In order to grasp the full significance of Jesus’ burial, we must consider its fearfulness. It is certainly a morbid exercise to contemplate my own body lying lifeless, shut up in a coffin, and covered with dirt—or, in the custom of Jesus’ day, wrapped tight in linens and laid sidewise in a stone slab cut... Continue Reading

Any true repentance will only ever be borne in our lives when we come to see that Christ was crucified for sinners and that He freely receives and welcomes sinners. A sight of God’s great mercy in Christ fuels saving repentance. It sees, as Richard Sibbes so eloquently put it, that “there is more mercy... Continue Reading

As western society moves further away from Biblical standards, we who are devoted to Jesus will become more obvious. We will be an increasingly bright light in an increasingly dark world. This is good news, really, because the hope of the gospel and the glory of God will be revealed. Where is your hope? Is it... Continue Reading

Every one of Paul’s letters is an exposition of the Gospel, but an exposition in light of the particular circumstances of the church to which it was addressed. So, as he begins to expound the Gospel to the group of churches around which this letter was probably circulated, he explodes with praise for what the... Continue Reading

No Christian is automatically given a mature, godly and productive thought life at their conversion. It’s a part of wisdom and maturity which must be gained by prayer and prayerful labor. So whenever wicked (impure, lazy, selfish, etc.) thoughts pop up, the first step is always repentance. Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount revealing... Continue Reading

There’s no question that I know more about a bunch of famous people I’ve never met than I do about most of my neighbours. Does that seem odd? It should. In the history of the world, we are the anomaly. Our ancestors knew the people around them because they had no choice – there were... Continue Reading

The ministry of giving has many goals: spreading the gospel, sustaining the church, providing care for distressed individuals (as the Samaritan in Jesus’s story did for the beaten-up, half-dead Jew), and for distressed groups like the Jerusalem Christians, and more. The ministry of giving in all its forms aims to advance the kingdom of God,... Continue Reading

In Nigeria there are Anglicans, Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals and Roman Catholics. But the prosperity gospel has achieved the colossal task of uniting these different traditions. The greatest ecumenical force has been prosperity theology. Our differences do not really matter when we come before the God who wants us all to prosper.   The prosperity gospel... Continue Reading

The connection between the parable and Jesus’ audience (ancient and modern) comes in verse 9: “I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” Jesus calls His people to imitate the steward’s wise actions through unrighteous (worldly) wealth in... Continue Reading

It’s hard to pick up Turretin, Junius, Van Mastricht or any of the scholastics Medieval or Protestant and not wonder, “Where have all the distinctions found in these texts gone?” Admittedly, not all are equally helpful. However, many are exceedingly helpful.  For example, in the wake of the New Perspective on Paul many doubt the... Continue Reading