[posted at my children’s book site last week] While we are travelling in Scotland I began reading to my older boys a book I picked up here- I Rode with the Covenanters, by Kathleen Fidler. We have read several books about the Covenanters along the way (not least Douglas Bond’s wonderful Crown & Covenant trilogy), …
Continue reading ‘Another Children’s Book on the Covenanters’ »
We were blessed today in the service at St. Andrews Free Church under the preaching of Alasdair Macleod. The singing, including two psalms, was robust and encouraging. We caught part two of a three part sermon series titled “Ten Commandments of Grace” in which Macleod is essentially seeking to summarize the message of Paul. Today …
Concerning the True Care of Souls, Martin Bucer Translated by Peter Beale (Banner of Truth, 2009), hb. 218 pp. Martin Bucer (1491-1551) was one of the leading lights of the Reformation even though he is now lesser known in general. Bucer is the one who invited Calvin to Strasbourg after his expulsion from Geneva and …
Anyone who has been reading this blog (both of you) over the last year or so will have noticed a focus on the role of the Psalms in worship, both corporate and private. This arose from developments in my own life which corresponded with and were enhanced by a project I led at Union University, …
Preaching on 1 Timothy 3 Calvin expounds proper teaching of the Scripture as a distinguishing mark of a proper church and the considers the great privilege of hearing the word of God, recognizing that it is through His word that God abides with us. And it is a singular comfort to us, so oft as …
In expounding Paul’s comment on people desiring the office of overseer (1 Timothy 3:1), Calvin deals extensively with sinful (arrogant) and proper desire for such a position. He notes the difficulty of the work and that in Paul’s day as in his own, a man could not be a Minister of the word of God …
“The Holy Ghost called them also Bishops, that is to say, watchmen over the flock, to show that it is not an honor of idleness to be called to this state, and therefore that he must not be idle, but know that he is sent to go about the saving of souls, and therefore must …
Continue reading ‘“The Saving of Souls,” Calvin on Pastoral Duty’ »
I continue to be blessed by Calvin’s exposition of 1 Timothy (see previous post). While preaching 1 Timothy 2:15 Calvin took considerable space to reflect on how this text shows God’s approval of the state of motherhood. His words are strikingly contemporary as today we are also needing to re-assert the value of this wonderful …
A main reason some people are adverse to John Calvin is that all they know of him is his teaching on predestination, and they fear this teaching destroys evangelism. But, whether or not one agrees with Calvin, it is only fair to note that he did not see predestination as an impediment to or negation …