John Piper on the new birth

One of the unsettling things about the new birth, which Jesus says we all must experience in order to see the kingdom of God (John 3:3), is that we don’t control it. We don’t decide to make it happen any more than a baby decides to make his birth happen – or more accurately, make his conception happen. Or even more accurately: We don’t decide to make it happen any more than dead men decide to give themselves life. The reason we need to be born again is that we are dead in our trespasses and sins. That’s why we need the new birth, and that’s why we can’t make it happen. This is one reason why we speak of the sovereign grace of God. Or better: This is one reason why we love the sovereign grace of God.

- John Piper, Finally Alive

Piper vs. Wright?

For those of you who may be interested in the justification debate between John Piper & N.T. Wright (and a whole host of others…), Trevin Wax put together an overview that was published in Christianity Today this past month.  It is now available at his blog.

Piper’s book responding to Wright.

Wright’s book responding to Piper.

.pdf summary of Piper & Wright’s respective positions.

Kevin DeYoung also posted some good thoughts on the subject a few days ago.

For the record, I’m with Piper on this one, but I have tremendous respect for both men and have benefited from both of their work.

I haven’t died, but I haven’t had a lot of time to blog lately.  More coming soon…

Jerry Bridges on sanctification

“It is the glory of Christ revealed in the gospel, the good news that Jesus died in our place as our representative to free us not only from the penalty of sin but also from its dominion.  A clear understanding and appropriation of the gospel, which gives freedom from sin’s guilt and sin’s grip, is, in the hands of the Holy Spirit, a chief means of sanctification.

To the degree that we feel we are on a legal performance relationship with God, to that degree our progress in sanctification is impeded.  A legal mode of thinking gives indwelling sin an advantage, because nothing cuts the nerve of the desire to pursue holiness as much as a sense of guilt.  On the contrary, nothing so motivates us to deal with sin in our lives as does the understanding and application of the two truths that our sins are forgiven and the dominion of sin is broken because of our union with Christ.”

- Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace

Francis Schaeffer, art, and Animal Collective.

I am giving a presentation on Monday for my Christianity and Culture class on how Christian are to relate to popular music.  While reading Francis Schaeffer’s classic Art & The Bible, I came accross this killer quote:

“For a Christian, redeemed by the work of Christ and living within the norms of Scripture and under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, the Lordship of Christ should include an interest in the arts.  A Christian should use these arts to the glory of God, not just as tracts, mind you, but as things of beauty to the praise of God.  An art work can be a doxology in itself.”

One album that I have really been enjoying lately is Merriweather Post Pavilion by Animal Collective.  I bought a few months ago during spring break because it was on sale for $7.99 on iTunes and I had wanted to listen to it for a while.  I was a little nervous because it is very different from the kinds of music that I usually listen to, but I really, really like it.  They are one of the most innovative, strange bands out there, but I would highly reccommend it.  If you give it time, this album gets better with every listen and every beat, layer, synth, and strange, oddball noise points me to our innovative, glorious Creator.

Here is the video for their song “My Girls”:

The album cover:

According to Time Magazine, the new Calvinism is one of the 10 ideas changing the world.

In fact, they put it at number three on the list.  Themz my boyz.

John Owen has a word for the church.

I mean it when I say that every Christian should read anything they can get their hands on by John Owen.  I’m reading through Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers for the second time, this time in the anthology Overcoming Sin & Temptation, and it still carries the same conviction and force.  This stuff is good for your soul.  This quote provides a good corrective against becoming legalistic or licentious and shows how relevant this Puritan’s writings are for the modern church.

“Let me add this to those who are preachers of the word, or intend, through the good hand of God, that employment: It is their duty to plead with men about their sins, to lay load on particular sins, but always remember that it be done with that which is the proper end of law and gospel – that is, that they make use of the sin they speak against to the discovery of the state and condition wherein the sinner is; otherwise, [by chance], they may work men to formality and hypocrisy, but little of the true end of preaching the gospel will be brought about.  It will not avail to beat a man off from his drunkenness into a sober formality.  A skillful master of the assemblies lays his axe at the root, drives still at the heart.  To [denounce] against particular sins of ignorant, unregenerate persons, such as the land is full of, is a good work; but yet, though it may be done with great efficacy, vigor, and success, if this be all the effect of it, that they are set upon the most [persistent] endeavors of mortifying their sins preached down, all that is done is but like the beating of an enemy in an open field, and driving him into an impregnable castle, not to be prevailed against” (Owen 84-84).

Bruce Ware rocks.

He is one of the most helpful theologians I’ve ever read.  His argument against open theism in God’s Lesser Glory is rock solid (in my opinion) and I’ve just started God’s Greater Glory, which focuses on the providence of God.  Go read him.

Calvin on the duty of the theologian.

“The duty of the Theologian, however, is not to tickle the ear, but confirm the conscience, by teaching what is true, certain, and useful” (Institutes 1.14.4)

Don Carson on Mystery and Certainty

“Christianity that is nothing but certainties quickly  becomes haughty and arrogant, rigid and unbending.  Worse, it leaves the Christian open to the most excruciating doubt when the vicissitudes of life finally knock out the supporting pillars.  The God of such Christianity is just not big enough to be trusted when you are up to your neck in the muck of pain and defeat.  Conversely, Christianity that is nothing but mystery leaves nothing to proclaim, and makes faith indistinguishable from blind credulity” (How Long, O Lord? 26).

Helpful Books on Open Theism

As some of you may know, I have been working on a pretty extensive research paper on Open Theism for my Doctrine of God class.  There are many great books out there, but I’ve found three relatively different books to be incredibly helpful.

1. God’s Lesser Glory – Bruce A. Ware:  A thorough argument against the denial of God’s exhaustive foreknowledge.
2. What Does God Know and When Does He Know It? – Millard J. Erickson:  Erickson affirms the traditional view, but this is probably the most fair treatment of both sides of the debate.
3. What Does God Foreknow? - Steven C. Roy:  A comprehensive biblical survey of pretty much every section of Scripture related to the debate.  Roy displays the glorious sovereignty of God over the future shining brightly through Scripture.