In Matthew 12:30-32, Jesus’ warning is meant to shake the proud, not crush the repentant. His invitation to humble hearts still stands today when He said, “The one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:37). No matter what your past contains, if you come to Christ in repentance and faith, you... Continue Reading

Cynicism, on the other hand, is a belief condition whereby the soul hasn’t merely grown tired; it has drawn a wrong conclusion. It has crossed from “I’m exhausted” to “I’ve stopped trusting the process (and the Lord).” And that crossing is a spiritual threshold that rest alone cannot reverse.   Last week, I presented a... Continue Reading

Out of this love for humanity, the Word of God became human, so that we might receive salvation. This gracious gift, for Clement, looks primarily like a regeneration of the human person: in other words, salvation means eternal life, yes, but one that looks like holiness, freedom from the passions of the flesh, and the... Continue Reading

We can’t always control our circumstances, but we can control our response. We can cry out to the Lord and point others to Jesus, knowing we don’t have to worry about tomorrow because He is in control.   I sat alone in the psychiatric hospital, sad and discouraged. After a shocking family loss, I was... Continue Reading

The doctrine of providence teaches believers to reject both passivity and self-reliance. We are neither spectators in God’s world nor sovereigns over it. We are servants called to faithful obedience within the callings God has entrusted to us.   After hearing that God governs all things according to the counsel of his will, many Christians... Continue Reading

In The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan’s Christian walks through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, beset by fears and terrors on every side. Yet he presses on. And at the end of his journey, he crosses the river and enters the Celestial City, where all his fears are finally put to rest. So it... Continue Reading

Have you learned the lessons of grace? Grace does not teach us to live for ourselves, but it teaches us to live for Him.…The more we understand and love salvation by grace alone, the more zealous we will be for good works. Grace teaches us to look less like the world and more like the... Continue Reading

The truth of election embraces the necessity of evangelism and missions and guarantees their success in God’s time and God’s way. This has been the strength and courage of thousands of faithful missionaries.   The Preciousness of God’s Election by Grace What Romans 8:28–30 teaches is that God really accomplishes the complete redemption of his... Continue Reading

Genesis 24 is a magnificent historical record, but it also paints a breathtaking picture of the Gospel. Consider the beautiful parallels: A bride is sought for a beloved, promised son. A faithful messenger journeys into a far country bearing news of the son’s immense inheritance. The messenger gives the bride beautiful gifts as a down payment... Continue Reading

God has put His righteousness on display for all people, including the Philistines. And yet, unless our hearts are softened to the Gospel, we will wriggle every which way in order to avoid His righteousness, and cling to the more accommodating moral standards of our idols.   Japanese lore has it that a powerful 17th... Continue Reading