Different Kind of Glory: Jesus Is More than a New Moses
If they listened to Yahweh in the Old Testament, now they must listen to Yahweh in the New Testament through the Son.
There’s only one imperative in the transfiguration narrative. The voice from the heavens tells the disciples, “Listen to him” (Matt. 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35). As many have rightly pointed out, this alludes to something told to Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15: “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from... Continue Reading
Woeful Woke Wonders Weakening the West
Now even this classic pic is verboten.
In the 2005 interview, Zimmer said, “It was just somebody really celebrating. But it wasn’t a romantic event. It was just an event of ‘thank God the war is over’ kind of thing. It wasn’t that much of a kiss, it was more of a jubilant act that he didn’t have to go back, she... Continue Reading
Testifying of Christ: The Holy Spirit’s Ordering of God’s People
The Holy Spirit of God wants us to trust in Christ.
God the Father has an eternal plan, God the Son accomplished the means for that plan to be fulfilled, and God the Spirit completes and perfects that plan directly in the world. Bringing harmony to creation, revealing God’s plan to his people, and special empowerment of unique leaders of God’s people at significant points in... Continue Reading
3 Things to Know about Esther
Esther and Mordecai—both by their sinful, fearful actions and their righteous, faithful actions—carry out God’s unthwartable and resolute blueprint to “do good to Zion” (Ps. 51:18).
It might appear that everything in the book of Esther is happening by chance, but the heavenly-minded reader will appreciate that there is a masterful Playwright orchestrating all things for the good of His covenant people—those who love Him and are called according to His purposes (Rom. 8:28). There are no accidents in God’s providential... Continue Reading
The Order of Salvation: Sanctification (Definitive)
The Spirit who has made us holy, will bring his work to perfection.
Definitive sanctification encourages progressive sanctification. As the Apostle goes on to write, “So then brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.” (Rom. 8:12) Through our union with Christ, we are empowered to live by the Spirit. Definitive sanctification does not take away our responsibility to pursue holiness, but... Continue Reading
What God Is Jordan Peterson Wrestling With?
Jordan Peterson knows something about reaching people in our age that the church can learn from.
There are some things that Christians could learn about how Jordan Peterson engages so successfully with his audience. First, lean into reenchantment. This is a big reason why the Eastern Orthodox church has such an appeal today. Hyper-rationalistic Protestant theology or the emotion laden evangelical style don’t speak to this longing to reconnect with an enchanted world.... Continue Reading
The Left’s Convenient Scapegoat
Hyperbolic attacks on “Christian nationalism” do nothing to make our country less polarized.
The notion that white evangelicals as a group are more desirous of political power than other religious groups is simply a myth. So why all the attention to white evangelicals instead of other politically active religious and non-religious groups? The shock of Trump’s victory in 2016 sent much of the media and academia looking for a... Continue Reading
The Image of God: Rest
The blessing of Sabbath rest in Genesis 2 is re-iterated as a command for Sabbath rest in Exodus 20 and then re-gifted to us in Mark 2—because we forget! We are fickle, forgetful people.
Rest is part and parcel of living in God’s story. And this is a story that precedes us, a story we live in now and forever. The writer of Hebrews in the New Testament says, “There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.” This is why the Bible so closely connects the principle... Continue Reading
Do you Know the Cross of Christ?
No other message contains such extraordinary power. We are claiming that there is but one valid understanding of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
What God did on Calvary was far more than all that the brilliant achievements of mere man could ever accomplish. The transference of guilt from the souls of an innumerable company to the God-man required not only vast mercy, but also unimaginable divine energy. It required that same omnipotent love and might that made a cosmos... Continue Reading
Rumblings of Revival among Gen Z?
The display of grace-filled gospel Christianity is irresistible for many.
The old way of thinking about apologetics or seeker ministries was to avoid the hot topics. But Vance can testify that young people aren’t put off by these conversations. On the contrary, they lean into them because they’re hot. The cultural craziness of the moment is an opening. I love Tim Keller’s definition of... Continue Reading
The Order of Salvation: Adoption
Our adoption is through, in and unto the persons of the Holy Trinity.
Adoption is an accomplishment of redemption. It is not an accomplishment of creation. The very act of adoption assumes we were previously in a state of alienation. Being born did not somehow put us in better standing with God. The scripture says: “I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive... Continue Reading
Paul on Christian Liberty in Galatians 5:1
Since we are free from law as a means of justification, we are now free to obey the law out of gratitude since we know this pleases God.
Jesus came to set us free, not enslave us to the law. All of the Protestant Reformers agreed upon this point and spoke of its importance. This is the doctrine by which the church stands or falls. If Christian liberty is not the defining characteristic of the Christian life, then the doctrine of justification is... Continue Reading
“Society Says” Relativism
Ethics can’t be explained by culture because it’s a moral rule that applies to culture.
Moral reformers typically judge society from the inside. They challenge their culture’s standard of behavior and then campaign for change. If morality is defined as the present society’s standard, though, then challenging that standard would be an act of immorality by definition. Social reformers would not be moral after all, but rather moral outcasts precisely... Continue Reading
The Lord’s Lessons in Our Failures
The famous problem of pain is keeping the hope alive that you’ll find God with you on the other side of that darkness even while going through hell.
I’m captivated by this moment on the Sea of Galilee in John 21. Whether intentional or not, I love the image of Peter diving into the water. He’s still audacious, but he’s not grandiose. He does not attempt to run across the water or make a leap of faith or stand proudly at the bow.... Continue Reading
The Struggle for Soul in Christian Higher Education: Burtchaell Was Right, and I Was Wrong, Part I
Only the orthodox will survive, and they will have to take care.
After some positive comments about the St. Olaf of the 90s, he mysteriously pronounced that: “Other indicia suggest the Midwest college is entering a divestiture of its Lutheran identity that, though much longer in coming, could be swifter in its eventual accomplishment.” Other schools—Azuza Pacific and Calvin—were assessed quite positively, but Burtchaell had little confidence in... Continue Reading
Triage in the Trenches: When Do Second-Tier Issues Divide?
Finding clarity on the rationale for first-tier issues, while recognizing the spectrum of health within second-tier issues, will give us a better tool with which to perform the crucial task of teaching, correcting, rebuking, and training in righteousness.
Many paedobaptists and credobaptists frequently find themselves in near total agreement on the substance of the fundamental doctrines of the faith. Thus, it is no surprise that, armed with such substantial agreement, such paedobaptists and credobaptists have found themselves “together for the gospel.” Differences over manhood and womanhood, however, are a different matter. Such differences are... Continue Reading
Perfected Love
There is a cost to love.
John goes so far as to say that if we love one another God abides in us. Love is a telltale sign that our faith is functioning according to new life in Christ. By it we gain assurance of our salvation. More than that, John tells us that His love has been perfected in us. John does not... Continue Reading
Encouragement for Those Who Aren’t Resting on the Sabbath
It’s a day that God calls us to observe in his word.
The Sabbath is an opportunity for us to be a blessing to others—to be in fellowship with the people of God, to encourage them, and to serve them. It’s a day of service—gathered in worship and then outside worship in fellowship with God’s people. The Blessings of Sabbath If I were in a position... Continue Reading
Jesus, Children and the Kingdom of God
Jesus is saying that we cannot enter his kingdom thinking that we are important, or hanging onto the things that give us status.
Jesus turns our world’s ways on their head. For those of us with nothing to boast in, it is wonderful news. But for those who have spent our lives scrambling to be near the front of the queue, it is a sharp rebuke and challenge. The question Jesus presses upon me is, ‘Have I come... Continue Reading
Decisive Moments: The Fall of Jerusalem
In April of AD 70, Titus besieged Jerusalem, causing horrific suffering in the city due to famine.
For the Jews the greatest tragedy of all happened in September of AD 70. The Romans got into Jerusalem and they destroyed and desecrated the temple. In fulfilment of Christ’s prophecy in Matthew 24:2, not one stone was upon another. The entire temple complex was razed to the ground, never to be rebuilt. According to... Continue Reading
Apathy and the Forsaking of Remembrance
Keeping the Strength of Christ Near Unto Our Heart
It is not until we are humbled by the reality of what the Gospel teaches, that Christ has died for the ungodly, and we give up our feeble claims to might and self-identity that we can come and take on the yoke of Jesus our Lord. Yet, in some sense that only gets at the... Continue Reading
Facing our Failures
Lessons from Peter's Denial
Peter went from being scared of the Jewish people to preaching to thousands. How? What changed between Peter’s thrice denial to a few months later preaching Christ in the temple? Peter met the resurrect Christ, was restored to office, and received the Holy Spirit. The weakest Christian is the one who relies on their own... Continue Reading
It Is Possible to Remain Faithful in an Oppressive World
Don’t be defeatist. Keep on serving God, day by day.
When you see the culture degrading and moving farther from the true God, don’t think that faithful living is impossible. There were many who remained faithful in the time of King Ahab and there are faithful believers in much more difficult situations around the world right now. God’s promises remain true. We can continue to... Continue Reading
Sacred Meditation
Intentionally Sowing Thoughts that Honor the Lord
Let us immerse ourselves in Scripture, committing it to memory, dwelling on it, and saturating our thoughts with the Word of God. Let us sing the psalms, filling our minds with praise. Let us revisit the weeks, months, years, and decades past, meditating on the countless instances of God’s faithfulness, filling our minds with thanksgiving.... Continue Reading
Evangelical Assumptions About the Christian Life
We need to recall the great and precious promises of abundant life he offers and remember that we do not need to be held captive to this world and our sinful desires.
Do not forget what he has called you to. Our time is limited. “Live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God” (1 Peter 4:2). If we are bored with the Christian life, I would suggest it is not Christianity leaving us unfulfilled.... Continue Reading
“Their God Is Their Belly”: Gluttony and Faith
Even in actions as mundane as eating and drinking, we need to glorify God.
Food is good. It nourishes us physically and brings us together socially. Eating can be a real pleasure. Food is a blessing from God that should be enjoyed. Gluttony, however, is a sin. And it represents an undeniable danger to our godliness. As God’s people we should supplant it in our lives with self-control and... Continue Reading
Gay Weddings & the Christian
God’s Word makes clear that there are places that a Christian must never be seen (1 Cor 8:10; 10:14, 21).
While we cannot signify any approval of homosexuality, we can still prayerfully find dozens of ways to keep blessing, befriending, and loving our gay friends and family and seeking to tell them of the only Savior for sinners (Matt 9:36–38; Col 4:2–6). We must also take their questions sincerely and give them gospel answers with patience... Continue Reading
What Does the Bible Have to Do with My Life?
The Bible is difficult, the Bible is challenging, the Bible demands more from me than I want to give, but where else am I going to go? It has the words of eternal life.
The Bible contains 66 books written by 40 authors over 1,500 years on three continents over more than a dozen different genres. And yet they all tell the same story of the same God. The Bible is a theological book that shares true history, but even when it is telling true historic facts, it doesn’t... Continue Reading
The Triune God Helps Us with Sexual Temptation
God has given us his Holy Spirit, who gives us new hearts and changes us from the inside-out.
We’re not the first to face this struggle. The judgment of Jesus, the holiness of God, and the resources of the Holy Spirit will help us honor God in this area. We have every reason to strive for holiness, even when our temptations and the surrounding culture are against us. The Thessalonians lived in... Continue Reading
Worship as Thanksgiving
We are recipients of pervasive, abundant, and undeserved grace, and therefore we ought to be grateful.
The Christian life is an experience and expression of gratitude, but Christian worship is an engagement in the corporate expression of thanksgiving. A person can be grateful without giving thanks. He may feel gratitude in his heart, but if it is not expressed, it does not glorify God. We may safely assume all ten lepers... Continue Reading