But I wanted to write this in order to put it into the hands of the people from whom I cannot ask back what I have already published and needs correction. … Hence those who are going to read these works should not imitate me in my errors but in my progress towards the better. —St….

If achievement is good, if it is part of God’s design for human beings, then surely it ought to be celebrated. This week we explore reasons for celebrating achievement and ways to do so (and ways not to do so). Why we should celebrate achievement I’ve made the case that achievement is good, that it…

Bohemian Confession of 1535 on Philippians 2:1-4 [Scripture and the fathers] teach… that whoever in this church maintains the unity of the Spirit of Christ should also embrace all of its members in love, and devote and consecrate oneself completely to it and its work. Each member should not introduce sects or incite seditions, but…

In the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine, A wondrous beauty I see For ‘twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died, To pardon and sanctify me. “The Old Rugged Cross,” George Bennard   For people in the United States, the details of the massacre at Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in…

Achievement is an inherently good thing, even though there can be bad motivations for it. This week, we explore the fact that achievement does not occur in a vacuum. All our work and pursuit of achievement occurs in the context of lives lived with responsibilities to others. It is a cliché that high achievers may…

Dirk Philips on Acts 2:5-13 Christ has stepped forward as the peaceful Solomon, our peace and hope before God the Father. Through his apostles who were clothed with power from on high on the day of Pentecost, he has built the temple in Jerusalem, that is, the Christian congregation, and has adorned it with manifold…

We’ve looked at several good motivations for achievement. These include the glory of God, fanning into flame God’s gifts, responsible stewardship, humanity’s created mandate to work and achieve, and so on. But the fact is there are many bad motivations for achievement. From a theological point of view, these motivations can be explained as outworkings…

William Greenhill on Ezekiel 37:3-14 How low, deplorable or desperate so ever the creature is, God can alter it, and that easily. These dry bones were almost dust and had almost come to nothing. Their condition was very deplorable and desperate. The prophet himself could not tell what to think of them. Did not God…

Wolfgang Musculus on Genesis 1:2c Here there is an image of God’s working to be considered. Accordingly, in the midst of tribulations and the shadow of death, however they may appear, God refreshes and revives the hearts of the elect by his spirit and preserves them for the happiness of the light that will follow….

You can imagine the scene—a group of friends chatting over coffee, talking about a mutual friend. She couldn’t be there because she is out of town for that thing she does. It’s one of many things she does well, and her life is full of adventures as her various talents and abilities take her here,…

Martin Luther on Acts 17:16-21 Here Luke describes what happened to Paul in Athens, in order to indicate how the wisdom of God and human reason fit together. Athens was the most famous city, and the Athenians believed that the wisdom of God and human reason were not compatible—nor is this even possible. Now according…

Peter Martyr Vermigli on Genesis 3:1-6 See what he promises to the woman! What did he mean, “Your eyes will be opened”? Were they blind, perchance? Not at all—neither the eyes of her body nor those of her mind. She was not physically blind, else how would she have seen the serpent? How would she have eaten…