Relying on Religious Experience?

Do you sometimes place too much Christian confidence and assurance in your religious experiences? It does happen, to be sure. The Christian has a good day of prayer, Scripture memorization, and sweet fellowship with a Christian friend over a meal. On those days, it feels like the Lord is near. But on many other days, …

Why Is Preaching Effective?

I was thinking about Christian worship and preaching today, which led me to chapter four of Michael Horton's book, A Better Way. In chapter four, Horton gives a biblical overview of how preaching works. Here are a few helpful insights from this chapter: It is important for us to realize that preaching is effective not …

Faith on Trial: Law and Gospel

Here's a great law/gospel quote from John Pless' book, Handling the Word of Truth (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2004), 24. (This is a re-post from January, 2011.) "The clash between law and gospel puts faith itself on trial.  Is the gospel really God's last and final word that trumps the accusation of the law?  Or …

To Distinguish is To Avoid Trouble: Or Counterbalancing (Manton)

(This is a re-post from June 2020. NOTE: I'm in the process of selling my complete set of Thomas Manton's Works. They're in like new condition. Let me know if you're interested in a good deal for a great set!) In his treatise "The Life of Faith" Thomas Manton (d. 1677) spent a few paragraphs …

The Greatest Source of Trouble in the Life of Faith (Manton)

In his treatise, The Life of Faith, Thomas Manton (d. 1677) spent some time explaining how to improve one's cheerful walking with God in obedience. For example, he wrote about meditating on God's promises and pleading God's promises in prayer. In this section, Manton also wrote a very brief paragraph explaining the source of all …