Outrage Is Not a Fruit of the Spirit
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“In today’s digital world—and especially in an election year—it’s heartbreaking to see God’s people become a bickering, angry mob.” - Randy Alcorn
Rightly Ordered . . . Fears?
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“The easiest way to not be afraid of anything is to be ignorant….The second easiest way to not be afraid of anything is to not love anything….These are sub-Christian options.” - TGC
Discussion
10 Errors to Avoid When Talking about Sanctification and the Gospel
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“Can we please God? Should we try to? Is there a place for striving in the Christian life? Can God be disappointed with the Christian? Does the gospel make any demands? These are good questions that require a good deal of nuance and precision to answer well.” - Kevin DeYoung
Discussion
In Praise of Plodders
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“Such daily showing up, Dyck argues, may not look like much at first glance, but it is quietly revolutionary. It is the key for healthy marriage and family life, for building friendships, and for growing spiritually.” - Mere Orthodoxy
Discussion
The Pitfalls and Joys of “Trying Harder”
I recently wrote a brief defense of the importance of personal effort (or “trying harder”) in God’s gracious design to transform His saints. My central claim was that we put ourselves at odds with the NT if we understand or teach the dynamic of sanctification in a way that devalues or strongly cautions against hard work.
But that doesn’t mean emphasizing hard work has no attendant hazards.
Bob Hayton wrote of one of these pitfalls in a post: Particular Pitfalls of Independent Baptists: Performance-Based Sanctification.
Work hard, feel good; blow it and feel terrible. Where is the confidence in God’s grace in this model? The secret to living victoriously for Christ is gritting your teeth, doing more, and not doing the things you shouldn’t do. Try, try, try. Harder, harder, harder! Don’t quit. Keep going. We say that salvation is by grace, but growing in Christ is about the will power, the commitment and the determination.
This can lead to despair or a terrible form of pride.
The solution Bob advocates (citing Terry Rayburn and Tim Kellar, in part) is to reject trying harder, and focus exclusively on faith. Several Reformed leaders have emphasized a similar perspective in recent years (with a burst of back and forth on the Web beginning in the summer of 2011, see the table posting tomorrow), Tullian Tchividjian and Sean Lucas among them.
My purpose here is to explore the problem Bob and others have described. Perhaps we can come to more fully understand it.
Discussion
Three Types of Reading (And Suggested Books for Each)
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“The first category is books to read slowly….The third category is books to read for fun….The second category sits between them: books to read quickly.” - Challies
Discussion
Maybe We Make Meditation Too Difficult
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“I wonder if we’ve made it a little too abstract, a little too inactive, and perhaps a little too solitary. What is meditation? Meditation is pondering the words of the Bible with the goal of better understanding and sharper application.” - Challies
Discussion
Pursue contentment as fallen people in a fallen world
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“Regardless of our circumstances, we must rejoice in the Lord: ‘Though the fig tree should not blossom … yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. (Hab. 3:17–18)’” - Ligonier
Discussion
Going to Work in a Genesis 3 World
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“After the fall, outside the garden, work is not a pretty picture. Yet that’s the context in which we all work today. Every fallen weakness described above is present in every workplace every day.” - Common Good
Discussion
“Over half (57%) of Protestant churchgoers say they find it challenging to make sense of the Bible when they read it on their own.”
Body
“Dr. George H. Guthrie has written … A Short Guide to Reading the Bible Better. In this book, he provides helpful tools and guidance to help God’s people read and enjoy God’s Word.” - Lifeway
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