This Lord’s Day we are commemorating the beginning of the great Reformation of the 16th century. It is fitting, therefore, that we take this opportunity to begin our study of the book of Galatians, that great charter of Christian freedom. We need to stand fast in the liberty Christ brought to us, and we must …
Suicidal Syncretism
As Deuteronomy provides commentary on the ten commandments, the fifth commandment is next. We see here the teaching of the law on all questions of human authority. And we should notice first that the common Puritan practice of ordering all questions of law under the heading of the ten commandments is here supported (e.g. the …
A Second Battle of Tours (7)
Introduction: The Bible teaches us that God’s ways are not ours, and that God’s wisdom is folly to man, and that man’s wisdom is folly to God. Worldliness is therefore not to be thought of as shot full of vice (although in the long run it always is), but rather as something shot full of …
The Leaven of Joy
We now come to the conclusion of the Mosaic exposition on the fourth commandment. We see that the sabbath principle runs throughout the year, and is not limited to a weekly cycle. And of course we see the fulfillment of these festivals is found in Christ. “Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover …
A Second Battle of Tours (3)
Introduction: One of the things we must learn how to do is make careful distinctions. Islam arose in a world that was far more similar to the world in which Christ was born than either of those worlds is to our own. It therefore easy for us to react to certain “outlandish” things in both …
If Your Eye Be Evil . . .
We are continuing to learn about the sabbath mind as it is exhibited in rest, open-handed generosity, and joy. We are seeing that the sabbath principle is a helm which directs how the entire ship will go. “At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release . . .” (Deuteronomy 15:1-23). In …
The Sabbath Mind and the Tithe
We have seen that we are not to twist and distort God’s sabbath kindness—we are not to boil a kid in the mother’s milk. And throughout this section of Deuteronomy, although we may not be addressing the weekly sabbath directly, we are still concerned to cultivate what may be called the sabbath mind. “Thou shalt …
A Second Battle of Tours 2
Introduction: Our intent is to contrast some of the key differences between the biblical Christian faith and Islam, and to do so in a way that leads us to see the fountainhead of those differences, which is the triune nature of God, over against the radical monotheism found in Islam. In other words the differences …
One of the Truly Great Principles of Scripture
We come now to a law which strikes modern ears as somewhat odd. The law, considered in itself, is clearly a kind one, but the occasion that gave rise to the law is not one we encounter every day. Or do we? At this point, we should discover that the more things change, the more …
The Glory of Ham for Easter
How we bear the name of the Lord your God is closely related to how we eat. Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves . . . (Deuteronomy 14:1-21a). This passage begins the commentary in Deuteronomy on the third commandment, which prohibits bearing the name of the Lord …