Don’t Waste Your Suffering #3
Let me outline some things that can function as idols and intensify our suffering
Our idols from the past and future in particular maim God, chopping off his powerful arms, tearing out his loving heart, silencing his tender words. But worse, in all, we stand at the foot of the cross and look the Father in the eye and say, “It wasn’t enough for you to crucify your Son,... Continue Reading
The Eternal Subordination of the Son: The Need for Trinitarian Clarity (Part 2)
The ERAS/ESS position seems to demand that both Father and Son have different wills
A final crucial point of Trinitarian doctrine that tells against ESS positions is the traditional insistence that the divine persons act inseparably. The acts of God are not subcontracted out to the persons individually. Rather, all of God does all that God does, in an indivisible manner. The Father works through the Son in the... Continue Reading
Are We Living in the Last Days?
I can’t say yes or no. So I will say, “Yes, and I don’t know.”
“When I look at two titans of theology like Martin Luther and Jonathan Edwards and I see them making predictions and voicing their expectations of the near return of Jesus and being wrong, that gives me pause.” We have to be careful not to be guilty of what Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for—what I call... Continue Reading
The Trinity: Praying to the Father through the Son by the Spirit
We come to a heavenly Father through the eternal intercession and heavenly ministry of Jesus Christ, our sympathetic high priest
“In the Covenant of Redemption, the Son voluntarily agreed to become incarnate and undergo the miseries of this life and the excruciating death of the cross and the victorious resurrection from the grave for us. And when he ascended, he entered into the loving heavenly Father’s presence with our (now glorified) human nature where he... Continue Reading
When Jesus Brings a Sword
Every Christian soon finds that the most divisive thing he can do is tell someone else about their sin and their need for a Savior
Christian, you cannot be surprised when you experience division. You don’t need to seek this division or long for it or glory in it, but you do need to expect it. Jesus and his gospel bring division between those who embrace him and those who reject him. As Matthew Henry said, “Christ came to give... Continue Reading
God Remembers You
We forget to remember. But God never does.
God never forgets to sympathize with and comfort those who are hurting. To name just a few, he remembers to provide for you, comfort you, convict you, strengthen you, lead you, provide you with joy, apply the grace of Christ, keep you from apostasy, use you for his kingdom purposes, refresh you with his presence,... Continue Reading
Praying in the Whirlwind
Calvin offers four rules for prayer–four rules for when we need the basics all over again.
It should be clear by now that the Institutes‘ four rules for prayer (reverence, a deep sense of need, humility, and trust) cohere: knowing God as he has revealed himself magnifies our helplessness; and the humility that results takes God at his Word that he will hear the prayers of his children. The crux, according... Continue Reading
When God “Rightly” Hurts Us
The Scripture is full of times when God watched and allowed his children to be hurt.
Remember God’s sovereignty. He really is the omnipotent, omniscient, everywhere present King. God really is in control of everything. He foreordains all that comes to pass. Do not listen to your fleshly heart. Do not entertain the lies of Satan. Forget the theologians who presented an impotent God who is powerless to interfere. God is sovereign. ... Continue Reading
All of Us Sinners, None of Us Freaks
Christian convictions for the transgender age
For Paul, gay and lesbian sexual acts are “contrary to nature” — literally “against nature.” At its heart, sex misuse is the toxic runoff of idolatry, but the manifest wrongness of the act is in leading its actors to use gender for anti-natural sex acts. Such abuse of creation is nothing short of rebellion against... Continue Reading
The Spiritual Warfare of Boring Preaching
Jesus was often poorly received — but He never bored
“If lost people don’t like your message because they’re hostile to the gospel, you’re in good company. But if you’re boring the people of God with the Word of God, something has gone seriously awry.” The devil is a preacher. From the third chapter of the Bible onward, he is opening up God’s word... Continue Reading