Sola Scriptura: A Brief Historical Summary of the Seige Against Scripture
"Did God really say...?"
The doctrine of Sola Scriptura is a doctrine that has been under siege since the beginning of history and has continually been a main target for Satan’s lies and schemes. But we who follow Christ and live in submission to His living and active word alone, we continue to read and love and fear His word so... Continue Reading
Six Things You Need to Know About God’s Wrath
The hope for sinners is that between us and the wrath of God stands the cross of Jesus.
This theme of the wrath (or anger) of God toward sin and sinners is clearly and widely taught in the Bible. This truth is so interwoven with the hope of our peace with one another and with God that if we lose our grasp on the one, we lose our hope of the other. ... Continue Reading
The Uncomfortable Subject Jesus Addressed More than Anyone Else
If we don’t accept the reality of hell, we won’t rightly understand the glory of the gospel.
A friend once challenged me to show her where Jesus talks about hell in the Gospels. Even a cursory read-through shows Jesus talked about it plenty. In fact, Jesus talked about hell more than any other person in the Bible. In Luke 16, he describes a great chasm over which “none may cross from there... Continue Reading
What If I Don’t Feel Forgiven?
There is an important difference between guilt and guilt feelings. The distinction is between that which is objective and that which is subjective.
Just as there are objective and subjective aspects of guilt, so there are objective and subjective aspects of forgiveness. First of all, forgiveness itself is objective. The only cure for real guilt is real forgiveness based on real repentance and real faith. However, we may have real and true forgiveness before God and yet not... Continue Reading
5 Sources of True Change
The difficulties that we experience necessitate grace by awakening a true sense of weakness and need.
God works on us in the midst of trouble because trouble catches our attention. Difficulties make us need him. Faith has to sink roots, as profession deepens into reality. Martin Luther called tentatio— affliction, trial, difficulty, struggle—the “touchstone” of Christian experience. He said that hardships were his greatest teacher because they made Scripture and prayer come... Continue Reading
You Can’t Anxiety Attack Your Way Out of God’s Love
Stop taking your spiritual temperature so much
To act like God would be more satisfied in your anxious self if you “believed harder” (whatever that even means) would be acting as if you contributed to your salvation, and to think you did anything to be loved by God is asinine. God’s love for you has absolutely nothing to do with your lovableness.... Continue Reading
Affliction Evangelism
Paul's designation of life as an "affliction" invites us to abandon the very pretense our culture bids us maintain.
Suffering turns our lives into sermons. Suffering may or may not show us what we’re made of (as the saying goes), but it will definitely show us and others where our hope, where our identity, and where our confidence lay. The suffering Christian, in other words, becomes a form of Gospel proclamation to the world.... Continue Reading
Smelling the Gospel Flowers in Proverbs
The gospel is in full bloom in the sage’s pages.
I recently began reading this book on my days off, leisurely making my way through and highlighting along the way. You’ll never guess what happened. I began to see and smell the gospel flowers in full bloom. I heard the chirping birds and their songs of deliverance. The gospel notes are hit surprisingly well in... Continue Reading
Sneaky Squids And Sola Scriptura
Either Scripture is the final, magisterial authority for the Christian faith and the Christian life (Sola Scriptura) or it is not
When I saw Chris Rosebrough tweet something about a “sneaky squid spirit doctrine” I thought it must be something from The Onion or the Babylon Bee. It is not. It is the latest thing from the world of charismatic continuing prophecy. The author and podcaster behind this new revelation is Jennifer LeClaire and she has published an article in Charisma Magazine,... Continue Reading
Waiting on the Lord
Waiting is one of the most emotionally tortuous things we go through in life
The waiting is good also because of what happens in our heart while we wait. As we rest in who God is, remembering His word and His works, our faith is renewed. We see our dependence and need for Him in new ways. We realize our own insufficiencies, sins, and weaknesses and see the ways... Continue Reading