Even the best professional golfers hit some really bad shots. The difference between them and others is that they know how to recover when they have done so. So much of the game is in the recovery. This can serves as a good lesson for the Christian life in general and pastoral ministry in particular.... Continue Reading

For Jesus, being the Christ meant that He so closely identified with His people that whatever can be said of Him can, at least in principle, be said of them. For Christians (both Jews and Gentiles, see Rom. 9:4–8), then, this means that they participate in God’s covenant, becoming by faith heirs of His promises,... Continue Reading

Does our frantic movement through places mean that we will miss the “thisness” of things and locations that only becomes available when we move into places and abide with creatures? Sabbath rest speaks specifically to this predicament because it calls us to say “No!” to the distraction and fragmentation. It calls us to streamline and simplify... Continue Reading

I’ve had ups and downs in the Christian life and have experienced both the rich treasure of  diligence and the bitter fruit of neglect as it comes to paying attention to God’s Word. Jesus’ words from Mark 4 and Ryle’s comments encourage me to give my all to hearing, loving, and obeying God’s Word. I... Continue Reading

For Biologos to base their argument on the authority of Scripture opens them to the mockery and ridicule of a skeptical world, the very same they are trying to avoid. This seems, rather too much, like having one’s cake and eating it. One cannot, with any credibility before the believing or unbelieving world, cite Scriptural... Continue Reading

Jesus told a story one day about a farmer that went out to sow seed, and he did so liberally. The picture we get is of the farmer, in a non-discriminate way, throwing the seed from his bag onto all different kinds of soil, and the seed had varying results. But it was the same... Continue Reading

After Athanasius, Rome welcomed another famous Christian author: Jerome (today best-known for his Latin translation of the Bible). Jerome’s fame had preceded him both as ascetic and as exegete, and Marcella had many questions to ask him. At first, he shunned her. He was a firm believer in celibacy for the clergy and in chastity... Continue Reading

It is in light of the imputation of Adam’s first sin to human beings that these guilty human beings, from the moment of their conception, inherit a fallen nature from their parents. For these reasons, there is no hope or help to be found in or among those who are “in Adam.” But hope and help... Continue Reading

Every pastor enjoys a double call on his life: the call to both salvation and ministerial service. As Paul challenged Timothy, so we must kindle afresh the gift of God within us, and guard what he has entrusted to us. One’s call to ministry is indeed a sacred stewardship, a call we must cherish and... Continue Reading

If I understand the Bible’s teaching about the depravity of man and the deep-seated sinfulness of the believer, then I think it’s safe to say that we fall short of the Lord’s standards for us as husbands and fathers far more often than we actually meet those standards. That being the case, we ought to... Continue Reading