Exodus and God’s Eternal Plans, Pt. 1
Exodus 1-2 provides a theology of how God establishes His deliverer.
The birth of Moses is not merely biographical. Rather, it declares God’s agenda of deliverance and sets a precedent for how He raises up those who will deliver His people. The birth of Moses designates him as a deliverer, aligns his deliverance with that of his people, and puts him in a line of deliverers,... Continue Reading
Doubts
So how do we respond to Satan’s devices? We follow the example Jesus gives.
Each of these scenes will erode confidence in Jesus if they linger with no response. Though the descent into unbelief might be less perceptible in scenes 1 and 2, each scene becomes bound to questions such as, “Is he good?” and “Does he care?” These reveal that spiritual warfare has begun in earnest. Scene... Continue Reading
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Keep Not Back” by C. H. Spurgeon
For Jesus’ sake go forward yourself, and encourage others to do the like.
Dear friend, are you already saved? Then keep not back from union with the Lord’s people. Neglect not the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. You may be of a timid disposition, but you must strive against it, lest it lead you into disobedience. There is a sweet promise made to those who confess... Continue Reading
Love Actuarially
He emptied out to go “all in” on you.
Christian, the Lord knows you are not an asset to the organization. He knows what a tangled-up knot of anxiety, incompetence, and faithlessness you are. He knows exactly what a big fat sinner you are. He knew exactly what he was getting into. Eyes wide open, and arms too, he comes to embrace you. He’s... Continue Reading
Resurrection and Justification
By vindicating Christ in His resurrection, the Father declared His acceptance of Jesus’ work on our behalf.
The Resurrection involves justification in both senses of the Greek term. First, the Resurrection justifies Christ Himself. Of course, He is not justified in the sense of having His sins remitted, because He had no sins, or in the sense of being declared righteous while still a sinner, or in the Latin sense of being... Continue Reading
Can We Believe God’s Word is True Because our Parents Told Us?
One reason to believe God’s word (but not the only reason) is because of the testimony of others we trust.
What our parents tell us could be wrong. But, this is missing the point. The issue is whether it is reasonable to believe those we trust (and have good reasons to trust) when they tell us certain things are true. And Timothy had good grounds for trusting his mother and grandmother. The only alternative is to doubt... Continue Reading
Does Being Gracious Mean Turning a Blind Eye to People’s Sin?
We have to really define grace in such a way that we're not viewing it as people can get away with whatever they want.
God’s will is to be gracious to every person who turns to him in faith. And that’s really what repentance is, it’s a turning to God, away from our sins. God is for repentant sinners. But don’t assume that you can live in unrepentant rejecting the gospel and that you’re going to meet a gracious... Continue Reading
The Worst Sort of Pride
It is hard for our souls to come off of spiritual pride.
One tithes faithfully, so he frequently speaks about the widespread lack of giving in the church at large. One serves in various capacities in a local congregation and so he begins to complain about how others are not serving to the same degree. When we speak in these ways, we can be sure that we... Continue Reading
Why The Lord Allows Sin to Remain in the Regenerate
It is God's ordinary way to bring about great works by degrees; amongst which the sanctification of a sinner deservedly takes place.
God hath so ordered the matter of the believer’s sanctification, that sin is left to be active in their souls while here, for their farther humiliation. They are hereby taught to bear low sails all the days of their lives, and, with “Hezekiah,* to go softly all their years in the bitterness of their souls.”... Continue Reading
The Double Cure
Sprinkled with the blood, Peter increasingly died to sin and lived to righteousness.
Between the Gospels and Peter’s epistles, there is a change. After he was restored in John 21:15–19, he burst on the scene of the early church giving bold witness to Christ. What is more, in his letters, he is no longer the fumbling Apostle—he’s a mature believer calling other believers to maturity. A pair... Continue Reading