Recent scholarship in both the ancient church and sixteenth-and seventeenth-century Protestantism have exposed an unfortunate problem with large swathes of the conservative, and especially evangelical, Protestant world. Much good work was done over the last century in both articulating a high view . . . Continue reading →
Christian Life
Christian Faithfulness In Secular Work: Clarification and Caution
I work at a forklift dealership. No matter how meticulously I try to craft that sentence to sound cooler in small talk introductions, the reality remains: I am about as common man in the common realm as it gets. Though I spend . . . Continue reading →
New Resource Page: Resources For And About Children
“Behold, children are a heritage from Yahweh, the fruit of the womb a reward” (Ps 127:3). God’s Word regards children as a great blessing. To Abraham and to all believers he gives this promise: “And I will establish my covenant between me . . . Continue reading →
Our Standing Before God Is Not Contingent On Our Obedience
Jesus, the God-man, obeyed God perfectly and was the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf, and his completed work on our behalf means that his righteousness is counted to us and his atoning death has paid for our sins in full. . . . Continue reading →
Bavinck: The Names And Revelation Of God Are An Accommodation To Our Weakness
God’s revealed names do not reveal his being as such but his accommodation to human language. Scripture is accommodated language; it is anthropomorphic through and through. God himself is described in human terms via human faculties, body parts, emotions, sensations, and actions… . . . Continue reading →
Review: A Quiet Mind To Suffer With: Mental Illness, Trauma, And The Death Of Christ By John Andrew Bryant
Objective realities and subjective experiences are different things. They are supposed to match. In a fallen world, they often do not. John Andrew Bryant’s A Quiet Mind to Suffer With tells his story of wrestling with mental illness and coming to rest . . . Continue reading →
Perkins On Paul’s Distinction Between Law And Gospel In Galatians
When Paul says, “The law is not of faith,” he sets down the main difference between the law and the gospel. The law promises life to him that performs perfect obedience, and that for his works. The gospel promises life to him . . . Continue reading →
Machen’s Reply to Lordship Salvation
Very different is the conception of faith which prevails in the liberal Church. According to modern liberalism, faith is essentially the same as “making Christ Master” in one’s life; at least it is by making Christ Master in the life that the . . . Continue reading →
Bavinck: We Learn Spiritual Realities Through The Material World
Fully adequate [exhaustive] knowledge is something of which we possess very little. Everywhere and in every area of life we finally run into mystery. The inner being of things, the thing as such, escapes our perception. We observe phenomena and from them . . . Continue reading →
Why Christian Nationalists Can’t Read
The reality facing us today is that we live in a deeply complex moment, and in particular a moment where many people feel a deep sense of rootlessness, isolation, and alienation. The false certainties of the Christian nationalists offer a certain veneer . . . Continue reading →
Machen On The Importance Of “In Order To”
Christianity will indeed accomplish many useful things in this world, but if it is accepted in order to accomplish those useful things it is not Christianity. Christianity will combat Bolshevism; but if it is accepted in order to combat Bolshevism, it is . . . Continue reading →
Perkins On How Good Works Work
Again, it may be demanded (considering we cannot fulfill the law), how our works can please God? Answer. In every good work, there is something that is God’s and something that is ours alone. The defect of the work is ours alone, . . . Continue reading →
Review: The Doctrine of Repentance By Thomas Watson (Part 2)
Having established what genuine repentance is and is not (chapters 1–4), The Doctrine of Repentance spends chapters 5–8 on the all-important why—“Why are we to repent?” Or “What are the proper motives for repentance?” The first motive that Watson offers in chapter . . . Continue reading →
Review: The Doctrine of Repentance By Thomas Watson (Part 1)
My favorite question and answer in the Westminster Shorter Catechism (WSC) is hands down number 87: “What is repentance unto life? Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of . . . Continue reading →
At Work In The Fields Of The Lord
Great crowds, international fame, best-selling books, intense media attention, sniping critics, and simmering concerns among orthodox pastors all swirling around the arrival and work of a great and famous traveling preacher—these phenomena are well-known to us today, but they also marked the . . . Continue reading →
Perkins: Christ Voluntarily Became Accused For Us
. . . how Christ was a curse, or accursed, who is the fountain of blessedness? Answer. He is not so by nature. For He is the natural Son of God. Not by His own fault, for He is the unspotted lamb . . . Continue reading →
Perkins: That Christ Was Cursed For Us Demonstrates Our Sinfulness
That Christ became a curse for us, it shows the greatness and horribleness of our sins; it shows the grievous hardness of our hearts that never almost mourn for them. It shows the unspeakable love and mercy of God, for which we . . . Continue reading →
Trueman: Our Humanity Matters to God
Given the chaotic and volatile nature of our culture, what should the church focus on in her teaching? This is one of the pressing questions of our day. The answer, of course, is “the whole counsel of God.” That is true but . . . Continue reading →
Perkins: The Use Of Sola Fide
This doctrine is of great use. First, we learn hence that a man is justified by the mere mercy of God, and that there is excluded from justification all merit of congruity,* all meritorious works of preparation wrought by us, all cooperation . . . Continue reading →
Perkins: Christ Is Given To Us In Word And Sacrament
The third question is, how the obedience of Christ should be made ours? Answer. By the free donation of God. For Christ is really given unto us in the word and sacraments; and consequently the obedience of Christ is made ours, even . . . Continue reading →