Have you ever heard of Lady Jane Grey (1537–1554)? She reigned as queen of England for a mere nine days, from July 10th until July 19th 1553, after which she was deposed, locked up in the tower of London, and executed. She was Queen at sixteen and beheaded at seventeen. As dramatic a story as […]

If you ever do evangelism, you can sometimes tell when the Holy Spirit is working on someone’s heart and when He isn’t. Some people are simply dead to any spiritual conversation. They may know about “religious” things but have no genuine interest in them. They do not understand why salvation and the possibility of life […]

A devotional author I follow defined faith in this way: “What, then, is faith? It’s a decision of the will to act on what the mind believes is true. The mind reads something in Scripture, and in our spirit, the Holy Spirit says, “Yes, that’s true,” and we say, “Yes, that’s true,” and then in […]

You might have heard of the terms Biblical theology and systematic theology. What is the difference? Shouldn’t all theology be Biblical? Charles Price and Ian Randall explain it this way: “The difference in approach between biblical theology and systematic theology is that whereas the former wrestles with the actual text of Scripture in its own […]

Why do religious people hate the grace message? And I mean hate it. They don’t just think it is wrong, but damnable heresy, and oppose it at every turn. The Philippians faced that kind of opposition to grace. Paul warned them against legalists he called “the dogs” and “evil workers” (Phil 3:2). They put confidence […]

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Everyone has three “parts”—spirit, soul, and body. The question is, which part is dominant? It can either be your spirit or […]

Have you ever heard of a “carnal Christian”? Do you know what that is? Generally speaking, to be carnal means to be dominated by the flesh. All unbelievers are carnal because they do not have the Holy Spirit within them. You need the Spirit to be spiritual. But having the Holy Spirit within does not […]

Do you worry about the decline of Christianity? The Guardian reports, “Churches are closing at rapid numbers in the US, researchers say, as congregations dwindle across the country and a younger generation of Americans abandon Christianity altogether” (see here). You might be tempted to think of that as bad news. For over 1500 years, Western […]

What do you think about the medieval church? Do you feel a sense of connection to it or see it as a time of apostasy? Do you think it’s vital for your church to be able to trace its history to the time of the apostles (called successionism), or do you believe God restored the […]

God’s grace in Christ changes everything, including how you approach discipleship. Here are three things that make grace-based discipleship different. There’s a Different Goal: Most views of discipleship make eternal salvation their goal. You become a faithful disciple to ensure you go to heaven when you die. By contrast, under grace, whoever believes in Jesus […]

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms (1 Pet 4:10). God gave you a gift. A spiritual gift. Of course, you have plenty of natural aptitudes, interests, and abilities that make you uniquely you. You can and should serve […]

The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling (1 Pet 4:7-9). “Today’s host is tomorrow’s guest,” says a Bedouin proverb, reflecting the importance […]

Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility […]

Have you been in a tornado? Do you remember what that was like? The sky got dark. Real dark. There were swirling clouds of grey and blue and black. The wind started blowing with a roar and whoosh. Leaves flew everywhere. Trees bent with the wind. Beach balls and umbrellas were flying through the air. […]

Robert W. Jenson (1930–2017) was considered by some to be America’s “best” theologian. That means he was a theologian’s theologian who wrote for other professors at elite institutions. And Jenson didn’t make the reading easy. Virtually every sentence is a distillation of his encyclopedic knowledge of theological history. If you’re not equally at home with […]

I was a member of the Orthodox Church for about four years. Thanks to my time there, I learned a vital lesson. I began studying the Orthodox Church at university. McGill's religious studies department, with its associated theological colleges, were academically rigorous but mostly liberal and unsympathetic to Evangelical authors. When I wrote papers, I […]

Do you know what one of the hardest things to say is? “Worcestershire Sauce.” But the second hardest is, “I’m sorry.” No one likes to say those words, but we all need to because we’ve all done things we must apologize for. Have you accidentally (but on purpose) hit your brother or sister? I thought […]

In the classical Protestant paradigm, the clergyman, the ordained priest, is “the Minister.” Whether a Presbyterian preacher, Anglican priest, or Baptist pastor, he does the work of the ministry while the laypeople either sit silently or can help with practical things around the church building. Evangelical churches have mostly adopted that clergy/laity distinction with the […]

In January, we adopted a calico kitten that we named Beans. She was intelligent and affectionate. I called her my “theology kitty” because she’d sleep in my lap or among the piles of books in my library as I studied and wrote. She was a delightful addition to the household. Then last week, while the […]

Have you ever really, really, really missed your mommy or daddy? Do you remember when one of them had to be away from home for a few days or even a few weeks? Maybe your daddy had to go on a business trip to another state. Or your mom had to care for your grandpa […]