Theophany
In the Old Testament, the presence of God to his people foreshadows the climactic presence of God when Christ comes to earth.
Theophanies are particularly intense and spectacular expressions of a broader theological theme, namely that God undertakes to be present with his people. He is present in blessing because the barrier of sin and guilt is destroyed through the sacrifice of Christ. Definition A theophany is an appearance of God, an intense manifestation of the... Continue Reading
Do Not Repay Racism for Racism
Racism is a vicious cycle that would be stopped if we refused to repay evil for evil.
God doesn’t instruct us to repay evil for evil or racism for racism. God doesn’t instruct black people to assume the worst of white people because some white people assume the worst of black people. My white girlfriend recently said to me: “Sam, thank you for never making me feel bad about being white.”... Continue Reading
Bunyan, Belief, and the New Birth
Why Regeneration Precedes Faith
Man’s will does not move the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God moves (frees) the will of men (John 3:8). Because of our sinful unwillingness and hostility to Jesus and all things righteous, being born again is necessary for any person to savingly believe on Christ. Regeneration is Necessary to Believe In the... Continue Reading
Will Membership Make a Difference?
The Vital Joys of Joining a Church
If you merely attend church, I encourage you to join a church so that you can experience the vital joys of oversight, of guarding and being guarded, of discipling others, and of displaying Christ. How pleasant it is when a church family lives together in harmony (Psalm 133:1). For those of us who have... Continue Reading
How to Know if One is Abiding in Christ
"He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing."
We are commanded to abide in Christ. Those who do remain in Him because Christ abides in them do bear much fruit. The believer does not produce this fruit. The believer abides and bears the fruit that comes from abiding. Remember the vine is Christ. We are the branches. The branches bear the fruit that... Continue Reading
A Time for Civil Disobedience? A Response to Grace Community Church’s Elders
Let’s leave room for churches to make different decisions.
My counsel to Pastor MacArthur is similar to my counsel to the pastor who thinks his church has to go to multiple service or sites: “why does that new congregation have to be called your church? You can plant, no?” Likewise, is there any biblical reason why your church or mine cannot split into several... Continue Reading
The State of Grace
The manifold blessings of Christ's saving work as Mediator include forgiveness, deliverance from the dominion of sin, and renewal by the sanctifying power of His Spirit.
Undoubtedly, Christians are not perfect. However, this does not tell the whole story of what God’s saving grace in Christ grants them in this life. It accents one of the principal blessings of Christ’s saving work—forgiveness. But it leaves unmentioned several inseparable blessings that are also imparted to believers who are united to Christ by... Continue Reading
Profile of an Apostate
Despite what many in the Easy-believism or Universalism camp teach, there are people who profess Christ who are not genuine.
Genuine Christians abide in Christ. They remain. They may go through the worst tribulation imaginable, yet they remain attached to the Vine. However, when tribulation descends on the disingenuous professing Christians they do not endure because they have no root in themselves. The world and the deceitfulness of riches cause others to fall away. These... Continue Reading
Spreading the Worst Infection
How slow we are to take care to limit the spread of spiritual sickness!
We all know the dangers of cancer and we know the deadliness of disease; yet we hardly think about the cancer of sin and how it affects our lives. Like a person walking around ignorant of their cancer, many people in our world—perhaps even in the pews beside you—ignore the dangers of their spiritual unhealthiness.... Continue Reading
The Fulfilled Sabbath
Christ’s incarnation is the reality that the holy days foreshadowed.
We can imagine the Pharisees pleading with Christ: surely He could wait one more day to heal these people so He wouldn’t desecrate God’s Sabbath. One time Jesus’ disciples picked some heads of grain in a field on the Sabbath, presumably to eat them, but nothing implies they were on the verge of starvation (Mark... Continue Reading