Sanctified Minds and Bodies
Culture has increasingly accepted a sexual ethic in which nearly everything goes. Sex between unmarried people, premarital cohabitation, homosexuality, and a host of other practices enjoy societal approval.
Christians are not to be controlled by their sexual desires; rather, we are to practice self-control and abstain from all forbidden sexual activity, whether in thought, word, or deed (1 Thess. 4:4–5). Any professing believer who claims otherwise is in grave spiritual peril. The gospel sets us free from sin to honor God with our... Continue Reading
What is Necessary for a Christian to Believe?
What are the essentials?
The Christian faith has objective content that must be believed. Those propositions are more extensive than many might like to think, but all that content must be appropriated personally by faith or it remains only theoretical. The Spirit works through the proclamation of this gospel, these truths, to produce new life, true faith, and sanctity.... Continue Reading
“Forgive Us Our Debts”: Getting Specific When Confessing Our Sins to God
We have to acknowledge our need of a savior, Christ, which means we are in need of salvation.
I think one of the more difficult parts of prayer is making a serious effort at confessing our sins. In my own personal prayers, I have no problem confessing my sin. I regularly pray, “Lord, please forgive me of my many sins.” Who of us can go but a few moments without sinning? Hence, I... Continue Reading
The End of (Secular) Babies
In this late modern age having children is an increasingly outrageous, if not to say subversive and scandalous act.
No mistake about it, we Christians are bucking the trend. The trend in the West is less and less children, and having them later and later. The West is defined by its incredible shrinking families. Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior... Continue Reading
How Do I Know if I Have Godly Sorrow or Worldly Sorrow?
There is a kind of sorrow that is according to the will of God.
There is a sorrow that God wants you to experience, because the sorrow that is according to the will of God “produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation” (2 Cor 7:10). Paul is teaching the Corinthians that an essential component of true repentance is genuine sorrow over having grieved God and belittled His holiness.... Continue Reading
So, What Did Jesus Think about the Old Testament?
Relying on the Old Testament Scripture was a defining feature of Jesus’ ministry.
It may be timely to ask what Jesus thought about the Old Testament. If Jesus is who he claims to be, then surely his opinion should be very influential in shaping our own…Should we bail on the Old Testament? The Old Testament has run into some hard times as of late. It’s seen... Continue Reading
Some Men Just Like the Fight
Some men don’t care. They just like the fight. No matter the cost, no matter the death it brings.
We live in crucial times for the church, especially in the West. There are skirmishes a’plenty, opportunities every day to go to war with our neighbors, with our brethren, with every Twitter rando with an itchy keyboard finger. We are called to wage relentless war on our sin (Heb. 4:12) and the spiritual powers of... Continue Reading
Revisiting Revoice: Same-Sex Attraction in Redemption
Did Jesus really experience every temptation to sin that we experience?
The temptation of Jesus was different from ours. His temptation did not come from within, but from without. Whereas we fail, he was successful. That’s why we need a sinless Savior outside of our fleshly desires, that is, a righteous Christ in whom we place our faith, rather than supposed sinful similarities between the flesh... Continue Reading
Refresh Your Soul with Humility
Cultivating humility before God is among the healthiest things we can do for our souls.
God gives grace to the humble. To those who humbly trust him with all their heart, he gives the grace of guidance. To those who humbly refuse to be wise in their own eyes, he gives the grace of refreshing peace. To those who humble themselves under his hand, he will give the grace of... Continue Reading
Word and Spirit: The Power to Make Disciples
“Can these bones live?” the Lord asked Ezekiel.
Where does the power for discipleship come from? We can’t convert anybody, and we certainly can’t cause someone to grow in spiritual maturity. As a result of the curse of sin, an unbeliever is spiritually dead with no ability to revive himself. How, then, are we to obey the command to make disciples in the... Continue Reading