In Romans 16, the apostle Paul tells us to note those who cause divisions, and to mark and avoid them. He says in the next breath that one of the things that such divisive people do is “deceive the hearts of the naïve” (Rom. 16:18). This kind of smooth (and sophomoric) talk is very easy …
Right and Wrong Notes
God tests men according to their ways, and according to the fruit of their doings. This means that there are not only right actions and wrong actions, but also a need to see the context and outcomes of various actions. As C.S. Lewis points out in Mere Christianity, there are not two kinds of notes …
Dangerous Grace
The Supper before us is a dramatic meal, at least if we understand it correctly. Jesus eats with us here, and He sits in the mercy seat. He offers His body, broken for us. He offers His cup, the cup of the new covenant in His blood. In the Old Covenant, the Holy of Holies …
Repentance and Consternation
True repentance is frequently expressed in a state of consternation. Repentance is not just a state of turning away from sin. It is what happens when someone is given a glimpse of that that sin is actually like. Repentance is not technically turning away from something that was technically wrong. Repentance is actually turning away, …
Sunday by Sunday
The world as it will be unfolds slowly. The leaven works through the loaf slowly and quietly. The mustard seed grows silently and takes its sweet time. The world to come is in fact coming, but not on our timetable. There are two kinds of unbelief. One doesn’t want the new world to come at …
Pulpit Freedom Sunday
For many churches, this Sunday is “Pulpit Freedom Sunday.” Because many churches are 501c3 tax exempt entities, and because the IRS has stiff restrictions on what such entities may do in the realm of partisan politics, many churches have drawn back from making their prophetic voice heard when it comes to the pressing moral issues …
All Encompassing Food
The bread and wine on this Table are simple fare. But appearances can be deceiving. In the course of His ministry, Jesus declared all foods to be clean. Just as the two great commandments encompass all the law and the prophets, so also this bread and wine encompasses every form of food found in the …
Holiness and Hospitality
This is a holy Table, to be sure, but it is the holiness of hospitality—not the holiness of separation and distance. The Bible teaches us both kinds of holiness. In the Old Testament, the first lesson was the lesson of consecration and holy separation. Holiness was set apart; holiness was not contaminated with common things. …
Honest Sentences
Confession of sin is acknowledgement of sin, and acknowledgement of sin is humbling. That is why we tend to avoid it. The problem is not the fact, the problem is the pride. In 1 John 1:9, the word for confess is homologeo. This word is a compound one, made up of the word for same …
Eating While Forgiven
John tells us that if any man pretends to himself that he has no sin, he deceives himself. We are to confess our sins and, according to His promise, He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But we need regularly to be reminded of several things concerning this. The first …