Holiness is Not an Option
Those who will see the Lord, those who are truly saved, will possess some degree of personal holiness.
The elect’s holiness is fully dependent upon the work of Jesus Christ by God’s will. Is this holiness that enables the elect to see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14) the same holiness they have in Christ? No, and we see this clearly in that passage that the elect must strive for it. Those in Christ possess... Continue Reading
Grace for Transformation
We need to grasp the ongoing dimension of God’s work in us as we find ourselves between conversion and completion.
This ongoing aspect of salvation is vividly portrayed in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. The clue is in the title: there must be ‘progress’ in the life of faith. Or, in the drama of the exodus for Israel, it is the journey out of bondage, through a wilderness that leads them to the Promised Land. A journey... Continue Reading
All of a Sudden
Sometimes important events happen not with a whimper but a bang.
The morning’s local newspaper as I pen these words announces the governor’s decision to close all schools in the state for the rest of the year. This makes me remember the café closing, as I am imagining one day a month ago that the children carried their backpacks off to the bus stops after their... Continue Reading
Five Comforts from the Great Plague
Brooks outlined what he calls “Divine Maxims” or “conclusions” that he gleaned from the Scriptures during the outbreak.
It was during the outbreak that Brooks fearlessly preached to his people, visiting them and caring for the sick and dying. And it was then that he penned a classic short work called “A Heavenly Cordial.” The book’s full title is actually, A Heavenly Cordial, for those servants of the Lord that have had the plague... Continue Reading
Suffering Well in Union with Christ
The Spirit-filled life cannot be considered apart from the biblical doctrine of union with Christ.
A quick read of the Apostle Paul’s letters reveals that his favorite expression to describe believers is not “Christians.” Instead, it’s a little two-word phrase: “in Christ.” A follower of Jesus is someone who is “in Christ.” To grasp what God is telling us, we need to take a brief detour and outline the basics... Continue Reading
The Necessity of Preaching Repentance
Many who are opposed to repentance being a necessary component of salvation see it as “works.”
Our ears have grown accustomed to hearing men told to “accept Jesus as your personal Saviour,” a form of words which is not found in Scripture. It has become an empty phrase. These may be precious words to the Christian–”personal Saviour.” But they are wholly inadequate to instruct a sinner in the way of eternal... Continue Reading
Immutability and Pastoral Ministry
We cannot remain in the luminous ether of God’s infinite plentitude, but we don’t need to because in the revelation of Jesus Christ all the fullness of God is pleased to dwell.
When no one could see God and live, the incarnate Son made God known. Christ makes all the theological abstractions concrete; he brings all the prodigal speculations back home. And that includes the doctrine of divine immutability which, like its incommunicable brothers, is prone to wander. The doctrine of divine immutability, like all the... Continue Reading
What Does the Holy Spirit Do?
He is not some impersonal force, but rather a person who acts and can be grieved.
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to... Continue Reading
The Ordo Salutis: Glorification
For too many believers glorification is a concept that has no definition in their minds.
in Romans 8:29-30, the passage we call the “Golden Chain of Salvation”, there is something more given to us. Paul writes “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…”[ii] Following on this, Paul continues with a description of what happens when God predestines. The one that is predestined... Continue Reading
Caring for a Father with Dementia
When hard days come, I can take my dad’s dementia and everything else to the Lord.
In the first few years of my dad being back in my life, I struggled with my dad’s dementia and often read about his condition in various medical journals. It became too much for me to read much more about it, and I often cried thinking about what dementia will do to my dad. I... Continue Reading