My Times are in Your Hand
Trust is what we do because we know the person who is in control.
David was living through times that were full of anguish and tears. And yet he is able to say these times were in God’s hand. Not the Devil’s hand, or the hand of his enemies, or the hand of fate. They were under the Lord’s control, they were in his keeping. And he trusted the... Continue Reading
Hope Springs Eternal
Christians know the hope that there is purpose behind all of it, an overruling providence that sustains in the darkness and points toward the light.
I remember some years ago when my sixteen year-old neighbor spent a summer trying to learn how to ride a skateboard. He persisted through embarrassing falls and hostile temperature. And why? I fancy it was because it seem a cool thing to do (and perhaps the girls would love him for it). By the same... Continue Reading
A Soul-Refreshed Life
True evangelical humility is the supreme path upon which a true Christian can obtain the knowledge of the glory and excellency of God.
Edwards described the Christian pilgrimage as one of practical outworking, in practice, of the life that has been given to us by God. In other words, if God resides in the heart and is vitally united to it, “he will show that he is a God, by the efficacy of his operation. For in the... Continue Reading
33 Going On 83—and Then Home to Glory
A testimony of trusting God’s faithfulness though many and painful illnesses.
Jennifer turned 33 on August 7 and was called home to glory on August 20, 2018. She wrote this in her blog: “This is a journey of my story. From cancer at age three, through heart disease, a stroke, more cancer, and every little ailment in between. From the tears and heartache to the laughter of... Continue Reading
The Bible Doesn’t Say Jesus Walked Through Locked Doors
The body with which Jesus entered the tomb was the same body with which He rose three days later.
Christians have built up an entire folk theology around the alleged discontinuity between Jesus’ body pre and post-resurrection. But the teaching of Scripture and Christian history places clear boundaries on our speculations. Jesus rose with a real human body. He still has it. Flesh and blood may not inherit the kingdom of God, but flesh... Continue Reading
The ABC’S of Reformed Apologetics
If Christians are to bring the Gospel to the world they should do so through a Reformed apologetical method.
This is what Van Til sought to do in his own day in his responses to modern philosophy.2 It is only through a truly reformed, presuppositional apologetic that we may adequately challenge the wisdom of the world. What exactly, then, are the central theological tenets of a reformed apologetic? During the later part of... Continue Reading
Tightening the Bible Belt’s Bible Belt
Churches in the Bible Belt are losing members, so what is the trouble in the Bible Belt?
True discipleship was largely not practiced in the mega-churches, which meant that myriad adults attended church for decades and learned little or nothing about either the gospel or the Law of God. Practically, and Americans love practical Christianity—or so they say—the bottom line was that dad and mom came out of church smiling and feeling... Continue Reading
Poor Interpretation Lets Us “Believe” the Bible While Denying What It Actually Says
In order to delight and meditate on the law of the Lord, we must understand correctly what Scripture actually says.
You can believe in the inspiration and even inerrancy of God’s Word, but because your subjective interpretation doesn’t center on the author’s (and Author’s) intention, but on what seems right to you and the secular or church culture, the Bible isn’t really your authority. You don’t let it correct your thinking but walk away with... Continue Reading
Human Dignity, Justice and the Death Penalty
We should maintain that God's truth in inviolable, and let it form our understanding of justice.
With regard to justice, there is a whole conceptual change indicated in Pope Francis’ position. A traditional conception of justice regarding murder or similarly heinous crimes is that death is a just penalty, and to give a lesser penalty is mercy. This is no slight to mercy, for God is both just and merciful, and mercy is to... Continue Reading
The One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church
Christians have a remarkable ability to skew what the Bible’s teaches about the church.
When churches recover this ancient vision for the church in all its fullness and glory, they will not only discover more of the beauty and joy of being part of the body of Christ, we will become more effective in our efforts to reach the world with the gospel entrusted to us. Christians have... Continue Reading