A Site for the Teaching Ministry of Nick Batzig
Christians today, no less than in Machen's day, desperately need to come to terms with the fact that we are all theologians--whether good ones or bad ones. While we must be zealous to guard our hearts against embracing the ethos of the vitriolic doctrinal voices around us, we must equally avoid giving ear to those who, under pretense of love and charity, have functionally encouraged "a horror of theology."...
Jesus is the full manifestation of the glory of God. As the apostle John explained, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt (i.e., tabernacled) among us and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth (John 1:14–15). In Christ, God was manifest in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16). There is nowhere that the eternal Son of God dwelt so fully among men as He did when he became incarnate in Jesus. In Jesus, we see the glory of God in the flesh....
While God "richly provides us with everything to enjoy" (1 Tim. 6:17), there is yet a greater manifestation of His goodness–namely, the giving of His Son. God the Father gave up His infinitely beloved Son to redeem sinners. In addition to giving up His Son, God has promised to give believers ever other good thing for which they hope for all of eternity. Scripture encourges believers to measure the goodness of God in the giving up of His Son to assure them of the certainty of every lesser gift God has promised them....
Time is short. We only have so many years, months, days, and hours in which to be productive. This is reason enough for us to work as unto the Lord during the short time God has given us in this life. The books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes speak repeatedly about our need to pursue productive and fruitful lives. The author of Ecclesiastes explains why productivity is fundamental to what we do when he says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going” (Eccl. 9:10)....
Pride is one of the greatest snares to the souls of men and is the snare of measuring ourselves by ourselves and comparing ourselves among ourselves (2 Cor. 10:12). When we allow pride to fester and take root in our hearts, we begin to think, act and speak as if we have, because of our supposed virtues, are spiritually superior to others. As we do so, we make that in which he believe we excel our standard of holiness, rather than God’s Law with its unattainable depths and requirements. Additionally, when we foster spiritual pride we reveal that we do not truly need the atoning sacrifice of Christ for our sin....
If we would remember the sphere of our callings from God, our need to mine out of Scripture the wisdom of God, and our sinfulness before God, we will be much more reticent to insert ourselves into controversies about which we do not need to involve ourselves. As we keep these three guiding principles before us, we will be more equipped to determine what controversies we should take up and those from which we should keep ourselves....
Whatever symbolism men may wish to impose on the covenantal sign that God set in the cloud, we must return again and again to the truth of Scripture and to the God who has aimed the arrows of His wrath at Himself so that we might not receive them for all eternity....
Many tend to think of sanctification as something entirely progressive, and, therefore, miss out on understanding one of the richest and most spiritually impacting gospel truths. In order for us to understand why both definitive and positional sanctification are two aspects of the doctrine of sanctification most frequently overlooked, it will help us to consider what they are, why they have frequently been overlooked, and how it ought to impact our Christian lives. ...
In his book The Bruised Reed, Richard Sibbes famously wrote, "We have this for a foundation truth, that there is more mercy in Christ than sin in us." Here is one of those oft repeated statements of Gospel assurance with which believers love to comfort one another. ...
We need to be men who are continually digging into the Scripture, solid theological works, and the annals of church history. As we do, the Apostle says that our "progress will be evident to all." We need men who are humble, hungry, and teachable. We should also recognize that this is not merely something we should do in preparation for a preaching ministry–it is something that we will need to do this throughout the entirety of our ministries....
Scripture speaks of the salvation of believers in three tenses. Christians have been saved, they are being saved, and they will be saved. In redemption accomplished, Christ truly and really saved His people when He died and rose again. In the application of redemption, believers are being saved as Christ intercedes for them, sustaining them through their pilgrimage and enabling them to persevere in the faith. At the consummation, believers will experience the full application of the salvation wrought by Christ in the resurrection....
The Westminster Confession of Faith was a cooperative document–the product of men with a variety of theological beliefs coming together to articulate a unified statement of the Christian faith. This makes the Westminster Confession of Faith one of the most theologically mature and uniquely important documents in church history....
The coming of the Son of God into this fallen world for the salvation of His people occurred in the most counterintuitive way possible. If Jesus came after the expectations and desires of sinful men and women, He would have come in a display of pomp and power that leant itself to human wisdom and pride. Instead, He came in weakness, poverty, obscurity, and ignominy. When, by faith, we receive Him as the eternal Son of God, though veiled in the weakness of flesh and set in the context of these counterintuitive circumstances, we have our eyes opened to see the wisdom of God at work....
When we think of the priestly ministry of Christ–from His incarnation to His substitutionary atoning death on the cross–we should do so with an eye to what the Scriptures teach about the priestly act of the Father 'giving up' the Son for the salvation of His people. The Son is the priest who offers Himself without spot to God, and the Father is the priest in giving His eternally beloved Son as a sacrifice for the sin of His people. Jesus has been 'given for us' by the Father (Isaiah 9:6) so that we might be reconciled to God....
Those who have been swept up with various forms of theonomy (or Christian Nationalism) should reflect deeply on the redemptive-historical role of the Old Covenant civil law as well as on how the Apostles spiritually applied it to the New Covenant church. To move beyond these things is to impose an artificial, underdeveloped, and over realized worldview on the Scriptures rather than to allow Scripture to determine our understanding of the precise relationship between the Old Covenant theocracy and the New Covenant church. ...
We must ever remember that this is not our home. Our ultimate hope can never be in a Christianized America. Our ultimate hope lies in the fact that we confess that "here we have no lasting city" (Heb. 13:14) but are "looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God" (Heb. 11:10). ...
As we reflect on the preaching ministry of Calvin, and the way in which the Lord used it to fuel Reformation across Europe, we should remember that the Reformation was primarily fueled by a return to the faithful expository preaching of God's word. We honor the Reformers best not by living in the annals of church history to simply marvel at all that the Lord accomplished through them; we honor them best by following their example in preaching and propagating God’s word in similar ways as they did....
Remembering what we once were when we were dead in sins and what God did to mercifully draw us to Himself through the saving work of Christ is vital if we are to make advancement in our spiritual growth in grace. The Christian life is often fueled most of all not by learning new things (although there are always more important truths for us to learn in God's word) but by remembering those truths that God has already revealed to us....
Secularism is a religion. Make no mistake about it. Though many seek to advance it as a neutralizing alternative to a religiously structured society, it is, in its own right, a religion. A secular worldview is not content until it has permeated every fabric of society–civics, ethics, media, and education. Just as the Christian worldview is meant to permeate all human activity, so secularism seeks to stand in the gap and block a truly consistent application of Christianity to every aspect of life. There is a bewitching element of secularism to which many–even many Christians–are blind. ...
When we begin to understand the important relationship between the law of God and the gospel, we will guard against allowing any perversions of it in our presentation of the biblical teaching about justification and sanctification. We will carefully note the contexts in which these two means of revelation are contrasted in Scripture; and, we will recognize that while the law does not, in anyway whatsoever, play in to our justification before God (except insomuch as Christ kept it for us), we will seek to promote the important place that law plays in the Christian life. Believers, at one and the same time, recognize that they are neither justified nor condemned by the moral law of God and they are zealous to run the course of God's commandments by faith working through love. ...
While God calls us to be zealous for the purity of His worship, we must be equally zealous to resist the temptation to think that the circumstantial ways in which we administer the elements of worship ought to be binding on every other local congregation. We should be exceedingly slow to call something evil that God has not called evil. We should, instead, seek to discern whether or not the particular way in which we carry out the adiaphora circumstances of worship merely falls into the realm of our subjective opinion about what may be good, better, or best. When we recognize this, we will not seek to put down other fellowships that may not carry out the circumstances of worship in the same way as we think that our congregation should do so....
If we were simply to thank God for each other and pray constantly for the spiritual blessings of God to be manifested in one another's lives what a difference it would make for the church's sustenance, vitality, and continuance. What a glorious thing it would be for believers to commit to turning from praise to prayer for one another and for a greater outpouring of the spiritual blessings with which God has already blessed us in Christ. As we do, we will again have reason to praise God for allowing us the privilege of praying down His divine blessings on His people. ...
The lawless soul is ever in danger of being led into path of unrighteousness on account of the multitude of lawless voices and sights online. The self-righteous soul is in danger of a far more subtle form of rebellion, namely, responding in sinful anger to sin in others that we do not personally commit out of a faux sense of moral superiority in the face of lawless....
With the overturning of Row v. Wade, I have noticed numerous professing Christians posting things like, "Now the church needs to start caring for all of life for those who get pregnant," or "The church needs to do more than simply denounce the practice of abortion." I would contend that this, albeit it a well-meaning statement, misses the mark of the God-ordained ministry of the visible church. It is to view the church as a nanny church. It is not the role of the church to adopt. It is the role of individual Christians to adopt. It is not the role of the church to start Christian pregnancy centers. It is the role of individual believers to do so. It is not the role of the church to provide for every woman who conceives out of wedlock. It is the role of parents and the father of the child to provide....
This past year, I have been preaching a sermon series through the gospel of John. One of the things that I have been struck with is the way in which Jesus interacts with various disciples having differing spiritual temperaments and personalities. Not all the disciples are in the same place or have the same fervor. Some are more timid. Others are more outwardly zealous. Still other show a warm tenderness and affection for Christ that differs from the way in which others do so. This is not meant to downplay the call to spiritual maturity and growth in grace. It is, however, to recognize that we are called to be patient with one another and not to treat one another monolithically with regard to spiritual temperament or maturity. ...
It is altogether possible that John is, at one and the same time, defending the reality of the death of Jesus and His true humanity, as well as positing that the blood and water point to the two-fold benefit of justification and sanctification. It is also possible that John had the redemptive-historical fulfillment of the water from the stricken rock in view when he included these details. At least, with Augustus Toplady, we can sing with joyful hearts, "Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee; Let the water and the blood, From Thy riven side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure, Save me from its guilt and power." ...
Learning to embrace the seasons of life that God brings us into is vital if we are going to be useful in this world. We often find it to be difficult because we enjoying doing the things we love. We far too often find our comfort in productivity, accomplishment, creativity, and influence. However, we are meant to find contentment in what God has for us. ...
About two years ago, the editorial team at Ligonier began writing a series of theological study pages on numerous subjects and themes. Some of those pages are now available online. More will be released in the near future. Each page provides a short systematic theological treatment, in keeping with a Reformed theological approach, of a particular subject–together with links embedded to other Ligonier material on various related quotations from pertinent theologians....
While Jesus' sufferings certainly included the mocking, reproach, rejection and violence of fallen men, the greatest sufferings that He endured were the sufferings of the guilt, shame, corruption and power of sin imputed to Him which led Him under the holy justice and wrath of God. This is what made the last week of Jesus' life--leading up to His glorious resurrection--a week like no other. It was, in fact, the hardest week that any man has ever endured. ...
In whatever ministry in which we are engaged, we must examine our heart motivation. On Judgment Day, our popularity or public accolades will not matter one iota. Rather, what will matter is how faithfully and diligently we sought to use the gifts God has given us for His glory and the edification of His people. What a difference it would make if we all sought to serve from the shadows before ever-watching eye of God, rather than to serve for reputation or the praise of men. May our God give us the grace to be willing to do all our service from the shadows....
Jesus was no less worthy of worship in his state of humiliation as he is now is in his state of exaltation. We worship the one person of the Son of God, who is both God and man. We now worship the Man, Christ Jesus, who is seated on the throne of God, the only Mediator between God and man–even as we will for all of eternity....
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones once made the following important observation: “If we do not understand the…doctrine of the Church, there is a sense in which all its appeals and exhortations and indicatives will be quite meaningless to us.” Far too many professing Christians seek doctrinal truths or practical applications of the truths of Scripture for their own personal use without recognizing the fact that God has first and foremost revealed everything in Scripture to the Church collectively considered....
In all that we do, God calls us to seek the Scriptures for guiding directives for what we may or may not write online. Scripture and Scripture alone should bind our consciences. This is especially so with regard to what God requires of us in our stewardship of the internet. If we engage others online, we should do so acknowledging the many dangers that we will have to navigate. We should be slow to listen to the loudest voices, as they are often driven by impulsive zeal and an inflated sense of self-importance. In many cases, those who call others to arms online have, as Newton noted, a self-righteous spirit. Many wrongly confuse “a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal" (1 Corinthians 13:1) with courageous boldness. If we do engage in controversy, let us consider our opponent, consider the public, and consider ourselves. In doing so, we will better represent the truth of God to those within and outside the walls of the church....
Reflecting on the doctrine of total depravity in the Calvinistic backronym TULIP, John Gerstner stated, “Total depravity is our one original contribution to TULIP. We are the dirty soil in which God plants His flower, and from our filth, produces a thing of divine beauty.” To see your need for the redeeming grace of God, you must first come to terms with the teaching of Scripture about what you are by nature—pervasively corrupt and evil....
At a time when there is more confusion in the culture about gender and role relations, it would help us to take a step back and consider what Scripture sets forth as the model of manhood, namely, the Lord Jesus. So much of what passes as a call to manhood from certain quarters of the church today is nothing other than a parading of machismo austerity, whereas so much of what passes as a critique of "patriarchalism" is nothing other than a sophisticatedly repackaged egalitarianism. The biblical picture of manhood is much more complex and dynamic than most of the models with which we are presented. No one reveals true manhood more than Jesus. The Christ who boldly threw tables over in the Temple and faithfully rebuked evil religious leaders, is the same Jesus who compassionately dealt with the sick and the sinful, affectionately allowed Himself to be leaned upon by the Apostle John, and loving laid down His life for His people....
We all have a tendency to look at what is most celebrated and to aspire after it. This is sometimes seen in men who do not have the gifts for preaching or teaching striving endlessly to get into pastoral ministry. How many young men I have seen come and go, or do great harm to the church, because they were not gifted by God for the task. I have seen others desiring to serve as elders in a church when they were clearly more gifted to serve as a faithful deacon. Still, I have seen those who had strong gifts of hospitality, service, and administration not using them for the building up of the body. No matter where a failure to exercise the gifts God has evidently given the members of a local church may manifest itself, of this much we can be sure, the church is the worse for lacking those who would willingly play their part in seeking to put their gifts to use for the building up of the body. Conversely, the church is all the better when each members willingly and joyfully plays his or her part. ...
There is a dire need for pastors to develop the grace of pastoral finesse. Every true under-shepherd of Christ's flock feels his own insufficiency and lack of wisdom in handling difficulties and challenges. This is a good thing insomuch as it ought to drive us to our knees before the throne of grace and to seek the counsel of wise companions in ministry. There is no textbook for how to approach each challenging situation in the life of a congregant or in the congregation. However, God has given us a multitude of principles in Scripture that must guide and be operative in the process of paying "careful attention to. . .all the flock, over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood" (Acts 20:28). ...
The patriarchal blessings in the book of Genesis are covenant blessings in redemptive history; therefore, they anticipate the fulfillment of the spiritual blessings in the coming of the promised Redeemer, Jesus Christ. A consideration of the New Testament’s teaching about them will help us understand their place in redemptive history....
Just as the Spirit hovered over the waters of creation, so He hovered over the virgin Mary at the great work of bringing about the new creation through the incarnation of the Son of God. The Scriptures are replete with instances in which the Holy Spirit was actively working to foreshadow the new creation in a manner similar to that by which He had worked at the original creation....
Exaggeration is a form of inductive hyperbole. It is an attempt to prove a sweeping generalization without sufficient evidence to back it up. People fall for exaggerated criticism because it stokes alarm and fear. Nothing works more powerfully on the minds and hearts of people than ungodly fear (2 Tim. 1:7). If someone can convince people that the ship is sinking, he can encourage them to jump off the ship. If he can make people think that there is no one left to help navigate the ecclesiastical storms, then he can convince them to follow him to safety. ...
our Lord Jesus, in consummate glory, will be Shepherding His people for all eternity. The Apostle John tells us that in glory, “the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them [i.e. the redeemed] and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” After all the under-shepherds have come and gone we will see that the Shepherd, who became the Lamb that was slain for the sheep, will continue to shepherd His people by giving them everlasting joy and peace in His presence. He will bring all of His flock to Himself in glorious consummation....
Jesus came into this dark and fallen world as the new creation and to bring about a re-creation of all those for whom He died. He is "the Destroyer of the darkness." In His death on the cross, Jesus comes under the power of darkness as the substitute of those who once lived in darkness. He put Himself under the wrath of God for the sins of His people in order to give them to light of the knowledge of the glory of God in Him. He is the light of the world who shines in the darkness (John 8:12). By His death and resurrection, Jesus destroys the darkness and disseminates the light of God's grace and truth. ...
How can I remain calm under pressure? This has to be one of the most significant questions we find ourselves asking throughout our lives. What is the secret to pressing through the challenges and trials of life without fretting or being overwhelmed by constant anxiety? The answer is found—at least in part—in what Luke tells us in Acts 27 about Paul’s experience when he was shipwrecked while a prisoner of the Roman army....
Remembering the cost of the redemption of believers is one of the greatest motivating factors to continue in faithful Christian service. This is God’s church, and these are God’s blood-bought people. The apostle also knew how easily false teachers and ravenous wolves crept into the church. He warned the elders to “be on guard” and to “be on the alert” (vv.28,31). ...
It would do all of us good to put more of Ecclesiastes into our spiritual diet. When we do so, we begin to discover afresh that life is "not how we would have it." We are reminded that things are often not the way we think they should be. We come to terms with the fact that we do not know what we think we know. We have to face the reality that we live in a futile world that works in ways other than we would have it work. We are encouraged to know that God wants us to enjoy the good things of His creation. And, we are taught again the most important thing for us to do is to pursue the fear of the Lord. ...
While our culture continues to slip into chaotic depravity, more and more people are voicing their fears and frustrations. What will become of this country? What will become of the world? What challenges will our children face? The darkness seems to be overtaking the light. The world now views orthodox Christianity, as Rod Dreher has rightly noted, as the Enemy. Yet, in the midst of this rapid decline into darkness, there is hope. The gospel is not hindered by the depravity around believers...
What seems to be surprisingly absent in many recent discussions about complementarianism in the home is a treatment of what the roles between husbands and wives in the marital relationship should look like in a biblically principled fashion without personal applications of those principles. As many have been reminding us--words and definitions matter. I suspect that the lack of positive treatment is due, in large part, to the fact that the Scriptures do not give us a detailed list of the specifics of every interaction within the marital relationship. Rather, the Holy Spirit gives us broad principles and examples to follow--thus admitting a measure of subjectivity and necessitating that we seek to proceed with the wisdom that is needed commensurate to the particular situations that may arise....
A friend of mine has often reminded me that most friendships among professing believers cannot bear more than a single offense. People in the church are so easily offended that they are ready to write off another believer over the most insignificantly offensive word or actions. This betrays the fact that we have not learned to bear long with one another and to forgive one another. We have developed thin skin and speck-fixated eyes....
We must resist the urge to subtweet. If something cannot be stated in as direct a manner as possible, we should abstain from saying it in a passive-aggressive manner. We should always ask ourselves the question, "Do I need to write what I am about to write, or should I simply sit this one out?" We should also try to discern the motives behind anything that we post on social media. The more self-aware we are, the less damage we will do to others who read us. If our motives are to bring glory to God, then we should seek to speak and write forthrightly according to His word (1 Cor. 10:31; Col. 3:17). ...
Every true believer is being led by the Spirit of God. We are led away from our sin and into paths of righteousness. This is what it means to be led by the Spirit of God. There is, to be sure, no greater experience to be enjoyed by the children of God than that of being transformed by the Spirit of God into the image of God. When the Spirit leads the sons of God, He leads them into conformity to the Son of God. As children of God we gain the family likeness. God is committed to conforming His children into holy sons and daughters. In order to do this, He gives us His Spirit to lead us to mortify sin. The leading of the Spirit then is not a special mystical experience reserved for the few, but a present reality for all true believers in Jesus Christ. ...
Close ministerial friendships are one of the kind gifts of God. Myriad have been the examples of close friendships shared by gospel ministers of the gospel throughout church history. One thinks of Andrew Bonar and Robert Murray Mc'Cheyne, or John Newton and William Cowper. Who cannot see the fruit that was born from the friendship between Martin Bucer and John Calvin. Scott Manetsch notes, "it was Bucer’s friendship and fatherly support that helped Calvin regain his sense of vocation to Christian ministry and proved decisive in shaping his future career as a church reformer."...
One of the most challenging trials for believers during our pilgrimage through this dark and fallen world is to truly believe and rest in the love that God has for us. Sinclair Ferguson once noted that the experience of so many believers is the internalizing of the thought, "He loves me, He loves me not." Many believers lack the assurance of their salvation precisely because they focus on the enormity of their sin to the exclusion of the enormity of the love of God for sinners. God's love superabounds to the salvation of sinners. So how should we think about the love of God toward us who believe, while we acknowledge the reality of sin in our lives? ...
The exodus of Israel out of Egypt was typical of the ultimate spiritual exodus believers experience through the redeeming work of Christ; nevertheless, the relationship of the Old and the New Testaments are united in the redemptive purposes of God–from Genesis 3:15 to the fulfillment of all things in Christ. One can err in only seeing Israel's exodus out of Egypt as a physical deliverance....
When we approach the matter of addressing textual variants in our preaching, we should keep a few things in mind. First, we must labor to help the people of God be confident that God has preserved His word for His church in the manuscripts that we have available to us. Second, we should help them understand that the contemporary translations of Scripture are trustworthy throughout (the majority of variants in the ancient manuscripts being of such minor significance as to be related to single vowels; and where there are inclusions of highly questionable variants, none contradict the harmony of the doctrines taught in Scripture). Third, whatever course we decide to follow on preaching more substantial variants, we should address these things generally rather than with great specificity. ...
While things like gender debates rage on in the make believe world of Western social media (with Christians being excoriated for their views on male headship in the home and church), the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan reminds us that there is an Islamic patriarchy that makes "dishwashing" debates look like something akin to kindergarteners yelling at each other on the playground during recess. Women and children are begging to be rescued from Afghanistan. This is in no way whatsoever meant to downplay the real evil of real abuse in our own country. Real evil needs to be fought wherever it appears. However, we must also come to terms with the fact that many are not living in the real world when they rant about how often a Christian husband should be washing and folding the laundry. My friend and fellow PCA pastor Alton Hardy offered some reflections on this matter. He wrote, ...
Personal pronouns have been all the rage and debate in recent years. It's amazing how important such short words are in our everyday speech and in our anthropology. That being said, personal pronouns are also some of the most important words to interpret when reading the Scriptures. . .Person pronouns guide the interpretation of a passage, they inform us of the individual and communal nature of the Christian life, and they aid the minister in the preaching of God's word....
We love the idea of diversity, until it cuts across our own idea of personal uniformity. I have been thinking often of the diversity of personalities represented in the church, and how that diversity plays into the heated conversations that we have online. We often fail to adequately understand why someone might be more vocal that we wish them to be, or more quiet than we would be. ...
When we consider all the depths and riches of the details and redemptive-historical background of Jesus' first miraculous sign, we are encouraged to believe in Him for spiritual renewal and joy. As the greater Moses, the Seed of the woman, and the Bridegroom of His Church, Jesus came to bring the life-giving blessings of redemption. He came to make all things new. May we know afresh the blessed realities of Jesus' first sign at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. ...
No matter how long men lived after the fall, the curse of the fall echoed in the words, “…and he died.” Man cannot outlive death, no matter how long his life may have been. The futility of life and the inevitability of death served to produce in that primitive era a greater taste of the bitterness of the fall, the longing for the promised Redeemer, and the hope of the resurrection. The extraordinarily long lives of Adam’s descendants served the purpose of God’s mercy, as did the shortening of man’s life. God shortened man’s lifespan so that we may hope in His mercy and long for His promised redemption in Christ. Additionally, it is a mercy for God to take believers away from this wicked and fallen world. Scripture teaches that the Lord sometimes takes the righteous away in order to keep them from experiencing more of the calamities and evils in this life (Isaiah 57:1...
When Christians publicly confess the truths that the church has always confessed, God is distinguishing between the church and the world...
Pastors must learn to strike the balance between pastoring people through the daily needs of their lives and courageously tackling false teaching that threatens the purity of the gospel and the church. Ministers should consider themselves to be, first and foremost, shepherds of the flock of the Lord Jesus which God has entrusted to their care. If they must engage in public controversy, let them do so with prayerfulness, patience, and a pastoral-heart. It is far too easy to make public platforms a counterfeit for pastoral ministry; and, in so doing, to lose the pastoral tone requisite when engaging in polemics ...
In all that happened to him, Daniel was serving the purposes of God in redemptive history. He was standing as a typical last Adam, gaining representative dominion over the threatening powers of darkness and subduing even the ravenous bests. In the destruction of Daniel's persecuting enemies, God was foreshadowing the judgment that He will pour out on the wicked in the last day. In Daniel's being thrown into the lions' den and bring brought out whole and alive, God was giving us a prefiguration of the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is in that death and resurrection that the new creation is secured, the enemies of God conquered, and the people of God exalted. In this way, Daniel 6 is not so much about Daniel in the lions' den as it is about Christ in the lions' den of the wrath of God for the redemption of His people and the consummation of all things. ...
Excoriating pastors for being abusive seems to have become par for the course these days. Much of this is in reaction to a failure on the part of churches to hold their leaders accountable. Usually, charges of abuse come in the context of a pastor who has supposedly bullied his elders, staff, or members of the church. Sometimes it is in relation to a pastor who is charged with covering sexual abuse in the church and has not done his utmost to defend the accuser and bring it to the proper authorities. Still, at other times, it may come in response to the perception of hyper-masculinity or oppressive patriarchalism that is said to foster a culture in which women are oppressed in the church their gifts asphyxiated. In whatever legitimate form it may arise, Christians should be ready to decry pastoral abuse. However, as finger pointing commences online, the opposite danger inevitably surfaces. Under the notion of exposing "pastoral abuse," well-meaning believers imperceptibly begin to fall into the snare of "pastor abuse."...
Jesus is the rock who followed the Israelites throughout their wilderness journeying. When they complained, God graciously answered their accusations by placing Himself in their place under the rod of His own justice. In this type, we discover that Jesus steps in the place of His people on the cross to be struck with the rod of divine justice. Now that He has offered Himself once-for-all without spot to God, we are called to simply ask Him for the living water, and He has promised to answer us for the soul-quenching blessing of the Spirit. ...
Jesus’ prayer in the Garden reflected what was going on in His heart. The Savior was not recoiling from the eternal plan of redemption. He is not faltering at the thought of the physical suffering He was about to endure. His soul was weighed down with grief over the prospect of having the unbroken communion He had experienced with the Father every second of every day of His life broken when He would be forsaken under the wrath of God. It would have been sinful for the sinless Son of God to want to lose the sweet communion and fellowship that He had with His Father....
Scripture teaches that there will be a last day when the infinitely just and holy God will exercise perfect justice--showing a full manifestation of His mercy to those for whom Christ has satisfied divine justice (Eph. 2:7) and pouring out His wrath on unbelieving men and angels (Matt. 7:21...
I have several friends in ministry who recently unplugged from social media. When a particular flashbulb, social media incident precipitated angst and outrage on "Christian twitter," my friends remained calm and steady. When I asked if they had heard about such and such a occurrence, they nonchalantly shrugged it off. I was envious of the freedom they were evidently experiencing. They were not carrying burdens they did not need to carry....
The justification of the believer is as sure as the resurrection of Christ. In fact, the resurrection of Jesus is the assurance that there is "no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." When a believer struggles to be settled about the once-for-all nature of their justification before God, he or she must look on the crucified and risen One by faith. Jesus was justified before Hod in His resurrection so that we might be justified by faith in Him. ...
While engaged in the work of church planting in the PCA, I led a men’s theology group every other week for nearly seven years. We worked through the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF), the Westminster Shorter Catechism (WSC), and the Westminster Larger Catechism (WLC)...
Deep down in our hearts, we all like to convince ourselves that we are more knowledgeable and wiser than we actually are. This is why Scripture raises the warning about being "wise in your own eyes" (Prov. 3:7). Pride manifests itself in a thousand subtle ways in our hearts. Add to this the fact that we live at a time of remarkable societal pride. Society feeds the pride of young men and women by telling them that they can change the world--regardless of God-given giftings, intellect, upbringing, associations, providential encounters, guidance, or hard work. Society tells us that the elderly are a burden to progress. While there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9), ours is an increasingly narcissistic culture. This is nowhere more evident than in our disdain and disregard of the elderly....
If, instead of seeking a “seat at the table” or seeking to control “power structures,” we stooped low in order to serve others for God’s glory and their good we would find the true greatness after which we ought to be seeking. The kingdom of God is countercultural, and the way of the kingdom is the way of the cross; it is the way of service to the King and to those in His kingdom; it is wanting to see others use their gifts and advance. It is wanting to see God work powerfully through all of His servants, rather than seeking to simply advance our own selfish agendas and pursue our own self-interested goals. ...
As the people of God, we don't need preaching that touches a momentary itch...
The canonical setting of the book of Job and the relationship it sustains to Genesis 3:15 encourages a Christological understanding of Job's declaration. To strip it of the canonical context would be to empty it of its meaning. Job, like the rest of the Old Testament, is a revelation of Jesus Christ (Luke 24:27). When we understand the redemptive historical connection, we can sing with joy filled hearts: "I know that my Redeemer lives, glory, hallelujah! What comfort this sweet sentence gives, glory, hallelujah! Shout on, pray on, we’re gaining ground, glory, hallelujah! The dead’s alive and the lost is found, glory, hallelujah!"...
Many have struggled to understand the book of Job. What is this mysterious book teaching about this righteous sufferer who was afflicted by the devil, discouraged by his wife, and falsely accused by his friends? Why did God sovereignly arrange the circumstances of his being tested and tried? These are questions that have led Christians to embrace the wide array of biblical teaching on the justice and goodness of our sovereign God; as well as to the example of how to perserve under affliction and suffering at the hands of Satan and men. However, other questions need to be answered when approaching the book of Job--namely, what place does this book hold in redemptive history? How does it relate to the fulfillment of all things in Christ? ...
There was one nation in human history that had perfect laws--Old Covenant theocratic Israel; and yet, generation after generation were just as wicked--or more wicked--than the nations around them. So bad were the injustices in Israel that the prophet Habakkuk cried out, "the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth" (Hab. 1:4). The problem persisted to the exile and then into the coming of Christ into the world. The law could never produce righteous and merciful men and women. There had to be a better way....
The angst and vitriol of believers or either side of current cultural debates cuts across the clear teaching of Scripture. Instead of fueling and fostering such angst and animous, we should be praying for a spirit of unity that is rooted in the truth of Christ and the precious doctrines of Scripture. We should be seeking for God to give us a Christian spirit that is diffused with the sweet fruit of the Holy Spirit. What witness the Christian church would have in the world, if it modeled Spirit-wrought unity and love in the face of a world of division, strife, and hatred. May our one God the Father answer the prayer of our Savior in granting His people a spirit of true spiritual unity at such a time as this. ...
When we are tempted to trust in some particular peson or political party to provide deliverance and security, they we have a vain hope. The God who made heaven, and earth, the sea and all that is in them, is the One who provides deliverence and security for His people. This God has secured a city that has foundations--a lasting city--for His people (Heb. 11:10, 16: 13:14). He has, through His own death on the cross, secured victory over our enemies--the world, the flesh, and the devil. He alone provides salvation. He alone atones for our sins. He alone sets the prisoner free. He alone raises us from death to life. He alone is the One in whom we should find our help....
As we approach the New Year, many believers are considering Bible reading plans. This is good and right, since God calls His people to be men and women, boys and girls of His word. However, many believers feel the failure of their Bible reading over the past year and sometimes mistakenly think they can somehow make up for the deficiencies of the past year through quantitative Bible reading. It is important for us to remember that in studying Scripture, quality is actually more important than quantity. In light of this, it will do us good to shift gears to focus on putting into practice some principles by which we can benefit the most from our Bible reading in the New Year. ...
Since 2012, I have made it my practice to compile a list of all I write, teach, and preach throughout the year. Though this year has been a particularly taxing year for everyone--and a challenging one so far as productivity goes--here are some resources from 2020....
As we consider anew the divine activity in the lives of the wisemen, we are met with the reality of God's sovereign grace to those who were once far off from God. We are reminded of the way in which God chooses and calls pagans to trust in His Son. We are warned that we can have a deep knowledge of the Scriptures yet no grace in our hearts. We are motivated to believe in Christ despite any visible miracles or outward displays of glory. We are taught to trust in Jesus even when others around us show deep disinterest. And we are encouraged to give of our time, possessions, and persons to the King of Kings and the advancement of His kingdom--especially when the work of His kingdom seems to be lacking in outward impressiveness. ...
As we reflect anew on the mystery of the incarnate Son of God in the womb of the virgin Mary, may God grant us a newfound sense of wonder and astonishment. In the same way, as we reflect on His providential works in the world and His redemptive work in our lives, may we humble ourselves before His majestic throne--praising Him for all that He has done and is doing safe from the prying eyes of men. After all, we are meant to be astonished. ...
If 2020 has been challenging for pastors, consider the toll that it has taken on the pastor's wife. She is one of the unsung heroes of the church. The pastor's wife sacrifices unmeasurable and unrecognized time and energy to support the ministry to which her husband has been called--often without the support she needs. In many instances, she is indispensable to the ministry, since her husband's ministry will rarely outlast her support....
The Christian can have the strongest possible confidence that God cannot and will not change. He cannot and will not lie. This means that even when I feel most unstable in my ever changing affections, God and His promise does not change. This gives us the greatest possible encouragement to go to Him, casting ourselves and our burdens upon Him--knowing that He will always undertake for those who come to Him in faith (1 Pet. 5:7). After all, the covenant keeping Redeemer, Jesus Christ, is the same yesterday, today, and forever. ...
In my first foray into public ministry, I was met with what I deemed to be a highly unusual request. One of the elders of the church in which I was serving asked me to refer to the printed order of worship as a "playbill" rather than as a bulletin. This struck me as strange for a number of reasons--not least of which is that I couldn’t wrap my mind around how doing such would appeal to those visiting. However, a deeper concern revolved around my suspicion that this man considered worship to be a spectator sport--a baptized version of the theatre. Though our elements of worship were reflective of a historic Reformed liturgy, the telos of what we were doing in worship was not as clearly defined....
Believers often meditate on the love, the joy, and the peace of Jesus. However, most of us probably do not give enough attention to the thanksgiving of Jesus. One of the things that we can be certain of--concerning all of the sinless perfections of incarnate Son of God--is that Jesus expressed full and unceasing gratitude to His Father for every provision, every kindness, every protection, every soul-strengthening support and every miraculous act that the Father worked through Him during His earthly ministry. Without doubt, Jesus is the most thankful person who ever lived. ...
The more we understand the relationship between Satan and sin--keeping them in biblical perspective and viewing them in light of the person and work of Christ--the better equipped we will be to put sin to death and to avoid the temptations that so easily ensnare us. ...
Since the preaching of the gospel is the primary means by which God saves His people, ministers of the gospel should concern themselves with pursuing growth in their ability to skilfully communicate the truth of Scripture. Pastors should avail themselves of all the means of growth that are at their disposal. In so doing, we may never become the best preachers in the world, but we will--by God's grace--become more skillful in making known "the unsearchable riches of Christ." ...
With the potential for the entire world to stream into our minds and hearts by means of the internet, it is safe to conclude that there has never been a time when Christians needed discernment so much as at present....
I sometimes fear that there is a willful naïveté in the church with regard to the presence and power of Satan. One doesn't have to look far into the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, or the New Testament Epistles to discover the reality of the spiritual forces of darkness and to develop a theology of the assault tactics of the evil one. But it might surprise some to see what exactly these tactics are in their more subtle forms. ...
If the church is to be rooted in the timeless truths of God’s word, it needs leaders who are standing on the shoulders of giants in whom the Spirit of God was at work. If pastors are to navigate the overwhelming challenges of an increasingly secular and antagonistic society–not to mention the internal attacks from strong willed and self-seeking individuals within the church–they need to counsel of older and wiser saints. ...
In recent years, our society has rapidly embraced what has come to be known as the "cancel culture." If someone has said or done something--at any point in his or her life--that cuts across the grain of the suppose moral rectitude of society, he or she is swiftly excoriated to the point of irremediable social ostracization. An immediate sentence is determined by the masses and pronounced on social media in order to ensure its execution. There is no mercy, no call to repentance, and no hope of restoration...The rashness and widespread nature of the execution is, in part, the thing that makes cancel culture so brutal. The bitter and self-righteous speech of those pronouncing judgment gives the unremitting banter a veneer of justice. This is what makes cancel culture such a powerful weapon; yet, I suggest, a weapon to be avoided by Christians. ...
When we come to Christ, we learn to live in a way that is pleasing to God. We seek after His instruction and walk in His ways. Jesus is the rarest commodity–the eternal wisdom of God and sole source of righteousness and life. It is Him we must seek, find, and acquire more than any other commodities we may come to possess in life....
There is a clear pattern in Scripture of the way in which God uses the praises of His people for their future deliverances and the evangelization of the nations. May we enter into His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise, knowing that our God is enthroned on the praises of His people. We need His deliverance and the watching nations need His salvation....
By restraining wrong opinions about His person and work...
“With him we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel.” 2 Corinthians 8:18 When I was at the 2012 Together For The Gospel meeting, there was a panel discussion on celebrity pastors. Dr. Carl Trueman was on the panel, cautioning against the perils and dangers of the celebrity pastor. While I certainly agreed wi...
Keep Reading"The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing" (Psalm 23:1). This amazing truth is ultimately fulfilled in the Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. Only in Him is all that is promised to us fully realized. For all the Psalmists declaration to become realizations for us, Jesus had to lay down His life for the sheep (John 10:11). Consider the following ways that Psalm 23 is fu...
Keep ReadingIn Ezekiel 47 the prophet sees an unusual sight. This is not the first unusual thing Ezekiel has seen as he gets a guided tour of a new temple. The prophet is exposed to all sorts of changes in the design of the temple, its sacrificial system, and in the surrounding allotment of land to the twelve tribes of Israel. God is making all things new, as it were. Jerusale...
Keep ReadingReading is a wonderful thing. It stimulates thinking. Or so it should. Of course the famous computer expression “GIGO” applies to reading as well as to computer programming. If all we do is put garbage in, all we will get is garbage out. The three books I would like to mention here avoid GIGO altogether. Richard M. Gamble (not to be confused with the theolog...
Keep ReadingSouthern Baptist Theological Seminary 1859-2009 By Gregory A. Wills Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009 566 pp General Index Illustrations Gregory Wills, professor of church history at SBTS, has penned a well-researched and written history of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary from its founding in 1859 to 2009. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary 185...
Keep ReadingJonathan Edwards and Justification Edited by Josh Moody Wheaton: Crossway, 2012 158 pp, Preface, Introduction, Index Books about Jonathan Edwards are legion. So too are books about the oft controverted doctrine of justification. So along comes this delightful little book Jonathan Edwards and Justification published by Crossway Books and ably edited by Edwards scho...
Keep ReadingA Toxic Exchange The golden calf incident of Exodus 32 provides us with a vivid illustration of what can go wrong when we fall into brazen idolatry. If when you read Paul’s comments in Romans 1 where he talks about the exchange of the truth for the lie, you wondered what that looks like, here is your picture. This is an account of in-your-face idolatry. The unholy...
Keep ReadingDid God Really Say? Affirming the Truthfulness and Trustworthiness of Scripture Edited by David B. Garner 181 pp, Bibliography and Subject Name Index PR Publishing: Phillipburg, 2012 I became a Christian back in 1983 when Evangelical discussions about biblical inerrancy were in high gear. Not only had Evangelical pastors and scholars hammered out a solid statement ab...
Keep ReadingAbominable Sacrifices: How Jesus Takes Miserable Worshipers and Makes Us Acceptable to God (Isaiah 1:10-15 ESV) 10 Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah! 11 "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do no...
Keep ReadingCanon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament By Michael J. Kruger, PhD Wheaton: Crossway 2012 362pp, Bibliography, General and Scripture Indices Here is a book I can confidently endorse and encourage you all to get your hands on and read! Michael Kruger, professor of New Testament and academic dean at Reformed Theological Seminary in Cha...
Keep ReadingProlific author and speaker Don (D. A.) Carson, research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL and one of the leaders of The Gospel Coalition, has recently released an excellent treatment of the specious form of tolerance operative in the arena of political correctness, in his The Intolerance of Tolerance. Published by Eerdman...
Keep ReadingJesus once said that he came to minister to the lost sheep of the household of Israel (Matt. 15:24). And that he most certainly did. But like the OT prophets before him, he did not lose sight of the implications of the Abrahamic promise for Gentiles. Is it possible that this same concern formed some of the background for Jesus' cleansing(s) of the temple (John 2:13-2...
Keep ReadingI have recently finished reading three books worth mentioning. I should say up front that not every book that I read do I think worth blogging about. But these three are you should consider reading yourselves. Back in November Crossway Books published K. Scott Oliphint's book God With Us: Divine Condescension and the Attributes of God which can be found here. Olph...
Keep ReadingWho says doctrine is impractical? Certainly the apostle Paul would have no truck with such sentiments. In Philippians 2:1-11 we learn that there is abundant practical fruit from the rich fertile soil of sound biblical doctrine. This can be put generally and specifically. Abstractly, Christian life derives from the particulars of true Christian doctrine. Concretel...
Keep ReadingBy now some of you may be aware that Dr. Bill Edgar and Dr. Scott Oliphint of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia have edited a fine primer of classic apologetic texts from the New Testament down to the present. The set is titled Christian Apologetics: Past and Present and it is now complete with the appearance of the second volume which can be obtained here...
Keep ReadingI need to read and reread my sermons before I step into the pulpit to preach them. At first I only did this so that I could deliver my sermons smoothly. But over time I have become aware that I need to read and reread them because I need to preach to myself. Or rather, the Word needs to confront me since I am a sinner in need of the correction and encouragement that ...
Keep ReadingThe Christian life ought to mirror the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the teaching of the Apostle Paul. It is especially clear in two places in his letter to the Philippians. In 2:1-11 and 3:1-11 Paul touches upon this theme. In the second chapter Paul grounds his call to humility and unity in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Just as the pre-incarnate Son...
Keep ReadingRecently I preached on the heart-wrenching experience which our Lord Jesus Christ had in the garden of Gethsemane the night in which he was betrayed and which culminated in his death on cross for the sins of his people. The primary text I spoke from was Luke 22:39-46. Here we see our Lord in all his humanity. Here we see proof positive that our Lord was one person wi...
Keep ReadingThis past weekend it was a thrill to represent the Reformed Forum at the 38th annual Philadelphia Conference of Reformed Theology hosted at the historic 10th Presbyterian Church in Center City Philadelphia. My RF colleagues Jim Cassidy, Camden Bucey and I also had the opportunity to record an episode or two of Christ the Center where we discussed the various lectures/ser...
Keep ReadingLast week I had the privilege of preaching at Hudson Valley United Reformed Church in New Hampton, NY (outside Middletown, NY) and in the evening I unpacked Daniel's powerful and audacious model prayer in Daniel 9:1-19. I noted that the Scriptures contain several model prayers. For instance, 1st Chronicles 29:10-13 records David's prayer over the materials Solomon woul...
Keep ReadingMinisters and other students of the Word can rejoice that two stalwarts of the Reformed faith have each published a new commentary on the things Jesus continued to do and teach through his Holy Spirit and Word directed apostles in the early church. That was a mouthful! Both Derek Thomas and R. C. Sproul have graced us with thoughtful and stirring expositions of the boo...
Keep ReadingSome readers may wonder whether doing research is merely a dry, academic and clinical exercise. For me I can say that it is not. Recently as I was doing some reading for the third chapter of my dissertation, I had reason to read Gerald C. Cragg's Puritanism in the Period of the Great Persecution, 1660-1688 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1957). While I was ...
Keep ReadingFor those of us who believe that pastors ought to be scholarly and that scholars in the seminary ought to be pastoral, two new books have recently been released that are food for the soul. The first is a new English translation of a Dutch original. Willem Van Asselt in 1998 edited a delightful series of essays explicating in brief fashion the contours of Reformed Schol...
Keep ReadingJohn Calvin rightly pointed out that we know God as both creator and redeemer in his magnum opus, The Institutes of the Christian Religion. But how often do we realize that the second person of the Trinity, the Son, is our creator and redeemer? Of course this is also true of the Holy Spirit. But it is an amazing thing that the Son of God is the divine agent of both c...
Keep ReadingWinston Smith of CCEF has produced a helpful and practical book about working through marital problems in a God-honoring, Christ-exalting, Spirit-empowered way entitled Marriage Matters: Extraordinary Change Through Ordinary Moments. It can be obtained here. A few weeks ago the Christ the Center program at Reformed Forum interviewed Smith about this book here. The ...
Keep ReadingOne of the statements I find myself returning to frequently these days as I have the privilege to preach God's Word is that no matter how far along the pathway of the Christian pilgrimage one has trod, one will always need Christ. Whether you have been a Christian for decades or have only recently come to faith, you will always need Christ. Tullian Tchividjian has a wo...
Keep ReadingUntil very recently, some of our Old Princeton heroes had failed to garner much of any biographical or systematic analysis. Thankfully this is beginning to change. For instance, Benjamin B. Warfield is now graced with Fred Zaspel's helpful treatment of his theology here. Gary Johnson's fine edited volume on Warfield, obtainable here, also adds to our appreciation of ...
Keep ReadingThis past Sunday I had the privilege of preaching at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Fresh Meadows in Queens, NY. I had the opportunity to see with my own eyes the fruit of Pastor Brad Hertzog's labors. It was a beautiful thing to gather with the saints in that school auditorium and worship our great and loving triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. What...
Keep ReadingOur friends at Crossway recently released a well-conceived and executed festschrift (celebratory writing) for John Piper, pastor of preaching of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN. The name of the book is For the Fame of God's Name: Essays in Honor of John Piper and you can obtain it here. Typically books of this sort are not considered exciting reading.Â...
Keep ReadingThanks to our good friend Jeff Downs, you can now hear the recent Lord's Day sermon by Dr. K. Scott Oliphint which he preached at Second Presbyterian Church in Greenville, SC, as part of Westminster Theological Seminary's Full Confidence conference weekend. Dr. Oliphint is professor of apologetics and systematic theology at Westminster and is a powerful and effective p...
Keep ReadingOur good friend Jeff Downs informs us that Dr. K. Scott Oliphint spoke at Mid-America Reformed Seminary's annual Fall Lecture Series, November 2-3. Dr. Oliphint is Professor of Apologetics and Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He spoke on "Contemporary Discussions on Reformed Epistemology." The first lecture was "The...
Keep ReadingAlthough it has been out for a month or more now, I thought I should mention that Fred Zaspel's helpful systematization of the theology of Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield, The Theology of B. B. Wafrield: A Systematic Summary, is now available here. While Warfield was an accomplished systematic theologian, apologete, and Biblical exegete, he never produced a full-fledged...
Keep ReadingI recently had the privilege of preaching from John 11 about our Lord's raising of Lazarus from the dead. You can hear the sermon here. I endeavored to unpack the message under the following headings: (1) Christ is sovereign over the timing of his miracles; (2) Christ sorrowed at his friend's tomb; and (3) Jesus himself is the resurrection and the life. My ...
Keep ReadingThere is nothing more important than the gospel. There is no point at which we as Christians can dispense with it. And so it is a pleasure to note that Crossway Books has recently published this volume of sermons on 2nd Timothy stemming from the April 2009 Gospel Coalition conference. Entrusted with the Gospel: Pastoral Expositions of 2 Timothy is available her...
Keep ReadingDavid VanDrunen, the Robert B. Strimple professor of Systematic Theology and Christian Ethics at Westminster Seminary California, has authored the new Living in God's Two Kingdoms: A Biblical View of Christianity and Culture which can be obtained here. VanDrunen has elsewhere shown the historical pedigree of the two kingdoms doctrine within Reformed circles. Th...
Keep ReadingJohn Piper and David Mathis have brought us a new compilation of articles on the significance of John Calvin. With Calvin in the Theater of God: The Glory of Christ and Everyday Life can be found here. While we may be tempted to think that the last thing that can be said about Calvin has been said, it is always good to visit Calvin and God's use of him anew....
Keep ReadingReaders of this blog know that I have had to deal with the loss of my mother, Carole Lynn Waddington, over the last month or so. This past Sunday we held the second of two memorial services in her honor and in each, in slightly different ways, God was glorified, Christ was lifted up, and the Spirit was honored through the proclamation of the Word. While my family a...
Keep ReadingThis morning I woke up at an ungodly hour and could not go back to sleep (was it because I was giving my first ever Hebrew ordination exam?). So what was I to do? Lo and behold my eyes wandered to my night stand and the pile of books thereon. In that unwieldy stack there lay a little book and I thought to myself that I might just be able to complete it before I...
Keep ReadingThe good folks at Crossway Books have released a new book by John Piper on developing a Christian mind entitled Think which can be obtained here. Many books have been written on developing a Christian mind or worldview, but Piper brings his familiarity with Jonathan Edwards to bear on the topic in that the mind is not divorced from the emotions or will. In fact, a ...
Keep ReadingLast Thursday I had a distinct honor and privilege. I had the opportunity to be with my mother as she entered into glory. Readers will remember from my post "Startled by Grace?" that my mom had spoken with me and my wife on a Saturday night a week and a half ago shortly after she had been relocated from the local hospital to the area rehabilitation center. My m...
Keep ReadingRecently PR Publishing reissued Roderick Campbell's study Israel and the New Covenant which can be obtained here. While I am not a postmillennialist myself, it is always good to read books and articles from other perspectives to keep one's mind sharp and alert. This volume has an introduction by Oswald T. Allis, former professor at Westminster Theological Seminary ...
Keep ReadingJonathan Leeman writes: One of the greatest ironies of the postmodern West might be this: that great symbol of pleasure in our culture for which it (consciously or not) most emphatically rejects God - sex - is the very thing God has given humanity so that it might have an analogy, a category, a language for knowing what the unadulterated enjoyment of him will be like in g...
Keep ReadingOur friends at Crossway Publishers have recently published this new book entitled War, Peace, and Christianity: Questions and Answers from a Just War Perspective which can be obtained here. It is authored by Timothy J. Demy and J. Daryl Charles. Given the state of the nation and the world this is a timely offering. Readers will be interested to know that th...
Keep ReadingToday has been an emotionally draining day. Today I visited with my mom and dad and continue to see the signs of aging multiply before my eyes. My mother has been having health problems off and on all her life and during these last few years they have been more on than off. Last winter she entered the hospital with a life threatening condition. Thankfully t...
Keep ReadingNick posted a great video of Tim Keller speaking about how the Bible is mainly about Jesus Christ and His finished work. Â Here is a copy of the basic transcript of that helpful video. Â Christ is all! Tim Keller said: "Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures." (Luke 24:27) Jesus is...
Keep ReadingIt is a glorious thing to be called of God to proclaim his gospel. Yes indeed! I am blessed to be able to serve my congregation as a teacher (in the OPC, a minister can serve as a pastor, teacher, or evangelist). I am able to teach, preach, serve on the session and sit at presbytery (and at the GA when appointed). I am also a PhD candidate chipping away at ...
Keep ReadingRecently we at the Christ the Center internet audio program over at Reformed Forum interviewed the Rev. Dr. Chad Van Dixhoorn about his involvement in the Westminster Assembly project. The WAP is a boon to us for the historical and theological understanding of the WS. We look forward to the publication in the near future of the minutes of the assembly under Dr. Van...
Keep ReadingI love to read. I hope you do too. Reading keeps the mind active and the imagination fired up. Some recent books that I have been dipping into are the following: James White's provocative Pulpit Crimes: The Criminal Mishandling of God's Word which can be found here. Dr. White provides hard hitting commentary on common misuses of the Bible in the pul...
Keep ReadingOur friend Jeff Downs has recently posted a series of lectures by Dr. Joseph Pipa and Dr. Richard Gaffin offered at a 1998 conference on Reformed hermeneutics and homiletics. You can find it here....
Keep ReadingSometimes it seems as if I will never finish the book I am currently working through. This is definitely the case with my bedtime reading. But in the last few days I have concluded reading three different books that I would like to note. Do not fret. This is not my usual practice. But these books deserve some sort of honorable mention. The first ite...
Keep ReadingAs I was reading through James Anderson's intriguing volume Paradox in Christian Theology I came across this citation from Cyril of Alexandria that reminds me that the so-called "extra Calvinisticum" (the idea that the Son of God is not circumscribed by or limited to the human body of Jesus Christ) is not the property of the Reformed wing of the church but was the view of ...
Keep ReadingAndreas Kostenberger and Michael Kruger have presented to the Christian world a fascinating account, and rebuttal, of an old idea that seems to keep rearing its ugly head. In The Heresy of Orthodoxy: How Contemporary Culture's Fascination with Diversity Has Reshaped Our Understanding of Early Christianity the authors address the Bauer thesis and its more recent ado...
Keep ReadingI have been reading quite a lot lately about how the Bible is a story or narrative and not a book of propositions.  I have not found this a convincing reading of the situation. It is, to put the matter bluntly, a false dilemma. The Bible is both propositional and a story. It is both factual and dramatic. Let's try a thought experiment. Let's ask our...
Keep ReadingI have loved the study of doctrine since I came to faith in Christ. I couldn't help but eagerly seek to learn all about the faith I had come to embrace. Yes, it is true. I had been raised in a Christian home. Indeed, in the home of a pastor. I am a "pastor's brat" as some like to say. So for almost 27 years I have made the study of God's Word and it...
Keep ReadingTullian Tchividjian, grandson of Billy Graham and pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, brings us lessons of grace from the book of Jonah. Having just completed a Sunday School series on Jonah, it would have been great to have had this to use in my preparation. Alas, better late than never. Tchividjian draws out the gracious gos...
Keep ReadingThis cut scene from the movie We Were Soldiers is sobering. The husband of the woman singing the solo (though she doesn't know it yet) is killed in that Sunday battle, and he will never return home. This same dreadful loss happens to many of the young women sitting in that little church. In the face of pain like that, my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood a...
Keep ReadingA friend of mine posted these words from Helen Roseveare recently. Â May God work these kind of desires in our hearts . . . Helen Roseveare, a missionary doctor to the Congo for twenty years, writes: To be a living sacrifice will involve all of my time. Â God wants me to live every minute for Him in accordance with His will and purpose . . . No time can be considered ...
Keep ReadingCommenting on the book of Hosea, Vos wrote: Jehovah strengthened Israel's arms and taught her to walk [7.15]; although the Giver of all nature-blessings, of corn, wine, oil, silver, gold, wool, flax, Jehovah is distinguished from the Baals, in that He has something more and finer to given than these: Â loving-kindness, mercy and faithfulness [2.19]; in reality He gives,...
Keep ReadingI never knew the song by Bach many people play at weddings is about Christ! He is the joy of man's desiring. Every joy in all of man's desiring points to the greatest Joy and the Giver of both all joys and all joy-producing gifts: Â Christ!
If you are in Christ Jesus, by grace through faith, you will be married forever. And Jesus will be married too. He will not remain single forever. Jonathan Edwards wrote: The end [goal] of the creation of God was to provide a spouse for His Son Jesus Christ that might enjoy Him and on whom He might pour forth His love. And the end of all things in providence are to mak...
Keep ReadingIn his book, The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis wrote: “We have a tendency to think, but not to act. The more we feel without acting, the less we will ever be able to act, and, in the long run, the less we will be able to feel.†I have often thought and felt a lot of things while listening to sermons or while reading Bible-saturated books or while looking...
Keep ReadingIn a blog post entitled "My Biggest Sin," McKay Caston writes: You couldn’t help it, could you? This is gonna be juicy, right? Could be. Okay, let’s get to it. What is my biggest sin? Of course, most of us probably think of the Top 10 list in Exodus. “Thou Shall Not…†But we’ve all broken every one of those. No surprise there. So what...
Keep ReadingJohn Owen wrote: I confess I would rather, much rather, spend all my time and days in making up and healing the breaches and schisms that are amongst Christians than one hour in justifying our divisions even therein wherein, on the one side, they are capable of a fair defense. But who is sufficient for such an attempt? The closing of differences amongst Christians is like ...
Keep ReadingMartin Bucer wrote these passionate words about the great satisfaction that is to be found in the Lord Jesus Christ alone: " . . . Christ our Lord alone is the One who is, gives, and performs for us everything which we can desire for our true advantage, happiness, and honour." " . . . all gain, all enjoyment, all honour apart from Christ is poison and death, but . . . in C...
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