§ 4. Nomista. But yet, sir, you, see that Christ requires a thirsting, before a man come unto him, the which, I conceive, cannot be without true repentance. Evangelista. In the last chapter of the Revelation, verse 17, Christ makes the same . . . Continue reading →
Biblical theology
Psalm 42: Desiring God (Part 3)
When we left this psalm at the end of part 2, we noted that the psalmist was drawing from his spiritual reservoir, so to speak. Continue reading →
Psalm 42: Desiring God (Part 2)
Last time, in part 1 of our study on Psalm 42, we began to consider how love for God’s house is the essence of true piety. Continue reading →
The Fruit Of The Spirit: The Fifth Fruit—Kindness
Most Christians probably agree that it would be nice to know exactly what God wants us to do in certain situations. For example, if your dear friend has been avoiding you lately, you might wish that God would specifically tell you what . . . Continue reading →
Psalm 42: Desiring God (Part 1)
One reason to love the Psalms is that they serve as a fierce rejoinder to the trendy spirituality of our age. If we are honest, sometimes (whether through the influence of our wider culture or through the influence of other Christians), we . . . Continue reading →
The Covenant Before The Covenants
Those not well read in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Reformed theology might be forgiven their ignorance of the covenant of redemption or for concluding that it is an arcane doctrine long abandoned. Continue reading →
The Fruit Of The Spirit: The Fourth Fruit—Patience
Whenever I go on multi-day hikes with friends, we have friendly arguments about candy bars. When you are in the middle of a long hike, you dream about food. So the arguments start. Which candy bar is number one? KitKat? Twix? 100Grand? . . . Continue reading →
As It Was In The Days Of Noah (32): 2 Peter 1:16–21 (Part 3)
Last time, we saw from verse 19 that God has given us his sure prophetic Word as we wait for the rising of the morning star—the objective return of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Continue reading →
As It Was In The Days Of Noah (31): 2 Peter 1:16–21 (Part 2)
In considering the origins of idolatry, Calvin considers some theories by some pagan writers (profanos scriptores—unhappily translated in the Battles edition as “secular writers”) and the pervasiveness of idolatry even among the covenant people under the types and shadows and he concludes, “hence we may gather that human nature is a perpetual workshop of idols.” Continue reading →
Covenant Nomism And The Exile
At first sight, covenantal nomism may seem to be strongly supported by the analogy of a marriage relationship that the Old Testament uses to describe the relationship between the Lord and Israel. Continue reading →
The Fruit Of The Spirit: The Third Fruit—Peace (Part 2)
When Paul talks about peace as a fruit of the Spirit, we have to remember the above aspects of peace. It is found in God, and it is from God through faith in Christ. These are objective. When Paul mentions peace as a fruit, however, he is referring to peace in a subjective way. Continue reading →
The Fruit Of The Spirit: The Third Fruit—Peace (Part 1)
In one episode of the 90’s sitcom Seinfeld, the catchphrase is “serenity now!” Frank (George’s dad) had high blood pressure and he heard on a cassette tape that if you say, “serenity now,” it would help keep your blood pressure down. So . . . Continue reading →
Troubled Bones And The God Who Turns: Psalm 6 (Part 3)
Having given this wonderful text of Psalm 6 an expositional and pastoral survey in our previous two articles, we return one last time for a third installment wherein we consider further implications and applications from this marvelous psalm. Inspired by the example . . . Continue reading →
The Fruit Of The Spirit: The Second Fruit—Joy
Many people think that the purpose of life is to be happy. If you stop, look around, and think about it, you will notice that the chief pursuit of many people’s lives is happiness or pleasure. People today want to be happy. . . . Continue reading →
Troubled Bones And The God Who Turns: Psalm 6 (Part 2)
Last time in part one of our Psalm 6 devotional, we asked whether or not the reality of sin really troubles us—not necessarily the sin we see in society, but sin and of itself: the interruption, perversion, and warping of the natural . . . Continue reading →
Troubled Bones And The God Who Turns: Psalm 6 (Part 1)
How much does sin trouble us? I do not mean necessarily the sin we see in society. We are not thinking here specifically about the sexual revolution or the moral decay of our nation, though these are devastating. But rather, consider sin . . . Continue reading →
Psalm 146: He Who Keeps Faith Forever
During the course of this year, some 64 countries across the world will be going to the polls to elect new governments. In South Africa, where I live, we have just had a momentous election wherein the African National Congress (ANC) lost . . . Continue reading →
The Fruit Of The Spirit: The First Fruit—Love
In the first article of the series, we learned that the fruit of the Spirit are Christian virtues that glorify God, bless other people, and benefit us. When Christ redeemed us, he gave us his Spirit and united us to himself, giving . . . Continue reading →
Singing The Eightieth, Pleading For Reform
For more than a decade I have owned a blueberry field and nursery as the tentmaking part of bi-vocational ministry. Beginning with tender youngstock, meticulously kept and established, the planting has spread into a thriving fruit forest. The plants started with a . . . Continue reading →
Psalm 115: The Cure For Idolatry In The Postmodern World (Part 3)
My wife and I have moved quite a lot in our adult lives. We have done local and cross-country moves. We have met a lot of wonderful people along the way. Continue reading →