Theologically, Erskine exists as an instrument of the church for the church’s purposes. Its primary calling—the formation of ministers and the Christian education of our covenant community—is not a business function or an administrative one. It is a spiritual one.   Brothers and Fathers in the Lord, I am not writing in an official capacity... Continue Reading

The remedy for the fear of man is to have a greater fear. “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). To fear God is to kill the fear of man.   I don’t care... Continue Reading

Note that the position of the Committee is that the free exercise of “all religions” in our nation is entirely consistent with the PCA’s constitutional standards.  In this context “all religions” does not mean all Christian denominations as it did during the time of the writing of our founding documents.  It means all religions including... Continue Reading

The born again saints of the church drive the devil to distraction when we stand up to him and refuse to allow him to “bully” us.   One of the privileges of the true (regenerate) saints of the church, is that we get to frustrate the devil’s designs against us—and hence, make his existence even more miserable... Continue Reading

Eastern Orthodoxy, by grounding authority in Holy Tradition and righteousness in synergistic theosis, builds religious hope upon sand—unstable and contingent—whereas confessional Reformed theology builds religious hope upon the rock—the firm foundation of the covenant of grace, as the self-evidencing Scriptures authoritatively reveal a finished work and an imputed righteousness, received by faith alone.   Both... Continue Reading

The way you fight this “good fight” is by meditating on God’s assurances of future grace and by asking for the help of his Spirit.…The battle to be freed from sin is “by the Spirit” (Romans 15:16; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2) and by “the truth” (John 17:17, 19): the work of the Spirit... Continue Reading

Ministry discouragement has a way of shrinking our perspective until every criticism feels catastrophic and every hardship feels uniquely ours. What we usually need is recalibration. We need someone to lovingly remind us that the church belongs to Christ, not us, and that for all our striving, we were never asked to play the Savior.... Continue Reading

The struggle is normal. Perfection will only be experienced in Heaven. But there will still be benefits to enjoy here, when we work for positive change.   Often you probably hear people talk about the need for consistency, how important it is, and the lack of it is their problem. Actually, everyone is consistent. The... Continue Reading

Humility is the result of a radical awareness of God’s glory and greatness that fuels life lived for him.  It’s the gospel applied and inhabited so that we think of ourselves less and of him more. What does it look like to put it on?   Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may... Continue Reading

It’s a name that we’ve been given, not because we earned it, but because we were adopted into a family. It’s a name that defines who we are. And it’s a name we already have, not one we are trying to earn. It’s the name that is above every name, and the name at which... Continue Reading