Disassociating Paul from Jesus
The desire to set Jesus and Paul at odds will inevitably backfire on those who believe they are helping others embrace a more tolerant brand of Christianity in the church.
At the turn of the twentieth century, the church faced a form of theological liberalism in which theologians sought to disassociate Jesus and Paul. Although the driving factors in the theological liberalism of the twentieth century were somewhat different from our current ecclesiastical controversies, the method and desired end were strikingly similar. Attacks on the... Continue Reading
Waiting for the Pruning to Work
Together we walked through the barrenness the shears had brought us, only I had the capacity to wonder for the both of us if we would ever be fruitful again.
I spent all of last year studying and teaching the Gospel of John, and I still can’t get John’s Gospel out of my head. (I may have even cried when our final bible study met, if that’s any sign of how much I loved studying the book). It dogs my days in a good way,... Continue Reading
Christian Singing: Its Necessity, History, Didactic Nature, and Teleology
Paul’s charge for the Christians at Ephesus to sing “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” comes after his exhortation that they be filled with the Spirit, rather than be drunk with wine.
There are two general ways to understand Paul’s phrase “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” The first is that Paul is directly referring to the book of Psalms with all three references. The second is that it also includes uninspired songs. As we will see later, Calvin generally adopted the former in practice. But even he wrote, “What may be the... Continue Reading
The Ten Commandments: The Third
When we see that we are not to treat God’s name in vain, we are not to disregard it as having little value.
God’s name is YHWH. He is the “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex. 3:14). His name is his identity; it describes His character. In the ancient world, names were not merely identifiers or labels. They were descriptive of character. God’s name is good (Ps. 52:9; 54:6). It is not to be taken for granted or invoked... Continue Reading
Jot and Tittle
Did Jesus come to to destroy the law or the prophets? No, He came to fulfill them.
Our Lord is emphasizing His high view of Scripture and its authority as the inspired Word of God in this passage. Those who reject it as such are those whose righteousness does not exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees and they shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Think of the... Continue Reading
Give Me a Man with an Open Bible!
Greater than our need for people who have experienced it in their lives, is our need for people who will teach it from the Word.
I believe in the value of people committing themselves to studying and understanding a particular area of life or theology. I believe in the value of books and conferences and other contexts for specialized teaching. There is tremendous benefit in learning from someone who has been there and done that. But we don’t need such people. And... Continue Reading
Progressive Pansexualist ‘Christians’ have Declared War on Orthodox Believers
Having their sexuality not merely approved but accepted and controlling the sexual agenda of the church was always their objective.
The greatest threat to free speech and the free exercise of religion is the homosexual (and transgender) agenda. Nothing else comes even remotely close, said distinguished legal scholar and political philosopher Robert George of Princeton University. November 21, 2019 (VirtueOnline) – It should be obvious by now that progressive pansexual “Christians” have only one goal... Continue Reading
Don’t Confuse Spirituality with Righteousness
I found that there was more to the Christian life than daily devotions and sanctified words.
I realized that God wanted more. He wanted me to grow in my faith and obedience, to go beyond milk to the meat. I also discovered that Christian jargon was an almost meaningless form of communication, both to non-Christians and Christians alike. I found myself more interested in echoing a subculture’s lingo than in finding... Continue Reading
The Heidelberg Catechism Confesses Salvation By Grace Alone, Through Faith Alone
Some claim that Reformed doctrine states Salvation as used in this context includes our justification (the declaration of righteousness), sanctification (personal holiness), and glorification (complete conformity to the image of Christ).
Salvation as used in this context includes our justification (the declaration of righteousness), sanctification (personal holiness), and glorification (complete conformity to the image of Christ). No one has been more vocal in making this claim than the Baptist theologian John Piper but he has allies within the P&R world echoing his claim but this claim... Continue Reading
When the Forbidden Woman Is in Your Home
“Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house.”
That man could avoid sexual temptation by staying home. But today most men who struggle with sexual temptation struggle more within their home than outside of it. It is not a woman on the streets who calls for them, but a woman on a website. For every man who ends up sinning in a brothel,... Continue Reading
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