Always Count the Cost
There are at least four costs to being a Christian—costs that we do not pay once, but over the whole course of our Christian lives.
It costs very little to maintain the outward appearance of a Christian—just attend church on a regular basis and live by some standard of basic morality. This is cheap and easy, and demands no self-denial or self-sacrifice. But if this describes true Christianity, we’d need to alter the Bible to read “Wide is the gate... Continue Reading
Preaching Christ: The Guarantor of the Covenant of Grace
He is its guarantor because he has fully satisfied all its requirements and stipulations.
Whether we are preaching the word to those who are lost, seeking to persuade them of their need of salvation; or to those who are already believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, the persuasive power of the message is found neither in its logic, nor even in the attractiveness of what it promises; but rather... Continue Reading
Workism and Desire: To what end do we work?
Ultimately workism is an idolatry issue that requires a heart level solution.
To be clear it isn’t just atheists who struggle with idols. Christians are just as prone to letting an idol into their hearts as atheists are. The idols may or may not be different for Christians than they are for atheists, but they are still there, they are still a temptation. With that in mind... Continue Reading
The Goldilocks Zone: To Programme or DE-Programme the Church
Different people feel the Goldilocks zone lies in different places.
I just wonder whether finding a Goldilocks zone is a luxury that only larger churches can afford? You may well find a middle ground in which you have some programmes (or, at least, only expect some people to do any one of them) and a free week the rest of the time, but small, struggling... Continue Reading
Indwelling Sin and the Believer
This is a humbling but a just account of a Christian's attainments in the present life, and is equally applicable to the strongest and to the weakest.
The Lord has given his people a desire and will aiming at great things; without this they would be unworthy the name of Christians; but they cannot do as they would. Their best desires are weak and ineffectual, not absolutely so (for He who works in them to will, enables them in a measure to... Continue Reading
What Judges Teaches the Church
How can we understand and prevent a decline in the church from one generation to another?
The book of Judges provides a very clear answer to our questions. Its answer does not say everything that might be said in general, but it does say specific, crucial things that we must ponder to understand both Israel’s situation and our vulnerability. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the... Continue Reading
Is Impassibility Really Biblical?
Why impassibility is far more biblical than some think.
Those who argue that impassibility is an unbiblical doctrine have been quick to point out the absence of an explicit proof text. Nevertheless, as this article will argue in the brief space below, divine impassibility emerges as a necessary implication of other divine attributes that are expressly set down in Holy Scripture. Is impassibility... Continue Reading
A City upon a Hill: Nationalism, Religion, and the Making of an American Myth
Many Americans would instantly recognize that line and regard it as a vital description of the American character.
One problem with this nationalistic reading of the text is that no single source can be demonstrated to define the American character, American identity, or America’s place in the world. Contra Tocqueville, Perry Miller, and more recently George McKenna, the Puritans did not give birth to any essential American disposition. Neither did any other intellectual source,... Continue Reading
Gregory of Nyssa and His Compassion for the Poor
His reflections on the making of mankind are evident in his insistence on seeing every man as bearer of the image of God.
Like Macrina and the other Cappadocian fathers, Gregory put great emphasis on the community’s responsibility for the poor and needy, including the lepers, who were traditionally excluded from society. His sermons challenged the rich to give of their wealth and the healthy to give of their strength. I have written about Basil of Caesarea... Continue Reading
Because There’s No Gospel All Day
I didn’t believe the world was full of anti-gospel messages, but it was. It is. It’s always been.
“You get up in the morning, maybe you read the Bible. Then go to school all day and there’s so many bad messages you’re getting from friends and social media and television and everything. You need to read your Bible because you’re not going to get what you need anywhere else.” We were sitting... Continue Reading