Worship Should Feel (Somewhat) Awkward
Approaching an unsafe God through the grace in Jesus Christ, we have trembling joy, sober celebration, grave gladness, humbled happiness, and reverent rejoicing.
A God who is utterly unthreatening is not worthy of admiration, and does not provoke fear for His justice or love for His mercy. To worship the God of Scripture is to worship a God who, like Aslan, is “not safe, but He is good”. The worship of an unsafe God includes at least some... Continue Reading
The Porn Talk
Nine Ways Parents Can Lead Children
Parents are to teach their children about God’s good designs. Assure them that God is the one who created intimacy, orgasms, and romantic affection. Remind them that in marriage, God has provided a place to enjoy and explore our sexual desires. The world offers our children a mirage of cotton-candy pleasures, but God’s designs are... Continue Reading
Can You Focus on the Bible Too Much?
The solution is to take your commitment to the Bible in a different direction: toward Jesus.
Jesus accused the Bible-focusers of not hearing God’s voice. They didn’t see his form. He had already borne witness to the Messiah in his word, but that word hadn’t landed in their hearts. They read the Bible. They studied it and memorized it. But they didn’t believe in Jesus, its principal subject. Jesus goes on to say,... Continue Reading
Where Are You Put?
Whatever our situation, God is in control.
When we are “put” somewhere we don’t like or don’t find comfortable, it can be tempting to ask for a change of location. But what if God wants us in that very place to advance the gospel? I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served... Continue Reading
Oaths in God’s Name—Deuteronomy 6:13
God calls on us to be honest and truthful in our oaths made in His Name.
In the Third Commandment God forbids using his name vainly, but does that include taking an oath in God’s name as is often done in courts of law, entering government service, and in marriage vows? In Scripture God very specifically addresses the matter of using his name in a reverent manner: “You shall not take... Continue Reading
The Great Schism of 1054
There is a unity to the one, true church, and that unity comes only as a result of the gospel.
Jesus prayed for the church on earth to be one (John 17), and those who recite the Nicene Creed affirm a commitment to “the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.” Such unity, however, often seems to escape us in practice. You had to see it to believe it. During the pope’s September 2010 visit... Continue Reading
Canonicity, the Old Testament, and the Apocrypha
What is the standard for canonicity?
Bible believers may still benefit from some apocryphal writings as historical or devotional materials. The testimony of Jesus and the apostles as well as the mainstream of church history, however, weighs against their being recognized as Scripture. When Protestants talk about the Bible they mean the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments.... Continue Reading
Judgment Day—Good News, Bad News
Either you are right with God through Christ, and He has taken the judgment you deserved, or you are not right with God, and your judgment awaits.
God will vindicate his people and fight for them. God will fight against his enemies and he will prevail. So everyone faces this coming day of judgment, but depending on who you are and where you stand with your Creator will fully determine how you stand before him as Judge. What do you think... Continue Reading
The Spirit’s Fruit: Joy
Joy is more fully recognized the closer we draw to God through prayer, study of His Word, and contemplation of who He is.
By contemplating the goodness of God, the attributes of God, the acts of God, the promises of God, the Word of God, and especially the gospel of God, we find we can actively begin to increase our sense of joy, and even happiness and contentment, in Christ. Contemplation of the Lord lifts our spirits in... Continue Reading
From “Woe Is Me” to “I Belong Here”
The gospel grants us glorious access to the presence of God.
The dividing barrier of sin has been torn down by the cross, and as a result, the children of God are welcome into His presence. And as such, we should come—even boldly—into that presence. This is what the Bible tells us to do. What do we mean when we say God is “holy?” We... Continue Reading
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