Once again, the gospel takes center stage. It is (and always has been) the gospel—and nothing else—that defines the people of God. The good news of Galatians is that the gospel formerly promised to Abraham has now been realized in Jesus Christ.   For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put... Continue Reading

God created man in his image and gave him dominion over the creatures (Gen 1:26–28). Although God made man on the same day as the other creatures, man is clearly higher than the animals. Part of man’s call is to set aside the seventh day. To worship and have an intimate relationship with God is... Continue Reading

Kennedy’s book is a welcome contribution to the critical discussion of worldview, especially as it affects Christian educational institutions. It provides a substantive history of worldview in German idealism and Dutch Neo-Calvinism. It offers guidance toward a Christian epistemology that is objective, rather than subjective in orientation. And while it does not answer all the... Continue Reading

To those reborn by the Spirit of God and hidden in Christ, God says, “You are like a tree.” And not just any tree. You are a tree with three defining features: (1) you are planted by the source of life—God himself; (2) you yield good fruit in season; and (3) your leaves never wither. You are... Continue Reading

Trusting God to govern our lives quiets many anxieties and affords much peace. Think of it: isn’t the unfolding of our lives wrapped in mystery? One small step this way and not that, one thoughtless act, one unexpected conversation, one small tilt in the rudder, and all is changed.   Saul stands as a controversial... Continue Reading

In every moment and every situation our sacred calling is to promote good growth instead of poor growth, to scatter good seed rather than bad. It is to do all we can to foster the kind of growth that will spring up into a bountiful harvest of love, joy, grace, and peace.   It was... Continue Reading

The one thing we really need to be doing in our preaching is offering Christ, unadulterated. He came to get us. He is the King of the cosmos. He became nothing, stooped low enough to scoop even us up and lift us to the heavens.    We’re at the confluence of a few different currents... Continue Reading

God Made Me for Worship is Scripturally rich, gospel-centered, and accessible for children aged 4-12. My hope is that God Made Me for Worship will encourage Christian parents to see the preciousness, dignity, and necessity of Sunday worship for their families.   Lately, I have been giving thanks to God for the recent influx of... Continue Reading

In Understanding Transgender Identities: Four Views, five authors, all identifying as Christians, engage in respectful, mostly irenic dialog about transgender identities and how they relate to Christians and Christianity. The book is a window into the many areas of dissent among believers and nonbelievers alike regarding identity, gender, sex, and sexuality. It is well worth your... Continue Reading

It is often forgotten that Sola Scriptura was designed to battle more than Rome.  For Luther, he was equally concerned about the opposite problem.  Many in the so-called “radical” Reformation had taken a posture of individualism, disregarding the history of the church, the classical creeds, and the church fathers. We might think here of Menno... Continue Reading

It is odd that an organization named “planned parenthood” does so much that has nothing to do with pregnancy. In reality, abortion and trans ideology are about sexual autonomy. This is why Planned Parenthood tells teens they can put puberty on hold: “You should be the one to decide what change you want to make... Continue Reading

Rev. Platt speculates that there are only two reasons why there are not more missionaries in the area from which he was filming. The first reason he offers is that Christians don’t know that there are billions of unsaved people across the world. Most Christians I know do know this. That fact drives them to... Continue Reading

We might ask what difference it makes that Jesus is both priest and king. I suspect the readers of this letter were wondering the same thing. It makes a massive difference!   The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). This profound truth leads an honest reader to ponder what Jesus’... Continue Reading

Falk is not attempting to pin down the GPS coordinates of the Garden of Eden. Instead, he argues that, in the mindset of the original author of Genesis, Eden is “not located somewhere on Earth but represents the whole earth.” If Eden is reimagined as the whole earth, then the artistic spirit may have awakened on opposite... Continue Reading

In Rom 1:13, Paul says that he “often intended to come” to the Romans. In that report of his (frustrated) travel plans, the pro- in protithēmi may have a temporal sense (projecting a plan for the future) or an imaginative sense (proposing an idea, setting it out there for consideration), or both. On this model, Eph 1:9 teaches that... Continue Reading

Stop concentrating so much on what God is asking of you; start focusing on what he’s already given you. When Christ endured the brutal whip, the jeering and fist-striking — when he suffered more than any of us have, he was standing in your place. You and I deserved the bloodlust torture Christ endured, for... Continue Reading

A flourishing society and prosperous economy require values unlikely to germinate in a schizophrenically partitioned society, where faith is somehow excluded from the public square. We don’t need a secular marketplace devoid of faith. Our nation needs more authentic faith expression throughout the marketplace, with followers of Jesus effectively demonstrating the policies and priorities of... Continue Reading

At the heart of the Reformation was the Bible, but not just the Bible translated, it was the Bible preached, taught, and explained. This was Luther’s commitment. According to Luther, “The Word of God is the greatest, most necessary, and most sublime part in Christendom.” The Reformer went on to say, “We can spare everything,... Continue Reading

All Protestants acknowledged that there must be a mutual subjection of ministers and magistrates, as ministers submitted to magistrates in affairs of the temporal kingdom, while magistrates bowed to the authority of the Word as proclaimed by the ministers. But there were bound to be gray areas, especially in a society where nearly all citizens... Continue Reading

Christian confusion about the meaning of neighbor love spills over into confusion about how we should view our nations. Faithfulness to God obviously trumps all else. Nations are earthly goods, just like families are. But they are not for that reason to be dismissed as nothing more than sources of evil or idolatrous temptation. The... Continue Reading

I often hear the elderly in our congregation (and in others) lament that there is nothing left for them to do. Their strength is meagre, and they sigh in dissatisfied resignation, “I guess I can still pray”. One main thing needs to say to those who are victims of this attitude. It is that we... Continue Reading

My prayer is that everyone in the CRC will be able to articulate the gospel and would unashamedly spread this good news. While the evangelical world has the gospel, they are adrift without a confessional tradition to ground them. Many have floated in the directions of the prosperity gospel or Christian nationalism or pastoral personality... Continue Reading

Religious liberty, which is among the fundamental rights explicitly recognized in the Bill of Rights and is the foundation of all other rights, is rejected in favor of abortion rights, which are invented rights without a historic foundation. Harris rejects the actual fundamental right, religious liberty, and asserts a false right, abortion, claiming it to... Continue Reading

Our sinful estate is bad news, and thinking about bad news isn’t pleasant. But here’s the good news about the bad news: by remembering the horror of sin, and by reflecting on our helpless and spiritually ruined estate, we are able to celebrate the rescuing grace of God all the more. The bad news reminds... Continue Reading

The practice of pietism, either seeking personal encounters with God or practicing asceticism (another form of pietism that involves denying oneself of physical pleasures for the sake of spiritual advancement), can be appealing to people because they feel like they are being more religious and, thus, closer to God. Yet, Paul specifically states that such... Continue Reading

When we gather together to worship, God pours out His grace on His people. We should love the gathering of the saints. We should value the corporate nature of the weekly worship of God’s people. Let it drive away our sinful individualism and let us learn to highly value the gathered church.    I was... Continue Reading

Part of the pastor’s job is to help Christians regularly refocus on the gospel. To a friend who is bitter, we encourage them to, “…forgive, as God in Christ forgave you,” (Eph. 4:32). To the husband who is passive: “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her,” (Eph. 5:25).... Continue Reading

For those living with or around a narcissist, while there are ways to minimize harm, the greatest need is the transformation of the narcissist’s heart—not a change in how you relate to him. By the Lord’s grace, the true God has been known to change self-worshipping people at least a time or two: consider Manasseh... Continue Reading

Luke 15 is a chapter for our day. It speaks to the religious, and irreligious; the one who knows he’s lost, and the one who doesn’t.  It makes us face up to the reality of our lives.  It shows us the terror of what it is to be lost and the glory of what it... Continue Reading

We don’t wander the wilderness, left to our own devices to find food, rest, and safety for ourselves. We have a faithful Shepherd who is watchful over all of these details in our lives. These are things everyone longs for, and it’s important to remind ourselves often that these are realities for Jesus’ sheep.   The Lord is my shepherd;... Continue Reading