Andy Naselli has posted a “comprehensive bibliography of D. A. Carson’s publications.”
A large number of articles and even a few books are available for download.
by Brian
Andy Naselli has posted a “comprehensive bibliography of D. A. Carson’s publications.”
A large number of articles and even a few books are available for download.
by Brian
Suppose we grant that the beginning of motion is with God, but that all things, either of themselves or by chance, are borne wither inclination and nature impels. Then the alternation of days and nights, of winter and summer, will be God’s work, inasmuch as he, assigning to each one his part, has set before them a certain law; that is, if with even tenor they uninterruptedly maintain the same way, days following after nights, months after months, and years after years. But that sometimes immoderate heat joined with dryness burns whatever crops there are, that at other times unseasonable rains damage the grain, that sudden calamity strikes from hail and storms—this will not be God’s work, unless perhaps because clouds or fair weather, cold or heat, take their origin from the conjunction of the stars and other natural causes. Yet in this way no place is left for God’s fatherly favor, nor for his judgments. If they say that God is beneficent enough to mankind because he sheds upon heaven and earth an ordinary power, by which they are supplied with food, this is too weak and profane a fiction. As if the fruitfulness of one year were not a singular blessing of God, and scarcity and famine were not his curse and vengeance! But because it would take too long to collect all the reasons, let the authority of God himself suffice. In the Law and in the Prophets he often declares that as often as he waters the earth with dews and rain [Lev. 26:3-4; Deut. 11:13-14; 28:12] he testifies to his favor; but when the heaven is hardened like iron at his command [Lev. 26:19], the grainfields consumed by blight and other harmful things [Deut. 28:22], as often as the fields are struck with hail and storms [cf. Isa. 28:2; Hag. 2:17, etc.], these are a sign of his certain and special vengeance. If we accept these things, it is certain that not one drop of rain falls without God’s sure command.
Calvin, Institutes, 1.16.5
by Brian
David’s prayer of repentance in Psalm 51 draws on God’s self-description of his glory.
Exodus 34:6 וַיַּעֲבֹ֙ר יְהוָ֥ה׀ עַל־פָּנָיו֘ וַיִּקְרָא֒ יְהוָ֣ה׀ יְהוָ֔ה אֵ֥ל רַח֖וּם וְחַנּ֑וּן אֶ֥רֶךְ אַפַּ֖יִם וְרַב־חֶ֥סֶד וֶאֱמֶֽת׃
Exodus 34:6 “The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,”
Psalm 51:3 חָנֵּ֣נִי אֱלֹהִ֣ים כְּחַסְדֶּ֑ךָ כְּרֹ֥ב רַ֜חֲמֶ֗יךָ מְחֵ֣ה פְשָׁעָֽי׃
Psalm 51:1 “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.”
David’s plea for forgiveness is thus rooted in the firm foundation of God’s declaration of his glory.
by Brian
The newest issue of Themelios contains an excellent review article by Robert Yarbrough. He carefully critiques three recent proposals among some self-identified evangelicals to revise the doctrine of Scripture (Bowald, Rendering the Word in Theological Hermeneutics; McGowan, The Divine Authenticity of Scripture; Sparks, God’s Word in Human Words: An Evangelical Appropriation of Critical Biblical Scholarship). He also positively reviews Richard Gaffin’s God’s Word in Servant Form.
Well worth reading.
by Brian
I just figured out this useful script for AutoHotKey.
;Windows key+a will toggle a window to always on top or not.
#a::WinSet, AlwaysOnTop, toggle, A
by Brian
Matthew 7 does not, at first, glance seem to flow from what precedes. The scene shifts quickly from a discussion of wealth and provision to a section on judgment, to a section on prayer, to the Golden Rule.
Perhaps the section on judgment (Matt. 7:1-5) follows as Jesus brings the sermon to a close because those who take the high standards of the sermon seriously may be tempted to be judgmental toward those who don’t meet the Sermon’s standards. Jesus warns them to take stock first of their own condition before God.
Matthew 7:6 serves as a corrective toward any who read 7:1-5 as a rejection of all discernment.
The section on prayer (Matt. 7:7-11) is fitting toward the conclusion of a sermon that makes such high demands. Disciples will certainly need God’s aid if they are to live according to his expectations. Jesus’ words encourage his disciples that God is generous in answering his children’s requests. This kind of encouragement may be especially necessary because our progress in sanctification so often seems slow and our prayers for the mortification of sin may seem to go unanswered. Jesus assures us that if we ask, it will be given us; if we seek, we will find; if we knock it will be opened. Our heavenly Father gives good things to those who ask him.
The Golden Rule (Matt. 7:12) provides a fitting summary to the body of the Sermon. Jesus said he did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets (Matt. 5:17). Here he says the Law and the Prophets can be summed up in this way: “Whatever you wish that others would do for you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” What comes between are the details of how this works out in the kingdom age.
These details are somewhat different than those of the Mosaic age. But the difference is not due to the abolishing of the law and the prophets. If anything, the Sermon outlines higher standards to which the Law and the Prophets pointed. The continuity is emphasized in that those who obey Jesus’ words in this Sermon in the end fulfill the second great commandment in which the whole law is fulfilled (Gal 5:14; Matt. 7:12).
by Brian
It seems that a good bit of the Sermon on the Mount flows from Jesus’ statement: “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:20).
The remainder of chapter 5 provides Jesus’ hearers with six examples that demonstrate the common understanding of the Law did not rise to Jesus’ expectations of righteousness. (In some cases this was due to a mishandling of the law [e.g., Matt. 5:33-37, 43-47]; in other cases this is due appreciating only the external aspects of the law [e.g., Matt. 5:2-26, 27-30]—something Israel’s prophets condemned; in other cases this is due to a failure to see that the law pointed beyond itself to a higher ethic [e.g., Matt. 5:38-42; 31-32; with Matt. 19:8-9]).
The expected standard is stated in Matthew 5:48: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Chapter 6 continues the focus on righteousness. It begins with the governing statement: "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” [Note the interesting connections between this verse and Matt. 5:12, 16.]
What follows (Matt. 6:2-4, 5-15, 16-18) are three examples: Don’t give alms to be noticed; don’t pray to be noticed; don’t fast to be noticed.
by Brian
This is an attempt to understand Jesus’ teaching about the Law in Matthew 5:17-20.
Jesus’ announcement of the arriving kingdom evidently raised questions about the continuing place for the Law. This may have especially been the case if His hearers made the correct connection between the coming kingdom and the New Covenant, a covenant that Jeremiah said would not be like the covenant made at Sinai (Jer. 31:31-32).
Jesus’ clarification has been itself confusing for some interpreters. There are a number of false interpretations that can be cleared away at the outset.
First, when Jesus said that he did not intend to abolish the law, he was not saying that Christians would be obligated to obey every part of the Old Testament law until the end of the world. Hebrews 10:18 has made it clear that Jesus’ death brought an end to the sacrificial system. Jesus himself declared all foods clean, rendering the Old Testament food laws no longer binding on God’s people (Mark 7:19; cf. Acts 10:15). Even within Matthew 5, Jesus is going to make some changes to the Mosaic law (see for instance Jesus’ comments about divorce in light of Matt. 19:8-9).
Second, some people argue that when Jesus says that he is not going to abolish the law, he means the moral law rather than the civil or ceremonial law. But the moral, civil, ceremonial distinction was developed during the Middle Ages. It can’t be read back into the New Testament.
The key to understanding the passage is to understand what Jesus meant by “fulfilling” the law. Matthew uses this term fifteen other times in his gospel and in all but three he is referring to the fulfillment of the Old Testament. In these other passages Jesus doesn’t necessarily fulfill a direct prophetic prediction; but in every case he fulfills the Old Testament by being that to which it pointed forward.
In relation to the Law, Jesus fulfills the Old Testament by bringing about the kingdom in which it is possible to live in the way that the Old Testament pointed toward.
This means that the Old Testament retains its validity until heaven and earth pass away and all is accomplished even though it is no longer the binding covenant of God’s people. Thus one who “looses” an Old Testament commandment comes under God’s disfavor. What God actually demands for entrance into the kingdom of heaven is a righteousness far beyond that of Israel’s most scrupulous law-keepers.
by Brian
Gardening marks, as clearly as any activity, the joining of nature and culture. The gardener makes nothing, but rather gathers what God has made and shapes it into new and pleasing forms. The well-designed garden shows nature more clearly and beautifully than nature can show itself.
Alan Jacobs, “Gardening and Governing,” Books and Culture (March/April 2009): 18.
by Brian
Christianaudio.com is offering Don Whitney’s Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life as a free download this month.
Mark Dever recently interviewed Whitney on the subject of Christian discipleship and growth.