We Are Not Home Yet
Jesus came to make us heirs of the world to come.
Jesus is the heavenly Sojourner, traveling through the foreign land of this fallen world to the eternal inheritance He came to possess by way of the cross. He came to inherit the world by passing through the world and finishing the work of redemption. After a decade of church planting and pastoring in the... Continue Reading
Are We Meant to Enjoy Our Work?
Hamilton explores the theme of work throughout the whole Bible—its original purpose, how it was affected by the fall, and how we should think about it today.
In the Bible, the land of promise is not the place sought by freeloaders and slackers who long for an El Dorado where theft is easy, the hills are made of sugar, work is abolished, and handouts are freely distributed to tramps and bums who have neither responsibilities nor families. The Bible’s songs are rooted... Continue Reading
How to Read Isaiah Theologically: Part Two
Isaiah pronounces judgment oracles to the people who have not been practicing righteousness and justice.
In light of the fact that someday in the future the nations will stream up to a new Jerusalem with a new temple, hear the word of the Lord, and leave, hammering their swords into ploughs, and their spears into hoes, and learning war no more, the people of Judah are called to walk in... Continue Reading
The Messianic Prophecies in the Book of Daniel
God sent his Son, eternal and uncreated like a stone not cut by human hands, into the world, and all earthly kings and kingdoms were rattled by his birth.
The book of Daniel proves two things: God provides and God saves. He not only takes care of his people in their present affliction, but is bringing an everlasting kingdom of peace, which was only prophesied in Daniel’s day, but finds its fulfillment in Jesus the Messiah. Jerusalem is under attack. Israel, its sister... Continue Reading
The Struggle to Find God’s Will
We are called to trust God as we take uncertain steps.
The struggle to find God’s will is a struggle with certainty. We naturally seek as much certainty as possible in regard to decisions. Certainty helps us feel more in control, and when we feel in control, we feel safe. “What does God want me to do?” Have you ever asked yourself that question? I... Continue Reading
United Methodists Propose a Plan to Split Their Denomination
While the UMC is the latest—and largest—modern religious institution to split because it cannot reconcile the demands of Scripture and secular-infused individualism, it likely won’t be the last.
If the delegates at the 2020 General Conference adopt the protocol, UMC churches that want to form a new Methodist denomination will register their intention by May 15, 2021. Local churches and conferences will then be able to vote to align with any of the newly established Methodist denominations that derive from the post-separation UMC.... Continue Reading
Communing with Christ in the Supper
The Westminster Confession of Faith teaches that believers really and truly feed on Christ by faith as He is spiritually present in the Supper.
Explanations about the presence of Christ in the Supper have been vast and nuanced throughout church history. However, the fact that Evangelicalism (broadly defined) has failed to acknowledge the real spiritual presence of Christ in the Supper is the bad fruit of nineteenth century Revivalism—rather than the careful exegetical labors of sixteenth century Reformation. ... Continue Reading
Packer’s Dusty Puritan Discovery Still Guides and Helps
The evangelical world has not been the same since.
Packer would spend a lifetime underscoring how the Puritans of the past can help Evangelicals of the present. As one example, Packer explains how reading the Puritans can correct the hyper-individualism and anti-thinking perspective that pervades Evangelicalism. During J. I. Packer’s second year of undergraduate studies at Oxford, he was invited to serve as... Continue Reading
Recovering the Song of Songs as a Christian Text
The Song of Songs challenges us to seek more in our personal relationship with Christ, to love him more, to know him better, to sound the depths of what has been revealed of him.
The Song of Songs, because it is Scripture, intends to bring us to this saving knowledge of God. Up until the middle of the nineteenth century, it was treated as a book of theological and spiritual knowledge pointing us to God. In fact, one writer calls it a sacramental word that uses visible and tangible... Continue Reading
What John 1 Taught Me about Who Jesus Is
The apostle John's introduction to Jesus.
John says that Jesus is the “true light” and that He “gives light to everyone.” In other words, if we can see, know, or understand truth, it is because He has given light to us. Jesus is not only the truth but also the way to know the truth. The college I attended offered... Continue Reading