Election: A Useful Doctrine
Meditating on God's election should move us in two directions: humility and exaltation.
Every time Scripture highlights God’s choosing of some for salvation, it always has a practical focus. It’s never merely an ethereal idea to debate; rather, it’s always something shaping the way we live. “Chosen people” is a phrase I hardly ever hear used in the church or Christian circles. Even in reformed churches who... Continue Reading
Prayer, Piety, and the Glory of God: The Lord’s Prayer in the 21st Century
The Lord’s Prayer in the Sermon on the Mount is part of Christ’s vision for life in the inaugurated Kingdom of Heaven.
The Sermon on the Mount presents a picture of life in the kingdom of heaven. Thus, the contents of the sermon are those issues that Jesus himself identified as essential to the kingdom. The Lord’s Prayer is no exception. For this and many other reasons, Christians need to regularly revisit the rich theology of the... Continue Reading
What Is the Kingdom of God?
If the kingdom of God consists of all of the universe over which God reigns, why would anyone announce that the kingdom of God was near or about to come to pass.
At the heart of this theme is the idea of God’s messianic kingdom. It is a kingdom that will be ruled by God’s appointed Messiah, who will be not just the Redeemer of His people, but their King. So when John speaks of the radical nearness of this breakthrough, the intrusion of the kingdom of... Continue Reading
A Fixed Hope
"My dear children - The milk and honey is beyond this wilderness. God be merciful to you, and grant that you be not slothful to go in to possess the land."
I’ve pondered this simple, yet profound thought over the past few weeks because it brings me back to a foundational Christian truth – the hope of redemption. A cursory reading of the Apostle Paul’s writings will show us that Paul constantly meditated on and lived in light of this truth. As sinners who have been... Continue Reading
Is Salvation Promise Or Potential?
We can have 100% assurance because of the person who accomplished a perfect score, Christ Jesus.
Christians are “under construction.” But God never stops working on us until the project reaches completion. That starts in this life and continues slowly, but is always completed on deadline. Second Timothy is Paul’s swan song. He was writing to his protégé from prison. He was about to be decapitated and yet he doesn’t... Continue Reading
On Confessing Specific Sins
Confessing specific sins to God comes with the following benefits.
The work of the Holy Spirit is a gradual one in the Christian life. He sharpens our conscience, so that sins that we were committing unwittingly before become conscious later on. This process can have the incidental effect of tempting us to think that we are worse sinners later in the Christian life, when what... Continue Reading
Have I Been Simple Today?
By “simple,” Whitefield meant that he longed for an undivided and undistracted heart toward God and people.
Whitfield’s life was anything but simple; constantly preaching, constantly traveling, constantly raising money for the poor, constantly embroiled in conflict. Have I been simple? What does Whitfield mean by this question? Well, it seems that he is longing for an undivided and undistracted heart toward God and people. We know that just a few pages... Continue Reading
What Can We Expect When We Give To The Lord?
God’s word tells us that we should give with an expectation of blessings and rewards
Paul says that whatever we do, including giving, we should do for God’s glory. Sometimes we can give to the church out of habit, or because we feel like we “have to” or we “should,” because God’s word commands it. But what if we prayed before the basket passed in front of us, “Lord, I... Continue Reading
Jars of Clay
Every one of our temples is returning to dust even if some are further along that continuum than others
“I had my surgery Friday, and though there was a 40% chance that I had more cancer than the original precancerous cells they found before surgery, tests during the surgery showed I did not. We are still waiting the final official word, but it seems I am cancer free in this area at least. I... Continue Reading
The Church’s Central Role in the Coming of the Kingdom of God
The church acts as a sort of embassy for the government of the King
“It’s not to the government, nor to any king or pope or any other ruler, but rather to the church — to this ragtag bunch of argumentative, self-centered, struggling-for-holiness but gloriously forgiven sinners — that the keys of the kingdom of God are given.” The Kingdom of God Is Manifested in This Present Age... Continue Reading