The Christian Life for Paul

"The Christian life in Paul's teaching is (a) based upon the fact of a new creation 'in Christ,' (b) directed through the correlation of the 'law of Christ' and the 'mind of Christ,' (c) motivated and conditioned by the 'love of Christ,' (d) enabled by the 'Spirit of Christ,' and (e) expressed in a situation of temporal tension between what is already a fact and what has yet to be realized. Although they can be spoken of separately, all these elements must be combined and merged in our consciousness if the apostle's thought is to be rightly understood and the Christian ethic truly exhibited."

-R. Longenecker, The Ministry and Message of Paul, 100-01.

Growtivation

3 Killer Keller Articles

I have learned more about gospel centrality from Tim Keller than I have from any other teacher. Here are three great articles by him that I first read in 2005 that are worth your time:

• The Centrality of the Gospel
• All of Life is Repentance
• Religion-less Spirituality

For more Keller resources, see Steve McCoy's page.

The Essentials of NT Ethics

1. A sense of the advance of redemptive history from an abrogated Old Covenant economy to an abiding New Covenant economy (John 1:17; Heb. 10:9; 13:20).

2. Moses himself pleads for us to listen, not to himself, but to the Prophet of whom he wrote (Deut. 18:15, 18; Acts 3:22-23; 7:37).

3. God himself has spoken from heaven and has commanded us to listen to the Son of whom Moses wrote (Heb. 1:1; Matt. 3:17; 17:5; Acts 7:37).

4. Christ's death on the cross ratifies his New Covenant and establishes an authoritative basis for his New Commandment (1 Cor 11:25; John 13:34-35; 15:12-13).

5. Paul's ethical orientation was centered, not in the Law of Moses, but in the 'law of Christ' (Gal. 6:2; 1Cor 9:21).

6. When the New Testament draws ethical instruction and example from the Old Testament, it is always qualified by redemptive historical realities (1 Cor. 10:11; Heb. 3:7-4:11; Col. 2:16-17; Acts 10:14-15; 15:10-21; 2 Tim. 3:15).

-Jon Zens, This is My Beloved Son, Hear Him!, 90-91.

VeggieTales v.s. Christianity

From the creator of Veggie Tales:

After the bankruptcy I had kind of a forced sabbatical of three or four months of spending time with God and listening to Him. I looked back at the previous 10 years and realized I had spent 10 years trying to convince kids to behave Christianly without actually teaching them Christianity. And that was a pretty serious conviction. You can say, "Hey kids, be more forgiving because the Bible says so," or "Hey kids, be more kind because the Bible says so!" But that isn't Christianity, it's morality.

Read the whole interview here.

Good Lookin' Out: New Gospel Centered Books

The Holy Spirit is at work in the American church. We could point to all sorts of places and be pessimistic, but Christians should be encouraged by the renewal of interest in Christ crucified. Here is a sampling of new books that I am eager to read:

• Jesus + Nothing = Everything by Tullian Tchividjian
• Gospel by J.D. Greear
• Note to Self by Joe Thorn
• Gospel-Centered Ministry by Keller and Carson
• Gospel Wakefulness by Jared Wilson
• The Gospel Commission by Michael Horton
• The Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler
• What is the Mission of the Church by DeYoung and Gilbert
• For Calvinism by Michael Horton
• Defiant Grace by Dane Ortlund

Be thankful for the vast amount of resources available to us.

Did I miss any?

Loraine Boettner & New Covenant Theology

"The old order died when Christ died. No requirements from the Old Covenant are binding upon the Christian except the moral principles that are repeated in the New Covenant. The Old Testament is our history book. It is not our law book."

-"Response to Dispensational Premillennialism," in The Meaning of the Millennium, 98.

Sandra McCracken - Thy Mercy My God

Mutual Love & Mission

"By this shall all men know you are my disciples" [John 13.35 on loving one another]

"The importance of this love perspective is further reinforced by Christ's words in 13:35. The one characteristic that he isolates as bearing testimony to the world about the reality of the Christian faith is brotherly love. Not right doctrine, nor denominational creeds, nor persuasive preaching, nor impressive sanctuaries, nor elaborate social programs, nor vast numbers, but genuine and discernible love between believers. In the Reformed tradition the historical 'marks' of a 'true church' are identified as: (1) the Word preached, (2) the ordinances properly administered, and (3) discipline practiced. But we can have all these 'marks' and yet miss the one identifying 'mark' that Christ says is the only one that matters. Without love, all else is in vain (1 Cor. 13:1-3). As his followers, we need the love of our Lord as described in John 13:34 more than anything else."

-Jon Zens, This is My Beloved Son, Hear Him!, 13

False Worship

A Comedian's View on Postmodernism

Reading List

More often than not nowadays, this blog ends up being about books. My reading list is taller than me, but here is the 'short list' of books I am currently reading or hope to read in the near future:

• Colossians Remixed by Walsh and Keesmaat - I plan to teach through Colossians soon.
• God Without Religion by Farley - Interested in this one because of an interview I read of the author.
• New Covenant Morality by Deidun - Because I have seen this thing footnoted by everyone and their dog.
• Apostle of the Crucified Lord by Gorman - Gorman is an exegetical beast.
• Covenant and Community by Klassen - I think I have lots in common theologically with Pilgram Marpeck and hope to learn from him and about him.
• Progressive Dispensationalism by Blaising and Bock - Re-reading this one to make sure I represent them fairly.
• Sheet Music by Leman - Because sex is extremely important in marriage and I want to continually learn to serve my wife better in the bedroom.
• Introducing Paul by Bird - I really like Michael Bird's "via media" between the Reformed tradition and the new perspective.
• Jesus & the Victory of God by Wright - I'm 500 pages into this gem. I think all pastors should work through the "Christian Origins and the Question of God" series. It is that important.
• Counterfeit Gods by Keller - Because who doesn't love Keller?
• Rediscovering the Church Fathers by Haykin - I didn't get much exposure to the Fathers in seminary and am seeking to remedy that. Plus, the Fathers are awesome.
• The Israel of God by Robertson - Since Israel is so important in biblical theology
• Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tripp - Cuz parenting is hard and I want all the wisdom and insight I can get.
• Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor by Carson - I am long overdue on this one.
• Anabaptism in Outline by Klassen - I wasn't exposed to much Anabaptism in seminary either. I have been slowly delving in, and am loving it. This one looks wonderful.
• The Cross and the Spirit by Cosgrove - Galatians is my favorite NT letter. I hope to read several of the major monographs eventually.
• The Anabaptist Vision by Bender - Same as Klassen above. I find I resonate with them big time.
• The Courage to be Protestant by Wells - because the air we breath is pomo & pragmatic.
• A Primer on Postmodernism by Grenz - Wanting to see a pro-pomo perspective.
• The Reformers and Their Stepchildren by Verduin - More Anabaptism

Have you read any of these? Thoughts? What are you hoping to read soon?

Plummer on New Covenant Theology

"Covenantal theology, a common Reformed approach to the Scriptures, attempts to view all post-fall relationship between God and his people under the canopy of a covenant of grace. Nevertheless, the old covenant-new covenant distinction present in Scripture would lead us to eschew the term 'covenant of grace' in favor of more explicit biblical categories. Conceptually parallel to the distinction between old and new covenants, the apostle John writes, 'For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ' (John 1:17). One should not understand the old covenant stipulations as intending to save or transform (and thus not subsumed under a covenant of grace) but primarily as intending to prophesy and prepare for the necessity of the new covenant instituted by Messiah Jesus. The theological system that attempts to systematize the Bible through the lens of old and new covenant, especially focusing on the 'newness' brought in Jesus, is called 'new covenant theology'."

-Robert Plummer, 40 Questions About Interpreting the Bible, 155.

Gangsta???

(Fundy Friends: this is in no way an endorsement of Lil Wayne's music, lyrics, theology, worldview, beverage preferences, narcotic usage, misogyny, immorality, dress, hair, or any thing else. Just thought it was funny. Please no hating in the comments)