Christianity offers you nothing but Christ
by i.burgess on January 31, 2011
“About 12,000 Jews died that day, only a few of the Romans… many died within the temple itself. General Pompey took the fighting right into the temple with his army and saw all the sacred things which none but the High Priests could see. They saw the golden table, and lamp stand and all the [...]
Blessed are the pure in heart
by i.burgess on January 23, 2011
Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. What does this mean? Does this mean that God doesn’t reveal himself to sinners? In that case, the Gospel is meaningless and our faith ought to be in our own ability to do right. If purity of heart means simply a heart which has [...]
Blessed are the Peacemakers
by i.burgess on January 23, 2011
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5:9) Many separatist and marginal Christian traditions throughout church history have been referred to as ‘peace churches’. The Quakers, Mennonites, Anabaptists and others all have been associated with nonviolent resistance and conscientious objection in their histories. In my view, they connect to a strong movement of the [...]
Blessed are the Merciful
by i.burgess on January 21, 2011
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Does this contradict the previous point, for what is mercy if not the mitigation of the expectation of righteousness? When I have heard teaching on God’s mercy, I have been told that is it the relenting of God from his own righteous indignation. In other words, [...]
Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
by i.burgess on January 20, 2011
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. (Matthew 5:6) I came across an article this morning from the BBC. Allow me to quote: An army commander in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has been accused of leading the recent mass rape of at least 50 women. One of [...]
The Meek
by i.burgess on January 18, 2011
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5) I couldn’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard men whinge that the Church is too effeminate and emasculating. To be fair, I agree to a certain extent with that statement but still the objection is often raised that Jesus never advocated that [...]
Those Who Mourn
by i.burgess on January 18, 2011
(Editor’s note: Ian has been unable to continue this blog on the daily schedule this weekend because his computer was at the store longer than expected – Ian Burgess, Executive Editor) Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:4) A young man with a little girl and a beautiful wife was [...]
The Poor in Spirit
by i.burgess on January 14, 2011
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3) “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound! That saved a wretch like me” Contrary to popular opinion, the agony of the soul is not a concept invented by Evangelicals to guilt people into converting to Christianity. One’s awareness of wrongdoing, or [...]
He taught them, saying…
by i.burgess on January 13, 2011
On the 30th of January I am preaching on Matthew 5:1-12. Otherwise known as the ‘beatitudes’, these constitute to some of the most stirring, most memorable words of Jesus’ teaching. In Matthew’s Gospel, these statements are the prologue to Jesus’ whole teaching. These statements make sense of the rest of his life and ministry, and show the [...]
Being in the process of becoming
by i.burgess on January 12, 2011
Last time I wrote, I quoted Kierkegaard on the fear of the Lord. This time I want to pick up an idea which was embedded within that and expend it. Kierkegaard instructs his readers to be in fear of the Lord because one is ‘in the process of becoming’. As if, when one is aware [...]
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