Many believers grieve the loss of their families after they come to faith. This tragic outcome is often unavoidable, even for the most winsome of witnesses. Yet it is not impossible for believers from Muslim backgrounds to hold fast to Jesus and to eventually be reconciled to their Islamic families.   I’ve heard it said that if... Continue Reading

The Hamite inhabitants of the city in Shinar wanted to make a shem, a name, for themselves rather than looking to “the God of Shem” and calling on His name. They hunkered down and united for the honor of their own name in the city of their own making, so that they might resist the mandate... Continue Reading

God doesn’t call us to do the spectacular and dramatic, we don’t need to make some big gesture, but to live lives of faithfulness where we are. Seeking his kingdom every day where he has placed us…. God is worthy of worship as the refuge of his beleaguered people struggling with life in a fallen... Continue Reading

Books that faithfully point to Jesus are eternally valuable and immensely powerful; do not underestimate the power they can have in your life or the life of your church. Use them shamelessly, advocating for your friends, family, neighbours, and coworkers, to use their time to grow through reading a good book.   How many times... Continue Reading

Adam and Eve fell through unbelief; the restoration of the world is by faith in the Word of God. The question that remains for us, and the one that should burn daily within our hearts and weigh upon our consciences like a millstone, is, Do we believe this Word?   But the serpent said to the... Continue Reading

The debate between Augustine and Pelagius (and the Pelagians) on the question of original sin is one of the most important and intriguing in all of church history. To be an “Augustinian” on this issue is—almost—shorthand simply for being a traditional Christian.   Original sin, in particular the relationship between Adam and the rest of... Continue Reading

If you’re a man, read the Scriptures on what men and husbands are to be like, and aspire to be such a man. If you are a woman, read what the Bible says women and wives are to be like, and work at being such a woman. Then, read what the Lord says the opposite... Continue Reading

We will see how God kept us, how dreadfully close we came to making shipwreck of our faith, but how, without fail, God intervened by his Word and Spirit and called us to faith and repentance again.   I imagine that in heaven there will be a sort of cosmic canvas or divine tapestry that... Continue Reading

Willful disobedience is prime time for pointing children to Christ. They need to experience a consequence to understand that sin is a real problem with a real penalty. If they repent and believe in Jesus, God will forgive them because Jesus bore their sins in His body. He offers them Christ’s righteousness in exchange for... Continue Reading

Revelation is general in terms of both audience and content. Paul, in Romans 1, explains that through creation we know enough about God and about ourselves to stand condemned before God. The word general here means that all men know this.   The Westminster Confession of Faith is one of the most important Protestant confessions, for it... Continue Reading