Satan Will Not Leave You Alone
Living in a World Filled with Devils
The devil is the father of lies (John 8:44) and the deceiver of nations (Revelation 20:3, 8). He “disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14), and he will do whatever is in his power to get us to forget him altogether and to live as if he doesn’t exist. As believers, we know... Continue Reading
3 Reasons Definite Atonement is Basic to Biblical Missions
When it comes to the doctrine of definite (or limited) atonement, there is a real, driving temptation to hedge one’s bets or drown one’s commitment to the doctrine in a sea of ambiguity.
Men like William Carey and Andrew Fuller, and more modern writers like J.I. Packer in his Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, have demonstrated repeatedly that the Reformed emphasis on particular redemption is the sweet companion of the missionary endeavor and not its antagonist. But in our day and age, for some observers, another sticky question... Continue Reading
Context Matters: God Will Give You the Desires of Your Heart
If we desire God, he will give us our desires, which must include him!
The first two verses of the psalm are an exhortation not to be envious of the wicked, “for they will soon fade like the grass.” Then verses 2–6 exhibit a pattern, as the reader is urged to love the Lord in various ways and he promises to respond and act. The parallel structure of these... Continue Reading
Canons Of Dort (20): God Unconditionally Saves Those Who Are Totally Unable To Save Themselves
Those who reject the orthodox Reformed view of common grace end up not far from the Remonstrants whom they oppose so strongly inasmuch as both fail to distinguish between nature (creation) and grace (salvation).
The Remonstrants rejected the Augustinian/Reformed view of the consequences of the fall. For the Remonstrants, denied that original sin, of itself, is sufficient to condemn humanity. We might call them semi-Pelagian, insofar as they formally conceded that we fell into sin with Adam but Synod called them Pelagians repeatedly, in part, because they downplayed the effects of... Continue Reading
Hanging in There – or Hanging onto Christ?
We don’t represent ourselves; through Christ’s obedience we are made righteous and kept secure.
While a cute kitty might make a good poster, and the story of the hang gliding man with the good grip might make for a good video to watch, many people sadly view life this way. We have to “hang in there” or “hang on for dear life.” To those who are struggling, the best... Continue Reading
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
The concept of a global audience is a decidedly modern phenomenon.
Recently I have been thinking about the cultural disruption which the parousia will represent, how counter intuitive it is to our time-bound view of the world, of our now-centred way of making our way through life, and how Christ’s return would look in our media saturated, hyper connected society. Here are a few of my thoughts on... Continue Reading
Context Matters: Two Tries to Heal the Blind
If we learn to read the Bible for what it is—and not as a random assortment of disconnected episodes—we’ll discover that some of the trickiest passages make a lot more sense than we thought.
We find the passage in question in Mark 8:22-26, which has no parallel in the other gospels. People in Bethsaida bring their blind friend to Jesus. Jesus leads him by the hand outside the village. He spits on the eyes and asks whether the man sees anything. He touches him a second time, “and he opened... Continue Reading
An Open Letter to the Sexual Sufferer
There are no easy answers, but there are fruitful ways to go forward.
How do you ever come to terms with betrayal and violation at the hands of an evildoer? There are no easy answers or quick solutions. Other people—who genuinely care, who want to be helpful—often don’t really understand. Pain and woe bring a loneliness—“The heart knows its own bitterness” (Prov. 14:10). Even people who do understand... Continue Reading
Some Thoughts on Systematic Theology as Poor Relation, Part One
There is an interesting practical tendency in modern evangelical Protestantism to prioritize the doctrines of scripture and salvation over that of God.
In subsequent weeks, I want to offer some thoughts on the relationship of Systematic Theology and Biblical Theology. But in this first post I want to note briefly some aspects of the culture of contemporary Christian theology which shape the discussion. Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Paideia Center Conference in Orlando,... Continue Reading
The Law is Your Friend in Christ: A Warning to Flee from Antinomianism
We must seek to find all traces of antinomian tendencies within ourselves, as well as in those whom we consider near to our hearts.
Antinomianism manifests itself in two main ways within the church. First, it manifests itself in theological antinomianism, which in many cases denies the use of God’s moral law in the life of the Christian. The second manifestation is practical antinomianism. This is when professing believers dangerously live a “loose” Christian life by either circumventing their... Continue Reading