A Site for the Teaching Ministry of Nick Batzig
Instead of rushing to the worst possible conclusions about others, we ought to consider our own failings and sinfulness. This is such a challenging yet richly rewarding goal for us to pursue. The more we focus on our own hearts and motives, the less we will sinfully judge others in the body of Christ. The more we see our own sinfulness and need for the Savior, the more we will extend the same grace to others we profess a need of for ourselves. The more readily we extend love to others and are committed to thinking the best of them, the more our words and actions toward them will reflect the deep, deep love of Jesus. ...
In recent weeks we have seen the unmasking of vindictive and underhanded attempts of pastors seeking to destroy the reputations and ministries of fellow pastors. In short, each occasion has reminded us that it is altogether possible for ministers of the gospel to harbor bitterness toward those with whom they have had disagreements, seek the destruction of their colleagues' reputations, and desire to supplant their usefulness in the kingdom of God. Sadly, this is more common than most would like to acknowledge. It happens in the SBC, the PCA, and every other ecclesiastical body. It happens on social media and in private conversations. It happens with the weaponization of church discipline in church courts. Worst of all, it happens in the human heart––from which this form of evil stems. Men set their hearts on advancement, influence, and power at the expense of the reputations of those whom they envy or those they have come to disdain for having challenged them on the floor of an ecclesiastical court....
My dad wasn't just physically strong. Dad had the strongest intellect, will, emotions, wisdom, and intuition. I have been meditating on why it’s so hard for a son to lose a father. Chief among the reasons is the fact that I have lost the first and foremost influential spiritual leader in my life. Dad placed his greatest energy into being a strong spiritual leader for our family. He instructed us from our earliest days and lent us spiritual support through years of blessing and burdens. This has made his death the hardest loss for me as a son....
We all have expectations about how others should act––some of them are biblically justified and some are merely the product of our own sinful hearts. Even when our expectations of others find biblical support, we sometimes (probably more often than not) hold them with unrealistic rigor. Those who respond in anger or frustration, when their expectations have not been met, are often the catalyst for deep discontentment and discord in the church....
Scripture everywhere commends the grace of a humble heart and sets out the many benefits that flow from it (e.g., Psalm 18:27; 25:9; 147:6; 149:4; Proverbs 3:34; 11:2; 16:19; 29:23; Matthew 23:12; Luke 1:52; 14:11; 18:14; 1 Peter 3:8; 5:5–6; James 4:6–7, 10). When we consider all that we are by nature and all that we have in Christ by grace, we find that we have every reason to be humble before God and men. As we recognize our exceedingly great sinfulness, the insurpassable glory of God, and the unsearchable riches of Christ, our hearts must necessarily be bowed low. May we make it our daily ambition to acquire and foster a humble heart before God and men....
The Scriptures encourage us to give serious consideration to the inevitability of trials, the divinely appointed remedies of overcoming them, and the outcome of God’s blessing His church after the trials....
The revelation of the glory of God, reflecting off the face of Moses, was an accompanying sign of the divine source of the message that God gave him on the mountain. The emanating glory from the face of the Lord Jesus Christ was not a reflected glory. Jesus is the very revelation of the glory of God in the flesh. The glory reflecting off the face of Moses served as a marker of the authority of God, but the glory shining from the face of Jesus served as a verifying sign of his own divine glory....
We dare not come into the presence of God––as Cain did––self-righteously, half-heartedly, and with the least we can offer to Him. Rather, we are to come in brokenness over our sins, acknowledging that the Lord has provided a better sacrifice for us––namely, the sacrifice of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)....
Christ did not come to break a bruised reed. He did not come into this world to quench a smoldering wick (Is. 412:3; Matt. 12L20). Jesus came into this world to redeem a people who are weak, sinful, wayward, unrighteous, and lost. He came to bear us up in his own arms and bring us home to the Father (Luke 15). He is full of compassion and tender-kindness to those he came to redeem. ...
Instead of rushing to the worst possible conclusions about others, we ought to consider our own failings and sinfulness. This is such a challenging yet richly rewarding goal for us to pursue. The more we focus on our own hearts and motives, the less we will sinfully judge others in the body of Christ. The more we see our own sinfulness and need for the Savior, the more we ...
Keep Reading In recent weeks we have seen the unmasking of vindictive and underhanded attempts of pastors seeking to destroy the reputations and ministries of fellow pastors. In short, each occasion has reminded us that it is altogether possible for ministers of the gospel to harbor bitterness toward those with whom they have had disagreements, seek the destruction of their colleagues'...
Keep Reading My dad wasn't just physically strong. Dad had the strongest intellect, will, emotions, wisdom, and intuition. I have been meditating on why it’s so hard for a son to lose a father. Chief among the reasons is the fact that I have lost the first and foremost influential spiritual leader in my life. Dad placed his greatest energy into being a strong spiritual leader for our...
Keep Reading
Debate in theological matters is necessary in a fallen world. God commands believers to "contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). We are to be zealous for the defense and propagation of the whole counsel of God for His own glory and the building up of His people. Ministers and local church members, in many Reformed churches, take vows to "stu...
Keep Reading We all have expectations about how others should act––some of them are biblically justified and some are merely the product of our own sinful hearts. Even when our expectations of others find biblical support, we sometimes (probably more often than not) hold them with unrealistic rigor. Those who respond in anger or frustration, when their expectations have not been me...
Keep Reading Scripture everywhere commends the grace of a humble heart and sets out the many benefits that flow from it (e.g., Psalm 18:27; 25:9; 147:6; 149:4; Proverbs 3:34; 11:2; 16:19; 29:23; Matthew 23:12; Luke 1:52; 14:11; 18:14; 1 Peter 3:8; 5:5–6; James 4:6–7, 10). When we consider all that we are by nature and all that we have in Christ by grace, we find that we have every ...
Keep Reading The Scriptures encourage us to give serious consideration to the inevitability of trials, the divinely appointed remedies of overcoming them, and the outcome of God’s blessing His church after the trials....
Keep Reading The revelation of the glory of God, reflecting off the face of Moses, was an accompanying sign of the divine source of the message that God gave him on the mountain. The emanating glory from the face of the Lord Jesus Christ was not a reflected glory. Jesus is the very revelation of the glory of God in the flesh. The glory reflecting off the face of Moses served as a marke...
Keep Reading We dare not come into the presence of God––as Cain did––self-righteously, half-heartedly, and with the least we can offer to Him. Rather, we are to come in brokenness over our sins, acknowledging that the Lord has provided a better sacrifice for us––namely, the sacrifice of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)....
Keep Reading Christ did not come to break a bruised reed. He did not come into this world to quench a smoldering wick (Is. 412:3; Matt. 12L20). Jesus came into this world to redeem a people who are weak, sinful, wayward, unrighteous, and lost. He came to bear us up in his own arms and bring us home to the Father (Luke 15). He is full of compassion and tender-kindness to those he came t...
Keep Reading