The Replacement
By faith, the children of God look on in amazement as we claim the merits of His blood.
The ram clearly being a shadow of Christ who was to come, finds us tied upon the altar of the wrath of God. We were bound in the sense that we loved our sin and wanted to continue in it. As it is with all those who are under the law, the dagger of God’s... Continue Reading
Why We Need the Law
The law is not a tool in the hands of a vengeful, condemning God. Rather, it is a gift of grace.
For both the Israelites thousands of years ago and for us today, the law is a mirror we desperately need to look into. And if we’re honest, we will admit that we transgress against that law, and often. But this isn’t just about our actions. Jesus says the law is not just for behavior, it’s for... Continue Reading
Is It Temptation or Sin?
God’s not disappointed in you because you are fighting against indwelling sin. The very opposite: He calls you to never give up fighting sin.
Sin is not just something we occasionally do, but sin impacts every willing act in our lives. Consider the call of Christ to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). I don’t believe there is a single moment of my life... Continue Reading
What Does “Simul Justus et Peccator” Mean?
Luther was saying, in our justification we are one and the same time righteous or just, and sinners.
In one sense, we are just. In another sense, from a different perspective, we are sinners; and how he defines that is simple. In and of ourselves, under the analysis of God’s scrutiny, we still have sin; we’re still sinners. But, by imputation and by faith in Jesus Christ, whose righteousness is now transferred to... Continue Reading
Gethsemane and the Prosperity Gospel
This full life is found in being restored to fellowship with God after being born into rebellion against him.
Now, let’s be honest: even though the prosperity gospel encourages idolatry, all Christians struggle with and are tempted towards idolatry on a daily basis. If our faith is genuine, however, we can overcome this temptation in the same way Jesus overcame the temptation he experienced in the Garden: by focusing on God’s promises. What... Continue Reading
Never Be Ashamed to Seek Heaven
Why some drag their feet to paradise.
If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant... Continue Reading
The Art of Dying as a Christian
What we experience in this life is only the introduction to our stories, and the most glorious part has yet to be told.
As Martyn Lloyd Jones points out, despair and depression are the result of self: self-pity, self-concern, self-reliance, etc. What you can expect as the Holy Spirit works in you during this time is that your love for him and others will grow tremendously. There will be many tears because your love will be so strong,... Continue Reading
Prioritize Love
Love needs to be a spiritual discipline, just like pursuing knowledge about God.
The world has a messed up definition of love. Some churches allow the world to define love and then fit in with the world in how it loves. This is wrong. Love needs to coordinate with truth. But we people do weird things. Sometimes we allow another person or group’s wrong behavior to influence our... Continue Reading
God’s Commandments Are “Right” and “Good,” but Are They “True”?
There is in reality a certain way this world was designed and purposed to work.
Something that is false is the opposite—something that is not in accordance with reality. If the door is actually open, then “The door is open” is true as it is in accordance with reality. If the door is not actually open, then “The door is open” is false as it is not in accordance with... Continue Reading
Christ in the Old Testament
The things of Jesus have now been announced and preached to us.
Do we go to the Old Testament looking for the exalted Christ? Do we see the Old Testament as pointing to Jesus and the fulfillment of His Work? The Bible is a plot, a storyline. It is the history of God’s acting to redeem and people to Himself. Like a story, it moves to a... Continue Reading