God Created Family to Picture His Truth
If we understand family, we have language and concepts that help us understand certain truths about God.
Family pictures the Trinity, the gospel, and Jesus Christ. It also pictures the church and the relationship between Christians. Spend time around Christians and you’ll soon hear someone speak of “brothers and sisters.” That’s not just a charming little quirk, but a spiritual reality that follows from our adoption into the family of God. ... Continue Reading
Humble Yourselves under the Mighty Hand of God, that He May Exalt You at the Proper Time
This does not mean that we will avoid fiery trials.
Peter’s message to all of us here is that we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt us, casting all our anxieties on him, because he cares for us. Humbling oneself under the mighty hand of God is an Old Testament symbol of the power... Continue Reading
Three Little Words That Change Everything
No, not those three words—although we say them, too!
My rally cry is “God is for me!” He’s for me. That changes everything. God’s not looking down on us ready to write us off when we fail. He’s for us. He’s cheering us on as we live to and for his glory. He’s supplying the strength to resist our enemy and watch him flee. ... Continue Reading
Why I Wish We Hadn’t Lived Together before Marriage
Here are five reasons I wish my husband and I hadn’t moved in together before saying “I do.”
Don’t compare your relationship to buying a car. A car is something you use. Marriage is intended for something more than our own selfish desires—it reflects the relationship of Christ and His bride, the church. Marriage is giving, sacrificing, and choosing to put your spouse’s interests above your own. No test driving and giving it... Continue Reading
Digital Dementia And The Mind Of Christ
We must be both mentally and spiritually equipped to defend against mechanized attempts to subvert the mind of Christ.
We must continue to deflect and destroy the subtle but deadly influence of these digital delusions and submit completely to the guiding revelation of the Bible. Man’s corrupting technology and imagination must be toppled from its lofty height and God’s word must once more take its rightful place in our minds as “frontlets between our... Continue Reading
Your Sin is Not Your Friend
While the lure of sin looks shiny and desirable, the hook sinks deep.
For the Christian, we have a new life and a new identity. We are not who we once were. In Jesus Christ, we died to our old way of life and have been raised to walk in newness of life. When sin crouches at your door, remind yourself that this is not who you are... Continue Reading
The Future: How Does God Know It?
Not just selectively but exhaustively God knows all that will be.
Not just selectively but exhaustively God knows I am very willing to describe the “openness” theology as virtual atheism. It has defined God in a way that strips him of that which according to God himself is essential to his deity. But in all this discussion the question at some point must be asked, How does God... Continue Reading
Deep Theology
Our union with Christ is created by the indwelling of the Spirit of the incarnate Son who Himself is “in” the Father as the Father is “in” Him.
To be united to Christ is to share in a union created by the indwelling of the Spirit of the incarnate Son who Himself is “in” the Father as the Father is “in” Him. Union with Christ means nothing less than fellowship with all three persons of the Trinity. It is not that the divine... Continue Reading
How Not to Fall Away
How can we learn from others' failures in order to be diligent to resist falling away?
Writing to Christians who seemed to be on the brink of apostasy the apostle to the Hebrews was still optimistic: “We are not of those who draw back to perdition but of those who believe to the saving of the soul” (Heb. 10:39). He’s teaching us to be hopeful. Don’t agonize over the weakness of... Continue Reading
John 3:16 Is Great, But What About Another?
God wants us to consider every verse in the Bible with equal awe and reverence.
The fact is, most folks know the basic gist of John 3:16 because they’ve seen it constantly promoted as Christianity’s go-to catchphrase. They know it’s an advertisement slogan for Jesus as much as “Just Do It” is a pithy salute to Nike. And therein lies the problem. In some ways, “John 3:16” has become just... Continue Reading