Overcoming the Darkness
With Paul in the School of Spiritual Warfare (3 of 5)
Though we are no longer of the world, we remain in it, on guard, at work. The church has the job of training us in sound doctrine (4:12-16) to defend us against our spiritual foe and to equip us to advance against the kingdom of darkness, as Christ builds His church through us as His... Continue Reading
Paul And Slavery: Union With Christ And One Another
Paul subtly and deftly dismantled racism, as well as the entire ancient system of slavery by stressing our common unity as Christians in union with Christ and one another.
Paul not only calls Onesimus – a former slave, owned by another member of the church – a faithful and beloved brother, he also writes that he is “one of you.” This slave, this person who was seen as a secondary human being in this society, is “one of you,” a fellow Christian, purchased and... Continue Reading
Were Early Christian Scribes Untrained Amateurs?
Satlow’s book argues that both the OT and NT canons were late bloomers, and that they bore no real authority until the third or fourth century CE.
The oft-repeated claim that early Christian scribes were unprofessional and untrained simply does not fit with what we know about early Christian manuscripts nor about early Christian literary culture. Loveday Alexander provides a perfect summary, “It is clear that we are dealing with a group [early Christians] that used books intensively and professionally from very... Continue Reading
Three Ways to Purify Your Thinking
Search for this Jesus as you read your Bible day by day. Cast your mind in the mold of his goodness.
Those with minds set on glory above will not ultimately be satisfied with trivialities below. We will search to find a deeper echo of the tune, something that sends us past the crust of life to the core. We will look for something to awaken us to the wonder of being image-bearers of the high... Continue Reading
Thoughts on Despair
There is a distinction between sadness and despair: Sadness can co-exist with joy; it doesn’t cancel out assurance. Despair is devoid of joy, of any incentive to keep going
I explained to my children that this is where the devil wants us to end up after going through intense suffering. He wants to beat us up so badly that we are left believing that everything is bad, including God. He wants to fill us with despair—the state of being where one no longer has... Continue Reading
Husbands, 8 Admonitions to Love Your Wife
The more you love God the better equipped you will be to truly love your wife.
Christ loves the whole Christian–heart, mind, body, soul–and every other part. Only as we come to terms with what that means will we be able to obey God’s word. “Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.” Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. (Col. 3:19, NKJV) When... Continue Reading
What Does it Mean to be Devoured by Satan?
The devil desires to consume a believer who is being used by God.
Our adversary, the devil, who is Satan, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. He is not interested in devouring those who are compromising. He is not after those who are not serving. No, he is after those who are humble and serving the Lord, being used by Him in ways that... Continue Reading
How Shall We Be Like God?
This question isn’t merely academic.
Fundamentally, while we are made in the image of God, it remains the case that we are not God. One of the ways that we differ from God is that God determines the difference between right and wrong; our place is to recognize and accept the determinations that God has made. Ponder a paradox... Continue Reading
Wilhelmus à Brakel and The Christian’s Reasonable Service
À Brakel’s work continues to be acknowledged as one of the true classics of the Dutch Further Reformation.
À Brakel wrote this work for church members—not for theologians, though it was his wish that they benefit from it as well. This explains why this work is permeated with practical application of the doctrines he so thoroughly explains. À Brakel’s intent in writing is inescapable: He intensely wished that the truths expounded would become... Continue Reading
The Still, Small Voice You Have to Wait For
The Lord often doesn’t speak in the grand and miraculous, but in the small and silent.
If you want to hear the Lord speak, then don’t be hasty. Understand that you might have to wade your way through a storm, and earthquake, and the fire. And know that those things might take a while. A long while. I don’t like to wait. Neither do you. To be fair, it’s not... Continue Reading