Contradiction on Intervention
Behind this whole discussion sits a view that we can perfectly judge justice in a way that the God we are seeking to impugn doesn’t.
Either we want God to intervene to stop evil, such as the barbaric practices of child sacrifice prevalent amongst the Canaanites, or we want him to keep his hands off all human affairs altogether. But we are contradicting ourselves if we insist, on the one hand, that God isn’t good because he never intervenes and... Continue Reading
It’s About Time
Our Lord Jesus says that where our treasure is, there will our heart be also.
A kingdom portfolio typically does not consist of investments that enrich us. It looks to loving people and finding ways to serve them. It looks to loving God and the benefits of a life devoted to Him. We see that vividly in our Lord Jesus who sought not to be served but to serve. ... Continue Reading
Common Lies We Believe About God
Human sin, not God, has caused the pain and suffering that we experience. God cares about restoring what sin has broken.
Legalism says we can be good enough in and of ourselves, earning God’s favor by constant self-improvement. This denies the gospel and rejects the Bible, which says that God saves us and grows us, by his grace, through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:4-10). The gospel is a message of radical grace and love: God in... Continue Reading
Christian, You Must Seek Your Glory (From God, Not From Others)
The promise of glory is the promise, almost incredible and only possible by the work of Christ.
“We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). We behold Christ’s glory, but that leads us then to being changed from one degree of glory to the next. We will one day be glorified fully,... Continue Reading
Helping Wayward Friends
If you want to help a friend be restored to Jesus, be ready to bring Jesus' Word to your friend.
Restoration is, ultimately, a work of Jesus and His Holy Spirit. The shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to pursue the one missing sheep (Lk. 15:3ff) isn’t you or me, but Jesus. At best, we are simply the crooks used by the shepherd to reel back in the wayward lamb. Brothers, if anyone is caught... Continue Reading
What Does it Mean to Hunger for Righteousness [Beatitudes]
A true hunger for righteousness is to seek after holiness.
Through the Spirit’s continued work, we begin to desire that righteousness. One misinterpretation of this beatitude, however, is to see it as a pang of hunger after a morality that is natural and godless. This is a morality that is driven by the desire to please people, and to have a clear conscience, but, in... Continue Reading
Avoid Two Distortions of Grace
Two ditches that Galatians warns against are legalism and antinomianism.
God wants us to walk in love, which requires avoiding law-based sanctification as well as grace-abusing approaches to the Christian life—not only for our spiritual health but also for the sake of those whom we disciple. The heart motivation behind Jesus’ teaching ministry was His love for God and others. This explains why, when... Continue Reading
Jesus, the Prostitutes, and Transgender Outreach
The Presbyterian Church in America has been rocked again by news of transgender-promoting theater performances hosted by Memorial PCA of St. Louis.
When one struggles with a sin tendency, as Memorial’s pastor has so publicly confessed – and purportedly the church has attracted converts who struggle with the same sin tendency – the better way to follow Jesus is to shun exposure to the sin in question and actively pursue its redemptive opposite (as prescribed by WLC... Continue Reading
Join, or Die?
God not only calls believers to attend church, but to bind themselves to a local, Bible-believing congregation.
“What is the relationship between the Christian and the church?” Increasingly, more people see less of a connection between the two. Sixty percent of Americans who never attend church during the course of a year view themselves as Christians.[1] But a sincere perusal of Scripture shows a much tighter relationship between the Christian and the... Continue Reading
3 Reasons to Be Careful if You Are in a Season of Prosperity
A season of prosperity can, if we are not careful, lead us to a season of discipline and judgment.
Depending on the season we are in, there might be all kinds of reasons why we could be drawn away from contentment in Jesus. But it seems, ironically, that the greater danger of that happening actually comes during seasons of prosperity. We find far more warnings in the Bible about the dangers of money and... Continue Reading