Jesus assures us the Father sees not only when we’re wronged but also when we do right, when we practice our righteousness in secret. The reason he tells us not to perform righteous acts before others is because, once again, the Father is El Roi: the God who sees. We live for the Lord, trusting... Continue Reading

Moses appeals to God’s promise to the patriarchs. Notice that Moses does not make light of Israel’s sin. Indeed, in the remainder of the chapter, we will see Moses’ own wrath burning against the people. However, here he is set on turning away God’s wrath, and he does so by appealing to God’s own character... Continue Reading

Truly, nothing and no one can ever break this link because it is God who authors and accomplishes it all together. As you can notice, each sequence in this unbreakable link, are all acts of God. Indeed, this is what gives us assurance, that it is God who authored our salvation. And He is not... Continue Reading

A couple that leads worship in Canada are having real problems with the Old Testament, especially with anything having to do with the military, or violence, or weapons, or warfare. So they are wondering about deleting or expelling worship songs that take part in this. As one short video of this says: “Canadian worship leaders... Continue Reading

Here is the daily, hourly question we should constantly ask: Am I walking by the Spirit? By His leading and by His empowering? If we are, He will lead us in all the right paths, empowering us with His sufficient strength. Nothing could be more clear or more gloriously effective.   There are some things that... Continue Reading

Paul has finally found the proper direction for the elusive “else.” That’s what redemption is, isn’t it? Isn’t it in a sense God redirecting our passion for one thing to something else? Isn’t it realizing that our pursuit of the elusive else isn’t wrong in and of itself; it’s just misguided. And by His grace,... Continue Reading

I trust that whatever season of life you are in, as a young person learning new skills or pursuing a special relationship, or as a seasoned employee who is in the position to give back to others, you are pursuing the tasks that God has called you to do with perseverance. You may not see... Continue Reading

The second commandment forbids making images of anyone in the category of God. Therefore, we cannot make images of God the Son. Making images of Christ creates thorny dilemmas. Either we depict the person of the Son and violate the second commandment, or we depict his humanity by divorcing it from his divine person.  ... Continue Reading

The fact that some people are spiritually unfit for ministry leadership may not be initially evident, so hastily appointing them to be an elder can backfire. As Paul said, “the sins of others appear later.” Of course, he doesn’t mean the elders are without sin. But a potential elder can, as time passes, show himself... Continue Reading

To understand whether the creation or use of a visual representation of Jesus violates the second commandment, we must ask whether the work: diverts glory away from God and toward a false object, distorts the story of God’s relationship with his people, or diminishes God’s nature and deforms those who use it. While icon veneration may... Continue Reading