How Desire Becomes Sin (according to Augustine)
Augustine’s pastoral reflections help us understand how our desires can turn into sin.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes this last point clear when he names looking after someone with lustful intent as the equivalent to adultery. Here, Jesus warns us against following certain desires. He tells us that desire can become sin. We often define ourselves by what we desire most. Be yourself. Fulfill... Continue Reading
Power Over Life and Death
An Encouragement from the Old Testament in the Age of Coronavirus
The fact that Scripture, particularly the Old Testament, reminds God’s people again and again that he controls all things, including life and death, is full of significance. Jesus’ resurrection is no blip on the biblical radar; rather, it provides a resounding climax to all salvation history, which impresses upon God’s people repeatedly that life is... Continue Reading
Protecting Your Mind, Emotions, and Body in Crisis
As bad as the COVID-19 virus is, there are other problems that sometimes come alongside this general pandemic. General uneasiness. Anxiety. Depression. Loneliness. Drug and alcohol abuse. Increased spouse and child abuse. Pornography. Suicide. How can you best protect your mind, emotions, and body? In the midst of these severe mitigation efforts—now extended nationally... Continue Reading
The Preciousness of Time–Jonathan Edwards (1734)
When time is gone, it is gone forever.
The notion of “improving” time is seen throughout the writings of Jonathan Edwards. He gave a great deal of thought to it and chose to live wisely in light of his discoveries. Indeed, Jonathan Edwards sought to “live with all his might unto the Lord.” Time is a precious commodity that must be treasured.... Continue Reading
Why Our Church Is Only Sort Of Streaming Our Services
Those who only watch church from afar simply cannot be full participants.
For the foreseeable future, we are providing chapel services to the people of Grace Fellowship Church. They are simple and, in their own way, rather unsatisfying. Yet they seem to be what the Lord has for us at this time and in this circumstance. At least, they are the solution we have arrived at for... Continue Reading
Paedobaptism
Before we can ever move forward together on this doctrine, we need to correct misunderstandings with as much clarity and grace as possible.
I recently taught a seminary class on baptism in which I asked my students to read an article written by a Baptist brother on why he believed paedobaptism is unbiblical. What surprised me most about this brother’s article was how frequently he misunderstood covenant theology and its implications for baptism. As a Presbyterian minister,... Continue Reading
True Grace, Distinguished From the Experience of Devils – Jonathan Edwards (1752)
"You believe that God is one; you do that well. Even the demons believe – and shudder!"
Edwards demonstrates in stroke after stroke how and why the devils lack saving grace. He applies his thesis to the hearts of men. The Puritan divine accurately diagnoses the human condition apart from grace. But he concludes by contrasting the graceless state of devils with the gracious state of a person who trusts Christ: “By... Continue Reading
Jesus’s View of the Bible
Christ is not merely another revelation from God but is divine revelation personified and embodied – he is the archetype.
The presence of typology leads the biblical theologian to go so far as to say Christ is not only the centre but the telos of redemptive history: all previous revelation points to him and finds fulfilment in him. Every type, in other words, has its antitype. On March 24, 2020, Matthew Barrett’s new book,... Continue Reading
If You Want to Grow in the Christian Life
There is something for you to do, and if you do not do it, there will be no harvest.
If you want to grow in the Christian life, there are certain things you must do, certain things to pursue in the power of the Spirit, and “if you possess these qualities in increasing measure they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive” in your knowledge of the Lord. You must “make every effort”... Continue Reading
COVID-19: Living by Probabilities or Providence?
Let me say, dear brothers and sisters, we shouldn’t find either our safety—or our doom—in numbers, statistics, and risk profiles.
Are you tempted, if you’re young and healthy, to breathe a sigh of relief? To think, with a sense of optimism, “Even if I get the virus, I’ll be OK”? Perhaps you find the current social distancing policies somewhat draconian and are just itching for life to get back to normal. The COVID-19 pandemic... Continue Reading