Do people have free will?

Andrew Naselli takes a long look at the question of free will over here. Fascinating stuff. take some time this weekend to explore it. Here is the introduction to get you started: Non-Christians and Christians alike often give the same answer to difficult questions like these: Why did God allow sin in the first place? [...]

The Meaning of Man’s Will

R. C. Sproul has a three part series on what it means when we say that man has free will. Fascinating stuff. This is the kind of stuff that keeps a person from swearing off the internet altogether. Here are the links: part 1 part 2 part 3 and here is a bit of the [...]

Free will of the wind

I downloaded and listened to this sermon last week. Powerful explication of John 3:8. listen to, watch or read the whole thing. So the point so far is that the wind is mysterious. It has a will of its own, so to speak. It comes and it goes by its own laws. We don’t control [...]

God’s glory

Al Mohler also touches on the question that I quoted from John Piper the other day. First he starts with an important reminder: Human beings are trapped in a human frame of reference. When we think of motivation, we inevitably start with our own self-conscious knowledge of our own motivations. For a human to seek [...]

Is God for us or Himself?

Is God for us or Himself? That is the question answered by this sermon from John Piper delivered at Wheaton College back in 1984. My brother-in-law, Todd, sent me the link by email last weekend. Such an excellent reminder of the whole point of this exercise we are going through. how do you react to [...]

Spectacular Sins

I am just finishing the book Spectacular Sins by John Piper. As you might expect from Piper, his purpose is to demonstrate from scripture the sovereignty of God in every situation including several specific spectacularly sinful occasions. He deals with the fall of Satan, Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden, The pride of Babel, [...]

Why pray?

Pulpit Magazine concludes its series on why we should pray if God is sovereign with part 4 here. The first three parts are linked here. “5. We should pray because God has ordained prayer as a means by which He accomplishes His eternal purposes.” This part is a little longer and more involved, but it [...]

Jars of Clay

John MacArthur asks if anyone sees the pattern. Do you? Here is a start, but go see even more examples at the link above: If God could not use poor instruments and feeble voices, He couldn’t make music. Abraham was guilty of duplicity, yet he became the man of faith and the friend of God. [...]

sovereignty of God

Joe Thorn is back up and running with his blog. here is his post quoting from A.W. Pink on the Sovereignty of God. here are two snips from either end, but go read the middle. How different is the God of the Bible from the God of modern Christendom! The conception of Deity which prevails [...]

God is Sovereign

Todd Burus is on the same wavelength that I was on in the comments to this post. God is sovereign. Honestly, I don’t think there are nearly as many people who believe this as there are that say it. Ask any ol’ Baptist biddy why it is that she is maintaining faith even though her [...]

a new year

Happy New Year to everyone. Isn’t it interesting the way that you never know what the new year holds? Last year at this time, I was about to start a new job after a year of self employment and things were looking up for us. In less than four weeks from that point, Julie had [...]

sunday morning

I am here in Estes Park watching the sun rise over the Rocky Mountains and reflecting pinkly off the snow capped peak on the other side of the valley. Wow! gives a whole new meaning to Job 38-41. check out these verses from chapter 38 and then go read all four chapters. The LORD Speaks [...]

video sunday

John Piper on learning to love God’s sovereignty and here he is on the supremacy of Christ and a fascinating ten minutes on evangelism.

two views of the gospel

While we are at Ramblin’ Pastor Man’s place, check out his post quoting J.I. Packer on two views of the gospel. Here is the clearest list of the differences that I have yet seen. Go read the conclusion that follows these two lists. Powerful stuff. According to Dr. Packer, the Arminian view of the gospel [...]

two lines at once

Ramblin’ Pastor man has several quotes from Charles Spurgeon posted. Go take a look. I especially enjoyed this bit here: Not only are there a few cardinal doctrines, by which we can steer our ship North, South, East, or West, but as we study the Word, we shall begin to learn something about the North-west [...]

J.I. Packer

here is a J.I. Packer quote for your morning as posted by Reformation Theology. ….For to Calvinism there is really only one point to be made in the field of soteriology: the point that God saves sinners. “God – the Triune Jehovah, Father, Son and Spirit; three Persons working together in sovereign wisdom, power and [...]

here is where we get hung up

originally posted on 8/27. everyone needs to listen to part two at this link. seriously. if God is sovereign over all like He says He is in Ephesians 1:11, then it necessarily follows that God wills that evil exist. “God wills evil to exist. (without being evil)” according to the Ligonier ministries blog, that is [...]

Why Pray?

If God is sovereign over all as Ephesians 1:11 say He is, then why pray? John Piper wrote an article back in 1976 answering two questions: 1. “Why pray for anyone’s conversion if God has chosen before the foundation of the world who will be his sons?” ….. 2. If someone now says, “O.K., granted [...]