Only the justified person can be comfortable in the presence of a holy God.
The apostle said he was “hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed.” He made no attempt to mask his pain in a fraudulent piety. The Christian is not a Stoic. Neither does he flee into a fantasy world that denies the reality of suffering. Paul freely admitted the pressure he experienced.
The purpose of theology is not to tickle our intellects but to instruct us in the ways of God, so that we can grow up into maturity and fullness of obedience to Him. That is why we engage in theology.
To reduce the demands of God’s law is to do violence to the holiness of God. To inflate one’s own self-assessment to the point of self-delusion is an extreme form of pride.
Rebirth is instantaneous. Justification is instantaneous. But sanctification is a lifelong process. It involves a diligent struggle against a multitude of obstacles.
Just laws reflect what is right.
Many thousands, if not millions, of believers can also testify how the Holy Spirit worked in their lives through the sharp, penetrating power of the Word. The Scriptures are absolutely key in the process by which the Spirit gives-and strengthens-the faith of Christians.
Needless to say, the reign of our Lord is a tremendous benefit for those who love Him and follow Him. For this reason, it is clearly better for us that Jesus left than if He had stayed.
The work of perfecting our spiritual state is called glorification. Glorification does not take place in this life.
Faith is also the means by which we live in response to the commands of God.
Once we refuse to honor God as God, our whole view of life and the world becomes distorted.
God’s kingdom will never come where His name is not considered holy.
We do not “find” God as a result of our search for him. We are found by him. The search for God does not end in conversion; it begins at conversion. It is the converted person who genuinely and sincerely seeks after God. Jonathan Edwards remarked that seeking after God is the main business of the Christian life.
Love God? Sometimes I hate Him.” This is a strange quote to hear from the lips of a man as respected for his religious zeal as Luther.
No somos libres para hacer lo que a nosotros nos parezca bien. Estamos llamados hacer lo que es bueno delante de Dios.
When Adolf Hitler came to power, the Nazis were not content to find a “final solution” for Jews and Gypsies. They also sought to eliminate intellectuals whose ideas were at odds with the “values” of the Third Reich. My friend was removed from his position. When he spoke out against the Nazis, his wife and all but one of his children were arrested and executed. He escaped from Germany with his young daughter.
At the fall, we became alienated not only from God and other people but also from ourselves.
Likewise, abortions performed to save the lives of women are exceedingly rare. The real issue is abortion for convenience or because the child is simply not wanted.
If an unjust law is passed and enforced, then anyone coerced to comply with the law is a victim of injustice.
Foundational thinking cares about the difference between truth and falsehood because it cares about good and evil.