Much can be said on this issue, especially concerning biblical passages, texts which the Protestant Reformers grasped with a firm grip. But in this post, I want to quote a (long) paragraph from Jonathan Edwards’s Freedom of the Will which, I think, is really helpful to explain a bit more why this matters, and why,... Continue Reading

Dorothy Sayer, a believer in Christ, wrote:  “Envy is the great leveler:  If it cannot level things up, it will level them down…At its best, envy is a climber and a snob’ at its worst it is a destroyer-rather than have anyone happier than itself, it will see us all miserable together.”  The Scriptures are... Continue Reading

We argue that “gender affirmation” procedures violate sound medical ethics, that it is profoundly unethical to reinforce a male child in his belief that he is not a boy (or a female child in her belief that she is not a girl), and that it is particularly unethical to intervene in the normal physical development... Continue Reading

True believers have received a spirit of adoption as sons. Paul is talking about a Spirit-produced awareness of the rich reality that God has made us his children, and, therefore, that we can come before him without fear or hesitation as our beloved Father. In this we have the confidence to cry out, “Abba! Father!”... Continue Reading

God knows that we cannot be perfect. He knows that we are going to sin. He deliberately left us with our flesh  intact. Why? He uses our struggles with it to humble us. We hate our sin if we have been regenerated. We hate what God hates and love what God loves. Therefore, we must... Continue Reading

It’s our mistake, therefore, to assume that in the Lord’s Supper Jesus is only referencing his cross and the forgiveness of sins with the wine and bread. Of course, being the Passover and the night of his crucifixion, the cross certainly is the emphasis—especially since Jesus’s cross for forgiveness is the crux of the Christian... Continue Reading

Presbyterianism believes in the right of the congregation to choose their ordained officers — elders and deacons. This right is based on our understanding of the church. Presbyterians believe that Jesus — the only Head of the church — is the source of all power. After all, upon his resurrection Jesus declared: “All authority in... Continue Reading

There is something extraordinarily powerful when encouragement comes in person. When’s the last time you went out of your way to seek someone out to offer them a word of encouragement in person? Jonathan could have sent a messenger to Horesh, to relay a word to his friend, but he did not. He made sure... Continue Reading

“While the revelation of God in creation and providence is incapable of leading us to salvation, given the presence of sin, it is still necessary in order to understand special revelation. The two elements interact, so much so that neither is complete without the other. As we need Scripture rightly to appreciate general revelation, so... Continue Reading

The comparison game always leads to pride or disappointment. We either think more highly of ourselves than we ought or we wallow in self-pity. Sometimes, we find ourselves asking God: “Why does he get to have that ministry and I don’t?” “Why can’t I have that gift?” “Why can’t my church look like that church?”... Continue Reading