Warning: The Bible Is Not Just a Book
You can’t read the Bible like a novel. It’s not just words on a page.
The book of Psalms begins with the law. Describing the blessed man, the psalm that opens and frames the entire book speaks of someone who delights in the law and meditates upon it day and night. In the psalms, we see something of the law internalized in song, which conscripts our will and affections and... Continue Reading
In Christian Love, Who Comes First?
Let us love those near us in such a way that it spills over to reach those far off as well, until the knowledge of the Lord covers the earth as the waters cover the sea.
While we should do good to all, Scripture commands us to first prioritize care for fellow believers, especially those in the household of faith (Galatians 6:10). The church is a family, and love within the family takes precedence. John teaches that anyone who claims to love God while neglecting his brother is a liar because... Continue Reading
The Devil’s Doctrine
A sermon from Lemuel Haynes against universal salvation.
Let us attend to the doctrine inculcated by this preacher, “Ye shall not surely die.” Bold assertion, without a single argument to support it! The death contained in the threatening was doubtless eternal death, as nothing but this would express God’s feelings toward sin or render an infinite atonement necessary. To suppose it to be... Continue Reading
Accounting for Every Careless Word
The mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.
The words we speak – even throwaway comments we think nothing of – say something about our hearts. What we really think, or more specifically what we really are, comes out in what we say, maybe especially in those moments when we just aren’t thinking a great deal about what we’re saying at all. ... Continue Reading
The relevance of 1 Samuel
1 Samuel is a book that shows us many things but one of those things is that God works through ordinary people living righteously.
Israel, as the book of 1 Samuel opens, is an amoral soup. During the time of the Judges Joshua’s righteous generation died out. A new generation arose which neither knew the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. And the result of that disconnect is a spiral into immorality. Israel look no different from... Continue Reading
Who Can Stand? (Revelation 7:1–8:5)
God will preserve his own people, and they will enjoy his protection and presence forever.
Who will be marked for protection? All of God’s people, every single one. All of them will be kept safe. This is the complete number of Old Testament saints who looked forward and put their faith in the Christ who was promised combined with those saints in the New Testament era who look back at... Continue Reading
Ideas for the Lord’s Day
To sanctify the Lord’s Day.
God has given endless opportunities to enjoy Him and bathe in His creation. He puts His power, attributes, glory and wisdom on display outdoors. Go for a walk. Go to a park. Take a hike. Take another along with you. Ponder, meditate, memorize, talk about, reflect on Christ and His Word together. The Lord’s... Continue Reading
What Is General Revelation?
We not only can but do know that the creation requires a Creator and that the Creator must be sovereign over His creation, both in terms of His authority and His power.
Revelation is general in terms of both audience and content. Paul, in Romans 1, explains that through creation we know enough about God and about ourselves to stand condemned before God. The word general here means that all men know this. The Westminster Confession of Faith is one of the most important Protestant confessions, for it... Continue Reading
Have You Googled “Ordo Amoris” Yet?
We need to love the right things in the right way, and not mix or rearrange them for the sake of cultural brownie points.
Aquinas lays down a basic principle: “One’s obligation to love a person is proportionate to the gravity of the sin one commits in acting against this love.” To say it another way, we are to love with deeper devotion those for whom we have a bigger responsibility. Those against the concept of Ordo Amoris are either being dishonest or... Continue Reading
God Forms Us Through Failure
We are not perfect. We need grace.
God does not need our perfection. Such striving undermines his grace and reinforces our self-sufficiency. Instead, God receives the humble, whom he will exalt at the appropriate time (James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6). In our failures, we trust that God will fulfill his purposes for us according to his steadfast love (Psalm 138:8). Most of... Continue Reading
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