When reformation came to the OT church, the congregation took the initiative to learn God’s will as revealed in Scripture; they submitted to discipleship under their leaders’ stewardship; they were united, zealous, and worshipful disciples of their Lord; they wept over their sins; they celebrated their God.   When reformation comes to the congregations of... Continue Reading

We fight the serpent by contending for the faith against grace-perverting immorality (Jude 3-4). By excommunicating false teachers from the church because we recognize them for what they are—intruding snakes. By treasuring what is true and rejecting what is false. By loving what God loves and hating what God hates.   Taking Action Sometimes the... Continue Reading

God not only leads us into dark valleys, whether our own or others’; he also determines their distance and the pace with which we walk through them. And while we find ourselves there, he is more than able to sustain us beneath our brother’s burden.   Among the mourners gathered in a London church in... Continue Reading

Christians are called to practice what we preach: reliance on the sovereignty of God over the machinations of man or party, and a steady trust in the tools that God gives—prayer, his Word, and the sacraments—over placing confidence in princes, armies, or undeliberated quick fixes.   Cornell University Professor Barry Alan Shain has determined that... Continue Reading

In the midst of temptation, wandering sheep need the doctrine of God’s immutability. As doubts and fears assail, doubting sheep need a rock. And there is none in all the earth like our God—He never changes.   Everything changes. Nations rise and fall. Seasons come and go. Bank accounts ebb and flow. People change too.... Continue Reading

Peace characterizes our new standing and relationship with God in Christ. The Lord Jesus has reconciled us to God by his blood. He has removed every obstacle and broken down every hostility by bearing our curse and satisfying God’s wrath in our place.   The familiar apostolic greeting, “Grace to you, and peace from God... Continue Reading

If we focus too much on the apostasy all around us, my brethren, we can become very discouraged, therefore, as the writer of Hebrews says, “Let us hold firmly the confession of the hope without wavering, for trustworthy is the one who made the promise.”   κατέχωμεν τὴν ὁμολογίαν τῆς ἐλπίδος ἀκλινῆ, πιστὸς γὰρ ὁ... Continue Reading

Wading through forty-two chapters of mostly dense Hebrew poetry that more often than not loses its luster in English translation is a tall order, but the payoff is that the “divine address” is strikingly straightforward: suffering is not (always) about personal sin, but God always is good and faithful and sovereign.   Walking along the... Continue Reading

When God loves it is God first willing to reveal Himself toward an unworthy creature, not in his wrath (which the creature deserves) but in his love (which the creature is unworthy of receiving).   When speaking about God it’s always crucial to remember that we are speaking about He who is incomprehensible, the infinite... Continue Reading

The sacrifice by which Christ established the holiness of the heavenly tabernacle and the worshipers is the same sacrifice by which He maintains that holiness. He offered His sacrifice for sins once for all time forever perfecting those worshipers He sanctified.   Having put before us the contrasts between Jesus the Son and the prophets... Continue Reading