Christological Ultrasounds
How could Christ be preached centuries before His coming?
“The Old Testament is filled with “ultrasounds” of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, I believe–as our own David Murray has said–“on every page”, we will find our Savior, if we only have the eyes to see Him. He does however, appear in the rough and sometimes two-dimensional form that ultrasounds present our children in the... Continue Reading
Dangerous Calling – A Review
The book looks to expose the danger of hypocrisy in the life of the Pastor
“Paul Tripp, in his book Dangerous Calling, takes a look at Christian ministry from another angle. His contention is that there is something desperately wrong with ministers and ministry culture. The book is really trying to expose the danger of hypocrisy in the life of the Pastor. Many have found this book hugely helpful and... Continue Reading
Why Is Sola Fide So Important?
The Reformation was a return to the Word of God unencumbered by rationalist, a priori assumptions
“In the medieval and later Romanist program, God was said to recognize as just those who are completely sanctified. The Protestants rejected that scheme as contrary to the biblical teaching that sinners are justified by divine favor alone (sola gratia), through faith alone (sola fide) which rests and trusts in Christ alone as the Righteous One.”... Continue Reading
Calvin the Exegete
Calvin maintained a high view of the text and a mind for theological application
“When passages of Scripture are taken up at random, and no attention is paid to the context, we need not wonder that mistakes of this frequently arise. Yet it was an instance of very gross ignorance, to imagine that Lucifer was the king of devils, and that the Prophet gave him this name. But as... Continue Reading
Using Your Tongue for God’s Glory
These practices will help us use our tongues in positive ways and teach our children to do the same
“We can counter the effect of a bad tongue by modeling a good tongue. We should speak honestly but lovingly. Also, we should speak kind words to others and go out of our way to compliment people who deserve it. How many times have we complimented our children this past week? How often did we... Continue Reading
Don’t Be Scared off From Reading the Puritans
Reading the Puritans is good for the mind, heart, and soul
“I have been leading my small group through one of these works, The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes. It is a Christian classic for a reason. If you haven’t read it, buy a copy and reward your soul.” Many are scared off from reading the Puritans thinking they are too difficult to read. Others... Continue Reading
The Seed of Divorce
The world, the flesh, and the devil are all committed to the destruction of marriage
“It may be that in your marriage, you have allowed the seed of divorce to grow. Perhaps it has already put down roots and is digging in. Maybe it has already poked its head through the soil and begun to grow to full bloom. Do not despair. There is still hope for your marriage. A... Continue Reading
The Creedal Imperative
A review of Carl Trueman's book on the need for creeds and confessions
Thus, my response to the biblicist pastor would simply be this: do not precipitately abandon creedal formulations which have been tried and tested over centuries by churches all over the world in favor of your own ideas. On the whole, those who reinvent the wheel invest a lot of time either to come up with... Continue Reading
Grace, the Two Covenants, and Merit
Mark Jones' posts regarding grace as pertains to the covenants of works and grace raise some perennial questions in covenant theology.
This is why the clear commitment in our confessional tradition to the two-covenant scheme, in which the covenants of works and grace are categorically distinguished and contrasted is so important to theological discussions of merit and grace. The two covenant scheme of the Westminster Standards has been absolutely essential in combating the Neonomianism of both Norman Shepherd and... Continue Reading
Truth in Beauty: Cinderella and Frozen
Sacrificial love. Redemption. Forgiveness. In Disney movies? Yes!
Movies have power. It’s refreshing to see that power used to portray truth with such stirring beauty and artistry. I’m glad these are my daughter’s favorite movies. They’re teaching her to have courage, to be kind, to forgive and to put others ahead of herself. Not bad for Disney! This past Friday night,... Continue Reading