Where Hope Comes From
Hope is a strong preservative against the power and force of temptations. It guards the main part of a Christian, and keeps resolutions after God untouched and unmaimed.
Now, my beloved, would you know the fountain and origin of these sweet and pleasant streams? It is the God of hope, and the power of the Holy Ghost. There is no doubt of power in God, to make us happy and give us peace. God is the chief object of hope, and the chief... Continue Reading
How Can Christ Be the Redeemer and the World So Unredeemed?
Satan has been defeated, but not destroyed.
Sanctification is the result of loving Jesus more than I love sin. Godliness is not behavior modification, but heart transformation. I cannot take three steps to overcome lust forever next Thursday at 3 PM and be forever, sexually pure. The problem is my heart desires, which are not easily changed. Channeling and protecting the desires... Continue Reading
Resolutions for Whose Glory?
Prior to setting resolutions for the New Year, take the time to read through the resolutions of Edwards and Mather.
In his thirteenth resolution, Mather states, “When the children are of a fit age for it, I will sometimes closet them; have them with me alone; talk with them about the state of their souls; their experiences, their proficiencies, their temptations; obtain their declared consent unto every jot and tittle of the gospel; and then... Continue Reading
A People Who Were Once Not
Prophecy of Israel applied to the Gentiles (Romans 9:24–26).
After looking at the various approaches, it seems the best way to understand Paul is that he finds the prophetic fulfillment of Hosea’s words in the church. This view makes the best sense in light of the broader context of Romans 9:24-29. Paul is citing the Old Testament demonstrating that the prophetic promises find their fulfillment... Continue Reading
Being Hated and Hating Others
To claim to know God’s love while refusing to let go of hatred betrays that we have not yet experiences the mercy and love of the Savior.
As we travel on life’s journey as believers in Jesus Christ, we learn more and more about what God’s love for us means. We increasingly understand what God has done for us through His love in Jesus. The temptation to hatred radically lessens, even if much pain still remains, as we realize more clearly the... Continue Reading
Against the Communion of Rome on the Worship of Images
They who make images divide Christ’s two, inseparable natures in the minds of men, who are trained by images to think of a fantasy of his human nature, and not that eminent return which shall consummate our salvation.
If Christ is “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Heb. 1:3), and if it is absolutely impermissible to portray God, as Rome herself says in Catechism 2129, then how can it be right to portray him who is the image and revelation of God? For if the... Continue Reading
Zion, the City of God
The climax of God’s redemptive plan centers on the coming together of heaven and earth.
The expectation of a future city of God runs throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. According to Hebrews, the patriarch Abraham looked forward to “the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10, NIV). The expectation of a transformed Jerusalem is a dominant theme in the oracles of the Old Testament... Continue Reading
Reflections on Forty Years of Being Born Again
God’s chastening is always good for me, though I am sometimes a slow learner.
God employs loss and its accompanying grief to strip me of inferior objects of trust and sources of joy and anchor my soul more securely to Christ. Fear is a powerful enemy and an opponent of childlike faith. Suffering is the most powerful instrument of the Spirit for exposing my heart’s sin and false trust.... Continue Reading
How Do I Live Through a Season of Darkness?
We must wait for the Lord, cry to him, and know that our own self-indictment, rendered in the darkness, is not as sure as God’s word spoken in the light.
We can draw no deadlines for God. He hastens or he delays as he sees fit. And his timing is all-loving toward his children. Oh, that we might learn to be patient in the hour of darkness. Darkness Is Normal It will be of great advantage to the struggling Christian to remember that seasons of... Continue Reading
The Word and Prayer
The word of God not only rouses our souls by the adrenaline of praise, it nourishes our beings for the conduct of life.
The truth of God’s Word will sink deep into our beings, assimilated by the digestive juices of prayer to our spiritual nourishment and growth in grace. Our very beings are affected, sustained, fortified, and changed. By the Spirit, that embraced Word will accomplish the purpose intended for us in it. Prayer in Nehemiah (15) “And... Continue Reading
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