How Would You Summarize the Bible’s Message in One Sentence?
26 Christian leaders reply. Here are 2 of my favorites…
“Kevin DeYoung: A holy God sends his righteous Son to die for unrighteous sinners so we can be holy and live happily with God forever…
Tom Schreiner: God reigns over all things for his glory, but we will only enjoy his saving reign in the new heavens and the new earth if we repent and believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the crucified and risen Lord and who gave himself on the cross for our salvation.” What’s the Message of the Bible in One Sentence? by Dane Ortlund
How to Teach Calvinism to Arminians
“In other words, we are Calvinists. But that label is not nearly as useful as telling people what you actually believe! So forget the label, if it helps, and tell them clearly, without evasion or ambiguity, what you believe about salvation. If they say, ‘Are you a Calvinist?’ say, ‘You decide. Here is what I believe…’” Saying What You Believe Is Clearer Than Saying “Calvinist” by John Piper
Top 5 Books on Calvinism
1. Still Sovereign by Thomas Schreiner and Bruce Ware
2. God’s Lesser Glory: The Diminished God of Open Theism by Bruce Ware
3. Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, by J. I. Packer
4. Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility by Don Carson
5. Trusting God by Jerry Bridges
Top Five Books on Calvinism by Sam Storms
Top 10 Trends in Biblical Counseling
“here are the top ten positive trends that I see in biblical counseling today” including…
“1. A Gospel-Centered Focus
Biblical counselors are emphasizing that wise counseling centers on Jesus Christ—his sinless life, death on the cross, burial, resurrection, ascension, and promised return. Biblical counseling points people to a person, Jesus our Redeemer, and not to a program, theory, or experience. We place our trust not in any human system but in the transformative power of the Redeemer as the only hope to change people’s hearts. Wise counselors seek to lead struggling, hurting, sinning, and confused people to the hope, resources, strength, and life that are available only in Christ…
5. A Comprehensive Model
In the past, biblical counseling might have been seen by some as somewhat one-dimensional with a focus on combating the impact of the fall/sin. Today, biblical counseling comprehensively examines creation (understanding people from God’s original design), fall (diagnosing problems resulting from sin), and redemption (prescribing God’s solutions through our salvation and sanctification in Christ).” The Top Ten Trends in Biblical Counseling by Bob Kellemen
Top 10 Counterfeit Gospels
“Below is a list of counterfeits I considered. I’m interested to see which ones you think are most prominent. Take the poll below and let me know” Which Counterfeit Gospels are Most Prevalent Today? by Trevin Wax
One Wife’s Rebellion Is Another Wife’s Submission
“When we move beyond the generalities of gender roles, we find that the specifics may look very, very different from one couple to another. Within the Bible’s general guidelines, there are many ways to work out the details…Which is to say that the way my wife submits to me, as the leader in the home, may look quite different from the way another wife submits to her own husband…If a wife wants to know if she is submitting to her husband, it may be that the better question for her to ask is, ‘Am I actively rebelling against his leadership?’ It’s not a matter of the particulars of what she does compared to other women, but whether she is following her husband as he leads her into being his perfect complement.” Whose Wife Are You? by Tim Challies
Law-Gospel Distiniction or Divisiveness?
“Mike Horton (MH): The Gospel can’t be lived. It’s the Law that’s lived. We obey the commands that we find in Scripture, we do not—the Gospel is not anything for us to do.”
GG: “those who do not OBEY THE GOSPEL of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thes. 1:8).
“those who DISOBEY THE GOSPEL of God?” (1 Pet. 4:17).
“we are proclaiming GOOD NEWS to you that you should TURN from these worthless things to the living God” (Acts 14:15).
“Frank Turk: but often WHI denigrates people who would say in concrete ways that they enjoy the Gospel — that they live for it and by it and through it.
Kim Riddlebarger (KR): we believe the Gospel, we obey the Law—and if you are not clear about that, then you’re going to go off on a mission and as you risk, as Jesus warned, making people more fit for Hell than they were before.”
“John Frame: It has become increasingly common in Reformed circles, as it has long been in Lutheran circles, to say that the distinction between law and gospel is the key to sound theology, even to say that to differ with certain traditional formulations of this distinction is to deny the gospel itself…The sharp distinction between law and gospel is becoming popular in Reformed, as well as Lutheran circles. It is the view of Westminster Seminary California, Modern Reformation magazine, and the White Horse Inn radio broadcast. The leaders of these organizations are very insistent that theirs is the only biblical view of the matter. One has recently claimed that people who hold a different view repudiate the Reformation and even deny the gospel itself…I believe that we should stand with the Scriptures against this tradition.
GG: The first time I heard the claim that the whole Bible can be divided into either law or gospel, I thought it sounded simplistic and reductionistic. When was the law-gospel distinction invented, the 16th century? If so, how could 15 centuries of Christians be ignorant of this gospel truth? Why did God not reveal this Bible key explicitly (instead of implicitly, as they claim?)
As the verses above and John Frame below show, the gospel includes the commands to repent, believe, and obey. A far more accurate distinction than law-gospel is indicative (truth)-imperative (command). And between those 2, we need Biblical balance. Open Letter to Michael Horton by Frank Turk, and Law and Gospel by John Frame
