Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life,... Continue Reading

Orthodoxy prides itself on never changing. The faith claims that it is the continuation of Apostolic Christianity, the very ancient church itself. And you can surely make a claim that at least from the ninth century or so, Eastern, Byzantine Christianity has remained very stable and consistent. Surely the modern period is wearing away at... Continue Reading

There may be people reading this right now who have committed an egregious sin or multiple egregious sins. Many around them are unaware of their participation in darkness because, to this point, they are blind to their wicked actions. Their fear of confessing before the Lord and others is the consequences that will come upon... Continue Reading

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses... Continue Reading

In the words of Martin Luther, we are simul justis et pecator — at the same time justified and sinners. Our sanctification will only be complete when Christ returns to take us home. However, to argue that gross and heinous sin is normative and acceptable in the Christian life makes a lie of the gospel.... Continue Reading

Joy transcends the highs and lows of life. This leads naturally to peace. The word is eirene, which in both the Septuagint and the New Testament is the equivalent of shalom, and peace was an essential component of Old Testament theology. That is why Paul so often says, “grace to you and peace.” Grace is... Continue Reading

If you are a slow reader, don’t be intimidated by others or feel like you are an efficiency failure. The important thing is to read and read good stuff.     Maybe this doesn’t apply to some of you because you are a fast reader. Congratulations! Maybe. But slow reading applies to many of us,... Continue Reading

If you affirm the word of God, it means that you will affirm the justice of God. It means accepting, as painful as it is, that if your loved one rejected Christ as their Savior, there are eternal consequences for that rejection. As we just said above, all who face God having rejected Jesus face... Continue Reading

It is worth noting that some epistles are much tougher to grasp. Galatians, for example, resists simple interpretation. First, there were two areas called Galatia in ancient Rome. Second, we don’t really know who the opponents were that Paul wrote against and what exactly they taught. We get general ideas, but we need to be... Continue Reading

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29). He is tender toward the weak, the burdened, the failing, and the struggling. He gathers lambs into his arms and carries them close to his chest (Isaiah 40:11). He doesn’t break the bruised reed or quench... Continue Reading

Instead of seeing that the growth of the word in the hearts of men is because of the faithfulness of God, we desperately desire to see ourselves as the hero of the growth. But I’d encourage a small exercise in gardening. Take a real seed and plant it. Then every day, go out and begin... Continue Reading

God has not left the nations without witness. The human heart, though darkened by sin, still bears traces of a God-consciousness that helps explain why many cultures preserve dim memories, expectations, or categories that can prepare the way for the proclamation of Christ.     Why do people in every age and in every place... Continue Reading

It is somewhat complex. I want to admit from the outset that, this point is not simplistic. “When does the Christian not submit to the state? Or is the Christian to universally, categorically in every instance submit to the state, such that to rebel against the state is in every case to sin against God?”... Continue Reading

God used Winston Churchill to save his country during World War 2 – and a legitimate case could be made that the free world would have fallen without his strong leadership through one of the greatest crises in modern civilization. But shortly after seeing victory, Churchill was removed from office when his coalition government fell... Continue Reading

A lot cleverness in writing functions like nervous laughter in conversation. It fills silence for the one providing it, but it’s distracting for everyone else. This is not to say, of course, that writers ought never be clever. Great writers can often be clever, and more artful expression or memorable turns of phrase are good... Continue Reading

We need to be aware of signs of spiritual illness and a failure to thrive. When we start to find ourselves disinterested in Jesus, his Word, and our future inheritance, we should be concerned. When we realize that we are having a difficult time discerning between truth and error, or that we are unable to... Continue Reading

The irony is that many modern attempts to make worship more attractive to the world often makes worship less distinctly Christian, but the church is most compelling when she is most faithful to her identity. The church is most missional when she is most distinctly the church.   One of the more common arguments in... Continue Reading

Yet those who cannot read can hear the spoken word, which is how God’s Spirit worked through his apostles to convert the heathen. We nowhere read that the apostles went to the lost with images, nor that artistic skill at fashioning images is a gift of the Spirit. Yet time and again we hear of... Continue Reading

Men, who really knows you in your church? Your soul was made for godly masculine intimacy with other Christian men, and with Christ. Take time to pursue it. Heaven and hell really are hanging in the balance.   Two audible dings immediately rang out as my cell phone turned on. “Heard you guys lost a... Continue Reading

Our congregations begin to truly mirror the image of God when we move toward broken people instead of away from them. Only that kind of church will meaningfully confront abortion.   The Post-Roe Paradox: Why Abortion Rates Are Still Rising On January 27, 1973, a single decision legalized abortion in every state. Almost fifty years... Continue Reading