Grudem helpfully examines the mysterious process of regeneration, which is like the wind which you can’t see, but you can see it’s effect. In his look at conversion, Grudem breaks down this summary category into faith and repentence.
Category Archives: Faith
Battling Unbelief series with John Piper
This is an older sermon series that is the basis for a recently released book by the same name. This is a timeless series. Piper demonstrates how particular sins are an expression of unbelief in God, His sovereignty and His promises. Piper defines unbelief based on John 6:35:
“Unbelief is turning away from Jesus to find satisfaction somewhere else. Or, to put it positively, ‘belief’ in Jesus is coming to Him to feed on Him; that is to get my satisfaction, to have my soul-thirst satisfied from Him. That means that eternal life, as we said earlier in John 3, is promised not to those who think things about Jesus as the Son of God merely, but to those who drink from the Son of God. Eternal life is promised to faith. And faith is not an idea in the head, it’s an appetite of heart fastening onto the Bread of Life. You can think all kinds of ideas about that loaf of bread, Jesus Christ, and if you don’t eat it to the satisfaction of your soul, you’re unsaved.”
Each message focuses on a particular sin: covetousness, anxiety, bitterness, lust, pride, anger, impatience, misplaced shame, and despondancy.
Panel Discussion: 2007 Desiring God Pastor’s Conference, The Holiness of God
I’m a sucker for panel discussions with good preachers. I love the candid insight they often bring forth that might not come in a prepared message.
The panel discussion at the Desiring God 2007 Pastors Conference on the Holiness of God is one of the most encouraging and insightful. John Piper, William Mackenzie, and Thabiti Anyabwile discuss the doctrine of election, sanctification, faith, child salvation, legalism, revival, sufficiency of atonement and the very real differences and gifting required for true ‘missionaries’ who wrestle with a completely new culture, versus the old cliche that ‘we are all missionaries where ever we are.’
Here are some tidbits. How can one be helped to come to grips with the doctrine of election in light of the Biblical commands and admonitions for man to act in human will? Piper suggests the reading of Martin Luther’s ‘The Bondage of the Will,’ and for the more adventurous, to wrestle through Jonathan Edwards ‘The Freedom of the Will.’ Thabiti sketches his personal journey from Islam to Arminian Christianity, to the doctrines of grace.
Faith by Hearing 