No Greater Place
Devotional Thoughts from Psalm 84
Charles Spurgeon introduced his thoughts on the psalm in this way: “If the twenty-third be the most popular, the one-hundred- and-third the most joyful, the one-hundred-and-nineteenth the most deeply experimental, the fifty-first the most plaintive, this is one of the most sweet of the Psalms of peace” (from The Treasury of David). Psalm 84... Continue Reading
Little Greek Gems: Confidence in Prayer–Ephesians 1:18
Is Paul praying for the Ephesian believers that the “eyes of their hearts” would be opened for the purpose that might be able to understand OR is he praying confidently for something, knowing that the eyes of their hearts have already been enlightened? I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be... Continue Reading
Book Review: “Beyond Authority and Submission,” by Rachel Green Miller
It is evident that Mrs. Miller defines men and women as substantially equivalent and that the “co-laboring” she sees in Scripture is a partnership of ontological equals.
Because Mrs. Miller has neglected to deal with the relevant ontology, the thesis of her book is unproven and hence fails. However much we may agree on the equality of men and women as images of God, as fallen, and as redeemed in Christ, that does not remove the stubborn reality of ontological differences. At... Continue Reading
The Resurrection of the Body and the Life Everlasting
That has been the consistent teaching of Christianity for the past two thousand years—but somehow we’ve lost sight of it.
Because you will die, you need this hope. We may not think we need this hope now when we’re relatively healthy. But remember: one day you will die. Christianity prepares you for this day and gives you hope even when you face your greatest enemy, which is death. Earlier this year I attended the... Continue Reading
New Hearts for God’s New Covenant People
God will work his law into the hearts of his new covenant people.
When it comes to salvation, what we are hoping and pleading for is for God to change our hearts. When it comes to evangelism, we pray that God would do his sovereign heart-transplanting work in those around us. Then, give him the glory for it all. Redemptive history is an amazing thing. You can... Continue Reading
Were the Earliest Christians Only Concerned about Oral Tradition?
Early Christianity was a religion of textuality, even if most its adherents were illiterate.
There’s little doubt that oral tradition still played a role in the second century and beyond. But, the evidence suggests that there’s little reason to prefer oral tradition as the default, catch-all explanation for the Gospel tradition in the Apostolic Fathers. Over the last number of years, I’ve had the opportunity to spend a... Continue Reading
A Reformed Ministry—And Some Practical Problems
There are no pat answers.
Is it possible that we are treating some things as being of the essence of the faith, when in fact they are only inherited from a past century, or are part and parcel of the twentieth-century middle-class culture? Are we in fact defending and propagating practices that can be dispensed with, without any compromise of... Continue Reading
Divine Aseity and Christian Apologetics
Why God's self-existence matters for defending the faith.
Apparently, we depend on God in every possible way, not just as physical life requires. We cannot hold the simplest thought together without God. We cannot value rightly without God. We cannot see anything as really beautiful apart from his light shining into our hearts and minds. Break free? Of God? Let us rather rejoice in... Continue Reading
What Makes Food Different from Sexual Immorality? (1 Cor. 6:13)
What we eat is inconsequential, but that sexual immorality carries with it the most serious consequences possible.
Among the Seven Deadly Sins as formulated by medieval Christians, the deadly sin of Gluttony was always linked closely with the deadly sin of Lust and sexual immorality (Willimon, Sinning Like a Christian, 133). The fourth-century desert monk Evagrius of Pontus famously called gluttony the “mother of lust.” Even after the Reformation, the Westminster Larger Catechism includes gluttony... Continue Reading
Drew Brees Criticized for Promoting Focus on the Family’s Bring Your Bible to School Day
Bring Your Bible to School Day was launched in 2014 by Focus on the Family to encourage students to “celebrate religious freedom and share God’s love with their friends.”
In the 22-second video titled “Shout Out From Drew Brees,” the 12-time pro-bowler encouraged kids to take part in the national Bible movement. Brees tells the audience that one of his favorite verses in the Bible is 2 Corinthians 5:7, which states “For we live by faith not by sight.” New Orleans Saints star quarterback... Continue Reading
Devotional Minimalism
What you need to realize is that your relationship with Jesus Christ is not just one more priority you need to work on—it is your very identity.
Soccer practice and work commitments are part of life, but they are not life. God is. Your goal is not to survive or thrive in society. Your goal is to glorify God. And yes, society is an arena for that, but when it edges Jesus out of your schedule, you are missing the point of... Continue Reading
Two Christologies & Liberation Theology (Part 1)
With the rise and fall of kingdoms and countries and their respective impact and effects on people groups across the globe, the questions regarding Christ prevail, especially in regard to how people view themselves in relation to God and how they worship.
Christology answers the questions, “who is Jesus” and “how are we supposed to respond to what we know?” Christianity is built on the person and work of Christ, which includes pre and post incarnation, as well as the incarnation itself. One cannot understand the totality of Christianity outside of having a solid grasp of who... Continue Reading
Shepherd the Flock of God That Is Among You
I’m speaking for the kind of joy that comes from knowing God has called you to a particular flock, and being grateful for that incredible privilege, knowing it’s more than you deserve.
“The flock that is among you.” What an amazing phrase. Not some other flock somewhere else. Not the masses on social media. Not those who would be part of a platform. These people, this flock, matters. They need all of our attention and love. They are the ones to whom God has called you. Out... Continue Reading
What Do We Do With All The Pieces?
How does my faith respond when the echo chamber that I was part of ugly explodes?
God is doing something good here. It’s good for me to doubt a faith whose hope was tethered more to Reformed Evangelicalism than to Jesus Christ. It’s good for us that our echo chamber has blown up. But what do we do with all the pieces? In his book, In Two Minds, Os Guinness quotes John... Continue Reading
The Offensively Ordinary Steps to Godliness
God teaches us how holiness happens all over his word, and yet we often overlook one prevalent lesson: very often, holiness hides in small things.
How does holiness happen? How do stumbling, distracted pray-ers begin to pray without ceasing? How do worriers learn to roll even their biggest cares onto God? How does pride turn to poverty of spirit, apathy to zeal for righteousness, stinginess to an open hand, restlessness to relentless calm? How do we come not only to... Continue Reading
The Law-Fulfilling Jesus
It will do much spiritual good to our souls to search the record of the Gospels in order to discover the ways in which Jesus kept the moral law of God in our place.
We have not always adequately explained the various ways in which Christ fulfilled each of the Ten Commandments for us. Many theologians have written helpful expositions of the Ten Commandments. Several of them will end by reminding us that we need Jesus’ death to atone for our violations of each commandment. Some of them will... Continue Reading
Trusting the Good News in the Age of Fake News
The result of Truth Decay is suspicion, general uncertainty, and disengagement and alienation from one another and institutions.
Trust is a fundamental social capital, and as Christians we should lament its decline. But even as the integrity of our news outlets seems to erode before our very eyes–even as we are inundated with fake news–we must never let our faith waiver regarding what we know to be reliable, trustworthy, and true: The Gospel. ... Continue Reading
A Response to “From Celibate Gay Poster Child to Future Gay Husband”
Those struggling with same-sex sexual attractions ignore the fact that other Christians, celibate or in marital or non-marital relationships, likewise struggle with opposite sex sexual attractions and temptations to sin.
The title of his article, “From Celibate Gay Poster Child to Future Gay Husband,” affords a key and primary clue as to why this happened. It happened because he never renounced identifying himself with a sinful propensity or proclivity. He failed to see his sinful bent was condemned by God, the Father; atoned for by... Continue Reading
5 Incredible Revelations From Last Week’s Abortion Hearing In California
Wild criminal proceedings took place in San Francisco regarding legalized abortion where Daleiden and Merritt are on trial for posing as potential buyers of body parts of aborted babies.
While the trial hasn’t started yet, this whole legal process has proved to be a huge mistake for Planned Parenthood, as it has already produced one insanely embarrassing revelation after another for them. Here are the five craziest things uncovered so far in court. One of the wildest criminal proceedings in the history of... Continue Reading
On a “Need to Know” Basis
Why do we ask why?
When events happen in our own lives, we want to understand. We want to make sense of things. From personal matters like the loss of a job or the death of a child to philosophical complaints like the existence of evil or the unfairness of life, we want to ask God, “Why?” If we knew... Continue Reading
Finnish Politician under Investigation for Citing Romans to Oppose LGBT Pride
The police department said in a news release that the two members of parliament have been accused of “agitating against an ethnic group.”
In June, Räsänen, a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and former chair of the Christian Democrats, took to Facebook to criticize her denomination’s participation as an official partner of the Helsinki Pride parade. A Christian member of Finland’s parliament is under investigation after she cited the New Testament on social media to voice... Continue Reading
Jesus: Salvation Is Through Faith Alone Because Jesus Is Enough
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith."
Paul there clearly makes faith the instrument of our salvation and contrasts it with works. These are two distinct principles, faith and works (Rom 11:6). Further, Paul knows nothing of two stages of salvation. Paul did not say, “For you are initially saved through faith alone but you will be finally saved through your works. That thought never entered... Continue Reading
The Devil Will Hang on His Own Gallows
There’s a bigger story playing out than just the one we’re watching.
You remember Haman. He’s the villain in the biblical account of Esther, the made-for-film historical drama that played out mainly in the Persian capital of Susa — today, the Iranian city of Shush — in the fifth century B.C. This story is an archetype of the biblical pattern, the grand story in miniature. “The... Continue Reading
Leaders and 3 Types of Stress
We want to do all we can to avoid “no stress” and “debilitating stress” and to courageously walk into opportunities of “performing stress.”
“There are three types of stress. There is ‘no stress’, which means you don’t care and don’t bring your best. There is ‘debilitating stress’, which is not good for you or your family. And then there is ‘performing stress’, which helps you pull out the best you have in the moment. That is my level... Continue Reading
The Fruit of the Wilderness
Learning to trust God in the wilderness bore lasting fruit.
I read the Bible more attentively than ever before and learned to love God for who he is and not for what he could do for me. I knew that the Lord would never leave me and would always provide for my needs. People sometimes wander from faith, wondering if God even exists, but those... Continue Reading
Little Greek Gems: Confidence in Prayer – Ephesians 1:18
The work of the Spirit is not a “one and done”, it has lasting, ongoing impact.
If a person professes faith in Christ and there is evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in their lives, you can pray for them with confidence, because you know that the Holy Spirit has already been at work, bringing them to faith, giving them a heart of flesh in place of stone, giving them... Continue Reading
What It Means to Pray ‘Your Kingdom Come’
The Gospels clearly identify two kingdoms, but the division is not between sacred and secular.
The miracles of Jesus are presented as evidence of a battle between two kingdoms: one of God and the other of Satan. Jesus continued, “If it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own... Continue Reading
What is God Saying to Us?
Christ is the only safe refuge from the coming Day of Judgment.
Hurricanes are warnings to us of the eternal judgment yet to come. They are like warning shots fired across the bow of ships that are sailing in rebellion to God. They are calls to repentance—to turn away from our sin to return to our Creator by trusting His Son, the Lord Jesus, for salvation. ... Continue Reading
Grandchildren Are the Crown of the Aged
There is such beauty in seeing a grandchild following the Lord.
It’s right and good for grandparents to see that kind of godly grandchildren with a kind of pride. But it’s not the kind of pride that says, “Look at my accomplishment. Look what I’ve done.” It’s the kind of pride that says, “Look at God’s accomplishment! Look what God has done!” “Grandchildren are the crown... Continue Reading
Tried with Fire: I’ve Got This!
The Lord will put us in situations where we simply do not know what to do.
It is not that we need to depend upon God. We actually do depend upon God moment by moment, for absolutely everything, whether we realize it or not. To remind us of this truth, God may choose to deprive us (either temporarily or permanently) of some gift that we have previously enjoyed. Alternatively, He may... Continue Reading
