Posts by Fred Sanders
“It Is The Lord!” (Sermon on John 21)
Here’s the video and written text of a sermon I preached at my home church on April 22, 2024. Because the written text was originally a script for oral delivery,…
Read MoreProportional Blessing
When I guest preach in a brand new place, it’s likely to be on Ephesians 1:3-14. I’ve lived in that passage long enough that I know what I’m doing in…
Read MoreHow to Learn from Other Kinds of Christians
The Student Ministry at my church (middle school and high school) has been studying John 13-17 for a few months. The Pastor of Student Ministry invited me to join their…
Read More“Quite …Able to Communicate”
There’s a little story in Brother Andrew’s classic book God’s Smuggler that always comes to mind when I think about what Christians have in common. The gist of it is…
Read MoreCoordinating Exegesis
Gregory of Nyssa takes up the Nicene faith and sings it in the key of life: We believe in the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Pet 1:3) who…
Read MoreGrace Times Three (Davenant on Colossians)
When John Davenant (1572-1641) hits the word “grace” in the opening of Colossians, he has much to say. His Colossians commentary is admirably copious (about 900 pages). But he’s never…
Read MoreErskine on the Son’s Presence
Ralph Erskine (1685-1752) wrote voluminously but not systematically, so tracing out a line of thought in his work can be a challenge. I’m jotting down some notes here on a…
Read MoreOn Consideration, Book V (Bernard of Clairvaux)
One of the last writings Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) completed was his Five Books on Consideration. The whole work is fascinating and worth reading: it’s essentially advice to one of…
Read MoreBut Super Cahoots
People who tend to think of the three persons of the Trinity as three distinct individuals, each with their own individual center of consciousness (maybe a differentiated self-awareness knotted together…
Read MoreMark’s Start
If you’re already familiar with the other Gospels, Mark can be startling. How in the world can he leave out so much? How can he start the story of Jesus…
Read More“To Offer Him Any Attention”
There’s a scene near the end of Pride and Prejudice where Mrs. Bennet has a social opportunity to say characteristically foolish things to Mr. Darcy. Alert readers are apprehensive! But…
Read MoreIambics to Seleucus (Amphilochius)
Amphilochius of Iconium (ca. 345-404) was the bonus Cappadocian: he did not attain unto the three, and his works are not well preserved for us, but he was right there…
Read MorePrecept, Prayer, Promise
God commands us to do a good thing. We hear the precept, but what if we despair of our ability to carry it out? What can we do? We can…
Read MoreTrinity in the Bible (Handout)
One of my favorite things to do as a teacher is show Christians how to see the Trinity in the Bible. I like to teach a three-session series on the…
Read MoreEasy Trinity, Hard Trinity
There’s a kind of back and forth involved in teaching about the triune God. You have to be able to state the doctrine briefly, but be prepared to unfold it…
Read MoreReading a Nativity Image
Let’s look at a nativity image. Around Christmas, you see birth-of-Christ imagery of all kinds, simplified or elaborated with a variety of details and variations. Things are left out, things…
Read MoreJourney of the Word (Lessons between Carols)
1. Genesis 3: God Promises a Redeemer In the beginning, two trees stood in the midst of the garden. There was the tree of life, and there was the tree…
Read MoreBenefits of Faith in the Trinity
“What benefits do we receive” from believing each doctrine we believe, asks the Heidelberg Catechism. This recurring question about benefits is a hallmark of the catechism, inviting the reader not…
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