Spiritual Growth / Sanctification and Growth

  • The Cause and the Effect by Kim Riddlebarger

    FROM TABLETALK | April 2009

    Q. What is sanctification? A. Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto …Read More

  • Deus Pro Nobis by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | November 2010

    As we enter the second decade of the twenty-first century, we have reached an all-time low in terms of our expectations for college students. Both parents and students seem to have ingested a lowest-common-denominator sedative that has led many to …Read More

  • Sowing and Reaping by Terry Johnson

    FROM TABLETALK | April 2009

    The words of the apostle Paul are ominous, fearsome, sobering, encouraging, and strengthening as he says, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, this he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7). When I was a …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

  • 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

  • The Wisdom of Listening by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | December 2008

    Wise men are difficult to find. We must go to great lengths - we must search high and low in order to find a man who is truly wise. I grieve for my children and my children’s children as …Read More

  • Kill Your Sin by Tom Ascol

    FROM TABLETALK | February 2008

    On May 1, 2003, Aron Ralston, a twenty-seven year old backpacker, did something unthinkable in order to save his life. After being pinned for five days by an eight-hundred pound boulder in a remote Utah canyon, he took his dull …Read More

  • The Children’s Crusade by R.C. Sproul Jr.

    FROM TABLETALK | December 2007

    Context is everything. Consider for a moment the text that gives this column its name. My job here is to take whatever theme the editors have come up with for a given issue, and tie it into the call …Read More

  • Served by God, Serving Man by David Mathis

    FROM TABLETALK | March 2009

    My dad hasn’t been to seminary. He has no formal theological training. Nobody pays him and Mom for their endless hours serving the church. But they could write an article on sacrificial service to the church. They’ve lived …Read More

  • Stewards of God’s Gifts by Ken Jones

    FROM TABLETALK | August 2009

    A steward is one who manages or administers the estate, affairs, or goods of another. Inherent in this definition is the fact that a steward is not the owner of what he manages and is therefore accountable to the actual …Read More

  • Peer Pressure by Gene Edward Veith

    FROM TABLETALK | September 2007

    The talk shows were buzzing recently about a sex education class in a Maryland school that had students chew a stick of gum, then pass it around so that everyone in the class chewed it. This learning activity was …Read More

  • More Than a Tale for Children by Robert Rothwell

    FROM TABLETALK | July 2007

    I was raised in a family where singing was an important part of life. My mother was the adult-choir director for our church when I was growing up, and she also directed the “Son’s Singers” (the children’s choir …Read More

  • Chief of Sinners by Terry Johnson

    FROM TABLETALK | May 2009

    How might we describe the psychology of Christian experience? Is it characterized by joy, peace, and contentment? Or is it characterized by lament, struggle, and holy discontent? Should I feel good about myself or bad about myself? Should I forget …Read More

  • Authority in Vocation by Gene Edward Veith

    FROM TABLETALK | March 2009

    Do you want to know how Christians can influence the culture? How to have a strong family? Do you want to know the meaning of your life? Do you want to know how authority works? Then attend to the Reformation …Read More

  • A Face-to-Face Encounter by Chris Donato

    FROM TABLETALK | June 2007

    At its core, sin stems from failing to worship (or love) God exclusively and failing to love our neighbors as ourselves. Clearly Jacob and his family are guilty of both. After God calls on Jacob to fulfill his vow …Read More