I had an interesting conversation yesterday that reminded me this question needs to be addressed. I find many pastors, especially younger ones, are regularly wrestling with this question. They should be. The pressure to answer can be self-imposed, or forced by those in your church who complain your sermons are too long. The problem is... Continue Reading

Rome anathematized the gospel of free grace. “If anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone…let him be anathema” (Canons of Trent, 43). Scripture, however, teaches that God justifies ungodly sinners by faith alone, completely apart from works (see HC Q/A 60-61).   For the past eight years or so, I’ve had the... Continue Reading

Untheological elders are not going to be able to spot error. In all likelihood it’ll be a matter of emphasis and we start to get unbalanced in our teaching. Elders with a good knowledge of scripture and the Confession will be able to correct us, or at least flag up where we might be becoming... Continue Reading

So what is true revival? It is not revivalism, not individualism, not emotionalism, and not idealism. True revival is marked by a rediscovery of the word of God, a restored sense of the fear of God, a return to God through confession and repentance, a renewed spiritual commitment and accountability and finally, a reformation of... Continue Reading

Of course, for too long successive governments have enacted and tolerated laws that are evil (such as the legalizing of abortion). What’s new in our day is that laws are being proposed and enacted that attempt to force Christians to give up core Christian doctrines (e.g. Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation) and... Continue Reading

If my hatred was biblically mature, I would hate my own sin the most. Often, I don’t hate it, even when I’m fighting against it. I often fight against it because I know that I’m supposed to, because holiness leads to blessing, and because that’s what I’ve been trained to do. Far too often, I... Continue Reading

It is no longer academically respectable to hold to Adam as a special creation from the dust of the ground. That thinking is dead and gone….Even if it were true, it lacks cultural timbre. It is now more germane to soak your morsel in the communion cup. Let’s not be so banal about the language... Continue Reading

The gospel of the kingdom declares the good news that a righteousness that qualifies us for the kingdom of God is a righteousness accomplished by our Messiah King, and is ours through faith in Him.  The Golden Rule is not a directive for a way of salvation, but directs us in a way of living... Continue Reading

The needed reformation will not occur in the church until Scripture is returned to its preeminent place. The Word of God must be restored to its rightful position, governing the entire life of the church. Preachers must again rightly understand the supremacy of the Bible, not only its verbal inerrancy, but also its primary authority... Continue Reading

If when you become a Christian you write a big red “LOSS” across all the things in the world except Christ, then when Christ calls you to forfeit some of those things, it is not strange or unexpected. The pain and the sorrow may be great. The tears may be many, as they were for... Continue Reading