Those who have the certain hope of being resurrected and glorified to join the Son in His everlasting rule live a life of ethical cooperation with the Holy Spirit to be made pure, outfitted just as Jesus is for the Father’s holy use.   If you’ve had or have small children, you’re likely very familiar... Continue Reading

Instead of leaving political conversations behind with the election season, we have a responsibility to begin the work of formation now—telling beautiful stories of human flourishing, confessing our brokenness with the hope of redemption, and doing the everyday political work of loving our neighbors.   Many Christians arrive at the end of this election season... Continue Reading

As I and others have pointed out, while the West is becoming increasingly secular and hostile to biblical Christianity, with things moving from post-Christian to anti-Christian, many great things are happening in the non-Western world. The spiritual centre of gravity has shifted.   With my title in quote marks, I must be quoting someone. I... Continue Reading

A burial without death only produces a zombie sin, an old enemy we thought was gone but instead had been gathering strength underground and now ready to launch a surprise attack. A zombie sin stalks with frightening persistence, well-versed in our weaknesses and well-educated at the limitations of our self-control.   The lights dimmed. The... Continue Reading

No church is perfect. No church will ever be perfect. That’s because the church is a collection of sinful human beings. When we forget that fact, we will always, always be disappointed in what happens in our churches.   Leaving a church is a serious decision. It’s a decision that should be made only after... Continue Reading

Roll up your sleeves; tighten your belt. Get ready to roll, to exert yourself in a vigorous and sustained way. Live your life in confident expectation.   Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.... Continue Reading

It’s especially important for those of us who teach and preach and write about Jesus, in any capacity, to hold fast to the faith once delivered to the saints. And it’s especially important to watch our words (James 3) and to “pay attention to our lives and our doctrine” (1 Timothy 4:16).   Discernment is... Continue Reading

Our God is not only Yahweh, but Jesus: not only the God who is, but the God who saves. And because he saves, we get to know him by another name, one that may be the sweetest of all.   Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,... Continue Reading

Should we define ourselves in terms of our sexual desires, be those desires gay or straight? Or should we define ourselves using some other register or point of reference? For Christians, of course, our identity is not to be rooted primarily in our feelings or desires, be they sexual or otherwise. Our identity is to... Continue Reading

Rightly pursued, history not only enables us to understand ourselves more rightly; it is essential if we are to understand our neighbors. Acknowledging their pasts, listening attentively to their stories, is integral to loving them. N. T. Wright has recently exhorted Christians to be “people of prayer at the place where the world is in pain.” The places where... Continue Reading