The Ruling Elder and the Public Worship of God
What Are Ruling Elders There For?
Ruling elders ought to visibly and actively participate in the leadership of public worship, the church’s most important weekly activity. When ruling elders call the congregation to worship, lead prayers and confessions, read scripture, and assist in the administration of the sacraments the people are reminded that they have several pastors, not just one. Ruling... Continue Reading
Can We Make Moral Judgments About Other Cultures?
Yes, with the right criteria of eternal truths.
A helpful critique of culture is whether or not human dignity is recognized and valued. Are the powerless, particularly women, the elderly, the poor, and the outcast, given opportunity and protection? Is human ingenuity encouraged in areas such as science, the arts, as well as practical and personal liberties? And are these areas aimed at... Continue Reading
Everything Enchanted: Humanity is Desperate for Transcendence, but Where Can it be Found?
Everything is enchanted, if only we have eyes to see and ears to hear.
We should be equipping people to discern God’s still, small voice encountered through the Scriptures or the Body, not teaching them to ask God to say it again, this time to them personally and audibly if possible. The truth is, our “frame” may be immanent, but reality itself inherently participates in the transcendent. If it is... Continue Reading
Pastors, Beware the American Dream
Biblical Principles on Contentment and Materialism for Pastors
There are obvious advantages to gaining wealth. You get the cool car, the nice house, and of course, the knowledge that your healthy bank account means that you are shored up for the future. But wealth doesn’t come easy. It may mean sacrificing time with your wife and children or neglecting the needs of your... Continue Reading
Robbing and Broken Promises
If our lives belong entirely to Christ, holding anything back—whether time, resources, or attention—is a kind of theft, a failure to give what is due.
As followers of Christ, we are His ambassadors in a world that ultimately belongs to Him. Yet, how often do we stay silent about our faith out of fear of offending others? Imagine a doctor who, out of a desire to avoid upsetting his patient, withholds a diagnosis of a life-threatening illness. This isn’t love;... Continue Reading
A Review of Religion & Republic by Miles Smith
Who We as American Protestants Actually Were and What We Might Still Strive to Be
Religion & Republic shows that we have positive examples to work from within our own national history and that we do not necessarily have to look outside the American tradition in order to conceptualize a Christian America. It is worth repeating and reemphasizing that as Americans, unless we intend to be revolutionaries, our approaches to reform... Continue Reading
God in Three Persons, not Three Personalities
To be true to trinitarian doctrine, there can be only one personality in God.
We should think of the essence of God as the one personality of God, and yet expressed three times over. Each Person fully indwells the other, expressing the one personality of God to each other as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. No one will “solve” the doctrine of the Trinity, as if it is... Continue Reading
Who Is the Real King?
We default and defer to any ruler but King Jesus.
Are we all that different from what these folks did 2000 years ago? When crunch time comes along, how many will simply submit to whatever dictates the State hands down to us – even those that conflict with our Christian faith? If the Covid wars of 2020-2022 were a test run to see how easily... Continue Reading
Polity of the Plymouth Pilgrims
The Pilgrims developed their congregationalism in opposition to the episcopal polity of the Church of England.
These dissenting Christians had separated from the Church of England and were living in exile in Leyden, Amsterdam, and Plymouth Plantation so they could practice their doctrine as congregational churches with each church bound by its covenant. Introduction The church at Leyden was the mother church for the Pilgrim congregation in Plymouth Plantation in... Continue Reading
How Did Jesus Escape Eternity in Hell When He Died in the Place of Sinners?
The difference between Jesus and me.
As sinners, we cannot satisfy God’s wrath or fully pay for our sins no matter what we do or how long we do it. Furthermore, even if we tried, we would keep on sinning while seeking to fully pay for our sins. An endless loop of sin and punishment would ensue. As a result, a... Continue Reading
Blessing and Cursing
The contrast between God’s blessing or cursing reminds us that we do not automatically enjoy God’s favor regardless of how we live.
Only those who have truly trusted in Jesus as their Savior and submitted to His lordship will experience God’s eternal blessing. Obedience brings blessing, not because it merits salvation but because it demonstrates the reality of our faith in the One who blesses His people. Although it is rarely noted, the concept of blessing... Continue Reading
A Recent History of the Christian Reformed Church
Recent Synodical decisions maintain the CRC’s long-held view of sexuality against some very deliberate strategies to undermine it.
The Abide Project began, not as an attempt to chart a new direction, but precisely to avoid it. The only unprecedented developments have been the deliberate attempts to protest and defy the decisions of Synod, and the subsequent failure of classes to keep such congregations accountable. Recent Synods of the Christian Reformed Church (CRC)... Continue Reading
The New Divide in Global Anglicanism
Orthodox Anglicans have continually decried liberal departures from biblical teaching about marriage and sexuality.
“Respect” for tradition is not enough when cultural hurricanes threaten to blow Anglicans off the narrow pilgrim way. Just as “respect” for God is a far cry from the “trembling at My word” that God seeks (Isa. 66:2), and just as the Ethiopian eunuch asked how he could understand Isaiah without someone guiding his interpretation... Continue Reading
What Does It Mean to Pray “Your Kingdom Come”?
The kingdom comes where the king is acknowledged, believed upon, and worshiped.
Wherever King Jesus is readily acknowledged, his reign in rule is more firmly felt and entrenched in our lives and in our world, and so mainly that will exist in the church. There we have his kingdom coming. What more important things could we pray about in our day? We think about the petitions... Continue Reading
Aspiration & the Overseer
Why are we so embarrassed by desiring something (the office of Overseer) that Paul calls “noble”?
Calvin said there are two tests to determine the purity of a man’s aspirations. First, is the man already doing what the office requires?…Second, if he goes unnoticed in his service (let us say he does not get nominated this go-around), does he keep serving? I have noticed an interesting difference between the description of... Continue Reading
Is This the End of Reading as a Societal Activity?
Maybe a renewed commitment to the public reading of Scripture will be what we need.
I am not a prophet, but I suspect (and cannot know) that we will become or already are a non-literary society. And that a sub-group (pastors, classical school kids, educators, etc.) will continue to value the life of the mind. I think we are seeing the end of reading as a societal activity. Most... Continue Reading
No One in Our Lives “Always” Acts a Certain Way—Except God
The Lord is good, and he is only ever good. And in all his ways with all his people he only ever sends goodness and mercy.
If you cannot feel it now, the Lord is still with you in the valley. He will still walk with you without fail all your days, and one day it may be that you look back on the worst of experiences, the most dreadful of times, the deepest of dark valleys, and you will be... Continue Reading
Further Reasons Why the Presbyterian Church in America Ought Not to Ordain Men Who Experience Unnatural Lusts
The constitution of the Presbyterian Church in America prohibits the ordination of men who experience unnatural lusts.
Perhaps the most obvious corruption of our thought upon this point has been the substitution of “same sex attraction” for “lust.” …working off of Scripture’s framework, our constitution and ethical tradition know nothing of mere attraction, especially where it is conceived as a potential weakness or liability rather than as the sin of unnatural lust.... Continue Reading
Count on What You Know Rather Than Speculate on What God Might Be Doing
Trust in the God who, no matter what’s happening and no matter how difficult it is to accept, is making you more like Jesus.
When our desire for knowledge and revelation ram against the unapproachable wisdom and knowledge of God, where do we turn? The surest answer in those moments is to turn to His Word, where mercifully, God has already spoken. He has revealed something of His good intent and loving providence, enough so that through His Word... Continue Reading
How Idols Hijack Our Hearts
The promises our idols make are attractive because they are counterfeit versions of the promises we were made to need and believe.
If what we ultimately seek is health or comfort or material happiness, then we have to admit that these idols are doing a decent job. From one perspective, it makes sense that we continue to rely on them. Our idols don’t make promises explicitly because they rarely speak. But we attribute promises to them—primarily that... Continue Reading
Charles Spurgeon and “the Army of God”
Our calling is to be faithful to His Word and to so serve that church that she might fulfill her calling as the army of God.
By Spurgeon’s death in 1892, the Metropolitan Tabernacle had a membership of over 5300. This is remarkable given how plain their services were, how rigorous their membership process was, and how careful they were to maintain accurate rolls. They weren’t large because of modern attractional gimmicks. These weren’t inflated numbers due to sloppy membership practices.... Continue Reading
Answering Socialism from a Biblical Worldview
Socialism can be expected to continue to fail in the future, because although it attempts to take the role of God, it cannot really do so, and it militates against human nature.
In capitalism, “the individual is important, and this is why it is consonant with the Christian world view, because you are important. Because you are created in God’s image.” In socialism, individual subordination will be justified by saying “this is for the good of the order … this is for the greater good, it’s very... Continue Reading
For the Children
A review of pro-child politics: why every cultural, economic, and national issue is a matter of justice for children, edited by Katy Faust.
At its core, Pro-Child Politics is a call for adults to represent and steward the best interests of children in the realm of politics, culture, and economics—not find themselves beholden to childish wish lists and self-focused desires, regardless of the person’s age. While I would happily opine about various conservative thought experiments, including JD Vance’s... Continue Reading
Prepare Now for Unexpected Turbulence and Resisting Sexual Temptation
Seek refuge in God when the storm hits.
Sisters and brothers, when you’re taken off guard by unsettling news, a scary diagnosis, a harsh disappointment, or any form of unexpected turbulence, your Rescuer is near. He is right there in the storm with you. And when you respond by going back to familiar false refuges, his forgiveness and strengthening comfort are still yours!... Continue Reading
The New Sexual Revolution
Our culture is primed for a life-giving change that only Christianity offers.
In societies that prioritize marriage, citizens are better able to restrain their physical appetites and focus social energy on building the future. In short, sexual “freedom” leads, eventually, to social exhaustion and eventual decline. From impulse purchases to hyper-sexualization to boredom with even short silences, ours is a civilization focused on living in the moment... Continue Reading
Is Faith Alone Enough for Salvation? Sola Fide Explained
We stand justified before God by faith alone, not by works. This doctrine gives us assurance, peace, and freedom in the knowledge that Christ’s righteousness is sufficient.
As believers, we can have assurance that our standing before God is secure because it rests on Christ’s righteousness, not our own. This doesn’t mean we ignore good works, but it means those works flow out of a heart transformed by faith, not as a means to earn salvation. Some may point to James 2:17—“So... Continue Reading
Christology in Colossians and Philemon
"Hidden with Christ in God" by Kevin W. McFadden
The series is aimed at students, preachers and interested laypeople. My take is this volume veered more towards the student end of this spectrum as a first reference point. I think it will help preachers to the extent it compiles the Christological material in the letters and joins the dots to other Pauline teaching; chapter... Continue Reading
Lessons from the Church Court’s Decision in Acts 15:22-35
Don’t test God with another gospel: see to it that the gospel of salvation by faith alone is proclaimed, and that the fellowship of all nationalities in that gospel is preserved.
Indeed, in Acts 15 as in Acts 11, the prophets’ ministry of the word and the response of the disciples in Antioch shows us that joy, encouragement, and comfort (cf. 1 Cor 14:3) belonged even to Gentiles as co-heirs, co-members of the body, and co-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus with Jews through the... Continue Reading
What Can We Count on Tomorrow to Bring?
Labour to fill up the vacuums among present things with that great hope, the hope of salvation.
A prodigal and riotous waster cannot get by with his yearly income, but takes on more on his estate on the next year’s income, before it come. He begins to spend out of it before it actually comes, and then, when it comes, it cannot suffice. In the same way, the insatiable and indigent heart... Continue Reading
How Do Pastors ‘Count It All Joy’?
When God loves us with his saving love and gives us saving faith, he commits, because he cares for us, to inject our lives with various trials to train, grow, sweeten, strengthen, and mature what matters most in us.
When he lovingly brings pastoral trials into our lives — and he does so lovingly — he is working for us and in us, one of the greatest goods imaginable. When He tests us, he is taking action to keep us. And He keeps us not just by protecting our present level of faith and... Continue Reading