As the Lord has Commanded | Exodus 35-39
While Israelites would have rightly looked on with wonder at the beauty of the tabernacle in their midst, we now set our eyes by faith upon Christ who is altogether lovely.
The major theme in these five chapters, which can be observed by the sheer force of repetition. In 35:1, Moses said, These are the things that the LORD has commanded you to do. In 35:4, he says, This is the thing that the LORD has commanded, and in 35:10, let every skillful craftsman among you come and make... Continue Reading
A Verse for Marriage
Outdo one another in showing honor.
When a man and a wife try to outdo one another in showing honor, the amazing thing is that both end up honored. And this is what the gospel does. The gospel transforms us. It causes us to think less of ourselves and more of others. Jesus says, “the Son of Man came not to... Continue Reading
Could You be Emphasizing the Saving Work of Christ Too Much?
The saving work of Christ is not to be thought of as abstracted from the living person of Christ.
In textbooks, sermons, and classrooms, salvation is often conceived of as the reception of something Christ has acquired for us rather than as the reception of the living Christ. In other words, salvation is described as a gift to be apprehended rather than the apprehension of the Giver himself. To put it yet another way,... Continue Reading
From Deuteronomy to Hebrews: The Promised Land and the Unity of Scripture
Both Moses and Hebrews remind their hearers of the consequences that ensued from that fateful refusal to enter the Land at Kadesh Barnea.[12] Both urge faithful obedience. Both anticipate entrance into the Land.
The way in which the manifold development of the Land promise in the OT foreshadows, pictures, and typifies the ultimate destiny of the people of God provides a rich resource for understanding the purposes of God. Its fulfillment in the New Creation through Christ prevents the “spiritualization” of the ultimate destiny of God’s people. Despite... Continue Reading
3 Opportunities the Trials of Life Bring
Chances are there will be some trial that enters your life today. The question, then, is less about whether it will happen, but how we will view it. Will it be a threat, or an opportunity?
Family, friends, food – these are all good things. And yet they cannot be the ultimate source of our joy. It must go deeper than that, and because of God’s mercy, He has given us the true reservoir or joy. It is in Him. Trials, because of their very nature, threaten our temporal sources of... Continue Reading
God’s Beloved Sun
Enjoying His Pleasure in Creation
God does not simply tolerate creation as if it were an unsavory means to a good end; he takes divine delight in the worlds he has made. His is the pleasure of an Artist, an Architect, an Author, and a Father. And our God is no miser, hoarding his happiness away. The whole point of... Continue Reading
Repeated Sinning and the Hope of Forgiveness
The reality of indwelling sin is something with which every Christian has to grapple throughout life.
The more we are convinced of the truth that the Father has already provided legal forgiveness through the shedding of the blood of the Son, the more readily we will go to him for the paternal forgiveness of our particular sins. The apostle Peter explained that when growth in grace and holiness is lacking in... Continue Reading
The Plot to Queer Evangelical Churches
While evangelical leaders have danced around the issue, a veritable army of trained wolves has been sneaking in among the sheep.
Pastors need to remember that while evangelism is important, it’s not their first responsibility. Their first responsibility is to feed the sheep, to equip the saints. For too many pastors, concern for showing compassion to the lost means they’re not protecting the sheep from false teaching. They are, in fact, starving the sheep to appease... Continue Reading
Reviving a Classical Vision of Pastoral Ministry
Navigating the pastoral life is, as the fathers said, the “art of arts.”
Early Christian pastors dug a deep well of theology to bring forth water for the care of souls, and we can glean many insights from this tradition that will help us deepen our ministry, enrich our theological reflection, and vivify our spiritual communion with God. The Role of a Pastor Early in ministry, Shawn... Continue Reading
No, the American Revision of the Westminster Standards Does Not Undermine Westminster’s Civil Ethics
Answering Kevin DeYoung’s claim that ”the two versions of WCF 23:3 represent two different and irreconcilable views of the civil magistrate.”
If the intention of the American revision was to commend a biblical principle of pluralism, then it seems odd that non-pluralistic (theonomic) principles within the American standards were not reworked along with WCF 23.3. Kevin DeYoung recently wrote that in 1788, American Presbyterians revised chapter 23 of the original Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF)... Continue Reading
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 58
- 59
- 60
- 61
- 62
- …
- 1508
- Next Page »