O Come, Thou Day-Spring, Come and Cheer
We are a people of longing – longing for true joy, for true satisfaction, for true life.
We have many methods for escaping that longing. We drink it away, we sex it away, we work it away, we can even try to church it away – and yet it persists. The treadmill of life and the disappointment therein remains. We are longing for what only Jesus can bring, just as Israel was longing... Continue Reading
For Instruction, Doctrine, and Morals: Exegesis Not Eisegesis
In exegesis the will of Scripture is imposed upon the reader.
Exegesis reverently seeks to understand the author’s meaning in humble and courageous submission to the text of Scripture where by faith, under the enablement of the Holy Spirit, we sincerely accept the whole of Scripture as God’s self-revelation to humanity. An exegete is willingly under the text to devotedly keep fellowship with the God and... Continue Reading
A Shadow of Christ
The point of the exodus was not simply to redeem people from oppression, but to redeem them to something: from slavery to worship.
The miracles in the New Testament had an immediate purpose: healing people who were sick, raising people from the dead, ministering to suffering, and many other acts of compassion. But in the final analysis, those miracles authenticated and validated that Jesus was and is the Word of God, that Jesus spoke the truth. Likewise, in... Continue Reading
Tolerance and the Church of Oneism
Secularism may not have a formalized creed or confession, a ritualized liturgy, or religious ceremonies, but it has an undeniably religious flavor.
The Church of Oneism is totalitarian and tolerates no rivals. For this reason, Oneism sees the public affirmation of historic Christian sexual ethics as insufferable. Twoism heralds the goodness of sexual difference, complementarity, and gender. The Oneist sexual ethic is likewise a robust theological affirmation, one which states that reality is fundamentally about sameness and... Continue Reading
Identifying as a Christian
Does saying we are a Christian make us a Christian?
Counting oneself a Christian comes not by identifying as a Christian but by identifying the hallmarks of the new birth wrought by the Holy Spirit in uniting us to Christ in our effectual calling. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Rom. 8:16). Many people identify as... Continue Reading
Of the Virgin’s Womb
Let’s look briefly at Isaiah 7:14 - one of the key texts that speaks of the virgin birth - and how it relates to the work of Jesus.
In Isaiah 7, the prophet Isaiah is sent to King Ahaz of Judah to instruct him to ask for a sign from God (vv. 10–11). This was to be a sign of God’s provision in the face of potential devastation from Syria and Israel. Though asking for a sign from God is often correlated with a... Continue Reading
Reading the Bible for the Ten Thousandth Time
In this article we’ll explore some of the ways to combat boredom and lethargy for experienced Bible readers.
The Bible is not boring because it has a grand, explosive, eternal purpose. We read the Bible in order to know the God of the universe! We wouldn’t know him, or know how to approach him, if he didn’t tell us. And because God is infinite, we cannot exhaust our understanding of him. So, while you might... Continue Reading
An Important Discussion Parents Don’t Have with Their Kids
If we have a robust understanding of God’s design for sexuality and an awareness of what it means to be Jesus’ disciples, it’s clear that there’s no room for masturbation in the life of a Christian.
God designed sexuality to be like every other aspect of the Christian life: a turning away from selfish desires to honor God with my body and use it to serve others. Sex in Christian marriage should reflect the New Testament’s ethic in general. Describing discipleship, Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man came not... Continue Reading
Seeking Our True Home
Ever since Adam was expelled from the garden of Eden, man has been a wanderer, seeking a lasting place of rest, worship, and peace.
Adam never found that lasting city in this world, and neither did Enoch or Noah. This brings us to Abraham, the first person to whom God makes a promise of not only a people but also a place. The language of Hebrews 11:13–16 suggests that the patriarchs, even though they had genuine faith in the promises of... Continue Reading
Jesus and Racial Bias
"In this way the Jews, who ought to have the preference, were placed on a level with the Gentiles."
“Since the Gentiles were admitted to partake of the same salvations–which took place when Christ diffused everywhere the light of his Gospel–the distinction was removed, and those who were formerly dogs are now reckoned among the children. The pride of the flesh must fall down, when we learn that by nature we are dogs.” ... Continue Reading