The End of Discernment?
Discerning truth from fiction, right from wrong, lies at the centre of Christian ethics (Phil 1:10).
So much online writing today celebrates so-called discernment bloggers whose purpose seems to be spotting the fault in others. They experience schadenfreude at the fall of others (1 Cor 13:6). And worse, much of this writing appears under the guise of Christianity. Discernment bloggers have contributed to the end of discernment because they have damaged... Continue Reading
The Apostles’ Creed: Ascended & Seated
There are multiple verities closely associated with the bodily ascension and session that are vital to us as believers.
We often speak of Jesus’ three fold office as being that of prophet, priest and king. When we think of him as priest we tend to think of him as either the one offering the sacrifice or the one being sacrificed. Yet, in Luke’s gospel we find him engaged in the priestly activity of pronouncing... Continue Reading
The Call to Repentance and the Championing of Grace
“I’m cheering for the next generation,” the pastor said, “but I feel like an ogre for stressing repentance all the time.”
His good news was the announcement of God’s kingdom, and the first word to follow? “Repent!” No wonder Jesus didn’t tell the rich young ruler to walk with him for a while until he stopped coveting. No, he got to the root of an unrepentant heart when he said, “Sell all your possessions and give them to... Continue Reading
Do You Not Know That the Friendship of the World is Enmity With God?
My righteousness, in God’s eyes, actually did exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees because it was the imputed righteousness of Christ.
All those years of struggling to please him and seeing how utterly helpless I was at being perfect and sinless no longer mattered at all. Yes, we are to seek to walk upright in the power of the Holy Spirit, but, in this, I am not climbing my way to heaven. My place is already... Continue Reading
Sleeping as an Act of Faith
Sleep is a declaration that we are not God, and He is in control.
While everyone periodically deals with a night of poor sleep, finding yourself strangled by worry in the middle of the night should cause us to examine matters at a deeper level. You see, sleep is not merely a physical necessity. It is a theological declaration, and God has designed it to be that way. It... Continue Reading
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Behold, To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice” by C. H. Spurgeon
How many adorn their temples and decorate their priests, but refuse to obey the word of the Lord!
“To obey,” even in the slightest and smallest thing, “is better than sacrifice,” however pompous. Talk not of Gregorian chants, sumptuous robes, incense, and banners; the first thing which God requires of his child is obedience; and though you should give your body to be burned, and all your goods to feed the poor, yet... Continue Reading
All the Lonely People
This is where we must start in cultivating deep, meaningful relationships. It starts with God.
I think if we’re honest with ourselves, we long for deep relationships with others. We may be tempted to think our longing indicates that something is wrong with us, that something is deficient in us, but I assure you it is not. That longing for deep relationship was placed in us before the fall. We are... Continue Reading
Should We Still Say The Apostles’ Creed?
The Gospel must be said. Truth must be said. The Creed must be said.
A ‘confession’ dives deeper into the specific doctrines that divide groups while a ‘creed’ expresses precisely what all the associated groups have in common. When we say the Apostles’ Creed we are speaking with one voice across all Christian groups, throughout time, declaring the irrefutable truth of Scripture. As believers we must, with confidence, be... Continue Reading
Where Will I Go When I Die?
Death doesn’t kill souls, but it does seal their destinies.
Jesus’s parable of the talents ends with this dreadful judgment against the one who failed to invest in eternity: “Cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 25:30). Our undying souls confirm our accountability to the One who has given them to us (Matt. 10:28). Scripture mentions... Continue Reading
The Father Himself Loves You
God’s love doesn’t wait on our love. God’s love is the first to move.
We doubt the love of God because we know who we really are. But the image we paint of ourselves is far better than the dim reality. God sees through it. We see the outward appearance even of our inward parts because we hold the brush, but God sees the heart. The simple yet disturbing truth... Continue Reading