In the course of being married nearly ten years and being a parent for almost that long (#honeymoon babies rock!!!), I’ve had numerous discussions with people about marriage and children. Additionally, my wife and I have had more than a few conversations about children and parenting. One thing I have come to see is that … More Parents: Expect Foolishness from Your Children
When so much of so-called “Christian” media falls flat on its face, Paul, Apostle of Christ is a breath of fresh air. I do not know about the beliefs of the writers or producers, but I know that the final product was superb, accurately presenting the biblical faith. The film takes facts known from the Bible … More Movie Review: Paul, Apostle of Christ
If you haven’t heard about the recent Statement on Social Justice & the Gospel that was produced by John MacArthur, Phil Johnson, James White, and others, you can read about it here. The issues surrounding this statement are myriad and complex. However, as a Reformed theonomist and Christian Reconstructionist, I’ve found it very interesting to analyze the … More Theonomy, Allistair Begg, and the Statement on Social Justice & the Gospel.
We have a tendency to be petty. We can make a huge deal about a little wrong that someone has committed against us. It is in our sinful nature. This is why the Bible calls us to overlook offences: “Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs” (Proverbs 19:11). Despite this imperative, we often find it hard … More The Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor
We each have those areas in our lives where we struggle more than others. One of the areas in my life that I need to be careful about is the things I say. It is not so much that I say foul or profane things. Rather, it is that sometimes I am careless and say … More Think Carefully Before Speaking
[The following is a transcript from a sermon preached on September 9, 2018; click here to listen to the sermon.] Ever since the Fall, the history of humanity has been one of battle between the seed of Christ and the seed of Satan. Jesus Christ is in the business of recruiting followers to his cause—a … More The Third Mark of a True Church
One of the marks of Christian maturity is being judgmental. The author of Hebrews tells his readers this in the last verse of chapter five: But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:14, ESV) The mature believer … More Judgmental Christians
[To listen to the sermon on this topic, click here.] In the previous post, we discussed the topic of the first mark of a true church as identified by the Reformers: the pure doctrine of the gospel. You may remember I noted that someone may be deceived by a false gospel and yet be saved. Nevertheless, … More Baptism and the Marks of a True Church
The gospel is truly the sine qua non of the church. This means that it is absolutely essential and indispensable to the church. Without it, a congregation is not a congregation of the one true God. They may be a congregation of people meeting together, but they do not qualify as a congregation (or “church”) of God. … More The First Mark of a True Church
If people are encouraged and empowered to be independent, responsible, critical thinkers in the church, they are more prone to be independent, responsible, critical thinkers in the state. On the other hand, if church members are in a system where they are governed from the top-down, they are far more likely to be disengaged in the civil sphere, abdicating their responsibility to those “over” them. … More The Connection Between Church Polity and Civil Engagement
