“The Expulsive Power of a New Affection”
The Life-Changing Insight of Thomas Chalmers
Chalmers poses for himself the question: How shall the human heart be freed from its love for the world? (How shall the air of world-love be removed from the soul-beaker?) This “love” is not a duty one performs. It is a delight one prefers. It is an affection before it is a commitment. Christian... Continue Reading
To Whom Do We Entrust Ourselves?
The Biblical answer for the Christian is that we always entrust ourselves into the hands of God.
For pastors and ministers of the Gospel who keep watch over the souls of the flock, it is good for us to continually exhort our people to entrust themselves to the just judge. As the political climate in the US and abroad continues to heat up to a boil next November, the temptation for many... Continue Reading
On Faith, Works, the Lordship of Christ, and Assurance
Saving faith has legs that keep a Christian moving forward in obedience to Jesus.
Does genuine faith bear fruit? Yes, that much is clear. But how much fruit? And how quickly does the fruit grow on the branches of a person’s life? And does every kind of fruit grow on all of the branches all of the time? The Bible simply does not ever go so far as to... Continue Reading
Paul’s Theology of Friendship
We find that Paul and the Philippians enjoy a fellowship of gift and suffering, with God as the divine source in a triangular friendship.
Two traits appear in Paul’s theology of friendship. The first is a reciprocity of gifts (immaterial and material) between Paul and the Philippians, which stems from a mutual phronesis—a way of thinking, feeling, and acting patterned after Jesus Christ (Phil 2:5–11). A comparison between Paul and Aristotle on friendship may seem futile, at first... Continue Reading
Chick-fil-A to Stop Donations to Charities with Anti-LGBT Views
Chick-fil-A has been working on the new charitable structure since summer 2018, according to sources familiar with the process, and finally approved it in a board vote last week.
The new giving structure moves away from the multiyear commitments Chick-fil-A had with the Salvation Army and the FCA and focuses on annual grants, which Tassopoulos said will be reviewed and assessed each year. Future partners could include faith-based and non-faith-based charities, but the company said none of the organizations have anti-LGBT positions. As... Continue Reading
Satan’s Strategy #4: Great Men Sin
"There is no avoiding sin," the Devil says. "Sin will happen to the very best of men."
When Satan tempts us in this manner, he neglects to tell us the rest of the story. He hides the tears, heartaches, misery, and painful repentance that result from yielding to temptation. David’s infamous sins with Bathsheba and Uriah were followed by his humiliating encounter with Nathan, his public disgrace, and his soul-wrenching repentance. We... Continue Reading
What Is Your Only Comfort?
There is no other such comfort and assurance to be found apart from Christ.
As one of the authors of the catechism (Zacharius Ursinus) puts it in his commentary on the catechism, this comfort entails “the assurance of the free remission of sin, and of reconciliation with God by and on account of Christ, and a certain expectation of eternal life; impressed upon the heart by the Holy Spirit... Continue Reading
God’s Immutability and You
Seven practical applications of the immutability of God.
It is common for people to have doubts about God’s love, goodness, or power during difficult times. However, instead of allowing your mind to think such wrong thoughts of God, times of suffering, persecution, or trials should be a time when you focus more than ever on God’s immutability. Think of all that Job went... Continue Reading
The Reliability of the Gospels
Answering today’s skeptics and critics.
Skeptics’ questions challenge faith on the internet, in the media and in universities. Some of these questions arise even from scholars, though often speaking outside their disciplinary expertise. And while most New Testament scholars agree on a number of key elements of Jesus’ ministry, other details are more debated, depending on the particular scholar’s assumptions.... Continue Reading
The Gospel and Your Money
Money is a gauge, an indicator that reveals a thousand data points about our hearts.
I learned long ago that what is important to Jesus ought to be important to me. If this principle is true, then we must think intentionally about money, just as he did. If Jesus died to redeem every aspect of us—as we mentioned before—then the gospel affects our pocketbooks. As his gospel transforms our life,... Continue Reading