The Gospel in Lamentations
Out of the smoking ruins came cries of lamentation and confession, and the daring hope of restoration.
The book of Lamentations shows that God is a fierce enemy to those who trample on his word and despise his grace. But he is also rich in mercy and unfailingly faithful to his covenant promises. Somewhere, somehow, restoration will come. Not until the advent of Jesus Christ do we find the full resolution of... Continue Reading
The Irrelevance of Hell
For the majority of people within our urbane culture, hell is the sort of topic that is not discussed in the local coffee shop nor is it the center of attention in most Sunday sermons.
Hell is irrelevant to a people who focus merely upon the “God of love” and see him as the New Testament meek and mild God of acceptance. Not only is that a gross misrepresentation of God, it’s a tragic neglect of God’s character to suggest that we must separate hell from the God who is love. In... Continue Reading
Are There Contradictions in the Bible?
Read the Bible carefully, and you’ll find variations of perspective.
Variation and contradiction aren’t the same thing. We’re familiar with how two eyewitnesses might see the same crime but report it differently. They remember different things about the event because of their different perspectives, but the details of the two accounts don’t conflict. In fact, the authorities like to have many witnesses to a crime... Continue Reading
There Isn’t a Straight Line Between Prayer and Sermon Efficacy
This view that our prayers and our sermon efficacy necessarily correlate falls into a prosperity-lite trap.
We assume that if we just prayed more, the Lord would work more. It is little different to the calls to send in your ‘seed money’ so that the Lord might increase your blessings. We may not be asking the Lord to bless our bank accounts and stores of health, but we are still asking... Continue Reading
‘Brother’ Is More Than A Title
The fact that you truly have brothers and sisters in Christ makes a difference in how you approach engagement with your local church.
‘Brother’ or ‘Sister’ is more than a title, it is a declaration of partnership in the grace of God. We are not only co-heirs with Christ individually (Romans 8:17), but we mutually enjoy the experience of being fellow heirs with Christ. Or as Paul rejoices in, as he opens his letter to the Philippians, “you... Continue Reading
“Thank You I’m Not like That Pharisee”
I read this parable and immediately thank God that I am not like the Pharisee. The virtue is corrupted; the good is undone.
Humility is not an option. Every mouth will eventually be closed; every chest will eventually be beaten; every knee will eventually bow. Humble yourself now or be humbled by God later, but humility is coming nonetheless. Now here’s the thing – we can look at this story and learn many things. We can learn, for... Continue Reading
The Analogy of Faith
The analogia fidei comes to bear on our understanding of Scripture in the most substantial of ways.
The justification that Paul has in mind is clearly a justification before the court of God–it is a legal declaration that a man or women is counted righteous by faith alone. The Apostle could not be any clearer. He then appeals to Genesis 15:6 for a defense of this doctrine–rooting it in the earliest of... Continue Reading
Sometimes, Just Stand in Awe of Jesus
When is the last time you sat back and simply pondered the greatness of God? The magnificence of Jesus?
We should learn to live lives of compassion, imitating our compassionate Savior. We should move out to meet practical needs around us, just as Jesus fed the hungry crowds. These are helpful things to learn from the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. Now, there are deeper realities at play here. Jesus will use this... Continue Reading
How Not to Study the End Times
God invites us to meditate on the future, not to speculate or altercate.
Scripture teaches us to develop what some have called an “apocalyptic spirituality” in which we so deeply sense the dawning of the age to come that we begin to realize its wonder in this present age. The Apostle Peter captures in a single phrase Scripture’s unified application of eschatology. In light of God’s plan to... Continue Reading
The Battlefield Of The Mind
Applying biblical truth to social, cultural, political, and theological issues in our world.
The apostle Paul was a unique person in many respects. But he was not so uncommon with regard to his struggle with sin. The war Paul fought against sin and temptation was waged on the very same battlefield upon which you and I fight every moment of every day—our mind. It is against the backdrop... Continue Reading