“The resources devoted to this process and the message it sends should concern anyone who values a free society,” Räsänen said. “When I began my political career over thirty years ago, I never imagined that I would one day stand before you as a defendant in a criminal case for expressing beliefs inspired by the... Continue Reading

It’s unloving to not tell the person on the train tracks about the oncoming train. Likewise, it is unloving not to warn the sinner about the wrath of God that is to come. Beyond our duty to warn unbelievers to flee from the wrath to come in the refuge of Christ, when we deny or... Continue Reading

The wickedness of mankind would engulf the world and bring it to the verge of utter chaos and corruption. This work of the Spirit in restraining human sin is called “grace” because no one deserves it. That God inhibits their sin is an expression of mercy to those who deserve judgment. It is called “common”... Continue Reading

As in any good relationship, people don’t just give information about themselves, but they also give themselves to the other person. So Peter makes clear that Jesus has given himself to us. Believers receive grace and peace and spiritual power to face life and live holy lives only because God the Father has called them, and Jesus... Continue Reading

The BCO holds together two truths that we are often tempted to separate: giving is both a privilege and a duty. It is a duty because it is commanded. Scripture plainly enjoins it. It is not optional for the Christian. But it is also a privilege. It is an opportunity to participate in the work... Continue Reading

Brothers, we must recover doctrinal preaching. This is not a stylistic preference, but as a pastoral necessity. We must preach the doctrines of grace clearly and without apology, the attributes of God fully and without hesitation, and the work of Christ deeply and repeatedly. We must not assume our people already know or disinterested in... Continue Reading

Like a high-powered attorney the dragon does not miss a point. From the juror’s seat, our guilt is established beyond a reasonable doubt. The Accuser’s case is so air-tight that our conviction will be certain. We shudder in hopelessness. We stand guilty before a holy God with no way to pay for our sins. We... Continue Reading

We know that trials often strengthen our faith. Yet those seasons are precisely when we are most tempted to complain. Like Israel, we can receive daily bread from God while grumbling about the form in which it arrives. I have prayed for opportunities in ministry, only to grumble when those opportunities brought difficulty. I have... Continue Reading

And when the days of her purifying are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb a year old for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering, and he shall offer it... Continue Reading

Is the goal graduation? College acceptance? Or to raise moral citizens? As Christians, our highest aim for our children should be that they are brought up in the nourishment and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).     I have noticed a growing trend in my area due to changes in state laws that allow... Continue Reading