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The previous post in this two-part series began with the problem of spiritual lethargy which led us to the passage in Heb 6:1-12, a passage that is written for the expressed purpose that it would help against spiritually lethargy (v.12). One might raise the question...

"He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor; nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor." Psalm 15:3 Among the many sins for which God is contending with England, and especially with the professors of religion in it, I doubt not but one,...

In the beginning was the Word. Christians rightly cherish the declaration that our Savior, the crucified and resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, is first known as the Word — the one whom the Father has sent to communicate and to accomplish our redemption. We are saved...

For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God. for it is...

Since we completed our discussion of the "Ten Tenets" last month, I thought it might be useful to comment on some of the common objections to a Covenantal approach to apologetics. One of the most common objections against a "Covenantal" (or presuppositional) approach...

Most Christians agree that caring for the poor and marginalized is a central tenet of the gospel. And what better passage to reinforce this principle than Matthew 25:40, where Jesus commands us to care for “the least of these.” Many of us readily assume that “the...

Gnosticism was at the heart of much of the New Testament writers’ objections. At its root, Gnosticism argued that the material world was bad, and the spiritual world, or realm, was good. The majority of Gnostics, then, practiced a mix of asceticism and even...

The Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between...

Martin Luther wasn’t prone to compromise. He famously said in his sermon “Knowledge of God’s Will and Its Fruit”: The world at the present time is sagaciously discussing how to quell the controversy and strife over doctrine and faith, and how to effect a compromise...

WHY MIGHT SPURGEON TEACH US? Throughout the years of my pastoral ministry, I often turned to Charles Spurgeon, and he helped me. But why? That is the first question to consider. What is it about Spurgeon that makes him such a model saint for modern saints? I offer...

What then are these general effects which the Spirit always produces on those who really have Him? What are the marks of His presence in the soul? This is the question which now remains to be considered. Let us try to set down these marks in order. 1. All who have the...

If there were Seven Wonders of the Hebrew Bible, Psalm 119 would top the list. At 176 verses in length, it is the Mt. Everest of the Psalter. If you have ever unwittingly begun reading Psalm 119 and given up part way, don’t feel bad. No one has ever unwittingly...

Does it matter whether the Bible is errant or inerrant, fallible or infallible, inspired or uninspired? What’s all the fuss about the doctrine of inerrancy? Why do Christians debate this issue? What difference does an inerrant Bible make? Before answering that...

1. “Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding” (Proverbs 17:27-28). Restraint in speech, both in content and manner, is a mark of a Christian. How we say something can be as beneficial or harmful as what we say....

How does Christ communicate his benefits to his people, to the church? Does he use means? Mystics deny this; Rome insists that they are essential and tied to the sacramental power of the institutional church’s priesthood. The Reformation adopted a position in between...

What do people mean when they say "cultural engagement?" That phrase is often spurned as if it means thoughtless syncretism between the church and culture. In my reading it rarely means that. It is certainly not what I mean. I am a fan of that three-fold approach to...

Strive for...the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. ~ Hebrews 12:14 This list has been published in a few blogs, notably by Kevin DeYoung at The Gospel Coalition. But it is worth another publishing. Mark Jones brought the list to our attention with his...

a) It is a gracious covenant. The grace consists of the following: (1) that God permits a surety; (2) that the surety is God Himself, so that God in His own person executes the ministry of the covenant; (3) that the fulfillment of the covenant obligation on the side...

Now let’s consider how the rest of Scripture develops the table of nations. The apostle Paul clearly indicates that the dispersion of the nations was God’s plan all along. “And he made from one man, every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having...

The world around us is changing at a velocity unprecedented in human history. But we must realize that while the world seems to be changing almost regularly before our eyes, the task of the ministry remains absolutely the same. The founders of this school were...

I. I AM to speak this afternoon of the Bible, its genesis and its inspiration. The word "Bible" means book, the word "Scripture" means writing, and it is by the common consent of men that these words are applied to this one subject, because it is a Book of books, and...

"Without Faith, it is impossible to please GOD" - Hebrews. 11:6 PREFACE OF all enquiries, which employ the minds of men, I know not any that can be reckoned important, in comparison of that which was once made by a trembling jaylor at Philippi, viz. What Shall I do to...

A few weeks ago, someone asked me, “How can I be a disciple if I must endure highs and lows, faith and doubt, trust and fear? I feel like I must doing something wrong.” If someone had asked me that question a year ago, I would have responded with a solution and a...

Approaching the subject of prayer from the perspective of explanation—what prayer actually is, why prayer exists, and why it is possible at all—is much more encouraging than merely hearing exhortations to pray, because instead of focusing on ourselves, we focus on...

His Love For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 2...

“Deliver me from the oppression of man: so will I keep Thy precepts” (Psa. 119:134) In the former verse the man of God had begged grace with respect to internal enemies—to the bosom enemy, the flesh—that no sin might have dominion over him. Now he begs for deliverance...

Most of us are familiar with politicians who obfuscate simple questions with complex political answers. Who can forget Bill Clinton’s “It depends upon what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is”? Unfortunately, obfuscation exists in the realm of theology as well. God may...

"...in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power....

Those of us who hold to so-called “traditional gender roles” are often assumed to believe that women should submit to men. This isn’t true. Indeed, a primary problem in our culture and in our churches isn’t that women aren’t submissive enough to men, but instead that...

Faithful Bible preaching is not always easy to find. In some churches the Bible is barely opened, much less preached. And even when it is preached, how do we know that what is happening is faithful and helpful by God’s standards? Things like our feelings or filled...

The temptations of Christ are recorded in three out of the four Gospels, so clearly they are meant to highlight a significant component of Jesus’ mission to save. But, despite their prominence in the Gospels, they have been subjected to a range of interpretations –...

We’ve all been there. Maybe even today is one of those days for you. The crazy day. At least spiritually speaking. Hopefully you have your regular routine and go-to “habits of grace,” your own when and where and hows for seeking daily communion with God. Perhaps...

Genesis 2:18-25 is one of the most wonderful–as well as most neglected–portions of Scripture. It contains the first recorded human words spoken: “This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman for she was taken out of man” (Gen. 2:23). No...

Jeff Robinson has started a great series on contentment, but the topic has been on my own heart as well. I’ve been reading Jeremiah Burroughs’ classic book, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, and wanted to share a bit of it here. If you haven’t read this book,...

Do I have what it takes? It’s a question that all of us have asked ourselves. Some of you ask it every day. Do I have what it takes to succeed in this life? What if I don’t? What would they say about me? The pressure of the question can be so great that some of us are...

Some Christians have become so allergic to work or effort that they blanch at the prospect of practice, virtually cursing any kind of effort as a legalistic bogeyman of some sort. However, it’s no mistake that the competitors for this year’s Super Bowl practice—a lot....

HOSTILE TO GOD Romans 8: 7 is simple and stark: “The sinful mind is hostile to God .” The mind is not neutral ground, and cannot love one preoccupation without rejecting the other. A mind “that is set on the flesh” (ESV translation) must also be treating God and the...

The danger of the cult of personality has ever been with us. Paul warned the Corinthian church: I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind...

SECTION I.—THE LAW OP GOD. As preliminary to a treatment of man's state of apostasy, it becomes necessary to consider the nature of that law of God, the transgression of which is sin. We may best approach the subject by inquiring what is the true conception of I. Law...

Yesterday, as I was reading through portions of Martin Luther’s commentary on Galatians, I came across the following: “Christ took upon Himself our sins, not by constraint, but of His own good will, in order to bear the punishment and wrath of God: not for the sake of...

The first transgression of man had the following results: 1. The immediate concomitant of the first sin, and therefore hardly a result of it in the strict sense of the word, was the total depravity of human nature. The contagion of his sin at once spread through the...

The Father spoke in the Son to create the world, and yet it was the Spirit who brought about within the unformed cosmos and thus created that ordered realm of which they spoke. Even in common grace, as Calvin noted, wherever goodness, truth, and beauty flourish in...

QUESTION XXVIII. What are the punishments of sin in this world? ANSWER. The punishments of sin in this world, are either inward, as blindness of mind, a reprobate sense, strong delusions, hardness of heart, horror of conscience, and vile affections; or outward, as the...

Romans. 16:27.—To God only wise be glory, through Jesus Christ, for ever. Amen. THIS chapter being the last of this Epistle, is chiefly made up of charitable and friendly salutations and commendations of particular persons, according to the earliness and strength of...

The Fall affirms that humanity now experiences the universe, in the oft repeated phrase, ‘not as God made it but as sin marred it.’ The disobedience of Adam and Eve, described in Genesis 3, was a violation of God’s law and, therefore, rebellion against his sovereign...

At the outset of the biblical record, two trees stood at the center of the God’s covenantal dealing with man–the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. Far from being mythological concepts, these trees were–in a very real sense–just like any...

Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.—Gal. 5:16. THE case of conscience to be discussed this morning, from these words, is, How a Christian may be able to check sin in the first risings of it. "And without controversy great is this mystery...

As believers in the one true God, we know that idolatry is wrong. We know God hates it. We know first two of the Ten Commandments explicitly demand exclusive worship of the one true God. We even know that idolatry is not merely worshiping a false god, but even...

In the beginning was work. God orchestrates the ordering of the world and crowns His work by breathing life into dust. “[T]he Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature” (Gen...

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the Law and the Prophets.— Matthew 7:12. THESE words being brought in by way of inference from something said before, we must look back a little, to find out the...

Let me start by saying that it’s not wrong for a new believer to be immature any more than it’s wrong for a child to be childish. Puerility is only annoying in an adult. When a four year old dons a cape and wears his underwear over his pants, claiming x-ray vision...

But Christ is all, and in all. — Colossians 3:11 THE great concernment of lost creatures is, above all things, to mind salvation. This is "the one thing needful;" this should be the great inquiry; (Luke 10:42; Acts 16:30;) and in the neglect of this, all our other...

Charles Simeon (1759–1836) is one of the towering evangelical preachers in the history of Anglican preaching. He stands as an inspiration to many contemporary evangelical preachers first of all because of his exemplary life as a preacher and mentor of preachers....

For some reason – possibly Superbowl Sunday – the past few weeks have seen a flurry of articles relating to the Sabbath being published online. As pastors across the US braced themselves for a major drop in attendance at their evening service [if they actually had...

“Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?” — Luke 24:26 Let us here see the evil of sin. Nothing more fit to shew the baseness of sin, and the greatness of the misery by it, than the satisfaction due for it; as the greatness of a...

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned (Romans 5:12). Many people are fascinated with their family trees. There are hundreds of websites, and an active department in the...

The preceding discussion has made clear how much the new life is a work of God. This life finds its origin in the death and resurrection of Christ, comes into being through the Holy Spirit, and in its realization in the individual man is new creation, regeneration,...

Christocentric expository preaching is more than pinning John 3:16 to the tail of the sermon. It is also more than a weekly theological treatise that speaks eloquently of the glories of Jesus Christ but lacks exegetical support rooted in a particular text of...

For this cause many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. — 1 COR. 11:30–32. AFTER blessed St Paul...

Throughout many years of ministry, Kent Hughes has been known as a faithful and accurate interpreter of the Word of God, both in his pulpit ministry week after week at College Church in Wheaton and in his numerous publications. In fact, I would point to Kent as...

When we think about parenting, the word “books” probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But reading to our children is a fundamental aspect of parenting little people, though we rarely talk about it in the context of raising children. Most of us are already...

If you were to ask the average Christian, “How can you become more self-controlled, more upright—essentially, more in line with God’s will?” what would the answer be? Greater will power, perhaps. Or maybe more theological knowledge. Having accountability partners....

For this cause many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged,'— 1 COR. 11:30-31. I intend at this time especially to stand upon the duty of judging, as being fittest for the occasion.* But yet, by God's...

“I’ve been a Southern Baptist all of my life but I’ve never heard these things. Why didn’t they teach this to me?” The question struck a nerve. I had just finished an hour-long discussion with several people, including the lady who asked the question. We had talked...

In 2 Corinthians 1, Paul is defending himself against the accusations of the false apostles, who were taking every possible opportunity to bring reproach upon Paul and his ministry in the eyes of the Corinthians. In what was actually a desire to be loving and...

Throughout the history of the church countless gallons of ink have been spilt trying to expound on the issue of ‘the Law’ in Scripture. In general when theologians, especially in Reformed circles, speak of ‘the Law’ they are speaking of the commands of God that reveal...

Does it matter whether or not the Exodus of Moses actually took place? In a recent screed in Newsweek, Kurt Eichenwald mocked the historicity of the Bible, questioning whether or not it was even possible to understand Scripture’s meaning at all. Rebuttals to the piece...

He was a Cambridge educated pastor of a Congregationalist church near Boston for more than fifty years. But he is remembered primarily for his cross-cultural missions. John Eliot (1604–1690) ventured “outside the camp” (Hebrews 13:13) to minister among the Algonquin...

What’s more dangerous to the human soul — money or theology? Money is the easy answer. Paul warns us, “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1...

How can you tell whether you’re a genuine believer or a false professor? One of the best books describing the true nature of conversion is The Christian’s Great Interest by William Guthrie. The great Puritan theologian, John Owen, highly commended it and wrote, “The...

Men, if we are going to make, mature, and multiply disciples of Jesus Christ then we must equip our soldiers with appropriate tools to do battle. Soldiers who are unequipped or even ill-equipped with no tools, or faulty tools, will do great harm to themselves and...

Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever....

Looking unto Jesus — Hebrews 12:2 The most excellent subject to discourse or write of is Jesus Christ. Augustine,1 having read Cicero’s works, commended them for their eloquence; but he passed this sentence upon them: “They are not sweet because the name of Jesus is...

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us!" Romans 8:18 The mortification of sin—proves that we have the life of God; the life of God—proves that we are the children of God; being...

"Come to Me, all of you who are weary and heavy burdened—and I will give you rest!" - Matthew 11:28 The learned have a variety of arguments whereby to prove the Scripture to be the Word of God. But though that kind of proof, which may be brought in a way of reasoning...

There is hardly a more popular genre of religious literature today than that of Near Death Experience (NDEs). I often tell people that if they want to become a millionaire, all they have to do is die, come back to life, and then write about what they saw (if Kiefer...

There is a speech in the 2nd act of Shakespeare’s Hamlet in which Shakespeare puts into the mouth of Hamlet a description of man that is matched in greatness only by the words of Psalm 8. He asked: What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in...

These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. (Colossians 2:17) For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually...

What qualities does God want us to develop in our children? No need to guess. Scripture tells us specifically: “And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to have mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:9). These three requirements are a basis...

Alan Jacobs, in his delightful little book entitled The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011), challenges the notion that reading good literature improves a person’s character. He quotes the eighteenth-century scientist...

Preaching can be deceptive. It can seem all so normal to those of us who attend church services every weekends. It’s easy to be distracted by the personality of the preacher and the regularity of the practice, and neglect what remarkable things God stands ready to...

“When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments” (2 Timothy 4:13). Paul is old. He’s locked up, but he still asks Timothy for books and paper. He’s committed to reading and writing even in his advanced...

Teaching your kids can feel daunting. But teaching your kids theology can feel downright terrifying. Some feel overwhelmed with time issues. They just don’t see how they can fit something else into their day. Others may not feel as if they have adequate theological...

Conflicts often have roots that go deep into history. If you read the headlines about wars, battles, and conflicts taking place on any given day, you’ll find that those events rarely materialize out of nothing. Sometimes the origins of conflicts go back centuries or...

In the beginning, God created Adam to be a loving son, and love is always shown by obedience (cf. John 15:10, 14). Adam failed to render loving obedience, and in due time, God raised up Abraham and Israel to live as his obedient sons, but they too failed. So, ‘in the...

"Remember Lot's wife!" Luke 17:32 There are few warnings in Scripture more solemn than that which heads this page. The Lord Jesus Christ says to us, "Remember Lot's wife." Lot's wife was a professor of religion; her husband was a "righteous man" (2 Peter 2:8). She...

THE TERMS OBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE are frequently used in discussions of the ordo salutis, the application of redemption. In one sense all these blessings are subjective, because they are given to each individual believer and they have major implications for our...

The God who divided the light from darkness, evening from the morning, the waters under the heavens from those above, the dry land from the sea, different kinds of fish, birds and animals from one another and the animals from man at creation is the God who separated...

Neither Luther nor Zwingli devoted much attention to the doctrine of the Trinity. Both accepted the orthodox formulations of the oneness and threeness of God developed by the early councils, but neither felt compelled to elaborate on this teaching. At the beginning of...

In today’s culture of raising children by only positive reinforcement (everyone gets a trophy); how do we reconcile the discipline of a child and Biblical truth? As a parent, I like to go to the book of Proverbs; it’s known as wisdom literature. This wisdom is not...

AFTER HAVING DESCRIBED THE NATURE OF SIN AND ITS RADICAL AND PERVASIVE effects upon the race, it is still necessary to discuss the bondage of the will. At that point the sharpest disagreements come and the results of sin are most clearly exposed. Luther recognized the...

So much of Redemption: The application of the same Redemption follows. 1. This Application is that by which all those things which Christ has done, and does as Mediator, are made actually effectual in some certain Men. 2. This application by a special appropriation is...

I never had the chance to meet him in person, but I have become an ardent admirer of Carl F. H. Henry. And while I have come to appreciate his brilliance as a Christian thinker, I am always struck by his humility. Don’t get me wrong, Henry was not reluctant to call a...

Introduction: The book of Ruth seems like a quaint little story, off by the side of the road, but it is actually a crucial part of the story of the coming Messiah. The fact that these events were recorded long before the arrival of David shows the sense of expectancy...

John Davenant Recently there has been quite a bit of interest in the variety of views held by Reformed Theologians within the parameters of confessional orthodoxy. For example, it is argued the view that is described as ‘Amyraldian’ or ‘hypothetical universalist’ is...

NAHUM 1:3 — The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. THE subject of this prophecy is God’s sentence against Nineveh, the head...

There is something noble about being a gentleman. A man who sits upright, stands straight, walks with poise, speaks correctly, thinks deeply, and with strong meekness cares for others more than himself — especially those of the fairer sex — such a man is to be lauded...

It’s a new year and a new day. Why not begin with a fresh start on life? As I journey through the Psalms, I truly enjoy reading and being a part of them. There is such peace, rest, and quite a bit of edification in allowing the Word to speak to your heart. I find that...

If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill. Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy! (Psalm 137:5–6) Every Christian wants a deeper life of prayer in this new year. Who,...

1) A right heart is a NEW heart (Ezek. 36:26). It is not the heart with which a person is born—but another heart put in them by the Holy Spirit. It is a heart which has new tastes, new joys, new sorrows, new desires, new hopes, new fears, new likes, new dislikes. It...

We sat in stunned incredulity at the dinner table as the two words that our 10-year-old son had just uttered hung in the air like that stale fried food smell in a Southern luncheonette. Did my sweet little boy just answer his mother’s inquiry—“Would you like another...

Genesis 25-26 After the death of Sarah, Abraham took another wife named Keturah. She bore him 6 sons. Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac as well as providing gifts to the sons of the concubines Abraham had, sending those individuals away to the East so as not to be...

The fallen world in which we live rests on the foundations of a creation that was good. Yet, it had scarcely been created before sin crept into it. The origin of sin is a mystery; it is not from God, and at the same time it is not excluded from his counsel. God...

EXODUS 15:11. — Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? THIS verse is one of the loftiest descriptions of the majesty and excellency of God in the whole Scripture. It is a part of Moses’...

Notice also what is happening in this process in which the Scribes seek to negotiate the value of words with Jesus. They try to buttress their words with authority greater than their own character. The reason for this is because their character was contradictory or...

Psalm 19 has been on the Top 40 charts for a couple thousand years. Understandably. It’s a classic. It’s short, but loaded with theological goodies (vv. 1-2, 13), great imagery (vv. 4-6), and zippy one-liners (vv. 9b-10, 14). But if you’re like me, you breeze past...

What you believe makes a big difference in your Christian life. Even if the categories of formal theology seem remote and unfamiliar, you have a theology. Everything you think about God, Jesus, law, sin, salvation, holiness, the Spirit, the church, human nature, life,...

Academicians have a commitment to the truth. After all, the point of being a member of the "academy" is having opinions and research validated through the work of similarly qualified and committed researchers and thinkers. The presumption is that the corporate...

Good leadership requires clear communication. Can you imagine a general leading his troops into battle and not giving them clear marching orders? Or the plan of attack? Or intel that would help them be successful completing their mission? When Jesus ascends to reign...

In Scripture God’s name is his self-revelation. Only God can name himself; his name is identical with the perfections he exhibits in and to the world. He makes himself known to his people by his proper names; to Israel as yhwh, to the Christian church as Father. God’s...

For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. Romans 5:6 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him. John 6.44 We have now had a view of the total corruption of man’s nature, and that load of wrath which lies...

The Word Fear Defined Fear is either expressive of reverence or terror. Fear as terror is generally expressed by the Hebrew words magor, and pacadh, and by the Greek word phobos. Fear as being reverence is denominated in Hebrew as yirah, and in Greek as eulabeia....

Recently, after our family had completed its daily devotional time together, my oldest son asked me a very insightful question: How do the Ten Commandments apply to us today if they were given so long ago in the Old Testament? It is a basic theological question that...

Job 17-20 Job continues to tire of his friend’s advice or more appropriately lack of cogent advice. In Job’s mind, he has become something for people to come gave at, a laughingstock of the community of sorts. Job believes he is righteous, not perfect, but righteous...

Is Jesus really God? There are many cults and false religions today that deny it. What is the truth about Jesus Christ? We turn to the Scriptures for the answer. Is Jesus really God? There are many cults and false religions today that deny it. The Jehovah’s Witnesses,...

It’s presumptuous for a man to suggest that he knows the best method for everyone to read the Bible. But I’m going to tell you the way that I best read the Bible . . . and why it works so well for me. I’ve been a Bible reader for many years and the plans I’ve followed...

Before getting into the thicket, let me briefly define my terms and say a few preliminary things about my concerns. First, by BioLogos I mean this particular project as an attempt to harmonize biological evolution and Christian faith. Second, while I believe that this...

My husband, Darrin, and I are a classic case of opposites attracting. We are aligned in our faith and core values and in our commitment to and love for each other and our children. We have some common interests, and our life together includes a lot of fun and...

To inspire their flock about their daily work, congregational leaders need to start with the vital truth that work preceded the fall. This truth is foundational for faithful vocational stewardship. Work is not a result of humankind’s fall into sin. Work is central in...

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and...

One question that has long plagued Christians about the nature of Jesus’ saving work is that which concerns the meaning of the phrase, “He descended into hell”–as found in the Apostle’s Creed. Are we to understand this phrase to mean that the Scriptures teaches us...

Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake. Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week. 1....

When you set out to know someone, you usually want to know where they came from and what they are like. Such information is far from trivial. Instead it becomes the blood that pulses through the heart of the relationship. When we ask the typical “get-to-know-someone”...

It’s surprising how loud silence can be. Especially when you’re not used to it. That’s my experience each winter, sitting there in the deer stand, the only manmade structure in sight. I am alone in the woods, it is silent — but for the whipping of the frigid Minnesota...

Newsweek magazine decided to greet the start of 2015 with a massive cover story on the Bible. For decades now, major news magazines have tended to feature cover articles timed for Christmas and Easter, taking an opportunity to consider some major question about...

I was reading recently some of Ludwig Ott’s Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, because I seek to understand other theological traditions (in this case, Roman Catholic) from their own primary sources and best teachers. In the section on the nature of the authority of the...

Introduction John Newton was born July 24, 1725 in London to a godly mother and an irreligious, sea-faring father. His mother died when he was six. Left mainly to himself, Newton became a debauched sailor—a miserable outcast on the coast of West Africa for two years;...

Last week, I made the point that Christian leadership is never timeless. Instead, it is a timely application of God-given wisdom regarding specific decisions that must be made in particular moments in time. We looked briefly at four spheres in which Christian leaders...

Sometimes it’s helpful to state the obvious—to step back and remind ourselves of the forest so that we don’t get lost in all the trees. Within academia, hyper-specialization and the tyranny of the pedantic often obscure the obvious; within our everyday life, routine...

Over the years, churches and councils have developed catechisms and creeds to summarize the key doctrines of the Christian faith. Many of these affirmations of truth show clearly how the church has traditionally viewed Scripture and its authority. As American churches...

At this stage in our study of the Sermon on the Mount, we are analyzing six illustrations of Jesus’ main principle asserted in Matthew 5:17-20. Remember his principle and posture toward the law: “I have not come to overturn the Law of God, but to fulfill it.” However,...

It is easy to overlook those moments in the Gospels when Jesus withdraws from others. They come across as pauses, a rest between miracles, parables, and edifying encounters such as that with the rich young man. The work of Jesus’s ministry takes place amid others, and...

The English language is one of, if not the most, complicated languages in the world, but not because there is a word for every emotion or feeling. Our language tends to do an injustice to words derived from other ancient or historic languages. We suffer from this...

There is an abiding perception in the Christian world that Reformed folks do not talk much about the Holy Spirit. If you want to be in a church where the Holy Spirit plays a key role, so it is argued, then you will need to go in a charismatic or pentecostal direction....

Many Bible readers are tempted to just skip over the long lists of names that sometimes seem to interrupt the narrative of Scripture. These genealogies appear often in Genesis, Chronicles, and other places in the Old Testament. Matthew and Luke both have a genealogy...

Pastors sometimes say stupid things. Sometimes those stupid things are catchy and wind up being repeated by many other pastors. One of the more preposterous pithy statements I have heard many preachers say is, “Sheep are dumb.” They say this as shepherds and are...

JOHN 4:24. — God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. THE words are part of the dialogue between our Saviour and the Samaritan woman. Christ, intending to return from Judea to Galilee, passed through the country of Samaria, a...

The apostle Paul instructed the young preacher Timothy to give himself to reading. In the ancient world, reading was normally done aloud, and it was often a public activity. Books were scarce, and if you were going to read aloud anyway, why shouldn’t others benefit...

JEREMIAH 23:24. — Can any hide himself in secret places, that I shall not see him! saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord. THE occasion of this discourse begins ver. 16, where God admonisheth the people, not to hearken to the words of the false...

Q-II: WHAT RULE HAS GOD GIVEN TO DIRECT US HOW WE MAY GLORIFY AND ENJOY HIM? A: The Word of God, which is contained in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him. 2 Tim 3: I6. 'All Scripture is given by...

PSALM 103:19. — The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens: and his kingdom ruleth over all. THE Psalm begins with the praise of God, wherein the penman excites his soul to a right and elevated management of so great a duty (ver. 1): “Bless the Lord, O my soul:...

Introduction The Triune God produces all things in creation and new creation by his Word and Spirit. All things thus speak to us of God. God’s call as law comes to all people in nature, in history, and in a variety of experiences. While insufficient unto salvation,...

Wisdom does not come automatically with age (Job 32:8–9). You’ll find plenty of foolish old fogies out there. For many aged saints, gray hair and a good head go hand in hand. But for others, far too many others, length of life only entrenches stubbornness,...

As a reminder of where we've been thus far, it might be helpful to list the Ten Tenets again. The Ten Tenets are these: 1. The faith that we are defending must begin with, and necessarily include, the Triune God -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit -- who, as God,...

6 Things Christ Accomplished by His Death - "Two implications. First, this is very humbling. Second, “Greater love has no one than this, than he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13)." Moses Without the Supernatural — Ridley Scott’s “Exodus: Gods and Kings”...

In recent years, many Christians have become increasingly familiar with Jonathan Edwards. As a result, many know that in addition to Edwards’ many theological masterpieces (like The End for Which God Created the World, The Freedom of the Will, and Original Sin), he...

Humanity Participates in Divinity - "Participation in Christ is to enjoy all that Christ enjoyed, for comfort, for communion, and for warfare. He is the source and pattern for all human participation in the divine nature. The mystery of the Incarnation has been...

Theology is like an electric drill. The motor that runs theology is the Bible, the principium (the first principle). It underlies all the theological disciplines, just as the motor runs the drill. In considering a drill, nothing at all will work without the motor. In...

My friend and I were hanging out one morning, having coffee and reading. He mentioned an article that I should read, and I mentioned an excellent quote I found from a dead guy. Then out of the clear blue sky he leans over and says, “If you’re not going to church to...

Reflections on Christian Publishing - "Truly Christian writing is an act of love: serving others with what they need most, as Christ has served us with what we need most. When an author driven by love partners with a publisher driven by love, that project will have...

There were two things that always confused me as a boy–the existence of the op-ed and of the popularity of Tabloid Magazines. Herbert Swope, the innovator of the op-ed, suggested that its purpose was to “print opinions, ignoring facts.” The op-ed gives anyone a voice,...

What Does the Bible Teach About the Incarnation? - "By becoming a man, God demonstrated that He was interested in mankind through His own willingness to step into our time and space and die for our sins. So when we consider the doctrine of Incarnation, let us worship...

Understanding the Gospel: Justification - "The Protestant Reformation was mainly over the nature of justification, and still today it is a dividing line between true and false gospels. As Christians, a better and more complete understanding of justification will help...

The greatness of God is most clearly displayed in his Son. And the glory of the gospel is only made evident in his Son. That’s why Jesus’ question to his disciples is so important: “Who do you say that I am?” The question is doubly crucial in our day because not every...

The Centrality of the Cross - "Any gospel that talks merely of the Christ-event, meaning the Incarnation without the atonement, is a false gospel. Any gospel that speaks about the love of God without pointing out that His love led Him to pay the ultimate price for sin...

On March 15, 44 BC (Ides of March), deception came to Julius Caesar, who was literally stabbed in the back, while he pronounced the now famous words to his friend, “Et tu, Brute”? (meaning, “And you,” or “You too, Brutus?”). Have you ever felt betrayed by a close...

Three Critical Truths about Incarnation - "The Incarnation — Jesus taking on a fully human state—shows us that God has not abandoned us, but rather loves and values us, even in our fallen state." How Do You Sleep? - "As Christians I don’t think we give sleep much...

I grew up in the south, where “separation of church and state” was understood as something akin to confessional allegiance to the emperor Nero. My southern, conservative, Christian community battled local school administrators over prayer at football games, 10...

Christ’s Humanity is the Shape of our Salvation - "What sweetness there is in tasting with your soul the bitter crushing of the Son! Christ the God-Man continues His High Priestly work, as He heals bruised reeds and mends ruined hearts. The Son has crossed an infinite...

Among those that entertain thoughts of religion there ever have been and will be many contests who are the true church and people of God. The lazy place their plea and claim in external observations; the serious look to the vitals and heart of religion, and cannot...

For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in God-given simplicity and sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you. For we write nothing else to you than...

Pride, Despair, and Sovereign Grace - "The Father elects, searches out, and draws. The Son attracts and secures. In his death and resurrection, Christ acts on behalf of the elect, not only to secure their redemption (definite atonement), but to draw them into his...

Properly conceived as grounded in God’s own kingship, the Great Commission begins before humanity’s fall away from communion with God. On the sixth day, man was commissioned by God to fill and subdue the earth, and to rule over the creatures (Gen. 1:27). Accordingly,...

Where is He Now? Christ and His Session - "The Session of Christ is the divine combination of supremacy, glory, and authority of both the person and the office. Christ is not only given but is made proficient to wield the highest level of power and honor." What Does...

What do men need for there to be real and lasting change in their lives? What is the secret to real manhood? What does it take for a young man to stop living foolishly, to start thinking maturely and to seek the Lord? What does it take for a husband to start loving...

You’ve heard the pitch for Scripture memory a thousand times. You’re persuaded the benefits would be incalculable, and that there may be no better use of your time than to hide God’s word in your heart and store it away for future use. But you’ve tried your hand at it...

Three Critical Truths about Redemption - “Redemption” is a rich word and perhaps somewhat unique among the great gospel words in our theological vocabulary, in that it’s a word that easily resonates with unbelievers." An Easy, Low-key, Non-threatening Way To Share The...

It’s been just over eight months since my husband and I brought our sweet baby boy home from the hospital. Memories of what life was like before his arrival are faint. We can’t imagine our day-to-day without his crinkled-nose smiles or his excited shrieks of delight....

How Can Jesus be God and Man? (Part 3) - "The relevance of these truths to us should go without saying. For they go to the very heart of who Christ is. Knowing these truths will greatly affect the way you view Christ and will make the Gospel accounts of His life come...

Psalm 119 is the longest poem in the Bible. It is the longest prayer in the Bible. It is the longest acrostic in the Bible. It is the longest chapter in the Bible. It stands at the center of the Bible, and it is about the Bible. The longest Psalm is a psalm about...

How Can Jesus be God and Man? (Part 2) - "Having seen the biblical basis that Jesus is both God and man, the second truth that we must recognize is that each of Christ’s natures is full and complete. In other words, Jesus is fully God and fully man. Another helpful...

How Can Jesus be God and Man? (Part 1) - "Equally amazing to the doctrine of the Trinity is the doctrine of the Incarnation–that Jesus Christ is God and man, yet one person, forever. As J.I. Packer has said: “Here are two mysteries for the price of one – the plurality...

To contemplate all the privileges of communion with Christ would be, Owen says, “work for a man’s whole life.” Yet these are all summed up in what he regards as “the head, the spring, and fountain whence they all arise and flow.” This—the highest privilege of all—is...

Is Gospel-Centeredness Spiritually Dangerous - "What matters is not our label, but that our theology produce in us humility, love for Jesus, and the “wisdom from above” that is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits,...

Do we always have to fight to be faithful? There are four basic responses available to Christians and churches in the face of cultural opposition. We can lie down and so surrender our stand and our faith. We can lean into the opposition by being vocal about our...

Inerrancy, Church History and the Word of God - "The Word of God is the means God uses by His Spirit to pierce the heart of the convinced atheist, rejecters like Judas, and deniers like Peter. Evangelicals today need to stand firm in the grace of God and the Word by...

Charles Taylor describes our secular age as “the age of authenticity,” a description that could easily fit the dominant narrative of most Disney films. Watch how he defines the phrase: I mean the understanding of life which emerges with the Romantic expressivism of...

Liberalism, the Church and Inerrancy - "Jesus Christ is the Truth, and as such only His Word which is sharper than any two edged sword can piece through the fog by revealing the foolishness of man’s sin and rebellion against God. Jesus Christ is the ultimate answer...

One of the most important verses in all of Scripture regarding the uncertainty of human success and achievement is Ecclesiastes 9:11. There we read, “the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor...

Servants of Grace Apologetics wants to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving. Give thanks today for the blessings God has given and remember to pray and reach out to those in need.

Matthew 11:16-19 - But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented... Subject:...

6 Reasons Why You Should Write In Your Bible - "Some folks don’t write in their Bible because they feel weird about it — don’t worry; you aren’t defacing or treating the Bible as common. No way. Writing in your Bible provides handles to help you navigate the Word and...

In our previous study, we examined Jesus’ first example of how the Pharisees had distorted the Law and how Jesus actually was in harmony with it. This first example was from the 6th Commandment, which negatively states “Thou shalt not murder.” We saw the positive side...

The mood in Ferguson, Missouri, is tense, after a grand jury decided against indicting a police officer for the killing of unarmed African-American teenager Michael Brown. The tension ought to remind us, as the church, that we are living in a time in which racial...

Spurgeon, Inerrancy, and What We Still Need Today - "The Word of God is the means God uses by His Spirit to pierce the heart of the convinced atheist, rejecters like Judas, and deniers like Peter. Evangelicals today need to stand firm in the grace of God and the Word...

A truly humble man is sensible of the small extent of his own knowledge, and the great extent of his ignorance, and of the small extent of his understanding as compared with the understanding of God. He is sensible of his weakness. How little his strength is, and how...

Five Truths About Why Inerrancy Matters - "Inspiration, like its sister doctrine, inerrancy, is not something invented by theologians and forced on the Church—the arguments for them arise from the Bible and are based upon the internal consistency of the Bible. And...

Obscenities and Harsh Words in Our Common Life Obscenities, insults, slurs, and other harsh words are a bitter part of our common life together. Unfortunately, we cannot escape them. They are everywhere. We hear them on television, in movies, at grocery stores and...

Worship Is an Act of Reversal - "We gather to pray and commune and proclaim and teach and sing to stir our hearts to stop hoping and clinging to what’s transient, and to deepen our love for him and strengthen our bond as brothers and sisters. We gather to fight for...

Many of us have joyfully welcomed the renaissance of Christ-centered preaching that churches in North America have undergone in recent decades. For some it has been an old practice to saturate their ministry with the person and work of the Savior. For others it is a...

Mom Enough (New Book) - "Mom Enough: The Fearless Mother’s Heart and Hope, is a rich collection of gospel truth from Rachel Jankovic, Gloria Furman, Rachel Pieh Jones, Christine Hoover, Carolyn McCulley, Trillia Newbell, and Christina Fox." Download it for free....

Hope in His Word - "Banquet your faith upon God’s own word, and whatever your fears or wants, repair to the Bank of Faith with your Father’s note of hand, saying with the Psalmist, "Remember the word unto Thy servant, upon which Thou hast caused me to hope." Who Do...

When we consider the predicament that the evangelical church of the twenty-first century faces in America, the first thing we need to understand is the very designation “evangelical church” is itself a redundancy. If a church is not evangelical, it is not an authentic...

Exegetical Analysis of 2 Timothy 2:15 - "It is our duty as believers to be diligent, to present ourselves approved to God, to be a workman, a laborer for truth, to be a people who are able to wield the sword of truth in an accurate manner. This is the calling of every...

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid: and the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the...

8 Tips for Better Bible Teaching - Matthew Fretwell shares 8 tips for better Bible teaching. 8 Tips for Better Bible Teaching - "The center of lifelong learning for the Christian is knowing God himself in Christ through the gospel word and the written word of the...

A simple and brief story, usually allegorical, that primarily serves to teach and only secondarily to entertain. Parable is a major — and often misunderstood — biblical genre. Although there was an era in which biblical scholars claimed that the parables are not...

Applying God’s Word - Benefits and Methods - "God calls His people throughout the Scriptures to develop the practice of dwelling on Him in our thoughts. When you consider what the Scriptures say about meditation and when you weight the testimonies of some of the most...

Parenting is inescapably the work of waiting. As a parent, especially to young children, you are constantly devoting your time and energy into something that doesn’t produce immediate results. It is unclear, at a hundred different turns, whether what you’re doing will...

A Romantic View of Ministry - "Many mistakenly convince themselves that they will find fulfillment in the ministry, rather than in Christ. It only takes a few years on the front line as a senior or solo pastor to get rid of such notions. When the trials and challenges...

How NOT to Read the News - "Still, followers of Christ need to think through how they process the news, particularly how we react to the headlines that come across our screens every day." Albert Mohler Comments on KBC Decision to Oust Church - "The KBC moved to...

Providence is so sixteenth century. We seem to have moved past needing to talk about God’s providence—we’re quite sophisticated these days. By ‘we’, I mean especially our modern, western, secular society, but also the church within it. We no longer tend to think of...

Four Dangers for Complementarians - "Of course, many people will disagree with complementarianism—often quite vehemently—no matter what we say or do. But the truth is offensive enough without our help. We don’t need to add to its offense with our own faults and...

There is no small disagreement among theologians over the issue of Adam and the Tree of Life. Some have supposed that Adam was eating from the Tree of Life prior to his disobedience in relation to the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. For instance,...

The Benefits and Methods of Meditation - "When meditating on Scripture take your time. Read less if necessary. Although many Christians need to find the time to increase their Bible reading, there may be some who are spending all the time they can or should be reading...

Both Martin Luther and John Calvin spoke often of their view of Scripture. Luther’s understanding of biblical inerrancy, like his predecessors (in the early church and middle ages), grew from his belief in the divine inspiration of Scripture. As Lutheran historian...

Ways to Begin Wielding the Word of God - "Our determination, self-will, and stick-to-it-iveness will not stand against Satan’s attacks – we need the the sword of the Spirit. Don’t bring a pool-noodle to a sword fight. The Bible is reverberating with the power of God....

John 6:68-69 — "Simon Peter answered him, Lord to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we have believed and know that Thou art the Holy One of God." The first impression made on us by this response of Peter's to our Lord's pathetic appeal,...

Memorizing and Meditating on God’s Word - "When memorizing Scripture do not lower your standard of getting a few words right. Make sure you are memorizing every word and can recite it word for word. Memorize it word for word and learn the reference, too. Without an...

Many men approach preaching Christ from the Old Testament with a sense that it is difficult, unnatural, complicated, and a matter of learning and applying very rigid, technical rules. The results are predictably disappointing. But why do men feel like this? Perhaps,...

Happy Veteran's Day A Few Practical Tips To Improve Your Study of God’s Word - "Whatever way you choose, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness by committing to at least one way of improving your intake of God’s Word. Those who use their Bibles little are...

If you’re anything like me, you know that you have to be intentional about learning how to rest. It’s hard for some of us to downshift. Some have a bent toward laziness and others a tendency to overwork. Phil Ryken has made the helpful observation that busyness stems...

Hearing and Reading God’s Word - "The spiritual disciplines are scriptural paths where we encounter the transforming grace of God. The most critical discipline is one’s intake of Scripture. The primary reason why people don’t read the Bible is because they don’t...

People who have an excellent understanding of the Scriptures really impress me. If there's one thing I detest, besides Manchester United, it's Bible studies or theological discussions where the Scriptures function like the crumbs in a bag of chips: you get to them...

Manhood & Theology: The Cross - "As men, we all wear a variety of hats and titles in life. Many of us are husbands and fathers, church members and church leaders, and various other titles that we hold within our respective lives. Regardless of your title or position,...

How to Grow in Love for the Bible - "The Spirit is here to help us understand the things spelled out from cover to cover. We have all we need to grasp the Word; let’s let go of our self-reliance. We ought to be Spirit-reliant people—and the Spirit loves the Word,...

In elementary school, one of my teachers gave our class a mnemonic device to help us remember that “desert” is spelled with one “s” and “dessert” is spelled with two. She said, “Two people would rather eat “dessert” than live in a “desert.” Lost as her attempt may...

Is the Bible the Word of God? - Valuable quotes from J. C. Ryle on the issue of whether the Bible is the Word of God. Someday It Will Be Worth It - "You won’t be disappointed. Keep believing in Jesus. Keep hoping in him. Keep clinging to him and abiding in him. Don’t...

Tips for Daily Bible Reading - "A Christian who fails to read his or her Bible is missing out on an opportunity to meet with God—the very One who wrote the Bible. I suspect that many people fail to read their Bible every day because they don’t recognize the Bible’s...

How to Criticize Other Christians without Being Mean - "At various times in my Christian life I’ve been startled by the ease with which I can jump to conclusions, assume the worst, and demonize those with whom I disagree. In these moments the Lord has often reminded...

The Psalms form the largest corpus of one of the most unique genres within the biblical canon, namely, the genre of song and poetry. Evangelical Christians tend to neglect that genre for different reasons. In our post-Reformation, post-enlightenment Western way of...

We are in great need today of Christians with sober minds. As the swirling winds of religious pluralism and progressive “tolerance” meet with the gales of globalization, a parade of new gadgets, and the constant drip of round-the-clock news-creation, we’re more prone...

God Has Changed You and is Changing You - "Regeneration is the complete transformation that begins a continuing process called sanctification. The great truth of sanctification is that “God is changing me.” The great truth of regeneration is that “God has changed me.”...

Among the abundance of redemptive types that God gave Israel throughout the exodus experience, wilderness pilgrimage and the conquest of Canaan, I find none so fascinating as the Gospel-symbols that God gave them in the wilderness. In addition to the Tabernacle, the...

Can You Be Happy in Every Circumstance? - "As faith strengthens, so does joy, so that even in hard providences there is a deep and stable and substantial joy. It doesn’t remove the sorrow, but it counter-balances it and hopefully, eventually, even outweighs it."...

Logos 6 - For all you fans of the Logos Bible Software, version 6 has just been released. Check it out! The State of Theology - Ligonier conducted and has just released a survey "to point out common gaps in theological knowledge and awareness so that Christians might...

Jonathan Edwards on Adam and the Tree of Life - "On the merits of His perfect life and atoning death, we now have access to the Tree of Life by faith in Christ. In a very real sense, Christ is the Tree of Life, of whose fruit we will eat for all eternity. For all...

Is It Wrong for Christians to Defend Their Rights? - "Paul was willing for his life to be cut short if the work of the gospel could go on. But so long as the gospel itself was maligned, misrepresented, and unfairly marginalized, he wasn’t about to submit himself to...

Age of Ultron, Heaven and Previews that Oversell or Undersell - "I firmly believe the key to properly previewing heaven isn’t wowing people with contemporvant antics but proclaiming the God who is. When people witness others astonished by the gospel paradox, lapping...

When Our Theology Stifles Our Compassion - "It is far more difficult to patiently support, silently love, and unceasingly pray than to exegete a passage of Scripture. We need to seek the Holy Spirit regularly for discernment in our approach, in order to be truly...

Working on Learning to Rest - "The effect of resting in the finished work of Christ ought to be a restful attitude in our everyday work and rest." How Not to Follow Balaam's Error - "If our hearts are satisfied in the Lord we won’t ask him a second time to change His...

Grace: Weakness is Not Strength - "As we read the Scriptures, pray to the Lord, participate in the sacraments, and engage in community with other believers, we are continually reminded of who we are and who God is. We are weak, and he is strong. We need grace." Flee...

7 Things Your Church Needs From You - "Find the place you can serve your church, and serve there without fail, without excuse, without requiring praise and accolades. Do it for the good of others and the glory of God." You Might Be An Idolater If... - "Contentment and...

Are Our Hearts Really Idol Factories? - "When we refer to ourselves as “idol factories”, we are undermining the glorious, wonderful, God-given power that is ours in Christ. We are minimizing all that God has accomplished for us through the work of Christ. And, we...

The Resurrection Demands Response - "Jesus gave his life as a sacrifice for your sins, and then he was raised from the dead. Jesus is alive. Forgiveness is proclaimed to you. This is freedom held out for you. Receive him, believe him, embrace him." Sermons Are “Fair...

4 Things That Happen When You Study Leviticus More Than 10 Years - "So while Leviticus emphasizes the importance of maintaining distinctions between the sacred and the non-sacred, the holy and the non-holy, it also emphasizes that everyday acts of kindness and love...

Brittany Maynard, Rachel Held Evans, and Not Giving Up - "What Evans is too tired to do is the hard work of theology. Putting together the doctrine of God’s love and mercy with the doctrine of God’s sovereignty and righteous condemnation of sinners is too difficult....

Four Ways Getting The Gospel Right Ain’t Enough - "Christianity centers on the gospel of Jesus Christ. Is doctrinal precision all we need to get gospel right? Can getting the technical aspects alone save you? Or is there more? You can get the content of the gospel...

There is one important circumstance which was common to all those cases of conversion that are recorded in Scripture, and which well deserves our most serious consideration; I mean the direct operation of the Holy Spirit on the mind of every true convert to the...

Reading the Psalms Devotionally - Joe Holland shares six insightful tips for reading the Psalms devotionally. Prayer: Just Do It! - "So if you are struggling with your prayer life, follow the keep it simple method. Have a conversation with God. He knows your heart and...

Houston, We Have a Constitution - "A government has no business using subpoena power to intimidate or bully the preaching and instruction of any church, any synagogue, any mosque, or any other place of worship. The pastors of Houston should tell the government that...

Be Ready to Answer Your Kids’ Questions About the Bible - "Christianity stands or falls on the reliability, inspiration, and authority of the Bible. Children pick up on that early. We tell them that they should trust the Bible. At some point they will (and should) ask...

Concerning the hypostatic union in which one Christ is both God and man, J. C. Ryle wrote: “We should settle it firmly in our minds, that our Savior is perfect man as well as perfect God, and perfect God as well as perfect man. If we once lose sight of this great...

Who or What Were the Nephilim? - In this audio clip, Michael Patton, Tim Kimberely, Sam Storms and J.J Seid discuss the who and what of the Nephilim. The Authority, Sufficiency, Finality of Scripture - "If God has given us the Scriptures to be the canon or rule for...

Are You Out of (Evangelism) Shape? - "Faithful Christianity never involves less than evangelism. In order to be faithful (obedient) as a Christian then we must be active in evangelism." Three Lessons on Loving One Another - "A church that is “missional,” and wants to...

The Grace of Mentors in Pastoral Ministry - "A healthy local church provides “a rich matrix of relationships for mutual modeling and copying. By becoming a member of a gospel fellowship, our new Christian can compare notes with other newborn believers who are adapting...

The Problem with Evangelistic Programs - "The fact is, most people come to faith through the influence of family members, small-group Bible studies, or a conversation with a friend after a church service: Christians intentionally talking about the gospel." 6 Great...

The Importance of Being a Pastor/Theologian - "We need more pastor/theologians. We need a higher view of the promises of God to bless the spread of the Gospel through the church. We need a higher appreciation for why pastor/theologians are so important in this fallen...

Family Worship: Quick Tips for Shepherding Your Family - Matt Sims continues the Marriage/Parenting/Singleness series at Servants of Grace by sharing some practical tips on family worship. MANHOOD 101: Redeeming the Time - "Look for mature men in your church that...

How Should Christians Think About Religious Violence? - "Our practices must constantly be checked by our gospel. Which means we must be relentless in understanding our gospel. We must live under the gospel, and focus on the gospel." Evangelism After Christendom - "In...

Be Yourself in Prayer - "God is looking for a relationship with us, not whomever it is that we are trying to act like when we come to him. Prayer starts with our adoption in Christ. That’s why Jesus taught us to begin with God as “Our Father.” There is an intimate...

Get Alone Undistracted - "The average iPhone pings and push notifies our attention with every care of the world in real time. The latest news and chatter can rob our focus, knock our lives off center, and mute God in our lives." 50 Shades of Grey Areas in the Church -...

We come now to a consideration of the first of the Beatitudes, `Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' As I have already indicated in our last study, it is not surprising that this is the first, because it is obviously, as I think we...

Being Quick to Hear, Slow to Speak, and Slow to Anger - Mike Boling continues the Marriage/Parenting/Singleness series at Servants of Grace by writing on the need to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. The Best Things About the Boring Parts of the...

Most Christians inwardly, if not outwardly, groan when they arrive at a genealogy in their Bible reading. This is a shame. The genealogies are wonderful and I love studying (not just reading) and preaching them. They are compressed histories of God’s faithful and...

New Age Attack on Children Through Cartoons - Mike Boling continues the Marriage/Parenting/Singleness series at Servants of Grace by writing on how parents can guard their children against new age attacks. Do You Really Know How to Read? - Matt Smethurst sat down with...

Dealing with the Pornification of Society - Mike Boling continues the Marriage/Parenting/Singleness series at Servants of Grace by sharing how parents can fight against the pornification of society. Every Theology has a Degree of Passionate Extremism - "Some...

Parents: Fight For Your Children - Mike Boling continues the Marriage/Parenting/Singleness series at Servants of Grace by sharing how parents can guard their parents against the ills of this world. 3 Types of Hypocrites - "All of humanity, this side of full...

How We Do Family Worship - Daniel Darling continues the Marriage/Parenting/Singleness series at Servants of Grace by looking at family worship. Are We on the Verge of a Coming Familypocalypse? - "Dads should cherish and enjoy their families. They should long to be...

I. ORIGIN AND MEANING OF THE TERM The theological use of the term "imputation" is probably rooted ultimately in the employment of the verb imputo in the Vulgate to translate the Greek verb logizesthai in Ps. xxxii. 2. This passage is quoted by Paul in Rom. iv. 8 and...

The 6 Ingredients of Jesus’ Bitter Cup - "When Jesus looked into the cup He saw–from every dimension of His sufferings–all that He would suffer, both at the hands of men, Satan and God Himself." Why We Neglect Our Bibles - "I think I can say from experience, from...

"Gospel-centered preaching." "Gospel-centered parenting." "Gospel-centered discipleship." The back of my business card says "gospel-centered publishing." This descriptive mantra is tagged on to just about anything and everything in the Christian world these days....

Three Things to Remember When You Read the Bible - "This is as real as it gets. There is nothing more important or meaningful or relevant than for these three truths to converge, and for us to remember them: God, his Book, and his people. You can never just read the...

One of the penitential psalms, Psalm 51 was written by David after he was confronted by the prophet Nathan. Nathan declared that David had grievously sinned against God in the taking of Bathsheba to be his wife and in the murder of her husband, Uriah. It’s important...

Forty Powerful Reasons to Avoid Pornography - Daniel Henderson continues the Marriage/Parenting/Singleness series at Servants of Grace by looking at forty reasons to avoid pornography. 6 Evil Effects of Sin - “Mortification prunes all the graces of God and makes room...

While talking with my pastor recently, we discussed my increasing burden/passion for pastoral ministry. As we talked, he looked at me and said: “You need to bloom where you are currently planted.” I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear this. I’ve been looking...

Five Common Mistakes Christian Parents Make - Daniel Darling continues the Marriage/Parenting/Singleness series at Servants of Grace by looking at five common mistakes christian parents make. What Gossip Says About God - "When Scripture warns against gossip (Romans...

"We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, and are the called according to his purpose." — Rom. 8:28 This chapter is like a string of pearls, every one of them more precious than another; if we might loose the string, and single out this...

How to Lead Family Devotions - Brian Hedges continues the Marriage/Parenting/Singleness series at Servants of Grace by sharing how to do family devotions. 6 Ways to Benefit from Reading Genealogies - "The genealogies in Scripture are so important that it may rightly...