Status Report: May

Copying Lisa.

Sitting…at the big mahogany table that used to be a dining room table but is now my desk, and anticipating the day when my status report says I’m sitting in the adirondack chair on the front porch.

Drinking…nothing, but I am eating a big bowl of hot Red River cereal with dried cranberries, raisins, maple syrup and milk.

Welcoming…I can tell you what I’m not welcoming: any more snow. And the rain could go away, too.

Praying…that God will give me the strength and skills to do all the things I need to do over the next few months.

Feeling…ready for green—green grass, green leaves, green garden. A few blooming flowers wouldn’t hurt either.

Trying to memorize…the pronunciation of the words to all the non-English language songs the choir is singing for an upcoming service.

Missing…the days when every single day was full of children.

Pondering…what to write here. Should I make up something profound so you think I’m deep? Or should I tell the truth and show how shallow I am?

Realizing…that I’m not a spring chicken.

Reading…Always Readyby Greg Bahnsen.

Recommending…hot Red River cereal with dried cranberries, raisins, maple syrup and milk. I’d recommend the Greg Bahnsen book, but I’m afraid it might be one of those weird things that I enjoy but no one else does.

Wanting…a little more enthusiasm, a little more energy, an organized basement, a little more love for God.

Wondering…what tomorrow will be, and next year. And eternity.

Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy 13

What do Christians mean when they say the Bible is inerrant? The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy tells us what leading inerrantist mean by inerrancy. I’ll be posting a section of this statement each week until I’ve posted the whole thing.

You can read previously posted sections of this statement in by clicking here. After a preface and a short statement, the Chicago Statement contains a section called Articles of Affirmation and Denial.

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Article XI.

We affirm that Scripture, having been given by divine inspiration, is infallible, so that, far from misleading us, it is true and reliable in all the matters it addresses.

We deny that it is possible for the Bible to be at the same time infallible and errant in its assertions. Infallibility and inerrancy may be distinguished, but not separated.

Round the Sphere Again: Thinking About God's Will

Updated! 

Updated again, May 8.

What Does God’s Will Mean?
We need to make distinctions, says R. C. Sproul, like distinguishing the decretive will of God from the preceptive will of God, (Update, May 8) and between the active and passive will of God.

Everything Is Predetermined?
Well, yes, says John Piper, including dust particles and all of our besetting sins. And yes, that’s a difficult truth.

That’s a problem, but the center of the solution is a choice you have to make about the cross. This is what has centered me, anyway: When you go to Acts 4:27-28 and you read that Herod and Pontius Pilate and the Gentiles and the Jews were all gathered together to do what God’s hand and God’s plan had predestined to take place in the killing of Jesus, you have God’s plan and hand predestining the most horrible sins ever committed.

How Do I Know God’s Will for My Life?
There are no secrets we must discover, writes Kevin DeYoung.

The will of God isn’t a special direction here or a bit of secret knowledge there. God doesn’t put us in a maze, turn out the lights, and tell us, “Get out and good luck.” In one sense, we trust in the will of God as His sovereign plan for our future. In another sense, we obey the will of God as His good word for our lives. In no sense should we be scrambling around trying to turn to the right page in our personal choose-your-own-adventure novel.

Update, 10pm: How Does God Lead?
“Instead of telling us, step-by-step, what to do, he instructs us in a way of life.” (David Kjos)

What Does God Want of Us Anyway?
Irish Calvinist reviews Mark Dever’s new book.

The book is good for new Christians who are trying to put their Bibles together. But it is also for older Christians who have either forgotten about the continuity of the Scriptures or have never learned this. Overall, it is a helpful tool to put in the hands of people who are trying to better understand the Bible