A number of years ago I took the Strength-Finders test as part of an evaluation process. In taking this particular test it was said that one of my areas of strength, so to speak, is “context.” That means I like thinking about the past. That’s true and I’ll chalk it up to a tool…
Photo by Janine Robinson on Unsplash Today is Martin Luther King Day, a federal holiday that is celebrated on the third Monday in January. Perhaps a good tradition to start (or continue) is to read MLK’s letter he wrote in August of 1963 from a Birmingham jail cell. You can read the entire letter here.
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash Confession: I do not read or study the art or craft of preaching as regularly as I should. Though I’m not entirely sure what “regularly” is, I am quite sure that it’s more often than what I’m currently doing. That being said, Meditations on Preaching by Francis James Grimké has been a…
Photo credit belongs to Patrick Fore. Almost 15 years ago I heard Dr. Chad Brand from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary say that he had read the Bible through something like thirty times. I was amazed, challenged, encouraged, and motivated. At that time, I had been in ministry about three years and I’m ashamed to…
While justification is an act of God and is something he graciously does on behalf of sinners, this does not mean human beings are passive in every respect. Human beings must believe in Jesus. Upon believing, God’s response is to justify the ungodly (Rom 4:5). This exercise of faith is not a work that seeks…
Martin Lloyd Jones in his book Spiritual Depression made this statement I found helpful as I think about training my mind to meditate on truth and speak truth to my heart : Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of…
Justification is by grace. That is, sinners do not deserve God’s favor. Furthermore, justification is not on the basis of works (cf. Gal 2:15–16) but comes through faith (Rom 3:28). Yet, in order to steer clear of ambiguity, theologians have taken time to identify the object of justifying faith. That is, what or who do…
While justification is an act of God and is something he graciously does on behalf of sinners, this does not mean human beings are passive in every respect. Human beings must believe in Jesus. Upon believing, God’s response is to justify the ungodly (Rom 4:5). This exercise of faith is not a work that…
There are times when small parts of the Bible really stick out to me. I often feel the urge to just marinate on part of a chapter or part of a verse. That’s what happened to me the other day when I read half of Galatians 2:12. I simply wanted to sit with the words. …
According to the Bible, humanity is clearly responsible to exercise Spirit-wrought faith in Jesus. When sinners willing place their faith in Jesus, God responds by justifying the sinner for their good and his glory. However, before we talk about the necessity of man acting in faith, we should first remember that justification is by grace.…
Theology Along the Way 