The Secret of Sanctification
The message of the cross meets our deepest need for pardon and power as we seek to overcome indwelling sin.
Few things trouble the soul of the child of God as much as the presence of indwelling sin and the sober realization of the inability of the flesh to overcome it. True believers often come to the end of themselves and cry out: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body... Continue Reading
Is Guiltlessness the Same as Righteousness?
"I mean, if I haven’t sinned, am I not righteous?"
Think about Christ on the cross. We are not just in a place where we cannot be punished anymore. Christ lived the perfect life. He fulfilled all the requirements of the law. He has justly received the reward, and his righteousness is now counted as ours. We are co-heirs with him. I recently had... Continue Reading
Love Your Enemies
Where are we going in order to learn what our response to our enemy should be? Scripture or Twitter?
In the United States, as in many countries, there are different groups who take different positions on all manner of issues. Quite often, those in one group have heated and angry disagreements with those in other groups. Each group tends to view those in other groups as the enemy. Sometimes, those in one group treat... Continue Reading
True Diversity, True Freedom—Honoring Conscience
While Tolkien converted Lewis, he did not convert him to Catholicism.
Tolkien and Lewis saw much through the same lens. Both were brilliant scholars familiar with history, literature, and languages. Both were prolific writers and their books shaped generations to come. They wrote fantasy literature, letting spiritual themes and allusions speak for themselves, although they were certainly capable of apologetics. Ultimately, they sought to build a... Continue Reading
Have We Forgotten The Curse?
The Curse affects all aspects of our lives, not just our physical well being.
I can understand when people who claim ignorance of the Christian faith are also ignorant of the Fall and the Curse. Sadly, many individuals who have at one time or another been taught about the Curse seem to forget it. This is true even among faithful church members. Cursed is the ground because of... Continue Reading
How to Die Well
Rejoice that as John Bunyan memorably put it, “Death is but a portal out of a prison into a palace.” And what a palace!
No words more completely capture the believer’s position in God’s eyes than the Bible’s assurance that he or she is “in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). To put this stunning certainty as simply as possible, it means this: all the righteousness of Jesus shining through His life of perfect obedience to God’s law is imputed to... Continue Reading
Why We Should Wait!
When we go to Him in prayer and petition Him for something, and we have to wait for it, we should be content to wait, knowing that we have been heard.
Jeremiah knew a lot about having to wait. During his ministry he had to preach for God to a people who had set themselves against the truth. His words often seemed to bounce off the surface of the ears of his listeners. Moreover, he had to contend with false prophets who would tell the eager... Continue Reading
Contentment Isn’t Natural, but It Can Be Learned
We will learn contentment, over and over again. Let us then apply ourselves to our lessons.
The seasons of life will change; they will ebb and flow; and yet according to Paul, through Christ we can maintain a stable source of joy and contentment through Christ and Christ alone. We will not have to live our lives craving the ever-elusive “else” – our lives will not be characterized by the constant pursuit... Continue Reading
Satan’s Strategy #11: Stay in the Dark
Satan tempts us to embrace all sorts of doctrine, undermining our confidence in the Bible as God sufficient Word.
Satan tempts us to think that we don’t need private means of grace. He encourages us to scoff at things like prayer, Bible reading, and personal devotion times. Sometimes he tells us, “Too hard!” Sometimes he tells us, “Too time consuming!” Sometimes he tells us, “Too boring!” The remnants of sin in us cry out,... Continue Reading
Can I Miss God’s Best for Me?
God has given us his Word to obey, which will achieve all that he wants it to achieve.
When we recognise that ‘things that happen’ are actions that exist, every action is also under God’s sovereign control, and so everything that happens is also designed to maximise God’s glory. The world in which we live has been sovereignly ordered by God as the world in which his glory is maximised. If we accept this... Continue Reading
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