Teachings on Humility
One of the traits Christians are constantly taught to embody is the characteristic of humility.
Displaying godly living, including a humble soul, glorifies the Lord. It reinforces the process of authentic sanctification, restrains the darkness of the flesh, and serves as a heavenly attribute in evangelistic efforts. Sadly, we all suffer from the sin of selfishness, but thanks to Jesus Christ, we can suppress such ungodliness and exalt He who... Continue Reading
Biblical Theology and Reading Widely
A Case Study with the Tempter in Genesis 3
If I’m trying to understand something in the Old Testament, then reading widely—or reading across the Testaments—means I’m allowing more authoritative and inspired texts to illuminate the passage I’m studying. Reading widely increases clarity, enriches meaning, and demonstrates the coherence of the Word of God. The practice of biblical theology is concerned not just... Continue Reading
Why Most Anglican Clergy Now Approve Gay Marriage—and What This Means for the Future of the Church
The old battle lines between conservative and liberal Christians have changed.
The world does not want the church’s approval. It has managed very well without that for many years and will continue to do so. What the world wants is the church’s capitulation. And however one cares to dress up these latest findings—as pastorally sensitive, as keeping up with the times, as affirming the marginalized—they represent... Continue Reading
Dominion and the Blessing of the Garden
Alan Titchmarsh defends the traditional garden against rewilding.
God has designed the world to be a place where human beings can enhance the ecosystem through intervention. As Titchmarsh’s testimony shows, the “dominion mandate,” utilised in managing gardens and parks, actually increases biodiversity, not lessens it. On the other hand, naïve environmental campaigns that seek to rewild nature may reduce biodiversity instead—abandoning the well-ordered... Continue Reading
The Church, Singles, and Calling
Balancing the Biblical response to living single or married as serving.
Extended singleness is a reality that many, young and old, face today. God is not surprised by this. Rather, He has called his people to live in “such a time as this.” In such a time, the Church has a responsibility not only to recover and uphold the institution of marriage but to graciously help... Continue Reading
Of Being Wise in Our Own Eyes
A man who is wise in his own eyes, a man who will not learn from others or receive counsel from others, is actually a fool.
In our church-shopping, individualistic culture, we would be wise to take into consideration the warnings in Scripture against only doing what is right in our own eyes. There is great wisdom in learning from the spiritual giants of the past who wrestled down important theological issues far better than we are likely to do today.... Continue Reading
The Necessity of Faith in Science
Herman Bavinck offers both an argument for the necessity of faith in doing science and a narrative of the emergence of Christian science in Christian history.
Bavinck’s claim is that every person must honestly deal with the assumed faith necessary even in the sensory and knowledge processes themselves. Facing this reality leads directly to the necessary relationship between metaphysics and science. One needs faith as a habitus, Bavinck supposed, because it is the means of disciplining reason, lest it fall by... Continue Reading
A Better Priest than the Ones Before
A scene of cleansing and restoration in Mark's gospel.
In Mark 1, Jesus spoke and acted with divine power and authority. He could receive the diseased to himself and could send them away well. If he can overcome a man’s skin-diseased condition, what else can he do, and what greater works can he accomplish? For example, what can he do about the problem of... Continue Reading
God Does More than Speak What Is True: He Is Truth
We don’t merely learn truths from God, in him we meet Truth.
God can be trusted in everything he says and does (John 14:13-14; Matthew 7:7-8; 1 John 5:14). In a world where standards, systems and relations are ever-changing, God is not. He remains true. And he communicates truth. He is reliable and trustworthy. He never changes, and that makes him faithful. His character, promises, and plans... Continue Reading
Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit
The use of Psalm 31:5 at the Cross.
Whereas David dealt with his own sins, Jesus bore our iniquities upon his head as our perfect substitute and propitiation. The scene of the cross was not one of despair, however. The words of David in Psalm 31:5 (“Into your hand I commit my spirit”) are words of confidence, and Jesus spoke those words of confidence... Continue Reading
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