It is in light of these verses and others like them that the Reformed churches confess, in Heidelberg Catechism 60, “I have grievously sinned against all the commandments of God, and have never kept any of them, and am still prone always to all evil…”. There is much speculation about Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor... Continue Reading

God does not deny, minimize, or ignore what happened to you. Through Jesus he identifies with you, and he has compassion. He knows your suffering. He does not want you to stay silent or deny, but to feel and express your emotions, to grieve the destruction you experienced. The cross shows that God understands pain... Continue Reading

Christians are tempted, of course, to be discouraged and depressed by the force of overwhelming circumstances. But in such circumstances, we must tell ourselves that we have no right to feel the way we do! Paul, who knew what it was to be in prison, to be beaten and spat upon, to be cold shouldered... Continue Reading

Church membership matters because it is the Church that Christ promised to build. It matters because it is the Church that is on the offensive against the gates of hell and the gates of hell will not prevail. We all know an army is stronger than an individual soldier. A Church is stronger than a... Continue Reading

I want to show that it is a no-risk view of providence which alone retains the integrity of the Christian faith in terms of its internal coherence and the comprehensive respecting of the biblical data regarding God’s sovereignty. Here are just a few sample texts which affirm God’s absolute rule, which is accounted for by... Continue Reading

The Christian life has been described as an uphill journey. Others have labeled it as an upstream lifestyle, which is the direct opposite of the lazy lagoon method of so many people who simply go with the flow through life. The world, the flesh, and the devil are actively seeking to pull God’s children off... Continue Reading

The disciples were interpreting the Old Testament (independent of the New Testament) during the life of our Lord. John’s comment informs us that they started connecting the dots from the Psalms to Jesus while our Lord was on the earth. In other words, their minds were making hermeneutical moves while Christ’s zeal for God’s temple,... Continue Reading

I used to disdain so much small talk in the church, until a seasoned pastor reminded me that most people have to wade in the shallow end before they’ll try swimming in the deep. Except for the most extroverted among us, getting to know people is challenging. But Rome wasn’t built in a day, and... Continue Reading

A majority of pastors believe the church should be responsible for helping people deal with issues relating to sexual sin or sexual brokenness. Yet, fewer than one-third of pastors feel “very qualified” to address most of the issues listed in the survey.   Seven in 10 pastors (70 percent) are approached by church members or... Continue Reading

Godfrey makes the case that sometimes the word “gospel” refers more broadly to all the New Testament fulfillment of what was promised in the Old Testament.  It is in this sense that Mark uses “gospel” when he says in chapter 1, “the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Mark is... Continue Reading