The Wonders of Being “In Christ”
Through the gift of faith, we are united to him in his life and death for us. Everything Christ did becomes ours.
Our union with our Savior is our very life and breath. So then, if we are not united to Christ, we are not saved, we have no forgiveness, and no redemption. If we are not united to Him, we will not be sanctified or transformed into His likeness. If we are not united to Christ,... Continue Reading
John Calvin and the Doctrine of Irresistible Grace
Irresistible grace involves several doctrinal issues, including effectual calling and regeneration
“Calvin’s most extended systematic treatment of the doctrine of irresistible grace is found in his 1559 edition of the Institutes. Here Calvin explains that God must begin the good work of salvation in us because our wills are evil and set against Him.” In 1610, the followers of the Dutch pastor and professor Jacob... Continue Reading
Sanctification — Belonging, Not Behaving
Sanctification is much bigger than simply becoming more like Jesus
“Belonging to another isn’t something that can be compartmentalised for certain times or certain people. Holiness is a radical, all-in call to submit our lives daily to God. It’s the call to live for our Possessor’s glory, not our own. To be holy means to surrender our lives to God and grant him free access... Continue Reading
Clinging To The Crutch
Some people say, derisively, that Christianity is a crutch.
“I haven’t written in this space for three weeks. In my ten years of blogging, that’s a record for me. And that’s because in these last weeks–months really, but mainly these last weeks–have been spent coming to grips with my dust-likeness. That I am not the master of my fate. That I am most certainly... Continue Reading
Four Suggestions for Reading the Minor Prophets
When you read the Minor Prophets, look for what they say about God’s character and glory
“If we read the Minor Prophets with our minds turned on and looking for them to teach us about God and the Christian life, then we can be confident that the Holy Spirit will give us insight so that his word will equip us to live fruitful lives for the glory of his name.” ... Continue Reading
At Least as Dangerous as Porn
Material prosperity should frighten us, because the Bible says frightening things about it
“Not to diminish the dangers of sexual sin (1 Corinthians 6:9–11), but have you ever noticed that the New Testament issues more dire warnings against the spiritual dangers of material prosperity than sexual immorality? Jesus didn’t say it’s harder for a sexually immoral person to get into heaven than a camel to squeeze through a... Continue Reading
Putting Emotions in Their Place
Emotions have been disrupted by sin, and so we stifle our feelings or seek emotional highs
“We need not resign ourselves to stifling or living for emotions. Instead, because Christ restores our emotions, they can work the way God always intended, in harmony with our other faculties. To become emotionally balanced we must guard against these two main errors.” The Gospel Restores Our Emotions Emotions have been disrupted by sin,... Continue Reading
Christ’s Public Defender
Herman Bavinck, in his Reformed Dogmatics, sheds further light on the significance of the Spirit’s being ‘Paraclete’ by rendering it, ‘Christ’s public defender’.
He provides the backdrop to this designation by saying, ‘The whole world is hostile to Christ; no one stands by him’. Made all the more graphic, given the imminence of Gethsemane and the appearances Jesus would make before the Jews, Pilate and Herod – alone in the face of the hostile mob bent on settling for... Continue Reading
Sola Scriptura Demands Inerrancy
Should Scripture contain errors, it is unclear why we should trust Scripture as our final authority.
It’s true the reformers never used the term “inerrancy.” But this objection fails to realize that though the term was not used, the concept was affirmed. Though the reformers didn’t flesh out the idea of inerrancy as meticulously as we have today (after all, inerrancy wasn’t their main battle with Rome), the basic concept and its most fundamental components are present... Continue Reading
Answering Evil
In the many years I’ve taught philosophy, apologetics, and theology, and in the many conversations I’ve had with hurting people, a full answer to the problem of evil remains elusive.
Putting a human face on evil can make it more understandable—it’s no surprise that evil people do evil things. Nature’s violence can be more troubling. How do we deal with natural disasters that do not respect persons but rather indiscriminately claim the lives of the elderly, infants, and the handicapped along with able-bodied children and... Continue Reading