Rediscovering the Lost Art of Lament
Does God want us to ignore the great difficulties of life, to get over them, to power through them, or to be crushed by them?
This place where Jesus experienced forsakenness—this place of ultimate lament—is where we need to come when we are lamenting. When we cry out to God for his help, we can look to the cross and know that God will not turn his back on us. God’s rejection is what Jesus has already experienced, in our... Continue Reading
10 Commandments of Progressive Christianity #1: Is Jesus Our Lord or Our Example?
When given the choice between worshiping Jesus (which requires that he is divine) and merely looking at Jesus as a good moral guide, liberals have always favored the latter.
While liberal Christians make much of Jesus’ moral example, what is missing in their system is why anyone should care. After all, if Jesus is just an ordinary man, then why would we think his particular moral code is any better than any other person’s? Why should we think his moral code matters at all?... Continue Reading
The Amazing Riches of Psalm 23
Jesus’ unceasing love for us never ceases. Every sunrise brings new mercies. His faithfulness is infinite.
Because Jesus has redeemed us, called us by name, and made us his own, he will always be with us, no matter what we go through. And because he is the Lord our God and our Savior, he will allow nothing to overwhelm us in an ultimate sense. He will give us peace. Psalm... Continue Reading
Unorthodox Christology
Recently, it has come to light that William Lane Craig, professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, propagates an unorthodox view of Christology.
Rather than avoiding the Appolinarian heresy, Craig embraces a form of it which he personally calls, “Neo-Appolinarianism.” How very sad that we are re-living the early church heresies in our own day. Instead of staying with the orthodox notion that Christ is fully God and fully man–two natures in one person, “without confusion, without change,... Continue Reading
Three Things to Remember When You Fear the Future
It's hard not to worry and fret about the unknown. It's hard not to fear. And it can be hard to trust God with the future.
Because the future is in God’s hands and no one else’s and because he is good and only does what is good, we can trust our future to him. We can rest in his sovereign care for us. The trials and circumstances we fear, while not good in and of themselves, are always used by... Continue Reading
Are There Degrees of Sin?
Calvin and every one of the Reformers strenuously maintained that there is a difference between lesser sins and what they called gross and heinous sins.
It’s clear that we have different degrees of sin when we consider the warnings of Scripture. There are at least twenty-two references in the New Testament to degrees of rewards that are given to the saints in heaven. There are different levels, different rewards, and different roles in heaven. The Bible warns us against adding... Continue Reading
Are We Proclaiming a Hell We Don’t Deserve—and a Christ We Do?
The way we think about hell is always a reflection of how we think about sin and, in turn, how we think about Christ.
No one will ever be punished in hell for being unlike you in some superficial way. No, they will be punished for being so profoundly like you. That’s what is really shocking about hell. It’s shocking that we all deserve this fate, not one of us excluded. When Paul writes that “all have sinned and fall short... Continue Reading
Get Thee a Flawed Wife
A letter of encouragement—and realism—to Christian men considering marriage.
For them and many other Christian young men, delayed marriage is common. The reasons are complicated and include unrealistic expectations, lack of confidence, a desire for financial security, aversion to commitment, general immaturity, or more simply, the inability to find or keep a compatible partner. Recent studies indicate that fewer and fewer men are sitting in evangelical churches on... Continue Reading
The Gospel Is The Remedy For Racism
God’s Word is clear about the only remedy for racism: the good news of Jesus Christ.
Now, in the New Covenant, the promises of the ingathering of the Gentiles is coming true. Peter said, “for the promise is to you [Israelite men], and to your children [your covenant household], and to all who are far off [Gentiles], as the Lord our God shall call” (Acts 2:39). The inclusion of the Gentiles... Continue Reading
The Divine Foundation of Authority
The very word authority has within it the word author.
An author is someone who creates and possesses a particular work. Insofar as God is the foundation of all authority, He exercises that foundation because He is the author and the owner of His creation. He is the foundation upon which all other authority stands or falls. “You’re out!” “I’m safe!” “Out!” “Safe!” “Out!” “It’s... Continue Reading
