Even One Just Person: God’s Changeless Measure
God brings or relents of judgement based on that singular righteous man, whether in Jeremiah’s day or our own.
God himself came to be that single righteous man required for God to relent of his anger and avert judgement. In Christ, his righteousness covers his people. God’s judgement is averted because of that one man, Jesus Christ the righteous. Yesterday, we were continuing in our series in Jeremiah. We covered a large passage,... Continue Reading
American Missionaries Killed by Haitian Gangs
Three dead after an altercation with gang members.
Missouri state Rep. Ben Baker identified Natalie Lloyd as his daughter in a social media post where he said he and his family were heartbroken and needed prayer. “They went to Heaven together,” he said of his daughter and her husband. The Oklahoma-based missionary organization Missions in Haiti Inc. early Friday morning said that gang members... Continue Reading
I’ve Heard It Said, “Once Saved, Always Saved”
The Bible repeatedly warns those who claim to be Christians to beware apostasy.
If you’re genuinely saved, then you will persevere in faith and good works. And the reason we persevere is that God preserves us. As Philippians 2 says, we “work out our salvation” because God works in us—the willing and the working. Beware of Apostasy I’ve heard it said “once saved, always saved.” It’s true, but... Continue Reading
Evangelical Worship and Chronological Snobbery
A Defense of the Hymnal
Far from being an artifact of the past, hymnals are vital resources that ensure we remain grounded in modes of piety above and beyond our cultural contexts and fixed in orthodox doctrine. When we consider that worship songs are one of the primary ways that Christians are catechized in the Christian life, it is hard to understate... Continue Reading
Mothers—A Biblical Introduction
A mother has a specific caring relationship with her offspring.
Mothers, even in the fallen sinful world we live in, with all the curse and its effects, are a blessing. God continues to bless future generations through their mothers. Mothers provide care and support in a way no one else can. God has designed for mothers to have this uniquely special relationship with their offspring. ... Continue Reading
J.C. Ryle on Assurance
Struggles are inevitable, and Christians must maintain assurance to combat spiritual darkness.
Sin displeases God, and as mere sinful creatures, humans naturally experience a continuous reality of their condition and of how far they are removed from righteousness. If allowed and viewed appropriately, a doubt of assurance can lead to an admiration of the Lord, humbleness, and surrendering to the Lord and His will. For by... Continue Reading
Let the Bible Help You Understand Depression
When we dismiss depression as an affliction of faithlessness, we can crush believers during their moments of need and ignore how God uses despair as part of his refining work.
When we despair and can’t see God, our identity in Christ—and God’s love for us—remains untarnished. The gospel promises not freedom from pain but an abundantly more precious gift: the assurance of God’s love, which prevails over sin and buoys us through the tempests. Sarah, a faithful Sunday school teacher who enthralls kids with... Continue Reading
New Colorado Law Will Harm Children
What parents? Colorado thinks kids are the property of the state.
Whether social, chemical, or surgical, “transition” procedures harm, they do not help. To legislate as if they do, claiming the science is settled when it is not and keeping parents in the dark, is irresponsible, unethical, and dangerous. Last month, the governor of Colorado signed a bill into law that legally requires teachers to... Continue Reading
The Real Reason God Judges Evil
God’s holiness is such that sin either must be forgiven or avenged; it can’t be left alone because sin defaces, deforms, and destroys.
God’s dazzling beauty and loveliness can’t allow sin to coexist with him; doing such would compromise his holiness, his very being. Isaiah 6 is rightly famous, and it casts more light on our theme. Yahweh sits transcendently and magnificently as the King in his temple. The seraphim stand around the Lord with their six wings. They... Continue Reading
Leading Together: Elder Teaming Together to Shepherd the Flock
An excerpt from “The Elder-Led Church: How an Eldership Team Shepherds a Healthy Flock” by Murray Capill
Team leadership of a church has some utterly unique dynamics. In this chapter, we will explore how a group of elders leads the church together. We will think about how the team operates, consider the relationship between the elders and the pastor or pastors, and observe the distinct differences between a shepherd- leader model and... Continue Reading
Local Evangelism and Global Mission: Maintaining Focus on the Ends of the Earth
Let us not deprive our churches of a rich opportunity to be encouraged by and become a part of the work God is doing to the ends of the earth.
From the earliest days, local churches have demonstrated concern for the establishment and edification of God’s kingdom beyond their immediate proximity. The Ephesians and Colossians were renowned for their love for all the saints (Eph 1:15; Col 1:4); the Philippians’ koinonia in the gospel was praised and celebrated by Paul (Php 1:5); the generosity of... Continue Reading
Apple’s ‘Crushing’ of the Good and Beautiful Is Step One in Demanding Our Compliance
Those who insist on progress decoupled from human mediation destroy all that is good, true, and beautiful.
Younger people in particular seem to have no understanding of the reality of conflict or war and the complex calculus that needs to be done when making moral judgments about competing cultural traditions. Yet the ruling-class elites insist this is the new way and that any rebellion against it is some form of phobia, a literal... Continue Reading
Don’t Regret Your Past—Redeem It
When you are tempted to regret your past, remember these truths and testimonies from Scripture and redeem your past.
Everything that happens in life is under God’s sovereign rule and will have eternal ramifications. Whether it is sickness, suffering, or seemingly pointless pursuits, recognize that God has brought you through it all to mold and shape you into the person you are today and the person you are becoming. Christians are promised that all... Continue Reading
Pastors: Be Unapologetic Apologists
Review: ‘The pastor as apologist’ by Dayton Hartman and Michael McEwan
The book’s weight rests on the rational and liturgical moves a pastor should make in commending the Christian faith: for example, sound arguments for the existence of God, solid historical evidence for the resurrection, apologetic training, and a winsome Easter service. These are nonnegotiables, of course. But in my experience, unbelievers are more often won... Continue Reading
Adam Poisoned Me
Like Gesner, we will suffer the effects of Adam’s poison for the rest of our lives – but it will no longer define us forever.
For a long time Genser didn’t suspect that her poisoning came from the sculpture of Adam. And we too don’t suspect that our sin comes built-in. We blame society, education, our up-bringing. We believe the myth that – to quote a recent statement from the Pope – people are “fundamentally good”. And because of that... Continue Reading
Our Love Might Be Blind, but Jesus’ Love Is Not
Jesus now looks on us like the groom of Song of Songs looks at his bride, perfect in every way.
On the spiritual level, we should rejoice in the fact that Jesus sees us as perfect in God’s sight despite our flaws. Yes, we see our own flaws and we feel our sins and limitations and history so deeply. God is also aware of our sin; after all, He sent Jesus to die for us... Continue Reading
God’s Name on You (Numbers 6:22–27)
God has given you his name. He owns you; he bought you; you represent him.
Christian, you represent God in the world. You bear God’s name. Don’t bear it in vain. Bring him honor in how you live. “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). The good news of the gospel is... Continue Reading
Women and the “Most Diabolical Lie”
As women, we are to bring life into every corner of our homes and work for its flourishing.
Probably the most wicked lie of all is that children stand in the way of a woman’s purpose and self-satisfaction. There is no doubt that our culture holds children in derision, for they are literally sacrificed through abortion in the name of self-advancement. Children bear the brunt of “progressive ideas” that disrupt the pattern that... Continue Reading
And So It Begins. What Was Predicted on Assisted Dying Has Come to Pass
Despite all the current rhetoric from those who support assisted dying and the terms on which they want to bring it in, history tells us that is not where it will stay.
If you want to see how liberalism is wrecking everything, this is it writ large. Don’t think I mean “liberal” like America uses it. I mean hyper-individualist liberalism. Neoliberals, driven by nothing but economic output, salivate over this stuff. Matthew Parris said quite bluntly, it is time we realised economically useless lives should end and... Continue Reading
What Should We Think about Paedocommunion?
Only at the point when a covenant child attains maturity and can demonstrate repentance and faith may the church admit him or her to the Table.
If the child of at least one believer is, by birthright and by calling, a disciple of Christ, then that child is entitled to receive baptism (see Mark 10:13–16; Acts 2:39; 1 Cor. 7:14). Baptism summons this child to look in faith to Christ as Savior and Lord. Christ has appointed the Supper, on the other... Continue Reading
5 Things You Should Know about Heaven
The ultimate hope is not the destruction of creation but its full renewal and restoration.
Although the Bible is clear that the souls of believers go to be with Christ in heaven when they die, there are also texts that say Christians have already been seated with God “in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6). Since believers who have not died are presently on the earth, this must... Continue Reading
Women in Church History: Anne Bradstreet (1612–1672) America’s First Published Poet
Anne’s writing shows evidence of a hungering, yearning faith that’s well acquainted with struggle, yet looks beyond itself for its strength.
Anne’s biblically saturated mind is ubiquitous in her writing, as is her longing for her children’s salvation and maturity in Christ. As Anne appeared to deal with frequent illness, seeking God’s face in suffering is a constant refrain in the letter and in many of her poems. It’s not that Anne assumes every sickness or affliction... Continue Reading
Solzhenitsyn at Harvard: A Graduation Speech to Remember
Soviet dissident Nobel Prize winner had prophetic words for America.
Solzhenitsyn pointed to the lack of great statesmen as evidence of cultural collapse. While there were, he said, courageous individuals worthy of respect, consider how differently greatness was defined in the past. One rightly wonders what Solzhenitsyn would think about who is called “hero” and what is called “historic” today. A few years ago, for... Continue Reading
A Sidelight on a Recent Controversy in the Presbyterian Church in America: The Church’s Independence Asserted
The church’s spiritual independence means that she is to be aloof not merely from leftwing causes, but also from being a direct subservient entity of the political right.
There may be considerable overlap between the American political right and the Christian church in moral values, especially in matters like abortion, sexual morality, euthanasia, and the like. But at the end of the day we serve Christ, not any party or social movement; for such things are temporal and of human origin, and therefore... Continue Reading
Honorable Conduct in the “Negative World”
Crenshaw has decided that America in 2024 is analogous to Jericho in redemptive history and worse than first-century Rome.
Perhaps Crenshaw thinks Biden’s America is more of a “negative world” than Nero’s Rome and that the New Testament’s normative expectations of Christian behavior therefore do not apply. Or perhaps he thinks New Testament ethical teaching represents a kind of slave morality in our current political moment. If so, QED. The conclusion of Crenshaw’s article is,... Continue Reading
Joachim Neander, a Score and Ten Years
His life shows that even when the Christian wanders, the grace of forgiveness leading to renewal of purpose can lead to beneficial ministry.
Neander refused to adopt the order of the Reformed Church and he would not subscribe to the Heidelberg Catechism. He was censured by the Presbyterium (similar to a presbytery) in October, 1676, and added to the charges concerning his church ministry were accusations regarding his operation of the school. At the school he had developed... Continue Reading
God Sets the Terms and Conditions
God gives us what Christians have long referred to as “means of grace.”
By giving us these means, God shows that we really do have the privilege of relating to him, but he also shows that we cannot relate to him in whatever ways we may want or we may deem suitable. While we can genuinely be friends with God, he is the one who sets the terms... Continue Reading
What Do You Love More? The Law of God and Second Commandment Violations
Any earthly image we could ever make fails to convey the reality of who Christ was, is, and will forever be.
To attempt to capture the essence of the immortal, divine Christ in a mere physical image is to engage in the most extreme folly. Jesus was not like other men. He is the God-man! In Him, all of the fullness of God dwells in human form. To make an image of Him is to create... Continue Reading
Working Hard For and in the Lord
A Right Understanding of Why Men are to Labor Well in a Day of Evil
The real reason why men need to be in church is the same reason why all of us do. Our actions and attitudes about the calling of God to us in the work that we do, and understanding more deeply the glory of a life lived not for yourself, or for this present evil world,... Continue Reading
An Attractive Pen Portrait of David Livingstone
Livingstone’s Christian lifestyle could not be denied and made a strong positive impression on Stanley.
Stanley summarized his high estimation of the Doctor by stating in his book How I Found Livingstone: “My friendly reader, … God grant that if ever you take to traveling in Africa, you will get as noble and true a man for your companion as David Livingstone! For four months and four days I lived... Continue Reading