Biblical Complementarianism Serves to Protect Women
Male leadership is not part of the curse, it’s one of God’s good blessings for the home and the church.
When we examine the the definition of complemenatrianism, if we’re honest with the term itself, it involves more than prohibitions on women serving. It’s far more than a stop sign for women. The word itself defines the position that points to the calling of men to be the leaders of the home and the local... Continue Reading
Canons of Dort (32): Our Sovereign God Uses Means To Encourage Us
The Remonstrants tried to take the Reformed churches back to the theology that had flourished between Aquinas and the the neo-Augustinian renaissance.
The YRR movement is a welcome return to aspects of classic Augustinian theology but the downside of this recovery is that it is truncated. It has no doctrine of the church and its adherents mostly downplay a vital aspect of the Reformed confession: the God who is sovereign also uses means to accomplish his purposes.... Continue Reading
Your True Inheritance
How do I respond to the good grace of God and recognize my true inheritance?
Bless God the Father who has set up your inheritance for you. A few years back, we had our wills done. If something unexpected happens to us, our kids won’t get rich but there will be a little provision for them. I know my one daughter will be very thankful that at some point [hopefully a... Continue Reading
Shattering Words and Crying to God
God delights when we pour out our troubles on him and call upon him in distress.
So much of scripture is filled with God’s delight in the prayers of the saints, and his curse on those who did not call upon him, who refused to seek his aid. Contrary to the American popular religion, God’s blessing is NOT on the one too proud to seek help. It is not on the... Continue Reading
How John’s Vision of Jesus’ Glory Brings Us Comfort Today
Our primary mission is to be a witness to the world’s one and true King, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Though we live in relative ease, comfort, and prosperity in America, our mindset must always be that of exiles sent to this country to represent the world’s one true and final King, our Lord Jesus Christ. Like the Apostle John and the ancient church, we exist in the tribulation, the kingdom, and the patient endurance... Continue Reading
Machen’s God-Centered Vision
The structure of the modernism of Machen’s day is not too different from the postmodernisms of our day.
In some churches the triumph of modernism is complete. But it is still a menace at the door of all our churches and schools and agencies. One of our great protections will be the awareness of stories like Machen’s — the enemy he faced, the battle he fought, the weapons he used (and failed to... Continue Reading
Raw Honesty in Prayer
When we approach the throne of God, we should not desire him to do anything other than change our hearts.
We often forget that God knows what is in our hearts. He knows the desired vengeance, the anger, or any other festering emotion. When we come to the throne of God, we can be sincere, because of God’s knowledge of our heart, mind, and soul. He is the one we turn toward and before whom... Continue Reading
Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places? Are We Getting Better Enough?
Not only ourselves, but our works also, are justified by faith alone.
Could part of the disconnect be that we are still looking for evidence in our own works which can somehow stand the scrutiny of God’s holy law apart from the free grace of justification in Christ? – for he who has died is justified from sin (Rom 6:7)! So, are we looking for love in all the wrong places? ... Continue Reading
3 Reasons Why Patience Matters for the Christian
Patience is a big deal – probably bigger than we think it is.
When we become impatient, we betray our inner assumption that we had the best thing planned. When our plans for our day (or our lives, for that matter) are interrupted and we have to go a different way, our level of patience shows how convinced we are in our own ability to make plans. When... Continue Reading
Is Total Depravity Biblical? What Does Total Depravity Mean?
From this deadness, all the Reformed doctrines of grace flow like rushing waters.
What does the Bible mean when it describes all of mankind as spiritually “dead”? A dead person is darkened in their understanding. A dead person is callous to the truth. A dead person is (of course) blind, unable to see God’s glory. And let’s be clear: a dead person won’t respond when spoken too, even... Continue Reading