There is No Condemnation – Romans 8:1-17

Reading Acts

Those who are in Christ have been set free from the Law of sin and Death (8:1-4). Condemnation refers to a “the punishment following sentence” (BDAG). This is a rare word, only used in the New Testament here and Romans 5:16 and 5:18. In Romans 5, condemnation was the result of the first Adam’s rebellion against God. In that case, God acts as judge, finds Adam guilty and gives him the appropriate punishment for his rebellion, death.

In Wisdom literature, this word can have the sense of people getting what they deserve. For example, in Wisdom 4:16, “The righteous who have died will condemn (κατακρίνω) the ungodly who are living, and youth that is quickly perfected will condemn (κατακρίνω) the prolonged old age of the unrighteous” (NRSV). Someone who persecutes the righteous will “get their comeuppance” and be persecuted themselves in the final judgment.

But Paul’s use here does not…

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Take Up and Read: Augustine through the Ages

Reflections

This current blog series on Reflections is intended to encourage Christians to read more vigorously by providing a beginner’s guide to some of the Christian classics in such fields as theology, philosophy, and apologetics. Hopefully a very brief introduction to these important Christian texts will motivate today’s believers, as St. Augustine was called to in his dramatic conversion to Christianity, to “take up and read” (Latin: Tolle lege) these classic books.

This week’s book, Augustine through the Ages: An Encyclopedia, is edited by Allan D. Fitzgerald and is an impressive piece of scholarship. Very seldom is an entire encyclopedia dedicated to a single individual. But in the case of St. Augustine it is justified—outside of the New Testament authors, he is arguably the most influential Christian thinker. This is a valuable scholarly resource on all aspects of Augustine’s life and thought.

Why Is This Author Notable?

Allan D. Fitzgerald is a member…

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Battling Voices — Blog – Bible Study Magazine

Wendy Widder Proverbs opens on a battlefield of a young man’s life, where competing voices are vying for his heart. His father recognizes the power of words and their influence on his son. Wanting to combat these dangers, he adopts the voices of those who present the greatest threat to the young man—a malicious gang…

via Battling Voices — Blog – Bible Study Magazine

all roads…do not lead to Heaven

cookiecrumbstoliveby

I want to be a more serious-minded Christian, more detached from this world,
more ready for heaven than I have ever been in my whole life.
I want an ear that is sharp to know the voice of the enemy,
whether it comes from religion, politics, or philosophy…
I would rather stand and have everybody my enemy than to go along with the
crowd to destruction.
Do you feel that way?
Aiden Wilson Tozer

(massive trees fall across a dirt road / Troup Co / Julie Cook / 2017)

About a month back, following Hurricane Irma, this is what my husband and I found
on a piece of property located in the western Georgia.

It’s a piece of property he’s enjoyed and maintained for the past 30 years for hunting, fishing, hiking, etc.

Nearly 400 acres of woods and former pasture land with a criss crossing maze of
trails and…

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Is God Angry? — SANITY’S COVE

[Extract from the book Elijah Men Eat Meat] ‘Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the Kings of Israel that were before him.’ -1Kg 16Does God get angry? Elijah’s epic makes no sense if we cannot answer this question correctly. And not just in regards to these few canonical chapters;…

via Is God Angry? — SANITY’S COVE

Maximus on the Mystical Knowledge of God in Christ

Biblical Reasoning

I have recently been reading St. Maximus the Confessor’s commentary on the Lord’s Prayer, and it, like all of Maximus’ writings, rewards careful (and prayerful) reflection. If you don’t know about Maximus, I’m not talking about this guy (but he was pretty awesome too). Maximus was a seventh century Byzantine monk, theologian, and controversialist. He is most well-known for the pivotal role he played in the monothelite controversy—the debate over the number of “wills” in the incarnate Christ—which culminated in the sixth ecumenical council (the Third Council of Constantinople, 680-81) and its proclamation that Christ does in fact have two wills (dyothelitism) that correspond to his two natures. Maximus was so convinced of this position that he was willing to endure torture (he had his tongue cut out and his hand severed) and ultimately the exile that took his life. As such, he is referred to as the “Confessor,” which…

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A Gift of Charity, Part 2: The Body of Christ at Work

Daniel B. Wallace

Two months ago I posted a blog called “A Gift of Charity.” It was about my friend, Ed Komoszewski, whose health has been in very bad shape for many years. He is dealing with multiple diseases that have no known cure. And now, he needs to go to the hospital every few weeks for costly treatments that seem to have no end in sight.

Just last month, I drove Ed down to Houston to the funeral of our dear friend, Nabeel Qureshi. Ed could not drive that far. The funeral was at 10 AM—an hour that is almost impossible for Ed to get up by. But God was gracious and enabled Ed to do that very thing for Nabeel’s funeral. The next day, when we drove back to Dallas, Ed didn’t get up till almost noon.

As I’ve reflected on Nabeel’s death (and written about it on Facebook…

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The Anchor Yale Bible Is 50% off. Here’s How to Save Even More. — LogosTalk

This month only you can get three volumes from one of the most celebrated works of modern biblical scholarship for less than the price of a latte. That’s nearly 97% off the regular price. Get all three now. And after you get all three, be sure to pick up the complete Anchor Yale Bible (88 […]

via The Anchor Yale Bible Is 50% off. Here’s How to Save Even More. — LogosTalk

Morning Reading & Prayer: Tue, 17 Oct – 2 Chronicles 21-24 ~ the ruin of the house of David

The Peanut Gallery

Morning Reading & Prayer

+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Opening – (Northumbria Community)

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.

Please Read: 2 Chronicles 21-24 (NLT) – click here
Reading Excerpts

Wicked Jehoram Rules in Judah

2 Chronicles 21:1-7 (NLT) – When Jehoshaphat died, he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. Then his son Jehoram became the next king.

Jehoram’s brothers—the other sons of Jehoshaphat—were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. Their father had given each of…

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How the Inner Life of God gives Structure, Depth, and Purpose to Creation in the Triune Economy of His Life for the Other — The Evangelical Calvinist

I like how John Webster relates a discussion about the inner (immanent) and outer life (economic) of God as Triune, as a kind of telic means for grasping how we conceive of creation itself—and all its contingent and creaturely realities as they find their ontic orientation in and from the ground of all reality in […]

via How the Inner Life of God gives Structure, Depth, and Purpose to Creation in the Triune Economy of His Life for the Other — The Evangelical Calvinist