We got the Canons of Dort through persecution, political upheaval, ecclesiastical controversy, and a major international synod. The Canons were born in a fight over grace. That is why they still matter.   On May 6, 1619, delegated pastors and professors from across Europe processed through the streets of Dordrecht to the Grote Kerk, the... Continue Reading

Elders do not best serve the church by merely telling people to grow. Ministry does not happen merely by instructing members to minister. Pastors serve the church by ordering its life according to healthy practices, week after week, year after year, and practically showing members how to do the work.   Most pastors agree on... Continue Reading

We can distinguish between good pastors and pseudo-pastors by what they do when danger and difficulty arise. The pseudo-pastor uploads his resume to job boards and hits the road. The good pastor stays, exhibiting courage, grit, and love. He lays down his life to fight off a wolf, even when the wolf arises from within... Continue Reading

If the future is wholly disconnected from the present, then our lives now might seem insignificant. But Scripture teaches otherwise. “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast… knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58, ESV). Because God is redeeming creation, not abandoning it, our present obedience, work, and faithfulness... Continue Reading

Facing our false worship is not the end-game. No, the point of seeing and confessing sin is to be pressed into repentance, which flowers into joy. Repentance is about turning. We turn our eyes away from ourselves and set them on Christ. In him, freedom from body image issues is possible.   If you’re a woman,... Continue Reading

Knowing ourselves to be sinners saved by grace and having the Word, we insist that He is “God-with-us.” The true identity of Jesus has been at the very heart of church history. It was heresy and error about Him that led to the councils, creeds, reformations, and confessions that restated this truth. When false teachings... Continue Reading

The Greek word for “deluged” is a specialised term used only for the Genesis Flood. That is: katakluzō/κατακλύζω, literally “downwashing”—where we derive the word “cataclysm”. Like Jesus, Peter uses the reality of the Flood to warn about the equally real judgment to come…Peter says that the scoffers “deliberately overlook” the Flood. They are morally culpable for their... Continue Reading

Do you want to be made well? Not improved, not managed, not slightly better, but made well. Those are not the same thing. Many men want relief, but far fewer want real change, because change requires letting go of what they have been trusting. It requires stepping out of the cycle and admitting that what... Continue Reading

Allegedly, everyone will be with God! In the end, love wins (with a hat tip to Rob Bell). In his deconstructed “Christianity,” Recker reads the Bible out of its historical-grammatical context and depends heavily on liberal theologians and those who hold to non-Christian worldviews.    The phrase, “In essentials unity; in non-essentials liberty; in all... Continue Reading

Because Christ is one unified Person, you cannot separate His humanity from His deity. You cannot worship His human body without worshipping God the Son, and you cannot depict His human body without attempting to depict God the Son. Therefore, any picture of Jesus is either an idol (an attempt to depict the divine) or... Continue Reading