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
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, Ephesians 6:17 ESV As we rapidly approach the conclusion of Ephesians as a whole and of Kingdom War particularly, we conclude our study of the individual pieces of the armor of God with the only weapon of offense in the set. Gurnall comments …
With my lips I declareall the rules of your mouth. Psalm 119:13 ESV Moving into the second half of our present stanza, the psalmist continues the theme of obtaining purity through clinging to God’s Word, yet while verses 9-12 focused upon current resolve to seek the LORD through the Scriptures and upon the necessity of …
Continue reading I Declare All the Rules of Your Mouth | Psalm 119:13
Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way. Proverbs 23:19 ESV Hear. Listen. Pay attention. Focus. Only one thing matters. Everything else is secondary, at best. Why do you not draw near to listen? Why do you not set your mind on things above, where Christ is seated at the …
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by steams of …
The following quotation comes from Martin Luther's treatise On Christian Liberty (pp. 5-7): One thing, and only one thing, is necessary for Christian life, righteousness, and freedom. That one thing is the most holy Word of God, the gospel of Christ, as Christ says, John 11[:25], "I am the resurrection and the life; he who …
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I am a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the …
Obviously, the severity of Paul’s language in Philippians 3:2 reveals the seriousness of the threat of the Judaizers to Christianity. Perhaps it is worth considering for a moment the worth and danger of using harsh language to describe theological realities. Given that our current society tends to value kindness over truth (likely an overcorrection of …
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, …
My son, keep your father's commandment, land forsake not your mother's teaching. Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. For the commandment is a lamp and …
B. C. Newton 