Against Brokenness Theology
Replacing sin with victimhood.
Brokenness theology is not only unbiblical and spiritually damaging. It is also the gateway drug to a whole host of other heresies and errors. By teaching people that they are primarily helpless victims of forces outside their control, rather than willful sinners in need of salvation, it opens the door toward seeing every difficulty or... Continue Reading
Postmillennialism: A Reply to Doug Wilson
Postmillennialism lacks a biblical text to establish its assumption that “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Hab 2:14) before the second coming.
The eschatological kingship of Christ begins already at his first coming culminating in his resurrection and ascension. Already at and dating from Christ’s exaltation, “God has placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church” (Eph. 1:22; cf. v. 20). This is a key eschatological pronouncement….... Continue Reading
The Sun Is Blotted from the Sky
As the light fades, men and angels alike pause in wonder at Christ receiving without grumbling, accepting without complaining, and bearing without limit.
“Give me Adam’s complaining and Jacob’s obstinacy and Samson’s lust.” The angels of heaven seem to shout, “Stop! Surely he has reached his limit!” But again he speaks to say, “Burden me more! Add to me the weight of all the sins of the next two thousand years, add to me all the sins of all... Continue Reading
Your Elders Will Fail You
God did not make your elder perfect. God redeemed your elder and is still sanctifying him.
Your elder is not Jesus. They may be Christ-like, but the ultimate voice a Christian should hear and follow is Jesus’s, and not their elder’s. Your elder can pray for you, warn you, show you safe paths, and plead with you. But ultimately, every member is in the hands of the Lord Himself. We are... Continue Reading
Poor Richard’s Christianity
Mere cultural Christianity will not protect the society a famous atheist says he values.
Dawkins’ conundrum, of course, is that all the nice culturally Christian things he enjoys have been brought to him courtesy of “bad” Christians—those dreaded orthodox types who actually took the Bible seriously when it said, for instance, that man is made in the image of God. Dawkins likes the idea of human rights, but he... Continue Reading
What Temptation Is and Is Not
Until we see Jesus, we will continue to suffer temptation.
Understanding the nature of temptation should sober us. It reminds us that no matter how good temptation makes sin appear, it’s a mirage. The temptation to be stingy is an invitation from Satan to resist the generosity that reflects Jesus. The impulse to click on pornography is an invitation from Satan to grieve God for... Continue Reading
Finding Peace beyond the Illusion of Control
Our salvation involves so much more than what we are currently experiencing, and even creation groans, waiting for the sons of God to be revealed.
Everything could fall apart. The darkest things imaginable could happen, except one: that God would lose one of us who has been saved by faith and fail to complete the work He has begun in us. We will see Jesus face to face in all of His glory. One day, all believers will inhabit a... Continue Reading
Everything about God Matters
Divine simplicity.
Simplicity means that God’s essence is identical with His attributes. God is not some unrevealed being who possesses attributes such as love and knowledge. Rather, God is love and God is knowledge. This truth is tremendously reassuring, for it means when we encounter God’s love or knowledge, we are genuinely meeting with God. Were attributes... Continue Reading
Undistracted by Moralism
While moralism sets the bar to an achievable height, Jesus sets the standard farther than we can reach.
Jesus exposed the Pharisees’ application of the Exodus 21:24 command, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth’” (Matthew 5:38). They measured righteousness by personal retribution. They took a law meant to curb sinful retaliation and used it to justify personal vendettas. This is what... Continue Reading
Christ’s Spotless Bride: New Testament Images of the Church (Part Two)
Even when Christians fail and through sin bring harm to other members of Christ’s church, the Savior’s love and mercy is greater still.
Theologically, ideas of God as Father (Matthew 23:9– “for you have one Father, who is in heaven,”), Jesus as brother (Romans 8:29, “firstborn among many brothers”), believers as children of God and as co-heirs with Christ (John 11:52– “and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who... Continue Reading
The Gateway Drug To Post-Christian Paganism
The secret to political integrity and discernment for Christians is a high view of God, his Word and his gospel.
This points to their value in today’s debates. One of the striking lacunae on both the right and left wings of the Christian political spectrum is the general absence of any reference to the transcendence of God and the supernatural nature of the church. Immanent concerns rule the day. The pundits on both sides seem... Continue Reading
The Beauty of Divine Simplicity
The doctrine’s confessional value.
Christian theologians embrace divine simplicity because it is biblical. It also invites us to trust in His unity, share His sufficiency, and love all of Him. We cannot rank the divine persons; they are distinct from each other but not divided from each other. They are not three parts that add up to a single godhead.... Continue Reading
God’s Judgment and Richmond Theater Fire, 1811
World events and disasters in creation prick the sense of deity in man and they can be used to challenge the unbelieving with the gospel message of Christ.
Scripture tells Christians that they are to be in the world but not of the world and church history has shown that a reoccurring problem is knowing at what point the believer crosses the line and becomes not only in the world but of it as well. Dr. Miller made some good points in his... Continue Reading
How the Transgender Movement Fuels Conspiracy Theories
No conspiracy theory is as far-fetched as the idea that there are 72 genders.
No matter how far-fetched a given conspiracy theory might seem, it will not be as far-fetched as the idea that there are now 72 genders. In fact, considering which narratives the progressive establishment defends most fiercely, it seems to many that the only truly credulous position to take would be that of leaders who cannot... Continue Reading
Dystopia Check-In
On Campus Crusade, pronoun hospitality, and when organizations get big.
A lot of what young me presupposed about the world, and about big para-church organizations (and Christian colleges), has proven to be increasingly less Christian, by which I mean grounded in the authority of scripture and rooted in repentance being central to faith (as we see in scripture). Increasingly, it seems like these organizations are... Continue Reading
But What If We Win?
Commentary on John Davenport
What is clear from Davenport is that a Christian commonwealth is one of coordinate states wherein rulers fulfill Isaiah 49:23 by helping, nourishing, and protecting the true religion, the true church. None of this implies a dependence of Christ’s objective preeminence on any earthly powers—get that out of your head! It is a matter of... Continue Reading
Good Growth
There’s an adage that gets thrown around in church circles, and maybe wider: healthy things grow.
Good growth is slow growth. Are those couple of moments when God has done that to me bad? No, they were wonderful touches of grace. The problem comes if I start to think that’s normal and everyone needs a crisis moment that leads to huge character change. Ideally growth is slow. We should seek growth... Continue Reading
Book Review: ‘Two Cities, Two Loves Christian: Responsibility in a Crumbling Culture’
If you want a thought-provoking introduction as to how Christians should approach the challenges of faith and life in a hostile world then 'Two Cities, Two Loves' is definitely a good place to start.
Christians must never dream of taking over the power structures of the world, (Boice was writing soon after the collapse of the Christian Right in the 1980s,) nor must they seclude themselves from the world like monks or Mennonites. They must instead aim to live biblical, prayerful, authentic, godly, courageous, and joyful lives of service... Continue Reading
After Easter: Certainty in the Gospel
Luke is clear—Jesus appeared again and again, and he gave many proofs that he was alive.
Luke the historian and the theologian gives this call—we do know these things about Jesus—that he lived, taught, performed miracles, was hung on a cross and died, then rose from the dead, validating his claim to be the son of God, the savior of the world. When we realize these things about Jesus, we become... Continue Reading
When Overthinking Sets In
Take heart, God is in control.
Gladly surrender all your worries, problems, and troubles in the hands that bled for you. Have faith for He is in charge over everything. Always remember that our Father perfectly knows what’s best for us; that our Father perfectly loves us and wants to give what’s best for us; that our Father is sovereign and... Continue Reading
Christ is King
The Lord Jesus is King, you must trust Him, and with confidence consider yourself safe under His protection.
“Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him” (Ps 2:12). In the Lord Jesus everything is to be found which can bring about rest. He is all-sufficient, omnipotent, good, faithful, and true. To trust in Him is to magnify Jesus in all His perfections. For such there are glorious promises. In the... Continue Reading
God’s Deliberate Encouragement
God makes a specific, deliberate instruction to tell Peter.
He knew the depths of his mourning. Now he comes deliberately to him to announce His resurrection. God knows us. He gives us what we need when we need it. Even when we have blown it royally, He reminds us of His resurrected and powerful life—a life we enjoy because He lives in us. ... Continue Reading
Benefitting Body and Soul From the Table
How the Lord's Supper Feeds Our Whole Person in Christ
We’ve talked about how the bread and the wine are necessary. They each play a role in helping us to see in a visible way the death of Jesus Christ and through that sign to more deeply be encouraged in the gift. One by a faith revealed, and the other by a faith disclosed. The spiritual... Continue Reading
A Beacon of Hope
From Despair to Amazement
May God enable us to embrace the hope of the resurrection. May the Lord Jesus be an anchor for our souls in turbulent times, a source of comfort in sorrow, and a beacon of light guiding us toward eternal life. The resurrection of Jesus is not just an historical event but a transformative reality. The... Continue Reading
The Parable of the 4 Soils
Jesus is explaining the human heart will always have a response to the Word of God.
Genuine fruit is the evidence of a genuine heart being saved by the gospel. If people think they can be hard soil, rocky soil, or thorny soil and simply be in a growth phase as a believer, then they’ve missed the entire point of Luke’s gospel and the entire point of following Jesus. This gives... Continue Reading
Feeling Christ within Us
To have Jesus within us is to have something that we didn’t have before: namely, hope.
Instead of looking for perfection, we should be looking for any desire to pray, any desire to meditate, and any desire to obey—however small. We should look for conviction when we fall short too. Is there any remorse in regard to your prayerlessness or lack of attention to Scripture or to obedience? If so, be... Continue Reading
Hope for the Unhappy
What has led to such a steep reduction in people’s overall happiness in the U.S.?
The World Happiness Report reveals what many of us probably already knew about the condition of our nation: people are unhappy, disillusioned, and disappointed. This report might be the most hopeful news for our nation in recent memory, especially when we think about the prominence of Gen Z in this report. The prodigal son “came... Continue Reading
Encouragement for Battling Spiritual Depression
We need a robust understanding of the gospel.
Those of us who tend toward introspection will, in most cases, also tend toward pulling away from people. Conversely, a proactive love toward others—family members, friends, neighbors, and enemies—is a powerful weapon against an unhealthy preoccupation with our inner life. Love is considered the distinguishing mark of the Christian. The following is a response... Continue Reading
Fierce Furnace, Gentle Grace
Afflictions have been to me some of my greatest mercies.
Jesus has selected a suitable furnace for me, not a hot and hasty one, which seems likely to harden and consume me–but one with a gentle and lingering heat, which melts my heart gradually, and lets out some of its dross. Though I cannot love the furnace, yet the longer I live, the more I... Continue Reading
The Almost Forgotten Spiritual Discipline…
A few reasons why I think that Scripture memorisation can help you.
There is nothing mystical or magical about remembering words, but thinking about, dwelling on and actively pondering the depths of Scripture is an absolute privilege. We can best do this by knowing a passage of Scripture, off by heart, and thinking it through properly. Take Romans 5:1-5, for example, it’s very short but it is... Continue Reading