The following is a post by Pastor Rob Golding of First Artesia Christian Reformed Church. He also writes for the Westminster Theological Seminary Magazine. A fish swallowed the recalcitrant prophet Jonah, but what happens when the obstinate Christian similarly buries his feet in the sand? Is the Christian’s fish only for cars, or does God appoint fish … Continue reading We Are Jonah
Matthew Henry once suggested we can sometimes neglect to obey God because we misinterpret trials and challenges as permission to shirk our responsibility when, instead, God allowed these hardships to test and exercise our courage and faith. Here is an example. Imagine you are a pastor the Holy Spirit has called to preach the whole … Continue reading Misreading Providence for Personal Gain
Why did God allow humans to fall into sin? To answer that question, we need to think of redemption. If our redemption (and glorification) is merely a return to the garden-of-Eden-state, then the fall makes little sense (hardly the felix culpa it's known to be). On the other hand, if our redemption eventually brings us to a state that is better than our original state in Eden, the fall begins to make sense. In that way, the fall is a tool in the hands of the Redeemer... CLICK TO READ MORE.
In the Christian life, there are times of rest and times of struggle, and what we do when the sun is shining will often determine how well we will fare when the rains fall and the winds blow. It is usually the pleasant times when self-confidence becomes exaggerated that many professing Christians tend to chip … Continue reading Chipping Away Our Confidence in Christ
The following is a guest post by my son, Mark Eaton. When it comes to seeing the love of Christ in the Song of Songs, errors can be made in two opposite extremes. Often, every word is presented as part of an allegory of Jesus and the Church, or Jesus is removed altogether and is … Continue reading The Love of Christ in the Song of Solomon
It is not God's will that we know everything about him or his plan. He has given us everything we need to know pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), but he has not given us everything. At one point in Revelation, John sees a mighty Angel. He is so large that he has … Continue reading The Knowledge God Keeps From Us
Remember from where you have fallen (Revelation 2:4). Wake up and strengthen what remains and is about to die (Revelation 3:2). These two phrases, the first spoken to the church in Ephesus, and the second spoken to the church in Sardis, summarize the condition of our spiritual lives from time to time. For countless Christians, it is easy to reflect … Continue reading Strengthen What Remains
We all tend to examine others more quickly than we examine ourselves. How many sermons have we sat through only to critique the pastor afterward without ever considering how we measure up to the text he was preaching? Below is the second sermon I had the privilege of preaching this weekend, addressing this tendency. CLICK TO READ MORE...
If we have been nursing secret sin and not been exposed, that is because God has not decided to reveal it up to this point. Nothing we do is unknown to God, and in his omnipotence, he could expose us at any moment if he so chooses. Sin is only as hidden as God allows. We see … Continue reading Sin is Only as Hidden as God Allows
There are times as Christians when we miss the forest for the trees. People in our life may admire the depth of our theological understanding. Others may wish they could quote scripture as quickly as we do. Still, others see our involvement in the church and think, "there goes one of the godliest men or women I know." … Continue reading Missing the Christian Forest for the Trees
The Fight of Faith 