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

The very idea that humans are made in the image of God is rendered vacuous. (Gen. 1:27: “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”) Affirmation of sodomy entails the hermeneutical unmaking of the created order. This is why Paul singles it... Continue Reading

The problem for Israel was not hearing. Just as general revelation wordlessly speaks of the glory of God to all of creation, so also “the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17) had analogously been spoken to the Jews and Gentiles (Romans 10:18; cf. Ps 19:4). Neither was the problem for Israel its understanding (Romans 10:19a). They... Continue Reading

There is historical precedent to correlate an embrace of more conservative conceptions of political authority with an accompanying an increase in piety, and vice versa. A symbiosis between conservative politics and more substantive Christian piety typified the Réveil, a religious and in some ways political revival movement that swept France, the Low Countries, Switzerland, and... Continue Reading

American visitors to Japan primarily visit Tokyo, and perhaps Kyoto. They see a thriving metropolis and assume all is well. They never see the reality of the hinterland. Similarly, when a newcomer arrives in a community and asks for church references, they are likely to be steered to the town’s thriving churches. I see this... Continue Reading

Through His Spirit, Christ has given His regenerate people His own mind to discern and comprehend what the natural man cannot. This is why you see the world so differently from your unbelieving friends and family. Christians think through every issue in life with spiritual (albeit imperfect) minds—that is, minds that have been enlightened by... Continue Reading

Since justification entails a right standing with God, it is necessary that sin be forgiven and that one be made righteous. Just as Christ bore our sin at the Cross (whereby we have pardon), so also when we believe in Christ, His righteousness is credited to us. We did not accomplish or earn the righteousness... Continue Reading

It makes more sense to think Jesus is comparing service to fellow believers with service to him, rather than to hear him saying, “You should see my image in the faces of the poor.” Granted, Jesus was a “man of sorrows,” so other sufferers may be able to identify with Jesus in a special way.... Continue Reading

Friend, you are not Moses. You are not the last guy. God never meant you to be. Honor your predecessor not by being a better version of him but by building on whatever good foundation he left behind.   We are all interim. I have often reminded myself of this fact in recent years. When... Continue Reading

It is in being received as a child of God that we find the love for which we long. We are born longing to become beloved. To feel beloved. Due to our homeless hearts, we have a strong bent toward misplacing this desire in things and people that can never deliver on it.   Editor’s... Continue Reading