What is the Chief End of Scripture?
From God’s standpoint, everything is for His glory; from the standpoint of the experience of redemption in the soul of the believer, it is for our salvation and joy.
Among the most well-known and beloved theological formulations in all of church history are the opening words of the Westminster Shorter Catechism: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” The ultimate goal of man’s life in this created world–considered from the divine and human side–can be summarized by these two... Continue Reading
Context Matters: Always Prepared to Make a Defense
“…in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you…”
The sentence begins with: “Have no fear of them, nor be troubled…” (1 Pet 3:14b). And the sentence ends with, “…yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame” (1 Pet 3:15b-16). Perhaps... Continue Reading
The Glory of the Cross
Given the centrality of Christ’s cross, it is vital that we think about it correctly.
We must never forget that it was never enough for Christ to be merely with us in his incarnation. To redeem us, and to undo the damage of the first man, Christ must also act for us in his life, death, and resurrection. Apart from his work, we have no redemption, no justification before God, and ultimately no hope... Continue Reading
Can Sickness Be Better Than Health?
The American prosperity “gospel” perpetuates lies, equating health and material blessings with our faithfulness and God’s favor, and sickness with a lack of faith.
I wondered why God wouldn’t respond to my earnest pleas, suspicious that he had cursed me, rather than blessed me. My sole focus was getting relief, so I was puzzled by verses like these: “Count it all joy my brothers when you meet with trials of various kinds” (James 1:2) and “It was good for... Continue Reading
What Is the Meaning of Marriage?
From the beginning, marriage always signified God’s union with humanity in Christ.
When God created humans in his image, he joined male to female together through marriage. The joining of the sexes carries symbolic meaning that reveals a deep mystery embedded in creation. Paul explains, “This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church” (Eph 5:32). In Scripture marriage... Continue Reading
Context Matters: The Weaker Vessel
It behooves husbands to ensure they understand what is expected of them.
The first observation we ought to make regarding the command to husbands in 1 Peter 3:7 is the first word, “likewise.” We must ask a critical interpretive question: “Likewise to what?” That is, what is this command to husbands like? How is this command similar to that which came before? Though it may be unpopular to... Continue Reading
What Exactly Is the Nature of True and Saving Faith?
We can become frustrated when our faith doesn’t seem to produce the result we desire.
When we begin to sense our weakness and the weakness of our faith, we must listen to the words of Christ, “If you have faith as a mustard seed…” Sinclair Ferguson sums all of this up when he writes, “The weakest faith gets the same strong Christ as the strongest faith.” In his autobiography, Grace... Continue Reading
The Parable of the Seed Growing
We just need to scatter the seed. The rest is God’s work.
The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear” (vv. 27–28). Note first that growth happens “automatically.” When good seed falls on prepared ground, it will sprout and grow. The power for that growth lies in the seed itself. It’s the powerful Word that will accomplish... Continue Reading
Context Mattered to Jesus, Part 2
Is the Lord among us or not? (Exodus 17:7)
With numerous and precious promises, God told Israel that he remembered his covenant and would be their people (Ex 6:2–8). He traveled with them as a pillar of cloud and fire; they knew his awesome and mighty presence with them (Ex 13:21–22). And yet, the people doubted their God. After Jesus was baptized by John,... Continue Reading
The Curtain, His Flesh
Easter was never to be a once in a year celebration, and we are to remember the death of the Saviour in every prayer we engage in.
When Christians pray, they are not to forget the wounding and agony of Christ. The rent curtain tells Christ’s offering of himself as we engage in prayer, to remind us that Christ procured this right only by his own suffering. So we have seen that both the role of the Spirit, as the replacement Comforter,... Continue Reading