget Martin Lloyd-Jones’ legendary series preaching through Romans … Continue reading...
How to Struggle with Grief: A Conversation with David and Nancy Guthrie (@saysNancyGuth3)

Over the years, I have noticed that the Reformed folks have a robust doctrine of sin, but (in my opinion) a fairly thin doctrine of suffering. And this is true in the broader evangelical world as well.
We tend to think of sin as simply impacting behavior or ethical choices. And we sometimes forget that sin also impacts every aspect of creation. We live in a fallen, broken world. So, we should not be surprised when our lives are affected by that fallen, broken world.
As a result of this blind spot, most people simply don’t know how to suffer or grieve biblically. Even more, most people don’t know how … Continue reading...