Tag: sin

Foundations of Grace: Total Depravity

October 16, 2023
Our congregation is Presbyterian and Reformed. What does that mean? The words attached to our church buildings and congregations entail a particular tradition or set of beliefs. Every church has them whether they wish to admit them or not. Even the non-denominational church follows models of belief common among other non-denominational churches. What does it … More Foundations of Grace: Total Depravity

God’s Grace to Noah

October 9, 2023
I’ve never understood why the nurseries in churches so often highlight the story of Noah’s ark. If you are unaware of this story, it’s one of the most frightening displays of God’s raw power and justice in all of Scripture. In it we learn that the wickedness of humanity is so vast that the only … More God’s Grace to Noah

The King Who Sang

April 11, 2022
There are few figures in Scripture as notable as David. Even today, people unfamiliar with the Scriptures as a whole have at least heard that phrase, “The LORD is my shepherd…” (Psalm 23:1). David was a prolific song writer and the Psalms are one of the church’s greatest heirlooms. Even more than a simple musician … More The King Who Sang

Sin is Always Costly

May 17, 2021
There are many things in our world that have penalties. At the present I am suffering the penalty for loving more chocolate than I ought. We find penalties for poor diets. We find penalties for failing to recognize the limits of our bodies, perhaps after too much lawn work. Maybe we’ve learned about penalties because … More Sin is Always Costly

Paradise Reclaimed

May 4, 2021
In the book of Genesis, we read about the first instance of evil committed by humanity. Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden and they bought into the lie of the serpent which was that God never had their best interests in mind. The lie told was that they could elevate themselves to … More Paradise Reclaimed

Relational Dissonance

April 27, 2021
Any genuine consideration of the text of the Bible inevitably has to consider the notion of sin. Depending on your translation the word “sin” occurs over 750 times. But we cannot mistake an awareness of a word with its comprehension. There are various words and terms in our own world that we encounter regularly and … More Relational Dissonance

Spiritually Dead

April 19, 2021
From the autumn of 1618 to late spring in 1619, an assembly of godly pastor-theologians met in a city of the Netherlands called Dordrecht (or Dort for short). This synod, or assembly, was truly international having eight countries present and involving nearly 100 delegates. They assembled to settle a dispute about the nature of salvation, … More Spiritually Dead

What Does God Require?

April 10, 2021
One of the central teachings of the Christian faith is that God is holy. We are reminded in Isaiah 6:3 that God is not merely holy but is “Holy, holy, holy.” The holiness of God is a demonstration of His transcendence and purity. We are drawn to consider in the holiness of God that He … More What Does God Require?