Josh

Husband, father, pastor. Living life in the Midwest.

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Last Notes

2026-10-06 00:50:42 UTC

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It was a good day. This particular river is known for walleye so I had that going for me. The catfish was a surprise. I actually reeled it in on a light panfish rod which added to the intrigue.

2026-09-26 19:31:26 UTC

Caught a couple walleye trolling the shad rap this morning. And a big cat on a slip bobber and crawler.
https://blossom.primal.net/758b8ae268211ef1359f6996fa7f9455e33ef0fc61600ec44ec74407fc480ac1.jpg
https://blossom.primal.net/baf4a84f049d213a1616677e14b96a2cc11d00592a1687a875ed1a525fda2a19.jpg

2026-09-21 23:48:05 UTC

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Big business loves big government.
#nevent1q…98tz

2026-09-10 17:12:23 UTC

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Nothing like bribing people to vote for you with their own money. Hope Americans begin to understand the government can give you nothing it doesn't first take away from you.
#nevent1q…hzpl

2026-08-29 21:05:46 UTC

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https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheGraceShed?etsrc=sdt

2026-08-29 20:58:01 UTC

It's been a while, but it feels so right.
#handmade #etsy #maker
https://blossom.primal.net/4d91fcf55f8dec7c572a19c84705b58cd6039c8c34ac5fe7a5fb94ee1f7153e9.jpg

2026-08-29 14:27:04 UTC

It's been a pretty good summer. Couldn't have been a more beautiful day in the northwoods yesterday.
https://blossom.primal.net/1d0f0a17ce0f6c0a77b1329bc91f26493b1281d191d5ed627a9c15e7b9ad3e51.jpg
https://blossom.primal.net/062a5c2280dfadb74e5e6d4420fcaadfef307fe6d81b35de86dc00333f0a00e4.jpg
https://blossom.primal.net/1d4ead02e3c3c9b30cf2074722db3c1aa1e3d1e24b37b0ab72b8ca08ddcfb17c.jpg

2026-08-18 19:34:58 UTC

Don't Presume on God's Patience
https://blossom.primal.net/13a049492327a529296d96908079db9acf08b0a4da1166004a1a6bdc41d1652a.mp4

2026-08-17 21:46:33 UTC

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Finally.
#nevent1q…cn77

2026-08-06 02:35:36 UTC

This isn't getting old.
#fishing #pike
https://blossom.primal.net/641a97803f461ab7802e5311a79fcd48113024fb0bd8aa4b49b67f7fd5b377e2.jpg

2026-07-29 18:14:16 UTC

Weary with Sin?
#semperreformanda #biblestr #christianostr
https://blossom.primal.net/4a59fe83961ef8b235a255040eb0ed94e209fcbe7a7a12bbdd55081e59c18e99.mp4

2026-07-28 20:18:36 UTC

"When a society rejects rationality and individualism, it eventually has to twist God's Word too." - from Redeeming the West, Libolt, Brunton, Graber
#philosophy #christianity

2026-07-25 20:37:59 UTC

Caught a nice smallmouth yesterday. He put up a good fight.15 in. Into the breading he goes.
#angling
https://blossom.primal.net/689a3431886b33ae9d62ab09c712d7d6408bf561f478eb9f1066679230770cae.jpg

2026-07-01 22:47:52 UTC

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Thanks! Hadn't seen my rod bend like that in a while.

2026-06-30 20:21:57 UTC

Spent some time on a boat last week. Leveling up the angling know-how for the sake of posterity.
#angling #fishstr #getoutside
https://blossom.primal.net/52b0a90d914f5cafe473a0eece2b32015b9280d245a5b960a7ff0261645cf46e.jpg
https://blossom.primal.net/c3b88305717b2bb003df45f1113dcd95eb5166513a769a49a4770284193888b2.jpg
https://blossom.primal.net/7642f0b6a88bacedd390941d2ac5405ea8dfc6d0ca7902f688a5126675bbfe43.jpg
https://blossom.primal.net/fdb359382a01fd1b5dd4bd847e637f58acf0465f8eaba6696bbff2ec46e0521f.jpg

2026-06-20 00:10:37 UTC

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The pioneer spirit must live on.
#nevent1q…pmy4

2026-06-12 17:13:33 UTC

Hooked something this morning anyway.
#fishstr #angling
https://blossom.primal.net/50d070a235c8d9ee61481a227f75bfbcff5172302a31d6a2033fdd014f13eef4.jpg

2026-06-10 20:46:49 UTC

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By public, doesn't he mean the state? Isn't there a word for a system of government where the state owns the means of production? The public can buy as many shares as they want on their own with their own money, should they choose to do so. A little bit of communism is too much, and will lead to more.
#nevent1q…6jkm

2026-06-09 17:24:53 UTC

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All immigrants should be vetted extensively before entering your country. They must prove they understand and will uphold your country's constitution. And they ought not receive any welfare courtesy of the state but be gainfully employed and earn their own living. It's not about race. It's about protecting people's rights, which is the whole purpose of government.
#nevent1q…c8nc

2026-06-06 14:23:43 UTC

Well said.
https://blossom.primal.net/19604a7c424b4e20bf440ed2a928d4f02c8d4704875def06881bf0e820d4e43e.jpg

2026-06-06 00:22:19 UTC

MidBest.
https://blossom.primal.net/7fef156167ad93aecac2c645aafd74bc94d7c69f37ee855adf058ba8bdd47195.jpg

2026-06-05 21:02:59 UTC

Trying out a popper with a trailing worm. Beautiful day on the lake.
#fishstr #angling
https://blossom.primal.net/5337eea8289de7dc32c7108f3d31f4f5998b425f69cda8075a4813aabfe77033.jpg

2026-06-03 13:13:27 UTC

Idolatry is subtle. Make God your goal.
https://blossom.ditto.pub/ed756c14d50f75301258835f82b125894e0b7a3300a8d93c893d6c543c9d36b7.jpeg

2026-06-03 02:14:53 UTC

Beautiful evening at the water's edge trying out some new tackle.
#fishstr #angling
https://blossom.primal.net/8913a12456c3898ec6336eb1c0e8e85ac95f574f3cf95e1f0a5d2bef05053dd5.jpg

2026-06-02 15:15:48 UTC

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Good trade.
#nevent1q…sycj

2026-05-28 13:48:34 UTC

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Keep your nose in the wind.
#nevent1q…cyew

2026-05-28 12:57:03 UTC

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Huh. Is this part of the pension plan?
#nevent1q…grvk

2026-05-28 12:40:36 UTC

Proof of (half) Murph.
#provideandprotect
https://blossom.primal.net/29f774a298f4a828b977a88aa60c227d51bb3bce4ea41cae43ab0d2fe6005160.jpg

2026-05-27 17:52:25 UTC

We might see less of a groundswell in favor of female pastors if the men in that office didn't act quite so much like women.
https://blossom.primal.net/01fec94b9d2927dc9eb966869bafe602e257f93499db1ebf6df89b31fd43cc8f.png
#semperreformanda

2026-05-26 19:25:57 UTC

Sin is not in your best interest.
#semperreformanda
https://blossom.primal.net/667b7e2b99ca8a32d581095a7c54626f3f51d32a2ebef45c2edce23c10603fcf.mp4

2026-05-23 23:34:07 UTC

Good day on the river yesterday.
#nature #universeovermetaverse
https://blossom.primal.net/8815a7ba95205bc8e4515fde2d56e6011837f8068fddde9a85d473293ea55c2a.mp4
https://blossom.primal.net/805105884ac7a5af5e18d1635664c045923876780be7c7aaa1a48e347e8521ec.jpg

2026-05-12 16:05:57 UTC

If you are really preaching the gospel, you should at some point be misunderstood as teaching antinomianism:
"If a man’s preaching is, ‘If you want to be Christians, and if you want to go to heaven, you must stop committing sins, you must take up good works, and if you do so regularly and constantly, and do not fail to keep on at it, you will make yourselves Christians, you will reconcile yourselves to God and you will go to heaven’. Obviously a man who preaches in that strain would never be liable to this misunderstanding. Nobody would say to such a man, ‘Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?’, because the man’s whole emphasis is just this, that if you go on sinning you are certain to be damned, and only if you stop sinning can you save yourselves. So that misunderstanding could never arise . . .
Nobody has ever brought this charge [antinomianism] against the Church of Rome, but it was brought frequently against Martin Luther..." -D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

2026-05-12 00:33:13 UTC

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Nobody is claiming Augustine held to Reformed theology. I have zero problem with Warfield's quote. It agrees with what I have been taught and read. The claim was a historical precedent for Reformed theology *regarding perseverance*. Is it a completely developed doctrine in Augustine, formulated precisely without any contradiction in any of his writings? I doubt it. But as they say, "Not even Augustine has read all of Augustine." Still, you can't read what I just quoted and not see at least the seeds of the doctrine in his teaching, not to mention the Scripture he cites. Doctrine develops over time. Contradictions are identified and resolved in the midst of controversy.

2026-05-11 18:30:27 UTC

Them: "Reformed theology regarding perseverance is an innovation with no historical precedent."
Augustine: "Whosoever, therefore, in God's most providential ordering, are foreknown, predestinated, called, justified, glorified...These truly come to Christ, because they come in such wise as He Himself says, "All that the Father gives me shall come to me, and him that comes to me I will not cast out;" John 6:37 and a little after He says, "This is the will of the Father who has sent me, that of all that He has given me I shall lose nothing." John 6:39 From Him, therefore, is given also perseverance in good even to the end; for it is not given save to those who shall not perish, since they who do not persevere shall perish."

2026-05-10 23:59:29 UTC

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I said that with reference to your view that a justified person can lose their justification.
I'm saying a person is justified by faith alone and not by works. If this is true, then nothing can separate a person once justified from the love of God in Christ (Rom.8:38-39). Not even disobedience. And that should move a person to far greater obedience than Rome's carnal theology ever could. That is the biblical gospel, and there is no other.
Faith is a grace, the work of God, not of man. The grace of faith *rests* on Christ for perfect righteousness and full payment of sin as the only ground of justification.
So yes, anything a person does for justification is not faith but rather a dead work (Gal.2:16).
According to your theology, that would include your whole life as a Roman. I hope it isn't true, but it seems very likely. You should repent.

2026-05-09 20:17:28 UTC

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Any work done for justification is backbreaking labor. At any rate, your first justification which you think you have isn't worth much unless you reach the second. Perfection is a long way off for a mortal man. It would be easier to lay your burden down and come in by the gate.

2026-05-09 20:08:14 UTC

33. Formalist and Hypocrisy
And as he was troubled thereabout, he espied two men come tumbling over the wall on the left hand of the narrow way; and they made up apace to him. The name of the one was Formalist, and the name of the other Hypocrisy. So, as I said, they drew up unto him, who thus entered with them into discourse.
Christian: Gentlemen, whence came you, and whither go you?
Formalist and Hypocrisy: We were born in the land of Vain-glory, and are going for praise to Mount Zion.
Christian: Why came you not in at the gate which stands at the beginning of the way? Know you not that it is written, that he that comes not in by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber?
Formalist and Hypocrisy: They said, That to go to the gate for entrance was, by all their countrymen, counted too far about; and that, therefore, their usual way was to make a short cut of it, and to climb over the wall, as they had done.
Christian: But will it not be counted a trespass against the Lord of the city whither we are bound, thus to violate his revealed will?
Formalist and Hypocrisy: They told him, that, as for that, he needed not to trouble his head thereabout; for what they did they had custom for; and could produce, if need were, testimony that would witness it for more than a thousand years.
Christian: But, said Christian, will your practice stand a trial at law?
Formalist and Hypocrisy: They told him, That custom, it being of so long a standing as above a thousand years, would, doubtless, now be admitted as a thing legal by any impartial judge; and besides, said they, if we get into the way, what matter is it which way we get in? If we are in, we are in. You are but in the way, who, as we perceive, came in at the gate; and we are also in the way, that came tumbling over the wall; wherein, now, is your condition better than ours?
Christian: I walk by the rule of my Master; you walk by the rude working of your fancies. You are counted thieves already, by the Lord of the way; therefore, I doubt you will not be found true men at the end of the way. You come in by yourselves, without his direction; and shall go out by yourselves, without his mercy.
To this they made him but little answer; only they bid him look to himself.

2026-05-09 01:07:28 UTC

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Roman Catholicism is a caricature of the actual catholic faith.
Trent anathematized anybody believing sola fide. That is, the gospel. There is no other gospel, as Paul teaches in Galatians. Phil. and James don't mean what you think they mean. Infused righteousness is useful for sanctification, not justification. That Rome teaches a person can lose their justification is all you need to know to conclude Rome's gospel is no gospel at all. I do not care that they say it is of grace. It is actually of works; their position is logically inconsistent. They talk out of both sides of their mouth. Every false teacher maintains he is still preaching the gospel, but is it actually? I am saying their argument is flawed, and if taken to its logical conclusion entails a rejection of the only legitimate pathway to reconciliation with God, which is faith alone. So far as I can tell, you don't understand the meaning of justification by faith alone and think it entails antinomianism. Nothing could be further from the truth.
My only hope for you and others like you is that the faith you believe is better than the one you articulate, because there is no salvation in what you describe. Rome's religion is man's religion dressed in Christian clothing, a tale as old as the garden. You should repent. Maybe your faith in Christ is sincere, God will judge, but at the very least you're very confused. Sincerely seeking God isn't what justifies, it is faith alone in Christ alone.

2026-05-08 02:26:13 UTC

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I believe Calvin is talking about the doctrine of implicit faith wherein a Romish church member is said to believe everything the church believes without knowing what the church believes.
You believe Christ's sacrifice enables you to work to attain righteousness. Protestants believe Christ's righteousness is received as a gift. One of those is good news, and the other is not.
It is no hostility to tell people the truth (Gal. 4:16).
Are Muslims sincerely seeking God, and do you seek unity with them as brothers in Christ?Where do you draw the line in your ecumenism? I draw mine at the gospel of God's free grace.

2026-05-07 15:53:22 UTC

Rome is not your home. Repent and put your full confidence in Christ's goodness.
"We do not obtain salvation either because we are prepared to embrace every dictate of the Church as true, or leave to the Church the province of inquiring and determining; but when we recognize God as a propitious Father through the reconciliation made by Christ, and Christ as given to us for righteousness, sanctification, and life. By this knowledge, I say, not by the submission of our understanding, we obtain an entrance into the kingdom of heaven. For when the Apostle says, “With the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation,” (Rom. 10:10); he intimates, that it is not enough to believe implicitly without understanding, or even inquiring. The thing requisite is an explicit recognition of the divine goodness, in which our righteousness consists." -John Calvin's Institutes 3.2

2026-04-30 19:46:00 UTC

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Not much is getting cheaper these days, but CrowdHealth is.
#nevent1q…k40e

2026-04-30 17:42:45 UTC

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This is the way.
#nevent1q…u7vn

2026-04-28 19:32:05 UTC

Where is God in suffering?
https://blossom.primal.net/8c4ec7be48df39b84e9ae16d46929f24bdadd268b634160fb344f7fb6a3d48e7.mp4
#semperreformanda #preachtheword

2026-04-07 17:34:33 UTC

If God declares you righteous, your own good works will form no part of the basis on which He does so.
#semperreformanda #thelawandthegospel
https://blossom.primal.net/de7197151ca29991f97c53549fda113ca57442b37425dc9ff73a5e98c25aa06b.jpg

2026-04-02 14:29:23 UTC

Scripture does not teach that good works are necessary for a spiritually dead person to reach life.
It does teach that it is necessary for a person who has reached spiritual life to do good works.
https://blossom.primal.net/c9a0509d803a2ce56c6e1225d07dcbe0688e6feed5f3804f67d5c221ae1ebbcd.jpg

2026-03-31 20:48:03 UTC

Are you ready?
https://blossom.primal.net/fe4072c86e6e70558d367a3b9b61bd12305175ba307f5fd4f57511ebfcd07e1b.mp4

2026-03-31 02:24:44 UTC

Looking through some old photos and found a shot of my favored mount from my wrangling days in the Montana wilderness. This boy had some horsepower.
https://blossom.primal.net/709b198762ca87f39ac3c0eba27af1d07f0f31edbe9007bac9274f0ad054eaf0.jpg

2026-03-30 21:36:07 UTC

Chicks are growing up. Liking the Easter Eggers.
https://blossom.primal.net/ca8cca20cd633762368acbbc32591f9792d306020e5075dcad06c7264bbc1e57.jpg

2026-03-30 02:26:46 UTC

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It's therapeutic.
#nevent1q…j5qy

2026-03-28 17:54:32 UTC

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It's pretty to look at and better to taste.

2026-03-28 17:54:03 UTC

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Not as of now. Maybe in the future.

2026-03-28 00:04:41 UTC

Filtration process needs some fine-tuning but we got 'er in jars. Best syrup I've tasted.
#maplesyrup #sapstr
https://blossom.primal.net/b94d5d7e047057ac19ceec3fc37980ad4c9ce764e9934e06c7b53fc86ea858bd.jpg

2026-03-27 22:42:57 UTC

Getting close...
#maplesyrup #sapstr
https://blossom.primal.net/2ba6eb366700151baeaa243106391004d57934a213fbe9b9b149a155dfcbd7cb.jpg

2026-03-26 16:27:24 UTC

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Yeah, I have seen those out there. Not sure how they work either. Maybe we'll upgrade someday. It is the best. Great on ice cream too. I used to drink the Crown maple whiskey when they had it. I still have to try mixing it in myself. Fun tradition worth handing down.

2026-03-26 13:07:59 UTC

It is of vastly greater importance that you teach your kids to worship God on Sunday than it is they participate in sports.
Even if they become an Olympic champion, it's not going to be much benefit if they lose their soul.
#semperreformanda
https://blossom.primal.net/4e38732191da2bb6a738249c7ce51d65363547ed96f06c684e6ad2260ae80e21.jpg

2026-03-26 02:51:30 UTC

Time to get some more sap rolling. Barrel cooker was today's DIY project with the kids.
#maplesyrup #sapstr
https://blossom.primal.net/6169085b7ced7b728cd4ddf69b9c689ade746e84a428b604e042489cc6c5fe60.jpg

2026-03-19 22:43:17 UTC

Starlink now has a residential plan for $50 a month up to 100mbps. In case nobody told you like nobody told me.

2026-03-19 02:33:23 UTC

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Ceremonial laws like circumcision are fulfilled in Christ. They are shadows. Christ is the substance. You can do what you like with them, but they are obsolete.

2026-03-18 14:42:26 UTC

Good morning. Paul told the Galatians that if they became circumcised, Christ would profit them nothing (Gal. 5:2). But in Acts 16:13 he himself circumcised Timothy. Either Paul was a hypocrite or the issue in Galatians is not circumcision itself, but circumcision done in an attempt to be justified, which is what 5:4 says.
The same principle applies to any work done in an attempt to be justified, including baptism or the Lord's Supper or helping a neighbor. It would mean you are severed from Christ.
The Whole Christ is received by faith, apart from any works, and in Him is eternal life.
#gm #grownostr #thelawandthegospel #biblestr
https://blossom.primal.net/70298a0054cd32c2d8afa0d135388994b9c6dc90b9fa7711cae3b35bbef69dc1.jpg

2026-03-17 22:45:10 UTC

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There is a difference between authority and inerrancy. Scripture is inerrant. The church isn't. Therefore whatever Scripture says has the authority of God behind it. The same cannot be said for whatever the church says.
I never trusted an authority to tell me what is and isn't canon. I read the books myself. I certainly took the testimony of the Protestant churches to heart as part of that process. I tried reading non-canonical works. But Scripture speaks unlike any other book. It makes better sense of the world than any other book. It reveals a path of salvation unlike any other, and all the individual books speak of the same truth, different voices, without contradiction. The manuscript evidence shows that there is no significant alteration or variation in the texts over spans of hundreds or even thousands of years. It doesn't trouble me that some churches have different canons. Just like I'm not bothered by some people who say that 2+2 might equal 5. (They do exist.) I weigh the evidence and make a rational judgment. Many other saints down through the ages have made the same judgment. Christ preserves His church. I have not seen any evidence to suggest the Protestant canon is a novel tradition. You identify and understand Scripture by reason. You receive it by faith. The apostles' teaching forms the keys to the church, and their teaching is accurately and sufficiently summed up in the Scriptures of the NT.
"Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason - I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other - my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen." -Luther

2026-03-17 14:58:03 UTC

2026-03-17 14:12:34 UTC

2026-03-17 13:00:57 UTC

Good morning. If you expect to complete your justification by your own good works, you are under a curse (Gal. 3:10-11).
Justification is a one-time declaration that a person is righteous in God's sight based on the merits of Christ. Believe the good news.
"For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations,” Says the LORD of hosts." -Mal. 1:11 https://blossom.primal.net/dacc2ad980f55e232f706330cf0dbd80b117940844c442655bccd97d2d5c6566.jpg
#christianostr #biblestr #thelawandthegospel #wedistinguish

2026-03-16 20:36:35 UTC

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"The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed, depends not upon the testimony of any man or church, but wholly upon God (who is truth itself), the author thereof; therefore it is to be received because it is the Word of God."
https://www.the1689confession.com/1689/chapter-1
The church doesn't make Scripture God's word. It recognizes that it is God's word. Just like an apple doesn't have to say it's an apple to be an apple. That's what it is. It's not an orange no matter how many people agree it is. 2+2=4 even if the whole world says it isn't.
We could go on and on. I hate seeing people, especially younger guys with families, "go home to Rome." There's nothing for you there.
Ask your priest what he thinks the Galatian heresy was about. Ask him what he thinks Paul meant when he called all of his own works "skubala" with respect to gaining Christ and being found in Him (Phil. 3:8).

2026-03-16 13:05:52 UTC

"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing." -John 6:63
"Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?" - Gal. 3:3
#biblestr #christianostr

2026-03-15 01:09:57 UTC

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A lot of religions make a lot of remarkable claims. It doesn't mean they're true.
Scripture is the Protestant's magisterial authority. It is the law and the gospel of Christ our king. He wrote it to reveal things to us in a way we could understand. Have you ever noticed how many times in the gospels Jesus asks the question: "Have you not read?"
We have no magisterium. Christ rules His church from heaven by His Word and Spirit. This does not mean we do not have ministerial authorities. We have living teachers, pastors, scholars who have the Spirit of Christ living and working in them. We also have great regard for creeds and confessions. It just means we do not consider them authorities in themselves. (Don't trust, verify.) They are subject to the word of God. Members of churches are also subject to the authority of the church, and if they teach or live in such a way that is contrary to the church's belief, they may be put under discipline. We have no popes in Protestantism: we believe it is right for each of us to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. That includes submitting our interpretation to another and being willing to accept correction, especially from a faithful pastor or other church leader.
What is baffling to me about other traditions is that they seem to doubt their ability to interpret the Scriptures accurately themselves, but at the same time they seem very confident in their ability to interpret the church fathers' interpretation of Scripture. Claiming these church leaders had extra-biblical revelation (hidden knowledge) via spoken word, regarding the fundamentals of the faith, not included in Scripture, and asserted after the time of the death of eyewitnesses to the risen Christ, is quite a problematic, and, in my view, very cult-like claim.
There is no getting around using your own individual rational mind to come to a conclusion. The way to determine the truth of any matter is not to ask who the person (or group) is who is saying it--it is to determine whether it conforms to reality or not.
A well-informed Protestant will not argue that it is Protestants who made the hard fork. The Reformers sought to retrieve the teaching and practice of the ancient church. The claim is that Rome veered off. The claim is that we are more catholic and apostolic than you are, and you got into novelty regarding the substance and essence of the faith, particularly regarding the authority of Scripture and the way of salvation.
To paraphrase the apostle Paul, "...even if we, or an angel from heaven, or a bishop or bishopric that claims direct succession from the apostles by the laying on of hands, or a pope who is the supposed head of the church and direct successor to Peter, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed." As I understand it then, Trent is the hard fork. Apostolic succession is irrelevant if it has failed to preserve the true gospel as handed down by Paul in his written letters (which certainly would not contradict his spoken word).

2026-03-13 12:47:51 UTC

"...a Christian man has in his faith all that he needs, and needs no works to justify him ... they who imagine that they are fulfilling the law by doing the works of chastity and mercy required by the law (the civil and human virtues), might not be confident that they will ... be saved; they are included under the sin of unbelief, and must either seek mercy or be justly condemned." —Luther, On the Freedom of a Christian
#gm #grace #thelawandthegospel #wedistinguish
https://blossom.ditto.pub/1275ad70d0b895a0b6c447433a883a873afab24fa5faa717154d5e71303e6132.jpeg

2026-03-13 12:23:36 UTC

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🫡 Onward.

2026-03-13 01:46:55 UTC

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Oh man. We had one crawl under the truck and up under the hood into the engine area. Could not get it out. Trying to be proactive and keep them from getting a foothold this year. But they got a duck already one night. And the coyotes heard it and came and picked off a chicken later. Too many varmints.

2026-03-13 00:54:02 UTC

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They're out of control. This is #3 already.

2026-03-12 14:51:55 UTC

Raccoon warfare season 2 is underway. #provideandprotect #homestead
https://blossom.ditto.pub/60a2d29394b2d6b8d640902e3314127e6b420dab2f4e0f3037a15df9d7e527bc.jpeg

2026-03-12 12:41:47 UTC

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Exactly. 👍

2026-03-12 12:39:22 UTC

Jesus said, "My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matt. 11:30).
You lose this the minute you make your own works part of the basis on which God declares you righteous in His sight.
It doesn't matter if you claim they are works carried out by God's grace.
The entire weight of God's perfect law is hung around your neck like a millstone.
You must accomplish it to gain eternal life.
That is not good news.
https://blossom.ditto.pub/d5ae628ea6a0531bb1076521f8b750a168060f368a749d9f53a228d8e15ce2a2.jpeg
#christianostr #biblestr #gm

2026-03-11 16:26:28 UTC

"This free grace of God is always exposed to that charge of antinomianism...If you do not make people say things like that sometimes, if you are not misunderstood and slanderously reported from the standpoint of antinomianism, it is because you do not believe the gospel truly and you do not preach it truly."
-D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
https://blossom.ditto.pub/fa9fa54e30da4ecc2309c6239d843dedb74d670c836fbe1713fb2c29ab75c327.jpeg

2026-03-11 15:27:48 UTC

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Amen.

2026-03-11 13:55:48 UTC

Eternal life isn't a gift if you can lose it by disobedience.
#christianostr #biblestr #gm

2026-03-11 13:47:41 UTC

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Understood. That sounds a lot more like probation than sonship. So much of the NT appeal to obedience is an appeal from identity: you are sons, therefore act like sons. You have been crucified with Christ, therefore die to sin and live to righteousness. It seems your view would completely undercut any motive to obedience from identity. The effect of Rome's teaching (no matter their supposed objection) is that I might be a son, but I have to choose to keep obeying to really find out. This makes sonship much more of an achievement than a gift of God's grace. As you say, you must choose. It's a relationship that can end. Therefore, I conclude, it is a relation based on works rather than grace. I don't see how in your view the NT is in any way essentially different from the OT. "If you obey, then you'll live."
Roman Catholicism has no appeal to me. I think I understand it pretty well. I was taught some of its distinctives by teachers who thought they were teaching Protestant theology. It is very easy to slip into the Galatian heresy. It is far easier for the mind of of the flesh to comprehend. The god of Rome is far too fickle and his medicine far too weak to save my soul. I have been far too acquainted with the depths of my sin. I agree with Charles Spurgeon: if I could lose my salvation, I would.
My interest in RC is merely speculative and experimental, for the purposes of evangelism and defending the truth. (I do not recognize a genuine Roman Catholic as a brother, because Rome clearly teaches a different gospel; indeed, a different religion when it comes to the substance of it, though there is agreement with Christianity in important areas).
It is amazing to me that someone could say that a person who is in limbo between a state of righteousness and sin (grace and flesh) could enjoy the blessing of being seated in the heavenly places in Christ. That is the Holy of Holies. You must be covered in blood and washed to enter there. Some provisional or temporary covering could never suffice in light of God's holiness. On the other hand, I don't see how it could be an encouragement if Paul is talking about something that a person believing now might never reach in the future.
We also believe in an ongoing, lifelong process of purification for the Christian and for the church. We call it sanctification, and we distinguish it from justification. Justification leads to sanctification. Faith is not a good work (it is the work of God), but it produces good works. A person already made righteous in Christ begins to live righteously. This process of sanctification is evidence of justification, not the grounds of it. If you love the RC Church because they have a catechism, that is no reason to favor it over Protestantism. The Reformed churches have catechisms and confessions of faith as well.
The design of RC seems to be to deny people assurance and keep them debtors to the law and slaves. I don't see any way the gospel according to Rome leaves it open to the charge of antinomianism. You seem to think that is one of the principle virtues of Romanism, and the vice of Protestantism. Curiously, Paul's preaching did leave him open to the charge of antinomianism (Rom. 6:1). If your gospel could not possibly be misunderstood in such a way, do you think it may be possible you're not teaching the same gospel? Think about it.

2026-03-11 01:27:20 UTC

A person is justified by faith.
A person's faith is justified by works.
Don't confuse the two. Distinguish.

2026-03-11 00:14:10 UTC

The Bible teaches that a person is justified by faith. It does not teach a person is justified by faithfulness.

2026-03-11 00:03:03 UTC

Good news: Christ is crucified for you. Believe and you have life.
Not good news: Christ is crucified for you. You have a chance to reach eternal life if you keep the rules.

2026-03-10 22:25:18 UTC

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You who believe in Me, you have eternal life, you will not come under judgment, you have passed from death to life, but, on the other hand, you who believe might not have eternal life, you might actually come under judgment, and you might pass back from life to death. Really?

2026-03-10 22:13:49 UTC

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I have much to say, but I will try to stick with this text: Jesus says the person who believes already has eternal life. In other words, the believer already has possession of unending bliss, and the happy enjoyment of it in Christ, who Himself is the true God and eternal life (1 John 5:20). (Eph. 2:6 goes so far as to say a believer is already seated with Christ in the heavenly places, at the Father's right hand). And He says this believing person does not come under judgment. He says they have already passed from death to life.
Is the Roman position that a person raised from the dead to eternal life (the happy possession of endless bliss) can still die and come under judgment?

2026-03-10 18:37:58 UTC

#christianostr #biblestr #grownostr #faith #christian
#nevent1q…tuln

2026-03-10 18:37:12 UTC

Serious question for the Roman Catholics: What do you do with John 5:24?
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life."
If the person who believes already has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, then how is it that someone in the position of so-called "initial justification" could lapse and fall into eternal torment (which, as I understand, Rome teaches is possible)?

2026-03-10 18:28:42 UTC

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You're right. It's a slippery slope.

2026-03-10 18:26:01 UTC

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That is a steal. I can't throw stones.

2026-03-10 18:24:34 UTC

Have you not heard?
https://blossom.ditto.pub/1c807a94392d4faa7edeea618fff29520e94eb0e00f636df6055e9cb27bfe237.mp4
#goodnews #reformation #christianostr #biblestr #grownostr

2026-03-03 22:54:12 UTC

New chicks.
#homestead #grownostr #selfsufficiency
https://blossom.primal.net/ad09849b8978ceda9c98d0bc68d24a068c835646c86fc83d1bff5d22dd31554f.jpg

2026-02-11 17:22:13 UTC

Great clarity here if you struggle with distinguishing between the law and the gospel. What is the point of the law or in keeping it if eternal life and our entrance therein is not dependent on our obedience to it?
https://blossom.primal.net/72b6b79dbadedf70bffe170dd09e21db568f02fce8f760a6bced668df602d817.jpg

2026-02-10 22:13:28 UTC

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Christ was made sin, not in Himself, but in us. We who believe are made righteous, not in ourselves, but in Him.
#nevent1q…usly

2026-02-05 16:13:05 UTC

The righteousness required to enter eternal life is an alien righteousness.
2 Cor. 5:21 says Christ was made sin so that we might become the righteousness of God. If Christ was made actually sinful, then He cannot be our righteous substitute. If He was *accounted* as sinful, though righteous, then His righteousness likewise may be accounted to us, though we are sinful.
https://blossom.primal.net/fc25a46f79bc32aac5b59ba466b754b7792e3d45d8099dd1e59b4af930cdf64d.png
#christianostr #biblestr #faithalone

2026-02-04 14:45:25 UTC

It is not your righteousness, or any good deed of your own, with or without the grace of God, which forms the ground of justification.
https://blossom.primal.net/d72ff8aed3e05f6bc2ea8d05fc14d9812bf4e0f49f431523511dfeeec1f5fbab.png

2026-02-04 14:35:42 UTC

"Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God." -Rom. 7:4
If Paul claims that Christians have died to the law through the body of Christ, in order that we may bear fruit, how is it that some say Christians are yet duty bound to keep the full rigor of the law in order to gain justification and enter eternal life? How can some (even some who call themselves Protestant and abhor Rome) say your title to eternal life is contingent on a *final* justification, based on your own good works?
And if you are not yet dead to the law as a covenant ("You must do this in order to live."), and Paul says you must be in order to bear fruit, then how can you possibly bear fruit in good works? How can you possibly have power to effect that justification you so desperately need, if you are not yet dead to the law in that sense, and therefore incapable of doing good? How can you call the gospel good news if there is yet within it a threat of condemnation for a failure to keep the terms? (cf. Rom. 8:1)
If you are still trying to earn justification, in whole or in part, you have not yet sounded the depths of that saying, "I have been crucified with Christ..." (Gal. 2:20)
#biblestr #christianostr #repent

2026-02-04 13:59:15 UTC

Protestants do not deny that good works are necessary for salvation. We deny that good works are necessary for justification.
"...both the beginning, middle, and accomplishment of our justification is only in Christ." -William Perkins, A Reformed Catholic
#gm #christianostr biblestr

2026-02-03 19:24:41 UTC

Ladies, are you living a lie?
https://blossom.primal.net/825cbe5c3103b95842a9312f26a4ecd689314a61e0a0a2eb6eacf1296e3eb95c.mp4

2026-02-03 19:20:25 UTC

Christian Individualism vs. Church Collectivism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIG_DNm_cME
#philosophy #reason #christianostr #biblestr

2026-02-02 13:07:32 UTC

What good is justification if you can lose it? What good is initial justification if it is not final?
Gal. 3:21
#faith #christianostr #biblestr

2026-01-29 00:43:38 UTC

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John 18:23...
https://blossom.primal.net/cbe184994b39260ece4045f18a2b431e99d380f9d89c92c034ab6105d233c810.jpg

2026-01-29 00:41:49 UTC

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That's a preacher in Scripture citing Scripture without a reference. Do you not trust the preacher in the book of Hebrews?

2026-01-28 23:51:10 UTC

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I'd say the foundation of any civilization is the virtuous individual. As opposed to wicked and vain individuals. A virtuous individual ordinarily will seek marriage and children and seek for the good of his country, with his own long-range happiness in mind.