When you hear people making universal judgments about good and evil, you must not believe that this judgment is correct in every respect. Even though people have a sense of justice and injustice inscribed on their heart, it doesn’t mean that they are able to discern the truth in particular cases. People can’t even avoid…
Blogging the Institutes | 2.2.23 | Why We Fail to Apply What We Know
The 4th-century Greek philosopher, Themistius, is more accurate than Plato in in teaching that the human mind is usually correct at discerning general principles, but not very good at applying it to particular circumstances. For example, no one would deny that murder is evil, yet people still conspire to kill others. Unfaithful spouses will condemn…
Blogging the Institutes | 2.2.22 | The Role of the Conscience
The third branch of spiritual knowledge is how to properly regulate behavior. We could also call this knowledge, “how to perform righteous works.” The human mind seems to have a little more discernment in how to this than the other two branches of spiritual knowledge (knowledge of God and knowledge of ourselves). The apostle Paul…
Blogging the Institutes | 2.2.21 | God Alone Opens Blind Eyes
God gives people wisdom and understanding into spiritual things; they do not have within themselves. As the Paul writes in Ephesians 1:17, “May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, grant to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation.” All wisdom and revelation of divine things is a gift from God.…
Blogging the Institutes | 2.2.20 | Only the Spirit Can Open Our Minds to Spiritual Truths
If everyone was persuaded of the truth of Scripture that human nature possesses none of the gifts that the elect receive from their heavenly Father through the regeneration by the Spirit, then there would be no need to argue about these things. In Psalm 36:9, the congregation of faith believers by the mouth of the…
Blogging the Institutes | 2.2.19 | We See by the Spirit
As human beings, we are intoxicated with a high opinion of our own discernment. We think we can understand divine things, even though we are completely ignorant of them. Therefore, the best way to demonstrate our spiritual blindness won't be made through logical arguments but by Scripture. One of the clearest passages that speak to…
Is Prioritizing Doctrine Biblical?
A few years ago, theologian Albert Mohler popularized the idea of "theological triage." Just as hospitals prioritize patients in an Emergency Room, Mohler argues that Christians need to prioritize which doctrines are the most important, and which ones, while still important, are not the core truths of the Christian faith. While Mohler captures well the…
Lead Better: Get Organized
Trying to lead while being disorganized is like running a marathon with bricks strapped to your feet. Doable, but unnecessarily difficult. Get organized to lead better. Most definitions of “organization” focus of things being orderly. That’s a good start. But I look at being organized this way: having easy access to what you need to get the…
Blogging the Institutes | 1.13.11 |New Testament Proof Jesus is God
"Blogging the Institutes" is my on-going attempt to paraphrase John Calvin's work, the Institutes of the Christian Religion. You can find out more about the series in the Introduction. For all the posts in this series, check out the Master List. New Testament Proof Jesus is God The New Testament gives us many passages proving Jesus' divinity.…
Blogging the Institutes | 1.13.7 | The Eternal Word of God is God
"Blogging the Institutes" is my on-going attempt to paraphrase John Calvin's work, the Institutes of the Christian Religion. You can find out more about the series in the Introduction. For all the posts in this series, check out the Master List. The Eternal Word of God is God Before I go any further, I need to prove…
Raising Lazarus 