The Pornification of Society
Besides acknowledging the harm that pornography inflicts on the individuals involved, few people consider pornography’s effect on the community.
Compared to pulling out one’s phone and watching titillating videos, taking a person out and having a conversation is difficult and uninteresting. Compared to the easy pleasure of pornography, the lasting pleasure of a happy marriage or even a job well-done is relatively pointless. Compared to the stress-free satisfaction of virtual sex, the hard-won satisfaction... Continue Reading
Just Who Did Isaiah See On The Throne?
How can we not but conclude that Isaiah saw the whole Trinity represented to him in a vision?
Herman Witsius says that “Isaiah saw the whole Trinity, like a king sitting on a throne” and points not only to the more prominent passage of John 12:41, but also points to Acts 28:25-27, where Paul quotes the same prophecy about the hardness of heart from Isaiah 6 and says, “The Holy Spirit was right... Continue Reading
Confessional Discipleship (Part 2)
If we adopt the long–term approach to discipleship, we will be less compelled to rush through the content of what we are teaching.
Christian service will also flow out of Christian discipleship. If we merely program service in the local church, we will end up creating a church full of Martha’s (Luke 10:38–42)—men and women who are torn in every direction and overwhelmed by the desire to serve others. As Burk Parsons has helpfully explained, “Many churches have... Continue Reading
God Speaks, We Respond
Worship is not simply “performing” for God—that actually is what characterizes pagan worship.
Communing with God is like eating with someone around your table in your dining room. In that kind of setting, you can let your guard down; there’s no need for pretense. Dining with someone is an opportunity for you to listen to them, to get to know them, to enjoy their company. It is an... Continue Reading
The Passover’s and Christ’s Exodus
We are beyond the promises, types, and shadows of the Old Testament, standing instead in the fulfillment, antitypes, and substance of the New Testament.
In Christ, the story comes to its climax. The sad and painful story that began in the garden of Eden with sin and exile finds its joyful end in the Son sitting at the right hand of God and waiting for the day that He will return and bring us to the mansions (John 14:1–3) that He... Continue Reading
The Divine Word of God
The Jews were very familiar with the idea of the “word of God” as a personal manifestation of God in his Divine Angel, sent from “the LORD of hosts”
We have seen that Hebrews presents the Bible as God’s powerful Word, but it immediately blurs the distinction between the Bible and God, even the Bible as “the word” and Jesus as “the Word”. There is a Person behind all the ‘words’ of the Bible, who is himself ‘the Word’. They are essentially his ‘words’.... Continue Reading
Why Do We Add To Our Trouble?
We make our way more difficult when we give ourselves over to sin. Every sin is a weight, every vice a heavy load to our souls.
God has called each of his people to run a race, a race that for the great majority of us will be a marathon more than a sprint. This is no small calling, no brief task, no little labor. We run best when we run light, free from the burdens of sin, free from the... Continue Reading
Put to Death What is Earthly in You
Those faux-Christian leaders attempting to widen the narrow gate wider than Christ set it are doing a disservice to those they are misleading.
The words “Put to death” translates the word νεκρώσατε the Aorist, Imperative, Active form of νεκρόω (nekroō) which the KJV renders as “mortify.” This command refers to a conscious effort to put to death the remaining sin in our flesh. Because real Christians have died with Christ, they can get rid of sinful practices. However,... Continue Reading
The Inscripturated & Incarnate Word of God
What is the relationship between the Word of God as found in Scripture and the Word of God who is known as Jesus?
So with both the Scriptures and Jesus being clearly referred to as the Word of God, then what are we to make of their relationship? Let me put it as simply as possible, then give several proper ways to respond. The Scriptures are the Father’s means of the Spirit revealing Jesus to you so you can... Continue Reading
A Theology of Confusion: How Faith Responds When God’s Ways Don’t Make Sense Pt. 2
Every prayer Jesus offers is always heeded by His Father. Every request Jesus makes always comes to fruition.
Confused, yet calm—because our Savior never ceases to intercede on our behalf. Confused, yet calm—because our Lord always asks for what is good and loving. Confused, yet calm—because in the Lord’s wisdom, He sovereignly allows only that which will shine His glory most bright. Confused, yet calm—because our Father’s ways are unsearchable and unfathomable. Confused,... Continue Reading
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