6 Effects of God’s Power
Among the countless effects the power of God has, I have chosen six that are significant for us to grasp today.
The power of God is big enough, and strong enough, to destroy every argument, every reason, and every excuse for why it is ok to rebel against the divine right of God to be both served and worshiped. No excuse will stand. All that will remain is the absolute, all pervasive, power of God. ... Continue Reading
4 Good Ways to Run the Christian Race Well
In numerous places in Scripture the Christian life is compared to the effort and exertion of a race.
Let us run toward heaven by keeping the eyes of our heart fixed on the one who is already there. The one who has already run the race and come in first. The one who stands victorious in the heavenly places and is waiting to share that victory with us. Let us keep our minds... Continue Reading
We Believe in Jesus Christ, God’s Only Son, Our Lord (Colossians 1:13-23)
In him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.
We’ve seen who Jesus is. The question is: who is he to us? The creed ends with the only logical answer: Jesus is Lord over all. Lord has become a flaccid term, like we get to decide whether Jesus is Lord or not. It means something like “Jesus has become my spiritually meaningful religious leader.” That... Continue Reading
The Trinity from Genesis to Revelation
As each person of the Godhead works in our lives in the New Covenant, we commune then with God in His perfect communion within Himself.
God smites this Servant, who is God. How can God be smiting God? He can’t, unless you have the Trinity. The Trinity drives the atonement. This moves us to the New Testament, and to be sure, the Trinity holds together the events and theology of this testament. In the Gospels, Jesus pleases the Father (Jhn 4:34)... Continue Reading
Memorize the Promises of Sin
Fighting Three Great Temptations
How often have we draped the flag of grace over our shoulders while we plunged back into lust, or greed, or selfishness, assuming God must forgive us? If God must forgive us no matter what we do, then we believe we are god. Perhaps the horror in this temptation is not so foreign after all. When... Continue Reading
Heavenly Clarity
Just a glimpse of our heavenly home is enough to bring the kind of clarity we need.
Like the Shepherds in Pilgrim’s Progress, the author of Hebrews directs his readers to look ahead to the Celestial City. It is that eternal perspective that provides them the clarity they need to think rightly about their present circumstances. In Hebrews 11:10, the author points to the faithful example of Abraham, noting that “he was looking... Continue Reading
Christ’s Refreshing Heart
Will you thank God for refreshment which is graciously granted in Jesus?
There are many other texts that we could reference to refresh – the Psalms are replete with praise for streams that cheers the saints (Psalm 42:1-2, 5 & 43:3-4; 46:1-5; 63:1-8; 84:1-7; 92:12-15; 104:10-15), into which believers must regularly sink deep roots. Then there are those passages that point us, firstly, to the appointed day to... Continue Reading
God’s Immeasurable Love (Part One of an Exploration of John 3:16)
The love of God is also greatly magnified when we consider its object, the world.
In Ephesians 2:4-5 he said: “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.” This love is “great” because it actually leads God to cause us to come alive in faith and trust and joy... Continue Reading
Does the Son Eternally Submit to the Father? Systematic Considerations (Part 2)
Eternal submission is a doctrine that needs to be rejected.
If we claim that the Son eternally submits to the Father, thereby making will a property of person/hypostasis, the classical answers no longer work. If there is only a divine person Christ, then there is only a divine will. No human person means no human will if will is proper to person. It is not... Continue Reading
Well Let’s Just See…
The LORD is watching vigilantly from His Holy, Heavenly, House.
Psalm 11 is all about perception! The first two verses are about faithless perceptions or misconceptions (only seeing things from a human perspective and point of view): the last five verses are about faith perception – when thinks look bleak and fundamental tenets appear to be undermined, shaking or crumbling, things are not-at-all as they... Continue Reading