tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178865602012-02-13T21:48:10.601-05:00Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.comBlogger41531100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-28884738482226983532012-02-13T19:32:00.000-05:002012-02-13T19:35:00.202-05:00

In Christianity and Liberalism, J. Gresham Machen writes: [T]o deny the necessity of atonement is to deny the existence of a real moral order. And it is strange how those who venture upon such denial can regard themselves as disciples of Jesus; for if one thing is clear in the record of Jesus’ life it is that Jesus recognized the justice as distinguished from the love of God. God is love,

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-83684434336147588912012-02-13T19:20:00.000-05:002012-02-13T19:20:21.941-05:00

Yep ... been there ... prayer whining ...

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-49932446113538552222012-02-13T19:15:00.002-05:002012-02-13T19:15:51.300-05:00

Speaking of the communicable attributes of God, Kim Riddlebarger does a nice job teasing out what it means to be made in God's image. Below are his thoughts: With the language of the eighth Psalm clearly in mind (“you have made [man] a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor” v. 5), Reformed theologian Cornelius Van Til once declared that Adam was

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-52199198117708050252012-02-12T14:14:00.003-05:002012-02-12T14:14:46.434-05:00

I believe that believing in a historical Adam has salvific relevance. Kevin DeYoung outlines 10 reasons to believe in a historical Adam: In recent years, several self-proclaimed evangelicals, or those associated with evangelical institutions, have called into question the historicity of Adam and Eve. It is said that because of genomic research we can no longer believe in a first man

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-76316558877853107842012-02-12T14:05:00.000-05:002012-02-12T14:05:43.857-05:00

Alan Shlemon continues his series addressing common challenges pertaining to homosexuality. Here is his handling of Can You Have Gay Friends If You Think Homosexual Behavior is a Sin? A youth leader wrote me: “I would say that the issue of homosexuality is THE #1 BARRIER for teenagers…that keeps them from believing the gospel.” I can see why he said that. It’s a simple cost-benefit analysis

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-13719497088593392682012-02-11T13:59:00.001-05:002012-02-11T13:59:07.086-05:00

An excellent graphic on the communicable and incommunicable attributes of God. Here for full size info graphic. Thanks Tim Challies.

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-54755971641509991812012-02-11T13:44:00.001-05:002012-02-11T13:44:32.996-05:00

Paul Tripp, in Forever: Why You Can't Live Without It, writes: All of history marches toward two moments. The first is the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross of Calvary. The price of sin had to be paid, so God sent his Son to be the final sacrificial Lamb to bear our punishment and to purchase our acceptance, our righteousness, and our deliverance. The second event is the final defeat of sin

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-55347294499790409972012-02-11T09:49:00.000-05:002012-02-11T09:49:14.280-05:00

R.C. Sproul Jr writes briefly on Five Evangelical Myths or Half Truths. While his explanations can stand to be teased out a bit more, I agree with his summaries. I find it bothersome when I hear well-meaning believers making these statements. And as Sproul writes in his conclusion, "The devil isn’t lazy. He will take the breaks we give him. Myths and half-truths are perfect opportunities for

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-37959385862047226452012-02-10T21:38:00.000-05:002012-02-10T21:38:29.321-05:00

Ray Ortlund on Francis Schaeffer in 2 Contents, 2 Realities: Asking the question, What is the Christian’s task in the world today?, Francis Schaeffer’s answer was not evangelism. Evangelism too often seems canned and mechanical, Schaeffer said. But when evangelism is pursued as part of a larger whole, it will be more convincing. What is that larger whole, embodied in a healthy church?

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-61531154371604071202012-02-10T20:54:00.003-05:002012-02-10T20:54:41.202-05:00

J.C. Ryle in Hold Fast wrote: If we would hold fast that which is good, we must not tolerate any doctrine that is not the pure doctrine of Christ’s Gospel. There is a hatred that is downright charity: that is the hatred of erroneous doctrine. There is an intolerance which is downright praiseworthy: that is the intolerance of false teaching in the pulpit. Who would ever think of tolerating

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-63621331442023402792012-02-10T15:58:00.004-05:002012-02-10T15:58:40.231-05:00

Great photos from the 2012 World Press Photo Contest at The Big Picture.

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-14280752959628709762012-02-05T12:59:00.001-05:002012-02-05T13:01:01.938-05:00

In his A Guide to Christian Living, John Calvin writes: Ever since God exhibited himself to us as a Father, we must be convicted of extreme ingratitude if we do not in turn exhibit ourselves as his sons. Ever since Christ purified us by the laver of his blood, and communicated this purification by baptism, it would ill become us to be defiled with new pollution. Ever since he ingrafted us

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-17430484852943816682012-02-05T11:48:00.000-05:002012-02-05T11:48:41.061-05:00

From Frederick Buechner, Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale: It is a world of magic and mystery, of deep darkness and flickering starlight. It is a world where terrible things happen and wonderful things too. It is a world where goodness is pitted against evil, love against hate, order against chaos, in a great struggle where often it is hard to be sure who

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-50547743612524879492012-02-05T08:05:00.001-05:002012-02-05T08:05:38.555-05:00

Alan Shlemon wrote the following great article is response to the question; Does God Punish Gay People for Being Who They Are? Please don't get wrapped around the axle in regard to his genetics/DNA remarks. He's only noting that we all are born into the human condition of being slaves to sin. The issue doesn't change even if science finds "the gene". And, this isn't an analysis of all that

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-87460810083829104532012-02-03T14:59:00.002-05:002012-02-03T14:59:26.703-05:00

Great photos of the cold in Europe.

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-47157163284031686512012-02-01T08:55:00.000-05:002012-02-01T08:55:21.654-05:00

I'm over 50 now and can relate ... the eyes are the first thing to go ...

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-55216853323358491242012-01-31T20:10:00.001-05:002012-01-31T20:10:45.546-05:00

John Piper posted: The gospel is not just a sequence of steps (say, the "Four Laws" of Campus Crusade or the "Six Biblical Truths" of Quest for Joy ). Those are essential. But what makes the gospel "good news" is that it connects a person with the "unsearchable riches of Christ." There is nothing in itself that makes "forgiveness of sins" good news. Whether being forgiven is good news

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-54155574209040412872012-01-31T20:05:00.000-05:002012-01-31T20:05:34.848-05:00

Great illustration posted by David Rudd on the difference between a clique and a small group.

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-12137586724788687502012-01-28T13:20:00.001-05:002012-01-28T13:20:12.267-05:00

In Desiring God, John Piper writes: The fuel of worship is a true vision of the greatness of God; the fire that makes the fuel burn white hot is the quickening of the Holy Spirit; the furnace made alive and warm by the flame of truth is our renewed spirit; and the resulting heat of our affections is powerful worship, pushing its way out in confessions, longings, acclamations,

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-87974652089335519382012-01-28T08:11:00.001-05:002012-01-28T08:11:36.455-05:00

Mayonnaise Jar and Two Cups of Coffee A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-56594029127246072842012-01-28T07:39:00.000-05:002012-01-28T07:39:22.977-05:00

From Francis Schaeffer in The Church before the Watching World: If we stress the love of God without the holiness of God, it turns out only to be compromise. But if we stress the holiness of God without the love of God, we practice something that is hard and lacks beauty. And it is important to show forth beauty before a lost world and a lost generation. All too often young people have

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-71254290303348122562012-01-28T07:22:00.001-05:002012-01-28T07:22:41.270-05:00

From Tony Reinke via Peter Cockrell - a portion of an interview published in 2008 in the Southern Baptist Journal of Theology with professor Dr. C. Everett Berry. SBJT: How can the theological construct of inaugurated eschatology help us in forming a biblical understanding of Christian sanctification? C. Everett Berry: The term inauguration essentially refers to an act of ceremonial

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-21653386306535853472012-01-27T14:46:00.000-05:002012-01-27T14:47:47.884-05:00

John Piper speaks to what it means to be "in Christ". Being “in Christ Jesus” is a stupendous reality. It is breathtaking what it means to be in Christ. United to Christ. Bound to Christ. If you are “in Christ” listen to what it means for you: In Christ Jesus you were given grace before the world was created. 2 Timothy 1:9, “He gave us grace in Christ Jesus before the ages began.” In

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-76958587430474299072012-01-27T14:41:00.000-05:002012-01-27T14:41:26.154-05:00

C Michael Patton on the Trinity. The doctrine of Trinity is a foundational cardinal truth in Christianity. All three major Christian traditions, Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, throughout the history of the Church have been united on this doctrine. A denial of it constitutes a serious departure from the Christian faith and a rejection of the biblical witness to God as he

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-24474200464803250292012-01-27T08:19:00.002-05:002012-01-27T08:19:35.274-05:00

Jeff Bethke is becoming more popular with these creative and pithy youtube videos. I gave his Rob Bell parody Jesus Wins a like, his Why I hate Religion, But Love Jesus a dislike (although it has some super points) and now his Sex, Marriage, & Fairytales a like. Some lines that caught my ear: God's first priority is to making you holy. If your marriage rests on anything but Jesus, it's

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-86742368433376560132012-01-25T09:08:00.002-05:002012-01-25T09:08:25.043-05:00

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-19683518209690014672012-01-24T08:12:00.000-05:002012-01-24T08:12:01.590-05:00

Doug Moo, in The Epistle to the Romans, writes: Contrary to Jewish expectation, the Messiah has accomplished the work of redemption, the Spirit has been poured out, yet evil has not been eradicated, the general resurrection is still future, and the final state of God's kingdom has not been established. In other words, the new era has begun--has been inaugurated--but it has not yet

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-17921030297952452612012-01-23T20:06:00.001-05:002012-01-23T20:06:53.318-05:00

In The Cross of Christ John Stott wrote: All inadequate doctrines of the atonement are due to inadequate doctrines of God and man. If we bring God down to our level and raise ourselves to his, then of course we see no need for a radical salvation, let alone for a radical atonement to secure it. When, on the other hand, we have glimpsed the blinding glory of the holiness of God, and have

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-78458662233507444482012-01-23T15:26:00.003-05:002012-01-23T15:26:38.895-05:00

Happy Lunar New Year ... here for more great photos ...

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-14410488761096491202012-01-22T14:42:00.001-05:002012-01-22T14:52:20.569-05:00

In Christianity and Liberalism, J. Gresham Machen writes: The modern liberals ... say that Jesus is God not because they think high of Jesus, but because they think desperately low of God. ... According to Christian belief, Jesus is our Savior, not by virtue of what He said, not even by virtue of what He was, but by what He did. He is our Savior, not because He has inspired us to

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-76974424360641613232012-01-22T13:49:00.000-05:002012-01-22T13:49:12.209-05:00

I like this entitled Christian Hedonist Calvinism by John Piper. What would the doctrines of grace sound like if every limb in that tree were coursing with the sap of Augustinian delight. (that is, Christian Hedonism)? Total depravity is not just badness, but blindness to God’s beauty and deadness to the deepest joy. Unconditional election means that the completeness of our joy in Jesus

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-86135290568511427632012-01-22T13:40:00.000-05:002012-01-22T13:40:49.692-05:00

Copied below is Enough with the Anti-Tebow Prooftexting by SWNID. I love it. While using Tebowing as a jumping off point, this deals well with (1) those who are anxious to read something into what they ought not and (2) the tension between public and private displays of affection ... toward our God. ... one of the latest objects of such prooftexting is St. Tim Tebow. His sin is Tebowing:

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-44580002400955793642012-01-21T14:08:00.001-05:002012-01-21T14:08:22.066-05:00

Greg Beale distills the Old and New Testament to one sentence each. The OT storyline appears best to be summarized as: the historical story of God who progressively reestablishes his new creational kingdom out of chaos over a sinful people by his word and Spirit through promise, covenant, and redemption, resulting in worldwide commission to the faithful to extend that new creation rule and

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-26506908543389323162012-01-21T14:00:00.001-05:002012-01-21T14:00:59.080-05:00

In holiness and sexuality, David Peterson writes this correct observation: Under the Sinai Covenant, Israel was set apart by God to be his own ‘treasured possession among all peoples’, ‘a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Ex. 19:5-6; cf. Dt. 14:2). Holiness was a status conferred by divine promise and divine redemption. It was also a calling to be lived out in obedience to God’s voice

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-23835629662130986452012-01-21T08:27:00.001-05:002012-01-21T08:27:19.543-05:00

J. Gresham Machen, in What is Faith, writes: The companionship of Jesus is indeed a gracious thing for burdened souls; but it is a terrible thing for those who have any trust in a righteousness of their own. No man can call Jesus friend who does not also call Him Lord; and no man can call Him Lord who could not say first; ‘Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, Lord.’ At the root of all

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-43112917977201744722012-01-21T08:15:00.000-05:002012-01-21T08:15:46.151-05:00

I'm not on an anti-evolution kick. It's just that a couple of these things have come across my desk and I thought they were worthy of sharing with whoever is out there reading this. Here's an interesting short biography of Alfred Russel Wallace colleague and friend of Charles Darwin. More information here. HT:STR

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-63862485809036097462012-01-20T14:02:00.000-05:002012-01-20T14:02:06.383-05:00

J.C. Ryle wrote: Leave no stone unturned in order to ascertain your own spiritual state. Be not content with vague hopes and trusts. Rest not on warm feelings and temporary desires after God. Give diligence to make your calling and election sure. Oh, allow me to say that if you are content to live on, uncertain about salvation, you live the maddest life in the world! The fires of hell are

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-17590260687593246272012-01-19T15:43:00.000-05:002012-01-19T15:43:00.240-05:00

Some thoughts from David Berlinski on why the evolution dog just doesn't hunt ... HT:RP

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-21510477056227830432012-01-18T07:19:00.000-05:002012-01-18T07:19:31.359-05:00

Mark Driscoll on Heaven and Hell ... well, in this section mostly hell ... so what about you? Are you in danger? Jesus is exclusive ...

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-59809804458084115562012-01-18T07:09:00.000-05:002012-01-18T07:09:56.942-05:00

Interesting (and helpful) exchange shared by Sam Crabtree. “What do you say to the person who does have that information—the person who knows approximately how many women have been injured by coat hanger abortions in the United States and how many young women have been injured by legal abortions—what do you say to the person who has that information and knows that the number of woman inured

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-60658017712475118512012-01-17T13:31:00.002-05:002012-01-17T13:32:27.661-05:00

I love this kind of stuff ...

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-62942689759358872802012-01-17T13:14:00.000-05:002012-01-17T13:14:42.687-05:00

Dane Ortlund has suggested that the grace of God can be found in every book of the Bible. I agree.He writes: ... while the Bible is not uniform, it is unified. The many books of the one Bible are not like the many pennies in the one jar. The pennies in the jar look the same, yet are disconnected; the books of the Bible (like the organs of a body) look different, yet are interconnected. As

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-88028633114893320292012-01-16T16:14:00.001-05:002012-01-16T16:14:40.816-05:00

"Now it is your turn! Drink and let your nakedness be exposed!" Hab 2.16a (NIV)

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-21963913414956279462012-01-16T16:08:00.000-05:002012-01-16T16:08:01.326-05:00

In his writing on holiness and sexuality, David Peterson posits "To allow the legitimacy of homosexual acts would frustrate the divine purpose and deny the perfection of God’s provision of two sexes to support and complement one another." His start point for argument is two-fold. I agree with him and I've copied them below: Holiness and sexuality We live in a culture that has abandoned

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-40437872648555801192012-01-15T08:12:00.000-05:002012-01-15T08:12:17.249-05:00

In Christianity and Liberalism, J. Gresham Machen writes: Jesus did not invite the confidence of men by minimizing the load which He offered to bear. He did not say: “Trust me to give you acceptance with God, because acceptance with God is not difficult; God does not regard sin so seriously after all.” On the contrary Jesus presented the wrath of God in a more awful way than it was

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-81991122366956743592012-01-15T08:01:00.003-05:002012-01-15T08:02:12.888-05:00

Joe Thorn in Note to Self; "God’s revealed will and standard of righteousness … Essentially, the law shows us three things: it shows us what’s right, what’s wrong, and what’s needed." On what is right, Thorn proffers: He has not left us with unclear generalities about loving God and neighbor, but he has told us what he wants from us with great specificity. God commands us to care for

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-55786894314574804972012-01-15T07:49:00.002-05:002012-01-15T12:04:30.239-05:00

"My breath disgusts my wife; everyone in my family turns away." Job 19.17 (CEV)

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-71946593362659125102012-01-15T07:35:00.001-05:002012-01-15T07:35:59.513-05:00

John 3.16 from the folks at Focus on the Family ...

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-16256682286013513862012-01-14T17:21:00.001-05:002012-01-14T17:22:18.136-05:00

In Christianity and Liberalism, J. Gresham Machen writes: Jesus was not for Paul merely an example for faith; He was primarily the object of faith ... imitation of Jesus, important though it was for Paul, was swallowed up by something far more important still. Not the example of Jesus, but the redeeming work of Jesus, was the primary thing for Paul. The religion of Paul was not primarily

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-38210886012775364922012-01-14T17:03:00.002-05:002012-01-14T17:03:45.829-05:00

David Peterson writes: In both biblical testaments, holiness is first a status conferred by God on those he has redeemed and drawn to himself (e.g. Ex. 19:4-6; 1 Cor. 1:2, 30; 6:11). It is also a calling to be lived out in obedience to his word, in separation from the world and its values (e.g. Lv. 19:1; 1 Thes. 4:1-8). Holiness is an expression of the covenant relationship in which God

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-21132706142073418182012-01-14T14:42:00.000-05:002012-01-14T14:42:40.616-05:00

Matt Chandler explains the difference between the "road map to life" approach to reading the Bible as opposed to what God has done through Christ to bring reconciliation and glory to Himself. Here he uses the story of David and Galiath to demonstrate.

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-43221125627978529662012-01-14T09:44:00.001-05:002012-01-14T09:44:15.001-05:00

There's a popular notion that we, the redeemed are "sinners who are forgiven". I don't agree. We are saints and sadly we sin. But we are no longer slaves to sin. We are the righteousness of Christ. Michael Patton posts an excellent article by Robert Suacy here. It's long but if you wrestle with this concept, worth reading. Regarding our identity however, I loved this part ...

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-66649305212622728892012-01-14T07:05:00.001-05:002012-01-24T15:23:00.055-05:00

Since everyone else is doing it, so shall I... There's a video from Jefferson Bethke (based on his poem) that has gone viral. It has a lot of good in it ... but I didn't like it. Jared Wilson and Kevin DeYoung have written excellent posts on what is good and what is not good ... or more precisely, what is not true and perhaps misleading. I'll not repeat these. I'll only say read

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-45568634752091462682012-01-12T18:41:00.002-05:002012-01-12T18:43:49.439-05:00

Just today I heard someone reinforce the popular notion that the Bible supports slavery (e.g., President Obama here at 0.23 ... not sure the rest is really worth listening to). We have been enlightened to know that is not right, so we should also be ok with homosexuality. No. First the Bible does not endorse slavery. Second, it explicitly calls homosexuality among other things sin.

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-33408529348547674512012-01-12T18:21:00.000-05:002012-01-12T18:24:18.755-05:00

Hey, if you like latin phrases such as Ordo Salutis as I do, and you're a Calvinist as I am, and you appreciate charts as I do, then you will really like this by Tim Challies.

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-71501735625816969592012-01-12T06:46:00.000-05:002012-01-12T06:46:00.898-05:00

Thanks to Joe Thorn for sharing this hierarchy of beards (larger version here).

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-80822749708744580072012-01-11T20:20:00.000-05:002012-01-11T20:21:21.926-05:00

Melinda at STR writes this on faith: ... Faith isn't a way of knowing. It's trusting in what we have come to know to be true. Faith is laying hold personally of what is true in the Bible. Knowledge is the first step and it's no different than coming to know about anything else. So it can be discussed between those who have faith and those who don't because they're both operating in the

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-43303498382009767002012-01-11T20:12:00.000-05:002012-01-11T20:12:07.988-05:00

J.C. Ryle wrote in Old Paths: When I speak of the doctrine of perseverance, I mean this. I say that the Bible teaches that true believers, real genuine Christians, shall persevere in their religion to the end of their lives. They shall never perish. They shall never be lost. They shall never be cast away. Once in Christ, they shall always be in Christ. Once made children of God by

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-40425897195127170072012-01-11T20:00:00.000-05:002012-01-11T20:06:45.509-05:00

Sam Storms in The Hope of Glory: If the Father truly loved the Son, surely he would not have exposed him to such horrific suffering. How can the Son be ‘beloeved’ of the Father and yet also the object of his wrath and judgment? Such is the glorious, soul-saving, redemptive mystery of penal substitutionary atonement. It is possible because the Son and the Father are united in their love

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-71879046656738036802012-01-07T16:03:00.000-05:002012-01-07T16:03:28.597-05:00

Joe Thorn, in Note to Self, wrote: Preaching to ourselves is the personal act of applying the law and the gospel to our own lives with the aim of experiencing the transforming grace of God leading to ongoing faith, repentance, and greater godliness.

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-21554275422357247162012-01-07T13:51:00.000-05:002012-01-07T13:51:40.023-05:00

JC Ryle in Luke writes: We should observe, second, the sovereignty of God in saving sinners. We read that our Lord says to his Father, “You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children” (Lk 10.21). The meaning here is clear. There are some from whom salvation is hidden. There are others to whom salvation is “revealed.” The truth here is deep

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-59582459292534746322012-01-07T13:39:00.000-05:002012-01-07T13:41:32.066-05:00

Proof dogs love food ... HT:TR

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-1572222356234736002012-01-07T13:35:00.000-05:002012-01-07T13:35:23.530-05:00

Walk Off The Earth & Sarah Blackwood ... five people on one guitar playing Somebody That I Used to Know ...

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-37200415482116979142012-01-06T11:15:00.001-05:002012-01-06T11:15:29.011-05:00

I need to get as good as these guys ...

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-45883179177331474672012-01-06T08:41:00.000-05:002012-01-06T08:41:57.008-05:00

Some have sent this around as the illogic of folks like Santorum. Me, I see the illogic of those supporting sin ... Santorum is right here.

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-82137718731239735222012-01-05T12:03:00.002-05:002012-01-05T12:03:44.183-05:00

Justin Taylor posts this interesting piece on the hardening of Pharaoh's heart. As I read Taylor's post, I bought it. Then after reading through (weeding out the sillier) comments, I'm not as sure. But I am sure that many I know are more wrong in the opposite direction. I routinely meet people who think God does not ordain what they refer to as evil. The closest they get to truth is that God

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-65785519570111623752012-01-05T10:43:00.000-05:002012-01-05T10:43:11.276-05:00

John Calvin's Commentaries - Psalms: The whole world is a theatre for the display of the divine goodness, wisdom, justice, and power, but the Church is the orchestra, as it were—the most conspicuous part of it; and the nearer the approaches are that God makes to us, the more intimate and condescending the communication of his benefits, the more attentively are we called to consider them.

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-87950820362300754512012-01-04T19:04:00.000-05:002012-01-04T19:05:25.878-05:00

Thanks Robert Lira for this chart and Kim Riddlebarger for posting it ... excellent ... Perfect for us Amillennial and Already-Not-Yet types ... get your color pdf here or b&w here ...

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-81491009060800902892012-01-02T13:11:00.001-05:002012-01-02T13:11:31.632-05:00

As love for Scripture is attacked, I'll go with the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 119: “In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches” (v. 14). “My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times” (v. 20). “Behold, I long for your precepts” (v. 40). “For I find my delight in your commandments, which I love” (v. 47). “The law of your mouth is better to me than

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-4782674726743059892012-01-02T13:01:00.000-05:002012-01-02T13:01:36.103-05:00

In contrasting Christianity with paganism (and similarly liberalism), J. Grasham Machen writes: Paganism is that view of life which finds the highest goal of human existence in the healthy and harmoni- ous and joyous development of existing human faculties. Very differ- ent is the Christian ideal. Paganism is optimistic with regard to unaided human nature whereas Christianity is the

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-49204636888620107112012-01-01T08:33:00.000-05:002012-01-01T08:33:55.206-05:00

In Spiritual Depression, Martyn Lloyd Jones asks: "Have you realised that most of your unhappiness is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?"

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-64113756873869964752012-01-01T08:18:00.000-05:002012-01-01T08:18:06.971-05:00

More insight from J. Gresham Machen in Christianity and Liberalism: ... liberalism has lost sight of the very center and core of the Christian teaching. In the Christian view of God as set forth in the Bible, there are many elements. But one attribute of God is absolutely fundamental in the Bible; one attribute is absolutely necessary in order to render intelligible all the rest. That

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-69676628621094410822011-12-31T16:17:00.001-05:002011-12-31T16:19:16.046-05:00

J. Gresham Machen, in Christianity and Liberalism writes [I'm still amazed at how little liberalism has evolved since he confronted it in 1923]: Modern men have been so much impressed with this element in Jesus’ teaching [i.e., God's fatherhood] that they have sometimes been inclined to regard it as the very sum and substance of our religion. We are not interested, they say, in many things

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-17187893334451164832011-12-31T04:10:00.000-05:002011-12-31T04:10:29.491-05:00

Kim Riddlebarger posts this reminder from the Heidelberg Catechism ... 35. What is the meaning of “conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary?” That the eternal Son of God, who is and continues true and eternal God,[1] took upon Himself the very nature of man, of the flesh and blood of the virgin Mary,[2] by the operation of the Holy Spirit;[3] so that He might also be the

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-29036608014629406962011-12-31T04:02:00.000-05:002011-12-31T04:02:51.565-05:00

Thanks to Josh Etter for this message from John Piper on the heart of Christian Hedonism (Psa 16.11) ...

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-5486229680592237512011-12-30T20:42:00.000-05:002011-12-30T20:42:17.901-05:00

Herman Bavinck, in Reformed Dogmatics, writes: The all-perfect author, the Holy Spirit, could inspire nothing untrue, trivial, or degraded. Reading and studying Scripture is therefore an urgent necessity. HT:TOG

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-41432212241772908752011-12-30T13:34:00.001-05:002011-12-30T13:34:36.390-05:00

From Todd Rhodes: This is what a 5 megabyte hard drive looked like in 1956 (notice the forklift): This is what the same amount of storage (actually much, much more) looks like in 2012: This what a Bible looked like in 1956: This is what a Bible looks like in 2012: This is what a church looked like in 1956: This is what many churches look like in 2012: Any questions?

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-55212988566958224002011-12-30T13:28:00.000-05:002011-12-30T13:28:43.498-05:00

Mike Wittmer wrote the below on his excellent blog, Don't Stop Believing. It, like his other writings, are insightful and accurate. One of the big stories in Grand Rapids in 2011 was the November passing of Fred Meijer. The newspaper account of his funeral inspired this draft for Our Daily Journey. As always, your helpful suggestions are appreciated. Fred Meijer was one of the

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-59003098968813811042011-12-28T08:13:00.001-05:002011-12-28T08:15:16.787-05:00

From John Piper in The Passion of Jesus Christ: Oh, that we might worship the terrible wonder of the love of God! It is not sentimental. It is not simple. For our sake God did the impossible: He poured out his wrath on his own Son—the one whose submission made him infinitely unworthy to receive it. Yet the Son’s very willingness to receive it was precious in God’s sight. The wrath-bearer

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-63516309260699599032011-12-28T08:00:00.000-05:002011-12-28T08:00:58.697-05:00

Perhaps my last comment in 2011 on hellgate ... from Trevin Wax: Jesus didn’t “stir things up” by backing off the truth of final judgment. He stirred things up by reaching for the most gruesome, horrifying images imaginable in order to communicate the horror of God’s judgment. I don’t think “stirring things up” among those who think they have it all figured out is the best way to increase

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-33388328812190604522011-12-28T07:51:00.001-05:002011-12-28T07:51:22.045-05:00

R.C. Sproul in The Invisible Hand, "Christianity is a faith that is based upon and rooted in miracles. Take away miracles, and you take away Christianity."

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-32805964920855950992011-12-26T18:24:00.000-05:002011-12-27T09:04:33.613-05:00

George Ladd, in The Gospel of the Kingdom, points to five differences between the Kingdom of God and the church: The church is not the kingdom The kingdom creates the church The church witnesses to the kingdom The church is the instrument of the kingdom The church is the custodian of the kingdom  In A Theology of the New Testament, Ladd writes: The Kingdom is primarily the dynamic reign or

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-65782521201111699332011-12-26T10:59:00.000-05:002011-12-26T10:59:59.551-05:00

Alter calls give me the creeps ...

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-64530926649366598232011-12-25T07:50:00.002-05:002011-12-25T07:50:50.306-05:00

I am convinced that we need to take an offensive position in regard to the Gospel. While it is not wrong to speak of us as defenders of the faith, I think the word defender has taken us down a less than ideal path. Perhaps we should say offenders of the faith? J. Gresham Machen wrote in Christianity and Liberalism: ... the most fundamental difference between liberalism and

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-21498446566662006332011-12-25T07:38:00.001-05:002011-12-25T07:38:17.018-05:00

"He who is filthy, let him be filthy still" ~ Rev 22.11 (NKJV) ... and I was thinking I should grab a shower ...

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-81975340310206149282011-12-25T07:25:00.003-05:002011-12-25T07:26:44.588-05:00

Pardon my familiarity ...

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-33192303513167834572011-12-24T10:27:00.002-05:002011-12-25T07:26:55.937-05:00

Remember when we used to just give them the gospel ...

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-55519934903028719822011-12-23T10:42:00.002-05:002011-12-23T10:42:57.787-05:00

David Platt and Ligon Duncan address how we may underestimate the gospel today.

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-22811756450779115762011-12-22T16:16:00.000-05:002011-12-22T16:16:49.154-05:00

The below is copied in its entirety from SALVO magazine. If you haven't added SALVO to your daily reading you are wrong. This article, entitled, Schizophrenic About Science: The "Party of Science" is Nothing of the Sort is excellent at addressing the relativistic claims of those who pretend to be for truth, the unscientific bent by those claiming to be champions of science, and the harm done to

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-71050434016533420152011-12-22T14:17:00.000-05:002011-12-22T14:17:40.785-05:00

Trevin Wax quotes Francis Schaeffer on marriage: Marriage is wonderful, but unless both are children of God through faith in Christ, and unless both put Christ first as Lord in their lives, then a marriage can never be what the Lord meant marriage to be. This would always be true, but it is doubly true in a day such as our own which is so filled with confusion and tensions. It is only when

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-33393912868053266552011-12-22T11:02:00.000-05:002011-12-22T11:02:29.994-05:00

Amy at Stand to Reason makes the accurate observation: Our culture defines reason as naturalism, and so it allows reasonable people to be religious only as long as they either confine their religious claims to the realm of private opinion (i.e., based on personal revelations or ideas that apply only to them), or focus on general revelation to which everyone can reason (e.g., advice for

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-82331959835853901102011-12-19T09:10:00.001-05:002011-12-19T09:10:31.875-05:00

Bill Clem in Disciple: Getting Your Identity from Jesus ... Jesus is quite aware of the Father’s personal presence and direction in his own life (John 5:19). From Jesus’s life we see a model of what it looks like to be God-centered. Jesus doesn’t pull out his platinum God card, borrowing power or strength to cope his way through temptations sinlessly; he lives within the limited equity of a

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-12403551435683311442011-12-18T13:01:00.000-05:002011-12-18T13:01:43.920-05:00

Floating around the internet ... Tom Brady, after living a full life, died. When he got to heaven, God was showing him around. They came to a modest little house with a faded Patriots flag in the window. "This house is yours for eternity Tom, said God. "This is very special; not everyone gets a house up here." Tom felt special, indeed, and walked up to his house. On his way up the

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-86080321951699651562011-12-18T12:11:00.000-05:002011-12-18T12:11:31.485-05:00

Time to repost the Christmas Quiz. Answers are found here. HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW THE CHRISTMAS STORY? Well it's December to so that means it's ok to break out the annual Christmas quiz. Here are twenty multiple-choice questions for you to answer. There is at least one correct answer to each question but some have more than one right answer (in all 27). Each correct answer receives five

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-81620298218892050152011-12-18T08:15:00.000-05:002011-12-18T08:15:06.994-05:00

J. Gresham Machen in Christianity and Liberalism comments on the false notion that Christianity is not a doctrine but a way of life. I agree with him. A way of life must indeed follow but it is the result of (1) a change initiated by an all powerful God and (2) informed by a message of truth. ... if any one fact is clear, on the basis of this evidence, it is that the Christian movement at

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-58993218065529746932011-12-17T22:59:00.002-05:002011-12-17T22:59:22.041-05:00

The follow is a post from The Salvo Blog, Progressing Preferences: One could think that this Salvo fake ad goes too far simply for the sake of causing trouble and making liberals mad. While that is an enjoyable side effect, it certainly isn't the main goal. The reality is that I could provide links to scholarly articles advocating (at least intellectually) each of the above "lifestyle

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-32267409948876751982011-12-17T22:15:00.000-05:002011-12-17T22:15:39.809-05:00

Athanasius wrote the following in On the Incarnation: It was necessary that the debt owed by everyone should be paid, and this debt owed was that everyone should die. For this particular reason, Jesus Christ came among us… He offered up his sacrifice on behalf of everyone, yielding his temple [i.e., his body] to death in the place of everyone…. And so it was that two wonderful things came

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-43526944249291274362011-12-16T16:25:00.001-05:002011-12-16T16:25:49.383-05:00

Some wonderful photos of the natural world over at The Big Picture.

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-19920598420176068382011-12-16T12:44:00.000-05:002011-12-16T12:44:23.778-05:00

J. Gresham Machen in Christianity and Liberalism: In seeming to object to all theology, the liberal preacher is often merely objecting to one system of theology in the interests of another.

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17886560.post-10307737914172916022011-12-16T12:30:00.001-05:002011-12-16T12:32:05.685-05:00

You have disobeyed me by not giving your slaves their freedom. So I will give you freedom—the freedom to die in battle or from disease or hunger. I will make you disgusting to all other nations on earth. ~ Jer 34.17; Contemporary English Version Bible Let's not become disgusting ... proclaim liberty.

Rick Ianniellohttps://profiles.google.com/101545282381973118442noreply@blogger.com0