Christmas is Sacrificial, not Sentimental
Christmas is sacrificial, not sentimental.
While Christmas is certainly not sentimental, it is profoundly joyous. Isn’t this the best news of all, that He came for you? That He gave His life for you? That He knew what He was getting into when He entered into your estate of sin and misery? “All we like sheep have gone astray;... Continue Reading
The Prophets, Eschatology, and Two-Ages (Vos)
Q/A by G. Vos on thinking about Old Testament prophetic literature, eschatology, and the two-ages.
For Isaiah and for Micah the “last days” are the days that precede the end and at the same time precede the coming of the Messiah. The later prophets were granted in the Spirit to see more clearly how there would be a double coming of the Messiah, one for suffering and scorn and one in... Continue Reading
There Is No Such Thing As Worldly Security
The Lord is equally in control in both the times when he provides many material comforts and those when he tells us to make do.
So there is no such thing as worldly security, but nor should we even necessarily expect or presume on material security as a gift from God. While he frequently gives us everything we need physically, there are times when he sees fit not to. What he provides instead is eternal security That’s what my... Continue Reading
For the Earth Shall Be Full of the Knowledge of the Lord as the Waters Cover the Sea
In the truest sense, the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is the Christmas story
“We stand on the other side of the coming of the baby lain in Bethlehem’s manger. We stand on the other side of the birth of Jesus Christ. We look back to the birth of Christ, not forward. But we are still looking forward to the fullness of these promises, to the coming again of... Continue Reading
Sin Thrives in the Dark
Do you want to know how to remain enslaved to a particular sin? Just keep hiding it.
“The glory in confession is in the mercy that flows to the one voicing it. Whoever confesses and forsakes his transgressions will obtain mercy! If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God eagerly forgives sin that is humbly confessed.” If... Continue Reading
Pilgrims on the Road to the Classical View of God
Here I will briefly describe five major figures and their contribution to the classical view of God
Irenaeus of Lyons (ca. 130–200) was a bishop who learned from Polycarp, a disciple of the apostle John. In ‘Against Heresies’ he emphasizes the unity and transcendence of God. Using a metaphor, he explains God’s relationship to the world through his “two hands,” the Son and the Spirit. Have Christians always held the same... Continue Reading
The Most Important Tool for Observing the Structure of a Narrative Episode
How do you observe the structure of a scene? And how does that structure convey the author’s meaning?
“Observing the narrative’s plot structure in this way helps us to avoid placing too much weight on unimportant details. For example, in Mark 2, we ought not make much (either interpretation or application) of the fact that Jesus saw the friends’ faith and thereby forgave the paralytic’s sins (Mark 2:5).” I’ve spent a few weeks showing... Continue Reading
The Canons Of Dort (10): Unconditional Grace Gives Assurance
Who of us is sufficiently sanctified and does enough good works of sufficient quality to be able to say that he has done enough and that God must be satisfied?
The Remonstrants agreed with Rome that Luther’s message of free justification and free sanctification, received through faith alone defined as resting, receiving, leaning on, and trusting in Christ alone would never get the job done. Of course, the Reformed churches all agreed with Luther, that salvation (justification, sanctification, and glorification) is the free gift of... Continue Reading
Advent and the Problem of Evil
Most attempts to answer the question how can a righteous God allow so much evil and suffering in the world? fall short, in my opinion, in two ways.
Looking at our lives now under the aspect of eternity may not solve the problem of evil entirely, but it gives a perspective that can be of great comfort to a suffering Christian. Furthermore, many of the cases that seem so problematic–why did those children die? why did God let those innocent people get killed?–have... Continue Reading
Is a Long Face More Christian?
We have received "glad tidings of great joy" and are to be so marked by hope that people will ask us to explain our inexplicable expectations.
In a doom-laden world this matters. We call people to come follow a saviour who promises unburdening (Matt 11:28), feasting (Luke 15) and joy (Gal 5:22). We call lonely and unloved people to come into a fellowship of people marked by togetherness, love and gladness. Life is hard. Difficult things happen to us. Serious... Continue Reading