What Is God’s Holy Mountain?
Citizenship in God’s holy city belongs only to those who are sanctified by God.
Viewed in its broader literary context, the whole exodus-Sinai story looks forward to the restoration of the harmonious situation that existed between God and humanity prior to Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God in the Garden of Eden. With its emphasis upon the need to be made holy in order to ascend into God’s presence,... Continue Reading
How Bad is Bad? Reflections on Pervasive Depravity!
The answer must be "far worse than we think and as bad as we can conceive!"
We should not be surprised when Christians do bad things, or be shocked at the wickedness of some of the things they do. This is not at all to excuse evil in church. The last thing we should do is modify or adjust our standards. The Gospel raises the bar and calls us to holiness.... Continue Reading
9 Bible Verses for Depression to Shine Light into Darkness
May these give you hope and strength as you wait for God to lead you out of the Valley of Darkness.
Now, one thing that’s really important to note as you read these verses. You probably won’t FEEL any different after reading these verses. There’s this weird idea in some Christian circles that the moment you change your thinking your feelings will also change. That as you read these Bible verses for depression, the gloom will suddenly lift. This couldn’t... Continue Reading
Why Does God Let Evil Happen?
This is a question I’ve been asked, and have asked myself, so often. I have come to find that it is because God is good.
None of this is to say that God gives evil a free pass. My dad, a rapist and an abuser, is around 60 years old now. Within about 40 years he will meet God face to face. Every evil on this earth is punished within about 100 years, whether or not our earthly courts ever... Continue Reading
Vocation in Retirement
Some say that Christians should keep working as long as possible because the Bible says nothing about retirement. But this is not completely true.
Retirement underscores two important facets of the doctrine of vocation: the purpose of every vocation is loving and serving our neighbors. And the way we make our living is only one of our vocations and not even the most important one. When I retired after more than four decades of college teaching and administrating,... Continue Reading
First-Rate Sons
Adoption exceeds original sonship, because the Beloved Son of God carried human sonship to its glorious, royal finale.
Some long to feed their appetite for a rags-to-riches story, and adoption often mercifully extricates children from drugs, poverty, and the most inhumane conditions. For some, the quest to know sprouts from sincere longing to taste gospel grace. Even if we don’t openly utter it from our lips, deep in our souls we relish the... Continue Reading
The Doctrine of Election Kills Pride
Why do so many people hate the precious doctrine of election?
When was the last time you talked about the doctrine of election with someone who differed with you on the subject and that conversation was calm, respectful, and ended in joy? It’s extremely common to have people who want to throw stones at you if you claim to embrace the absolute sovereignty of God over... Continue Reading
Life as the Enjoyment of the Covenant Communion Bond: The Tree of Life
From a bird’s-eye view we now zoom in to the central feature in the midst of the garden: the tree of life (Gen. 2:9).
While man possessed life since the beginning when God breathed the breath of life into him and placed him in his garden-kingdom for life-giving fellowship, the tree of life was a symbol or token of a higher form of life that was offered to him.[1] As we noted in our previous post, life was not a... Continue Reading
Yes, Things Are Falling Apart, But Don’t Panic. Here’s Why …
The world is coming to exactly what Jesus said it would come to, and this actually gives us a lot of hope.
Should we be concerned about increasing immorality in the schools, and on television, and in politics? Sure. Where appropriate, we should stand for righteousness. And, of course, we should instruct our kids how to think biblically about the sin they will most certainly encounter. But if we’re constantly outraged, disgusted, discouraged, or panicked, then we... Continue Reading
The Wages Of Sin Is Death
Death is real but it is not the final reality. Christ alone is the remedy for isolation and swelling, murderous hatred.
The consequence of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life. Christians ought to take every prudent step. We ought to engage the culture around us with Law and the Good News. We ought to seek to be a voice of wisdom and sanity in foolish and insane times but at all... Continue Reading