#themelios

[wisdomfish]

December 2015 issue of Themelios

The Gospel Coalition just released the December 2015 issue of Themelios, which has 193 pages of editorials, articles, and book reviews. It is freely available in three formats: (1) PDF, (2) web version, and (3) Logos Bible Software. A print edition will be available for purchase in several weeks from Wipf and Stock.

Links to editorials, articles, and book reviews in Themelios 40.3 are included below:

D. A. Carson | Editorial: On Disputable Matters

Michael J. Ovey | Off the Record: Is the Wrath of God Extremist?

Jeremy R. Treat | More than a Game: A Theology of Sport

Rob Smith | The Amorality of Atheism

Andrew J. Spencer | Beyond Christian Environmentalism: Ecotheology as an Over-Contextualized Theology

Daniel Strange | Rooted and Grounded? The Legitimacy of Abraham Kuyper’s Distinction between Church as Institute and Church as Organism, and Its Usefulness in Constructing an Evangelical Public Theology

Andrew Ballitch | “Not to Behold Faith, But the Object of Faith”: The Effect of William Perkins’s Doctrine of the Atonement on his Preaching of Assurance

Matthew Barrett | Pastoral Pensées: The Duty of a Pastor: John Owen on Feeding the Flock by Diligent Preaching of the Word

Book Reviews

Old Testament | 11 reviews

New Testament | 17 reviews

History and Historical Theology | 6 reviews

Systematic Theology and Bioethics | 3 reviews

Ethics and Pastoralia | 10 reviews

Mission and Culture | 2 reviews

Brian Tabb (PhD, London School of Theology) is managing editor of Themelios. He is also associate dean for academic affairs and assistant professor of biblical studies at Bethlehem College & Seminary in Minneapolis.

[qttimewithsandr]

Thoughts

I will be doing my QTs in my journal, because my team leader recommended we all start a journal for STSM.

But let me leave these quotes...

Romans 7:18 “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.”

Romans 7:25 “...So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”

[qttimewithsandr]

So sorry God.

#Uganda2k15

Let’s begin.

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Romans 1

Verses 4-6: “Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ” Through Jesus Christ, we have received grace and apostleship so that we can bring about the obedience of faith; evangelism. His name will be carried among all the nations, to bring about believers to Him.

Verses 12-13: “that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.” Mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. On STSM, I want to be an encouragement for someone else on my team. I also want to encourage the people we will be sharing our faith to, and also I want to be encouraged by the people there. PD was right, we are going to STSM so that our lives may be changed. I know why God is sending me to Uganda. And I think it is very fitting for me. Kindness.

Verse 17: “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” The righteousness of God is revealed by OUR faiths FOR faiths. And that same righteousness is also within us, when we live by faith. Therefore, by living faithfully, we will be righteous alongside God. God’s justice is shown by our faith for other people’s faiths. 

Verses 24-25: “Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” So this is what we have to not let happen. By showing them God’s righteousness and therefore allowing for them to gain it by giving them faith, their hearts will be clean and they will know the truth of our Creator.

Hmm I’m getting extremely tired.

Can’t believe I’m going to Uganda this summer. It still hasn’t hit me. 

[qttimewithsandr]

1:28AM. too tired last night, sorry God...

can’t believe it’s been 365 days since he left. time goes by so fast, yet also I think time took a while to reach 365. it took a long time for a year to go by. A lot of thoughts, a lot of emotions, a lot of tears, a lot of struggles slowed down these past 365 days. yet my mother makes it through the falling rain everyday.

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Devotional/Thoughts on 2 Corinthians 6

“...but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise.” -Verses 4-8. It’s that time of year again. I don’t know why, but I’ve unknowingly slipped into a bit of depression. I can tell by my habits; missing school for a whole week, shopping obsessively, insomnia, watching my favorite kpop star. It’s just emptiness. I don’t know, but nothing gives me complete pleasure except distracting myself. Not even talking to people is as thrilling as it once was. And I know, it’s cause Jesus is not the center of my life. It’s cause right now, I am struggling with the house of God, and I desperately want to seek a new church. It’s because I am selfish, and I am not satisfied with the conditions He has given me right now. I am very sleepless these days. I can’t concentrate at all on anything. I have finals in 3 days, but I have yet to study at all. This emptiness, it has come at a bad time. I don’t know why I have it right now. But I do. I am afflicted.

“...as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.” -Verse 10. We have this verse on our kitchen wall, and it’s our own every-korean-family’s bible verse in a frame on the wall. I always read it, and I always thought, “man, a better verse fitting our family wouldn’t be found than this” and I told my mom that. And she agreed, and she told me she loved this verse. And that it really symbolized our family. And I agree. Everything this verse says is pretty much true. Our family is ragged with hardships. Ragged with suffering. It never ends. Yet we rejoice. Yet we enrich others lives. Yet we have everything.

I have so many idols right now. I am a temple of the living God, yet there are other idols inside of me. But right now, I don’t know what to do. I am struggling a lot. There’s just one thing I want to do, and it’s to run away. I want to go on missions to help people, but I also need a break from this world. It’s just too hard. Or I’m depressed.

3.14.15

until another 365 days. Wait for me.

[qttimewithsandr]

2:14AM. Last night, I did my devotional in my journal because my mom told me some comet was flying by Earth and I had to turn off all my electronics from 12AM-3:30AM...yeah...

I really loved last night’s devotional though. One of my favorite verses, verse 7, was also in last night’s reading. It was really blessingful*.

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Devotional/Thoughts on 2 Corinthians 5

“For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” -Verse 1. “He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.” -Verse 5. “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.” -Verses 6-7. I think these are a good few verses for me to reflect on for this weekend. These are really beautiful, calming, reassuring, reflective verses. I love 2 Corinthians. So blessingful. Although our earth is deteriorating, although our flesh is deteriorating, we have our eternal home by God’s side. And we have the Holy Spirit inside of us as a kind of ticket. I want to remember these verses. This Saturday is my father’s first year anniversary. I know that he is waiting to be risen up with Christ. To go to our heavenly dwelling. I can see him forever, once I go to heaven. And he will be without pain. I will be without pain.

“For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” -Verse 14-15. Amen. The gospel. Lord, help me to realize the depths of Jesus’ death and resurrection for us. Too many times I just ignore that fact, and I just accept it as a common truth, not needing any reevaluation or reflection. Help me to love you, and so I may love those who you have also died for.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away behold, the new has come.” -Verse 17. Amen! We are a new creation. Why do we still act like those who don’t know God’s love? Why are we no different? We should be transformed. 

“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” -Verses 18-21. I wish I could just memorize and remember all of 2 Corinthians. This is so much. This is why we should go on missions. To spread the message of reconciliation with God. There are people out there who are empty, devoid, lifeless. They need a message of hope. They need God’s love and a purpose for their meaningless lives. And as believers who have accepted that message and believe, it is our duty to spread God’s love, and in that we must spread the message that God has connected with us once again, by sending His son to be the sacrifice for our wrongdoings. Amen!

Prayer Requests: to stop idolizing things. i have so many idols right now. To use God’s love as a meaning and purpose for my life. To study for finals. 

3.12.15

[qttimewithsandr]

1:20AM. I'm so sorry for missing again. I guess I just feel too comfortable. Wow, I'm not even disciplined in devotionals. 

My mom's going to North Korea soon. I need to pray for her.

I talked to Amy today and I felt a lot better. Can't wait to see her this weekend. This weekend is also my father's 1st anniversary. 

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Devotional/Thoughts on 2 Corinthians 3

"...our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit." -Verses 5-6 God is so gracious that He gives us enough godly wisdom so that we may be ministers of His word. That is so weird to me. I've been thinking that I was lacking these days... as a small group leader. Possibly. Maybe. God is trying to tell me that I should be in a way evangelizing to my kids? Not sure. Possibly. Maybe they aren't full hearted believers?

...okay I switched from reading the Bible online to using my Bible because my mom told me the word of God is powerful and should be read literally. And also because I wanted to encourage my roommate next to me to read the Bible. But I'm reading 2 Corinthians 2 and its sounds totally different from what I wrote about two days ago. Okay, I don't know, but I'll be reading from the Bible from now on.

This next part is such a beautiful passage. It is Paul talking about God's glory and about our hopefulness of when Jesus Christ comes and lifts us up to a higher glory. A lot of these verses are put into songs "...and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." -Verse 17, "...with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord..." -Verse 18. The second one being in one of my most favorite Christian songs, Soon. Through Christ, our veils are lifted. Right now, I am in a veil. I can't see God's glory that well, because I have not been humble. I run away from God's arms because I seek to rely on myself. I am selfish and I love my flesh, so I refuse His word. That is me right now. Clearly. Because I don't do my devotionals everyday. I don't pray everyday. But that needs to change. Because we are "being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." -Verse 18. Such a beautiful verse. Does my life look like I am being transformed like Christ?

Prayer Requests: to study. I am not studying. I don't feel the urgency. I have a serious problem. Am I going to fail college? Possibly. I really suck.

3.10.15

[qttimewithsandr]

1:06AM. Today, I was angry at church.

When I shared about my feelings of just my overall emotions of uncomfortableness at church, I got rebuked by both Christian and Pastor Jae. I was intensely frustrated. I remained silent for the rest of staff meeting cause I was so pissed off. But I think Satan was subtly planting seeds of bitterness inside of me. I just wanted to be understood. I just wanted to be comforted. I just wanted to be prayed for. Especially these days, when those kinds of relationships are just so lacking. I just don't have a close person to do that with. It sucks. But I'm trying to get close to these people here at SB. 

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Devotional/Thoughts on 1 Corinthians 2

"I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power." -Verses 3-5. I think these are good words to take mind of and be acted upon. We should humble ourselves as we head out to the mission field. I think it's good just as Paul says, to clear our minds to be filled only of Jesus, so that when we minister and evangelize it would be Christ-centered and God-breathed. 

I want to see and experience what God has prepared for me.

"What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us....“Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ." -Verse 12, 16. Only the Spirit of God can understand what God is thinking and what He has prepared, and the depths of His love for us. However, Christ dwells in us and our body is where the Holy Spirit dwells. Therefore, we can discern and understand God's love for us, although we can never fathom the depths, the extent, and the future planned out for us. "God open our eyes towards a greater glimpse." We yearn as Christians to see God and to understand more of His love for us. 

Prayer Requests: church, still. I just don't feel comfortable to share anymore in staff meeting either. I feel like I am being judged, or not welcomed, or something, it's just not comfortable. I'm not that excited about going on senior trip. It's just whatever for me right now. Hopefully, it gets better. I don't really care anymore honestly. If I love God, He will bless me. If I love my fellow believers, God will bless me. And that's all.

3.8.15

[qttimewithsandr]

3:20 AM. Why is it 3:20AM... 

I dislike this! It feels way too early to be this late...

I watched 3 episodes of my favorite KPOP star in his new drama~

wahhhh, it's so amazing, and such a good drama!!! *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Devotional/Thoughts on 2 Corinthians 1

"...the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." -Verses 3-4. Yes. We find comfort in God. He is our ultimate source of comfort. What does that mean? We should rest in God despite our struggles. I need to do this. I need to rely on God. I need to love Him. So that I may love others. Loving others also means being able to comfort them due to me loving God. Due to me being comforted by God.

"Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again." -Verses 9-10. He gives us trials so that we may depend on Him. I want to depend on you God. Church for me is so difficult. This is your house. But I do not feel comfortable there. Help me to go to church to love you. Help me to see church as a place for your will to be done. As a place where I will follow your commandments and love you; in result loving others.

"For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory." -Verse 20. Amen! Amen! Let your will be done, God!

Even my devotionals are getting shorter and shorter. To be honest, my spiritually life is kind of becoming a standstill. I don't really feel myself growing that much anymore. I think it is largely due to the fact that I am simply not growing at church. I have no small group leader that keeps me accountable or prays for me or shows me God's love at church. I have no small group that I can share my testimony with, have fellowship with, and have prayer requests with at church. I have no EM Pastor that is interested in my life and interested in taking care of me and praying for me. Yet I find myself not relying on God for all this. So I will diligently pray from now on, for the revival of Canaan church, and if it is in His will, for me to do something about it. Make a change or something. Because I know that I am going through this tribulation right now for a reason. And I know it is by God's will because I am standing strong in my faith and seeking a better situation for Canaan. Canaan is supposed to be the promised land, yet I do not feel welcome here. I will wait until the end of this church school year. If the situation does not change by August/September (when the grades go up one and seniors graduate), I will make a change. I will take it as a sign from God, because I will hopefully have diligently prayed until then.

SoW was also difficult today. I think I have been too nice. These kids are not the same as when I was in SoW. There is just too much lack of respect for me, and any other teacher when we teach. There's too much talking, and I understand now why Esther teacher is always burnt out by the end of practice. For the first time, I actually got mad today at the kids. I even told Brandon to stop distracting the kids. I felt bad, but what could be done? They were not listening. Esther jundo told me one time that leadership really makes or breaks the group. We are still trying to figure out how to make the kids' perspectives change. They are just seeing the importance of practice and they don't have the right attitude. I think next week, I am just going to have to give them a pep talk, and be mean if I have to, although I really don't want to. 

3.7.15