Pastor's Blog

There is no aspect of human life or activity that lies outside the scope of the Christian faith, and certainly not so vital an activity as the conduct of civil government. This becomes apparent when the central truth of the Christian faith is properly understood. That truth is this: Jesus is Lord. Many treat this statement, written by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans, [1] as little more than a religious platitude. Others see it as simply an expression of one’s own personal religious commitment, still others as a kind of magical salvation formula: “Just say these words, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and you will be saved.” But in fact, the statement is the single most important datum of all reality, namely that all things are subject to the governance of Jesus Christ, the One who created all things in the beginning, [2] maintains all things in existence now and forever, [3] and has reconciled all things in heaven and on earth to God by the blood of his cross. [4] When he completed th...

Some of the most widely neglected sections of the Bible—sections often skipped over by those who begin the new year with a good resolve to read the Bible through—are sections that contain case law ( e.g., Ex. 21-23). These are sections designed for use by the judges of Israel to guide them in rendering just judgments in the cases that come before them. The laws seem irrelevant to many modern readers because they were given in the ancient world to a people living an agrarian lifestyle and having customs very different from our own. But a careful reading of these laws, with an understanding of their historical and cultural contexts, will amply repay the effort by revealing basic principles of justice and imparting wisdom for daily life (Deut. 4:6; Ps. 119:98; Prov. 28:5). In a previous post we examined the not so prudent jurisprudence of Islamic law regarding theft in light of the prudent jurisprudence of biblical case law. A recent story in the news caught my eye today that furth...

Few things are as important to understand about man as the two foundational truths that he is created in the image of God, and he is fallen. [1] The first ensures that the existence of God is something man cannot not know; the second that some men will nevertheless deny that they know it. The image of God in man is the basis for what Calvin refers to as a sensus divinitatis. “There is,” he says, “within the human mind, and indeed by natural instinct, an awareness of divinity .” [2] He observes further, To prevent anyone from taking refuge in the pretense of ignorance, God himself has implanted in all men a certain understanding of his divine majesty… Since, therefore, men one and all perceive that there is a God and that he is their Maker, they are condemned by their own testimony because they have failed to honor him and to consecrate their lives to his will. [3] Furthermore, this “awareness of divinity” is inescapable. The conviction…that there is some God, is naturally i...