Satan Will Sing You to Sleep
Waking Up from Spiritual Indifference
It matters not if we call ourselves Calvinists and believe we have an accurate knowledge of the doctrine of election, if our knowledge does not lead us to feel anguish in our hearts over the lost and a resolve to do whatever it takes to save some. “We do not yet know as we ought... Continue Reading
The Importance of Preaching, Part 1
Samuel Miller's Lectures on Preaching
Miller played a pivotal role in [Old Princeton] seminary—that of teaching ministerial students how to preach. No doubt, as to influencing the local church, this proves one of the most significant professorates of the seminary. Miller performed this function for thirty-five years and trained approximately 1,600 ministerial students! Most Presbyterians know the name Samuel... Continue Reading
Don’t Let “Wisdom” Make You an Idiot
After all correct theology always leads to correct living, right?
Paul loved them. The false teachers were abusing them. But they chose the false teachers over Paul because “wisdom.” Love gives people what they need and not necessarily what they want. That’s why real love isn’t always the most popular. If given the choice we’ll take the fake stuff any day. For you gladly... Continue Reading
The Incarnation as Revelation
The mighty, infinite, Creator God actually put on flesh and stepped into the time and space he created.
We can identify this human being—Jesus Christ, the most beautiful human being ever to exist—as the central object of our worship and offer all of our praise to him without the fear of dishonoring God precisely because he is no mere human: he himself is God. He has become man in order to accommodate our... Continue Reading
Critical Theory and Christian Ethics: Can they Co-Exist?
Critical theory renders Christian ethical critique almost impossible.
Critical theory has become an all-encompassing worldview that interprets and implicates the deepest levels of our existence—especially the epistemological framework that critical theorists approach the world with. Critical theory is a secular social theory that may at times overlap with Christian ideas, as Shenvi rightly concludes, but the larger commitments it requires of its adherents... Continue Reading
Why it is Important Not to Conflate Prophecy and Teaching in Discussions About Women Preaching
Clearly Paul does not intend for women to be teaching/preaching within the church, right?
We have to understand what the difference between prophecy and teaching is. The gift of prophecy consists in spontaneous utterance inspired by the Spirit. Prophecy therefore consists of divine revelation. The gift of teaching, however, is different. Teaching does not consist in new revelation but in instruction based on revelation that has already been given.... Continue Reading
The Precious Furnace of Affliction
Today, though I’m not in a season of that kind of intense pain, people whom I love are suffering. How can they endure? How did I endure?
God refines us in the fire. The flames in our life sanctify us and draw us to God in ways that nothing else can. We emerge with a stronger faith and an unrivalled dependence on him. But the process isn’t easy. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you... Continue Reading
Seven Letters Seven Dangers: Sincerity
We could define sincerity as that quality of mind in which we believe ourselves free from deceit, dishonesty or pretense.
The sincere person is one who is not conscious of being willfully deceitful. Of course, sincerity can be faked. Entertainers and politicians are perhaps our best examples. But when Scripture tells us we are deceitful because we are sinful, it is not affirming that we are always conscious of our deceit; our sin is expressed... Continue Reading
Is the New Perspective on Paul a Product of the West’s Cultural Moment
The NPP is less driven by historical exegesis than it is with communitarian projects.
The NPP developed in the 1990s in light of the shadow of violent acts of ethnic cleansing in Rwanda and the Balkans. So, is the NPP shaped by certain ethnic issues or oriented towards certain religious matters? Undoubtedly! Is that a bad thing or does it explain away the NPP’s insights? Certainly not! Over... Continue Reading
God’s Forgetfulness and God’s Face
Does God really "forget" and does God really have a "face"?
David expresses himself in question form: “How long….Will You forget….will You hide Your face….?” Consider the following two aspects of David’s complaint: “Will You forget me forever?” and “How long will You hide Your face from me?” There are at least two ways to understand these and other statements like them. True believers may,... Continue Reading