The Root of Our Disobedience

At the root of all our disobedience are particular ways in which we continue to seek control of our lives through systems of works-righteousness. The way to progress as a Christian is to continually repent and uproot these systems the same way we become Christians, namely by the vivid depiction (and re-depiction) of Christ’s saving work for us, and the abandoning of self-trusting efforts to complete ourselves. We must go back again and again to the gospel of Christ-crucified, so that our hearts are more deeply gripped by the reality of what he did and who we are in him.

Timothy Keller, Paul’s Letter to the Galatians (Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2003), 61.

What Happens When You Sin

By Timothy J. Keller:

People think that when you do a sin, when you break God’s law, when you lie, when you use somebody, when you trample on somebody, when you sin, you feel like that’s just an event, just an action. No, it’s not. The Bible says that when you sin you don’t just do an event and then pass on. You create and you release a devastating power that careens around your life indefinitely.

What Calvinism is Not

Source: The Fide-O Blog

1. Calvinism does not teach that God will refuse to save a man because he is not one of the elect even though that man believes in Christ and repents of his sin.
2. Calvinism does not teach that Christians do not need to evangelize or do missions because God will sovereignly save the elect.
3. Calvinism does not deny man’s responsibilities as defined by Scripture.
4. Calvinism does not teach that God is the author of sin, who made people sin so that He could judge them.
5. Calvinism does not affirm all of the beliefs of John Calvin.
6. Calvinism is not a certain form of church government.
7. Calvinism does not teach infant baptism.
8. Calvinism is not a sect of Christianity or Gospel that was formulated by John Calvin.
9. Calvinism as a system of theology/soteriology did not originate with John Calvin.
10. Calvinism is not consistent with Dispensationalism.
11. Calvinism is not the same as Stoicism or Pantheism.

Christians and Culture

By Carl Trueman:

Talk of `Christians can watch anything as long as they do it critically’ is as daft, unbiblical, soft-headed, ill-thought-out, and confused  as anything one is likely to come across.  In fact, I have a suspicion that for some it might simply function as a rationalization for watching whatever they like and not having to feel guilty about it, the Christian voyeur’s equivalent of the `I only do screen nudity and sex when the script demands it’ excuse of so many `serious’ actresses whose bank balances have been boosted by the occasional flash of on-screen flesh.

Read the entire article.