Sanctification

  • The Pursuit of Holiness: An Interview with Jerry Bridges by Jerry Bridges

    FROM TABLETALK | January 2012

    Tabletalk: What do you see as the greatest need in the church today? Jerry Bridges: There are so many needs in the church today that it is difficult to single out one as the greatest. However, if I had to …Read More

  • Holy People Are Happy People by John Starke

    FROM TABLETALK | December 2011

    So much could be said of the consequences of sin and impurity for the Christian. And we should speak of them — the Bible certainly does. David, in Psalm 32, described the misery of unrepentant sin as his bones wasting away …Read More

  • Keep the Presence of God by John Piper

    FROM TABLETALK | November 2011

    On vacation, I kept a copy of Jonathan Edwards’ sermons on my bedside table as a way of going to sleep with a God-centered mind. One of those sermons was called “Keeping the Presence of God.” It was preached on …Read More

  • God’s Hammer by R.C. Sproul Jr.

    FROM TABLETALK | November 2011

    Sometimes, indeed often, we build and maintain our paradigms for our own comfort. Our worldviews are usually less the result of careful, dispassionate, sober-minded analysis and more the result of self-serving, special pleading, rationalization of our sin. We believe not …Read More

  • In Defense of Words by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | November 2011

    What is a pastor? I was asked this question not too long ago by a teenage girl who apparently didn’t know the meaning of the word pastor and was curious to learn. I must admit that I was somewhat …Read More

  • Sanctified by the Blood by Anthony Carter

    FROM TABLETALK | September 2011

    The story is told of Augustine, the fourthcentury theologian and Bishop of Hippo in north Africa, who, after he confessed faith in Jesus Christ, ran into a former mistress on the street. Immediately upon recognizing her, Augustine quickly reversed and …Read More

  • The Secret of Sanctification by Nicholas Batzig

    FROM TABLETALK | September 2011

    One of the most beneficial things I learned from my professors during my seminary days was that ministers must continually preach the message of the cross to the people of God for their growth in grace. One professor in particular …Read More

  • Why “Let Go and Let God” Is a Bad Idea by Andrew Naselli

    FROM TABLETALK | August 2011

    What is “let-go-and-let-God” theology? It’s called Keswick theology, and it’s one of the most significant strands of second-blessing theology. It assumes that Christians experience two “blessings.” The first is getting “saved,” and the second is getting serious. The …Read More

  • Googling Ourselves to Death

    FROM TABLETALK | April 2011

    I distinctly remember the period after I first began to embrace Reformed theology while a pastor with Calvary Chapel in Europe. The Bible had come alive to me as a result of having discovered that “the gospel” was not just …Read More

  • The Victory Parade We Don’t Deserve by R.C. Sproul Jr.

    FROM TABLETALK | April 2011

    Though I didn’t think such was possible, my esteem for both my father and the Bible took a rather sudden spike. I was blessed to be sitting in a seminary class, while he stood, teaching. He mentioned, almost in …Read More

  • Lighting the Way: The Didactic Use of the Law by Robert Letham

    FROM TABLETALK | March 2011

    In Reformed theology, the law has been seen as the guide for believers in the conduct of their lives. John Calvin described this as its principal use. In this sense, we are talking about the Decalogue — the Ten Commandments — and …Read More

  • Motive Power by R.C. Sproul Jr.

    FROM TABLETALK | March 2011

    I’m on a diet. Oops. I’m not on a diet. I’m on a lifestyle change. This has led me to become acquainted with any number of new friends on my plate. I had, until now, heard of …Read More

  • Reflecting Sin: The Pedagogical Use of the Law by David Murray

    FROM TABLETALK | March 2011

    “Ouch!” That first look in the mirror every morning doesn’t get any easier, does it? In fact, I’d rather do without looking in mirrors at all. And I might get away with it — for a few days. Because …Read More

  • Unqualified Christians by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | October 2010

    Words mean things, and, if we’re not careful, words can easily die the death of one, two, or a thousand qualifications. As editors, we often deliberate the use of words in their contexts and the appropriate uses of qualifiers …Read More

  • Faith Working Through Love by Chris Donato

    FROM TABLETALK | October 2010

    Presuming to write about what makes a Christian recognizable to the watching world is fraught with peril. The author might be tempted to simply go with the old adage, “Less is more”: You’re a Christian if you confess with …Read More