‘Obedience Will Make You Miserable’
The tired lie Satan loves to tell.
In the world of the serpent, the morning stars sing a dirge, the hosts of heaven murmur, and creation only groans beneath the dictatorship of the Almighty Ruler. In such a world, Adam and Eve had only two options. They could, like the prodigal, disobey their God and run from their Father’s garden. Or they could,... Continue Reading
Abundant Pardon
This abundant pardon contains abundant ease of the terms of it. There are no hard conditions of penance or purgatory.
Think now of the sinfulness of the sins which our gracious God has pardoned. Some sins are planned and deliberated on, and each plotting and devising entails sin. Some sins are swarming with many other sins. Some sins are proud, wanton, cruel, blasphemous, and impudent. Some are repeated. Some are aggravated and persisted in. Yet,... Continue Reading
I Need Air
Perhaps the best thing we need to do in times of frenzy is to step outside of our situation for air.
What’s it like when we can’t breathe? We panic. We flail. We make poor decisions out of desperation. We feel alone, woefully inadequate. Certainly, our God meets us at times such as these. He tells not to fear. He assures us He will not abandon us but be present with us. He offers His help, reminding... Continue Reading
Virtues, Virility, and Ministry
It is for pastors today to take up their royal heritage and shepherd the church as David shepherded Israel.
In Christ, the virtuous man is one who has been renewed in Faith, Hope, and Love and can think according to the Wisdom of God, act with the Courage of the Spirit, and Temper his appetites unto the Beauty of Christ. It is no accident that David, the man after God’s own heart, was architect,... Continue Reading
10 Ways God Lovingly Allows You to Suffer for Your Good
God loves you enough, so that one day he’ll let you die—he’ll let you suffer death—so you may be with Christ, which is far better.
God loves you enough to cause you to suffer loss—all different types of loss—in order that you may see that Jesus is truly better than anything in the world. Paul had a lot going for him in his previous life in Judaism. He had a lot of “gain” (“whatever gain I had…”). But at conversion,... Continue Reading
Preparing to Encounter Skeptics
Believers must regard Christ’s control, authority, and presence in the center of their being.
First Peter 3:14–17 is a classic text for Christian apologetics. Peter tells believers that they are always to be prepared to make an apology, translated “a defense” in the ESV, for the hope that is in them. This defense is to be a reasonable presentation of the gospel that has brought them hope and why... Continue Reading
In Pursuit of Excellence: “How We Can Be Excellent” Part 2
The pursuit of excellence requires practice, determination, and focus to hone your skills.
The call to excellence may seem like a heavy burden. How can I be excellent in every area of my life? Fortunately, God is not calling us to do what he hasn’t made or empowered us to do. Excellence is working to the best of your ability in the areas and ways God has called... Continue Reading
God Saves Confused Sinners Who Cannot Save Themselves
It doesn’t take a deep dive into theology to see the obvious fact that carnal people are committed to sin.
When we could not come to God nor could we find our way, God came to us. It is, therefore, our duty to exercise ourselves unto godliness—pursuing holiness as a means of bringing glory to our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Recently, in my men’s group, we were reading George Swinnock on the subject... Continue Reading
Good News from a Far Country
Learning the Gospel from a Nineteenth Century Scotsman
More than anyone else I’ve ever read Bonar makes the central truths of the chief article of the gospel piercingly and pastorally clear. And a clear gospel is essential for both the heart and work of a minister, indeed every Christian. When I found that Banner of Truth was slated to reissue nineteenth-century Scottish... Continue Reading
Who Is Representing You—Adam or Jesus?
Adam’s one sin was a representative action—God imputed, or credited, his one sinful deed to all humanity. Conversely, God imputes Christ’s representative obedience to all who believe in him.
People from every nation, age, social, and economic class are subject to death. Why, for example, are infants subject to death if they have never personally committed a conscious sin? Quite simply, they are subject to death because of Adam’s representative action. In the highly individualistic age in which we live, few embrace the... Continue Reading