Blessed Are the Pure in Heart, for They Shall See God
Jesus said that those who are pure at their very core are the ones who will see God
“The thing that keeps us from having the vision of God now is our impurity, our sin. John said that when we see Him, we will be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. The question remains as to whether God will glorify us in heaven, allowing us to see Him as... Continue Reading
The Trinity: The Triune God for Exiles
You have a Christian life because of actions taken by God the Holy Trinity
“You have a Christian life because the Father has chosen you for salvation according to his foreknowing love. You have a Christian life because the Spirit has sanctified you, separating you from Satan, sin and the world unto God. You have a Christian life because the Son compels your obedience having purified your conscience by... Continue Reading
Slaves of Christ
Christ purchased believers so that they can no longer claim to be their own
In the Scriptures, the most important example of a slave, however, is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. In Philippians 2:5-8, the Apostle Paul charges believers to have the same “mind” as that of Christ Jesus who, even though He was equal with God, took the form of a bondservant and was obedient to God to... Continue Reading
Don’t Say God Is Silent with Your Bible Closed
When we open the Bible, we find more than 750,000 words breathed out by God himself
Charles Spurgeon said, “No one ever outgrows the Scriptures. The Book widens and deepens with our years.” In my thirty-three years so far on this earth, I have consistently experienced the Bible’s ability to speak the right word, at the right time. “Don’t say God is silent when your Bible is closed.” I don’t... Continue Reading
JAHWEH Your Average Pagan Divinity?
The Bible nowhere presents God as a sexual being.
Sexuality is a human characteristic, designed by God for procreation but also as an embodiment of the differences knit into the created order (land/sea; human/animal; light/dark; male/female, etc.). Just as God is a transcendent Creator, distinct from creation, so creation also reflects distinction—supremely seen in the male/female distinction. Those in the newspaper business do... Continue Reading
Don’t Waste Your Suffering #3
Let me outline some things that can function as idols and intensify our suffering
Our idols from the past and future in particular maim God, chopping off his powerful arms, tearing out his loving heart, silencing his tender words. But worse, in all, we stand at the foot of the cross and look the Father in the eye and say, “It wasn’t enough for you to crucify your Son,... Continue Reading
The Eternal Subordination of the Son: The Need for Trinitarian Clarity (Part 2)
The ERAS/ESS position seems to demand that both Father and Son have different wills
A final crucial point of Trinitarian doctrine that tells against ESS positions is the traditional insistence that the divine persons act inseparably. The acts of God are not subcontracted out to the persons individually. Rather, all of God does all that God does, in an indivisible manner. The Father works through the Son in the... Continue Reading
Are We Living in the Last Days?
I can’t say yes or no. So I will say, “Yes, and I don’t know.”
“When I look at two titans of theology like Martin Luther and Jonathan Edwards and I see them making predictions and voicing their expectations of the near return of Jesus and being wrong, that gives me pause.” We have to be careful not to be guilty of what Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for—what I call... Continue Reading
The Trinity: Praying to the Father through the Son by the Spirit
We come to a heavenly Father through the eternal intercession and heavenly ministry of Jesus Christ, our sympathetic high priest
“In the Covenant of Redemption, the Son voluntarily agreed to become incarnate and undergo the miseries of this life and the excruciating death of the cross and the victorious resurrection from the grave for us. And when he ascended, he entered into the loving heavenly Father’s presence with our (now glorified) human nature where he... Continue Reading
When Jesus Brings a Sword
Every Christian soon finds that the most divisive thing he can do is tell someone else about their sin and their need for a Savior
Christian, you cannot be surprised when you experience division. You don’t need to seek this division or long for it or glory in it, but you do need to expect it. Jesus and his gospel bring division between those who embrace him and those who reject him. As Matthew Henry said, “Christ came to give... Continue Reading