People Disagreed with Jesus about the Bible Too
Jesus’ use of Scripture, then, presumes that the words of the Bible have a determinate meaning that can be read and discerned.
Over and over again in his disputes with the Pharisees and the Sadducees, Jesus appealed to the Scriptures in order to refute his opponents. One classic text is his debate with the Sadducees over whether there is marriage at the time of the Resurrection or not. They posed a “gotcha” question in order to trap... Continue Reading
Is Persisting Sin Our Identity And May We Offer It To God? (1)
"For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate."
It is in light of these verses and others like them that the Reformed churches confess, in Heidelberg Catechism 60, “I have grievously sinned against all the commandments of God, and have never kept any of them, and am still prone always to all evil…”. There is much speculation about Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor... Continue Reading
The Christian and Joy
The Reformers caught the centrality of joy in the affections of Christians when they insisted that our chief goal in life is to “glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”
Christians are tempted, of course, to be discouraged and depressed by the force of overwhelming circumstances. But in such circumstances, we must tell ourselves that we have no right to feel the way we do! Paul, who knew what it was to be in prison, to be beaten and spat upon, to be cold shouldered... Continue Reading
The God Who Doesn’t Take Risks: The Comforting Doctrine of Providence
Major Nelson was under the misapprehension that the doctrine would lead to idle thinking and idle action and it took Dr. Dabney’s answer to show him that the reverse was true—it energized believers!
I want to show that it is a no-risk view of providence which alone retains the integrity of the Christian faith in terms of its internal coherence and the comprehensive respecting of the biblical data regarding God’s sovereignty. Here are just a few sample texts which affirm God’s absolute rule, which is accounted for by... Continue Reading
Joyful Sanctification
True progressive sanctification leads away from legalism and toward joy in Christ.
The Christian life has been described as an uphill journey. Others have labeled it as an upstream lifestyle, which is the direct opposite of the lazy lagoon method of so many people who simply go with the flow through life. The world, the flesh, and the devil are actively seeking to pull God’s children off... Continue Reading
Read Like an Apostle
"His disciples remembered that it was written..."
The disciples were interpreting the Old Testament (independent of the New Testament) during the life of our Lord. John’s comment informs us that they started connecting the dots from the Psalms to Jesus while our Lord was on the earth. In other words, their minds were making hermeneutical moves while Christ’s zeal for God’s temple,... Continue Reading
What is the Gospel?
"Sometimes the term gospel refers broadly to Jesus’ work of justification and sanctification for and in His people, and sometimes it refers narrowly to Jesus’ work of justification."
Godfrey makes the case that sometimes the word “gospel” refers more broadly to all the New Testament fulfillment of what was promised in the Old Testament. It is in this sense that Mark uses “gospel” when he says in chapter 1, “the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Mark is... Continue Reading
God the Father and Our Adoption
Becoming a Christian means coming into the Father-Son relationship, a relationship enacted and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
By nature, Jesus Christ is the beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased. By grace, united to the Son, we are beloved sons and daughters in whom the Father is well pleased. What a stunning truth. May it prompt and control our worship and prayers and our whole outlook on life. Author’s... Continue Reading
Christians are People of Truth
One clearest marks of a Christian is that he or she is marked by truth.
Tell the truth. Be marked by truth. The only way this is possible is to have a life that is transformed by Jesus Christ. When you are born again, you have a new heart with new motives and suddenly your loophole deceitful schemes violate your heart in a way that they never did before. Not... Continue Reading
The Ever-Present “Next” Of Following Christ
The closer we come to Jesus, the more time we spend with Him, the more acutely aware of our own sin we become.
When we first start following Jesus, the “next” might be that we need to attack some moral impurity. Then the “next” might be the easier-to-hide sins of greed and pride. Then the “next” becomes how to live like a Christian in marriage. Then the “next” is how to die to our own preferences and desires... Continue Reading