Justification and the New Perspective
The New Perspective is leaching into the pews at an accessible rate.
Well, let’s first think of the Apostle Paul. What was Paul’s beef with the Jewish leaders regarding salvation? Simply put, they had pursued righteousness as if it could be obtained on the basis of their works (Rom. 9:32). In other words, Cara says, Paul was arguing against a legalistic works righteousness view of salvation. ... Continue Reading
Did Jesus Desire to NOT do Something His Father Commanded in the Garden of Gethsemane?
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
Should Jesus have desired to become sin (2 Cor 5:21)? Should Jesus have desired to be forsaken by his Father, to drink the cup of his Father’s wrath (Matt 27:45-46)? If Jesus is holy man, he should not desire to become sin and should not desire to be forsaken by his Father. Introduction Matthew... Continue Reading
7 Habits of Those Who Love the Light
Don’t be a spiritual cockroach that flees from the light.
Crawl out of your dark, dank, musty cave of sin, and let the Sun of righteousness disinfect you, warm your soul, clean your mind, mature your conduct. The cure isn’t behavior modification, it’s the fruit of a relationship with the Light of the World that drives out the darkness. When I was a young... Continue Reading
Overcome Your Fear of Others, by Fearing God
We fear failure, over commit, get defensive, avoid risks, compare, envy, or twist the truth often because of what others will think of us.
In Scripture, fear is more than feeling terrified. The fear of man certainly includes that, but it also means revering people, needing them, or valuing their opinion so much that our decisions end up being controlled by them. We obey what we fear. They were trapped. On one side a massive Egyptian army coming... Continue Reading
Doctrinal Shifts
For several decades Reformed theology was something of a small underground reality.
Since the beginning of the Enlightenment, questions of authority had remained at the forefront of philosophical and theological thinking. The authority of Scripture and/or the church was no longer taken for granted by most, but what was the alternative? Many Enlightenment thinkers had placed human reason in that exalted role, but others, such as those... Continue Reading
Faith, Feelings, and Facts
Do you believe God or Satan?
“It is the grand design of Satan to lessen our opinion of God’s goodness… He seeks to hide God’s goodness, and to represent him as a God that delights in our destruction and damnation, rather than in our salvation.” God is slandered daily. Satan, who is a liar and the father of lies, makes... Continue Reading
Undergoing the Powerful Scalpel of God’s Truth
God’s truth will always be to our benefit and spiritual health.
We regularly seek the truth of God’s word each and every Lord’s Day as we go to church and draw near to Christ through the means of grace—word, sacrament, and prayer. We walk away from a worship service and give thanks to God when one of his faithful ministers heralds the truth and preaches the... Continue Reading
Repentance – What Does it Look Like?
God does not forsake the work His hand has begun.
The effect of sin is devastating. As children of God, unconfessed sin has a way of getting inside our hearts so that we feel guilty – thankfully. But not every child of God immediately admits their sin in repentance. Then it becomes difficult to pray, and the desire to open the Bible evaporates, and they... Continue Reading
Lord’s Day Mediation: “O Lord, Thou Hast Pleaded the Causes of My Soul” by C.H. Spurgeon
O children of God, seek after a vital experience of the Lord’s lovingkindness.
A grateful spirit should ever be cultivated by the Christian; and especially after deliverances we should prepare a song for our God. Earth should be a temple filled with the songs of grateful saints, and every day should be a censor smoking with the sweet incense of thanksgiving. How joyful Jeremiah seems to be while... Continue Reading
Help! I Keep Losing My Temper
We aren’t doomed to endlessly lose our tempers! God promises to work in the hearts of those who love him.
Whenever you or I lose our tempers, it means we’ve gone from wanting some good thing, to demanding that we must have it or else. Sinful anger is so convinced of its own moral high ground that it feels perfectly justified visiting its wrath upon whatever, or whomever, has dared to transgress absolute justice (i.e.,... Continue Reading