We serve the living God, and we are to be characterized by that same life, the life which He has imparted to us. This is the basic division in Scripture—life and death. The division is not between those who know the passwords and those who do not. The division is not between those who go …
Steve Wilkins and the PCA
Here is the ecclesiastical situation with Steve Wilkins as I currently understand it. As a result of the Auburn Avenue controversy, Lousiania Presbytery of the PCA was asked to look into Steve’s orthodoxy, which they did by means of a committee. And, given his orthodoxy, it is not surprising that they cleared him. But the …
What the Angels Said
Introduction: Grace is one of the most difficult things in the world for sinners to grasp. And as soon as we gather that it is difficult, we turn the “grasping of it” into a contest and a work, with the right answer earning the “best in show” award. But of course, grace means that some …
Child Sacrifice
In the latter half of this twelfth chapter, we have some reiteration of earlier themes, as well as additional exhortation and instruction. “Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after . . .” (Deuteronomy 12:15-32). The establishment of Yahweh worship did not mean that all animals had …
A Weekly Deadline
When we gather together, we must remember the wisdom and grace of God. In an assembly like this, there must be countless offenses, grievances, hurts, misunderstandings, and more. These are knots that should not be untied; the more we try to untie them, the worse we make it. God’s way is far simpler. Love dissolves …
The Apostles’ Creed
As a congregation we have been discussing this for some time, and we have been using it in worship in our evensong service. The intent all along has been to incorporate a congregational confession of faith into our weekly service of worship. This morning we begin with the Apostles’ Creed. This creed is ancient and …
With Boisterous Psalms
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! O come, let sing before the Lord; Let us offer raucous praise To the Rock of our salvation. Let us come into His presence with thanks, And sing boisterous psalms to Him. For He is a great God, And greater in majesty …
Courtships Are Interesting
Because of how God made the world, with the marriage of His Son to the Church central to the story He was going to tell, and His determination to picture this in every human marriage, the fact is settled that courtships are therefore interesting. But we are sometimes too interested, or, in another way of …
Building Bridges, Not Walls
I saw a piece by John Piper that Justin Taylor linked to, which I actually thought made quite a few good points. And I even believe he made a number of similar points to what I had argued here. But then I saw Mark Horne’s response to Piper, and Mark didn’t seem that keen on …
Full Plates and Full Hearts
We now come to the portion of Deuteronomy where we find exposition of the second commandment, which is of course the prohibition of graven images. But as we shall see, more is involved in this commandment than a simple prohibition of what we might call gross idolatry. “These are the statutes and judgments, which ye …