God’s Wineskin
The New Testament According to the Mind of Christ
How shall sin-inebriated idolaters become God-intoxicated worshipers? Jesus has given us the answer. It is by drinking the new wine contained in God’s Wineskin. It is by prayerfully entering into the New Covenant with God our Father, through faith in Jesus Christ, his divine Son. Then the disciples of John came to him, saying,... Continue Reading
A House for the Son
Jesus went to the cross to prepare a final home for believers in the new heavens and new earth.
He was going to the cross to make room for those He came to redeem by shedding His blood for their sins. By shedding His blood, Jesus made room for His people in the everlasting temple—the new heavens and new earth in which He would dwell with His own for all eternity. By the... Continue Reading
Kill Whatever Kills Your Love for God
Sin will accept no peace treaty.
Though we have been freed from sin’s slavery, our sinful flesh still seeks opportunities to indulge in evil. Slaying sin is the only safe way to deal with our abiding sin. God commands us, “Put to death what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5).... Continue Reading
The Curse of Mediocrity
John The Baptist simply preached the truth and did not care about stepping on people’s toes with how pastors today do the opposite.
There is a Nike commercial being shown this Christmas featuring Lebron James, the NBA star. In the commercial he talks about how the current culture we live in now elevates those like him who came from “humble beginnings,” have overcome that by striving to attain a level of cultural acceptance either through their education or,... Continue Reading
Can We Really Have the Mind of Christ?
“Do not be children in your thinking.”
It almost feels blasphemous to say. Who are we to suggest that we think the thoughts of the Son of God, that we share a mental fortitude with the pre-eminent Christ? But here is a divine promise. When Christ saves us, he saves us from more than sin and spiritual death. He saves us to... Continue Reading
What Did Jesus Mean By “Judge Not”?
Jesus vs. Jesus?
Jesus hasn’t denounced moral discernment. In fact, he has directed us in the non-hypocritical way of being discerning. Jesus does allow that we should correct sin — first our own, and only then the sin of others so that we can do it in a more effective way. Those two words, “judge not,” can... Continue Reading
Man and Woman in Creation (Genesis 1 and 2)
Genesis 2 offers a more specific and differentiated view of what it means to male and female.
The gendered differentiation in the fulfilment of the divine commission is hardly surprising, especially when we consider the tasks that lie at the heart of mankind’s vocation. Although both sexes participate in both tasks, “exercising dominion” and “being fruitful” are not tasks that equally play to male and female capabilities, but rather are tasks where... Continue Reading
He Made Them Male and Female
Sex, Gender, and the Image of God
Although the modern West has lost its boundaries and celebrates a plethora of so-called gender options, how should Christians understand and critique today’s concepts of gender in light of Scripture? We begin with understanding, and not conflating, four categories: sex, gender, norms, and callings. Is “gender” a social construct? Should male or female be... Continue Reading
Why God Alone Must Be In Complete Control
Who God is and why he gets all the glory and why we can trust him all hang in the balance.
Much can be said on this issue, especially concerning biblical passages, texts which the Protestant Reformers grasped with a firm grip. But in this post, I want to quote a (long) paragraph from Jonathan Edwards’s Freedom of the Will which, I think, is really helpful to explain a bit more why this matters, and why,... Continue Reading
The Ten Commandments: The Tenth
Is envy a peccadillo, or is it something more serious?
Dorothy Sayer, a believer in Christ, wrote: “Envy is the great leveler: If it cannot level things up, it will level them down…At its best, envy is a climber and a snob’ at its worst it is a destroyer-rather than have anyone happier than itself, it will see us all miserable together.” The Scriptures are... Continue Reading