Sanctification and Reformation

On August 2 nd , 1939 mathematician Albert Einstein wrote a personal letter to then President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.   Einstein could see the writing on the wall as he reviewed research being conducted by German scientists.   In the letter he warned the United States President that if German research continued, they would develop a process by which a “nuclear chain reaction in a large mass of uranium” would result.   In other words, an atom bomb. He did not understand the gravity of his words at that time but it was those very words that caused the president to immediately demand the US take action.   The next actions resulted in the Manhattan Project, the development of our own atomic bomb, and the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 which castrated Japan and Germany ending World War II.  Albert Einstein’s letter is the way many people believe New Testament writers wrote the scriptures.  Many people mistakenly believe that when th...

Many of us are frustrated by our kids or friends of ours who check their phones at dinner time.   They’re physically present but they’re mentally somewhere else. My wife lovingly points this out to me when I check Facebook or text messages and I’m supposed to be giving her my attention instead of my social media notifications. But unlike my easily distracted mind, God is laser-focused on everything and everyone, everywhere, at all times and in all places. That’s a hard thing to comprehend… This attribute of God, if I’m honest, was the biggest surprise to me as I studied. I knew God was everywhere but I’m not sure how much time I’ve spent dwelling on it, especially the implications of it.   In other words, God is omnipresent but why does it matter? I hope to whet your appetite so that you will look into this more.   Maybe pick a morning, go for a hike, and meditate on these passages of scripture and what they mean for the believer’s life. The puritan R...

“Who among the gods is like you, LORD? Who is like you — majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders" Exodus 15:11 The throne room of heaven is a fantastic scene. It is richly depicted in Revelation 4 and Isaiah 6. The visions give a glimpse of God in a light that is critical if we are to understand Who He is in a right way. Today, that attribute is God’s holiness. In these scenes of the Old and New Testaments, we are treated to imagery of creatures that declare God’s glory without ceasing. But there is only one attribute that is being eternally declared around that throne in heaven: God’s holiness. They are not crying out ‘ love, love, love’ or ‘ truth, truth truth’ despite being good and right attributes of God’s character. Holiness, however, is the attribute that proceeds from the mouths of those beings which were created for the express purpose of glorifying God for all eternity. Ask yourself when the last time you heard a pastor called his...

Here's an attribute that you rarely hear about with any careful study. It's the single-most misunderstood quality, the one that angers and divides believers, and splits up denominations. Rather than tackle the arguments or play the debating game, I simply want to let the magnitude of what God says about Himself to shape our understanding. It is also likely to be the single most important attribute for the comfort and hope of God's own people. Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, “ There is no attribute more comforting to his children than that of God’s sovereignty. In the most adverse circumstances, through the most severe trials, they believe that sovereignty has ordained their afflictions, that sovereignty overrules them, and that sovereignty will sanctify them all. ” We talk about trusting God all the time but if He is not sovereign over everything, then we are left with God who is limited and finite.  There can be nothing that operates independent of God's almigh...

Some time ago I attended a worship service and they administered communion toward the end. As I approached the table an elder stood behind it and held the plate of bread out to me. We took the broken piece of bread but there was no cup to drink from. We were to dip the bread in the juice and consume them together. As I took the bread the elder said, “This is Jesus’ body, broken for you.” This is a unique ceremony where we recall our sin which necessitated the Savior to die. We communally eat the bread remembering the immense sacrifice He gave. We drink the wine/juice celebrating the new covenant Christ has made. Two things stood out to me and I do not make mention of this in judgement of anyone but simply as something to consider being followers of Christ.   Dipping the bread in the juice rather than taking them separately; and referring to Christ’s body as ‘broken’. Intinction The Doctrine: Communion is a sacred thing. It is more than ritual, although...