“Why is it easier to confess our sin to a dreadfully holy God than to another justified sinner? The answer is simple. We are actually confessing our sins to ourselves, not God, and then granting ourselves absolution. Unfortunately, this sort of self-forgiveness can never lead to a breach with sin.”   “Therefore, confess your sins... Continue Reading

“Walking in obedience to Christ isn’t always flashy. But it’s that everyday obedience—in our marriage, in our jobs, in our schools—that acts as a theater for bringing glory to God and demonstrating his grace to the world.”   A few weeks ago I reflected on the ways that Titus 2 showed gospel change in four... Continue Reading

“To be a Christian apologist these days seems to involve a lot of apologizing for being a Christian at all. This alone should be sufficient evidence of Christianity’s peaceful nature. I mean, I don’t hear many Muslims apologizing for the Muslim invasion of Europe.”   “Christians Have Waged Their Own Holy Wars” was yet another... Continue Reading

“Many have opened up to me that they didn’t believe in God but they liked coming to my church. One young woman, after going through my confirmation class, joined the church. She read her faith statement in front of the congregation.”   “How can you call yourself a Christian, let alone a minister?!” I get... Continue Reading

“We must labor to be intentional in our relationships in view of the presence of sin and priority of holiness. We know that if we allow ourselves to be passive we will avoid everything that makes us uncomfortable. This is deadly for sanctification.”   At the end of a football game often times the defensive... Continue Reading

“The term contextualization can be a sweeping justification of all forms of cultural accommodation, without consideration for the Biblical witness. “Contextualization”, as a term, is one-handed – it encompasses the act of cultural accommodation, but it doesn’t also encompass the need for cultural confrontation.”   A few months ago, I wrote a series of posts on... Continue Reading

“Without understanding the severe nature and depth of our sin problem, our children cannot fully appreciate nor grasp the wonder of the gospel of grace. If we have a child who only sees their sin as the wrong behaviors they do from time to time, they cannot truly understand just how beautiful the gospel is.”... Continue Reading

Beginning a relationship with a non-Christian betrays a failure to realise how utterly different a Christian is from a non-Christian. When two people decide to start a relationship, it’s normally because they share the same values and worldview. But you can’t get two more profoundly different people than a believer and an unbeliever (2 Corinthians... Continue Reading

How do you behave on the internet? How do you talk to other people online? How long do you pause before you push the “submit” button on a comment or before you push “return” after writing a Facebook comment? How big is the disconnect between the things you are willing to say to people face... Continue Reading

As more women speak openly about the risk and pain of miscarriage, announcing pregnancies earlier becomes another way to combat the isolation that comes with losing a baby in its first several weeks. If moms who grieve miscarriage never shared their pregnancy news in the first place, they’re left with the dilemma of whether to... Continue Reading