Common to Jesus’s interaction with the religious leaders was his rebuke, “Have you not read?” (Mt 12:3, 5; 19:4; 22:31; Mk 12:10, 26). The effect of Jesus’ question is grounded in the understandability of Scripture. The New Testament attests to its own perspicuity, even in passages thought of as more difficult to interpret, like Matthew... Continue Reading

I would like to remind you all that neither Jesus, nor Paul, nor any of the apostles thought that women couldn’t go to college or have a career. Very briefly, with little comment, here are some women who were educated beyond high school. It’s almost as if they are image bearers of God, and have... Continue Reading

In truth, I find myself resistant to God’s training and discipline. I find myself saying what my kids often say, “It’s not fair.” When hardships, trials, disappointments, and challenges come my way, I see them as things to avoid or resist or to find my way around. Other times, I look at hardships and challenges in my... Continue Reading

On the surface, justification might seem to be so thoroughly abstract that it resists being imaged forth.  After all, when we consult the article on justification in Dictionary of Biblical Imagery we are startled to be told, “See Romans, Letter to the.”  But it turns out that the theological imagination has done splendidly with the doctrine of... Continue Reading

While there have been historical events in Christian history to remind us of the dangers of heresy-hunting, very few Christians today realize the debt they owe to those who had the courage of their convictions to call heresy by its proper name, in spite of the repercussions.    Witch trials in Salem. The Council of... Continue Reading

It is difficult for pastors to explain to their own congregations how pastoral ministry can be so difficult. It can be and often is a great joy. But it is difficult in ways that are hard to express, because doing so runs the risk of appearing as complaining, shaming, or nagging. The pastor may find... Continue Reading

He is not part of God; he is God. With the coming and ascending of the Son, we now see how God’s eternal Spirit has been at work in our world from the very beginning, hovering over the face of the waters, ready to bring order out of the chaos, acting for centuries on behalf of God’s... Continue Reading

The criminal justice system still employs punishment.  But a new cause on the left calls for abolishing prisons and judicial punishments altogether.  The self-described “abolitionists” also want to abolish police and the criminal justice system altogether, replacing them with “getting people the help they need.”   As an example of how the ongoing, wide-ranging Catholic sex... Continue Reading

I appeal to the glowing endorsement of the book from Jonathan Edwards, which is included on the back cover. Comparing Mastricht with Turretin, he noted, “they are both excellent.” Yet he added that Turretin was fuller on controversial points while Mastricht was better on the whole as a “universal system of divinity.” This led him... Continue Reading

“When I was as yet a very little boy, my father had destined me for the study of theology. But afterwards, when he considered that the legal profession commonly raised those who followed it to wealth, this prospect induced him suddenly to change his purpose . . . but God, by the sweet guidance of... Continue Reading