John Owen on Mortification of Sin
Those who do not put sin to death do themselves and others great harm.
In 1656 Puritan Pastor John Owen felt concerned that professing Christians were too “at peace in the world” (vii). He also believed that much of the teaching against sin in his day produced “superstition, self-righteousness and anxiety of conscience” in the hearers (viii). So, Owen wrote a little book called The Mortification (or “Putting to... Continue Reading
Circumcision Was Always About The Necessity Of Regeneration
Circumcision was always a sign of what the Spirit does within his elect.
The circumcision of the heart promised in Deuteronomy 30:6 signals to us that circumcision was never really about the cutting away of the foreskin. It was always, even under the types and shadows, about our need for new life, or, figuratively a new heart. The new heart, the circumcised heart, is something that only Yahweh... Continue Reading
Was Jesus Married to Mary Magdalene? Revisiting a Stubborn Conspiracy Theory
There are half-truths, arguments from silence, and appeals to conspiracy theories. In the end, it simply doesn’t hold up.
In sum, this Huffington post article is an unfortunate exercise in “whack a mole.” It is the same old conspiracy theory of prior generations, fed to a new audience that perhaps wouldn’t know any better. And that is the sad part of this whole story. The average person reading this article will probably accept it... Continue Reading
Repenting … And I Love It!
Regular confession and repentance reminds us of our continued need of a Savior and his enduring love for us.
Regular repentance results in increased holiness and prayer. As we talk with our Savior about our sin, the Spirit causes us to loath that which he loathes. As we pray, we find ourselves having transformed desires. As we repent, we find we want to understand his Law better and worship him more. Increased are our desires... Continue Reading
The History of Advent
A brief history of Advent.
Unlike modern Advent ceremonies, most celebrations of Advent in history had a twin focus. The Latin word adventus was the translation of the Greek parousia—a word used for both the coming of Christ in human flesh and his Second Coming. Advent, then, always tended to focus on both. Many churches lit the first of their Advent candles... Continue Reading
Let’s Go Back to ‘Only Begotten’
We have good reason to restore one of the scriptural supports for the belief that the Son is begotten of the Father, as the church fathers taught and as the church confesses in the Nicene Creed.
In recent times, however, many evangelical theologians have doubted whether the doctrine of the eternal generation of the Son is indeed taught in Scripture. A principal source of doubt has been the 20th-century scholarly consensus that the Greek word monogenēs does not mean “only begotten.” Scholars have argued that the compound Greek adjective is not derived from... Continue Reading
Four Daily Prayers for Your Children
Nothing brings me more pleasure than to see evidences of the grace of God in my children’s lives
“Our children are little sponges. My son knows the names of every dinosaur that ever walked the face of planet earth. However, our prayer for our kids is not merely that they would grow in knowledge but in wisdom.” Our kids never seem to be at a loss for words. Even with tiny vocabularies, it... Continue Reading
3 Motivations to Hate Sin
I have found that hating sin is an easily overlooked but never overstated priority
“We understand from the Bible that the wages of sin is death. Think about this, every single tombstone throughout history is a trademark of sin. Every minute 105 people die. That is 151,600 people per day and more than 55 million per year. Sin is destructive.” In counseling, parenting, and my own personal pursuit of godliness I... Continue Reading
John Newton’s Christ-Centered Approach to the Old Testament
Seven reasons we should be committed to seeking Christ in the Old Testament
The coming of Christ was a wise and gracious appointment that put the truth of the depravity and helplessness of man, the mercy of God, and the truth of the Scriptures in the strongest possible light. It was at the time that most glorified Jesus Christ as the only remedy for sin and as the... Continue Reading
One of the Easiest Ways to Glorify God
What could be easier? We can glorify God by giving thanks. But how does gratefulness honor the Lord?
Thankfulness shows we appreciate God’s costly mercy in saving us. We were blind and dead in our sins, under God’s wrath, slaves of sin and Satan, without hope or God, and unable to save ourselves, when Jesus came down, suffered brutal torture, holy wrath and death to rescue us and bring us to God. How... Continue Reading