The doctrine of Providence is the believer’s strong tower. It assures us that we are not adrift in a chaotic universe, nor are we the playthings of fate. We are the subjects of a wise, holy, and powerful King. Whether we face the malice of men, the failure of means, or the corruption of our... Continue Reading

According to theism, this is the intrinsic meaning of life: We exist because God wants us to. It pleases the almighty God that you exist. On theism, you are inherently and eternally important to the almighty creator of heaven and earth. That’s something, isn’t it?   What is the meaning of life? The French call... Continue Reading

There is no such thing as unintended consequences in God’s oversight of men’s affairs. He knows when to bring judgment and when to restrain. He shapes the affairs of men’s lives through the hardships and calamities of life. Yet at the same time “he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good,... Continue Reading

His Simple Exposition of the Christian Faith and the accompanying catechism* was a direct inspiration for the Westminster divines. His Letters of Comfort to the Persecuted Church became a lifeline to Jan Comenius and the harried Husites during the Thirty Years’ War. His book The Christian and the Magistrate helped Nicholas von Amsdorff shape the Magdeburg Confession. And of course, all of... Continue Reading

The Sermon on the Mount leaves no room for neutrality. Jesus does not invite His hearers to admire His teaching from a distance or to sample discipleship on their own terms. He draws a clear line and calls for a decisive response. There are not many roads that eventually converge, but two paths that lead... Continue Reading

Loving one’s country includes urging it toward righteousness, engaging in peaceful and principled public life, and speaking prophetic truth when needed. Darling notes that America’s finest reformers—Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr.—did precisely this. Each pointed the nation back to its noblest principles while calling for repentance where it had gone astray.... Continue Reading

How do you get a race that has only ever known war—one that God wiped out once before because it “was corrupt in God’s sight” and “filled with violence” (Gen 6:11)—to finally stop fighting and live peaceably with one another? How do you finally succeed in the impossible ideal of world peace? How do you... Continue Reading

Jesus often withdrew from others to pray, but He and David didn’t take the total escape route every time there was a bad situation. Instead of flying away like a bird, David “flew” as it were to God. He meditated on who God is, how God would help him, and how He would bring him... Continue Reading

The Angelic View may be sensational and dramatic, but it fails the test of Scripture. It breaks the narrative flow, contradicts Jesus’ teaching on angelic nature, and confuses the justice of God. The Sethite View, while less “exciting” to the modern imagination, is far more profound. It warns us not of monsters from the sky,... Continue Reading

Many seek to deny their guilt. And it’s certainly true that we often suffer at the hands of others. We are sinned against — but according to the Scriptures, we are also sinners: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Yet there is hope. The Book of Proverbs warns:... Continue Reading