Let us dig into God’s word for his blood-bought promises. Let’s believe them because God is good for his word. Let’s pray, humbly asking God to do what he’s promised. Not because we deserve them, but because he has graciously provided them in his Son. And let’s thank him in advance for doing what he’s... Continue Reading

This is the doctrine of “baptismal regeneration.” A version of this view is argued by Romanists on the basis of their doctrine that sacraments do what they because of their nature. Lutherans have argued that, because the sign of baptism is so closely identified with the gospel, and because the gospel creates new life, therefore... Continue Reading

Then there’s the issue of our children. Is it kind to your daughter to take her into a restroom where men are present? Again, reality matters. Men are bigger than women. Men are stronger than women. Men are different than women. To knowingly have your daughter use a bathroom stall next to a man (when other... Continue Reading

We may provoke our children to anger and discouragement when we teach them to be good instead of holy, when we care more for their good behavior than their holy hearts. We can too easily content ourselves with outwardly moral children instead of children who are inwardly holy. We can focus on bad behavior instead... Continue Reading

“Students now,” she says, “arrive in my class thoroughly versed in the language and categories of identity politics; they are reticent to disagree with anything for fear of seeming intolerant—except, of course, what they perceive to be intolerant.”   For five years, Dr. Abigail Rine has been teaching a course on gender theory at George Fox University,... Continue Reading

“What we really need is confidence in the Bible. It is the only Spirit-inspired, Spirit-crafted, Spirit-preserved, self-authenticating revelation of God in Jesus Christ. It is the most influential Book of all time, the most powerful apologetic device in the world, and most of the Christians in the world have seen the glory of Jesus in... Continue Reading

“Smith suspects the problem in the United States is not simply one of closed-mindedness from religious fundamentalists and dogmatic secularists, but also of geography — people living and working in enclosed communities where they don’t encounter people of different beliefs, so their own beliefs are never contested.”   In our new secular age, there are... Continue Reading

“No healthy Christian ever moves past sermons, Scripture, prayer, sacraments, and the organized church. These are the God appointed means by which we grow in Christ. When we reject these ordinary means laid out in the Word, we not only invite the kind of spiritual elitism that flowed from Marguerite’s two-tier ecclesiology, we also show... Continue Reading

“Proper feminine submission is (as my wife often puts it) “kinetic.” It is not servile, which is why Paul and Peter employ a different word for wives than Paul uses for slaves in their relationship to masters (Eph. 5:22; 6:5). Being a biblical helper requires wisdom, creativity, and godliness. So we should put the most... Continue Reading

“Luther himself endured many instances of depression. He described the experience in varied terms: melancholy, heaviness, depression, dejection of spirit; downcast, sad, downhearted. He suffered in this area for much of his life and often revealed these struggles in his works. Evidently he did not think it a shameful problem to be hidden.”   The... Continue Reading