The Proverbs
Proverbs anticipates the One who will vindicate the righteous and reward them for their service.
A single proverb is not designed for every circumstance in this life. We do not expect an uninspired proverb to apply at all times. The same maxim applies to the Spirit-inspired Proverbs of Solomon. Dr. R.C. Sproul uses the English proverbs “look before you leap” and “he who hesitates is lost” to illustrate this point.... Continue Reading
What Is the Bible, Anyway?
The Bible is a lamp that guides us through and out of this world.
The Bible is solid food that strengthens the mature. “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food…” (Hebrews 5:12) We Christians spend a lot of time reading the Bible, hearing it... Continue Reading
Probably Not Your Life Verse: Considering Hate in Psalm 139:21-22
For even one sinner to be acquitted, a just price must be paid.
It’s not hard to be upset at the evils and ungodliness around us in the culture. But, walking with this holy God is not only relevant for the world around me. It has implications upon my thoughts and attitudes inside of me. It’s easy to turn on the TV and get mad at everything going... Continue Reading
The Psalms
From the Psalms the Christian will learn what it is to sing praise to our gracious Savior God.
Not only are many of the Psalms examples of prayer, but even those that are not give us wonderful resources for opening our own hearts to God. Look, for example, at the opening verses of Psalm 18. David calls God his strength, his rock, his fortress, his deliverer, his refuge, his shield, the horn (that... Continue Reading
Jesus is Bigger than Your Fear
We have a hope greater than our fear, the hope that Jesus has sent us the Helper.
If you are a follower of Christ, the same Spirit who hovered over the waters of creation now dwells within your heart, guarding your fragile spirit and bringing the Truth to bear upon your mind. Dwelling within you now is the same Spirit who emboldened Peter and John—those uneducated and common men—to powerfully proclaim the... Continue Reading
God Created Family to Picture His Truth
God has given us family as a way to picture other things, a way to understand other realities.
The good news of the gospel is that God has a family, and we are invited to become part of it. When we put our faith in Jesus, we are adopted by the Father and become his children. Ephesians 1:4 says, “In love, he [the Father] predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through... Continue Reading
Two Recent Meals and Hungering for Righteousness
When you have a satisfying meal, when a meal is the best and it fills you, you want that meal again.
The One who created us is the One who can satisfy us. Jesus has a monopoly on our satisfaction yet He does not price gouge us. He offers us Himself for free. The Lord says: “Come, everyone who is thirsty, come to the water; and you without silver, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine... Continue Reading
The Reality of Disappointment
Disappointment is a gauge of how a person perceives his life—what he believes about it and wants from it.
Adam lost his spot in an ideal reality by disobeying God, who sent him and his wife out of Eden and into the ultimate disappointment of a world stalked by death and decay (Gen. 3:8–24). A world that was once generous with fruit became hostile with thorns. This is the reality that Adam’s grandchildren have... Continue Reading
Why Do We Suffer So Much?
Five Lessons from Richard Baxter
Affliction will come. Evil is truly evil. Our world is truly broken. Yet God is truly sovereign, wise, and good. And in God’s gracious providence the afflictions of the saints are not a means of death but rather a path to more satisfaction in God alone. Trust the giver of your afflictions to woo you... Continue Reading
Why I Don’t Like Inductive Bible Study
My criticism is for the label. “Inductive” is just not the right term for it.
“Inductive” Bible study often gets billed as the way to allow the details of Scripture to shape our thinking, since we eliminate preconceptions, begin with the details of a passage, and build a belief system from there. The problem is that inductive reasoning does not work this way. The difference between induction and deduction has... Continue Reading