Esteban Gaviria

“Paul says, ‘For through him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father’ (Eph. 2:18). Our access to God, in order that we might have communion with Him, is ‘through Christ’, ‘by the Spirit’, ‘to the Father’.” — John Owen

“In the eyes of many in the world, I’m a fool and any preacher is a fool. That’s all right. That gives God all the glory when people hear fools and are powerfully transformed.” —John MacArthur

“Get an assurance that Christ is yours, and pardon of sin yours, and divine favour yours, and heaven yours; and the sense of this will exceedingly quiet and silence the soul under the sorest and sharpest trials a Christian can meet with in this world.” Thomas Brooks

@ostrachan I appreciate those zealous young men who have had the courage to raise their voices to point out the dangerous theological implications of EFS/ESS/ERAS. The doctrine of the Trinity is a hill worth dying on.

Over the last ten years, we've seen the spread in the Christian academy of what you could call Trinity Derangement Syndrome. It's been a strange phenomenon, akin to a mental takeover, and it's been so powerful that it's led some young men to post obsessively about certain positions they hold. This trend puts such young men in danger of losing sight of balance, charity, and sobriety in theological formation. These Zealous Young Men do not see theology as a challenging pursuit of truth that necessitates humility and carefulness. They see theology as an opportunity to throw down AT ALL TIMES. This kind of young man is a hammer, and every issue is a nail. He cannot wait to show that he is part of the Athanasian Vanguard ready to dispel the unsoundness of the Neo-Arians. If there is a show-down on social media over some finer point of Trinitarian theology, like a well-bred hunting dog hearing a high-decibel whistle, you can be assured that he will show up to the fight within seconds. Over the last ten years, I have encountered a batch of these guys. I commend their zeal for truth, and I usually enjoy conversing with them. As the years have gone on, it's been encouraging to see a number of these guys privately write me and apologize about their handling of disagreement over the Trinity. It's not that they agree with me on all counts, necessarily. It's that they have come to see that they fell prey to an approach to theological disagreement on high-level matters (that are genuinely hard to sort out) that leaves no room for disagreement. God works on all of us convictional men, me included. He humbles us, convicts us of sin, and matures us. Part of what he does in this growth process is help us see that every issue is not equally black-and-white. This is actually part of why seminary is so good for you (when done well and maturely). It's not that you're just handed a list of principles that you mindlessly memorize and repeat back. It's that you learn to think, to disagree well, to assess whether issues are primary or secondary or tertiary, to see the weaknesses in your own position, and to show charity to others. If any of this sounds worthwhile, I encourage you to listen to the interview below. Sean Demars and I talk in a few places about Theological Triage and about disagreeing well. This is a lost skill today, and we need to help Zealous Young Men decrease their blood pressure, slow their breath to a normal rate, put down the sword they've taken up to slay all opponents of their precise view, and do theology with conviction but also with humility. I want good for them; they are sinners just like me who need God's mercy on a daily basis just as I do. We've seen the rise of Neo-Fundamentalism in the academy. Ironically, some of it has come in under the banner of high-minded ecumenism. We've been watching over time as some of the leaders of this movement which once seemed so promising have revealed themselves to be something different than they seemed to be. That's had the effect of opening a lot of eyes to the pitfalls of the broader system they championed. At any rate, here's hoping for better and more mature days ahead. And while we're at it, here's hoping for Theological Cancel Culture and Trinity Derangement Syndrome (yes, it's a real thing) to die a rapid death, with a clear do-not-resuscitate mandate. youtube.com/watch?v=IoR_c9…

"Consider how by former afflictions the Lord hath made thee more partaker of his Christ, his Spirit… consider how by former afflictions the Lord hath made thee to look towards heaven more, to mind heaven more, to prize heaven more, and to long for heaven more." Thomas Brooks

“Dios provee una fortaleza inesperada cuando nos sobrevienen pruebas inusuales. Los cobardes hacen papeles de hombres, los insensatos reciben sabiduría, y a los silenciosos les es dado en el preciso instante lo que han de hablar”. Charles Spurgeon

“The higher the waters rise, the nearer Noah’s ark was lifted up to heaven; the more thy afflictions are increased, the more thy heart shall be raised heavenward.” Thomas Brooks

“God's eye is always upon them that fear him, not to keep distress from them, but to quicken them in it, and give them as it were a new life from the dead.” Stephen Charnock

“In time of crosses, losses, and miseries, it is the wisdom of believers to look more upon the crown than upon the cross, to dwell more upon glory than upon misery, to eye more the brazen serpent that is lifted up, than the fiery serpent that bites and stings.” Thomas Brooks

“Let believers remember these things and take courage. The cross may be heavy now, but the glorious reward will make amends for all. Here some drops of joy may enter into us, but there we shall enter into joy.” J. C. Ryle

“The believer may have much tribulation, but great consolations lie ahead. Heaviness may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. The day of Christ's return will surely make amends for all.” J. C. Ryle

“This is Christianity: [Jesus] imputes His life to the believing Christian.” — John MacArthur

“False teachers are soul-undoers.” Thomas Brooks

«Dios controla el bien y el mal. Dios no mira de lado o es tomado por sorpresa cuando la adversidad nos golpea. Él tiene el control de esa adversidad, dirigiéndola para Su gloria y nuestro bien». —Jerry Bridges

“Trust providence in the greatest extremities … when we are most desolate, we have most need of this exercise, and have the fittest season to practise it; he is always our refuge and our strength, but in time of trouble a present help.” Stephen Charnock

“One of the great things we can anticipate understanding in heaven, next to the great work of redemption, is the harmony and consent of those things that seemed to be contrary and how they worked together to bring about the end that God purposed.” Stephen Charnock

“The providence of God is infallible, because of his infinite wisdom; indefatigable, because of his omnipotency; and righteous, because of his goodness.” —Stephen Charnock