Are you and I willing to endure righteous suffering that brings others to God? Are we willing to sacrifice our rights and yield our desire for present-day vindication for Christ’s sake and a heavenly reward? Are we willing to endure persecution “for righteousness’ sake”?    In our reflection on the eight blessings Jesus pronounced at... Continue Reading

Salvation is the harmonious work of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The execution and consummation of the covenant of salvation confirm the unity of will and inseparable operations of the persons of the Trinity.   Christianity teaches a unique salvation where God takes the initiative in saving humankind from the plight of sin. God... Continue Reading

The local church is not a man-made institution—it is the dwelling place of God by the Spirit. Refusing to join it is not a small oversight. It is a rejection of grace, a forfeiture of joy, and a sin against the Head.   The Divine Blueprint: Christ’s Architectural Authority The local church is not a... Continue Reading

As fallen human beings, we are not in a position to understand the image of God completely. We do not fully know what it means to be human. But we will know. The full glory of God’s image is a mystery that will be revealed with the coming of God’s incarnate Image, Jesus Christ.  ... Continue Reading

What a heart of our Triune God: one God, one will, one single-hearted love for our redemption! What a heart he has given us, a heart in which now to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit from divine grace. A heart seven-times sealed for the coming resurrection!   I want to tell you a tale:... Continue Reading

The Christian life is not a coat of paint on an old heart but a death and a resurrection, in which we are crucified with Christ and raised to live by His life (Galatians 2:20), and in which the cross does not only pardon the murderer but also puts to death the enmity that made... Continue Reading

Let us not settle for a monochrome understanding of the cross, but let us proclaim to ourselves and to an unbelieving world, the scandal and glory of the cross in all its glorious technicolour.    Introduction1 Birthdays, anniversaries and annual lectures are good opportunities for reflection and taking stock, for looking back and looking forward, maybe even for painful soul-searching. I am both honoured and humbled that the Trustees... Continue Reading

Paul is reminding us that we should rejoice in suffering because suffering liberates us from selfish hopes and foolish treasures. Suffering refines our character to build in us a durable strength that has the capacity to love and treasure the glory of God more than whatever else might tempt us.   When we suffer, we... Continue Reading

May we organize our preaching through the tried and true categories of a biblically sound Reformed systematic theology, which is firmly grounded in the God-given account of redemptive history. As we have seen, the doctrinal dots are everywhere and good preaching will connect them. Keeping the redemptive-historical box-top before us, helps us tell God’s story... Continue Reading

“Christ can never be known without a sense of awe and fear accompanying the knowledge. He is the fairest among ten thousand, but He is also the Lord high and mighty. He is the friend of sinners, but He is also the terror of devils. He is meek and lowly in heart, but He is... Continue Reading