Wax On, Wax Off: The Importance of Practicing the Basics in Our Faith
Perseverance is the Key to Success
I trust that whatever season of life you are in, as a young person learning new skills or pursuing a special relationship, or as a seasoned employee who is in the position to give back to others, you are pursuing the tasks that God has called you to do with perseverance. You may not see... Continue Reading
Are Images of Christ OK? No.
Three key arguments against images of Christ.
The second commandment forbids making images of anyone in the category of God. Therefore, we cannot make images of God the Son. Making images of Christ creates thorny dilemmas. Either we depict the person of the Son and violate the second commandment, or we depict his humanity by divorcing it from his divine person. ... Continue Reading
Don’t Hastily Choose Elders
A candidate reveals his moral and shepherding fittedness (or he reveals his disqualification) over time.
The fact that some people are spiritually unfit for ministry leadership may not be initially evident, so hastily appointing them to be an elder can backfire. As Paul said, “the sins of others appear later.” Of course, he doesn’t mean the elders are without sin. But a potential elder can, as time passes, show himself... Continue Reading
Are Images of Christ OK? Yes.
Not all depictions of Jesus serve the same purpose.
To understand whether the creation or use of a visual representation of Jesus violates the second commandment, we must ask whether the work: diverts glory away from God and toward a false object, distorts the story of God’s relationship with his people, or diminishes God’s nature and deforms those who use it. While icon veneration may... Continue Reading
The Getting of Wisdom
How do we get wisdom? The Scriptures offer two ways.
There’s a big difference between “our days are numbered” and “numbering our days.” Acknowledging that our days are numbered is just assenting to the fact that we won’t be around forever. Numbering our days is the biblical wisdom that seeks to squeeze God-fearing insight out of all the days we occupy this life as we... Continue Reading
Resisting Injustice
The Role of the Church
We must have the righteousness of Christ credited to us if we are to be saved, but we must also apply His standard of righteousness to the public square. Faithfully doing so would allow Christians to see more clearly the similarities of the injustices taking place in Jerusalem with those in America today. A primary... Continue Reading
Preaching and Teaching
The feeding of our Lord’s sheep comes principally through teaching.
History shows us that the greatest periods of revival and reformation the church has ever seen occur in conjunction with the frequent, consistent, and clear preaching of God’s Word. If we would see the Holy Spirit bring renewal to our churches and our lands, it will require preachers who are committed to the exposition of... Continue Reading
Fear, Greed, Workism, and the Lord’s Prayer
If we believed our daily bread would be given, we would rest.
God knows we really do need all these things like food and water, shelter and work, companionship and love. He knows we need all these and even still other things. And yet, those alone aren’t enough. We do need food day by day. And yet, someday the day will come when our body quits eating, when... Continue Reading
The Limits of Secularity
Has American secularism reached its peak?
Why might secularism be waning among Generation Z? Perhaps this is a move of the Spirit to turn the hearts of people toward Christ in a time of trouble and tumult. History shows that God often moves in a powerful way during the most troubling times in the world. We should be thankful for the... Continue Reading
Pornography & Repentance
Contrary to what the world around us would have us believe, the path of purity is filled with great joy.
Pornography degrades the mind into darkness, dulling our senses so that we lose the ability to appreciate the subtle art that God has created all around us. It addicts us to fluff and triviality, and reality becomes intolerable. In our previous study, we began the final section of the catechism, which is called Restoration. As... Continue Reading
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