“True spirituality is not a superhuman religiosity; it is simply true humanity released from bondage to sin and renewed by the Holy Spirit. This is given to us as we grasp by faith the full content of Christ’s redemptive work: freedom from the guilt and power of sin, and newness of life through the indwelling and outpouring of his Spirit.” - Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1979), 19-20. [HT: Of First Importance ] SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "True humanity + the Spirit", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2009/05/20/true-humanity-the-spirit/"...

“You might think that you are unworthy to have such a great gift as union with Christ. Remember, however, Christ shed his precious blood to redeem you. That precious blood will enable you to miraculously advance in holiness through your union with Christ. Union with Christ is not a privilege you earn by your sincere obedience, or by your own attempts at holiness. Your union with Christ is not a reward of your own good works. Rather, union with Christ is a privilege that God gives to every Christian when they first become a Christian! Right when you enter into the Kingdom of God, you also enter...

"Humility is the most essential thing in true religion . . . the great Christian duty is self-denial. This duty consists of two things: first, in denying worldly inclinations and its enjoyments and second, in denying self-exaltation and renouncing one’s self-significance by being empty of self. . . . The humble Christian is more apt to find fault with his own pride than with that of other men. . . . A truly humble person who has a low view of his own righteousness and holiness is poor in spirit and modest in speech. . . . He is apt to put the best construction on others’ words...

“… the choicest believers, who are assuredly freed from the condemning power of sin, ought yet to make it their business all their days to mortify the indwelling power of sin… Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you. Your being dead with Christ virtually, your being quickened with him, will not excuse you from this work.” – John Owen, Mortification of Sin SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Be killing sin", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2008/02/15/be-killing-sin/"...

I recently began reading Overcoming Sin and Temptation, the updated and edited version of John Owen’s classic Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers (find it on CCEL here). This edited version is helpful, not just because of the updated language and comments, but also because it brings Owen to life for a new generation who need his influence, insight, theology and boldness. One may download the new book, Overcoming Sin and Temptation, from JohnOwen.org here (PDF). Owen was… Here’s one of my favorite quotes from Owen: Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be always...

There are unique lessons learned in making mistakes. So often we learn by doing wrong, from a simple error in math, to a project gone wrong, to sinning (im)morally. If we are paying attention those experiences are opportunities that can be invested for our benefit. When it comes to our relationship with God, we must strive to remain in thriving fellowship with Him. (We are not alone, for He is in fact seeking us, so our seeking Him is a response to His initiation, and certainly not the other way around. By way of analogy, when we run to him we then realize that the treadmill is already on, and...

“This life, therefore, is not righteousness but growth in righteousness, not health but healing, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be but we are growing toward it. The process is not yet finished but it is going on. This is not the end but it is the road. All does not yet gleam in glory but all is being purified.” — Martin Luther, Defense of All the Articles SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Progress in the Christian life", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2007/11/19/progress-in-the-christian-life/" });

Perhaps the question should be reworded: Do you ever not feel despondent? As John Piper reminds us in Battling Unbelief: Defeating Sin with Superior Pleasure, it is not sin to be depressed. Rather it is sin to not battle against despondency and depression. Today I am despondent, in a way I have not been in quite some time. I will battle with with God’s mighty weapons, drawing near to Him as I do life today. That reminds me of a quote from John Newton’s letters I read recently: “I doubt not but you likewise have your share of trials; but when the love of God is shed abroad in...

“Trials of life give us opportunities to trust God. Without the trials we would not learn He is trustworthy.” – Dr. Calvin Blom, Multnomah Biblical Seminary Dr. Blom is professor of Spiritual Formation (care of the soul and character growth) courses at Multnomah and a favorite professor of ours. He said this in class tonight as we talked through the dynamics of trials in the reality of spiritual warfare and schemes of the enemy of our souls, the Devil. God gets the glory in our trials, as we learn to and actively do trust Him in them. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Trials of life",...

Yesterday I returned home from a two-day seminary class retreat on “spiritual warfare,” the topic of our course. It was so good. And in that beif 48-hour window I experienced a connectedness to my fellow Multnomah students I hadn’t felt before. We each have life happening in a thousand directions and it collides at class, but this time we were a captive audience there talking through major and minor life issues and praying for one another in community. Each of us are less-than-whole people on various levels because of various factors and their is an enemy of our souls who...