Diagnosis: Dead. Remedy: New Birth.

The title of this post is a subheading from John Piper’s book Finally Alive (for a PDF version of this book click here). Why the new birth? Here are ten descriptions of our condition apart from the new birth: Apart from the new birth, we are dead in trespasses and sin (Ephesians 2:1-2). Apart from the new birth, we are…

Taking Sin Seriously

One reason we don’t experience more holiness in our daily lives is that we don’t take some sin seriously. We’ve mentally categorized sins into that which is unacceptable and that which may be tolerated a bit. In commenting on some of the more minute Old Testament dietary laws God gave to the children of Israel,…

What Are The Weeds Of Anger?

What are the long-term results of anger or as Jerry Bridges calls it in his book Respectable Sins: Confronting The Sins We Tolerate, “weeds of anger”?  Bridges’ selected the word “weeds” because they seem to be a nuisance that you constantly have to get rid of, with the obvious correlation that the following “weeds of anger” will…

Heterosexuals & homosexuals are all marred image bearers

This is a great word from Peter Hubbard’s book Love Into Light: The Gospel, The Homosexual And The Church on why there is deafening silence in churches today concerning the issue of homosexuality. Please read carefully and weigh his words with the words of Scripture not personal preferences, opinions, or thoughts. God’s Word is the authority that…

Relationships Really Are Messy

In the Middle of the Mess, Your best relationship— no matter who it’s with— is messy! Stop and think about your most satisfying relationship. (If you are having difficulty, we have proven our point.) Ask yourself these simple questions about this relationship: Have you ever felt misunderstood? Have you ever been hurt by what the…

Ordinary people using ordinary means can understand the Bible

DeYoung in his book Taking God At His Word walks through several doctrines of Scripture that if rightly understood should foster confidence in a Christian concerning the Bible. One doctrine is the clarity of Scripture. Here’s several things that the clarity of Scripture means: Some portions of Scripture are clearer than others. Not every passage has a simple…