Why We Need the Book of Hebrews Right Now
What we have is actually much better than anything we have lost.
Hebrews tells us that Jesus is better than Moses. He’s better than the angels. He’s better than Melchizedek. And because He is, we should continue in the faith. We should persevere, no matter how difficult. Here is a message we all need right now. We need it more than a message to return – or not... Continue Reading
Can We Talk about Death?
Our hope is not the avoidance of death, but the Resurrection.
Being mindful of mortality is unpleasant not only because it reminds us of the end, but also because it brings gravity to our lives. We are forced to ask, “Is there an afterlife?” Which leads to: “Does what I do here and now matter?” This is where things get rather unsettling. Without a vision of... Continue Reading
The Coronavirus Crisis as a Wilderness Experience
In the wilderness, it is natural to lament what God has taken away; we should also thank God for what he gives us.
The good news in Israel’s sojourn in the wilderness was that God provided manna, quail, and water from the rock. He continued to lead them, despite their disobedience. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.Troubling times can cause us to doubt the goodness of God. The key thing is to... Continue Reading
The Majesty of God Mastered Him
The fundamental issue for Calvin, from the beginning to the end of his life, was the issue of the centrality and supremacy and majesty of the glory of God.
The issue for Calvin was not, first, the well-known sticking points of the Reformation: justification, priestly abuses, transubstantiation, prayers to saints, and papal authority. All those would come in for discussion. But beneath all of them, the fundamental issue for Calvin, from the beginning to the end of his life, was the issue of the... Continue Reading
The Nature and Purpose of Corporate Worship: Edification, not Expression
Corporate worship is the means through which God forms our image of him and matures our responses toward him.
A properly God-centered theology of worship will recognize that in a corporate worships service, God is the primary actor. It is God who calls us to draw near to him; we do not invite him to come down to us. It is God who speaks to us first; only then do we respond back to... Continue Reading
Watch People (2 Timothy 1:15-18)
Learn from negative examples, and learn from those who are unashamed of Jesus and his people.
Be careful who’s influencing you. Be careful of a gradual drift away from Jesus and his people. Do not be ashamed of Jesus, his message, or his people. Whenever a crisis hits, as it seems to a lot these days, I see a quote from Mr. Rogers posted on the Internet. It’s a good... Continue Reading
Bavinck on Racism in America
He predicted increasing violence and bloodshed on account of racial hatred.
Various aspects of American culture troubled him: teenagers openly showing disrespect for their elders, a public school system that he thought was a training ground for unbelief, the fact that many Americans retired without pensions, and so on. The most troubling aspect of American culture, though, by some way, was its deep-seated racism. Herman... Continue Reading
Alexander McLeod and His Speech Against Slavery
McLeod’s stand on slavery brought it to a head, encouraging the unanimous decision in Presbytery that “no slaveholder should be allowed the communion of the church.”
It’s hard for us today to conceive how the arguments in favor of slavery could have gained ground in the church, but they did. Some justified it on the basis of presumed lesser intellectual capacities of the Africans, and went as far as saying that slavery was an improvement of their condition. But every man,... Continue Reading
Thank God for a Decisive Savior
It is good and right that we are reminded in the midst of our uncertainty that there is One who is yet sure and certain of all He does, even His own death.
When questions about what is right, what is good, and what is responsible are swirling above our heads like gnats, we still follow a resolute and decisive Savior. We can find, in Jesus, the absolute clarity we are longing for right now. Certainty is in short supply these days. For weeks upon weeks, we... Continue Reading
An Apologetic for Home Education in the 21st Century
“Why would I turn my own flesh and blood over to the masterminds of the DMV and the Postal Service?”
In the greatest of ironies, a recent issue of “Harvard Magazine” has condemned parents being at home with their children all day, even while the governments across America have now required it for the past several weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. My efforts to recast homeschooling in a less-threatening light are rooted in two... Continue Reading