Any Unchecked Sin Is Ruinous
There is not a human alive who does not struggle every day with some sin that, if left unchecked, will bring him or her to spiritual ruin.
The reality is we are all daily in need of confession and repentance, daily in need of counsel and accountability within the body of Christ, and daily in need of longsuffering grace in order to strive together as Christians. Do not put off this vital warning until tomorrow. As the writer of Hebrews reminds us,... Continue Reading
Allow Me to Vent: How Not to Be a Grumbling Israelite
The danger with grumbling is that it comes naturally to us all as well as being so easy to excuse and even justify.
If we simply want a guilt-free moment to complain, then we are guilty of the sin of grumbling and also guilty of attempting to justify our sin rather than stomping on its head. Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us not justify or excuse our sins, even the seemingly little ones, but let us put... Continue Reading
The Darkness Does Not Win
The True Light, which gives light to everyone, has come into the world.
If God can summon light into existence when there was only darkness, surely He can send His light into the world with assurance of complete success, no matter how impossible the odds. For this is the miracle and the wonder of Christmas: The Light of the world was born in the darkness of night, as... Continue Reading
How Is Jesus “‘Everlasting Father”?
How do we make sense of this unusual title for the Messiah?
Isaiah’s basic meaning is that the Messiah will be fatherly in his love and concern for the people of God. He will care for the household of God just as a righteous and devoted Israelite dad would look after his children. There is one passage that each of us will hear a dozen times over Christmas:... Continue Reading
Emmanuel (God with Us), Even Now
For Christ to be God in human flesh he must also be God beyond human flesh.
Today, we stand on the other side of Christ’s first coming and long for his ultimate return. As we live in this time between Christ’s first advent and his second, the interadventum, we live in faith that although he is bodily absent from us, the ascended Emmanuel has not abandoned us. In John‘s prologue... Continue Reading
Pastor, Don’t Get Cute this Christmas
Your people will be glad you did.
Our people need the gospel. They need the Trinity. They need to hear about the miracle and the majesty and the mystery of the incarnation. Hunker down in Matthew 1 or Luke 2 or Isaiah 9 or Micah 5 or John 1 or in any text that will lead you to lift high the name... Continue Reading
What About Those Who’ve Never Heard Of Jesus? Would A Chance Even After Death Change Anything?
The question at hand is will the gospel be offered after death?
Is there reason not to believe that God has seen fit to ensure that all who would believe (by grace) will be reached with the gospel in this life? How biblically sensible is it to believe in unconditional election but not the ordained means of reaching those who have been chosen in Christ? When... Continue Reading
A Curious Clue about the Origins of the New Testament Canon
What shall we make of Paul’s statement in 2 Cor 3:6 that he and the other apostles are “ministers of a new covenant”?
Covenants were largely conceived as something written or read; i.e., something in a book. It is precisely for this reason that warnings were given not to change the text of the covenant (Deuteronomy 4:2), and there were concerns about it being in the proper physical location (Exodus 25:16). Although most discussions about the development... Continue Reading
The Imagery of the Book of Revelation
To interpret Scripture properly and to truly understand its meaning, we must recognize the various ways that the human authors of the Bible were inspired to write and what they intended.
John promised that whoever reads this book aloud and hears it and keeps it will receive a blessing (Rev. 1:3). We will indeed be blessed as we read it slowly, thoughtfully, and meditatively, asking what God is teaching us through the images He uses. The whole Bible is the Word of God—inerrant, authoritative revelation. That... Continue Reading
What Did Mary Know? Faith to Know the Triune God
Mary’s most basic categories of God and man have been challenged in this brief, but amazing, announcement.
Mary models the right posture towards God with her willingness to trust him because he is good and his word is true. While she had significant questions, she did not allow them to keep her from receiving what God had said. This was an overwhelming day for Mary. Indeed, this faithful monotheist worshiper of Yahweh had... Continue Reading
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 292
- 293
- 294
- 295
- 296
- …
- 1385
- Next Page »