Since justification entails a right standing with God, it is necessary that sin be forgiven and that one be made righteous. Just as Christ bore our sin at the Cross (whereby we have pardon), so also when we believe in Christ, His righteousness is credited to us. We did not accomplish or earn the righteousness... Continue Reading

To Pilate, Jesus was interesting and innocent (Mark 15:5, 14). But at the end of the day, Jesus was inconvenient. Pilate valued his reputation for keeping the peace and his career as a Roman governor over and above giving justice to this innocent man. He didn’t want to kill Jesus, but he did want to... Continue Reading

Jesus spoke about how our mindset is connected to who we are in His Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5–7). He explained, for example, how Old Testament commandments relate to who we are inside. He said that anyone who even looks at a woman with lust commits adultery in his heart (Matt. 5:28). That’s because... Continue Reading

I know that my children will not love Christ until they really comprehend His love for them (1 John 4:10). I know that without faith it is impossible to please Him (Heb 11:6). But even still, I want my children to be trained to love Him. I want to teach them to worship. How do... Continue Reading

You can damage the gift of conscience, just as you can damage other gifts from God. Oddly enough, you can damage it in two opposite ways: by making it insensitive and by making it oversensitive. We make conscience insensitive by developing a habit of ignoring its voice of warning so that the voice gets weaker... Continue Reading

When we think of Hebrew idolatry, we tend to think of worshipping another god. However, another form of idolatry is making a version of the Lord and then substituting that image for the true Lord. We do this when we form an image of the Lord in our minds, a god who winks at our... Continue Reading

“Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad. Seek the Lord and His strength. Seek His face continually”. (1 Chronicles 16:10-11)” The word “face” was commonly used to describe God’s presence. David experienced this daily, and now, as ruler, he wanted the whole nation to join him. And he believed the Ark’s... Continue Reading

Understanding that purity is a response to God’s love rather than a checklist of rules frees us from the burden of legalism. Grace empowers us to pursue holiness out of love and gratitude. Take a deep breath. Do you feel the freedom Jesus has purchased for you? You can, by His Spirit, do this. You... Continue Reading

Grumbling’s evil twin is discontentment. Refusing to recognize the providence of God—that He is sovereignly in control of my life such that the circumstances I face are not random fate—will lead to discontentment. Discontentment inevitably leads to grumbling and vice versa. They go hand in hand, and they are also contagious.   I’ve recently tried... Continue Reading

The more we rest and grasp the work of the cross and the empty tomb seen in the sacrifice of Christ the more our souls are fed by this knowledge and as we bring our hearts to bear in praise the depth available will be with us in the week ahead. Concerts are fun and... Continue Reading