Busy days. I have zero time to write, so I share a link. Here’s a sermon by a friend on the difficulty of the Christian life. It’s a sermon for those who have thought about giving up but found that that they can’t. It’s worth listening to. If you listen to it, let me know; I’d be glad to post more. Visit the link HERE.
Tag Archives: Links
Amazing Ebook on Sanctification
Last week I came across an ebook put out by the fine folks over at Monergism. It is a compilation of classic works on sanctification along with some more recent articles on the same subject. It is available for free in epub and mobi, so you can read it on your Kindle or other electronic reading device. It also has a working table of contents, which is a major plus.
Get the ebook HERE. Do it! It is books and compilations like this that make having a Kindle (or other e-reader) worth it – and amazing.
Anyhow, I cannot recommend this little compilation more highly. Some of the books it contains have been highly influential and helpful in my own life; I am looking forward to rereading a couple of things and reading others that I haven’t yet read. Here is the full table of contents:
Table of Contents
The eReads
Preface
Sanctification Via Union with Christ by John Hendryx
Part I: Articles
The Expulsive Power of a New Affection by Thomas Chalmers
The Saint’s Call to Arms by William Gurnall
Preacher of Good Tidings Dr. R. B. Kuiper
The Christian in Romans 7 – Arthur W. Pink
Christ our Surety by Richard Sibbes
Growth in Grace by J. C. Ryle
Justification and Sanctification: How do they Differ? by J. C. Ryle
Sanctification in Christ by Marcus Peter Johnson
The Nature of Sanctification and Gospel Holiness by John Owen
Mortifying Sin: Bringing Your Lust to the Gospel by John Owen
Works of the Self-Righteous by Martin Luther
Sanctification by Louis Berkhof
Strength Against Sin by Horatius Bonar
Sanctification by Abraham Kuyper
Holy Raiment of One’s Own Weaving by Abraham Kuyper
Sanctification by B. B. Warfield
Definitive Sanctification by John Murray
The Moral Law as a Rule of Obedience by Samuel Bolton
True Christian Freedom by Samuel Bolton
Sanctification by Thomas Watson
Sanctification and Good Works by R. L. Dabney
Sanctification by A. A Hodge
Sanctification by Dr. William Ames
The Sanctification of the Saint by Francis Turretin
Sanctification by John Bunyan
The Doctrine of Mortification by A. W. Pink
Entire Sanctification by B. B Warfield
Part II: Books
The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification by Walter Marshall
On the Mortification of Sin in Believers by John Owen
The Doctrine of Sanctification by A. W. Pink
Holiness by J. C. Ryle
The Life of God in the Soul of Man by Henry Scougal
The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes
Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices by Thomas Brooks
Appendices
The Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter 13
Are We Basing Justification on Sanctification by John Hendryx
Does Sin Make You Worry if You Are Really Saved? by John Hendryx
What Does the Phrase “Dead in Sin” Mean? by John Hendryx
Our Ongoing Need of Redemption as Christians by John Hendryx
To Cut Off the Sinner from All Hope In Himself by John Hendryx
Christ Vs. Moralism by John Hendryx
Will Nice People Be Saved? by John Hendryx
Growing in Grace & Conscious of Sin by John Hendryx
Reformation Day: 95 Theses Stuff
Other than daily Bible reading, I have only two other reading traditions: Jonathan Edwards’ Resolutions on January 1st and Luther’s 95 Theses on October 31st. If you’d like to read through the 95 Theses, you can do so HERE.
While I’m at it, why not? Check out the 95 Theses Rap HERE. You have to credit the guys for the line ‘I’ve got 95 theses but a pope ain’t one.’
Link: Evangelicals’ Favorite Heresies
I facepalmed.
Lifeway has posted an article detailing a Lifeway/Ligonier Ministries survey dealing with basic theological beliefs among American ‘evangelicals.’ CT gives a nice presentation of some of the data HERE. There’s nothing really shocking in the results, but it drove home the point to me that we need to be very clear in our teaching in relation to the doctrine of the Trinity. The fact that 51% of those surveyed believe the Holy Spirit to be an ‘impersonal force’ is very disturbing. Hence the facepalm.
It so happens that I am teaching on ‘I believe in the Holy Ghost’ this coming week in my Sunday School series on the Apostles’ Creed. I think I know what I will be emphasizing.
Who Wants to be Insulted by Martin Luther?
Since it is October, and October 31st marks the 497th anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, every Sunday I have been sharing hymns from the Protestant Reformation. Today I wanted to share a little website that I enjoy.
Martin Luther was not what we would call ‘politically correct.’ In his polemics he was not shy about insulting his opponents (if he thought an insult was warranted). Who wouldn’t want to be insulted by Martin Luther? Well the ‘Lutheran Insulter’ can take care of that for you.
So, if you would like to brighten your day by being insulted by Martin Luther, head on over to the Lutheran Insulter: HERE
Make sure you click ‘insult me again’ enough times to get to my personal favorite:”You are like mouse-dropping in the pepper.”
Jonathan Edwards on Song of Solomon
While doing some research relating to Jonathan Edwards this past week, I came across a fascinating talk by Nick Batzig on Edwards’ Christological interpretation of Song of Solomon. This is a subject that I am quite interested in. I have written about it before in a post called What’s the Point of Song of Solomon?
If you’ve ever had questions about Song of Solomon, I’d encourage you to give this a listen: HERE
Shocking: “Humans prefer an electric shock to being left alone with their thoughts”
The headline of an article on The Verge reads, “Humans prefer an electric shock to being left alone with their thoughts.” The potential for puns is shockingly high. I can feel the electricity as I type…
Anyhow, the article points to a study in which people were given a choice: sit alone in uninterrupted silence and solitude for 15 minutes, or amuse yourself (or whatever) by pressing a button that will shock you. The majority chose the shock, and some chose to repeat the shock quite a bit. My first thought was that this doesn’t really prove anything. I probably would have been curious enough to push the button at least once just to see what it felt like. But it is the repeat offenders that confound me. The first time is just curiosity, the 20th time must be done out of sheer boredom.
Regardless of the cause, it is an interesting anecdote for what we have been coming to realize for some time now: modern people struggle with solitude and silence. This is something I have pointed to quite a bit on this blog, and something that continues to trouble me. I believe it is one of the great pastoral issues of our day. It is a logical progression for a culture in which we are constantly surrounded by bells and whistles – even books. I wonder if any of the trial-subjects spent the 15 minutes in silent meditation and prayer. Perhaps we should all take this as a cue to do so.
Read the article HERE.
The Narrative of Scientist as Hero
Since I have been writing a good deal about technology lately, I thought I would share this.
As I was driving to church Sunday morning, I was listening to Weekend Edition on NPR. One story particularly caught my attention. Here’s the summary from the website:
Several new TV shows this year revolve around the idea of a deadly virus that grips the world, destroying much of the population. Enthusiasm for these shows is downright infectious.
From The Walking Dead and beyond, it seems that television and movies are tapping into modern man’s great fear – the loss of health and life (which amounts to a loss of control or sovereignty). As fictional mankind (on the screen) suffers from uncontrollable diseases and random zombie bites, and real mankind lives in fear that these things might actually happen, it seems that a new hero has arisen to save mankind from its plight – the Scientist.
Superheroes are still big, but a new hero is moving into the cultural narrative – and boy was the scientist they interviewed happy about it. Listen to the short segment from Weekend Edition HERE.
C.S. Lewis: Image and Imagination Now Available
C.S. Lewis, Image and Imagination: Essays and Reviews (Canto)
I know some C.S. Lewis buffs drop by the blog from time to time so I wanted to share this in case you didn’t know. A new collection of his essays and reviews all dealing with the imagination or literary works of imagination was just released last month. My wife gave me a copy as a Christmas present, and it was hard to wait that long. This is a title that I have been anticipating for a while since I heard it was in the works.
I have two other books I need to finish before I dive into this one, but I couldn’t resist reading Lewis’ review of The Mind of the Maker by Dorothy Sayers (since that is one of my favorite books). I don’t use the phrase ‘spot-on,’ but if I did, I would use it. You can preview or purchase the book on Amazon HERE.
(For the record, I get zero kickbacks, this is strictly FYI).
William Perkins on the Apostles’ Creed
I am spending this Christmas night preparing for a Sunday School lesson on the Apostles’ Creed. In the course of my studying, I came across William Perkins’ exposition of the Creed and have been enjoying it and profiting from it. If you are not familiar with Perkins, he was an early Puritan in England, perhaps most famous for writing what is one of, if not the, first books truly tackling the subject of preaching. That book, the Arte of Prophesying, is one of the best books on preaching I have ever read. My systematic theology professor often quoted Perkins’ definition of theology: ‘Theology is the science of living blessedly forever.’
With that said, I wanted to save and share Perkins’ treatment of the Apostles’ Creed, which is available for free online at the link below:
Tides and Turning 