Recovering the Cure of Souls
Something that has come alongside the gospel recovery movement is not just a recovery of theology, expositional preaching, missional church planting, and the like but also a recovery of the active and intentional shepherding of the people of God.
A lot of us still remember the winning of souls, and we employ that concept in a variety of ways, from end-of-service invitations to door-to-door evangelism or gospel sharing in backyards and coffee shops and airplane seats. But the curing of souls has fallen on hard times. You get the impression from some church promotional... Continue Reading
And the Word became Flesh…
The Word of God became, irreversibly, forevermore, without mixture or confusion, through mysterious and miraculous conception, fully enfleshed God-Man
In that same human nature, now immortalized, He has risen from the dead, and ascended to God’s right hand – Here, in the presence of God, He received His Mediatorial Glory which He ever owned as God but now possesses forever as God-Man. Jesus the Glorified Word-made-Flesh …is now exalted Mediator …is now Lord of... Continue Reading
The Lessons of Christmas: Incarnation, Not Enlightenment
The drama of Christmas addresses the root of our greatest problem, answers our greatest need, and presents the greatest news imaginable.
Christmas marks the launching of God’s kingdom and of God’s redemptive deathblow against the powers of sin, sickness, suffering, and Satan. During this time of year, we–like the shepherds of Luke’s Gospel–reflect on the glorious announcement of the arrival of Jesus Christ as king and redeemer. God has come in person. This gospel was the... Continue Reading
The Origins of a Great Christmas Hymn
One of my favorite hymns of the Advent and Christmas season is O Come, O Come, Emmanuel because of its rich use of biblical imagery to recount the prophetic references to the coming Christ.
The beauty of this hymn is the careful, systematic, and concise presentation of the prophetic witness to the coming of Christ and the expectation of what He will bring. As the Word Incarnate, He will fulfill the Law of God, bring justice and righteousness, deliver the people, reign as King, bring light to the darkness,... Continue Reading
A Greater King
When the mediator isn’t a sinner, he can be offered to God as the perfect substitute for sin and the sword of God can be sheathed forever.
When we believe on his name and trust in him alone, the life that he provides is given to us. He who believes on him shall never die. The sword is put away forever in Christ, and there is now no condemnation. His resurrection is a sure pledge of OUR resurrection, because his sacrifice was... Continue Reading
Jesus Came to Bring Salvation (Psalm 80)
Jesus our Lord is the anticipated Good Shepherd and the Son of Man who will bring comfort to his people.
The “Son of Man,” rather than being, as it might appear to some, a reference to his humanity, is, rather, a special designation given to his divinity as the Messiah. Within this designation comes also something that Asaph was very concerned about: the promises of God made to Israel. Jesus, as the Son of Man, represents the mediator of this new... Continue Reading
An Advent Reflection: “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”
When Christ first came to His own, what caused the majority of His own to reject Him while others received Him gladly and with joy?
When Christ came unto His own, His own did not receive Him because they were on the wrong side of this contrast. They were not waiting for their Messiah. They had chosen to rely upon the types and shadows that were only ever intended to point them to Messiah, to cause them to long for... Continue Reading
Must Christians Believe in the Virgin Birth?
Christians must face the fact that a denial of the virgin birth is a denial of Jesus as the Christ.
Christians must face the fact that a denial of the virgin birth is a denial of Jesus as the Christ. The Savior who died for our sins was none other than the baby who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of a virgin. The virgin birth does not stand alone as a biblical... Continue Reading
Christmas Under Death’s Shadow
There is one particular difference between old Christian carols and more recent popular songs: The old songs often refer to death, the new ones rarely do.
When the old songs tied death to Christmas, they had good source material. I like the old King James translation of Isaiah 9, one of the clearest predictions of Christ’s coming: “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them... Continue Reading
What Does the Old Testament Say about the Trinity?
9 possible signs of the Trinity in the Old Testament.
But we discover Jesus and the Holy Spirit as distinct persons who are also God. Because of this New Testament revelation, Christian orthodoxy relies on an understanding of God as a Trinity—one living and true God who exists eternally as three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In light of this revelation,... Continue Reading