Therefore

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called... (Eph 4:1).

This blog is an experiment. An expedition into quite possibly the most significant word in our Bible... "therefore." By the superintending of the Holy Spirit, "therefore" declares that Christian theology is far more than an exercise in mental gymnastics. It is, in fact, an explanation of reality and, as such, makes demands on our lives. Or, in a word, it always has a "therefore."

Hence the experiment of this blog. I am not seeking to necessarily defend the Biblical and historical foundations of Reformed theology or the points of Calvinism (if you need help here, visit the guys at Team Pyro, or JP at Desiring God, or my pastor at Pulpit Magazine), although I do believe that the practical implications of these doctrines are, in fact, a powerful defense in and of itself. Rather, I intend to unpack the "therefore" of these wonderful verities and explore the function of Biblical theology for the Christian life.

By His grace, I hope to post and reflect upon the Scriptures and the writings of pastors and theologians, both past and present, to uncover how the solas and the doctrines of God's sovereign grace inform a robust life of service to the Lord Jesus Christ and for the glory of God. Thus, my title, "The Prostrate Calvinist."

For, as the Doctor once commented, there is a very real danger...

Some people are naturally intellectual; they have been given minds by God above the average, perhaps, and they enjoy reading and studying and reasoning and handling great truths and doctrines. Their particular danger is to spend all their time with doctrine and to stop at doctrine.

…and, consequently, a very real exhortation.

In the light of this word therefore we must say that sanctification is not a gift to be received; it is rather something that has to be worked out in the light of the doctrine. It is an imperative, it is a command. In the same way it is clear that sanctification is not an experience, for the Apostle uses the form of an exhortation. It is most important that we should understand the relationship of these things to one another. All the great experiences to which the Apostle has been referring, and about which he has been teaching, are simply designed to encourage us to 'work out' our sanctification, our salvation, 'with fear and trembling'. The doctrines and the experiences provide us with the motive for sanctification. They are intended and designed to create a desire within us for sanctification. They are designed to show us the possibility of sanctification by reminding us of the power that works in us in order that we may work it out.

(D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Christian Unity: An Exposition of Ephesians 4:1-16, pp. 15, 17-18).

So, while this blog is primarily for my own edification, please feel free to stop by and ponder awhile, and consider how the sovereign grace of God must therefore change the way you live.

Soli Deo Gloria