God is BOTH Loving AND Holy

The only way an infinitely holy and righteous God could love self-centered sinners like us unconditionally is because Jesus Christ met every single one of those conditions on our behalf.

Jesus lived the life I couldn’t live and then ultimately died the death I should have died. Trusting in Christ’s life and death is the only reason God loves us.

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Tsunamis, Suffering, and the Sovereignty of God

Here’s an NPR interview with John Piper after the tsunami that devastated Sri Lanka in 2005. Such a necessary word after the devastation in Japan (and every devastation that happens in our lives).

[HT: Denny Burk]

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Tim Keller on Revival

Tim Keller, in this article, makes a case that evangelicalism has historically over-reacted to the hyper-revivalism a la Charles Finney. And so, therefore, Keller proposes that, though we must always be wary of the dangers of hyper-revivalism, there is, in fact, a warranted type of “means-of-revival” that, by God’s grace, is associated with revivals. He lists five of these “means-of-revival”:

1. Extraordinary prayer

2. Recovery of the Grace-Gospel

3. Renewed individuals

4. Use of the Gospel on the heart in counseling

5. Understanding that revivals occur mainly through the ordinary, “Instituted means of grace” – preaching, pastoring, worship, prayer

Click here to read the entire article with the a brief explanation of each point.

[HT: Redeemer City to City]

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True Repentance

Ray Ortlund, commenting on the Westminster Shorter Catechism, says the following regarding true repentance:

Two observations:

One, the motive for repentance is not only sorrow for sin but also a sense of the mercy of God in Christ.  We have zero motivation to repent unless we see the mercy of God awaiting us.  Not the slap of God but the embrace of God.  Repentance is not just turning from sin; it is also turning to God with a bright hope in his mercy.

Two, the outcome of repentance is not a restored status quo, getting back to “normal,” getting back to where we were before we sinned.  The outcome is new obedience, unprecedented obedience, perhaps unheard-of obedience.  Newness of life.

True repentance is hope-inspired and newness-creating.

Read the rest here.

[via: Vitamin Z]

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For Your JOY, Say No to Pornography

For Your Joy, Say No To Pornography from Ben Terry on Vimeo.

[HT: Ben Terry]

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