What Is My Calling? (And Is That Even a Good Question?)
I think the language of “calling” is vastly overdone in Christian circles.
We have an upward call in Christ to be with Jesus and to be like Jesus (Phil. 3:14). We have been called to freedom, not bondage (Gal. 5:13). God has saved us and called us to a holy calling (2 Tim. 1:9). He has called us to his own glory and excellence (2 Peter 1:3).... Continue Reading
Guilt Leading to Joy
Guilt is determined not by how we feel but by what we do.
There is a difference between guilt and guilt feelings. Guilt is objective. Real guilt is incurred any time we violate or transgress the law of God. However, our feelings are not always in touch with reality. There are people in the criminal-justice system who are described as sociopaths or psychopaths because they can commit heinous... Continue Reading
Primary or Secondary Importance?: Some Cautions
Primary and secondary doctrines distinguish between doctrines that hinge upon our salvation over against those that do not.
What are some first order doctrines? Examples include that God is triune, the deity of Christ, and the incarnation. Scripture guides us here in setting these doctrines as primary. For example, the apostle John calls someone an antichrist when there is a denial of certain things about Christ Not every doctrinal issue is a... Continue Reading
When God Becomes a Superstition
God the Negotiator and God the Santa Claus are two ways we can get God wrong.
God is neither a salesman nor a jolly Santa. First, God doesn’t need anything from us. God is fully and completely self-sufficient and independent of his creation (Rom. 11:34-35). His power and self-sufficiency make negotiations with God a fruitless effort. In his book Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace, Miroslav Volf... Continue Reading
The Sin That Clings So Closely
Sin’s ensnaring grasp is much like being trapped in a cave.
Though Christ has overthrown sin’s power, we can give into temptation and allow sin to overthrow us. Our liberty can at times feel questionable as we struggle with our abiding sin. All believers struggle with sin generally, but most can identify a “besetting sin.” I’m referring to a unique area of weakness in which we... Continue Reading
One Year Later: Reflection on Life in the Face of Death
One year ago today I checked into the hospital and didn’t go home for a month.
Starting today, for the next four weeks, my Timehop will remind me of moments I’ve spent the better part of this past year trying to process and accept. It will remind me of the hopeful times and the terrifying times. It will remind me of the things God taught me and the ways I struggled.... Continue Reading
Are You Flexible for the Gospel?
One should always be ready to abandon the appeal to one’s rights.
It is also important to recognize that becoming a world Christian—one whose commitment to Jesus and his kingdom is self-consciously set above national, cultural, linguistic, and racial allegiances—cannot be an end in itself. The aim is not to become so international and culturally flexible that one does not fit in anywhere; the aim, rather, is to become so... Continue Reading
11 Things to Know about the Doctrine of the Trinity
To contemplate the Trinity is to lift up your heart and to “set your mind on the things above.”
There is never a point in the New Testament when Paul writes to a church, “Now concerning the three persons in the one God, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.” That doesn’t happen because neither Paul nor the other apostles ever announce to the church for the first time that we have received information... Continue Reading
Jesus, John the Baptist, and Redemptive-History (Matthew 3)
Jesus does not submit himself to John’s baptism as a mere example to be followed, but to propel redemptive-history forward in himself as the true Israel.
But we may be able to say more than this, for Jesus himself undergoes John’s baptism with water for repentance. As the true Israel (cf. 2:15), he makes a true confession of sins, not for his own sins, but vicariously for the sake of his people he came to save. In fulfilling all righteousness. ... Continue Reading
Are Believers Under The Law As A Schoolmaster
The role of the Law of God in convicting sinners and consecrating believers.
In its third use the law serves as the rule for the Christian. Now, however, our relation to the law has changed. “Before, it was an instrument of the spirit of bondage to throw down and bruise man, but afterwards it becomes the instrument of the Spirit of adoption to promote sanctification. Thus the law... Continue Reading