In his sermon "Lord, smite this sin," Thomas Watson addresses the essential role of Scripture in convicting believers of their sins and advancing holiness. He argues that the pure and spiritual nature of God's Word should lead Christians to not only seek comfort but also embrace the reproof it offers. Citing Psalm 119:140, Titus 2:15, Proverbs 25:12, and Acts 7:54, Watson illustrates the transformative power of biblical admonition, emphasizing that love for the Word manifests in a desire for heart-searching ministry and active rejection of sin. The practical significance of this message lies in the encouragement for believers to view reproof as a divine kindness, necessary for spiritual growth and the mortification of sin, reflecting the Reformed doctrine of total depravity and the need for sanctification.
“Many loved the preached Word only for its eloquence and notion... but not to have their lusts subdued or their hearts purified.”
“A corrupt heart loves the comforts of the Word, but not the reproofs.”
“Let a righteous man strike me. It is a kindness. Let him rebuke me. It is oil on my head.”
“A nipping reproof prepares for comfort, as a nipping frost prepares for the sweet flowers of spring.”
Auto-generated transcript • May contain errors
Pristine Grace functions as a digital library of preaching and teaching from many different men and ministries. I maintain a broad collection for research, study, and listening, and the presence of any preacher or message here should not be taken as a blanket endorsement of every doctrinal position expressed.
I publish my own convictions openly and without hesitation throughout this site and in my own preaching and writing. This archive is not a denominational clearinghouse. My aim in maintaining it is to preserve historic and contemporary preaching, encourage careful study, and above all direct readers and listeners to the person and work of Christ.
Brandan Kraft
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I spent the majority of my adult life building something I didn't know had a name. It started with the Scriptures and a lot of late nights. It ended with one sentence that generates every theological position I hold, from the nature of God to the nature of heaven and hell, without contradiction. One sentence. Thirty chapters. Sixteen appendices. And if you accept the sentence, everything else follows.
Most systematic theologies start with a list of doctrines and work through them one by one. This book starts with an ontological claim - that everything that exists is a thought in the mind of God - and derives everything from that single proposition. This is not a rearrangement of existing theology. This is a paradigm shift. Since Augustine imported Plato's metaphysics into the church in the fourth century, every major system of Christian theology has been built on a foundation the Scriptures never laid. This book identifies that foundation, names it, traces its influence across sixteen centuries, and replaces it with an ontology derived from Scripture alone. If the claim holds, this is the most significant shift in the theological starting point since Augustine. And I believe it holds.
This is not a devotional. This is not a commentary. This is a systematic theology built from the ground up by a computer programmer with no seminary degree, no denominational backing, and no one's permission. It uses the vocabulary of information theory, computer science, and quantum physics to describe realities that traditional theological language has never been able to reach. If you are a scientist who suspects that information is fundamental to reality but can't bring yourself to call it God, this book speaks your language. If you are a sovereign grace believer looking for a system that follows the logic all the way, this book does that. And if you have been told that the sharpest doctrine produces the coldest heart, this book ends with the widest arms you have ever seen in a Reformed theology.
The digital edition is free. The truth doesn't come with a price tag. - Brandan Kraft
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Isaiah 53:10, Rom 8:28-30, Psalm 23, grace, love one another
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