Ask God to Forgive You, Not Excuse You
Five lessons on forgiveness from C. S. Lewis
We must cultivate the practice of imaginative honesty about our sin. We must look at it clearly and acknowledge it. We must not try to hide it or make excuses for it. But, equally, we must not wallow in it either. We need to know sin is in our hearts, and we need to feel... Continue Reading
The One Boast that God Approves Of
Boasting in the cross not only shrinks our ego, but magnifies God in all His glorious attributes
Paul saw all the boasting that was going on in the world, especially in the religious world, and exclaimed “God forbid that I should ever boast. God prevent it, stop it, end it. May it never be.” But then there’s one exception. He introduces the only boast that God approves of: the cross of the... Continue Reading
Christian Courage Before Cultural Strategy
As we live in this cultural moment as Christians, each of us responds in one way or another
“Yes, Christians are called to seek the good of those around us, and to pursue justice and to love good and shun evil. But we get into trouble when we confuse the earthly city with the heavenly city. Until Christ returns, this world will never look like it should. You can’t use politics to build... Continue Reading
Surveying Sanctification: A Grammar Lesson
Strictly speaking, indicative and imperative are grammatical terms
In the Bible, the imperative to the believer gives instruction on how to live and walk. It is a part of sanctification. However, imperative commands are grounded upon indicative statements. “This is who you are [indicative]; now, live this way [imperative].” If we are going to understand the work of God in the gospel, we... Continue Reading
Why You Have That Thorn
We are given thorns that significantly weaken us in order to make us stronger
“Paul’s thorn is among the most famous afflictions in history, and we don’t even know what it was. There’s been a lot of speculation over the years. Paul’s thorn could have been a physical affliction. This is plausible given all the physical violence and deprivation he endured (2 Corinthians 11:23–27), and some think he may... Continue Reading
The Eclipse of the Gospel and the School of Hard Knox
John Knox brought reform to Scotland and re-energized a nation that had all but forgotten God
Knox helped awaken a nation that neglected God’s truth which led to a virtual eclipse of the gospel. Martyn Lloyd-Jones describes Knox as a man who preached “with the fire of God in his bones and in his belly! He preached as they all preached, with fire and power, alarming sermons, convicting sermons, humbling sermons,... Continue Reading
Why Me?! The Battle of Mount Carmel in Our Hearts
God’s most powerful and convincing displays of his glory have come through the quiet faithfulness of his servants who have been willing to obey and sacrifice to the point of death
“Why does God ask those who have sacrificed so much for him to do more than they’ve already done? It seems that when the Lord is preparing to make his power known before his enemies in public on Mount Carmel, he makes sure to stage the battle of Mount Carmel in the hearts of his... Continue Reading
Your God Is Too Small
There is no one like our God.
Isaiah’s prescription for this withering sickness of unbelief is a dose of God’s magnificent majesty, power, and glory. The promises of God are guaranteed by who and what He is. He is the Creator and Sustainer of the world and His people. Your God Is Too Small is the title of the book written by J.B. Phillips, and... Continue Reading
Racism And The Second Use Of The Law (Updated)
Racism is the antithesis of loving one’s neighbor. It does not seek his good. It hates.
To add “social justice advocacy” to the mandate of the visible church is to go beyond Scripture and imperil her true vocation. Individual Christians, however, have every freedom to band together to advocate for social policies and our brothers and sisters have a right to disagree with us about those social polices. One hopes that... Continue Reading
Surveying Sanctification: Union with Christ
Holiness of life is drawn from Christ, who alone is “life-giving Spirit” (1 Cor. 15:45).
Union with Christ reminds us we cannot lay hold of one benefit of Christ without receiving the others. We cannot come to Christ for justification and somehow sneak away without sanctification. To have one benefit is to have Christ. To have Christ is to have all benefits. The benefits of justification and sanctification are, of... Continue Reading