August 11th, 2008 by J.W.M.
Just a quick note to my regular readers… yesterday, while moderating some spam comments, I accidentally deleted about twenty of my recent, good comments! My apologies to those whose remarks have been so hewn from their prosaic bodies. I assure you, the decapitation was not intentional!
August 8th, 2008 by J.W.M.
“It is important to emphasize the fact that saving faith involves an object which is objective to ourselves. That is, it is not sufficient that one just exercise an attitude of faith without some object. Rather, the saving faith is directed to the object of Christ. This object is presented in several ways in the Scripture. For example, John 3:16 simply speaks of our believing in him; 2 Tim. 3:15 speaks of the Scriptures making us wise unto salvation “through faith which is in Christ Jesus”; Rom. 3:25 specifies the shed blood of Christ as the object of our faith; Rom. 10:9 makes the object of faith the resurrection of Christ. The object of our faith then is the Person of Christ and his saving work on the Cross and in the Resurrection. Warfield says, ‘The Saving Power of Faith resides not in itself, but on the Almighty Saviour. It is not faith that saves, but faith in Jesus Christ. It is not strictly speaking even faith in Christ that saves, but Christ that saves through faith.’(1) Faith, then, as trust in Christ means that we look away from self, and find our whole interest in the object, namely, Christ and his saving work in our behalf.” (Morton H. Smith, Systematic Theology (GPTS, 1994), p. 452)
(1) Biblical and Theological Studies (Philadelphia: P&R, 1952), p. 424-5.
August 2nd, 2008 by J.W.M.
My third book, Rustling Leaves, is now available for purchase on Amazon.com via the following link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0979612233
The official release notice is available on this site at: Rustling Leaves. For those who purchase a copy, be sure to pay attention to the special offer.
July 28th, 2008 by J.W.M.
After a long day of driving yesterday, I finally this morning set foot for the first time on the campus of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary (GPTS). The seminary is located in a renovated former public school. This school year will be the first year of operation out of the new facilities (click on the picture below for a larger view):
Stepping inside the doors shortly after taking this photograph, I was met almost immediately by the head of the maintenance department. We had met lastnight after evening worship at the local church, and he complimented me on my hat. Then he gave me a tour of the facilities.
After seeing the campus, I spent some quality time in the bookstore, poking through the myriad shelves and assembling a small pile of the required texts for this Fall. During this process, I had the opportunity to meet and converse with a handful of other students and a few of the seminary’s administrative assistants. Everybody down here is genuinely gracious and seems very thankful to be a part of this institution and its mission.
Once the required mound of books was acquired, I spent a few hours in the seminary library (again, click below for a larger shot):
Although the picture may not look like much, the library was also fairly impressive to me. So I sat there and reviewed my Greek (those are my hat, briefcase, and books on the table) until it was time to return to my hotel to eat a late lunch and pick up my computer and textbooks prior to the beginning of class this evening.
The first session of class this evening was great. I was very impressed by the professor’s clear articulation of the subject matter, the wisdom he seems to have accrued from many years in the ministry, and his passion for spreading the Gospel to Muslims - both here and abroad. Most of all, however, I was deeply moved by his transparent love for the Lord Jesus and the way that love spilled over into both his personal piety and his heart for missions to a group too often neglected by the Western Church. As he said, Muslims bear the image of God just as we do - and their need to know God’s redeeming, loving grace in Christ is just as real as ours.
I can tell there is much I have to learn.
July 18th, 2008 by J.W.M.
Just lastnight I sent the manuscript for a new book off to the publisher. The new volume - which will include ten essays from this blog and two previously-unpublished essays, is titled Rustling Leaves. Here’s a shot of the cover (click on the image to see a larger version):
July 18th, 2008 by J.W.M.
“By identifying Yahweh as his Father, Jesus was demonstrating a great truth - that God is approachable and hears the appeal of a humble heart, as a human father keeps an attentive ear to the cries of his children. We have a Holy Parent who is always available and always has time for us. What a comfort this is in times of sorrow, pain, and despair! What a joy this is in times of great praise and pleasure!” (Anees Zaka & Diane Coleman, The Truth About Islam, p. 112)
July 18th, 2008 by J.W.M.
“Cigarettes are like indulgences. They promise a lot, but in the end are just paper for burning.” (J.W.M.)
July 9th, 2008 by J.W.M.
July 9th, 2008 by J.W.M.
It’s been a long time in coming, but I finally got a sermon download page put together for Westminster Church. You can visit it here. Currently there are only four sermons available - two from 2007, and the two from this past Sunday.
Going forward, the plan is for me to get each Sunday’s sermons available for download at that page by noon the following Monday. Check it out or pass along the link, if you are so inclined.
July 9th, 2008 by J.W.M.
Tim Challies has posted an excellent little article entitled, “The Shape of Temptation.” You should read it by clicking here.
