Our problem is that, like astronomers before Hubble, we are so earth-bound with this world’s concerns that the atmosphere around us distorts our view of God’s love. Our lusts for rusting treasures, our worries over life’s issues, our yearning for yet one more pleasure render us unable to comprehend love’s measure without the assistance of the Spirit of God. Like a telescope, we need God’s Spirit to take the enormity of God’s love and focus it down into our hearts so that we can grasp more of the measure of what Christ has done for us.

Despair, in other words, is only remedied through faith in Jesus Christ, "through whom we have now received reconciliation" with God (Rom 5:11). Even those united to Christ through faith continue to struggle with despair--to live and act as though the grace of God is not enough--insofar as their faith remains imperfect in this life. For this reason, despair is as universal as sin (see part 1 of this series) and not to be reduced to or confused with mere consciousness of despair, since the consciousness of despair may be absent or superficial or even be false (see part 2 of this series).

Concerning how we understand repentance, Bible-believing Christians should be wary of at least three major errors. First, the Roman Catholic Church has turned repentance into a sacrament, where in the sacrament of penance, it is believed that penance is actually a meritorious work by which sinners make real satisfaction for their sin (add to the work of Christ). Second, and similarly, Arminianism believe that repentance is a work on the part of the individual that is a necessary precursor to regeneration. Third, and very different from the first two errors, there are some who speak of repentance as a ‘dead work’ and therefore unnecessary.

In order to answer the question where to start reading Owen, it is helpful to ask first why his writings are difficult to read. Some have blamed Owen’s difficult style on his Latinized grammar. This is plausible, since he spent all of his education and a large part of his adult life speaking, teaching, and writing in Latin, which was virtually his first language. A proposed remedy to this problem has been to read Owen out loud. This is good advice, and it does help readers’ comprehension by increasing their concentration and keeping them moving through the text. However, there are other reasons Owen’s works are hard to read, and why some of his books are harder to read than others.

If we are to “remember Jesus Christ” (2 Tim. 2:8) and daily experience the grace and power that come from the Holy Spirit from doing so, it is vital to seize upon the opportunity to saturate our lives with the words of life in the Bible. This will mean cultivating habits of regular Bible reading, study, and meditation, but especially hearing the Word preached regularly in corporate worship. It can also mean making the most of other avenues for hearing God’s voice in the Scriptures, whether through reading Christian publications, conversing with fellow believers about matters of substance, or even the intentional use of podcasts, social media, and articles online. As we witness and partake in the sacraments also, we experience God’s Word as it is made visible to us.

Mary hears from the Lord, and she accepts his surprising plan for her life: Let it be to me according to your word. Mary’s humility is what I long to see in my own heart. She’s a servant of the Lord, willing to do whatever he asks of her. She entrusts herself to fully to God. Mary’s... Continue Reading

The hold of your enemy is broken by Him who came as your substitute to destroy his works. By faith in Jesus you are freed from sin’s guilt, freed from sin’s power, and freed from sin’s penalty. Your Adversary has been disarmed, defeated, and will one day be destroyed.   We find a number of... Continue Reading

Call them Magi. Call them wise men. You can even call them kings if you’d like! When it comes to Matthew’s Christmas narrative, the more the merrier. Each label shines a light on a different facet of the story. Whatever you choose to call them this holiday season, these men are the first in the... Continue Reading

On the surface, that might sound reasonable. But if you look closely, you will see that it does not really do justice to Luke’s narrative. Mary and Zechariah and Elizabeth were not gullible bumpkins who didn’t know how babies were made and believed fantastical stories (nor, for that matter, were Luke and his original readers).... Continue Reading

Of course, to Christians, it really doesn’t matter that much whether or not they co-opted December 25thfrom the pagans, or vice versa. The Christian faith doesn’t stand or fall on that detail. But it’s nevertheless valuable for all of us to give closer scrutiny to shibboleths—such as that of the pagan origins of Christmas—which are continually repeated... Continue Reading