Do you Know the Cross of Christ?
No other message contains such extraordinary power. We are claiming that there is but one valid understanding of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
What God did on Calvary was far more than all that the brilliant achievements of mere man could ever accomplish. The transference of guilt from the souls of an innumerable company to the God-man required not only vast mercy, but also unimaginable divine energy. It required that same omnipotent love and might that made a cosmos... Continue Reading
Rumblings of Revival among Gen Z?
The display of grace-filled gospel Christianity is irresistible for many.
The old way of thinking about apologetics or seeker ministries was to avoid the hot topics. But Vance can testify that young people aren’t put off by these conversations. On the contrary, they lean into them because they’re hot. The cultural craziness of the moment is an opening. I love Tim Keller’s definition of... Continue Reading
The Order of Salvation: Adoption
Our adoption is through, in and unto the persons of the Holy Trinity.
Adoption is an accomplishment of redemption. It is not an accomplishment of creation. The very act of adoption assumes we were previously in a state of alienation. Being born did not somehow put us in better standing with God. The scripture says: “I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive... Continue Reading
Paul on Christian Liberty in Galatians 5:1
Since we are free from law as a means of justification, we are now free to obey the law out of gratitude since we know this pleases God.
Jesus came to set us free, not enslave us to the law. All of the Protestant Reformers agreed upon this point and spoke of its importance. This is the doctrine by which the church stands or falls. If Christian liberty is not the defining characteristic of the Christian life, then the doctrine of justification is... Continue Reading
“Society Says” Relativism
Ethics can’t be explained by culture because it’s a moral rule that applies to culture.
Moral reformers typically judge society from the inside. They challenge their culture’s standard of behavior and then campaign for change. If morality is defined as the present society’s standard, though, then challenging that standard would be an act of immorality by definition. Social reformers would not be moral after all, but rather moral outcasts precisely... Continue Reading
The Lord’s Lessons in Our Failures
The famous problem of pain is keeping the hope alive that you’ll find God with you on the other side of that darkness even while going through hell.
I’m captivated by this moment on the Sea of Galilee in John 21. Whether intentional or not, I love the image of Peter diving into the water. He’s still audacious, but he’s not grandiose. He does not attempt to run across the water or make a leap of faith or stand proudly at the bow.... Continue Reading
The Struggle for Soul in Christian Higher Education: Burtchaell Was Right, and I Was Wrong, Part I
Only the orthodox will survive, and they will have to take care.
After some positive comments about the St. Olaf of the 90s, he mysteriously pronounced that: “Other indicia suggest the Midwest college is entering a divestiture of its Lutheran identity that, though much longer in coming, could be swifter in its eventual accomplishment.” Other schools—Azuza Pacific and Calvin—were assessed quite positively, but Burtchaell had little confidence in... Continue Reading
Triage in the Trenches: When Do Second-Tier Issues Divide?
Finding clarity on the rationale for first-tier issues, while recognizing the spectrum of health within second-tier issues, will give us a better tool with which to perform the crucial task of teaching, correcting, rebuking, and training in righteousness.
Many paedobaptists and credobaptists frequently find themselves in near total agreement on the substance of the fundamental doctrines of the faith. Thus, it is no surprise that, armed with such substantial agreement, such paedobaptists and credobaptists have found themselves “together for the gospel.” Differences over manhood and womanhood, however, are a different matter. Such differences are... Continue Reading
Perfected Love
There is a cost to love.
John goes so far as to say that if we love one another God abides in us. Love is a telltale sign that our faith is functioning according to new life in Christ. By it we gain assurance of our salvation. More than that, John tells us that His love has been perfected in us. John does not... Continue Reading
Encouragement for Those Who Aren’t Resting on the Sabbath
It’s a day that God calls us to observe in his word.
The Sabbath is an opportunity for us to be a blessing to others—to be in fellowship with the people of God, to encourage them, and to serve them. It’s a day of service—gathered in worship and then outside worship in fellowship with God’s people. The Blessings of Sabbath If I were in a position... Continue Reading
Jesus, Children and the Kingdom of God
Jesus is saying that we cannot enter his kingdom thinking that we are important, or hanging onto the things that give us status.
Jesus turns our world’s ways on their head. For those of us with nothing to boast in, it is wonderful news. But for those who have spent our lives scrambling to be near the front of the queue, it is a sharp rebuke and challenge. The question Jesus presses upon me is, ‘Have I come... Continue Reading
Decisive Moments: The Fall of Jerusalem
In April of AD 70, Titus besieged Jerusalem, causing horrific suffering in the city due to famine.
For the Jews the greatest tragedy of all happened in September of AD 70. The Romans got into Jerusalem and they destroyed and desecrated the temple. In fulfilment of Christ’s prophecy in Matthew 24:2, not one stone was upon another. The entire temple complex was razed to the ground, never to be rebuilt. According to... Continue Reading
Apathy and the Forsaking of Remembrance
Keeping the Strength of Christ Near Unto Our Heart
It is not until we are humbled by the reality of what the Gospel teaches, that Christ has died for the ungodly, and we give up our feeble claims to might and self-identity that we can come and take on the yoke of Jesus our Lord. Yet, in some sense that only gets at the... Continue Reading
Facing our Failures
Lessons from Peter's Denial
Peter went from being scared of the Jewish people to preaching to thousands. How? What changed between Peter’s thrice denial to a few months later preaching Christ in the temple? Peter met the resurrect Christ, was restored to office, and received the Holy Spirit. The weakest Christian is the one who relies on their own... Continue Reading
It Is Possible to Remain Faithful in an Oppressive World
Don’t be defeatist. Keep on serving God, day by day.
When you see the culture degrading and moving farther from the true God, don’t think that faithful living is impossible. There were many who remained faithful in the time of King Ahab and there are faithful believers in much more difficult situations around the world right now. God’s promises remain true. We can continue to... Continue Reading
Sacred Meditation
Intentionally Sowing Thoughts that Honor the Lord
Let us immerse ourselves in Scripture, committing it to memory, dwelling on it, and saturating our thoughts with the Word of God. Let us sing the psalms, filling our minds with praise. Let us revisit the weeks, months, years, and decades past, meditating on the countless instances of God’s faithfulness, filling our minds with thanksgiving.... Continue Reading
Evangelical Assumptions About the Christian Life
We need to recall the great and precious promises of abundant life he offers and remember that we do not need to be held captive to this world and our sinful desires.
Do not forget what he has called you to. Our time is limited. “Live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God” (1 Peter 4:2). If we are bored with the Christian life, I would suggest it is not Christianity leaving us unfulfilled.... Continue Reading
“Their God Is Their Belly”: Gluttony and Faith
Even in actions as mundane as eating and drinking, we need to glorify God.
Food is good. It nourishes us physically and brings us together socially. Eating can be a real pleasure. Food is a blessing from God that should be enjoyed. Gluttony, however, is a sin. And it represents an undeniable danger to our godliness. As God’s people we should supplant it in our lives with self-control and... Continue Reading
Gay Weddings & the Christian
God’s Word makes clear that there are places that a Christian must never be seen (1 Cor 8:10; 10:14, 21).
While we cannot signify any approval of homosexuality, we can still prayerfully find dozens of ways to keep blessing, befriending, and loving our gay friends and family and seeking to tell them of the only Savior for sinners (Matt 9:36–38; Col 4:2–6). We must also take their questions sincerely and give them gospel answers with patience... Continue Reading
What Does the Bible Have to Do with My Life?
The Bible is difficult, the Bible is challenging, the Bible demands more from me than I want to give, but where else am I going to go? It has the words of eternal life.
The Bible contains 66 books written by 40 authors over 1,500 years on three continents over more than a dozen different genres. And yet they all tell the same story of the same God. The Bible is a theological book that shares true history, but even when it is telling true historic facts, it doesn’t... Continue Reading
The Triune God Helps Us with Sexual Temptation
God has given us his Holy Spirit, who gives us new hearts and changes us from the inside-out.
We’re not the first to face this struggle. The judgment of Jesus, the holiness of God, and the resources of the Holy Spirit will help us honor God in this area. We have every reason to strive for holiness, even when our temptations and the surrounding culture are against us. The Thessalonians lived in... Continue Reading
Worship as Thanksgiving
We are recipients of pervasive, abundant, and undeserved grace, and therefore we ought to be grateful.
The Christian life is an experience and expression of gratitude, but Christian worship is an engagement in the corporate expression of thanksgiving. A person can be grateful without giving thanks. He may feel gratitude in his heart, but if it is not expressed, it does not glorify God. We may safely assume all ten lepers... Continue Reading
Four Years Later, Do We Love Christ More?
Why did we deem the church so essential and the gathering of the saints so central to our lives during the COVID-era in 2020?
If we have learned anything through the last four years, we ought to have learned how worthy Christ is of our love. We have seen so much more clearly the necessity of His body, the beauty of holiness, and the majesty of worship. Moreover, we have seen His unyielding faithfulness to us, sustaining us through... Continue Reading
Addition by Subtraction
How does a Christian find contentment?
Christians, let’s be content with what we have. Let’s learn to be content in whatever situation we find ourselves. Remember, God has said that He will never leave us or forsake us. Let’s not seek contentment through adding to our possessions, but rather let us seek to add to our contentment by subtraction. Have... Continue Reading
Patrick, Missionary to Ireland
When one reads Patrick’s Confession it is obvious that he knew Scripture and used it to teach the Irish about the Triune God and the gracious atonement accomplished by the Son.
It is good to remember Patrick of Ireland and his contribution to church history, but he should not be remembered through the “carousing and drunkenness” often associated with March 17. Instead, “the Lord Jesus Christ” should be put on in faith with “no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.” These words from... Continue Reading
Compulsory Feminism
Anti-discrimination ideology is based on a hyper-individualistic conception of what it means to have a successful life, especially for women.
Male workforce participation has steadily declined under the anti-discrimination regime. It is presently under 70 percent, a historic low. Many would like to believe that we can address these problems while preserving the anti-discrimination sexual constitution. But the problem of a lack of marriageable men and other breakdowns in the male–female dance are endemic to... Continue Reading
Truly Meeting with God on the Lord’s Day
A Lesson I Learned in the Pentecostal Church
We must know that God especially condescends to us as we gather with His people on His Day. If we truly believe that, we will be motivated to prioritize Lord’s Day worship in our lives. Who wouldn’t, like the Psalmist David, say, “One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that... Continue Reading
How the History of Israel Proves Postmillennialism
The Kings, Jesus, and a World with Worshippers
Jesus will be the one who indeed obeys the covenant stipulations of Yahweh and, as Solomon prayed, would bless all the peoples on earth (1 Kings 8:60; 2 Chronicles 6:32-33). He is the one who delivered Hezekiah from Assyria and who will ensure the world will know who God is (2 Kings 19:15, 19). He... Continue Reading
Temptations Common to Marriage
Three common challenges that all marriages between sinners face, holding up Christ as the only reliable solution for each.
Our Lord taught us that a house divided against itself can’t stand. Satan’s strategy is to use friendly fire — spouses attacking each other — to defeat our marriages. It’s imperative, then, for couples to learn how to engage in spiritual (not spousal) warfare. And spiritual wars can be won only with spiritual weapons. I... Continue Reading
Walking in the Dark
Why does God withhold key information from His friends?
Knowledge of the facts beforehand would lessen the need, which in turn would lessen the meeting of that need. Gone would be that wonderous experience of God’s power in the extremity of your need. Gone would be the marvel of watching provision come in ways unforeseen, the thrill of receiving the delivery of the promise.... Continue Reading