This phrase literally refers to something that takes place in the presence of, or before the face of, God. To live coram Deo is to live one’s entire life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, to the glory of God. To live in the presence of God is to understand that... Continue Reading

“As our nation changes, as we become more and more secular, candidates begin to reflect this reality. For the first time in living memory, we’re facing a diversity of beliefs represented among the candidates running for president.”   As Americans, we are blessed with the privilege and responsibility to choose our leaders from among ourselves.... Continue Reading

It might be objected that orthodox bishops were forced into these geographical locales by higher ecclesiastical powers bent on imposing their agenda on others. The problem with this suggestion is that there were no “higher ecclesiastical powers” during this time period.   A number of my recent posts (e.g., see here) have been dealing with... Continue Reading

“What preacher will preach from Zechariah, Jeremiah, or Revelation (except it be a favorite text or two) unless driven to it by a programmatic attempt to preach through the whole Bible? Large tracts of the Bible will never be touched unless the discipline of consecutive expository preaching forces the preacher to do so.”   While it... Continue Reading

Study of the words alone will not present us with a consistent interpretation or theology. This is one of the misleading aspects of theological dictionaries/wordbooks. One learns far more about obedience/disobedience or sacrifice and sin from the full statement of a passage like 1 Sam 15:22–23 than he will from word studies of key terms... Continue Reading

“We have a world around us that largely does not worship Christ. We mustn’t allow our children to become self-righteous little Pharisees who look upon the world with prideful disgust rather than a prayerful burden. They have to learn, as they grow, that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone.”   As we were... Continue Reading

“Strength is a garment women ought to wear. The kind of strength that stretches out its arms to support the poor, to feed hungry souls, to grow and harvest all that God has given you. It is a strength that nurtures life, not war.”   I watched the latest Republican Presidential debate with usual dutifulness.... Continue Reading

“Despite initial appearances, a grain of wheat was such a fitting symbol of Christ’s person and work. Like it, Christ often looked small, feeble, worthless, useless, and powerless. But, like the grain, beyond the surface, ‘underneath’ His humanity, was incredible power, value, worth, usefulness, and potential.”   If you could choose a symbol of your... Continue Reading

The covenant of works is a basic Reformed doctrine. We experimented by trying to do without it but the evidence suggests that experiment has been a failure. Without a clear, firm, coherent doctrine of the covenant of works we lack a necessary category by which to understand the life and death of our Substitute, our... Continue Reading

The danger, however, is when we take a good thing and we turn it into a moral thing. When we make a good thing into something that other people must do if they are going to be truly spiritual. When we take a good thing and add it onto justification by faith as the way... Continue Reading