God Doesn’t Help Those who Help Themselves
The popular phrase in the medieval church was “God will not deny his grace to those who do what lies within their power.”
As for the Reformation battle cry, faith alone, which was the central concern, how far has the preaching of justification by faith alone fallen from the priorities of the modern evangelical church as the major centers of evangelical power have now publicly acknowledged that the doctrine of justification by faith alone no longer presents any obstacle... Continue Reading
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
Jesus then stated that “all sins” can be forgiven, including “whatever blasphemies”—except for the specific blasphemy of the Spirit.
Luke’s account of this teaching is even more specific: “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven” (Luke 12:10). At this point, we need to define blasphemy, and this verse from Luke gives us a... Continue Reading
Ten Concise Reasons to Remember the Sabbath
First and foremost, remembering the Sabbath is a command.
Hebrews 4:9 tells us that “there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.” Every time we gather as the church for worship on the Lord’s Day, we should be reminded, examined, and prepared for the great day of judgment and consummation that yet awaits us as Christ will return (Matt. 25:31-46). Having... Continue Reading
Crossing the Finish Line
We need endurance and encouragement to finish running the race of faith we have entered.
I was done. My coach and my teammates encouraged me to get back on the track and finish the race. I didn’t want to finish the race. They kept encouraging me. I finally walked back on the track and slowly jogged until I crossed the finish line. There is a parable in this experience. ... Continue Reading
Paul: Let Him Not Eat
One of the creational laws under which both believers and unbelievers live is the law that requires the able-bodied to work in order to eat.
Work is a creational or natural necessity but it’s also a Christian obligation. Charity is also a Christian virtue and obligation. Our English word charity is derived from the Latin caritas, which simply means love. We have come to think of charity as giving money and/or food to those in need but that is an application of charity but not charity... Continue Reading
Even This
Trusting God in Your Darkest Day
In and through every hurt, every suffering, every hardship, he is unfolding his purposes for your everlasting good. He is working this — even this — for your final joy. God gives us glimpses into his peculiarly loving ways throughout the Bible, but he does so with particular power at the very turning point of... Continue Reading
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