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the driving force in Jesus' life

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In chapter 18 of Knowing God , J. I. Packer writes the following... Think first, then, of the driving force in the life of Jesus. If you sit down for an hour and read straight through the Gospel according to Mark (a very fruitful exercise: may I urge you here and now to do it), you will receive an impression of Jesus which includes at least four features. Your basic impression will be of a man of action: a man always on the move, always altering situations and precipitating things-working mir- acles; calling and training disciples; upsetting error that passed as truth and irreligion that passed as godliness; and finally walking straight and open-eyed into betrayal, condemnation and crucifixion (a freakish sequence of anomalies which in the oddest way one is made to feel that he himself controlled all along the line). Your further impression will be of a man who knew himself to be a divine person (Son of God) fulfilling a messianic role (Son of Man). Mark makes it clear that the more Je
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God the Judge

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"But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed." (Romans 2:5 ESV) In the fourteenth chapter of Knowing God, J. I. Packer writes,  The problem of the psalmist who saw inoffensive people being victimized, and the ungodly "not in trouble as other men" but prospering and at peace (Ps 73), is echoed again and again in human experience. But the character of God is the guarantee that all wrongs will be righted someday; when "the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed" (Rom 2:5) arrives, retribution will be exact, and no problems of cosmic unfairness will remain to haunt us. God is the Judge, so justice will be done. Why, then, do we fight shy of the thought of God as a Judge? Why do we feel the thought to be unworthy of him? The truth is that part of God's moral perfection is his perfection in judgment. Would a God who di
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on spiritual life and growth

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"Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God." (Luke 8:11 ESV) "Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.” (Luke 8:18 ESV) On growth in the Christian's spiritual life, Herman Bavinck writes...  The spiritual life implanted in regeneration is similar to the natural life in that it must be nourished and strengthened for it to expand and grow. In other ways there is a great difference between them, of course, inasmuch as the spiritual life originates in God as Savior, is acquired by the resurrection of Christ, and is eternal life that can neither sin nor die. Nevertheless, regenerate persons continually need to be "strengthened in their inner being with power through God's Spirit" (cf. Eph. 3:16). This strengthening of the spiritual life, like its beginning, originates with God and the riches of his grace. The life of spiritual persons,
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Bavinck on perseverance

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At the last session of our Spiritual Life Conference, Tom Schreiner quoted the following from Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck. I'm posting the full quote here: "Among the Reformed the doctrine of perseverance was very different. It is a gift of God. He watches over it and sees to it that the work of grace is continued and completed. He does not, however, do this apart from believers but through them. In regeneration and faith, he grants a grace that as such bears an inamissible [ incapable of being lost ] character; he grants a life that is by nature eternal; he bestows the benefits of calling, justification, and glorification that are mutually and unbreakably interconnected. All of the above-mentioned admonitions and threats that Scripture addresses to believers, therefore, do not prove a thing against the doctrine of perseverance. They are rather the way in which God himself confirms his promise and gift through believers. They are the means by which perseverance in life is
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spiritual life conference

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The 2024 Spiritual Life Conferenc e at Blacksburg Christian Fellowship will be held February 25-27. Our speaker will be Dr. Thomas Schreiner on the topic, "Running the Race to the End." Sessions will be held Sunday morning and evening, and Monday and Tuesday evenings.   Dr. Schreiner is a professor at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, an Associate Dean for the School of Theology, the James Buchanan Harrison of New Testament Interpretation, and Professor of Biblical Theology. He is a Pauline scholar who has written extensively on this subject and many more, having authored over 20 books and commentaries. He is married to Diane, and they have four children.  Session 1 : Sunday, Feb 25, 9:45 & 11:15 am (identical services). Session 2 : Sunday, Feb 25, 6:30 pm. Session 3 : Monday, Feb 26, 6:30 pm. Session 4 : Tuesday, Feb 27, 6:30 pm. There will be no live streaming of this event, but the recorded sessions will be available afterwards at s ermonaudio .com/bcf.   Mor
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can a modern society be Christian?

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In 1995, missionary and theologian Lesslie Newbigin gave an address at King's College in London entitled, "Can a Modern Society be Christian?"  Here are a few excerpts...   Both Christianity and modernity make global claims. Both are necessarily missionary faiths, because they claim to give the true understanding of the human situation, valid for all peoples at all times. Let us begin by posing a question which is central to any fundamental debate about Christianity in the public realm. It is the question: How is power legitimated? By what right do some people, calling themselves ‘the State’ exercise coercive power over others? Here we come, I think, to the central problem which now faces the liberal democratic state. Insofar as the older biblical meta-narrative still pervades society, the concept of human rights still has some anchorage in the will of the Creator who is their author and upon whose character as holy and loving God they rest. But insofar as the biblical st
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God's word good for us

Under the topic "Absolute Truth" in chapter 11 of Knowing God , J. I. Packer explains how God's Word, which he calls "the index of reality", not only demonstrates the trustworthiness of God, but also does good for us as his children.  God's commands are true. "All your commands are true" (Ps 119:151). Why are they so described? First, because they have stability and permanence as setting forth what God wants to see in human lives in every age; second, because they tell us the unchanging truth about our own nature. For this is part of the purpose of God's law: it gives us a working definition of true humanity. It shows us what we were made to be, and teaches us how to be truly human, and warns us against moral self-destruction. This is a matter of great importance, and one which calls for much consideration at the present time. We are familiar with the thought that our bodies are like machines, needing the right routine of food, rest and exerci
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