T. S. Sinclair

“Happy were it, if puzzled & perplexed Christians would turn their eyes from the defects that are in their obedience, to the fullness and completeness of Christ’s obedience; and see themselves complete in Him, when most lame and defective in themselves.” —John Flavel, Works 1.59

"People can indeed be deceived and/or deceive themselves but the possibility of self-deception and presumption, at least to me, shouldn’t make us immediately run to point inward for assurance." @AKofiCup acupofkofi.substack.com/p/soabout-the-…

“There is no such thing as a neutral reading of Scripture. There is no such thing as turning off my assumptions or my presuppositions in order to approach Scripture.” podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chu…

"... the first root of assurance is totally outside of us in the realities and promises of the gospel; namely, Christ and His work for us freely extended to us in the gospel, and the promises of salvation to all who trust in Him and His work alone." –– Jeffery Smith, “Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation,” in A New Exposition of the London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689, ed. Rob Ventura, 331.

There's no need to list "Grand Rapids," "Wheaton, IL," etc. anymore when you cite a book in a footnote or bibliography. When I require students to write a paper, I include this in my syllabus: "For style, abbreviations, and bibliography on written assignments, follow The SBL Handbook of Style, 2nd ed. (2014)." I just updated my syllabus by adding this to the end of that sentence: "but you no longer need to cite publisher locations." And I footnote this article: “Publisher Locations.” SBL Handbook of Style: Explanations, Clarifications, and Expansions, 5 December 2025. sblhs2.com/2025/12/05/pub…. (Zotero has recently updated the SBL style definition to omit publisher locations in footnotes and bibliographies.) I checked with some publishers (like Crossway and Baker), and they are omitting place of publication as well to follow the Chicago Manual of Style, 18th ed. (2024). That simplifies matters. I like it.

"What is the ground of the Christian’s assurance? It is the work of Jesus for us - His life, His death, His resurrection and His intercession." @AKofiCup acupofkofi.substack.com/p/soabout-the-…

"The incarnation was not the relocation, an act of moving to a new place, by the Word from heaven to earth. It was the assumption, the taking and uniting to himself, of a created human nature by the eternal Son of the eternal Father." – @richbarcellos founders.org/articles/very-…

Discipleship isn’t just information transfer. First and foremost ⬇️ ✳️ It is helping people walk in an intimate relationship with Jesus ✳️ then guiding them in the overflow of obedience. Full podcast with @MattSmethurst ⬇️ t.mtrbio.com/new-churches

"Union with Christ is the foundation for all of your obedience to God. All of your good works as a Christian flow out of your union with Christ. All of your sincere obedience to the law is the fruit of your union with Christ.” - Walter Marshall

Many young people hesitate to commit — always wondering if something better is coming next. But discipleship calls for something different: not endless options, but faithful commitment to godly endeavors.

Charles Bridges on preaching: “It takes as much reflection to know what is not to be put into a sermon as what is. It is not how much can be said but what can best be said. Let us not aim at exhausting ourselves on every point of our subject.”

My advice to pastors who want to preach better is quit reading about preaching and start studying your God. When you are gripped by an infinitely compelling Subject, your sermons will be more compelling too.

The Law/Gospel distinction is “a Protestant doctrine.” @thepactum podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the…

“Taken by itself the covenant of grace is pure grace, and nothing else, and excludes all works. It gives what it demands, and fulfills what it prescribes. The Gospel is sheer good tidings, not demand but promise, not duty but gift.” — Herman Bavinck

“Wherefore when this Word of God is now preached in the church by preachers lawfully called, we believe that the very Word of God is proclaimed, and received by the faithful; and that neither any other Word of God is to be invented nor is to be expected from heaven: and that now the Word itself which is preached is to be regarded, not the minister that preaches; for even if he be evil and a sinner, nevertheless the Word of God remains still true and good.” - Second Helvetic Confession

“Your relationship to that law has changed.” @mike_grimes @PatAbendroth @thepactum podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the…

Faith does not come to Calvary to do anything. It comes to see the glorious spectacle of all things done, and to accept this completion without a misgiving as to its efficacy. It listens to the "It is finished!" of the Sin-bearer, and says, Amen. — Horatius Bonar

Has it yet gripped you that when God looks at you today He sees you clothed in the perfect, sinless obedience of His Son?

Chad Van Dixhoorn: “If you want a ministry that will be forgotten in the future become an expert on all the controversies of the present and preach them each week.” #coramdeopascon

Carl Trueman (in Crisis of Confidence) argues that Paul presents to Timothy the qualification to teach, not to be a teacher. That sounds small, but it’s not, because the teacher’s task is to draw attention to what is taught, not to himself. That means this qualification isn’t about presence or personality, but about understanding doctrine and articulating it clearly.

“There is only one genuine cure for legalism. It is the same medicine the gospel prescribes for antinomianism: understanding and tasting union with Jesus Christ Himself.” learn.ligonier.org/articles/whole…