The Cross of Christ and the Problem of Evil
There is nothing quite as wonderful as being the object of God’s ill-deserved, glory-maximizing mercy.
In what follows, I provide a brief argument (four propositions and a conclusion) that seeks to make sense of evil in the world. The argument is based on the metanarrative of Scripture—creation, fall, and redemption; together with the revelation of God concerning his overarching purpose for creation and history. I call this the Greater Glory Theodicy because... Continue Reading
A Contrast in Growth
Whereas Jacob was unwilling to release his son – God was not unwilling.
Do you see what Jacob has done? First, as a father he has failed. He seems to be willing to allow his family to die of starvation in order to preserve the life of Benjamin from some unforeseen accident while traveling to Egypt. But as bad as that is there is something far worse. Jacob... Continue Reading
Context Matters: With His Wounds We are Healed
Jesus still bears the wounds that now heal us.
In this post, I’m not able to tackle the full ideology of faith healing, nor do I intend to discuss whether we ought to expect miraculous healings to continue taking place today. These are complex issues that warrant complex treatment. But in this post I will deal one small part: the common appeal to Isaiah 53:5 to... Continue Reading
What Really Happened on the Cross? Part 2
Reconciliation, Redemption, and Conquest
Previously, we argued that the most fundamental characterization one can make of the atonement is that it is a work of penal substitution—the Lord Jesus suffering the penalty for the sins of His people as a substitute for them. Then, we claimed that we might further define this penal substitutionary atonement according to five key... Continue Reading
Undying Love
The doctrine of divine impassibility is the belief that God has no “passions”—that is, no disordered affections that could make his love ebb and flow.
God’s affections are always in accord with his holy and gracious character. They are perfect, self-derived expressions of his faithful covenant love. While our emotional responses are often manipulated by others, or caused by circumstances that make us act “not like ourselves,” God is never less than true to himself. Thus, the fundamental difference between... Continue Reading
Union with Christ is Everything
The wonderful truth about Christians' union with Christ, and all that it means, is at the heart of Christianity spirituality.
What “spiritual value” comes from union with Christ? It is our position in Him that makes His death count for us and His resurrection mean our life (Rom. 6). Inclusion in Christ is the logic of salvation; when you exclude it from your picture of redemption (even with the intent of being more inclusive), you sever salvation from its... Continue Reading
The Irony of Holding a Grudge
When we think we are executing some kind of justice by holding a grudge, we actually harm ourselves more than we harm the object of our disdain.
Sure, obtaining “justice” might not always look the same, depending on your personality, but typically it looks like lashing out, ignoring the other person, avoiding eye-contact, walking the other way when you see them, and having imagery debates in your head. We’ve tricked ourselves into thinking there is freedom in that. They have to pay,... Continue Reading
About Those Angels of the Churches
Angels are heavenly beings who are representatives of the seven churches.
Angels are often seen in the Scriptures as those who transmit the word of God to His people. For instance, we are told that the written law was given to Moses by an angel (Acts 7:53; Galatians 3:19; Hebrews 2:2). Surely what is being communicated to these churches is that Jesus knows each congregation of... Continue Reading
John Calvin’s Tips for Right and Worshipful Prayer
The tips are more scattered than systematic, and present a sample of the richness of his writing.
“We see that nothing is set before us as an object of expectation from the Lord which we are not enjoined to ask of Him in prayer, so true it is that prayer digs up those treasures which the Gospel of our Lord discovers to the eye of faith. The necessity and utility of this... Continue Reading
What Is Brotherly Love?
The bond that exists between earthly siblings gives shape and form to the language of Scripture, where God commands believers to “love one another with brotherly affection” (Rom. 12:10).
The New Testament is full of references to “brotherly love.” In many places in which the Apostles expound on Christian living in the church, this paradigmatic phrase surfaces. The Apostle Paul explained the instinctive nature of brotherly love when he wrote to the members of the church in Thessalonica: “Concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone... Continue Reading