Wordsmithing Versus Reality
Abortion Is a Death, Always, not a Birth
The University of Notre Dame—a “private research university inspired by its Catholic character to be a powerful force for good in the world”—invited an abortion doula to guest lecture. Never mind that doulas usually help women usher their children into the world, now they usher in death. It gets worse. The guest speaker referred to abortion as... Continue Reading
God’s Truth Versus “Your Truth”
These twin lies are the bedrock of the devil’s initial temptation: God is not good, and actually he is not God at all. This is what the devil has done from the beginning, and he has been doing it ever since (John 8:44).
Embracing the truth of God found in Jesus Christ sets us free from ourselves. We are the worst wardens of our soul. We choose paths that are bad for us and hurt us. When we buy the lie of the serpent, and think that God is not good, and that maybe he is not even... Continue Reading
Three Reasons Why the Exclusivity of the Gospel Causes Offense
As we share the exclusive gospel, we proclaim Jesus’ message—not our own.
The exclusivity of the gospel is not a new doctrine created by a modern fanatical sect. From the beginning of the church age, Jesus proclaimed that He is the only way to God (John 14:6), and He gave the authority and the command to share this exclusive gospel with every creature of every nation (Mark... Continue Reading
Self-Forgetfulness
The turn of self-denial is not merely away from yourself, but towards Someone.
When we have genuinely made the turn, we don’t live for ourselves anymore. We live for Christ and the others He loves. Our conversation does not orbit us but Him. Our service is not to help yourself but others (with no thought of ourselves). We enter the blessed, liberating state of self-forgetfulness and find the... Continue Reading
Further Remarks Concerning the Fitness for Office Controversy in the Presbyterian Church in America
It is absolutely essential that we return to a state of affairs in which it is unthinkable that someone who feels a desire to break Lev. 18:22 would ever be a leader among us.
Christ is one, and he alone is righteousness for all who believe in him, irrespective of anything in themselves and irrespective of their place in the church. But office has higher standards than membership, is available only to a select few (Jas. 3:1), and is not meant to glorify the ones who hold it but so that... Continue Reading
The Order of Salvation: Repentance
Conversion to the Christian faith is about a decisive break from a life of sin and turning to God.
A person genuinely converted from darkness to light, from the way of the world to the way of God, from unrighteousness to righteousness, repents and keeps on repenting of their sin. Their life is not marked by perpetual indifference to sin. Our English term conversion is not often used in our translations of the... Continue Reading
Leaking to the Left
When PCA ministers leave, where do they go?
“Isn’t it good that egalitarian or less confessional ministers leave?” We would answer in the affirmative, but we’d also note that the precipitating change in convictions probably didn’t arrive with lightning-bolt speed. The number leaving left suggests that men with egalitarian convictions operated in the PCA for a number of years before departing. When... Continue Reading
Does the Doctrine of Limited Atonement Undermine Evangelism?
The gospel is to be offered to all men—even though we know that not everyone will respond to it.
If we can get past the perceived problems with the doctrine of limited atonement, we can begin to see the glory of it—that the atonement Christ made on the cross was real and effectual. It wasn’t just a hypothetical atonement. It was an actual atonement. A frequently cited objection against the doctrine of limited... Continue Reading
“But I See Four Men”—Daniel 3:1-30
There are times when God rescues us from temporal danger or serious illness. There are other times when he rescues us from these things by allowing us to die. But he always rescues us.
Nebuchadnezzar saw with his own eyes that either the Lord or an angel was present with the faithful servants of YHWH. “But I see four men.” Nebuchadnezzar is right. There is always a fourth man with us. Even if we cannot see his presence. Nebuchadnezzar Makes Good on His Promise After Daniel interpreted the... Continue Reading
An Old Testament Theology of Prosperity
Christ died in order to save us from a much worse fate than poverty and sickness.
Prosperity preachers treat material prosperity as the definitive sign of faith and spiritual growth. Even a glancing look at the Old Testament tells us that one can be well off and far from God; healthy and on their way to hell. The prosperity gospel teaches that God wants his people to be wealthy and... Continue Reading
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