Teachable
Teachability is a spirit of learning, that is alert, keen, and hungry for the truth.
The teachable person is eager to change his doctrine and practice when it’s out of step with Scripture. He will also (and only) be “immoveable” if asked to move away from Scripture (1 Cor 15:58). I spend most of my time teaching, but if there was one thing I wish I could teach people, it’s “teachability”!... Continue Reading
The Misplaced Identity of Gay Christianity
There is no dual citizenship in Christ. A Christian cannot have one foot in the world (embracing a gay identity) and one foot in the church.
But if you foolishly think that the whole world needs to know about your homosexual feelings, you are dangerously wrong. In a world that has given civil rights status to the sin of homosexuality, it is not safe for the Christian to follow the ways of the world and “come out.” Your job is to... Continue Reading
Do Not Insist on Your Own Way
When we lose sight of God’s purpose for the created order, life and morality become a matter of insisting on what we like and finding leverage over others to get it.
Perhaps Christians can be most countercultural by setting aside all of our preferences and certainly our insistence upon them and taking our starting point as submission to God’s Word. Recently, I have been reading Carl Trueman’s excellent newest book, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self (Crossway, 2020), and listening to Christianity Today’s fascinating podcast... Continue Reading
Making the Christian Life More Complicated Than It Needs To Be
When it comes right down to it, God calls us to nothing more, and nothing less, than to obey.
He calls each of us to be obedient in the context he has ordained for us. For the end of the matter, when all else has been heard, is that we are to simply fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the sacred duty of every man, the kind expectation of a loving... Continue Reading
On Being a Contemporary Christian
How can the balance be struck between the historic faith and our modern situation?
We cannot be oblivious to our situation and still remain faithful Christians. Some facts will call for new apologetic arguments, some for new ways of presenting the gospel; some facts will appear to help, some will appear to hinder. But no fact should make us hide; the moment we hide away we leave God’s world... Continue Reading
The Purpose of Sunday is the Re-Evangelization of the People of God
Christians need the gospel as much as lost people do.
The sinner’s need for the gospel doesn’t end when he is converted. While the fullness of eternal life is bestowed upon the vilest sinner at that point, he still needs the good news to grow him, mature him, sanctify him. I have a friend who argues that there should not be an element in... Continue Reading
Christian, Our Words Matter
The reality that I am not the center of the universe. The reality that the triune God is.
Christian, we should not speak as others speak. We should speak as those who have been called by grace through faith, not of our own doing, but as a gift of God. Lest we become boastful. Lest we become expert at navigating the logs in our eyes, to tenaciously expose the troublesome specks that can... Continue Reading
Psalm 90
Wisdom means numbering our days not living as if every day is our last.
Numbering our days enables us to commit to those tasks that are long term and may not produce immediate fruit. Numbering our days frees us to take appropriate self-care, and to take care of our bodies, minds and spirits. It demands that we take adequate rest in order to be able to endure in service. ... Continue Reading
Philemon
Whatever you may have suffered, we should forgive one another like Philemon forgave Onesimus, especially if the matter is between two Christians.
As Jesus taught, forgiveness is “from your heart” (Matthew 18:35). Compulsory forgiveness is cold and false. Forgiveness might need some prodding from time to time, but, in the end, it should be voluntary and free. During Paul’s imprisonment in Rome (Philemon 1; cf. Acts 28:30–31), a household slave named Onesimus stole from his master Philemon... Continue Reading
Why Suffering is Your Biggest Opportunity
Paul had received God’s grace in the midst of his trials and failures.
When God’s grace is at work in your life, it’s not just “God’s favor,” as we often think. It is also his active power, explosive like dynamite. This power sustains us in every trial and equips us to enrich the lives of others as we employ our spiritual gifts. It brings joy in the face... Continue Reading
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