A Site for the Teaching Ministry of Nick Batzig
For believers, meals together in this life (both in worship and in our homes) are preparing us for that day when we will spiritually feast together in the presence of God. The food we consume, the table around which we sit, and the companions with whom we gather have as their end the spiritual communion that we enjoy with one another and with the triune God. ...
Whether one takes the phrase, "the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified," in Hebrews 10:29 to be a reference to Christ himself or to those who, having once professed faith in him and departed from the covenant community makes little difference. The same truth is taught in accord with the analogy of faith. Both are doctrinally sound interpretations. The author of Hebrews, no doubt, had one of these two interpretations in mind. The analogy of faith protects the interpreter from having to know beyond a shadow of a doubt whether this is the intended meaning of a less clear passage of Scripture. ...
The flesh of Jesus torn apart under the judgment of God on the cross is the portal back to paradise....
As a means of grace, baptism becomes effectual in the lives of the elect by the sovereign regeneration of the Holy Spirit. This may occur in the life of an individual “whether of age or infants.” However, that regeneration is wrought in the lives of the elect by the free and unmerited work of the Spirit of God on the hearts of the elect. If an individual was baptized as an infant in the name of the triune God, but he or she did not come to saving faith and repentance until an adult, it would be right to say that their “baptism became effectual upon their repentance”––not because of repentance and faith, but because of the gracious work of the Spirit of God applying the work of Christ crucified and risen to their souls....
It should sadden us to learn that the church of our day has neglected one of the greatest treasures God has given her to worship Him--namely, the Psalter. The living God has breathed out an entire book of truth for us to sing back to Him whenever we gather together in corporate worship. Perhaps such a neglect has occurred on account of antiquated translations, difficult accompanying tunes or simply because of a lack of familiarity with the Old Testament people, places, events and symbols. Regardless, the church is certainly no better for having passed over the numerous inspired songs in the Psalter....
Certain practices have become so familiar among Christians that believers can be in danger of thoughtlessly performing them. We are all prone to simply going through the motions in our Christian lives. For instance, how often have we prayed the Lord’s Prayer without reflecting on the petitions that we are presenting to God? How often have we recited the Apostles’ Creed or the Nicene Creed without giving due consideration to the truths that we are confessing? We can easily go through the liturgical motions in a worship service without focusing on what we are doing before God. Similarly, it is altogether possible for believers to close their prayer with the words “in Jesus’ name” or “in Christ’s name” or “for Christ’s sake” as a sort of mindless mantra....
As we continue on in our journey to the celestial city, we are called to constantly hear the warnings of God's word so as to help us on our way. These warnings, as severe as they are in fact, are meant to be gracious tools in the hand of the Savior to help us persevere in the faith. ...
In all our deliberations, we must remember that church courts can and will err in this fallen world. There is no perfect justice in this life. Ultimately, there is only one Lawgiver and Judge (James 4:12), who will perfectly execute justice in the divine tribunal on the last day (Deut. 32:35; Rom. 12:17–19). At present, however, the ecclesiastical court is the only court that God has established to render judgments on spiritual matters for the spiritual advantage of the church....
Many professing believers content themselves with a mere cursory knowledge of Scripture, while filling their minds, hearts, and conversations with a knowledge of politics, literature, sports, entertainment, exercise, travel, and food. They are content to know little of Scripture while giving a deep dive into these other areas of interest. This is no phenomenon unique to our day and age....
Depression is one of the dreadful shared human experiences of life in this fallen world. So many things work on each one of us, from within and from without, that we all have times and seasons when we feel ourselves drowning under the weight of the anxieties, pressures, and trials. This ultimately results in a depression of mind and heart. A distinction must be made here between what may be called sinful depression and sinless depression. Sinful depression is usually fueled by responding to circumstances with a anxious heart that is the product of unbelief in the promises of God. Sinless depression is, more properly, the experience of the soul of a believer over the sense of the loss of God's favor or blessed presence (e.g. Psalm 42-43). The Scriptures hold out examples of each form of depression. The first is that which was experiences by Elijah in his response to Jezebel's threats. The second was the soul agony experienced by our Lord Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, as he looked into the cup of God's wrath that he would drink on the cross. . .The sinless soul agony of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane is the solution to our sinful spiritual depression. Jesus' depression had a redeeming value for our souls....
Every now and then I have to post something culturally humorous. Thanks to my good friend Michael Dewalt for pointing this out. This is really, really funny. For everyone who was ever confounded by the droopy drawers trend, this is for you:
The following is the most recent update on our Reformed Presbyterian missionaries in Haiti, with specific ways to pray for them: Short-Term Team The short-term mission team made it out of Haiti and are safely home in Savannha, GA. They took a C-130 out of P-a-P to Homestead Airforce Base, and then a private jet to Savannah. They are tired and emotionally drained, but th...
Keep ReadingOver at the Reformed Forum, Jeff, Camden and Jim discuss the subject of whether pastoral ministry consists more of learning or doing. It is always nice when I am not on the show and can sit back and learn from my colleagues on Christ the Center. You can listen here....
Keep ReadingPresbyterian Mission in Haiti (PMI) is asking that financial support for the relief of our churches in Haiti be sent to Woodruff Road Presbyterian Church. If you find yourself wanting to help in some way but do not want to simply send money to an organization you know nothing about, know that PHM and the pastors there need help now more than ever. In the wake of this massi...
Keep ReadingIn his sermon "The Believing Thief," C.H. Spurgeon pointed out the remarkable way that the dying thief, who rebuked the other thief on the cross and asked Jesus to remember him, used the one thing he could to glorify Christ. The man had no use of his hands or feet. He could not response with anything but his tongue. Spurgeon explained, "He had no member that was free excep...
Keep ReadingThe account of Jesus and Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) is a wonderful revelation of the sovereign grace of Christ in the salvation of sinners. In the context Jesus has told his disciples how hard it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. He demonstrates the impossibility (i.e. human impossibility) by the account of the rich, young ruler. He then turns around, almost imm...
Keep ReadingLast May, Kevin DeYoung (Senior Minister of University Reformed Church in East Lansing, MI) and Lynn McClurg (Vice President of Covenant Eyes) gave a series of lectures on Sexual Sanity at Harvest Orthodox Presbyterian Church. You can listen to them below: Sexual Sanity (session 1) - Kevin DeYoung Sexual Sanity (session 2) - Lynn McClurg Sexual Sanity (session 3) - Kevi...
Keep ReadingJohn Piper recently engaged some of the prisoners at Angola Prison in LAÂ in a Question and Answer time. You can listen to the audio here. You can watch the video here....
Keep ReadingRichard J. Clifford points out some of the similarities between the OT experience of Israel in the Exodus and Wilderness, with the experience of believers in Christ in the NT. He writes: In the Gospels the Exodus appears in the voice of John the Baptist crying in the wilderness and the theme of the Way of the Lord. Matthew and Luke interpret the temptations of Jesus in th...
Keep ReadingDr. David Murray, Professor of Old Testament and Practical Theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, has a blog called Head, Heart, Hand. Dr. Murray is a godly and thoughtful man, who has some edifying and interesting thoughts. You can watch several videos of Dr. Murray speaking on various subjects here....
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