Tolkien and Lewis saw much through the same lens. Both were brilliant scholars familiar with history, literature, and languages. Both were prolific writers and their books shaped generations to come. They wrote fantasy literature, letting spiritual themes and allusions speak for themselves, although they were certainly capable of apologetics. Ultimately, they sought to build a... Continue Reading

I can understand when people who claim ignorance of the Christian faith are also ignorant of the Fall and the Curse. Sadly, many individuals who have at one time or another been taught about the Curse seem to forget it. This is true even among faithful church members.   Cursed is the ground because of... Continue Reading

No words more completely capture the believer’s position in God’s eyes than the Bible’s assurance that he or she is “in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). To put this stunning certainty as simply as possible, it means this: all the righteousness of Jesus shining through His life of perfect obedience to God’s law is imputed to... Continue Reading

Jeremiah knew a lot about having to wait.  During his ministry he had to preach for God to a people who had set themselves against the truth.  His words often seemed to bounce off the surface of the ears of his listeners.  Moreover, he had to contend with false prophets who would tell the eager... Continue Reading

The seasons of life will change; they will ebb and flow; and yet according to Paul, through Christ we can maintain a stable source of joy and contentment through Christ and Christ alone. We will not have to live our lives craving the ever-elusive “else” – our lives will not be characterized by the constant pursuit... Continue Reading

Satan tempts us to think that we don’t need private means of grace. He encourages us to scoff at things like prayer, Bible reading, and personal devotion times. Sometimes he tells us, “Too hard!” Sometimes he tells us, “Too time consuming!” Sometimes he tells us, “Too boring!” The remnants of sin in us cry out,... Continue Reading

When we recognise that ‘things that happen’ are actions that exist, every action is also under God’s sovereign control, and so everything that happens is also designed to maximise God’s glory. The world in which we live has been sovereignly ordered by God as the world in which his glory is maximised. If we accept this... Continue Reading

Like the “great sorrow and unceasing anguish” he expressed in Romans 9:2 over his Jewish kinsmen who had wholly rejected their Messiah, Paul wept over these self-professed Christians who had rejected the very core of the gospel and made themselves “enemies of the cross of Christ” (Philippians 3:18). He shed real tears over the “destruction”... Continue Reading

A true grasp of God’s grace is especially helpful for people who are afraid that God is hard and severe, as the man who buried his one talent thought (Matt. 25:24). Such a viewpoint of God is more than a little tinged by the rigor of the first covenant. And it is marvelous to see... Continue Reading

While we need not fear losing our salvation, this warning in Deuteronomy still drives us to action (Deut. 29; John 10:28–29; Rom. 8:35–39). We should choose safety—true safety. Safety is a word we may not quickly equate with righteousness. We tend to choose other words like holiness, godliness, goodness. Those are good descriptions, but we... Continue Reading