It would be disastrous to only affirm the deity of Jesus Christ and ignore that the divine “Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The Scriptures affirm equally that Christ was both divine and human. For the Christian, Christ’s humanity holds tremendous significance, beyond even the supreme necessity of salvation. Indeed, as […]
Dear believer, I desire to write you about something with which you are well acquainted: affliction. Much has been written on affliction by our forebears. A good part of it you have known for a long time. For example, you know that all affliction is ultimately traceable to our tragic fall in Adam. You know, […]
What does it mean to worship God in spirit and truth? To worship God in spirit and in truth is to glorify him in the public assembly of his people with biblical simplicity, true knowledge of God, and inner engagement of the heart by faith and repentance. All of these elements appear in the context […]
On October 31, 2021, we will commemorate the 504th anniversary of the Reformation. What really is the Reformation all about? A good case can be made for asserting that it was primarily about the cardinal doctrine of justification by faith alone. Others would argue that its primary emphasis was on soteriology (the doctrine of salvation) […]
Maybe you are asking, “If the dominion of sin and Satan and the world has been defeated in Christ, then why are we talking about fighting against worldliness? Ought we not to just rest in the finished work of Christ?” While the dominion of sin and the world has been broken through union with Christ […]
I wonder if you are aware that there is a war waging for your heart. It is a war that began in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:1–6, 15) and will continue until the appearance of the new heaven and new earth. It is a war between light and darkness, sin and righteousness, holiness and […]
You have probably heard the saying that the most important things we learn are caught rather than taught. In other words, students often learn more from the demeanor, actions, and character of the teacher than from the content of the lesson. This is a key perspective in communicating big truths to little hearts, for if […]
There are some practical ways the faithful family can pursue learning deep truths through singing the beautiful hymns and psalms of the church. Even very small children can learn melodies quickly, and they tend to memorize words easily when set to music. This makes the psalms and classic music of the church a wonderful way […]
If you are in pastoral ministry or some other form of leadership, criticism is inevitable. At times, criticism can result in exasperation, insomnia, cynicism, burnout, and even despair. It is imperative for pastors and leaders to be equipped to handle verbal or written critique when it comes. Whether the criticism is constructive or destructive, receiving […]
The doctrine of predestination is the teaching that before the creation of the world God decided the everlasting destiny of each individual person that he would make. God’s choice to save certain sinners by grace is called election, and his choice to damn certain sinners as they deserve is reprobation. Predestination is part of God’s […]