Links for July 14, 2006

Legalism is More Deadly than Alcoholism – Piper Friday
A provocative quote – check out the comments section!
(tags: legalism)

“It isn’t that they are just so abounding in love that they won’t fight. It is that they are bereft of love. For if they truly loved their fellow humans, they’d be unable to rest easy as men and women are sold the poison of a false, damning ‘gospel.’
Dan Phillips, in writing about “when an apostle ‘gets hot,’ says this: “Count me in as heartily opposed to quarreling about adiaphora. But the Gospel is not in that category. Eternal life and death is not trivial.”
(tags: doctrine gospel pyromaniacs)

Stop Test-Driving Your Girlfriend
Michael Lawrence, associate pastor with Mark Dever, answers “How do I know she’s the one for me?” The problem, he says is that as a single Christian man, not only are you going to marry a sinner, but you are a sinner as well.” HT Challies.
(tags: challies marriage)

Romans 14:20: “Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.” Hold your personal convictions, even promote them, but do not require them of others and thus destroy the work of God for the sake of beer, music, and birth control pills.”
Ryan DeBaar adds some insights to the discussion of legalism. “The question I ask today is, in our practice of Christianity, how assertive should we be about a specific application of a Biblical principle?” HT Bob Hayton.
(tags: legalism)

A First? Dave Warnock Agrees . . . With Me!
“Everyone please note . . . I agree with Adrian! My own experience . . . “I struggle with writing in Bibles. Initially this was because I was uncomfortable with the idea . . . “
(tags: legalism)

“Legalism could be defined as any attempt to rely on self-effort to either attain or maintain our justification before God.”
Article over at Reformation Theology asks, “What is Legalism?” and provides nine defining characteristics. One that stands out is this: “Obedience that does not spring from a renewed heart.”
(tags: legalism)

Packer: “This doctrine [justification by faith] is the ‘Atlas’ upon which the whole of Christianity rests. Were Atlas to shrug, the entire structure of the Christian faith would fall to the ground and be shattered.”
Mathew Sims expounds on Article 12 of the T4G statement.
(tags: blogging T4GB)

“If the “strong drink” of Deuteronomy 14:26 is non-intoxicating, then the repeated warnings against “strong drink” in the Scriptures don’t make much sense.”
A good point which helps to demolish legalistic arguments that all Christians must practice total abstinence from alcohol!
(tags: ethics)