As we are filled with the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, put sin to death by the Spirit, and show the fruit of the Spirit, we can be assured by God that the Spirit lives savingly within us now and is our seal and pledge of greater things to come. What encouraging truths these are!... Continue Reading

It is no accident that Paul chooses coveting as his primary example in his discourse on the struggles with sin. He is pointing to our problem with the heart. We want what we want when we want it. Pornography is a distorted desire of the heart where we demand to have something we should not... Continue Reading

Fear will always tell you to hold the ball. Faith tells you to throw it. Don’t let the yips steal the joy of simply playing the game God has called you to play.   The yips. The word itself can strike fear into the heart of even the greatest athlete. The yips is a phenomenon... Continue Reading

The study of systematic theology is a glorious, high-stakes privilege. But we must never forget that we are stepping onto holy ground.…He has crossed the infinite gulf of existence to speak to us in words we can understand. He has accommodated His infinite light to our weak, creaturely eyes.…remembering that the goal of all true... Continue Reading

In 2021, Neland Avenue CRC in Grand Rapids, Michigan ordained a deacon in a same-sex marriage. A group of unrenowned pastors and lay leaders started the Abide Project with the goal to maintain biblical sexuality in the CRC. The conflict came to a head in 2022 when the CRC’s annual synod adopted the Human Sexuality... Continue Reading

Has the church begun to balk on her duty to uphold and protect the truth? Is the church crumbling to outside pressure to be conformed to the world? How will the battle for ideas be lost? It won’t be through procreation, but it will be through the church bending the knee to another lord other... Continue Reading

Life and death hang on our ability to hear God—and to hear God, we have to read (or at least listen while someone else reads). He reveals Himself, His will, and His gospel through words. Therefore, you can argue that reading is the most important thing we’ll ever do.   Why don’t you read the... Continue Reading

When we hear the words of Jesus, we are not simply listening to a learned rabbi or sound theologian. We are hearing the Word of God speak.   At various points in the gospels, we are told that Jesus taught ‘with authority’. For example, Matthew says ‘When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were... Continue Reading

Sin is never to be kept within a secure safe box or cage. Sin is a poisonous snake which must be crushed to death.   The works of the Puritan divine John Owen (1616-1680), especially his works on the Mortification of Sin, are well worth the reading but they can be deeply challenging to 21st... Continue Reading

Don’t have enemies because you are caustic and abrasive. Don’t have enemies because you are unfeeling and unloving. But…do have enemies because you stand for truth. After all, Jesus did.   If you are a true follower of Christ, you will have enemies. A lot of enemies. This isn’t a popular idea. Many Christians seem... Continue Reading