Aaron Armstrong's Blog, page 392
January 13, 2012
The Fruit of Repentance
Disgusted by the Israelites' false worship, God spoke repeatedly through his prophets: "You say you worship me; you say you are right in my sight, yet your lives reveal you to be liars!" But God's rebukes were joined by another message, a message of hope and reconciliation and cleansing.
If the people would repent and turn to God, he would hear them and turn from his anger. And perhaps surprisingly, God emphasizes that this change of heart in the people would be reflected in a change of...
January 12, 2012
Who Was This Word?
Says the apostle, He was God. He was so with God (that is, the Father), as that he himself was God also; — God, in that notion of God which both nature and the Scripture do represent; not a god by office, one exalted to that dignity (which cannot well be pretended before the creation of the world), but as Thomas confessed him, "Our Lord and our God," John 20:28; or as Paul expresses it, "Over all, God blessed for ever;" or the most high God; which these men love to deny. Let not the...
January 11, 2012
The Pursuit of Excellence and the Character of God
Yesterday I picked up a copy of Andreas Köstenberger's new book, Excellence: The Character of God and the Pursuit of Scholarly Virtue. I'm only in the earliest pages, so this is by no means a review (though you can almost certainly expect one), but you know a book's got you hooked when you notice the first chapter's subtitle:
"The character of God is the grounds of all human excellence."
Read that again and let it really sink in. It's going to start messing with you right about…
Now.
It's...
January 10, 2012
Kindle Deals for the Christian Reader (January)
Here are a few great deals I've found for Christian books for your Kindle—If you see any that I've missed, let me know in the comments!
New Additions:
Excellence: The Character of God and the Pursuit of Scholarly Virtue by Andreas J. Köstenberger—$1.99
1 & 2 Peter by R.C. Sproul—$2.99
Romans: Righteousness from Heaven by R. Kent Hughes—$2.99
Robert Gundry's New Testament Commentaries:
Matthew —$4.61 Mark —$4.61 Luke —$4.61 John —$4.79 Acts —$4.79 Romans —$3.03 First Corinthians —$3.19 Second Corinthians —$3.19Book Review: The Gospel Story Bible by Marty Machowski
We are always on the look out for great resources to help teach our kids about the Christian faith and we've come across a number of great Bible storybooks, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. The most recent addition to our collection is The Gospel Story Bible: Discovering Jesus in the Old and New Testaments, written by Marty Machowski. Over the course of 158 stories, The Gospel Story Bible walks families through the Bible—from Genesis to Revelation—in order to help kids get a grasp ...
January 9, 2012
Critics, Criticism and Character
No one likes criticism. I don't think I've ever met a person who has ever enjoyed having their faults pointed out, especially when it's on a subject you really care about. And let's be honest, critics—perhaps ironically, especially the Christian ones—can be vicious. The last week has been no exception as we've seen from all the hubbub around Real Marriage. There's a lot of back and forth on what's good and what's not so good about the book, and sometimes it gets a bit too personal. So...
January 8, 2012
Around the Interweb
Carl Trueman:
"I have often in the past stood with those who laughed at what we regarded as the ignorant, unsophisticated taboos of the older generation. But now I worry about the ease with which the rising generation talks explicitly of 'the fruitless deeds of darkness' in the name of cultural engagement, fear of being thought passé or simply a desire to slough off the legalisms of their fathers in the faith."
Check out new Lifeway study by...
January 7, 2012
What Injustice Have We Done Him!
Listen to His declaration, "He that has seen me has seen the Father." As though He had said, "All the glory in me which entrances you, all the beauty in me which attracts you, all the truths from me which instruct you, all the love in me which wins you, all the grace in me which sanctifies you, all the sympathy in me which soothes you, all my miracles of power and acts of mercy which command your homage, enkindle your gratitude, and inspire your praise, are the true, the perfect reflection...
January 6, 2012
Why I'm Not Using a Reading Plan in 2012
I know that this week and next tend to be the ones where people make resolutions and goals for the year—and a typical New Years' resolutions for Christians is to read their Bible in its entirety within the year. This is a good goal and if you've never read your Bible in its entirety, you absolutely need to at least once.
I read through the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation back in 2009, reading a few chapters a day until I was done. It was a tremendous experience—it helped me get a really ...
January 5, 2012
The Twofold Demand of the Law
The real use and purpose of the formula (active and passive obedience) is to emphasize the two distinct aspects of our Lord's vicarious obedience. The truth expressed rests upon the recognition that the law of God has both penal sanctions and positive demands. It demands not only the full discharge of its precepts but also the infliction of penalty for all infractions and shortcomings. It is this twofold demand of the law of God which is taken into account when we speak of the active and...