Is the Bible the Word of God and Does it Have Authority?
Without that God-given anchor into His absolute truth all else is up for grabs.
Sacred Scripture is the voice of God in the world. It is authoritative in that it has the right to command because its author is God Himself. God’s people walk the difficult, narrow path, which takes them to meet their Saviour face-to-face in eternity, by submitting their thoughts and moral standards to God’s Word. Many... Continue Reading
Adapted Excerpt from Radical Discipleship: What is Christian Discipleship?
We must be radical for Christ in separating ourselves from this world and imitating God, knowing that our time here on earth is short and this world is not our home.
The focus of our gaze must be upward and forward, not backward or around us. There must be a longing in our hearts for the beautiful city of God, combined with a holy indifference to the things of this world that we always will all inevitably leave behind us. Even the good things in our... Continue Reading
The Humble Young Leader
Four Qualities of Godly Men
Joshua’s trust in God and his word formed him into a man of humble character. His confidence, dependence, submission, and patience offer powerful glimpses of Jesus, who perfectly lived out these qualities as our substitute and example. May God give many young men in the coming generation the ability to trust their God and lead... Continue Reading
Hell to Pay: What Truly Happened to Jesus on the Cross?
Jesus underwent “a separation from the face of the Father” on the cross.
If Jesus wasn’t truly condemned on the cross, then we are not truly justified before God. If Jesus did not objectively suffer the equivalent of hell in his body and soul, then there will be hell for us to pay. Praise God that there was hell to pay for Jesus when “in my place, condemned... Continue Reading
Principles to Remember in Crisis: God Allows Circumstances for His Purposes
Jesus reveals the hand of God in the story of Lazarus.
In God’s plan, more was going on than what met the eye. Although uncomfortable physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, God allowed these circumstances in the lives of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha for something greater. The immediate circumstance did not reveal the totality of what God was doing. In our own circumstances, it is important to remember... Continue Reading
What Does It Mean to be Created in the Image or Likeness of God?
The image of God in man includes three important capacities.
God did not commune with any animal in Eden in the sense that He communed with Adam and Eve. He did not call out to any animals, “Where art thou?” There is a unique capacity in us to have communion with Him. Nature does not choose to praise God because it does not have the... Continue Reading
How Can We Sing the Lord’s Songs in Babylon?
Daniel shows the exiles how to live joyfully and faithfully for God in Babylon.
This world is Babylon—the world in rebellion against the Lord. It presses in on us constantly, trying to squeeze us into its mould. It may seem like God is absent, that he has been ousted by the more powerful gods of Babylon—not Marduk, Ishtar and Adad any longer, but Self, Equality and Freedom. We may... Continue Reading
“The Most High Rules the Kingdom of Men” – Daniel 4:1-18 (An Exposition of the Book of Daniel–Part Eight)
Christ’s Kingdom Is Far Greater than Nebuchadnezzar’s
Christ’s kingdom may have a small and inauspicious beginning (twelve disciples) but it becomes far greater than any geopolitical empire (such as Nebuchadnezzar’s), as the gospel spreads to the end of the earth, through word and sacrament, in the power of the Holy Spirit. As the apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:8, “none... Continue Reading
What Is Good Friday All About?
Jesus’s last words on the cross, “It is finished,” leave nothing in question that still needs to be accomplished. Jesus paid fully for all our sins. It is done, finished, and complete.
The final words of Jesus on the cross, “It is finished,” leave nothing in question that still needs to be accomplished. Jesus paid, in body and soul, for all our sins. It is done, finished, and complete. What a marvelous gospel the Christian faith announces: The just for the unjust, he “who knew no sin,... Continue Reading
8 Characteristics Incompatible with Christian Contentment
None of us are perfect in our battle against these eight sins.
Christian contentment opposes despair. For the believer, there should never be a time when we believe there is no hope. God can always open the doors of heaven (2 Kings 7:2). In other words, just because we do not see a way out does not mean God’s hands are tied. There is no situation in... Continue Reading
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