The first and second “words,” or commandments, of Exodus 20 form a pair: (1) no other gods and (2) no carved images. The first deals with whom we worship (the true God alone), while the second concerns how: not in our own preferred way, nor by adopting the practices of surrounding, unbelieving peoples.   You shall not make for... Continue Reading

Sexual immorality with an unbeliever joins Christ to one in rebellion to Him, desecrates the very dwelling place of God, and binds us to the other person in contradiction to God’s purpose for us in Christ and to the detriment of other relationships we might want to preserve.   Western society argues that the human... Continue Reading

Is it something we do, or something God does in us? And if it’s something we do, how can God get the glory instead of us? Moreover, is obedience something we should actively seek, or should we simply “let go and let God”? If salvation is something God does from start to finish (Phil. 1:6),... Continue Reading

If you view a challenging season as a gift, being overwhelmed can force you to learn new skills, to develop your leadership, and to expand your capacity. For the Christian, being overwhelmed brings to the end ourselves and helps us depend more on God’s grace and power. On the other side of seasons of being... Continue Reading

The Christian ethic is a far different one from the world’s, which seeks to hold on to the present state at all costs. How Christians behave in this life is to be formed by the summary principle of all commandments: love. When this is forgotten, Christians can suffer a lot of persecution for the wrong... Continue Reading

Compassion. Kindness. Humility. Meekness. Patience. Thankfulness. Boy, that does not sound at all like our present culture, does it? Yet that is to be the attitude of our hearts daily before God. As we are told in 1 John 3:16, “By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought... Continue Reading

Most of the time “I’m not getting fed” is a lame excuse to say the church is not catering to my desires and preferences. It’s a clear indicator of We have seen the growing trend of church member consumerism, and it has been exacerbated by the pandemic.   “I’m not getting fed.” It’s one of... Continue Reading

If we hope to see renewed spiritual vitality come to our churches, then we must insist that those who serve as pastors recognize that inherent in their calling is the responsibility to be sound theologians. Only then will God’s people be properly instructed in the way of Christ and effectively protected against the errors and... Continue Reading

Simplicity brings us to avoid considering the divine persons as distinct in any absolute terms. This applies for how we distinguish and constitute them as really distinct persons, and for how we perform the rest of trinitarian doctrine declaring further Father, Son, Spirit. As we become aware in the treatise on the essence of God,... Continue Reading

John Reed said his father’s first love was preaching the gospel, and he often counseled struggling pastors and churches. Though Reed pastored some large churches, his son said Reed always had a soft spot for small churches and “was happiest and most fulfilled in smaller congregations.”   Gordon Kenworthy Reed—PCA pioneer in church revitalization, early... Continue Reading