Freedom is a theme that runs through Christianity. But what is freedom for the Christian? The strongest teaching of freedom that we find in the Bible is freedom from the shame and guilt of sin. Christianity espouses that every human being is born in...
Yesterday was Palm Sunday. We decided to visit a dear friend’s church in rural Haiti (Grisen-Garde, outside of Cap-Haitian). It was one of the rare Sundays that I wasn’t supposed to preach (ah, finally a respite). But before we walked into the...
You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen — Ezekiel 2:7–8 It’s not uncommon for God to command his people to speak. Not only is it not uncommon, it’s quite regular. I can’t think of a single case where...
What is sanctification according to Paul? This is the question that I wrestle with in my upcoming book Holiness in Fresh Perspective: Covenant, Cross, and Kingdom (Wipf and Stock). Before answering this question, let’s take a step back and ask the...
God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world. — C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain One of the greatest symptoms of sin is that it fools us into thinking that there is...
Faith Should Not Follow Feelings, but Feelings Should Follow Faith — Part II Have you ever noticed that our feelings are not always in alignment with truth? In fact, some people argue that our feelings are rarely in alignment with truth. In fact...
A quick blurb from Holiness in Fresh Perspective: Covenant, Cross, and Kingdom (Wipf and Stock, expected 2014). When we lose the complex backdrop of God’s World Renewal Plan when reading the New Testament and interpreting God’s salvation into our...
A few days ago I wrote about Oswald Chambers (Life After Sanctification). Today’s post is from my wife’s blog which is directly from Chambers. It was so good I had to share it. God called Jesus Christ to what seemed absolute disaster...
This is a short excerpt from Holiness in Fresh Perspective: Covenant, Cross, and Kingdom. Wipf and Stock, 2014. All rights reserved. Consider Romans 1:1–4 for a moment. This is Paul’s salutation to the churches in Rome. In this salutation, Paul does...
Jesus redefines what power is. All over the New Testament Jesus is referred to as the Son of God. In our modern context, we interpret this to be the Bible’s way to attesting to the divinity of Jesus. This case certainly can be made, but there is...