Holy Spirit

Worship in Redemptive History

Mark Johnston
Nov 9, 2018
The ‘wars’ that have raged around ‘worship’ are anything but new. Even though they may only been expressed explicitly in these terms in the recent history of the church, they are as old as the church. Indeed they are as old as our race itself. The very moment the serpent questioned the principle...

The Old Man Crucified: Free to Struggle

Rachel Miller
Oct 26, 2018
Struggling to be Free or Free to Struggle? I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Gal 2:20, NASB What should the Christian life...

The Old Man Crucified: Putting Off & Putting On

David Smith
Oct 24, 2018
The terms old and new are like the terms high and low , tall and short and big and little ; they are relative terms; we know what they mean as they are used in relation to a fixed measurable standard. I am short in relation to some people, tall in relation to others. When the term old man or old...

Counselor, Comforter, Keeper?

Nick Batzig
Oct 3, 2018
One exegetical consideration upon which I have never truly been settled is that which concerns the meaning of the word παράκλητος (Paraklete)--as it appears in such places in Scripture as 1 John 2:1 and John 14:16. The list of translation options from which we may choose includes such glosses as...

Only for a Time

Nick Batzig
Jul 19, 2018
I was interested to see that the cessationism/continuitionism issue is surfacing again--due to Matt Chandler's recent sermon, " A Supernatural Community and a Personal Word ." Matt's introductory argument is as follows: Many Christians do not experience the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit ( i.e...

A Prayer for the Church (Galatians 5:16-26)

Chad Van Dixhoorn
Jul 16, 2018
Our Father in heaven, we rejoice to remember that hidden in the holiness of your Son, you count us holy in your sight. Not only as we pray, but as we live each day, you see us as saints, set apart by our Savior, for our Savior. And yet we live in the hope that what we see by faith, we will one day...

How Should We Benefit From Communion?

Ian Hamilton
Jul 12, 2018
Editor's Note: For more from Ian Hamilton, be sure to check out the latest "A Place For Truth" booklet (Providence) at ReformedResources.org . "How Should We Benefit From Communion?" Many helpful books and articles have been written on the subject. Often we encourage the believer to meditate on...

Primary or Secondary Importance?: Interpretive Anarchy?

Stephen Unthank
May 28, 2018
It could be argued that the very concept of primary and secondary doctrines is a very Protestant problem, precisely because it comes down to an understanding of interpretive authority. Older writers referred to primary doctrines as dogma, those doctrines which have a definite and decidedly fixed...

We will devote ourselves to Prayer

Mark Johnston
May 15, 2018
How much is prayer a priority in the life of those who are called to the ministry? It is a probing question, because it relates largely to the hidden life of ministers. In that sense, if we who are ministers are honest, it is also an embarrassing question; because the answer may well be that it...

The Apostles' Creed: Born of the Virgin Mary

Steven McCarthy
May 8, 2018
December 25 is indelibly linked in most minds with celebrations of Jesus’ birth. What about March 25 (exactly nine months earlier)? That day has traditionally been associated with “the Annunciation”, the angel Gabriel’s announcement to a young Jewish woman that she would be the mother of her Lord...