Certainty, Mystery and Faith
On answered and unanswered questions.
Indeed, if we had all the answers, if we had all the solutions, we would be God. Or at the very least, we would have no need for faith, no need for trust, and so on. Thus having questions and concerns can be a good thing. It keeps us dependent on God. It makes us... Continue Reading
What Is Distinct about the Theology of Galatians?
The three movements can be described as the 1) the truth of the gospel (chs. 1–2); 2) the content of the gospel (chs. 3–4); and 3) the result of the gospel (chs. 5–6).
The most important question in life is how we are justified before God. In other words, what does it take for a person to be declared in the right before God at the final judgment? The answer is that righteousness before God doesn’t come by the works of the law. We are not right before... Continue Reading
You Become What You Do, and Who You Do It With
Just habit and just community aren’t enough to change anyone. Of course they aren’t, we’re formed by our hearts and our minds too. We need to hear the gospel and we need to love the truth. These things are all connected.
Christians need to go to church. We grow to be more like Jesus as we repeat the actions of a Sunday: hear the word read and preached, say the creed, pray, sing, take the Supper, speak in tongues, hear and receive prophetic words. We grow to be more like Jesus as we eat with other Christians... Continue Reading
The Big Difficult: Louisiana & The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments were given as a manual for freedom for those who were set free by the grace of God.
The ten commandments were not given as a means to self-righteous achievement, reward and pride that often seems to be the goal of public displays. Rather, they were given as a consequence of the humbling gift of deliverance from slavery to sin in order to teach God’s people how to live in freedom. The Ten... Continue Reading
John Owen’s Theology of Public Worship
Owen regularly taught that worship, private or public, is beholding God’s glory.
Owen cared about worshiping the triune God properly. His theology of public worship is established on the triune God and beholding him by faith now. It’s practiced in a church’s worship service by actively communing with Christ—by looking at him—through the prescribed ordinances of worship found in God’s Word. Expressing spiritual affections by faith in... Continue Reading
The Role of Community in Purity
It's not enough for us to live lives of purity alone. We are called to be life rafts for one another, offering the conversation, prayer, and accountability that our brothers and sisters need.
In a world where impurity is not just tolerated but celebrated, we are called to be different. We are called to be a people marked by purity, both individually and collectively. Let us strive to live out this calling with intentionality and commitment, supporting one another in our pursuit of holiness. As we do, we... Continue Reading
WCF 32: Of the State of Men after Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead
How we live now determines what happens when we die.
There are no other options besides heaven and hell. Purgatory is a baseless medieval invention. It is true that following death the wicked and the righteous will enter what is called the intermediate state, an in-between stage. The righteous will eagerly anticipate the redemption of our bodies; the wicked, like fallen angels, will enter a... Continue Reading
Theological Traps that Hinder Evangelism
Are we presently struggling in the quagmire of one or more of the following four traps?
Our sinful flesh, even with a thorough grasp of sound doctrine, can cause us to fail to evangelize. We might maintain a strong stance against hyper-Calvinism and be committed doctrinally to urgency about making disciples and still find ourselves apathetic and passive in evangelism. A trap is something you fall into because you don’t... Continue Reading
When Trouble Comes Near
God does not want us to live in denial of trouble—not of ours nor of those near us. Nor does he want us to keep our distance when it happens.
It’s a wisdom that says, I know that trouble will come. As it came to Job, as it came to Jesus, it will come to me. But God has said, ‘I will be with you. I will never forsake you. And I will redeem all things. This is not the end.’ “All things work together for... Continue Reading
The Role of a Pastoral Apologist: Doctrine and Discernment
Doctrinal accuracy and discernment nurtures the flock and protects them from false teachings and guides them in truth.
It’s crucial for the pastor to maintain doctrinal purity while also exercising discernment against misleading teachings. Both are fundamental to nurturing and protecting the flock. The introduction to this series explored the role of the pastoral apologist. We explored Paul’s charge to Timothy, highlighting the responsibilities and the profound calling of pastors to serve... Continue Reading
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