God Always Wanted the Whole World
Global Mission from Genesis to Revelation
With voices of hope, the psalmists looked forward to the day when all peoples of the planet would praise the Lord and relish his favor. Paul, as a servant of Messiah Jesus, identifies that the aim of the gospel is “to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of [Christ’s] name among all... Continue Reading
Don’t Mistake Experience for Growth
Christianity requires not only an assent to the truth of the Gospel but also an application of it to our lives.
Christ affirms to us that you won’t find life by merely reading, studying, or memorizing the Bible any more than you’ll find treasure by merely reading, studying, or memorizing a map. You must actually travel the route the map reveals to you before you end up at its destination. Likewise, we must study the Scriptures... Continue Reading
What Does It Mean to Be Chosen in Christ?
Election doesn’t need to be an intimidating or offensive topic.
We can’t make sense of election without union with Christ, because there is nothing inherent within us that would make us desirous to God. There is nothing in us worth choosing. But when we are united to Christ, it all starts to make a little more sense. “In Him.” In my estimation, these are... Continue Reading
Tried With Fire: Like Jesus, Part Two
God became one of us, pain and all.
The fact that Christ has experienced weakness and suffering is critical to His high priesthood. Like the Old Testament high priests, He can have compassion on the ignorant and wayward because He Himself has worn weakness (Heb 5:2). While He never sinned, He understands how and why we do, and He understands this because He... Continue Reading
What is Theology and What Should We Do with It? Two Theological Works That Shaped my Decade
As confusion gives way to clarity regarding the person and work of God, gratitude and worship arise in the believer.
The past decade brought about the turning of thousands of pages in my personal life. As I ran through the hallways of the cosmic conversation of Christ, I made friends along the way in the form of books. Many of them became bricks God used to develop my dogmatic journey which is, I pray, far... Continue Reading
Taking Stock
Now is the time that we need to evaluate the old year and prepare for the new year.
Do you have Spiritual goals? Do you have a plan for reading the Bible? How have you organized your prayer life? How are you seeking to share your faith with the lost around you? One of my favorite sayings is, “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it!” The end of the year... Continue Reading
Masters of Self
Cultivating Gentleness in an Age of Outrage
Though we fall short in many ways when it comes to the virtue of gentleness, it is important to remember that Jesus Christ is an inexhaustible fountain of gentleness, and that he gently invites us to draw freely upon his inexhaustible fullness: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will... Continue Reading
Wherever He Is, We Are Welcome
Heaven’s Great High Priest
If you are in Christ, let no sin, guilt, or shame keep you waiting in the temple courts, ninety feet from the presence of your God. Hear your God whisper from within, “Draw near” (Hebrews 10:22). Walk past the bronze altar and the washbasins, the bread of the Presence and the lampstand, and open the... Continue Reading
Religion Test
Supreme Court to weigh in on how faith-based schools hire and fire teachers.
“Do we really want judges, juries, or bureaucrats deciding who ought to teach Catholicism at a parish school, or Judaism at a Jewish day school?” said Eric Rassbach, vice president and senior counsel at Becket, the religious liberty law firm representing the schools. “Religion teachers play a vital role in the ecosystem of faith. We... Continue Reading
Are You Bored with the Gospel?
The leaders of many social and para-ecclesial syndicates wish to influence the church in such a way that the church will embrace the obligations they press on her.
When I sit back and read the deluge of thoughts and opinions online about what the church ought to be doing, I sense a noticeable lack of focus on the Gospel. In the many Twitter rants that recur on a daily basis, there is a discernible deficiency with regard to Scripture and the Gospel. Any... Continue Reading