Value of the Greek NT

BibleX has posted a good little quote on the value of the Greek NT in preaching.

Blind spot

I haven't missed the irony, after resolving to focus on the cross, of posting a video from Everclear. I'm in the process of figuring out what to do with this weblog. If I'm never going to get back to regular blogging, then I want to shut it down--not be like the aging athlete who stays in the game a couple of seasons too long. What's holding me back are the words of an old friend who, in effect, recommended that I give myself a year and a half to mourn my dad's death before making any big decisions. That gives me a few more months before I decide either to pick up the pace or to close shop.

In the mean time I've been spending less time online flitting through hundreds of blog posts and more time relaxing and processing my thoughts. That's been a very helpful and therapeutic process, and I wonder if I shouldn't have been doing more of it all along. We'll see. In the mean time, thanks for visiting.

Sublimely Wonderful

This is, I think, the first video I've embedded in nearly 4000 posts. I'm not all that crazy about the video itself, but the music and lyrics are, well, wonderful.

More biblical studies articles available

Rob Bradshaw has uploaded some more articles recently at BiblicalStudies.org.uk. If you're looking for free, online biblical studies material, it's a good idea to check by the site every now and then. If you haven't already done so, you also might want to stop by the blog and wish Rob well on the site's tenth anniversary.

Telling the truth about deceit

I've been wanting to post something here, but nothing has jumped out at me--till today. Jeff Weddle is blogging about deceit, and as he's wont to do, he's been hitting the ball hard lately. Consider, for example, this lead-off shot in Jeff's post on Deceit and Pride:

The main reason we are susceptible to deceit is because we are proud. Pride resists reality because reality is not very flattering.

God gives grace to the humble. This is true even though we believe the deceptive doctrine that there is nothing we do to get God’s grace. Humility is required to be saved because God’s message is humbling to humanity.

The conclusion of his post on The Main Point of Satan's Deceit is another frozen rope:

Many charge me with legalism and works righteousness when I point out these verses, “We’re saved by faith, not works!” Agreed, and faith hears and does what God says. Faith is first, action follows. If the action never follows there is no basis to claim faith.

This is simple, straightforward Bible teaching. Yet we live in an age where the traditions of men and deceptive visions rule our teaching rather than the eternally solid rock of God’s Word. No one knows the Bible. No one reads it.

If we did, we’d see how clear it was. Be not deceived, those who don’t hear God’s Word do not have faith. Oh, read the word, read the word, read the word.

Amen! Preach it, brother.

Back to the cross

Well, I don't have much to say today other than to note that I don't want to leave a politically oriented post at the top of the page any longer. Through the years I've avoided blogging about politics. Except for taking part in the Terry Schiavo blogburst and linking to the occasional theological take on current events, I've tried to avoid issues that unnecessarily divide the church. I make a point of not posting anything just to be posting. But when I do, it expect it to be about the gospel. Thanks as always for visiting.

Unto Caesar and unto God

Trite phrasing notwithstanding, Timothy Dalrymple frames the situation of U.S. government spending in a deeply Christian way: Whom would Jesus indebt?

It is immoral to ignore the needs of the least of these. But it’s also immoral to ’serve’ the poor in ways that only make more people poor, and trap them in poverty longer. And it’s immoral to amass a mountain of debt that we will pass on to later generations. I even believe it’s immoral to feed the government’s spending addiction. Since our political elites have demonstrated such remarkably poor stewardship over our common resources, it would be foolish and wrong to give them more resources to waste. What we need [are] political leaders committed to prudence and thrift, to wise and far-sighted stewardship, and to spurring a free and thriving economy that will encourage the poor and all Americans to seize their human dignity as creatures made in the image of God, to be fruitful and take initiative and express their talents and creativity.

Thanks to Instapundit for the link.