10 Errors to Avoid When Talking about Sanctification and the Gospel

With lots of books and blog posts out there about law and gospel, about grace and effort, about the good news of this and the bad news of that, it’s clear that Christians are still wrestling with the doctrine of progressive sanctification. Can Christians do anything truly good? Can we please God? Should we try to? Is there a place for striving in the Christian life? Can God be disappointed with the Christian? Does the gospel make any demands? These are good questions that require a good deal of nuance and precision to answer well.

Thankfully, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. The Reformed confessions and catechisms of the 16^th and 17^th centuries provide answers for all these questions. For those of us who subscribe to the Three Forms of Unity or to the Westminster Standards this means we are duty bound to affirm, teach, and defend what is taught in our confessional documents. For those outside these confessional traditions, there is still much wisdom you can gain in understanding what Christians have said about these matters over the centuries. And most importantly, these standards were self-consciously grounded in specific texts of Scripture. We can learn a lot from what these documents have to teach us from the Bible.   Continue at Kevin De Young

Do Not Think On These Things

Since hanging this visual of Philippians 4:8 on my office wall, opposite the door, I have been forced to look at it every time I enter the room. As a result, I’ve been thinking about some of the things that I should not be thinking about. That is, the truth and positive perspective exalted by the Scriptures on this poster, which we must put on, have reminded me of how false and negative some of our thought patterns can be, which must be put off. Therefore, I’ve come up with my own list of opposites, sinful thought patterns we each must put out of our mind while at the same time filling it with truth: “Don’t Think On these Things.”

• Whatever Is False (plane): ideas that are erroneous, wandering, and deceitful. For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit (1 Thess 2:3).
• Whatever Is Dishonorable (atimia): a lifestyle that is degrading and shameful. Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor (2 Tim 2:20).
• Whatever Is Unjust (adikos): actions that are unjust, unrighteous, and wicked. He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much (Luke 16:10, NKJ).
• Whatever Is Impure (akatharsia): any form of impurity and uncleanness. But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints (Eph 5:3). 
• Whatever Is Unbecoming (aschemoneo): behavior that is unseemly, improper, and unsuitable. [Love] does not act unbecomingly (1 Cor 13:5).
• Whatever Is Offensive (proskope): a cause for stumbling. [G]iving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited (2 Cor 6:30). 
• Whatever Is Evil (poneros): bad, malignant, wicked, and worthless. [A]bstain from every form of evil (1 Thess 5:22).  Continue at  Paul Tautges

The Errors of an Inerrant Church

Today the Vatican appears to be advising bishops in places from India to Italy to quickly remand new cases to civilian authorities. But how can it remedy past injustices? A mea culpa — literally, an acceptance of personal guilt — would be a start, and Benedict has a draft to work from: the letter he wrote to Catholics in Ireland on March 19 in the wake of sex scandals that have debilitated the church there. “You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry,” Benedict wrote. “I know that nothing can undo the wrong you have endured. Your trust has been betrayed and your dignity has been violated. Many of you found that, when you were courageous enough to speak of what happened to you, no one would listen … It is understandable that you find it hard to forgive or be reconciled with the Church. In her name, I openly express the shame and remorse that we all feel.”

The words are moving, and for some Catholics, it may be enough to hear the Pope express remorse this way. But Benedict has also talked of penance. In the language of the church, the sacrament of penance involves confession and then a priestly absolution of the sinner. But what kind of penance would a Pope with fingerprints on the controversy have to perform? There lies an intricate theological problem. Read the rest HERE