There are of course looser and stricter applications of this rule, and many of the stricter ones seem to reach bizarrely unbiblical conclusions, such as excluding all musical instruments (um, ever read the Psalms, fellas?).  In principle, though, regulativists agree in denying the so-called “normative principle,” viz., that the Church may worship in any way... Continue Reading

The Virginia proposal was one of several across the nation to attempt to remove virtually all protections for unborn babies. A law signed last month by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, enshrines abortion as a fundamental right in that state. In 2017, Delaware passed a law that allowed abortion through all nine months of pregnancy and removed... Continue Reading

Jesus supplies the primary purpose of this new covenant feast: “Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me” (1 Cor. 11:25). Paul clarifies that this mandate has an expiration date: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (v. 26, emphasis... Continue Reading

What do we have that didn’t come from somewhere or someone else? Applied to our knowledge of God: what do we know about God that He Himself has not told us? In a certain sense, theology is a one-way street. We cannot attain to the heavenlies. The heavenlies must come down to us. In Exodus... Continue Reading

The God who made us in his own image has not given us the power to create a self that can survive on its own. From the beginning, our true identity (who weare) has been tied to our Creator (who he is): “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him” (Genesis... Continue Reading

“I am the Lord your God,” a common recognition formula that God often employs to instruct His people on who He is.  When morning came, Moses relayed the command of the Lord to the people to take as much as they could eat, an omer, according to the number of people in each tent.  Those who... Continue Reading

“There’s a lot of bad stuff happening in Turkey right now, most of it not toward Christians but toward people who are accused of supporting Fethullah Gülen,” Brunson said. “I have many friends in prison in Turkey now who should not be in prison. Many families have been destroyed.” In the midst of intense persecution, the... Continue Reading

John Rogers stands in a long parade of God-centered men; men who preached the truth, confronted sin, lived uncompromising lives, and finished strong.  Like Rogers, some were martyred.  Others died of old age or were tormented with disease.  Those who participate in this Christ-exalting parade still have something to say.  Their courage emboldens us.  Their lives... Continue Reading

If we have a work-for-wages spirit, and think we are more deserving than others, because we have worked harder or longer, we have seriously misunderstood the principle of grace: none of us deserves a thing from God except destruction, hell, death and miseries in this life – any reward that a son of Adam gets... Continue Reading

Sermon applications get into trouble when the preacher identifies a particular application and lays it on the conscience of all their hearers in equal measure. With no attention to the range of individuals and contexts. This clumsiness is often made worse when moving from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Passages which are primarily addressed... Continue Reading