Jonathan Edwards

*RESOLUTIONS
"Being sensible that I am unable to do any thing without God's help, I do humbly entreat him, by his grace, to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ's sake.

Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.

17. Resolved, That I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die."
(*Taken from "The Works of Jonathan Edwards: Volume One", Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., Sixth Printing--June 2007.)

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Paul Washer - "The Shocking Youth Message"

Below are two videos. The first video is a message delivered by Paul Washer at the 2002 Youth Evangelism Conference in Montgomery, Alabama. This particular message was instrumental in showing me the falsehood of the "sinner's prayer"--otherwise known as Decisional Regeneration. Repeating a prayer, signing a card, or raising a hand is not how you become a Christian. The second video is the background information for the message given by Washer.



Thursday, November 26, 2009

The New Gospel vs The Old Gospel

Kevin DeYoung posted an article on his blog entitled "The Gospel Old and New." Below is a short excerpt taken from the article. This was a very helpful post and I recommend taking time to read it. Click here to read.
"This is no small issue. And it is not just a matter of emphasis. The New Gospel will not sustain the church. It cannot change the heart. And it does not save. It is crucial, therefore, that our evangelical schools, camps, conferences, publishing houses, and churches can discern the new gospel from the old."

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Monthly Focus From Monergism.com

The monthly focus this month from Monergism.com is the Sufficiency of Christ. Below are two quotes dealing with the sufficiency of Christ from the website. Click here to check out Monergism's monthly focus:
The [Roman Catholic] Council of Trent anathematizes anyone who says you can be saved without the grace of God. The Reformers, however, never claimed Rome believed you can be saved apart from grace. That wasn't the debate. The debate of the Reformation was never, ever about the necessity of grace, it was always about the sufficiency of grace. That remains the issue today in so many contexts. ---James White
Grace is not like a box of candy that you can send back if you don't want it. Grace is divine favor, an attitude of God's own heart. We cannot stop him from loving us, if he chooses to do so. Nor can we stop him from giving us blessings of salvation: regeneration, justification, adoption, sanctification, glorification. His purpose in us will certainly be fulfilled, Phil. 1:6, Eph. 1:11. ---John Frame

Saturday, November 14, 2009

"No Day Without Its Line" From Challies.com

Below is an excerpt from a post at Challies.com. Click here to read.
A little while ago I read Warren Wiersbe’s book 50 People Every Christian Should Know. Just the other day I was tidying up my bookcases and noticed a toothpick sticking out of the book. I opened it to the page marked by the toothpick and found a quote I guess I must have been hoping to come back to. Turns out it’s a good one. It comes from a chapter devoted to Alexander Whyte.
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Matt Chandler on Hebrews 11

Matt Chandler, pastor of The Village Church in Texas, preached a convicting message from Hebrews 11 a few days ago at Southern Seminary's chapel service. Click here to watch.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

RIGHTLY DIVIDED Hosted by Lane Chaplin

Lane Chaplin, host of RIGHTLY DIVIDED, interviews Phil Johnson on the subject Defining and Defending Historic Evangelicalism. A short bio of Phil Johnson can be found here. The majority of the conversation is centered on Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church. Phil Johnson recently wrote an article on the blog Pyromaniacs on Rob Bell and that article can be found here. I would encourage folks to read this blog article for the sake of discernment. Okay, now you can click here to watch RIGHTLY DIVIDED with guest Phil Johnson. I would also encourage folks to watch this video for the sake of further discernment.

"Here I Stand"

You can download for free Max McLean's reading of Martin Luther's famous speech, "Here I Stand" by clicking here. Below is a description from the Listener Bible's website where the speech has been made available. Also, Reformation Day is October 31st...children, tell your parents you want to be Martin Luther for Halloween.
In the late afternoon of April 18, 1521, in the city of Worms, Germany, Martin Luther, a 37 year-old Catholic monk was called to defend himself before Charles the Fifth, the Holy Roman Emperor. The speech he delivered that day, Here I Stand, marked the beginning of the Reformation, a critical turning point in Christian history, that decisively altered the spiritual map of the world.

In this recording, Max McLean introduces the events leading up to the Diet of Worms: Martin Luther’s prayer the night before he delivered his speech; Luther's stirring defense; the Catholic church’s rebuttal; and, Luther’s final heartfelt response.

Friday, October 23, 2009

James White from Great Falls, Montana

Watch James White on Acts 13:48 and Biblical Evangelism here.

Watch James White on Romans 9 here.

Watch James White on John 6 here.

Teaching Series from R.C. Sproul on the Assurance of Salvation

Click on one of the titles below in order to access the teaching video you would like to watch. The videos are around 20 minutes in length.

"The Duty of Pursuing Assurance"

"Assurance Enhances Sanctification"

"Feminism Unfulfilled — Why Are So Many Women Unhappy?" by Albert Mohler

Below is a selection from an article by Albert Mohler. Click here to read the full article.
Has feminism produced unhappiness among women? That question is inescapable when seen in light of the historical context. The great transformation of society by feminism took shape only after the 1970s. As a political and social movement, feminism has been stunningly successful. In the span of a single generation, the society has been overwhelmingly transformed. But, over the same period, women report themselves less happy, especially as compared to men.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Quote From "Christianity and Liberalism" by J. Gresham Machen

Light may seem at times to be an impertinent intruder, but it is always beneficial in the end. The type of religion which rejoices in the pious sound of traditional phrases, regardless of their meanings, or shrinks from 'controversial' matters, will never stand amid the shocks of life. In the sphere of religion, as in other spheres, the things about which men are agreed are apt to be the things that are least worth holding; the really important things are the things about which men fight.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Jacob Arminius (1560-1609)

Here is a small piece from a brief introduction to Jacob Arminius posted by Guy Davies at the blog Exiled Preacher:
In what must be one of the great ironies of church history, Jacob Arminius shares an anniversary year with John Calvin. The Genevan Reformer was born 500 years ago on 10th July 1509. Arminius, who did so much to question Calvin’s theology of sovereign grace died 400 years ago today, on 19th October 1609.
Click here to read the post in its entirety.

"Spectacular Sins" by John Piper

Here is an excerpt from the introduction of John Piper's book Spectacular Sins:
The apex of the glory of Christ is the glory of his grace—treating people infinitely better than they deserve—giving himself for the everlasting joy of the worst of sinners who will have him as their highest Treasure. And the apex of this grace is the murder of the God-man outside Jerusalem around a.d. 33. The death of Jesus Christ was murder. It was the most spectacular sin ever committed.
At the all-important pivot of human history, the worst sin ever committed served to show the greatest glory of Christ and obtain the sin-conquering gift of God’s grace. God did not just overcome evil at the cross. He made evil serve the overcoming of evil. He made evil commit suicide in doing its worst evil. Evil is anything and everything opposed to the fullest display of the glory of Christ. That’s the meaning of evil. In the death of Christ, the powers of darkness did their best to destroy the glory of the Son of God. This is the apex of evil. But instead they found themselves quoting the script of ancient prophecy and acting the part assigned by God. Precisely in putting Christ to death, they put his glory on display—the very glory that they aimed to destroy. The apex of evil achieved the apex of the glory of Christ. The glory of grace.
The book can be read online and the sermon series that inspired the book can be watched/listened to online as well, just click here.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Mark Dever Interviews Shai Linne and Voice

Mark Dever, pastor of Capital Hill Baptist Church in Washington D.C., sits down with Shai Linne of Lampmode Recordings and Curtis "Voice" Allen for an interview touching on topics such as Christian rap, hip-hop culture, the didactic element of biblically sound Christian rap, and the gospel proclamation within the lyricism. Click here to listen to the interview.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

"Make War" by Tedashii

Romans 8:13 says, "For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." Let's stop being passive and let's start making war against sin. Click here to listen to "Make War" by Tedashii featuring Flame.

James White on Romans 9

"Have You Ever Read Romans 9?" by James R. White. Click here to listen to a proper exegesis of Romans 9.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Six Potential Negative Effects If The Church Embraces Postmodernism (*From Ligon Duncan):

  1. All religions boil down to the same thing.
  2. What's true for you, may not be true for me.
  3. All religious systems, followed sincerely, lead to the same spiritual reality.
  4. No religious assertions can claim to be true and are subject to revision.
  5. Truth claims will simply become linguistic constructs derived from our own presuppositions.
  6. Religious assertions are viewed as good only in so far as they help people live in harmony.
*Taken from Ligon Duncan's Lecture "Should the Church Embrace Postmodernism?"

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Video Resources From Ligonier Ministries

I've had an opportunity to watch two videos recently from a conference held by R.C. Sproul last fall with lectures from Sproul himself as well as John MacArthur and Ligon Duncan on "Tough Questions Christians Face". One lecture was given by Ligon Duncan on postmodernism, particularly concerning the question, "Should the Church Embrace Postmodernism?". For those who don't know anything about postmodernism, this video would be extremely helpful for you. For those who have a grasp on postmodernism but don't understand it in its entirety, this video would be extremely helpful for you. Duncan ends his lecture with six effects if the church were to embrace postmodernism, which I have written down but will not post until later.

Click here to watch Ligon Duncan's lecture on "Should the Church Embrace Postmodernism?".

Also, John MacArthur gave a lecture on the subject "Is Jesus the Only Way?". Click here to watch his lecture.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

A Thought From The "Prince Of Preachers"

Quote from Charles Haddon Spurgeon:
I never could believe in the Jesus Christ of some people, for the Christ in whom they believe is simply full of affectionateness and gentleness, whereas I believe there never was a more splendid specimen of manhood, even its sternness, than the Savior; and the very lips which declared that He would not break a bruised reed uttered the most terrible anathemas upon the Pharisees.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

"The Supremacy of God in Missions through Worship"

A quote from John Piper in his book Let The Nations Be Glad:
Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.
Worship, therefore, is the fuel and goal of missions. It's the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the white-hot enjoyment of God's glory. The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God. "The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!" (Ps. 97:1). "Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy!" (Ps. 67:3-4).
But worship is also the fuel of missions. Passion for God in worship precedes the offer of God in preaching. You can't commend what you don't cherish. Missionaries will never call out, "Let the nations be glad!" who cannot say from the heart, "I rejoice in the LORD...I will be glad and exult in you, I will sing praise to your name, O Most High" (Ps. 104:34; 9:2). Missions begins and ends in worship.
If the pursuit of God's glory is not ordered above the pursuit of man's good in the affections of the heart and the priorities of the church, man will not be well served, and God will not be duly honored. I am not pleading for a diminishing of missions but for a magnifying of God. When the flame of worship burns with the heat of God's true worth, the light of missions will shine to the darkest peoples on earth. And I long for that day to come!
Where passion for God is weak, zeal for missions will be weak. Churches that are not centered on the exaltation of the majesty and beauty of God will scarcely kindle a fervent desire to "declare his glory among the nations" (Ps. 96:3). Even outsiders feel the disparity between the boldness of our claim upon the nations and the glandness of our engagement with God (Pages 17-18).

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Evangel of Christcentric - "Holy Are You" (A Response to Rakim)

Holyculture.net posted an audio leak of a song by Christcentric's Evangel entitled "Holy Are You" referring to God as holy. Evangel's track was done in response to a song by Rakim bearing the same name ("Holy Are You")...but Rakim wasn't speaking of God, but himself, believing himself to be god. Evangel's response isn't on the same level as say a John Calvin response to Pighius or a Luther response to Erasmus but Evangel does guard and defend Biblical truth...only in a way foreign to Calvin and Luther---through the medium of hip hop. Evangel's lyrics are packed with Biblical truth. Click here to listen.

Resource-Rich Website + Online Bookstore

At the beginning of this year I stumbled across a very helpful website that offers numerous free theological resources and plus a bookstore containing books at an almost unbeatable price (I haven't used Amazon but I hear they have good prices on books, too). The website was helpful then and continues to be helpful now. The site is called Monergism.com. Click here to visit the site.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

"N.T. Wright and the Doctrine of Justification"

A panel discussion consisting of Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., Dr. Denny Burk, Dr. Tom Schreiner, Dr. Mark Seifrid, and Dr. Brian Vickers concerning "N.T. Wright and the Doctrine of Justification". Click here to watch.

"Why Moralism Is Not the Gospel -- And Why So Many Christians Think It Is" by Albert Mohler

Click here to read Albert Mohler on "Why Moralism Is Not The Gospel".

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

"Meet the Puritans" Website

I found a website/blog called "Meet the Puritans" for those who may be interested. Here's a few words from their site informing readers of what to expect:
The purpose of this website is to promote the seventeenth century English Puritans. We intend to do this by means of original research, theological and devotional commentary upon the writings of the Puritans, reviews of books about the Puritans, recommendations of books about the Puritans, and by providing Recommended Reading of helpful materials in your study of the Puritans.
Click here to visit.

"Are You Born Again?" by J.C. Ryle (1816-1900)

I came across a small booklet/tract tonight entitled "Are You Born Again?" by J.C. Ryle and thought the information would be edifying to whomever may read it. In the booklet, Ryle lays out "six great marks of a born again Christian" all from 1 John. One will be posted tonight and the rest will be posted in the coming days.
Are you born again? This is one of life's most important questions. Jesus Christ said, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).
It is not enough to reply, "I belong to the church; I suppose I'm a Christian." Thousands of nominal Christians show none of the signs of being born again which the Scriptures have given us--many listed in the First Epistle of John
NO HABITUAL SINNING
First of all, John wrote: "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin" (1 John 3:9). "Whosover is born of God sinneth not" (5:18).
A person who has been born again, or regenerated, does not habitually commit sin. He no longer sins with his heart and will and whole inclination. There was probably a time when he did not think about whether his actions were sinful or not, and he did not always feel grieved after doing evil. There was no quarrel between him and sin; they were friends. But the true Christian hates sin, flees from it, fights against it, considers it his greatest plague, resents the burden of its presence, mourns when he falls under its influence, and longs to be completely delivered from it. Sin no longer pleases him; it has become a horrible thing which he hates. However, he cannot eliminate its presence within him.
If he said that he had no sin, he would be lying (1 John 1:8). But he can say that he hates sin and that the great desire of his soul is not to commit sin at all. He cannot prevent bad thoughts from entering his mind, or shortcomings, omissions, and defects from appearing in both his words and his actions. he knows that "in many things we offend all" (James 3:2). But he can truly say, in the sight of God, that these things cause him grief and sorrow and that his whole nature does not consent to them. What would the Apostle say about you? Are you born again?

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

"Theology Matters: Peace With God" by James White

James White of Alpha & Omega Ministries presents a short video explaining why theology matters. This particular video is entitled Peace With God. Click here to watch.

John MacArthur - Slaves of Christ (2008 General Session 9)

Here's an informative sermon by John MacArthur concerning Scripture's unequivocal proclamation that believers are slaves of Jesus Christ. Click here to watch the sermon from Grace To You's website.

Monday, August 31, 2009

"What Baptists Can Learn From Calvin: The Genevan Reformer's words are still worth hearing today."

Timothy George has an article over at Christianity Today in which he gives five theological principles Baptists can learn from Calvin. Click here to read.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Quote from Martin Luther in Roland H. Bainton's Here I Stand--A Life of Martin Luther :
I greatly longed to understand Paul's Epistle to the Romans and nothing stood in the way but that one expression, "the justice of God," because I took it to mean that justice whereby God is just and deals justly in punishing the unjust. My situation was that, although an impeccable monk, I stood before God as a sinner troubled in conscience, and I had no confidence that my merit would assuage him. Therefore I did not love a just and angry God, but rather hated and murmured against him. Yet I clung to the dear Paul and had a great yearning to know what he meant. Night and day I pondered until I saw the connection between the justice of God and the statement that "the just shall live by his faith." Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole of Scripture took on a new meaning, and whereas before the "justice of God" had filled me with hate, now it became to me inexpressibly sweet in greater love. This passage of Paul became to me a gate to heaven...If you have a true faith that Christ is your Savior, then at once you have a gracious God, for faith leads you in and opens up God's heart and will, that you should see pure grace and overflowing love. This it is to behold God in faith that you should look upon his fatherly, friendly heart, in which there is no anger nor ungraciousness. He who sees God as angry does not see him rightly but looks only on a curtain, as if a dark cloud had been drawn across his face (Page 50).