Taste Buds

My reading palette consists of both the very, very new (Alan Hirsch, David Plat, and Tim Keller), and the very, very old (Calvin, Augustine, and Owen).  I try to begin each day with 20 minutes in the old.  Here are some priceless quotes today from Calvin on Scripture: Read Demosthenes or Cicero; read Plato, Aristotle, [...]

Calvin and the Holy Spirit

I was surprised while reading Calvin today how much Calvin relies on the Holy Spirit for the authority of Scripture.  Manypeople think Calvin to have a blind spot in his theology regarding the Spirit’s role, especially people rooted in a more charismatic tradition.  But listen to Calvin on how important the Holy Spirit is for [...]

The Humorous Calvin – Poop is Proof of God’s Glory :)

Couldn’t resist passing along this quote from Calvin.  In Book I.V.4. of The Institutes, Calvin argues that God’s exquisite work in the human body is proof of the divine being’s glory.  Calvin combats the arguments that a mere collection of atoms could design human digestion: “… what concourse of atoms cooks food and drink, turns [...]

What will wake him up?

The deeper into Luke 15 I go, the more convicted of the elder brother’s lostness I become.  I think mostly because I identify more with his life.  His sin was the same as his younger brother – “he loved the father’s things more than the father” (Tim Keller). But, whereas, the younger brother “came to [...]

Would you love God even if hell were not real?

John Calvin says, “Yes.” “Besides, [the pious mind] restrains itself from sinning, not out of dread of punishment alone; but, because it loves and reveres God as Father, it worships and adores him as Lord.  Even if there were no hell, it would still shudder at offending him alone.” (Institutes, I.II.2.) One motivation for obedience [...]

An Acts 17 Voters Guide…

What do you preach on the Sunday before an election full of candidates shouting at each other? Here is the message I preached on Sunday at Trinity.  It was Reformation Day, so I thought I’d look at how Christians might learn from Paul’s speech in Acts 17. The message started with a video montage our [...]