Imagine an unbeliever named Liam going to church. That’s a great thing, by the way. We want unbelievers in worship. Like all unbelievers, Liam is living in rebellion against God. Liam is unwilling to admit his sin and misery, confess it, repent of it, and he’s unwilling to trust in Christ alone for salvation. However, Liam is spiritual and curious about the Christian faith. So, Liam visits a seeker-sensitive church. As he experiences the worship service, Liam hears the pastor say, “God...
When we have family worship, we sometimes talk as a family about how the Reformed faith differs from other theological perspectives including other religions. I firmly believe the Reformed and Presbyterian understanding of the Bible and the world is the most precise, logical, faithful, and comforting, so of course, I’m teaching my children this historic understanding of Christianity. It’s reassuring to confess such a faithful theological tradition with millions of Christians past and...
Dear brother or sister, you may struggle with the assurance of your salvation. I know what that’s like. Sometimes I wonder, “Can I actually be saved if I have thoughts like this, if I have these desires? Am I really saved if I do things like this?” When we are conscious of our sinful thoughts and desires, when sinful words come hurling out of our mouths, when our behavior has proven to be yet again sinful and hurtful, it’s easy to think, “Am I actually a Christian or am I simply a...
From a very early age, we don’t like being told what to do. Right? “Theodore, do not put that in your mouth!” What does Theodore do? He crams it in his mouth quickly. From our earliest years, something inside us says, “No, I don’t want to do that, and you can’t make me.” Isn’t this right? Isn’t it right that we are born with an aversion to commands that promote our wellbeing? Growing up, I was taught not to use foul language. During my college years, my language became more...
Many Christians have a bad taste in their mouths when it comes to catechisms, confessions, and creeds. They rightfully desire to draw their doctrine from the Bible. They rightfully consider the Bible to be the sole authority for life and faith. They rightfully bulk at the thought of anything rising to equality to the Bible (and equality ends up being supremacy). However, they don’t understand that creeds of some sort are essential, necessary, in fact, inevitable. The moment anyone tries to...
Back in 2003, I ran the Philadelphia Marathon. I was 24 years old. That was almost 20 years ago. Wow. I’m getting old. Anyway, I ran the marathon on a beautiful day in October in Pennsylvania. The morning was cool and it warmed up to the point I could run without a shirt. This allowed spectators and other runners to see what Kristina had written in Sharpie across my chest: “I’d rather be preaching.” As I ran the 26.2 miles in Philly, I availed myself of the drink stations to stay...
Oliver loved Christmas. It was Christmas Eve, and he couldn’t wait to wake up the next morning, run down the stairs, and open his presents. He knew he had to wait until after breakfast, but his visions of tearing open presents after his mother’s morning spread were quite vivid. He struggled to fall asleep, but in time he did, and on Christmas morning he jolted awake, ran down the stairs, and beheld quite a sight. Under the sparkling tree were presents galore. After breakfast, Oliver’s...
Would you consider two verses for a moment? The first is Deuteronomy 27:26, “‘Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’” The second is Galatians 3:10 where Paul quotes Deuteronomy 27:26, “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.’” Think about those verses. God has given...
It’s ingrained in us. We love performance. We celebrate it. We believe that hard work pays off. Tonight, the Golden State Warriors take on the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. Both teams worked very hard and defeated very good basketball teams to rise from a record of 0-0 to the NBA Finals. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart all worked incredibly hard to get to where they are. They performed, and that’s why they are where they...
I recently heard a Christian man remark about another believer who had died. With hope in the gospel, he said the woman who had died was now with Jesus dancing in her new body. The woman had suffered cancer, and his comments, no doubt, were intended to communicate the gospel hope that when believers die, they go to be with Jesus, and their suffering ends. However, as well-intentioned as he was, his comments were mistaken. See, human beings are body and soul, and when believers die, their souls...
