For the Westminster Assembly, the right hearing of the Word preached was as important as the right preaching of the Word. The Westminster Larger Catechism asks in question 160, “What is required of those that hear the Word preached?”   The Westminster Assembly had a high view of preaching by those called to the office.... Continue Reading

This danger is not only a threat to the church member but also to the pastors and elders who equate faithfulness with reputation. It is all too easy for someone who is called to the ministry to feel as though his counsel doesn’t carry the same weight if he has not written a book or... Continue Reading

It’s bad enough for adults to be over-medicated and to look to the pill cabinet for some kind of deliverance, but there’s something even sadder, and even more ominous about the fact that we are now as a culture over-medicating our own children.   Recently Dr. Al Mohler responded to an article by Erica Komisar... Continue Reading

We naturally assume that there will always be tomorrow—that there will always be another chance for this or that. We become procrastinators in our arrogance, assuming that the limited number of days we have on this earth will never come to an end. Because we drift toward this kind of arrogance in which we are... Continue Reading

As a young Christian, I had a number of impassioned conversations with close friends about this subject. I would insist that the message of the cross was the center of the Gospel. They would insist, with the same emotional forcefulness, that the resurrection stood at the center since it culminated in the new creation. Citing... Continue Reading

In the child of God there is a civil war raging. There is flesh and there is spirit. There is the new nature and there is the remaining indwelling sin, and like Israel’s first civil war, drastic action must be taken. As John Owen once said, “Let no man think to kill sin with few, easy, or... Continue Reading

Most people would not consider anger a sin. Hey, it’s not my fault. It’s YOUR fault. YOU made me angry by pulling in front of me. You made me angry, wife, by not buying toilet paper when I told you we were running low. You made me angry, kids, by goofing around and wrestling when... Continue Reading

The gospel saves us from death, not by removing death, but by helping us to face it in the power of Christ’s victory and thus to overcome it. So, too, with sin. And similarly with discouragement. Faith in Christ does not remove all of the causes of discouragement; rather, it enables us to overcome them.... Continue Reading

Interpreting the Bible takes work. It may include knowing biblical language or using original language commentaries. It may require memorizing large portions of Scripture so that one can relate one text to the whole. It is not easy. And it is only the first step.   Have you ever wondered how to make a theological... Continue Reading

In many situations, wisdom dictates that we examine carefully where we should place our steps next so that we are not moving blindly. At the same time, we cannot be so paralyzed in our evaluation of the pros and cons of our next move that we hesitate too long before making a decision and lose... Continue Reading