Not only did I read Whyte’s classic work on Rutherford’s letters, but then went on to read the Letters myself, which drastically impacted the trajectory of my life. Moreover, through Whyte, and then incidentally, Rutherford, their writing opened my eyes to other Puritans; and thus, my journey to understand the Puritans began.   Although I... Continue Reading

If our reading of 1 Timothy 3 leads us to believe that no one’s qualified or that almost everyone is qualified, we haven’t understood the passage. Paul wrote to Timothy with the full expectation that he would be able to find men like this in the churches he was serving. And he also wrote with... Continue Reading

No one enjoys feeling disappointment. In itself, disappointment is akin to the sadness of loss, and ultimately we were not designed for it. But like all emotions, disappointment is a gauge of how a person perceives his life—what he believes about it and wants from it. When you’re living in a broken world, sometimes believing... Continue Reading

Jesus is Lord, not Caesar. That’s a political statement. Every sermon touches on the polis, on the city of man, on our earthly citizenship. But that’s not what I have in mind, at least not entirely. What I mean by “politics” are the elections, the elected officials, the political parties, and the endless stream of policy... Continue Reading

Reporters often do not understand the difference between conversion and conversion therapy. Conversion therapy is based on secular psychoanalytic theory. Its basis is in no way Christian or even religious, although some Christian therapists have adopted it. But the important point is that conversion therapy does not derive from religious principles but from secular theory. It treats homosexuality... Continue Reading

The Westminster Confession acknowledges a believer may fall into sin.[iii]  However, perseverance is woven together with other doctrines in the gospel.  Jesus did not merely die to pay the debt of our sin or to give us eternal life, no, the gospel is a promise of real change … actual sanctification.  We are being renewed... Continue Reading

The crisis that Paul faced in the Galatian congregation was provoked by the Judaizers, who sought to put believers back under the law for their standing with God, for their justification. Using the terms we discussed before, the Judaizers sought to place believers back under the pedagogical use of the law or, as Ursinus explained it,... Continue Reading

My wife and I always envisioned landing on the mission field straight out of college. But as we approached my senior year, I began to rethink our plans. For one, I didn’t feel grounded theologically. Second, I didn’t know if we were spiritually mature enough for the rigors of ministry overseas. I can still remember... Continue Reading

There are those wives who marry men who never set out for the pastorate, but sometime early (or later) into their marriage, their husbands sense the call of God, enroll in seminary, and enter full-time ministry. Then there are the wives who marry men studying for the pastorate, knowing at the onset they will be... Continue Reading

The New Testament gives us principles; it does not provide us with a single, simple sentence that relieves us of the task of thinking through and wisely applying the Scriptures to each unique situation. Biblical teaching can sometimes be expressed only in compound-complex sentences. In the limited space of this article, we can reflect on... Continue Reading