If All My Sins Are Forgiven, Why Must I Continue to Repent?
When we confess sin, we are not experiencing a new justification but a renewed application of our justification.
We are always complete in Christ, yet we are also in real relationship with God. By analogy, in human relationships we know something of this truth. As a parent, I am in relationship with my five children. Because they are my family, they will never be cast out; the relationship is permanent. Yet if they sin against... Continue Reading
A Brief, Biblical Response to the Stoicism of Tim Ferriss
If a person rejects the love of God offered through Christ, then Stoicism may be his or her best option.
Stoicism does nothing for a person in the next life. Indeed, Stoicism denies the existence of a life beyond this world. But God has put eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We don’t want this life to be all there is, and intuitively we sense that we were meant for something more than eventual meaninglessness and imminent annihilation.... Continue Reading
Hope for Perfectionist in Progressive Sanctification
Perfectionism has placed heavy chains over our necks, telling us that we will not be free until everything is in perfect order.
Sanctification is the process that begins after salvation in which we are being conformed to Christ. This is through the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts as we yield in obedience. This process will not be finished until death when we are glorified and taken to heaven. I am a perfectionist at... Continue Reading
When You Don’t Love the Church
Discerning the difference with the nature of true godliness and what is living fueled by culture and legalism.
I know that I need the church and the church needs me. We are not called to walk out our faith alone. Paul gave us another picture of our mutual need for one another in 1 Corinthians 12:12–26. The church is one body with many parts, each part possessing an important role to play. But... Continue Reading
Six Symptoms of Spiritual Heart Failure
Our spiritual hearts can be afflicted by heart failure; here are six symptoms.
Gospel habituation. Habituation is where you tune something out after a while, like you might not notice the loud ticking of a clock in your home but a visitor hears it loud and clear. We can do that with the gospel. It can become familiar, ordinary, and unamazing. God has given us ways to keep... Continue Reading
Taking a Small Break
What do you think is the greatest problem with our country, our world, our society?
The Gospel isn’t politics, coalitions, denouncing of sin, or culture wars. It isn’t found in either patriarchy or feminism, either in complementarianism or egalitarianism or any other “ism” for that matter. There is only one Savior, and it isn’t a system. Salvation only comes one way. Through the blood of Jesus Christ. A system of... Continue Reading
What Does the Bible Say About the Reasons for Disasters like Hurricanes Harvey and Irma?
Addressing the common notion that disasters and tragedies are a direct consequence of the sins of the people they affect.
The fact is, God is working out His redemptive ends in ways we cannot possibly fathom. His providence is like a tapestry of such immensity and complexity that we will not be able to discover the pattern until he is finished with it. The problem is that we only see a minuscule portion of that... Continue Reading
Three Truths to Settle Your Heart During a Storm
Trust in the God who is sovereign, wise, and good.
So, there you have it. Three truths to plant deep into your heart. As Jerry Bridges wrote, “Someone has expressed those truths as they relate to us in this way: ‘God in His love always wills what is best for us. In His wisdom, He always knows what is best, and in His sovereignty, He has the power to bring... Continue Reading
Ministry Is Not Mastery
Pastors face pressures to be “successful” and efficient.
Pastors sin. One of our sins is to try to become what we are not, masters, CEOs, or ranchers. We are ranch hands. We work in the mail room not the board room. The great good news for sinful pastors is that Chief Shepherd laid down his life for us and our sins. He redeemed... Continue Reading
5 Marks of a Contented Heart
Through the gospel, God makes himself our treasure. In other words, God makes us content in him.
We know that this contentment is not simply idealistic but rather characteristic of the Christian life. As believers, we continue to learn contentment by learning to trust and treasure God in every situation. God has provided us with the Bible and the church to be the means by which we work this out in our... Continue Reading