If it is true that the Bible teaches that God unconditionally (i.e. not on the basis of foreseen faith) chooses those who are to be saved, and it does, does the Bible contradict itself when it says that God ‘desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth’ (1 Timothy 2:4)?

Put another way, if God really desires all men to be saved, why does He only choose some of them actually to be saved, while eternally condemning others?

In his article, Are There Two Wills in God? John Piper addresses this apparent problem head-on. He gives a cogent and coherent Bible-based explanation of how divine election and God’s desire for all to be saved are two harmonious and consistent truths.

Crosstalk has a radio broadcast of a talk by Paul Washer, given in February 2008. Paul, in his usual uncompromising and clear way, presents the essence of the True Gospel of Jesus Christ. Well worth a listen.

• Listen (MP3)

The Crosstalk site also offers this broadcast in RealAudio and Windows Media formats.

You want to read through the Bible methodically, but it can be hard to keep track of what you’ve read, right? Here is a simple solution, without the restrictions of traditional Bible reading plans: the BetterThanSacrifice.org Bible Reading Chart! It lists every single chapter of the Bible; simply cross-off each one as you read it.

Download either of these files, then print using the Acrobat Reader:

• Bible Reading Chart (PDF, A4 size)
• Bible Reading Chart (PDF, US letter size)

Did you know that you can complete the whole Bible in a year if you read just 3 chapters each weekday, and 4 on Saturdays and Sundays?

My wife and I have recently finished listening to Dr Packer’s lectures on the Puritans, recorded about 20 years ago at Reformed Theological Seminary. The Puritans did not conform to later negative stereotypes, but had a zeal for making the most of life by putting into practice what they found in Scripture. Dr Packer is engaging on this important subject, and we give the series our hearty recommendation.

You can hear this series for free via RTS on iTunes U. Once you’ve managed to get to the iTunes U area in the iTunes Store, navigate to Reformed Theological Seminary > Courses in Church History > History and Theology of the Puritans – Course Lectures.

A big lie in evangelical circles is that you can be saved by saying a prayer. But it is not what we do that saves us, it’s what God does for us. This is comforting; if our salvation depended upon our work, then we would be lost indeed. Our obedience to God is evidence of our salvation, not the cause of it.

I’ve only recently come across Paul Washer, but I like what I see of him in this video. It’s well worth 59 minutes of your time to watch. Paul isn’t afraid to preach the whole gospel. He is willing to talk about hell, as well as heaven. He understands that the message of the cross doesn’t make sense unless our desperate sinful condition is first explained.

The Church would be in much better health if more of us were willing to preach the true, uncompromised gospel.

In 1 Samuel 15, we read God’s instruction to King Saul to punish the city of Amalek by utterly destroying it. Not one man, woman, child, ox, sheep, camel or donkey was to be spared. Saul carries out the command – almost. But, he does not execute Agag, king of the Amalekites, and he spares the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings, lambs and ‘all that was good’.

The prophet Samuel confronts Saul with his sin, and pronounces God’s judgment with these words:

Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
He also has rejected you from being king.
1 Samuel 15:22-23 (NKJV)

The timeless truth presented in this passage is that God requires total obedience to His commands. This is the demand of the law. Failure rightly brings God’s wrath.

It is immediately apparent that such total adherence to all aspects of God’s law revealed in the Bible is impossible for fallen men and women to achieve. We can’t earn God’s favour, because even our best attempts fail to reach His standards. Our nature is inherently sinful. We therefore need a Saviour, someone who is able to fulfil the law by keeping it perfectly. Jesus Christ, God’s unique son, is that Saviour. For those who believe and trust in Him, for those chosen by Him for salvation by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8), He received the punishment that was due. Jesus’ righteousness is applied to their account.

For those of us who believe, does this mean that we don’t have to keep God’s commands? Not at all — they show us the way that God desires us to live. Although we know that obedience to God is not a way to earn God’s favour, the new nature that is now within us delights to do God’s will — it is our joy and privilege. Jesus says:

If you love Me, keep My commandments.
John 14:15

and

He who has My commandments and keeps them,
It is he who loves Me.
And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father,
And I will love him and manifest Myself to him.
John 14:21

Do we keep His commandments perfectly? No. But our continuing sinful failure has already been paid for by Jesus on the cross — this truly is Good News.

Much of the modern Western church seems at times to have lost sight of these things. Paying mere lip-service to the authority of Scripture is inadequate. We are to be doers of the Word, not merely hearers (James 1:22).

I hope that this blog will be a contribution (if only a very meagre one) to helping us rediscover the riches of ‘the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints’ (Jude 1:3) and the joy that is to be found in seeking to obey our Heavenly Father with our whole heart, soul, strength and mind (Luke 10:27).

Yet another blog. An exercise in vanity? Perhaps, but I hope that it will eventually prove to be something a little more than that. Take a look at the this post to find out what this website is all about.