Grace and peace to you this morning!
Westminster Books is having a special on a new book (or, really, pair of books) by Michael Reeves.
Today’s Kindle deals are highlighted by several books from Crossway on the subject of justification.
(Yesterday on the blog: We Prophesy Grief, Not Grace)
The Blessing of Weariness
“I like to pair seemingly contradictory words to reveal how these words do not contradict one another, but complement one another.” David Qaoud explains why he pairs “blessing” and “weariness.”
A Call for Spirit-Wrought Unity
Nick Batzig is certainly not the only one concerned about an evident lack of unity in the church today. “There is a right way and a right time to address concerns about the errors of fellow believers. However, so much of what we see at present is more in keeping with fleshly posturing and a desire to arrogantly assert and justify ourselves in matters of secondary importance. So many of the current divisions we are witnessing among believers are not over essential doctrines of the faith once revealed in Scripture. So many of them are rooted in strong opinions about secondary or tertiary convictions–which are far more preferential and incidental than essential and foundational.”
There Are No Shortcuts
I think you’ll enjoy this biographical-theological reflection from Kristin.
The Reason For Windows
Seth writes from a context, similar to my own, which is seeing yet another lockdown. “The idea of lockdowns is to keep our little worlds separated, so that we can’t share the virus. The danger of lockdowns is that it keeps our little worlds separated, so that we can’t share life. If we let them, the lockdowns could shrink our lives down to only ourselves, only our own desires, only our own needs.”
An Illustration of Repentance
This illustration from Benjamin Shaw helps show why it can be so difficult to repent—to put sin to death and come alive to righteousness.
Does God Still Speak through Dreams?
This article from David Schrock is a promising start to what will be at least a two-part series. “The answer requires nuance, a full look at scripture, and especially attention to the changes between the Old Covenant and the New.”
Remember Our Chains
My friend Tim Keesee has written a longform article for Desiring God that reflects on Paul’s chains. “This is not a prayer request so much as more gospel truth — the iron-hard reality that the advance of the gospel will meet with opposition. Persecution does not stop its progress; rather, it is part of it. That’s been clear from the beginning.”
Flashback: The Character of the Christian: Above Reproach
…being above reproach does not mean being perfect. But it does mean that, when we sin, we confess it and turn from it because our standard is perfection (Matthew 5:48).
We must do whatever we can to respect God’s image in even the most broken and twisted lives, whether already born or still in the womb. Even the least of these carries intrinsic dignity and worth.
—Michael Beates
