WCF 31: Of Synods and Councils
Synods and councils cannot be our rule of faith or practice. They can only help us believe and obey what Scripture alone requires.
Councils may and do err because human leaders “stumble in many ways” (James 3:2). Even the apostles made poor decisions (e.g. Mark 10:13–16; Luke 9:49, 50). The conclusions of assemblies “are to be received with reverence and submission” only “if consonant to the Word of God.” There is some tension here. Not every side will... Continue Reading
How Christians Can Fight the War on Lies
As a Christian, you must stand in defense of objective reality and reject the claim that reality can be subjective.
How should we wage battle in the war on lies? As in everything, we must follow Jesus’s lead. First John 3:8 tells us, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” Jesus came to destroy the work of the Devil, and the work of the Devil is spreading... Continue Reading
Where the Beauty Came From
The Incarnation of Jesus, with his dying and rising, becomes the clearest and most decisive portrayal of this love. We can call it a display of the “art” of God’s love, so it becomes the supreme model of all worldly and human beauty.
A Christian account of beauty is shaped not primarily by envisioning a return to a paradise lost, but rather anticipating a glory yet to appear—a glory or beauty already seen in Jesus Christ but that is being spread about through the Holy Spirit. The beauty we discern now is a preview, given by the Spirit,... Continue Reading
Make Enemies with Sin and Satan
Satan is like a fatally wounded warrior, who knows that he is already dead, yet who hates his enemies so much that he continues to claw after them until his dying breath.
A worldwide church is a clear indicator that the Seed of the woman has crushed the serpent’s head, which should encourage us to pray and persevere in a world that is hostile to Christ and his gospel. Second, Paul told the church in Rome that “the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your... Continue Reading
Parents of LGBTQ+-Identified Kids: How to Walk with Your Child
Fight the impulse to stay locked inside your secret self, committed to isolation, and trying to solve it all on your own. It’s too big—and you’re too small and finite.
Parents may attempt to strategize about solutions and action plans based on their limited personal wisdom. If you feel you’re not ready for a small group of other parents, at least consider speaking to a trustworthy church leader who can pray for and with you and offer an outside voice of wisdom. If this is... Continue Reading
From Dragons to Disciples: What Lewis and Tolkien Teach Us about Making Disciples
The more we encourage and provide opportunities for our children to contribute to the community God has placed them in, the more we teach them to seek the kingdom of God (by our word and deed).
It may seem odd to call a catastrophe good, but Tolkien argues that “the eucatasrophic tale is the true form of fairy-tale, and its highest function.” In the Gospels, Tolkien writes, we find “the greatest and most complete conceivable eucatastrophe.” There is no greater tragedy than the unjust execution of the Son of God and... Continue Reading
What Is Positive Church Discipline?
To be subject to discipline is simply to be a disciple, and church membership is a disciple’s proper desire for instruction and guidance in its fullest sense.
That discipline is a privilege does not mean that it is always enjoyable. It is often unpleasant. The wilderness wandering of Israel was a period of forty difficult (though not wasted) years. This time of testing and humbling was the “way of the wilderness” (Ex. 13:18). Moses describes it in Deuteronomy 8, saying in effect:... Continue Reading
A Biblical Precedent for Dissent
In a time of increasing polarization and secularization of campus politics, Christian higher education is positioned to benefit from the rich resources that its faith tradition offers in the form of its holy text.
The Bible highlights a wide variety of (often disruptive and disobedient) activities that it describes without censure. The implication for student life staff and college administrators, then, might be to help channel students’ energies for dissent in positive directions that align with the biblical witness rather than to be quick to quash dissenting activity, even... Continue Reading
3 Things You Should Know about 1 Peter
Christians are not called to a bed of ease, but to a life of “obedience” (1 Peter 1:2).
Remembering that we serve Christ as our Master will help us make the right choices and choose the right words when we find ourselves in the war zone. In 1 Peter 4:12–19, Peter focuses on the trials that Christians might face, urging his readers to “not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes... Continue Reading
The Death of My Son Awakened Me to the Reality of Heaven
When we are saved, we now live in the heavenly realm. We are now citizens of heaven.
I like to say that I made a friend, and my friend was the apostle Paul. I started reading Paul’s letters and started to see how Paul integrates things of eternity into every aspect of the Christian life. Not just, “This is what happens when you die,” but, “This is why you repent from sin,... Continue Reading
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