On Platt and Priorities
In the Lord's house, the greatest priority is to honor Christ.
Have we elevated our disdain for Trump above the cause of Christ and the fact that He can turn the most wretched of human beings, or those we deem wretched, into His followers by softening the hardest hearts? It’s been an amazing past few days watching the fallout from David Platt’s prayer over president... Continue Reading
Agricultural Metaphors for the Christian Life
God uses metaphors to convey His saving message to us in a way that we can understand.
Out of the many ways God could have communicated with Israel, He chose agricultural metaphors. Israel was a people whose existence depended on the soil. Israel was liberated from Egypt to enter the land God promised to her father Abraham. Yet notice how this land is described: it is a land flowing with milk and... Continue Reading
Seven Letters Seven Dangers: Speaking Truth
It is always right to speak the truth in love.
Dear brother, the church flounders at putting away falsehood. How so? Well, I am not saying that the church has become an out and out liar. No, it is more insidious than that. The church has become nice. Dear Theophilus, You have been so inquisitive. Your questions demonstrate your great desire to learn more... Continue Reading
The Democracy of the Unborn
Abortion is a fundamental violation of the natural rights of human beings. We must fight it at all costs. Not just for the unborn, but for the entire web of obligations on which society is built.
The duties of motherhood and the lifelong commitments that come with child rearing are the quintessential examples of living selflessly for others. The duties of motherhood entail sacrifice in the present for the benefit of the future. The sacrifices our parents and ancestors made for our benefit are not, nor cannot be, forgotten in the... Continue Reading
Why Is Ecclesiastes In The Bible?
Ecclesiastes seeks to convince us that life “under the sun” (used 29 times) is meaningless, frustrating, fleeting, and incomprehensible, inducing us to turn our attention to eternal things.
The author of Ecclesiastes spends twelve chapters seeking to convince the reader that devoting one’s time and effort to the things of this life is futile and meaningless. He ends his book with an admonishment: while enjoying the basic pleasures of our very brief lives, we must fear God and keep his commandments, for He... Continue Reading
‘I Don’t Need Theology, I Just Need Jesus’ Just Means You Have Bad Theology
Knowing God, as He is presented in scripture, is a non-negotiable for Christians.
Theology is critical for all, especially for Christians. A denial of the need for theology is often just an excuse for laziness and disbelief. It is this poor logic that plights the liberal and shallow branches of Christianity. Embracing such deceptions, they will convince themselves that aimless acceptance and/or misguided passion is an adequate replacement... Continue Reading
Seven Letters Seven Dangers: Christ-less Christianity
What is Christianity if not Christ?
A Christ-less Christianity is not Christianity. It is a form of humanitarianism. Now, loving our neighbor is a wonderful thing. However, when all of Christianity is reduced to loving our neighbor, then we have a Christ-less Christianity. Sadly, this is the very Christianity espoused by many in churches today. Dear Theophilus, I find that the... Continue Reading
Kingdom Metaphors for the Christian Life
The Son of God and the Son of Man from David’s lineage would establish a kingdom over which He would reign forever.
The social mores of our society anchored in materialism, sexual immorality, intellectual elitism, self-centered pride, postmodern cynicism, idolatry, and atheism remind us that we are indeed aliens whose citizenship is in the kingdom of Jesus Christ. We are humbled as we were once willing participants in that ungodly culture, having been rescued only by the... Continue Reading
Mission: Make Worshipers
Making disciples is making worshipers of God through Christ.
When God’s people make their center the worship of God through Christ, set apart from the world by truth, Christ indicates that two things happen: first, as we draw near to fellowship with God, we become one with one another, and second, that very communion we have with God and with one another causes the... Continue Reading
How Could Heaven Not Have Sex?
In the resurrection, God’s people will be like the angels in heaven—without spouse or sex.
To sigh at heaven because we lose something of earth, to cling to earth’s most brilliant shadows with trembling grip as they give way to the substance, is to forget what is coming. Even now, we can remind ourselves: heaven’s pleasures threaten to overwhelm earth’s best delights. “So what does your heaven offer me?”... Continue Reading