The problem with the Pharisees was not their external piety. No, the characteristic of these men which was deplorable to Jesus was their lack of interest on an internal purity that matched their outward show. It was their duplicity and hypocrisy that offended Jesus, and not their dutiful holiness.   Man looks on the outward appearance, but God... Continue Reading

“Religious freedom doesn’t just consist in being able to pray when you want or study Scripture on your own time, but also to join together with coreligionists for worship and fellowship. While it’s unlikely that many colleges simply prohibit such religious association, a number do place obstacles in its way, using their antidiscrimination rules to... Continue Reading

“This is no general homily to faceless folks in pews. No, Peter is very direct and tells them what they must do with the gospel truth they are hearing. He pulls no punches. Surely, there is much eye contact, and the listeners know he is speaking with love right to them.”   The sermons found... Continue Reading

“Most Americans experience remarkable liberty when it comes to faith, church life, Bible reading and study, and worship. I still may worship as my communion deems fit, I have incredible access to a variety of religious goods, and I suffer no overt hardships because of my faith.”   Sorry folks but the recurring refrain that... Continue Reading

“Preacher, when you go into the pulpit to speak the Word of the Gospel, do you realize that by the power of the Holy Spirit, it is as if God is saying, “Let there be…”?  Indeed, there is both an awesome responsibility and a wonderful comfort when we understand this.  The awesome responsibility is to... Continue Reading

“Over the last decade or so, we’ve seen a few lasting effects from the now-moribund emergent church movement. But even before that, we had seen the evangelical church (broadly reckoned), taking cues from the wildly successful charismatics, who had long since begun to take cues from the world around them. Not every church and not every... Continue Reading

“Just as God rested after his six-day “workweek” of creating the world, so his people must rest after their workweeks. At its core, this command was designed to remind the Israelites on a weekly basis that they were not God. Resting on the seventh day was a way of publicly recognizing God’s all-sufficient power.”  ... Continue Reading

“A helpful way to so submit to the Word read and preached is to heed something my Hebrew professor imparted.  Ask yourself two questions.  First, “What does the text teach that I am to believe about God?”  Second, “What does the text teach that God requires of me to do?”    How should you listen... Continue Reading

Of course, this is all highly speculative. But it seems to me that the passion and enthusiasm involved in being pro-choice on life issues cannot simply be explained by talking about unwanted pregnancies or the prevention of unnecessary end-of-life suffering. And why does modern liberalism on matters of abortion and suicide so often go along... Continue Reading

The third reason I think this teaching is unbiblical is that we now live under the covenant of grace after the last, best, and only true sacrifice has already taken place. Christ has paid the penalty for our sins, and there are no more sacrifices. Ever. Why would any Christian who has been bought by... Continue Reading