Have you ever noticed that the Bible does not speak about dying and going to heaven? It speaks about dying and going to be with Christ. Christ is the sum and substance of heaven’s glory. Samuel Rutherford said, “Suppose that our Lord would manifest His art, and make ten thousand …
Teaching is hard work. When Jesus and His disciples got into a boat after a full day of teaching, the disciples were not surprised that Jesus fell asleep. The gently rocking waves of the Sea of Galilee might have lulled them to sleep, too. But on their way across the …
The night on which He was betrayed, Jesus spoke to His disciples about the dawn of a new day that would be heralded by the Holy Spirit’s coming to dwell in them (John 14:17). Jesus says in John 16:8, “When he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, …
Martin Downes interviewing Joel R. Beeke: As you reflect back to your days in seminary and early years in the ministry, were there men who started out with evangelical convictions who later moved away from the gospel? How did you cope with that? I can only think of a few …
The Puritans often addressed the question, What is the place of the Law in the Christian life? We must consider the Puritans on the nature of the Law, the knowledge of it by man, and the relationship between the Law and sin. Law Is God Exercising His Right to Command …
The Heidelberg Catechism (Q. 31) says Jesus is called the Christ because Christ means “anointed,” and He was ordained by God and anointed by the Spirit for His work as our prophet, priest, and king. What is perhaps more startling is the way the Catechism applies this to us in …
John Calvin embraced a high view of preaching. He called the preaching office “the most excellent of all things,” commended by God that it might be held in the highest esteem. “There is nothing more notable or glorious in the church than the ministry of the gospel,” he concluded. [Institutes …
How do we view ourselves as ministers of the Word? Why are we in the ministry? What does our work consist of? The Word “An apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God” (1:1) As an apostle, Paul was called to serve Jesus Christ as His authorized representative or …
Union with Christ is an essential and most wonderful component of the gospel. The believer’s security and acceptance with God depend on his association—indeed, his union—with Jesus Christ. Because believers and Christ are mutually united—believers in Christ (Col. 3:3) and Christ in believers (Col. 1:27; see also 1 John 3:24 and 4:13)—all …
We are often prone to use words without contemplating their meaning. Think of the word grace. We all speak of grace, declare that we are saved by grace, and say that our hope is in grace. But do we ever think about what grace means? I recognized this problem again …
