Posts

The problem with Sin (Romans 3:9-20)

For Starters Why do we have laws?  E.g. Speed limits, criminal law, charity laws etc. A Look at the Text Who is Paul writing about here? (v9) Who is affected by sin? (v9-10) Sin is …. The  failure to ……………. God and to …………….. God (v11) deliberate decision to …………………………… from God (v12) Sin means… Continue reading The problem with Sin (Romans 3:9-20)

Little leopards …

The reports have come out on the Jonathan Fletcher case and they make for sober reading. Fletcher was the pastor of a church in London and over the past few yers, in an alarming similarity to the accusations against John Smyth, it emerged that he had introduced an abusive regime of punishment beatings with vulnerable… Continue reading Little leopards …

Slaves and Masters

Today’s #DailyDose is a look at Ephesians 6:5-9. In it I argue that whilst the teaching has analogous implications for employer relations in the workplace, we shouldn’t rush there without thinking first about the original household context. I also wrote in greater depth on the abolition of slavery in this pdf e-book which “Wesley and… Continue reading Slaves and Masters

Going with the grain of how Scripture talks about God

I want to say a little bit more about the recent controversy concerning Gently and Lowly.  If we have discomfort about the language in the book, then it seems to be because we struggle with the language we find in Scripture. Let me pick up on one example. In Hosea 11:8-9 God says to Israel:… Continue reading Going with the grain of how Scripture talks about God

Expository Worship

In his book “Nine Marks of a healthy Church” Mark Dever makes Expositional Preaching his first and most important mark of healthy church life.[1]  I want to suggest that Dever is right to give expositional preaching such a central position but that he does not go far enough. Why is Expositional Preaching so important? Dever… Continue reading Expository Worship

Fathers and Mothers/Sons and Daughters

#TheDailyDose … a look at Ephesians 6:1-4. Key take aways We obey our earthly fathers because we have a heavenly father … and because it is the right thing to do. The promises concerning parents and children are based on the parental responsibility to teach God’s word and bring the Gospel to children. There is… Continue reading Fathers and Mothers/Sons and Daughters

Accuser

Here’s another out of the freezer article from a few years back Over the past few years, I’ve talked a lot about the Guilt Driven Church and  about guilt, grace and forgiveness.. The primary focus has been on how we experience shame and learning to distinguish false guilt from true guilt. But really there’s another… Continue reading Accuser

The census that matters

It’s census day in the UK.  The idea is that every decade, each household must complete a form declaring who is at the address on the day, their race, gender, religion etc.  The data is used for planning and policy making purposes as part of public life. It also is eventually released online and can… Continue reading The census that matters