The question at hand of which comes first, regeneration or faith, is full of obvious assumptions. If our faith precedes our regeneration, then it might be quite easily assumed that salvation is a synergistic work by which we extend a hand of desperation to God and He, in turn, rescued us. And if our regeneration …
Continue reading Does Regeneration Precede Faith? | John Calvin
Having concluded our read together through Owen's classic The Mortification of Sin, a gathering of some of my favorite quotations from the book seems to be fitting sort of epilogue. Of course, I did the same with Thomas Watson's book, Heaven Taken by Storm, but there is certainly a significant difference between the two. Watson …
“A totalitarian state,” writes Rod Dreher, “is one that aspires to nothing less than defining and controlling reality. Truth is whatever the rulers decide it is” (pp. 7-8). He notes that this should not be confused with an authoritarian state, which “is mere dictatorship” (7). Totalitarian states are driven by ideologies under which reality itself …
For being the second most widely sold book of all time (behind only the Bible), John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress seems to be falling on hard times. Despite allegorical imagery that can easily capture youthful hearts and attentions, I never even heard of the book until I had reached adulthood, even though I was raised …
Today's post was supposed to be Science Is Real, continuing our study An Appearance of Godliness. However, after deciding to go on a fairly last-minute vacation with my family this week, I haven't had as much time to prepare the post, and I would much rather put in on hold for another week than rush …
Continue reading What Is Cultural Marxism (& Why Is It Dangerous)? | Melvin Tinker
Just as Duguid's book on the armor of God proved to be my favorite resource for that study, his commentary on Daniel is situated to do the same. In the following quotation, Duguid is commenting on the three-year reeducation of Daniel and his friends to assimilate them into Babylon. Even though I finished this event …
With 2020 drawing to a close, I’ll throw my best of list into the mix as well, so below are my favorite books that I read this year. Heaven Taken by Storm by Thomas WatsonLike last year, Watson again takes the top slot for me. I enjoyed this book so much that I read it …
In his book, David: Man of Prayer, Man of War, Chantry walks through the life of David, making penetrating application for us today. The following quotation comes from the third chapter, which expounds upon 1 Samuel 16:23 (David being summoned to play music for the tormented Saul). I trust that you will find his insights …
In The Whole Armor of God, Duguid concludes with a chapter on how prayer features into spiritual warfare. In the following quotation, he speaks on how the Spirit helps us to rest in God as our Father, even when our prayers go unanswered or He strips us of something that we love. Good parents love …
Continue reading Unanswered Prayer & the Holy Spirit | Iain Duguid
The following quotation is from one of Calvin’s sermons that were collected together as a short book. Its subject is a heavy one. Many who claimed to agree with the Reformation were buckling under the threat of (and often enacted) persecution. A common mentality was of private support of Protestantism, while maintaining the public motions …
Continue reading God’s Word Prepares Us for Suffering | John Calvin
B. C. Newton 