…What guarantee do you have that you are headed towards an eternity of joy rather than an eternity of judgment?

Many professing Christians would answer that they have eternal security and will quickly cite the verse “once saved, always saved.” Can’t find that in your Bible? Neither can I. Properly understood this phrase is harmless. Yet there is the potential for an anemic Christianity to accompany this mindset.

What we do find in the Bible is a bit more sobering and a lot more comforting than “once saved, always saved”. We find real warnings of apostasy for presumptuous church members — Christians in name only (Heb. 6:4-8; Luke 6:46-49)…

via Federally Backed Security | Ligonier Ministries.

In its simplest definition, discernment is nothing more than the ability to decide between truth and error, right and wrong. Discernment is the process of making careful distinctions in our thinking about truth. In other words, the ability to think with discernment is synonymous with an ability to think biblically.

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 teaches that it is the responsibility of every Christian to be discerning: “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.”

via Defining Discernment.

Bill Mounce looks at 1 Timothy 3:2 and the Greek behind it:

Paul urges Timothy to insist that an elder is above approach. What this means is laid out in the following verses, and one of the requirements is that he is “a man of one woman,” or, “a husband of one wife,” mias gunaikos andra. What does this mean?

Read more at Can an elder be divorced?.

I’ve been meaning to share this one for a while… Rebecca Writes has a great series of posts listing Bible verses about the Gospel:

• Gospel List 1 – a series of verses answering the question “What is the Gospel?”
• Gospel List 2 – a series of verses describing what we should do with the Gospel
• Gospel List 3 – lastly, verses describing what the Gospel itself does

Just in time for the holidays… A 22-volume set of Calvin’s commentaries on Scripture is on sale at CBD through Thursday night for only $99. This is a great deal, as the “retail” on the set is $1000, and the “regular” heavily discounted CBD price is $179 in their last catalog.

I own this set and it’s a great reference from one of the best expositors of Scripture in history.

Calvin’s Commentaries, 22 Volumes – By: John Calvin – Christianbook.com.

Stephen Altrogge, an outstanding musician, has just started a series on his blog called The Gospel in 50 Words… or Less:

Each day we’re going to post a scripture that speaks directly of the gospel, and then a meditation of fifty words or less on that verse.

Two posts so far, both very good. One on Psalm 103:12 and one on 2 Corinthians 4:7. Check out the series.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, so I guess you could say I’ve been taking a blogging Sabbath of sorts. I do have a couple of posts in the works, but they’re not going to be published until after the baby arrives. One is the birth announcement, and another are thoughts on our choice of baby names.

In the meantime, though, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the Sabbath, due to two things:

1. I ran across this posting at Gospel-Centered Musings, in which Michael Dewalt, a student at PRTS, will be looking at the arguments typically made in opposition to Sabbath-keeping among Christians.
2. In my daily Bible reading, the same day, I read through Matthew 12:1-14, which deals with the Sabbath.

This post is mainly just thoughts on the Matthew passage, but I should probably begin with somewhat of an explanation, so that you know where I’m coming from. If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you’re probably aware of the special place in my heart for the Bible teachings of Dr. John MacArthur. Dr. MacArthur, in his writings, takes a decidedly anti-sabbatarian approach (see resource links below). Nevertheless, I am not quite convinced of his arguments against the sanctification of one day in seven to the Lord. John Piper takes a more pro-Sabbatarian approach, but in his sermon on Isaiah 58:13-14 (again, see below), he cautions that it is to be a delight, and not a burden.

I tend to lean toward Piper’s position, though it is not an issue that I have firm convictions on. I do tend to avoid, as much as in me, usual work on Sundays, and use them as a day of rest, relaxation, recreation, and focus upon the Lord.

And now, to the text itself:

Thoughts

• The Pharisees display their notorious legalism very plainly here (v2)
• He rebukes them using Scripture, with the familiar formula “Have you not read?” not once, but twice (v3 and v5; see also 19:4-6 and 22:31-32 for other examples from Matthew’s gospel)
• When He says “…how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless” – He’s referring to the fact that very plainly, the priests themselves work on the Sabbath. (Application for the church: it’s OK for pastors to work on the Lord’s Day…)
• “I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.” Amazing and profound. And horrible blasphemy to His audience.
• The whole point of the passage, I think, can be found in 12b: “So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” This doesn’t refute the Sabbath, but harkens back to vv7-8.

Related Resources

• Desiring God
  • Sabbath Hedonism, sermon on Isaiah 58:13-14
  • Remember the Sabbath Day to Keep it Holy, sermon on Exodus 20:8-11
  • If the Lord’s Day is Sunday, Why do We Have a Saturday Evening Service? Q&A about how worship/church attendance relates to the Lord’s Day
  • Is There a “Lord’s Day”?, sermon on Romans 14:1-9
• Bible Bulletin Board (John MacArthur)
  • Are the Sabbath binding on Christians today?
  • Is the fourth commandment abolished?
• Other
  • Ligonier Ministries (R. C. Sproul) – How are we to keep the Sabbath in today’s society?
  • Reformation 21 (Rick Phillips) – Advice for Sabbath-keeping (excellent!)
  • Monergism.com – Resources on the Sabbath

Basics of Verbal Aspect in Biblical Greek
by Constantine R. Campbell.
Zondervan, 159 pages.
ISBN 031029083X

Verbal aspect is one of the more difficult concepts of Biblical Greek to grasp. It is only fairly recently in the history of Biblical Greek studies that this area has been given intensive analysis. Still, it remains elusive even for seasoned scholars and commentators.

To meet this challenge, Constantine R. Campbell has put together this short but thorough text.

The book is divided into two sections. The first section, comprising 1/3 of the book, is titled “Verbal Aspect Theory.” Here Campbell presents a history of the development of grammatical analysis of verbal aspect in Greek, along with a basic overview the subject. The focus is on answering the question of “so what” – why study verbal aspect? And the question is answered effectively, as verbal aspect presents the Greek scholar, New Testament commentator, and pastor with one of the most challenging (and potentially dangerous) aspects (pun intended) of interpreting the Biblical text.

The second section, “Verbal Aspect and New Testament Text,” comprises the bulk of the book. The author presents various scenarios and shows how the combination of various elements of grammar and context combine to determine the meaning of a verb. This part of the book will be most useful for the student not only while studying verbal aspect, but also for future reference. Various combinations are shown and explained from the New Testament text, and exercises are presented to ensure that the reader grasps the concepts.

As a newer student of Greek, I have not delved very deeply into verbal aspect in my own studies as yet. But this volume will make a useful addition alongside Zondervan’s other Greek resources, from basic texts like Mounce’s Basics of Biblical Greek Grammer to intermediate references like Wallace’s Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics. It explains enough to be useful for the advanced beginner, and is thorough enoug has a reference for the seasoned exegete.

Full disclosure: I received a review copy of this book gratis from Zondervan.

These are the best of post-election posts from among the blogs I read. I am proud this morning to be a brother in Christ with these men and women, for their commitment to the proper Biblical attitude toward President-elect Barack Obama and the election.

Justin Taylor, on President Obama:

It’s very easy to forget–especially for those of us who are on the younger side–that it was only a little over 40 years ago that there were Jim Crow laws in the US. Just a generation ago, many African Americans were segregated from whites in public schools, transportation, restrooms, and restaurants.

Tonight, the United States has elected a biracial man to serve as its leader.

John Mark Reynolds, on Morning in America:

Wednesday the sun came up and I was happy. It is still morning in America. The candidate I voted for did not win, but I got to vote in a free and fair election. Power will be passed peacefully and the Constitution is intact.

We should never take that for granted.

Melinda Penner at Stand to Reason, on Our Biblical Civic Responsibility:

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1Timothy 2:1-4Click to view 1Timothy 2:1-4 (ESV)).

Al Mohler, on America Has Chosen a President:

For many of us, the end of the night brought disappointment.  In this case, the disappointment is compounded by the sense that the issues that did not allow us to support Sen. Obama are matters of life and death — not just political issues of heated debate.  Furthermore, the margin of victory and sense of a shift in the political landscape point to greater disappointments ahead.  We all knew that so much was at stake.

For others, the night was magical and momentous.  Young and old cried tears of amazement and victory as America elected its first African-American President — and elected him overwhelmingly.  Just forty years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, an African-American stood to claim victory as President-Elect of the nation.  As Sen. Obama assured the crowd in Chicago and the watching nation, “We will get there.  We will get there.”  No one hearing those words could fail to hear the refrain of plaintive words spoken in Memphis four decades ago.  President-Elect Obama would stand upon the mountaintop that Dr. King had foreseen.

Timmy Brister, on The Change We Need:

On the other hand, I can’t help but think that the Obama presidency will help Christians who happen to be American to open our eyes to our syncretistic views of American Christianity.  While the fundamentalist impulse is to retreat into the ghetto, pull out the dispensationalism charts, and check the rapture ready index as a morning devotional, perhaps for the first time Christians will no longer seek to Christianize America but speak prophetically and live missionally in our growingly secular world.  Our greatest need is not to fight the battle against the culture but to fight against the battle against unbelief.  It is safe to live as functional atheists when we’ve got God in our constitution, on our coins, in the White House, but when the props are removed from us, how shall we then live?

Josh Harris, on Praying for President Obama:

On Sunday I told my church that after the election half the country would be elated, confident that all would be right in the world because their candidate won; the other half dejected and sure that the world had ended because their candidate lost. But Christians should realize that both sides are wrong. If you voted for Obama, he isn’t worthy of your ultimate hope. And if you didn’t vote for him, don’t despair as though Jesus isn’t reigning over the world.

Randy Alcorn, on It’s Over; but It’s not Over (one Day it will be):

I pray that in those areas where President Obama does advocate what is right, God will richly bless him. I pray God will give him wisdom and strength in negotiating with international heads of state. I pray God will change his mind in areas where he’s wrong, and restrain him from keeping his promises to Planned Parenthood concerning the Freedom of Choice Act, which would dramatically set back the legal cause of unborn children. I pray that, by some heart-changing miracle or providential human miscalculation, the next Supreme Court justice would be someone who would vote for the right to life of our smallest children, God’s smallest children.

I join my brothers and sisters in offering prayers for President-elect Obama, his family, and our nations. My congratulations to his supporters in their celebration, and to all of us as we celebrate our cherished democratic process. As John Mark Reynolds said, let us never take that for granted, nor forget that, though we may disagree with the outcome, yesterday is exactly how it is supposed to work. (Not to mention that it, like everything else, was exactly God’s plan.)

Compare…

…and contrast.