1917 isn’t a complex film. It’s a simple film about a day—or a couple of hours—into the lives of two young, insignificant British soldiers. But its simplicity is what makes the film so good. The film doesn’t try to impress its audience. It doesn’t use a hyper-stylized filter to make the setting bleaker, and it doesn’t... Continue Reading

There was a time when Satan was not. In contrast, there was never a ‘time’ when the Son of God was not (i.e., The Son is eternal). Satan is created and contingent just as humans are (Col 1:16-17). In Job 1:6, the Lord asked Satan, “Where have you come from?” to which he responded, “From... Continue Reading

There still seems to be some debate about whether or not covenant lawsuit is the proper category into which we should place passages where the LORD contends with His people Israel and Judah. Perhaps part of the problem is that we are accustomed to think about justification in terms of the judicial system of Graeco-Roman... Continue Reading

Paul’s words in Philippians 3:10 are astounding. When we suffer for Jesus, we share in Jesus’ sufferings and then experience the power of the resurrection. Sharing in Jesus’ sufferings and resurrection? What a privilege!   Paul sits in prison. Prison was familiar to Paul, and conditions varied from the relative comfort of house arrest to much harsher... Continue Reading

Far be it from me to be curmudgeonly about a child’s toy, but on the other hand, what exactly is child-like about the Barbie doll? With her pneumatic chest and pouting expression, if she is a teenager her name is Lolita. In fact, Ruth Handler, the creator of the Barbie doll, borrowed the idea from... Continue Reading

Next to loving God comes giving way to Dad. The general principle taught by the fifth commandment is to obey lawful government (Ex. 20:12). The specific application is that children honor parents. Children must please parents in everything (Col. 3:20), with careful qualification (Eph. 6:1–3). Positively, you should elevate and esteem your parents. Negatively, you should avoid any... Continue Reading

Never did a man pray more earnestly than Christ prayed in Gethsemane. Who will charge Jesus with failure to pray in faith? He put His request before the Father with sweat like blood: “Take this cup away from me.” This prayer was straightforward and without ambiguity—Jesus was crying out for relief. He asked for the... Continue Reading

The Puritan Thomas Goodwin once remarked that “In Christ are treasures that will require digging to the end of the world.” The riches of Christ pose a paradox to us: they are “unsearchable riches” (Eph. 3:8), and yet those who seek them with diligence will find them (Prov. 8:17). In other words, the digging never... Continue Reading

On July 1, during the scheduled execution of preacher John Bradford (1510–1555) and apprentice John Leaf in the district of Smithfield, the authorities delayed the proceedings for five hours, hoping the massive crowd would disperse. This didn’t happen. In fact, the attendants were so many and so eager to find a good spot that Mary... Continue Reading

When a person tries to define the meaning of a biblical word by appealing to its etymology (its history of how a word’s meaning changes over time) or to its component parts, they are committing the error of exegetical root fallacy. They are trying to say a word now means such and such because its... Continue Reading