In Him All Things Hold Together
Why rebellion against the Son is a suicide mission.
Christ is the basis of reality itself, and thus disentangling oneself from Him necessarily means moving further and further toward madness and pandemonium. As has been noted before, it truly is Christ or chaos and the proof is in the cultural rodeo-circus unfolding all around us. That being the case, the Church’s task remains the same,... Continue Reading
Too Small to Fail
Deep down, all of us want our work to matter. We want our lives to matter, and we will never be able to get away from that, because it is how God made us.
As Christians, we need to let our redemptive imaginations go a bit and recognize that our work is a way of blessing people, even if we don’t see it, because we trust that God is a God who cares for those in need. And, one of the ways he cares for those in need is... Continue Reading
God’s Faithfulness, Election, and Israel (Romans 9:1–13)
How can we understand God to be faithful to His promises?
To speak of “God’s purpose of election” (Rom 9:11) involves speaking of those who are not the elect—those whose fate should bring great sadness to our hearts. We should also remember that, as mysterious and incomprehensible as it is to us and our finite minds, God justly holds unbelievers accountable not on the basis of... Continue Reading
Feel Free to Use A Commentary When Reading Your Bible
In cold case trials, the attorneys often act as study guides to help jurors decode the language of the witnesses. This is even more important when dealing with expert witnesses such as DNA and material experts.
Without a commentary or study guide, most of our blog entries (and responses to blog entries) will be difficult to understand. Study guides and commentaries are not only reasonable resources, they are responsible resources. They help us understand the author’s context so we can understand the author’s meaning. The famous atheist magician Penn Jillette (of Penn and Teller fame) once included... Continue Reading
Rich Toward God
What is James’ problem with those who have wealth?
James’ problem with the rich is not their money but their master. In serving money they oppressed the poor, ran roughshod over the helpless, and exploited whomever they could for their own gain. Rejecting the model of the Master, they sought to be served rather than to serve. FAITH AT WORK: Devotions through the... Continue Reading
Facing God’s Judgment
How Will You Face God’s Judgment?
Those who trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ will NEVER face God’s judgment for their sin. Instead, God promises to clothe them in the perfect, pure, and spotless righteousness of Jesus Christ. The promise of God’s judgment in Hebrews 9:27 is followed by these beautiful words: “so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins... Continue Reading
A Ritualistic Heart is an Impure Heart
Even if we do all the right actions, if our hearts are far from God, it is all defiled.
If realizing how short we have fallen moves our hearts to repentance, then we are headed in the right direction. Let that contrition burn within us and move us to heartfelt prayer and worship while trusting in the blood of Jesus to wash us clean. Possessing the cleansing we need, let us worship our Savior... Continue Reading
A Pilgrim People
This world is not [our] home . . . “[we’re] just a passin’ through.
On this side of heaven, the Lord gives us a glimpse of our heavenly home in many ways, especially when we gather for corporate worship. I’ve experienced this in my home church, Saint Andrew’s Chapel, where every Lord’s Day we gather and cross the threshold from the secular to the sacred. But I’ve also seen... Continue Reading
Light in the Darkness
By nature, we walk in darkness, but Christ is the light of the world, and those who follow Him have the light of life (John 8:12).
God is Himself light, and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). His first words in creating the heavens and the earth were ‘Let there be light!’ (Gen.1:3) In Milton’s paraphrase of Psalm 136, which delights in the mercies of God: ‘He, with all commanding might. Filled the new made world with... Continue Reading
The Pursuit of Holiness
Lessons that I have learned from the book by Jerry Bridges.
This book is really good. No wonder why many Christians recommend it. It’s time that you read it as well. Let’s encourage and motivate each other in our pursuit of holiness because God says that we should be holy as He is holy. (1 Pet. 1:15) Holiness is the pathway to true happiness because as... Continue Reading
The Astounding Family that Awaits Us
It’s not so much that we lose our old family but that we gain a new family—a larger eternal one.
Right now family serves an earthly purpose. But the day will come when it will be transformed into a glorious experience that is multiplied and magnified by the larger family to which we are united. As Randy Alcorn has said, “God usually doesn’t replace his original creation, but when he does, he replaces it with... Continue Reading
Realizing the Kingdom
"Thy Kingdom Come" Session 10 - James
James lays great stress on faith. Trials both prove our faith (to be authentic) and improve our faith (strengthen). Our journey in this world is by faith in our King and His kingdom, and that journey can be an arduous one. Yet the light is not merely at the end of the tunnel; it is with us in the... Continue Reading
Stop Trying to Separate Friends!
The Spirit of God and the Word of God
God’s Spirit is not at odds with God’s Word. God’s Spirit never contradicts the Word, and God’s Word never hinders the Spirit. If you want One, then you have to take the other. They’re a package deal. So stop trying to separate friends! I’ve heard that there are people who are trying to cause... Continue Reading
Character Produces Hope
For those in Christ, suffering makes us more hopeful, not less.
Paul concludes, “and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom. 5:5). Hope won’t put you to shame, but it’s not the hope of wishing upon a star, or asking the universe or self-will, it is from God... Continue Reading
We Have to Understand Different People
We need to know our people, understand how we can best serve them and then find the most appropriate ways to actually serve them.
Nobody wants to be the pastor who foists himself on others when people aren’t for a visit nor the one who turns up unannounced to family gatherings when they aren’t welcome. Neither do they want to be the pastor who never visits anyone when they’re desperate for a visit and won’t go to anything despite... Continue Reading
Who was Elizabeth Prentiss?
To help cope with the grief of losing her children, from 1853 to 1856, Elizabeth wrote children’s books that were published and became widely popular.
Elizabeth Prentiss left behind a legacy of ministry to countless suffering women, devotion to her husband and children, many stories and books that helped others grow in Christ, and the hymn “More Love to Thee.” She did all this despite frequent waves of grief and sorrow, sickness and poor health. Though well-known as a published... Continue Reading
6 Metaphors the Bible Uses for the Church
Figures of Speech That Show Us Major Themes of God’s Word
One of the most beautiful ways in which God’s Word describes the church is through vivid metaphors that illuminate the identity and corporate life of the church in union with Christ. Some of these metaphors, such as Christ’s bride and body, are so familiar to Christians that we often fail to think about the amazing... Continue Reading
If You Want Young Men to Leave Christianity, Have Them Watch “The Forge”
This is clearly not a movie for the men who are lost; this is a movie for their moms.
While “The Forge” deserves credit for wanting to address the real problems of struggling men and boys, it fails to speak to the very people it says it wants to help. Christian parents of such boys would be better off passing on this movie and following other sources for their boys, and following the example... Continue Reading
The Problem of Presumption
Whatever comes to us and whatever happens with our plans, good or bad, we accept as coming not by our own wisdom and power and not by chance but by God’s fatherly hand.
Grace turns boasting upside down. When we live according to God’s grace (and especially according to His gift of salvation in Christ), we recognize that everything we have is a gift from God (1 Cor. 4:7); we can do nothing on our own (John 15:5); weakness is the way of strength (2 Cor. 12:10); all... Continue Reading
Is the New Pro-Choice GOP Committing Political Suicide?
Is it ever right for a person of conscience to vote for a pro-choice candidate? The answer may be complex.
At times it may be necessary for me to vote for a better pro-choice candidate in order to avoid the election of a worse one and the dire consequences that would ensue. However, were I to cast such a vote, I would feel compelled to contact the candidate, explain that I am voting for him... Continue Reading
The Gospel Still Can’t Be Stopped
The gospel spreads unhindered.
Missions is the invitation to participate in the gospel’s advance around the world. It’s the privilege to see God’s Word at work. But you don’t have to leave your country to see and participate in its powerful effect. We might be discouraged when we experience resistance to our witness from family, friends, and society. But the... Continue Reading
Strangers to Sin
How Heaven Makes Us Holy
Christian, you don’t belong in this world — how often do you consider that? Do you openly acknowledge it, and make plain through speech, that you seek a homeland (Hebrews 11:13–14)? And does the hope of home, the glory of home, the God who is your home, equip you to abstain from the passions of... Continue Reading
On Generalisations – Again
The need to understand literary devices.
Understanding how language works is crucial here. Learning about figurative language is necessary. Related to this is another figure of speech known as hyperbole. This too is found throughout Scripture. As I stated several years ago: The use of hyperbole has to do with overstatement or exaggeration for special effect. Proverbs, poetry and prophecy especially... Continue Reading
Practical Counsel for Pastors Who Are Beginning to Discern the Times
For the emboldened pastor, leading your church in a new direction will be costly. But the cost is worth it. Here is a short list of things to consider.
Count the cost. Don’t be naive. You could have a mass exodus of close friends leaving the church. The church could split. You could get fired. Any number of things could happen, so it is best to be prepared for anything. Prepare your own soul. Meditate on Matthew 5:11–12 and the book of 1 Peter. Pray that God will... Continue Reading
A Commonsense Defense of Creeds and Confessions
On Clarity, Honesty, and Good Faith in the Church
One of the greatest benefits of explicitly stated creeds is that they protect the church from unwritten and unstated creeds. Everyone has beliefs about what the Bible teaches. But beliefs that are not publicly accessible in simple, clear, written form are not subject to public scrutiny. Furthermore, they are not open to correction because there... Continue Reading
The Organization of Veritas Presbytery
On August 19, 2024, five ministers gathered in Greenwood, SC, along with elder representatives from three former ARP churches to constitute Veritas Presbytery, an independent unaffiliated presbytery.
“In order to uphold our ordination vows, before God, our Father, the Lord Jesus, our Savior, and the Holy Spirit, who guides us into all truth, and to adhere to the Holy Scripture with utmost honesty and integrity and therefore obey God over the ungodly whims of hierarchal human manipulations, this new presbytery is being... Continue Reading
The Uncertainties in Life
What is it about uncertainty that makes us uncomfortable or fearful?
Every one of us is now experiencing the sad effects of living in a broken world, a world where uncertainties confront us each day. This is our reality; we cannot ignore this truth and push it aside. The real question is not whether we will encounter and experience uncertainty but how we will respond to... Continue Reading
Humans Were Meant to Be Here
We are a blessing to be preserved, multiplied, and redeemed.
Despite the race’s fallen condition, Christians view human life as a blessing to be preserved, multiplied, and redeemed; and the human mind and spirit as resources more inexhaustible than any material we consume. We bear a certain resemblance to our Maker in that we can, in our limited and creaturely way, also create. Which is... Continue Reading
Sharing with Fellow Believers in Their Sufferings
Christian fellowship involves getting to the roots of each other’s lives.
As Christian brothers and sisters united together in Christ, we must take time to be part of each other’s lives. True fellowship means knowing each other intimately. Fellowship is not done merely over a meal but in the sometimes private areas of life such as listening to a friend in pain or hardship. It means... Continue Reading
Why Did the People of Nazareth Scorn Jesus?
The people think teaching is for rabbis and intellectuals, not for illiterate carpenters like Jesus.
Jesus notes a proverb that was just proven true. A prophet has no dishonor, except in his hometown. When a prophet goes on tour, he is applauded and respected as God’s authoritative emissary, but he comes home and gets no respect. And Jesus extends this proverb to include his relatives and his own household. This... Continue Reading