Standing on the Authority of God’s Word
God’s Word not only helps us grow more deeply in love with the Savior; it helps point our generation to the truth that can be found in Jesus Christ alone.
“O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised good things to your servant” (2 Sam. 7:28). God’s Word is the anchor of truth for believers who live in a world that balks at the notion of truth. It is the firm foundation where believers may confidently rest, knowing that... Continue Reading
Distort the Present, Rewrite the Past
Following the lead of other major cultural institutions, the Metropolitan Museum of Art redefines its purpose as overcoming the racism of Western civilization.
Whether art museums or classical music organizations, those institutions have sacrificed their comparative advantages—connoisseurship, scholarly knowledge, and devotion to the highest expressions of culture—in favor of a partisan political program that distorts both present and past. Like the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has redefined itself as an antiracist “agent of change.”... Continue Reading
3 Foundational Truths to Fight Our Fears
Wherever you find fearful people in scripture you repeatedly find God's response, "Do not fear!" or "Don't be afraid!"
The Bible, of course, never guarantees that fearful things won’t happen to us. God doesn’t promise a “safe,” tragedy-free life. Friends do forsake us. Illnesses do strike. Family members do die. Bosses do fire workers. But God through Isaiah does guarantee that amid our understandable fears, He loves us, is for us, is with us, and... Continue Reading
Should We All Be Deconstructing?
Deconstruction doesn’t sit well as a synonym for spiritual growth.
Would we not be better off to scrap deconstruction and maintain the Christian category of sanctification—which involves putting off old erroneous ways and beliefs and putting on righteousness through the power of the Holy Spirit? It is grounded in faith and hope and love and has glorification as its endpoint. This is the grammar of... Continue Reading
Faith Like A Beach House
In my mid-forties, my faith is much like our Beach House—full of potential, full of promise, full of what could be.
Left dormant for too long, left to the buffeting effects of wind and rain, waiting out the scorching summers and unattended winters, my faith begins to stink. I had foolishly thought that time would be the vehicle of sanctification, that being an older Christian would automatically make me a more Christ-like Christian. But it hasn’t. The veneer... Continue Reading
Does the Woman Caught in Adultery Belong in the Bible?
Jesus’ famous act of mercy is missing in many manuscripts, raising questions about its place in the Bible.
There is indeed a wide scholarly consensus that the story was not originally a part of the Gospel of John, but on the other hand, it may well go back to a very early tradition about Jesus and a woman accused of many sins, which gradually found its way into John. The earliest reference to... Continue Reading
“I Am Who I Am”? The Real Meaning of God’s Name in Exodus
It shows us not simply that God exists but also that he is near to his people in love.
In the name Yahweh, God made himself known as a present being—present with and for his people. And wherever God’s presence is invoked, that announcement is pregnant with the certainty of his attention, his care, his power, and his grace. Perhaps a helpful paraphrase of God’s words at the burning bush would be, “Say to... Continue Reading
God’s Anger Can Open the Door to Experiencing His Mercy
God is both infinitely good and in control of all creation—even the evil in the world.
God’s anger “marks the end of indifference.” It marks the end of His patience with sinners, and ironically, it also signals the opening of the door to experiencing His mercy. This is the discipleship of Jeremiah—who spoke with compassion yet clarity and realism and counseled his people toward a relentless pursuit of the Lord through... Continue Reading
Expository Preaching Is Necessary, But Not Sufficient
Expository preaching is not a magic bullet, but it must be accompanied by something to have its desired effect.
Expositional preaching requires a living context to be understood. While the Holy Spirit is powerful enough to make the right applications to a completely blinded heart, he usually uses the natural means of family, church, and human culture to give a context to truth. Barring common grace, much in modern culture is useless for teaching... Continue Reading
What Does ‘Deconstruction’ Even Mean?
It’s helpful to keep in mind that a deconstructing Christian is often someone in significant pain.
So, what does deconstruction even mean? It means different things in different contexts. It is a postmodern philosophical label that has been adopted by current and former evangelicals to sometimes mean navigating a faith crisis, to sometimes mean identifying harmful cultural influences that distort the true gospel, to sometimes mean questioning and rejecting traditional evangelical doctrines and... Continue Reading
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