It was Mormonism I was looking for all along

A good and busy Sunday.  I’ll get around to answering comments and emails soon.  Just wanted to blog this while it’s still fresh.
This afternoon I had two very different meetings with a similar theme.
One person – a really great Christian – confessed to me that they’d prayed for God to enter their life many thousands [...]

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No merit in man’s receiving – only in God’s giving

“To be bursting with thanksgiving is a true witness of the Spirit within us. For the voice of thanksgiving speaks without ceasing of the goodness of God. It claims nothing. It sees no merit in man’s receiving but only in God’s giving. It marvels at his mercy. It is the language of joy because it [...]

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We make God look like a jerk, He makes looking like a jerk truly glorious

A further thought:
What do you look like when you hold out your arms to obstinate people?  (Rom 10:21)  You look like a jerk.  You look completely foolish.
But God makes this arms-outstretched, suffering love His glory.  In spite, not because of us.
If we’re going to oppose synergism (and we should) let’s be thorough-going about it.  Just [...]

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Why should I let you into my heaven?

From Doug Wilson:
I was talking to a woman one time… and she told me sheepishly about her first reaction to that great grace question hypothetically presented at the pearly gates — “why should I let you into heaven?” The right answer of course is a variant of “because of the blood of Jesus Christ, plus [...]

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Ok, bibles under desks, no peeking…

Without looking at James 2 see if you can remember which way around his body/spirit illustration goes.
Is it:
Body / Spirit = Works / Faith
or is it:
Body / Spirit = Faith / Works
.
In other words, does faith enliven our works or do our works enliven our faith?
.
Got the difference?  Made your choice?
Ok, now you can check.
Surprised?
.

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Sanctification by Faith

Just an excellent podcast (25 mins)
Tim Rudge talks to Mike Reeves on living by faith on an hour by hour basis – applying the truths of the gospel to our sin and cultivating a healthy and happy walk with Christ.  I’ve listened to it twice already.  Great stuff.
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Faith is the opposite of self-regarding

From the ridiculous to the sublime.
I’ve posted quite a few long-winded reflections on faith in the past.  (And how we shouldn’t reflect too much on it!)  Here, here, here and here. 
 But they’re all summed up and vastly surpassed by one paragraph of Stott’s Romans commentary:
“Further it is vital to affirm that there is nothing meritorious about [...]

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Faith

Making faith about anything other than [the Word of God] is to turn faith into a work, and making it perilous ground for Christian assurance
Really very good post by Dan.
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Five Smooth Stones – Reward

This is the last in our series looking at various doctrines through the lens of the David and Goliath story. (The other four stones were: preaching, grace, faith and election)
Here we consider why it is that the concept of reward is not counter to the doctrines of Christ alone, grace alone and faith alone.
So let’s ask: [...]

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Looking Unto Jesus

Continuing on the Spurgeon quotes…  Here is today’s devotional from morning and evening and it’s a doozy!  It’s very reminiscent of a recent post on faith as looking outside ourselves to Christ.  But, as ever, Spurgeon says it best.  Drink it in!
“Looking unto Jesus.” –Hebrews 12:2
It is ever the Holy Spirit’s work to turn our [...]

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Five Smooth Stones – Faith

We’ve looked at Preaching and Grace, now we examine Faith through the lens of David and Goliath.
One of the most significant ‘light-bulb’ moments for me in the last couple of years has been to hear Alan Torrance and Mike Reeves say in different contexts basically the same thing.  Namely this: the reformers did not speak [...]

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Five Smooth Stones – Grace

I’ve begun looking at the story of David and Goliath as a lens through which to view five different doctrines:

Preaching
Grace
Faith
Election
Reward

In my last post we saw that preaching is not like a military briefing to troops on the front line.  It’s the war correspondent heralding the victory of Another to an otherwise hopeless people.  It’s about His victory [...]

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Five Smooth Stones – Preaching

You’ve all wondered what David’s five smooth stones represent (1 Sam 17:40).  Now I bring you the definitive answer…
Not really, I just have some reflections on David and Goliath and there happen to be five of them… 

Preaching
Grace
Faith
Election
Reward

But first, let’s remind ourselves of the story. (Read it here)
So here we are (verses 1-3) the uncircumcised Philistines [...]

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Faith is not a thing

A while back Matt Jenson wrote a brilliant short essay entitled: Faith is nothing at all.  Do read it if you haven’t already, it won’t take long.
We must constantly remind ourselves that faith is not a thing.  It is not a possession by which we make claim to salvation.  Faith is the absence of a thing [...]

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Trusting Him – Walking as He walked

After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone, 24 but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, [...]

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