In the ongoing debate over the meaning of the OT, let me succinctly state my view: the central message of the OT is its Messianic vision. It is breathtakingly beautiful—because he is. May you see it, and may he capture your heart.   For over two millennia, the Old Testament has been a heavily contested... Continue Reading

I understand why Christians today may feel blindsided by the backlash to even the barest statement of traditional teaching on sexuality. The plausibility structures of society have changed. The norms are different. Fornication is “normal” and “purity” strange.   The first headline from The Guardian surprised me—“Sex is for married heterosexual couples only, says Church... Continue Reading

Let’s say there are a couple of cult members at my door. I warmly ask for their names, and then say, “I have a knife in my back. I am dying and have only three minutes to live. What do I need to do to enter heaven/paradise/the kingdom of God?” They look concerned. One says,... Continue Reading

When we turn to the first letter to the Thessalonians we find Paul offering some good theology to a church in need. In chapter four we learn that some have died. Perhaps in the riot that had broken out weeks before or perhaps not. Regardless, the Thessalonians had a load on their mind and Paul... Continue Reading

I understand the desire for a long life, and especially for those who have no firm hope for life beyond. The grave yawns dark and cold and terrifying for those who approach it with uncertainty. But for those who approach it with confidence, we understand that, in its unique way, death is a release.  ... Continue Reading

Biblical counselors have erred by assuming that one story is the only story. To keep our errors to a minimum, we work to listen more and say less. Good advice certainly—but there is more we can say.   Listen to Scripture, listen to people. This is how we grow in our care and counsel. And... Continue Reading

We must go to him moment by moment, groan by groan, tear by tear. That old wound may never heal in this life, but Jesus will comfort us day by day and glorify our scars in the next.   I didn’t realize how disorienting grief can be. In the aftermath of a dearly loved one’s... Continue Reading

God’s people must not settle for only a rudimentary knowledge of God’s saving message. Rather, we must have a robust and confident grasp of God’s Word and be ready to field the questions of modern man. In every sense of the expression, we must be New Testament believers, ready to give an answer for the... Continue Reading

Authoritarian blindness had turned an easily solvable problem into a bigger, durable crisis that exacted a much heavier political toll, a pattern that would repeat itself after a mysterious strain of pneumonia emerged in a Wuhan seafood market.   China is in the grip of a momentous crisis. The novel coronavirus that emerged late last... Continue Reading

Western culture has increasingly accepted a sexual ethic in which nearly everything goes. Sex between unmarried people, premarital cohabitation, homosexuality, and a host of other practices today enjoy widespread societal approval. However, I am convinced that if a professing Christian holds that approval then it is a marker that shows their disingenuousness.   3 For... Continue Reading