Even Though I Walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I Will Fear No Evil, for You Are with Me
The journey toward the heavenly Promised Land is fraught with dangers and perils, and we need a shepherd to help us arrive there safely.
The imagery of a shepherd was also applied to God Himself (e.g., Hos. 4:16). Throughout redemptive history, it became increasingly evident that God would raise up a shepherd who would faithfully mete out justice, protect His sheep, guard and care for them, bind up their wounds, and lead them into peaceful places. One of... Continue Reading
False Ideas Start in the Mind before They Get Expressed as Actions
It’s only after Adam and Eve have fallen for a false understanding of who God is that they eat the fruit.
But the fall of mankind didn’t begin when the first pair took their first bite. That is, it didn’t begin with a disobedient deed. Rather, it began with an incorrect idea. Specifically, the serpent—the devil—planted false ideas about God in the minds of the original pair. We are continuing in our series on false ideas about God. You... Continue Reading
When He Moved In
Our bodies – even though they are ravaged by sin – are parts of God’s good creation.
These bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. You cannot separate your walk with God from your body. And part of this is really very humbling: but God, it’s a mess in there. And part of this is also really very comforting: He knew it was a mess when He moved in. Which is all... Continue Reading
Trapped in My Own Mind
Three Lies Depression Loves
Depression can cloud our view of God, weigh down our spirits, distort reality, and tempt us to question all that we’ve known to be true. Sometimes, our depression is due to circumstances that have pounded us, wave upon wave, until we can no longer hold our heads above the water. Other times, it comes as... Continue Reading
Dignity, Faith, & Work
The humanist is caught in the vicious contradiction of ascribing dignity to creatures who live their lives between the poles of meaninglessness.
He exalts the virtues of honesty, justice, and compassion, but he must crucify his mind to do it. For the humanist is caught in the vicious contradiction of ascribing dignity to creatures who live their lives between the poles of meaninglessness. He lives on borrowed capital, deriving his values from the Judeo-Christian faith, while at... Continue Reading
False Assumptions of Ancient Near East Literary Approaches to Genesis
Ancient Near East similarities to Scripture are secondary and derivative.
Not only is there no conclusive evidence that ancient Near East societies read their narratives non-literally, there is also no evidence that the Holy Spirit intended Genesis to be interpreted that way. If the New Testament penmen consistently treat Genesis 1-11 as historical narrative, the analogy of Scripture requires that we do the same. Just as... Continue Reading
Themes in Puritan Theology: Covenants
God is determined to have a people for himself, a people in a living relationship with him by way of a covenant.
God made a second “covenant of grace” to deliver perishing sinners through a Redeemer, Jesus Christ, by free grace and according to unconditional election (WCF 7.4, WSC, Q&A 20). Still, while there existed grace in the covenant of works, the covenant that followed manifested “grace” to fallen sinners through the strict merit accomplished by Christ as the... Continue Reading
Idolatry Begins When Truth about God Is Exchanged for a Lie
Wrong ideas about God don’t just lead to idolatry; they are idolatry.
Let me summarize Paul’s words as best as I can: Behind every act of false worship, there is a false idea about God. Tozer states, “The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him. It begins in the mind and may be present where no overt act of worship... Continue Reading
Where Pietists and Presbyterians Differ on Christian Freedom
Understanding freedom as a spiritual reality.
Before Christ, all we had to modify our behavior was law — and the carrots and sticks that come with following and breaking laws. But Paul teaches that the law cannot stop us from wanting to sin. Only faith in Christ can make us righteous in God’s eyes (Gal 2:16) and start to change our... Continue Reading
We Are Not In Eden
“I think, Court, you want to live in a place that’s never impacted by the fall. That place doesn’t exist.” Ouch.
It’s a gift to live in a society where we can keep bugs and rodents out. We should be thankful to God for these blessings (which really are first-world problems and blessings). But it’s also a curse, because it dulls us to the reality that we will never truly be free from the brokenness of... Continue Reading