In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an […]
Tag Archives: Grace
There Goes John Bradford!
posted by Joel Taylor
There must be something very heinous in the nature of sin thus to awaken grief and abhorrence in every virtuous mind. To be indifferent to the moral character of those around us, if such a state of mind is possible, is proof of a sad benumbing of all virtuous sensibilities. To take pleasure in those, […]
A Puritan’s Prayer: Christ the Word
posted by Joel Taylor
My Father, In a world of created changeable things, Christ and his Word alone remain unshaken. O to forsake all creatures, to rest as a stone on him the foundation, to abide in him, be borne up by him! For all my mercies come through Christ, who has designed, purchased, promised, effected them. How sweet […]
Grace Follows Obedience
posted by Joel Taylor
“We know generally that the grace of God follows every act of direct obedience on our part. If we search out even the most minute commands of His law, and do them; if we show that we would not have a word uttered by Him fall to the ground, we testify both to ourselves and […]
The Perpetuity of God’s Law
posted by Joel Taylor
I should like to say to any brother who thinks that God has put us under an altered rule: “Which particular part of the law is it that God has relaxed?” Which precept do you feel free to break? – C.H. Spurgeon The law of God is no more than God might most righteously ask […]
Has God Set Boundaries in Our Worship?
posted by Joel Taylor
In order for men to arrive at the point where they do whatever is right in their own eyes, there is necessarily a decrease in the fear of God and how He is worshipped. Rejection of truth as written in God’s word is a first step. Personal experience and desires have, in our day, become […]
To the Praise of the Glory of His Grace
posted by Joel Taylor
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing inthe heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons […]
A Puritan’s Prayer: The Gift of Gifts
posted by Joel Taylor
O Source of all Good, What shall I render to Thee for the gift of gifts, Thine own dear Son, begotten, not created, my Redeemer, Proxy, Surety, Substitute, His self-emptying incomprehensible, His infinity of love beyond the heart’s grasp. Herein is wonder of wonders: He came below to raise me above, He was born like […]
Ordo Salutis: The Order of Salvation
posted by Joel Taylor
"Hello lightness, my old friend I’ve come to review you again Because a teaching softly creeping Left its seeds while I was reading And the vision that was planted in my brain Still remains But not within sound doctrine" – Simeon and Farflunkle Predestination: Rom. 8:29, 30; 9:1-25; Eph. 1:3-14; 2 Thess 2:12,13 Effectual Calling […]
Paedobaptism: Fostering A Non-Christian Society
posted by Joel Taylor
If the Paedobaptists ever break down the one restraint on nominal, external, hereditary Christianity that they have left, that is, the requirement that the baptized infant shall confess his faith before he partakes of communion, then all significant differences between the church and the world will be threatened. This is not to say that the […]
The Spirit of the Gospel of Grace in the Imprecatory Psalms
posted by Joel Taylor
It is sometimes said that the imprecatory psalms do not contain the same Spirit of Gospel grace as we find in the New Testament. Is this true? Let’s look at a few: But the wicked will perish; And the enemies of the Lord will be like the glory of the pastures, They vanish— like smoke […]
Is Repentance A ‘Secondary Issue’?
posted by Joel Taylor
I recently made a public request for Dan Phillips of the PyroManiacs blog (or what’s left of it) to respond to his position on repentance. I did so because Dan takes the position that many will be able to repent and be saved after our Lord Jesus Christ returns again. God has declared clearly before […]
Citizens of Zion
posted by Joel Taylor
In Isaiah 62, God pronounces His delight in Zion. She is given a new name, Hephzibah (My delight is in her) and her land is now called Beulah (married). The Lord promises Zion her coming salvation and deliverance: Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth, Say to the daughter of Zion, […]
How the Law is a Blessing
posted by Joel Taylor
Kevin DeYoung: We obey the commandments, therefore, not in order to merit God’s favor but because we have already experienced his favor. The Decalogue was given to Israel after God delivered them from Egypt. The law was a response to redemption not a cause of it. In one sense, the law shows us our sin […]
The Riches of God’s Grace
posted by Joel Taylor
There is no limit to His grace. As His knowledge comprehends all things, so does His grace see all the sins, all the trials, all the infirmities of the people upon whom His heart is set. The next time we fear that God’s grace will be exhausted we should look into the treasury of Holy […]
My Chains Fell Off
posted by Joel Taylor
One day as I was passing into the field . . . this sentence fell upon my soul. Thy righteousness is in heaven. And methought, withal, I saw with the eyes of my soul Jesus Christ at God’s right hand; there, I say, was my righteousness; so that wherever I was, or whatever I was […]
Too Much Grace Up In Here
posted by Joel Taylor
“People are too complex and the gospel too rich for a philosophy of ‘one size fits all’. The gospel is beautifully and wisely diverse in its message. That it cannot be reduced to a formula is clear in the varying ways in which Jesus addressed His message to different people (e.g. Samaritan woman, Rich Young […]
Even Moore to the Point
posted by Joel Taylor
Russell Moore has written a post reminiscing about a conversation he had with Carl F. Henry years ago. It’s a good post with a good point, but, judging by some reactions, it seems the point was missed. As is common, many in the blogosphere found their ire evoked, all because Moore named Mother Teresa in […]
The Law As A Way of Discipleship
posted by Joel Taylor
Take a look at the simple chart below. What do you think? ‘Amen’ or ‘no way’?
