The Importance of What We Do in Secret
Six times in the Sermon on the Mount, alluding to three distinct exercises, Jesus employs the term secret.
The Sermon on the Mount is addressing the issue of authenticity. Just how genuine is our relationship with the Lord Jesus? It is altogether possible to practice an outward display of piety—to “talk the talk”—without demonstrating any inner reality of godliness. This is true of every professing Christian, and it is especially true of those... Continue Reading
Incomprehensible but Knowable: Special Revelation
“The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend” (Exodus 33:11).
God’s incomprehensibility is the doctrine that says while thoughts about God in the mind of man can be true and accurate, they can never be complete. This requires God to reveal himself to us and to do so in a way that we can understand what He has chosen to reveal. In fact, Presbyterians confess... Continue Reading
Christians’ Sin Problem and its Mortification
Part of what is missing in the 21st Century Church is a proper Biblical understanding of sin as something alive within each of us.
Our 21st Century churches have left out four vital emphases that, if restored, would, I believe, lead to one of the deepest revivals in our history. The first one that is tragically missing as a vital emphasis is the Holiness of God. God is Holy, but most Christians seem to have no idea how important that... Continue Reading
Regeneration: The Biblical Metaphor Of “New Birth” Highlights The Sovereignty Of God In Salvation
Our salvation is a sovereign act of God, accomplished without our consent.
Evangelical Christians have long been divided by different views on the sovereignty of God in salvation. I am thankful that the FIEC regards this as a secondary issue, and that there is room within our family of churches for both Arminians and Calvinists who hold to our doctrinal basis of primary gospel truths. Personally, however,... Continue Reading
Worship God
Everything we need to know about how God desires to be worshipped is found plainly in the Word.
All throughout the Word of God, we see a clear call for God’s people to offer up praise, adoration, song, sermons, and Spirit-empowered worship to God. Therefore, it should not be something we do as an additive to our weekly activities, it should stand high above all other things and it should be positioned at... Continue Reading
Sabbath Rest – Part 3
Three supporting passages on the Sabbath from the book of Exodus.
Found in Exodus 35:2-3, the last statement on the Sabbath is perhaps the briefest, “Moses assembled all the congregation of the people of Israel and said to them, “These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do. 2 Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to... Continue Reading
How Reading the Bible Changed My Life
God’s Word is still the bedrock of our Christian faith.
Seeking God isn’t something that anyone does naturally. So when I look back at that time in my life, I don’t see a 14-year-old who suddenly became “spiritual”; I see a gracious God who chose to intervene in an apathetic teen’s life. I don’t see my own faithful heart; I see the faithful heart of... Continue Reading
Vocation, Technology, & Luther’s “Theology of Tools”
Luther’s advice for Zuckerberg would extend beyond principles for social responsibility in leadership.
In Luther’s mind, the methods and tools of one’s craft—technology—are rightly used when deployed in service to neighbors; needles, thimbles, beer barrels, scales, computers, and smartphones ought to enrich the lives of others instead of hurting, harming, or taking advantage of them. This implies also that those who create these technologies must also consider the... Continue Reading
How Jesus Trains Husbands
Our love for our wives must be sacrificial.
It is far more difficult to daily sacrifice our pride, our reputation, our selfishness, our perceived “rights,” or our desires to be served than it is to sacrifice our lives. And yet, these daily sacrifices are part and parcel of what it means to love our wives sacrificially. I have never met a husband who... Continue Reading
The Bitter Fruit of the Self-Focused Life
The ultimate cause of any misery or lack of joy is separation from God.
All moments of unhappiness in life are ultimately due to the separation. A person who is in real communion with God and with the Lord Jesus Christ is happy. It does not matter whether he is in a dungeon, or whether he has his feet fast in the stocks, or whether he is burning at... Continue Reading