Throughout history, the church has found itself at the crossroads of the sacred and the secular, where competing voices would lead us in different directions. The recent surge of interest in varying aspects of critical theory has forced many church leaders and members to make active decisions as to how,Continue Reading
Mike Abendroth In part 2 of this series, we considered the case of the rich young ruler. In this final instalment, let us consider one of the most important passages in this debate: Romans 2:13. Advantage #4 – Giving assurance to believers Lordship Salvation (LS) regularly calls into question a person’sContinue Reading
The Orthodox Presbyterian Church’s Special Committee on Marriage and Sexuality offers the material below as resources for reflection. The Special Committee recommends these works as worthy of consideration but does not intend to endorse the authors of these works generally. The views expressed in the material are not necessarily thoseContinue Reading
Like the Heidelberg Catechism (1563), Romans is in three parts: guilt, grace and gratitude. We may consider Romans 1:1–17 the prologue to the epistle. The guilt section runs from 1:18–3:20. Here Paul is preaching the law in its first use: to convict the world of sin and its need for a Saviour. Failure toContinue Reading
[The] gospels do not speak at length or even frequently about Jesus “hanging out” (as people say) with prostitutes or even with sinners. When we account for the repetition of the same narratives in the synoptic gospels (i.e., Matthew, Mark and Luke), we can focus on three passages: Matthew 9:10, 32-32; and LukeContinue Reading
Just pause and think of what it meant for the Lord Jesus to obey for us, in our place. For thirty years he never once said or did anything wrong. More than that, at every single moment he positively said and did exactly the right thing, in the right way,Continue Reading
One of the most challenging trials for believers during our pilgrimage through this dark and fallen world is truly to believe and rest in the love that God has for us. Sinclair Ferguson once noted that the experience of so many believers is the internalising of the thought, “He lovesContinue Reading
By Rev. Dr Simon Jooste Just as God uses the churchly means of Word and sacraments to justify and sanctify sinners, he also uses all kinds of broader social means to uphold and sustain a common humanity. Like civil government, the institution of medicine is providentially used by God toContinue Reading
By Rev. Dr Simon Jooste The proclamation of the crucified Christ and the cost of Christian discipleship is folly to the world. This is because the world, particularly Western culture, naturally gravitates towards a theology of glory. Whether atheist or not, most forms of modern Western spirituality exalt human autonomyContinue Reading
By Rev. Dr Simon Jooste The Christian is not to be conformed to the world’s pattern of thinking (Romans 12:2). But it is particularly tempting to bow the knee to the pharmacological fruits for therapeutic narcissism and its pragmatic ethics, particularly when the billows of suffering roll in. Prozac canContinue Reading