vendredi 19 août 2011

Westminster Catechism Rap by Voice feat. Dr. DA Carson


wow.

Also, Lecrae is more theologically sound than most American pastors.

mardi 16 août 2011

The Law is more useful than Romans 8:3 makes it out to be

Besides civil, didactic, and pedagogical uses, the Law is also most importantly reflective:
The Law reveals a glimpse of the perfect righteousness of Christ.

As we stagger under the lengthy, weighty mass of Scriptural imperatives, breathlessly gasping our own depravity, let us also find the answer to the question “How perfect is Jesus’ righteousness imputed to us?” with "This perfect.” (And more perfect still.)

mercredi 10 août 2011

This is probably what heaven looks&sounds like JUST SAYINN’ WOWOW.

mardi 9 août 2011

John Calvin is the man

Nothing will more effectively preserve us in a straight and undeviating course in this economy of the crippling yen, euro, and dollar? hahaha than a firm persuasion that all events are in the hand of God.
...
It is wrong to infer from prosperity that God is favorable toward us, and from suffering that God is angry. For God does not consider in chastening the faithful what they deserve but rather what will be useful to them in the future. He fulfills the office of a physician rather than of a judge. Suffering often brings us to the end of our rope, so we will look to God in Christ for our safety.

We must never forget that there is no tribunal so magnificent, no throne so stately, no show of triumph so distinguished, no chariot so elevated, as is the cross on which Christ has subdued death and the Devil. His whole life was nothing but a kind of perpetual cross. The cross of Christ always contains in itself the victory. But like the disciples at Golgotha, we flee the cross—both Christ's and our own. We imagine that somehow we deserve prosperity. But prosperity often inebriates people, so that they take delight in their own vanities. Instead of leading to gratitude, God's indulgent liberality is abused; prosperity easily becomes its own kind of prison that deprives us of God's greatest gifts.
...
Our salvation and reconciliation to God in Christ is more important than any present happiness. It is far better for the children of God to be blessed, though mutilated and half-destroyed, than to desire that peace in which they shall fall asleep. Our ultimate security and prosperity is found only in Christ and will be fully realized only in glory.
- from The Institutes of the Christian Religion
Without the gospel everything is useless and vain; without the gospel we are not Christians; without the gospel all riches is poverty, all wisdom folly before God; strength is weakness, and all the justice of man is under the condemnation of God.
...
It follows that every good thing we could think or desire is to be found in this same Jesus Christ alone. For, he was sold, to buy us back; captive, to deliver us; condemned, to absolve us; he was made a curse for our blessing, sin offering for our righteousness; marred that we may be made fair; he died for our life; so that by him fury is made gentle, wrath appeased, darkness turned into light, fear reassured, despisal despised, debt canceled, labor lightened, sadness made merry, misfortune made fortunate, difficulty easy, disorder ordered, division united, ignominy ennobled, rebellion subjected, intimidation intimidated, ambush uncovered, assaults assailed, force forced back, combat combated, war warred against, vengeance avenged, torment tormented, damnation damned, the abyss sunk into the abyss, hell transfixed, death dead, mortality made immortal. In short oh yeah, REALLLL short John, mercy has swallowed up all misery, and goodness all misfortune.

For all these things which were to be the weapons of the devil in his battle against us, and the sting of death to pierce us, are turned for us into exercises which we can turn to our profit. If we are able to boast with the apostle, saying, O hell, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting? it is because by the Spirit of Christ promised to the elect Ephesians 1:14 baby!!!, we live no longer, but Christ lives in us.
- from a preface to the New Testament in Olivétan's French Bible Translation

Are there any prefaces in your Bible that are this nice??

mardi 2 août 2011

To my peeps who don't understand the Bible

honestly, I sometimes don't really either.

"Why is homosexuality a sin?" Well, it doesn't really bother me so I'm not quite sure.

"Why should wives submit to the headship of the husband?" Because the Bible said so?

If someone offers "because the Bible says so" as an answer to your question, you are free to write that person off as someone who has no clue what they're talking about. Silver or gold or humanist rationale I do not have, but what I have I give you. And that is an amazing redeemer who has shown himself in human history to fulfill these rules - which were graciously given to me like a father telling his child to not step out into the middle of the road. His perfect record made him the only one suitable sacrifice to clean my record of constant disobedience.

I deserve hell but instead I am getting Jesus. A story about a people deserving wrath but instead are given mercy? That love is on every page of the Bible.