A Poor Wretch

One Baptist’s studies in biblical, historical, systematic, and practical theology

  • John Owen on training oneself to be negligent

    …for although men do not choose and resolve to be negligent and inadvertent, yet if they choose the things that will make them so, they choose inadvertency itself as a thing may be chosen in its cause. And let not men think that the evil of their hearts is in any measure extenuated because they […]

  • John Owen on rationalizing sin by remembering God’s faithfulness

    When upon thoughts, perplexing thoughts about sin, instead of applying himself to the destruction of it, a man searches his heart to see what evidences  he can find of a good condition, notwithstanding that sin and lust, so that it may go well with him. For a man to gather up his experiences of God, to […]

  • Christian Reflections on the suicide of Robin Williams

    Regardless of the circumstances, the suicide of actor Robin Williams is a terrible tragedy. I won’t remark on William’s particular case, because the truth is that I don’t know. I didn’t know him personally. I do know that suicide is almost always complicated, and I can readily sympathize with others who have also struggled with […]

  • Van Til — The Federal Vision Connection

    http://godshammer.wordpress.com/2014/08/09/van-til-the-federal-vision-connection/  The connection is in Van Til’s thought we cannot know what God knows. There can be no identity of content. All the Reformed confessions are the Christian system, but they’re not the divine system of theology. And, if that’s the case, that leaves theologians, or whoever, open to interpreting Scripture in various ways. If […]

  • A Baptist rebuttal to Dr. R. Scott Clark’s 117-word explanation of paedobaptism

    Dr. Clark’s statement: The Abrahamic covenant is still in force. The administration of the Abrahamic covenant involved believers and their children (Gen 17). That’s why Peter said, “For the promise to you and to your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call” (Acts 2:39). That’s […]

  • An encouraging quote from Bunyan on the difficulty of prayer

    “May I but speak my own experience, and from that tell you the difficulty of praying to God as I ought, it is enough to make your poor, blind, carnal men to entertain strange thoughts of me. For, as for my heart, when I go to pray, I find it so loth to go to […]

  • D.A. Carson on the balance of already-not-yet New Testament eschatology.

    In one sense, therefore, the church lives in a remarkable tension between what is “already” and what is “not yet”: Christians already enjoy something of the kingdoms benefits—acquittal before God, possession of eternal life, the presence of the Holy Spirit as the down payment of the final inheritance, the forgiveness of their sins, deep fellowship […]

  • Kill all lust, not just the lust which bothers you most.

    Hence is that of the apostle: “Cleanse yourselves from all pollution of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1). If we will do anything, we must do all things. So, then, it is not only an intense opposition to this or that peculiar lust, but a universal humble […]

  • John Owen on the need to be constantly fighting against sin

    Sin doth not only still abide in us, but is still acting, still labouring to bring forth the deeds of the flesh. When sin lets us alone we may let sin alone; but as sin is never less quiet than when it seems to be most quiet, and its waters are for the most part […]

  • Conviction and anguish over sin cannot save you from hell – William S. Plumer

    Do not believe that your convictions are too deep and too strong ever to leave you. They are perhaps not stronger than those of Felix when he trembled, of Herod when he heard John and did many things gladly, of Ahab when he humbled himself, or of king Saul when he lifted up his voice […]