Every manner of unconfessed sin is inconsistent with communion at this table. But when the apostle comes to mention particular sins in conjunction with keeping our observance holy, it is notable which sins he singles out. One of them is murmuring. Not only are we to avoid golden-calf-like idolatries, not only are we to avoid …
The Unacknowledged Standard
“Apologetics in the Void” are repostings from an on-going electronic discussion and debate I had some time ago with members of our local community. The list serve is called Vision 20/20, and hence the name “visionaries.” Dear visionaries, This entire discussion — about the Joke, coming out as a gay or lesbian, appropriateness of coming …
Joke Police
“Apologetics in the Void” are repostings from an on-going electronic discussion and debate I had some time ago with members of our local community. The list serve is called Vision 20/20, and hence the name “visionaries.” Dear visionaries, All right. So someone posted a joke that you all consider tacky, inappropriate, and possibly illegal. But …
The Son of Jesse and His Marketing Agent
When David was preparing to meet the Philistine giant Goliath, we are fortunate that he did not have his marketing agent with him. And David said, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” And his agent said, “David, I really do not think that this language is …
Set in Order
The image of God in you is not a static thing, a mechanical imprint. The image of God means to be orderly, in accordance with His word, in true righteousness and holiness. No human being is completely disordered or unhinged, and by God’s common grace, even non-Christians still reflect some of the order that was …
When Stuck, Try Theological Innovation
How is it that we are assailed for having a high (and very Reformed) view of the sacraments, when others, like the Lutherans and the Westminster West cadre, are given a pass by the anabaptist reformed? The answer that is given to this question is that there is a basic compatibility between the covenant of …
Ah, Look at All the Lonely People
Once there was a very submissive wife, at least in her own mind. She wholeheartedly embraced whatever her husband asked of her, so long as she thought it was the right thing to do. She had very strong views on submission, and she pushed her husband regularly to make the right decisions, so that she …
Objective Christians and Husbands
In a recent book entitled The Church: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic, Rick Phillips says this: “Eventually, the evangelicals gave in to that pressure, agreeing that if you are baptized you are a Christian, even if you deny the deity of Christ and the atoning work of the cross. This is of the greatest importance …
Pleasant Words
INTRODUCTION Messages on the tongue can easily cause every Christian to respond with some sort of uh oh. We all know how readily we sin with the tongue, and if a preacher is aiming for conviction it is fairly easy to hit that target through preaching on “sins of the tongue.” But we all know, …
Offering Up Our Rest
: Father in heaven, You have given great and wonderful gifts to us, and among them we count this food, this opportunity to serve one another in fellowship as we eat it, the opportunity to sing before You, and the privilege of worshiping You tomorrow as we gather together with all the saints in the …