Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

THIS & THAT: A Roundup of Favorite Articles and Quotes

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  • How to Grow Stronger in Perseverance. John Pletcher writes “What if our tough times can really be our best times for growing stronger? And what if those tough times are used by God to teach us to persevere, to discover pure joy and the capacity to grow stronger for the sake of others?”

  • I Shipwrecked My Faith – Am I Doomed? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “Is there hope for those who have shipwrecked their faith? I believe I have done this as 1 Timothy 1:19describes what has happened to those who have rejected a good conscience. I feel my communion with the Lord has been dry and blocked for almost six months now due to my personal sin. Can a shipwrecked faith be undone?”

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  • Can Christians Lose Their Salvation? Keith Mathison writes “Can a true Christian lose his or her salvation? Most Christians have asked this question at one time or another in their lives, and it is an enormously important question. Our answer to it is intimately connected to everything we believe about the redemptive work of God.”
  • Has God Planned Our Entire Lives? Are We Exactly Where He Wants Us to Be? Since God is sovereign over all things, does that mean our lives are exactly where He wants us to be? From one of the live Ask Ligonier events, Robert Godfrey distinguishes between God’s prescriptive will and His decretive will.
  • Saints or Sinners – How Should We Speak of Christians? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to a question that reads in part Can we who are saved by grace through faith still be called sinners, or is it more biblical to use the word saint? Paul calls himself the foremost of sinners in 1 Timothy 1:15–16, and James speaks of wayward believers who are brought back into the church body as sinners (James 5:19–20). Yet there are many places throughout Scripture that refer to God’s people as saints. So, should God’s collective people be primarily referred to as saints or sinners?”
  • How Could God Be Jealous? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question Help us understand what the Bible means by God’s jealousy. And why should this truth bring us into worship rather than repel us away from God?”
  • Was God at Work in My Pre-Conversion Life? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “Paul writes about his life before conversion as being one of the largest opponents of God (1 Timothy 1:13). He later says his life as an unbeliever was used to display God’s ‘perfect patience,’ going from a persecutor of Christians to a Christian (1 Timothy 1:16). God was revealing his patience in Paul’s pre-conversion life. So, looking at Paul’s testimony, my question is this: Was God present and active in our lives when we were unbelievers? And should we too speak of what our pre-conversion life reveals about the character of God? Because, quite honestly, that’s something I really don’t do.”


  • Each of us is leaving a legacy. Every day we are adding something to the portrait of our lives, and eventually what we leave behind—our decisions, our contributions, our priorities—will remain, at least for a time, for others to reflect upon and consider. Alistair Begg
  • The same God who directs the earth in its orbit, who feeds the burning furnace of the sun, and trims the lamps of heaven has promised to supply you with daily strength. Charles Spurgeon
  • One of the greatest enemies of true Christianity is “spirituality.” People believe themselves to be good with God because they say “I’m a spiritual person.” Everyone is a spiritual person. The question is: Of which spirit are you—Christ or Satan? Burk Parsons
  • The sinner can no more raise himself from the deadness of sin than Lazarus, who had been dead four days until Jesus came. George Whitefield
  • We cannot see an hour before us, but the Lord Jesus will lead us even to our journey’s end. Charles Spurgeon
  • The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like Jesus’ teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead. Tim Keller
  • There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us. Richard Sibbes
  • His mercy is so great that it forgives great sins to great sinners after great lengths of time and then gives great favors and great privileges and raises us up to great enjoyments in the great heaven of the great God. Charles Spurgeon
  • We don’t believe in the power of prayer. We believe in the power of God, and that’s why we pray. Burk Parsons

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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