×

×
Topic

Holiness and Sanctification

Different Paths to Sanctification

There, then, is the message of this book–that through marriage, “the mystery of the gospel is unveiled.” Marriage is a major vehicle for the gospel’s remaking of your heart from the inside out and your life from the ground up.”[1] I was in my mid-twenties and in my final year of Social Work when I first read these words from Tim and Kathy Keller’s book The Meaning of Marriage. I didn’t want to be single. Rather, I envisaged myself using my future marriage to minister to the most vulnerable children in our society. Married people get sex and sanctification; who...

Bethany Downes

Whatever Happened to Pursuing Godliness?

Matthew Payne

In my experience most Christians aren’t very interested in godliness. That’s a strong statement, but I remain persuaded that modern evangelical culture has a real problem here. My experience is that calls to godliness among modern Christians are largely met with silence and slowly coasting tumbleweed. Sadly, this appears to be just as true at the ministry conferences and pastors’ retreats as in churches. It doesn’t excite or interest us much. The Bible tells us endlessly to “be holy, be godly, pursue righteousness.” But that doesn’t get our hearts racing. What excites us are new ministry strategies and initiatives. That...

Toilet Training and the Holiness of God

Matthew Payne

Ask the parents of small children about the joys of toilet training and they will probably have some amusing stories to share. Not that those events are funny at the time—sometimes they seem very tiresome. Parenting literally involves getting your hands dirty. It means dealing with the bodily wastes of other people. This fact is not adequately highlighted on the “have a baby” brochure. You discover it after you’ve already got one. Parenting literally involves getting your hands dirty. It means dealing with the bodily wastes of other people. This fact is not adequately highlighted on the “have a baby” brochure....

Hard Lessons About Sanctification from John Newton

Brianna McClean

Sanctification and Sin John Newton was famously familiar with grace. As a slave-trader turned clergyman, he was a living depiction of his much-beloved hymn, Amazing Grace. However, Newton’s experience of grace did not climax at conversion. In a less remembered hymn, I Asked the Lord that I Might Grow, Newton captures the tension which lies at the heart of every Christian life: sanctification and sin. Accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour demands a whole-hearted and life changing pursuit of righteousness. The Bible commands us to flee from sin and God promises to mould us into the image of Christ. How...

MA is a Warning that Mature Adults Will Take Seriously

Matthew Payne

When I was growing up I thought that TV ratings (G, PG, M, MA15+, R18+) indicated age suitability. I thought that the MA rating meant ‘this is good and healthy for people who are 15 or older’. It was only natural that I should look forward to being of the age when ‘MA’ and ‘R’ rated movies would be good and healthy things for me to watch. But that’s not what those ratings mean. At least, that’s not how Christians can possibly view them. Growing up means recognising that a lot of things are not good or healthy for anyone...

More Resources

LOAD MORE
Loading