Tuesday, August 29, 2017

For Freedom Christ Has Set Us Free

"Men's ordinances cannot be observed 
together with the Word of God, 
because the former bind consciences and the latter looses them. 
The two things are as much opposed to each other 
as fire and water."
Martin Luther, The Bondage of the Will, page 96 in the Revell Edition

Friday, August 25, 2017

The Offense Is In Us

"Doctrinal truth should be preached always, openly, 
without compromise, and never dissembled or concealed. 
There is no offense in it; it is the staff of uprightness."
Martin Luther, The Bondage of the Will, page 95 in the Revell Edition

Monday, August 21, 2017

God is Bothering Me

"If you're not wrestling with certain doctrines in Scripture; 
if you say, 'There's nothing that bothers me about God,'
are you really reading the Bible?"
From a recent White Horse Inn podcast

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

The Bondage of the Will

I was honored to write the forward for this special edition of one of the real classic Christian texts. Time is well spent learning church history in general, and the untamed Martin Luther in particular. Five hundred years later, this book still matters. It's for sale here

Monday, August 14, 2017

The Christian's Chief and Only Comfort

"Not only should we be sure that God wills, and will execute His will, necessarily and immutably; we should glory in the fact, as Paul does in Romans 3 -- "Let God be true, but every man a liar" (v.4). . .If then we are taught and believe that we ought to be ignorant of the necessary foreknowledge of God and the necessity of events, Christian faith is utterly destroyed, and the promises of God and the whole gospel fall to the ground completely; for the Christian's chief and only comfort in every adversity lies in knowing that God does not lie, but brings all things to pass immutably, and that His will cannot be resisted, altered or impeded." -- Martin Luther, from The Bondage of the Will, page 84 in the Revell edition

Monday, August 7, 2017

To the Christian Rich - Repent.

When the preacher for whom this blog is named was approached by crowds asking him how they might bear fruit keeping with repentance (Lk 3:1-22), he spoke to them regarding the relationship they had with their material possessions, their money, and their income. (Terribly interesting I think, and frightening). He told them to share their property, deal honestly in their businesses, be content with their income, and refuse to bully or otherwise intimidate in the pursuit of  financial gains. Now, let's go and do likewise.