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The Blogroll is a collection of blogs that are often of interest and help to SI readers. SharperIron does not create the content of these blogs and the views expressed in them are those of their respective writers.
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In John 1:14 we read
And the word became flesh, and tented among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as a unique One from the Father, filled with grace and reality.
Notice several things:
Notice that His stay among us was temporary: He “tented” among us—He set up no permanent living quarters. He intended to spend only enough time here to accomplish what He needed to do upon His trip. From the time of His anointing as the Messiah (His baptism) to His death, He lived among us for only 3 1/2 years. His entire earthly dwelling was about 33 years in all. He intended not to remain, but to come and accomplish a purpose, and then leave—precisely what He did.
Note also that He was God’s message transformed from words alone into a living person (‘flesh”) so that we could see and hear him do and say what it was that God wanted us to know about Himself, delivered in this form. To see...
Here is how a believer ought to think in the midst of the general confusion that he finds himself surrounded with today:
You guide me with Your counsel, and afterwards, you will take me up in glory; Whom do I have I heaven but You? And I desire nothing on earth but You. (Psalm 73:24)
It really doesn’t matter whether or not we find the answers to the troubles, trials, and difficulties that we face in the present life. It is wonderful when God gives us such a boon! But we have more than the present for which to live and rejoice—we look forward to a trouble-free heaven where all tears will be wiped away, where we will no longer regret our actions because we will never sin again! That is a place where righteousness will be at home!
So, whether now or later, our lives are sure and steadfast in Christ—and that is something for which we can be eternally thankful, beginning today!
That is something that those who do not know Him as their Savior cannot appreciate or affirm. If it sounds too good to be true, read the Scriptures in which you can find God’s counsel, and the life of faith here and complete joy hereafter.
In the church at Philippi there was a division. This was headed up by two women—the worst sort of split any church can have! There’s always the possibility that it can become a real shin-kicker and hair puller!
Their names might easily have been Odious and Soon-touchy, if they were anything like what we find in churches today. Their actual names are found in Philippians 4:2.
Before Paul mentions any names, he makes clear two principles that must be at work when bringing unity to a divided church. In Philippians 2:3, 4, he sets these forth:
You can always find some way in which others are better than you—if you’re willing to prayerfully take an honest look (of course, as his words indicate, Paul would have you to look away from yourself in order to do so).
And, if you are concerned about furthering others’ concerns rather than...
John Calvin’s emphasis was upon certainty. He abhorred the way in which Romanism kept people wondering whether or not they were saved. In his Defense of the Reformed faith, p. 256; Eerdmans, Grand Rapids (1958), he wrote:
Thus nothing is left but constant disquietude, and slow torture, and perplexing doubts, which will wear out the soul not less effectively than open murder.
In speaking of Roman confession, he also said,
The Apostles did not discharge their office of binding and loosing by hearing Confessions, but by preaching the gospel . . . And the reason why they strongly urge Confession is, because they wish to make the world obsequious to them, and to hold it in subjection . . . yet to color Confession, and hold it forth as a thing necessary to salvation, is neither expedient nor lawful. Conscience cannot be squeezed by the chains of such laws, without being strangled. (Ibid., p. 257, 258).
He was concerned about poor, wretched people, deluded by the traditions of men, who were enslaved to a system purporting to be Christian, but in reality, anything but.
There is salvation neither in works of penitence, nor in any other ceremony...
According to the writer of Hebrews the saints listed in chapter 11 among the faithful all died in faith
“without receiving the things that were promised.”
As the last verse in the chapter makes clear, this is the point of the words written about them. They believed, their faith led to extraordinary works, they went to be with Christ (which is far better than anything they knew here), but they still were waiting—waiting for the coming of the One Who would finally die, once for all, that they might be assured of life eternal. God was waiting for us to arrive on the scene—and believe. How wonderful that He and they patiently waited for us.
But patience is one of the great biblical virtues; it is not merely another piece of the Spirit’s fruit. How good God has been to us (as He was to them) to postpone the fulfillment of the promises so that we too could cash in on them. The day when we rise to meet the Lord in the air, and all that occurs subsequently, is yet in the future, but we have come right up to it. We could not be closer without being inside enjoying the festivities of Hebrews 13:22-24! It’s as if we were standing in the vestibule looking...
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted. I’ve been thinking a lot. I’m going to share some things here that I am finding are true for me. Maybe you’ll relate too. This is going to be candid. I’m finding I don’t help anyone by keeping life lessons to myself, so please bear with me.
Reminiscing.
My husband just came back from a conference, and he remarked about meeting people who learned he was my husband. People who had known me “back in the day” when I had a prominent, very public persona at a well-known Christian University. Back in those days, I taught multiple groups of (mostly freshman) students, held meetings with hundreds of students in attendance, and spoke for ladies events. There was a lot going on to make me feel “significant”.
Fast forward a couple decades. I’m living a much less commotion-filled life in rural Wyoming, largely spending my days in the house, homeschooling kids and doing housework. Anticlimactic? It could be. If I let it be. And I had.
Real Me.
I was feeling full of angst. I was defining my “usefulness” by...
We previewed “War Room” last night for our church New Year’s Eve event this evening. I was reminded of more things I need to focus upon, develop, and spiritually hone in my life. My favorite part of the movie was actually something in the bonus features. “Modern Day Miss Clara,” introduces viewers to Molly Bruno, a 91-year-old prayer warrior and one of the inspirations behind the character of Miss Clara. Sweet and empowering. I was encouraged by this lady’s example, and inspired to be like her. I found years ago that “My job is not the heavy lifting. That is His job.” I want to realize this even more in the coming year. You too?
Some years ago, I wrote this outline for a ladies retreat. I apologize for any formatting weirdness…I’m copying and pasting from a Word document. I hope it will help others who want to pray for their family more faithfully, and for their husbands in particular:
PRAYING FOR MEN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART
PSALM 112
No title to this psalm, but it is a companion to Ps. 111. Psalm 111 ascribes praise to God for His glories. Psalm 112 ascribes praise to God for how His glory is manifested...
Some months ago, Andy Naselli (professor of NT at Bethlehem College and Seminary) sent me a PDF of a new book he had just completed entitled How to Understand and Apply the New Testament. Over the next few weeks, I read it with great interest and, more importantly, with great benefit.
Here’s my bottom line: I like this book and I commend it to you.
Now a brief, informal review.
As you can tell from the title, this book serves as a basic primer on how to study the NT. The principles in it are, of course, applicable in many ways to the OT but there is a companion volume on the OT by Jason DeRouchie (who also teaches at Bethlehem). This book seems targeted primarily at students, perhaps the very people Andy teaches. It starts at the beginning and walks the reader through the process of, well, understanding and applying a NT text.
However, it is not just students who will benefit. Anyone with an interest in knowing the Word deeper will find this book and its methodology helpful. Sunday school teachers, Bible study or small group leaders, or any...
At first today is a homerun. It is A Discussion on Church and Race with Dr. Voddie Baucham and Pastor Douglas Wilson. It is refreshing and challenging in many respects. One major concern of mine that it taps into is that there is a sort of litmus test in some circles of evangelicalism about how racially sensitive (read: gospel centered) you are on. I wish I could delve into more of this because I think it is significant and my experience of the last almost 20 years has informed my view. But skip my thoughts for now and listen to it. It’s long (ninetyish minutes) but well worth it. Load it up on your phone and take a walk or two. It has a bit of humor in it, so be warned if you are humorless.
At second is a good article about home plate. Yes, the 17 inches that every batter from T-ball right on up to the major league stands beside and gets judged on. Oh sure, the umps might miss it here or there (though...
The landscape of history is scattered with the remnants of those who were a “flash in the pan.” They were there for a minute, but gone for a lifetime. They were filled with potential but failed to see it through.
What happened?
For some, it was the proverbial “second time through the lineup.” It’s that new pitcher just called up from Triple A ball to fill in a start. No one has seen his pitches and so he looks pretty good the first time around. But when the lineup resets to the top of the order, the Major League hitters have figured out his stuff and he gets rocked.
For others, it was laziness. I once talked with a man who had played basketball with some very high level players back in the day. Through summer leagues and college, it was clear that they had big time potential. But by the time of this conversation, they were walking the streets, sleeping on benches, and looking for their next fix. I asked him, “Why?” He said, “They didn’t want to work at it.”
For still others, it was distraction. Shiny coins glistened on the pavement. Colorful flowers sprang up in the garden. Cheerful sounds rang out from the playground. And decades later, all...
That’s the title of a short article I recently wrote for TGC.
It condenses a section from my chapter on Bible translation in How to Understand and Apply the New Testament: Twelve Steps from Exegesis to Theology.
I enjoyed reading this new book last week by my favorite United States Senator:
Ben Sasse. The Vanishing American Adult: Our Coming-of-Age Crisis—and How to Rebuild a Culture of Self-Reliance. New York: St. Martin’s, 2017.
It’s unusual for a U.S. Senator to write a book like this. It’s not politically partisan. It’s more like a philosophical and practical book on parenting.
Sasse convincingly argues that kids should read great books and work hard and that parents should strategically introduce their children to different world cultures so that they better understand their own.
To get a better idea of what his book is about, check out these...
Jeremy M. Kimble. 40 Questions about Church Membership and Church Discipline. 40 Questions. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2017.
My endorsement:
This handbook concisely explains the why and how of church membership and church discipline. Jeremy Kimble, who serves as a pastor and who wrote his PhD dissertation on church discipline, is a faithful guide.
I read this book twice—first last summer as a prepublication draft and then last month as the final version. I mostly agree with how Jeremy answers the 40 questions, and on a few minor issues where I might differ a bit (e.g., age of baptism), I appreciate his calm, generous tone.
The book’s most impressive endorsement comes from Jonathan Leeman, editorial...
Randy Alcorn authored a creative graphic novel on the apostle Paul. He shares more about it here.
I read it to my children, and they enjoyed the story and the pictures. It’s creative and edifying.
It’s volume 10 in a 12-volume graphic novel of the Bible (2014–2016):
Douglas Wilson. Flags Out Front: A Contrarian’s Daydream. Moscow, ID: Canon, 2016.
Why does reading Doug Wilson sometimes feels like a guilty pleasure? Well, I read his new novel last Saturday, and it was a jolly read.
I enjoyed it more than his last one—which I enjoyed. (See my review of Evangellyfish.)
I don’t want to give away the plot. Let’s just say it’s a clever story about religion and politics.
Here are twenty lines that made me smile:
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