Ye that love the LORD, hate evil… (Psalm 97:10) Very often, the word “holiness” is defined in a negative way, as that which is set apart from what is common. While not wrong or inaccurate, Sinclair Ferguson argues convincingly in
SANCTIFYING VIRTUES: HOPE
I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. (Psalm 130:5) Closely related to the virtue of faith is that of hope. Hope can be understood simply as faith in what is still
SANCTIFYING VIRTUES: FAITH
It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. (Psalm 118:8) The importance of faith in our sanctification is hard to overstate, if for no other reason than the fact that not only is unbelief
A Judgment According to Works
“Your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:4, 6, 18) The Sermon on the Mount is perhaps the most iconic of our Lord’s many recorded discourses with his disciples. It includes many iconic statements, like “Do
Good Works are Absolutely Necessary for Salvation
…if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. (Gal. 3:21) If you don’t agree with the statement made in the title, it is likely you have misunderstood the relationship between
When God Cannot Be Unpraised
Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him… (Psalm 42:5, 11; 43:5) As sinful and prideful creatures, our tendency is often to turn to God’s help as a last resort, after we have exhausted our other options. We
Love Thyself
For no one ever hates his own flesh… (Eph. 5:29) I get very uncomfortable with drastic revisionist readings of Scripture, but this post is an attempt at one. And it is of a very well-known verse of the Bible. I
When God Cannot Be Fled From
If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there… (Psalm 139:8) For many Christians, the doctrine of God’s omnipresence is a given, but the implications of this truth is not meditated upon enough. For the psalmist, God’s being
Live by the Sword, Die by the Sword
“All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword” (Matthew 26:52). It is interesting to think about how the ancient gods are all long dead. Not that they were ever alive, of course, but they had the illusion
When God Cannot Be Found
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Psalm 22:1) As the pastor of a church that sings only the 150 Psalms of the Bible, one question that is often asked is, “Where is Christ in the Psalms?” And