The book of Ephesians is marvelous. I have found Ephesians 1:3–14 to be one of my favorite passages of Scripture. These verses teach us the trinitarian work of salvation. They are Christ-focused and give believers a taste of the blessings we have in Him. They show us that salvation is God’s work for God’s glory … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
Like the proverbial Eskimo with 100 words for snow, Petrus van Mastricht was a theologian with countless ways to describe faith and the Triune God we are called to place our faith in.
The following is an excerpt from my book From Death to Life: How Salvation Works The Reality In too many churches, we’ve essentially equated saying the right words to God as a third ordinance: Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and the Sinner’s Prayer. Once this prayer is recited, it’s a done deal and no matter what … Read more
Currently, I am preaching through Genesis 1-11 at Perryville Second Baptist Church. In our 33rd week through the series (no, I am not recommending everyone go that slow!) we came upon the curious case of Enoch in Genesis 5:22-24. This series of posts (see part 1 here) fleshes out some thoughts on Enoch’s walk with … Read more
Christians are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone to the glory of God alone. These are precious truths held dear by all true believers. But, what exactly is saving faith? Saving faith is a gift of God (Philippians 1:29), whereby a person is united to Christ and receives a full pardon … Read more