God’s will is to be gracious to every person who turns to him in faith. And that’s really what repentance is, it’s a turning to God, away from our sins. God is for repentant sinners. But don’t assume that you can live in unrepentant rejecting the gospel and that you’re going to meet a gracious... Continue Reading

Bonar’s hymns are usually simple, but not simplistic; poetic and yet clearly theological; and the best of them focus on the person of the Lord Jesus, his atoning work, coming to him in faith, living unreservedly for him, and anticipating future glory. In these hymns, the heart of the gospel is always found in Jesus Christ,... Continue Reading

Love is not mere sentimental feelings, but the fire that moves a man to act for the good of others. And within the church this means that love will often propel us to speak up and engage our fellow brothers or sisters. How much do you have to hate your brother to not go to... Continue Reading

Even when Packer tackles difficult subjects like propitiation (the turning away of God’s wrath through the cross), he communicates winsomely. It’s really not surprising that some Canadian Reformed pastors have even used Knowing God for their pre-confession instruction. It’s a solid book! While there are many ways in which we can appreciate what God has... Continue Reading

One tithes faithfully, so he frequently speaks about the widespread lack of giving in the church at large. One serves in various capacities in a local congregation and so he begins to complain about how others are not serving to the same degree. When we speak in these ways, we can be sure that we... Continue Reading

God hath so ordered the matter of the believer’s sanctification, that sin is left to be active in their souls while here, for their farther humiliation. They are hereby taught to bear low sails all the days of their lives, and, with “Hezekiah,* to go softly all their years in the bitterness of their souls.”... Continue Reading

Between the Gospels and Peter’s epistles, there is a change. After he was restored in John 21:15–19, he burst on the scene of the early church giving bold witness to Christ. What is more, in his letters, he is no longer the fumbling Apostle—he’s a mature believer calling other believers to maturity.   A pair... Continue Reading

Boekestein sets out to explain to everyday Christians what theologians refer to as “eschatology”–the study of the end-times as taught in Scripture. That’s an area that can be complicated and is often obscure to us, but the author succeeds in making all the main lines plain. Pastor Boekestein has a gift for clear, accessible writing... Continue Reading

Everyone — wise and foolish, rich and poor alike — everyone goes the way of all flesh. No man can ransom another from the power of Sheol. No amount of wealth or riches can suffice to keep us from the place of the dead. Death comes as a shepherd, and all of us are his... Continue Reading

In the New Testament, there are a few references to God being immortal and invisible (1 Tim. 1:17), but nothing is said directly about whether he is impassible. On the other hand, the ancients often linked suffering to mortality, as in the Nicene Creed, where Jesus “suffered and was buried,” the implication being that his... Continue Reading