This week the blog is sponsored by Boyce College and this post is written by Timothy Paul Jones who is inviting you to attend the Renown Youth Conference 2022.

“I still want to believe in Jesus,” she said to me. “I just don’t believe the Bible.”
I was wrapping up a series that focused on how God’s Word should shape our sexuality with the students in our church. When I asked the group of students if they had any questions, one young woman asked if it was possible to pursue a bisexual lifestyle and still be a faithful Christian. In response, I walked gently through the points I had made about God’s beautiful design and showed how a bisexual self-conception contradicted God’s plan. I ended with Paul’s words in his letter to the 1 Thessalonians 4:8, when Paul made it clear that dismissing God’s design isn’t simply the rejection of a human custom; it’s a rejection of God.
After the gathering had ended, she approached me at the lectern and reiterated her commitment to the idea that someone could follow Jesus and still identify as bisexual.
And that’s when she finally blurted out, “I still want to believe in Jesus. I just don’t believe the Bible.”
“That’s interesting,” I replied. “What is it exactly that you believe about Jesus?”
Her answer was orthodox, as far as it went. She said she believed Jesus was the Son of God and that he died and was raised from the dead, then she mentioned how Jesus had taught people to love one another.
“That’s good,” I said. “And where do you find these facts you believe about Jesus?”
“Well, it’s in the Gospels and other places.”
“‘It’s in the Gospels.’ But the Gospels are in the Bible,” I smiled, “and I thought you said you don’t believe the Bible.”
“Okay, I believe some of the Bible,” she admitted with a touch of uncertainty. “I believe the parts about Jesus but not the parts about sex.”
I unpacked with her how Jesus had plenty to say about our sexuality (Matthew 19:1–12), how the same Spirit who empowered Jesus inspired the authors of Scripture, and how the writers of the New Testament were faithful to the teachings of their Savior. Our conversation was cordial and kind, but she left still trying to reconcile a bisexual self-conception with a commitment to Jesus.
What this young woman wanted was to embrace the gospel of Jesus but to ignore the authority of his Word. She could not envision how the gospel can possibly be good news if the gospel calls us to say “no” to our own sovereignty over our lives.
She’s not alone.
Her perspective is increasingly widespread, even among people who sit week by week in church services. That’s why all of us need constant reminders about the essence and the implications of the gospel. 
To embrace the gospel is to declare that Jesus is Lord and I am not (Romans 10:9), and the written Word of God is the means by which the living Word of God declares his will. The Jesus to whom we bow is Jesus as he is known to us through Holy Scripture. Declaring that Jesus is Lord while defying his Word reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of the gospel. In the fourth century, Augustine of Hippo confronted a teacher who wanted to believe some parts of the Bible while rejecting others. “You ought to admit plainly that you don’t believe in the gospel of Christ,” Augustine said to him. “To believe and to disbelieve whatever you please is, after all, not to believe the gospel but to believe yourself” (Contra Faustum 17:3).
Those words still ring true today.
If we don’t consistently remind ourselves about the nature and implications of the gospel, any one of us can—whether in subtle ways or more obvious ways—fail to declare the gospel in all of its glorious fullness. And that’s why I’m inviting you to join me on March 11–12, 2022, on the campus of Boyce College as we explore the most pressing question of all: “What is the gospel?”
Click to learn more about attending Renown 2022.

There are a number of childhood vacations that stand out in my mind, but none quite as clearly as our family trip to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. I may have been 10 or 12 at the time and was a young enthusiast of all things military. I knew little of the Civil War, but did know that Gettysburg represented a turning point in the conflict, that the battle fought here had changed the course of the war and the course of American history. It fascinated me then and still does now.

I remember gazing at Seminary Ridge and picturing troops marching down over it. I remember ascending Little Round Top and imagining bayonets clicking into place and soldiers charging ahead. I remember walking through Devil’s Den and thinking what it must have been like to hear muskets firing and canons roaring, the blasts echoing through the rocks. My young imagination went into overdrive that day.
And, indeed, my imagination had to go into overdrive because on the day we visited, the battlefield was so very serene. It was nearly impossible to believe that it was the very same place where there had once been such brutality, such suffering, such bloodshed. The grass that day was green, well-tended, and undisturbed. Summer flowers grew up around the rocks and danced in the gentle breeze. Squirrels hopped and flitted about merrily. The few people around us walked calmly and talked gently as they poured over their maps and studied the host of monuments. There could hardly have been a greater contrast between the battlefield as it was that day and the battlefield as it had been a century prior.

The Bible tells us that the great battlefield of every Christian lies within—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, the pride of life. We have been created to have desires, but have allowed them to become twisted and perverted, to draw us away from God instead of toward him. We have scorned what God loves and loved what God scorns. Yet in his mercy God has saved us and indwelled us by his Spirit and begun to give us new desires, new longings for holiness. Though we are not nearly as holy as we long to be, we are certainly far more holy than we once were, for God is at work in us and through us.
We tulipy Reformed folk tend to speak often about the indwelling sin that remains—the indisputable evidences that though we may be saints, we are also still sinners. Yet we do well to pause often and consider the sin that no longer remains—the indisputable evidences that though we may still be sinners, we are also saints. For as we consider the way we once were—the temptations that once dogged us, the sins that once owned us—we ought to see evidence of great change, great victory. We ought to see that many of these temptations have loosened their grip, that many of these sins have been put to death. We ought to see that battles have been fought and won, that many historic battlefields are now calm and quiet, places of serenity rather than warfare, places of peace rather than conflict.
There is always something strange, something jarring about touring an old battlefield, for there the present clashes with the past, what is with what once was. This is no less true of the battlefields within our hearts than the battlefields scattered across our nations. And just as we can rejoice that the quiet battlefield is evidence that the battle is over and the war won, we can rejoice that the growing quiet in our hearts is evidence that battles are ending and the war drawing to its close. For already the great General has won, the great enemy has been vanquished, and the great war is drawing swiftly to its close.

Today’s Kindle deals include a number of books for adults and one for kids. Of note, Basically the whole Word Biblical Commentary series is on sale today. According to my Best Commentaries collection, there are some especially good volumes in that series that would all rank top-5 for that book: Genesis volume 1 and volume 2, Leviticus, Ruth-Esther, Ezra-Nehemiah, Job volume 1 2 and 3, Psalms volume 1 2 and 3, Song of Songs & Lamentations, Ezekiel volume 1 and 2, Daniel, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 1&2 Thessalonians, Pastoral Epistles, Hebrews volume 1 and 2, Jude-2 Peter, Revelation volume 1 2 and 3.

Dear Memaw: A Letter I Wish My Great-Grandmother Could Read 
“I wish I could tell you about your piano, Memaw. It is quite the story. But since I can’t tell you, I tell Him, each day, and thank Him for it. And now I’m letting the rest of the world hear it too.”
What Kind of Parent Are You?
“Helicopter parenting, lawnmower parenting, free-range parenting, tiger parenting, attachment parenting, baby-led, and serenity parenting—the list of descriptive parenting terms is endless. Or here is one of mine: janitorial parenting—letting your children do whatever they desire and you clean up after their mistakes, allowing them to avoid accountability.”
The Best and Worst U.S. Airlines of 2019
Here’s a short video that tells you which airlines you might want to prioritize.
An “I Love You” Family
“You can say it when you’re happy, sad, angry, or afraid. In both the family I grew up in and the one where I’m the parent, we’ve used ILY on cards for holidays or just because, on post-it notes with reminders to take out the trash, on napkins notes in lunch boxes, on foggy-mirror secret messages. I didn’t know that some people go their whole growing up years without hearing the phrase. But I think that what’s harder than saying it is believing it.”
The Enemies of Writing
You won’t agree with everything here, but I think you’ll find it thought-provoking. Consider: “If writers are afraid of the sound of their own voice, then honest, clear, original work is not going to flourish, and without it, the politicians and tech moguls and TV demagogues have less to worry about. It doesn’t matter if you hold impeccable views, or which side of the political divide you’re on: Fear breeds self-censorship, and self-censorship is more insidious than the state-imposed kind, because it’s a surer way of killing the impulse to think, which requires an unfettered mind.”
How the Sacraments Act as Contracts
Tim Chester explains how the sacraments act as contracts. This is a helpful explanation of Reformation theology. (For more, see his new book Truth We Can Touch.)
Responding to Trans Questions
Matthew Hosier responds to a few common questions related to transgenderism while pointing to helpful resources.
Flashback: A Protestant Look at Catholic Rome (Video)
Rome is the most Catholic city in the world. (It is, after all, Roman Catholicism.) But that doesn’t mean there isn’t lots of history here that’s of particular interest to Protestants. In this video I take a Protestant look at Catholic Rome.

When the reality of death is far from our minds, the promises of Jesus often seem detached from our lives. —Matthew McCullough

Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

There’s a nice little list of Kindle deals for the collectors.
(Yesterday on the blog: The Best Friendship in the World)
The Countries Where It’s Most Dangerous to Be a Christian in 2022
Joe Carter looks at a recent report about the countries where it’s most dangerous to be a Christian.
Ten Words for a Broken Society (#9: No False Witness)
Bruce Ashford continues his interesting series on the Ten Commandments. “Whereas the third commandment forbids us from telling a lie about God or attacking his name, the ninth commandment prohibits us from bearing false witness against our neighbor, i.e., from attacking our neighbor’s name: ‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor’ (Ex 20: 16). And while this speaks specifically to courtroom situations, its implications are much broader.”
3 Things God Will Never Do with Your Sin
“Consider for a moment how we ‘deal’ with others. We keep fresh in our minds their injustices toward us. We nurture the memory of their faults and failings. We never let them forget what they did and we often make sure others are mindful of it as well. We seek every opportunity, often secretly and surreptitiously, to make them pay for their transgressions. We hold it in our hearts and over their heads and persuade ourselves that it’s only fair that they be treated this way.”
Marks of Manhood
Nick Batzig: “At a time when there is more confusion in the culture about gender and role relations, it would help us to take a step back and consider what Scripture sets forth as the model of manhood, namely, the Lord Jesus.”
When the Nest May Never Be Empty
Parents typically look forward to the day the nest will be empty. But for some, that’s just not reality. “When independence is the end goal for following Jesus, or for parenting, our faith is, unrecognizable from what God himself describes.”
A Proverb on Having Your Cake
I find idioms fascinating, perhaps especially when they originate from a different culture.
Flashback: Aging Brings Life-Shaping Decisions
In every way, we must be disciplined in our pursuit of God, we must build habits of holiness. We must not succumb to the ease of complacency.

They are fools that fear to lose their wealth by giving, but fear not to lose themselves by keeping it. —John Trapp

This week I read Michael Haykin’s Iron Sharpens Iron, a short book about great friendships. I found a couple of quotes in the book that I thought would be worth sharing so you can reflect on them as I have.

The first is an excerpt from John Ryland’s sermon at the funeral of his friend Andrew Fuller. Their friendship, he said, had
never met with one minute’s interruption by any one unkind word or thought, of which I have any knowledge. I never had a friend who was so willing to stand by me, even in such services as most others would wish to decline; yet I never had a friend who would more faithfully, freely, and affectionately give me warning or reproof, if ever it appeared necessary; or whom I could more readily and freely, and without the least apprehension of giving offence, tell of any fault which I imagined I could see in him. And this I think is the best friendship in the world. For no man is faultless; and true friendship will not be blind to the failings of those we love best; but will rather show itself in an anxious concern to prevent the least appearance of evil in them, or whatever might occasion their good intentions to be misrepresented. After having lost long ago the venerable Newton and the first Robert Hall, who were the counsellors of my youth; after losing the affectionate Pearce, and the humble and prudent Sutcliff, two other founders of our Mission, this most faithful and judicious friend is also taken from me, and never will my loss be repaired upon earth!
And then, a bit later in the book, is another neat little quote, this one from Robert Hall Jr., who makes some interesting remarks on the nature and benefits of friendship.
He who has made the acquisition of a judicious and sympathizing friend, may be said to have doubled his mental resources: by associating an equal, perhaps a superior mind, with his own, he has provided the means of strengthening his reason, of perfecting his counsels, of discerning and correcting his errors. He can have recourse at all times to the judgement and assistance of one, who with the same power of discernment with himself, comes to the decision of a question with a mind neither harassed with the perplexities, nor heated with the passions, which so frequently obscure the perception of our true interests. Next to the immediate guidance of God by his Spirit, the counsel and encouragement of virtuous and enlightened friends afford the most powerful aid, in the encounter of temptation and in the career of duty.
Perhaps these quotes, or the whole book should you read it, will help you pursue Christian friendships and better appreciate the ones you already have…

May God bless you as you serve and worship him this weekend.

My thanks goes to Ligonier Ministries for sponsoring the blog this week with news of The Reformation Study Bible, Student Edition.
Today’s Kindle deals include some classics (plus whatever I dig up in the morning).
(Yesterday on the blog: Friendship and the Grace of God)
A Kernel Of Wheat In The Ground
This is such a neat story. “Back in 1921, a missionary couple named David and Svea Flood went with their two-year-old son from Sweden to the heart of Africa, to what was then called the Belgian Congo. They met up with another young Scandinavian couple, the Ericksons, and the four of them sought God for direction. In those days of much tenderness, devotion and sacrifice, they felt led by the Lord to go out from the main mission station and take the gospel to a remote area.”
Faction Friendships
“We have Christians who will not speak to another Christian if he is wearing a facemask—or unless he is wearing a facemask. There are Christians who are suddenly hailing as heroes those with whom they have very little in common on any other issue, but because they are ‘sound’ on the covid question that’s all that matters.” This is a problem…
Self-Care is What We Do to Heal from the Internet
Samuel James looks at some self-care tips and asks, “How does a list of very ordinary human activities go from obvious and unspoken, to vital expressions of self-care? Here’s one hypothesis: Most self-care techniques are simply routine activities that most people did before they gave that time to being online.”
Bible Contradictions? A Response to Bart Ehrman
Bart Ehrman, in pointing out supposed Bible contradictions, says “just read the text.” “So, I did read the text. And, what I found is that Bart Ehrman puts forward some difficult passages for believers. But what I also found is that a moment or two of thinking erased many of the contradictions. Some of the contradictions were so fragile that it made me wonder if Bart Ehrman was being just a little bit disingenuous.”
Go to Sleep. Stay Awake.
“I face two battles every day of my life: the battle to sleep and the battle to stay awake.”
The danger is the good times
We may be on the lookout for spiritual danger in the bad times, but there is also danger in the good times.
Flashback: We Don’t Sing for Fun
…singing is not prescribed for Christian worship for the purpose of fun. It actually serves a far higher purpose as a means through which we bring mutual encouragement by recounting common truths together.

We were never meant to eat the toxic bread of anxious toil. So God invites us to rest, to trust him to provide for us, and to receive the delightful gift of sleep. —Geoff Robson

This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Ligonier Ministries, who also sponsored the blog this week. They are giving away ten free copies of the new Student Edition of the Reformation Study Bible.

The most important relationship in life is your relationship with God. If you want to grow in your faith, you must turn to His Word. That’s where God has spoken. The Reformation Study Bible, Student Edition is built on the trusted teaching of Dr. R.C. Sproul to help you dig deeper into the Scriptures to find answers and direction for all of life. Grasp the Bible’s meaning with verse-by-verse notes from more than seventy-five pastors and Bible teachers, gain clarity with hundreds of questions and answers that address key subjects of the Christian faith, and apply the knowledge of God to daily living with many practical lessons from every book of the Bible.
With a wealth of specialized features, this resource makes an ideal Bible study companion to encourage teens and young adults to walk in the light of God’s truth and to serve Christ where they are. The Reformation Study Bible, Student Edition is available in a variety of colors and cover styles, including premium leather, leather-like, clothbound, and paperback. Ten Free Friday winners will receive a copy their choosing.
Enter Here
Again, there are ten packages to win. And all you need to do to enter the draw is to drop your name and email address in the form below.
Giveaway Rules: You may enter one time. As soon as the winners have been chosen, all names and addresses will be immediately and permanently erased. Winners will be notified by email. The giveaway closes Saturday at noon. If you are viewing this through email, click to visit my site and enter there.

Most of us are familiar with the term “means of grace.” Means of grace are the ways in which the Holy Spirit works in our lives to lead us into holiness. You might think of them as the “channels” through which sanctifying grace flows from God to his people. Most prominently he does this through Scripture, prayer, and the ordinances of baptism and Lord’s Supper (or, more broadly, through the unique ministry of the local church). But did you know that historically some people also understood Christian friendship to be a means of grace? They did not mean that friendship actually bestows grace, but that it is a means through which God accomplishes his work of sanctification. Whether or not friendship can rightly be categorized as a means of grace, these believers certainly understood the importance and benefits of close, brother-to-brother, iron-sharpening-iron relationships.

Such friendships are the theme of Michael Haykin’s new book Iron Sharpens Iron: Friendship and the Grace of God. His purpose in the book is not to provide a theology or philosophy of friendship as much as it is to provide historical examples of friendships—examples that focus on a pair of fascinating eighteenth-century characters: Andrew Fuller and John Ryland. “Iron Sharpens Iron is about the specific way that friendship functioned as a means of grace for two eighteenth-century men.” It’s an interesting way of going about his task and one that is effective since, as the old saying goes, some things are better caught than taught so that we sometimes learn better by vivid example than straight-up instruction.
The book begins with an overview of the history of friendship from the ancient world all the way to the eighteenth century, pausing to consider Greek philosophers, a selection of Old and New Testament characters, Church Fathers, and Reformers. From there Haykin provides a brief biographical overview of his two central subjects, then devotes a chapter to three particularly important friendships: John Newton and John Ryland; Andrew Fuller and Thomas Steevens, and then, of course, Andrew Fuller and John Ryland. In each case he tells how they became friends, how they sustained their friendship, and what benefits it brought to them. “It is on the grounds of these men’s experience of the joys and challenges of Christian friendship” that he makes his case for the importance of friendship to the Christian life.
Modern Western culture is not particularly friendly to friendship and for quite a number of reasons it seems to have fallen on hard times. “Such friendships take time and sacrifice, and the West in the early twenty-first century is a busy, busy world that, generally speaking, is far more interested in getting and possessing than sacrificing and giving.” Then there is the culture that places self ahead of others and the sexual revolution that perhaps makes men afraid of relational intimacy lest it somehow convey the existence of sexual intimacy. The cards are stacked against it.
Yet Christian friendship remains important and a blessing—a means of grace, even—to those who commit to it and experience its joys. Says Haykin, “this research and writing have convinced me that friendship is not merely a subject of personal interest but is vital for the advance of God’s reign in the world. I believe firmly that whenever God has done great things in the history of the church, he has done it through a group of friends, a band of brothers and sisters.” It’s my hope that Iron Sharpens Iron will foster more precious friendships that the Lord will use for the good of his people and the glory of his name.

Buy from Amazon

May the Lord be with you and bless you.

Spiritual COVID and Losing Your Taste for God
Trevin Wax creates a helpful comparison here. “The loss of taste was the weirdest part of COVID. Mealtimes lost their joy. I ate and felt sustained but didn’t enjoy good food anymore. Every morning, I made myself a cup of tea, but only out of routine since the effort was about as enjoyable as sipping hot water.”
You Need Doctrine and Life to Sail Properly
Mike Leake looks at our emphasis on false doctrine and points out that it is only one of the Bible’s big concerns. “False teaching is something which we are warned about. Doctrine does matter. But what I found is that a majority of warnings aren’t about right belief but about right living.”
A New Study Bible for the Next Generation
Ligonier Ministries has released their Student Edition of the Reformation Study Bible, designed especially with teens and young adults in mind. Its many new features include practical lessons from every book of the Bible, encouraging readers not only to be hearers but also doers of the Word. Today’s your final opportunity to save 5% on the Student Edition when you use code CHALLIES in the Ligonier store. (Sponsored Link)
Why Agree to Use Preferred Names but Not Preferred Pronouns?
I’m interesting to see how different people are adapting to new realities and attempting to face them biblically.
Whose Purpose in Your Suffering Will Prevail?
Randy Alcorn: “Satan intends your suffering for evil; God intends it for good. Whose purpose in your suffering will prevail? Whose purpose are you furthering? Satan attempts to destroy your faith, while God invites you to draw near to Him and draw upon His sovereign grace to sustain you.”
Why Do We Assume Western Theology is Superior?
“The kingdom of God is growing in Africa; are we sufficiently poor in spirit to be inheritors of it, together with our African sisters and brothers?”
Seven Factors for Missionary Homes
“Whenever new personnel come to the field, we end up discussing the pros and cons of the housing that’s been chosen for them.” This is the start to a surprisingly interesting article.
Flashback: The Most Difficult Time to Lead
The most difficult time to lead is when you have forfeited the respect of those who are meant to follow you, when your confidence, and theirs, is shattered. But this is also the most important time to lead. This is where a real man will, and must, lead.

Christ is the true bridegroom of the soul, the true physician of the heart, the real father of all his people. Let us show that we feel this by being unreserved in our communications with him. —J.C. Ryle

Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

Today there are new Kindle deals on books from Kevin DeYoung, Ray Ortlund, and others.
Meanwhile, Westminster Books has pre-order deals on some of the books due to be published in the weeks ahead.
(Yesterday on the blog: You Just Can’t Have It All)
Job and the Deadly Spiritual Equation
Pierce Taylor Hibbs: “Job is one of my favorite books of the Bible. That usually catches people by surprise. Why would a book about a holy man falling prey to Satanic torment be something you want to read? Despite the initial fear the book induces, it’s extremely comforting and relevant for our understanding of trauma and suffering. Job shows that the worst still leads to the best. And of the many ways in which the book is still relevant, there’s one that stands out to me because of how prevalent it is in our times. It’s what I call ‘the deadly spiritual equation.’”
Did Jesus die for the sins of every person or only for the elect?
Here, courtesy of Ligonier Ministries, is a solid series of answers to a common question.
Humility Is the Main Ingredient of Prayer, Repentance, and Thanksgiving
Thomas Schreiner: “C.S. Lewis famously said, ‘If you don’t think you are conceited, you are very conceited indeed.’ Certainly that applies to humility: if you think you are humble, you are probably suffused with pride. In this article, we will consider briefly how prayer, repentance, and thanksgiving are related to humility.”
While You Were Sleeping
In this article, Madelyn Canada reminds us that God’s plans carry on, even when we can’t clearly see them.
Glue Sticks and Bible Songs
I enjoyed this little celebration of children and their teachers. “In his wisdom and grace, God gives us people, situations, and experiences that we often don’t recognize as priceless gifts at the time. Some of those gifts were given to me 20 years ago, and it’s only recently that I’ve begun to truly appreciate those busy days of teaching, corralling, discipling, and loving the lively and earnest little children that were entrusted to my care every Sunday morning.”
By Steps and Degrees
“Certain doctrines of Reformed theology, and their associated sub-doctrines, are brought into the limelight more than others. For example, there is a rich endowment of Protestant works on the doctrine of justification. One cannot say the same, however, of the sub-doctrine of ‘preparatory grace,’ which has not historically garnered much public attention within Protestant soteriology.” Here’s a short introduction to it.
Flashback: How to Make Accountability Work
Here are seven principles for effective accountability; each is further explained by showing what effective accountability is and is not.

Living like Christ without ever teaching our children about Christlike living is similar to lifestyle evangelism without ever sharing our faith. —Bob Kellemen