8 Ways to Help Depressed Christians
A depressed person feels hopeless. Give them hope.
Don’t assume that depression has been caused by specific personal sin. That is a common reaction depressed people find in the church. You get cancer, or you get heart disease, and no one asks, “What did you do wrong?” You get depression, and they ask, “Who sinned, this man or his parents?” Many of... Continue Reading
Christ, the Giver of the Law
The Lord Jesus Christ formed this People of the Old Testament, redeemed them from Egypt, carried them on eagles’ wings through the Wilderness, and gave them His Law as their God.
Of most interest to our present discussion is the Son’s peculiar operation in the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai. By general inference from the inseparable operations of the Trinity, we can conclude that the Son Himself promulgated the Law, as all the works of God are “through the Son”. We can also further... Continue Reading
A Call To Closeness
What then can we learn about the vital ingredient to a closer, more productive, and prayerful walk with God from John 5?
“Prayer is something right at the heart of Christian living, and not something extra added on as a religious duty or a means of getting what we want. Prayer is the means of aligning our will with the will of God, of so communing with Him that we not only know what He wants done... Continue Reading
Why the Book of Exodus Matters For Your Life
As you read Exodus, pay attention to how God saves his people each step along the way.
Exodus reveals the God who saves his people. From Exodus we come to understand that God is actively involved in history. He hears prayer. He answers. He saves, but God does things in his own way, in his own time, and for his own glory. Exodus teaches us what we should expect from God. Exodus... Continue Reading
6 Characteristics of a Generous Person
Generous people have the amazing ability to say “yes.” Do they have more money than everyone else? No. Do they have more time than everyone else? No. Do they have more possessions than everyone else? No. But they may manage money, time, and possessions in a way that allows them to say “yes” more often.... Continue Reading
Just What is Godly Sex?—Part 1
Scripture is unashamedly positive about sex.
Shame surrounds our nakedness and sexuality because of sin. It’s not the design of our loving Creator. Jesus came to restore our sexuality, that we may know God’s joy in it. God designed sex to be pleasurable. He’s the one who crafted everything, including orgasms, and declared it all “very good.” This is hard for... Continue Reading
A Note on Experienced Pain, Truth and Developing Doctrine
My experiences, my position, my place, my psychological make-up incline me in a particular direction theologically.
It’s an obvious truism that all theology is done by humans, from particular perspectives, who inevitably have their favored theological paradigms informed by their experiences. But are we at least trying to give priority to God’s self-revelation, his self-testimony in the Gospel and recorded in Scripture? Are we at least attempting to let God’s Word... Continue Reading
Doing Violence to Scripture
Christian pacifism became untenable for me because the God who punished, killed, and destroyed in the Old Testament remains the God of the New Testament.
The picture is clear: God is a just and holy God who punishes sin. He has to do so because God’s perfect justice and holiness require it. That is the God of Israel. This realization has led many today and in the past to reject the Old Testament. Some of the earliest heresies in the... Continue Reading
The Humility of Caleb
Humility is learned when the giants come, and God says, “Not now.”
This is the humility of Caleb. What do we do when faced with a tremendous trial and our hope is deferred? What do we do when that which we long for seems so far away? What do we do when there is nothing that we can do except endure the pain? What do we do... Continue Reading
3 Reasons it’s Hard to Follow Jesus
Many Christians remain shocked by the fact that the Christian life may cost a lot in this life.
It’s very tempting to water down the Gospel and promise great comforts in this life for those around us, but while there is great joy in knowing Christ, we need to be careful to speak the truth. While we should be regularly pleading and encouraging our children, our neighbors, our coworkers, and family members to... Continue Reading