Something seemed off from the beginning. There were four of us lined up in the back of the church to help serve the Lord’s Supper. Our church is not large, so I was surprised that I did not really know the other three. I recognized them, and I knew they were members of either the … Continue reading A Communion Nightmare
You may know a sheep from a swine, when both have fallen into the same mire, and are, in fact, so bemired, that neither by coat nor color can the one be distinguished from the other. How then distinguish them? Nothing more easy! The sheep, a type of the godly, strives and struggles to get … Continue reading Dirty Sheep or Dirty Swine?
What exactly is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? There are three basic views.
I find almost invariably when people come to me in a state of spiritual depression, that they are depressed because they do not know the faith as they should. They say: "I am such a miserable sinner, you do not know what I have been or what I have done." Why do they say that … Continue reading Spiritual Depression: A Cause and Cure
Eternally freed from sin, as one with Jesus; what a liberty! What a freedom! It is so, and so forever—it cannot be undone. "Wonder, O heavens! be astonished, O earth." I myself do wonder, with great admiration, at the glorious blast of the jubilee trumpet, which has just reached my ear, and touched my heart. … Continue reading How to Lose Your Freedom in Christ
It is always interesting to track down the origin of certain rituals that are practiced under the name "Christian" which do not have their foundation in scripture. One specific ritual worth considering is the Roman Catholic practice of last rites. To find out why this practice began, we have to go back to Tertillian who was a theologian who lived … Continue reading Are Last Rites Biblical?
What is it about being forced to slow down that makes us want to run faster than we were before? I think it is because, when sickness or some other obstacle hits us, we want to have the will to power through. Whatever it is, slowing down is something we resist, and when we are forced to do it, it is often uncomfortable. When we have no choice but to slow down, however, we realize
If you do not lie prostrate on the ground before that cross–you have never seen it! If you are not humbled in the presence of the sin-atoning Savior–you do not know Him. You were so lost that nothing could save you, but the sacrifice of God’s only begotten Son. Think of that, and as Jesus stooped for you–bow yourself in humility at His feet.
We live in a time when the enlightenment ideas that brought about modernism are being contested. The “we can do it” attitude is coming to an end. In the words of David F. Wells in the book, Above All Earthly Powers, he tells us that there are three fundamental beliefs of the enlightenment “The disappearance of … Continue reading Postmodernism’s Incompatibility with Orthodox Christianity
How happy are tried Christians, afterwards. There is no calm more deep than that which follows a storm. Who has not rejoiced in clear shinings after rain? Victorious banquets are for well-exercised soldiers.
The Fight of Faith 