The Tulip Driven Life

By: Thomas F. Booher 2 Corinthians 13:5 is an exhortation for Christians to examine themselves to see if they are in the faith. It says that Jesus Christ is in you, unless you fail the test. This is not because failing the test takes Christ from you, nor does the passage mean that passing this test is how you came into union with Christ in the first place. No, the reality is that passing this test is evidence that Christ is in you, because Christ works in believers both to will and to do His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13). This test is a working out of your salvation with fear and trembling (2:12). It is a check on how well you are putting to death the deeds of the flesh by the power of the Spirit. In my experience, and taking the temperature as best I can of American reformed preaching and teaching today, it seems right to say that we are no longer preaching the necessity of sanctification in order to obtain final salvation. Put another way, it seems to me we do not really teach, ...

By: Thomas Fletcher Booher Something that seems to be gaining popularity lately (or at least, I am hearing it more lately) is this idea that all we need (or at least the only need worth mentioning in sermons) is resting in our justification. That is, if we remember that we have been once for all saved and covered by the atonement of Christ, we will be lead to renewed joy in our salvation, and thus our apathetic hearts will be spurred to fight sin with renewed vigor without guilt or fear of condemnation.  To that I say yes, we need to fight sin without feeling like we are condemned, but what about the call to by the Spirit put to death the deeds of the flesh (Rom. 8:13)? In fact, that passage in Romans says if we put to death the deeds of the flesh, we'll live, but if not, we will die. What does this mean? What does Hebrews 12:14 mean when it says we are to strive for a holiness that, if we do not attain, we will not see the Lord?  I believe this means that we ...

This is Nathan Fox's first post for the TDL. I would like to first post his bio, so you can see where the Lord has brought him thus far. His actual post will follow.  Early Life The Lord blessed me to grow up in a Christian home. Both parents are heavily involved in our church, but beyond that, have taken the time grow our family through Christian principles and values. I grew up and professed faith in Christ at the age of 9, and attempted to grow in both my knowledge and application of the Bible. I loved going to church, loved reading and learning God's Word, and even more so, loved to talk about Jesus. However, as time went on, some very troubling sins creeped into my life, and ultimately took a hold on me in high school. High School Years I came to high school a quiet, calm, and kind young man (if I do say so myself). I never attempted to get into trouble, never sought out problems, and typically associated with the right people. By the time I was in high ...