Judgment, Love, and the Cross of Christ

Any view of judgment and love that neglects to see from the perspective of the cross of Christ is at least either blind or short-sighted.

"If you want to see what judgment looks like, go to the cross. If you want to see what love looks like, go to the cross." (D.A. Carson)

The intolerance of tolerance

D. A. Carson speaks about the incoherence of postmodern tolerance:



D. A. Carson: The new definition of tolerance is not only inconsistent, it's incoherent and proves, in fact, to be less tolerant than the brand of tolerance that was around under modernism. Because at the very point where it comes up with that which disagrees with it the most, it has to dismiss all opponents as intolerant and bigoted, and therefore becomes, in fact, totalitarian.

Below are audio resources from D. A. Carson related to the topic of postmodernism that are posted at the European Leadership Forum.

• Don Carson - Postmodernism 1 (mp3)
• Don Carson - Postmodernism 2 (mp3)
• Don Carson - Postmodernism Workshop (mp3)
• The Gagging of God: Questions & Answers
  

Here's an outline for the first three messages above:

Understanding Postmodernism from a Confessional Stance

Introduction: The challenge of terminology
1 Historical overview: The centrality of epistemology
2 Premodernism

3 Modernism and its six defining characteristics
Beginning with the finite 'I'
Epistemological certainty is both desirable and attainable
Foundationalism
The focus on method
The assumption of 'a-historical universality'
The rise of philosophical naturalism

4 Postmodernism
Historical antecedents
Twentieth century contributions of Germans, French and Americans
The overthrow or the revision of the six characteristics of modernism

5. Correlatives of Postmodernism
6. The advantages of Postmodernism
7. The weaknesses and dangers of Postmodernism

(HT: Tim Challies)

What's the message of the Bible in 6 minutes?

Tony Reinke: Don Carson is a scholar who for many years has devoted his life and ministry to helping Christians better perceive the unity of the Bible’s progressive storyline. He provides a brilliant summary of the Bible in this 6-minute video:



(HT: C.J.'s View from the Cheap Seats)

'The God Who Is There' by D.A. Carson (book, audio and video, and study guide)

There are many good books that should be read for both personal and professional profit. If there's only one book you read, however, let it be the Bible, for it warns of eternal peril and promises eternal profit. After the Bible, ensure you read books that help you understand the Bible. "The God Who is There" by D.A. Carson is such a book. I could recommend so many more books that go deeper than Carson's book, which surveys the Bible and shares its main message in 14 chapters, but Carson is a good place to start. Check out the link below for more information about the book, audio and video messages upon which the book is based, and a study guide. If you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will not regret it.

"The God Who is There" by D.A. Carson (book, audio and video, and study guide)

You may also view previews at the link above. A preview for the first session is below.

The God Who Is There - Part 1. The God Who Made Everything (Preview) from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.

We overcome on the basis of the blood of the Lamb

“How dare you approach the mercy-seat of God on the basis of what kind of day you had, as if that were the basis for our entrance into the presence of the sovereign and holy God? No wonder we cannot beat the Devil. This is works theology. It has nothing to do with grace and the exclusive sufficiency of Christ. Nothing.

Do you not understand that we overcome the accuser on the ground of the blood of Christ? Nothing more, nothing less. That is how we win. It is the only way we win. This is the only ground of our acceptance before God. If you drift far from the cross, you are done. You are defeated.

We overcome the accuser of our brothers and sisters, we overcome our consciences, we overcome our bad tempers, we overcome our defeats, we overcome our lusts, we overcome our fears, we overcome our pettiness on the basis of the blood of the Lamb.”

—D.A. Carson, Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010), 103

All good things secured by Christ on the cross

“Everything that we know and appreciate and praise God for in all Christian experience both in this life and in the life to come springs from this bloody cross.

Do we have the gift of the Spirit? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Do we enjoy the fellowship of saints? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Does he give us comfort in life and death? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Does he watch over us faithfully, providentially, graciously, and covenantally? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Do we have hope of a heaven to come? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Do we anticipate resurrection bodies on the last day? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Is there a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Do we now enjoy new identities, so that we are no longer to see ourselves as nothing but failures, moral pariahs, disappointments to our parents—but deeply loved, blood-bought, human beings, redeemed by Christ, declared just by God himself, owing to the fact that God himself presented his Son Jesus as the propitiation for our sins? All this is secured by Christ on the cross and granted to those who have faith in him.”

—D.A. Carson, Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010), 70-71

(HT: Of First Importance)

May issue of the Next Webzine in 60 seconds

From the Next blog:
(by Ricky Alcantar)

The May 2009 issue of the Next Webzine is now live. Here’s what you’ll find inside:

Author Spotlight

D.A. Carson is one of the foremost biblical scholars of our day and has written or edited more books than you’ve probably read, yet at the center of his ministry is the truth of God’s Word. We love that Carson – our spotlighted author this month – is a learned scholar with the heart of a pastor.

Whether you’re new to Carson or an old fan you’ll find some interesting facts about in Justin Taylor’s introduction to the author Who Is D.A. Carson? (For example: He reads about 500 books a year, travels 100,000 miles a year, and no [one] ever calls him “D.A.”) Justin has also put together a beautiful list of Carson resources grouped helpfully around statements like: “I want to learn how Christ and culture relate,” or “I want to work through the entire Bible in a year.”

You’ll also be able to get a taste for Carson’s writing in two excerpts from his work. First, in two excerpts from For the Love of God Carson comments on two incidents in the life of Christ. Then in The Supremacy of Jesus Christ in the Mediation of God’s Love Carson walks through John 17 and explains how the glory of Christ is most clearly seen in the cross of Christ.

Articles

In People, Not Culture Pastor Mark Lauterbach weighs in on the debate about how Christians should relate to culture by suggesting that before we talk about culture, we should talk about people.

In Courageous Femininity Lydia Shanks breaks some stereotypes about what it means to be biblically feminine and encourages women to embrace all God has for them (including getting a bowling score over 100).

In Christian Artists In a Secular World Bob Kauflin helps Christians walk through the sometimes difficult issues of how to relate to secular art as artists.

And in The Cross of Christ in Pictures I share what I’ve learned about the richness of a multi-faceted gospel with the help of John Stott.

Enjoy.

(HT: JoshHarris.com)

The Gospel According to the Old Testament (Series)

Anything that has "gospel" in it gets my attention. Anything that receives praise from Sinclair B. Ferguson or D. A. Carson causes me to seriously consider it. Monergism Books is offering a news series of books by P&R Publishing titled "The Gospel According to the Old Testament."

Description: The Gospel According to the Old Testament is a series of studies on the lives of Old Testament characters, written for laypeople and pastors, and designed to encourage Christ-centered reading, teaching, and preaching of the Old Testament.

Books in the series:

• The Gospel According to Jonah: Salvation Through Judgment and Mercy by Bryan D. Estelle
• The Gospel According to Elijah & Elisha: Faith in the Face of Apostasy by Raymond B. DillardThe Gospel According to Hosea: Love Divine and Unfailing by Michael P. V. Barrett
• The Gospel According to David: After God's Own Heart by Mark J. Boda
• The Gospel According to Job: Crying Out for Vindication by David R. Jackson
• The Gospel According to Abraham: Living in the Gap between Promise and Reality by Ian M. Duguid
• The Gospel in the Lives of Isaac & Jacob: Living in the Grip of Relentless Grace by Iain M. Duguid

Praise for The Gospel According to the Old Testament series:

"At last a series on the Old Testament designed to provide reliable exposition, biblical theology, and a focus on Christ. These books should be like manna in the desert to pastors, preachers, teachers, and many individual Christians who struggle to come to terms with how to read the Old Testament."--Sinclair B. Ferguson

"One of the most urgent needs of the church is to grasp how the many parts of the Bible fit together to make one 'story-line' that culminates in Jesus Christ....This series of books goes a long way to meeting that need. Written at a thoughtful but popular level, it deserves wide circulation."--D. A. Carson