You Won’t be Perfect in This Life
God help you if you weren’t victorious—if you struggled, if you failed, if all your feats of strength ended in an embarrassing whimper for help.
As those boys became men, I wonder how many of them walked their pilgrimage with a limp, like I did. How many of them felt the frustration of remaining sin, knew defeat just as often as victory, and stuffed any honest engagement with sin deep down into their psyche? To succeed in the Christian life,... Continue Reading
Low Visibility
There is no more pressing need that we have at present than the need to define our terms.
“Language matters because whoever controls the words controls the conversation, because whoever controls the conversation controls its outcome, because whoever frames the debate has already won it, because telling the truth has become harder and harder to achieve in an America drowning in Orwellian Newspeak.” ~ Erica Jong Quite a number of contemporary theologians... Continue Reading
Christ, the Delight of God and the Godly
Throughout eternity the Trinity was enveloped in perfect delight, enjoyment, and love as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
It’s not as if Christ became the delight of God at the baptism or transfiguration. Instead, Jesus is the eternal delight of his Father. Have you considered that love existed before creation? Since God is love (1 John 4:8), and he is uncreated, then love existed prior to any creation. Who or what did God... Continue Reading
The Golden Age of the Church
The idea of a golden age discounts the shifts in redemptive history
“I understand the frustration in reading the book of Acts and concluding that the Holy Spirit was more visible in His work in the early church. But the Spirit that came upon those at Pentecost is the same Spirit that indwells us. What’s the difference, then? The primary difference is with regard to methodology, not... Continue Reading
Spiritual Growth Is Not an Accident
We are all “plants,” and we are all “gardeners”
Our “gardening” labors being necessary to the germination and growth of “plants” in the gardens of God do not detract from God’s sovereign jurisdiction over all things. This is how he has sovereignly ordered our roles in the gardens he gives us to tend. We have a small garden at our home. Usually we... Continue Reading
A Prayer for the Day of Preparation
What we need, as we make our way to church, is a soul-transforming view of Jesus through His Word
“So before you go to sleep, or as your rise to greet the dawn, be full of glory hopes as you breathe this prayer for light – framed according to these texts – crave such surpassing understanding and illumination of heart, with the goodness and grace of God, in the face of Jesus Christ.” ... Continue Reading
5 Cautions for Your Spiritual Disciplines
You need to consider and properly understand spiritual disciplines and the benefits they may bring
“Do not use the spiritual disciplines so you can tell other people about how godly you are, or even so you can show off to yourself. Don’t read the Bible so you can Instagram your devotions or humblebrag about it on Twitter. Examine your heart to ensure you are using the spiritual disciplines for the... Continue Reading
Stumbling on a Two-Way Street
Any true understanding of the importance of forgiveness in the life of the Christian begins with an understanding of the significance of sin; because it is sin that necessitates forgiveness (1 Jn. 1:9).
This somewhat passive approach to the sins you and I commit is, I believe, a by-product of our collectively treating so casually the fact that we are sinners–violators of God’s law– as opposed to mere “mistake-makers” (Rom. 3:23). That being said, this commentary isn’t about sin, necessarily. Well, it is but, then, again, it isn’t. It’s actually... Continue Reading
The Imitation of Christ (2)
Antinomianism denies the requirement of imitating Christ.
There is a certain attractiveness to this position, particularly when its adherents passionately proclaim the all-sufficient work of Christ. The same of course may be said about certain liberal preachers who exalt Jesus and love. The Christian naturally leaps at the name of Jesus, his finished work, and love. Problems arise when we redefine terms... Continue Reading
Hope Springs Eternal
Christians know the hope that there is purpose behind all of it, an overruling providence that sustains in the darkness and points toward the light.
I remember some years ago when my sixteen year-old neighbor spent a summer trying to learn how to ride a skateboard. He persisted through embarrassing falls and hostile temperature. And why? I fancy it was because it seem a cool thing to do (and perhaps the girls would love him for it). By the same... Continue Reading