Christians should rejoice when God brings a sexually immoral sinner from death to new life. They should encourage and build up such people in the church, and they should never blanketly bar another person from entering into relationships with them.   Recently, there was a something of a dust-up in Christian circles on the social... Continue Reading

As pastors, we labor week in and week out to get people to take their sin more seriously, to see what they don’t want to see. The scrupulous see it all too well, and then some. But that’s all they see. And yet, as Richard Sibbes so famously put it, “There is more grace in... Continue Reading

This discussion is not about whether God is able to communicate in unusual ways. He is. People may have impressions, dreams, or strong convictions. God is sovereign and free to act as He pleases. The real issue is whether those experiences carry authority for the church. Scripture alone does. When someone claims to speak for... Continue Reading

While my earthly father often seemed impossible to please, my heavenly Father seems eager to say to me, “Well done.” Not only is He willing to spend time with me, He’s also eager to do so, and went to incredible lengths that I might spend eternity living with Him in His place, with Him always... Continue Reading

In Mark 14:3-9, another woman gave what she had, that which was most precious to her, in service to the Lord. She denied herself and gave her very own costly ointment to prepare for the burial of Jesus. Even though the disciples scolded her (another opportunity lost!), Jesus protects her and puts her before them... Continue Reading

A man can be fearless in public and undisciplined in private. He can speak with clarity online and avoid responsibility in real life. When that gap widens, boldness stops being a virtue and becomes a performance, and performance cannot sustain a life. This is where the consequences begin to surface. Many of these young men... Continue Reading

Knowing God is costly. Don’t fool yourself. If you want to know Him, you will have to lay all that you are, all that you plan to be, and all that you have on the table. If, at any moment, you pull it back, the process of getting to know God comes to a halt.... Continue Reading

It’s unloving to not tell the person on the train tracks about the oncoming train. Likewise, it is unloving not to warn the sinner about the wrath of God that is to come. Beyond our duty to warn unbelievers to flee from the wrath to come in the refuge of Christ, when we deny or... Continue Reading

The wickedness of mankind would engulf the world and bring it to the verge of utter chaos and corruption. This work of the Spirit in restraining human sin is called “grace” because no one deserves it. That God inhibits their sin is an expression of mercy to those who deserve judgment. It is called “common”... Continue Reading

As in any good relationship, people don’t just give information about themselves, but they also give themselves to the other person. So Peter makes clear that Jesus has given himself to us. Believers receive grace and peace and spiritual power to face life and live holy lives only because God the Father has called them, and Jesus... Continue Reading