Think Wink.

Here is a video where John Piper explains the ultimate end of everything: God himself.

Get that book from Edwards and read it. It is just as amazing has Piper says it is! You can find it here at Christian Classics Ethreal Library. A DISSERTATION CONCERNING THE END FOR WHICH GOD MADE THE WORLD.

Jesus and AD 70

The End For Which God Created The World

This Thanks Giving

Yesterday I began the audio reading of Jonathan Edwards Religious Affections. The following is a quote from a discussion of 1 Peter 1:8 where the apostle writes, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.” Edwards writes,

He that has doctrinal knowledge and speculation only, without affection, never is engaged in the business of religion.

Amen and amen!

Islam, the Pope, and the Christian Response

V-Tech Massacre

Morning Workout: Dr. Meredith Kline

Over at ChristianAudio.com they offer a free book every month. Last month was Jonathan Edward’s The Life and Diary of the Rev. David Brainerd. Thus far I have thoroughly enjoyed reading/listening to this book as I go to work every morning. This month the free book is Edward’s The Religious Affections where he offers his critique of the Great Awakening and the revivals in his church at Northampton. What I really appreciate is that both books are unabridged so that nothing is left out. After I finish Brainerd, I will pick up this work. ChristianAudio is quickly becoming a favorite site of mine if they keep offering Edwards to listen to every day. Hopefully they give me a really awesome Christmas present next month!

Always Been Curious

Captain America #41

Justice Mercy and Homework

…every morning I listen to The Life and Diary of the Rev. David Brainerd with Notes and Reflections by Jonathan Edwards. Edwards was given Brainerd’s diary and published it. Brainerd was a Puritan missionary to the Native Americans in New Jersey. This morning I was deeply moved and impressed AGAIN by Brainerd and his mission in New Jersey. Read his journal entry from May 19,

May 19. Visited and preached to my people from Acts xx. 18, 19 [Acts 20:18-19]. “And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day,” &c. and endeavoured to rectify their notions about religious affections; showing them, on the one hand, the desirableness of religious affection, tenderness, and fervent engagement in the worship and service of God, when such affection flows from a true spiritual discovery of divine glories, from a justly affecting sense of the transcendent excellency and perfections of the blessed God, a view of the glory and loveliness of the great Redeemer: and that such views of divine things will naturally excite us to “serve the Lord with many tears,” with much affection and fervency, and yet” with all humility of mind:” And, on the other hand, observing the sinfulness of seeking after high affections immediately, and for their own sakes, that is, of making them the object of our eye and heart, is nextly and principally set upon, when the glory of God ought to be so. Showed them that if the heart be directly and chiefly fixed on God, and the soul engaged to glorify him, some degree of religious affection will be the effect and attendant of it. But to seek after affection directly and chiefly, to have the heart principally set upon that, is to place it in the room of God and his glory. If it be sought, that others may take notice and admire us for our spirituality and forwardness in religion, it is then abominable pride: if for the sake of feeling the pleasure of being affected, it is then idolatry and self-gratification. Laboured also to expose the disagreeableness of those affections that are sometimes wrought up in persons by the power of fancy and their own attempts for that purpose, while I still endeavoured to recommend to them that religious affection, fervency, and devotion which ought to attend all our religious exercises, and without which religion will be but an empty name and lifeless carcass.

I thank you, O Lord, for this young man the preservation of his diary. You have truly blessed me through Brainerd.

Free Book for November

An Illustration of Faith In My Life

Aramaic Presence Doesn’t Mean Late Date?

This is the final post in the series on OS in Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion. In the previous section, Calvin attributes our destruction to ourselves and that it cannot be attributed to God. He did not make mankind sinful, mankind fell into sin by their own choice. Now we turn to our final section, ICR II.i.11.

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Calvin and Original Sin: Part 7

Calvin and Original Sin: Part 2

Calvin and Original Sin: Part 6

We are drawing to a close in this series as we have two more posts, one more after this post. We are examining Calvin’s arguments for OS, as found in the Institutes of the Christian Religion, in connection with Adam as a result of some discussion that started, or should I say restarted, at Theology for the Masses. In the previous post, after defining OS, Calvin briefly argued for the whole of man being corrupted by OS, not just a small part. In the next two sections, Calvin will examine how sin and our natures relate in light of this discussion. So now we look at ICR II.i.10.
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Calvin and Original Sin: Part 2

Calvin and Original Sin: Part 6

Calvin and Original Sin: Part 5

We are in part six of eight in a series of posts on Calvin’s position on OS outlined in the Institutes of the Christian Religion. In the previous post, Calvin reached his full definition of original sin. Earlier he had defined it as “This is the inherited corruption, which the church fathers termed ‘original sin,’ meaning by the word ‘sin’ the depravation of a nature previously good and pure” in ICR II.i.5. Then in ICR II.i.8 Calvin defined OS as “a hereditary depravity and corruption of our nature, diffused into all parts of the soul, which first makes us liable to God’s wrath, then also brings forth in us those works which Scripture calls ‘works of the flesh’ [Gal. 5:19].” In the next three sections will take us deeper into the nature of OS as Calvin understands it. Let us now turn to ICR II.i.9.
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Calvin and Original Sin: Part 7

Calvin and Original Sin: Part 2

Calvin and Original Sin: Part 5

Having covered Calvin’s previous definition of OS and how it originated in Adam and how it is transferred from one generation to the subsequent generation by the divine decree of a curse upon all creation rather than imitation, we can now examine Calvin’s fuller treatment of OS in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, focusing on ICR II.i.8 where Calvin tackles this issue most specifically.
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Calvin and Original Sin: Part 7

Calvin and Original Sin: Part 2

Calvin and Original Sin: Part 6

This is part four of an eight-part series on Calvin’s position on OS as found in his Institutes of the Christian Religion. This series focuses on ICR II.i.4 through II.i.11. In the previous posts we saw that Calvin defined Adam’s Fall as his unfaithfulness to God’s Word. Then we saw that the ensuing corruption of Adam’s own character that was in the image of God was decreed to encompass all of corruption. This corruption of Adam in all of his posterity is what Calvin defined OS. This corruption is not an imitation of Adam’s sin, but rather a corruption of the very nature of man. In this post we will take up the issue of how this corruption or sin is transmitted from one generation to following generation in ICR II.i.7.
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Calvin and Original Sin: Part 7

Calvin and Original Sin: Part 2

Calvin and Original Sin: Part 6

This is the third part of my interaction with Calvin in the ICR. Previously, Calvin defined Adam’s sin as unfaithfulness to God’s word that led him to rise above his own allotted position to the status of god, carried by his own lusts in hearing Satan’s blasphemies. This fall corrupted all of creation (Romans 8:20-22). And thus he views the term of original sin to be, “This is the inherited corruption, which the church fathers termed ‘original sin,’ meaning by the word ‘sin’ the depravation of a nature previously good and pure” (ICR II.i.5). Now we turn to Calvin’s discussion of how OS does not rest on imitation as Pelegius and Coelestius believed in ICR II.i.6.

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Calvin and Original Sin: Part 7

Calvin and Original Sin: Part 2

Calvin and Original Sin: Part 6