Romans 9:10–12 says that God’s choice of Jacob but not Esau is a striking case of divine election because the boys were twins and neither had a proper interest in the covenant at first.   My grandparents were legally permitted to leave communist Russia in the 1930s, in an era when borders were sealed. Almost... Continue Reading

What is most promising for an adaptation of The Magician’s Nephew is that Lewis’s use of narrative supposal ensures that discussions about Aslan, even if seriously flawed, will maintain meaningful points of connection to Jesus.   Early in the first century, a former skeptic turned devout Christian entered Athens. As he wandered the streets, the... Continue Reading

When morality is no longer undergirded by a definitive moral standard it can be redefined in all sorts of supposedly reasonable and rational ways, which leads to almost anything being accepted and justified.   During a trip to South Africa last year, I visited the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. In one section, a wall lists... Continue Reading

When someone falls in public, don’t imagine that it could “never” happen to you because you are so righteous and self-controlled. Pray for the victims and their family. Pray that the abuser is convicted and repents. And pray that you may not fall into sin in your heart.   Every so often the stories of... Continue Reading

Has someone denied your dignity? He or she is wrong. Don’t match your life with their words or actions but with God’s words and actions toward you. Take mismatched thoughts captive every time they pop up. Your dignity is not at stake.   True dignity comes from the Lord. It makes sense, because there is... Continue Reading

The peace that passes understanding, that belongs to those who belong to Christ, is neither from the world nor for the world.   My wife has a diamond ring passed down to her from her grandmother. Rather than being held in place by prongs, the gem is nestled in an old fashioned gold filigree setting.... Continue Reading

Jesus’s final words on the cross were a prayer drawn from a psalm: “Father into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Luke 23:46 drawing on Psalm 31:5). Jesus prayed the Bible in His final words.   Have you ever wondered what to pray? How about praying things you find in the Bible? The Bible doesn’t... Continue Reading

God’s presence isn’t a niche. It’s the plot. The book’s twelve chapters walk the whole route: creation and the Garden, the Flood, the patriarchs, Egypt and the exodus, the wilderness, the tabernacle, the temple, exile, and then Christ. From Christ it keeps going, into the Christian, the church, and the new creation.   Ask a... Continue Reading

We must rally constitutionally-minded Christians and Americans to the polls to take back our country and restore the vision of our Founding Fathers. And we also must persist in prayer. The Lord has moved through broken systems and people throughout the history of the world, and we can learn to trust His voice as we... Continue Reading

As someone who in the period 2004 – 2016 was intimately involved  in engaging politically at both State and Federal level against many of the changes to the law relating to many of the issues raised by Trueman, I found The Desecration of Man a coherent, credible, well-argued case for identifying the moral disaster modern... Continue Reading

It seems to me that being dressed for the feast is being dressed in honor of the Son, not for your own honor. It is to be humbled before the invitation to repent and believe the good news. The invitation goes out to all the world, but those who are chosen are dressed for the... Continue Reading

A theory, developed by Stephen Hawking, that the early universe existed in all possible quantum states at once, and our presence today retroactively “selected” the life-friendly path. The leap of faith: This relies on a speculative interpretation of quantum physics that assumes present observers caused past history billions of years ago.   When I was in... Continue Reading

In the New Testament, God promises wisdom to all who earnestly seek it. Wisdom is not just the ability to ‘see around the corners of life,’ but rather the ability to live in light of what is true and good. Thus, there is no true wisdom apart from knowledge of God. Proverbs explains that wisdom... Continue Reading

The Father perfectly knows the thoughts of the Spirit who intercedes for us according to God’s will. The Spirit’s requests, which reflect Jesus’ good plans for his saints, always come to the Father perfectly intact, untainted by human sin or limitations. In other words, the Christian’s prayers will always turn out for the best not... Continue Reading

There was once a dying man who had no time to do any of it. No confession to a priest, no Communion, no pilgrimage, no works of mercy. He was a criminal nailed to a cross, and all he could do was ask Jesus to remember him. And Jesus answered him, “Truly, I say to... Continue Reading

To grumble is to be deceived. Grumbling is a muttering meditation on the dis-trustfulness of God (which is where the deception comes in, because God is always trustworthy). Grumbling is the opposite of Psalm 1: The grumbler forgets about the law of the Lord and meditates on his own discomfort and the failures of others... Continue Reading

Perhaps the evidence of God’s work in your life isn’t that you never fell apart. Maybe it’s that, when you did, you still knew where to go. You don’t have to multiply the bread. You don’t have to manufacture spiritual strength you don’t possess, and you don’t have to pretend your arms aren’t tired. Bring... Continue Reading

Some suggest that a Christian can attend a same-sex ceremony merely as a “spectator” or a “well-wisher” of the individuals rather than a ratifier of the institution. This is to introduce a fatal logical contradiction. This defense attempts to separate the person from the event, but under closer theological and linguistic scrutiny, the logic completely... Continue Reading

During his long PCA career, Smartt served as a pastor and later held roles with Mission to the World and Mission to North America. He also became a catalyst for a unique evangelistic strategy that was replicated by a number of other denominations and ministries.   PCA founding father Kennedy Smartt died on Thursday, October... Continue Reading

In our fast-paced, instant-gratification world where waiting an extra 10 seconds for our video to load seems like an eternity, the difficult ministry of making disciples seems antiquated, unproductive, and inefficient. Similar to parenting, the daily grind seems endless even as the behaviour of our children seems to be regressing. The harder we try, the... Continue Reading