A Tough Means of Grace: Profiting from the Rebukes of Others (2)
As we saw in the last post (Part 1), the path to wisdom is paved with the hard yet precious stones of reproof. Yet our ability to profitably accept rebuke and correction is not something we stir up by sheer will power, nor is it something that “just happens.” There are five vital steps we [...]
A Tough Means of Grace: Profiting from the Rebukes of Others (1)
Our ability to consistently receive correction, admonishment, and rebuke from others is a quality essential to our making enduring progress in our spiritual lives. There are no two ways around this truth: either we will readily receive correction and enjoy the fruits of godly wisdom, or we will entrench ourselves against reproof and gradually, but [...]
Gleanings from Proverbs, Part I: Considering Abominations
We don’t use the word abomination very often. It is not a part of our everyday vocabulary. In a sense, this is good. Words that we use often can tend to lose their ’punch,’ whereas, words that we don’t hear as often usually cause our ears to perk up and take a closer listen. The word abomination, despite its scarcity in our [...]
Contradictions or a Perfect Balance: Thoughts on Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes, Part III
Secondly, we must maintain a canonical understanding of these three texts. Kidner writes, “Some of these dissonances…urge us forward to the New Testament; others again are still with us, putting into words the ‘groaning in travial [Romans 8:23] which the New Testament itself accepts as irreducible in the present age” (Kidner, 124). Otherwise, how can [...]
Contradictions or a Perfect Balance: Thoughts on Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes, Part II
How Should we Teach Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes? First, it is best to allow each text to have its full force. One must be careful to not take the edge off of God’s Word by attempting to rescue it from its apparent incongruities. Kidner points out that “this single minded pursuit of their respective interests [...]
Contradictions or a Perfect Balance: Thoughts on Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes, Part I
A wrong understanding and application of Scripture can bring great confusion to one’s life and severely wound a soul. Shepherds who truly love their flock will make it a priority, then, to not only teach the Scriptures accurately, but also apply it to their people with great care and precision. The latter is just as [...]
Hearing before we answer: Thoughts on Proverbs 18:13
If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.–Proverbs 18:13 What if I told you that we are not entitled to critique something or someone until we have demonstrated understanding of what we are critiquing? If we took this little rule to heart, it would probably have a large impact on [...]
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