Take the Trouble

"Pray tell me, what can a man do in the realm of theology and the sacred writings, if he has not even reached the point of knowing what the law and the gospel are, or, if he does know, scorns to observe the distinction? He is bound to mix up everything, heaven with hell and life with death, and will not take the slightest trouble to know about Christ." - Martin Luther, The Bondage of the Will, Revell edition, pages 163-164

Reconsider the Signs; They are Also Seals

"When God makes a promise 

and confirms that promise with a sign, 

there is nothing empty about the sign."

R. C. Sproul, Tabletalk Magazine, October 2017 Edition, page 39

Three days back the 500th anniversary of what is commonly considered the beginning of the Protestant Reformation was celebrated. Many Christians across denominational lines commemorate this day, October 31, 1517 when Martin Luther posted his 95 theses of debate to the church building door in Wittenberg. This cross-denominational party is somewhat strange, since I'm not sure Luther would consider many of these denominations to be made up of genuine Christians. I'm guessing the vast majority of these folks don't know that, because they don't read Luther. They don't know that the great point of contention that kept Ulrich Zwingli and Martin Luther from joining forces to create one great wave of Protestant reform was the meaning of the Lord's Table. They don't know that a case can be made that during those reformation years of battle more blood and more ink was spilled over this subject than any other. And they don't understand Luther to be the very sacramental man that he was. It's worth reading how it was that Luther understood the sacrament's relationship to authentic faith. Zwingli believed the sacraments to be memorials and reminders, but not necessarily attached to Christ's promise of His presence or His administration of grace.

I don't agree with Luther on the Lord's Table; not altogether. Neither do I agree with Zwingli, much at all. What I agree on with both is that the Lord's Table matters in a way that is worthy of hearty debate and perhaps division. It is not my intention in this post to make a case for my Reformed understanding of the Lord's Table. It's more simple than that. It's to say that all of us should rethink this matter, and not walk idly through life ignorantly accepting what it is we grew up with on this topic. And what many of us grew up with (including me) is that this isn't a terribly important thing. The Reformers disagreed, because the Bible disagrees. There is quite a bit at stake here, the most significant being in what ways God Almighty has promised His presence.

And, the Bible speaks of the signs (Baptism and the Lord's Table) as not only that, but also as seals. These practices seal to us the promises God is proclaiming by them. God is speaking in these things. It is not that man is testifying, or merely remembering, but that God is preaching to His assembled people.

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

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

When It's Better to be Wrong

"There's nothing worse than Christians who don't have strong convictions on things. 

I would rather be wrong about something that's important 

than not think that that thing is important in the first place."  

Carl Trueman, during a Mortification of Spin podcast discussing being a theologian of the cross

Commending Carl

Carl Trueman:
Professor at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA;
Pastor of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Ambler, PA

Carl Trueman is hilarious. I know "hilarious" is a subjective term. So perhaps I should say that to me, he is hilarious. His intelligent whit mingled with dry sarcasm, good-natured jesting, and British disposition make him a delight for me to hear. And he has many helpful thoughts for the followers of Jesus Christ. Below are a few links to some of my experiences with him.

Mortification of Spin - In combination with Aimee Byrd and Todd Pruitt, Trueman dialogues on topics crucial for the Christian Church. The link will take you to the ministry web page where you can find useful resources including their podcast which has been, for a while now, my favorite audio option. I truly look forward to tuning in to this threesome and am regularly disappointed when a broadcast ends. I wish they were longer. But they are indeed quite abbreviated.

The Creedal Imperative Explanation Video - Here's a short presentation on why creeds, confessions, and catechisms are so important and so useful to modern day Christians and their churches.

The Cornerstone Lecture Series - A five-part video series on the realities of the Christian life. The link here is to video #4 entitled "The Normal Christian Life." I think all five parts are worth your time but if you must choose only one I would go with #4. I say this due to my subjective but nevertheless experientially educated guess at what might be most beneficial to modern day American Christians. If you're not American and will hear only one presentation, then I suggest you begin at the beginning, with video #1 entitled Foundations. 

Related to these YouTube resources are the many other videos to be found on the same website. There you can find many brief Trueman contributions relevant and critical to Christian understanding. This includes his thoughts on many common questions posed by believers. It also includes lectures on a variety of topics including Church History. For example, go here to watch him speak on Reformation catalyst Martin Luther, whom he calls a "troubled prophet." Weren't they all?

Republocrat: Confessions of a Liberal Conservative - Since the American political bullshit is beginning to spin up as we enter the presidential campaign season, I commend Trueman's book addressing such things. Along with being unusually insightful, again, Trueman is wonderfully entertaining.

Enjoy.

A Gospel Too Small

In one of the books I'm reading on the Trinity ("The Deep Things of God"), Fred Sanders attempts to communicate the scope and depth of the gospel of the triune Godhead of the Bible. He "struggles to frame thoughts big enough to accommodate it." In this effort he writes,

"A gospel which is only about the moment of conversion but does not extend to every moment of life in Christ is too small. A gospel that gets your sins forgiven but offers no power for transformation is too small. A gospel that isolates one of the benefits of union with Christ and ignores all the others is too small. A gospel that must be measured by your own moral conduct, social conscience, or religious experience is too small. A gospel that rearranges the components of your life but does not put you personally in the presence of God is too small." (p106)