BCO 55 is about more than just polity; it’s about the heart’s need for truth. We gather to say out loud what we believe because we so easily forget it. We recite these things because they provide a “broad summary” of our hope when our own strength and clarity are failing.   While the Book... Continue Reading

As sons, God “vouchsafeth” for us; He identifies Himself with us as His own for whom He has responsibility.  Adoption implies freedom from slavery.  Not only pardon from punishment, but acceptance and restoration.  We are not estranged.   During our Westminster Standards teaching time last Lord’s Day evening, our memory work with the Westminster Shorter... Continue Reading

“A Great Awakening” portrays Whitefield as a faithful proclaimer of the good news of liberty in Jesus’ blood and righteousness, and makes the organic connection between The Great Awakening, the American Revolution, and the Constitutional Convention quite apparent.   Lesley and I just returned home from seeing the premier showing of the movie, “A Great... Continue Reading

This is what we’re being called into. We’re people whose identity is rooted in Christ. We’re marked by real, visible devotion. We’re growing through God’s Word, prayer, and community. We’re showing up for others with love, truth, and action. None of this is about earning anything. It’s all grace.   As I continue in my... Continue Reading

God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, and we are not the arbiters of truth. God is the arbiter of truth. Instead, we must come to God’s written Word humbly, bowing in joyful submission to its every letter. To do less is to deny God.   It is evident in our culture today that many people... Continue Reading

If resignation or receiving into a new body exempts an individual from church censure, the Church abdicates half of the keys of the kingdom. Such a policy implies the ability to remit sins but not to retain them, violating the principles outlined in WCF 30.   The impetus for this piece is this statement from the PCA’s Central Florida Presbytery. Imagine... Continue Reading

The Gospels consistently describe the resurrected Jesus as at first unrecognisable. Perhaps like seeing an old friend after forty years. Just not the same. The change in Jesus is significant, as we will see.   Jesus’ crucifixion was unjust, violent, shameful. Having obtained Pilate’s permission, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took Jesus’ crucified body for... Continue Reading

Christ died and rose to give us peace with God. And that really matters. The resurrection of Jesus matters eternally, because His new life is the signpost and the means to eternal life for you and me, for all who turn from sin and trust in Him.   Imagine a person whose only exposure to... Continue Reading

Solomon depicts the end of immorality on purpose. He does it so we might change course before the end arrives. If you’re reading Solomon, it’s not too late for you. Just do nothing, and you’ll ruin all. Fear the Lord, and anything can change.   And now, O sons, listen to me, And do not... Continue Reading

Christianity’s doctrines of human sinfulness, the Imago Dei, and love for neighbor promote limited government, equality before the law, and separation of powers. In contrast, Islam’s rejection of these ideas leads to concentrated power under sharia, legal inequality between Muslims and non-Muslims, and contested loyalty to non-Muslim governments.   Here is a truth you can... Continue Reading