Always Reforming

Forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Eph 4:32) To forgive as you have been forgiven is one of the foundational principles of the Gospel life.  If you do not forgive, you will not be forgiven (Matt 6:15).  How can we who have been forgiven much not forgive what little our brethren have done to us (Matt 18:21-35)? We are to forgive others as God forgave us.  How did God forgive us? He forgave us completely.   No debt is left unpaid.  No sin is left unsatisfied.  The saving work of Christ requires no supplementation, from ourselves or from any other mediator.  As far as the east is from the west, so far have our sins been removed from us (Psalm 103:12).   He forgave us freely.   Our salvation is a gift (Rom 3:24).  We have not earned it, deserved it, or warranted it in any way.  We are forgiven, in fact, despite ourselves.  While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:24).   He forgives us,...

For he himself is our peace... (Eph 2:14a) Jesus is our peace.   He is our peace with God (Rom 5:1).  Jesus Christ, God in human flesh, has reunited God and man.  We who were rebels--children of wrath (Eph 2:3)--have been restored to communion with our Creator through the Person and Work of the Incarnate One.   He is our peace with our fellow man.  Jesus Christ is the new Adam (1 Cor 15:45); those united to Him are a new humanity.  He has broken down the dividing wall of hostility between Jews and Gentiles (Eph 2:14b).  He has made one Body from many members (1 Cor 12)--united to Him, we are united to one another.  He is our peace with and within ourselves.  In Christ we rest.  We find meaning and purpose--telos.  We find identity.  Dying to self and living to Christ, we find that His yoke is easy and His burden light (Matt 11:30). He is our peace.  He is peace. And the peace of God, which surpasses all underst...

Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain (Psalm 127:1a). Christian, whatever you do--whatever you build--is futile without the Master Builder.  Your blood, sweat, and tears are lost in the dirt without the plans, materials, and empowering of the Arch Architect.  Without the grace and wisdom of God making your efforts effectual, they are shallow and vain.   Did we in our own strength confide , says Luther, our striving would be losing . You can build a business, a family, or even a church, but it means nothing without the Father.  You can create a following, but it is transient without the Great Guide.  You can build a life, but it will soon be forgotten without the Creator's gaze.  Human ambitions can only build human institutions.  Carnal methods and strategies can only grant carnal success.   If you want to build something eternally meaningful--a truly Godly legacy--you must consult the LORD every step of the ...

Church polity has been a divisive issue, to say the least, throughout Church history.  Should individual congregations govern themselves independently?  Should regional groups of elders oversee the Church?  Is the Episcopate a divinely ordained and indispensable means of unity for the Church of Jesus Christ?  How should clergy be selected, trained, etc.?  How do we determine jurisdiction?  Wars have been fought and heads lost over over these and similar questions. I myself am a bit of an ecclesiastical mut.  Having attended a presbyterian church, a quasi-presbyterian church, and an elder-led, non-denominational church, I am currently serving as a deacon in an Anglican church, which features an Episcopal form of church government.  I am no expert, but over the years I have learned a few things about how church government actually works out in real life.  I won't attempt a thorough treatment of this subject, but here are a few thoughts on churc...

Are Calvinists the frozen chosen?  Do the Doctrines of Grace create proud, belligerent snobs?   If you’ve spent any time in online theology groups, you’re likely to answer in the affirmative.  Keyboard warriors bickering about things like election and total depravity can be quite off-putting, I’m sure.  Unfortunately, the way a person studies the Word of God is not always reflected in the way he treats other people, online or in real life.   Calvinists, of course, do not have a monopoly on this shortcoming.  In 1 Corinthians 8:1 Paul tells us that knowledge puffs up–it inflates the ego. Regardless of what one believes, intellectual endeavors have the potential to produce pride and tactlessness.  This is nothing new, of course.  Bad blood has been a feature of theological debates as long as theological debates have been had. This can be true, regardless of how knowledgeable one truly is.  Mastering a particular system of theology, es...

We don't have time for parables. For depth. For wrestling with texts or concepts. We don't have time for stories. For good stories anyway. We don't have the mental fortitude for truth. We don't have patience. We can't wait for stories to develop. For details to emerge. For clarifications to be offered. Heaven knows we don't have attention spans! We don't have brains or hearts that seek for more. Our precious freedom to think critically has been exchanged for baubles. Our ability to discover--to explore--has been burgled by complacency and algorithms.   We don't have time for love. For friendship. For community. We have more time than anyone has ever had in the history of the world. Yet We never have enough time. We certainly don't have time for parables.