The Lord Said to My Lord—Mark 12:35-44
The Christ would not just be like David; He would be the greater David.
Jesus is unveiling a deeper understanding of the Christ for all who have eyes to see. He is revealing that the Christ will not a great but ultimately lesser imitation of David, as if David’s reign was the very pinnacle for God’s people. No, the coming Son of David would be so great that even... Continue Reading
That Time I Went After an Older, Godlier Man
He was a brother in Christ—a brother I had treated like a stranger, an enemy.
While there are times we as Christians must speak out, there is never a time we can speak to a fellow Christian or about a fellow Christian in a way that fails to reflect the love of our common Savior. It’s not a memory I’m proud of, but every now and again I feel the need to... Continue Reading
Is the Law for the Righteous?
Where faith works by love, all duties will be relished, for faith working by love overcomes all difficulties.
Pray and labour for such a free, heavenly heart that the law of God and all its precepts would not be a terror to us, but sweetness and delight. “Oh how I love thy law!” David cries. We ought to have such filial and child-like affections to God and His will that we would love... Continue Reading
Westminster Civil Ethics vs R2K Natural Law on Kidnapping
Is it displeasing to God for Christians to believe that the general equity of OT civil law be implemented today since capital punishment should find its true NT fulfillment in excommunication?
Plain and simple, the Confession does not teach that the civil law “can not be made applicable to any nation today…” Rather, it teaches the very opposite! It teaches that nations are obliged to implement the civil law as the general equity may require. R2K types misread Westminster Confession 19.4 by saying that the preservation... Continue Reading
Humble in Cooperation; Faithful in Friendship
When we speak, act, or respond with selfishness, we knowingly fail to walk in the way of wisdom.
Do not be consumed with your own interests but make it your practice to keep Christ first by putting the needs of others ahead of your own. Be grateful for what you have rather than bemoaning what you don’t. In this way, we set ourselves apart and are witnesses to the power of God in... Continue Reading
Prone to Wander
While the plight of man is to wander, the mission of God is to place.
If God’s kingdom is already among us, then we should be taking those aspects of creation that don’t yet reflect that reality and transforming them into what they will one day be, by God’s grace and our participation. If the condition of exile is the result of separating oneself from YHWH, then what might a... Continue Reading
Thriving in Babylon with Augustine
The main point is that Augustine sees all of world history as the history of the City of God and the City of Man, including their interplay and their intermingling.
The two cities lay at the heart of history. Indeed, the history of the two cities is the heart of world history. And the heart and its loves lies right at the center of all this. A heart which loves God constitutes the person who is a member of the city of God. A heart... Continue Reading
Yes, the Devil is Real
Even among professing Christians, the idea is growing that “Satan” is more a force than an actual being.
The New Testament writers undeniably believed the devil was a real being. An impersonal force cannot “scheme” (Eph. 6:11). An impersonal force does not have a “will” (2 Tim. 2:26). An impersonal force cannot “prowl” (1 Pet. 5:8). Most notably, Jesus himself dialogues with the devil during his wilderness temptation (Matt. 4). So, yes, I... Continue Reading
The First Two Minutes Matter Most
The service will end and the first two minutes will matter most.
Determine right now that when the service ends, you will do your utmost to give the first two minutes to someone you don’t know or to someone you don’t know well. The temptation will be to turn straight to your friends, to immediately catch up with the people you know the best and love the... Continue Reading
The Authority of The State
Jesus said if we love Him, we will do what He tells us to do. Do you love Him? Prove it by submitting to His authority.
Why do authorities exist? It is because we live in a sinful and fallen world, and without authority everyone would do “what is right in his own eyes,” resulting in chaos. Those who will not be constrained from within by the living presence of Jesus Christ, must be restrained from without by the state, acting... Continue Reading
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