Eternalizing The Old Testament
Can we defend the inerrancy of Scripture when we fail to see continuation of these "everlasting" things mentioned in the Old Covenant period of revelation?
Everything in the Old Testament Scriptures is fulfilled in Jesus. This is how the Apostle could say, “all the promises of God in Him are ‘Yes,’ and in Him ‘Amen,’ to the glory of God” (2 Cor. 1:20). Jesus takes all of the shadows, ordinances and promises of the Old Testament, fulfills them in His... Continue Reading
A Children’s Sermon
In this sermon, Davies clarifies what he means by “coming to Christ” from Mark 10:14.
A humbling sense of your own inability to save yourselves by the merit of your own best endeavours. I do not mean, that you should neglect your best endeavours; or that you should not exert your utmost strength in every good work, and in the earnest use of all the means of grace: for you... Continue Reading
Why Christians Should Think More About Heaven
Believers are not as heavenly minded as they should be.
May I challenge you today? Defy the stereotypes. Buck the trends. Bust the curve. Start thinking more and more about heaven. Let your mind drift pleasantly to God. Take a walk outdoors—with no devices. Breathe the cool autumn air. Think about God. Think about heaven. Think about the world of love that awaits you. ... Continue Reading
Canons Of Dort (7): God Graciously Chose His Elect Out Of The Mass Of Fallen Humanity
Thomas Aquinas taught unconditional election and even the doctrine of reprobation in his Summa Theologica.
Election was the shared doctrine of the magisterial Protestant Reformers. It is not an exotic doctrine but a basic doctrine. That so many have come to see it as the unique possession of “the Calvinists” (as though the Reformed invented the doctrine of election) only illustrates how historically and doctrinally impoverished they are. The... Continue Reading
The Mystery of Iniquity
If God allowed evil to enter into this universe, it could only be by His sovereign decision
“To this date, I have yet to find a satisfying explanation for what theologians call the mystery of iniquity. Please don’t send me letters giving your explanations, usually focusing on some dimension of human free will. I’m afraid that many people fail to feel the serious weight of this burden of explanation.” It has... Continue Reading
What Is Necessary For a Christian to Believe?
The Christian faith has objective content that must be believed
The Reformed answer to the question, “what must a Christian believe?” is not minimalist, but neither is it maximalist. We don’t ask Christians to believe everything possible. We ask them to believe all that is necessary. There are limits to what may be set as a condition of salvation. There is a hierarchy of beliefs.... Continue Reading
False Teachers Out Themselves by Their Way of Life
False doctrine can mean denying true concepts or denying our Master by our behavior
False teachers rise from the church and they bring in destructive divisions (i.e., heresies) which can amount to denying the Master. What does this look like? Peter answers by giving general categories of behavior: “And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed... Continue Reading
Sleep With Your Boots On
You don’t know when the attacks will come; sleep with your boots on and your sword by your hand
“We must wear this armor constantly. We should never take it off. We should wear it to bed as pajamas. We should make sure we’ve got it on first thing in the morning by turning to the gospel as immediately as possible. This is wartime. Don’t take the armor off.” Do you know that... Continue Reading
Where Grace Empowers You
Grace transforms our desires, motivations, and behavior
The gospel is all about God’s grace through Jesus Christ. That’s why Paul calls it “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24) and “the word of his grace” (Acts 14:3; 20:32; cf. Col. 1:5–6). The gospel of the grace of God is the message everyone needs. The word of grace is proclaimed from... Continue Reading
Do You Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness?
How could a Christian establish life goals and not have at the top the attainment of righteousness in the sight of God?
Did not our Lord say, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt. 6:33)? One of the scariest things that Jesus ever said was the warning He gave that “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the... Continue Reading