The Unfruitful Works of Darkness vs. the Fruit of Light
Spiritual fruit is automatic in the Christian.
Unfruitfulness is part of the nature of the unbeliever, especially those who think they are Christians, but are only deceived. These are the ones who wreak havoc in the visible church with their unfruitful works of darkness. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of... Continue Reading
What Are You Afraid Of?
What we’re most afraid of losing tells us who or what we worship, where we place our trust.
We worship most what we fear most. So, for some right now, the fear of catching covid-19 dominates the headlines. People don’t worship a virus, of course, but many do worship health—physical and mental well-being. Fear is an index of the object of our worship, the one ultimately in whom we place our trust. ... Continue Reading
Ancient Promises
The covenant structure of redemption does not end in the fifth book of the Pentateuch. It continues throughout the Old Testament.
In our day the covenantal structure of redemption is often obscured. What should be plain by even a cursory reading of the Pentateuch is passed off into darkness and replaced by some other structure or framework invented by human speculation. “The new is in the old concealed; the old is in the new revealed.”... Continue Reading
Coronavirus and the Church: A Casuistic Approach
Conscience will not be satisfied without due diligence.
The problem that is presented to pastors and sessions is a problem of conscience. Are we justified by the information available in ceasing to minister the word, sacraments, and prayer on the recommendation of the government? Will we have a satisfactory answer on judgement day when we have to account for our actions? This article... Continue Reading
A Theology of Incarnation Amidst Online Worship
How are we supposed to think about fully online worship in the time of the coronavirus?
We are worshipping online because we want to love our neighbors well. And online worship IS better than the alternatives. We are blessed to live in an age where we can attend a worship service online, from our own apartments or homes, where technology can bring excellent preaching and worship through our computers and phones... Continue Reading
The Unique and the Normative in Acts
A brief consideration of opening events in the book will help guide through the process of determining what was unique and what is normative for us today.
There are myriads of events and experiences in Acts unique to the foundational period of the New Testament church. There are also descriptive and prescriptive acts and statements that continue on in the life of the New Testament church. We must proceed cautiously as we seek to delineate between them. The book of Acts... Continue Reading
The Hound of Heaven
Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited
The greatest drama any novel, biography, or autobiography can tell about a character is the drama of salvation inside an individual human soul. And, Low Church Protestant though I am, it took this flamingly Catholic novel to help me to see with fresh eyes of faith the ongoing reality that, year by year, this drama... Continue Reading
The Holy One of God
At Calvary, all of our sins were laid on the sinless Lamb of God.
When some of Jesus’ disciples decided to stop following Him, Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” (John 6:66-67). Peter replied: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of... Continue Reading
The Atonement: Its Necessity
It was my sins which required the Beloved of the Father to descend into such unfathomable depth of shame and suffering.
If the holiness of God requires that sin shall be punished, if the law of God requires a satisfaction should be rendered its honor, how can its transgressors possibly escape? Sin has imposed a gulf between the thrice holy One and those who have rebelled against Him (Isa. 59:2). Man is utterly incapable of filling... Continue Reading
How to Read Exodus Theologically
These broad-brush strokes give a general sense of how the book of Exodus is theologically rich.
The OT account of Israel testifies to the inability of the people to keep the obligations of the Sinai covenant. Centuries after their rescue from Egypt, various prophets announce that God will establish a new covenant with his people (e.g. Isa. 54:10; 55:3; 61:8; Jer. 31:31–34; 32:40; Ezek. 34:25; 37:26-27). This new covenant is later... Continue Reading