Indicatives before Imperatives

Gospel, Grace

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 20, No. 8 ( August 2025) Throughout the Bible, the indicatives of grace always precede the imperatives of law and obligation. (James B. Torrance, Worship, Community and the Triune God of Grace, 70) Divine indicatives give rise to divine imperatives. This is the Bible’s underlying grammar. Grace, in this sense, always gives rise to obligation, duty, and law. (Sinclair Ferguson, The Whole Christ, 168) In the Bible, the form […]

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“TO THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORY”: God’s Purpose in Redemption (Ephesians 1:3-14)

Glory of God, Grace, Redemption

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 17, No. 9 (September 2022) After his opening greeting, Paul launches into his Epistle to the Ephesians by praising God (“Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”) because he “has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing” (1:3). He then enumerates a number of these blessings which makes Him worthy of praise, namely: Election 1:4Love 1:4Adoption 1:5Grace 1:6,7Redemption 1:7Forgiveness 1:7Knowledge of his

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CELEBRATING REFORMATION 500: What, Why, How

Grace, Reformation

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 12, No. 8  (August 2017) “Reformation Day,” and “Reformation Sunday” on the Sunday immediately preceding, is celebrated every year in Lutheran and other churches in commemoration of Martin Luther’s posting of his 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg; this act is commonly seen as setting in motion the discussions, debates and conflicts that resulted in what we now call the Protestant Reformation. This year there

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Important New Testament Worship Passages (Part 8)

Church, Edification, Glory of God, Grace, Lifestyle Worship, New Testament, Revelation and Response

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 9, No. 1  (January 2014) 7. PRINCIPLES OF WORSHIP IN 1 CORINTHIANS a. The Principle of Grace For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which

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