The extent of the problem is entirely missed by “grace only” preaching. Hypocrites, “false professors”, as the Puritans called them, and the self-deceived, all professing believers, all members of the visible church, have to be taken into account as the church’s preaching even as they are in the Apostles’ epistles.“Cheap grace” is the term that Dietrich Bonhoeffer coined to describe false grace, w...  Read More

Nevertheless, the example of the biblical writers tells us that we have the obligation to use every literary and rhetorical weapon in our arsenal to preserve the health of the gospel and the church. For us to refuse to ridicule the ridiculous is to be guilty of false modesty, and probably faithlessness.“You are already filled, you have already become rich, you have become kings without us; and ind...  Read More

The breakdown of ecclesiastical discipline in the 1960’s, combined with the unrestrained energy and enthusiasm of the Jesus movement, resulted in an anarchy of baptismal practices that is still with us today. Spontaneous baptisms in backyard swimming pools, at lakes, and at beaches are not uncommon. “Believers” baptisms accompanied by clapping, cheering, and high-fives are widespread. Paedobaptism...  Read More

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Those who (realize that they) are forgiven must love much (Lk 7:47). We can even say that love/gratitude is the highest motivation for Christian living. What we can’t say is that it is the Christian’s only valid motivation. Not by a long shot.I know a little about God’s grace. I’ve experienced God’s grace in Christ in my own life. I’ve written three books with grace in the title. I’ve preached gra...  Read More

“Modest dress is required, in keeping with the dignity of the place as well as the solemnity of the occasion. Whatever you strip off the wedding dress afterward to turn it into a party dress is not at issue; one does not show up for a religious ceremony in a plunging neckline or strapless party dress.” –Miss MannersOh Miss Manners, in the years since you wrote those words, the issue of modest dres...  Read More

The PCA is a land of liturgical anarchy driven by a Trotyskesque philosophy of perpetual liturgical revolution and accelerated by the rapid mutations of popular culture to which it is pegged and with which our ecclesiastical trendsetters feel duty-bound to keep pace.One summer when our children were young our family was doing our usual summer ritual of attending out-of-town PCA churches. Frankly, ...  Read More

Years ago I attended a Sunday night service at one of the largest and most prestigious evangelical churches in Southern California. Attendance in the evenings had begun to wane in recent years, so a more informal approach was being tested. The college pastor was leading the service. After the opening exercises he had us all stand, turn 90 degrees, and give the person next to us a standing back mas...  Read More

It is “cruel,” said J. I. Packer. The teaching that says the Christian life is easy, that it can be lived without stress, that if one would only trust God for sanctification as one has trusted Him for justification, then all would be well, is just that: cruel. It gives rise to unreasonable and unachievable expectations among the people of God. This theology has been known by several names: the hig...  Read More

Here we go again (see Tabletalk May 2009). The apostle Paul is dredging up the past once more. We, in turn, ask again, is there anything to be gained by recalling a past that is somewhere on the spectrum between flawed and degraded? It is widely assumed not. Don’t go back there. Forget about it. The apostle Paul is even enlisted in the cause of forgetfulness: “forgetting what lies behind and reach...  Read More

There it is in Titus 1:10. It’s one of those crucial Bible words: “For.” The apostle Paul has made much of the church finding devout leadership in verses 5–9. He’s listed the required character qualities, behavior, knowledge, and gifts of potential candidates. The “for” of verse 10 means that the next bit (vv. 10–16, NASB) explains why devout leadership is so important. “You must have godly, infor...  Read More

Rich people are materialistic. We all know it. All they care about is their money and things. Or so I thought. My background consists of a blue-collar neighborhood and an inner-city high school in Southern California. My quick judgment of wealthy people, when first I encountered them, was that they were superficial, worldly, and materialistic. They were caught up in things and appearances. They la...  Read More