Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

THIS & THAT: A Weekly Roundup of Favorite Articles and Quotes

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Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

  • More interesting article links about The Reformation, Christian Living, Good Questions and Thinking Theologically
  • Favorite Quotes of the Week

The Reformation

  • Why the Reformation Still Matters. Michael Reeves writes “None of the goodness or relevance of the Reformation’s insights have faded over the last five hundred years. The answers to the same key questions still make all the difference between human hopelessness and happiness.”
  • Reformed and Always Reforming. Robert Godfrey writes “Where reform according to the Word of God—the whole Word—is needed, we must pursue it vigorously. On the other hand, where the church is faithful, she must persevere patiently and wait for seasons of richer grace from the Lord.”
  • Why Was the Reformation Necessary? Robert Godfrey writes “As we look at the church in our day, we may well conclude that reformation is needed—indeed, is necessary—in many of the areas about which Calvin was so concerned. Only the Word and Spirit of God will ultimately reform the church. But we should pray and work faithfully that such reform will come in our time.”

  • Can a Saved Person Be Lost? Can true Christians fall from the faith in his final days and be lost? From one of the Ask Ligonier events, Derek Thomas responds to a startling picture at the end of John Bunyan’s beloved book The Pilgrim’s Progress.
  • Does the Church Need Anything Other Than the Means of Grace? In this video, Derek Thomas describes the relationship between the means of grace and other events or activities that may happen at a church.
  • What Are Some Good Arguments for the Apostle Paul’s Authority? Some people claim that the Apostle Paul’s writings bear no authority for Christians today. How should we respond? From one of the Ask Ligonier events, Stephen Nichols shows how Scripture addresses this challenge.
  • Do All Religions Worship the Same God? Nathan Bingham writes “These days, it’s popular to claim that adherents of various religions all worship the same God. To claim otherwise is to be labeled intolerant and promptly silenced. But what does God Himself say in His Word?”
  • How Many Days Was Jesus in the Grave—Two or Three? After His crucifixion, was Jesus in the grave for three full days? From one of Ligonier’s Ask C.events, R.C. Sproul examines what it means that Jesus was raised “on the third day.”

  • Paralysis Was His Good Plan: How Predestination Changed My Suffering. Joni Eareckson Tada writes “If I were to sum up Boettner’s book, I would do so like this: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ proves God’s sovereign and glorious intentions. That alone inspires me to do all I can to be pleasing in his sight (Colossians 3:17). And so, I pass on the message that God permits what he hates to achieve what he loves — Christ in us, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).
  • The Purpose of the Parable of the Vineyard. John MacArthur writes “Christ’s parables were never delivered in a vacuum. They were always provoked by the circumstances, discussions, and debates that surrounded Him. That kind of contextual background information is especially critical concerning the parable of the vineyard (Matthew 20:1–15). While the story itself delivers a profound lesson about the grace of God, we don’t feel the full weight of Christ’s words until we consider their immediate context.”
  • What are Some Common Misconceptions about Covenant Theology? In this video, Ligon Duncan addresses some common objections to covenant theology.
  • Why This May Be The Most Offensive Verse in the Bible. Trevin Wax writes that Psalm 100:3is offensive to the modern mind “because it takes an axe to the root of one of our society’s tallest and most twisted trees: the notion that we alone are responsible for making or remaking ourselves, and that we must make our own meaning and decide upon our own “truth.”
  • 5 Questions about Church Discipline. Jonathan Leeman offers these answers to five questions about church discipline from his book Is It Loving to Practice Church Discipline?
  • The Instrumental Cause of Justification. R.C. Sproul writes “The only One who can save us is Christ, and the only way we can get access to Him is through faith. We do not rest on anything else in our lives except Christ and His righteousness for our salvation.”
  • Mastered by Matchless Love: The Sweet Experience of Irresistible Grace. Sinclair Ferguson writes “This is the work of the invincible Spirit. Mastered, we come freely, even if the pathway to this freedom is the hard road of reluctance and resistance. For it is not “resistible grace” that overcomes our resistance; nor is “cooperating grace” adequate to subdue us. Only the invincible Spirit who glorifies Christ can bring us to trust him.”
  • Life between the already and the not yet was not meant to be comfortable…it was meant to be transformational. Paul Tripp
  • Our worship should strive for the best lyrics available and the best tunes available and the best musicians available so that God is truly honored. J.I. Packer
  • One way we glorify God is by our obedience to him, our refusing to believe we know best and instead trusting that his way is the way of life. Dane Ortlund
  • The Bible is living and active. It’s light in the darkness. It’s hope for the hopeless. It is right and it’s true. It’s breathed out by God and it accomplishes the purposes of God. It is the word of eternal life. It is the living and abiding word. Alistair Begg
  • Science is very good at telling us what we are made of. Only the Word of God tells us what we were made for. John Lennox
  • The sovereignty of God means that since I don’t have to be in control, I can focus on being a servant. Paul Tripp
  • Make my words honest and true, economical and few, wise and well chosen, calm and kind. Give me so much love and grace that this kind of conversation comes naturally to me. Amen. Tim Keller
  • We love until we are betrayed. Jesus continued to the cross despite betrayal. We love until we are forsaken. Jesus loved through forsakenness. We love up to a limit. Jesus loves to the end. Dane Ortlund
  • There’s a Lamb at the center of the Throne, not an Elephant or a Donkey. David Cassidy

Author: Bill Pence

I’m Bill Pence – married to my best friend Tammy, a graduate of Covenant Seminary, St. Louis Cardinals fan, formerly a manager at a Fortune 50 organization, and in leadership at my local church. I am a life-long learner and have a passion to help people develop, and to use their strengths to their fullest potential. I am an INTJ on Myers-Briggs, 3 on the Enneagram, my top five Strengthsfinder themes are: Belief, Responsibility, Learner, Harmony, and Achiever, and my two StandOut strength roles are Creator and Equalizer. My favorite book is the Bible, with Romans my favorite book of the Bible, and Colossians 3:23 and 2 Corinthians 5:21 being my favorite verses. Some of my other favorite books are The Holiness of God and Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul, and Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper. I enjoy music in a variety of genres, including modern hymns, Christian hip-hop and classic rock. My book Called to Lead: Living and Leading for Jesus in the Workplace and Tammy’s book Study, Savor and Share Scripture: Becoming What We Behold are available in paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon. amazon.com/author/billpence amazon.com/author/tammypence

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