Prayer: How to Pray
We are to come before God with the acknowledgment that whatever the request, the outcome will not come about because of our own wisdom or efforts.
Paul tells us in our passage to “continue steadfastly in prayer.” We are not to grow weary or discouraged as we offer up those prayers that do not get answered as quickly as we would like. We are not to give up and lose heart; rather, we are to persevere in our petitions, because through... Continue Reading
A Wise Woman Builds Her Home on Sola Scriptura
That lovely place of shelter, comfort, belonging, and becoming that we call home finds its fullest actualization in our God who is himself inherently hospitable. He is the ransomed sinner’s very home.
“By wisdom,” we are told in Proverbs 24:3-4, “a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” The principle in these proverbs should not be understood as referring to mere physical blessing, but rather to the more imperative (and at times elusive) atmosphere of blessedness that we... Continue Reading
What Expository Preaching Is Not
Fifteen myths about expository preaching that should be exposed to help the preacher rightly understand and faithfully practice expository preaching.
Expository preaching explains what the text means by what it says, seeking to exhort the hearers to trust and obey the God-intended message of the text. It is preaching in which the point of the message is rooted in, aligns with, and flows from the primary meaning of the sermon text. What is expository... Continue Reading
The Liberty and Limitations of Conscience
Liberty of conscience has been twisted by individualism, autonomy, and licentiousness – as though crying “Liberty of conscience!” is a license that frees one from all limitations.
To begin with, the liberty of conscience is limited by the law of God. Paul wrote: “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh” (Galatians 5:13). Likewise, Peter warned: “They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a... Continue Reading
Doctrine of God: Recommended Reading
Recent controversies within evangelical and Reformed circles regarding the attributes of God and the doctrine of the Trinity have made it abundantly clear that all Christians need to become as informed as possible about the doctrine of God.
In a previous version of this post, I recommended John Frame’s The Doctrine of God and a book by Bruce Ware on the Trinity. I can no longer recommend Frame’s book because it has become evident that he has moved away from the classical Christian understanding of such doctrines as divine simplicity and immutability. I can no... Continue Reading
Why We Shouldn’t Change the Lord’s Prayer
Pope Francis has caused another round of cheering and dismay by calling for a “better translation” of the words of the Lord’s Prayer.
Someone else will say that language changes over time, and that is why we need revisions. Perhaps; but the ancient Greek has not changed, and English in this regard has not changed. “Lead us not into temptation” means “do not lead us into temptation,” and that is that. We might revise and render “temptation” as... Continue Reading
What About Titus 2?
We’ve taken one phrase in a New Testament epistle and applied it exclusively to one Old Testament passage and decided that that’s all women are allowed to be: homemakers.
But my job isn’t just to keep this home. In fact, my husband shoulders some of that responsibility, since it’s his home, too, and he’s the leader of it. Nor is my job just to raise our children. That, too, is also my husband’s responsibility, since they are his children, and he, too, is commanded in the... Continue Reading
I Don’t Love to Pray, But I Want To
Prayer isn’t always easy (why should it be?).
In the school of prayer, the Bible is our textbook. Our prayers often indicate how long and how deeply we have drunk from the Scriptures. This doesn’t mean that the best prayers are fancy; many of the prayers in the Bible are simple pleas for help (e.g. Neh. 13:22) or outbursts of praise (e.g. Ps. 117), but... Continue Reading
Far as the Curse is Found
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.
Where is the curse found? Everywhere we look, we see the curse and its malignant effects. How far does it extend? To every atom and molecule of creation — from coast to coast, shore to shore, sky to sky, and to every square inch of the planet. That’s how far the curse is found. Most... Continue Reading
When Evil Has Nice Manners
The reality is, evil often appears normal. Evil beliefs and actions often show up alongside “midwestern manners” with a slice of “cherry pie.”
To be sure, it is unsettling to think that the kind kid down the street could become an ISIS radical, or that the boy who sits behind you in church could be visiting neo-Nazi websites, or that the talkative woman you talk to on the subway aids and abets a man in power who preys... Continue Reading