Thomas Schreiner’s updated edition of the BECNT – Romans is a must have resource on Paul’s much cherished and debated letter to the earliest followers of Christ.
Theology
7 Reminders About the God of Our Trials
Do you know it’s a sin to be deceived? Sure, there is greater condemnation for those who do the deceiving, but the Bible commands us not to be deceived. James writes in James 1:16, “Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.” We are commanded not to be deceived. In context, James wants us to understand […]
3 Most Important Parts of a Marriage Ceremony
There are truckloads of webpages about how to officiate a marriage ceremony. And for the most part, what the couple wants may dictate the majority of those details. But I believe there are three essential parts of a marriage ceremony where I encourage every Bride and Groom, and Officiant, to focus the majority of their […]
Book Review — The Liturgy of Politics by Kaitlyn Schiess
Think for a moment upon the things that have influenced your politics and the things that influence your politics in your daily and weekly routine. You read The New York Times every morning over breakfast and shriek with joy at the latest column from Maureen Dowd. Over lunch, you read Christianity Today. After dinner, you […]
Implications of the Imago Dei
The “Imago Dei” is Latin for the image of God. Genesis 1:27 tells us God created male and female in His image. In Genesis 9, post-fall, God reminds us that mankind is still made in His image (see Genesis 9:6). Here are three implications of this reality. Every single human being: Displays the Imago Dei […]
Clinging to Christ in Cultural Chaos – Part 4
We have been examining Paul’s exhortation to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:8. “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel…” We have already seen an exhortation to cling to Christ’s humanity. In the last post we were encouraged to cling to His divinity, victory, and prophecy. Today, […]
Book Review — The Baptists – Vol 1: Beginnings in Britain
The Baptists – Vol 1: Beginnings in Britain is one of the must have works of Baptist history by one of the sharpest Baptist historians the church has been blessed with.
The Fleeting Glory of Man
Bo Knows Due to the popularity of American football and baseball in the good ole USA, there is effectively no argument among gen-Xers that Bo Jackson was the greatest athlete to ever live. If you grew in the 80s and 90s, you saw his legendary feats. I say legendary because the things Bo Jackson did truly […]
Pandemic, Wildfires, and Holy Matrimony
I recently had the privilege of officiating two weddings. And what a treat it was! But because of our “pandemic” and wildfires, there were plenty of details that made these events, well…special. First, in an effort to honor the godly couples, I must point out that they were herculean in patience and understanding. The restrictions […]
Clinging to Christ in Cultural Chaos — Part 3
We are now examining Paul’s exhortation to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:8. “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel…” In the last post I encouraged you to remember Christ’s humanity. Today, I want us to remember to: Cling to His Divinity We live in a day […]
Psalm 96:10-13 God Will Judge!
Do you know that feeling when you start to tell someone about the Lord and you realize they do not already know Him? Do you get a pit in your stomach sometimes—a warning not to go there? Our natural response to difficulty is sometimes “flight.” Telling your neighbor that God will not only judge him or her but that God is right to do so can be frightening! It is no wonder we fail so many times in our evangelism—it is truly counter to our flesh’s desires for comfort!
Clinging to Christ in Cultural Chaos – Part 2
Last time, we looked at some Old Testament background for what it means to cling ourselves to Christ. Today, we turn to 2 Timothy 2:8 to consider Paul’s words to young Timothy. “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel…” Remember? The first thing I think of […]
Book Review — Thriving in Grace: Twelve Ways the Puritans Fuel Spiritual Growth
Thriving in Grace is a worthy introduction to the riches that the Puritans have to offer. The authors have a contagious urgency to draw on the many practical helps from Puritan writings.
What Can the Church Learn From the Pop Culture Woke War?
Lately, I’ve taken a strange liking to some commentators who decry the ever-increasing wokeness of popular art. They believe that this wokeness is destroying longstanding entertainment franchises and even the comic book industry as a whole. As it turns out, worldview-concerned Christians with young children aren’t the only ones noticing and speaking out. Scripture is sufficient for us to respond as the church within our own walls, but I believe what we’re seeing in popular art provides a helpful cautionary tale.
Clinging to Christ in Cultural Chaos — Part 1
The year 2020 will be an epoch that is talked about in American history books. That is, if when all of this plays out if there is an America still, and if there are still history books. We really live in unprecedented times on a number of levels. COVID-19 has rocked our world. We have […]
Book Review — Spurgeon’s Quotes–The Definitive Collection
Click the link and use code straighttruth to save 40% off this book. A great gift for the preacher in your life or just for exploring the mind & heart of the Prince of Preachers! This 624 page beast of a reference book is a must for the desk of every man who prepares to […]
Received Into the Number: A Theology of Adoption Part VIII- John Calvin’s Doctrine of Adoption
In this series, we have been looking at what God’s Word says about adoption as both an earthly call to care for orphans and as a picture of how He saves undeserving sinners in need of a right relationship with Him. You can read Parts I, II, III, IV, V, VI, and VII here. In […]
Book Review — Creation Basics & Beyond, 1st Edition
Creation Basics & Beyond sounds like a fairly generic, nondescript title, but it’s actually fitting. Sometimes it can be very basic, and other times it goes beyond my understanding to the point that I have to just leave a note on the chapter to go back to it because I simply failed to grasp what […]
Psalm 96:10 Jesus Reigns!
Jesus Reigns! Psalm 96 is like a lot of passages of the Bible—this chapter isn’t simply written about a single topic. Psalm 96 references our need to sing to the Lord Jesus Christ (Psalm 96:1-2), evangelize the nations (Psalm 96:2-3), fear the Lord (Psalm 96:4), recognize Him as Creator and everything else as an idol […]
Christianity is Supernatural
The following is an excerpt from my forthcoming book — A Change of Heart Christianity is supernatural. Left to ourselves we do not fear God, seek God, truly understand God, or care about God’s glory at all. Without the Holy Spirit, we don’t even want to know the problem, much less possess the means or […]