I find within me a legalist.

C.J. Mahaney has been used by God to point me back to the cross again and again over the last few years. I stumbled across a chapter by him entitled "How to Encourage Husbands to Lead and Wives to Follow" in Pastoral Leadership for Manhood and Womanhood, ed. by Grudem and Rainey. The chapter was excellent. Like most things I have read by those laboring within Sovereign Grace circles, the chapter is a well-worded meditation on the gospel with a consistent application to X . . . and here X is marriage. Thus it is not surprising this chapter on marriage deals with legalism. C.J. writes: "Legalism involves seeking forgiveness from God, justification before God, and acceptance by God through obedience to God."

Here are questions (from C.J.) to ask a husband who you are counseling as indicators of legalism in his life--their application is easily much broader.
1. Is he more aware of his past sin than of the finished work of the cross?
2. Does he think, believe, or feel that God is disappointed with him rather than delighting over him?
3. Does he assume his acceptance before God is dependent upon his obedience?
4. Does he consistently experience condemnation?
5. Does he lack joy?

The first question nails me (as then do the rest). By God's grace, I desire to fight sin. With the help of brothers in Christ, I am fighting sin more and more. I strive to confess my sin to God and where appropriate to others. But these can and often are a recipe for an increased awareness of my sin which I fail to place in the context of a greater awareness of the finished work of the cross. Oh, how I need to start and end with the cross as I seek to uproot sin by God's grace. In short, I find within me a legalist.

Approval - Should it always be sought?

Simply put by Mark: When going to a church, one must understand and accept that "all the people in the church don't need to be in the church in a year."

Intimate Allies

“Marriage is lifelong companionship, a school of sanctification, a man and woman who are intimate allies in helping one another along to the kingdom.” –Dr. Michael Haykin

Caring Is Sharing . . . Time.

We are structured by who we care for.

--Dr. Brian Brock, Lecture at Southern Seminary on Ethics

Asking Questions

If you want to be an expert, you must always play the learner.

--Greg Wills

The Gospel and Missions

Andy (an elder at Capitol Hill), in his missions reading group, leads the group to read books on the gospel, not missions, because . . . understanding the gospel well makes crossing a culture with that gospel less jarring.

Words vs. Propositions: A Search for Meaning

This simple truth must be remembered when preaching, teaching, studying, and perhaps especially when reading devotional Christian books (ie., Love Life for Every Married Couple by Ed Wheat).

"It must be emphasized, therefore, that the most important parts of a text are not the individual words considered in isolation! Words transmit a concrete meaning to us only when they stand within a concrete statement and are considered as an integral part of that proposition. The smallest meaningful building blocks of a text are the individual propositions within it, not the isolated words."

--Scott Hafemann, in the introduction of a handout on diagramming entitled "Translating and Understanding: The Sentence Diagram"

Authority and Marriage

Trusting authorities on all levels is a reflection of trust in God. The trust of imperfect authorities is a constant this side of the fall. The church's authority (through its structure) displays this well. Members are called upon to trust God by trusting their elders.

By implication, I must not assume my future wife should be willing to trust me if I am not willing to trust authorities in my life. A man who is submitting to others (in the church, in seeking wise counsel, etc) will be a husband who is more easily submitted to.

Neighbor

If I am to love my neighbor, I must hate the ease with which I disregard others.

--Dr. Brian Brock, Lecture at Southern Seminary on Ethics