“And if the Lord your God wishes to judge you, say, “Lord, between Your judgment and me I present the death of our Lord Jesus Christ; in no other way can I contend with You.” And if He shall say that you are a sinner; you say, “Lord, I interpose the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between my sins and You.” If He says that you have deserved condemnation; say, “Lord, I set the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between my evil deserts and You; and His merits I offer for those which I ought to have, but have not.” If He says that He is angry with you; say, “Lord I set the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between Your wrath and me.” And when you hast completed this, say again, “Lord, I set the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between You and me.”” (Anselm of Canterbury, “Exhortation to a Dying Man”)

by Stephen Rodgers

Well, not only is it the first Friday of the month (wherein I drop by with free resources), but it’s actually Good Friday as well. So we’ll throw a few Easter-themed links into the mix, at no extra charge.

• Richard Wurmbrand’s Tortured for Christ is the free audio book of the month from christianaudio.com. I’ve read the book, and it’s quite the amazing story.
• Brevard S. Childs’ The Old Testament Library Series: Isaiah is the free resource of the month from Logos.
• Also, Ligonier ministries is offering a free audiobook version of RC Sproul’s The Truth of the Cross.
• The April edition of Tabletalk is out, and the topic for this month is “Shame.” If you haven’t checked out Tabletalk yet, you really should. To make it easier, you can start with either Ligonier’s archive, or the archive here on the Beacon.
• There have been a couple new issues of the 9Marks eJournal since we last mentioned it. That’s another stellar resources to check out, and again, you can start with either the 9Marks archive, or the archive here on the Beacon.

Alright, well that does it for the typical monthly resources. Now, as promised, let’s end this with some Good Friday / Easter resources:

• Triablogue has their annual post of Easter resources up.
• It’s also worth mentioning that in past years, we’ve done some Easter resource posts of our own. Here are the posts from 2011, 2012, and 2013.

Enjoy!

Pro Rege

Theology will kill you if it does not kindle a deep and abiding love for the God of the Bible, and if it does not inspire a desire for his glory, and not ultimately our own. (Marshall Segal)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! The weekend is here, and so are the links! Time to click away!

• In conjunction with Stephen’s Church History class, Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary’s blog, Theologically Driven, has written a post that gives, in seed form, the reasons why (saint) Patrick was not a Roman Catholic, then broadening it to the mistaken notion that the church fathers were Catholic. They also give some good book recommendations, particularly of the church fathers, some of which you can read online for free.
• What is your view of heaven? Justin Taylor, pointing to John Jefferson Davis’ new book on meditating on God’s Word, points to his thoughts concerning three misconceptions some Christians have on heaven. Do you need to readjust your thoughts and expectations of heaven?
• If you happen to believe that God created the universe, to be consistent requires you to believe God has revealed Himself as Triune, because Scripture has revealed the act of creation as a Trinitarian work. Aaron Armstrong points to some great quotes from theologian Herman Bavinck, showing that creation and the Trinity stand or fall together.
• Recently, the Institute of Biblical Counseling and Discipleship (IBCD) led a marriage seminar at Westminster Seminary, covering God’s design for marriage, the husband’s and wife’s roles in marriage, and keys to preserve and strengthen marriage. All the talks and notes from that seminar are now available! Praise God for His loving wisdom toward His children in designing marriage to reflect Christ and His bride, the church!
• Denny Burk has been a shining example of one who stands for the truth of the gospel and the effects of the gospel upon the hearts of sinners, particular of men and women who struggle with same-sex attraction. He highlights a recent radio discussion on the issue of whether the church is failing gay Christians, and a Q&A he recently moderated with pastor Sam Alberry, who struggles with same-sex attraction. Alberry gave two previous talks, all of which can be viewed online.
• Ever wondered how a Christian worldview would influence ethics? Well, wonder no more! Make sure you catch the comments below as well, as there are even more recommendations worth looking into.
• How do you know whether you are making theology an idol or not? Marshall gives nine diagnostic questions that will help you see clearly if your god is about being knowledgeable about God as opposed to knowing God.

That’s all for this week! We hope you all have a great time at flocks this week, and can’t wait to worship our God together this coming Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria

A well-rounded approach to Bible study recognizes that the Bible is always more concerned with the decision-maker than with the decision itself. Its aim is to change our hearts so that we desire what God desires, rather than to spoon-feed us answers to every decision in life. (Jen Wilkin, Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! There’s something in here for everyone, so I won’t beat around the bush, and just get straight to it!

• Last week, I mentioned the audio/video for the Shepherds’ Conference Inerrancy Summit was posted. This week, seminar audio from that summit has been posted, and I’ve been told Michael Vlach’s presentation on using Scripture in our defense of the faith is one worth listening to. In case you haven’t been able to watch all the sessions, here are some takeaways from the conference from some Grace to You staff.
• If that wasn’t enough, the international arm of The Master’s Seminary, The Master’s Academy International (TMAI), had a symposium that dealt with the issue of inerrancy and missions that has also been highly recommended for me to listen to. The link provides the audio for most of the sessions, as well as an opportunity to receive a new book written by various faculty of TMAI training centers around the world. You do not want to miss out on this!
• In a blog series dealing with equipping biblical counselors in the local church, a couple posts stood out that I thought were very pertinent to the issue of counseling others: Pastor Jim Newheiser gave eight reasons biblical counseling training centers reinforce the local church, while Tim Lane writes two reasons the church should be involved in counseling others. As Christians, we are called to serve and love one another, and if we affirm biblical inerrancy, counseling each other biblically will follow. May our church live in light of the perfect and unchanging Word of God.
• For pastors, what benefits are there to being ‘forced’ to be at church all the time? May this post, which gives four reasons, be an encouragement to you.
• Have you ever wondered what it looks like to discuss the differences between a presuppositional apologetic and a classical apologetic? Well, if you’re wondering now that I asked, Fred Butler provides some interaction he had with a representative of a very popular form of defending the faith. This is also a model for how to engage other believers who you might differ with, which is something we are bound to encounter.
• If you didn’t know, this month is Pastor’s Wife Appreciation Month! If you would like to encourage/serve your pastor’s wife, here are five ways to get you going. If you are a pastor’s wife, I’m sure finding strength in weakness is a huge help. To the church: does she know she is loved by you? Be the first to show her your appreciation for all that she does!
• For you moms out there, a new resource came out that provides a Bible study on how to walk with God during your time of motherhood. Melissa Kruger, the author, provides some back story for her book that I hope will be a blessing to you.
• Men, 9Marks regularly comes out with a journal addressing different topics relevant to church health. This month, they came out with an issue dealing with complementarianism in the local church. I would challenge every man at our church to read through this journal, and work at growing in your role as a man, whether single or married. This couldn’t be more timely.

That’s all for this week! Looking forward to seeing all of you this coming Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria

‘Abiding in Christ’ does not denote an absence of conscious effort on our part; rather , it indicates an all-out effort on our part, but an effort made in total dependence on the Holy Spirit to mediate the life of Christ to us. (Jerry Bridges, True Community: The Biblical Practice of Koinonia)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! Quite an eventful week, so let’s get caught up!

• Pastor Andy Davis reflects on 20 years of discipling young men, with some principles that will help the older disciple the younger. Seasoned wisdom from a veteran discipler. Why wouldn’t we learn from his faithful example?
• I truly loved this article giving three reasons women need good theology. It truly is a beautiful thing to see ladies loving God with all their heart, mind and strength. Men, we need to encourage all the women of Lighthouse to be lovers of God and His Word!
• Recently, a gym opened access for men identifying as transgender to be able to enter the women’s restroom as an application of ‘non-judgmentalism.’ A woman complained, and ended up losing her membership. Denny Burk identifies the absurdity of such a view, and highlights the possible danger for women in using public restrooms.
• Should we follow our heart? Probably not.
• News regarding the upcoming Supreme Court case that will decide whether same-sex marriage is a constitutional right continues to be an issue worth paying attention to. Briefs have been filed from plaintiffs in four states, awaiting the Court’s decision in the summer. In response, the Heritage Foundation published a memo arguing for the states to decide what is constitutional, that state marriage laws are constitutional, and that marriage can be defined along anthropological, biological, and social realities.
• The Shepherd’s Conference Inerrancy Summit ended last week, and all the videos for the main sessions have been posted. The Cripplegate have a recap post with short summaries of each session, with link to the videos and audio. This may be their most important conference to date.
• Tim Challies is very helpful when it comes to technology and how Christians should be discerning in that area. To prove that point, consider two of his recent articles: on living well in a digital world, and parenting well in a digital world. This covers everyone, so read on!
• If you attend a secular university, you are bound to be taught, or hear about, the theory of evolution. Recently, a schoolteacher contacted the Discovery Institute (an Intelligent Design thinktank) and informed them that their district, in providing material in teaching biology, included an article that frames the debate over science and religion. Casey Luskin responds to that with an article of his own that gives the proper framing of the debate.
• Dr. Vern Poythress, professor of New Testament Interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary (who also obtained a PhD in mathematics), was recently interviewed about his new book Redeeming Mathematics: A God-Centered Approach, continuing his series of books that give a biblical worldview on different subjects, many of which can be read for free online. This will be helpful if you are a math major, or tutoring a student in math who may be unsure of the purpose of math.

That’s all for this week! Please pray for the Singles, as they will be in Pine Valley for their retreat this weekend!

Soli Deo Gloria

“We affirm that the Holy Scriptures are to be received as the authoritative Word of God.

We deny that the Scriptures receive their authority from the Church, tradition, or any other human source.” (Article I of the Chicago Statement of Biblical Inerrancy)

by Stephen Rodgers

So a lot of the LBC folks are up and away at the Shepherds’ Conference this week, and there have been some great sessions so far! While you’re waiting for the 2015 sessions to be uploaded, you can always check out the sermons and talks from previous years.

Or, you could avail yourself to other free resources, such as…

• The free book this month from christianaudio.com is Lee Strobel’s The Case for the Real Jesus.
• The free book from logos.com this month is the Augsburg Commentary on 1 Corinthians. I don’t know much about this particular volume, although I do recall the that in his guide to commentaries, Rosscup spoke highly of the subsequent volume, so I’d hazard a guess that it’s pretty good.
• There’s a new edition of Ligonier’s Tabletalk magazine out, and it’s on the subject of “Inerrancy and the Doctrine of Scripture.”
• There’s also a new edition of Credo Magazine out, entitled “By the Book: How Well Do You Know the Bible?”
• If you’re not particularly interested in the aforementioned Shepherds’ Conference materials, you might be interested to know that the guys from Pyromaniacs recently put on a  on a conference of their own.
• You might also be interested to know that the sessions from the 2015 Ligonier National Conference are available as well, along with the sessions from many of their other conferences.

Universalists and atheists share this in common: apologists for each position devote enormous amounts of time, passion, and energy to attacking opposing positions and laboring to make everyone agree with their viewpoint–even though, if they are right, what anyone happens to believe or do in this life makes absolutely no ultimate difference in the long-run. (Steve Hays)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! This week has proven to be a very fruitful one from the (digital) ink used up to produce posts that are a blessing to the church. So let’s dive right in!

• Spreading the Gospel to other nations has been an ongoing fulfillment of Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations. Unfortunately, some work done in the name of missions has led to false reporting of the numbers of converts and churches formed in distant lands. I want to point you to an Indian convert who calls the West to Gospel sanity in the work of missions to India.
• Nabeel Qureshi, a Muslim convert to Christianity, recently wrote a book about his conversion, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, depicting his struggle to reject Islam, yet was loved deeply by a Christian to come to know Christ. If you haven’t read the book yet, but would like to see how God works through a believer who knows the Scriptures and offers Christlike love, you’ll enjoy this review.
• For moms who feel overwhelmed with caring for the little ones, this Q&A will hopefully be of some help.
• Ever wondered what Scripture says about the age of the earth and whether God created the world in six 24-hour days? Well, other than reading Genesis 1-2, Steve Ham writes a helpful post discussing these very questions.
• Ladies, is it possible to love your husband before you even meet him? Carolyn McCulley believes so, and here are her reasons.
• Rob Bell recently published a book on marriage that endorsed same-sex marriage. He was interviewed by Oprah Winfrey, and New Testament professor Michael Kruger has written a response to some of the claims Bell made in that interview. Don’t be surprised if you come across these assertions, but be prepared.
• How can you discern with wisdom whether someone in your circle of friends may be a young believer or may not even be a Christian? What are some signs worth keeping in mind? Aaron Armstrong has some thoughtful words.
• Pastor Derek Thomas gives some wisdom on the necessity and benefits of expository teaching, both for the preacher and for the congregation. If you are under expository preaching regularly, time to thank God for His Word and your pastor for preaching that Word.
• The folks at Grace to You remind us of need to exercise our belief in the sufficiency of Scripture in relation to psychology and counseling. In our therapeutically-minded culture, this is one message we all need to hear loud and clear.
• In an exciting new series (at least, for me), Joe Carter begins writing about memorization and the added benefits of memorizing Scripture to “feed our imaginations.” This first post will whet your appetite to dive in and begin memorizing to the glory of God.
• Phil Johnson, Dan Philips, and Frank Turk of Pyromaniacs fame, recently held a conference on the sufficiency of Scripture, called “Sufficient Fire,” a follow-up to the “Strange Fire” conference and a precursor to the upcoming Shepherds Conference. Audio and video has just been posted. This is time well worth spending.
• Speaking of conferences, Ligonier Ministries also just released audio and video of their most recent national conference, “After Darkness, Light,” which was about our need to be “revived and restored to a high view of God, His law, His people, and His plan for the world.”
  

That’s all for this week! May God be glorified in our love and honor of His character and His Word. Don’t forget to worship God together on Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria

[T]he Bible’s account of origins (along with its other accounts) must be true. Only the God described in the Bible can provide the foundation for the things we take for granted. Without God’s Word, we would not have a good reason to believe in the preconditions of intelligibility: the basic reliability of memory and senses, laws of logic, uniformity of nature, morality, personal dignity and freedom… (Jason Lisle, The Ultimate Proof of Creation)

Feliz Friday! I hope your week has been a blessing and a joy! To help with that, here are this week’s links!

• Sometimes we need to look at believers who have been faithful in their callings as singles to see our need to be faithful, and have a ‘tangible’ picture of how that applies to our lives. One example is Pastor Voddie Baucham’s daughter, Jasmine Baucham Holmes.
• In light of the recent killing of 21 Christians by ISIS, one helpful perspective with respect to Islam has been pastor and apologist, James White. Here is his article giving a Christian response, followed up with thoughts on his podcast.
• Doug Wilson is at his best in responding to atheist actor Stephen Fry, who recently ranted about what he would say to God if He existed. This is a perfect example of Wilson’s summary of the tenets of atheism: 1. God doesn’t exist. 2. I hate Him.
• If you’ve ever considered cross-cultural/overseas missions at some point in your life, you probably struggled with deciding whether to learn the community’s native language or not. If you’re unsure which way to go, it may be best to consider whether language learning will glorify God or not. I think what is shared in those posts applies to learning languages in general, not strictly for travelling as a missionary.
• GirlTalk has some great articles focusing on turning to God when dealing with broken relationships with other believers, biblical attitudes to express during that time, and practical aspects of forgiveness. You do not want to miss out on these great posts.
• The Master’s College had their Truth and Life Conference last month, and the audio has just been made available. The theme was on “Practicing the Biblical ‘One Anothers.’” If you haven’t studied those passages before, or are in need of biblical teaching on how to relate to those in the church, consider this a jump start to growth.
• The Grace to You blog has been posting a number of articles related to inerrancy and the controversy surrounding creationism. Here’s their most commented to date: “Evangelical Syncretism: The Genesis Crisis.“
• In this week’s PeaceMeal, attention is drawn to the temptation to want to win the conflict rather than preserve the relationship. Wise words to heed.
• If you were tasked with coming up with clues for faithful, biblical preaching, what would you come up with? Well, The Cripplegate already has a list of marks of faithful preaching. Guess you have your work cut out for you.

That’s all for this week! Make sure to prepare for this Sunday’s service to our Lord, and also celebrate the joy of baptism with our brothers and sisters!

Soli Deo Gloria

Ultimately, pride is a worship issue . We cannot think about ourselves less unless we think about something else more. The rivers of self-forgetfulness flow down from the Godward heights of worship. He is the only God (1 Tim. 1: 17) and the only Sovereign (1 Tim. 6: 15). No one can outlast God in foolish opposition because he is the King Eternal (1 Tim. 1: 17). God has opponents, but he has no rivals. He, and he alone, is worthy of all worship and praise. (Jason Meyer, Killjoys: The Seven Deadly Sins)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! Lots to look at, so make yourself cozy, and click away!

• In light of recent events regarding ISIS and mentioning the Crusades in light of that, Ligonier Ministries have uploaded Robert Godfrey’s lecture on the Crusades. Take it as a small glimpse of church history, which, by the way, will be taught in Sunday School in the next couple of weeks.
• With the unfortunate release of 50 Shades of Grey, many will decry and devalue Scripture’s view of morality in favor of immorality portrayed in the film. Denny Burk has some telling observations, and biblical clarity, in relation to this upcoming feature. Marshall Segal writes of 10 promises that are truer than any fantasy. Al Mohler gives a worldview analysis of the book, along with the cultural acceptance of this distorted view of reality.
• In light of a new book coming out from the “Theologians on the Christian Life” series focusing on the creator of “Amazing Grace,” Tony Reinke has linked to all of Pastor John Newton’s writings into one spot, free to download. Please don’t tell me I’m the only one excited about this!
• Valentine’s Day, another day to put our hope in God, not in someone else.
• This looks to be a refreshing post on what it really means to be a Proverbs 31 woman…kind of.
• Jonathan Dodson is back with another great post on evangelism, this time answering the question, “How is the gospel good news to those we evangelize?“
• In a series on biblical counseling and women’s issues, Julie Ganschow writes about the difference between “Stop It!” and biblical counseling. Very helpful to see the contrast. Don’t miss the previous posts, which are linked at the top.
• People often struggle with reading the Bible, some even calling it a “chore.” Why is that? Aaron Armstrong gives three reasons, and some helpful correctives.
• Ever wonder how to evaluate films from a Christian worldview? Well, let John Frame and Brian Godawa be your guide.
• Eric Davis at The Cripplegate wrote an article about reasons why he isn’t a Mormon. He follows that up with five reasons why he isn’t a Jehovah’s Witness.
• How can churches engage believers and unbelievers who experience same-sex attraction? Hear from those who have/still struggle with it.

That’s all for this week! Looking forward to spending time with you all this coming Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria

“If we, as theists, believe that the universe is fundamentally personal in character, it follows that our ultimate understanding will not be in terms of things, which occupy space and may or may not possess certain properties, but of persons, who characteristically do things. Action, not substance, will be our most important category of thought. It is a truth too long neglected by philosophers.” (J. R. Lucas, Freedom and Grace)

by Stephen Rodgers

Oh hey look, it’s the first Friday of a new month. And ‘lo! I have returned as well! With free stuff, as has been our custom for oh-so-many moons gone by now.

So let’s get to it:

• The free audio book from christianaudio.com this month is RC Sproul’s Everyone’s A Theologian. This has received pretty stellar reviews, so I’d encourage everyone to pick it up.
• The free book of the month from Logos is Stephen Westerholm’s Rethinking Justification. I haven’t read it yet myself, but apparently John Piper really likes it.
• The new edition of Tabletalk magazine is out, and it’s on the topic of “Labor and Rest.”
• Considering that we were discussing Bible-reading in depth a while back, I thought you might want to know that all three of DA Carson’s For The Love Of God books are freely available in PDF form.
• And speaking of John Piper, he has a new book out that you can download in the ebook format of your choice for free…and this is probably a good opportunity to point out that there are plenty more where that came from.

And that should keep you busy until our paths cross again. See you Sunday!

Pro Rege

by Stephen Rodgers

Every year around Christmas time, “we” get “presents.” I use scare quotes here because when I say “we” I mean “Christians” and when I say “presents” I mean “attacks on our religion by the mainstream media.” And if we’re being thorough, this happens at Easter as well…remember the “Jesus’ Wife” manuscript drama from a few years back?

Often these articles have some sort of seasonality to them: an article at Christmas might attack certain conceptions of the Star of Bethlehem. I suppose that makes sense, although I have to admit I haven’t noticed any corresponding pieces in the New York Times addressing…oh, let’s say…inconsistencies in the Qu’ran right when Ramadan begins.

So when Kurt Eichenwald’s article “The Bible: So Misunderstood It’s A Sin” appeared in Newsweek right before Christmas, I really wasn’t surprised that it had showed up. Based on past experience, it was right on time. What did surprise me was how fundamentally confused… or dishonest… the author was. In fact, the author was so far afield of accepted scholarship on the Bible that even some of the scholars he quoted… many of them admittedly hostile to Christianity themselves… have been publicly distancing themselves from the article.

That’s a special kind of wrong.

Still the article itself is informative. This is (apparently) what some people believe about the Word of God in particular, and Christian doctrine in general. Or in some cases, this is what secular apologists hostile to Christianity want people to believe. That’s a scary thought.

To that end, I thought it might be helpful to collect some of the responses to the article. These serve not only to refute the article itself, but in many cases provide valuable context on some of the issues that Christians would do well to familiarize themselves with. Some responses are longer than others; some responses are more comprehensive than others. And honestly the respondents represent a somewhat diverse set of theological positions and convictions. But they all share a common feature in that they expose the Newsweek article for the factually-challenged hit-piece that it blatantly was.

Responses

• Darrell Bock
• Creation.com
• Robert Gagnon
• Michael Kruger (Part 1 and Part 2)
• Albert Mohler (Written Response / CNN Videos)
• Triablogue / Steve Hays (here and here and indirectly here)
• Daniel Wallace
• Ben Witherington
• James White (Part 1, Part 2, and Follow-Up)
• Michael Brown (Interview with Eichenwald a Month Later)