Confessions review

Augustine’s Confessions has a curious structure. It is divided into 13 chapters. The first nine read like autobiography; Augustine tells the story of his life concentrating on all the sins he has committed. He confesses them, and then he points constantly to God who is the real object of Augustine’s attention. Lots of things we can learn and ponder from these nine chapters. But, then, in Chapter 10, the book takes a rather stunning turn for those reading it for the first time. Chapter 10 is … [Read more...] about The Structure of Confessions

“Repent and believe in the gospel.” Jesus says that at the outset of the gospel of Mark. This has become one of those “church phrases,” often used in Christian circles and everyone nods and knows exactly what it means.  Well, everyone knows exactly what it means until you start asking what exactly it means. Consider the word “repent.”  As I have heard in numberless sermons, it means turning away from your past sins, expressing sorrow for those past sins, asking for forgiveness … [Read more...] about Cheap Repentance