Love of the World
One of the markers of Christian genuineness is separation from the world.
God, not the world, must have first place in His children’s hearts. (Matthew 10:37; Philippians 3:20) We must remember that what God is against here is not planet Earth, but the invisible, spiritual system of evil dominated by Satan. This world system keeps people in bondage, blinds their hearts, and opposes God and all that... Continue Reading
The Message of the Cross Is Enough
teaser The social justice winds are blowing through evangelicalism. Today, the culture is making demands upon the church of Jesus Christ and sadly, some leaders are willing to cave to such cultural pressures in order to appear successful. What’s even more troubling is such success is being equated with biblical fidelity. In an age... Continue Reading
We Run a Paradoxical Race
Our aim is less to win and more to help others finish.
The difficulty comes when we inevitably have churches that have large proportions of people at different places. Where do we pitch the preaching? How do we engage in Bible study that everyone can engage with? How do we make sure that we are simple enough for the new folk to understand whilst having enough meat... Continue Reading
How to Build a Whitewashed Tomb
"Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts...."
Why “whitewashed”? Because Jesus knew what His Spirit would later inspire the Apostle Paul to write (2 Cor. 11:13-15): “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also,... Continue Reading
The Full Effect of Steadfastness
Through testing, we discover that our faith is stronger than we realized.
Steadfastness is not an end in itself. It is part of our sanctification, whereby we are more and more conformed to the image of Christ and more and more die to sin and live to righteousness. Displaying the image of Christ, for His glory, is the end. The full effect of steadfastness is that we... Continue Reading
Tried with Fire: The Suffering of the Righteous
The problem of evil is no mere philosophical construct.
Evil is still in the world. People still suffer, and not only the most obviously deserving people. God’s children also suffer; indeed, they sometimes bear greater pain than the unregenerate people around them. Why should God allow this ongoing affliction of those whom He has redeemed? Discussions about the problem of evil quickly become... Continue Reading
Hello, My Name is God
The historical evidence suggests the Synoptic Jesus and the Johannine Jesus both claimed to be the God of Israel.
Jesus not only identifies himself as the Son of God, but then also identifies himself as the Son of Man coming to judge the world on the clouds of heaven—an identity that the chief priests regard as worthy of the charge of blasphemy. Did Jesus think he was God? This may be one of... Continue Reading
“All Unprepared to Meet Him”
What does the Bible teach regarding what will happen to those who reject God in this life when they finally face Him on Judgment Day?
Even as Christians we can be lulled into complacency towards the danger and the consequences of sin. Only as we appreciate what sin deserves will be truly value what Christ has done to deliver us and why we as his children must hate it with a holy loathing. There is, however, another reason why these... Continue Reading
The Art of the Unintended Consequence
The answer to angry discerning bloggers isn’t to minimize truth.
Discernment ministry was once done well—or at least better. Blogging was helpful in fighting against a shallow Christianity which could never survive the days ahead. But discernment quickly turned into rage. A culture of fear, suspicion, oppression, and infighting soon emerged. Everybody but our own little section of the internet became rank heretics. It... Continue Reading
“Woke” is the New “Saved”
This new, fantastic religion takes up all the space where real faith in Christ could live.
Here’s how it works: By listening to professors, or following peer pressure, a student discovers that the world is deeply wrong. Permeated by evil. Its evil is inequality. And that evil has an author: straight white males. Realizing the depth and extent of this all-pervading evil comes as a kind of conversion. One wakes up.... Continue Reading