It is a good thing that the persons who have been inwardly renewed by grace should be induced to perform works of piety and penance proportionate to their ability, because both are preserved by the proportion existing between the goodness of the works and the spirit in which they are performed. When someone not yet … Continue reading Good works follow conversion
conversion
What is needed to have a healthy congregation?
Blaise Pascal wrote; “The heart of man is so deceitful that as soon as he begins to think about getting converted, he believes he is.” A congregation largely made up of people like that will never prosper spiritually. So the starting point for a healthy congregation is that it must be made up of people … Continue reading What is needed to have a healthy congregation?
Change is in the air
A few days ago the days started to grow longer. I can’t tell the difference yet–the sun still rises at 9:15 AM and sets at 5:00 PM. The daily change so far is small: today is 25 seconds longer than yesterday, tomorrow will be 30 seconds longer than today. But I know that soon it … Continue reading Change is in the air
To be a disciple
The Great Commission tells Christians to make disciples from all nations. In practice though, it seems many evangelical efforts have thought it sufficient to get a profession of faith from new believers, to make converts. That’s only a beginning. If I stop at being converted, I am not sufficiently rooted and grounded in the faith … Continue reading To be a disciple
Five reasons Christian communes don’t work
1. They isolate members from other people Relationships with family and friends outside the community that do not further the goals of the community become suspect. 2. They disconnect members from the reality of the world around them People who don’t have to choose and pay for their own food, clothing and shelter can hardly … Continue reading Five reasons Christian communes don’t work
The half-converted farmer
There was a farmer in our neighbourhood who lived a simple life. He had no need of electricity, running water or a lawn mower. He didn’t need a wife either though we heard that there had once been a lady of the house. Perhaps the rustic simplicity of the homestead soon lost its charm. This rustic … Continue reading The half-converted farmer
Freedom of the will
Freedom of choice means that I am at liberty to do as I please. Nevertheless, I learn every day in small ways that the choices I make have consequences; and the choices that other people make often have consequences that affect me. Why then should I not expect that consequences might not only be immediate, … Continue reading Freedom of the will
An exposition of First Corinthians chapter three
An older brother, a minister, once suggested to me that I should write about one portion of this chapter. He didn’t tell me what I should write, but appeared to have confidence that I would be able to cut through the misinterpretations of the apostle Paul’s words that are often repeated in our day and … Continue reading An exposition of First Corinthians chapter three
The threefold purpose of the church
As I read the New Testament, the evidence accumulates that there is a threefold purpose for the existence of the church. Each of these purposes is connected to, and dependent upon, the other two. Perhaps we could call this a three-legged stool and whenever one of the legs is shorter than the others it creates … Continue reading The threefold purpose of the church
Free will
We must believe in free will — we have no choice. Isaac Bashevis Singer. Hmm. I wonder what he was getting at? Having nothing more to go on to discern a more complex meaning in Mr. Singer’s thought than this fragment, I will say that I agree. When Moses told the people “I call heaven … Continue reading Free will
Flatlander Faith 