the faithful preacher’s fight manifests in the temptation to add a dash of the sensational in his presentation of the gospel. To compromise his commitment to proclaiming Christ crucified by making it more fashionable. To jettison his engagement with the Infinite by settling on entertaining and enticing his congregants.   In The Gospel-Driven Church, and... Continue Reading

In order to be faithful doers of the Word, we need to think more deeply about the biblical nature of ethical instruction and how to cross the bridge from hearing to doing. Recognizing the bridge that connects our listening and acting will help those of us who read the Bible daily, listen to sermons weekly... Continue Reading

Jesus could point to a simple flower in order to explain to his disciples the mystery of God’s providential care and provision for them (Luke 12:27). Some of Christ’s most impactful illustrations came from the agrarian culture in which he lived and traveled. He expended prolonged periods of mental energy meditating on the birds of... Continue Reading

Here, he makes a remarkably helpful distinction. The schismatic wants the church to be entirely perfect, and its failure to be perfect means it is no true bride. Calvin takes a more measured, and quite frankly more beautiful, approach. He says that “it is also no less true that the Lord is daily at work... Continue Reading

I know I feel it. A new boss and changes at work are making me wonder if my job will still be there next year. Also, my wife and I decided, just before the coronavirus quarantines, to move to a new house within walking distance of the schools our boys attend. But ever since, it’s... Continue Reading

Spurgeon remarked that our forgiveness of each other is “a very small matter” when compared to the fact that God forgives “not his fellows, but his rebel subjects, guilty of treason against his majesty.” Indeed, he mused “Could there be a sweeter word in any language than that word ‘forgiveness,’ when it sounds in a... Continue Reading

 The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy strikes a delicate balance. It affirms that the doctrine of inerrancy is “vital to a sound understanding of the whole of the Christian faith” and that to deny it has grave consequences for the individual and the church. However, this statement also makes clear that belief in inerrancy is... Continue Reading

As sinful creatures, the gospel does not come naturally to us. We need to be reminded over and over again of the fact that God’s grace is lavish. It comes as no surprise that a biblical conception of justification would cause offense, for justification is the very heart of the gospel. That is precisely why... Continue Reading

It is so sad when I encounter believers who have the attitude that their walk should never offend anyone so they do not “practice that discernment stuff.” On the other hand, I have also seen many “discernment ministries” online that I would prefer that they weren’t. Discernment is important so let’s take a closer look... Continue Reading

We should stand amazed that our Lord, in His moment of greatest affliction––and as the object of the greatest injustice in the history of the world––would stretch out His hand to His enemies in love. This last miracle of love is rivaled in greatness only by our Lord praying on the cross––as the soldiers nailed... Continue Reading