The doctrine of providence reminds us that while the precise purposes of God may be veiled from our sight, we can still draw comfort from knowing that whatever befalls us comes from God’s good and wise plan for our lives.   God’s ways at times seem baffling. As the Apostle Paul says, they are inscrutable (Rom.... Continue Reading

The biblical and Reformed view can be stated quite simply: God promised to be a God to believers and to their children. He gave a sign to Abraham to illustrate that promise and he repeated the promise in the New Testament and gave a new sign to illustrate that promise. That is fifty-two words. Why... Continue Reading

It takes more than mental assent to familiar verses and self-effort to become patient. It is a virtue, spiritual character that is developed within and flows out towards others. Patience is waiting on a good God, knowing that his timing is perfect and his purposes for ourselves, the church, and the world will be fulfilled.... Continue Reading

A new year may have just arrived, but it is sure to bring with it the same fears as 2020. And for Christians, the task ahead is the same as it was the previous twelve months: to be people of hope, confidence, and thankfulness as we lean into the fact that we are not in... Continue Reading

Jesus, the Seed of the woman, is the greater Job who endured the temptations of the evil one and who wrestled with God in the Garden. He is the ultimate Servant of the Lord (Isaiah 42:1) who would suffer in order to justify His people (Isaiah 53:11). Like Job, Jesus cried out to God in... Continue Reading

The church is not called to be ever changing or seeking to become culturally relevant.  Cultural relevance makes the church biblically irrelevant. The call of the Christian and the church of Jesus is to be consistently reforming from the deforming effects of the culture.   What does it mean to be always reforming? The statement is rooted... Continue Reading

For sure, Washington needs to be captured by the gospel. So does Wellington, so does Sydney, so do dozens more. But I wonder if we’ve forgotten something important? I wonder if we’ve focussed too intently on special people for special places? I wonder if the slow moving rivers of this world, and the people who live there, are waiting... Continue Reading

No Christian will be sinless. However, we must beware of those who offer assurance of salvation to professing believers who live unrepentant lives. The unrepentant, who show no shame for sin or hunger for the holy and pure things of God, are headed for wrath and we must not be partakers in their wickedness.  ... Continue Reading

Those who claim that CRT has some compatibility with Christianity or at least can be used as a tool to diagnose the problem of racial stratification, tend to repudiate any claims of opposition as an endorsement of white supremacy. Why?   I’ll be honest right from the start, I’m growing weary of hearing about Critical... Continue Reading

Because sin is so serious, so awful, so devastating to a soul, we are to exhort one another every day. And sometimes, for any number of reasons, we need more than exhortation. We need rebuke. And if we see sin for what it really is, we should embrace, even rejoice in, good rebuke.   How we... Continue Reading