Category: Gospel and Culture

Robie's Health

Posted on May 12, 2009

For those that are wondering or have not heard, we had another scare with Robie’s health last night. While I was in Dallas she called to say that she had lost peripheral vision and some of her line of sight vision. This has been accompanied by some head pain. Doctors told us to send her in for a MRI scan. We drove back (read=Justin Hroch) at 2:30am and received the good news that the scan was clean. Doctors are urging her to see a neurologist, suggesting it may be MS. We’ve read and heard about severe migraines causing this and are hopeful that is the diagnosis.

So, we’re wiped and grateful for all the emails, texts, and phone calls. Robie is resting and her vision is back to normal, thank God. A special thanks to the Klebs, who stayed with the kids while I was in Dallas and Sam took Robie to the hospital, where he stayed with her till I arrived around 6:30am. We’re grateful for the news and support we’ve had. Times like this drive you into the Lord who alone is our Strong Tower and with whom we are safe. Nothing like you wife’s life flashing before your eyes to drive you to prayer and deep gratitude for her. Come what may, we are together hoping in the God who designs even the scariest times for our everlasting good.

John Murray on Propitiation

Posted on May 10, 2009

On Sunday we examined the Atonement, lingering on the idea of propitiation from Romans 3:25: “whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.” To “propitiate” is to absorb, appease, or placate. On the cross, Jesus absorbed God’s just wrath that should have been absorbed by us. Is God’s wrath at odds with his love? John Murray helpfully states:

The propitiation of the the divine wrath, effected in the expiatory work of Christ, is the provision of God’s eternal and unchangeable love, so that through the propitiation of his own wrath that love may realize its purpose in a way that is consonant with and to the glory of the dictates of his holiness. It is one thing to say that the wrathful God is made loving. That would be entirely false. It is another thing to say the wrathful God is loving. That is profoundly true. ~ John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied, 31

Why Do You Obey God?

Posted on May 7, 2009

If you obey, why do you obey God? Out of duty, in hope of reward, because your momma told you to? How we answer this question is utmost importance. If our answer is sub-biblical, we run the danger of misconstruing the gospel. If our answer is unbiblical, our discipleship will be fraught with angst with the grave possibility of abandoning Christian faith.

Given the gravity of this question, we should slightly tweak it to form a second question: “Why Should we obey God?” Answering this question is equally important. We need to honestly reflect on personal motivations for our obedience, as well as biblical motivations. The disparity between the two will prove quite illuminating in discerning how to regain Christian joy and hope in everyday struggles of doubt, despair, sin, and indifference to God.

So why do you obey…and why should we obey?