The End of Protestant Retrieval
When we debate difficult questions of human life together, we ought to do so in a consistently Christian way—with due regard for logical precision and conceptual clarity.
A truth-claim regarding (for instance) the simplicity of God is “necessary” in that it is integral to the definition of Him: God would not be God were He not metaphysically simple. On a classical theist account, to be actus purus, without unrealized potentialities, is simply what it means to be God. What this means is that the claims of Protestant... Continue Reading
Why Does the Gospel of Mark End without Mention of Jesus’s Resurrection?
As Christians, we never move past the cross. Even throughout eternity we will sing, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain!”
Mark’s ending calls us to discipleship. I contend that he intends to use the failure of the male disciples in Mark 14–15 and the female disciples in Mark 16 to remind us both that Jesus graciously uses even imperfect sinners to build his perfect kingdom and that their failures serve to call us to be... Continue Reading
Salvation and the World
Here is a call to worship: Keep Jesus always before your eyes.
Everything in the world—everything in your world—is groaning and travailing under the burden of sin and unbelief. Everything can be improved. Everything needs more of the King’s beauty, goodness, and truth so that it can realize the “very good” possibilities God has invested in it. Your world already shows much evidence of Christ’s rule, but... Continue Reading
Does Original Sin Still Explain the Human Condition?
The reality of mankind’s inability to save himself truthfully guides us more and more into the beauty of the gospel.
Ephesians 2 provides a clear depiction of the fallen condition of humanity apart from the grace-filled saving work of God, but Romans 5:12 is the locus classicus for discussions about original sin. In this chapter, Paul seeks to expand on his argument in the earlier chapters of Romans by describing the universal impact of the... Continue Reading
4 Emotions That Are Hidden Beneath Your Anger
Once we have seen that beneath our expression of anger lies the experience of shame, we are ready to hear the twofold comfort of the gospel.
Look beneath anger, and you will often find grief and loss. But as we seek to speak into our experiences of anger in the face of loss, we need to be alert both to right and wrong expressions of indignation. It is right to feel indignant when our enemy death does his damaging work; that... Continue Reading
What Would It Take for You to Say Someone You Know Is Sinless?
The claim that Jesus was sinless circulated among people who knew Jesus—and this provides a powerful apologetic for the presence of supernatural power in him.
The suggestion that Jesus never sinned is a jarring claim, particularly when you recall that the first adherents of this belief were Jewish. The Jewish Scriptures repeatedly affirm that everyone sins both intentionally (1 Kings 8:46; Proverbs 20:9; Ecclesiastes 7:20) and unintentionally (Psalm 19:12). And so, the initial spread of the belief that Jesus was... Continue Reading
You Can’t Life-Hack Your Way to Holiness
The spiritual life is more about learning to abide in Christ than about following a pattern.
The truth is, spiritual growth takes time. Life is full of constraints, and many of the distractions and frustrations and even the people we may think are getting in the way of our disciplined routines are themselves the slow but necessary pathway to holiness. When I speak with older believers who radiate the joy of... Continue Reading
The Spirit’s Work in Our Spiritual Growth
He accomplishes His sanctifying work in a number of different ways.
Because the Spirit is at work in our lives, we can become more like Christ. His work, however, demands a response. We must renew our minds with Scripture, submit to the wisdom of God’s Word, and prayerfully depend on God’s Spirit to empower us to grow in grace. Spiritual growth is possible because of the... Continue Reading
A Pastoral Prayer
The pastoral prayer is a time for one of the pastors or elders to pray before the congregation and to intercede on their behalf.
If you transform our hearts we will long for what is good, we will think thoughts that are pure, we will speak words that are sweet, we will do acts that are selfless, we will even follow in ways that are difficult or that cut hard against our natural desire for ease. So please do that... Continue Reading
Counterfeit Christianity vs Genuine Christianity a Biblical Contrast
Counterfeit Christianity applies the wisdom of the world to the problem and is all wrapped up in man-made religion. Genuine Christians know that their walk before the face of God is based in their relationship with Him not in what church they go to or what denomination they are part of.
Putting away sin and walking before the face of God in victory and deliverance is akin to awaking from a dead sleep. It is as if God pours cold water over our heads. We awaken from our slumber and self-imposed darkness caused by the pursuit of self-gratification in a way so jarring that it is... Continue Reading
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