The ages before the birth of Christ are called BC, before Christ. The years after are called AD, which does not mean after death. Rather, it stands for a Latin phrase: anno Domini (the year of the Lord). We are now counting years since the arrival of Christ. And though He died, He did not …
This is not an easy question to answer, especially whenever we consider the church local or universal, visible or invisible. Thankfully, this answer applies to both. God chooses and preserves for himself a community elected for eternal life. Those opening words contain terms that can be uncomfortable for some Christians, but this is simply language …
Three things are too wonderful for me;Four I do not understand:The way of an eagle in the sky,The way of a serpent on a rock,The way of a ship on the high seas,And the way of a man with a virgin. Proverbs 30:18-9 ESV The text before us this morning is itself the embodiment of …
Continue reading The Way of a Man with a Virgin | Proverbs 30:18-19
AUTHOR The superscription for the whole book is Song of Songs 1:1: "The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's." That is why the book is often called the Song of Solomon. Indeed, most evangelical commentators argue for Solomon as the author. A popular speculation throughout church history is that Solomon wrote Song of Songs in …
This question builds on the previous one, which answered: What is the Lord's Supper? Now, just like with baptism, we have a clarifying follow-up. Baptism is a beautiful picture of our saving faith in Jesus Christ, but it does not wash away sin itself. Baptism is necessary for the Christian life but not for salvation. …
Continue reading Question 47: Does the Lord’s Supper Add Anything to Christ’s Atoning Work?
Psalm 45 is a love song. But it may not be the kind of love song that we are expecting. One commentator writes: This psalm is a hymn celebrating a royal wedding. As its title says, it is a love song. The term translated "love" (Hb. yedidot) indicates deep personal attachment but is not in …
The New Year is here. Have you already started a new devotional? A devotional is book of sort, often daily, readings. Many have 365 readings for the whole year. They are usually written to be relatable and encouraging. The more theologically robust ones typically reflect on a particular verse or passage of Scripture, sometimes encouraging …
The four-volume Reformed Systematic Theology by Joel Beeke and Paul Smalley is a massive work. Reading it cover to cover is quite a journey to embark upon but also a satisfying accomplishment to complete. Indeed, that is one of the reasons why our church has recently used this set as the primary reading of our …
Continue reading Reformed Systematic Theology | Joel Beeke and Paul Smalley
After addressing baptism over the past two questions, we now come to the second ordinance: the Lord's Supper. The catechism's answer begins by grounding the Supper in Christ's command, which again is what makes it an ordinance. Just as baptism is commanded by Christ in the Great Commission, so the Lord's Supper was instituted at …
For most of history, poetry held a primary place in people's lives. In largely pre-literate cultures, bards functioned as the great entertainers and keepers of knowledge and story. Their performances at feasts were something like the first blockbusters, as they performed epic poems about heroic deeds that captured the history and identity of their people. …
B. C. Newton 