What Is Penal Substitutionary Atonement?
God is just, we are unjust, and the man who ascended the cross substituted himself for us to bring us salvation.
The composite nature of PSA explains why few Christians before the reformation defined PSA exactly as the Reformed did, while most pre-reformation Christians affirmed the first principles that would make up the doctrine. Hence, the historical plausibility of PSA derives from the fact that each of its theological first principles finds clear affirmation among Christians and Scripture.... Continue Reading
Only Christ
“Be assured that there is nothing new to theology except that which is false.”
The Colossian church was dealing with some doctrinal issues—exactly what they were is hard to pin down, but it seems that false teachers were slowly sneaking in and adding bits and pieces to the faith. That’s what the apostle Paul means in Colossians 2:8 when he says “philosophy.” Part of always following Jesus means... Continue Reading
Why Is Jesus Called the Firstborn of Creation?
Jesus is preeminent over all creation as well as the firstborn of the new creation, the first fruits of the new-creation harvest by his death and resurrection.
The basic logic of the Gospel is that whatever Christ has done he has done it for us and for our salvation. He lived a perfect life, died an innocent death, and conquered death by rising from the grave. In so doing, he lived for us, died for us, and rose for us. We now... Continue Reading
I Want to Grow in my Hatred of Sin. What About You?
I need to be familiar with sinful responses to sin that exist, as well as the biblical characteristics of repentance.
I want to be a man who continually believes and does what is right. I want to know the path of Jesus and walk in it intimately. I want to be like Nathaniel who Jesus described as “a man in whom there is no guile.” I want my private thought life, motives, and affections to... Continue Reading
A Creedal Christmas – Christ
To say that Jesus is the Christ is a statement of historic proportion.
The New Testament goes to great lengths to make clear who Jesus is. John explained the purpose of his Gospel account, where he recorded remarkable signs and teaching about Jesus: “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that... Continue Reading
The Ten Commandments: The Seventh
We live in an era of celebrated darkness where infidelity and violations of the Seventh Command are lauded.
If you want to uphold sexual faithfulness, combat marital affairs, and build godly families in our day, start with the little things. Work hard at what you’ve been called to do, in all your callings: employee, husband, father, wife, mother. In doing so, you’ll have no time (or energy, even!) to wander from that one... Continue Reading
Pornography is a Public Health Crisis
Porn’s unstoppable popularity might be why so many in the mainstream are unwilling to talk about the damage it’s doing.
Pornography is now everywhere. It’s available on almost every screen and smartphone on the planet. In the West, what was once scandalous and shrewdly stocked in the newsagent or video store is now fodder for billboards, and makes for vanilla viewing on primetime TV. In an effort to normalise pornography, there are people who... Continue Reading
Treasuring Dependence in the Autonomous World
When the icy air hits your face and you feel the weight of your dependence, don’t push it away.
Our lips might repeat sola Christo (“Christ alone”), but our eyes are too quickly enamored with the work of our hands. In a world that takes every opportunity to push us towards self-reliance, we must remember that we are not made for independence, but for dependence on our Creator. One way we can do this is... Continue Reading
Why 2 Chronicles Is the Most Underrated Book in the Bible
Second Chronicles is full of treasure.
It is the Acts of the Old Testament: the story of how God’s house was established and filled with the Spirit, how his people prayed, worshiped, failed, repented, were captured by their enemies and ultimately set free, and how Gentiles came to worship him. There are heroes like Peter and John (Solomon, Hezekiah, Josiah). There are... Continue Reading
The Gospel, the Christian, and the Past
The grace of God overcomes your past and enables your growth in the future.
Paul testified, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13–14). However, there is also a difference—a massive difference— between overlooking your past and forgetting about it. Paul never overlooked his past.... Continue Reading