The Shocking Secret to Jesus’ Ministry Success
His ministry is better because his covenant is better. And his covenant is better because its promises are better. Its promises are better because they promise to make the people better.
The problem with the old covenant was not primarily with the covenant but with the covenant’s people. They were sinners who kept on sinning. They had ways to deal with their sin, but only in copies and shadows. Never the real deal. In short, God made promises to and about these people in the old... Continue Reading
Are Sinners Worthless?
Yes, we are worthless, but we are also worthwhile—but not in the same way and in the same relationship.
How can we say that man has inherent dignity (the image of God) and yet at the same time he is a terrible sinner—worthless (total depravity)? Isn’t he either the former or the latter? The answer to this false dilemma is simply “yes.” We are both. Man is far above all other creatures (Ps. 8:5); he... Continue Reading
Our Sonship in Union with the Son of God
For Calvin, the entire scope of the gospel derived its splendor and hope from adoptive grace bestowed on him in Christ Jesus.
Adoption is not intended to distinguish us from the exalted Son of God, but to express the nature of our privileged solidarity with him. Preserving Christ’s eternal, ontological sonship does not proscribe filial-covenantal progress in the Son of God, nor does it drive a filial wedge between the redeemed sons and the redeeming Son. To... Continue Reading
Book Review: Butterfield and Five Lies of Our Age
Though we may have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, Butterfield presents us with the hope of the gospel.
There’s no question that the West is becoming increasingly antagonistic towards Christianity. One reason for this is that the ever-expanding LGBT agenda is deeply incompatible with biblical Christianity. In our age of ‘self,’ choice and rights are paramount, and no one has the right to tell someone else what to do (unless, of course, you... Continue Reading
A Brief Life Still Burning
The unlikely impact of Robert Murray M’Cheyne.
That’s what M’Cheyne was: a God-besotted man, a God-enthralled man. What I found so captivating about him was how captivated he was by Jesus. He was on fire, but not with mere zeal. His heart burned with holy divine love, the kind that is ignited only when one is truly near the holy Fire that... Continue Reading
The Difference between the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
What we need to realize after hearing this parable is that which makes the difference between the Pharisee and the tax collector is Jesus, the one telling the parable.
The Pharisee outlined his accomplishments; the tax collector summed up all of his actions when he confessed to God that he was “the sinner!” One was a prayer of self-congratulation, and one was a prayer of self-abasement. The end result: The Pharisee went home still in his sins, and the tax collector went home as... Continue Reading
The Problem with Servant Leadership
Evangelicals promote a vision of masculinity so bleak, no wonder men don’t want to sign up for it.
Many influencers offer teenage boys an aspirational vision of manhood. Some, like Mr. Peterson, say men are important for the sake of others, but present it as part of a heroic vision of masculinity in which men flourish as well. “You have some vital role to play in the unfolding destiny of the world,” he... Continue Reading
Expository Thoughts: Creation and New Creation in Ephesians
The idea that God’s election in Ephesians is merely the election of Christ simply doesn’t do justice to the text and the creation theme that runs through it.
The fact that we are able to express the faith that justifies is only a consequence of the fact that we have been regenerated from spiritual death. The ordo salutis needs to shape our theological understanding of salvation. The emphasis on creation-new creation also highlights the sovereignty of God in salvation. It anchors and grounds the... Continue Reading
How Can I Know What’s True?
If we try to find what’s ultimately true without grounding our thinking in the Bible, our efforts are doomed to fail.
The Bible is not a textbook of science, math, physics, or art. However, it gives us the only worldview that ultimately makes all those things possible. In other words, the Bible not only teaches us ultimate truths about man, the world, salvation, the future, and a host of other subjects that make up a worldview,... Continue Reading
Where Are We Going and Where Have We Been?
Understanding the deep relationship between sexuality and spirituality helps us as we interact not only with ideas but with human beings in our own culture.
The LGBTQ agenda has become the new orthodoxy of woke culture. Anyone who even questions it is declared a heretic and cast from society for blasphemy. In this cultural setting we can expect resistance to and eventually persecution of those who hold to biblical orthodoxy. This agenda is new in recent Western history, so it... Continue Reading
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