Weekly Roundup: 2019.03.18
John Calvin on the purpose of the Law, Burk Parsons on why it’s so hard to prayer, a comic by Adam Ford about how to speak to gays, and why Jesus was crucified outside the city.
Quote
In his Institutes of the Christian Religion [Amazon affiliate link], Calvin writes convincingly that the purpose of the Law is to cause sinners to despair in their own strength, and instead run to Christ. In Book Second, Chapter 7, he writes:
Augustine argues in the most convincing manner, that while in the flesh, we never can give God the love which we owe him. “Love so follows knowledge, that no man can perfectly love God who has not previously a full comprehension of his goodness” (Augustine, De spiritu et litera, toward the end and elsewhere). So long as we are pilgrims in the world, we see through a glass darkly, and therefore our love is imperfect. Let it therefore be held incontrovertible, that, in consequence of the feebleness of our nature, it is impossible for us, so long as we are in the flesh, to fulfill the law.”
Institutes, Book Second, Chapter 7, Section 5, pg. 221-222
If love is the fulfillment of the Law, only the one who loves perfectly can fulfill the Law. Only One has done it: Christ!
Resources
Why is it so hard to pray? | Burk Parsons | Table Talk Magazine
It’s hard to pray because humbling ourselves, getting over ourselves, and coming to the end of our stubborn and sinful selves is hard. When we pray, we die to self, and death hurts. That’s why our flesh fights so hard against prayer.
If you’re gay, I want you to know that I don’t hate you | Adam4D
I think this might be the first comic that I’ve linked in this blog. This post is old, but I stumbled across this again and was compelled to share it. Adam does good job of tackling these difficult issues well; we would be wise to take his approach to heart.
I am not “super-perfect Christian guy” over here telling you this: My way is better than your way!
I am a fellow sinner who now knows God for no reason other than His amazing grace, who still screws up all the stinking time, and I’m with you, telling you this: God's way is better than our way!
Golgotha - Why was Jesus crucified outside the city? | Mark Barnes
This article expertly weaves biblical history together with modern geography. A must-read if you’ve ever wondered about the exact happenings and places of the crucifixion of Christ. I went to visit Israel in 2017 with my church, and I can testify that this is exactly what I saw!
If you visit the claimed site of Jesus’ crucifixion today, it’s almost impossible to imagine what it once would have been like. To visit, you must go into the bustling Old City of Jerusalem, and then inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. There, as you dodge between crowds of pilgrims and swinging Greek Orthodox oil lamps, you’ll see a white rock poking up under an altar. It’s here, the church claims, that Jesus was crucified. Surprisingly perhaps, most archaeologists agree.
For more articles saved over the years, see my Evernote collection.