The Apostle’s Creed: The Third Day He Rose Again From the Dead
“Progressive” Christians who deny the Resurrection deny the gospel and do not confess a true faith
“If the resurrection is part of such a brief presentation of the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15, then it also stands, systematically, that it is key to our understanding of who Jesus is and what He did while on earth: our Christology.” The Apostles’ Creed has long been admired, memorized, and confessed in worship... Continue Reading
Themes in Puritan Theology: Creation and Providence
Let’s open up the external work of God in creation and providence, respectively, according to the Puritans
First, God made all things out of nothing and all very good. William Ames (The Marrow of Sacred Divinity, 1627) observes that creation “respects the whole world, that is, whatsoever doth exist besides God.” He created, notes Thomas Watson, ex nihilo, “without any pre-existent matter . . . out of the womb of nothing” and... Continue Reading
Reading The Word
One of the surest ways to misinterpret a document is to disregard the background in which it was written
“The main thrust of WLC 156 is not the limitation on who can read Scripture publicly, but the duty of all to read Scripture privately and with their family. Here, again, we see that the historical background to the Westminster Assembly provides insight into why this portion of the answer is given such prominence.” ... Continue Reading
4 Tips for Reading the Bible When It’s Difficult
The Bible can be understood by anyone with energy, patience, and wise instruction
“It has often been said that the Bible is more like a library than a book. This is an important point. It was written over twelve centuries with many writers, under many kings of Israel, as well as during exile under three pagan empires.” One of the difficulties of reading the Bible is the... Continue Reading
Your Morning Will Come
No one is better equipped to speak to our fears than Jesus Christ
“One morning, when my daughter was so weak from battling cancer that she could not walk, and our family was more exhausted than we have ever been, my wife read a Charles Spurgeon quote to me from the book Beside Still Waters. She read it through tears. They were tears of sorrow, tears of comfort,... Continue Reading
What Genesis 1:1 Teaches us About Our Sexuality
You must begin by understanding the importance, the life-shaping significance, of the first four words of the Bible: “In the beginning, God” (Gen. 1:1)
With those words everything in life is given its shape, purpose, and meaning. But for the purpose of the topic of sex, these words do something important. They destroy the validity of dividing life into spiritual and secular. This division has opened to us doors of danger as we think about sex. It’s allowed us... Continue Reading
Differences Between Salvation in the Qur’an & the Bible
“What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30).
Every system, philosophy, and religion proposes some form of salvation. They all articulate a problem which must be solved in order for a person to experience salvation. What matters most is what a system teaches about salvation. Whenever we seek to understand a spiritual system, this is where we need to go. What must a... Continue Reading
Don’t Underestimate the Enemies of Your Soul
Unless we engage it seriously, we will not be serious players in it, and may be swept away by it.
Demonic powers are in no way impressed by our intellect or other abilities. What impresses them is the strength of the Spirit of God and the weapons he provides. And these have divine power to destroy the works of the devil and cause us to stand firm in the evil day (2 Corinthians 10:4; 1 John... Continue Reading
What Is the Mystery of Marriage?
The Most Beloved (and Misunderstood) Wedding Text
There is indeed a mysterious element to romance and marriage. Even the classic Christian text for husbands and wives, Ephesians 5:22–33, mentions “mystery.” However, the mystery here is not what we may be prone to think — and it’s a vital lesson for every marriage. If the “mystery” in Ephesians 5 is not the universal enigma of... Continue Reading
How Satan Seduces Bitter Believers
To Paul, the Corinthians bitterness toward this repentant offender was evidence of the devil’s activity.
Satan was seeking to outfox them. The Corinthians thought they were reacting righteously to the sinner, but like the Nazi’s, they were being seduced by clever disinformation. Paul basically says: In reality, the enemy is staging an invasion. On April 30th, 1943, the corpse of Major William Martin washed up on a beach in Spain.... Continue Reading