Why Shouldn’t We Trust the Non-Canonical Gospels Attributed to Matthias?
History records at least one ancient text attributed to Matthias, but is this non-biblical text reliable?
The ancient texts attributed to Matthias were written too late in history to have been written by the man we know as Matthias, and like other late non-canonical texts, these errant document were rejected by the leaders in the early Church. In spite of this, the manuscripts we are about to examine still contain small nuggets... Continue Reading
The End of Forgiveness
Sometimes it’s simply about not trying to exact our own justice.
When we speak of “the end” of something, we are sometimes referring to its goal, or purpose. “The chief end of man,” the Westminster Shorter Catechism informs us, “is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” That is the goal and purpose God had in mind when he created us. Likewise, the goal and... Continue Reading
The Eternal Love of God
God didn’t become loving at the time of creation, for He has always been a God of love.
But before creation or redemption, God was. And God, before creation, knew about the fall, and from all eternity, He had a plan of redemption. And that plan of redemption was born of His triune character such that the work of redemption would be carried out by all three members of the Godhead. So, in... Continue Reading
How Does God See Me?
The only thing that will ever stand before God is the perfect righteousness, holiness and satisfaction of Christ put on my account.
It isn’t how much I loved God in this life. It is how much Jesus loved God. It isn’t how much I desired God or lived a life of Christian hedonism. It is HIS perfect righteousness, faith, and obedience, put on my account. It isn’t how much I persevered or how tightly I held on.... Continue Reading
What the Psalms Teach Us About Giving Thanks
The psalms of thanksgiving are closely tied to another genre, the psalms of lament.
When it comes to giving thanks today, the Psalms show us how thanksgiving is an essential part of our corporate and private worship. These psalms remind us that when God provides for us, answers a prayer, delivers us, we need to return thanks to him. We can be quick to seek his help and cry... Continue Reading
Please Don’t Rob My Assurance
If you tell me I need to add something to get to heaven on top of what Christ has done, I think you're wrong.
This is why the doctrine of imputation is so precious to me. I still remember the day when it clicked as I was raking leaves and listening to R.C. Sproul. A huge weight that I had been carrying for years rolled off my soul. The covenant of works that I had been laboring to fulfill... Continue Reading
A Royal Priesthood, Divinely Identified
God has declared and identified us to be a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, a royal priesthood, a kingdom and priests to our God
I find that many Christians have a similar identity crisis in their spiritual lives. They act like sinners, rather than the saints whom God has justified. They act like orphans, rather than the adopted sons and daughters of God. They act like outsiders, rather than the holy priests that God has called them to be.... Continue Reading
The Stupidity of Sin
Sin makes us stupid.
When we are thinking rationally, we can see the insanity of sin. Why would anyone throw away a livelihood, a family, or a reputation for a 30-minute roll in the hay? What good will it do to seek revenge, and feel satisfied for an afternoon, if it means reaping a whirlwind of consequences for decades?... Continue Reading
Both/And: Free Justification And Gracious Sanctification
Good works are the necessary, (super)natural consequences of God’s saving grace but they are not sanctification itself.
During the Reformation (and after), our critics in Rome and among the Anabaptists agreed that the Reformation message of salvation by grace alone through faith alone must be rejected because it will not produce the desired results. They were quite plain about this. The Reformation churches (Reformed and Lutheran), however, were convinced that sanctity, and... Continue Reading
The Serpent-Conquering Last Adam And True Israel
In that first great prophecy of biblical revelation, God promised to send a Redeemer who would crush the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15).
At the cross, Jesus “crushed the head” of the great Serpent of old, and “disarmed principalities and powers…making a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them” (Col. 2:13-14). The death of Jesus was the exorcism of all exorcisms–namely, the casting out the evil one (John 12:31-33). From the wilderness to the cross, Jesus was showing... Continue Reading