God Has Not Abandoned You
What if there was someone to fasten our hope on?
The Bible teaches us that God not only offers us encouragement when we’re in a difficult pit, but he actually enters into the pit with us to see us through. We really will be okay, because God is with us. Hardship is almost as common as breathing. The question is not if but whenwe will find ourselves... Continue Reading
Legalism, Lawlessness and Pastoral Ministry
The grace of God in the Gospel safeguards against legalism and lawlessness
Just as the grace of God in the Gospel safeguards against legalism and lawlessness, so God has appointed ministers to wield the Gospel of God’s grace in Christ, in their lives and doctrine, in such a way as to help the people of God avoid these two perilous ditches. We must, at all costs, be... Continue Reading
The Fallen Reason
A person may understand the meaning of the words in which the gospel is expressed, but that is not equivalent to having a ‘spiritual discernment’ of them.
“That the will and affections being more corrupted than the understanding, – as is evident from their opposition unto and defeating of its manifold convictions – no man doth actually apply his mind for the receiving of the things of the Spirit of God to the utmost of that ability which he hath; for all... Continue Reading
The Wrath of God and the Gospel
The biblical writers do not present divine wrath as a necessary attribute of God as he is in himself but as the necessary outworking of God’s holiness in reference to sin.
The good news is not that God has side- stepped his justice in order to save us – that he has just let bygones be bygones and overlooked our sin as though it didn’t matter. No, just as his righteousness demands righteousness, so also his righteousness demands punishment for all unrighteousness. Preachers today often complain... Continue Reading
The Nature of God: A loving Trinity or a Tri-Theism?
There is really no human analogy that can fully explain the doctrine of the Trinity.
As Christians who desire to be faithful in proclaiming the gospel, we must correct a Muslim’s erroneous understanding by both speaking and demonstrating the truth of what God’s word says. However, in our attempts to share the gospel, there are many unhelpful and wrong examples for explaining the Trinity, such as comparing how water exists... Continue Reading
What Saturn Tells Us About God. And What It Cannot Tell Us
As much as a forest may tell us of God’s glory, it does not tell us everything about God. We need the Bible to tell us about God’s redemptive grace.
A beautiful day at the beach may say God is loving, but what about a tsunami, or a shark that attacks someone? Is God good when someone drowns in a riptide? The only way we know for certain that God is loving is because the Bible reveals that. Saturn can’t reveal that God is merciful.... Continue Reading
Would Jesus Attend Your Church?
Here are three truths to keep in mind if you want your church to be a church that welcomes sinners where Jesus can be found.
No church is perfect, but the church is supposed to be a community of people who are all both sinners and saints, welcomed into God’s presence because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For a church to be this, it needs to constantly return to the gospel. Only people who need Jesus... Continue Reading
6 Attitudes We Need When Studying the Bible
A big view of God invariably leads to a small view of ourselves.
If our worship and practice are not grounded in deep theology, worship will be shallow—fleeting sentimentality—and its practice will be merely empty moralism. We never need to fear that our awe will deplete because God is infinite and offers an endless supply of data for our worship and fear of him. The adventure of knowing... Continue Reading
The Logic Of Fruit As Evidence
Our good works do not justify us. They do not sanctify us. They do not save us but they are the “fruit and evidences” of a true and lively faith.
God graciously works in us new life and faith. Through that faith we apprehend Christ and all his benefits for our salvation. Through that faith the Spirit works union and communion with Christ in which we are sanctified and out of that faith, union, and communion are produced the fruit of our new life and... Continue Reading
Differences Between the God of the Qur’an & the God of the Bible
It will become clear that the Qur’an and the Bible are talking about two entirely different deities.
There are some similarities between the deities presented in the Qur’an and the Bible. Both the Qur’an and the Bible teach monotheism. Both teach that God is sovereign and the creator of all things. Beyond that, there are few similarities. Here are a few of the major differences. You’ve probably heard it said. “All... Continue Reading