The Twist in the Sermon on the Mount That You Probably Missed
It is in remembering that I am a forgiven sinner that I can find the strength to forgive other sinners.
I expect Jesus to tell me what to do when I am angry, when I feel as if my rights have been violated. I expect him to tell me how to treat the people who betrayed and hurt me. Instead, he tells me what to do when others feel that I have betrayed or hurt them.... Continue Reading
5 Benefits to Reading Entire Books of the Bible in One Sitting
There is need to both dive deep into study of the Word and to simply let ourselves get immersed in the story.
Reader’s editions—such as the ESV Reader’s Letters of Paul, the ESV Reader’s Bible, Six-Volume Set, and the ESV Reader’s Gospels—are great for this purpose, as they are more similar to the original manuscripts, lacking headings, verse numbers, and chapter numbers. Without these relatively recent (within the last 500 years) conventions, we can read larger portions of the text... Continue Reading
The Legal-Eschatological Religion And Racism
Christ brought with him the heavenly kingdom and everyone who believes has entered into it already.
The legal-eschatological religion is not the gospel. It is not Christianity, which is the history and doctrine of the religion of Jesus the Messiah, who is God the Son incarnate for sinners, obedient in their place, crucified, dead, and buried for them and raised for their justification. It is an eschatological religion but not the... Continue Reading
Five Beliefs Upheld by Calvinists that Don’t Undermine the Doctrines of Grace
The image of God remains on us and our consciences, though affected by sin, make us capable of making moral decisions.
It is evidently true that all who are real believers in Christ have chosen to follow him. It is clear they have, to quote the old hymn, ‘decided to follow Jesus’. The Calvinist simply notes the words of Jesus himself, ‘no one can come to the Father unless the Father who sent me draws him’... Continue Reading
Looking for a ‘Social Savior’
“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
Notwithstanding the innumerable and tangible good works performed by Jesus for the practical benefit of those to whom they were graciously and mercifully imparted, those works were subsidiary to the primary reason Christ came into the world which, contrary to what many Christian social justice activists – and others – believe, was not to remedy socio-political... Continue Reading
Their Tears Didn’t Have Time to Dry
Here in a matter of moments sorrow turned to fear which then turned to joy.
Jesus is walking to a town called Nain along with his disciples and a great crowd (Lk. 7:11). As they approached the town, they come to a funeral. The dead man was the only son of his mother. In addition to the emotional pain that goes with losing her son she was now hopelessly bound... Continue Reading
What is God Saying to Us Through Natural Disasters?
Trying to make sense of devastating natural disasters; “What is God saying to us?”
What was God saying in that tragedy? Two things. First, we should not think that those who suffered in it are worse sinners than those who did not suffer. Second, in the wake of the tragedy God calls everyone to repent. “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Irma and Harvey may go... Continue Reading
Do Blue Collar Workers Fit Our Theology of Vocation?
Our society runs on the strength of those who build and maintain our infrastructure; who go to work every day and build things with their hands.
But if we are not careful we can create a kind of second class system by elevating those whose vocations seem more praiseworthy—white collars or creative such as artists, engineers, lawyers, and CEOs—over and above the blue collar, “dirty jobs” professions that so employ so many of our people. It’s easy to fall into this... Continue Reading
Always Looking; Never Wanting to Find
It’s cool to search, but the last thing many want is to find the living God, or be found by him.
Maybe we need to ask people when they say they are looking for God, “What do you hope to find?” or “Are you ready to find him?” People often want help and will listen to any advice as long as it doesn’t require admission of guilt or personal change. And that’s a shame because they... Continue Reading
Nothing to Complain About
Ingratitude always fosters a complaining spirit of entitlement in the hearts of men and women.
By way of contrast, when believers walk together in humility, thankfulness to God for the least of His mercies, and a willing acknowledgment of how undeserving we are for any good and a longing to be with Christ in glory, the opposite happens. We discover that we have nothing to complain about. There is an... Continue Reading