William Graham Tullian Tchividjian is a Florida native, the pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, a visiting professor of theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, and a grandson of Billy and Ruth Graham. A graduate of Columbia International University (philosophy) and Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Tullian is the author of Do I Know God? Finding Certainty in Lifeʼs Most Important Relationship (Multnomah), Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by Being Different (Multnomah) and Surprised by Grace: God’s Relentless Pursuit of Rebels (Crossway). When he is not reading, studying, preaching, or writing, he enjoys being with people and relaxing with his wife Kim and their three kids Gabe, Nate, and Genna. Tullian loves the beach, loves to exercise, and when he has time, he loves to surf.
Thoughts on Romans 7 and 8
For most Christians, our faith is defined by what we do, what we don’t do, the causes we believe in, the problems we solve, etc. The Sermon on the Mount smashes external form of righteousness. Righteousness is not a matter of what we do, but rather why we do what we do.
One of the most common motivations of not committing bad behavior is the consequences.It is important to note that sometimes when people refrain from unethical behavior it is not because of purity of heart. And the goodness of a deed can be destroyed by the motivation that inspires it. The last temptation is to do the right deed, for the wrong reason.
God is not concerned with any kind of obedience. God is concerned with a certain kind of obedience. That is why it is so important to understand the distinction between law…and gospel.
The law of God is good. It is a perfect reflection of God’s perfection character. It is a mirror and it shows us who we are, and what we need. It shows us what God requires, and our incapability of meeting those requirements.
The determining factor is not our obedience, but instead it is Christ’s obedience for us.
Preoccupation with my obedience makes me morbidly self-centered, a neurotic narcissist. Sanctification really is forgetting about ourselves, depending on our justification.
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