Test All Things, Hold Fast What Is Good—But How?
How do you decide what to believe?
The Apostle Paul instructs Christians in 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “Test all things, hold fast what is good.” We all need to develop that ability—and it takes time and effort. A reader recently forwarded to us an email from a fine Christian ministry that bemoaned the proliferation of “fake news” and other bad thinking on... Continue Reading
“The Office of the Christian Ministry”
Do not your hearts burn with celestial fire, to be employed in the noblest work under heaven?
The office of the Christian ministry, rightly understood, is the most honourable and important, that any man in the whole world can ever sustain; and it will be one of the wonders and employments of eternity, to consider the reasons, why the wisdom and goodness of God assigned this office to imperfect and guilty man!... Continue Reading
The Mystery of Iniquity
The simple presence of free will is not enough to explain the origin of evil, in as much as we still must ask how a good being would be inclined freely to choose evil.
One of the most important approaches to the problem of evil is that set forth originally by Augustine and then later by Aquinas, in which they argued that evil has no independent being. Evil cannot be defined as a thing or as a substance or as some kind of being. Rather, evil is always defined... Continue Reading
Slaves of a Good Master
At its core, the essence of the Christian life can be described in terms of slavery to Christ.
In identifying himself as a slave of Christ at the very beginning of the letter, Paul intended that the Philippians—who had been struggling with issues of steadfastness amidst conflict (Phil. 1:27–30; 4:1), unity amongst believers (Phil. 2:1–2; 4:2–3), humility (Phil. 2:3–9), and joy amidst persecution (Phil. 2:17–18; 3:1; 4:4)—would be reminded that they too are... Continue Reading
The Right Response to the Old Testament Law
While we do not adhere to this law, we do still study it to see what it reveals about our God.
The laws will always reflect the law-giver. If you want to know about the character of Boris Johnson, Justin Trudeau, or Donald Trump, you will learn something of it by studying the laws they have advocated. And if you want to know about the character of God, a great place to begin is with a... Continue Reading
Why Creeds?
The word creed comes from the Latin “credo” meaning “I believe.”
Many creeds commence with the formula, “I believe…” or “We believe…” Throughout church history, Christians have articulated their convictions of truth in statements of faith. As the hand of time rolls a creed through the debris of error, its content grows larger and denser until it comes to rest as an immovable mass of solid... Continue Reading
Plead To God Like Your Life Depends On It—Because It Does
Biblically, there is a powerful history of lament—in the wilderness, throughout Psalms, during the exile.
As our hands crack from the ever-growing stain of soap and hand sanitizer and we breathe recycled air through masks, the current season of pandemic presents the joyous opportunity to have our faith strengthened through this foreign, but ancient, form of prayer. When life gets hard, I find myself turning to slave narratives and... Continue Reading
What Is Providence?
Historically, Christians have had an acute sense that this is our Father’s world and that the affairs of men and nations, in the final analysis, are in His hands.
“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified” (Romans 8:29–30). ... Continue Reading
Grace for Service
There is nothing static about grace, it is as living and vibrant and dynamic as is Christ himself.
Paul draws attention to this in what he says in Ephesians. Having expounded the grace of salvation as experienced by God’s people collectively as the church in the first half of the letter, he goes on to show how this is worked out practically in its second half. The fact he begins this applicatory section... Continue Reading
Will Christians Be Taken in a Secret Rapture?
The imagery here is that of a conquering king arriving at a city.
When Jesus returns, those who have already died will be brought with him as a great, royal entourage. Those believers who are alive on the earth will rise to meet the returning Lord after the bodily resurrection of those who have already died. Notice how the Lord returns: with a “a cry of command, with the... Continue Reading