Verses of the Day: Jude

while Jude starts out exhorting…

Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. ⁴ For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

he does end up saying…

¹⁷ But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. ¹⁸ They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” ¹⁹ These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

²⁰ But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

²²Be merciful to those who doubt; ²³save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

²⁴ To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— ²⁵ to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

Seems kind of pertinent to issues floating around the blogsphere lately, no?

on Apocalyptic Eschatology

Mike Bird post a great summary of an article Richard Hayes wrote on Why the Church needs Apocalyptic Eschatology.  Here are the points but you’ll have to read Mike’s summaries:

1. The church needs apocalyptic eschatology to carry Israel’s story forward.

2. The church needs apocalyptic eschatology for interpreting the cross as a saving event for the world.

3. The church needs apocalyptic eschatology for the gospel’s political critique of pagan culture.

4. The church needs apocalyptic eschatology to resist ecclesial complacency and triumphalism.

5. The church needs apocalyptic eschatology in order to affirm the body.

6. The church needs apocalyptic eschatology to ground its mission.

7. The church needs apocalyptic eschatology to speak with integrity about suffering and death.

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[1] Richard B. Hays, “‘Why Do You Stand Looking Up Toward Heaven?’ New Testament Eschatology at the Turn of the Millennium,” in Theology at the Turn of the Millennium, eds. L.G. Jones and J.J. Buckley (Oxford: Blackwell, 2001), 113-33.

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I enjoyed this and appreciate the healthy perspective on Christian Eschatology – it is a much needed breath of fresh air!

HT: Brian LePort

Best review of Love Wins…ever!

can be found here!

In Sum:

Man this book was good. With all due respect, John Piper has no idea what he’s talking about. Read it. Love it. Feel it. Live it. Thank you….

Farewell Donald Miller!  Ha Ha Ha!!