No Ordinary Mercy
The gift of salvation is no ordinary mercy.
Lazarus was dead. His heart had been motionless and his brain dead for four days. His body could neither move nor will to move. The supernatural power that raised him from the grave is the same omnipotent power that raises us from our spiritual deadness. If you are a Christian, you have been raised from... Continue Reading
The Spirit and Union with Christ
Our Spirit-wrought union with Christ is now the defining feature of our lives.
Ferguson reminds us that “union with Christ by the Spirit is grounded in his union with us in our humanity.” In other words, Jesus became flesh in order to become the firstborn of a saved humanity. Therefore, the Spirit’s work of uniting us to Christ is equally a work of returning and restoring to us... Continue Reading
Dangers of Non-Christocentric Preaching: Misapplied Sermons
Our goal must be to seek to know how, through Christ, we can walk in line with the gospel and render the obedience of faith.
There are various saviors in the Bible who serve as types of the promised skull-crushing Savior, and Judges is no different. The Holy Spirit records that, although these warrior-saviors were often flawed in action, they were not so flawed in faith (Heb 11:32-35). Applying one’s life to the truth of a biblical text can never... Continue Reading
How and Why Do Christians Imitate Christ?
We look first to Christ’s merits for us and then only should we talk about imitation.
According to Paul, when Adam sinned, we all sinned in him and when he died spiritually, so did we. By nature, after the fall, we are incapable of doing anything toward salvation. We are utterly helpless. To blur the line between Jesus and his people then creates the impression that if we only pull a... Continue Reading
Semper Reformanda in Context
The part of religion that always needs reforming is the human heart….Formalism, indifferentism, and conformism must all be vigorously opposed by a faithful ministry.
What did van Lodenstein mean by his famous phrase reformed and always reforming? Probably something like this: since we now have a church reformed in the externals of doctrine, worship, and government, let us always be working to ensure that our hearts and lives are being reformed by the Word and Spirit of God. Whatever other... Continue Reading
Context Matters: The Love Chapter
Paul describes this more excellent way, the way of love. And what he says about love directly and explicitly corresponds to what these people are not.
1 Corinthians 13 may be one of Paul’s most eloquent chapters. Perhaps only Romans 8 or Philippians 2 can rival it. But the mood is absolutely not a warm and fuzzy one. Its character is one of sustained rebuke, not one of pleasant encouragement. To miss this mood may be to miss the point. Perhaps you’ve heard... Continue Reading
Is a Miracle a Violation of the Laws of Nature?
A miracle is a naturally impossible event—an event which the natural causes at a certain time and place cannot bring about. It is beyond the productive capacity of nature
Is the occurrence of a miracle logically impossible? No, for such an event involves no logical contradiction. Is the occurrence naturally impossible? Yes, for it cannot be produced by natural causes; indeed, this is a tautology, since to lie outside the productive capacity of natural causes is to be naturally impossible. We sometimes hear—from Christian... Continue Reading
Should All Preachers be Going Deeper with New Testament Greek?
Many a young preacher has asked, “Is learning Greek and Hebrew really necessary?"
“Going Deeper is divided into 15 chapters, which makes it ideal for the average 15-week seminary semester. The authors take a “middle of the road” approach when it comes to what they include and exclude from their text. If Dan Wallace’s grammar Beyond the Basics is more of an intermediate to advanced grammar, then Going... Continue Reading
A Renewed Mind, a Transformed Life
According to Romans 12:2, a renewed mind leads to a transformed life.
The renewed mind is marked by a reliance on the Bible, the only infallible rule for faith and practice. Through the light of Scripture, we begin to understand God’s holy character and realize our sinfulness. We begin to understand all that was lost in Eden, and discover why we long to return from exile to... Continue Reading
The Comfort Of The Glory
Jesus desires to encourage us with the glory that is to come, a glory that shall shine brighter than the sun
“As sudden as it appeared, the glory was gone, the Father’s voice stilled, Moses and Elijah had retreated, and on the slopes of Mt. Hermon were only Peter, James, and John with Jesus. This is what all of our experience, all our theology, all our ministry, all our work should come to––seeing only Jesus.” ... Continue Reading
